FSU announces new dean of the College of Music

Todd Queen has been named dean of the College of Music.
Todd Queen, dean of the College of Music

Florida State University Provost Sally McRorie announced that Todd Queen has been named dean of the College of Music. He will start in the role Jan. 11, 2021.

Queen currently serves as dean of the Louisiana State University College of Music & Dramatic Arts. He will succeed Patricia Flowers, who returned to the FSU College of Music faculty last June after serving as dean since 2013.

“The College of Music is one of the greatest treasures at FSU,” McRorie said. “It is my pleasure to welcome our new dean of music, Todd Queen, an extraordinary and enthusiastic national leader in music. We are placing our great treasure in very good hands.”

Queen said he’s looking forward to coming to one of the nation’s most comprehensive and distinguished music schools at a public university.

“The FSU College of Music has long been a national leader in the music discipline,” Queen said. “I was particularly attracted to the position because of the set of broad, comprehensive degree programs that include not only strong music education, music history, theory, composition and performance programs, but also programs in music therapy, commercial music, and arts administration. I believe this comprehensive approach will continue to define the 21st-century musician, and Florida State is poised to continue to be a national leader.”

At LSU, Queen worked with faculty to modernize the undergraduate curriculum to meet the needs of the 21st-century artist. He also led LSU’s College of Music & Dramatic Arts in a $60 million fundraising campaign, and he is a strong advocate for international study. He traveled to Asia to forge a partnership with East China Normal University in Shanghai, where he was named a visiting professor.

Over his career, Queen has produced and directed more than 60 opera and musical theatre productions and has sung with many notable universities worldwide.

In 2011, Queen co-founded Opera Orvieto, a three-week summer intensive Italian operatic experience, where he served as artistic and stage director. In 2016, Opera Orvieto merged with Operafestival di Roma, where Queen currently serves as executive director.

Prior to LSU, Queen served as Professor of Voice and Chair of the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance in the College of Liberal Arts at Colorado State University.

His students have been selected for competitive young artist programs in the United States and abroad, with former students currently attending top-tier conservatories and graduate schools.

Queen earned his Doctoral of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music, after completing his undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University.

Michael Thrasher, who has served as interim dean since July, will remain with the college as associate dean for academic affairs & director of graduate studies.

Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates conducted the national search, and Tim Chapin, dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, chaired the search committee.