Cadenza Opus 50

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Opus 50

CONTENTS 03 WELCOME 04

MIKEL WEBB PROJECT UPDATE

08

SEMESTER IN REVIEW

16

2024 EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

18

TIER ONE FACULTY

20

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

VIVO 22 EN CALENDAR

CONTRIBUTORS: Rolando Ramon - Chief Editor, Graphic Designer Suzanna Bridges-Keese - PR Assistant, Editor Jose Hernandez - Graphic Designer

CADENZA Welcome to

Welcome to

Showcasing UTSA School of Music

Friends, Welcome to the December issue of Cadenza! We are having a great time sharing the Winterlude concert series with you this week, and we are grateful for your support and presence at our performances!

We have a few final performances to announce, both on Dec. 2nd: the On-Corps concert at 11:30 a.m. in the UTSA Recital Hall, as well our performances by two of our piano students in the San Antonio Philharmonic masterclass with Gabriela Martinez at the Steinway Piano Gallery from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Our Alumni Spotlight this month features violinist Ryan Coppin, assistant concertmaster of the Symphony of the Hills. This issue includes feature articles on some wonderful faculty accomplishments this semester, as well as a glimpse of upcoming Spring 2024 events. It’s never too early to mark your calendar!

I also want to draw your attention once more to a special feature in honor of another former UTSA Music student, Mikel Webb. His family has launched a special campaign in support of our UTSA String Project to honor what would have been Mikel’s 30th birthday in November. As our String Project continues to grow across two campuses, this effort will strengthen string music education in San Antonio for a long time to come, and I hope you will consider adding your support to this initiative. We are so close to our goal!

As we wind down the semester, we extend our sincere wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a bright and happy new year. We hope you are as excited as we are about all that is happening in the School of Music, and we look forward to seeing you in 2024 for live music and dance at UTSA!

Dr. Tracy Cowden

Roland K. Blumberg Endowed Professor in Music Director of the UTSA School of Music

Dear Cadenza Readers, Alumni, Faculty, and Friends,

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT Last month, UTSA launched a campaign to drive donations toward the String Opportunity Fund in honor of alum and former String Project intern Mikel Webb, who tragically passed away on September 28, 2021. The campaign was a collaboration with his mother, Denise Webb, to commemorate Mikel’s 30th birthday by raising $10,000 for a cause he was always believed in: music education opportunities for young children.

The campaign is set to end on December 08 at 11:59 p.m. and has currently reached 89% of its goal, thanks an enormous show of generosity and willingness from the community to honor Mikel’s legacy.

To make a contribution to the UTSA String Project in honor of Mikel’s memory, please visit fund.utsa.edu/project/40145

Page 04 | December 2023

In Loving Memory of Mikel Steven Webb Page 05 |December 2023

Page 7 | November 2023

Page 8 | November 2023

Page 09 | December 2023

Dr. Rachel Woolf embarked on a national tour with percussionist Makana Jimbu as a flute and marimba duo in mid-October, stretching late into November.

The duo performed four newly commissioned works

by Evan Williams, Paul Millette, Mirama Young, and Fumihiro Ono, and contemporary music by Gareth Farr, Makoto Shinohara, and Ney Rosauro. The tour extended to various institutions and concert series in Texas, North Carolina, and California.

They ended their run with a recording session with sound engineer Christian Amonson in the Village recording studio in Los Angeles.Their upcoming record is scheduled for a 2024 release!

Page 10 | November 2023

Page 11 | December 2023 Page 11 | November 2023

SEMESTER IN REVIEW

Page 12 | December 2023 Page 12 | April 2023

Page 13 | December 2023 Page 18 | November 2023

A Season of Promise & Dreams

UTSA Lyric Theatre is doing something quite radical this season. Gone are the typical household titles and names; however, the magic of musical theatre retains its appeal to those who seek adventure. So far, this season has brought us new works, rarities, and a dynamic range of emotion and musical texture. Indeed, there is something for everyone this season. Don’t worry, we’ll save you a seat.

Bring Out the Red Carpet

Thanks to two highly successful collaborations with UTSA FIlm & Media Studies, the School of Music got its turn on the big screen at the Santikos Palladium IMAX theatre.

The screenplay adaptation of Wesley Uchiyama-Penix’s Soul of Word and the documentary of On-Corps finally saw their long anticipated premieres, serving as true reflections of the real life passions and connections shared between collaborative artists.

Page 14 | December 2023

T I E R - I FA C U LT Y

Dr. Sarah Wildey-Richmond and Erin Webber were honored as members of the San Antonio Harmonie (SAHarmonie) in November by The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts. The chamber music group achieved a remarkable feat with their performance recording submission for the competition series, placing first in the Band and Wind Ensemble Performance community division.

The American Prize is a series of non-profit competitions held on a national level that specifically recognizes quality music performances in commercial and noncommercial recordings. Held in high regard by classical artists in the United States, the contests annually draw an increasing number submissions from thousands of musicians, composers, and conductors since the prize’s establishment in 2010.

SA Harmonie, described as a wind “dectet”–a rare term that refers to an ensemble of ten musicians–comprises ten core members and features an instrumentation of two oboes, two bassoons, two flutes, one clarinet, and one double bass. The origin of its name originates from the 18th-century German dialect, where harmonie refers to a wind ensemble employed by a typically wealthy patron for recreational purposes. In sharp contrast, the group operates within the community domain as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, aiming to bring new colors to traditional music, champion experimental/contemporary works, and incorporate a diverse selection of artists from all walks of life in their repetoire.

Founded in 2017, the group has made incredible strides to overcome obstacles such as the busy lives of its musicians and a global pandemic (which requires no further elaboration for everyone) to establish itself as a fresh breath of air among chamber ensembles with its unique configuration. Dr. Richmond serves as the group’s principal bassoonist, while Webber is their principal oboist. Richmond described their submission to the American Prize competition as a compilation of repertoire that “showed off the core members…[and] where [they] felt really solid family cohesion.” The group looks forward to its next performance on May 5, 2024 (location and time to be determined).

SA Harmonie’s website American Prize National Winners: Bands 2023 American Prize National Winners: Conductor (Band/Wind Ensemble) 2023

Page 18 | December 2023

Dr. John Zarco also entered a submission to the American Prize competition during Spring of 2022, entering in the Band and Wind Ensemble Conducting university/college division. The recording compiled past performances with the UTSA Symphonic Band and University Band from recent semesters. Dr. Zarco was awarded honorable mention as a finalist for the award in September, placing him in a distinguished category among artist submissions.

“It’s a huge honor....I have to give all the credit to [the students]. The players really do all the work,” Zarco emphasized. “They made it happen.”

Zarco is currently in his 11th year on the faculty at UTSA, where he plays a crucial role as Director of Instrumental Ensembles and Associate Professor of Music, teaching courses in conducting, music education, and wind literature.

Switching gears somewhat, Dr. J. Drew Stephen’s research and contribution to Music and Jewish Culture in Early Modern Italy: New Perspectives (Indiana Press, 2022) was recently recognized by the American Musicological Society when the book won the Ruth A. Solie Award in November. The award, named after the Sophia Smith Professor Emerita of Music at Smith College and past president of the American Musicological Society, honors “a collection of musicological essays of exceptional merit published during the previous year (2022) in any language and in any country.” The book also received the publication prize of the Jewish Studies and Music Study Group of the AMS. Dr. Stephen’s work within the book can be found in “Traces of Jewish Music and Culture at the Urbino Court of Federico da Montefeltro.” The groundwork behind the chapter’s conceptualization occured in when he spent a year in Urbino, Italy in 2018. Through his time in the archives, libraries, the Urbino Synagogue, and speaking to the locals he researched and authored the chapter within the year, though it wouldn’t published until 2020. Throughout the chapter, Dr. Stephen describes the role that Jewish community played in Urbino during the 15th mid-century and examines the underlying influence and connections to Jewish culture in the Urbino court left by Gugleilmo Ebreo da Pesaro, court’s dancing master in the era of Duke Federico da Montefeltro. As the dancing master, Gugleilmo was held in the highest regard by court as far as the fine arts were concerned, and Montefeltro was known being a championing enlightment and a strong patron of the arts. Traces of Jewish culture can be found in music manuscripts, interieror design, and various art pieces in the court.

“The Solie Award winner this year makes an innovative intervention in the study of cultural exchange and canon formation on the cusp of modernity. Enlivened by multiple memorable vignettes and furthered by an admirable diversity of skilled approaches, Music and Jewish Culture in Early Modern Italy effortlessly walks the reader through several case studies that unearth previously unimagined areas of contact and exchange across the religious, professional and geographical divides...” - The American Musicalological Society.

Page 19 | December 2023

DE C EMBER 2023 A L UMNI SPO TLIG H T RYAN COPPIN

B.M. VIOLIN PERFORMANCE CLASS OF 2014 For December’s Alumni Spotlight, we introduce Ryan Coppin, violinist and assistant concertmaster of the Kerrville Symphony of the Hills, concertmaster for Symphony Viva, and frequent performer with the San Antonio Philharmonic. Coppin has been under the guidance and mentorship of multiple outstanding individuals, including Dr. Stephanie Westney, fellow Symphony of the Hills colleagues concertmaster Philip Johnson and music director Dr. Eugene Dowdy, and the late Daniel Kolbialka, “...When Daniel Kolbialka was still the [Symphony of the Hills] concertmaster, he was a great mentor to me, and he would always lean over during rehearsals and tell me stories about his incredible career as the principal 2nd violin of the San Francisco Symphony,” Coppin reflects.

“After Daniel left, Phillip Johnson became the current concertmaster; he is a great leader, and I’m always learning new things from him.”

As concertmaster of Symphony Viva, Coppin notes his gratitude for the opportunity and long-lasting connections he has made.

“Symphony Viva has been a great group to play with, and it’s really helped to teach me the ropes of sitting concertmaster,” Coppin states. “Getting to work with Joe Kneer has also been a blast, and we have become close friends.”

And, of course, performing with a professional, big-city orchestra like the San Antonio Philharmonic is a goal every musician hopes to achieve. For Coppin, this was a learning experience and another step forward into a blossoming career as a performer.

“Playing with the San Antonio Philharmonic is one of my favorite things I have ever done, and I feel so lucky that I get Page 20 | December 2023

NOW A ND FO R EV E R I AM A R O A DR UNN E R to play with such a great group of people,” Coppin enthused.

“One of my favorite things about playing with SA Phil is the continuous honing of skill that is required to play at such a high level, and it has inspired me to go back and continue my education so I can keep growing and learning.”

As a performer, he has recently been asked to perform as a soloist with the orchestra on a few occasions and has cited it as an exciting yet unknown new aspect of his career.

“I’m playing Ralph Vaughn Williams’ “Lark Ascending” with the SOH on February 29th, 2024,” Coppin states. “I also had the pleasure of playing Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccio with Symphony Viva this past spring.”

His time at UTSA heavily influenced his growth toward a professional career as a classical violinist, and he reflects on the mentors who shaped him.

“Dr. Dowdy was probably my first musical mentor I had back at UTSA, and he really helped to shape me into the musician I am today,” Coppin states. “My time at UTSA was the most influential time of my life, where I really started to make my way towards becoming a real violinist, and I am so thankful that the incredible professors and staff of UTSA music were there to guide and coach me along my way… big shout out to Dr. Davis for never outwardly judging me for crying in her office about skills tests.”

Some of Coppin’s favorite memories at UTSA included taking naps under the stairs, the “Jingle Bells?” section of rhythm and meter with Dr. Davis, and winning the concerto competition with his performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto.

“I can still sing Streisand’s ‘Jingle Bells?’ as if that class was yesterday,” Coppin jokes. states. “I also had the pleasure of playing Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccio with Symphony Viva this past spring.”

His time at UTSA heavily influenced his growth towards a professional career as concertmaster and violin performance, and he reflects on the mentors who shaped him.

“Dr. Dowdy was probably my first musical mentor I had back at UTSA, and he really helped to shape me into the musician I am today,” Coppin states. “My time at UTSA was the most influential time of my life, where I really started to make my way towards becoming a real violinist, and I am so thankful that the incredible professors and staff of UTSA music were there to guide and coach me along my way… big shout out to Dr. Davis for never outwardly judging me for crying in her office about skills tests.”

Some of Coppin’s favorite memories at UTSA included taking naps under the stairs, the “Jingle Bells?” section of rhythm and meter with Dr. Davis, and winning the concerto competition with his performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto.

“I can still sing Streisand’s ‘Jingle Bells?’ as if that class was yesterday,” Coppin jokes.

Page 21 | December 2023

GUEST ARTIST SERIES 2 0 2 3 - 2 0 2 4

SE A SO N

REENA ESMAIL, composer

March 03-08 – Guest Composer New Music Festval 2024 artist

PABLO GARIBAY, guitar March 09 – Performance

Southwest Guitar Symposium 2024 artist

ALAN WOO, piano

March 25 – Performance

Hugh Hodgson School of Music - University of Georgia

ABBIE CONANT, trombone April 09 – Performance

Staatliche Hochschule für Musik

DAVID RUSSELL, guitar April 20 – Performance

Grammy Award-winning artist

* All dates are in the UTSA Recital Hall and free admission unless noted otherwise

Page 39 | April 2023

DECEMBER 2023 STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THE UPCOMING SEMESTER AT UTSA MUSIC MUSIC.UTSA.EDU FOLLOW US! @UTSA