CADENZA
UTSA DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC | FEBRUARY 2021 Opus 27
BLACK HISTORY MONTH Contributions of Black Musicians Predate February’s Designation
CONTENTS
03 04 06 09
WELCOME A word from Department of Music Chair, Dr. Tracy Cowden
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Educator Sherry Rubins’ journey comes full circle
LIGHT FROM THE DARKNESS Yee’s documentary Ritual and Remembrance is a testament to resilience
COVID-19 PULSE POLL 2021 brings new opportunities for the #UTSAMUSIC community
10
ENGAGING MUSIC THROUGH BLACK HISTORY
12
MUSIC EDUCATORS SEEK CREATIVE WAYS TO TEACH AS PANDEMIC CONTINUES
14
UTSA INDOOR: A COLLABORATIVE WORK OF ART
Dr. Nicole Cherry explores the influence of Black culture in music and history
How #UTSAMUSIC Alumni are keeping virtual learners captivated
The UTSA winter guard moves to the beat of a new and unconventional drum
CONTRIBUTORS: Jason Guzman - Graphic Designer Cindy Solis - Senior Events Manager Rebekah Alegria - PR Assistant/Editor Dr. Jourdan Laine Howell Dr. Thomas B. Yee Dr. Nicole Cherry
On the Cover:
Pictured from left to right: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875 – 1912) English composer and conductor; William Grant Still, Jr. (1895 – 1978) American composer; George Walker (1922 – 2018) American composer and pianist; Florence Price (1887 – 1953) American composer and pianist.
Welcome to
CADENZA
Showcasing UTSA Music
FRIENDS, Welcome to our first 2021 issue of Cadenza on behalf of the Department of Music, and Happy New Year to all of you! We have commenced our Spring 2021 semester and are busy rehearsing for our first set of concerts, for which we are all very grateful. As always, more information about livestreams will be available on our website (www.music.utsa.edu) and social media sites, so be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram. This February marks the 45th year that the United States has officially celebrated Black History Month. When President Ford established this month-long recognition in 1976, he pressed us to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Our department has committed to increasing diversity in the music we study, listen to, and perform, and in the guest artists with whom we interact. In this issue of Cadenza, we feature an article by our new Assistant Professor of Violin, Nicole Cherry, on the impact of Black composers and musicians. On February 2nd, we are delighted to host the venerated Mr. George Shirley, the Joseph Edgar Maddy Distinguished University Emeritus Professor of Voice at the University of Michigan, and the first Black tenor to sing a principal role at the Metropolitan Opera, as a guest speaker for our Music Convocation. (If you would like to join us for this event, please email music@utsa.edu.) As we are still gearing up for the semester’s first performances, this issue contains more feature articles than concert announcements. We hope you enjoy reading about the resilience of our Indoor Winterguard and our creative alumni music educators as they cope with the ongoing effects of the pandemic on their work, as well as our latest COVID Pulse Poll. Our very special alumni spotlight this month is on our own professor, Sherry Rubins, who leads our outstanding percussion studio. And Dr. Thomas Yee contributes an article on the documentary about his opera Eva and the Angel of Death. As always, one of our primary purposes of Cadenza is to connect with you! To our alumni, in particular, we invite you to submit your news and reconnect with your UTSA Music friends. We would love to hear from any of you with any feedback about Cadenza and Department of Music events; please reach out to us at music@ utsa.edu with questions and comments. We are grateful for all of you who support the work we do to learn and share music with those around us, and we look forward to sharing our music with you soon! Tracy Cowden Roland K. Blumberg Endowed Professor in Music and Chair
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: SHERRY RUBINS A Chinese proverb states, “To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.” For #UTSAMUSIC majors with questions about viability after graduation, what better person to ask than a current faculty member and former #UTSAMUSIC student? Senior lecturer Sherry Rubins (MM ‘85) is a great resource for her percussion students in areas not limited to technique and musicality but also of real-world experience. Following her graduation from UTSA and ensuing years of teaching privately and performing professionally, Rubins returned to the UTSA Department of Music in 1994 to head the percussion area. As a Senior Lecturer Sherry has witnessed a lot of changes within the department and has been the catalyst for many as the percussion area coordinator. She’s an energetic and positive force with a drive that has increased the number of percussion students, faculty, and inventory. As a faculty member for 26 years, she has influenced and inspired so many, and she isn’t done yet!
How did you get your start in music? My father (Jimmy Brown) was a big band drummer and my teacher through high school. I began playing around age 5. My father had a studio of over 80 students that he taught weekly in the basement of our home in Illinois. In middle school I also began taking marimba lessons with Virginia Schulte. She was an amazing teacher and I now own her personal marimba. My Mom was involved in music theater (semi-pro) in England where she grew up. She was a dancer with a wonderful voice. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the voice! HA! The percussion world is still mostly male-dominated so on occasion I have witnessed some discrimination and cronyism. I have heard comments such as “You look more like a flute player,” or “how does a little thing like you plays the drums?” Growing
up I didn’t really experience any discrimination or harassment but I did realize that none of the guys were happy about me beating them in chair placements! Overall though, I have been fortunate to not have dealt with what I know many of my female colleagues have. One thing I say all the time to my students is, “No instrument is genderspecific! Anyone can play any instrument and for that matter - do anything! Period.” Where did you go to school before becoming a Roadrunner and what prior experience did you have as an educator before joining the faculty? I received my Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Western Illinois University, did 1 year as a Graduate Assistant at Baylor University, and finished my Master of Music in Percussion Performance here at UTSA. At UTSA I studied with former Principal Timpanist of the San Antonio Symphony, Harvey Biskin. Mr. Biskin passed away last spring - in his 90’s! While I was working on my Master’s at UTSA I started teaching private
lessons in the Judson School District and playing as a substitute musician with the San Antonio Symphony. Early in the 1990s, I began teaching percussion at Texas Lutheran University part-time and I also started playing percussion with the MidTexas Symphony. How did you hear about the opening in the percussion area and what enticed you to apply? [Professor Emeritus] Robert Rustowicz mentioned it to me. I applied because I knew that working with him and everyone else on faculty at the time would be great fun as well as an honor. After a few years of part-time work at TLU, I also realized I truly enjoyed working with college-age students. How does the percussion area differ now (with you as the head) than it did when you were a student? When I was a student there were less than 10 majors and we only had Mr. Biskin’s office and maybe some space in the practice room area to work. Mr. Biskin was awesome - it was just a different position and time. Recruiting wasn’t really expected of the part-time teachers and his fulltime position was with the Symphony. I had time and interest in growing the studio so I worked hard to do so. I performed and presented clinics at festivals and schools around the state and I got involved in the state chapter of the Percussive Arts Society. My involvement with the Vic Firth and Zildjian companies as an artist/educator allowed me to present some teaching videos on the UIL region music that many students around the state watched. The marching band and my colleagues have also been a huge help and attraction. I am proud to say we now have 30 very talented percussion majors. Soon after I had our son Matthew (2002) the studio grew to the point that it was time to hire an additional teacher. We put the word out and a number of people applied. Dr. Thomas Burritt at UT Austin told me about one of his DMA graduates that was in his words “fabulous - you should hire him!” That was Graeme Francis. Graeme was a wonderful colleague for 10 years. [When he left] we did a search and Mike Mixtacki joined us for 4 great years. He recently left for a position at Texas Tech and Paul Millette and Peter Breithaupt joined us in the Fall of 2020. They have been an excellent addition to the program!
We had a lot less equipment when I first started teaching at UTSA. As the studio and band/orchestra programs grew it became obvious that we needed more. I wrote a grant for the steel pans and one for our 5-octave marimbas. They were approximately $15,000 each. One of the other marimbas was a gift from my dear friend Buttercup (Ruth Sparks). She was a member of the water fitness class I taught at the Concord Athletic Club for at least 15 years. She heard me discussing the need and the next week said she would write a check! She passed away last year at 104. Other instruments including another 5-octave marimba and a set of timpani were purchased through the music department. I appreciate how supportive the department chairpersons have been over the years! Where do you want to take the percussion area in the years ahead? The music world has grown and continues to do so. We have access to so many more instruments and styles at the touch of a computer button. I want to keep opening the students’ eyes and ears to all that is available. We have to stay global or we are behind. I want the students to be marketable and flexible. I don’t think we need to grow the studio, we just need to maintain the high quality and keep moving forward. What I’m super proud of is the “culture” of the studio. Everyone is encouraging and supportive - there is a very healthy competitive spirit. They are good humans! Texas has a number of awesome percussion programs and I think we are one of them. I want everyone else to think that as well! What does it mean to you to be working at your alma mater? I’m proud to be a part of this department and the University. We’ve grown and come a long way. The basic caring community I remember from the beginning is still strong. I am also honored that the faculty members that knew me as a grad student way back when trusted me enough to hire me!
“We’ve grown and come a long way but the basic caring community that I remember from the beginning is still so STRONG.”
Light from Darkness:
Reflections on My Holocaust Remembrance Opera and Our 2020 World By Thomas B. Yee, DMA
I
n the first week of December, I entered a hall to make live music for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Though there was no audience, the room’s energy felt electric – whether performer, composer, conductor, or recording engineer, we yearned to make music together again. Nearly nine months to the day after postponing the April 2020 premiere of my Holocaust remembrance opera Eva and the Angel of Death, singers Page Stephens and Julia Taylor, pianist Q Langman, conductor Jacob Schnitzer (attending remotely), and I gathered to record musical excerpts and cast interviews under COVIDsafe conditions. The resulting documentary, Ritual and Remembrance: Reflections on Eva and the Angel of Death explores the artistic resonance and modern-day impact of Eva Mozes Kor’s timely and powerful story.
first half immerses viewers in Eva’s story in her own words, brought to life by performances of crucial scenes from the opera. The second half features powerful and intensely personal interviews with the opera’s cast and creative team, where the theme “light from darkness” emerges as a through-line. Remembering the Holocaust’s atrocities, we as artists respond to injustice with the message “never again.” In the wake of the unjust deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and others – and the emboldening of white nationalism in contemporary society – we contemplate the act of Holocaust remembrance as a catalyst and cry for social justice today. Witnessing the increasing cultural resentment and polarization in our world, we speak as human individuals about how our lives have been forever transformed by Eva’s quest for healing. Several of us share poignant accounts of past trauma, and how Eva’s example teaches us that those experiences don’t define who we are today, moving us to empowerment and healing through forgiveness. As Eva said, “Anger is a seed for war. Forgiveness is a seed for peace.” I wholeheartedly believe that now – year 2021 – is the time for healing, and the potential benefits of forgiveness as a catalyst for that healing are tremendous.
From left: Page Stephens (Eva Mozes Kor), Q Langman (piano), and Julia Taylor (Miriam Mozes); Eva and her twin sister Miriam, joyously reunited after liberation from Auschwitz in the duet, “We Are Free”
Holocaust survivor Eva Mozes Kor and her twin sister Miriam were subjected to sadistic medical experimentation by Josef Mengele in Auschwitz. After their liberation in 1945, the long-term effects of this trauma followed the sisters across the world, resulting in Miriam’s death in 1993 from medical complications related to these experiments. Devastated by the loss, Eva embarked on a search for answers, receiving assistance from an unexpected source – former Nazi doctor Hans Münch – setting Eva on a path towards closure and healing. In 1995, Kor returned to Auschwitz and announced to the world that she personally forgave the Nazis for what had been done to her. Until her death in 2019, Eva was an active Holocaust awareness educator, community leader, and forgiveness advocate. In countless ways, this documentary thematically resonates with – and responds to – the year 2020. The
Soprano Julia Taylor (Miriam Mozes)shares about how Eva and the Angel of Death resonates with her life in a heartfelt interview.
Ritual and Remembrance is a reflection on creating art during a global pandemic, remembering the Holocaust, and learning from one survivor’s unique experience. But more pressingly, it reflects on who we are and what we experienced in the unprecedented year 2020. Learn more and view the documentary produced by Density 512, and co-directed by me, Jacob Schnitzer and Farid Zarrinabadi at https://www.density512.org/ reflectionsoneva.
COVID-19 Quarantine Pulse Poll The opportunities of a new year are upon us. What do you plan to do differently; what do you plan to do the same?
Audrey Pratt
Graduate Performance (Organ)
For 2021 I am going to continue trying to stay safe, prioritize, and stay determined. Making sure to be flexible in planning and taking time for a break. It has been amazing to take classes with my cat this last semester, I am looking forward to this next semester! However, with this new year I want to start stepping out of my comfort zone and try some new things! I also would love to explore San Antonio!
Katrina Cantu Music Education (Voice)
It would be dishonest of me to say that I don’t have mixed feelings anticipating the new year. Like many, I feel some residual pain from 2020 and the costs that came with it. Amidst the pain, however, I do feel hopeful for the year to come. This past year has taught me that there are some decisions that don’t work for me anymore, while simultaneously showing me that I have also made positive strides towards actions that benefit me. I will continue to prioritize my goals, finding time for
self-care, making a ton of to-do lists, and trying not to beat myself up over what’s left at the end of the day. I will lean on my loved ones much more closely. If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s that life is truly about cherishing the joy of the love you share and receive in return. More than anything, I look forward to sharing that love with myself and others. Happy 2021!
Dr. Rachel Woolf Lecturer of Flute
With the freshness of a new year upon us, I plan to encourage my students to ignite their passions like never before. Now that we as a society are more used to this online world, it is time to embrace what it has to offer by expanding our creativity, engaging with technology, and not getting discouraged by the struggles we are all facing on a daily basis. I will continue to push my students to the highest standard I can, learning from the last two semesters to make Spring 2021 even more meaningful and full of learning and growth. For me personally, I plan on spending more time (safely) outdoors going on hikes in nature, taking care of my mental and physical health, as well as planning more musical projects for me and my students.
Erik Garcia
Graduate Music Education (Voice)
What I plan to do differently is to receive the two required doses of the vaccine. I received the first dose earlier this month and I will be getting the second dose at the beginning of next month. I am also planning on increasing my stamina for my job. I teach in a hybrid format, which is challenging but completely possible. I have to stay motivated because I have a responsibility to my students and administration. I am fortunate to have a supportive administration at my campus. What I am planning on doing the same is being consistent with teaching and responding to my students learning needs. My mentor, Gabriela Montoya-Stier, told me to be consistent with daily routines and to maintain structure. Students thrive on structure. These are challenging times but I will continue to work hard as a teacher. I love my job and I enjoy going to work.
ENGAGING MUSIC THROUGH BLACK HISTORY By Nicole Cherry, D.M.A. Assistant Professor of Violin
T
he age-old Nigerian Igbo proverb “oran a azu nwa” translates into “it takes a village to raise a child.” This proverb conveys that even in crisis, we build bridges. In many ways, African American culture is the offspring of this message. While the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the injustices facing Black communities and many important issues are in question within our nation, artists have historically come to the forefront in the interest of restoration and the Black community convenes to strengthen each other.
Carver and what books did Zora Neale Hurston write? Before the topic became current, my parents encouraged an environment that would question Jemima on a syrup bottle or the contentious “friendship” between sitcom personalities George Jefferson and Archie Bunker. As I danced frenziedly to “Billie Jean” in my room, my brother enlightened me that producer Quincy Jones was a key component in Michael Jackson’s success.
2021 marks the 45th anniversary of Black History Month as a national celebration. Often a source of frustration given that disseminating information need not be designated to a time period, strategic practices to champion and document those that have made the world a better place is a much-needed call to action. Embracing our collective history empowers the succeeding generations and facilitates lasting change. In my formative years, my parents reflected upon Negro History Week initiated by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926. They also reminded me that there was a time of no celebration. Amidst our mealtime dialogue, questions were posed, such as who is George Washington
Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma
Our family discussions encouraged me to examine my own relationship within the classical music field. Over many years, I became familiar with the breadth of Black composers and music scholars. Through this search, I met esteemed musicologist, Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma (1928-2015), who specialized in Black classical music. He served as director of the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia College in Chicago and was professor of music history at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, in Appleton, Wisconsin, for over 30 years. Conversations with Dr. de Lerma inevitably led to making my own connections between the African Diaspora and classical music.
His diligence gave way to the extensive list of contemporary Black composers, including Pulitzer and Guggenheim prizewinners George Walker, Tania León, Pamela Z, and Anthony Davis.
William Grant Still
Dr. de Lerma’s pioneering work has planted the seed for many resources available today, and the network of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) repertoire databases continue to expand. As we move forward, it is through interacting with each other, sharing resources and skills, and looking at our history through an inclusive and equitable lens that we build bridges. Let us be the village. Margaret Bonds
In his lifetime, de Lerma published over 2000 works highlighted by many Black composers such as the Chevalier de Saint-Georges (17451799), Ignatius Sancho (1729-1780), George Bridgetower (1778-1860), Frederick Jerome Work (1871-1925), Margaret Bonds (19131972), Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989), José Silvestre White (1835-1918) and William Grant Still (1898-1978). Centuries of Black classical composers have been brought to light because of his more than 60-year tenure revising the Western canon’s longstanding framework.
“Embracing our collective history empowers the succeeding generations...”
Music Educators Seek Creative Ways to Teach As Pandemic Continues
A
s the COVID-19 virus rages on with unprecedented spikes in cases, teachers and students are faced with the probability of remote learning continuing through spring. Teachers are already challenged each day to make their classrooms and curricula engaging and effective during normal circumstances. Add to that challenge the fatigue of being quarantined, and educators are working even harder to keep students interested. Many #UTSAMUSIC alumni are music educators currently facing the challenges of remote learning. No matter the grade or the school, the common denominator is reestablishing the social aspect of both music and learning either with or without technology.
Derrick Bready
Derrick Bready (‘02) is the assistant choir director at Deer Park High School in Deer Park, Texas. During his choir rehearsals, he looks to building rapport with his students by focusing more on them and less on the curriculum. “We are not grinding into our music as hard or fast simply to allow organic conversations and moments to happen. Music and singing are social events and we are facilitating this in our rehearsals. At the end of the day, it’s about the people we teach and not necessarily the music.” A little closer to home at Ed White Middle School in North East ISD, Martin Sanchez (‘13), is using video communication that many other schools across the nation are using, employing it also as a means to create virtual orchestra concerts that are live-streamed to the school’s community. But the orchestra director has also found a few other ways to use Zoom as a means to socialize. “Students love having a Zoom orchestra lunch where we can have a stress-free hour to catch up with each other. For the future, I am planning a Zoom game night with all those who want to attend.”
Martin Sanchez
Dr. Jourdan Laine Howell
For those in higher education like #UTSAMUSIC’s own Dr. Jourdan Laine Howell (‘10), COVID-19 solitude and the scarcity of opportunities to work in the same space have affected how she approaches teaching. “I have always enjoyed dreaming big dreams, especially when developing my own performances and those of my students. My voice students are currently working on a terribly fun Studio recital concept to debut this spring, an idea that was developed to serve the virtual concert craze. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with professors across the university to launch an interdisciplinary project this year created to combat isolation and bring students together through a collective experience.” COVID -19 has continued to be an omnipresent threat going into 2021. Thwarting the impositions of social distancing and remote learning have been the missions of music educators everywhere. Finding time to re-create social bonds in a meaningful way has been the common thread while using technology as a tool to create and share the creative experience has been crucial. These are only a few examples of how our alumni are meeting and exceeding the challenge. Go ‘Runners!
UTSA INDOOR A COLLABORATIVE WORK OF ART T
he 2019 - 2020 UTSA Indoor winter guard season was off to a promising start for #UTSAMUSIC professors Randi Miles and Benjamin Pyles, the 5-year co-directors of the ensemble. “We were really starting to see the culture and performance level blossom into what we had envisioned when we started working together,” said Pyles. But, the season came to an unexpected end after the ensemble’s first-ever Winter Guard International (WGI) Regional victory in Dallas, TX. After winning the Regional competition with an impressive high score, UTSA Indoor was ranked #1 out of all competing groups in the Open class. “We were extremely excited about that, but the best part was knowing how much time we had left to craft, detail, and perfect the show moving forward,” stated Pyles. The ensemble had all the time in the world to prepare for a big win at the WGI World Championships later in spring 2020… or so they thought. Following the big win at the Regional competition in Dallas, the students and staff were sent on what was supposed to be a normal week-long Spring Break. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, it was extended for another week, which would ultimately extend through the rest of the semester as the nation entered a quarantine lockdown. The 2019 - 2020 season came to an abrupt halt for the UTSA Indoor ensemble making their Regional victory performance their final time performing or meeting in-person again. Reflective and thankful, Pyles says “The Dayton trip would’ve been great, and we felt like we would be very competitive, but nothing can replace sharing those moments together, competition or not. We pride ourselves on the product and experience over anything, and not being able to
share those moments are far worse than missing out on any potential competitive success that might have been ahead of us.” The previous 2018 - 2019 season set the precedent for success for the year to follow. Professors Pyles and Miles led the UTSA Indoor ensemble to the Winter Guard International World Championships for the first time in the program’s history. This is a yearly event where the best of the best winter guard groups travel to Dayton, Ohio from across the globe to compete in a 3-day championship event. The group performed in the Preliminary competition then advanced to the Semi-Finals and ended the 2018 - 2019 season in the Finals placing in the top half (7th overall) in the program’s first year competing on the national stage--a massive accomplishment and testament to the directors’ and ensemble’s hard work. The 2020 - 2021 UTSA Indoor ensemble will continue to march on but to a very different beat. The group has consciously chosen to not compete or take part in anything that requires
travel or that would put the group at risk of infection. Instead, they will be working on the previous 2019 - 2020 award-winning program at the university in order to give the designed program the great ending it deserves. That program will be done in a music video format instead of the typical live performance, but the group is extremely excited to explore this new form of artistry and to see where it takes them. With limitations to the in-person ensemble this year, the duo of Pyles and Miles has decided to open up another section to the course for those that wish to work virtually or may have an interest in designing shows o r
Photo by Phil Seidel
teaching students in the future. Both professors will be hosting a designer track class for the 2020 - 2021 season and semester where they have invited four world-class designers to also take part in assisting UTSA students through the process of designing a show. By implementing the new show design class track, the students will be able to learn the step-by-step process on how to design storyboards, arrange music, create choreography, design uniforms, and much more. Hopeful for the future, Pyles states, “I think we’re all excited about making a group product together again. Nothing can beat a living, breathing, collaborative work of art. I’ve really missed working with the students and directors in our normal atmosphere, and even though this will be different than we’re used to, it’s as close as we can get with our situation.” The UTSA Indoor’s final performance project will be posted and featured on the #UTSAMUSIC platforms when it debuts.
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