Paul Traver graduated from Catholic University of America and received his doctorate in conducting from Stanford University. He served on the faculty of the University of Maryland, Department of Music from 1957 to 1999. During his tenure, he founded the University of Maryland Chorus in 1967, co-founded the Maryland Handel Festival with Howard Serwer in 1981, and co-founded the American Handel Society with Howard Serwer and J. Merrill Knapp in 1986. In 1985, Traver was appointed to the position of Distinguished Scholar-Teacher and was the first person to be awarded the Chancellor’s Medal. He served as Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland from 2000 to 2002. Paul Traver died on March 27, 2011.
