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Dean of the Conservatory of Music and Dance |
Peter Witte was appointed dean of the Conservatory of Music and Dance at UMKC in August, 2008. Previously he served as chair of the Department of Music at Kennesaw State University in metropolitan Atlanta, a position he held since 1999. At KSU Mr. Witte helped plan and open $12M in music facilities, including the Dr. Bobbie Bailey and Family Performance Center hailed as “a beaut” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and as a “Georgia Jewel” by maestro Donald Runnicles. Additionally, Mr. Witte appointed more than thirty faculty and staff, helped shift the program from a department to a school of music, and partnered with students, faculty,staff and administration in events that raised $7M for KSU’s College of the Arts.
As a conductor, Mr. Witte led performances in Carnegie Hall with the National Wind Ensemble and with the Atlanta Wind Symphony, with whom he served as Music Director for seven years. As conductor of the KSU Wind Ensemble from 1997–2008, he led performances at Georgia Music Educators Association conventions and served in several capacities in the College Division of GMEA. Prior to his conducting and administrative careers, he performed as an orchestral horn player with ensembles including the Atlanta Opera, the Toledo Symphony, the Windsor Symphony, and in summer festivals in Grand Tetons, and in Graz, Austria.
While earning degrees from the University of Michigan, Mr. Witte studied horn with Louis Stout, Lowell Greer, Bryan Kennedy, and conducting with H. Robert Reynolds, who remains a particularly close mentor.