Second dean candidate for KU School of Music to present Nov. 9

LAWRENCE — Kevin Sanders will be the second dean candidate to present his plans for the University of Kansas School of Music.

His presentation will take place 1:30-2:30 p.m. Nov. 9 in Swarthout Recital Hall in Murphy Hall. The event will be livestreamed, and the passcode is 473759.

Sanders is currently the director of the School of Music at the University of Memphis.

The final candidate will be announced approximately two days before their campus visit. Their public presentation is scheduled for the following time and location:

• Candidate 3: 4-5 p.m. Nov. 15, Swarthout Recital Hall

Members of the KU community are encouraged to attend each presentation and provide feedback to the search committee.

A candidate feedback survey will be open for two business days following the conclusion of each finalist’s visit. A link to the survey and a recording of Sanders’ presentation will be available after the presentation on the search page until the survey closes.

Additional search information, including Sanders’ CV, is also available on the search page.

As director of the School of Music at the University of Memphis, Sanders oversees a program that produces around 300 events per year with approximately 80 faculty and staff, more than 400 students and a satellite campus in Jackson, Tennessee.

Under his leadership, the school has opened a new performing arts center, founded an alumni chapter, launched the annual Blue Note magazine, expanded its marketing and communications team and added the undergraduate music therapy major.

A classically trained musician and former professional tubist, Sanders’ work includes eight recordings and dozens of publications, commissions and presentations given around the globe, including in the United Kingdom, China, Brazil, Australia and Costa Rica. He has performed with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Macau Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony and more. He also performed as a soloist with the United States Army Orchestra in Washington, D.C.

Sanders’ previous appointments include dean's fellow for research development in the College of Communication and Fine Arts, as well as associate director for graduate studies and professor of tuba and euphonium in the School of Music at the University of Memphis. In addition, he taught at the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam and the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.

Sanders earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Indiana University, a master’s degree in music from the Juilliard School and a doctor of musical arts from Michigan State University.