Connecticut’s Yale School of Music Announces New Dean 

José García-León, who is currently Juilliard School’s dean of academic affairs, will assume the role as of September 1, 2023

Pianist José García-León will succeed the retiring dean of the University of New Haven’s Yale School of Music (YSM) Robert Blocker, who has held the role for 28 years.

García-León has been The Juilliard School’s dean of academic affairs and assessment since 2014 and will depart this role to begin his tenure at YSM from the 2023 fall semester in September.

Chaired by vice provost Emily Bakemeier, the search advisory committee for the position also received input from YSM faculty members, staff, students, and alumni.

As YSM’s Henry L. and Lucy G. Moses Dean, García-León will draw on his extensive experience and networks to create and evolve YSM’s new and existing programs, plus maintain diverse appointments at the school.

Previously, he was associate dean of the University of New Haven’s College of Arts and Sciences, and began his teaching career at Michigan’s Oakland Community College, where he helped expand its music program.

As a pianist, he has performed solo recitals at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and the St. Petersburg International Music Festival.

Additionally, his scholarly research on multiculturalism in flamenco music, Argentinian tango, the tango flamenco, and jazz and classical music composition, has been presented internationally. 

Born in Spain, García-León attended the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Sevilla before arriving in the U.S. as an international college student. He is a graduate of the State University of New York and completed a DMA in piano performance at the Manhattan School of Music. 

A member of the College Music Society — Northeast Regional Chapter, and of the Music Teachers National Association — Connecticut Music Teachers Association, he is also a first-prize winner of New York’s Artist International Competition.

“I am confident that Professor García-León will contribute in extraordinary ways to the school’s world-class intellectual and creative environment, consistent with the values and work that have defined his career,” said YSM president Peter Salovey in a statement. “He is deeply devoted to the school’s mission of educating and inspiring students with exceptional artistic and academic talent for service to the profession and to society.”

“I’m humbled and honored to have been appointed…I take on this role filled with optimism, rooted in the deeply transformative tenure of Dean Robert Blocker,” said García-León. “Thanks to his outstanding leadership and the excellent work of his team, I’m stepping into a school in enviable financial health and ripe for opportunities on multiple fronts. His legacy will endure for years to come.

“As the only Ivy League school of music, the Yale School of Music is in a unique position to shape the future of music education,” he added. “By garnering from the wealth of resources of a world-class university and strengthening the bridges with its incomparable roster of professional schools, the music school has the potential to renew and create new paths in the music profession, moving forward onto a vibrant future in which curiosity, creativity, compassion, and collaboration will be indispensable.”