Cadenza | Opus 45

Showcasing UTSA School of Music CADENZA

Friends,

Welcome to the April issue of Cadenza, which highlights our busiest month of the year (and bridges the gap between March and April)! We invite you to peruse the many features in this issue, starting with the Lyric Theatre production of A Little Night Music at the Woodlawn Theatre this weekend, and MUTEFEST VI from April 1-15. We are also excited to host Dr. Pamela Pike on Monday, April 3rd as our distinguished guest for the Hodges Lecture Series in the Institute for Music Research. We look forward to seeing you soon at these events, and as always, we are grateful for your support of our guest, student and faculty performers and scholars.

This issue also features a special Alumni Spotlight on graduates of our Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance degree, as well as announcements of all the ensemble concerts taking place in the month of April. We also invite you to help us #BuildtheNest during UTSA Giving Day on April 4-5, 2023 – this is a fun way for you to help us and support so many important initiatives in the School of Music and across the arts! Look for links to give to support Friends of Music, the Spirit of San Antonio Marching Band, Mariachi Los Paisanos, and UTSA Arts – all of which lead to amazing opportunities for our students to BOLDLY learn, perform, and lead!

Remember to check our online event calendar for the most up-to-date concert information. And share Cadenza with your friends and family outside of San Antonio; they can check out the livestreams of our performances on our School of Music Facebook page! As always, we hope that all of you will take this opportunity to follow us on social media, where we post fun features on our students, faculty, and staff, link to our livestreams, and share photos and video clips of all that is taking place in the UTSA School of Music.

Are you interested in having live music at your own event? You could hire a student group! Look for the “Book Us” link on the School of Music website! And as always, we invite our alumni to submit your news and reconnect with your UTSA Music friends by sending an update to music@utsa.edu. We look forward to seeing you soon for live music at UTSA! Tracy Cowden

Roland K. Blumberg Endowed Professor in Music and Director

RIACHI LOS PAISANOS

hi Los Paisanos is dedicated to preserving the authentic culture of mariachi music, and members work hard to improve their skills as vocalists and instrumentalists, as well as their showmanship! Their goal for Giving 2023 is to purchase additional trajes; this traditional and elaborate performance attire is an integral part of the mariachi culture. They also plan to purchase two instruments, a professional-level guitarron and a vihuela, to provide ensemble members with the tools to achieve higher levels of performance. Additional funds will support travel and competition expenses for Mariachi Los Paisanos

FRIENDS OF MUSIC

is a crucial part of encouraging the dreams of the UTSA School . From annual scholarship support that allows our students to focus on the wonderful opportunities that a vibrant arts community like San them to travel support from study abroad programs to national competitions, your gifts help build the nest for these fledgling ‘Runner onally, we invite internationally renowned performing artists and composers to campus each year for multi-day residencies that significantly shape our students’ development.

UTSA ARTS

The mission of UTSA Arts is to promote the arts in San Antonio, South Texas, and beyond. UTSA Arts connects the cultures of the world to our community through world-class programs, exhibits, and performances leveraging partnerships with other arts organizations across the nation. Your support on Giving Day will help them further their mission of supporting arts experiences across the lifespan and beyond the boundaries of our campuses through strategic growth in our community art and music programs, meaningful symposia and workshops for adults, and innovative research opportunities that advance the impact of the arts across the San Antonio community.

SPIRIT OF SAN ANTONIO MARCHING BAND

The Spirit of San Antonio Marching Band represents the heart of The University of Texas at San Antonio as their powerful sound echoes from campus to the Alamodome and far beyond! Students from every college at UTSA participate in SOSA, performing for athletic events, university functions, Fiesta San Antonio parades, and many other community events. After 12 busy seasons, Rowdy NEEDS MORE COWBELL! Help SOSA replace and upgrade their marching percussion instruments for the 2023 season and beyond!

Visit giving.utsa.edu for more information

Lyric Theatre’s A Little Night Music

Now at the Woodlawn this Weekend

By Suzanna Bridges and Rolando Ramon

From March 30 through April 2nd, UTSA’s Lyric Theatre will perform the late Stephen Sondheim’s beloved Broadway musical A Little Night Music, based on the book by Hugh Wheeler. The performance will be held at the Wonder Theatre at Woodlawn.

The musical is the latest production under the UTSA School of Music, which was established last September as a renewal of UTSA’s commitment to ensuring students are ready to stake their claim in the music industry. A Little Night Music reflects the opportunities the Lyric Theatre provides students to hone their skills as stage performers for a career or advanced studies through mainstage performances, touring productions, and classroom experiences.

“Sondheim’s A Little Night Music is full of wonderful music, and our students are excited to present this classic musical to San Antonio audiences. We are so grateful to have the support of the College of Fine Arts, our School of Music, and the Opera Guild of San Antonio,” said Dr. William “Bill” McCrary, the UTSA Lyric Theatre’s director for the Spring 2023 semester.

Adding to the excitement surrounding the upcoming production is that students will be performing in one of San Antonio’s most historic local live performance theatres in the heart of the Deco District at 1920 Fredericksburg Road. Designed by John Eberson, the Woodlawn Theatre opened in 1946 as an elegant venue for Hollywood films. In 1960, American legend John Wayne hosted the world premiere of his film The Alamo there.

As of January 2023, the Woodlawn Theatre officially changed its name to Wonder Theatre. However, the theatre will continue to produce musical shows at its current location on Fredericksburg Rd. while renovations take place at the Wonderland of the Americas mall, where operations will be relocated in June 2023.

“I am excited that we are collaborating with the Wonder Theatre at the Woodlawn…their artistic director, Chris Rodriguez, has graciously offered their theatre for our production, and it will be great for our students to have the opportunity to perform in a theatrical space,” McCrary stated.

A Little Night Music also has its own revered history, making its Broadway debut in 1973. The musical swept the 27th Tony Awards ceremony the same year with six award wins(including “Best Musical”), the most by any production that year. It also received a Grammy for “Best Musical Show Album.”

The musical’s story is set in 1900 Sweden. It explores the expanses of affairs surrounding the once glamorous actress, Desirée Armfeldt, and her male suitors: her old flame, (and now married) lawyer Fredrik Egerman, and the militant Count Carl-Magnus Malcom. When the traveling actress performs in Egerman’s hometown, the long-time estranged lovers rekindle their passion for one another. A Little Night Music encapsulates the wittiest and most heartbreaking moments of passion, love, and regret.

Who’s up for a weekend in the country? The cast is hard at work on set rehearsing for the upcoming show.

Natalie Baker and Ariana Bonilla as Anne Egerman and Petra

Jared Kellman-Medina and Johanna Kitchen as Count CarlMagnus Malcom and Countess Charlotte Malcom

Lyric Theatre’s A Little Night Music Opens at the Woodlawn this Weekend by

Suzanna Bridges and Rolando Ramon cont.

Student actress Kat Norman, who will play the role of Desirée Armfeldt, is excited to be a part of this production and perform her character, a persona that she has become growingly fond of.

“Desirée Armfeldt is such an incredible character. I’m already dreading leaving her and this show behind once it’s over...I’m absolutely in love with her. I’m really excited for people to see her journey in this show,” Norman stated.

As a graduate voice student, Kat has also been involved in past operas with the Lyric Theatre, most recently playing the eponymous lead role in Jules Massenet’s Cinderella in November 2022.

“...the music in this show is simply sublime. Sondheim is an incredible composer, and the music and motifs he created for these characters are just gorgeous and lush,” concluded Norman.

Not only are the musical’s acting stars playing a crucial role in bringing their characters to life, along with the sentiments and everyday emotions that envelop them, but the pit orchestra also plays an equally important role.

“A Little Night Music is one of my favorite Stephen Sondheim musicals because it beautifully captures a wealth of different perspectives about romantic love… The music is full of waltzes, a deliberate choice by the composer that gives the story an intoxicating lilt and elegance,” said maestro Troy Peters.

Mr. Peters, who is now in his 4th season as the UTSA Orchestra’s conductor, feels that Sondheim’s score truly captures the beautiful moods and tones of the play. Together with the talented cast, the musicians have been able to craft together a promising production for the community of San Antonio to enjoy.

“The terrific young singers in our cast are doing a wonderful job exploring the range of moods that give the plot its resonance and color. Audiences will really enjoy spending time in the world this musical creates,” stated Peters. Everyone involved with the highly anticipated performances is ecstatic to share A Little Night Music with UTSA and the San Antonio community.

The musical will show Thursday, March 30, through Saturday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m. and April 2 at 3:00 p.m.

Tickets are on sale now at https://music.utsa.edu/index.php/tickets. Discounts are being offered to students, seniors (65+), and military personnel. The Opera Guild of San Antonio has graciously sponsored a limited supply of free admission vouchers for high school and college students. To claim a voucher, bring a valid school ID to the theater when doors open for the show.

Dylan Ramirez and Kat Norman as fredrik Egerman and Desirée Armfeldt

Troy Peters conducts in rehearsal

MuTeFest Schedule UTSA’s Annual Music Technology Festival

Texas State Mysterium for New Music Ensemble

Saturday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m.

Presented by Wesley Uchiyama-Penix

The Texas State Mysterium for New Music is a music ensemble founded in 1990 by Russell Riepe, Professor Emeritus of Music Composition Texas State University. Currently, the group pays homage not only to the performance of celebrated contemporary composers but to the presentation and promotion of new and often improvisational works in the sound arts. Public concerts embrace various styles and media including dance improvisations and live electro-acoustic pieces utilizing real-time digital sound processing with laptop computers and video projection. The group has performed at festivals/conferences sponsored by the College Music Society, the Association for Technology in Music Instruction, the International Society for Improvised Music, the International Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema, and has performed at Classic Game Fest since 2018.

Interactive Music Design and Implementation in Games

Tuesday, April 4 at 1:00 p.m.

Hosted by Lennie Moore

For decades Lennie Moore has been a proven force as an accomplished composer, arranger, and orchestrator of music for video games, commercials, film, and television. His credits include Outcast: Second Contact, artist music packs for DOTA2: The International 2016 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fighter Within, Red Orchestra 2: Rising Storm, Rising Storm 2: Vietnam, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Kinect Disneyland Adventures, Halo Combat Evolved: Anniversary, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, The Walking Dead Motion Comic, and others.

This presentation will focus on interactive music design and implementation in games. Lennie will show his music design for the brand-new game Outcast 2—specifically how this complex modular system was created, constructed, and implemented into Audiokinetic’s Wise engine. Lennie will also discuss how he uses gestural controllers in his work (such as the MiMu glove).

An Evening with Mark Kilborn: Sound Designer, Artist in Residence

Thursday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Hosted by Mark Kilborn

Mark Kilborn is an award-winning sound designer, mixer, and implementer with more than a decade of experience in the video games industry. For eight years, he served as one of the audio directors for the Call of Duty franchise and has collaborated with teams of sound designers worldwide. His projects have won MPSE Golden Reel and GANG Awards for sounds, and they’ve been nominated for BAFTA and D.I.C.E. Outstanding Achievement in Sound awards. He recently finished work as a contributor to the brand-new game Hogwarts Legacy.

On Thursday evening, he will present in the Music Tech Lab (Arts 3.01.30B), sharing his work, detailing his process, and fielding student questions. The next morning, Mark will work with UTSA music tech classes in the lab.

Ableton Seminar

Wednesday, April 12 at 1:00 p.m.

Hosted by Alberto Chapa

Alberto Chapa is a versatile and experienced Certified Trainer with a genuine passion for helping artists, schools, and nonprofits to turn their ideas into reality. He is a natural teacher with a relaxed and upbeat approach! He specializes in individualizing his sessions to your goals and style of learning, communicating new concepts to your current level of experience, and activating your workflow to get you closer to your goals.

Battle of the Beats

Friday, April 14 at 4:00 p.m.

Presented by MuTe

Battle of the Beats will occur on April 14th, from 4:00-8:00 p.m. Challengers are given a sample(s) to make a beat or song and compete against others. Performances will be presented beginning at 7:00. No cover/entrance fee is required! Please fill out the form below if you are interested in participating as a producer, beatmaker, or composer: https://forms.gle/Hi5APiFmxh2UGNf66

For more details, check out https://www.mutemusic.org/mutefest6.

UTSA Lyric Theatre presents

OVERTIME Scenes at the

Jourdan Laine Howell

Anna Hakobyan

Jordan D. Boyd

Natalie Baker

Alejandro Cuellar

Bernadette Fernandez

Abraham Gomez

Jared Kellman-Medina

Emma Madalina

Joshua Moncada Zoll

Lucas Moncada Zoll

Alyssa Moreno

Kat Norman

April 22nd 5PM and 7PM

April 23rd 3PM Tickets

Pike Explores Learning Music Throughout Adulthood in Open Lecture

Written by Suzanna Bridges; Edited by Rolando Ramon

Many adults in the United States consider music education a pursuit worthy of their valuable time and focus. Yet, while many musicians yearning to educate others receive ample training to teach younger students, only some learn about the specific needs of adult learners and ways to engage them in practical and creative music-making activities. In her lecture, Adult Learning: Perspectives on Learning Music Throughout Adulthood, Dr. Pamela D. Pike will shed light on this discrepancy between youth and adult learning. The lecture will be held at the John Peace Library on Main Campus in room JPL 4.04.22 on April 3rd, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. as part of the Don Hodges lecture series hosted by UTSA Institute for Music Research.

Dr. Pike is the Spillman Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Associate Dean of Research, Creative Practice, and Community Engagement at Louisiana State University. Winner of the LSU’s top graduate teaching award in 2019, she has also won undergraduate and statewide teaching awards and is a Yamaha Master Educator. In addition, Pike is an avid pedagogical researcher and a highly sought-after speaker and clinician. She is currently the editor-inchief of Piano Magazine and has published full-length books and articles.

Throughout the lecture, Dr. Pike will explore the essential qualities and unique characteristics of adult learners at different life stages and highlight how effective facilitators of adult learning guide them in their musical pursuits. She will also share quotes from amateur adult musicians that reflect the positive impact of music study on multiple aspects of their daily lives to communicate the importance of engaging in music as an adult and throughout life.

Previewing her upcoming residency in San Antonio, Pike briefly explains a few key concepts in her presentation:

“I’ve been fortunate to teach piano to many adult beginners over the years. The important thing to remember is that even though beginning students have lots of experiences with music (as listeners or as participants on other instruments or with singing) throughout their lifetime, the skills required to play piano will take time to develop. As adults, we are used to excelling in our profession and in many long-term hobbies, but taking on a novice mindset at the beginning of learning to play the piano can be helpful. With patience and persistence, adults can and do learn to play the piano. A good teacher will break down the complex components and help the adult student to develop the skills and coordination to play well so finding a good teacher and setting realistic goals are important for success. As for adults who are returning to the piano after many years away from playing or from formal instruction, there may be an adjustment period as they get used to a different teacher or a different style of teaching, but they, too, can regain lost skills and learn new music.”

In addition to a gradual decrease in neuroplasticity, which affects the brain’s ability to adapt to change, other complications may arise that greatly impact how we are able to process information as we age. However, research has suggested that how musical training influences certain neurological areas can delay this cognitive decline in adults and evoke strong emotional responses that can heighten selfawareness. Pike has observed this firsthand with older students.

“I’ve worked with older adults in the early stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s who still remembered how to play the piano. They derived great pleasure from making music with others in the class and expressing themselves at the keyboard,” Pike reflects.

After many years of teaching adult beginners, she has learned how music can give them a positive experience and outlook on life.

“I’ve also seen adults realize that they can express complex emotions while playing the piano or another instrument and daily playing provides a much-needed emotional outlet. Of course, people love to learn and master new skills, so even just accomplishing small goals...is extremely rewarding to adult music students,” stated Pike.

Dr. Pike’s lecture is free to attend and will be open to all students, faculty, and members of San Antonio’s community. Her residency is sponsored in part by Aloft San Antonio - UTSA Area.

A Reflection on the Success of Voice Pedagogy Alumni

By John Nix

UTSA School of Music’s Master of Music in Voice Performance and Pedagogy has quickly earned a reputation as one of the country’s most comprehensive voice teacher training programs at the graduate level. The students learn voice anatomy, physiology, acoustics, development, and hygiene through a carefully sequenced curriculum. Additionally, they acquire fine listening and observation skills, explore how to devise training exercises and corrective techniques, determine how to select appropriate repertoire, and are trained in using voice technology to measure and analyze voice production.

The capstone of the program is a mentored research project. Some student projects have been presented on NPR’s Science Friday at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals such as The Journal of Singing and The Journal of Voice. Other students have excelled in performing, giving world premieres of art songs and operas.

This article provides a snapshot of what graduates of this program are doing in the field of voice. Their chosen careers span the fields of research, speech pathology, performing, and voice instruction at the private studio, secondary or college level. For these Roadrunners, they have truly lived the motto: Come Here, Go Far!

Dr. Nicholas May is the Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Maine. He graduated from UTSA with a BM in Voice Performance in 2009. Dr. May earned an MM in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance from Westminster Choir College (2012). Later he earned an MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Bowling Green in 2016 and 2022, respectively.

Dr. May says about his journey in the field of voice: “My interest in voice science and pedagogy began during my time at UTSA when I took Prof. Nix's Voice Pedagogy courses. I became fascinated by the anatomy and physiology of the human voice and the concept that one could improve the efficiency and perceptual ease of the vocal mechanism by controlling variables. Questions like 'What happens when I change adduction, subglottal pressure, or vocal fold tension? What would happen if I structured a warm-up sequence differently (perhaps changing the speed, the pitch trajectory, the registration, or the vowel)?' started to creep into my mind regularly...this fascination with voice has followed me throughout my academic career.”

Dr. Jourdan Laine Howell is an Associate Professor of Instruction at the UTSA School of Music, where she teaches applied voice and directs Lyric Theater productions. Like Dr. May, she graduated in 2009 from UTSA after earning a BM and MM in Voice Performance. She received her DMA in Voice Performance with cognates in opera direction and production at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. She has served as Education and Community Engagement Manager for Palm Beach Opera and taught at Southeast Oklahoma State University, West Texas A & M University, and now UTSA.

She sees how her life had made a full circle: “I started taking lessons from a professor at UTSA when I was 15 years old. I participated in Choir Camps and even traveled Europe to

perform with several faculty and student artists. UTSA became my home...After earning two degrees from UTSA, I knew I wanted to teach at my alma mater to pay it forward so to speak, and to pass on the knowledge I gained from the excellent faculty to future generations of student artists...UTSA has my heart.”

Jordan Bryant is the Vocal Director at San Antonio’s premiere performing arts magnet school, The Northeast School of the Arts. She earned an MM in Performance and Pedagogy from UTSA in 2011. While still a student at UTSA, Ms. Bryant received funds to travel to Penn State University, where she had the opportunity to work with leading contemporary voice teachers Mary Saunders Barton and Norman Spivey. She also collaborated with UT-Health speech pathologist Jill Green to create an endoscopy video of the vocal folds and vocal tract while singing classical, ‘legit,’ and ‘belt’ styles. The video has more than 149,000 views on YouTube!

Ms. Bryant recently reflected on her experiences at UTSA: “I was searching for a degree program that would prepare me to become a marketable and successfully diverse vocal technician. The UTSA Vocal Pedagogy program allowed me to expand my knowledge of the voice in specialty areas while grounding me in the foundations of vocal teaching and vocal techniques...[UTSA] made a pathway for a career in vocal teaching, leading to my current position.”

Elise Miller is a doctoral student in voice performance and pedagogy at Indiana University, where she teaches undergraduate voice pedagogy. Ms. Miller earned her BM in Voice Performance at UTSA in 2015, completed her MM in voice performance at Indiana in 2022, and anticipates completing her DMA at Indiana in 2026.

Regarding her path from UTSA to today, she writes: “Much of my confidence in my voice teaching has been because of the pedagogy program at UTSA. Mr. Nix was a huge help to me while I was a student at UTSA and during my post-graduation years. I have always been able to reach out to him for advice about student technical issues or general voice questions... which I am eternally grateful for because I am now a first-year doctoral student at Indiana University teaching the undergraduate pedagogy class. Mr. Nix was instrumental in advising me on creating my course syllabus, sharing many valuable resources, and even lecturing my class on traditional voice classification. I have also kept many of my own class materials from his pedagogy classes, and I have personally referred to them at many points in my career as a teacher.”

Randi Wooding is the new Voice Specialist Speech Language Pathologist at the Johns Hopkins Voice Center (https://www.gbmc.org/voice). Ms. Wooding completed her MM in Performance and Pedagogy at UTSA in December 2016. Following her UTSA degree, she completed an MS in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Maryland, did a clinical fellowship at Bayview Medical in Baltimore, earned her clinical certificate of competency (CCC-SLP) from the American Speech and Hearing Association, and has now started her new job with Johns Hopkins.

Ms. Wooding credits UTSA for setting her on the path to her career: “From graduate student at UTSA to speech-language pathologist at the Johns Hopkins Voice Center at GBMC, I have found myself constantly returning to those foundational skills first developed in the voice pedagogy and performance program. Whether in my singing, teaching, or clinical practice, I routinely draw upon those basic principles of anatomy and physiology, the delicate relationship between the subsystems of

‘A Reflection on the Success of Voice Pedagogy Alumni’ by Jon Nix cont.

‘A Reflection on the Success of Voice Pedagogy Alumni’ by Jon Nix cont.

respiration, phonation, and resonance, and the physics behind voice production. The voice pedagogy and performance program at UTSA instilled in me a deep appreciation for both the art and science that is working with the human voice.”

Sarah Neely is Visiting Assistant Professor of Voice at New Mexico State University. A native of El Paso, Ms. Neely received her BM from West Texas A & M University before attending UTSA, where she graduated with her MM in Voice Performance and Pedagogy in 2018. In addition to her faculty position at NMSU, she is a resident artist with El Paso Opera. She has also been active in musical theater and theater, performing such roles as Helen in Fun Home and Annelle in Steel Magnolias. At NMSU, Ms. Neely teaches applied voice, ear training/sight singing, class voice, supervised studio teaching, and directs the opera workshop. This spring, she is directing and starring in a world premiere one-act opera, Burden of Love, on March 25-26.

Ms. Neely continued: “I am eternally grateful for the pedagogy education I received with Mr. Nix at UTSA. I believe that having completed the master’s degree in pedagogy from UTSA’s well-known program allowed me to secure a teaching job at NMSU within a year of graduating, despite having to compete with many other qualified voice teachers in the area. As a result of my stellar education at UTSA and Mr. Nix’s ongoing support, I am confident in my ability to help my students reach their highest vocal potential. I have now been teaching at NMSU for almost four years! It’s amazing to see my students grow and begin to graduate.”

Paul Patinka is on the voice faculty at Salve Regina University in Providence, Rhode Island. Paul earned the MM in Performance and Pedagogy at UTSA in 2019 and completed the National Center for Voice and Speech’s Summer Vocology Institute in Utah after graduation from UTSA.

Patinka notes: “My experience at UTSA is fundamental to my current work and goals. I learned how to research, write, sing, and network at UTSA in a way that prepared me for the current job market and my future goals. After graduating, I took a semester position at Bloomsburg University and taught at Hartwick College and The College of St. Rose in upstate New York for most of the pandemic. After meeting my husband, we moved to Providence, RI, where I teach at Salve Regina University...I am an active researcher around issues of equity in vocal education and maintain an active role in the Pan American Vocology Association, where I am the editor of the InFormant newsletter and work as the Operations Manager for the Board of Directors. I also serve as a memberat-large of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. I am honored to be one of only twelve teachers chosen for the NATS Intern Program this summer.”

These are just a few of the many successful graduates from the UTSA School of Music’s curriculum in Voice Performance and Pedagogy. Others are completing doctoral degrees at schools like TCU and the University of Colorado, teaching privately, directing vocal music programs in schools, and working in music ministry positions. We are building future leaders in voice performance, voice science, voice therapy, and voice pedagogy. Our School of Music birds are building new nests around the country!

For more information on the Voice Performance and Pedagogy curriculum at UTSA, visit https://music.utsa.edu/ index.php/graduate-students/vocal-pedagogy-and-performance and http://music.utsa.edu/index.php/areas/vocal/ lab or contact Professor Nix at john.nix@utsa.edu.

A quick look at our UTSA Music students and how they achieve Roadrunner excellence.

A STREAK OF EXCELLENCE

Koppel’s Marimba Concerto No. 1, which is the only exception to the concert’s title as Koppel is Swedish. He earned the spot as a soloist when he won the 2022 UTSA Concerto Contest.

Cook on learning the concerto and preparing it for the competition:

The UTSA Orchestra will be performing its final concert of the 2022-2023 school year in the latter portion of April, joined by student soloist

Zachary Cook

Happening around the Next

“I took summer break as an opportunity to learn and memorize the main motives of the concerto because the composer who wrote the concerto is not a percussionist, so I had many issues with sticking and awkward arm movement to work through. I had all the notes learned and memorized one month before the competition so that I could focus purely on musicality and make the piece interesting to watch. When I saw the results, I was shocked because all the best players in the building competed.”

Other achievements this semester include being a featured soloist on the Percussion Ensemble performance at the 2023 TMEA Convention/Clinic and having his work performed at the UTSA New Music Festival.

The concert, titled American Voices, will take place in the UTSA Recital Hall on April 27. Cook will be performing solo marimba on Anders

Cook was also selected to be a Sofia Symphonic Summit Composition Fellow. It’s a highly competitive program designed to allow emerging composers to workshop and have their work premiered by the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The UTSA Orchestra annually features student soloists from the Concerto and Aria Contests during its spring concert cycle.

Cook with the UTSA Percussion Ensemble in 2021

The Southwest Guitar Symposium recently held its third iteration in early March, which included concerts, a masterclass, and the High School and Open Division Guitar Competitions. UTSA had a few of its students as contestants competing during the Symposium’s weekend. Of the competitors, Diego Chavarria’s performance in the contest earned him 3rd place, just narrowly missing the grand prize at the event. Nonetheless, it was a strong performance by the graduate student that displayed his well-grounded self-discipline, exceptional musicianship, and thoughtful artistry with his choice of phrasing.

guest artists, Stacey Garrop and Tristan Coelho. Featured student composers included the premiere of Brandon Davis’s “Fuori” and Hannah Benitez’s “Stars in the Sky ” The former is the winner of the 2022 UTSA Composer Competition, while Benitez garnered an honorable mention in the contest.

The performances themselves were expertly delivered by the student musicians, being able to bring to life the visions of the artists.

The performance of Dr. Garrop’s “Inner Demons” was nothing short of hair-raising, with the phrasing work and sheer intensity of the musicianship completely enveloping the hall. The work was performed by the string quartet consisting of Elisa Nivon, Richard Peralta, Victoria Schneider, and Isaiah Valdez.

Happening arou

Diego will perform his first graduate recital on Tuesday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. in the UTSA Recital Hall.

NEW MUSIC, NEW FRONTIERS

The 2023 New Music Festival made for an exciting week of March performances featuring premieres of our student composers ’ original works.

For those who could witness it, the second night of “NuMu” was a spectacle. The program, titled Fantasia, featured students dubbed the NuMu Student Chamber Musicians. The variety of chamber works performed included compositions by two of the festival’s featured

Another highlight included the concert’s final performance of Garrop’s “Meditation for the Inner Storm.” The performance began as a stark contrast of the former, brought in by the calmness of Antonio Zubillaga’s deep baritone voice and a steady drone of strings, brass, winds, and marimba. However, the fury from before would continuously return as the “storm,” resulting in a battle of dynamics throughout the piece that was fantastically realized by the chamber musicians’ work.

Diego Chavarria testing out a guitar at the Symposium

Figure 1Elisa Nivon (violin), Richard Peralta (violin), Victoria Schneider (viola), and Isaiah Valdez (cello)

TIER 1 FACULTY

Highlighting UTSA School of Music faculty who lead by example

DR RACHEL WOOLF, Assistant Professor of Flute Instruction

– Dr. Woolf and other faculty have a string of notable performances in various parts of the United States this year.

On March 30, she was joined by percussion lecturer Paul Millette for a performance at the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Biennial Conference. The conference was at the University of Southern Mississippi. They performed Camila Agosto’s Listen to me as one listens to the rain with Dr. Sarah Hetrick (saxophone) at the conference’s opening concert.

Later during the summer, Dr. Woolf will perform with Dr. Tracy Cowden and Dr. Nicholas Councilor at Clarinetfest in Denver, Colorado, for the National Clarinet Association. The trio previously performed last semester during the School of Music’s opening concert in September with guest artist Andrea Vocab Sanderson. They will perform a piece from that night’s program, Portraits of Langston by Valerie Coleman, at Clarinetfest.

Tier One Facul

The trio will also make an appearance in August when they perform “Dash” by Jennifer Higdon on the Friday Night Gala Concert at the National Flute Association Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, on August 4th

WESLEY UCHIYAMA-PENIX, Senior Events Manager – Wes was recently invited as an invited artist/composer for the 2023 Performing Media Festival held at Indiana University South Bend.

The festival is an annual showcase of audio-visual performance works in which artists working with emerging technologies unapologetically cross disciplinary boundaries to create new integrated media works The festival stretches across multiple venues in South Bend, Indiana, including Notre Dame, South Ben Museum of Art, and Langlab Southbend. His piece “The Border of the Wind” was performed by the IUSB Audio Visual Collective during the festival’s final evening, which also featured a combination of local artists and international guests with screenings, installations, and live concert sets.

Dr. Woolf with Millette and Dr. Hetrick

The trio of Dr. Woolf, Dr. Cowden, and Dr. Councilor

LYRIC THEATRE PRODUCTION

Stephen Sonheim’s ‘A Little Night Music’

7:30 PM | The Woodlawn Theatre

LYRIC THEATRE PRODUCTION

Stephen Sonheim’s ‘A Little Night Music’

3:00pm | The Woodlawn Theatre

STUDENT RECITAL

Jaymes Edwards, saxophone

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Mikaela Nichols, piano

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

IMR DON HODGES LECTURE SERIES

Pamela Pike, LSU

7:00 PM | JPL 4.04.22

FACULTY & GUEST RECITAL

Hufty, Johnson, Dawkins, & Nelson

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Emma Madalina, voice

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

IMR DON HODGES LECTURE SERIES

Pamela Pike, LSU

7:00 PM | UTSA Faculty Center

JAZZ FACULTY RECITAL

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Philip Scheidt, trumpet

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Eduardo Lopez, guitar

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Enzo Risi, guitar

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

William Regalis, trombone

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Willem Flowers, guitar

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Nikola Dimitrijevic, guitar

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Justin Chappell, voice

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDNET RECITAL

Celestino Rodriguez, trumpet

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Natalie Baker, voice

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Fernanda Cuevas, violin

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

UTSA JAZZ ENSEMBLE CONCERT

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

JOINT RECITAL

Alyssa Garza (voice) & Martha Garcia (voice)

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Alejandro Cuellar, voice

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

FACULTY RECITAL

Erin Webber, oboe

7:30 PM | Zion Lutheran Church

STUDENT RECITAL

Josephine Medina, flute

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Brandin Castillo, trombone

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Kaitlyn Norman, voice

7:30 PM | Woodlawn Theatre

UTSA PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE

3:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Elisa Contreras, voice

5:00 PM | Woodlawn Theatre

JAZZ COMBO CONCERT

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Esmeralda Acosta, flute

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Diego Chavarria, guitar

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

WESTNEY STUDIO RECITAL

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

OBOE STUDIO RECITAL

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

CLARINET CHOIR CONCERT

5:00pm | UTSA Recital Hall

CHORAL CAVALCADE

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Ollie Allen, voice

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Klint Fabian, voice

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Aashish Mavani, tuba

3:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

MARIACHI RECITAL

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Laura Navarrette, horn

5:00 PM | UTSA Faculty Center

TRUMPET ENSEMBLE RECITAL

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

STUDENT RECITAL

Kaylee Rios, voice

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

SYMPHONIC BAND CONCERT

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

GUITAR STUDIO RECITAL

5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

ORCHESTRA CONCERT

7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

EXTRAVAGANZA 2023

7:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

UNIVERSITY BAND CONCERT

3:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall

APRIL 2023

STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THE UPCOMING SEMESTER AT UTSA MUSIC MUSIC.UTSA.EDU FOLLOW US!

@UTSA