Rev. Robert Randall Distinguished Professorship in Christian Culture
The Randall Professorship is held by a recognized scholar whose work concentrates on an understanding of culture that embodies a Christian view of human achievement. The selected individual contributes to undergraduate instruction in the theology, philosophy, history, literature, or the social sciences departments, directs student research, and delivers public lectures.
2026-27 Randall Professor: Mia Chung, D.M.A.
Mia Chung is a concert pianist specializing in the intersection of theology, history, and Austro-Germanic piano literature. She teaches a celebrated chamber music performance seminar at Harvard University alongside the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet, and previously served as Professor of Musical Studies and Performance at the Curtis Institute of Music from 2012 to 2023.
Chung is a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant — the highest national recognition for young concert artists — and a first-prize winner at the Concert Artists Guild competition. Her performances have taken her to major concert halls across the United States, Canada, Central America, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and the former Soviet Union. Her CD and DVD recordings of works by Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, and Lee Hyla, among others, have earned widespread critical praise and awards.
Her first monograph, Chinese Émigré Composers and Divergent Modernisms: Chen Yi and Zhou Long, was published in May 2024 by Cambridge University Press as part of the Elements in Music Since 1945 series. In 2020, Dr. Chung founded the Octet Collaborative, a center at MIT dedicated to promoting human flourishing as shaped by the historic Christian faith, which she continues to lead today.
Dr. Chung holds an AB in music, magna cum laude, from Harvard College, a Master of Music from Yale University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Juilliard School. She serves as a senior scholar for the Veritas Forum and a senior fellow for the Trinity Forum.
Randall Chair Committee
Committee Membership
Dr. Suzanne Fournier, Chair
Dr. Gary Culpepper
Dr. Patrick MacFarlane
Dr. Laura Murray
Rev. David Orique, O.P.
Rev. Gabriel Pivarnik, O.P.
Rev. Augustine Reisenauer, O.P.
Dr. Sean Reid, ex officio
Dr. Michael Wahl
Rev. Jordan Zajac, O.P.
Committee Charge
To make recommendations to the President on incumbents of the Randall Distinguished Chair in Christian Culture.
Randall Chair History
The College’s first endowed chair, the Rev. Robert Randall Distinguished Professorship in Christian Culture was established in 2002. The chair is named for the priest, scholar, and artist who served as a member of the Providence College faculty for more than 25 years. Father Randall taught English, theology, and courses in the Development of Western Civilization Program. The professorship exemplifies the commitment to educational excellence and Christian values that defined Father Randall’s life as an educator and priest.
