For the first time in over half a century, Concordia University Chicago has a new director of bands.
CUC named Johanna Anderson, who previously worked at Concordia University Wisconsin, as the new director of bands in January. She replaces Richard Fischer, who retired after spending 51.5 years at Concordia.
In February 2025, Fischer announced that the upcoming fall semester would be his last. Following his announcement, the search to find the person who will replace him began.
“We immediately started the process of drawing requests,” said Charles Brown, a professor of music at Concordia. “There were lots of due processes we have to go through, we needed to get lots of approval across campus.”
Those processes included making sure there was approval for the position to be opened, and determining the responsibilities of the job. Once all the due processes and approvals were gained, the position was officially opened in the summer of 2025. That was when Anderson applied for the vacant position.
“I started considering it over the summer when I heard Fischer was retiring,” said Anderson. “I prayed about it a lot, and then applied in August.”
Once Anderson applied, that started a multi-month hiring process. She was one of two candidates to make it to the in-person interview stage, which was held in November. At the beginning of December, Anderson was officially offered the position.
“I knew her previous work, and it was good to get to know her through the search process,” said Brown. “Her and the other in-person candidate were on equal footing, and it was her intangibles that pushed her over the edge. She had good rapport, I could see how well she fit with everyone. It was impressive how she interacted with the students.”
Anderson said that growing up, she had a lot of influential music teachers, and a very musical family. She credited her love of music to her mom, and when she realized she wanted to be like her high school music director, she chose to pursue music education in college.
Prior to working at CUC, Anderson worked for over 10 years at Concordia Wisconsin, which was also where she earned her undergraduate degree. Anderson was drawn to CUC by the university’s rich history in the arts, she said.
“I am excited to have the opportunity due to the legacy that CUC has with the fine arts,” said Anderson. “I’m looking forward to making sure our music represents the school’s Christian identity.”
One piece of CUC’s music legacy that Anderson plans to continue is the annual spring tour. Prior to Anderson’s hiring, it was uncertain if the tour would take place, as there was no one to lead it since Fischer had retired. Since Anderson has been hired, however, Brown said that a spring tour will indeed be taking place.
“It will be a four or five day tour that will take place over spring break,” said Brown. “The tour will head to visit schools in St. Louis, and the primary goal of it will be recruiting. She will be the ambassador for CUC as we visit those schools.”
One primary focus on the start of Anderson’s tenure at CUC will be the recruitment process, and it will extend beyond the spring tour to St. Louis and whatever destination the fall tour visits.
Anderson said that is excited for CUC to go on tour, and help get the school more visibility.
“Visibility is a huge part of the recruiting aspect,” said Anderson. “I did a lot of recruiting at my old position, and it is something that I really love.”
Beyond recruiting, Anderson said she wants to find ways to get the students that already attend CUC more involved with music. She said that bolstering the current ensembles and the pep band are both priorities for her.
She is also looking at what other types of music groups and ensembles might be popular at CUC.
“We want to know what students are interested in,” said Anderson. “That will involve student input; we want to create things that the students want and are excited for.”
With the hiring of Anderson, Brown is hoping that more students will decide on CUC as the place to follow their passions for music.
“We have a vision to grow,” said Brown. “What’s important is that we have a story to tell. We want students to realize what we can do for them, and what we can provide them.”
