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Notable Events

Stories of Our Time

Professors Jihea Hong-Park (Associate Professor, Piano) and Steven Ricks (Professor, Composition and Theory) collaborated with their students to produce “Stories of Our Time,” a recital featuring new music about current issues that are important to students, such as environmental concerns, mental health, and issues of race. Students in the piano division and the commercial music division collaborated to compose and perform the new works. Click here to view a clip of the performance!

Untold Stories

The Untold Stories piano competition was created by BYU piano professors to promote inclusivity and diversity in piano music. Student competitors chose pieces by composers of underrepresented demographics. The purpose of the competition was to inspire students to learn new works and tell the untold stories of the composers.

Tribute to Ukraine

A few members of Men’s Chorus initiated an “all-choir sing” to support Ukraine in February, 2022. This involved members from all the BYU choirs, former missionaries who served in Ukraine, and com- munity members with connections to Ukraine. All in all, nearly 200 BYU students participated. The combined choir recorded their performance of “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” in Ukrainian and shared the video across several social media platforms. In less than a week, it had over 3 million views. Click here to watch their video!

Eric Whitacre Visit

Eric Whitacre, Grammy Award-winning composer and conductor, visited the BYU choirs on March 15, 2022. The BYU Singers, Concert Choir, Women’s Chorus, and Men’s Chorus had the remarkable experience of performing 10 of Eric Whitacre’s pieces in concert as Mr. Whitacre conducted. Before the performance, the choirs had the opportunity to rehearse with Mr. Whitacre, hear the backstories of the pieces, and get to know the acclaimed conductor. The final 2 numbers were sung by all 450 students from the stage, both sides of the concert hall, and the balcony.

The Merry Widow

In October 2022, the opera department presented “The Merry Widow.” BYU has one of the longest running opera programs west of the Mississippi, according to Lawrence Vincent, former Director of Opera at BYU. Over all the years of music-making at BYU, there have been over 120 operatic performances, but the Merry Widow was the last opera performed in the Harris Fine Arts Center. Click here to learn more about the opera!

Robert McDonald Visit

On February 2–4, 2023, Robert McDonald, a faculty member of both the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music, visited the SoM piano division. Mr. McDonald is a world-renowned pianist and highly sought-after teacher. While at BYU, he mentored students in masterclasses and private lessons, gave a solo recital featuring works from Beethoven, Debussy, and others, and addressed the School of Music students, faculty, and staff in a virtual Encore! Series Lecture.

Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

On February 10, 2023, the BYU Philharmonic combined with the BYU Singers, Concert Choir, Men’s Chorus, and Women’s Chorus to perform Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the historic Salt Lake City Tabernacle. The concert featured soloists Jennifer Youngs, Diane Reich, Isaac Hurtado, and Shea Owens, and was conducted by Kory Katseanas. Over 5,000 people viewed the performance, over 2,000 of which tuned in to the live to the stream.

Celebration of Christmas

On December 2–3, 2022, the BYU Singers, Concert Choir, Women’s Chorus, Men’s Chorus, and Philharmonic Orchestra came together for the annual Celebration of Christmas concert, performing together for the last time in the DeJong Concert Hall. They sold out all three of their concerts and over 10,000 people tuned in to the concerts via the School of Music streaming service.

Student Accomplishments

Lauren Cain Hardy (MM Piano) published a research article entitled, “Beyond Sibelius: Why his Finnish contemporaries are needed in piano pedagogy.” The article has been published by the 2022 MTNA National Collegiate Chapters Symposium.

Andy Brewer (BM Commercial Music) and Collette Jones (BM Commercial Music) won the Gold award at the Audio Engineering Society Student Competition for best sound design and mixing on the collaborative animation film Stowaway. Collette composed the music for the short film. The Audio Engineering Society is the only professional organization devoted exclusively to audio technology, and their international competition is prestigious. Click here to watch the short film!

John Burton (BM Clarinet) received 2nd Place in the College/Professional Category at the International Clarinet Competition of the American Single Reed Summit 2022.

Tanner Jorden (BM Piano) won first prize in the MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) Northwest Regional collegiate competition, and now heads to the national collegiate finals in March. He is the youngest pianist from BYU to attend the MTNA national finals.

Savannah Porter (BM Classical Voice) contracted with 2 professional ensembles over the summer of 2022: the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and the American Soloists Ensemble. The American Soloists Ensemble tours in South Korea, and the performances are produced by The National Chorus of Korea in celebration of US-Korea relations. This is a 2-year contract which includes the summer of 2023.

Oswaldo Machado (MM Instrumental Conducting) won The Respighi Prize in Conducting. The Respighi Prize is an international competition for composers, soloists, and conductors. Machado made his Carnegie Hall debut on May 27, 2022, conducting the New York Chamber Orchestra as they performed one of Respighi’s works.

Lucas Zuehl (BM Classical Voice) accepted a paid contract to sing as a Vocal Fellow in the 2023 Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. The Festival selects singers from across the nation to perform major choral, operatic, and chamber works.

David Kime (BM, Piano and Organ) was one of four students selected to attend the 2023 National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association, held on February 23, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. David conducted a collegiate demonstration choir, and was tutored by the luminaries of the choral profession: Joe Miller, André Thomas, Felicia Barber, and Elizabeth Schauer.

Savannah Jones (MM, Piano) was invited to present her research at the National Association of Music Teachers (MTNA) National Conference in March 2023, Reno, Nevada. Her research is entitled “Instagram: Start Building Your Musical Career and Connections Today!”

Sylvan Scott (BM Piano) presented his research at the The National Association of Music Teachers National Collegiate Symposium in Fort Worth, Texas in January, 2023. His research is entitled “Muscular Tension and Self-Massage: The Burden Pianists Carry.”

Stevie Dugdale (MM Choral Conducting) accepted a paid contract to sing in the 2023 Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) Chorus. OBF, one of the world’s leading music festivals, selects singers through nationwide auditions to form their professional chorus.

Experiential Learning

The Jazz Legacy Band participated in the Kubo Jazz Festival in Italy during the summer of 2022. They performed in a small town near Ronciglione, at the Umbria Jazz Festival, and in Serre. The group enjoyed sharing their music with the people of Italy.

Emily Steele (BM Classical Voice) and Brooke Ballard (BM Piano) studied abroad in Vienna with other music students during the spring of 2022. Emily and Brooke toured historical music sites, received private music lessons from professional Austrian performers, and studied Art and Music History through the Austro-American Institute of Education.

Jillian Townsend (BM Flute), Arielle Cline (BM Flute), and Melodie Wride (BM Flute) attended the International Music Academy Orpheus in Vienna, Austria, during the summer of 2022. They worked personally with composers, performed in the Mariahilf cathedral, and made connections with international students and professors.

Emily Lambert (BM, Viola) attended the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in Colchester, Vermont over the summer of 2022. Emily described working with world-renowned teachers, overcoming technical challenges, and making connections with professional musicians as a “transformative” experience for her as a musician.

Ensembles

BYU Synthesis was invited to compete in the Jack Rudin Jazz Championship in New York City on April 19–20, 2022. Synthesis received awards for their trombone section and trumpet section. The following students won individual awards: Heather Cutler (piano), Outstanding Soloist; Brynn Chapman, Outstanding Alto Sax; Jack English, Outstanding Trombone and Outstanding Student Arrangement; Kevin West, Outstanding Trombone; Aiden Williams, Outstanding Bass Trombone; and Bryant Jordan, Outstanding Trumpet.. Click here to watch their performance in New York! On April 22, BYU Synthesis performed at the Estonian House as guests of the Estonian Embassy. Distinguished guests included Counsel Generals and dignitaries from the UN as well as ambassadors from around the world.

The BYU Singers traveled to Spain and competed in the 53rd International Choral Contest of Tolosa in October 2022. The BYU Singers were specifically invited to participate in the competition. They won second place in the folk category and third place in the polyphony category. American choirs do not typically medal at these international competitions, and The BYU singers were honored to receive these two international distinctions. Click here to view their performance!

The BYU Trumpet Ensemble placed 2nd in the incredibly competitive National Trumpet Competition, making it the first time an ensemble from BYU has advanced in this national competition, made it to the final round, and placed in the top three. Click here to watch their performance!