Biography  Mark A. Harbold, Ph.D.

Biography
India	Author	Composer	Educator
Elmhurst University	Professional Groups	Software	Performer
“Doc” at Work		Return to home page

Dr. Mark A. Harbold—Fulbright-Nehru Scholar, author, composer, educator, and performing musician—is Professor Emeritus of Music at Elmhurst University (formerly Elmhurst College), Elmhurst, IL. Born in Illinois, he grew up in Wisconsin. Educated at St. Olaf College and the University at Buffalo, he pursued his career in music teaching at colleges and universities in Buffalo, NY, Milwaukee, WI, Rochester, NY, Northfield, MN, and Elmhurst, IL.

INDIA—Indian music has emerged as one of the great passions of Dr. Harbold’s life over the past two decades. A Niebuhr Center grant funded his first trip to India in 2005, accompanying Dr. Paul Parker’s Peoples and Religions of India course. Harbold has now visited India fourteen times, published materials on Indian music, given talks at many Indian colleges and universities, and hosted Indian music concerts, lectures, and courses at Elmhurst University. Some highlights include: A 2017-18 Fulbright-Nehru Academic & Professional Excellence Teaching Award took Dr. Harbold to Madras Christian College in Chennai as visiting professor. His Fulbright project, Collaboration in Teaching and Learning Music in South India, allowed him to teach and observe varied pedagogical approaches in Indian music schools. He collaborated with Chennai’s finest church musicians to develop and teach the first music program ever offered at Madras Christian College, a certificate program in church music sponsored by the college’s Institute for Advanced Christian Studies. This successful 2018 program has since been repeated annually, with a fifth offering in February 2022. Plans are underway to add a Church Music Diploma program and develop a more extensive Music Business program through MCC’s School for Continuing Education. For more information on Dr. Harbold’s Fulbright, check out the news release on the Elmhurst University web site. Harbold’s Indian contacts have led to wonderful opportunities for Elmhurst University students: At the 2017 Chicago World Music Festival in Millennium Park, the Elmhurst Philharmonic Orchestra under Prof. Joanne May premiered the Bharath Symphony, written by the great violinist Dr. L. Subramaniam to celebrate the 70th anniversary of India’s independence. Renowned journalist and playwright Gowri Ramnarayan gave presentations on her work to Elmhurst College Theatre and Music students in 2016 and 2019. Pt. Nagarajrao Havaldar of Bengaluru spent a semester at Elmhurst College in 2011 teaching an Indian Music course and Hindustani classical voice lessons. The always-inspiring Srinivas Krishnan (currently working in Chennai with the LEAP in India Foundation) collaborated with Prof. Joanne May in 2011 to present the first annual Elmhurst College World Music Festival. Harbold has planned and led several January Term courses in India. 2016—From the Big Temples to the Silver Screen: The Music of South India (visit the course website). The course began with five intense days of music lessons at Pt. Nagarajrao Havaldar’s home in Bengaluru—a true gurukulam exerience and the perfect preparation for subsequent musical experiences in Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Thanjavur, and Thiruvaiyaru. 2010 & 2013—Indian Art and Music in Chennai, Thanjavur, Thiruvaiyaru, Madurai, Mamallapuram, Ajanta and Ellora, Agra, and Delhi (visit the 2013 or 2010 course web sites). 2007—Indian Music, Religions, and Culture in Chennai, Thanjavur, Thiruvaiyaru, Mamallapuram, Jaipur, Agra, and Delhi (visit the course blog). In 2012, Harbold was named the College Music Society Ambassador to South India. December 2010 found Harbold in Karnataka as a “groupie” for the Swara Nada Yatra–Tablaphilia concert tour co-led by Pts. Nagarajrao Havaldar and Samir Chatterjee. In 2009 Harbold was honored to do a four-month stint as Visiting Professor at Madras Christian College (visit my blog). In 2008, Dr. Harbold participated in the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute in India—Bharata Darshan: Past and Present in the Study of Indian History and Culture, an extraordinary study experience with world-class scholars such as Romila Thapar, Shereen Ratnagar, Asghar Ali Engineer, and Sunil Kumar in Shimla, Delhi, and Agra. Thanks to his sister in Thillaisthanam, Dr. Rama Kausalya, Harbold has had the privilege of attending the Tyagaraja Aradhana eight times, in 2007, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020 (and via Youtube live-stream in 2021 & 2022!). Held annually in honor of the patron saint of South Indian music, this festival remains the heart and soul of Carnatic classical music. Best of all, Harbold has had the privilege of meeting some of the very best Carnatic classical musicians, including Sudha Ragunathan, Aruna Sairam, Sanjay Subrahmanyan, Dr. S. Sowmya, Dr. L. Subramaniam, Kavita Krishnamurthy, A. Kanyakumari, Gayathri Girish, J. Jayanth, Kadri Gopalnath, Dr. Mysore Manjunath, Umayalpuram Sivaraman, and Dr. S. Karthick, among others.

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AUTHOR—Dr. Harbold’s activities as an writer have ranged from music criticism to scholarly presentations to pedagogical materials. His most substantial publications are nine editions of the Instructor’s Resource Manual for LISTEN, written to support Joseph Kerman’s & Gary Tomlinson’s LISTEN, the prominent music appreciation textbook. He completed work on the Ninth Edition in 2018 and has just completed a Tenth Edition for W.W. Norton. His comprehensive set of PowerPoint lectures to accompany LISTEN Fifth Edition was published by Bedford/St. Martin’s in 2005.

COMPOSER—Dr. Harbold earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in Music Composition at the State University of New York at Buffalo (now University at Buffalo) and a B.Mus. in Theory and Composition at St. Olaf College. He studied with Morton Feldman, Lejaren Hiller, Betsy Jolas, Leo Smit, Francis Miroglio, Wlodzimierz Kotonski, and Arthur Campbell. His most recent works include a piano transcription of the orchestral accompaniment for Handel’s Concerto in G Minor (HWV 287) and continuo realization (keyboard accompaniment) for Vivaldi’s Sonata in A Minor, soon to be published by Alfred in Volume 6 of the Suzuki Bass School. Works published in Volume 5 of the Suzuki Bass School (Alfred Publishing, 2012) include a piano accompaniment for Capuzzi’s Concerto for Double Bass in F Major and continuo realizations for Rameau’s Tambourin and Marcello’s Sonata in G Major. Harbold’s original compositions and arrangements have been performed by the Elmhurst College Concert Choir, St. Olaf Contemporary Ensemble, St. Olaf Dance Ensemble, SUNY/Buffalo Composers Forum, Bach Chamber Choir, Stella Nova A Cappella, Wisconsin Baptist Festival Choir, and church choirs and Suzuki bass students around the country.

EDUCATOR—Dr. Harbold taught his first college course as a teaching assistant in 1976. For the next dozen years, he was regularly in the music classroom as a teaching assistant, adjunct faculty, or full-time faculty. At Elmhurst University from 1988-2021, Dr. Harbold taught courses in music theory, history, composition, technology, appreciation, and Indian music. He supervised the music history program, co-coordinated the theory and composition programs, and played a major role bringing technology into the music program. His technology initiatives included the infusion of computer literacy components into the music curriculum as well as the initial development of multimedia classrooms, new technology courses, a music notation/listening lab, and a MIDI Lab. In recognition of these activities, Dr. Harbold received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1994 and was one of only two faculty members selected to serve on the President’s Technology Taskforce (1998-2000). In his retirement, Harbold continues to interact with musicians in South India, give talks at various colleges and universities, and assist with the Church Music Certificate program he helped pioneer at Madras Christian College.

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ELMHURST UNIVERSITY—Dr. Harbold’s activities at Elmhurst University extended beyond the classroom. He took an active role in faculty governance, twice serving as Humanities Division Chair and on Academic Council. He also served on the Faculty Personnel Board, Alternative Delivery Committee, International Education Committee, and the Interim Task Force, but perhaps his most significant contributions lay in the realm of technology. A long-time member and former chair of the Technology Steering Committee, he also served on the President’s Technology Taskforce, helping Elmhurst University to expand hardware, software, infrastructure, and pedagogical resources, to adopt a web-based course management system, to encourage development of online and hybrid courses, and to spearhead Teaching and Learning with Technology activities on campus. (He also played a significant role in keeping Macintosh computers on campus!)

PROFESSIONAL GROUPS—Dr. Harbold holds membership in several professional organizations, including the College Music Society (CMS), Association for Technology in Music Instruction, and American Composers Forum. He has been inducted into several honor societies, including Pi Kappa Lambda (national music honor society), Alpha Mu Gamma (national foreign language honor society), Phi Beta Delta (national international education honor society), Phi Kappa Phi (national honor society), and Omicron Delta Kappa (national leadership honor society). He served as faculty adviser to Lambda Sigma Psi, Elmhurst University’s music recognition society. Especially active in CMS, Harbold served various roles at regional and national levels. A former president of the CMS Great Lakes Chapter, he chaired numerous sessions at national and chapter conferences. He was privileged to co-chair the program committee for a special 2008 joint conference of the Great Lakes and Great Plains Chapters, part of CMS’s 50th anniversary celebration. Illinois State University hosted the event, and Harbold was a member of the Past Presidents Panel, chaired a session on creative pedagogies, and introduced the keynote speaker, distinguished ethnomusicologist Dr. Bruno Nettl. In 2012 he was named CMS Ambassador to South India.

SOFTWARE—Dr. Harbold developed a variety of software teaching tools for his courses from 1991-2005. For many years, he used HyperCard® and Director® platforms for classroom presentations and student assignments. Harbold continues to use various multimedia and web-based tools as an integral part of his teaching.

PERFORMER—Trained as a singer, conductor, and violinist, Dr. Harbold’s activities as a performer have centered around his college/university positions and his work as a church musician. At Elmhurst University he organized the New Music Recital series from 1990-2000, and he sang for various events—in the classroom, in recital, at convocation, and at chapel services. As a church musician, Dr. Harbold has sung professionally as soloist and chorister at various churches and synagogues, on occasion singing operatic roles. From 1994-2009 he led the adult choir at Christ Community Church (formerly Geneva Road Baptist Church), now and then singing solos or playing the violin.

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“Doc” at Work Drawn in Music History class by Lance Tawzer, Elmhurst College Class of ’92

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Page created 6 June 2001 by Mark Harbold—last updated 07 October 2022.