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SACKVILLE, NB — Dr. Stephen Runge, a celebrated pianist, professor, and department head of Mount Allison’s Department of Music is the 2020 recipient of the University’s Paul Paré Medal. Mount Allison’s pre-eminent award for faculty, the Medal is presented annually to a faculty member at Mount Allison who has exemplified outstanding teaching, research, scholarship, and/or creative activities, and who has an exemplary record of service.

“It’s an honour to be recognized like this by my colleagues and students,” says Runge. “I’m very humbled to receive the Paul Paré Medal this year.”

Mount Allison Provost and Vice-President Dr. Jeff Ollerhead says Runge’s combination of research, creative work, and teaching is commendable.

“Being a music professor and active performer is an incredible balancing act. Stephen Runge’s dedication to his students and colleagues as a teacher and mentor reflects the very qualities the Paul Paré Medal seeks to recognize,” says Ollerhead. “I would like to congratulate him on this latest achievement.”

Runge has taught at Mount Allison since 2007. An award-winning pianist, he teaches applied music lessons (one-on-one performance classes for students), as well as classes in collaborative piano and pedagogy, keyboard literature, and music history and literature.

Entering his third term as Department Head, a position he’s held since 2014, Runge oversees many of the administrative duties of this dynamic department, from course offerings to auditions for incoming students, and an event docket that sees over 80 performances in the department over the course of an average academic year. He oversees scheduling of these events as well as the management of initiatives such as the annual Bragg Artist-in-Residence program, welcoming renowned musicians to campus each year for a week-long residency, as well as the annual Summer Music Academy, a program for high school music students. The Summer Academy will be offered virtually in 2020.

Runge is a regular on the Brunton Auditorium stage and other stages across the country. He has released four albums with a fifth one being released in 2020. This album will focus on British Art song with noted countertenor, Daniel Cabena. He has also served as a juror for both the JUNO Awards (Classical Album of the Year) and the East Coast Music Awards on multiple occasions.

From Regina, SK, Runge started playing piano at the age of six. After several years of teaching piano lessons to beginning students while in high school and during his undergraduate studies, he first taught music at the university level while a graduate student, which influenced his decision to become a professor as well as a performer.

“I always enjoyed performing but didn’t really consider academia as a career until grad school,” says Runge. “But working with students is really one of the best parts of my job. Seeing their growth and development from first year to their final recitals is very rewarding and one of the best things about teaching.”