Contact:
Eric Sloss
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For immediate release:
August 21, 2006

Carnegie Mellon Announces Appointment Of New BHA and BSA Interim Director

Carnegie Mellon has named Franco Sciannameo interim director of its Bachelor of Humanities and Arts and Bachelor of Science and Arts programs.

PITTSBURGH—Carnegie Mellon University has named Franco Sciannameo interim director of its Bachelor of Humanities and Arts (BHA) and Bachelor of Science and Arts (BSA) programs. He succeeds Patricia Maurides, who has decided to step down after seven years as director.

Sciannameo has a notable history with Carnegie Mellon as a College of Fine Arts Distinguished Scholar in Multidisciplinary Studies.

"We are delighted Franco Sciannameo has accepted the BHA/BSA interim director post. He comes to Carnegie Mellon with a distinguished career of interdisciplinary work with the university, and brings plenty of vision to the program," said Hilary Robinson, the Stanley and Marcia Gumberg Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon.

Born in Italy, Sciannameo studied in Rome at the Conservatorio di Musica, earning a degree in violin performance and pedagogy, and later at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena and Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. An active member of Carnegie Mellon's Center for the Arts in Society, Sciannameo also received an advanced degree in historical musicology and cultural studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

Sciannameo has worked closely with a number of celebrated composers. He writes and lectures extensively on contemporary music and its relation to politics, cinema and the arts. He has created the Laboratory for the Study of Environmental Sounds at Carnegie Mellon and has developed an introductory course and research project called "The Sound of Carnegie Mellon" in conjunction with the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research. His articles and essays have been featured in The Musical Times in London, L'IDEA and The College Music Symposium.