Fei-Lin Hsiao, associate professor and program director for music therapy, was named the assistant dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Conservatory of Music at University of the Pacific.

 Hsiao will help guide the Conservatory faculty, staff, and students on diversity, equity and inclusion in the arts and in arts education. She will also lead conversations about modifying curricula to reflect the experiences of historically marginalized groups and recommend changes to governance structures, policies and procedures that may create or sustain forms of systemic oppression.

“Professor Hsiao’s lived experiences in multiple cultures, her grasp of scholarly fields in music, her leadership roles in the field of music therapy, a field dedicated to health, wellness, and healing, are all strengths upon which we will draw in her new role,” said Peter Witte, dean of Pacific's Conservatory of Music. “Her keen ability to listen and perceive what is and what isn’t said in various settings has long resonated with colleagues and students. The Conservatory will benefit tremendously from her many skills and talents.”

Hsiao is a recipient of Pacific’s Champion of Diversity and Inclusion award, which recognizes individuals who elevate diversity, equity and inclusion in their work and embody Pacific’s values. She has published several studies on inclusive instruction, one of which develops effective academic accommodations for music majors with a disability.

The Conservatory is also welcoming renowned professionals to its faculty this year.

 Chanell Crichlow is assistant professor of practice in tuba and euphonium, composition and music industries. Crichlow is a multi-instrumentalist, a composer, an arranger, a singer and songwriter, and a producer and publisher of her own works.

Prize-winning flutist Brittany Trotter will be assistant professor of practice in flute. An educator, soloist and collaborator, Trotter is equally versed in post-classical contemporary and experimental music, as well as electro-acoustic music and interdisciplinary works.

Educator and composer Joseph Mazzaferro will serve as associate professor of practice in jazz and associate director of jazz studies for the Conservatory.

Four leading choral conductors have also joined the ranks: Conductors Valérie Sainte-Agathe and Marguerite Brooks will serve as artists in residence with Pacific’s choral ensembles; Pacific alumni Ricardo Campero ‘79 and Paul Kimball ‘85,  will share the podium with Pacific’s university choirs and will collaborate with Sainte-Agathe and Brooks in preparation of the Pacific singers’ repertoire.

“Each of these professors are ceiling breaking conductors, musicians, and educators in their own way. Their reputations in the world of music are superb, and their commitment to established and new music speaks for itself,” said Witte. “We are thrilled that our students and communities will get to learn from this incredible team of gifted musicians.”

Pacific’s Conservatory of Music prepares performers, teachers, therapists, composers, scholars and music industry leaders. The school offers 11 imaginative undergraduate and graduate degree programs as well as music minor options. To learn more, visit the school's admission webpage.