Nguyen appointed as new U of M Director of Bands

After a search for a new director of bands, The University of Memphis has chosen one of its own.

Albert Nguyen, former assistant director of bands, has been hired for the director of bands position.

"I think Memphis is going somewhere and I want to be a part of that," Nguyen said.

Having just finished his fourth year at The U of M, Nguyen has previous experience with his colleagues and the students. He worked as an assistant to the former Director of Bands, Craig Williams.

Williams left in late April following an appointment at another university. Nguyen was hired as interim director in 2011, and was hired officially for the position this year.

"His tenure as the director of athletic bands brought our Marching Band to a new level of excellence and under his direction our Pep Band became an irreplaceable part of the Tiger Basketball experience," said John Chiego, associate director for undergraduate studies.

As director of bands, Nguyen conducts The U of M Wind Ensemble, directs the graduate level instrumental conducting program and oversees the Athletic, Symphonic and University Bands.

"Besides being an accomplished musician and an inspiring leader he's also a great all-around guy," Chiego said. "Our students are very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with him."

Nguyen wants to reach out to the community in addition to making high-quality music, he said. He wants to establish a pipeline with other band directors and teachers in the area.

"That's really important to me," he said. "I absolutely love working with my colleagues. They are good at what they do. I get a lot from them and I hope they get a lot from me."

Nguyen received his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Arkansas Tech University and the Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting from The University of Texas at Austin.

He is a member of the College Band Directors National Association. Nguyen is also a contributing author to "Teaching Music through Performance in Band", Volume 7.