Cadenza | Opus 21

CADENZA

UTSA DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC | MARCH 2020 Opus 21

MARCH (MUSIC) MADNESS It’s game on at the Department of Music. New scores travel to our home court.

CONTENTS

03

WELCOME

04

NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL

06

MUSIC MARKETING PROGRAM

09 12 18

A word from Department of Music Chair, Dr. Tracy Cowden

Welcoming distinguished composer Dr. Donald Grantham, UT-Austin

Find out what’s been going on in the music marketing area and with Dr. Stan Renard

GUITAR SYMPOSIUM An old classic gets re-vamped as the UTSA Guitar area presents the first Southwest Guitar Symposium

BEYOND OUR DEPARTMENT Alumna Ashley Lucero and Dr. Matthew Dunne involved with indie film

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Mark Bueno - A Versatile Virtuoso

CONTRIBUTORS: Shelby Gorden - Graphic Designer Cindy Solis - Senior Events Manager Alissa Stolt - Editor Doug Summers - Intern

Welcome to

CADENZA Showcasing UTSA Music

FRIENDS, Welcome to March (Music) Madness in the Department of Music! We are sending the March issue a bit early, because we begin the next month with five concerts in five days! The Festival of New Music begins on March 1st with a Faculty Chamber Concert, and continues through March 5th, featuring a wide range of soloists, chamber groups, and large ensembles presenting premieres and recent compositions. We are excited to host guest composers during the week, as well – read more about it in this issue!

In addition, we present the Southwest Guitar Symposium from March 13th-15th; this NEW three-day event features wonderful guest artists, faculty, students, and alumni. Appropriately, this issue of Cadenza includes an alumni spotlight from our guitar program, Mark Bueño.

This issue features stories about some fascinating work being produced by our faculty and alumni, including UTSA’s first award from the National Endowment for the Arts to our own Dr. Stan Renard, and an indie film featuring multi-talented alumna Ashley Lucero. These stories are just a sample of the remarkable work taking place in the Department of Music right now. If you enjoy reading Cadenza, please share widely!

March (Music) Madness also means that we are earnestly preparing for early April’s Lyric Theatre performances of The Marriage of Figaro at the Buena Vista Theater at UTSA’s downtown campus. Mark your calendars for this spectacular fully-staged performance! And please continue to check our calendar of events at www.music.utsa.edu or any of our social media pages for updated information about upcoming concerts. We hope to see many of you at these events this semester.

Tracy Cowden Roland K. Blumberg Endowed Professor in Music and Chair

Music Department’s Renard Receives $100,000 to Establish NEA Research Laboratory Original article appears on UTSA Today

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is among five recipients selected from across the country to receive an award to conduct a 2020 National Endowment for the Arts Research Laboratory. The $100,000 grant will create the UTSA Arts Entrepreneurship Research Laboratory,

It’s exciting to be chosen as an NEA Research Lab site and our students stand to benefit the most from Renard’s leadership and commitment to his work. which will focus on studying arts incubators to understand the economic potential of artists as entrepreneurs and the impact of the digital divide for arts-based entrepreneurs.

Researchers working in the lab will assess the skills and best practices of arts entrepreneurs. The lab will be under the direction of UTSA Assistant Professor of Music Marketing Stan Renard, in collaboration with Americans for the Arts.

Now in their fifth year, NEA Research Labs investigate the value and impact of the arts through the social and behavioral sciences for the benefit of the arts and non-arts sectors. The labs are housed at different universities and use transdisciplinary research teams to explore specific research questions in the areas of health, cognition, and innovation. To date, there are 17 labs in this growing national network. “I firmly believe that successfully incubating creatives is essential for

growing and diversifying our cultural ecosystem,” said Renard. “As part of our NEA Research Lab pilot study, I am looking forward to exploring the best practices that can benefit arts as well as non-arts entrepreneurs.”

Renard’s research focuses on applying computational models to cultural industries. He serves as the Assistant Director of the Center for Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (CITE), UTSA’s own entrepreneurial incubator. Renard is collaborating with UTSA Research Specialist Gianluca Zanella, an expert on non-conventional entrepreneurship and tech incubators, to launch the new NEA laboratory.

“The Department of Music is so proud that Professor Renard’s work is getting the recognition it deserves.

It’s exciting to be chosen as an NEA Research Lab site and our students stand to benefit the most from Renard’s leadership and commitment to his work,” said Department Chair Dr. Tracy Cowden, Roland K. Blumberg Endowed Professor in Music. “We believe that UTSA’s partnership with Americans for the Arts will lead to valuable new scholarship about best practices in arts entrepreneurship and innovation; this is extremely relevant research in a fast-moving economy with tremendous potential in the cultural sector.“ NEA Research Labs have already advanced several impactful projects including manuscripts and working papers, a virtual research hub to explore arts solutions to burnout and psychological distress in the healthcare professions, and a study of how musical creativity can benefit cognition and social/emotional well-being among adults over the age of 70 and those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment.

BEYOND THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC: Collaborating in the Creation of an Indie Film

States of Contention A short film, based on a true story.

After becoming separated from her elite unit a determined soldier grapples with shifting loyalties and a shadowy adversary to fight for what, and who, is truly important. Yet it all seems strangely familiar...

UTSA music alumna Ashley Lucero (BA ‘15, MM ‘18) and music professor emeritus Dr. Matthew Dunne are putting their skills into an exciting new project! Dr. Dunne is preparing a new film score for an indie film, States of Contention, that is scheduled for release in Summer of 2020. Ashley Lucero assisted with the recording process and plays a lead role in the film.

Lucero says that director Matthew Diekman “is known for using musicians for the roles in his films, and the career experience overlaps well from our experience being on stage and being interpreters of a sort.” She says that she met Diekman when she helped with the recording process for the first film that he and Dunne collaborated on. When the audition process for States did not yield a person to play the role of Malinda, Dunne recommended Lucero because the character reminded him of her. Lucero describes her character as “serious overall but with tangible depth… she is strong and skilled in multiple ways… although she has a very strong vision of what she believes in and is willing to fight for, [she] battles with the complexities of reality.”

Along with her newly found acting chops, Ashley has the opportunity to show a glimpse of her extensive musical background on screen. “I actually play an original theme written by Matthew Dunne on my own guitar in the film.” Still, she states that she had the most fun filming a scene where she is “running down the side of a mountain while in full combat gear, carrying a 13 pound sniper rifle.” Ashley will be running across screens at film festivals on a national and global circuit. The trailer was released last month on Facebook and Vimeo.

Photo Credit: Matthew Diekman

The UTSA Department of Music Presents

Flute Studio Recital

Students of Dr. Rachel Woolf

Wednesday • 7:30 pm March 18th, 2020 UTSA Recital Hall

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: MARK BUEÑO The UTSA Department of Music will once again welcome guitarists of all ages to our campus with the Southwest Guitar Symposium this month. The Symposium is the re-invented descendant of the Southwest Guitar Festival, a week-long, biennial event which began in 1995 and had its final edition in 2009.

Guitarist and UTSA alum Mark Bueño studied classical guitar with then-festival organizer, Dr. Matthew Dunne before graduating with a Bachelor of Music in 2009. A decade later, CADENZA staff caught up with Bueño and found out that the ensuing ten years brought forth global travel, a new kind of craftsmanship, and a unique teaching opportunity to the musician.

What is your current career and how did your UTSA education prepare you for it?

I do a variety of things in terms of my career: photography/videography/audio recording, teaching, and luthiery [the construction and repair of stringed instruments]. Dr. Dunne and I worked together on numerous audio/video recordings where he did the audio while I was in charge of the video. I soaked up as much of his knowledge as I could and learned a tremendous amount about recording classical music. UTSA also prepared me with the pedagogical fundamentals for teaching classical guitar. These are principals that I still hold onto in my current teaching studio.

It was also through Dr. Dunne where I first met guitar maker Lucio Núñez. I remember first visiting his shop in 2006 and feeling like a child in a toy store. Just seeing the raw materials, the tools, and the multiple instruments in different stages of completion, it was nothing less than captivating. I asked him to make

me a guitar. I had no idea at the time that over the course of about a decade, our friendship would turn into an apprenticeship.

Why did you choose to attend the UTSA Department of Music?

I knew I wanted to have a better understanding of playing classical guitar, specifically technique and musical expression. These are things that I continue to work on to this day. I chose UTSA because of the program, faculty, and the standard of student expectation. I remember being surprised and even intimidated when I learned that students put together programs and performed solo recitals.

This was very different from what I was used to (at the time) from community college. After reading about Dr. Dunne’s history and who he studied with (Aaron Shearer, Bruce Holzman, and Adam Holzman), I felt he was the perfect person to help me get my right hand technique in order.

What was your greatest challenge as a music major and how did you overcome it?

Have your UTSA connections provided you with any unique opportunities?

Performing in front of a large audience was by far my greatest challenge. I never really enjoyed being the center of attention. This made performing challenging for me. Dr. Dunne’s guidance prepared me to visualize the music, be confident in my playing, and ultimately control my nerves. It didn’t come easy though; I had my share of failures.

Having the support of Dr. Dunne and my peers, along with perseverance, helped me overcome this challenge.

Absolutely! Not only with my peers, who have turned into lifelong friendships, but I’ve had multiple mentors that have been with me throughout different stages of my life. Around 2015, I asked Lucio Núñez to make me a custom 13 string classical guitar / baroque lute hybrid. I love baroque music so much that I wanted to play that music in the original keys and with the original fingerings. Dr. Dunne helped me get started on this instrument and I took a few lessons once I was able to actually play pieces.

What can you say about the music faculty at UTSA and the music students who were your peers?

The faculty at UTSA was fantastic. I still hold on to many of the lectures and quotes from my professors. I believe I was very fortunate to have instructors who were not only passionate about what they were doing, but could also explain things in ways that were easy to understand.

That’s something I value and incorporate into my teaching every day. The experience with my peers was a rewarding one. Many have become lifelong friends. Even though most have moved away from San Antonio, we still communicate weekly. I’ve connected with many professional players around the United States through my friendships made at UTSA. What memory stands out for you while you were at UTSA? There are a lot… My time at UTSA was such an iconic part of my development, not only as a musician, but as a young adult as well. I remember when the guitar quartet went to UT Brownsville to compete in the Guitar Ensemble Festival & Competition. The four of us practiced vigorously and bonded so much over the experience. We felt so accomplished when we were announced first place winners. It was the first time I had ever won anything. I made a lot of great memories during the Southwest Guitar Festival. It was the first time I had ever seen world class guitarists perform solo and group recitals. There were so many big names: Judicaël Perroy, Pepe Romero, Sérgio and Odair Assad, Denis Azabagić, The LAGQ, and more!

It was also the first time I had ever performed in master classes. I remember feeling so inspired and motivated to practice.

After graduating I really wanted to travel and see different parts of the world. My degree allowed me the opportunity to live and work in Japan. I taught English in elementary and middle school from 2011 to 2014. I didn’t teach any guitar during this time, but I always incorporated music into my lessons one way or another. I also traveled to Cambodia, China, and Thailand during my time abroad.

Meeting Lucio Núñez while at UTSA was the start of a very unique opportunity. It has been an extraordinary experience learning to build guitars under his guidance. When I moved back to the United States I had a strong desire to create things out of wood. Lucio was kind enough to let me use his woodworking machinery and even gave me a lot of advice and constructive criticism. I often remember a great analogy that Lucio shared with me, “Guitar making is like baking in many ways.” I think that’s fitting.

In 2016 Lucio asked me, “Why don’t you make a guitar with me?” I still enjoy other forms of woodworking, like making music boxes with yosegi (Japanese marquetry) and making furniture out of lumber that I’ve milled myself.

Have you been back to UTSA? If so, why and what would you say has been the biggest change?

I have been back to UTSA numerous times since graduating (mainly to record students/faculty). Wow! The campus itself is so different. There are also many new faces in the music department. It feels so foreign to me these days--which isn’t a bad thing.

MTNA Collegiate Chapter at UTSA Gives Music Lessons to Children in SA Youth Program Dr. Kasandra Keeling UTSA’s Collegiate Chapter of the Music Teachers National Association partnered with SA Youth to provide music lessons to 1st and 2nd graders as part of their Out-of-School Time program. This program provides year-round positive youth development programs during non- school hours.

SA Youth sought out piano teachers after a generous donation of three keyboards to their program from Alamo Music Center. Adriana Flores of Alamo Music connected SA Youth to our MTNA Chapter at UTSA. Since September, our members and piano faculty have been traveling to SA Youth’s Poplar location two days a week.

Seventeen children have been learning basic music notation and enjoying introductory activities on the piano. In December, the chapter received word that they would be receiving a grant of $550 from the MTNA Foundation Fund to use toward teaching supplies for this project. Participating teachers are members Ke Pan, Emily Myers, Jihye Cheon, Kalin Brown, Juliana Woodlee, Ji Hyun Kim, Eymen Geylan, and faculty members Sherri Baker, Ivan Hurd, and Kasandra Keeling.

MARCH

DATES

23 KE PAN

Graduate Student Ke Pan will perform a solo recital on piano. 7:30PM - UTSA Recital Hall

31 MUSIC CONVOCATION

03 MUSIC CONVOCATION

Open for student performances.

11:30AM - UTSA Recital Hall

Line Upon Line Percussion reads student compositions. 11:30AM - Location TBA

16 NICOLE RUSSELL

Composition major Nicole Russell has her compositions performed in this free recital.

7:30PM - UTSA Recital Hall

17 MUSIC CONVOCATION Open for student performances.

11:30AM - UTSA Recital Hall

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

17 ALISSA STOLT

Alissa Stolt will have her music compositions performed by students in this free recital that is open to the public.

7:30PM - UTSA Recital Hall

20 JASMINE FERNANDEZ

Soprano Jasmine Fernandez performs an hour long recital accompanied on piano by Anna Hakobyan. 7:30PM - UTSA Recital Hall

23 ASHLEY SKINNER

Ashley Skinner performs a 30-minute solo voice recital. She is accompanied on piano by Ji Hyun Kim. 5:00PM - UTSA Recital Hall

Parking for many UTSA Department of Music events is on an individual pay basis in the nearby Ximenes Avenue Garage. Â Click on the icon to find XAG (Ximenes Avenue Garage) off of UTSA Blvd and Ximenes Avenue.

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