All that jazz: Dr. Charlie Kinzer reflects on Longwood career upon retirement

“I’ve been pleased and proud to work at an institution that values the training of music teachers,” Kinzer said, noting that the majority of music majors graduate with a degree in music education. “It makes you feel like you are training people who are going to go out and make a real difference in the world. It’s very gratifying to have that kind of focus.”

Kinzer, whose research specialties include New Orleans jazz and early brass band music, taught Western music history, world music and applied saxophone, in addition to directing the jazz ensemble. One of the things he appreciates is that Longwood’s music program encourages students to stay engaged and remain active as performing musicians—something Kinzer, a saxophonist, has also done throughout his time in Farmville. He has recorded with the late Roy Clark, a Virginia native and celebrated country and western musician, and has performed throughout the state since 1994 with his group, the Southside Jazz Quintet.

“I didn’t really want to teach music history only,” he said. “I wanted to still be active as a musician and performer. Longwood was a place where I could do that, and I got to pursue my different interests.”

Kinzer arrived at Longwood in fall of 1992, shortly after receiving his Ph.D. in musicology from Louisiana State University. When he applied for the teaching position, he had never heard of what was then named Longwood College. But there were several things that appealed to him, including the relatively small size of the campus, the close community and the fact that he felt like he could make a difference as a teacher. Kinzer, who earned degrees in music performance from Auburn University and the University of Alabama, was also keen on finding a smaller university than the ones he had attended.

“I really was struck by the tightness of the community here,” he recalled. “The music teachers all seemed to know each other very well and seemed to know professors and faculty who were not in the field of music. I can remember being here for the interview and walking from the music building over to the dining hall, which was where Rotunda is now, and students saying hello to the professor that I was walking with. I was shocked because that would never happen at LSU or the University of Alabama or any of those larger universities.”

He was hired primarily to teach music history, but Longwood also needed someone to teach woodwind instruments. After about a year on campus, Dr. Gordon Ring asked Kinzer if he could take over directing Longwood’s jazz ensemble. It seemed like a good fit given Kinzer’s background in the world of jazz. Kinzer has directed the ensemble ever since—building it into a popular group for music students.

“That became a pretty big focus of my job, and it was certainly fun to feel like I built that program for a while,” Kinzer said. “It’s always thrived, and it’s been a real pleasure to work with the ensemble over the years.”

Among Kinzer’s best memories at Longwood are jazz ensemble trips to New Orleans in 2000 and to New York City in 2006. He called those trips “peak moments,” in addition to bringing guest artists to campus to meet his students over the years.

Kinzer has also really enjoyed teaching music students one-on-one through private lessons. He estimates that during his career at Longwood he’s worked with about 32 students who played the saxophone as their principal instrument and performed senior recitals before graduating.

“It’s really terrific to guide somebody through that process,” he said. “It feels like such a big achievement at the end of their college career. That’s a pretty great teaching experience.”

Some of his former students returned to campus for a retirement party this spring. And one alum who is now a musician and music teacher praised Kinzer’s “long career helping young musicians find their way” in a Facebook post honoring the professor on his retirement.

“I owe a huge debt of gratitude to him for shaping my playing, listening habits and worldview as a musician,” wrote Ben Tufts ’99, a music education major and member of the jazz ensemble who came back to Longwood to celebrate Kinzer’s retirement.

Part of the legacy Kinzer leaves at Longwood is the Richmond Symphony Orchestra’s annual performance—considered one of the cultural highlights of the academic year on campus that has grown in popularity over the past decade.

Kinzer was involved in solidifying Longwood’s partnership with the RSO during his tenure as chair of the department. The annual concert is underwritten by the Cook-Cole Symphony Fund, an endowed partnership established by Dr. John Cook, a 1954 alumnus and benefactor of the Cook-Cole College of Arts and Sciences.

The annual performance underscores the importance of music in the DNA of Longwood, Kinzer said.

“I think in future years we’ll start to see things like the Longwood chamber orchestra perform side-by-side with the symphony or maybe open the RSO concert,” he said. “It’s a wonderful thing every year, and it’s got room to grow.”

As he retires, there are exciting things on the horizon for the music program, including a new music education building scheduled to open in the spring of 2027. The new building will include a beautiful concert hall that will be the perfect size for symphony concerts.

Kinzer is looking forward to having more time to play his instruments in his retirement. In addition to the saxophone, he plays the electric bass and clarinet. He also plans to remain active in the music community on campus and can’t wait to attend concerts and performances in the new building. His wife, Dr. Lisa Kinzer, continues her work as a Longwood music professor, teaching applied piano, piano literature and pedagogy.

“It would be wonderful to have an office in that new building, but it will be equally wonderful just to attend events there,” he said.