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June 5, 2008
RAYMOND TORRES-SANTOS NAMED DEAN OF COLLEGE OF THE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION AT WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY
Dr. Raymond Torres-Santos, a composer and conductor who has received international recognition for his musical compositions and talent as a pianist, arranger, producer and conductor, has been appointed as dean of the College of the Arts and Communication at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., effective July 1, 2008.
“After an extensive national search, I am pleased that Dr. Raymond Torres-Santos has agreed to join the University to provide new leadership to the College of the Arts and Communication,” says Edward Weil, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. "Dr. Torres-Santos is not only an accomplished and versatile musician, but brings significant administrative experiences from his previous appointment. He will surely share his enthusiasm for education in the arts with the faculty and students within the College and provide new directions for the University as a center for the arts."
In his role as dean, Torres-Santos will provide leadership to the College’s faculty and staff on curriculum and program development, accreditation, assessment and evaluation, and research and scholarship. He will also provide leadership for enhancing the fine and performing arts at the University, and seek new opportunities to support establishing the University’s role as a major cultural resource for the region and the state. The College of the Arts and Communication offers undergraduate and graduate programs in art, communication, and music.
Torres-Santos’ record of accomplishment as a musician include compositions (instrumental, vocal and electronic), conducting, performances (piano and keyboards), and recordings. He has published various articles, has presented numerous papers and invited lectures, and has been the recipient of several awards
He has maintained a prolific artistic career while at the same time developing his career as a musical educator. His first faculty appointment was at California State University at San Bernardino in 1986, where he served as director of electronic and commercial music programs. He was appointed as associate professor at the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras in 1991 where he served first as the director of the Center for Music Technology and subsequently as department chairperson.
In 1994, Torres-Santos was named chancellor of the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. Under his leadership, the Conservatory developed and implemented a five-year institutional strategic plan resulting in operational autonomy and a significantly increased budget awarded by the legislature. He returned to the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras in 1997 and was promoted to professor in 1999. In 2000, Torres-Santos was appointed as visiting professor at Hunter College and has since been on the CUNY faculties of Hunter College and Hostos Community College.
As a composer, his catalog of compositions ranges from orchestral and chamber music to electronic, ballet, and popular music for film, theater, television and radio. He has received commissions to compose many of his works, such as the “1898 Overture” commissioned by the Puerto Rico government’s 1998 Centennial Commission. His works have been performed by orchestras around the world, including the American Composers Orchestra, Boston Pops, Pacific Symphony, Bronx Arts Ensemble, New Jersey Chamber Music Society, Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and the orchestras of Mexico City, London and Vienna. His music for film has been featured on U.S. and Puerto Rican television.
Torres-Santos also is an accomplished arranger, conductor and pianist. As an arranger, he has worked for top artists including Frank Sinatra, Julio Iglesias and Plácido Domingo and with Hollywood film composers such as Ralph Burns and Ry Cooder. As a studio and jazz pianist, he has worked with jazz artists including Maynard Ferguson, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Shew, and Tito Puente. He has conducted the Taipei Philharmonic, London Metropolitan Orchestra, Cosmopolitan Orchestra, Queens Symphony, the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and others, including Hollywood studio orchestras for films. He has received awards from many organizations, including ASCAP, BMI, Meet the Composer, American Composers Forum, and the American Music Center in New York.
Born in Puerto Rico, Torres-Santos is a graduate of Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. He received master’s and doctoral degrees in music from the University of California at Los Angeles. In addition, he completed post-doctoral studies in Europe at Ferienkurse fur Neue Musik, Darmstadt, Germany and the University of Padua, Italy, and at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford University, Eastman School of Music and Harvard University.
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