While the Mizzou New Music Summer Festival was going on, two of our resident composers got some good news regarding their academic careers.

Christopher Dietz has won a one-year appointment as a full-time composition instructor at Bowling Green State University, home of the MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music. Dietz’ music was performed at BGSU in 2008 and 2009 as part of the the university’s annual new music festival.

Meanwhile, Zhou Juan (pictured) has been appointed to a full-time teaching position in the composition department of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

She hasn’t had much time to savor the news, though, because upon leaving Columbia, Zhou went to NYC to take part in the The Jazz Composers Orchestra Institute,  presented by The Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University and the American Composers Orchestra. The event  “brings together jazz musicians from across the country to explore the challenges of writing for the symphony orchestra.”  You can see a short video interview with Zhou talking about her music here, and read more about the Institute here and here.