Alumni

Persevering Legacy events showcase works by women composers

Mariefaith Lane — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 20:40:09 +0000

Persevering Legacy events showcase works by women composers Mariefaith Lane Wed, 02/26/2025 - 13:40

Kathryn Bistodeau

Since 2019, the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ College of Music’s annual Persevering Legacy events have showcased works by women composers, including those from historically marginalized groups. This year’s concert and master class are no different.

Student soloists and ensembles are encouraged to select works from the Helen Walker-Hill collection—housed in our American Music Research Center archives—comprising compositions by Black women composers.

This year, the concert will feature 11 different acts—including the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Chamber Singers led by Director of Choral Activities Coreen Duffy—presenting compositions by Connie Converse, Reena Esmail, Florence Price, B.E. Boykin and our previous Genevieve McVey Wisner lecturer Gabriela Lena Frank, among others.

“Persevering Legacy is an opportunity for students to research composers or pieces that may be entirely new to them and then present those works, broadening their scope,” says Alexis McClain, director of community support + programming, who helps facilitate Persevering Legacy. “Our audiences also benefit, experiencing music that’s not often programmed.”

Alumnus Gregory Walker (DMA ’92, composition)—son of the late Helen Walker-Hill and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker—will lead a master class for Persevering Legacy participants, working through the pieces they’ve selected and offering his unique background, knowledge, insight and passion for the collection based on his directly personal connection.

“I’ve watched the collection unfold from close proximity for a number of years and love every aspect of the master class,” he says. “I love the music. I love getting in touch with the students who are discovering this music, often for the first time. And really, this keeps my mom alive for me because it’s not just my mother’s work, but a life’s work.”

Helen Walker-Hill

Walker says playing new and largely unfamiliar pieces is helpful to students in their music careers as it allows them to apply their creativity and artistry in perhaps unexpected ways.

“We spend most of our music education studying the guys that are the Mount Rushmore of classical music. The thing is, there’s a lot of baggage that comes with this default—not only are you trying to nail the notes, but there are all these expectations that have been dictated by performers who preceded you,” says Walker who recently released a satirical new book, “Curse of the Maestro and Other Stories.”

“So, if you’ve got these underrepresented composers, not only have you found them or are championing them, but you have to make these decisions,” he adds. “You have to develop your own internal tradition and use your creativity. It's more than you and impressing your audience that’s at stake, it's making a case for someone who could still be lost to history after you're done performing that night—and that is a really worthy challenge.”

Join us for the Persevering Legacy concert on Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. and the preceding master class with Gregory Walker on Tuesday, March 4 at 2 p.m., both in the Chamber Hall (S102), Imig Music Building.

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“Art is possibility, expression is potential.”

Mariefaith Lane — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:12:27 +0000

“Art is possibility, expression is potential.” Mariefaith Lane Tue, 02/18/2025 - 12:12

Adam Goldstein

“Art is possibility, expression is potential.”

That’s according to Raven Chacon, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Diné composer, musician and sound installation artist slated to deliver the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ College of Music’s annual Genevieve McVey Wisner lecture on Feb. 26. In his wide-ranging and ambitious oeuvre, Chacon—a member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico—has tackled themes ranging from colonization to displacement to questions of environmental stewardship and conservation.

The myriad media he’s chosen to explore these themes reflect a spirit of creative exploration. His Pulitzer Prize-winning work, “Voiceless Mass,” is an ensemble work composed specifically to be performed in any space of worship with high ceilings and pipe organ. “Sound Ladder” is a sound installation—debuted in 2024—that features a sequence of 16 pine planks hung from ceiling to floor; for this work, Chacon collaborated with members of the Bål Nango family, a Sámi family of reindeer herders and land guardians.

Chacon has built instruments and explored new ways to present sound. He’s paired his compositions with visual cues and physical components, and drawn upon the very land surrounding his compositions to convey his messages.

“I think art is there to show that we can all think in different ways, we can all dream in ways we didn’t know we could,” Chacon explains. “We’re in danger when we become narrow and exclude possibilities.” That philosophy is part of the lure of Chacon’s upcoming visit to Boulder. Working firsthand with students and offering novel perspectives about the possibilities of self-expression reconnects the artist to his own commitment to learning and growth; the chance to explore his work and style with developing musicians and artists holds its own unique appeal.

“Part of my interest in giving lectures and visiting universities is to share my work and offer music students insights into ways that music doesn’t have to be on the stage,” Chacon says, also reflecting the College of Music’s universal musician approach to achieving our mission. “It can be presented in different media—performance art, sound sculpture, as film or video. I am really interested in sharing my different tactics with students.”

The concept of place plays a large role in Chacon’s work and one of the pieces he’ll detail in his lecture is located in the United Arab Emirates in a “ghost village” that was originally assigned to a tribe of nomads by the government. “Being that they’re nomadic people, they did not move in. These houses are being taken by the desert,” Chacon explains.

“I’ve collaborated with these individuals and musicians to record their songs,” he adds, noting that the ultimate effect of the installation is that “it sounds like their music is moving through these houses and into the desert.”

It’s an immediacy that Chacon stresses in his approach to music. While he’s a classically trained composer and musician, he’s careful not to undervalue the importance of the indefinable elements of the art form—the aspects of music that can’t necessarily be conveyed in a classroom, studio or textbook.

“I do feel like I’m continually learning,” says Chacon . I’m always seeking out the best media that an artwork should take. I’m constantly researching new technologies—experiencing exhibitions, artists and concerts.

“I’m still a big fan of being able to see musicians play, even more so than listening to recordings. I think live music is not only an obligation or responsibility, but it’s something that is wonderful to do, as a member of an audience.”

Even as he tackles weighty questions in his work, Chacon also finds power and joy in the ability to create—a boon he looks forward to sharing during his residency. “No matter what our occupation or how we spend our daily lives, we should be conscious of the work we can do to improve upon justice and the way we treat each other.”
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Join us for the College of Music’s annual Genevieve McVey Wisner Lectureship* featuring Raven Chacon on Feb. 26 at 11:30 a.m., Chamber Hall (S102), Imig Music Building. On Feb. 27 at 9:30 a.m., Room NB185, Imig Music Building, Chacon will be part of a panel discussion, “Situating your soul’s work in a hegemonic sphere.” Both events are free and open to the public.

Raven Chacon’s residency is made possible by the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ American Music Research Center, the College of Music’s composition department and the college’s Diverse Musicians’ Alliance.

*Having graduated from Western University in Kansas—an historically Black college—with her first bachelor’s degree in 1922, Genevieve McVey Wisner became the first Black graduate of the College of Music in 1940 with a bachelor’s degree in music education, followed by a master’s degree in 1944 at age 42.

On Feb. 26 and 27, the College of Music’s annual Genevieve McVey Wisner Lectureship will feature trailblazing composer, musician and sound installation artist Raven Chacon. Even as he tackles weighty questions in his work, Chacon also finds power and joy in the ability to create—a boon he looks forward to sharing during his residency. “No matter what our occupation or how we spend our daily lives, we should be conscious of the work we can do to improve upon justice and the way we treat each other,” says Chacon, the first Native American to win the Pulitzer Prize for music.

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Gems of the AMRC collections: Dan Fong

Mariefaith Lane — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 22:02:39 +0000

Gems of the AMRC collections: Dan Fong Mariefaith Lane Mon, 02/10/2025 - 15:02

Kathryn Bistodeau

Among the American Music Research Center (AMRC) collections, hidden gems exist around every corner: Colorado history, music legends, big band ephemera, silent film scores, letters from ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ founders and more. In our new series—Gems of the AMRC collections—we aim to spotlight their content and the stories of the people behind them.

Our first deep dive explores the Dan Fong Collection comprising folders of photos captured by the legendary Colorado rock ’n’ roll and folk music photographer.

Fong’s start in photography wasn’t music at all, but a chance to capture the president at the time: Dwight D. Eisenhower. “Since I was such a little kid, all the photographers let me stand in the front. To me, those photos are amazing because at 14, I could tell that I already had the eye and the way to compose the pictures—plus they were really sharp and in focus.”

From there, Fong (Mktg. ’70) continued to take photos and started his own photography business after graduating from ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ. “I did everything from bar mitzvah photographs to portraits to weddings,” he recalls. “The biggest break came when KFML—the underground radio station—ended up three blocks from my studio. I went down there and made a deal with them: ‘I’ll take photographs of the artists and give them to you for your advertising and you do radio commercials for me.’ That was a big deal because that’s when I met all of the record guys.” MORE

The American Music Research Center collections, housed in the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Libraries Archives in Norlin Library, comprise the region’s largest repository of archival music materials. In this spotlight, discover Colorado’s involvement in the rock and folk eras through the Dan Fong Collection.

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Flourishing in times of flux

Mariefaith Lane — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Flourishing in times of flux Mariefaith Lane Fri, 12/06/2024 - 01:00

John Davis

NASM celebrates 100 years
Last month, Dean John Davis attended the annual meeting—and centennial celebration—of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) in Chicago, Illinois. This organization of schools, conservatories, colleges and universities establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as other credentials for music and music-related disciplines. Our college has been a member since 1941.

Dear friends,

As we approach our much-anticipated annual Holiday Festival performances this weekend, I’m filled with awe and gratitude as I reflect on a busy, successful fall semester at the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ College of Music—including continued progress in developing multiskilled, multifaceted universal musicians.

Our commitment to both refining and expanding our offerings has never felt more relevant—and more urgent; our faculty members, advisors and other staff are highly motivated to ensure that our students not only master their chosen craft, but also emerge as well-rounded, adaptable professionals prepared to take on the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly changing world.

Having represented our College of Music at several conferences this fall—including, among others, the annual conferences of the College Music Society and National Association of Music Executives at State Universities, the National Association of Schools of Music annual meeting, and the annual conference of the International Council for Arts Deans in Montreal, Canada—I was heartened to observe that our work at ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ reflects real-world trends and mandates in music education. Colleges and schools like ours are similarly focused on widening students’ horizons, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and emphasizing broadly-based skills. I’m proud that our approach amplifies current best practices at comparable institutions, nationally and internationally.

We’re also aware that the landscape of higher education is shifting and that we must be vigilant, agile and proactive. In the new year, changes to federal policies may impact how we accomplish—and communicate—our work; what isn’t changing, however, is our commitment to support our students with the resources, knowledge, experiences and inspirations they need to succeed and thrive in their chosen ventures—and in life. To that end, we continue to deepen our relationships with campus partners including Chancellor Justin Schwartz, who champions our efforts. The new ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ chancellor has encouraged our campus community to embody courage, curiosity, care and consistency as we engage with one another, prioritize free expression and pursue creative ideas. His vision aligns with our values and I’m optimistic that the College of Music—along with all arts and humanities units on campus—will prosper under his leadership, and sustain our current momentum in student recruitment and retention.

By reimagining our offerings to include more diverse disciplines and perspectives, we’re implementing a richer, more holistic educational experience for our students that ignites their explorations across wide-ranging fields of interest—while nurturing their capacity to engage meaningfully, compassionately and confidently with the summons of our time.

From our dedicated community of supporters to our versatile students to our forward-looking faculty and staff, I’m immensely proud of what we’ve already achieved together. In the new year, stay tuned for announcements of our most recent programmatic and curricular developments that meet the moment—including a new BA degree emphasis.

Meanwhile, I wish you peaceful, joyful holidays!

John Davis
Dean, College of Music

In his year-end message, Dean John Davis reflects on the college's commitment to both refining and expanding our offerings: "Our faculty members, advisors and other staff are highly motivated to ensure that our students not only master their chosen craft, but also emerge as well-rounded, adaptable professionals prepared to take on the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly changing world."

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Alumnus spotlight: Cody Goetz

Anonymous — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Alumnus spotlight: Cody Goetz Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 10/23/2024 - 00:00

Kathryn Bistodeau

Photo credit: DB Productions

Cody Goetz (MM ’19, piano performance + pedagogy) was part of the first cohort to graduate from the College of Music with a Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration. In 2022, he became executive director of Mundi Project.

“It's my firm belief that the arts administration program helped prepare me to become a nonprofit executive,” Goetz says.

According to its website, Mundi Project “actively breaks down socioeconomic and generational barriers by providing high quality music experiences for all.” Mundi Project programs place donated pianos with people or organizations that can’t afford them, teach community piano classes, put on workshops and concerts covering various musical cultures and intergenerational learning, and more.

Under Goetz's leadership, Mundi Project is the recipient of a $130,000 grant from ArtsHERE as part of a new pilot program from the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with South Arts and in collaboration with the other five U.S. regional arts organizations. More than 4,000 organizations applied; only 112 were selected.

“These grants support specific projects that will strengthen the organizations’ capacity to sustain meaningful community engagement and increase arts participation for underserved groups and communities,” shares Goetz.

Specific to Mundi Project, the ArtsHERE award will support two key initiatives: Creating a strategic plan and providing professional development in community music education, trauma-informed practices, accessibility and cultural competency for staff, board, teaching artists and volunteers. “These initiatives will strengthen Mundi Project’s capacity, cultivate an inclusive culture and improve program delivery to better serve diverse communities,” adds Goetz.

“I want to express my gratitude for my educational experience at ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ and how the power of my experience has led me to have early successes in my arts administration career.”

Congratulations to Goetz and the entire Mundi Project team!

Cody Goetz (MM ’19, piano performance + pedagogy) was part of the first cohort to graduate from the College of Music with a Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration. Today, he’s executive director of Mundi Project.

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Jazz Studies Lecturer Matt Smiley awarded prestigious MacDowell Fellowship

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Jazz Studies Lecturer Matt Smiley awarded prestigious MacDowell Fellowship Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/17/2024 - 00:00

MarieFaith Lane

Alumnus Matt Smiley (DMA ’22), a jazz studies lecturer at the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ College of Music, has been awarded a MacDowell Fellowship—one of the most prestigious, cross-disciplinary artist residency programs in the country. Set to take place over fall break, the fellowship aligns perfectly with Smiley’s teaching schedule, allowing him dedicated time to focus on his creative work without disrupting his commitments to students.

Smiley, who teaches a large 370-student jazz history class as well as a jazz combo, plans to use the fellowship to advance his compositional goals. His primary focus during this time will be composing a suite of octet music—a significant leap in scope from his usual compositions for smaller groups like trios, quartets and quintets. He’s looking ahead to spring 2025 when he hopes to record his new compositions with both Colorado musicians and other collaborators from across the country.

As a composer, Smiley’s work sits at the intersection of jazz and contemporary classical music, drawing on improvisational techniques that challenge the conventions of both genres. “The music I write is always too improvisational for the contemporary classical world but utilizes modern compositional techniques that are still foreign to most of the jazz world,” he explains. Smiley is inspired by composers such as Christian Wolff, known for creating compositions meant to be performed in different ways with varying orchestrations, ensuring that no performance is ever the same. This flexible, open form of composition has become a hallmark of Smiley’s approach which he’s excited to explore further.

While Smiley is accustomed to composing for small ensembles of musicians with whom he regularly collaborates, the MacDowell Fellowship offers an opportunity to expand his creative work to larger ensembles and broader collaborations—a challenge he’s ready to embrace while maintaining the intimacy and improvisational spirit of his works for smaller ensembles.

Smiley’s path to the MacDowell Fellowship was marked by persistence and inspiration from peers. Annie Booth (BM ’11, MM ’20)—a ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ College of Music alumna and a successful local composer, pianist, educator and entrepreneur—encouraged him to apply for composition residencies. “I have never had planned time off from teaching, performing and working to sit down and focus solely on writing music,” Smiley notes. “I have a lot of goals to accomplish while I’m there.”

Especially, Smiley is eager to develop new compositions that embrace the unpredictability of improvisation while utilizing advanced compositional techniques. His work will undoubtedly continue to challenge the boundaries of both the jazz and contemporary classical music worlds—bringing fresh perspectives to both genres.

College of Music Jazz Studies Lecturer Matt Smiley has been awarded a MacDowell Fellowship enabling him to advance his compositional goals by exploring the intersection of jazz and contemporary classical music, and embracing improvisation and innovative composition techniques that challenge the boundaries of both genres.

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Alternative keyboard offers College of Music students greater reach

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Alternative keyboard offers College of Music students greater reach Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/10/2024 - 00:00

Kathryn Bistodeau

When Abigail Terrill (MM ’24) learned about alternative piano keyboards, it seemed she’d found an obvious solution to a complicated problem. Terrill spent the last year of her master’s experience researching narrower keyboards to accommodate pianists with smaller hands, and how quickly pianists can transition to and from them.

“The length of alternative keyboards is the same as standard keyboards, only the width of each key is very slightly smaller,” Terrill says. The ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ College of Music has had such a keyboard on loan from the DS Standard Foundation since April 2023, featuring a six-inch octave instead of the standard six-and-a-half-inch octave.

“The reason I got interested was because I have tendonitis and I noticed a bunch of my female pianist friends were also getting tendonitis. I’ve had friends who have had to quit because they got some kind of severe playing-related injury,” Terrill says.

Alternatively sized keyboards can help pianists avoid injuries sustained from over-reaching and enable individuals with smaller hands to play some repertoire that is physically impossible for them to perform on standard-size pianos.

“Keyboards are made to a standard size and the human hand is not a standard size,” says Jennifer Hayghe, associate professor of piano and chair of the Roser Piano + Keyboard Program at the College of Music. “In my 25 years as a professor, I have seen the number of students with injuries rise exponentially. I spend a lot of my time working with students trying to reduce their stress and tension and work through the injuries they’ve accrued. I do believe that if we had smaller keyboards as a standard thing, that would not be an issue.”

The piece loaned to the College of Music is a piano action—that is, the keyboard and the mechanism that causes hammers to strike the strings when keys are pressed. This action can technically fit onto any piano, though some fittings are more difficult than others. Mark Mikkelson and Phil Taylor, both piano technicians at the College of Music, say they put in 50 to 60 hours of work fitting the alternative keyboard into a Steinway piano.

“The problem in making these keyboards for Steinway instruments is that Steinways are entirely handmade, which means they’re not all exactly the same,” Hayghe explains. “So when alternative keyboards are made as close as possible to a ‘standard’ Steinway size, all these little adjustments are necessary. It took a long time and a lot of adjusting to get that keyboard used to that piano.”

Abigail Terrill (MM ’24) and duo partner James Morris (DMA ’25) rehearse his first piano duo composition that premiered last year. Terrill is playing an alternatively sized keyboard on loan at the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ College of Music.

As part of her master’s thesis, Terrill discovered that attitudes around alternative keyboards are often of disdain. “I was really frustrated when I first started this research because I was telling people how unfair it was to not have smaller keyboards available to students—and the reaction I heard most was people saying ‘you don’t need that, you just need to fix your technique.’ So my response was, if I can show numbers to people who don’t want to bother with having to switch sizes, that may be more convincing.”

Terrill’s thesis project involved 15 pianists playing a musical excerpt on a standard piano, and then on a narrow keyboard. She measured their errors when initially playing on the alternative keyboard and after 10 minutes of practice.

“We found that everyone by the end—transitioning from the standard size to the second try on the narrow keyboard—had fewer errors than on the first try,” Terrill says. “Most of them said ‘I wish I could practice more on it.’”

Since graduating this spring, Terrill has been teaching piano lessons—another instance when narrow keyboards would be helpful. “Most instruments have smaller versions for when you’re learning as a kid, but not the piano,” she notes.

“I really see this as an equality issue. I’m looking for movement from people. I want to push for more research and for people to have conversations about it—I think even arguments will help.”

The College of Music has had an alternatively-sized keyboard on loan since April 2023. Recent graduate Abigail Terrill shares how the narrower keyboard is helpful, why it’s needed and what her thesis research found about the process of transitioning between pianos.

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Meet the 2024 ECM artist assistance grants recipients

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Meet the 2024 ECM artist assistance grants recipients Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/17/2024 - 00:00

Kathryn Bistodeau

At the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Entrepreneurship Center for Music (ECM), students can find the skills and tools they need for their music careers. Most recently, the ECM awarded $5,820 in artist assistance grants to support eight student-led professional development and community engagement projects including:

Josie Arnett

Josie Arnett
“I’m really picky about which pieces I release on streaming platforms because I’m 20 and need to be able to write really bad music … and then release the things that I really love,” says Josie Arnett, an undergraduate composition student.

“Last fall, I got the opportunity to write a saxophone quartet piece for a group that travels all over the United States. I was really happy with the piece and really proud of it, so I reached out to a faculty member who set me up with the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ graduate saxophone quartet.”

Sanitas Saxophone Quartet

Working with the Sanitas Saxophone Quartet, College of Music Recording Engineer Kevin Harbison and a mixing artist, Arnett recorded the piece for projected release on streaming platforms this summer. The ECM grant helped pay the artists and distribution fee.

Arnett says she learned a lot about how to interact in a professional recording setting and enjoyed collaborating within the College of Music. “It’s been fun to work with people that have a lot of energy, positive attitudes and are just really excited about what they do,” she shares.

Alice Del Simone
At the end of May, DMA student in voice performance and pedagogy Alice Del Simone was part of a workshop presentation at the Voice Foundation Symposium in Philadelphia titled “Legato Then and Now, Vibrato Edition: A Close-Up of What Happens Between the Pitches in the Classical Bel Canto Tradition.”

“The workshop offered a toolbox of exercises for how to teach the type of legato singing that was happening at the end of the 1800s, beginning of the 1900s when we started to have recordings available,” Del Simone says.

“It was my very first time presenting at a conference where there are often hurdles for a young academic to get an invitation to present. I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to work with a group of people who are more prominent in the community than myself.”

During the symposium, Del Simone stayed at the conference hotel, partially funded by her ECM grant.

Zachary Howarth
Zachary Howarth, a DMA student in jazz studies, will go on the road this summer to record music in studios in Reno and South Lake Tahoe. Howarth also hopes to perform this music live in venues across Colorado and Nevada.

The project will involve a contemporary jazz quartet—trumpet, piano, bass, drums—writing and recording the music. The ECM grant will help the project get off the ground by assisting with studio fees, production costs and travel expenses.

“The opportunity to write, record and play music with such high-level artists is invaluable to my collaborative research in compositional tendencies in contemporary jazz mediums and fully improvised music,” Howarth says.

SeaJun Kwon

SeaJun Kwon
SeaJun Kwon, also a DMA student in jazz studies, likes writing compositions that push the boundaries of jazz music including “Avant Shorts”—10 etudes exploring micro tonalities and rhythmic concepts that aren’t commonly used in jazz compositions.

Kwon plans to compose these etudes and begin recording them over the summer, using a microphone setup funded by an ECM grant.

“I thought I’d write a bunch of super short compositions that focus on different ideas to develop myself and provide my community with these resources,” Kwon says.

By keeping them brief, he hopes to make the compositions more accessible and useful for his community.

“People are really busy, there are so many things that you have to do and also so many distractions,” Kwon says. “I think these short compositions put less pressure on people—they can work on them for 10 minutes and still learn from them.”

Er-Hsuan Li with orchestra

Er-Hsuan Li
Er-Hsuan Li graduated from the College of Music in May with a DMA in piano performance. In April, he held a concert featuring the world premiere of John Clay Allen’s “The Stone Harp” concerto for piano and strings along with Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

“It was a very fun event,” Li says. “Even though it was off-campus, it was really CU that made this possible because that’s how we connected.”

Many ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ musicians participated including conductor and Associate Director of Orchestras Renee Gilliland, composition alumnus John Clay Allen, Anna Kallinikos—who’s majoring in trumpet performance and minoring in business—and the majority of the 18-member orchestra. The ECM grant assisted Li with compensating the performers and renting the venue.

“I had performed in front of an orchestra only once before when I was a high schooler,” Li recalls. “So it was really special for me that—after 13 years—I got to do this again professionally. And I would like to think that I am a better musician now compared to then!”

Ethan Stahl

Ethan Stahl
When Ethan Stahl discovered Nkeiru Okoye’s music, he knew he’d found something special. “I loved her music so much that I began working on it for one of my degree recitals,” he says. “Eventually, it became evident that I had enough material to create a lecture recital.”

To prepare, Stahl—who’s pursuing a DMA in piano performance—interviewed Okoye about her music. “We talked on the phone for a few hours and in that conversation, she proposed the idea of writing a piece for me to add to one of the sets of piano pieces that I was studying.” The ECM grant helped fund Okoye’s contribution.

Okoye’s music is already part of the American Music Research Center’s Helen Walker-Hill Collection; her upcoming composition will be added to the collection.

“Okoye is extremely novel in the world of piano composition,” Stahl adds. “I’ve never heard piano music that is similar stylistically to hers.”

Natalie Trejo
Artist Diploma student Natalie Trejo competed in the finals for the Austin Flute Society’s Young Artist Competition in April—and the ECM grant helped her get there.

“I submitted the preliminary recordings back in January. From there, they selected three finalists to perform in the live final round in Austin, Texas,” Trejo says. “It went really well. I ended up getting third but I was very happy with how I played and I was not nervous at all.”

Trejo performed Chen Yi’s “Memory” for solo flute and Frank Martin’s “Ballade” for flute and piano.

“I love doing competitions because I get to learn new repertoire, meet new flutists, make connections and get to know the other finalists—it’s very important and humbling, but still encouraging,” Trejo says.

Jonathon Winter
Another spring 2024 graduate, Jonathon Winter—who earned a DMA in violin performance—recorded four pieces to be compiled into an album titled “Origin: Music by Women of the Americas.” The pieces are “ko’u inoa” by Leilehua Lanzilotti, “Scratch the Surface” by Dana Kaufman, “String Poetic” by Jennifer Higdon and “Sueños de Chambi” by Gabriel Lena Frank.

“I picked some fiendishly difficult music to play but it was so worth it,” Winter says. “I learned so much about preparing for recordings and what that actually entails.”

Winter worked with pianist and Postdoctoral Lecturer Barbara Noyes, as well as Kevin Harbison to record all four pieces over the course of seven months. Winter will continue the project over the summer with the goal of finding a label to disseminate the recordings.

Congratulations to all grant recipients and our thanks to this year’s adjudicators: College of Music staff member Kathryn Bistodeau, Music Advisory Board member Laurie Hathorn and University of Denver entrepreneurship faculty member Neil Pollard.

At the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Entrepreneurship Center for Music, students can find the skills and tools they need for their music careers. This spring, the ECM awarded $5,820 in grants to support eight student-led professional development and community engagement projects.

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Joshua Russell named 2024 Distinguished Alumnus

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Joshua Russell named 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/24/2024 - 00:00

MarieFaith Lane

The University of Colorado Boulder College of Music is thrilled to announce esteemed music educator Joshua Russell (PhD ’07) as the recipient of our 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Award!

Russell currently serves as professor of music education at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music ed and string pedagogy, and directs the Hartt String Project.

With degrees from Indiana, Shepherd and Northwestern universities—before earning a doctorate at our College of Music—Russell exemplifies what it means to be a universal musician: Beyond his earned expertise in classical, jazz and contemporary musical styles, his research interests include musician health, teacher education, string education and psycho-social/cognitive development in musical learning and teaching.

Reflecting on his College of Music experience, Russell recalls the significant impact of his mentors and peers in shaping his career trajectory: “I was lucky to have some great opportunities to work with professors of music education Jim Austin and Margaret Berg—and halfway through my time, Associate Professor of Music Education Martina Miranda came to Colorado. The faculty were amazing to me.”

He adds, “My fellow students also contributed to my positive experience at the College of Music—I’m still great friends with many of them. People make an institution and they taught me the value of being able to ‘fail’ and still be treated with dignity and kindness.”

Russell further emphasizes the importance of resilience as instilled by his mentors and colleagues, calling it “approximations of success”—that is, pursuing incremental goals that ultimately lead to a larger goal. “Say you have an end goal of playing a beautiful concerto,” he explains. “Before you achieve that, you need to be able to produce a good tone. After that, you need to have the finger facility.

“Jim Austin taught me the importance of mastery motivation theory, which I’ve applied to my career … and continue to teach my students.”

Discovering mentors can be challenging, but Russell shares his approach: “Seek out somebody who does the kind of work that you want to do, and who does it in a way that you appreciate and respect.

“For me, kindness is paramount. I’ve found that some of the most amazing performers or brilliant scholars I’ve encountered are also some of the nicest, kindest human beings.”

Universal musicianship
In a field where specialization may seem the epitome of success, Russell’s success proves that being versatile and flexible is both professionally advantageous and personally fulfilling.

“The world needs universal musicians,” he says. “Professionally—for performers, teachers, scholars—that means thinking broadly when you set goals for yourself. As one of my mentors said, ‘If you’re overly focused on one goal, you’re going to miss all the shiny stuff on the side … and there’s a lot of shiny stuff off to the side.”

Russell further believes that understanding one’s motivations is crucial to musical fulfillment: “Be aware of the underlying reasons for what you’re doing,” he advises.

He’s also observed a shift toward prioritizing service to others over musical outcomes—which he views with optimism. “What I love about this generation of musicians and scholars is that their approach to music is more ‘humanistic’—whereas we used to be more focused on student achievement and process. I think both worldviews are valuable and important for music educators and scholars today.”

Prior to his roles at the University of Hartford, Russell taught here at ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ, as well as instrumental music (orchestra and guitar) and general music (grades 4-12) in Colorado and northern Virginia. He also taught at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, conducted several youth symphonies, and was the founding director of the Loudoun County String Orchestra and after-school program.

Russell currently serves on several editorial boards and—in addition to authoring Statistics in Music Education (Oxford University Press)—his research articles have been widely published. He often presents his research throughout the United States and abroad.

Congratulations on your well-earned distinction, Joshua Russell!

At the College of Music’s commencement ceremony on May 9, we’ll welcome esteemed music educator Joshua Russell back to campus—and present him the College of Music’s 2024 Distinguished Alumnus Award!

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Fifth annual Persevering Legacy event promotes diversity in performance

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Fifth annual Persevering Legacy event promotes diversity in performance Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 02/28/2024 - 00:00

Sabine Kortals Stein + Kathryn Bistodeau

Historically, minority groups have been overlooked in classical music performance. Since 2019, the College of Music’s Persevering Legacy project—with support from the College of Music Diversity, Equity + Inclusion Endowed Fund—aims to bring such underrepresented artists into the spotlight.

On March 7, Persevering Legacy performances will showcase the talents of more than a dozen undergraduate and graduate students in a celebration of women-identifying composers from around the world. Selected from more than 20 submissions, the program will include works for bassoon, saxophone, French horn, trombone, violin, viola, piano, voice and electronic sounds in various combinations and featuring a range of musical styles.

Professor of Piano Pedagogy Alejandro Cremaschi has been coordinating the annual Persevering Legacy event and chairing the selection committee for the last six years. “I’ve always been interested in promoting and disseminating works by composers in underrepresented groups in the classical music field,” he says.

Cremaschi and Assistant Professor of Composition Annika Socolofsky comprised this year’s Persevering Legacy selection committee.

Many of the works to be performed come from the American Music Research Center’s Helen Walker-Hill collection including music by Black women composers such as Avril Coleridge-Taylor, Margaret Bonds, Florence Price and Mary Watkins, according to Cremaschi. “The program also includes a solo piano work by undergraduate composer Josie Arnett, to be performed by another undergraduate, Holly McMahon,” he adds.

Cremaschi further notes his excitement to discover how many students are interested in performing often neglected works. “The Persevering Legacy project is among the most successful DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] initiatives of the College of Music, creating awareness, excitement and engagement among our students and faculty for exploring amazing works that would otherwise be collecting dust,” he says. “Persevering Legacy concerts also create support around the women and women-identifying musicians and composers in our college.”

As part of this year’s Persevering Legacy event, alumnus Gregory Walker—son of the composer George Walker and Helen Walker-Hill, a pianist and musicologist who specialized in the music of Black women—will present a master class on March 5, 10:50 a.m.-12:20 p.m. (C125). Walker—a violinist, composer and American Academy of Arts and Letters Fellowship recipient, among other distinctions—is professor of music and entertainment studies at CU Denver.

Join us for Persevering Legacy on March 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Imig Music Building, Chamber Hall (S102).

Join us on March 7 for student performances celebrating women-identifying composers.

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