Faculty notes

Read on for notes on accomplishments and accolades for College of Music faculty in 2020

James Austin
Professor of Music Education

Austin presented a research poster titled "Student and Parent Perspectives on Teacher Status" at the Society for Music Teacher Education (SMTE) symposium in September alongside Margaret Berg and David Rickels. He received a 25-Year Service Award from the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA) in January.

Margaret Berg
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Professor of Music Education

Berg began serving as associate dean for graduate studies in July 2019. She continues to teach graduate-level courses and advise theses and dissertations. She gave a presentation alongside James Austin and David Rickels at the Society for Music Teacher Education symposium on high school student and parent perspectives on music teacher status. She was also invited to give a pre-conference workshop on assessment at the national American String Teachers Association (ASTA) conference. Berg was recently nominated to participate in the CU Boulder Faculty Leadership Institute. 

James Brody

Associate Professor of Oboe and Director of the Musicians’ Wellness Program

Brody has been instrumental in creating a space for the Musicians’ Wellness Program in the new Imig Music Building. The new space includes an open-plan classroom with multiple mirrors for self study, light exercise equipment and yoga mats, setting students up for success throughout their musical careers.

Matthew Chellis

Associate Professor of Voice

Chellis is spearheading the new Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre degree program at the College of Music. He produced two productions during the 2019-20 academic year, Edges and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, both of which sold out every performance. He continues to spearhead the college’s involvement in the national Schmidt Vocal Arts competition, which was held at the College of Music in December. Chellis also continues to run his summer vocal training program, the Up North Vocal Institute (UNVI), in Michigan. 

Peter Cooper

Teaching Professor, Oboe

Cooper’s article on preparing for orchestral auditions was translated into French and published by the French Oboe Association’s magazine, which also published a video performance of his on its Facebook page. Cooper taught master classes and gave recitals at Northwestern University, University of Kansas, West Virginia University and University of South Alabama. He was also interviewed for the Midwest Double Reed Society’s magazine, taught virtual lessons at the Rocky Ridge Music Center and continued as principal oboe at the Colorado Symphony.

Andrew Cooperstock

Professor of Piano

Cooperstock was the recipient of the 2020 CU Boulder Faculty Assembly Excellence Award in Teaching and Pedagogy. He presented “Beethoven at 250: A Celebration of His Pedagogical Legacy” for the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) 2020 virtual conference, which was accompanied by an article for MTNA’s online journal. He also created videos for the series “From the Artist Bench” and “Inside the Studio,” presented by the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy and wrote articles for the Piano Magazine and California Music Teacher magazine. Cooperstock was named president-elect of the Colorado Music Teachers Association and program director of the Saarburg International Music Festival and School in Germany. He continues to perform in such diverse places as Germany, the Czech Republic, New York, Maryland, Florida and South Carolina.

Alejandro Cremaschi

Professor of Piano Pedagogy

Cremaschi was part of the planning committee for the College Music Society’s 2020 National Conference in Miami. He co-authored a chapter in the book Performing Knowledge: Twentieth-Century Music in Analysis and Performance with Daphne Leong, published by Oxford University Press. He presented a national webinar on online teaching for the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy and published an article on the same subject in Piano Magazine in May. 

Ryan Gardner 

Associate Professor of Trumpet

Gardner was a featured artist alongside Doc Severinsen, Phil Smith and other notable trumpeters at the Brigham Young University Trumpet Festival in Utah. He then enjoyed a fantastic recital tour throughout the state of Texas, where he performed and worked with students from nine different colleges and universities. Another highlight was his collaboration with Donald McKinney and the students of the CU Wind Symphony this past February. Gardner's latest CD, Sempiternal Songs, received rave reviews in the International Trumpet Guild journal. As a member of the organization Music for Autism, Gardner initiated a new virtual concert format that can be watched from all over the world.

Andrew Garland

Assistant Professor of Voice

Garland had performing engagements all over the country, including at the Moab Music Festival and the New York Festival of Song gala, and with Boston Baroque, the Colorado Symphony, Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, Colorado Bach Ensemble and the Toledo Symphony. He collaborated with Margaret McDonald for a joint faculty recital, performed his own faculty recital of new music and premieres and sang in the College of Music’s Centennial kickoff concert. Future engagements include a return to the Colorado Symphony, a premiere with the Nashville Symphony, concerts with Santa Fe Pro Musica, faculty recitals and a recital with pianist Warren Jones. 

John Gunther

Associate Professor and Director of the Thompson Jazz Studies Program

Gunther traveled to Buenos Aires for several performances and a master class at the Tamaba School of Music. He recorded with acclaimed artists Dave Douglas and Elan Mehler for the Newvelle record label and attended the International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ) conference in Zagreb, Croatia, with one of his students. In July, Gunther recorded a series of videos documenting his ongoing collaboration with Gnawa musician Fourat Koyo, which was supported through a CU Boulder Center for Humanities and the Arts (CHA) faculty project grant.

Christina Jennings

Associate Professor of Flute

Jennings performed the music of J.S. Bach in several concerts with pianist Simone Dinnerstein in Fall 2019. She also performed concertos with San Francisco's New Century Chamber Orchestra and appeared with the Baroklyn Chamber Orchestra at Columbia University's Miller Theater. 

Yonatan Malin

Associate Professor of Music Theory

Malin co-edited a special issue of the journal Analytical Approaches to World Music and contributed an article titled "Ethnography and Analysis in the Study of Jewish Music.” He also presented his paper "Listening to Klezmer Music through Schema Theory” at the annual meeting of the Society for Music Theory (SMT). Last fall he completed a three-year term on the executive board for SMT.

Carter Pann

Associate Professor of Composition

In early March, Pann’s Concerto for Soprano Saxophone received its world premiere at the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) in Tempe, Arizona. Pann is currently working on a new piano solo, commissioned for the forthcoming Eastman School of Music Centennial Celebration, to be premiered by ESM pianist Marina Lomazov. Two new Pann recordings, Giantess and Vox, were released this year on the Innova label, both of which showcase his catalog of flute and chamber music.

David A. Rickels

Associate Professor of Music Education and Chair of Music Education

Rickels began a term as chair of SMTE, serving until 2022. Rickels was elected to this post by his peers, having previously served on the SMTE national board in other roles. He was also the lead author of an article examining how high school music students consider possible careers in music teaching and the influences that impact that decision. The paper, titled “A Comparative Analysis of Influences on Choosing a Music Teaching Occupation," was published in the September 2019 issue of the Journal of Research in Music Education, with professors Ted Hoffman (University of Montevallo) and Bill Fredrickson (Florida State University). 

Joel Schut

Assistant Director of Orchestral Studies and Instructor of Music Education

Schut began his term as editor for the American String Teachers Journal this year. He gave a presentation titled "Rehearsal Revolution" at the 2019 Midwest International Band and Orchestral Conference Clinic and presented at the 2020 CMEA conference and the Tri-M Music Honors Society. Schut conducted clinical honors orchestras in Massachusetts, Virginia, Nevada and Colorado and conducted the CU Philharmonia Orchestra in the world premiere performance of John Clay Allen's (DMA '19) piano concerto featuring Hsing-ay Hsu as pianist.

Elizabeth Swanson

Associate Director of Choral Studies and Assistant Professor of Conducting

Swanson performed as a vocalist in the select choral ensemble Chorale le Chateau in three concert performances with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center. In November 2019, Swanson served as a guest conductor of the Wellesley College Choir at Wellesley College. She was also elected to serve on the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO) executive board as vice president, beginning her two-year term in January.

Benjamin R. Teitelbaum

Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology and Coordinator of Non-Major Studies

Teitelbaum published a new book this spring, titled War for Eternity: Inside Bannon's Far Right Circle of Global Power Brokers with HarperCollins (United States) and Penguin (Europe). 

Douglas Walter

Professor of Percussion and Jazz 

Walter’s article and accompanying video, “Introducing the Walter Grip,” was published by the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) in February. His book on left hand development for the marimba, titled NO LEFT HAND BEHIND! was published by VAPMedia in January. Walter played solo recitals and gave clinics on his work in a spring tour to five colleges in Pennsylvania and Delaware. He gave a lecture and demonstration on his technique at the McCormick Marimba Festival in Tampa in January.  

Keith Waters

Professor of Music Theory

Waters' book, Postbop Jazz in the 1960s: The Compositions of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, was published by Oxford University Press in 2019.

Takács Quartet welcomes Richard O'Neill

The Takács Quartet released a recording on Hyperion Records in May that included piano quintets by Amy Beach and Edward Elgar and featured Garrick Ohlsson at the piano. In June, BBC Radio 3 featured violinist Edward Dusinberre in a five-day Composer of the Week series, discussing Beethoven’s late quartets. In January, violinist Harumi Rhodes partnered with both the Harvest of Hope Food Pantry and Saint Aidan’s Church to present a benefit concert, “If Music Be the Food…” The event brought together 20 local musicians, actors, writers, CU students, faculty and alumni to raise awareness for food insecurity in Boulder. Over the summer, Rhodes continued her work with the pantry through her teaching, creating a private platform through which local music teachers are encouraged to donate any portion of their lesson fees to help feed those in need. Meanwhile, this summer the quartet celebrated its debut with new violist Richard O’Neill at the Virtual Opening Night concert of the Colorado Music Festival (CMF).