The operatic tenor William Reeder followed eight years as leading soloist at Zurich Opera with 40 more as a brilliant arts administrator. Among other achievements he was founding Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at George Mason University in Virginia.
Bill died this week, widely mourned, of pancreatic cancer.
Here’s a list of his career milestones:
Over the span of his 40-year career, Dean Reeder has raised over $250
million in private funds for the arts and education. Reeder is the
founding and current Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts
where he oversees eight academic divisions: The School of Music, School
of Art, School of Dance, School of Theater, Arts Management Master’s
Program, Film and Video Studies Program, Computer Game Design Program
and the Potomac Arts Academy.
Dean Reeder manages two regional art centers: the Center for the Arts
in Fairfax as well as the Hylton Performing Arts Center. He also serves
as the Co-Director of George Mason’s Confucius Institute, a partnership
between Mason and the Beijing Language and Cultural University.
In the midst of his demanding schedule, Reeder finds the time to
teach an Arts Management course, hold the distinguished honor of the
Eminent Scholar’s Heritage Chairman in Arts and Cultural Criticism, and
serve on two boards: United Way of the National Capital Region and CEO
Forum of Prince William.
Reeder spent eight years as the leading operatic tenor engaged by the
Zurich, Switzerland Opera Company. From 1993 to 1997, Reeder was
President of the Saint Louis Conservatory of Music, followed by six
years as the Education Director of the Levine School of Music located
in Washington, D.C.
Prior to joining George Mason, Reeder served as Vice President and
General Manager of the Washington Performing Arts Society and two years
with the Sallie Mae Corporation as the Founding Director of the Sallie
Mae Trust for Education.
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