Two scholars from West Virginia University’s School of Music have new titles out with the prestigious Oxford University Press.

Lucy Mauro, associate professor of piano, co-authored Master Singers: Advice from the Stage with Donald George, a professor of voice at the Crane School of Music at SUNY-Potsdam.

Travis Stimeling, assistant professor of music history, authored The Country Music Reader.

Mauro describes Master Singers as “a way to help voice students and young professionals prepare for a professional career and to help bridge the gap between the student and the professional world,” she said. The book also provides “an insight for opera lovers on what it takes to perform on the major stages of the world.”

For the book, Mauro and George interviewed 21 of the top opera singers performing today, including established singers like Jonas Kaufman, Joyce DiDonato, Stephanie Blythe, Thomas Hampson and Denyce Graves, along with some rising stars.

“The artists were all enthusiastic about the book and so generous with their time and advice,” Mauro said. “I’m particularly honored that Pl�cido Domingo and Mirella Freni wrote endorsements for the book, and that it has already received wonderful reviews internationally in Classical Singer, Journal of Singing, Opera, Opernwelt, and on a variety of online sites.”

Stimeling says the primary goal of The Country Music Reader is to provide “access to the voices of people who have created country music culture over the course of the genre’s nine-decade history.” Stimeling spoke to folksong collectors, radio producers, recording engineers, critics, and country music fans to present an inclusive look at the genre.

“Readers will note a focus on the production and dissemination of country recordings, debates about musical authenticity, and a look at gender in country music,” Stimeling said. “I hope that readers will make use of the sources anthologized in the book in ways that suit their teaching styles and the learning goals of their particular courses.”

The Oxford University Press is the world’s largest university press, publishing in more than 40 languages in a variety of formats. Products cover an extremely broad academic and educational spectrum, and are published for all audiences.

“Professors Stimeling and Mauro are both producing important and groundbreaking research,” said Keith Jackson, director of WVU’s School of Music. “Having their work published by Oxford University Press, one of the world’s most distinguished academic publishers, validates what we have long believed – that faculty in the WVU School of Music really are leaders in our field. That is what the state and region deserve from our flagship institution.”

-WVU-

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CONTACT: David Welsh, WVU College of Creative Arts
304.293.3397; David.Welsh@mail.wvu.edu

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