Dr. Karen Wolff

Biography

Karen Wolff served as the fifth dean of the School of Music, Theatre & Dance from 2000 to 2005. She brought national prominence to the University of Michigan and was widely acknowledged for her success in leading major programs and schools of music. In spring 2003, she was appointed by President Bush to the National Council on the Arts, the advisory body for the National Endowment for the Arts, serving a six-year term. Before coming to SMTD, Wolff was the dean and professor of music at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music from 1991 to 1999. She dedicated ten years to the National Association of Schools of Music, serving on the Executive Committee and as an NASM accreditation reviewer. Wolff served on the boards of several organizations including the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Composers Forum, Greater Twin Cities Youth Orchestra, and Ohio Chamber Orchestra, and currently serves on the boards of the University Musical Society and Michigan Shakespeare Festival. An educator, she worked as the director of the School of Music at the University of Minnesota from 1987 to 1991, and from 1978 to 1987, she was a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where she served as Acting Dean and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Wolff’s research focused on the impact of music education on children's intellectual and social development, as well as helping artists and performers understand public policy issues related to the arts. She emphasizes the need for graduates of the School of Music to assume leadership positions in their communities to ensure the future of the performing arts.

Research Interests