Richard Montalto ('82 D.M.A.), Columbus, Miss. :: retired as Professor Emeritus at Mississippi University for Women. He joined the MUW faculty in 1988. He also holds degrees in composition from the University of New Orleans and Tulane University. He is the recipient of a number of awards, including an ASCAP Grants to Young Composers Award for his Symphony for Wind Ensemble; more than 30 ASCAP Awards; and a Mississippi Artist Fellowship for his Symphony #2. His works have been performed at Carnegie Hall, the Montreaux International Jazz Festival, Symphony Space in New York, the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center, the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States, the International Computer Music Conference, and throughout the United States and Europe. He has served as president of the Southeastern Composers’ League, College Music Society Southern Chapter and National Association of Composers/USA Mid-South Chapter. He has performed on bass across the U.S., in South America and in Europe with a number of musicians, including Harry Connick Jr., Neil Sedaka, the 5th Dimension and the New Orleans Pops. He formerly was principal bass in the Starkville/Mississippi State University Orchestra. Prior to joining the MUW faculty in 1988, he served as director of the University of New Orleans Jazz Band.