Photo credit: Manfred Fu脽
The timing was unfortunate for Ludwig van Beethoven鈥檚 250th birthday celebration.
Commemorations of the f锚ted composer came in 2020 (scholars鈥� best guess at his birthday is 1770), just as the world was shutting down in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic鈥攁nd opportunities to experience the great artist鈥檚 music and legacy in person disappeared.
So David Korevaar, distinguished professor of piano at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder鈥檚 College of Music, sought alternative ways to honor Beethoven鈥檚 oeuvre in the face of lockdowns and social distancing.
鈥淚 found myself, like many of us, at something of a loss鈥攏o concerts, no in-person teaching, isolated at home,鈥� Korevaar recalls now. 鈥淚 had been thinking of filling in the gaps in Beethoven鈥檚 32 piano sonatas鈥攖here were a few that I had never played鈥攁nd that inspired me to begin the process of playing through all of them and sharing 鈥榪uick and dirty鈥� video recordings from home on my YouTube channel.鈥�
Those videos (which are still available on ) were only the beginning. Korevaar found himself intrigued by the prospect of recording the complete sonatas properly and鈥攊n his role at the College of Music鈥攈e realized that he had the resources to realize that vision. With support from the college's C.W. Bixler Family Foundation Faculty Initiatives Fund, Korevaar set about doing justice to Beethoven鈥檚 timeless music.
鈥淚 talked with Kevin Harbison鈥攖he College of Music鈥檚 fantastic recording engineer鈥攚ith Kawai America and with the college鈥檚 scheduling guru Brooke Balbuena to set up sessions in our gorgeous new Chamber Hall,鈥� Korevaar says, adding that Kawai came through with a loan to the college of a 9-foot Shigeru Kawai concert grand for a year. 鈥淲e recorded in a series of sessions that ended in July 2024 with all 32 sonatas completed.鈥�
The next step was finding a way to share roughly 11 hours of music with the world. Enter Prospero Classical, a Swiss orchestral music label that offered Korevaar and his crew a thoroughly modern and multifaceted way to distribute the music. On March 7, the label will release a two-CD physical release of highlights from the sonatas followed by a series of digital-only albums of the sonatas issued chronologically.
鈥淭he two CDs will feature three sonatas from Beethoven鈥檚 鈥榟eroic鈥� period鈥攕o called because of the composition of the Eroica Symphony during this time: The Sonata Op. 53 (鈥榃aldstein鈥�), Sonata Op. 54, Sonata Op. 57 (鈥楢ppassionata鈥�) as well as the 鈥楢ndante favori,鈥� a movement originally intended to be part of the 鈥榃aldstein鈥� sonata,鈥� Korevaar explains. 鈥淭he second CD has two more sonatas, both of which Beethoven suggested be published as written for the 鈥楬ammerklavier,鈥� a German word for piano.鈥�
All of the recorded sonatas (with the exception of Op. 106) are also up on Spotify as EPs;
This approach offers a perfect way to share Beethoven鈥檚 music in the era of streaming and Spotify; it also offers a way to fulfill a musical mission that first came to Korevaar during the pandemic.
鈥淚 really wanted and, in a way, needed to do these properly,鈥� he adds. 鈥淭o record professionally, in a beautiful space, on a beautiful piano, with a first-rate engineer.鈥�
Distinguished Professor of Piano David Korevaar found an alternative to celebrating Beethoven鈥檚 250th birthday in the face of COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing five years ago.We are thrilled to announce the winner of the 2024-25 Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Graduate Student Performance Competition: The Koa String Quartet!
The College of Music鈥檚 current graduate string quartet in residence鈥攃omprising violinists Kisa Uradomo and Leah Pernick, violist Thomas Chafe and cellist Heewon Lee鈥攕tudies with the Tak谩cs Quartet. On Nov. 19, the Koa Quartet performed selections from works by Joseph Haydn and Kevin Lau, and was awarded $2,000 for their Ekstrand win.
鈥淲e are so happy to have started our residency at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder on such a positive note! It was an incredible opportunity to perform onstage alongside so many of our talented peers,鈥� Pernick says. 鈥淭hank you so much to the Tak谩cs Quartet and string faculty for their mentorship, and to the Ekstrand family for their generous support of students.鈥�
Lee shares, 鈥淥ur main goal of the performance was to have fun and keep up the good energy. I think us dancing backstage helped with that. But in all seriousness, we鈥檙e super thankful for the win!鈥�
Second prize ($1,000) went to saxophonist Joel Ferst, who also won the audience favorite prize ($250). This year鈥檚 other Ekstrand finalists ($500 each) include pianist John-Austin King, baritone Andrew Konopak and violinist Laura P茅rez Rangel.
This year鈥檚 esteemed panel of judges were Jason Bergman鈥擜ssociate Professor of Trumpet, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music; Courtney Hershey Bress鈥擯rincipal Harpist, 欧美口爆视频 Symphony; Adjunct Professor of Harp, University of Denver Lamont School of Music; and Lecturer of Harp, University of Wyoming; and Cameron Stowe鈥擟hair, Collaborative Piano, New England Conservatory; Director, Collaborative Piano, Aspen Music Festival and School.
The Ekstrand Competition was launched by previous College of Music dean Robert Fink, and later renamed to honor the late Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and psychology professor Bruce Ekstrand. The competition invites top graduate students to compete for cash prizes for professional development. This year鈥檚 faculty judges for the鈥� semi-final competition were Renee Gilliland, Jeremy Reger and Branden Steinmetz.
Semi-finalists included:
Congratulations to the Koa String Quartet and all participants in this year鈥檚 competition, as well as their teachers鈥攖he Tak谩cs Quartet, Andrew Cooperstock, Andrew Garland and Nathan Mertens in the final round. Our special thanks also to collaborative pianists Runze Li, Hsiao-Ling Lin, Matthew Sebald鈥攁nd all other pianists, mentors and teachers involved in the previous rounds of this competition.
Partially funded by the , this annual event is the premier performance competition for the College of Music鈥檚 most outstanding graduate students.
We are thrilled to announce the winner of the 2024-25 Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Graduate Student Performance Competition: The Koa String Quartet!Cody Goetz (MM 鈥�19, piano performance + pedagogy) was part of the first cohort to graduate from the College of Music with a Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration. In 2022, he became executive director of .
鈥淚t's my firm belief that the arts administration program helped prepare me to become a nonprofit executive,鈥� Goetz says.
According to its website, Mundi Project 鈥渁ctively breaks down socioeconomic and generational barriers by providing high quality music experiences for all.鈥� Mundi Project programs place donated pianos with people or organizations that can鈥檛 afford them, teach community piano classes, put on workshops and concerts covering various musical cultures and intergenerational learning, and more.
Under Goetz's leadership, Mundi Project is the recipient of a $130,000 grant from as part of a new pilot program from the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with South Arts and in collaboration with the other five U.S. regional arts organizations. More than 4,000 organizations applied; only .
鈥淭hese grants support specific projects that will strengthen the organizations鈥� capacity to sustain meaningful community engagement and increase arts participation for underserved groups and communities,鈥� shares Goetz.
Specific to Mundi Project, the ArtsHERE award will support two key initiatives: Creating a strategic plan and providing professional development in community music education, trauma-informed practices, accessibility and cultural competency for staff, board, teaching artists and volunteers. 鈥淭hese initiatives will strengthen Mundi Project鈥檚 capacity, cultivate an inclusive culture and improve program delivery to better serve diverse communities,鈥� adds Goetz.
鈥淚 want to express my gratitude for my educational experience at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder and how the power of my experience has led me to have early successes in my arts administration career.鈥�
Congratulations to Goetz and the entire Mundi Project team!
Cody Goetz (MM 鈥�19, piano performance + pedagogy) was part of the first cohort to graduate from the College of Music with a Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration. Today, he鈥檚 executive director of Mundi Project.When Abigail Terrill (MM 鈥�24) learned about alternative piano keyboards, it seemed she鈥檇 found an obvious solution to a complicated problem. Terrill spent the last year of her master鈥檚 experience researching narrower keyboards to accommodate pianists with smaller hands, and how quickly pianists can transition to and from them.
鈥淭he length of alternative keyboards is the same as standard keyboards, only the width of each key is very slightly smaller,鈥� Terrill says. The 欧美口爆视频 Boulder College of Music has had such a keyboard on loan from the since April 2023, featuring a six-inch octave instead of the standard six-and-a-half-inch octave.
鈥淭he reason I got interested was because I have tendonitis and I noticed a bunch of my female pianist friends were also getting tendonitis. I鈥檝e had friends who have had to quit because they got some kind of severe playing-related injury,鈥� Terrill says.
can help pianists avoid injuries sustained from over-reaching and enable individuals with smaller hands to play some repertoire that is physically impossible for them to perform on standard-size pianos.
鈥淜eyboards are made to a standard size and the human hand is not a standard size,鈥� says Jennifer Hayghe, associate professor of piano and chair of the Roser Piano + Keyboard Program at the College of Music. 鈥淚n my 25 years as a professor, I have seen the number of students with injuries rise exponentially. I spend a lot of my time working with students trying to reduce their stress and tension and work through the injuries they鈥檝e accrued. I do believe that if we had smaller keyboards as a standard thing, that would not be an issue.鈥�
The piece loaned to the College of Music is a piano action鈥攖hat is, the keyboard and the mechanism that causes hammers to strike the strings when keys are pressed. This action can technically fit onto any piano, though some fittings are more difficult than others. Mark Mikkelson and Phil Taylor, both piano technicians at the College of Music, say they put in 50 to 60 hours of work fitting the alternative keyboard into a Steinway piano.
鈥淭he problem in making these keyboards for Steinway instruments is that Steinways are entirely handmade, which means they鈥檙e not all exactly the same,鈥� Hayghe explains. 鈥淪o when alternative keyboards are made as close as possible to a 鈥榮tandard鈥� Steinway size, all these little adjustments are necessary. It took a long time and a lot of adjusting to get that keyboard used to that piano.鈥�
鈥�Abigail Terrill (MM 鈥�24) and duo partner James Morris (DMA 鈥�25) rehearse his first piano duo composition that premiered last year. Terrill is playing an alternatively sized keyboard on loan at the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder College of Music.As part of her master鈥檚 thesis, Terrill discovered that attitudes around alternative keyboards are often of disdain. 鈥淚 was really frustrated when I first started this research because I was telling people how unfair it was to not have smaller keyboards available to students鈥攁nd the reaction I heard most was people saying 鈥榶ou don鈥檛 need that, you just need to fix your technique.鈥� So my response was, if I can show numbers to people who don鈥檛 want to bother with having to switch sizes, that may be more convincing.鈥�
Terrill鈥檚 thesis project involved 15 pianists playing a musical excerpt on a standard piano, and then on a narrow keyboard. She measured their errors when initially playing on the alternative keyboard and after 10 minutes of practice.
鈥淲e found that everyone by the end鈥攖ransitioning from the standard size to the second try on the narrow keyboard鈥攈ad fewer errors than on the first try,鈥� Terrill says. 鈥淢ost of them said 鈥業 wish I could practice more on it.鈥欌€�
Since graduating this spring, Terrill has been teaching piano lessons鈥攁nother instance when narrow keyboards would be helpful. 鈥淢ost instruments have smaller versions for when you鈥檙e learning as a kid, but not the piano,鈥� she notes.
鈥淚 really see this as an equality issue. I鈥檓 looking for movement from people. I want to push for more research and for people to have conversations about it鈥擨 think even arguments will help.鈥�
Related:
(NPR)
It was a long time coming.
Piano Technician Mark Mikkelsen鈥攚ho, for more than eight years, has supported the care and maintenance of the College of Music鈥檚 fleet of 160 pianos, two harpsichords and an organ鈥攚as thrilled when the opportunity arose to rebuild, refurbish and restore one of two fortepianos donated to our college by the late Douglas Taylor and his wife, Avlona, as an in-kind gift in 2019.
The two fortepianos鈥攐ne is a replica after Conrad Graf 1828 by Robert Smith, ca. 1982; the other is a replica after J. A. Stein by Richard Kingston, ca. 1982鈥攁re a tremendous boon for our college. Five years following their donation, the refurbished Smith fortepiano was performed on for the first time on April 8 by Wes Leffingwell, a doctoral student of Professor of Harpsichord Robert Hill.
Since the instrument鈥檚 donation, Mikkelsen鈥攚hose overall responsibilities include tuning, voicing, regulation, rebuilding and repair鈥攔esearched the Smith fortepiano and embarked on a years-long restoration project in service to our students and faculty.
鈥淭he more I learned about the fortepiano from various sources鈥攊ts history, how it was made, how it was shipped鈥攖he more I understood the instrument which inspired my problem solving,鈥� says Mikkelsen, who was trained in piano technology at the nationally renowned North Bennet Street School in Boston, Massachusetts.
Avlona Taylor enjoying Wes Leffingwell鈥檚 performance on the refurbished fortepiano up close.Adds Operations Manager and Head Piano Technician Ted Mulcahey, 鈥淲hen the Smith fortepiano arrived, it was not in playable condition. After about 120 hours of creative work鈥攊ncluding inventing or sourcing missing parts, strings, tools and more鈥擬ark turned it into a beautiful working instrument.鈥�
鈥淚t was like working on a ship in a bottle,鈥� continues Mikkelsen, who grew up playing piano. 鈥淚 really enjoyed the historical and problem-solving aspects of this project 鈥� and the positive reactions of the Taylor family, Wes and our faculty really made the effort worthwhile.鈥�
Mikkelsen鈥檚 connection to the Taylor family extends beyond this project and our College of Music. Over the years, he鈥檚 worked on Avlona Taylor鈥檚 harpsichord and he鈥檚 started tutoring her daughter, Karen, in the art of tuning.
鈥淢ark is very generous with his time and attention,鈥� concludes Mulcahey. 鈥淗e knew this project meant a great deal to our donors, faculty and students 鈥� and he gave it his all. He cares an awful lot.鈥� Our tremendous gratitude to the Taylor family; to Robert Hill for his guidance throughout this project; and to the College of Music鈥檚 entire Operations team鈥攁lso including Piano Technician Phil Taylor鈥攆or their tireless, behind-the-scenes commitment to keeping our college running smoothly.Photos below: Members of the Taylor family with Leffingwell, Mulcahey, Mikkelsen, Piano Technician Phil Taylor, Professor of Piano Andrew Cooperstock鈥攚ith whom Leffingwell studied as a master鈥檚 student鈥攁nd friends. A new plaque adorns the newly playable fortepiano, a replica after Conrad Graf 1828 by Robert Smith, ca. 1982: 鈥淭his fortepiano was generously donated by Douglas and Avlona Taylor.鈥濃€�
Photos: Shih-Han Chiu It was a long time coming. Piano Technician Mark Mikkelsen鈥攚ho, for more than eight years, has supported the care and maintenance of the College of Music鈥檚 fleet of 160 pianos, two harpsichords and an organ鈥攚as thrilled when the opportunity arose to rebuild, refurbish and restore one of two fortepianos donated to our college by the late Douglas Taylor and his wife, Avlona, as an in-kind gift in 2019.At the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder Entrepreneurship Center for Music (ECM), students can find the skills and tools they need for their music careers. Most recently, the ECM awarded $5,820 in artist assistance grants to support eight student-led professional development and community engagement projects including:
Josie ArnettJosie Arnett
鈥淚鈥檓 really picky about which pieces I release on streaming platforms because I鈥檓 20 and need to be able to write really bad music 鈥� and then release the things that I really love,鈥� says Josie Arnett, an undergraduate composition student.
鈥淟ast fall, I got the opportunity to write a saxophone quartet piece for a group that travels all over the United States. I was really happy with the piece and really proud of it, so I reached out to a faculty member who set me up with the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder graduate saxophone quartet.鈥�
Sanitas Saxophone QuartetWorking with the Sanitas Saxophone Quartet, College of Music Recording Engineer Kevin Harbison and a mixing artist, Arnett recorded the piece for projected release on streaming platforms this summer. The ECM grant helped pay the artists and distribution fee.
Arnett says she learned a lot about how to interact in a professional recording setting and enjoyed collaborating within the College of Music. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been fun to work with people that have a lot of energy, positive attitudes and are just really excited about what they do,鈥� she shares.
Alice Del Simone
At the end of May, DMA student in voice performance and pedagogy Alice Del Simone was part of a workshop presentation at the Voice Foundation Symposium in Philadelphia titled 鈥淟egato Then and Now, Vibrato Edition: A Close-Up of What Happens Between the Pitches in the Classical Bel Canto Tradition.鈥�
鈥淭he workshop offered a toolbox of exercises for how to teach the type of legato singing that was happening at the end of the 1800s, beginning of the 1900s when we started to have recordings available,鈥� Del Simone says.
鈥淚t was my very first time presenting at a conference where there are often hurdles for a young academic to get an invitation to present. I鈥檝e been lucky that I鈥檝e been able to work with a group of people who are more prominent in the community than myself.鈥�
During the symposium, Del Simone stayed at the conference hotel, partially funded by her ECM grant.
Zachary Howarth
Zachary Howarth, a DMA student in jazz studies, will go on the road this summer to record music in studios in Reno and South Lake Tahoe. Howarth also hopes to perform this music live in venues across 欧美口爆视频 and Nevada.
The project will involve a contemporary jazz quartet鈥攖rumpet, piano, bass, drums鈥攚riting and recording the music. The ECM grant will help the project get off the ground by assisting with studio fees, production costs and travel expenses.
鈥淭he opportunity to write, record and play music with such high-level artists is invaluable to my collaborative research in compositional tendencies in contemporary jazz mediums and fully improvised music,鈥� Howarth says.
SeaJun KwonSeaJun Kwon
SeaJun Kwon, also a DMA student in jazz studies, likes writing compositions that push the boundaries of jazz music including 鈥淎vant Shorts鈥濃€�10 etudes exploring micro tonalities and rhythmic concepts that aren鈥檛 commonly used in jazz compositions.
Kwon plans to compose these etudes and begin recording them over the summer, using a microphone setup funded by an ECM grant.
鈥淚 thought I鈥檇 write a bunch of super short compositions that focus on different ideas to develop myself and provide my community with these resources,鈥� Kwon says.
By keeping them brief, he hopes to make the compositions more accessible and useful for his community.
鈥淧eople are really busy, there are so many things that you have to do and also so many distractions,鈥� Kwon says. 鈥淚 think these short compositions put less pressure on people鈥攖hey can work on them for 10 minutes and still learn from them.鈥�
Er-Hsuan Li with orchestraEr-Hsuan Li
Er-Hsuan Li graduated from the College of Music in May with a DMA in piano performance. In April, he held a concert featuring the world premiere of John Clay Allen鈥檚 鈥溾€� concerto for piano and strings along with Dmitri Shostakovich鈥檚 Piano Concerto No. 1.
鈥淚t was a very fun event,鈥� Li says. 鈥淓ven though it was off-campus, it was really 欧美口爆视频 that made this possible because that鈥檚 how we connected.鈥�
Many 欧美口爆视频 Boulder musicians participated including conductor and Associate Director of Orchestras Renee Gilliland, composition alumnus John Clay Allen, Anna Kallinikos鈥攚ho鈥檚 majoring in trumpet performance and minoring in business鈥攁nd the majority of the 18-member orchestra. The ECM grant assisted Li with compensating the performers and renting the venue.
鈥淚 had performed in front of an orchestra only once before when I was a high schooler,鈥� Li recalls. 鈥淪o it was really special for me that鈥攁fter 13 years鈥擨 got to do this again professionally. And I would like to think that I am a better musician now compared to then!鈥�
Ethan StahlEthan Stahl
When Ethan Stahl discovered Nkeiru Okoye鈥檚 music, he knew he鈥檇 found something special. 鈥淚 loved her music so much that I began working on it for one of my degree recitals,鈥� he says. 鈥淓ventually, it became evident that I had enough material to create a lecture recital.鈥�
To prepare, Stahl鈥攚ho鈥檚 pursuing a DMA in piano performance鈥攊nterviewed Okoye about her music. 鈥淲e talked on the phone for a few hours and in that conversation, she proposed the idea of writing a piece for me to add to one of the sets of piano pieces that I was studying.鈥� The ECM grant helped fund Okoye鈥檚 contribution.
Okoye鈥檚 music is already part of the American Music Research Center鈥檚 Helen Walker-Hill Collection; her upcoming composition will be added to the collection.
鈥淥koye is extremely novel in the world of piano composition,鈥� Stahl adds. 鈥淚鈥檝e never heard piano music that is similar stylistically to hers.鈥�
Natalie Trejo
Artist Diploma student Natalie Trejo competed in the finals for the Austin Flute Society鈥檚 Young Artist Competition in April鈥攁nd the ECM grant helped her get there.
鈥淚 submitted the preliminary recordings back in January. From there, they selected three finalists to perform in the live final round in Austin, Texas,鈥� Trejo says. 鈥淚t went really well. I ended up getting third but I was very happy with how I played and I was not nervous at all.鈥�
Trejo performed Chen Yi鈥檚 鈥淢emory鈥� for solo flute and Frank Martin鈥檚 鈥淏allade鈥� for flute and piano.
鈥淚 love doing competitions because I get to learn new repertoire, meet new flutists, make connections and get to know the other finalists鈥攊t鈥檚 very important and humbling, but still encouraging,鈥� Trejo says.
Jonathon Winter
Another spring 2024 graduate, Jonathon Winter鈥攚ho earned a DMA in violin performance鈥攔ecorded four pieces to be compiled into an album titled 鈥淥rigin: Music by Women of the Americas.鈥� The pieces are 鈥渒o鈥檜 inoa鈥� by Leilehua Lanzilotti, 鈥淪cratch the Surface鈥� by Dana Kaufman, 鈥淪tring Poetic鈥� by Jennifer Higdon and 鈥淪ue帽os de Chambi鈥� by Gabriel Lena Frank.
鈥淚 picked some fiendishly difficult music to play but it was so worth it,鈥� Winter says. 鈥淚 learned so much about preparing for recordings and what that actually entails.鈥�
Winter worked with pianist and Postdoctoral Lecturer Barbara Noyes, as well as Kevin Harbison to record all four pieces over the course of seven months. Winter will continue the project over the summer with the goal of finding a label to disseminate the recordings.
Congratulations to all grant recipients and our thanks to this year鈥檚 adjudicators: College of Music staff member Kathryn Bistodeau, Music Advisory Board member Laurie Hathorn and University of Denver entrepreneurship faculty member Neil Pollard.
At the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder Entrepreneurship Center for Music, students can find the skills and tools they need for their music careers. This spring, the ECM awarded $5,820 in grants to support eight student-led professional development and community engagement projects.Here鈥檚 a contrast to consider: A professor in a modern-day classroom teaching early music on an ancient instrument by employing a university鈥檚 newly adopted, forward-looking approach.
For retiring College of Music Professor of Harpsichord Robert Hill鈥攚ho鈥檚 also the Eugene D. Eaton, Jr., Chair in Baroque Music Performance鈥攊t all makes perfect sense. 鈥淚f you think about it,鈥� he says, 鈥渢he academic community is like a formalized laboratory for thought鈥攚hich it should be.鈥�
Hill is stepping down this summer after a long career that found him in Europe studying and performing in the 鈥�70s and 鈥�80s with a parade of legendary figures in the early music revival, followed by an academic career at Harvard and Duke universities, and finally joining the College of Music faculty in 2018 after a stint at the Freiburg University of Music in Germany.
His students have learned much more than how to play the harpsichord, he stresses. Speaking excitedly about the College of Music鈥檚 universal musician mission, which empowers students to widen their perspectives, Hill refers to musical life in the Baroque Era when versatility and the ability to improvise were requirements for success.
鈥淒eveloping universal musicians reflects, in part, the process of figuring out how to combine practicing musicianship and theoretical understanding of music,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚 emphasize that approach for the harpsichord.鈥�
By example, Hill points to the 18th-century practice employing the figured bass, a shorthand sketching-out of notes and chords that would direct a musician to create a spontaneous accompaniment. 鈥淜eyboard players of that day would have been very well trained in music theory to be able to fulfill their roles as accompanists,鈥� he reminds us. A crucial lesson for his students who study harmony and counterpoint, requiring repetitive exercises and classroom tests.
Hill admits he was pretty tough on his students, for good reason. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much pressure to fit in,鈥� he says. 鈥淪o the way I treat the process is to encourage my students to question what they encounter in their worlds in the hope that that will lead to their own progression and empowerment鈥攁nd an understanding of what they can do to make the world a better place.鈥�
As Hill looks to retirement, including the continuation of recording all of Bach鈥檚 keyboard works鈥攚hich thus far numbers 10 CDs鈥攈e remains hopeful that his students will hear his message, lean into the college鈥檚 mission and thrive as multiskilled, multifaceted musicians.
鈥淏y advancing a career track where you train yourself鈥攏ot just as a player, but also as a thinker about music鈥攁nd combine that with a musicological training up to the point of actually getting a degree, you set yourself up to be attractive as a job candidate in a fairly broad range of situations,鈥� he adds. 鈥淓qually important is finding your own voice as an artist. It takes a lot of work鈥攊t鈥檚 a life process.鈥�
Retiring Professor of Harpsichord Robert Hill reflects on his career, the College of Music鈥檚 universal musician mission and the academic community as 鈥渁 formalized laboratory for thought.鈥�Photo credit: Dwan Miller Photography, LLC
Great ideas can come from anywhere鈥攅ven a meal with your friends. Three 欧美口爆视频 Boulder College of Music alumni鈥擟olleen White (DMA 鈥�17), Paul Zaborac (DMA 鈥�17) and Cecilia Lo-Chien Kao (DMA 鈥�19)鈥攄eveloped a vision for the (SMF) over brunch, and soon started working to make their dream come to life.
鈥淲e casually thought, 鈥榃hat if we developed our own chamber music festival?鈥� Less than a year later, we had funding and a business plan,鈥� White says.
The nonprofit festival, held in Manhattan, Kansas, debuted in 2023 and will return for its second season in June 2024. [Experience the SMF performing 鈥溾€� by Ingrid St枚lzel.]
The SMF aims to tell stories through chamber music and each season features a unique theme. The 2024 theme is 鈥淐reatures Great and Small,鈥� focusing on music inspired by wildlife and creatures of all sizes.
The festival also hosts community events, children鈥檚 events and a composition competition that encourages composers to submit new works for voice, flute, saxophone and piano. The compositions must highlight narrative, focusing on the untold stories of underrepresented or marginalized groups and the festival theme; winning works will premiere during the summer festival.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something really unique and special about chamber music,鈥� Kao says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an intimate and powerful connection among the performers and this connection extends to the audience.
鈥淓ach performance is unique. This is especially true when composers are creating new music, performed for the first time in front of a live audience.鈥�
In their festival activities, these music alumni say they regularly apply skills learned at our College of Music.
鈥淓ntrepreneurial know-how gained at 欧美口爆视频 has been instrumental in helping us develop this festival,鈥� explains Zaborac. 鈥淔rom arts administration, marketing and audio/video production to audience relations and creative concert programming. Being able to draw on this wide skill set has significantly contributed to the success of the festival, allowing us to create something really exciting.
鈥淧erhaps most important was the entrepreneurial mindset itself, of looking at challenges and finding creative solutions鈥攁nd the will to overcome, persevere and build something.鈥�
Congratulations!
Three College of Music alumni recently launched the Scheherazade Music Festival鈥攁n incubator for innovation and connection through chamber music, pushing the art form forward and bringing performers, composers and audiences together.On Nov. 14 in Grusin Music Hall, violinist Rinat Erlichman (鈥�25) won first prize in the 2023-2024 Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Graduate Student Performance Competition! Under the mentorship of Associate Professor of Violin and Artist in Residence Harumi Rhodes and Artist in Residence Edward Dusinberre, Erlichman prepared a featuring works by Ernest Bloch, Paul Ben Haim and George Gershwin.
Erlichman was awarded $2,000鈥攑lus the audience favorite prize ($250). 鈥淲inning first prize and audience favorite for this year鈥檚 Ekstrand Competition is incredibly meaningful to me,鈥� she shares. 鈥淧reparing for the competition has helped me expand my repertoire and develop my skills. I was honored to play the program in the final round with pianist Max Randal and all the wonderful finalists.
鈥淚 would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the Ekstrand family. Your generosity means I can devote more of my time to develop my career and share my music.鈥�
Congratulations, Rinat, on this well-deserved achievement!
Cellist Chas Barnard鈥攁 student of Associate Professor of Cello David Requiro鈥攚on second prize ($1,000). Other finalists ($500 each) include Maggie Brady, violin (student of Harumi Rhodes); Jenna Clark, mezzo-soprano (student of Associate Professor of Voice Abigail Nims); and Allyson Kreider, flute (student of Professor of Flute Christina Jennings).
We applaud all performers as well as their teachers and collaborative pianists, including Jude Markel, Barbara Noyes, Max Randal and Christine Teng!
Our gratitude goes to the college鈥檚 Ekstrand competition co-chairs: Professor of Music Education and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies Margaret Berg and Postdoctoral Lecturer in Collaborative Piano Barbara Noyes. We鈥檙e also deeply appreciative of this year鈥檚 adjudicators: Philip Hembree, Assistant Principal Trumpet, 欧美口爆视频 Symphony and Instructor, University of Northern 欧美口爆视频; Wilbur Lin, Assistant Conductor, 欧美口爆视频 Symphony and Music Director, Denver Young Artists Orchestra; and Seoyoen Min, Principal Cellist, 欧美口爆视频 Symphony.
This year鈥檚 semi-finalists who were chosen in their respective departmental preliminaries included: 鈥�
Percussion: Gavin Kitchen
Piano: Alice Hyoung
Strings: Chas Barnard, cello; Maggie Brady, violin; Rinat Erlichman, violin
Voice: Jenna Clark, mezzo soprano; Alice Del Simone, soprano; Samuel Wetzel, baritone
Winds: Sophie Maeda, oboe; Allyson Kreider, flute; Joeli Schilling, flute
Faculty judges for this year鈥檚 semi-final round included Professor of Conducting and Director of Bands Don McKinney, Teaching Associate Professor and Chamber Music Coordinator Meta Weiss and Voice Lecturer Jennifer DeDominici.
The Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Graduate Student Performance Competition was established by then-Dean Robert Fink at the suggestion of Bruce Ekstrand鈥攍ater renamed to pay tribute to the late vice chancellor for academic affairs and psychology professor. An ardent supporter of our College of Music, Ekstrand was also a member of the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder Golden Buffalo Men鈥檚 Chorus.
The competition grants cash prizes for professional development to outstanding graduate student performers. After preliminaries among individual departments and a semifinal round, five finalists are selected to compete before a panel of judges.
Partially funded by the , this annual event is the premier performance competition for the College of Music鈥檚 most outstanding graduate students.
Congratulations to first-prize recipient and audience favorite Rinat Erlichman鈥攁nd all winners and participants in the College of Music鈥檚 premier performance competition for outstanding graduate students!
For most of us, retirement is a major milestone. And for these esteemed faculty members鈥擯rofessor of Music Education and CMEA Hall of Fame inductee James Austin, Professor of Double Bass Paul Erhard, Associate Professor of Trombone William Stanley, and Professor of Piano and former Dean Daniel Sher鈥攖heir retirements this spring represent a tireless commitment and dedication to inspiring up-and-coming musicians and educators.
Austin, Erhard, Sher and Stanley have deeply influenced and helped shape the futures of countless students鈥� lives through their unique teaching methods and shared expertise. As we bid them farewell and look back on their contributions, achievements and legacy at the College of Music, we鈥檙e pleased to pass along some of their reflections:
What experience are you most proud of, during your career at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder?
SHER: My relationships with people come first. I was gratified by the number of faculty I became privileged to appoint and to come to know, the many students whose acquaintances I made, and the wonderful staff upon whom I relied every day for their work and support of our programs and people. It has been an added bonus that my wife Boyce and I now enjoy so many enriching and rewarding friendships to this day among Music Advisory Board members and former members, and the many patrons who chose to invest in our college.
Most of all, I am proud of the collaborative spirit that grew during my tenure. It has been a joy to see faculty leadership and a robust participation in shared governance鈥攁nd to observe, since I stepped away from the Dean position, that this trajectory continues its upward path.
STANLEY: Hosting the 1998 International Trombone Festival with 750 participants and 60-plus artists and teachers from all over the globe was big. As was the graduate brass quintet winning a bronze medal at the 2009 Fischoff Competition.
But the experience of working with the wide array of students who have come through the studio is what I鈥檓 most proud of. Many of them went on to outstanding graduate programs, to teaching and performing positions, and to other successful careers that include music in their lives. Seeing each student grow and learn about themselves as musicians, trombonists and humans is what kept me going.
AUSTIN: I鈥檓 most proud of my over two decades鈥� leadership provided to the College of Music as Music Education Chair and then as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies. As chair, I advocated for the music education faculty to make their own admissions decisions and scholarship recommendations through a formal interview and evaluation process; instituted sophomore interviews as a gateway to upper-division licensure coursework; increased enrollment in both the undergraduate and graduate programs; and improved the placement record of program graduates into K-12 and higher education positions.
As associate dean, I established an early alert system to provide at-risk students with timely academic counseling and other forms of support; established a system for tracking budgetary implications of merit scholarship awards; expanded the student recognition program to include outstanding freshman and sophomore awards; and oversaw a major revision of the undergraduate curriculum.
What trends or culture shifts did you observe over the course of your career? What鈥檚 your career advice to students today?
STANLEY: It would probably be easier to list what hasn鈥檛 changed. Technological advances have had a huge impact on how students learn and how teachers teach. In 1985, when I started at 欧美口爆视频, personal computers were pretty new, compact discs were new, the library had a card catalog, there was no internet, no email鈥攅ven the copy machine was terrible. The enormity and speed of technological change over that period of time has been amazing to watch.
As well, an emphasis on offering a diverse cultural experience at 欧美口爆视频 has been under discussion for many years鈥攊t鈥檚 wonderful that these efforts are becoming actualized with increased diversity in repertoire selections, guest artists and speakers 鈥� and a genuine level of awareness throughout the college and across campus. Moving forward, I hope there can be continued efforts supporting the recruitment of diverse faculty and students.
Finally, my career advice is to go all in. A half-hearted effort during the college experience rarely leads to success. Students who can enjoy the process of preparation and improvement, and who are persistent and who have patience, will be better positioned for a life in music. But no one can say what that will look like. Given the rate of change in our society, flexibility and creativity will become not just catch phrases, but a way of life.
Oh, and go vote.
AUSTIN: One of the biggest cultural shifts I鈥檝e observed is a broadening and rethinking of career paths open to music majors and, in a related sense, a steady increase in the number of undergraduate students pursuing dual degrees within music鈥攐r double majors in music and a second field outside of music. At the same time, unfortunately, it has been more difficult to attract students to a career in music education, largely because of the misperception of music teaching being a high-demand, low-status occupation.
SHER: The trends that I鈥檝e watched and tried to nurture include the establishment of our Entrepreneurship Center for Music, the first of its kind when it was established back in the mid-90s; as well as the establishment of our collaborative piano program and jazz studies program; the growth of our scholarly/research programs which now boast a blossoming ethnomusicology division; and a music theory master鈥檚 degree. Also of note are our Soundworks series, and I鈥檝e been especially pleased to observe the chamber music program which is thriving and has grown to new heights.
As I look back on my 20-year tenure as dean, I think of it as a dream position during which time I tried my best 鈥渢o do no harm鈥� (borrowing from the physicians鈥� oath) and to enable a gifted, talented and perceptive faculty to work together鈥攚hich has, in turn, enabled their students to be the best that they can be.
Join us on May 5 from 3-5 p.m. (E160) in honor of our retiring faculty members and in celebration of their many years鈥� dedicated service to the college and the university. They will be greatly missed by their colleagues and students. RSVP to Lauren Petersen by May 1.
Professor of Music Education and CMEA Hall of Fame inductee James Austin, Professor of Double Bass Paul Erhard, Associate Professor of Trombone William Stanley, and Professor of Piano and former Dean Daniel Sher have dedicated their careers to inspiring up-and-coming musicians and educators. We reflect on their contributions, achievements and legacy with gratitude.