HPU PROFESSOR TERESA MCCREARY'S LASTING LEGACY IN MUSIC

After nearly four decades in music education, Teresa McCreary, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Music and Director of Performing Arts at Hawaiʻi Pacific University (HPU), is retiring, leaving behind a legacy of artistic excellence and educational innovation.  

Her impact on HPU’s music program, her students, and the broader Honolulu community has shaped not only the university’s cultural identity but also the lives of countless aspiring musicians and arts leaders.  

As she transitions to a new chapter, McCreary reflects on a career marked by creativity, collaboration, and a deep commitment to the transformative power of the arts. 

A Musical Beginning Rooted in Family 

McCreary’s journey into music began in her childhood home in South Carolina, where the sounds of opera, piano, and choir practice filled the air. Her parents, both college music professors and church musicians, cultivated a home environment rich in artistic expression. 

“We were surrounded by music 24/7,” McCreary recalled. “We had a music room in the house. That’s where the piano lived and where cello lessons were taught.” 

While music was always present, McCreary initially resisted the idea of following in her parents’ footsteps. But by her junior year of high school, the pull of music was undeniable. 

“I realized that I loved music. I thought, ‘OK, I can do instrumental music. I’ll study the piano and cello, and then I won’t be copying my parents verbatim,” she explained. 

That decision launched McCreary’s lifelong dedication to music as both a performer and educator. 

A Career in Music Education 

Her academic path took her from the University of Kansas, where she earned a bachelor's degree in music education, to the University of Texas at Austin for a master’s in cello performance, and finally to the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, where she completed a Ph.D. in music education. Along the way, she honed her craft not only as a cellist but also as a conductor and classroom leader. 

Her professional teaching career began in Texas, where she taught middle school orchestra and served as a cello instructor at Pan American University. In 1989, she moved to Honolulu and began a 16-year tenure at Iolani School, where she directed orchestras from grades 5 through 12 and led the school’s top ensemble on international concert tours to London, New York, Australia, and New Zealand. Under her leadership, Iolani’s orchestra program flourished, and McCreary developed a reputation as an inspiring and innovative conductor. 

Her experiences as a clinician and guest conductor are equally extensive, including engagements with the Hawaii Youth Symphony, Kamehameha Schools, and high school honor orchestras across the continental United States. She has presented research at international conferences, including Kings College London, and held fellowships for music study at Oxford University and the British Library. 

Founding and Growing HPU’s Instrumental Music Program 

In 2005, McCreary joined Hawaiʻi Pacific University with a bold mission: to establish and expand a music program that would enrich the university’s offerings and serve as a cultural bridge to the wider community. 

“What led me here was a request to start an orchestra program,” she said. Starting with just five string players, McCreary built the HPU Symphony into a full ensemble that includes strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion, attracting students from HPU as well as musicians from the Honolulu area. 

Over 18 years, she transformed the performance program into a multi-faceted department encompassing a chamber orchestra, wind ensemble, jazz combo, and Hawaiian music group. These ensembles perform regularly on campus and abroad, with notable concert tours in China, Japan, and throughout the Hawaiian Islands.  

“The College of Liberal Arts has been quite supportive of the arts,” McCreary noted. “It has been extremely rewarding for me to take a leadership role in that.” 

College of Liberal Arts Dean  Allison Gough, Ph.D., noted, “Teresa’s development of the symphony orchestra at HPU was instrumental (no pun intended) in expanding opportunities for creative expression among all HPU students.” 

According to Gough, students from across disciplines, from marine science to English, were drawn to the university because of the opportunity to participate in the arts. “That opportunity was often the deciding factor between a student deciding to attend HPU or not,” she said. “As a result, the school has been able to attract high achieving students, polymaths, who excel in marine science, nursing, English, engineering, history, as well as performance.” 

But McCreary’s vision didn’t stop at performance. Recognizing a gap in the curriculum, she spearheaded the creation of the Arts and Markets degree—a Bachelor of Arts program combining the study of arts with business principles. 

“We discovered a niche market in combining with the College of Business,” she explained. This program, now with around 40 students, prepares graduates for careers as arts managers, producers, and educators, equipping them with practical skills and entrepreneurial insights. 

Gough praised the program’s innovative approach. “Somewhat satirically named ‘how not to be a starving artist,’ the program has enabled students to channel their enthusiasm for creative arts into careers.” She added that it “offers students a range of business-oriented courses alongside courses in performing, visual, and creative arts as well as entrepreneurship.” 

A key feature of the program is its hands-on capstone project. Students must produce an original work—whether an art exhibit, theater production, or concert—giving them real-world experience. 

“Developing that program and gradually creating new courses for it, like arts entrepreneurship, has been exciting,” she said. 

A Farewell Performance to Remember 

McCreary’s final concert at HPU was more than a culmination of her work—it was a celebration of the community she helped build. Held on April 18 at the Aloha Tower Sunset Ballroom, the “Contemporary Collaboration” concert brought together the HPU Symphony and the Kamehameha High School Orchestra, conducted by her former student Elton Masaki.  

The evening featured a diverse repertoire of 20th and 21st century composers, including two deeply personal works: McCreary’s own composition Nā Koholā Kuapi’o (The Humpback Whale) and Dreamer’s Lullaby, composed by graduating HPU senior Austin Jones. 

Jones, an oceanography major who found his musical passion through HPU’s performing arts program, reflected on the significance of the evening. “This piece is what I imagine a score to a dream would sound like,” he said of Dreamer’s Lullaby. “It was an honor not only to have an original piece featured in a concert among one of Dr. McCreary’s own compositions, but also to have her play the cello in my piece.” 

McCreary described the night as an emotional high point. “I just had this huge heart the whole night. It was full,” she said. “That was the appreciation I felt for being able to share myself with other people in a safe place.” 

Surrounded by current and former students, colleagues, and friends, McCreary experienced what she called a “joyful collapse,” knowing that the program she had built was in capable hands. 

A Legacy That Endures 

As she looks ahead, McCreary leaves behind more than programs and performances—she leaves a philosophy. “Teresa has been a consistent and passionate advocate for the arts in general at HPU,” said Gough. “In that way, she has reminded us all that we are richer if we tend to our souls and our passions.” 

“Music and the arts are really not only at the heart of what we do in the College of Liberal Arts—examine and express the human condition—but music provides us with a universal language that, whether we are skilled musicians or not, we can all speak,” Gough added. “We have a wide range of abilities among our student performers, but Teresa is able to bring not only the best technically out of them but also bring out their passion.” 

Though retiring from her formal role at HPU, McCreary’s connection to music—and her students—remains strong. She plans to continue teaching privately, but beyond music, she looks forward to personal pursuits such as learning to sail, creating stained glass art, and spending time with her family, especially her granddaughter Eloise. 

“I’ve never not worked since I was 18 or 19 years old,” she said. “To have that freedom to work on myself, to create art that’s not music, and to help others through volunteering, that’s what I’m looking forward to.” 

Even as she steps back, the foundation she built continues to grow. “Obviously, it is impossible to replace Teresa,” Gough said. “But she has helped us build some strong foundations for future expansion.”  

With new faculty, new spaces at Aloha Tower like the Experiential Arts Center and the Sunset Ballroom, and community arts collaborations on the rise, McCreary’s spirit of creativity and inclusion will remain central to HPU’s arts programs for years to come.  


'Dreamer's Lullaby' composed and conducted by Austin Jones