“A Conversation with the Dean”
A Zoom Program Featuring William Quillen, Dean of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Moderated by Daniel Wasse ’88
We are honored to have William Quillen, Dean of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, join the Oberlin DC Club for a conversation. In his role as Dean, William Quillen manages the administrative and academic areas of the conservatory and deals with a wide range of issues, including hiring and promotion of faculty members, faculty development, music curriculum, student affairs, technology and facilities, and artistic programming.
Over the last few years, we have seen significant revisions to the Conservatory curriculum (including a full redesign of the music theory core curriculum), the hiring of numerous new faculty members, the development and launch of new programs (such as the Minor in African American Music, the Minor in Improvisation, and more), the return of the Artist Recital Series, and the creation of new ensembles (e.g., Djembe Orchestra and, starting in fall 2023, Fiddle Ensemble). The last few years also have seen a range of ensemble tours including back-to-back Carnegie Hall performances (the first in December 2022, when Conservatory ensembles were the featured performers at the United Nations Concert Gala, and the second in January 2023, when the Conservatory presented the oratorio The Ordering of Moses by Oberlin alum R. Nathaniel Dett ‘1908); performances in April 2023 in NYC at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola by Oberlin's Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble; and performances also that month in Detroit by the Contemporary Music Ensemble as part of the Resonate Symposium. The Conservatory recently formed collaborative relationships as a founding member of several new consortial initiatives (including Equity Arc and the Shared Voices Initiative, established by Denyce Graves and the Denyce Graves Foundation) and launched a new partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and the Global Foundation for the Performing Arts, which will expand international student access to world-class academic and musical instruction.
With all that great news, the last few years have been challenging for everyone in the musical community. What challenges does the Oberlin Conservatory face in the 21st century? Jazz, Gospel, and world music may have continued relevance today, but some very influential voices argue that the classical symphony orchestra is in danger of extinction without serious reforms. What vision does Dean Quillen have for a 21st century Oberlin musical education? We hope you will join us and find out.
Join Dean Quillen and moderator Daniel Wasse ’88 to explore what is happening at the Conservatory, what is new, and what to watch for.
William Quillen has been Dean of the Conservatory since his appointment in January 2019. He joined the Oberlin Conservatory in 2017, after previously serving as legacy and major gifts officer at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and was Co-Chair of the Presidential Initiative on Racial Equity and Diversity and Vice Chair for the Academic and Administrative Program Review/One Oberlin initiative. He also has served in the administrations of Berkeley Symphony (as director of development), the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players (as project developer), and the San Francisco Symphony.
A musicologist and former tubist, Dean Quillen specializes in Russian music, 20th- and 21st-century music, and the sociology of music. As a research fellow of the University of Cambridge’s Clare College (2010-13), he supervised various courses in the university’s Faculty of Music and Department of Slavonic Studies. He has also served on the faculty of the University of California at Berkeley as a visiting lecturer from 2013-14, and he has delivered a variety of invited talks at universities throughout the United States and U.K. His work has been published in the Journal of the American Musicological Society and Music & Letters, among other forums. He serves on the editorial board of Academic Studies Press’ Studies in the History and Sociology of Music series. He has appeared as a preconcert lecturer for such organizations as Cal Performances. He has helped organize concerts, conferences, and other events in the United States, U.K., and Russia.
Dean Quillen earned his undergraduate degree in Music and History from Indiana University, and a PhD in Musicology from the University of California at Berkeley.
Daniel Wasse ’88 will be moderator for the program. He teaches at Village Learning Place, teaches private piano lessons, performs with the DC Concert Orchestra, and is an officer of the DC Club. Daniel graduated from the Conservatory of Music and majored in Piano Performance.
