2020-21 ACADEMIC YEAR
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Drive, Creativity, Innovation
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Moores Ranked No. 1 School of Music — College Factual 2021
2020-21 ACADEMIC YEAR
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Director’s note
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At Moores, the 2020-21 academic year was filled with innovation and creativity. Despite the challenges and hardships of the pandemic, our faculty, staff, and students were determined to remain leaders in music education, scholarship, and performance. Rising to the occasion last fall, the Moores Opera Center presented Don Giovanni in an open-air setting on the UH campus. Pivoting quickly, we also conducted a virtual concerto competition with cash prize awards. And seeking ways to effectively continue musical instruction, our faculty used cuttingedge technology to continue teaching remotely, maintaining our dedication to academic excellence and world-class scholarship. We were also remarkably active in laying the foundation for future success. We prepared a proposal for a degree offering in music therapy, developed a technology master plan that would make Moores a leader in modern music education, and started a new Piano Technology Program offered through our Community Arts Academy. While we look forward to next year, and ideally a return to our regular campus activities, we are also incredibly proud of what we accomplished this year. I know that you will enjoy reading about some of these activities here, and I invite you to engage with us soon, either on-campus or from abroad, to continue our musical journey together at Moores. Thank you,
COURTNEY CRAPPELL, DMA Director and Professor Margaret M. Alkek and Margaret Alkek Williams Endowed Chair
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“The Moores School of Music provided me with the experience I needed to become a young professional. Graduate school was a pivotal moment in my life. It broke down the barriers of doubt and replaced them with confidence, technical know-how, and the tools to maintain a successful career in the performing arts.” K A A R I N P H E L P S (M . M . ’ 1 9 )
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“This is among the highest levels of competition I have ever seen or heard, and I am so grateful to the teachers, faculty and staff of the MSM for the extrordinary the great work that they're doing to foster the great talent of these wonderful musicians.” G E R A R D S C H WA R Z Conductor Laureate Seattle Symphony and Virtual Concerto Competion Judge
COURTNEY CRAPPELL Director of the Moores School of Music University of Houston
A year of creativity… THE FIRST VIRTUAL MOORES CONCERTO COMPETITION Virtual Concerto Competition $1,000 Grand Prize and $250 Audience Choice Award Winner Eduard Gavril, piano Gershwin: Concerto in F Finalists $750 Wind/Brass/Percussion Division Jhoser Salazar, clarinet Crusell: Clarinet Concerto No. 2 $750 String Division Hasmik Vardanyan, cello Elgar: Cello Concerto $750 Vocal Division Siwei Zhang, soprano Ravel: Shéhérazade $750 Piano Division Eduard Gavril Gershwin: Concerto in F $250 Honorable Mention Michelle Girardot, soprano Beydts: Chansons pour les oiseaux
In the fall of 2020, the Symphony Orchestra (Franz Anton Krager, director), the school, and its donors joined together to produce the first ever Virtual Concerto Competition at Moores. Led by cochairs Jo Dee Wright and Ann Ayre, the competition invited students to audition for a preliminary round in four divisions: Strings, Voice, Piano, and Wind/ Brass/Percussion. One finalist was chosen from each division, and the Final Round was broadcast on December 13. A panel of internationally-recognized judges (Ana María Martinez, soprano; Gerard Schwarz, conductor; Vadym Kholodenko, pianist; Yoon Shin Song, violinist; John Mangum, Houston Symphony ED and CEO) chose pianist Eduard Gavril as Grand Prize winner for his scintillating performance of the Gershwin Concerto in F. A Doctoral of Musical Arts student who studies with piano faculty member Tali Morgulis, Gavril was also won the Audience Favorite prize through online voting. The Awards Ceremony was livestreamed from the Moores Opera House on December 16.
Competition Chairs Jo Dee Wright, Moores Society Immediate Past President Ann Ayre, Moores Society Trustee The virtual concerto competition prizes and honoraria were generously supported by the Moores Society. MOORES SCHOOL OF MUSIC
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A year of creativity… FACULTY RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: HOWARD POLLACK, PROFESSOR OF MUSICOLOGY
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Professor Pollack is currently completing a new definitive biography on the composer Samual Barber and shares his perspective on the process. The last four of your seven books received good reviews in the New York Times and several national awards. On the heels of these successes, what inspired you to begin your current book project on the American composer Samuel Barber? Having written life-and-work studies of several leading twentieth-century American composers, including Aaron Copland and George Gershwin, I thought I’d give Samuel Barber a shot because I admire his work, and feel that, although his music gets played a lot, he hasn’t received the critical recognition he deserves. Someone as prolific as you must enjoy the process. What do you most enjoy about your work? I probably like most discovering new pieces of good music, but I also appreciate having the opportunity to study poetry, fiction, drama, film, dance, painting, philosophy,
history, and more, all of which is part of the work I do. I also enjoy using letters, diaries, newspaper accounts, official records, photos, personal interviews, and so on, to try to reconstruct a life story. I think anyone who likes jigsaw puzzles might like writing a biography. What have you learned about Barber that you found most surprising? I was amazed to see how widely the music gets played internationally, from Azerbaijan and Oman to Japan and New Zealand, and in so many different and unexpected ways—the Adagio for Strings, for instance, serving as an anthem for the “rave” techno scene, or Medea becoming a drum-and-bugle-corps hit. There’s something about Barber that strikes home in a very special way.
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“I think anyone who likes jigsaw puzzles might like writing a biography.” H O WA R D P O L L A C K Professor of Musicology
How does this latest project fit in the context of your career? I hope I’m making a contribution. Even educated people familiar with our outstanding writers, poets, and artists— like Ernest Hemingway, Emily Dickinson, and Jackson Pollock—don’t necessarily realize that, in addition to our jazz and popular music, we have a comparable body of fine opera, orchestral music, chamber music, choral music, and art song. So hopefully my work can make people more knowledgeable about and appreciative of this important tradition.
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“Despite performing arts groups folding up in the face of COVID, the Moores Opera Center has managed to produce more opera than ever before in one season. Following all protocols and taking advantage of Houston’s weather, we were able to present an outdoor production of Don Giovanni that caused one audience member to say ‘It feels just like a European summer festival!’ Simultaneously with that, we created an innovative virtual opera production of two American one acts, Trouble in Tahiti and A Hand of Bridge followed by Rossini’s Cinderella comedy La Cenerentola, and a workshop production of a new bilingual opera written by students, Delmas. Two more operas, Albert Herring and La finta semplice finish the season in the spring. Guts, determination, and luck all helped us preserve the educational experience for our students and provide the only staged opera in Houston this season.”
BUCK ROSS Moores Opera Center Director
A year of innovation… CREATIVITY IN THE MOORES OPERA CENTER Open-air opera, Virtual operas, Student-produced opera, and more! Open-air “Opera in the Grove,” Mozart’s Don Giovanni
Performed just outside the front doors of Moores in the Wilhemina Grove with orchestra to an audience of socially distanced patrons and donors with served wine and bites.
Live Opera in the Moores Opera House:
Performed masked in the Moores Opera House to a socially distanced audience.
La Cenerentola, Rossini Albert Herring, Britten La finta semplice, Mozart Virtual Operas
Prerecorded and engineered for YouTube broadcast.
A Hand of Bridge, Barber Trouble in Tahiti, Bernstein
“Award of Recognition,” The Accolade Competition—Music Video Division
World Premiere by Student Composer
Performed in the Moores Opera House to a sold out, socially distanced audience.
Delmas, A New Opera in One Act
Music by Alejandro Basulto—Libretto by Criseida Santos-Guevara
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A year of engagement… MOORES MUSIC IN THE CITY A series of performances and projects developed by current students, alumni, and faculty, and presented in venues across the city of Houston, Moores Music in the City represents vision of Moores to lead in arts innovation and prepare tomorrow’s artists to engage audiences in effective, creative, and powerful ways. Generously supported this year by the Puddin’s Endowed Student Fund.
Performances
Location: Trinity United Methodist Church (in Houston’s Third Ward)
Saxopotumus
The Three Billy Goats Gruff and Saxopotumus at Trinity United Methodist Church Saxophone quartet led by Ellie Parker (D.M.A. ’22). In collaboration with Rev. Ed Jones and the Trinity United Methodist Church.
In collaboration with Houston’s own Kazakou Quartet (Nick Bissen, Ellie Parker, Masahito Sugihara, and Evan Whitner) collaborated with soprano Shannon Murray to present familiar stories like “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” and the original story of Saxopotamus, the whimsical tale of the invention of the saxophone, as told by Hippos! These works are composed by renowned British saxophonist and composer Paul Harvey and produced by Ellie Parker.
In Flanders’ Fields: Maurice Ravel’s Piano Trio in A Minor at Rienzi, MFAH
Film and music created by J. E. Hernández (M.M. ’19). Performers: Johnathan Scofield, piano; Jingwen Xu, violin; Mitchell Wright, cello. Music presented in a new light, combining poetry and film in an exciting multimedia experience.
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“Moores Music in the City is an important program that provides crucial professional development opportunities for students to hone their programming, production, and performance skills while developing meaningful relationships with communities and audiences across the city of Houston.”
COURTNEY CRAPPELL Director of the Moores School of Music University of Houston
E L L I E PA R K E R (D.M.A. Candidate)
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A year of progress… WORKING TOWARD DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION An introduction to a multi-phase research project by Cory Meals, Assistant Professor of Music Education. Within classical music, composition is dominated by white men. When we think about composers, we likely think of Mozart and Bach before we think of Florence Price and William Grant Still. A recent Institute for Composer Diversity report supports this: during the 2019-2020 orchestral season, audience members were nearly ten times more likely to hear works by white, male composers than works by non-white or non-male composers. This overrepresentation also appears in public school music, with 95% of all works found on state wind band music lists composed by white men. While there are many works by underrepresented composers to be added to our student’s and audience’s experience, this gross imbalance points to a pressing need for an intentional commissioning project focused on underrepresented instrumental composers. My current research project will work to remedy the imbalance in several interlinked ways. First, a diverse committee of experts will identify a young, historically underrepresented composer to participate as the commission’s focus. Second, a consortium of Houston-area middle school band programs, identified by the diversity present on their campus, will be recruited for participation
in the commission project. Third, a series of video conferences between the composer and consortium students will help forge the work’s content and give students direct insight into the compositional process. Fourth, researchers from the University of Houston will collaborate with the consortium schools to study the changing nature of student’s musical self-concept through the commission experience. In addition to bringing a new work to life, the project will give hundreds of young musicians a glimpse into the world of composition and possibly set more than a few of them on a path to create their own works one day. With funding from the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts and support from local districts and band programs, we are hoping for the commission to receive its world premiere.
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“The project will give hundreds of young musicians a glimpse into the world of composition and possibly set more than a few of them on a path to create their own works one day.”
COURTNEY CRAPPELL Director of the Moores School of Music University of Houston
CO R Y M E A L S
Assistant Professor of Music Education
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“Our interns leap ahead of the competition by studying at one of the most comprehensive keyboard technology programs in the country.” CO R B I N S T U R C H Head Piano Technician
A year of innovation… THE NEW KEYBOARD TECHNOLOGY INTERNSHIP With the establishment of the Keyboard Technology Internship Program, Moores houses one of the most comprehensive training programs in the United States. It now serves as a destination for students and professionals seeking to become master technicians. Our interns gain hands-on experience in the Moores Instrument Restoration Workshop, learning all aspects of piano construction and rebuilding, and practical aspects of running a successful business. They also interact with local and visiting artists, both
on campus and around Houston, gaining real-world experience within a high-level performance setting. Having almost immediately outgrown the size of its previous facilities at Moores, the new Instrument Restoration Workshop is now situated within a 3000-square-foot complex near the Winston Band Center. With this expansion, Moores is on track to become the destination for keyboard technician training, with the nation’s most expansive program within a university setting.
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THE MOORES ENSEMBLES IN ACTION “This past season, AURA moved online to perform for a global audience through their innovative video series ‘One on One.’ Through elaborate and highly creative videos, AURA musicians performed exciting new solo works and interviewed the composers that created them. Students not only expanded their skills in chamber music performance, but learned valuable audio and video production expertise.” ROB SMITH Director, AURA Contemporary Ensemble
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A year of determination…
Spencer Vandigriff (flute), Cheng-Wei Hsieh (violin), Max Stewart (percussion) and Jeremy Larson (toy piano)
“The Choral Area students and faculty were determined to live up to our slogan, ‘The Learning WILL Continue!’ To achieve this, we made meaningful music in a variety of ways — virtually, online, synchronous, asynchronous, and in person. Throughout, we explored new technologies, developed new processes, and created new traditions, many of which will remain in our choral arsenal permanently.” B E T S Y CO O K W E B E R Director of Choral Studies
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“This has been an amazing success during a time when life has been turned completely upside down for all of us! I am so proud of our University, our College, School, faculty, students, and our ongoing commitment to excellence, come rain or shine!” FRANZ KRAGER Director of Orchestras
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“We are so proud of the Moores School of Music for having been recognized and ranked #1 among the best colleges and universities for music by College Factual. The impressive level of performance by the school’s talented students is a tribute to its world renown faculty and dedicated staff. As co-presidents of the Moores Society, we are honored to support such excellence through our leadership and philanthropic support.” J A C K I E & M A L CO M M A Z O W Presidents, Moores Society
MOORES SOCIETY The Moores Society’s mission is to support the Moores School of Music through programs and events that benefit scholarships, special projects and educational opportunities for music students at the University of Houston Presidents. With engaged leadership from the Moores Society Board and Opera Production Council, the membership was able to make strides in fundraising including underwriting of all concerto competition cash prizes, the Opera in the Grove: Don Giovanni Event, and raised funding for a Steinway Spirio R piano.
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Acknowledgements Moores Society Executive Board
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Presidents Jackie and Malcolm Mazow
Immediate Past President Jo Dee Wright
Audience Development Chair Debbie Feuer
Vice President, Membership Helen Shaffer
Assistant Secretary, Corresponding Rita Aron
Opera Production Council Chair Robin Angly
Secretary, Recording Carla Burns Ann Ayre Meg Boulware Terry Ann Brown Darlene Clark Beth Del Pico Mariglyn Glenn Stephen Glenn Cathy McNamara Celia Morgan Jo and Joseph Nogee Kitten and Ron Page Kusum Patel Carroll R. Ray Carol Lee Robertson Lillie Robertson Minette Robinson Donna Scott and Mitch Glassman Satoko and Anthony Shou Susan Thompson Ann and Karl Tornyos Robin Angly – Chair Chris Bacon Gwyneth Campbell Tim Doyle Warren Ellsworth
Board of Trustees
Marita Glodt Sean Gorman Gary Hollingsworth and Ken Hyde Ellen and Alan Holzberg Linda Katz Marc S. Levine Shirley Rose
Advisory Board
Virginia and Gage Van Horn Carol and Carl Vartian Nancy Willerson Beth Wolff Cyvia Wolff Gay Yellen Christopher Bacon Tom Becker Anne Boss Nancy Bowden Cheryl Byington Zarine Boyce Julie Cogan
Opera Production Council Ann Faget Ellen and Alan Holzberg Helen Mann Jackie and Malcolm Mazow Terrylin Neale
Kathi Rovere Richard J. Schmitt Donna Shen Rhonda Sweeney Betty Tutor Bob Wilkins Mary Ann Wilkins Vicky Dominguez Cathy Coers Frank Joyce Frassanito Diane and Harry Gendel Beatrice and Gregory Graham Donna and Gene Hammons Gladys Hooker Mady Kades Janis Landry Shannon Langman Cora Sue and Harry Mach
Rhonda Sweeney Beth Wolff Jo Dee Wright
Moores Society Membership Rita Aron Ann Ayre Thomas S. Becker and Jim Rosenfield Elizabeth Del Pico Margaret Anne Boulware and Hartley Hampton Terry Ann Brown Carla Adele Burns Darlene Clark
Director ($1,000)
Julie Dokell Cogan Victoria Dominguez Ann L. Faget Debbie L. Feuer Mariglyn Stephen W. Glenn Marita Glodt Sean Gorman Dr. Gary L. Hollingsworth and Ken Hyde Ellen and Alan Holzberg
Gladys Hooker Linda Katz Stephen Y. Leatherwood Barbara and Ulyesse J. LeGrange Sharon and Robert Lietzow Tod Lindholm and Rex Adams Jackie and Malcolm Mazow Lillie T. Robertson Shirley E. Rose Jane and Richard J. Schmitt
Partner ($500)
Helen B. Davis Dr. Timothy Doyle Douglas Koch and
Marcia Murphey Mary Ann and David McKeithan Dr. Gary W. Patterson
Christopher Bacon Nancy Bowden Katherine and Trey Brady Pam and Steve Bertone Barbara and Ronald Cuenod Drucilla and Richard Davis Joyce Frassanito Rachel Frazier Diane Gendel Dr. Gregory D. Graham Thomas Grimmett
Eugene Hammons Sandra Harris Timothy Eugene Hester and Jasmine Hatem Nancy and Carter Hixon Sophia James Mady and Kenneth Kades Janis Landry Marc S. Levine Cathy and Bill McNamara Dr. Celia A. Morgan
Ginger and David Blomstrom Judy and Harry Bristol Cheryl Byington Gwyneth Campbell Debra Witter and Scott Chase Cynthia Clayton and Hector Vasquez Vicie Lee Coleman Courtney Crappell
Kathryn J. Crowder Matthew Dirst Dr. Kenneth L. Euler John R. Gealy Walter Hecht Ann T. Hendrix Barbara and Raymond Kalmans Dr. Nicole Kenley-Miller and Dr. Andy Miller
Minnette Robinson Nancy R. Schissler Donna S. Scott
Patron ($250)
Jo and Joseph Nogee Kitten and Ron Page Kusum Patel Carol Lee Robertson Kathi and Bill Rovere Honorable Frank Rynd Betty and Robert L. Schwarz Doris and William Sing Julie Anderson-Smith and Ron Smith
Friend ($120)
Richard Kummins Connie Lewis Crista and Gary Miller Teska Moreau Susan Snider Osterberg Anni Pati Kate and Gregory Robertson Nancy Strohmer Jon Totz
Helen Shaffer Donna Shen Nancy and Michael Shoup Rhonda and Donald Sweeney Ann and Karl Tornyos Betty Tutor Mary Ann and Bob Wilkins Jo Dee and Cliff Wright Edith and Robert L. Zinn
Anthony Shou Virginia and Gage Van Horn Cyvia Wolff
Christine Stevens and Richard Crishock Susan Thompson Jon Totz Carol and Carl Vartian David Ashley White Nancy B. Willerson Beth Wolff Gay Yellen and Don Reiser
Shelton M. Vaughan Eleanor and Richard Viebig Dr. Betsy and Mr. Rick Weber Sharon and Tim Whipple Tobin Wright VIP Pediatrics Anonymous (as of 3/24/2021)
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A parting message from the Dean Congratulations to the Moores School of Music for leading the way at the University of Houston in responsive creativity this past year. Not even COVID-19 could sideline the school’s plans for new opera productions, choral and orchestral concerts, on-campus rehearsals, private studio instruction, and many others. During a year truly like no other, every one of the School’s more than 100 faculty and staff stepped up to respond to the challenges we faced with inventiveness and enthusiasm. Where it may have been easier to turn away and thrown in the towel, the Moores School was on the forefront, both locally and nationally. I hope you have enjoyed perusing this year-end publication. The achievements summarized here speak to the strength and tremendous future of a school for which 2020 was the year of a number 1 ranking in College Factual’s list of Best Schools of Music in the nation. I commend the School and its faculty and staff, and I am very much looking forward to many great year of work together.
A N D R E W D AV I S Dean Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts
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