VSU gets New Head of Music

Dr. James Shrader has been appointed the head of the Music Department at Valdosta State University. Shrader officially took his new post at VSU on July 1, 2006, after serving 11 years in the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Music Department.

In 2007, Shrader will also become the executive director of the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, a regional symphony covering southern Georgia and northern Florida.

Shrader is married to Dr. Aija Shrader, and the couple has two children. Dorothy is soprano and sophomore music major at Pittsburg State University in Kan. Alek is a master's student at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and an operatic tenor on the roster of the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. "I promised the kids when we took the position at Alva [Northwestern Oklahoma State University], we wouldn't leave until after they graduated high school," Shrader said.

Shrader comes to VSU with an impressive music background, which can be viewed at http://www.valdosta.edu/music/bios/shrader.php . For more information about Shrader or the VSU Music Department, contact Shrader at 229-333-7447.