Alumni high notes

Fulbright Fellowship 
The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board named alumna and mezzo-soprano Kelly Riordan a Fulbright Fellow studying with Exilarte: Center for Banned Music and the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. 

Alumna Ruth Opara—who earned a PhD in musicology at our College of Music—was awarded a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship to research and analyze women’s participation in music and dance in Nigeria. Additionally, she was appointed Assistant Professor in Ethnomusicology at the Columbia University Department of Music. 

Annual Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition
Alumna and mezzo-soprano Winona Martin won first prize in the 35th Annual Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition. 

Joy In Singing 2023 Debut Award 
Alumna and mezzo soprano Claire McCahan (also pictured above) is the Joy In Singing 2023 Debut Award Artist. At this year’s International Art Song Competition final, she presented a program of works by Joseph Brackett, Rebecca Clarke, George Crumb, Jake Heggie, Florence Price and Judith Weir, supported by collaborative pianist Erick Sedgwick. McCahan performed a recital at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall in New York City in February. 

 

Alumnus Zane Cupec—who directs the CU Boulder Latin American Ensemble and who also serves as affiliate faculty at Metropolitan State University of Denver—has been selected by the MSU College of Letters, Arts and Sciences as a 2023 CLAS Dean’s Award winner. 

Alumna Brittan Braddock—assistant professor of music, director of bands and coordinator of music education at Mercer University—is recipient of the Townsend School of Music 2022-23 Outstanding Faculty Award. A former student of Donald McKinney, our own director of bands and professor of conducting, Braddock earned a DMA in wind conducting + literature at CU Boulder. 

Alumna Bonnie Draina takes a multifaceted approach to promoting health and well-being among musicians worldwide. Her writing has garnered the support of baritone Thomas Hampson who wrote the foreword for her book, “The Breathing Book for Singers.” This Body Mapping workbook is used in vocal pedagogy programs at leading schools, including the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and the University of Southern California. Draina is a long-time affiliate of the College of Music’s Musicians’ Wellness Program, providing consultation and instruction. 

Alumna Mindy Watkins: “Try everything”
College of Music alumna Mindy Watkins recently released her first album, “Tuesday’s Child.” Discover what inspired the album and the path she took to get there. 

By a string (Boulder Weekly)
Get inspired by alumna Rachel Sliker’s musical journey—from the camaraderie she feels with a local community of “side players,” like Jeb Bows of Isakov’s band, Stelth Ulvang of the Lumineers and the musicians in Nathaniel Rateliff’s horn section, to her aspirations of leading her own band, with her own songs, on vocals and guitar.