鈥淸In the United States,] I pronounce my last name 鈥榃ee,鈥欌�� he replies to Question No. 1, explaining that his family is Chinese-Filipino. 鈥淢y parents immigrated from Manila and I was born in Las Vegas. I grew up in southern California.鈥�

Question No. 2 addresses the bottom of his bio, which notes that Uy 鈥渂iked across the United States, from California to Massachusetts, in 42 days.鈥� 

So, the obvious query: Will he peddle his way from Massachusetts to begin his new position in Boulder? More laughter. 鈥淎ctually, I thought about it鈥攂ut only for a minute.鈥� Instead, he鈥檒l pack his bags and drive west to assume a critical role at our college.

鈥淭he center provides an excellent opportunity for a researcher and professor,鈥� he says. 鈥淚n Boulder, I can immerse myself in the center鈥檚 archives, as well as incorporate the material in my teaching.鈥�

Uy has a rich background in academia: He鈥檚 published a book on public and private arts funding and his other work appears in American Music, Journal of the Society for American Music, Journal of Musicology, and Music and Arts in Action. He鈥檚 also the recipient of several prestigious teaching awards and served as the Allston Burr Resident Dean of Dunster House and Assistant Dean of Harvard College from 2017 to 2023.

Uy is enthusiastic about the wide-ranging responsibilities and activities ahead of him. 鈥淚 want to gain a deeper understanding of how the center operates and learn from its remarkable previous directors,鈥� he says. 鈥淔rom them, the advisory board and others, I can think about how best to realize the center鈥檚 mission and how to achieve the goals of helping students and the community engage with our archival material. Perhaps our amazing performers within the College of Music students and faculty can showcase this music.

鈥淚 look forward to working with both undergraduate and graduate students, and I hope to continue to raise the profile of the AMRC.鈥�

Uy also speaks in admiration of the college鈥檚 universal musician mission to develop well-rounded, multiskilled students. 鈥淚 think the work of the center ties in with this mission perfectly,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hrough what we do, what we research and what we write, we can all learn more about ourselves.鈥�

鈥淲e should remember the AMRC鈥檚 location and history as part of the 鈥楢merican West,鈥欌�� he adds. 鈥淚ntegral to our work will be documenting, preserving and performing the contributions of Native Americans, Chicanos, Asian Americans and African Americans. This is what America really looks and looked like.

鈥淎t the AMRC, we can support this research, preservation and history sharing.鈥�

The first person in his family to attend college in the United States鈥攅arning a bachelor鈥檚 at the University of California, Berkeley; a master鈥檚 at Oxford University; and a doctorate at Harvard University鈥擴y identifies as a member of the BGLTQ community and a person of color who鈥檚 committed to a more socially just world. He is an avid coxswain, runner and peony farmer.

Welcome!

Our gratitude to Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology Austin Okigbo who served as interim director of the American Music Research Center this past academic year.

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This biannual award is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, and supports the performance of Craig鈥檚 compositions housed in the AMRC Archive in Norlin Library鈥檚 Rare and Distinctive Collections. Learn more and apply by April 7. 

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One of the many efforts underway is the Soundscapes of the People project. Two 兔子先生传媒文化作品 PhD students鈥擫ydia Wagenknecht and Ben Cefkin鈥攁re working on this project alongside AMRC Director Susan Thomas, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology Austin Okigbo and 兔子先生传媒文化作品 alumna X贸chitl Ch谩vez, the first Chicana tenure track assistant professor in the music department at the University of California, Riverside. Both students are studying ethnomusicology and have been working on the project since summer 2021. 

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There鈥檚 no doubt about it, the career of Kedrick Armstrong鈥攇raduate orchestral conducting student鈥攊s quickly gaining momentum: 

One of two CU music Buffs on The Washington Post鈥檚 鈥渃omposers and performers to watch鈥� list, Armstrong will conduct the world premiere of 鈥溾�� with the Lyric Opera of Chicago in February 2023; meanwhile, closer to home, he鈥檒l conduct the CU Symphony Orchestra鈥檚 performance of Irene Britton Smith鈥檚 鈥淪infonietta鈥� at Macky Auditorium next week.  

Armstrong pulled 鈥淪infonietta鈥� from the in the American Music Research Center archives, and has been working on converting the original score to parts for an orchestra for over a year. 鈥淚mmediately, I knew there was something in her language and in her writing that was different from anything that I had ever heard before, especially coming from a Black woman in the 20th century,鈥� he says.

Smith was an elementary school music educator for most of her life and wrote 鈥淪infonietta鈥� as her thesis project for her master鈥檚 program. According to Director of Orchestral Studies Gary Lewis, 鈥淚t will likely be the first performance of the work since the year of its composition in 1956.鈥� 

Armstrong says he鈥檚 excited to conduct the overdue premiere, but also acknowledges a certain pressure that comes with the territory. 鈥淗ow do you interpret a work where there鈥檚 never been an interpretation before you?鈥� he asks. 鈥淚t feels like a lot of weight, but I continue to put myself in experimentation where you try something and you try again if it doesn鈥檛 go as you want it to.

鈥淭he biggest thing I hope audiences take away from this is that there is no 鈥榮onic monolith鈥� to Black music, even in classical music,鈥� Armstrong adds. 鈥淭here is such a wide variety of what Black composers are engaging with. I think that鈥檚 the key to opening up the door to true equity of Black composers, across the board.鈥�

The CU Symphony Orchestra will perform 鈥淪infonietta鈥濃�攁long with Emilie Mayer鈥檚 鈥淔aust-Ouverture鈥� and Jean Sibelius鈥� Symphony No. 2 in D Major鈥�

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Photo: Soundscapes of the People, a collaboration between the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado State University Pueblo, has collected 27 oral histories in the past year exploring Pueblo鈥檚 cultural music history. AMRC Director and Professor of Musicology Susan Thomas (middle)鈥攚ho also serves as the College of Music鈥檚 Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity + Inclusion鈥攁nd 兔子先生传媒文化作品 alumna X贸chitl Ch谩vez (left)鈥攚ho now teaches at the University of California, Riverside鈥攙isited Pueblo last month. Also pictured are musician Joe Bobian (second from left), musician Jason Wilson (middle) and 兔子先生传媒文化作品 Multimedia News Specialist Nicholas Goda (right). Thomas, Ch谩vez and College of Music Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology Austin Okigbo, along with their team, seek to have the histories digitally accessible to members of the public through CU and CSU Pueblo libraries by the end of the year. Photo credit: X贸chitl Ch谩vez.

The College of Music鈥檚 American Music Research Center (AMRC) is bustling with activity as the school year begins. AMRC Director Susan Thomas鈥攚ho also holds the positions of Professor of Musicology and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity + Inclusion at our College of Music鈥攊s spearheading various exciting projects, events and advancements at the center.

The AMRC was recently awarded multiple grants to fund its research, including from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Specifically, this grant is funding the digitization of the Grauman鈥檚 Theatres Silent Film Scores Collection, donated to the AMRC by Rodney Sauer, a musician himself.

鈥淪tarting this fall, we鈥檒l be hiring a graduate student to begin working with those newly digitized scores,鈥� says Thomas. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l be working directly with Rodney Sauer to start creating premade score packets at the high school level.鈥� 

Additionally, in 2023, Thomas will teach a DMA seminar with Sauer on silent film scoring. Students will work with the digitized collection, learn about the history of silent film scoring and learn how to use those materials to make scores.

Another inspiring project鈥�Soundscapes of the People: A Musical Ethnography of Pueblo, Colorado鈥攔eceived funding from a National Endowment for the Humanities Archaeological and Ethnographic Field Research Grant. The team involved has already collected more than two dozen oral histories of Pueblo鈥檚 diverse musical traditions from musicians there. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to be able to build on the support we鈥檝e received from 兔子先生传媒文化作品鈥檚 Office of Research and Innovation and the Office of Outreach and Community Engagement who funded the first two years of this project,鈥� Thomas says. 鈥淸The NEH grant] allows us to be involved with this community and do this really important music research through the beginning of 2025.鈥�

College of Music graduate students are often involved in the AMRC, working on both the Soundscapes and Grauman鈥檚 Theatres projects. Conducting graduate student Kedrick Armstrong, for example, was awarded the Susan L. Porter Fellowship to fund his research focused on Black female composers. 

鈥淚n the AMRC collections, the comprises music by Black women composers. One of the reasons Kedrick came to 兔子先生传媒文化作品 was because that collection was here. He was particularly interested in a composer by the name of Irene Britton-Smith,鈥� explains Thomas.

Armstrong created a working score for the orchestra by using a manuscript in the AMRC collection, as well as a few parts housed in the Center for Black Music Research in Chicago. On Nov. 16, in the world premiere of Irene Britton-Smith鈥檚 Sinfonietta.

Thomas herself was recently awarded The Joseph Negler Endowed Chair in Music, which was established in 2000.

鈥淭hat gift is an indispensable part of why the center is able to do what we do,鈥� says Thomas. 鈥淥bviously, it鈥檚 a tremendous honor and an important reminder about how we can leave a legacy in our work. What we do doesn鈥檛 have to be ephemeral鈥攚e can make a lasting impact.鈥�

Negler passed away on June 4, 2022. The College of Music community is deeply saddened by his passing and is grateful for his enduring support.

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At the College of Music, we鈥檙e working to ignite innovation in our programs and activities to attract and retain the next generation of artists and audiences. But for such innovation to thrive, we must also create a culture that鈥檚 inclusive and welcoming of diverse influences, perspectives and experiences.

I鈥檓 proud of the college鈥檚 heartfelt commitment and intentional focus on Diversity, Equity + Inclusion (DEI), including an for immediate, flexible support of DEI initiatives at the College of Music and a newly established endowed fund to foster DEI specifically through our American Music Research Center (AMRC). Additionally, we recently established a DEI scholarship funding program that directly benefits diverse students for the duration of their time at CU. Such supports are often the deciding factor for diverse applicants in choosing 兔子先生传媒文化作品鈥檚 Silver + Gold over other top music programs across the country.  

As Thanksgiving approaches, we have so much to be grateful for鈥� and progress toward developing universal musicians through enhanced education. But without a deeply embedded culture of belonging that encourages dialogue and reflective listening, and that inspires our students, faculty, staff and greater community beyond our comfort zones, there鈥檚 little hope of sustaining our momentum toward shaping the future of artistry.

The good news is that we have a strong foundation for DEI work and we鈥檙e seeing progress in programs like our where our students and staff are working together to empower underrepresented artists. Our faculty are stepping up, too. I鈥檓 stunned by how much has changed within our curriculum and repertoire, representing many more diverse composers and arrangers. There is so much repertoire to explore that we鈥檝e never heard before on campus, but we鈥檙e hearing it now鈥攊n our solo repertoire, our chamber music repertoire, and our ensembles of all sizes and genres. Almost every College of Music concert, symposium and presentation emphasizes diverse music, and our theory and ear training curricula now include the different tonalities and rhythms of musics from all parts of the globe.

This week, ,鈥� and earlier this month, our Roser Piano + Keyboard Program hosted a master class and two guest lectures as part of a doctoral seminar on diverse piano literature. In October, our  Entrepreneurship Center for Music hosted an evening with the Boston Public Quartet that included a student-led discussion of DEI in the chamber music world, followed by a concert of works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and other People of Color) composers Jessie Montgomery, Florence Beatrice Price and Jeraldine Herbison. Additionally, the AMRC recently brought together leading scholars in American music studies to explore how borders鈥攚hether geographic, political, social, sonic, performative or temporal鈥攊mpact music making. Another recent AMRC event鈥�a public talk by Dr. X贸chitl C. Ch谩vez鈥攈ighlighted the social and cultural realities of migrant community-based brass bands from Oaxaca, Mexico. Meanwhile, among many other College of Music DEI happenings, including our upcoming Annual Distinguished Lectureship in Diversity, the AMRC鈥檚 Soundscapes Project continues its work to document, preserve and engage diverse musical and cultural influences in and around Pueblo, Colorado. 

Yet we recognize that there鈥檚 more work鈥攎ore positive disruption鈥攁head of us before we can claim ubiquitous inclusivity in our college鈥檚 culture, classrooms and curricula. Achieving DEI isn鈥檛 a fast fix or a quick win. It鈥檚 an ongoing effort that requires both big and small steps over time. It鈥檚 work that my colleagues and I have dedicated ourselves to. And it鈥檚 a transformative movement for greater student success that I鈥檓 incredibly thankful to be a part of.

Enjoy Fall break!

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From a life-changing visit to his Los Alamos, New Mexico high school by fellow trumpeter Doc Severinsen of The Tonight Show 鈥� to meeting his future wife as students at 兔子先生传媒文化作品 鈥� to John Davis mentoring Chavez鈥檚 son, Armando, on the jazz saxophone long before Davis would go on to become Dean of the 兔子先生传媒文化作品 College of Music鈥擟havez has much to be thankful for over a lifetime that鈥檚 been equal parts blessings and tragedy.

鈥淥ne moment your life can be turned upside down and inside out,鈥� says the retired longtime telecommunications government affairs director from Pueblo. 鈥淏ut music is such an important part of our well-being. It can be a therapy for a woman who is experiencing postpartum depression. It can be a therapy for people struggling with Alzheimer's and dementia. It was and still is therapeutic for me.鈥�

Chavez鈥檚 heart is so full from the joy of music, family, faith and philanthropy, you might never know how often it has been broken. Chavez lost his wife, College of Music alumna Rebecca Beardmore Chavez, in a 1996 auto collision. Their daughter, Briana Lee Rees, passed away unexpectedly in 2018.

鈥淏ut I was able to bounce back,鈥� Chavez says, 鈥渂y using music and philanthropy as a way of healing.鈥� 

Chavez established a music scholarship endowment to honor Rebecca in 1996 and made another major contribution in 2018 to pay tribute to Briana. The Rebecca Beardmore Chavez/Briana Lee Rees Music Education Scholarship Endowment has benefitted 80 students to date and is currently valued at more than $110,000. 

And in November, Chavez created a new $25,000 endowed fund to foster Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts through the College of Music鈥檚 American Music Research Center (AMRC). AMRC Director Susan Thomas calls Chavez鈥檚 support for the AMRC鈥檚 DEI efforts 鈥渋nspirational.鈥�

Chavez鈥檚 resume is long and impressive: More than 40 years at CenturyLink and all its telecom predecessors. First Hispanic chairman of the board of the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce. Chairman of the board of the Parkview Medical Center. Board member of the United Way of Pueblo, Pikes Peak United Way, Pueblo Symphony and many more.

He joined the College of Music鈥檚 advisory board in the 1990s with the goal of improving facilities. Now that the $57 million addition to the Imig Music Building has placed 兔子先生传媒文化作品 among the top public music programs in the nation, Chavez鈥攁s a member of the AMRC's advisory board鈥攈as turned his attention to opening more doors to Hispanic, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) student artists.

Chavez has known for all his life what it鈥檚 like to be part of an underrepresented community. Even though Pueblo is 51 percent Hispanic, 鈥渨e still have issues around diversity, equity and inclusion,鈥� he says. 

鈥淭he bottom line here is that we have a real opportunity to use the American Music Research Center as a uniting force to bring together people of different cultures, ethnicities, perspectives and walks of life. I see this work as not only educational, but as a strategy to improve the environment in which persons of color are pursuing their educations at 兔子先生传媒文化作品.鈥�

Chavez doesn鈥檛 look at giving of his time鈥攐r his money鈥攁s a moral responsibility. It鈥檚 in his DNA. 鈥淟ife is so precious,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think the best way we can show our kindness and caring for others is by helping them.鈥� 

Learn more about DEI activities at the College of Music and consider .

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