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Albrecht ’76 Honored as a University of Miami Distinguished Alumni

Composer and musician Sally Albrecht ’76 has been recognized for an extraordinary career spanning more than four decades.

By Stephanie Rizzo ’09

May 05, 2022

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Sally Albrecht ’76 received the University of Miami Frost School of Music’s Distinguished Alumni Award, which celebrates alumni whose professional career accomplishments serve as an inspiration to generations of students. The award was presented during the Frost Chorale’s farewell concert, during which Albrecht conducted a performance of her double choir composition Gloria Patri.

Albrecht graduated from Rollins with a double major in music and theater before receiving her MA in drama from the University of Miami in 1977 and her MM in accompanying in 1979.

An accomplished composer, conductor, and clinician, Albrecht has performed at numerous iconic venues, including the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. One of her most beloved compositions was performed at the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama. More recently, her composition Domine Deus was sung by the Archdiocesan Children’s Choir as the Pope arrived in Philadelphia.

Sally Albrecht ’76 with Frost School of Music Dean Shelton Berg.
Sally Albrecht ’76 with Frost School of Music Dean Shelton Berg. | Courtesy Sally Albrecht ’76

Throughout her 40-plus-year career, Albrecht has produced more than 600 popular choral publications, plus multiple elementary songbooks, musicals, and instructional DVDs. She has taught in the music departments at Oakland University, Jersey City State College, and Meredith College. She is a member of Rollins’ Cloverleaf Society and previously served on the President’s Leadership Council. Albrecht and her husband, composer and arranger Jay Althouse, currently reside in Raleigh, North Carolina.

This is not the first time an alma mater has recognized Albrecht for her enormous accomplishments. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Rollins in 2021.


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