Pamela Wood was a long-time MIT music faculty member [1986-2014], an accomplished singer, and a beloved teacher.  A staunch advocate of the works of Black composers, Ms. Wood introduced these works to students and audiences throughout her career...[Her] career as a vocalist encompassed a wide range of styles, from opera to recitals, from traditional to contemporary, from spirituals to a stint with the Steve Reich Ensemble in the 1970s.  She was a leader in teaching the Kodaly method of ear training and served on the Board of Directors of the Kodaly Center of America.  In addition to her 28 years teaching at MIT, her teaching credentials included the New England Conservatory, Tufts University, Wheelock College, Roxbury Community College, and the Boston Public Schools.  We remember Pam for her energy, exacting standards of musicianship, and perhaps most of all for her personal warmth and infectious laugh. 

MIT Libraries, 2018

Wood "participated in a musical revolution that opened everyone's eyes" as noted by a colleague. MIT recognized her as a 1994 Black Achiever. The annual award program honors more than 100 African-Americans for professional accomplishments and commitment to community service in the Boston area as well as regions served by 75 other YMCAs around the country. "[Community service] is the structuring principle of her life as an individual and an artist," Alan Brody, then director of music and theater arts, wrote in Wood's award nomination letter. "Pam is a superb example, for all of us, of the engaged artist."

In 2014, Music and Theater Arts and the MIT community celebrated her retirement with musical performances. Wood passed away on March 7, 2014. Four years later, on December 7, 2018, the Lewis Music Library held a lunchtime concert to honor Wood and to celebrate her legacy with selections from Black musical traditions performed by MIT’s talented student musicians.