Michael Chikinda is an Assistant Professor of Music Theory at the University of Utah, School of Music. His research interests lie in the music of the 20th-/21st-century (an article about the music of Arvo Part was published in Perspectives of New Music), and most recently he is focusing on the music of American composer Vincent Persichetti. He also has a keen interest in issues of form in tonal music. He is also actively engaged in issues of music-theory pedagogy and has successfully secured two Dee Grants: the first allowed him to bring in the noted aural-skills pedagogue, Gary Karpinski, to his school two years ago, and the second will allow him to bring in the noted theory pedagogue, Steven Laitz, this spring. Chikinda is presently the president of the Rocky Mountain Society of Music Theory.