Robert GlasmannRobert Glasmann

professor, choral music, School of Music, College of Fine Arts

Robert Glasmann has worked with voices for almost 40 years 鈥 23 of them at 成人头条 State. In credit hours alone, Glasmann has made significant contributions to vocal performance across the nation.

Then there are his community and other professional endeavors: artistic director of the 成人头条 Chamber Chorale; director of music at First Presbyterian Church; conductor of the adult choir at St. James Episcopal Church. He conducted Opera Kansas at the 成人头条 River Festival for three seasons.

He served as guest conductor of the Salina Symphony, and performed 鈥淪weeney Todd鈥 with Salina鈥檚 symphony and community theater. He was a member of the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, appearing with the choir in France, San Antonio and Carnegie Hall.

On campus, Glasmann taught many singers who went on to national and international careers in musical theater and opera. He is proud to count Joyce DiDonato and Brian Frutiger, both of whom have appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, among his students.

He served as musical director for WSU Opera Theatre for about 50 operas from 1987-2010, he said.

Three things stand out, he said: teaching wonderful students; working with outstanding colleagues; and performing high quality choral and operatic literature.

鈥淚 am proudest of my efforts with the university's top choral ensemble, the WSU Concert Chorale,鈥 said Glasmann. 鈥淚 believe that the choir was one of the finest of its kind throughout the region . . . I will miss Concert Chorale deeply.鈥

Now he and his wife have retired to their Montana mountain home. Ann Glasmann was an applied instructor of harp at WSU from 1989-2010 whose own contributions to music are significant.

Life in Montana will be very different, Glasmann said.

鈥淥ur time is taken up with mundane and satisfying activities, such as harvesting enough firewood to make it through a Montana winter,鈥 he said. They have more time to simply listen to music, and Glasmann hopes to deepen his spiritual practice.

鈥淢y wife and I love the outdoors,鈥 he said, 鈥渁nd Montana and the Yellowstone area that we're near provide incredible opportunities to explore.鈥