History of the LSU School of Music

1893

The Cadet Band is formed by two student cadets, Wylie M. Barrow and Ruffin G. Pleasant (future state governor) with an initial membership of 11 musicians.

1915

Indiana-native Henry Wallace Stopher (1883 - 1947) is named the first Director of the Department of Music by President Thomas D. Boyd on on July 27, 1915.

1917

U.S. entry into the First World War leads to numerous musical activities being suspended. Director Stopher takes leave to serve in the YMCA.

1921

The LSU Glee Club, with its membership now fully reconstituted following the end of the First World War, is the first group of its kind to perform at the Music Teachers National Association conference, held that year in Chicago, Illinois.

1923

The Bachelor of Music is approved by the university, offering LSU students a degree dedicated to musical pursuits for the first time. Sarah Summers, from Denham Springs, was the first student awarded the new degree in 1925.

1926

LSU relocates to its present-day campus along Highland Road. The Department of Music remains on the old campus in a refurbished science building until the new Music & Dramatic Arts Building is finished in 1932.

1930

The first official opera production put on by LSU, Balfe's Bohemian Girl, is performed for the state's spring high school rally. Despite minimal funding for costumes or props, the production was well-received.

1931

The Department of Music is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and, shortly thereafter, is officially reorganized as the School of Music by university administration due to its increased size.

1938

Building on the success of previous tours, the School embarks on a tour of the U.S. eastern seaboard followed by France, Belgium, and Switzerland, as part of a broader promotional campaign for the state.

1940

Following disputes over his handling of loans for the 1938 European Tour, Director Stopher takes a leave of absence and then elects to retire.

A new director, Willem Van de Wall institutes widespread efficiency reforms in the school's operation and administration, resulting in significant staff restructuring and a 26.28% reduction in spending.

1943

Director Van de Wall's contract is not renewed, and Barrett Stout is appointed Director of the School of Music in June.

Less than a month later, the School of Music is fully separated from the College of Arts & Sciences by university administration, becoming an independent unit within the LSU campus.

1944

With most male students in military service during the Second World War, women were allowed membership in LSU's band programs for the first time in history. The orchestra was also reconstituted this year, albeit with low enrollment due to the conflict.

1945

L. Bruce Jones is named as LSU's band director and begins to pivot the role of the band program from the military to "a band of serious concert music." The marching band also returned to the show band style pioneered by Castro Carazo in the 1930s.

1951

Previously a professional venture with hired singers (not students) occupying many starring roles, LSU Opera evolves into a student-led cooperative enterprise at the behest of Director Stout, with Peter Paul Fuchs brought on as the new musical director.

1955

Everett L. Timm, an Eastman graduate and conductor of the LSU Symphony since 1948, is named Director (later Dean) of the LSU School of Music, leading a school of 30 faculty members and 219 students at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

1958

LSU's original band hall burns down in a fire; only a single baritone horn and 16 Conn sousaphones were recovered. A replacement structure (known today as the Old Band Hall) is quickly rebuilt adjacent to the Music & Dramatic Arts building.

1962

The International Musician magazine, in an article of American universities with outstanding music programs, lists the LSU as one of twenty schools that "clearly show the pattern of music teaching in [the United States] and in Canada."

1965

Hurricane Betsy makes landfall as a category 4 storm and causes extensive damage to the Music & Dramatic Arts building, including flooding the basement, warping the floor of the Shaver Theater, and breaking windows. Repairs took two years, and the temporary loss of space further highlighted the need for another dedicated building for music instruction.

1966

Greek violinist-composer C. Dinos Constantinides joins the LSU faculty, marking the start of an extraordinary 55-year tenure which would only end with his passing in July 2021 at the age of 92. During his time in the School of Music, he attained the prestigious rank of LSU Boyd Professor – one of only two School of Music faculty to do so –  and never retired.

1967

The School of Music's graduate offerings continued to expand, with the first Doctor of Philosophy in Music HIstory and Literature awarded at LSU's summer commencement in August.

1970

The Tiger Marching Band, under the leadership of William F. Swor, is named the All-American College TV Band in a contest sponsored by General Motors, receiving the award after a nationally televised performance.

1971

Lucille J. Blum, president and founder of the Louisiana Council for Music and the Performing Arts, starts the Louisiana Music Lending Library, housed within the School of Music and coordinated by Dean Timm.

1977

Herndon Spillman, protégé of French composer Maurice Durufle and organist with a vibrant performance career, is hired as Professor of Organ.

1980

Frank B. Wickes is hired as Director of Bands, succeeding Nicholas M. Rouse. Previously director of bands at the University of Florida, Wickes would go on to have a lengthy and successful career at LSU, spanning nearly 30 years.

1985

After serving briefly an acting capacity, pianist Daniel Sher is named permanent dean of the LSU School of Music. Sher leads efforts to establish a fundraising endowment for the school; the first such initiative in the school's history.

1998

The LSU College of Music & Dramatic Arts is formed, uniting Music, Theatre, and Athletic Bands within a single academic unit. Ron Ross, previously the dean of the School of Music, is named the first dean of the new College.

2009

The historic Music & Dramatic Arts Building emerges from a 4.5 year, $22M renovation and expansion, expanding classrooms, adding practice and performance spaces, and restoring the art-deco design of the Shaver Theatre.

2012

The Tiger Band Hall, located north of LSU's Enchanted Forest, opens. This facility provides nearly 18,000 square feet of rehearsal space for wind and athletic bands, plus additional climate-controlled storage for marching equipment.

2018

Following a generous $4M philanthropic donation by John G. Turner & Jerry G. Fischer, the historic LSU Opera program is renamed the Turner-Fischer Center for Opera at LSU.

2019

Oscar-winning Hollywood composer and LSU alumnus Bill Conti donates his original scores and manuscripts to LSU, to be housed within LSU Libraries Special Collections and made available to students and faculty for further study.

2023

School of Music alumnus Eric Lau is named as the new dean of the College of Music & Dramatic Arts by LSU President William F. Tate IV. Lau returns home to Baton Rouge after a highly successful tenure at the University of New Mexico.