College of Music in the News

August 19, 2021

Alumnus at Santa Fe Opera

David Portillo, (MM ’05) tenor, has created the role of Jonathan Harker in John Corigliano’s Lord of Cries at the Santa Fe Opera. The libretto is by Mark Adamo, conducted by Johannes Debus and directed by James Darrah. Photo: Curtis Brown.

August 19, 2021

Alumna to Pacific Northwest

Kelsey Nussbaum (Ph.D., Music Education ‘21) has accepted a position as Visiting Lecturer in Music Education at the University of Washington at Seattle.

August 19, 2021

Wind Ensemble Named Finalist

The University of North Texas Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Lecturer of Wind Studies, Daniel Cook, has been named finalist of The American Prize: celebrating American excellence in the arts in Wind Ensemble Performance. The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the most comprehensive series of contests in the classical arts in the United States. The American Prize is nonprofit, unique in scope and structure and is designed to evaluate, recognize and reward the best performers, ensembles, composers and administrators.

https://tinyurl.com/PrizeWindEnsemble

August 19, 2021

Associate Dean Performs

Associate Dean for Operations and Professor of Violin, Felix Olschofka, was featured as part of Chamber Music on the Mountain on the KUAF 91.3 Public Radio show “Ozark at Large” hosted by Kyle Kellams (2nd from l). He performed in guest artist recitals at the Momentary Museum in Bentonville (AR) and the Mount Sequoyah Center in Fayetteville (AR). He also gave a master class to pre-college violinists during the chamber music festival. Also pictured l-r are Daniel Valesco and Tomoko Kashiwagi.

August 19, 2021

Alumnus Named International Finalist

Austin Ford (BM ’21) has been named one of six international finalists of the 2021 Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition sponsored by the International Trumpet Guild and the Herb Alpert Foundation. This event is one of the world’s most prestigious competitions for jazz trumpeters. He will compete live at the Lamont School of Music in October for the $10,000 first place prize.

https://liberalarts.du.edu/lamont/caruso-competition

August 19, 2021

Piano Alumnus Competes

Jacob Nydegger (MM ’20, BM ’17) was awarded second prize in the 2021 William Knabe International Piano Competition (Concerto Division). William Knabe Piano Institute. Nydegger earlier this year was awarded 1st Prize in the Senior category of the 2021 Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition, and as part of his award will perform in the Elgar Room of the Royal Albert Hall in London during the 21-22 season. He has in the past year also won awards in the Ann and Charles Eisemann International Young Artists Competition and the 2021 Music International Grand Prix Competition.

August 19, 2021

Student Wins Grand Prize

D.J. Rice (BM ’20 and MM student in jazz composition) is the Grand Prize recipient of the USA Music Composition International Competition by IYMC for his composition, Song for Renel. There were 102 entries from 35 countries. Receiving the grand prize reflects the judges perfect score of 100. DJ, trombone; Will Nathman, saxophone; Henry Dickhoff, piano and John Sturino, Drumset.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqc1q1i_B-Y

 

 

August 19, 2021

Student Choral Conductors Receive TCDA Scholarships

At the Texas Choral Directors Association conference, eight University of North Texas students/alumni were awarded academic scholarships - Kimberley Ahrens, Francis Cathlina (DMA ’21), Skylar DuBose, Hasoo Eun, Jessica Hausmann, Celli RaMatheny, William Swinney and Sheridan White.

August 19, 2021

Alumna World Premiere in Wichita

Lisa Despain - Composer (BM ’91) one of the winners of the biennial Zepick Modern Opera Competition, along with librettist Rachel J. Peters, premiered their latest collaboration, Staggerwing, at Opera Kansas on July 30 at the Kansas Aviation Museum in Visit Wichita. A female-led world premiere, Staggerwing brings to life the historical and dangerous flight of aviatrixes Louis Thaden and Blanche Noyes as they compete for and win the transcontinental 1936 Bendix Trophy Race.

July 23, 2021

Composition Faculty and Alumni at Conference

Twelve members of the College of Music faculty and alumni represented the University of North Texas at the International Computer Music Conference 2021 being held online from Chile. Faculty include Professor Jon Nelson, Associate Professor Panayiotis Kokoras, Associate Professor Andrew May, Principal Lecturer Elizabeth McNutt and alumni Jason Fick (PhD ’13), Mikel Keuhn (BM), Elainie Lillios (DMA ’00), Bradley Robin (PhD ’16), Seth Shafer (PhD ’17), Zach Thomas (PhD ’19) and Yu-Chung Tseng (MM ’94, DMA ’98) have music being presented at the conference while Jeffrey Morris (DMA ’07) provides a workshop.

July 23, 2021

Theory Faculty Published

Andrew Chung, Assistant Professor of Music Theory, published an article entitled "Vibration, Difference, and Solidarity in the Anthropocene: Ethical Difficulties of New Materialist Sound Studies and Some Alternatives" in Resonance vol. 2, no. 2. 

https://tinyurl.com/SRChung

July 23, 2021

New Alumnus to Academy

Austin Ford (BM ’21), trumpet, was named to the Jazz Aspen Snowmass 2021 Academy. The program “identifies and assists the most talented artists embracing jazz.” Academy membership comes with a full-cost of attendance award. This is the second alumnus included this Summer.

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