Willis Charles Patterson, the first African American professor of music at the University of Michigan, passed away on October 22. He was 94 years old.
A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Dr. Patterson enlisted in the United States Air Force after graduating from Ann Arbor High School in 1949. During the 1950s, he served as a senior stenographer in the field services division in France. Following his service, he enrolled at Eastern Michigan University. He ultimately transferred to the University of Michigan, where he completed both his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in music. He was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship, which allowed him to study opera and lieder at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg in Germany. He also studied opera at the Manhattan School of Music. Later in life, he earned his Ph.D. in higher education and administrative supervision from Wayne State University in Detroit.
After completing his master’s degree, Dr. Patterson began his teaching career at historically Black Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 1962, he joined the voice faculty at another HBCU, Virginia State College (now University), where he taught for six years.
In 1968, Dr. Patterson began his long career at the University of Michigan, becoming the institution’s first African American professor of music. He served in several leadership roles throughout his tenure, including music director of the Men’s Glee Club, chair of the voice faculty, and associate dean for undergraduate studies and minority affairs in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. He retired from the University of Michigan in 1999 as a professor emeritus.
Outside of his career in academia, Dr. Patterson was a professional singer, conductor, and music director, performing in opera houses and concert halls around the world. He had stints as president of the National Association of Negro Musicians and executive director of the National Black Music Caucus. He was very involved in local youth, community, and church music programs, as well as initiatives to support African Americans in the Ann Arbor area.
Dr. Patteron was the author of Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers (E B Marks, 1977) and his autobiography, The Unlikely Saga of a Singer from Ann Arbor (Maize Books, 2015).
