Randall Black received his Bachelor of Music from Southern Illinois University and his Master and Doctor of Music from Indiana University. He joined the Department of Music at Murray State University in 1986.
As a faculty member in the Department of Music, Dr. Black has chaired the vocal/choral programs and taught undergraduate and graduate level voice and diction courses, repertoire, pedagogy, and Honors music; and directed the MSU Opera Workshop. Between 2001-2018, Dr. Black also served as the student life dean and then academic dean for the Commonwealth Honors Academy. In addition to chairing and serving on numerous department, college, and university committees at Murray State, Dr. Black has served as music faculty instructor for the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program, as a board member of the Murray Civic Music Association, as governor of the southern region for the National Opera Association, and in several leadership positions in the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
Dr. Black’s students have won at the district, regional and national level in the Metropolitan National Council Awards, as well as the Guilio Gari Foundation Vocal Competition, the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation Vocal Competition, the Liederkranz Vocal Competition, and the Orpheus Vocal Competition, among many others. They have gone on to perform at Disney World, Opryland, Off-Broadway, and numerous opera houses and vocal festivals around the country. Dr. Black is the recipient of the Murray State Alumni Association Distinguished Researcher Award, the Board of Regents Teaching Award, and the Charles and Marlene Johnson Outstanding Faculty Award, among many other honors.
As a vocalist, Dr. Black has released several recordings, including a collection of 49 songs by Kentucky composer, Joseph Baber; Then Sings My Soul, a collection of classical sacred works; and All Is Calm, All Is Bright,” a collection of classical Christmas pieces. He has performed with the Santa Fe Opera, Kentucky Opera, Baton Rouge Opera, and the Memphis Opera, as well numerous festivals and orchestras.
TRIBUTES
I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Randy over the past seven years at Murray State. He was my faculty mentor during my probationary years and I appreciated his guidance and role modeling. Randy has a great love of opera and his excitement for the craft is infectious. I have seen him passing that love to his students, whether it is through shuttling students to see various performances at Nashville Opera or hosting “Opera Night at the Blacks.” In addition to his passion for opera, he has been the kind of “team-player” colleague that we have all benefited from. Whenever there is a musical or opera, he is present for dress rehearsals to take pictures for our productions. This has been consistent every single semester, even when he is not directly involved in the production process. I have enjoyed his humor, our long conversations over excellent coffee (and wine!), and his positive and quiet encouragement. I wish all the best to a great colleague and friend!
– Dr. Maribeth Crawford, Associate Professor of Music, Murray State University
*****
I am incredibly fortunate to count Dr. Randy Black as my mentor, colleague, and friend. Randy was the person who introduced me to Murray State, and he was a large part of the reason I chose to begin my career here. I believe that if you ask most of our voice students, they will say the same. Randy has been one of the strongest ambassadors for Murray State University and the Department of Music; he is an outstanding musician, world-class teacher, and he exudes a confident competence and warmth that draws others to him. I am thankful for the guidance, support, and example that he provided as my faculty mentor, and I wish I had the opportunity to have him as a colleague for many more years. I hope he has the most relaxing and rewarding retirement, full of travel and wonderful experiences in perhaps his most important role, as Pop-Pop!
– Dr. Tana Field, Professor of Music, Murray State University
*****
I have had the good fortune of working with Randy Black for the past fifteen years as colleagues on the voice faculty in the music department. During that time, Randy has been a mentor, a friend and wonderful example of how to be excellent at your job while always being an excellent human first. He is fiercely dedicated to his family and beams with pride when he speaks of his children and grandchild. Though family has always been first, he has served Murray State University with a passion and dedication that is impossible to quantify for nearly four decades. I am happy to know that Randy and Kim plan to stay in Murray in their retirement so our friendship can continue and he can teach me more about good wine!
– Dr. Christopher Mitchell, Professor of Music, Murray State University
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