Candidate Vu Nguyen

University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music
Director of Bands

Biographical Statement

My involvement with CBDNA goes back nearly 20 years, beginning in 2007 as one of the recipients of the first Gender and Ethnic Issues Summer Study Award (later renamed the Mike Moss Conducting Study Grant). Two years later, while in my first year of doctoral studies at the University of Washington, I attended my first national conference at UT Austin. I remember being inspired by many performances at that conference, with William Bolcom’s First Symphony, John Adams’s Grand Pianola Music, and Alban Berg’s Kammerkonzert standing out as particular highlights.

In my final year as a doctoral student, we hosted the 2011 National Conference at the University of Washington. Working alongside my colleague Erin Bodnar on the planning and execution was a highlight of my time there. I had the chance to meet so many wonderful people, including conductors, composers, presenters, and CBDNA board members and officers.

Before the 2015 National Conference in Nashville, I served on the CBDNA Task Force on Technology, which presented at that conference. My work with intercollegiate bands spans two divisions. In 2016, I co-chaired the North Central Division Small College Intercollegiate Band at Iowa State University with Eugene Corporon as guest conductor, and more recently I served on the Intercollegiate Band Committee for the 2026 W/NW Division Intercollegiate Band at the University of Nevada, Reno, working with Gary Hill as guest conductor.

In 2018, I co-hosted a Small College Roundtable at the North Central Divisional conference and served on the CBDNA Small Band Program Committee before moving to the University of Connecticut that year. I then served as Connecticut state chair from 2019 to 2020. I have led performances at divisional conferences with two ensembles – the University of Connecticut Wind Ensemble at the 2020 Eastern Divisional Conference and the University of the Pacific Wind Bands at the 2024 W/NW Divisional Conference. In 2025, it was especially meaningful to serve as a mentor in the Underrepresented Conductors Mentorship Program, bringing my journey with CBDNA full circle.

Vision for the Future of CBDNA

My vision for CBDNA’s future comes from my own experience of being welcomed into it. CBDNA supported me as a young conductor and educator, which helped me see the organization as a community that brings people into the profession and helps them stay. I have worked in the North Central, Eastern, and Western Divisions, and I value both what we share and what makes each division distinct. This perspective shapes my hope to serve the Western Division with a commitment to broader participation and the inclusion of more voices.

CBDNA’s future depends on keeping the artistic excellence that defines our organization and making sure more people feel they belong. The Western Division includes large universities, conservatories, small colleges, regional schools, and community colleges, and each one adds something important to our field. My own career has taken me through public schools, military bands, small colleges, a large public university, and now a conservatory within a liberal arts university. These experiences taught me that good work happens in all these places. I want to help sustain a culture where more voices are included and valued whether they are established members, early-career colleagues, graduate students, or from smaller programs and community colleges. I also want to encourage broader participation in conferences, committees, and division activities so members from every kind of program can find a place to contribute.

At its best, CBDNA brings together artistic ambition and professional generosity. The performances, repertoire, and scholarship we share inspire us and renew our sense of purpose. Our biennial conference with the Northwestern Division shows that spirit, and I look forward to working with our Northwestern colleagues to keep it strong. I will serve by listening, working closely with others, and helping create the conditions for those connections to grow.

CBDNA has shaped my professional life. It encouraged me early on, introduced me to inspiring performances, connected me with mentors and colleagues, and gave me opportunities to serve. I will work to keep that spirit alive in the Western Division, strengthened by the full range of people and programs that make up our field.