Since 2019, the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder College of Music鈥檚 annual Persevering Legacy events have showcased works by women composers, including those from historically marginalized groups. This year鈥檚 concert and master class are no different.

Student soloists and ensembles are encouraged to select works from the 鈥攈oused in our American Music Research Center archives鈥攃omprising compositions by Black women composers.

This year, the concert will feature 11 different acts鈥攊ncluding the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder Chamber Singers led by Director of Choral Activities Coreen Duffy鈥攑resenting compositions by Connie Converse, Reena Esmail, Florence Price, B.E. Boykin and our previous Genevieve McVey Wisner lecturer Gabriela Lena Frank, among others. 

鈥淧ersevering Legacy is an opportunity for students to research composers or pieces that may be entirely new to them and then present those works, broadening their scope,鈥� says Alexis McClain, director of community support + programming, who helps facilitate Persevering Legacy. 鈥淥ur audiences also benefit, experiencing music that鈥檚 not often programmed.鈥�

Alumnus  (DMA 鈥�92, composition)鈥攕on of the late Helen Walker-Hill and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker鈥攚ill lead a master class for Persevering Legacy participants, working through the pieces they鈥檝e selected and offering his unique background, knowledge, insight and passion for the collection based on his directly personal connection.

鈥淚鈥檝e watched the collection unfold from close proximity for a number of years and love every aspect of the master class,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 love the music. I love getting in touch with the students who are discovering this music, often for the first time. And really, this keeps my mom alive for me because it鈥檚 not just my mother鈥檚 work, but a life鈥檚 work.鈥� 

Walker says playing new and largely unfamiliar pieces is helpful to students in their music careers as it allows them to apply their creativity and artistry in perhaps unexpected ways. 

鈥淲e spend most of our music education studying the guys that are the Mount Rushmore of classical music. The thing is, there鈥檚 a lot of baggage that comes with this default鈥攏ot only are you trying to nail the notes, but there are all these expectations that have been dictated by performers who preceded you,鈥� says Walker who recently released a satirical new book, 鈥�.鈥�

鈥淪o, if you鈥檝e got these underrepresented composers, not only have you found them or are championing them, but you have to make these decisions,鈥� he adds. 鈥淵ou have to develop your own internal tradition and use your creativity. It's more than you and impressing your audience that鈥檚 at stake, it's making a case for someone who could still be lost to history after you're done performing that night鈥攁nd that is a really worthy challenge.鈥�

Join us for the  on Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. and the preceding  with Gregory Walker on Tuesday, March 4 at 2 p.m., both in the Chamber Hall (S102), Imig Music Building.

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鈥淎rt is possibility, expression is potential.鈥�

That鈥檚 according to , the Pulitzer Prize-winning Din茅 composer, musician and sound installation artist slated to deliver the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder College of Music鈥檚 annual  Genevieve McVey Wisner lecture on Feb. 26. In his wide-ranging and ambitious oeuvre, Chacon鈥攁 member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico鈥攈as tackled themes ranging from colonization to displacement to questions of environmental stewardship and conservation.

The myriad media he鈥檚 chosen to explore these themes reflect a spirit of creative exploration. His Pulitzer Prize-winning work, 鈥淰oiceless Mass,鈥� is an ensemble work composed specifically to be performed in any space of worship with high ceilings and pipe organ. 鈥淪ound Ladder鈥� is a sound installation鈥攄ebuted in 2024鈥攖hat features a sequence of 16 pine planks hung from ceiling to floor; for this work, Chacon collaborated with members of the B氓l Nango family, a S谩mi family of reindeer herders and land guardians.

Chacon has built instruments and explored new ways to present sound. He鈥檚 paired his compositions with visual cues and physical components, and drawn upon the very land surrounding his compositions to convey his messages.

鈥淚 think art is there to show that we can all think in different ways, we can all dream in ways we didn鈥檛 know we could,鈥� Chacon explains. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in danger when we become narrow and exclude possibilities.鈥� That philosophy is part of the lure of Chacon鈥檚 upcoming visit to Boulder. Working firsthand with students and offering novel perspectives about the possibilities of self-expression reconnects the artist to his own commitment to learning and growth; the chance to explore his work and style with developing musicians and artists holds its own unique appeal.

鈥淧art of my interest in giving lectures and visiting universities is to share my work and offer music students insights into ways that music doesn鈥檛 have to be on the stage,鈥� Chacon says, also reflecting the College of Music鈥檚 universal musician approach to achieving our mission. 鈥淚t can be presented in different media鈥攑erformance art, sound sculpture, as film or video. I am really interested in sharing my different tactics with students.鈥�

The concept of place plays a large role in Chacon鈥檚 work and one of the pieces he鈥檒l detail in his lecture is located in the United Arab Emirates in a 鈥済host village鈥� that was originally assigned to a tribe of nomads by the government. 鈥淏eing that they鈥檙e nomadic people, they did not move in. These houses are being taken by the desert,鈥� Chacon explains. 

鈥淚鈥檝e collaborated with these individuals and musicians to record their songs,鈥� he adds, noting that the ultimate effect of the installation is that 鈥渋t sounds like their music is moving through these houses and into the desert.鈥�

It鈥檚 an immediacy that Chacon stresses in his approach to music. While he鈥檚 a classically trained composer and musician, he鈥檚 careful not to undervalue the importance of the indefinable elements of the art form鈥攖he aspects of music that can鈥檛 necessarily be conveyed in a classroom, studio or textbook.

鈥淚 do feel like I鈥檓 continually learning,鈥� says Chacon . I鈥檓 always seeking out the best media that an artwork should take. I鈥檓 constantly researching new technologies鈥攅xperiencing exhibitions, artists and concerts. 

鈥淚鈥檓 still a big fan of being able to see musicians play, even more so than listening to recordings. I think live music is not only an obligation or responsibility, but it鈥檚 something that is wonderful to do, as a member of an audience.鈥�

Even as he tackles weighty questions in his work, Chacon also finds power and joy in the ability to create鈥攁 boon he looks forward to sharing during his residency. 鈥淣o matter what our occupation or how we spend our daily lives, we should be conscious of the work we can do to improve upon justice and the way we treat each other.鈥�
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Join us for the College of Music鈥檚 annual Genevieve McVey Wisner Lectureship* featuring Raven Chacon on Feb. 26 at 11:30 a.m., Chamber Hall (S102), Imig Music Building. On Feb. 27 at 9:30 a.m., Room NB185, Imig Music Building, Chacon will be part of a panel discussion, 鈥淪ituating your soul鈥檚 work in a hegemonic sphere.鈥� Both events are free and open to the public. 

Raven Chacon鈥檚 residency is made possible by the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder American Music Research Center, the College of Music鈥檚 composition department and the college鈥檚 Diverse Musicians鈥� Alliance. 

*Having graduated from Western University in Kansas鈥攁n historically Black college鈥攚ith her first bachelor鈥檚 degree in 1922, Genevieve McVey Wisner became the first Black graduate of the College of Music in 1940 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in music education, followed by a master鈥檚 degree in 1944 at age 42.

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Among the American Music Research Center (AMRC) collections, hidden gems exist around every corner: 欧美口爆视频 history, music legends, big band ephemera, silent film scores, letters from 欧美口爆视频 Boulder founders and more. In our new series鈥擥ems of the AMRC collections鈥攚e aim to spotlight their content and the stories of the people behind them.  

Our first deep dive explores the  comprising folders of photos captured by the legendary 欧美口爆视频 rock 鈥檔鈥� roll and folk music photographer. 

wasn鈥檛 music at all, but a chance to capture the president at the time: Dwight D. Eisenhower. 鈥淪ince I was such a little kid, all the photographers let me stand in the front. To me, those photos are amazing because at 14, I could tell that I already had the eye and the way to compose the pictures鈥攑lus they were really sharp and in focus.鈥�

From there, Fong (Mktg. 鈥�70) continued to take photos and started his own photography business after graduating from 欧美口爆视频 Boulder. 鈥淚 did everything from bar mitzvah photographs to portraits to weddings,鈥� he recalls. 鈥淭he biggest break came when KFML鈥攖he underground radio station鈥攅nded up three blocks from my studio. I went down there and made a deal with them: 鈥業鈥檒l take photographs of the artists and give them to you for your advertising and you do radio commercials for me.鈥� That was a big deal because that鈥檚 when I met all of the record guys.鈥� MORE

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NASM celebrates 100 years
Last month, Dean John Davis attended the annual meeting鈥攁nd centennial celebration鈥攐f the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) in Chicago, Illinois. This organization of schools, conservatories, colleges and universities establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as other credentials for music and music-related disciplines. Our college has been a member since 1941.

Dear friends,

As we approach our much-anticipated annual Holiday Festival performances this weekend, I鈥檓 filled with awe and gratitude as I reflect on a busy, successful fall semester at the 欧美口爆视频 Boulder College of Music鈥攊ncluding continued progress in developing multiskilled, multifaceted universal musicians.

Our commitment to both refining and expanding our offerings has never felt more relevant鈥攁nd more urgent; our faculty members, advisors and other staff are highly motivated to ensure that our students not only master their chosen craft, but also emerge as well-rounded, adaptable professionals prepared to take on the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly changing world.

Having represented our College of Music at several conferences this fall鈥攊ncluding, among others, the annual conferences of the College Music Society and National Association of Music Executives at State Universities, the National Association of Schools of Music annual meeting, and the annual conference of the International Council for Arts Deans in Montreal, Canada鈥擨 was heartened to observe that our work at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder reflects real-world trends and mandates in music education. Colleges and schools like ours are similarly focused on widening students鈥� horizons, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and emphasizing broadly-based skills. I鈥檓 proud that our approach amplifies current best practices at comparable institutions, nationally and internationally.

We鈥檙e also aware that the landscape of higher education is shifting and that we must be vigilant, agile and proactive. In the new year, changes to federal policies may impact how we accomplish鈥攁nd communicate鈥攐ur work; what 颈蝉苍鈥檛 changing, however, is our commitment to support our students with the resources, knowledge, experiences and inspirations they need to succeed and thrive in their chosen ventures鈥攁nd in life. To that end, we continue to deepen our relationships with campus partners including Chancellor Justin Schwartz, who champions our efforts. The new 欧美口爆视频 Boulder chancellor has encouraged our campus community to embody courage, curiosity, care and consistency as we engage with one another, prioritize free expression and pursue creative ideas. His vision aligns with our values and I鈥檓 optimistic that the College of Music鈥攁long with all arts and humanities units on campus鈥攚ill prosper under his leadership, and sustain our current momentum in student recruitment and retention.

By reimagining our offerings to include more diverse disciplines and perspectives, we鈥檙e implementing a richer, more holistic educational experience for our students that ignites their explorations across wide-ranging fields of interest鈥攚hile nurturing their capacity to engage meaningfully, compassionately and confidently with the summons of our time.

From our dedicated community of supporters to our versatile students to our forward-looking faculty and staff, I鈥檓 immensely proud of what we鈥檝e already achieved together. In the new year, stay tuned for announcements of our most recent programmatic and curricular developments that meet the moment鈥攊ncluding a new BA degree emphasis.

Meanwhile, I wish you peaceful, joyful holidays!

John Davis
Dean, College of Music

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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!

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Smiley, who teaches a large 370-student jazz history class as well as a jazz combo, plans to use the fellowship to advance his compositional goals. His primary focus during this time will be composing a suite of octet music鈥攁 significant leap in scope from his usual compositions for smaller groups like trios, quartets and quintets. He鈥檚 looking ahead to spring 2025 when he hopes to record his new compositions with both 欧美口爆视频 musicians and other collaborators from across the country.

As a composer, Smiley鈥檚 work sits at the intersection of jazz and contemporary classical music, drawing on improvisational techniques that challenge the conventions of both genres. 鈥淭he music I write is always too improvisational for the contemporary classical world but utilizes modern compositional techniques that are still foreign to most of the jazz world,鈥� he explains. Smiley is inspired by composers such as Christian Wolff, known for creating compositions meant to be performed in different ways with varying orchestrations, ensuring that no performance is ever the same. This flexible, open form of composition has become a hallmark of Smiley鈥檚 approach which he鈥檚 excited to explore further. 

While Smiley is accustomed to composing for small ensembles of musicians with whom he regularly collaborates, the MacDowell Fellowship offers an opportunity to expand his creative work to larger ensembles and broader collaborations鈥攁 challenge he鈥檚 ready to embrace while maintaining the intimacy and improvisational spirit of his works for smaller ensembles.

Smiley鈥檚 path to the MacDowell Fellowship was marked by persistence and inspiration from peers.  (BM 鈥�11, MM 鈥�20)鈥攁 欧美口爆视频 Boulder College of Music alumna and a successful local composer, pianist, educator and entrepreneur鈥攅ncouraged him to apply for composition residencies. 鈥淚 have never had planned time off from teaching, performing and working to sit down and focus solely on writing music,鈥� Smiley notes. 鈥淚 have a lot of goals to accomplish while I鈥檓 there.鈥�

Especially, Smiley is eager to develop new compositions that embrace the unpredictability of improvisation while utilizing advanced compositional techniques. His work will undoubtedly continue to challenge the boundaries of both the jazz and contemporary classical music worlds鈥攂ringing fresh perspectives to both genres.

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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� 

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)

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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 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�

Working 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 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
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 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. 

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Russell currently serves as professor of music education at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music ed and string pedagogy, and directs the Hartt String Project.

With degrees from Indiana, Shepherd and Northwestern universities鈥攂efore earning a doctorate at our College of Music鈥擱ussell exemplifies what it means to be a universal musician: Beyond his earned expertise in classical, jazz and contemporary musical styles, his research interests include musician health, teacher education, string education and psycho-social/cognitive development in musical learning and teaching. 

Reflecting on his College of Music experience, Russell recalls the significant impact of his mentors and peers in shaping his career trajectory: 鈥淚 was lucky to have some great opportunities to work with professors of music education Jim Austin and Margaret Berg鈥攁nd halfway through my time, Associate Professor of Music Education Martina Miranda came to 欧美口爆视频. The faculty were amazing to me.鈥�

He adds, 鈥淢y fellow students also contributed to my positive experience at the College of Music鈥擨鈥檓 still great friends with many of them. People make an institution and they taught me the value of being able to 鈥榝ail鈥� and still be treated with dignity and kindness.鈥�

Russell further emphasizes the importance of resilience as instilled by his mentors and colleagues, calling it 鈥渁pproximations of success鈥濃�攖hat is, pursuing incremental goals that ultimately lead to a larger goal. 鈥淪ay you have an end goal of playing a beautiful concerto,鈥� he explains. 鈥淏efore you achieve that, you need to be able to produce a good tone. After that, you need to have the finger facility. 

鈥淛im Austin taught me the importance of mastery motivation theory, which I鈥檝e applied to my career 鈥� and continue to teach my students.鈥�

Discovering mentors can be challenging, but Russell shares his approach: 鈥淪eek out somebody who does the kind of work that you want to do, and who does it in a way that you appreciate and respect. 

鈥淔or me, kindness is paramount. I鈥檝e found that some of the most amazing performers or brilliant scholars I鈥檝e encountered are also some of the nicest, kindest human beings.鈥�

Universal musicianship
In a field where specialization may seem the epitome of success, Russell鈥檚 success proves that being versatile and flexible is both professionally advantageous and personally fulfilling. 

鈥淭he world needs universal musicians,鈥� he says. 鈥淧rofessionally鈥攆or performers, teachers, scholars鈥攖hat means thinking broadly when you set goals for yourself. As one of my mentors said, 鈥業f you鈥檙e overly focused on one goal, you鈥檙e going to miss all the shiny stuff on the side 鈥� and there鈥檚 a lot of shiny stuff off to the side.鈥� 

Russell further believes that understanding one鈥檚 motivations is crucial to musical fulfillment: 鈥淏e aware of the underlying reasons for what you鈥檙e doing,鈥� he advises. 

He鈥檚 also observed a shift toward prioritizing service to others over musical outcomes鈥攚hich he views with optimism. 鈥淲hat I love about this generation of musicians and scholars is that their approach to music is more 鈥榟umanistic鈥欌�攚hereas we used to be more focused on student achievement and process. I think both worldviews are valuable and important for music educators and scholars today.鈥�

Prior to his roles at the University of Hartford, Russell taught here at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder, as well as instrumental music (orchestra and guitar) and general music (grades 4-12) in 欧美口爆视频 and northern Virginia. He also taught at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, conducted several youth symphonies, and was the founding director of the Loudoun County String Orchestra and after-school program. 

Russell currently serves on several editorial boards and鈥攊n addition to authoring Statistics in Music Education (Oxford University Press)鈥攈is research articles have been widely published. He often presents his research throughout the United States and abroad.

Congratulations on your well-earned distinction, Joshua Russell!

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Historically, minority groups have been overlooked in classical music performance. Since 2019, the College of Music鈥檚 Persevering Legacy project鈥攚ith support from the 鈥攁ims to bring such underrepresented artists into the spotlight.

On March 7, will showcase the talents of more than a dozen undergraduate and graduate students in a celebration of women-identifying composers from around the world. Selected from more than 20 submissions, the program will include works for bassoon, saxophone, French horn, trombone, violin, viola, piano, voice and electronic sounds in various combinations and featuring a range of musical styles. 

Professor of Piano Pedagogy Alejandro Cremaschi has been coordinating the annual Persevering Legacy event and chairing the selection committee for the last six years. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been interested in promoting and disseminating works by composers in underrepresented groups in the classical music field,鈥� he says. 

Cremaschi and Assistant Professor of Composition Annika Socolofsky comprised this year鈥檚 Persevering Legacy selection committee.

Many of the works to be performed come from the American Music Research Center鈥檚 including music by Black women composers such as Avril Coleridge-Taylor, Margaret Bonds, Florence Price and Mary Watkins, according to Cremaschi. 鈥淭he program also includes a solo piano work by undergraduate composer Josie Arnett, to be performed by another undergraduate, Holly McMahon,鈥� he adds. 

Cremaschi further notes his excitement to discover how many students are interested in performing often neglected works. 鈥淭he Persevering Legacy project is among the most successful DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] initiatives of the College of Music, creating awareness, excitement and engagement among our students and faculty for exploring amazing works that would otherwise be collecting dust,鈥� he says. 鈥淧ersevering Legacy concerts also create support around the women and women-identifying musicians and composers in our college.鈥�

As part of this year鈥檚 Persevering Legacy event, alumnus Gregory Walker鈥攕on of the composer George Walker and Helen Walker-Hill, a pianist and musicologist who specialized in the music of Black women鈥攚ill present a master class on March 5, 10:50 a.m.-12:20 p.m. (C125). Walker鈥攁 violinist, composer and American Academy of Arts and Letters Fellowship recipient, among other distinctions鈥攊s professor of music and entertainment studies at 欧美口爆视频 Denver.

for Persevering Legacy on March 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Imig Music Building, Chamber Hall (S102).

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