The University of Missouri School of Music has hired Andrea Luque Káram as the Managing Director of the Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI), effective August 1, 2022. Ms. Karam is replacing Jason Thorpe Buchanan, who served as Interim Managing Director of MNMI beginning February 7, 2022.
Andrea Luque Káram
Andrea Luque Káram is a professional musician and arts manager, an entrepreneurial leader, and an advocate for diversifying music practices. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in piano and minor in Arts and Cultural Management, a Master’s in Music Composition, and is completing her dissertation for a Doctoral degree in Arts Administration, Education, and Policy. She has presented new music concerts in Mexico and the United States and founded a summer music school in the state of Sonora to bring her hometown community an integrated music curriculum to young students for the first time.
In 2020, Andrea received a cross-disciplinary grant through The Ohio State University’s Global Arts and Humanities organization for a research project on accessibility to music professionalization in Mexico. She was awarded a University Fellowship at OSU for her doctoral studies and was selected as a recipient of the Columbus Foundation fellowship in the summer of 2020. Andrea was awarded the Research and Creativity Award from Northern Arizona University for her thesis.
“When I started my job search,” said Káram, “I did not know I could find a position where my love for arts management, community engagement, and new music would be equally relevant. I feel honored and excited to come and serve at Mizzou to keep this amazing initiative growing and reaching more students and audiences across Missouri.”
Jason Thorpe Buchanan
Buchanan will be joining the faculty of the Hochschule für Music Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden, Germany as an Artistic Associate & Lecturer in New Media and Digital Technologies for Music at the Hybrid Music Lab specializing in intermedia composition. Buchanan is also the Artistic Director of the [Switch~ Ensemble]. He has served as lecturer in Composition and Electroacoustic Music at Mahidol University and the University of Texas at Austin, with a 2015 Gaudeamus Prize nomination (for his 2013 MICF premiere for Alarm Will Sound), as well as commissions and awards from MATA, ASCAP, Darmstadt, The Industry, Iron Composer, Royaumont, TIME SPANS, Eklekto Percussion, the American-Scandinavian Foundation, and the Embassy of Foreign Artists in Switzerland.
“It’s been a fantastic experience working with the team here at Mizzou for the past five months in my role as Interim Managing Director,” stated Buchanan, “and we’re excited to welcome everyone to MICF 2022 in just a few short weeks! I look forward to following the MNMI’s activities in the future as they continue to provide incredible opportunities for both students and emerging composers around the world in the creation of new music.”
“Transitions are always tough, but we were very fortunate to find two outstanding individuals who have made the transition work very well,” added Julia Gaines, Director of the School of Music. “Jason has been a talented and dedicated Interim Managing Director. He has done an outstanding job and offered us valuable insights from a different perspective. We are equally delighted to welcome Andrea, who brings a whole new level of expertise through her arts management training as well as her talents as a musician. We look forward to working with her as we continue MNMI’s commitment to making new music.”