The Department of Music will honor retiring professor and former department chair Dr. Royce Lumpkin at the Faculty & Friends Concert on Monday, October 16. Lumpkin came to UNC Charlotte in 1998 as the second department chair in the history of the music department, leading the program for 15 years. He will retire in December after 52 years of teaching.
“Over his 15 years as chair, Royce Lumpkin built a foundation of musical and academic excellence on which the Department of Music will continue to build for generations to come,” said current Department of Music Chair Jay Grymes. “His considerable legacy on our campus includes overseeing the move from the Rowe Arts Building into Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts and leading the department toward accreditation through the National Association of Schools of Music.”
Lumpkin will be honored by another longtime UNC Charlotte music professor, Dr. Jeffrey Price, who retired from the University in 2013 after 21 years in the music department. An accomplished tenor and acclaimed voice teacher, Price has performed in recitals and with symphony orchestras and choral organizations throughout the United States. In 2010, he received the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence and in 2011, received the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Price will perform with pianist Matthew Manwarren, professor of music at Winthrop University. The “Songs of Romance” program includes Gabriel Fauré’s song cycle, La Bonne Chanson, and Robert Schuman’s Dichterliebe cycle. A reception will follow the recital.
Tickets are $10 for the general public and $8 for UNC Charlotte faculty, staff, alumni and students.