Dr. Cara Tasher

Dr. Cara Tasher, associate professor and director of Choral Studies in the School of Music, teaches courses in Chorale and Chamber Singers, upper-level and graduate courses in conducting — practical, theoretical and academic — as well as some courses in the music education sequence when she is available.

Tasher's engagements as both a singer and a conductor have brought her to more than 20 countries for concerts, festivals and workshops or as a featured soloist. She has led the UNF choirs on numerous performance tours all over the world including Portugal, Italy and South Africa. International awareness is a focal point of her teaching, and she writes articles on living composers in the International Choral Bulletin. Tasher was awarded the UNF 2010 Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award.

• What brought you to UNF?
  The students at my interview who seemed intellectually curious to grow, the colleagues who seemed to have a “let’s-get-it-done” attitude, and of course, the nature-filled campus.
• What’s the most rewarding academic experience you’ve had at UNF in or out of the classroom?
  International Choral Exchanges where we are singing together with people from another country.
• What do you like most about UNF?
  Music nerd joke: that it is “FUN” in 1st inversion. Sincere answer: The buildable nature of its “wishableness.” Alongside my colleagues, I have been supported in growing this program organically into one of the most sought-after choral programs in the state.
• Describe your teaching style. Do you like to integrate tech, or are you more comfortable with a lecture-style classroom?
  It varies from course to course, but not many of my classes are lectures, especially those that are considered “lecture” courses. Technology is used regularly, both in rehearsals as well as in concerts.
• What is your personal philosophy?
  Open your eyes, open your ears, connect.
• What advice would you give a student who is about to graduate?
  Figure out what you need to wear, then dive in fully charged.