Katrina Zook to Give UW Buchanan Lecture April 24

University of Wyoming Professor Emerita Katrina Zook will discuss “Our Invisible Art: Teaching and Transformation” as part of the Buchanan Lecture Series Wednesday, April 24.

Zook, a UW Department of Music professor and former department chair, will give her free public presentation at 1 p.m. in the UW College of Business Scarlett Auditorium. The lecture also will be available via Zoom. A reception follows.

The lecture was established to honor Tom Buchanan, who retired in June 2013 after serving as UW’s 23rd president since 2005. The lecture is delivered annually by one of UW’s most accomplished retiring faculty members.

The lecture offers members of the university community the opportunity to hear distinguished UW faculty members distill a life of inquiry, reflection and service into important guidance for successive generations.

Zook received numerous awards for teaching and research throughout her career, including the John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award; the Seibold Professorship Award; the “Top Prof” Award; and the PIE (Promoting Intellectual Engagement) Award for first-year classes.

She was awarded numerous grants, including an American Heritage Center teaching and research grant; a College of Arts and Sciences interdisciplinary seed grant; four UW Graduate Recruiting Initiative grants; and the UW Faculty International Travel Grant.

A mezzo-soprano, Zook has presented guest artist recitals in the U.S., the Netherlands, Germany and Brazil. She enjoyed collaborating with artist colleagues for operatic and chamber music performances and as a soloist with large ensembles and choirs.

As an applied voice professor, Zook taught undergraduate and graduate singers and supervised nearly 120 student degree recitals and performances. She served as a committee chair/member for more than 50 graduate papers and undergraduate projects -- both within and outside of the music discipline.

She also has enjoyed extensive classroom teaching in specialized areas of music history and vocal pedagogy, and she has served as the Department of Music’s graduate studies coordinator and associate department chair. She retired as department chair in 2023.

Zook has a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio; a Master of Music in vocal performance from the University of California-Santa Barbara; and a Doctor of Musical Arts in performance and literature and a performer’s certificate, both from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.

Before coming to UW, she taught voice and music history at institutions in California, New York and Virginia. Zook’s research interests include voice science, vocal pedagogy and historical musicology.

The Office of Academic Affairs sponsors the event, selects the speaker and provides a monetary award.

For more information, call the Academic Affairs office at (307) 766-6476.