CADENZA
UTSA DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC | DECEMBER 2020 Opus 26
IN A WORD... Our COVID Poll Asks, “What Word Describes 2020 For You?”
CONTENTS
03 04 06 10
WELCOME A word from Department of Music Chair, Dr. Tracy Cowden
WINTERLUDE 2020 Experience Winterlude like never before
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Dr. Ruben Rodriguez reflects on his academic journey
COVID-19 PULSE POLL Characterizing 2020 in one word
16
VOCAL STUDENTS PLACE AT NATS
17
UTSA EARNS TITLE OF TMTEF CHAPTER OF THE YEAR
18
DR. STEVE PARKER: FUTURISTIC LISTENING
20
DR. JENNIFER BEAVERS’ PODCAST DEBUT
Congratulating the #UTSAMUSIC voice students
Texas Music Teachers Association recognizes #UTSAMUSIC students for their endeavors
His solo exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London
Dr. Beavers guest stars on the new “Note Doctors”
CONTRIBUTORS: Jason Guzman - Graphic Designer Cindy Solis - Senior Events Manager Rebekah Alegria - PR Assistant/Editor Dr. Jourdan Laine Howell
Welcome to
CADENZA
Showcasing UTSA Music
FRIENDS, This is the last issue of Cadenza for 2020, and inside we have provided content that we hope will enlighten, inspire and entertain you. The pandemic forced #UTSAMUSIC to drastically reduce our usual annual calendar of over 100 in-person activities—concerts, camps, workshops, and masterclasses—to less than half that amount of live streams and virtual events. We have been set on maintaining some semblance of business as usual, and for that reason we were determined to continue the annual tradition of Winterlude. Read about Winterlude’s premiere as a compilation of pre-recorded music videos via our YouTube channel. And while the format is different, the spirit and motivation are the same. We use music to usher in a season of celebration, joy, giving and reflection. Also inside you will find information about upcoming spring productions from The UTSA Lyric Theatre, Dr. Steve Parker’s interactive sculpture exhibit in London, England, and how Dr. Jennifer Beavers reached another milestone in her career as a guest on a brand new podcast. Our long list of voice students who were recognized at this year’s Texoma National Association of Teachers of Singing, and our very own chapter of the Music Teachers National Association winning the Chapter of the Year Award are we included, as well. We hope you will take a moment today to visit with #UTSAMUSIC via Cadenza. We have enjoyed bringing you news and happenings in our department this year and look forward to doing the same in 2021. Until then, we wish you and your loved ones a safe and healthy holiday season! Go ‘Runners! Tracy Cowden Roland K. Blumberg Endowed Professor in Music and Chair
Winterlude 2020 A Virtually Unique Music Event The end of the fall semester at #UTSAMUSIC heralds many things, one a very particular crowd favorite: Winterlude. The annual concert series featured three evenings of holiday music performed by our choirs and instrumental ensembles under the compelling direction of music faculty. In previous years, traditional Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa music filled the standing-room-only Recital Hall in what was a kick-start to the season. This year, due to the pandemic, live events of all types were cancelled in what seemed to be one fell swoop. But 2020 was not going to be the Grinch that stole Winterlude. With advances in technology, strategic social distancing, and--yes, Virginia--even masks, Winterlude forges ahead this year—virtually. Instead of a series of concerts over the course of three evenings, this year Winterlude will be a video compilation of pre-recorded live performances as well as virtual collaborations of remote performers playing “together” on the screen. The samplings this year include a lush and stirring all-string rendition of Silent Night performed by the sublime UTSA Orchestra. Music from “The Nutcracker Suite” as performed by The UTSA Percussion Ensemble will put visions of sugar plums in your head. Feliz Navidad, Sleigh Ride, Joy to the World, The First Noel, The Little Drummer Boy, and All I Want for Christmas are just a few of the pieces to be performed by St. Nick’s envoys in the flute, double reeds, clarinet, trumpet, guitar, and tuba/euphonium ensembles. Lending their voices to the music video parade are the UTSA Chamber Singers and Concert Choir with Sing a Christmas Carol, A Spotless Rose, What Sweeter Music, and an encore of Betelehemu, a rousing Nigerian carol complete with clapping, swaying, and driving percussion that brought 2019 Winterlude audience members to joyous applause. Winterlude 2020 will premiere on the Department of Music’s YouTube channel at 7:30pm on Thursday, December 3. Watch it the first time to get you in the holiday spirit; watch it over and over again to keep you in the holiday spirit!
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: DR. RUBEN RODRIGUEZ Extra effort. That is what alumnus Dr. Ruben Rodriguez (‘06, ‘12, ‘19) put forth in order to earn a total of five degrees--three of those as a Roadrunner--before circling back to San Antonio College where it all began for him. After earning two associate degrees from SAC, the first in Radio, Television, & Film and the second in Liberal Arts, Ruben decided to attend UTSA to work towards his Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts in Education, and his Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching. As a #UTSAMUSIC major he studied classical guitar with professor emeritus, Dr. Matthew Dunne. He also found a place to use and hone his talent in audio technology working in the Recital Hall sound booth, and as a mentee of Dr. David Sebald--also a professor emeritus and architect of the current digital media lab in the department. Getting the latest from Ruben for this spotlight also meant getting an update on his first alma mater.
You have an unbroken work history in the post-secondary education world. What is your current position? Currently, I am the Program Coordinator for the Music Business Program and an Instructor. I feel very blessed to be the third generation coordinating the Music Business Program at San Antonio College which was started by Fred Wiess in 2000. He was also my instructor when I was enrolled in the then Radio, Television, and Film program in the late 1990s before coming to the Music program at UTSA. I recall Mr. Wiess, who was well known within the film industry back then, telling us in class that he was going to start a Music Business Program. Unfortunately, after a few years into the startup of the program, Mr. Wiess passed. Donnie Meals, who was best known for his legendary work in radio (99.5 KISS and others) and as a music producer, picked up the torch. He supplemented the program with innovative course offerings and
Fredstock, SAC’s Music Business Program’s annual official Fiesta® San Antonio event held every year in honor of the founder of our Music Business Program. I worked at Trinity University and Texas A & M-San Antonio in their respective audio and video departments before I was hired at SAC in late 2018. Donnie moved over to be General Manager of KSYM 90.1FM, which is the Radio, Television, and Broadcast Department’s radio station making me the third program coordinator for the Music Business Program. You graduated from UTSA (the first time) with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. Why didn’t you pursue a Music Marketing degree? The reason I didn’t pursue the Music Marketing degree was because, at the time, I was more focused on guitar performance. Being a guitarist was where my heart was and still is. There were many times where it crossed my mind--as many
of my peers were working towards the Music Marketing Degree. Part of my current role with the Radio, Television, and Broadcast Department is also being a faculty advisor for the Music Business students. I quite enjoy helping them plan out their paths to complete the Music Business Associate of Applied Science degree we offer along with the Music Business Technology and Music Business Administration Certificates we have. What motivated you to pursue a graduate degree and then your Ph.D? My maternal grandfather Oscar H. Lentz, who passed before I was born, actually had his PhD. from UT Austin and was a faculty member at the Colorado School of Mines. My mother Linda J. Rodriguez, who is a UTSA alumna, earned her Bachelors in Biology and went on to have a successful 41-year career in civil service in the Space Satellite division. To sum it up, my mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather take all the credit in motivating me to be where I am today. Actually, the motivation behind pursuing my PhD. was a combination of progressing through the programs at UTSA and my life and work experiences. As someone who is very technologically savvy, how are you dealing with COVID-19 in your world of higher education? Unfortunately, it takes times like these to push technology forward. No one was prepared for this or even saw anything like this coming. However, with the advancement of the internet and with web-conferencing platforms such as Zoom, I think we all got creative pretty fast, especially those who up until this point only taught in a face-toface classroom environment. Even though it was not a smooth transition at first, we all somehow managed to adapt to this new way of teaching. Fortunately, at this point in the pandemic, all of my students have made the adjustment to remote teaching via Zoom. It just takes a little extra effort on the instructor’s part to be creative enough to keep them engaged. You are a guitarist and a guitar collector. Tell me about your collection and if you are planning to add more. I would have to say that my guitar collection (30+instruments) has gotten a little out of hand.
I have been collecting since I was a teenager. As soon as I got my first job, I began collecting electric, acoustic, and classical guitars as well as guitar amplifiers and other instruments. My passion goes well beyond making music to include a genuine appreciation and love for the instrument itself. As far as expanding my current collection, I really shouldn’t, but... Why did you choose UTSA and did you have any role models while a music major? It’s a good school and has become a family tradition of sorts. I credit UTSA in preparing me for where I am today. There were so many role models while I was in the Music Program, to include: Cindy RiosSolis, Dr. Stacey Davis, Dr. Eugene Dowdy, Dr. Drew Stephen, Dr. Gary Mabry, Dr. Matt Dunne, Michael Richter, Matt Hensley, Dr. Rita Linard, and the list could go on and on. However, I would have to say that the most influential role model was Dr. David Sebald, who honored me by serving on my doctoral dissertation committee. How does it feel to return to SAC (where you began your studies) as a faculty member and head of a department, and where do you see yourself 10 years from now? It feels awesome to be back and to be able to contribute to the place where it all started for me right after high school. In 10 years I see myself still being part of the Music Business program at SAC and expanding it by adding new and innovative hands-on courses to align with the ever-changing music industry. I also see myself playing professionally, whether it be in a band or solo project of some kind. One thing I could also see myself doing in 10 years, in addition to what I previously mentioned, is getting into designing and building musical instruments like the electric guitar, guitar amplifiers, etc. Would you recommend UTSA? Yes, I would definitely recommend UTSA! Choosing UTSA was a life-changing experience, not only in the realm of academics but also for personal growth. Everything I experienced while attending UTSA--both good and bad--motivated me to strive for more in my life. Everything I experienced while seeking my undergraduate, Masters, and Ph.D. helped affirm and shape the person that I am today. It also made me realize that my destined calling was to be a teacher.
BOLD CURIOSITY BOLSTERED BY STRONG COMMUNITY THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT TO CULTIVATE ARTISTS
The Department of Music at UTSA attracts musicians who are hungry to make their mark in the arts. We cultivate artists.
SPRING AUDITIONS January 30, 2021 scholarship audition day February 20, 2021 scholarship audition day May 1, 2021
Discover more about us in the Department of Music 2020 | 2021 Viewbook
COVID-19 Quarantine Pulse Poll You would be hard-pressed to find anyone within 6 sociallydistant feet to disagree that 2020 was a year like no other. Since our return to campus, the Cadenza staff has been communicating with members of the #UTSAMUSIC family to find out how they are dealing with the pandemic. As we end this remarkable Fall 2020 semester, we asked this question:
“As 2020 comes to a close, what one word comes to mind that best characterizes it for you and why?” Dr. Mark Brill Associate Professor of Musicology “As 2020 comes to an end, there is a palpable sense of optimism that things may finally return to some kind of normal. The disruptions in our personal and professional lives have been enormous, and in many ways continue to be. Some things will never be the same. But I am confident that 2021 will bring an end to some of the more destructive obstacles to normalcy that have plagued us. My word for 2020 could probably not be printed in a family publication. But my word for 2021 is clear-cut: optimism.”
Gabe Durand-Hollis Bachelor of Music Composition (Percussion) “The word that comes to my mind for this year would be resilience: “the ability to recover quickly from difficulties.” To be honest, I would bet there are some of us who feel we haven’t been very resilient this year. Between the pandemic and all of its social and economic effects, and the election and its remarkable way of challenging our country to be civil and respectful of those we disagree with, 2020 has been a year that tests our capacity to prepare and adapt in ways we couldn’t have anticipated. And so, for the most part, we did it! We have demonstrated not only our willingness to remain actively connected to people in our lives but also a creativeness and ingenuity in how we go about doing those
things we used to do. And it is not easy to do; making music and practicing and attending classes virtually would have been impossible in the past. But here in the present, I see people everywhere making the most out of everything we are dealing with. Struggling sometimes, yes, but with that comes a universal feeling of patience and forgiveness because we all know we’re just doing the best we can. Nobody I know would call this year easy; it’s been really tough. It’s a good thing, then, that we can be tough too!”
Julia Bent Bachelor of Music Education (Cello) “One word that best characterized 2020 is definitely interesting because of everything that has happened up to this point. For starters, I and a handful of music students started our year in Urbino, Italy, and had a pretty great time experiencing the culture over there, getting opportunities that don’t come around very often and getting to make some great friendships during our short time over there. I think that was the peak and then everything that has happened with the pandemic and having to be pulled out of the country and having to continue some of the classes online and navigating that route for the remainder of the spring semester. Also, it was quite different having to either stay inside most of the time compared to being able to carelessly roam a store or visit somewhere just for fun. When the fall semester rolled around, I was excited to start back up at school even though it was all online--excluding small ensemble rehearsals. I also like how now I can practice whenever I want to and not have to worry about finding an empty practice room or having to carry my instrument from the far parking lots to the music building. It has also been easier to attend class because I can wake
up closer to when class starts instead of having to get up and travel to UTSA on a regular basis. But it has given me a chance to teach in UTSA’s String Project and even though lessons over Zoom are a challenge all in itself we’re making it work. Even though I miss being able to interact with all my friends, I hope in the future we can once again hang out at the tables on the second floor of the music building once again. Till then, Birds Up!”
Jessica E. Morales Bachelor of Music Performance (Mezzo-soprano) “Unpredictable. Going into 2020, I was filled with excitement and anxiousness. It was my senior year of high school, and I had many “lasts” planned out in my head. When the pandemic hit, I never could have imagined all that would follow. Memories that would never be made only lived through imagined scenarios. As each day went by that we wouldn’t be returning to school, the last encounters I had with people played in my mind. At times I was so frustrated thinking about the mundane moments that I had taken for granted. The last goodbye I gave a teacher, or the last hug I gave to a friend whom I now haven’t seen in eight months. But how could we have known? Never had I wanted a sense of closure so badly. In my lower moments during quarantine, the idea that nothing is truly set in stone became clear. No matter how badly we wish, life is ever-changing, and rarely do people share such a collective experience. In a way, this thought brought me peace. The concept of unpredictability is not one that I favor even still, but I can say that remaining in limbo for a little longer seems less daunting. And for now, that is enough for me.”
Voice Students Place at NATS Congratulations to our #UTSAMUSIC voice students who participated in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Auditions in November. Six hundred and thirty-five singers from Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico competed this year. All seven voice studios were represented by the twentynine students who competed virtually; seventeen were semifinalists: Women’s Division
Our finalists were:
Sean Corbett, soprano - Junior Shirlyn Davenport, soprano - Senior Johanna Kitchen, mezzo-soprano - Freshman Mariah Martinez, soprano - Senior Jocelyn McDaniel, soprano - Freshman Autumn Riley, soprano - Junior Callan Sramek, soprano - Sophomore Andrea Tovar, soprano - Junior Ava Upshaw, soprano - Junior
Shirlyn Davenport, soprano 2nd place, African American Spirituals Hector Tobar, baritone 5th place, Junior Men Belissa Perea, soprano 4th place, African American Spirituals Gabrielle Sharp, soprano Finalist, Sophomore Women
Men’s Division Osvaldo Chacon, baritone - Sophomore Klint Fabian, tenor - Sophomore Matt Perez, tenor - Senior
Graduate Division Eva Noelle Alpar, soprano - Graduate Julieta Garcia Reyes, soprano - Graduate Maggie Wolfe, soprano - Graduate
Special recognition to our staff and contract accompanists! Christine Debus Jane Pealor Haas Anna Hakobyan Mary Lowder
UTSA Students Earn a Competitive National Grant and Title as Chapter of the Year! Each year, the Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA) recognizes an outstanding music student chapter, its advisor, and members for showing an exceptional level and depth of activities. This year, UTSA’s student chapter of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) received the honor of the 2020 TMTEF (Texas Music Teachers Education Foundation) Collegiate Chapter of the Year award! The UTSA collegiate chapter also received a certificate and a competitive national grant from the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) in the amount of $250.00. Despite the challenge of COVID-19 and virtual learning beginning in March, the chapter managed to do great things during the 2019-2020 school year. Since September 2019, seven members of the UTSA MTNA chapter and three UTSA piano faculty members have been traveling to the downtown location of SA Youth to provide weekly piano lessons for their Out-ofSchool Time (OST) Program. The $250 grant received from the MTNA is to be used to purchase supplies for the UTSA chapter’s SA Youth project. SA Youth provides year-round positive youth development programs during non-school hours to low-income students ages 5-13. All activities are provided at no cost to families who participate. Adriana Flores from Alamo Music Center, which has been in business for 90 years in San Antonio, donated the keyboards to SA Youth used for the lessons. To date, there are 17 first and second graders enrolled in bi-weekly piano lessons. Other activities MTNA members participated in during the year include volunteering at the Janice Kay Hodges Contemporary Piano Competition, participating in masterclasses given by Olga Kern and Dr. Rene Lecuona, and serving as greeters at piano auditions for potential UTSA music students. They were disappointed that they were not able to fulfill their main April activity – an interactive Beethoven Sonata recital– due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The award-winning TMTEF Chapter of the Year members include Emily Myers (President), Ke Pan (Vice-President), Eymen Geylan (Secretary), Ji Hyun Kim (Treasurer), Jihye Cheon (Historian/SA Youth Chair), Samuel Castillo (Past-President), Juliana Woodlee, Azziya Richardson, Kalin Brown, and Noah Serrata. Chapter advisors are Dr. Ivan Hurd and Dr. Kasandra Keeling. Congratulations, all!
Dr. Steve Pa
arker: Futuristic Listening It is no secret that Dr. Steve Parker is a jack of all trades, but is he a master of all? Yes! Not only does he work broadly as a trombonist, professor, and composer, he is also a successful visual artist and curator. Recently, Parker won the 2020 Ashurst Art Prize and will be awarded a solo exhibition at Rich Mix in London, curated by Melanie Lenz at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. His works include Ghost Box (2018), Ghost Scores (2018), Sirens (2018), Protest Scores (2020), as well as ASMR Étude #1 (2018), a musical composition that is realized by a viewer utilizing a wearable acoustic locator. This series of work incorporates sonic headwear, acoustic sculptures built from brass instruments, and graphic scores, all of which build upon World War II audio tactics such as jamming signals, coded messages, and warning sirens, and reimagines them in sculptural form as vehicles for present-day protest and deception. These systems are mapped out across the gallery with trumpet pipes welded into sprawling abstract lines, diagrammed and layered on paper scores, or compiled into looming brass speakers. In the video piece ASMR Étude, Parker recreates wearable acoustic locators through which one can hear popular Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or ASMR, recordings made to treat anxiety, PTSD, and insomnia. Another piece, titled Ghost Box, requires visitors to activate the sculpture through touch, initiating different looped audio clips of coded songs from the Underground Railroad, coded transmissions like Morse Code, and jamming signals of Soviet Russia and Communist China.
Ghost Box (2018)
These constructions chart a multitude of possible choreographies for each listener to embody their sonic components, implicating the listener’s body as a site for receiving and issuing calls to action. Engaging auditory tools associated with early twentieth-century political conflict and war, Parker invites us to listen closely to the ways that sound can be used to incite resistance, disrupt systems of control, and ease anxiety and illness.
Dr. Jennifer Beavers Featured on a New Podcast Have you ever noticed the plethora of subjects covered on podcasts? Whatever your interest, from politics to martial arts to true crime, there is a podcast for that! If you are a music theorist like Associate Professor Dr. Jennifer Beavers, the new podcast “Note Doctors” is where you can find your people. Dr. Beavers was a recent guest on the episode titled, “Engaging Students Through Music Theory Clubs”. She spoke with the hosts who are also educators and music theorists, about the UTSA Music Theory Club, her background, and why she became a music theorist. “I was familiar with the podcast mostly because I know the creators and the interviewees --they are music theorists at Texas Women’s University, the University of North Texas, and Dallas Baptist University,” explains Beavers. The episode featuring Beavers is only the fifth one produced by the podcast creators. The previous guests were some leading members of the field, so making it to the top 5 was a considerable honor for her. During her interview, Beavers spoke about the “lighter side of theory pedagogy,” the “magic synergy” that comes from working with other theorists and how each iteration of UTSA’s Music Theory Club (previously known as PDMT, and you will have to tune in to get the joke), has been unlike others that came before or after. When you listen to the podcast it is as if you joined the group over coffee at a conference. “Music Theory Pedagogy is a relatively young field, and while there’s so many of us teaching theory,” states Beavers, “there’s much, much fewer talking about how and why we teach the way we do. This podcast highlights that. It’s really inspiring to learn from other pedagogues!” Note Doctors is hosted by Paul, Jenn and Ben and is available on Apple Podcasts at apple.podcasts.com.
UPCOMING MICHAEL CHING'S
Speed DATES Dating Tonight!
DECEMBER EXAM WEEK 06 - 11
JANUARY 18
MLK HOLIDAY UTSA campuses and offices are closed
A New Film created by
UTSA Lyric Theatre
December 11, 2020
JANUARY 19
CLASSES BEGIN Classes start back up remotely
starring
JANUARY 30
AUDITION DAY
Bree Bell
Shirlyn Davenport Greta Glasscock Kyree Harrison Pat King
Lucas Moncada-Zoll Jessica Morales Louis Ramos Ashley Rodriguez Hector Tobar
directed by William McCrary
Jourdan Laine Howell
Michelle Pietri
SEE YOU IN FEBRUARY 2021 STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THE UPCOMING SEMESTER AT UTSA MUSIC MUSIC.UTSA.EDU
FOLLOW US! @UTSAMUSIC
