Music Theory Faculty

Dr. Gillespie holds a Ph.D. in music theory from Indiana University, a M.A. in music theory from the Eastman School of Music, and a B.M. in piano performance from Birmingham-Southern College. He was promoted to the rank of Professor of Music Theory in 2013. Prior to coming to Butler in 1996, he was Assistant Professor at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. He has also taught at Indiana University as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Theory. Dr. Gillespie’s research interests include the pedagogy of music theory and aural skills, disability studies in music, and contemporary music analysis. He has published articles in the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy,Music Theory Online, Intégral, Indiana Theory Review, and Indiana Musicator. One of his articles was selected to be reprinted in Spotlight on General Music: Teaching Toward the Standards, a national publication of MENC, in 2007. His fourth article to be published in the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy, entitled “Serving Musicians With Visual Impairment in the College Classroom: Building Bridges Toward Understanding,” appears in Volume 27 (2013) and is the culmination of a five-year project. His chapter entitled “Engaging First-Year Music Theory Students through UDL (Universal Design for Learning)” is published in the Norton Guide to Teaching Music Theory (2018), a landmark resource in theory pedagogy. Dr. Gillespie has presented numerous times at national and regional conferences of the Society for Music Theory and the College Music Society. He also served for several years as Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Disability Issues for the Society for Music Theory, and during his tenure as chair played a key role in developing policy for accessibility at the Society’s national conferences. At Butler, Dr. Gillespie serves as Coordinator of the music theory area and designs the curriculum for the aural skills program. He serves as Faculty Liaison with Butler’s Office of Disability Services because of his special interest in serving the needs of students with disabilities. Dr. Gillespie has been an active church musician for more than 35 years, with extensive experience as organist, pianist, choral and handbell director, and contemporary worship leader. He currently serves as Director of Music at John Knox Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, where he oversees music for the traditional and contemporary services. Dr. Gillespie is active with his family and children, particularly with Special Olympics. He enjoys gardening, cooking, and traveling with his family. His favorite place to vacation is the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.

Dr. Zachary Cooper is a dedicated performer and educator and he is passionate about cultivating the next generation of musicians. Cooper’s devotion to teaching horn has shaped the careers of numerous students, many of whom have earned scholarships to renowned universities and conservatories across the United States. His guidance has led students to successful careers as both educators and performers, reflecting his commitment to nurturing talent and fostering excellence. 

Cooper is newly appointed principal horn of the Carmel Symphony Orchestra and he has recently performed as guest principal with the Richmond (IN) Symphony and Evansville Philharmonic. His orchestral journey commenced at an early age, with notable performances alongside orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra (UK) and the Orlando Philharmonic when he was 16. At the age of 19, he won his first audition as second horn with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, marking the beginning of a flourishing career. His rich orchestral background includes positions as principal horn in the Missoula Symphony, associate principal horn in the Helena Symphony, and a multitude of performances with more than two dozen orchestras, including the Dayton Philharmonic, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Opera, Memphis Symphony, and Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Mexico, to name a few. Highlights of his performance career to date include performing Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings with the String Orchestra of the Rockies, the Corno Obligato for the Scherzo of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 with the Glacier Symphony, and performing alongside musical acts like Mannheim Steamroller.

An avid chamber musician, Cooper is a founding member of several chamber groups, including Entropy, a horn and trombone duo in collaboration with Dr. Nathan Dishman, and Cooper Duo, a horn and flute duo in collaboration with Dr. Jennifer Cooper. Most recently, Cooper has focused his scholarly research on commissioning new works to increase the horn repertoire with an emphasis on supporting minority and BIPOC composers, either as the sole commissioner or by joining commissioning consortiums. New works supported by his efforts include Sonata for horn and piano (Anthony Plog), Sure-Fire for horn and wind ensemble (Catherine Likhuta), El Viaje for horn ensemble (Aliyah Danielle), One More Mountain for horn, trombone, and piano (Amy Riebs Mills), Entropy for horn and trombone (Austin Hammonds), Wunlit for solo horn (Shawn Okpebholo), Passages for flute, horn, and piano (Paul Basler), become/decay for flute and horn (Tyler Kline), and The Final Battle Cry for solo horn (Alexis Carrier). Cooper  has presented lectures and performances at the International Horn Symposium, International Women’s Brass Conference, National Flute Association Convention, Southeast Horn Workshop, and Northwest Horn Symposium, to name a few.  

Cooper’s academic journey has been marked by significant achievements, including being named to his current position as Assistant Professor of Horn and Music Theory and Coordinator of Brass at Butler University. Previously, Cooper was a tenured professor at the University of Montana where he worked for eight years as Chair of Music Theory and Chair of Brass and Percussion and received recognition as a Student Wellness Advocate.  He has served in leadership roles for several organizations in the horn world. Cooper was three times elected by the membership to serve on the board of  the Northwest Horn Society, as President (2023 until moving away from the region) and twice as Secretary (2023-2020, 2020-2017). He also served the International Horn Society as the State Representative of Montana.

Cooper holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Florida State University. He studied under the mentorship of esteemed teachers such as Dr. William Capps, Duane Dugger, Randy Gardner, and William C. Robinson, the founder of the International Horn Society.

David Orvek is an Instructor of music theory at Butler University and a PhD candidate in music theory at Indiana University. He holds degrees in music theory from Southern Adventist University and The Ohio State University. The topic of his dissertation is the music of Brian Ferneyhough. He has presented research on pedagogy, the music of Elizabeth Maconchy, and mathematical music theory at regional, national, and international conferences. David serves as an editorial assistant for Music Theory Spectrum and has served as a co-editor for Indiana Theory Review and the chair of the technology committee for Music Theory Midwest. In his free time, he enjoys abstract painting, reading, and programming.