Rosephanye Powell, professor of voice in the department of music in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University in Alabama, has been selected as the recipient of the Luise Vosgerchian Teaching Award from the Office for the Arts at Harvard University.
The award is given to individuals who display “selfless commitment, artistic conscience, a constant renewal of approach to subject matter, ability to motivate in a positive and creative way, a sincere interest in the development of the whole person and the ability to present musical knowledge in a way that is applicable to other disciplines.”
“To be the recipient of the prestigious Luise Vosgerchian Teaching Award from Harvard University, our nation’s oldest and most distinguished institution, is an honor that I could never have imagined,” Professor Powell said.
Professor Powell teaches applied voice, art song literature, and vocal pedagogy at Auburn. She also serves as the Women’s Chorus conductor and the Auburn University Gospel Choir’s co-conductor. Her primary performance and research interests include the African American spiritual, the art songs of William Grant Still, and voice-care concerns for choral directors. She joined the faculty in 2001 after teaching at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Dr. Powell is a graduate of Alabama State University, where she majored in music education. She holds a master’s degree in music in vocal performance and pedagogy from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and a Ph.D. in vocal performance from Florida State University.