Dr Karl Kramer

B.M.E. (magna cum laude) Temple University M.M. Yale D.M.A. Manhattan School of Music

Dr Karl Kramer

Dr. Karl Kramer comes to the University of Sydney Conservatorium of Music after holding the position as professor of music and director of the University of Illinois School of Music for ten years. Prior to that, he served as dean of the Purchase Conservatory of Music at the State University of New York and dean of music at the New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida. Receiving the Doctor of Musical Arts from the Manhattan School of Music, Dr. Kramer also holds degrees from Yale University and Temple University.

A founding member of Brass Ring, Dr. Kramer is an authority on the performance of modern brass chamber music and has written on the symphonic brass music of Richard Strauss. This year marks his 30th year as principal tubist with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and has also performed with Sinfonia da Camera, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, Opera Orchestra of New York, Florida Philharmonic, and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. While at the University of Illinois, Dr. Kramer was the founder and artistic director of the annual Allerton Music Barn Festival, a five-day event showcasing the Illinois music faculty in the chamber and jazz genres, along with guest artists of international renown.

As a member of Brass Ring, Dr. Kramer toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe and performed on world premiere recordings for the Crystal label featuring works by Witold Lutoslawski, Luciano Berio, Hans Werner Henze, Ned Rorem, Jacob Druckman, and David Del Tredici. The quintet recorded soundtracks for the Public Broadcasting Service series The American Experience and is broadcast regularly on National Public Radio. He has also premiered works by composers such as John Harbison, Christopher Rouse, Martin Bresnick, and Roger Kellaway and two compositions written specifically for him by Neely Bruce (“Songs of Zion Recycled”) and Eric Ewazen (“Sonata for Tuba and Piano”). The Kendor Music Company and Brass Ring Editions publish Dr. Kramer’s arrangements for brass ensemble.

The Temple University Alumni Association has recognised his achievements with a certificate of honour, and he is a recipient of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s “Distinguished Service Award”. Dr. Kramer is a national consultant in the evaluation and accreditation of music institutions of higher education in the United States.