Ann Sears
Contact
About
Main Interests
American music, including African American music and American musical theater; European and American art song; piano performance, both as a soloist and as a chamber player.
Other Interests
When not engaged in musical activities, I can be found gardening, quilting, or walking a small gray dog.
Degrees
Ph.D., Catholic University of America
M.M., Arizona State University
B.M., New England Conservatory of Music
Research Interests
Current research projects include planning for a recording session of African American songs and piano pieces for a compact disc release; investigation of the American composer Ruth Lynda Deyo and her grand opera about ancient Egypt, The Diadem of Stars; editing a book of essays on American popular song; co-writing a textbook on American musical theater; and preparation of concerts for the following concert season.
Teaching Interests
At Wheaton I teach courses in African American music, American musical theater, and piano. I am currently directing independent studies in black musical theater and Verdi’s operas. I am also a reader for theses and dissertations in American music at The Catholic University of America.
Student Projects
While still a student at Wheaton, alumna Betsy Dean ’95 began an inventory of composer Ruth Lynda Deyo’s papers, now deposited in the Archives of the Wallace Library at Wheaton. She will finish the inventory as part of her graduate practicum in library science. We will co-author the published work to come out of our joint study of the Deyo papers.