Video: Penn State Introduces New Laureate

Anthony Leach, associate professor of music and music education, has officially been introduced as Penn State’s second laureate. He succeeds Kim Cook, professor of music in cello.

Leach, who joined Penn State in 1994 after 14 years of service as a public school music teacher, is a tenor singer and pianist, conductor of the university choir and founder of mixed-voiced choir Essence of Joy. 

‘As Penn State laureate, I would like to emphasize the transformative nature of choral music,’ Leach said in May 2009, when he was given the position. ‘Rather than simply talking, I’m more interested in providing an encounter for my audiences that will enable them to connect positively with me through that experience. I also look forward to involving Penn State choirs and musicians in some laureate events.’

He was selected by President Graham B. Spanier following a recommendation by the Penn State laureate review committee. The committee was chaired by Blannie Bowen, vice provost for academic affairs, and included Susan Welch, dean of the College of the Liberal Arts; Sue Haug, director of the School of Music in the College of Arts and Architecture; John J. Romano, vice president for Commonwealth Campuses; Sherry Roush, associate director of the Institute for the Arts and Humanities, and associate professor of Italian in the College of the Liberal Arts; and Anne Riley, a member of the Board of Trustees.

Essence of Joy will be performing at the following times and locations:

• Sunday, Jan. 10 — First Presbyterian Church, Hollidaysburg, Pa., and Ebensburg United Methodist Church, Ebensburg, Pa.
• Monday, Jan. 11 — Hollidaysburg Junior High School, Hollidaysburg, Pa., and Young Scholars of Central Pa. Charter School, State College, Pa.
• Friday, Jan. 15 — Penn State Forum Luncheon: “M.L. King Holiday – A Choral Reflection,” 11:30 a.m., Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel; and the 35th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Banquet, sponsored by the Penn State Forum on Black Affairs, 6:30 p.m., Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, University Park
• Saturday, Jan. 16 — Penn State Kwanzaa Celebration, Heritage Hall, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park
• Wednesday, Jan. 20 — Penn State Martin Luther King Celebration, 6 p.m., Eisenhower Auditorium
• Saturday, Jan. 23 — Penn State Schuylkill, Choral Workshop and Concert, Schuylkill Haven, Pa.
• Sunday, Jan. 24 — Penn State Schuylkill, Worship Service, Schuylkill Haven, Pa.
• Sunday, Jan. 31 — Faith United Methodist Church, Bellefonte, Pa.; Zion Community Church, Zion, Pa.
• Saturday, Feb. 27 — Celebration of African American Music Festival, Pasquerilla Spiritual Center
• Tuesday, March 2 — The Grier School, Tyrone, Pa.
• Tuesday, March 30 — Penn State Altoona, Altoona, Pa.
• Saturday, April 24 — Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) Conference, Pittsburgh, Pa.