Warner Imig, the longtime dean of the University of Colorado at Boulder College of Music and a well-known conductor and choral director, died July 15 in Mesa, Ariz. He was 92.
Imig joined the CU-Boulder faculty in 1937 as a teacher of voice and choral music and served as dean from 1951 to 1978. In 1978 the College of Music building was named in his honor.
"Warner Imig was one of the great innovators of his time," said Daniel Sher, dean of the CU-Boulder College of Music. "He served music as an administrator, a conductor and an impresario. His 25-year leadership of the College of Music was extraordinary, and his contributions will endure for generations to come. He was a warm, thoughtful and caring individual, and we will miss him very much."
Imig is credited with a number of CU-Boulder firsts. He organized the first formal CU-Boulder choir in 1938 and conducted it until his appointment as dean. In 1942 he produced and conducted the College of Music's first formal opera production, "Sweethearts." He also organized the annual "Festival of Christmas" music program in 1942 that remains wildly popular to this day.
One of America's foremost choir directors, Warner conducted all-state choirs in 30 states and was a founding member and president of the American Choral Directors Association. He also served as president of the National Association of Schools of Music in 1976-78, was a board member of the National Music Council and a national officer of the Music Teachers National Association of the United States.
"He brought the school up to national prominence and developed a number of the graduate programs," said William Kearns, a retired CU-Boulder music professor.
For 40 years, Imig led Boulder's Fourth of July singalong at Folsom Field. More than a million people attended the event over the years and in 1973 he received the Boulder Chamber of Commerce Recognition Award for his involvement in the annual event.
Imig also did more than 35 years of play-by-play football announcements at Folsom Field, for which he was awarded the honorary CU alumni athletic award.
Imig conducted the Denver Symphony in concerts of contemporary composers, lectured at numerous colleges and universities and served as a consultant in curriculum design. He received the Governor's Award for the Arts and Humanities in 1978, the Robert L. Stearns Award from the CU-Boulder Alumni Association in 1964 and was elected to the Colorado Music Educators Hall of Fame.
Born Feb. 12, 1913 in Sioux City, Iowa, Imig received a bachelor's degree from Yankton College and a master's degree in music education from CU-Boulder. He also studied at the American Conservatory, Stanford and DePauw universities. He received an honorary doctorate from the CU-Boulder College of Music in 1978.
Information on plans for a memorial service was not yet available.