Dr. Catherine Rand

Dr. Catherine Rand is the Director of Bands at the University of Southern Mississippi where she conducts the Wind Ensemble, teaches graduate wind conducting, and guides all facets of the University of Southern Mississippi’s comprehensive band program. Prior to her appointment at The University of Southern Mississippi, she served as the Director of Bands at Florida International University and the University of South Carolina Aiken.

Dr. Rand received her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Tampa, Master of Music in conducting from the University of South Florida, and Doctor of Musical Arts in wind conducting from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. Prior to her collegiate teaching career, she taught band and orchestra in the Florida public school system for 15 years.

Active in scholarly and creative endeavors, Dr. Rand has presented numerous workshops to music educators on festival preparation, rehearsal techniques, meaningful conducting gestures, and building curriculum for band programs. She has conducted numerous honor bands and All-State ensembles including working with the Third Marine Aircraft Wind Band and their conductors in San Diego, California. Dr. Rand was a founding member of the Creative Music Project, which promotes student-based musical creativity by providing improvisation and composition activities accompanied by technology-based, multi-disciplinary methodology. She is published in volume 5 of “A Composer’s Insight: Thoughts, Analysis and Commentary on Contemporary Masterpieces for Wind Band,” and in the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band Series, distributed by GIA Publications. 

Dr. Rand has served as an assistant producer for several commercial recordings by the NAXOS record label. Her first compact disc on the NAXOS label with the University of Southern Mississippi Wind Ensemble has an anticipated release in December 2017.
In addition to the numerous local, regional, and national events in which her ensembles have performed, most recently The University of Southern Mississippi’s Wind Ensemble, under her direction, has been chosen to perform at the Southern Regional of CBDNA in Tampa Florida in February 2018.

Dr. Rand is a strong advocate for new music. She has helped to commission new works for wind ensemble and chamber winds and premiered numerous works by contemporary composers including Joseph Schwanter, David Maslanka, Luigi Zaninelli, Paul Dooley, Anthony Barfield, and Steve Danyew.

Dr. Rand maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and guest lecturer throughout the United States and abroad. Her professional affiliations include the College Band Director’s National Association, Women Band Director’s International, National Band Association, College Music Society, Mississippi Band Master’s Association, Florida Band Master’s Association, Kappa Kappa Psi and the Music Educators National Conference.