Assistant Professor of Jazz Guitar, Davy Mooney, his book and his new video series, Advanced Improvisational Concepts, were all showcased along with a Division of Jazz Studies shout out.

NHK televised concert, "Motto Shikoku Ongakusai 2020" featured Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies, Jonathan "Capital" Patterson (3rd from the left), as music director, performer and expert commentator. He starred alongside Japanese comedian Kiyotaka Nanbara as a guest commentator for the entire program. He was music director, arranger and guitarist for four songs that included collaborations with JPOP stars Angela Aki and Hiroshi Miyama, a 23-piece traditional Japanese festival ensemble, and a large-scale arrangement combining 16 ensembles and more than 170 participants into one socially distanced musical performance.

Michelle Herring Folta (PhD ’15, MMED ’12) has been named one of ten finalists for the 2021 GRAMMY Music Educator Award. She is Associate Professor of choral/general music education at Columbus State University in Georgia (USA).

Nat Irvin, II (DMA ’87, Composition) and sons appear on Denton Black Film Festival SoulTalk with Frederick “Nick” Nichelson, DBFF Music Director, discussing Denton connections and their work on the American horror film Antebellum and other projects.

Shuo-Hui Sophie Hung, (DMA '18) has joined Southwestern Oklahoma State University as tenure-track Assistant Professor of Music in Piano.

Even during a pandemic, Linda Strube, programs coordinator, safely produces performance programs with limited printing. Linda began producing performance program in 2001 and has produced 18,337 programs.

Episode 24 with Dr. John Richmond, Dean of the UNT College of Music.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/43g25fF1YMlSbtEFu4jhTV?si=o5K2AoXVTLWH3...

Justin Benavidez (BM ’05) is now under agreement with Oxford University Press to publish Notes for Tubists: A Guide to the Repertoire with release date in 2023. The publication is designed to be the definitive guide to significant works for the tuba soloist repertoire. He is Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Florida State University College of Music.

Jay Walls (MM ’95 Composition, PhD ’11 Composition) was named Chair for the Harding University Department of Music in Searcy, Arkansas. He is Associate Professor teaching composition, orchestration and counterpoint and is director of the Arts & Life Performance Series.

The Foundation for Music Education competition has named Denton High School (TX) as the national winner of the High School Jazz Ensemble Division. Jesse Woolery (BM ’04) leads the winning ensemble and is Associate Director of Bands, Director of Jazz Studies and also “the voice” of the University of North Texas Green Brigade.

The one act opera “No Ladies in the Ladies Book,” composed by Lisa DeSpain (BM ’91) with libretto by Rachel J. Peters and commissioned by Utah Opera has been released for publishing and licensing.

Bryron Crenshaw (BM ’19) debut album, Bass Tone Paintings, "is a psychedelic jazz album of one minute-long songs with introspective sentiments on Black identity, love for the environment and social media anxieties. The album spans seventeen tracks spoken in four languages, recorded primarily with Byron’s bass guitar and vocoder.”