DANBURY – Music has been Kevin Jay Isaacs’ life for 35 years. A music professor at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) since 1990, along with serving as the associate chair of the department and coordinating the graduate degree program in music education, Isaacs nurtured a passion for choral music and composition.
Upon his retirement this year from the university where he also served as coordinator of the Master of Science in Music Education degree program, Issaac reflects on his rewarding career. “I’m thankful that I have been able to do the two things I like to do for the past 35 years,” said Isaacs who resides in Brookfield with his wife, Debra.
To honor his longstanding career and support the University, Isaacs and his wife, who he met in choir at Texas Christian University, established the Kevin Jay Isaacs Endowed Choral Scholarship to help meritorious students attend Westconn and sing in choirs. The first scholarship will be awarded for the 2026 fall semester.
“Choir means a lot,” Issacs said. “It’s a safe place that allows you to be emotional and emotive. I taught here for a long time. I’m glad I can help give our students this foundation.”
According to Laurel Larsen, music department chair, the scholarship is for students who participate in choral music at WCSU.
“We’re always looking for new ways to support our students. Many of our students work part-time jobs to help pay for their education,” she said. “Scholarships help alleviate some of the financial burdens our students face, so we are always grateful for donors who choose to support their education.”
To qualify for the scholarship, students must be enrolled in at least two of the university’s traditional choral ensembles, which include Chamber Singers, University Singers, and Concert Chorale, according to Larsen. The amount of the scholarship will vary from year to year, depending on the amount in the endowment and the performance of the stock market, she added.
The scholarship fund will be maintained by the WCSU Foundation. Donations can be made by contacting the university’s Institutional Advancement Office.
Dr. Isaacs, who received a Bachelors and Master degree from Texas Christian University in music composition and theory, and a Doctorate in Composition and Choral Conducting from The University of Arizona, had a prolific music career. Beginning his tenure at WCSU in 1990, Isaacs was one of the University’s first new hires in the university’s Department of Music at that time in at least 12 years.
“I guess you could say I livened things up,” said Isaacs who taught courses in theory, composition, and choral studies and was instrumental in expanding the Chorale Program from 1990-2008 that performed with local symphonies, the New Haven Symphony, the Ridgefield Symphony, and combined with the Texas Christian University choirs for concerts at Carnegie Hall with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops Orchestra.
In addition to teaching, Isaacs wrote commissioned compositions; adjudicated and conducted All-State, regional, and other honor choirs. Also, he conducted The Charles Ives Symphony and Festival Chorus, The Camerata Chamber Orchestra, and served four years as music director of the Christ Chorale, a Danbury area adult ecumenical choral ensemble.
Isaacs has been recognized for his many contributions to the music industry. In 2008, he received the inaugural WCSU Excellence in Teaching Award and in 2010 was named Connecticut Choir Director of the Year by the Connecticut Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.
“The best recognition a teacher can receive comes from the people we instruct, nurture and watch grow into vital and productive adults,” said Isaacs, proud to be a member of the planning and design committee for the Westconn’s Visual and Performing Arts Center (VPAC) that opened on the Westside campus in 2014. “Look at us now, 20-something years later in this magnificent, $100-million arts building,” he said.
Earlier this month, the WCSU Music Alumni Choir performed a special concert to celebrate Isaacs’ milestone at the Veronica Hagman Concert Hall in the VPAC on Westconn’s westside campus with Isaacs as conductor.
On a personal note going forward, Isaacs hopes to enjoy listening to music instead of teaching it and to write experimental novels. Another celebration was the birth of his first grandchild in September.
