Lisa Withers
Lisa Withers, Ph.D., has spent most of her 25-year career in higher education at Emory & Henry College, teaching piano, music theory and music history classes, as well as taking on various administrative leadership roles. She has also taught countless elementary, middle and high school students in her private studio.
During her graduate studies at West Virginia University and the University of Michigan, Withers performed a significant portion of the solo and chamber piano works of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. In addition, she spent summers at the French Piano Institute in Paris and at the Royal Academy of Music in London working on research and performance activities. Her current research and performance interests include 20thcentury French piano and chamber music, American female composers and mindful self-compassion practices in performing and teaching.
“I started taking piano lessons at age 7 in Philippi, West Virginia, (where I grew up) from a conservatory-trained piano teacher who had just moved from Eastern Europe (Serbia) into my small town and who worked at the college where my dad was a sociology professor. Her name was Marija Sommer. I took piano from her for 10 years (my mom played piano and was very supportive of me learning piano), and I credit a lot of my success to her early influence. I played horn (French horn and mellophone) in high school marching and symphonic band and was an accompanist for my high school choir. I also played at the Philippi Baptist Church often. All of these experiences gave me a love of learning and performing music,” she says.
Withers is the Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences at Emory & Henry College. She is in charge of programs in the natural sciences, social sciences, education, humanities, and visual and performing arts. She is finishing her second year in this position and has lots of excitement and optimism for the undergraduate liberal arts education that E&H provides to students. Her focus for the future is to help foster and develop interdisciplinary programs and community and regional partnerships that continue to provide value for our students and the region.
“My professional values and center have always been with the power of the liberal arts (and particularly, the visual and performing arts) to increase empathy, creativity and understanding in workplaces and communities. I hope to continue to perform and collaborate with other musicians, teach piano and look for opportunities to grow, both professionally and personally. I want to be open to whatever adventure comes next.
“The influence of the arts in my life is profound. Making music and art has given me confidence and has helped me explore and express my own identity. It has connected me to my best self. It has connected me to so many wonderful, creative people in all of the communities in which I have lived. I have seen the arts help so many young people feel heard and seen and feel at home for the first time. Being human on this planet is difficult and sometimes painful work. The arts help people connect with each other in community and create moments of joy and beauty that unite us in our humanity.
“It is a great honor and pleasure to be getting this AAME Arts Achievement Award. I know so many of the former recipients and feel very grateful to be included in such an impactful and talented group of people. This community has been a wonderful artistic home for me for 20 years, and my performing and teaching here have helped me to feel an integral part of this vibrant and meaningful community.”
