VIEWBOOK
We Cultivate Bold Artistry!
Since our founding in 1974, the UTSA School of Music has developed generations of aspiring student-artists into professional musicians, educators, composers, audio engineers, and music industry leaders. We’re in the business of training our students to succeed by providing them with invaluable skill sets through leadership and experiential learning opportunities.
WELCOME TO THE UTSA SCHOOL OF MUSIC
ARE YOU READY TO JOIN THE ROADRUNNER MUSIC COMMUNITY?
EXPLORE OUR DEGREE PLANS
UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
UTSA offers Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts degrees with several possible concentrations. We welcome all UTSA students to pursue a music minor.
DEGREE AND CONCENTRATIONS LISTING
B.M. PROGRAMS B.A. PROGRAMS MUSIC MINORS
Composition
Education
Music Marketing
Performance
Commercial and Digital Music
Music
Dance
Jazz Studies
Music
Music Marketing
Music Technology
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Our Bachelor of Arts degree concentration in Commercial and Digital Music is our newest program that will be available to students beginning in Fall 2024. The concentration combines music technology and contemporary music studies to prepare students for a career in the modern music industry.
GRADUATE STUDIES
We offer a Master of Music degree for those seeking to further their music performance, conducting, or teaching skills and prepare for a career or doctoral studies. Graduate students will advance their studies through various areas of emphasis and a passionate faculty experienced at all levels of instruction and performance.
M.M. PROGRAMS GRADUATE CERTIFICATES
Conducting
Education
Performance
Performance and Pedagogy
Instrumental Performance
Music Pedagogy
Music Theory Pedagogy
Paul Patinka, M.M., performing at the 2019 COLFA Spring Research Conference
FROM CLASSROOM TO CAREER
Hector Garcia, M.M.
Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
University of Texas at San Antonio
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
UTSA’s Classroom to Career initiative expands hands-on experiential learning to facilitate real-world applications of classroom learning and provide our students with marketable skills to enhance their resumes. UTSA’s efforts further advance student readiness so that our graduates may thrive in their respective fields.
Sean Kithas, B.M. Marketing Manager
Musical Bridges Around the World
Rick Sanchez, B.A. Director of Marketing and Communications
The Public Theatre of San Antonio
ROWDY FAST-FACTS
UTSA’s Music Marketing program has yielded the second highest job placement rate after graduation among music majors. We are among only 84 universities in the United States that offer a music business program.
PURSUE YOUR PASSION & BUILD YOUR BOLD FUTURE
Our commitment to developing talent and ensuring that students graduate with a professional skill set has led many Roadrunners to stake their claim in the professional world. Our alumni pursue a wide range of career options after graduation. Many also pursue advanced degrees in the top doctoral programs in the nation.
Jinha Park, D.M.A.
Piano Faculty, Levine Music NW DC Site Director, Camp Levine
ROWDY FAST-FACTS
Edna Alejandra Longoria, M.M.
Compositions performed at Carnegie Hall, SCI Conferences, LunArt Festival, and Alba Composition Festival
UTSA yields a nearly 100% job placement rate for all music education graduates.
Rafael Moras, tenor as Rodolfo, La bohème
Annapolis Opera
OPERA U
UTSA has risen among the ranks of voice programs in the U.S. and has produced successful singers on opera stages all around the world.
Jennifer Black, soprano as Desdemona, Otello
Arizona Opera
David Portillo, tenor as Count Almaviva, the Barber of Seville Metropolitan Opera 2024 Sphinx Medal of Excellence Winner
TIER 1 FACULTY & FACILITIES
Kassandra Keeling, Associate Director of UTSA School of Music
Oswaldo Zapata, Assistant Professor of Trumpet
John Zarco, Director of Instrumental Ensembles
Ron Ellis, Director of Bands
OUR FACULTY LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Our faculty scholars and performers come from prestigious institutions such as The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music, and Northwestern University. Many perform and present scholarships in acclaimed national and international venues each year. Members of our faculty also play an active role in the San Antonio arts community.
Professor Nicole Cherry took up two guest artist residencies in 2023 at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, UK, and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Australia.
In August 2023, guitar professors Isaac Bustos and Alejandro Montiel gave the Peruvian premiere of Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto Madrigal with the Cusco Symphony Orchestra in Cusco, Peru.
TIER 1 RESEARCH
Doing their part to uphold UTSA’s status as a Carnegie R1 institution, our faculty frequently have their research in music topics published in books and scholarly journals, and have given lectures/presentations in esteemed institutions internationally.
PRACTICE AND PERFORM IN STYLE
UTSA Music students can access many practice spaces throughout the Arts Building, including dedicated spaces for organ, percussion, and principal keyboard majors. Our facilities also include a state-ofthe-art class piano lab, a music technology lab, a pedagogy lab, as well as recent classroom upgrades with innovative technologies.
Rachel Woolf performs with the UTSA Orchestra
ROWDY FAST-FACT
The UTSA Recital Hall seats 495 guests and contains a Casavant Frères organ.
Many of our practice rooms and classrooms are furnished with new Kawai pianos every year.
MUSIC TECHNOLOGY LAB
Students studying live, studio, and digital music production have access to our music technology lab. The lab is equipped with Apple Mac computers, music industry standard software, and equipment such as speakers, microphones, audio interfaces, and midi controllers.
ROWDY FAST-FACT
Many classes from our music marketing and technology tracks can be taken by all music degree concentrations and non-music majors as electives.
John Caputo is one of three faculty members who teach music technology courses
WE MAKE MUSIC TOGETHER
UTSA Choirs directed by Jordan D. Boyd
UTSA Choirs and student violinist Keith Beene
MUSIC ENSEMBLES
UTSA School of Music is home to many instrumental and choral ensembles. These ensembles perform over 100 concerts and events hosted annually in the UTSA Recital Hall and across the wider community.
BOOM SQUAD
CHAMBER SINGERS
CLARINET CHOIR
CONCERT CHOIR
FLUTE ENSEMBLE
GUITAR ENSEMBLE
JAZZ COMBOS
JAZZ ENSEMBLE
UTSA LYRIC THEATRE
MARIACHI LOS PAISANOS
MARIACHI JUVENIL
NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE
ORCHESTRA
PEP BAND
PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
SPIRIT OF SAN ANTONIO
MARCHING BAND
STRING ENSEMBLE
STRING QUARTET
SYMPHONIC BAND
TROMBONE CHOIR
UNIVERSITY BAND
UNIVERSITY CHORUS
WIND SYMPHONY
ROWDY FAST-FACT
Ensemble membership is open to all students at the university who audition at the beginning of each semester–regardless of major.
MARIACHI LOS PAISANOS
Mariachi Los Paisanos is a staple of UTSA, and performs throughout the community each year in festivals, competitions, concerts, and San Antonio’s annual Mariachi Extravaganza. Exclusive scholarships are available to mariachi students through auditions.
UTSA LYRIC THEATRE
UTSA Lyric Theatre provides opportunities for singers to hone their skills in opera, musical theatre, and operetta, leading to a career or advanced studies through mainstage and outreach performances in a wide range of creative venues.
SPIRIT OF SAN ANTONIO MARCHING BAND
Voted #1 marching band by YourSA Reader’s Choice Awards, SOSA is the largest ensemble at UTSA and proudly represents the university at UTSA athletic events, pep rallies, Fiesta parades, and many other university events.
UTSA DANCE
The Dance Program offers a variety of dance styles to choose from, including ballet, modern dance, jazz, and musical theatre. UTSA students can participate in classes to minor in dance, or simply to receive elective credit.
ROADRUNNER OPPORTUNITIES
Music students and faculty in Urbino, Italy for the COLFA Study Abroad Program in 2022
ROWDY FAST-FACT
Students have opportunities to earn awards and scholarships each year during their undergraduate and graduate studies at UTSA.
WHERE YOU STUDY MATTERS
San Antonio is known for being a vibrant community with strong ties to its arts and cultural background. The city offers plenty of access for student musicians and alumni to find work, internships, and networking opportunities. There are numerous opportunities for students to experience the cultural enrichment of Alamo City.
HIGH CALIBER GUEST ARTISTS
Students are encouraged to explore opportunities offered by the COLFA Study Abroad program. This semester-long program in the historic walled city of Urbino, Italy, immerses students in some of our most important musical heritage sites and provides a life-changing cultural experience.
Our visiting artist series, En Vivo, brings internationally acclaimed artists on campus for free concerts, as well as extended campus residencies that include masterclasses and lectures.
Allen Vizzutti - with SOSA Marchiing Band
Patsy Torres - with the UTSA String Band
Imani Winds - Masterclass
Pablo Garibay - Southwest Guitar Symposium artist
MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS
UTSA offers numerous merit-based music scholarships. Students can apply for university scholarships through the UTSA Scholarship Hub and will automatically be considered for Music scholarships by auditioning on one of our two scholarship-designated audition days.
#1 HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTION
As a proud HSI, UTSA is a model Hispanic-thriving university and receives grants under The Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program. UTSA holds the Excelencia in Education’s Seal of Excelencia, which reflects our purposeful, university-wide commitment to accelerating student success.
Student cellist Sofia Argulles
HOW TO APPLY
APPLY TO UTSA
You must begin your application to the University of Texas at San Antonio prior to applying for an audition. Through this process, you will obtain your UTSA ID (abc123).
APPLY TO AUDITION/INTERVIEW
Once you have submitted your application to UTSA, you must apply to audition/interview with the School of Music. This application will be used to determine admission to our school and scholarship consideration.
FAQ
For any questions, please consult the FAQ at the bottom of our Audition Process Page. For other questions, please email ApplyMusic@utsa.edu or your program/area coordinator.
VISIT OUR AUDITION PROCESS PAGE
