CBU to Confer Honorary Degree on Barbara Stetter

On Wednesday, November 6, during the Fall Convocation ceremony, Cape Breton University will confer Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, on Ms. Barbara Stetter, a longtime music educator and musical director, for her impact and contributions on her students and the creative arts community in Cape Breton.

Barbara Stetter, a New Jersey native, came to Glace Bay in 1973 to start a band program after she graduated from university as a music major. Her plan was to stay for five years to establish a music program in the town of Glace Bay school system. She became immersed in the creative arts community and to this day, she continues to inspire, mentor and train Cape Breton musicians and performing artists.

“We are so proud of Barbara Stetter for her career and her ability to instill the love of music in her students,” says David Dingwall, CBU President & Vice-Chancellor. “While her intentions were to only stay in Cape Breton for a short time, Barb created one of the province’s strongest high school music programs and inspired generations of students to follow their passions within the creative arts.”

Some of her most esteemed accomplishments included many of the Glace Bay High Band’s acclaimed performances, including the opening ceremonies of the 1987 Jeux Canada Winter Games. Her students also performed for the Prime Minister and Queen Elizabeth II. Under her direction, the Glace Bay bands performed at Walt Disney World on nine different occasions, in Cuba in 2009 and appeared on CTV’s Breakfast Television.

Other accolades included an article published in the National Winds Magazine in 2009, acting as the manager of the National Youth Band of Canada, president of the Nova Scotia Band Association and a guest performer with the Sackville Community Band. Performing in Carnegie Hall, will always be the proudest moment of her school career which came in 1997 at the prestigious concert venue in Manhattan, N.Y. Up to the date of her retirement, the Glace Bay High School Band was the only Canadian band that had performed in the New York City venue.