Danh Pham, professor of music at Washington State University, received the 2024 Governor’s Arts and Heritage Educator Award and was recently honored at the Washington State Arts Commission celebration in Olympia.
Pham currently serves as the director of bands and orchestras, heading up several student programs including the WSU Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Opera and Musical Theatre, and the Cougar Summer Music Camp. Outside of his university role, Pham serves as the music director of both the Washington-Idaho Symphony Orchestra and the Coeur D’Alene Symphony Orchestra.
“I’m a teacher at heart, so my passion is still with teaching young people,” said Pham, who recently helped organize the annual young artists’ competitions for both local symphonies. “The young artists’ competition is always one of my favorite events of the year, because we put the spotlight on these young performers who are early in their career. To be able to have a part in their journey is something I hold very special.”
The people are my priority; the relationships are my priority. Investing in those relationships is what makes for the most passionate and most memorable musical performances.
Danh Pham, professor of music
Washington State University
Pham’s passion for education is apparent in how he describes his work and teaching efforts. “My strength has always been through the relationships I have with others,” Pham said. “The people are my priority; the relationships are my priority. Investing in those relationships is what makes for the most passionate and most memorable musical performances.”
Along with his university teaching and community involvement, Pham has appeared as a guest conductor for several international ensembles. He has served as conductor-in-residence at the Wuhan Conservatory of Music and Huazhong University in central China, appeared with the Saigon Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Ballet and Opera Orchestra in Vietnam, and has conducted professional groups throughout the Pacific Northwest, American Southwest, Texas, and Hawaii.
Pham plans to use the recognition from this award to continue developing programs and opportunities for the students he serves. “I hope to continue on with projects that are abroad, because those projects supply my students with a variety of experiences, whether through exposure to living composers from afar, or opportunities that lie beyond the state of Washington,” said Pham.
Managed by the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA), the Governor’s Arts and Heritage Awards recognize Washington’s outstanding arts and cultural leaders, artists, culture bearers, and organizations. The panel for the 2024 awards was comprised of ArtsWA commissioners and creative professionals from around the state. The Governor’s Arts Awards were established in 1966 to recognize outstanding contributions to the arts in Washington state, and the Governor’s Heritage Awards were established in 1989 to honor the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage and traditions worthy of state recognition.
