Janzen is an award-winning flutist and longtime educator.

A new maestra is taking the podium at the East Texas A&M University School of Music. On July 13, Dr. Elizabeth Janzen will become the school’s inaugural director, ushering in a new chapter for the program.

Janzen is the first to hold the director position since the program's elevation from a Department of Music to the School of Music in 2024.

East Texas A&M President Dr. Mark Rudin expressed confidence in Janzen's leadership and the future direction of the School of Music.

“Our School of Music just took a major step forward with the hiring of Dr. Janzen,” Rudin said. “I am excited for the vision she brings to Commerce and am confident she will lead us forward in our efforts to train and inspire the next generation of performers and music educators.”

A Lifelong Passion for Music

Janzen, a native of Newfoundland, Canada, decided early in life to pursue a music career. Her childhood home was filled with classical music, and she credits actor Bob McGrath, who played music teacher Bob Johnson on the beloved children's show “Sesame Street,” with sparking her fascination with the flute and deepening her appreciation for classical music.

“I heard the music he was making with the flute and was enamored,” Janzen said. “I knew very early on I wanted to play the flute.”

She officially began her flute studies at age 11. After graduating from high school, Janzen pursued further education at the University of Toronto, where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree. After that, she moved to the U.S., where she studied at the Manhattan School of Music, earning both a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts. Coincidentally, McGrath, the “Sesame Street” actor and one of Janzen's earliest inspirations, was also a Manhattan School of Music alum.

While in New York, she won the prestigious Artist International Competition and performed her debut professional recital at the historic Carnegie Hall in 2005, receiving glowing praise from the New York Concert Review. She lists flutists such as James Galway and Emmanuel Pahud, as well as her teachers Susan Hoeppner and Linda Chesis, as inspirations for her playing style and study of the instrument.

Emerging as an Educator

While her schooling and professional life were originally focused on performance, she first gained experience as an educator by serving as a flute teacher with the Manhattan School of Music’s Precollege, a pre-conservatory training program for students aged 8 to 18. She also taught music classes tailored for students with autism at New York City public schools as a teaching artist through programs administered by Carnegie Hall and the New York Philharmonic.

The more she taught, the more she discovered her passion for education. She took a position as an assistant professor of flute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2012, moving from New York to her husband’s home state of Texas. Over the ensuing 14 years, she rose to the position of professor of flute and assistant director of the Texas A&M-Kingsville School of Music.

Dr. Joseph Romero, dean of the College of Humanities, Social Sciences and Arts at East Texas A&M, said he is confident Janzen will lead the School of Music with the same uncompromising excellence that has defined her entire career.

“Dr. Janzen brings to the School of Music exactly what this moment demands: a musician of the highest caliber who knows precisely who she is and what she stands for,” Romero said.

An Exciting Opportunity

Janzen says she is excited about the opportunity to lead East Texas A&M’s School of Music and that the position is attractive.

“East Texas A&M’s School of Music has an excellent reputation,” Janzen said. “I am excited by its potential and can’t wait to get started and see what new possibilities for development we can consider, together with faculty, staff and students.”

She added that she has appreciated the warm reception and positivity she has received from music faculty and university administration so far, and she is eager to meet the students.

“I am excited to meet all of you,” Janzen said when asked if she had a message for Lion music students. “I look forward to discovering your musical hopes and ambitions, and working together to find a path towards achieving them.

Learn more about Music at East Texas A&M.