Faculty Profile: Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choirs Music Charles Kamm

One of the best parts about attending Harvey Mudd is the access students have to professors within the 5C Consortium. Professor Charles Kamm has been teaching at the Claremont Colleges since 2005, directing the Claremont Treble Singers and the Claremont Concert Choir. He attended Earlham College during his undergrad, receiving an education as a general music major. Immediately after, Kamm studied at Michigan State University and earned his Master’s there. He taught for 3 years at the University of Massachusetts Boston as a part time choir director, then taught for 6 years at Vassar College as a visiting assistant professor before getting his doctorate in choral conducting at Yale University. 

After completing his doctorate in 2004, Professor Kamm was offered a position at the Claremont Colleges. At the same time, he was also offered the Fulbright scholarship and received the opportunity to study in Finland. He deferred his offer here for a year to study conducting and research Finnish choral music at the Sibelius Academy, the only university level music conservatory in Finland, before coming to teach at the 5Cs. 

Professor Kamm was involved with music ever since he was a kid. He learned piano, played in a band, and did musical theater as a child, and only sang in a choir for the first time in college. The first time he sang in a choir, he was wowed with how so many voices could work together to form harmonies. Prof. Kamm entered his undergrad as a physics major, but switched to a music major when he got an opportunity to conduct a choir.  He knew that directing and conducting was what he wanted to do with his life.

This year, Professor Kamm is only directing the two choirs in the Fall semester before going on sabbatical in the spring. Usually, however, he directs two choirs as well as teaches one class. Some of the previous courses he has taught include Music in Western Civilization, Music in the United States, and Introduction to Music: Sound and Meaning. Outside of teaching, Prof. Kamm still leads a very musical life. He enjoys listening to music of all genres, from jazz and folk music to classic rock and tango. He takes care of his cat, reads, and is an avid poker player in his free time.