As the Frost School of Music approaches the end of Dean Shelton G. “Shelly” Berg’s leadership in the spring of 2026, it has appointed longtime professor Serona Elton, director of its highly regarded Music Industry program, as Interim Vice Dean.
In this newly created role, Elton will serve alongside Berg, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Frost School, and helping ensure that it continues to provide an innovative, best-in-class educational experience for students and a home for outstanding faculty members who have made names for themselves as artists, researchers, and educators. Her appointment was announced to the Frost School community in August and was reported on Monday in Billboard, the music industry’s leading news magazine.
“I started my tenure at the Frost School of Music shortly before Dean Berg, and it’s been an incredible experience to witness his impact on the school and collegiate-level music education more broadly,” said Elton, who will continue to lead the Music Industry program. “It’s my pleasure to be able to collaborate with him to help ensure the continued effectiveness of the school’s day-to-day operations as we continue to focus on creating the next wave of what we call “Frost Built” students, who because of their education at the Frost School are uniquely set up to be best-in-class professionals in their fields thanks to the variety of skills they hone here.”
Berg, an acclaimed artist and six-time GRAMMY-nominated pianist, composer, bandleader, producer, and arranger who has collaborated with numerous leading artists, is leaving the Frost School to focus fully on his musical career after nearly two decades of transformative leadership. His departure comes as the school approaches another milestone, the 100th anniversary of its opening, in the fall of 2026.
“I’ve always said that the future of music is the future that our student musicians and aspiring industry professionals will be able to create for themselves,” said Berg. “It’s been a privilege to help Frost School of Music students chart a course for fulfillment and success by giving them access to an outstanding multidisciplinary curriculum, inspirational faculty, and priceless real-world experiences. From the day I started at the Frost School, I focused on setting a new standard for music schools. I feel confident that newly named Interim Vice Dean Serona Elton, along with the rest of our talented administrative staff and faculty members, will continue to tirelessly work to benefit the next generation of musicians and music industry professionals while actively shaping the future of music - no matter what it may look like in the coming years.”
Since being named dean of the Frost School in 2007, Berg has been instrumental in turning it into a groundbreaking example of a new model of music education that has prepared thousands of students for successful careers. As he begins his final year, Berg is focused on preparing the Frost School for its next 100 years by continuing to infuse innovation into the music school curriculum and infrastructure and helping to secure meaningful donations to further build a strong endowment.
Under Elton’s leadership, the Frost School has been named a top music business school by Billboard magazine for 10 years in a row, and has had a place on the list since it was first published. An experienced music industry executive, she has overseen the creation of a joint Master of Arts in Music Industry plus Juris Doctor degree, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry, which welcomes students who are passionate about music and the business side of the industry but don’t wish to also create or perform music as part of their coursework. In 2023, the Music Business Association honored Elton with the first-ever Music Business Educator of the Year Award (MusicBiz).
