Welcome from the Chair
A warm welcome to faculty, staff, students, and friends to the 2020-21 Academic Year at the Music Department! I am honored to continue serving as the Chair of the Music Department and am excited to work with everyone as we navigate these challenging times in the world. The Covid-19 pandemic has altered the landscape for all musicians and artists throughout the world, but I am encouraged to see how the UCSB Music Department has rallied with strength and ingenuity to continue to make truly innovative and creative contributions to our university and community. The rapid change to online instruction in Spring 2020 was met with flexibility, teamwork, and resilience as we all adapted to this new virtual world. I am so proud of our music community for working together in this way. As we begin this new school year, we need to strive for continued collaboration and contact with all members of our music community, especially in times of isolation for many people. Take the time to call a friend or colleague, send a text, schedule a social zoom meeting, and find ways to reach out. This can be a lifeline for all of us as we move forward and discover new and exciting ways to stay musically connected. This, in turn, can lead to new ideas, creative projects, musical collaborations, and much needed human interaction. We have much to be proud about at the UCSB Music Department and I know that we will all continue to shine in our future endeavors by working together to offer continued inspiration to each other. Sincerely,
Robert Koenig, Chair and Professor of Keyboard 4 | UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Fall 2020 Newsletter
