Caroline McCutchen
Since earning her BFA in vocal performance from Carnegie Mellon University and her MM in vocal performance from the Manhattan School of Music, Nancy Maria Balach has been a faculty member at UM for over 20 years, currently serving as Chair and Professor of Music.
“I just feel so grateful that this place has allowed me to really bloom where I’ve been planted, and I think we have so many special things here,” Balach said. “It’s been interesting to watch how the arts have evolved over this period of time.”
Balach’s professional experience within opera companies and symphony orchestras throughout her career has led her to teach courses in vocal methods for instrumentalists, applied voice, graduate pedagogy and undergraduate diction.
As chair and professor of UM Music, Balach stands at the forefront of many initiatives aimed towards broadening the horizons of budding student musicians and artists. She serves as CEO and Artistic Director of the Living Music Resource, Director of UM’s Institute for the Arts and as a faculty member in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College.
Balach presents a variety of projects through Living Music Resource, from masterclasses to mentored research opportunities, providing music students with interdisciplinary instruction and the opportunity to engage with and learn from widely acclaimed artists.
As Director of the Institute, Balach aspires for the university to become a preeminent hub for the arts by offering students the opportunity to explore a range of artistic realms, from filmmaking to stage performance.
“It’s exciting how our university, whether we’re talking from the highest leadership position of the Chancellor, whether we’re talking about the Provost or whether we’re talking about department chairs, there’s this idea to work together, and there will be more intersectionality between the Fine and Performing Arts departments,” Balach said.
The Institute provides rising juniors and seniors in high school with a summer program that equips students with the skills and guidance to become successful in their desired careers. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach to instruction, the program hopes to instill a well-rounded sense of artistry within students.
“The thing that I keep hearing over and over from high school students and our underclassmen is we’re pressuring our young people too soon to decide what they’re going to do for the rest of their life,” Balach said. “We’re actually squelching their creative juices and we need to make sure that we are allowing students to explore and research.”
As a part of the Summer College Program in 2026, Balach shared, the Institute plans to draw in professional artists from across the nation in combination with student talent to form a Broadway musical.
The Medal for the Arts emerged from the Living Music Resource and in 2022 Balach and Brady Bramlett, Director of Development and Executive Managing Director of LMR, created an annual celebration and award entitled The Medal for the Arts, the highest honor at the university recognizing excellence in the arts.
“In 2023 we’re really acknowledging that the arts make us feel good, the arts serve a purpose for humankind and reflect humanity, and the arts also have a huge economic impact,” Balach said. “I think it’s exciting to be in this present world where we can embrace that we’re doing good and we’re profitable.”
Within the Music department, Balach oversees students as they perform in ensembles, pursue interdisciplinary research and perform at venues across the world.
“We have an incredible music department, and it has a long history standing in music education. We have very present spotlights on our band, of course, and our choir,” Balach said. “What’s exciting more recently, I’d say even the past decade, is this growth and evolution of our orchestra and our opera.”
Balach shared her ambitions to cultivate community between UM Music and other campus entities, such as the Ford Center, and support students and faculty.
“I invite everyone to explore and to look at all of the amazing arts events that are happening on this campus,” Balach said. “Everyone is always welcome, whether it’s going to an art show in Meek, attending an orchestra concert at the Ford Center, coming to a steel drum concert in the band hall or a musical in Fulton, there is so much going on on this campus that’s actually being created, produced and done by our people.”
More information about UM Department of Music events can be found on their website.
