Professor of Music
Coordinator of the Master of Science in Music Education degree program
Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, Applied Composition, Form & Analysis Member of the Graduate Faculty

Dr. Isaacs, who began his tenure at Western Connecticut State University in 1990, is Professor of Music teaching courses in theory, composition, and choral studies. Additionally his duties include serving as the associate chair of the department and coordinating the graduate degree program in music education. Kevin was the recipient of the inaugural WCSU Excellence in Teaching Award during the 2007-08 academic year. For the 1995-96 school year, Dr. Isaacs was a Mellon Foundation Faculty Fellow at the School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music of Yale University.

Prior to his work in the Northeast, Isaacs was Visiting Professor of Composition at the University of Arizona. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Theory and Composition from Texas Christian University and a Doctorate in Composition and Choral Conducting from The University of Arizona under the tutelage of the celebrated composer, Robert Muczynski, and choral mentor, Maurice Skones.

Under his leadership the WCSU Choral Program has grown and flourished. The Concert Choir has performed with local symphonies, headlined five times with the New Haven Symphony, twice with the Ridgefield Symphony, and combined with the Texas Christian University choirs for concerts at Carnegie Hall with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops Orchestra. Additionally, they were selected for performance at the Connecticut Music Educators Association All-State and In-Service Conference.

Professor Isaacs’ musical sphere includes writing commissioned compositions, adjudicating, and conducting All-State, regional, and other honor choirs. Additional conducting opportunities have included The Charles Ives Symphony and Festival Chorus, The Camerata Chamber Orchestra, and four years as Music Director of the Christ Chorale, a Danbury area adult ecumenical choral ensemble.

Kevin’s compositions are commissioned and performed by amateur and professional performers and ensembles across the nation. The Ojai Camerata from California, The Bel Canto Choral Artists from Wisconsin, and The T and P Renaissance Singers from Texas, to name a few, have all premiered works of his. Unnecessary Roughness, for percussion ensemble, was presented at a recent MENC Eastern Regional Conference. Luther College in Decorah, Iowa premiered a new commissioned choral work, O Frondens Virga, at the North Central convention of the American Choral Directors Association. Santa Barbara Music released it in the summer of 2009. He is currently completing a major work for chorus and instruments, On the nature of:, a commission from Areté, a professional ensemble from Southern California.

In 2001, CRI Records released 4 WHEEL DR., a multi-movement work for saxophones and piano, performed by Dan Goble and Jeff Helmer. Goble and pianist Russell Hirshfield recorded his latest work, Skookum Suite, for soprano saxophone and piano in summer 2009. Albany Records will release it next year. Besides Santa Barbara Music, Mark Foster Music has published Professor Isaacs’ works. Kevin is a proud member of BMI, Broadcast Music Incorporated.
Kevin lives in Brookfield, Connecticut with his wife, Debra. They have three sons, Kameron, Zachary, and Jackson.

Contact: isaacsk@wcsu.educreate new email