Dr. James R. Hines
Music History and Literature

Dr. James R. Hines holds the rank of Professor of Music. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music history from Old Dominion University, a Master of Music degree in music theory from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Hines is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, the national honor society in music.

Dr. Hines became CNU’s first full-time professor of music in 1975 and led the music program through implementation of the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977 and the Bachelor of Music degree in 1983. Under his leadership, the Cary McMurran Music Library was established in 1976, the Jean B. Falk Professorship in Music was created in 1985, and the Opera Workshop was founded in 1987. He managed the Monthly Concert Series for fourteen years and the Nancy A. Ramseur Concert Series for ten years.

Dr. Hines was named Faculty Member of the Year by the Alumni Society in 1980, and received Outstanding Faculty awards in 1987 and 1993. He received a Life Bravissimo Award in 1980 in recognition of “outstanding contributions to the arts community” in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Boards of Directors of several local music organizations including the Norfolk Chamber Consort, the Peninsula Symphony, the Peninsula Youth Orchestra, and the Virginia Opera Association Guild.

Dr. Hines has been a church choir director, directed an early music group, reviewed concerts for the Virginian Pilot in Norfolk, judged numerous music competitions, and presented a weekly music-appreciation program, “Classics 101,” on a local good music station.

Dr. Hines is a founding member of the Society for American Music, remaining active in the Society for many years. He served as the Local Arrangements Chair for the 1991 national conference sponsored by CNU and held in Hampton. From 1995 through 2005 he served as Conference Manager for the Society overseeing conferences in as many cities. Dr. Hines is also active in the American Musicological Society, serving as Secretary/Treasurer, Chairman, and Chapter Representative to the National Council for the Southeast Chapter.

Dr. Hines is active in the community. He served on the City of Newport News Planning Commission for nearly nine years, two years as its Chair. By separate Council appointment, he served as Chair of the Oversight Committee for the first five-year revision of the city’s comprehensive plan, “Framework for the Future.” Dr. Hines is an active Rotarian and served as President of the Rotary Club of Oyster Point. He served also at the district level for more than ten years, first as Interact Chair and then as International Chair. He has twenty-four years of perfect attendance and is a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.

Dr. Hines currently teaches Critical Listening for Music Majors, History of Western Music, American Music at the graduate and undergraduate level, and directs thesis research for music-history majors. In support of CNU’s new curriculum, Dr. Hines teaches a first-year seminar on figure skating. Owing to the small size of the music faculty in the early years, Dr. Hines has taught most of the history and theory courses offered in the curriculum, including Fundamentals of Music, Elementary Theory of Music, Advanced Theory of Music, Elementary Ear Training, Advanced Ear Training, Tonal Counterpoint, Form and Analysis, Orchestration, Introduction to Music, The World’s Music, Oratorio, Haydn, and Concert and Theater Reviewing. He directed the Concert Choir for fourteen years. During that period, the Choir performed with the Peninsula Symphony and with the Virginia Symphony on the stage of Chrysler Hall. Twice, he took performing groups to Europe, first to France and then to England and Scotland.

Dr. Hines’ research interests include American and Caribbean music, particularly popular music in nineteenth-century America and Guyanese folk music. Among his many scholarly presentations have been several on the music of American composer Charles Gilfert given at meetings of the American Musicological Society, the College Music Society, and the Society for American Music. He wrote the article on Gilfert for the New Grove. His work on Guyanese folk music has taken him to that country several times. Results of his folk music research have been presented at meetings of the American Musicological Society and the Society for American Music. A related study of the political situation in Guyana resulted in a presentation on CNU’s Dean’s Colloquia series.

Dr. Hines is also a figure skating historian and has written the definitive history of the sport, Figure Skating: A History, published in 2006 by the University of Illinois Press. A second book, The English Style: Figure Skating’s Oldest Tradition appeared in November 2008. In addition, he has published articles in international publications including the Journal of Olympic History. Dr. Hines is an elector for both the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.