Role(s):
Specialties:
Affiliations:
Lowell E. Graham is the Director of Orchestral Activities and Professor of Conducting at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and is the recipient of the “Abraham Chavez” Professorship in Music. From 2002-2014, he served as Chair of the Department of Music. He has held numerous conducting positions including Commander and Conductor of the United States Air Force’s premier musical organization in Washington, DC and became the senior ranking musician in the Department of Defense.
He received a Bachelor of Arts in music education (1970) and Master of Arts in performance (1971) from the University of Northern Colorado. In 1977, he became the first person to be awarded the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in orchestral conducting from The Catholic University of America.
In March 1995, he joined the prestigious American Bandmasters Association and recently served as its 81st president. In 2014, he was named as the President and CEO of the John Philip Sousa Foundation.
In February 1996, he was inducted into the University of Northern Colorado School of Music “Hall of Honor.” Other accolades include various alumni awards, the Award of Distinction for Contributions to Music Education, the Phi Beta Mu International Outstanding Bandmaster Award, the A. A. Harding Award, and an induction into the Texas Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame.
Graham has released recordings that have earned praise for both their artistic and sonic excellence. Recognition for these recordings include features on both Stereophile’s “Records to Die-For” list and The Absolute Sound’s “The Super Disc List” and one Grammy award.