Dr. Elliott Tackitt Appointed as Director of Bands
The Music Department is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Elliott Tackitt as our new Director of Bands. Among his duties in this role, he will direct the Cavalier Marching Band, conduct the Wind Ensemble, and provide artistic guidance to the entire band program.
A passionate advocate for music education at all levels, Dr. Tackitt is internationally active as a clinician, educator, and conductor. He previously served on the faculties of the University of Michigan and Arizona State University. In these roles, he taught undergraduate instrumental conducting, lead graduate seminars on advanced rehearsal techniques, and served as a conductor of the Concert Band and Wind Symphony.
From 2009–2016, Dr. Tackitt served as the Associate Director of Bands at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ, where he conducted the Symphonic Band, taught undergraduate conducting and secondary methods courses, developed and implemented a course on marching band techniques, and directed all aspects of the NAU athletic band program.
Dr. Tackitt completed his Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting at the University of Michigan and his Master of Music in Wind Conducting at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He holds a Bachelor of Music in trombone performance and a Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Music Education from the University of Michigan. His principal conducting mentors are Michael Haithcock and Steve Davis, and his trombone mentor is David Jackson.
We are excited to welcome Dr. Tackitt as a colleague and look forward to the continued excellence and development of the band program under his direction.
Dr. Tackitt can be reached at etackitt@virginia.edu.