Dr. Kira Omelchenko named JMU Art's first Albright Faculty Fellow
College of Visual and Performing Arts
Dr. Kira Omelchenko, Director of Orchestras and Associate Professor of Music at James Madison University (JMU), has been named the first recipient of the Albright Faculty Fellowship in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA).
Established in 2026 through the generosity of Donald Albright, the fellowship honors a full-time CVPA faculty member who advances the visual and performing arts at JMU and in the Shenandoah Valley, demonstrates innovation, and fosters student success.
Omelchenko exemplifies these priorities through her community engagement, innovative music education, and dedication to student development.
Omelchenko has developed strong partnerships with arts and education organizations throughout the region. She recently collaborated with Harrisonburg High School on the North American premiere of a work by Japanese composer Reiko Nomura, uniting the JMU Symphony Orchestra with the high school’s orchestra program.
She founded the JMU Orchestra Invitational, now in its second year, which brings orchestra students and directors from across the Shenandoah Valley to campus. Her continued involvement with the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival and her service as a clinician and adjudicator for regional orchestras further demonstrate her commitment to strengthening the region’s musical community.
Omelchenko also embraces emerging technologies in teaching, research, and performance. In partnership with Music Not Impossible, a wearable technology company, she introduced biosensor data collection into JMU Symphony Orchestra rehearsals and performances, providing students with hands-on experience at the intersection of technology and music. Her success extends across all levels of study. She has co-authored peer-reviewed research with an undergraduate FYRE student, directs the JMU Concerto/Aria Competition and, through a CVPA Faculty Development grant, led four DMA students to an international conducting residency at the Sophia Symphonic Summit in Bulgaria.
As the inaugural Albright Faculty Fellow, Omelchenko’s work demonstrates the powerful impact that can happen when artistic excellence, collaboration, and student opportunity come together at JMU, throughout the Shenandoah Valley, and beyond. Congratulations to Dr. Kira Omelchenko!
