Edward Klorman

Some traditions should never change — take summer on the Memorial Union Terrace, for example, something New York state native Edward Klorman already knew about because his father and sister both studied at UW–Madison. But when Klorman started at the Mead Witter School of Music in the summer of 2025, he spent part of his first academic year challenging traditions of another kind.

“I taught a seminar on music by women composers,” says the accomplished violist, author and researcher. “It put me in the position of teaching a lot of music that was newer to me and that I was learning along with my students, who were wonderfully open, and offered us all an opportunity to reflect on why the Western classical canon is so heavily male and German.”

Now Klorman and his colleagues are rethinking the music theory curriculum, and how they might reinforce traditional strengths while broadening the range. More than half of the music school’s undergraduates are double majors — “brilliant, sophisticated thinkers who excel in a wide range of disciplines,” Klorman says — and students and faculty present more than 350 concerts and recitals each year at the Hamel Music Center. Klorman has also made connections outside of the School of Music, both for his artistic pursuits and when he got to participate in this year’s annual weeklong, 900-mile Wisconsin Idea Seminar journey.

“Being part of a major research university, it’s been wonderful to make connections with faculty across disciplines, and to have deep exchanges with diverse communities across Wisconsin,” says Klorman. “UW is a wonderful place to be because my colleagues and students are so collaborative and collegial, which promotes a sense of community.”