Faculty Spotlight: Grant Cochran
Professor of Music Grant Cochran came to Anchorage in 1992, when he accepted the position of Artistic Director and Conductor of the Anchorage Concert Chorus. Dr. Cochran has served as an adjunct professor with UAA, and in 2011, he became the first to hold the full-time choral-faculty position at UAA where he is a Professor of Music. Dr. Cochran teaching duties include include teaching choral arranging, conducting, popular songwriting, music appreciation and University Singers. Over the course of his fourty-year professional life, Dr. Cochran has appeared as music director, accompanist, adjudicator, singer and actor for various opera, theatre, choral and church organizations throughout the United States. Dr. Cochran currently serves as the Chair of the Music Department.
Grant Cochran sat down with us to discuss the Department of Music, the department’s involvement in Alaskan communities, and his personal experiences within the greater Anchorage area.
Can you share a little about how the Music Department is involved in the Anchorage community?
"I think that the Fine Arts and music in particular is one of the best ways that the University can engage with the community. Our performances bring in thousands of people to campus to see what our students are doing. It really is the perfect way to allow the community to see what good work we are doing here. Many of our faculty are engaged in the community, and we have done multiple collaborations with the students here at the university and also with the faculty. Our students and ensembles get to perform outside of the university bubble, sometimes downtown at the Performing Arts Center. Our faculty also go to the local schools and work with students and teachers in the school districts. For instance, we go over to East High School and work with their swing choir. We are all educators for competitions and festivals, so we try to get out there so that non-UAA musicians can get to know us."
What about you specifically? How have you gotten involved in the Anchorage community since you moved here?
"I actually have a job outside of UAA. It is a part time conducting position with the Anchorage Concert Chorus, and I have been directing that group for 30 years. In this role, I was recently hired as a guest conductor to conduct in Carnegie Hall. Singers from around the country were invited to sing for me, in addition to my core choir group from Anchorage. There were four students from UAA who ended up going as well. The trip to New York and the opportunity to direct at Carnegie Hall was definitely a nice surprise and really nice acknowledgement for me and for our university."
Does this involvement go beyond faculty? Are music students involved in this outreach?
"Yes! I have taken my vocal octet over to East High School and they sang for the East High choir students. Following that, the East High choir sang for us. I worked with the choir students and did a little workshop. It is a way for them to get to know us and to see what we are doing here at UAA. That is just one example of the sorts of things that we do with our music students. We are very aware that the majority of our students are coming from Anchorage and we do our best for those schools to get to know us."
What about the UAA Fine Arts programs, and the Music Department specifically, is beneficial to students?
"One of the benefits that our students have in going to UAA is that we are the largest
city in the state, and we have the most active arts organizations. As a result, our
students are immersed in projects and in these environments where they can get real
life experiences. This helps them transition in their careers after they graduate.
We encourage them– as long as it doesn’t interfere with what they are doing here at
school– to get out there and to get involved. We also have formalized collaborations
with two outside organizations that benefit our students. As a part of their music
major, our students need large ensemble experience. In order to provide our students
with these large orchestra and choir experiences, we formalized relationships with
the Anchorage Youth Orchestras and the Anchorage Concert Chorus. Now when our students
are taking their large ensemble courses, they are actually working with those two
organizations on a regular basis."
Thank you for all you do Grant, keep up the good work!