NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

9/16/2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES - Tony C. Smith, associate professor of music at Northwestern State University, has been named acting coordinator of music for the Mrs. H.D. Dear and Alice E. Dear School for Creative and Performing Arts, according to director of the School Bill Brent, director.

Smith will coordinate the activities of the music faculty and pursue various administrative projects for the School. He will also continue his duties as coordinator and instructor for NSU's "Exploring the Arts" course, which he helped originate in the 1980's. Smith also specializes in instruction in oboe and music history/literature.

"Professor Smith has served NSU and her students for more than 25 years and I have no doubt but that he will bring a new and exciting approach to leading the music program at NSU," said Brent. "Personally, having observed Mr. Smith work with both students and faculty, I feel confident that he will always do his best to insure the quality of teaching for our students and that our faculty have the materials and supplies they need to do their jobs in a professional manner.

"The creation of this 12-month position has been needed for a number of years in the School of Creative and Performing Arts and, with Mr. Smith coordinating the efforts of the music program, music will now join art and theatre with an area coordinator. I congratulate Mr. Smith and applaud President Dr. Randall J. Webb, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Anthony Scheffler, Vice President for Business Affairs Carl Jones and Dean of Liberal Arts Donald Hatley for their efforts to make this become a reality."

Smith, who is in his 28th year on NSU's faculty, was the recipient of the Northwestern Alumni Association's "Outstanding Faculty" award in 1990. He has been awarded the Magale Endowed Professorship on two occasions to conduct professional research. Smith was chosen to be a faculty participant for the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities' 2001 Summer Teacher Institute on "Teaching Opera and the Musical in Secondary Schools." He is a devoted faculty supporter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Sigma Alpha Iota professional music fraternities, as well as NSU's theatre program.

"I'm very excited to take on this new challenge," said Smith, who has given numerous academic presentations at national conferences on the field of film music. "It's my hope that this new position will help the music faculty with administrative details, to enhance their main focus of excellent teaching."

Smith holds degrees in musical performance from the University of Arkansas and the Catholic University of America, as well as post-graduate work from Catholic Univ. and the University of Maryland. As a professional oboist, he served as principal oboe/English horn with the U.S. Navy Band, Washington, D.C., in the 1970's and performed with various Louisiana orchestras, including the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony, for many years.

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