New officers of the Tennessee Arts Commission are, from left, Molly Pratt, vice-chairman, Anne C. Smith, chairman and Roland Carter, secretary.

Roland Carter Elected to
Tennessee Arts Commission

UTC Professor Roland Carter was elected secretary of the Tennessee Arts Commission during a recent meeting. His appointment becomes effective July 1.

Carter will serve with Ann C. Smith of Johnson City and Molly Pratt of Knoxville.

"All of the individuals selected have a passion and dedication to the arts, and all have the ability and desire to reach new levels of success," according to outgoing chair William B. Kilbride of Chattanooga.

Appointed to the Commission in 1998, Carter is a professor of music at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He is the first to hold the Ruth S. Holmberg Professorship in American Music at UTC. Carter joined the UTC faculty in 1989 as the chair of the department of music, and was named University of Chattanooga Foundation Professor of Music in 1995.

Recently, the Atlanta Symphony performed Carter's composition "Hold Fast to Dreams," which, in the Dett tradition, uses thematic material from a spiritual. That performance was broadcast nationally on NPR's PERFORMANCE TODAY. Maestro Phillip Brunell also selected the work for this year's PLYMOUTH SERIES in Minneapolis, MN. In early May, Carter conducted the St.
Louis Symphony's IN UNISON CHORUS in a program of his compositions and arrangements.

Choral arrangements by Carter have been performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra, and his arrangement of "Lift Every Voice" is the NAACP's official version. He has conducted in the nation's major performing halls and cathedrals.

At UTC, Carter serves as president of The Alpha Society, the University's oldest honor society. Carter was also selected to review grant proposals for the National Endowment for the Arts, evaluating proposals submitted to the Heritage and Preservation program, which funds festivals, exhibits and publications that increase the public's appreciation for America's diverse cultural traditions.

An honorary doctorate of music degree from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina was recently awarded to Carter.