Professor of Music Education Dr. Stephen A. Paparo will join a distinguished group of UMass Amherst faculty in the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association’s (MICCA) Paul Smith Hall of Fame.
Paparo was named by the organization as the 2026 inductee, an honor presented annually to a Massachusetts music conductor who is a musical and personal inspiration to students, the community and other professional conductors. Admission to the Hall of Fame is limited to two conductors per year.
He will receive his award on Friday, March 20th as part of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Conference at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass, and will be honored on campus on Sunday, April 26th during the department’s presentation of Verdi’s Requiem, which will include the University Chorale, under Paparo’s direction.
“I was flabbergasted when I received the call,” said Paparo. “MICCA is such a respected organization that provides tremendous music education opportunities for students and professional development for teachers. It has been a pleasure to work with so many colleagues, teachers, and students over the years. I am honored to be this year’s recipient!"
Paparo’s selection places him among some of the most respected and beloved professors from the UMass Amherst Department of Music and Dance, including Walter Chesnut, George Parks, and Malcolm Rowell. Each of them was chosen by MICCA as an educator who best represented the high personal, musical, and professional teaching standards of the late Paul Smith, Sr., former Director of Music in the Abington (MA) Public School System.
Other criteria for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame includes a minimum of ten years as a Massachusetts conductor, a variety of conducting experience, a recognition of the importance of regular professional growth in the music field, and an active interest in promoting the values of music education both in the local community and throughout the state.
“Stephen was nominated by several colleagues, music teachers in MA and alumni. We know he is an incredibly deserving candidate and role model music educator,” said MICCA in their announcement of the award.
Paparo holds degrees from Michigan State University, Syracuse University, and Ithaca College, and is a Guild Certified Practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education. Active as a guest conductor, Dr. Paparo has conducted all-state and honor choirs at all levels in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. He has presented at international, national, and state conferences, including the International Symposium on Performance Science (Kyoto, Japan), The Phenomenon of Singing International Symposium (St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada), and at American Choral Directors Association National and Eastern Division Conferences. He has served on the board of the Massachusetts chapter for the American Choral Directors Association as Student Activities chair (2012-2017), as President (2017-2020), and currently as Past-President (2020-2023). He is a member of the editorial board for the International Journal of Research on Choral Singing. As a former public school teacher, he taught junior and senior high school choral music for ten years in New Hartford, New York, and earned National Board Certification in 2002.
His research interests include the application of the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education to singing instruction in the choral setting, non-traditional choral ensembles, such as contemporary collegiate a cappella, virtual choirs, and circle singing groups, and LGBTQ+ studies in music education. His peer-reviewed research studies are published in the Bulletin for the Council of Research in Music Education, International Journal of Music Education, International Journal of Research in Choral Singing, Music Education Research, and Research Studies in Music Education. He has contributed chapters in The Oxford Handbook of Music Performance (Oxford University Press), Meanings of Music Participation: Scenarios from the United States (Routledge), Somatic Voice in Performance Research and Beyond (Routledge), and Musicianship: Composing in Choir (GIA Publications). His compositions, “Sing in Harmony!” and “A Musical Pun-ology” for beginning choirs, are published by Alfred Music.