Barbara Harbach, professor of music at UMSL, has been named a Curators’ Professor. (Photo by Stephanie Zettl)

Professor of Music Barbara Harbach has received the prestigious award of Curators’ Professor.

Harbach was one of two University of Missouri–St. Louis faculty members to receive the honor this year. The title is awarded to faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding scholarship and well-established reputations.

In addition to being a professor, Harbach is also a composer whose works have been performed worldwide. She is the founder of Women in the Arts, the co-founder and senior editor of WomenArts Quarterly Journal and hosts the Women in the Arts radio show.

“I am deeply humbled and honored to be awarded a University of Missouri Curators’ Professor and to join the other Curators’ Professors who are all so outstanding,” Harbach said.

She will be busy this year planning the third Women in the Arts conference, to take place in November. The last conference took place in 2011.

“One of my goals as a Curators’ Professor is to launch the Third International Women in the Arts Conference here at UMSL in November of this year, highlighting our many talented and creative staff, faculty and students. Another goal is to complete a song cycle for soprano, violin and piano using children’s writings from the Holocaust.”

Recipients are nominated by their departments and approved by the Curators of the University of Missouri System.

Harbach, whose new title takes effect in September, will be one of 12 professors at UMSL who are Curators’ Professors. Alexei Demchenko, professor of chemistry at UMSL, also received the honor this year. A story about his award will be posted in UMSL Daily.