Materials from Boulder blues icon Otis Taylor now housed at CU Boulder (April 13, 2024, The Denver Post)
Materials from renowned Boulder-based blues musician Otis Taylor are now part of CU Boulder’s American Music Research Center archival collections. “…housing his work at the AMRC is the best way to give him the visibility, the recognition and the honor that he deserves, as somebody who has made major contributions to American music and culture,” says Austin Okigbo, interim director of the AMRC.
Oakland Symphony Announces Its New Music Director (April 9, 2024, San Francisco Classical Voice)
Congratulations to alumnus Kedrick Armstrong (MM ’23) on his appointment as music director of the Oakland Symphony!
Meet Kedrick Armstrong, the new Oakland Symphony music director (April 9, 2024, The Oaklandside)
Sphinx Virtuosi coming to Gates Concert Hall March 20 (March 10, 2024, KGNU)
Featuring Alex Gonzalez, Sphinx Virtuosi’s concertmaster and assistant professor of violin at our College of Music!
Takács Quartet features music by Zimbabwean/Japanese composer Nokuthula Ngwenyama (March 5, 2024, Sharps & Flatirons)
The College of Music’s Takács Quartet brings “Flow” by violist and composer Nokuthula Ngwenyama—of Ndebele (Zimbabwean) and Japanese descent—to Boulder audiences on a program that also includes works by Haydn and Dvořák.
CU student composers debut original pieces at SoundWorks concert (Feb. 20, 2024, CU Independent)
The CU Boulder SoundWorks series at our College of Music debuts original compositions by student composers
CU Boulder to offer music production beginning in 2025 (Feb. 16, 2024, Daily Camera)
Our College of Music will offer a specialization in music production beginning in the fall of 2025, creating a path for students seeking a non-traditional music career. John Davis, dean of the College of Music, said a degree with a concentration in music production opens up hundreds of potential occupations.
MSU Denver’s newest space gives young musicians a place to call home (Feb. 14, 2024, MSU Denver RED)
We love this announcement referencing College of Music Jazz Studies Lecturer and Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts (CCJA) Co-Founder Paul Romaine, as well as the late jazz great and music educator Ron Miles (MMus ’89), in a wonderful partnership benefitting students from CU Boulder, MSU Denver and CSU‚ along with middle- and high school students.
Boulder theater singers to perform in Leadville (Feb. 2, 2024, The Leadville Herald)
The University of Colorado Boulder Eklund Opera Theater Singers will visit Leadville to share their program “Music: the Food of Love.”
Sentimental Work: Edward Dusinberre on Beethoven’s String Quartet No.8 (Jan. 24, 2024, The Strad)
Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 8 has been a life companion for Edward Dusinberre, first violinist of our Takács Quartet.
Glorious music gloriously played by pianist David Korevaar and the Carpe Diem String Quartet (Jan. 19, 2024, Classical CD Reviews)
Congratulations to Professor of Piano David Korevaar and the Carpe Diem String Quartet for this terrific, well-earned review of their newly released CD—including the world premiere recording of Luigi Perrachio’s Piano Quintet.
Composer expresses the origins of the universe using string instruments (Jan. 17, 2024, National Public Radio)
The College of Music’s Takács Quartet was featured on NPR’s Morning Edition in a conversation about Nokuthula Ngwenyama’s “Flow.” The quartet commissioned the composition and gave it its world premiere in November 2023 ... and is now touring it across the country.
Colorado Symphony showcases modern composers in “Mozart & Now” (Jan. 15, 2024, Denver Post)
Our Professor of Horn Mike Thornton—who’s also Principal Horn with the Colorado Symphony—will perform Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4 in the Colorado Symphony’s “Mozart & Now” concerts. Additionally, as an encore, Thornton will perform a work by DMA student James Morris.
Takács Quartet with guest pianists (Jan. 10, 2024, Sharps & Flatirons)
Joyce Yang in Macky Friday, David Korevaar in Grusin Sunday and Monday
Review: Annual Eklund Opera Scenes travel through time (Dec. 3, 2023, CU Independent)
Director who built CU Presents to retire after 30 years (Nov. 25, 2023, Daily Camera, Denver Post)
Joan McLean Braun built CU Presents into what it is today: The home of all performing arts at the University of Colorado Boulder, with 500 events a year spanning from opera and concerts to Shakespeare and theater. Braun, born and raised in Boulder and an alumna of the university, was appointed the executive director of CU Presents in 2001 and will retire in June after a 30-year career at CU Boulder.
4 campus members receive employee of the year recognition (Nov. 13, 2023, CU Boulder Today)
Chancellor Philip DiStefano has announced the recipients of the 2023 Employee of the Year awards, including the College of Music’s Senior House Manager Rojana Savoye!
Boulder Phil brings music of hope to audience (Nov. 13, 2023, Sharps & Flatirons)
...featuring the world premiere of "Beacon" by our Professor of Composition Jeffrey Nytch.
Haugen to be featured on Wolpert’s ‘Leviathans’ at Bemidji Symphony Orchestra concert (Nov. 11, 2023, Bemidji Pioneer)
Eric Haugen and Max Wolpert, now both 30 years old, performed together as members of the Bemidji Symphony Orchestra when they were 11. [...] both ended up in graduate school at the University of Colorado.
“Glory Colorado” Meets Tupac as CU Marching Band Feels the Prime Effect (Nov. 10, 2023, Westword)
Boulder Phil’s ‘Visions of a Brighter Tomorrow’ shines light on the Boulder Star and its 75 years of illumination (Nov. 9, 2023, Daily Camera)
Event features the premiere of “Beacon” by College of Music Professor of Composition Jeffrey Nytch.
In retrospect: KGNU started broadcasting in a bungalow at the Harvest House Hotel (Nov. 5, 2023, Daily Camera)
Since 1978, KGNU has been committed to diverse programming and offered something for everyone. They also forged collaborations with our College of Music.
CU marching band noticing high energy with ‘Prime Effect’ (Nov. 1, 2023, FOX31)
Embracing the Prime Era: How the band is thriving beyond the field (Oct. 31, 2023, CU Boulder Today)
“The marching band impacts the lives of students from across campus and that's part of our mission to develop universal, multifaceted, multi-skilled graduates,” says Dean John Davis. “Whether students are majoring in music, or another field, the integration of music into their lives and potentially into parts of their careers is what we're all about.”
Eklund Opera presents Verdi’s madcap Falstaff (Oct. 25, 2023, Sharps & Flatirons)
“Song of Pueblo” gets full orchestra premiere (Oct. 20, 2023, Denver7)
The historical musical, which has been performed by a smaller band for 15 years, has partnered with the CU Boulder Chamber Orchestra for the first time.
A musical journey through the cultural history of Pueblo goes north to Boulder (Oct. 19, 2023, Colorado Public Radio)
“Song of Pueblo”—performed by the CU Boulder Chamber Orchestra and El Pueblo Ensemble—tells the history of its namesake city and the surrounding region in music and images.
Meet Your Musician Bravo! Vail Edition: Lírios Quartet (Oct. 16, 2023, Vail Daily)
We love this spotlight on the Lírios Quartet—the College of Music’s fantastic Graduate String Quartet in Residence!
Orchestra to perform at concert detailing Pueblo’s history (Oct. 10, 2023, Fox21 News)
The El Pueblo Ensemble is teaming up with the CU Boulder Chamber Orchestra to perform Daniel Valdez’s sweeping oratorio “Song of Pueblo.” The program is a collaboration with our American Music Research Center’s multiyear “Soundscapes of the People” project focused on the music and musical history of Pueblo. Join us for “Song of Pueblo” on Oct. 21 (Memorial Hall, Pueblo) and Oct. 26 (Grusin Music Hall).
Pro Musica Colorado announces 2023-24 concert season (Oct. 2, 2023, Sharps & Flatirons)
We love the many wonderful ways in which our students, alumni and faculty are involved in our community—including Pro Musica Colorado’s upcoming season featuring the world premiere of a new work by College of Music graduate student Jessie Lausé as well as performances by distinguished alumnus Ashraf Sewailam, and faculty members Jennifer Bird-Arvidsson and Nicolò Spera.
Rich history of Pueblo told through ‘Song of Pueblo’ (Sept. 30, 2023, Alamosa Citizen)
We’re excited for “Song of Pueblo”—a musical journey of Pueblo’s cultural history, performed by El Pueblo Ensemble and our CU Boulder Chamber Orchestra. Learn more about our American Music Research Center’s Soundscapes of the People initiative.
Anna Sie remembered as trailblazing philanthropist across the state (Sept. 26, 2023, Denverite)
While we’re greatly saddened by Anna Sie’s passing, we’re forever grateful for her and her husband’s—John—philanthropy in our community, including their profound impact on our College of Music.
Music and studio teachers to grace Washburn University for state conference (Sept. 21, 2023, WIBW)
Washburn University’s music and theatre department hosted the 2023 Kansas Music Teachers Association State Conference featuring the College of Music's own Professor of Piano David Korevaar as the conference guest artist!
5 Classical Music Albums You Can Listen to Right Now (Aug. 31, 2023, New York Times)
We’re proud of this awesome review of our Takács Quartet's new recording—“…a pairing of works from 1895: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s set of five ‘Fantasiestücke’ and Dvorak’s Quartet in G (Op. 106), with an earlier Dvorak Andante movement as a sweet coda. [...] this is a distinctly rich, sunset-afterglow take on late Romanticism.”
3 faculty, staff selected for Excellence in Leadership Program (Aug. 25, 2023, CU Boulder Today)
Associate Professor of Music Education Leila Heil has been selected to participate in the CU system’s Excellence in Leadership Program this academic year.
The Carlos Lando Colorado Music Educator Award Honors Outstanding Advocates for New Generations of Jazz Musicians (Aug. 18, 2023, KUVO Jazz)
Rocky Mountain Public Media continued its second year of the Carlos Lando Colorado Music Educator Award honoring Colorado’s outstanding music educators. Paul Romaine, who has served on our College of Music faculty since 2005, received the 2023 award.
Visual art, music converge in new Lake Tahoe exhibit (Aug. 1, 2023, Tahoe Daily Tribune)
In a groundbreaking fusion of art and music, College of Music alumnus Josh Reed and visual artist Emily Ward Bivens (also a CU Boulder alum) joined forces to create an immersive experience—“Human, Robot, Human.”
Is music a viable major and career plan? (August 2023, MajoringinMusic.com)
“...find classes, a minor or a certificate program to help you learn how to create your own opportunities and fill needs in the community through a music-related response. ‘Entrepreneurship goes beyond business skills…’ says Jeffrey Nytch, who directs the College of Music’s Entrepreneurship Center for Music.”
You can surely name some female jazz singers. These two hope you’ll soon be able to name some female jazz composers too. (July 19, 2023, CPR News)
It’s so great to see the impact and influence of College of Music alumni like Annie Booth!
These CU Boulder student singers are getting paid to work on new operas with famous composers (June 16, 2023, CPR News)
CU New Opera workshop presents a show in search of a title (June 14, 2023, Sharps & Flatirons)
Two composers honor Chautauqua’s 125th birthday (July 13, 2023, Denver Gazette)
We’re so proud of alumnus Jordan Holloway and Professor of Composition Carter Pann!
The Sound of Silence (July 10, 2023, The Coloradan)
Assistant Professor of Music Technology Grace Leslie directs the ATLAS Brain-Music Lab, CU Boulder’s interdisciplinary institute for radical creativity and invention. “We look at people experiencing music and study their brain waves,” says Leslie. “From there, we develop new ways of working with that data and then often transform it back into the performance or a new artistic piece.”
CU Boulder hosts national music program for Black, Latino teens (June 29, 2023, Daily Camera)
The College of Music is hosting 22 teens from around the country for the two-week Sphinx Performance Academy, providing full scholarships to encourage and develop young Black and Latino string musicians. This is the first time the program has come to Boulder through a partnership initiated by CU Boulder Associate Professor of Violin Alex Gonzalez.
Colorado Music Festival returns with a sparkling, sentimental series of concerts (June 26, 2023, Daily Camera)
Premiering their music on July 16 are composers Jordan Holloway [College of Music alumnus] and Carter Pann [Professor of Composition], who both wrote pieces commissioned by CMF. Holloway and Pann have more in common than sharing a musical debut on the same program. As it turns out, Holloway studied musical theory under Pann when he was a student at the College of Music.
These CU Boulder student singers are getting paid to work on new operas with famous composers (June 16, 2023, CPR News)
Contemporary American opera has made such great artistic strides in the past 15 to 20 years that many call our present time the Golden Age of American Opera. [...] But developing new work requires experimentation, collaboration and time. New operas are getting just that at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The CU New Opera Workshop, or CU NOW for short, pairs a well-known opera composer working on a new piece with singers from CU’s Eklund Opera Program for three weeks.
CU New Opera workshop presents a show in search of a title (June 14, 2023, Sharps & Flatirons)
A work-in-progress by composer Tom Cipullo is the subject of the CU New Opera Workshop (CU NOW) at our College of Music this summer, including performances by early-career artists from our Eklund Opera Program, accompanied by alumna pianist Nathália Kato.
Rare music score identified in the University Libraries’ collection (May 2, 2023, CU Boulder University Libraries)
It’s not often that items borrowed from PASCAL, the University Libraries’ off-site storage facility, turn out to be rare, first edition titles. But one book—Esemplare, o sia saggio fondamentale pratico di contrappunto, roughly translating to Examples; or, the Learned Fundamentals of the Practice of Counterpoint—from the music collection is now part of the Libraries’ Rare and Distinctive (RaD) Collections.
CPR Classical Spotlight: Richard O’Neill (May 10, 2023, CPR Classical)
Check out this Q&A with Grammy-winning Richard O'Neill, violist of our Takács Quartet since 2020.
Former restaurant owners still dishing up food, but serving a different clientele (April 9, 2023, Denver7)
Denver7 Everyday Heroes: We’re thrilled to follow the many successes of Obe Ariss, who earned a doctorate from our College of Music, and his wife, Whitney, who studied vocal performance at our college. Obe is a pianist who worked as a development director at the Colorado Symphony before he and Whitney combined their passions for music and food to open a performance space and restaurant that they owned and operated for seven years. Today, their nonprofit Preservery Foundation provides hunger relief.
By a string (April 13, 2023, Boulder Weekly)
Alumna Rachel Sliker earned a bachelor’s in music theory from our College of Music. Learn about her 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.
Regents recognize 2023 award recipients (April 10, 2023, CU Boulder Today)
During his 35-year tenure at CU Boulder, Allan McMurray elevated the College of Music to one of the top destinations for studying instrumental conducting.
AMFS looks to present ‘For the Trees,’ an immersive music story (April 3, 2023, Aspen Daily News)
Currently in residence at Juilliard, the Ivalas Quartet—former string quartet in residence at our College of Music—is touring Colorado this week, performing Associate Professor of Composition Jeffrey Nytch’s “For the Trees” at different schools. Nytch’s work uses music, video and sound design to tell the story of “Big Lonely Doug,” a 1,000-year-old Douglas Fir on Vancouver Island—a means to engage in discussion about deforestation around the world and its contribution to climate change and environmental degradation.
A collection of the works of Black female classical composers nourishes and informs rising conductor Kedrick Armstrong (March 31, 2023, CPR Classical)
We’re so proud of Kedrick Armstrong who will graduate with a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the College of Music in May!
CU Boulder faculty Paul Romaine appears on all-star jazz album (March 29, 2023, CU Boulder Today)
The latest recording by jazz duo Dave Askren, guitar, and Jeff Benedict, saxophone, gives a thrilling sax-guitar-vibes frontline. The album, titled Denver Sessions, features CU Boulder lecturer and drummer Paul Romaine along with vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker and bassist Patrick McDevitt.
Orchestrating Social Consciousness (March 6, 2023, The Coloradan)
Kedrick Armstrong (MMus’23) is gaining national recognition as a conductor. An advocate for classical music performance and publication, plus the preservation of the voices of musicians of color, Armstrong is passionate about bringing recognition to Black female composers—with the Center for Black Music research in Chicago, Illinois, and the Helen Walker-Hill collection at CU Boulder among his crucial research tools.
Music YouTuber discusses career in CU Boulder talk (Feb. 28, 2023, Daily Camera)
YouTube creator “Sideways,” known for breaking down the music of popular films, drew a crowd at the College of Music talking to students, staff and fans about his career. The YouTuber was invited as a guest speaker for the college’s Career Launchpad series through our amazing Entrepreneurship Center for Music which aims to help music students network and explore career options.
Music History Professor Receives Carnegie Grant to Study Women’s Music in West Africa (Feb. 20, 2023, Syracuse University)
College of Music alumna Ruth Opara was recently awarded a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship supporting her ongoing research on music and motherhood in West Africa.
Review: ‘The Factotum’ by Lyric Opera is a loving testament to Chicago’s South Side (Feb. 6, 2023, Chicago Tribune)
Conducting master’s student Kedrick Armstrong leads the world premiere of “The Factotum” with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Lyric Opera’s new ‘Factotum,’ set on the South Side, makes a vibrant first impression (Feb. 5, 2023, Chicago Sun-Times)
Conducting master’s student Kedrick Armstrong leads the world premiere of “The Factotum” with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Opinions on the Marimba (Heartland Marimba Publications, February 2023)
Congratulations to Professor of Percussion + Jazz Douglas Walter whose musical ideas are included in Greg Giannascoli’s book—Opinions on the marimba: interviews with some of the leading marimba artist-teachers from the 20th century.
Hugh Ragin: Put Your Own Thing On It (International Trumpet Guild Journal, January 2023)
We’re so proud of alumnus and Jazz Studies Lecturer Hugh Ragin—trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer and scholar—for being extensively featured in the January 2023 issue of the ITG Journal!
Sphinx Performance Academy Taps Early Music (Jan. 30, 2023, Early Music America)
The SPA—in partnerships with The Juilliard School, Cleveland Institute of Music and, for the first time this year, the CU Boulder College of Music—introduces students to period instruments and historical performance in a series of intensive, two-week summer camps.
Chicago’s South Side is heart—and soul—of Lyric Opera’s ‘Factotum’ (Jan. 27, 2023, Chicago Sun-Times)
Conducting master’s student Kedrick Armstrong leads the world premiere of “The Factotum” with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
‘The rest is noise’ (Jan. 26, 2023, Boulder Weekly)
The organization’s forward-looking view was tested earlier this month by the death of its beloved concertmaster, Charles “Chas” Wetherbee. But after the sudden loss of the 56-year-old violinist and CU Boulder College of Music professor, whose memory was honored with a Jan. 22 performance by the Boulder Phil, Parkinson says this mission took on a new shade of importance.
Boulder Phil dedicates concerto the late violinist Chas Wetherbee (Jan. 19, 2023, Sharps & Flatirons)
Dedicated to the memory of Chas Wetherbee (Jan. 19, 2023, CU Boulder Today)
A devoted chamber musician, Associate Professor of Violin Charles “Chas” Wetherbee was first violinist of the highly respected Carpe Diem String Quartet with whom he regularly toured. He also served as concertmaster of the Boulder Philharmonic. Wetherbee was scheduled to perform Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra on Jan. 22. That concert will now be dedicated to his memory.
American Violinist Charles Tyler Wetherbee has Died, Aged 56 (Jan. 17, 2023, The Violin Channel)
The Boulder Philharmonic just lost one of its own. Now, they are dedicating a special concert to him (Jan. 13, 2023, CPR)
After Chas Wetherbee’s passing, the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra is celebrating Wetherbee the best way they know how—with music. The BPO will present an orchestral version of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Vocalise” as a tribute to open their concert with an empty concertmaster’s chair.
Boulder music community laments loss of violinist Charles Wetherbee (Jan. 11, 2023, The Daily Camera)
A key member of the local music scene was lost Monday when acclaimed violinist and University of Colorado Boulder professor Charles “Chas” Wetherbee passed away from cancer.
Beloved CU Boulder violinist and father of three dies at 56 (Jan. 10, 2023, The Denver Gazette)
Charles “Chas” Wetherbee, University of Colorado Boulder associate professor of violin since 2012, passed away on Monday, Jan. 9. “As with many others today, our hearts are heavy,” said John Davis, dean of the CU College of Music. “Our community will miss him deeply. Chas brought a wealth of expertise and experience from his varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral concertmaster, teacher, coach and collaborator.”
Remembering Charles ‘Chas’ Wetherbee (Jan. 10, 2023, CPR Classical)
Colorado’s musical community received devastating news this week: the passing of Charles Wetherbee. Wetherbee was schedule to play Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 with the Boulder Philharmonic on Jan. 22. That concert is now scheduled to be dedicated to Wetherbee.
Edward Dusinberre on music and performing (Jan. 5, 2023, Sharps & Flatirons)
First violinist of the Takács Quartet Edward Dusinberre’s new book—Distant Melodies: Music in Search of Home—focuses on four composers, discussing their lives and what “home” might mean to them ... and to Dusinberre himself, having lived in England and the United States.
Can music heal? This artist and researcher wants to find out (Dec. 6, 2023, CU Boulder Today)
The work of Assistant Professor of Music Technology Grace Leslie—flutist, electronic musician and scientist—melds art, engineering and neuroscience to probe the millennia-spanning relationship between humans and a good tune ... and whether the right kind of music can help to heal the body and brain.
They Were Ahead of the Curve on Diversity in Classical Music (Nov. 23, 2022, The New York Times)
The Sphinx Organization, led by Afa Dworkin and including the College of Music’s own Assistant Professor of Violin Alex Gonzalez, is celebrating 25 years of pressing the field for more diversity in repertory and rosters. We were thrilled to welcome the Sphinx Organization to the college this fall!
4 CU Boulder faculty members become distinguished professors (Nov. 10, 2022, CU Boulder Today)
Huge congratulations to Professor of Musicology Rebecca Maloy who has been named Distinguished Professor! Maloy was recognized for her distinguished research, her dedication to teaching and mentoring, and for her service to her profession and the university. Maloy joins Alan McMurray and David Korevaar, the only other faculty from the College of Music ever to have been selected for this highest honor the university bestows.
NAfME Announces Winners of NAfME 2022 Student Composers Competition, Student Songwriters Competition and Student Electronic Music Competition (Nov. 2, Yahoo!)
Congratulations to Ryan Flat—student composer, instrumentalist and vocalist—for being a winner of the National Association for Music Education’s 2022 Student Composers Competition!
Present Edge (Oct. 31, 2022, KGNU Community Radio)
Gary McBride interviews two of our composers from an upcoming (Nov. 2) Pendulum New Music concert—Abby Kellems and Jessie Lausé—who were commissioned by the Boulder Altitude Directive to write a new work for chamber ensemble!
Mozart’s death: sorting out fact from fiction (Oct. 31, 2022, CPR Classical)
Mozart’s early death helped create a mystique that fueled his early legacy. Find out more in this last Mozart Snapshots of 2022 with Colorado native and College of Music alumna Katie Mahan.
Wei Wu returns to CU, where he started in opera (Oct. 20, 2022, Sharps & Flations)
Bass singer Wei Wu left Beijing in 2008 in study with Julie Simpson at our College of Music. The first full opera role he performed was in the role of Colline in Puccini’s “La Bohéme.” Nearly 10 years later, he returns to the Macky stage in the same role.
Eklund Opera brings 19th-century Paris to Macky (Oct. 19, 2022, Sharps & Flatirons)
Eklund Opera Program Director Leigh Holman says “[La Bohéme] ... is the best first opera that anybody could ever see.” College of Music students in the cast are the same age as the characters.
The magical world of Mozart puppet theater (Oct. 5, 2022, CPR Classical)
College of Music alumna and Colorado native Katie Mahan is collaborating with Colorado Public Radio on a series called “Mozart Snapshots”—taking listeners on a journey through Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s life in Salzburg, Austria. She talks with Salzburger Marionettentheater’s artistic director Philippe Brunner about the theater’s full-length opera productions using hand-carved marionettes.
CU Boulder community enriches ours (Sept. 26, 2022, Daily Camera)
“ ... the campus’ reach goes beyond economics. Our quality of life as a community is arguably enhanced by the many cultural offerings available, from the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, College of Music events, major speakers and concerts to the Conference on World Affairs ... ”
Music for life (Sept. 25, 2022, Daily Camera)
We love to see our College of Music family uplift and engage our community in diverse ways, across generations! Bob Spillman—College of Music professor emeritus, and retired chair of our piano faculty and music director of our opera program—is an active composer and songwriter, offering regular recitals, spontaneous afternoon concerts and piano nights with Broadway show tunes to Carillon residents. Among many accolades, Spillman received the CU Boulder Alumni Association's Robert L. Stearns Award in 2004 in recognition of his service and career.
CU study on Pueblo's cultural music has collected 27 oral histories so far (Sept. 20, 2022, The Pueblo Chieftain)
“Soundscapes of the People,” a collaboration between the University of Colorado Boulder’s American Music Research Center and Colorado State University Pueblo, has collected 27 oral histories in the past year exploring Pueblo’s cultural music history.
Between tours, Takács Quartet opens fall campus series with Beethoven (Sept. 14, 2022, Sharps & Flatirons)
How TikTok has changed the music industry (Sept. 12, 2022, CU Boulder Today)
College of Music Instructor of Music Theory + Composition Mike Barnett shares how TikTok has changed the music industry … for better and for worse.
‘Soundscapes of the People’ explores Pueblo’s history through music (Sep. 1, 2022, CU Boulder Today)
The College of Music’s American Music Research Center has embarked on a research project to document, preserve and engage with diverse musical and cultural influences in and around Pueblo, Colorado. In this onsite video, learn more about how Soundscapes of the People explores ways that musical traditions have served to bridge social, ethnic, urban/rural and religious identities.
Renowned pianist, CU prof David Korevaar diversifies repertoire for free show (Aug. 24, 2022, Daily Camera)
As part of our free, long-running Faculty Tuesdays series, Korevaar will take the stage on Aug. 30. Also learn about Korevaar’s other upcoming events!
13 faculty, staff selected for Excellence in Leadership Program (Aug. 18, 2022, CU Boulder Today)
We’re pleased to see College of Music faculty and staff recognized in this way! Congrats to Austin Okigbo, associate professor and chair, musicology; and Carrie Howard, assistant dean for budget and finance!
The Juilliard School announces its 2022 resident graduate string quartet (Aug. 16, 2022, The Strad)
We’re so proud of the Ivalas Quartet—comprising violinists Reuben Kebede and Tiani Butts, violist Aimée McAnulty and cellist Pedro Sánchez—for being named the Juilliard School’s graduate resident string quartet; the two-year residency begins September 2022. From 2019 to 2022, the quartet was resident at our College of Music, mentored by the Takács Quartet. The Ivalas Quartet dedicates much of its time to celebrating BIPOC composers, as well as taking part in educational initiatives.
The Music of Pueblo (June 6, 2022, Coloradan)
Our Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Susan Thomas and alumna Xóchitl Chávez—assistant professor in the music department at the University of California, Riverside—partner to preserve the diversity of music in Pueblo.
World-class classical music comes to Boulder's Chautauqua this summer (June 21, 2022, Westword)
The Colorado Music Festival was founded in 1976 by College of Music Professor Emeritus Giora Bernstein. “Within two years, the festival moved to the then-recently restored Chautauqua Auditorium, where it won the first of five ASCAP Adventurous Programming Awards.” The College of Music’s Takács Quartet will be the festival's artist-in-residence.
Quartet promotes inclusion in classical music (May 22, 2022, 9News)
Recently graduated members of the Ivalas Quartet, the College of Music's Graduate String Quartet in Residence, discuss their mission to elevate underrepresented composers and break up stereotypes that have followed classical music through the years. The quartet strives to give lesser-known but just-as-talented composers their shot in front of audiences. Specifically, the group gives artists like George Walker, an African American composer, and Jessie Montgomery, a female African American composer, their time next to pieces by Beethoven.
NEH grant helps research Pueblo, Colorado’s music history (May 18, 2022, UC Riverside)
Soundscapes of the People: A Musical Ethnography of Pueblo, Colorado was recently recognized by the National Endowment for the Humanities with a nearly $130,000 Archaeological and Ethnographic Field Research grant. The project director and principal investigator is Susan Thomas, professor of musicology and director of our American Music Research Center; co-principal investigators are Austin Okigbo, associate professor of ethnomusicology at our College of Music; and alumna Xóchitl Chávez, assistant professor of ethnomusicology at the University of California, Riverside.
Annika Socolofsky will turn soothing lullabies into feminist anthems at the Pulitzer (May 17, 2022, St. Louis Public Radio)
Assistant Professor of Composition Annika Socolofsky creates feminist-rager lullabies for a new queer era inspired by traditional nursery rhymes and lullabies. She will release “Don’t Say a Word” as an album later this year and will perform with song cycle with six members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.
CU Boulder dedicates tree to victims killed in King Soopers mass shooting (March 31, 2022, Daily Camera)
CU Boulder dedicated a tree to the victims of the Table Mesa King Soopers shooting in 2021. It was planted to be within sight of where the Golden Buffalo Marching Band practices; shooting victim Teri Leiker was a fan of the marching band.
Teri Leiker scholarship helping students at CU Boulder (March 22, 2022, Denver7)
“It doesn’t define us”: Boulder community reflects one year after King Soopers shooting (March 18, 2022, Colorado Daily)
Says survivor and College of Music sophomore Louis Saxton, “It’s not ever going to be something I can just brush off, where if someone brings it up I won’t feel a wave of emotions.” Saxton was walking out of King Soopers when the gunman attacked. Immediately after the mass shooting, he returned to the store and played cello for 10 days at the streetside memorial, one day for each person killed.
The College of Music's American Music Research Center digitizing 5,000 pounds of silent film score sheet music (March 10, 2022, Daily Camera)
A sprawling collection of historic pieces of music—performed during screenings at the showman’s Chinese Theatre, Egyptian Theatre and elsewhere—have been preserved and are currently being archived digitally by University of Colorado Boulder’s American Music Research Center.
Colorado musicians unite to raise support for Marshall Fire relief (Feb. 14, 2022, CPR Classical)
On Feb. 19, Colorado Public Radio is partnering with Front Range Media and music organizations for an online benefit concert “Above the Ashes: A Virtual Concert for Marshall Fire Relief.” The concert will feature more than 10 local ensembles and artists, including the College of Music's Takács Quartet, Ars Nova Singers and the Boulder Bach Festival. They are also joined by cellist Joshua Halpern and CU-Boulder faculty Chas Wetherbee on violin with David Korevaar on piano.
Faculty Tuesdays bring wondrous performances to attendees—for free (Feb. 14, 2022, CU Boulder Today)
A reminder that—most Tuesdays throughout the academic year—our faculty + guests treat audiences to their talents. Join us!
Music Professor Rebecca Maloy to deliver Distinguished Research Lecture March 8 (Feb. 11, 2022, CU Research + Innovation Office)
Maloy, a professor of musicology and the director of the Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, will deliver her in-person Distinguished Research Lecture, “Constructing Sanctity Through Sound in Early Medieval Iberia.”
After tragedy, one town reopens the doors (Feb. 11, 2022, The Washington Post)
Nearly a year beyond the King Soopers mass shooting, Boulder residents ask: What does it mean to heal? Says College of Music student and survivor Louis Saxton, who played the cello at the memorial fence for 10 days to honor the 10 victims: “Being a survivor ... makes me thankful for the days that I don’t want to get out of bed. Thankful for the days I fight with my family, fight with my professors, fight with my friends. Grateful for the hard days, and it makes the good days even better.”
Boulder King Soopers Reopens ‘Stronger Than Ever’ (Feb. 9, 2022, CBS4)
"It was a homecoming, King Soopers said, complete with the University of Colorado’s marching band and the Denver Broncos cheerleaders."
Additionally on Feb. 9, Denver7 shone the spotlight on Teri Leiker and how her love of our marching band lives on through a scholarship fund, as also expressed by Golden Buffalo Marching Band Director Matthew Dockendorf.
CU honors diverse women composers (Feb. 4, 2022, The Denver Gazette)
Spotlighting our annual Persevering Legacy events and the CU Philharmonia's diverse programming.
22 for ’22: Composers and performers to watch this year (Jan. 22, 2022, The Washington Post)
Congratulations to first-year master's student (orchestral conducting) Kedrick Armstrong for landing on The Post's 2022 watch list! This year’s selection of artists "represents a diverse variety of composers, performers and artists hitting their stride with work that resonates with the right now."
Music played over old silent films will be available to everyone after CU digitizes it (Dec. 8, 2021, 9News)
With a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, our American Research Center is collaborating with CU Libraries and the Silent Film Sound and Music Archive to create and make available to the public a comprehensive digital archive of the Grauman Theatre Scores Collection ... including some 3,854 silent film orchestral scores and an additional 192,700 preservation images.
Resilience Realized (Nov. 5, 2021, Coloradan)
Raul Dominguez (DMus ’22), a conductor and instructor, knew the pandemic was going to be especially difficult for those in music. In May 2020, he secured a grant from CU’s Entrepreneur Center for Music to begin the Choral Conductors Colloquium, a virtual five-lecture series featuring prominent choral conductors.
Southern Colorado music being preserved by this CU project (Oct. 15, 2021, 9News)
Our American Music Research Center's "Soundscapes of the People" project records historic music tailored to southern Colorado. "The long term goals of this project is that people will be able to have access and have something tangible to listen, see and maybe touch in some way, the items of their heritage their roots right and building identity," says Dr. Xochitl Chavez.
Museum of Boulder’s ‘Music Buffs’ showcases history of CU’s College of Music, iconic venues and more (Oct. 13, 2021, Daily Camera)
We're thrilled about the Museum of Boulder's latest exhibit looking at CU Boulder’s lineage of onsite music programming, sought-out on-campus concert venues and providing a glimpse into the College of Music’s future. Among other events and activities, on Nov. 5, Professor of Musicology Laurie Sampsel will present "A Guided Tour of Colorado Songs,” providing insight into 20 songs inspired by the Centennial State.
University of Colorado Boulder reflects on progress, hurdles in diversity work (Oct. 10, 2021, Daily Camera)
Progress is happening in programs like the Diverse Musicians’ Alliance, where university staff and students work together to empower underrepresented artists. "Students have done a great job of challenging the College of Music to challenge themselves, of pushing people out of their comfort zones," said Alma Ramos, (former) diversity and outreach coordinator for the college.
Museum of Boulder exhibit explores history of CU's College of Music (Oct. 6, 2021, CU Boulder Today)
The Museum of Boulder has partnered with the College of Music to create a pop-up exhibit exploring the history of the college's first 100 years. "Music Buffs: A Century of Music at CU" runs through Nov. 28.
Guest Opinion: John S. Davis: CU's music building is something to sing about (Oct. 1, 2021, Daily Camera)
The upgraded Imig building has already enhanced learning and performance experiences for our students by accelerating our momentum to leverage various technologies in ways that elevate College of Music offerings well beyond our immediate campus community. With new learning and performance spaces and tools, we’re not only expanding the reach and range of what’s possible as scholars, composers and performers, we’re also adding to our students’ skill sets and paving the way toward greater diversity, equity and inclusion in everything we do.
Takács Quartet wins 4th Gramophone award (Sept. 30, 2021, CU Boulder Today)
Congratulations to our remarkable Takács Quartet!
Students and staff celebrate completion of Imig expansion (Sept. 26, 2021, CU Independent)
The College of Music's new studios and practice spaces have already proven their worth for Michaela Miles, a third-year member of the Golden Buffalo Marching Band. Read on about the impact of our expanded Imig Music Building from both student and faculty perspectives!
CU Boulder College of Music unveils long-anticipated building addition (September 17, 2021, CU Boulder Today)
CU Boulder students, faculty, staff and community members celebrated the opening of a state-of-the-art, $57-million addition to the Imig Music Building that enhances the College of Music’s standing as a national leader in comprehensive music education, performance, composition and research.
'Soundscapes of the People' to document local musical history (Sept. 14, Pueblo Chieftain)
Our American Music Research Center's 'Soundscapes of the People' project will explore ways that musical traditions have shaped social, ethnic and religious identities.
American Music Research Center explores musical traditions of Pueblo, CO (September 1, 2021, American Music Research Center)
Our American Music Research Center is breaking ground with its innovative Soundscapes of the People project, a comprehensive research effort in collaboration with local community stakeholders to document, preserve and engage with diverse musical and cultural influences in and around Pueblo, Colorado. The research team aims to address the lack of representation and inclusion in the history of Southern Colorado culture.
Is Music Still a Viable Major and Career Plan? (MajoringinMusic.com, September 3, 2021)
“Entrepreneurship goes beyond ‘business skills,’ it rests on a foundation of understanding the needs and sensibilities of the people you are trying to reach with your art,” says Jeffrey Nytch, composer and Director of the Entrepreneurship Center for Music at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music.
Denver's Ten Best Jazz Musicians (Westword, August 31, 2021)
Congratulations to alumna Annie Booth and alumnus/College of Music Lecturer Hugh Ragin, among other local jazz luminaries associated with our college!
Simple safety measures reduce musical COVID-19 transmission (August 27, 2021, CU Boulder Today)
As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe in 2020, musicians around the world were desperate for the answers to two pressing questions: Can playing musical instruments transmit COVID-19? And if so, what can be done? Now, halfway through 2021, the first official research results are in—and it’s good news: The show can go on.
Maloy and Parker honored with Distinguished Research Lectureships (August 26, 2021, Research + Innovation Office)
Rebecca Maloy of the College of Music is one of two recipients of the 2021-2022 Distinguished Research Lectureships. Professor of Musicology and Erismann Faculty Fellow, Maloy also serves as director of the Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. One of the world’s leading scholars of chant from the Iberian Peninsula, Maloy’s current work examines the Old Hispanic chant of the Iberian Peninsula from historical, liturgical, theological and musicological perspectives.
Colorado Music Festival Offering First Time Learning Opportunity (July 28, 2021, CBS4)
Members of the Ivalas Quartet—our Graduate Quartet-in-Residence—are the first fellows at the Colorado Music Festival. The fellowship program is designed to build up young quartets and promote diversification in the field.
The Colorado Lullaby Project Bridges Mental Health and Parenting (July 2, 2021, Coloradan Alumni Magazine)
As a part of Carnegie Hall’s community engagement programs, the Lullaby Project has a network of partners—including CU Boulder—across the globe. Learn about the amazing Colorado Lullaby Project, which kicked off under the direction of Grace Law (MMus ’21).
CU's Austin C. Okigbo Studies Music from Past Pandemics (July 2, 2021, Coloradan Alumni Magazine)
Our Musicology Chair traces the way people express themselves musically during times of widespread illness—a highly relevant topic given COVID-19.
35 Fellows Chosen for Cleveland Institute of Music Future of Music Faculty Fellowship (June 22, 2021, Broadway World)
Congratulations to doctoral candidate Raul Dominguez, and alumni Teresita Lozano and Brice Smith!
Bill to create Special Olympics license plate named after Boulder King Soopers shooting victim (May 25, 2021, Denver7)
House Bill 1323 has been named the Teri Leiker Act
Shelly Miller awarded for research on COVID-19 transmission via singing (May 19, 2021, CU Boulder)
Professor Shelly Miller is among an international coalition of researchers whose COVID-19 transmission work has been recognized by the American Academy of Teachers of Singing.
Donors endow Teri Leiker CU Boulder marching band scholarship (May 12, 2021, Daily Camera)
Band Practice in the Age of COVID-19 (April 14, 2021, The Wall Street Journal)
Researchers at CU Boulder and the University of Maryland have found simple ways to mitigate the risk posed by the potentially virus-laden aerosols spewed into the air by singing and playing wind instruments.
All Together Now (April 8, 2021, The New York Times)
Shelly Miller, an aerosol scientist at CU Boulder and lead author of the Indoor Air paper, has since been collaborating on a study of COVID-prevention measures with the International Coalition of Performing Arts.
Communicating feelings: CU student, shooting survivor returns to memorial each day to play cello (March 25, 2021, FOX31)
CU Boulder violist wins Grammy (March 19, 2021, 9NEWS)
Colorado Lullaby Project
Building upon Carnegie Hall’s innovative program, the Colorado Lullaby Project brings together individuals that identify as parents, or new parent, with College of Music student musicians to strengthen community through song.