ICA Welcomes Michael Thrasher as Editor, The Clarinet

Michael Thrasher is a clarinetist, scholar, and academic leader with more than 25 years of experience in higher education. He currently serves as Dean of the College of Communication & Fine Arts at Troy University, where he leads a diverse college encompassing the arts, humanities, and communication fields. Thrasher brings a lengthy track record of academic leadership, including previous roles as Associate Dean, Interim Dean, and Director at leading institutions such as Florida State University, the University of Texas at Tyler, and North Dakota State University.

A longtime ICA member, Thrasher has presented at International Clarinet Association conferences in the U.S. and Europe, and also served as program book editor for the 2014 and 2016 ClarinetFest® conferences. His scholarly work explores clarinet literature, musician health, and leadership in the performing arts, with publications in The Clarinet, Medical Problems of Performing Artists, Journal of Performing Arts Leadership in Higher Education, Planning for Higher Education, and others. He is currently serving as an associate editor of the Oxford Handbook of Musician Health Advocacy (in development).

A Fulbright Scholar and recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, Thrasher is committed to fostering healthy, inclusive, and forward-looking arts environments. He holds the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Northwestern State University, and both the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of North Texas.