Summer 2025 Journal by BYUSchoolofMusic

SHARING THE LIGHT

SCHOOL OF MUSIC JOURNAL

Vessels of Light

To share music is to share light. Music is one of the most powerful languages of the soul because it crosses boundaries and touches hearts directly. Music carries the essence of hope, healing, and connection. In a world increasingly shadowed by conflict, loneliness, and noise, the gift of music can open windows to peace and joy.

When a singer raises their voice in joyful praise, when an orchestra fills a hall with splendid harmony, or when a single instrument lifts a simple melody into the air, something changes. Hearts soften, burdens lighten, and spirits rise. The light of music is not measured in spotlights or applause—it is measured in the silent tears of someone who feels understood, in the smile that spreads when a melody recalls a cherished memory, and in the courage that returns to a weary heart through a song of faith.

Sharing light through music is not reserved for professionals. A lullaby hummed to a restless child, a hymn sung in worship, or even a whistle on a morning walk can brighten someone’s path. Each act of music radiates a spark of divine love. To participate in this is to become a vessel of light, offering healing where there is pain and unity where there is division.

Ultimately, music reminds us who we are: children of a loving Father, capable of lifting and blessing each other. When we share music, we share more than sound—we share light, love, and the promise that beauty still fills the world and that hope and kindness are always possible.

Dr. Mark ammons Assistant Director

BYU School of Music

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:16

Dr. Mark Ammons

Upcoming Student Events

The School of Music offers many events throughout the year, specialized for students! From Wellness lectures to Faculty recitals, here are some upcoming events that you won’t want to miss.

ADD DROP DEADLINE | SEPTEMBER 10 2025 | FALL SEMESTER

FALL FORUM | SEPTEMBER 11 2025 | 11:00AM

Don’t miss welcoming BYU’s 150th year, hearing important semester news, and exciting student announcements at this year’s Fall Forum! Concert Hall, Thursday Sep 11, at 11:00AM!

First Light, First Steps: Wellness Lecture | SEPTEMBER 12 2025 | 8:00AM

Be sure to make it to the first Wellness event of the year, featuring Alexander Woods, our very own violin faculty.

Sreevidhya Chandramouli | SEPTEMBER 14 2025 | 11:00AM

Sreevidhya Chandramouli is a 10th generation Veena player from the famed Karaikudi lineage in India. She is a member of the Karaikudi Quartet.

Musical Imagination! BYU Philharmonic | SEPTEMBER 27 2025 | 11:00AM & 1:30PM

Move, clap, follow musical maps, and use your musical imagination as we explore composers’ amazing creations with the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Nathan Haines. Featuring narration by music education professor Rob Dunn, this concert will be great fun and great music for the whole family!

Musical Playground! BYU Symphonic Band | OCTOBER 11 2025 | 11:00AM

The whole family will love the sounds of brilliant brass, wondrous woodwinds, powerful percussion, and more! Join us as conductor Nate Seamons and the BYU Symphonic Band explore all the amazing ways composers create music from their musical playground. Music education professor Rob Dunn will narrate the concert.

Benjamin Nichols | OCTOBER 12 2025 | 11:00AM

Saxophonist and composer, Dr. Ben Nichols, has travelled across the globe, performing at large venues, intimate city concerts, and countless jazz festivals throughout North America, South America and Europe.

Story by Thatcher Longman

The School of Music Journal team is a collective of Music students employed under Dr. Mark Ammons with a passion for Sharing the Light, showcasing incredible student stories, and spreading inspiring Faculty messages. If you have a story that you’d like to share for upcoming Journal releases, please contact us at musicevents@byu.edu

SALT LAKE to SEOUL

In mid June, we saw an introduction to an age of connection with the opening of a brand new direct flight from Utah to South Korea in the Salt Lake City Airport, providing a new route from the mid-west to the many stunning cultures of the world.

Not just a welcome addition to the diversity within Utah, but also a cause for celebration as we paid respect to the identities and backgrounds of the people who make up our communities and global relations.

Our own Yunha Hwang, Emily McLain, and Michelle Cheuk all lead the musical celebration accompanying this event.

“Yunha reached out to me about an opportunity to perform for an event,” said Michelle when asked how she got involved,

“I low-key hesitantly agreed with everything else I had going on in my schedule. But when I started speaking with the event organizers, I could feel that it would be a fun time. I’ve put together two groups to perform fusion traditional Korean and more modern ensemble music, but with the stage and equipment limitations of the event venue I decided to simplify”

Michelle beautifully described it as “an honor to even be a part of such a historic event for Utah and South Korea,” although surprised, and excited, that they would be the main event. Nailing down their trio’s performance despite the venue’s limitations, and bringing a spectacular addition to the cultural celebration.

“As a half Korean half American person and a musician it was fulfilling and just so fun to perform traditional Korean folk songs with a ‘global twist’ with our instrumentation and techniques.” Michelle said, commenting on her personal experience with dualheritage and connection to the event. “It was inspiring to be able to contribute to the moment which was already so alive and full of excitement.”

Emily McLain (left), Yunha Hwang (middle), Michelle Cheuk (right)

Emily and Michelle after their performance

The celebration concluded on June 12th leaving us all excited for an age of connection and collaboration.

BYU Choirs Travel the World

This summer, a great number of our talented BYU choir members were able to participate in performing tours outside of the U.S. These students had the opportunity to travel all around the world, gain life-changing experiences in many different countries, as well as grow exponentially as musicians. While these tours have been covered heavily, we wanted to hear their impact firsthand from some of the members of these choirs.

The BYU Singers 2024-2025 group departed for their European tour in late April, prepared for three and a half weeks of collaboration, competition, and many a long flight and bus ride. The choir made an impressive and exhaustive number of stops in Italy, including Salerno, Bari, Venice Mestre, Riva del Garda, and Milan. They spent a significant amount of time in Thessaloniki, Greece for their competition, as well as traveling to Lugano, Switzerland and Brussels, Belgium.

BYU Concert Choir members sightseeing in Argentina

While on tour, the BYU Singers competed in and won an International Choral Competition in Thessaloniki, did multiple workshops with university choral conducting students, performed in a number of concerts, had incredible cultural experiences that enriched their tour and inspired them as future musicians.

Angie Whiting, a BYU Sophomore in the Vocal Performance program, attended both the BYU Singers tour and travelled to China with the Select Singers Choir. When asked about her musical highlight of the BYU Singers tour, she said, “One of our very first concerts of the Italy tour was in Salerno, where we participated in a festival with many other choirs and sang a joint piece at the end. As we workshopped the piece with Dr. Crane animatedly instructing them in Italian, I was struck by the universal language of music. Though we could not communicate with each other using spoken language, we all understood and resonated with the joy of singing. We were in Italy, singing a South African song with people from many different nations, yet we all felt the same passion for music in our hearts. Later in the evening, as I listened to the other choirs present their individual pieces, I was reminded that a love for good music transcends the barriers that we put up for ourselves as humans. The audience represented a large variety of race, gender, and nationality, yet we all cheered for each other just the same. At the end of the concert, the audience began an impromptu singing of “Bella Ciao”, and I felt that I had truly seen the best of humanity in that cathedral.”

David Kime, a graduate student of Choral Conducting and a member of BYU Singers and the Select Singers Tour shared his non-musical highlight of the tour, “I always find the interactions we share as an ensemble to be the non-musical highlight of the tour. When we travel together for three weeks, we all see the best and worst of each other, but we also see the best of the Atonement of Jesus Christ at work as we all make mistakes, repent, apologize, forgive, and improve. Watching that cycle in live-time, which also makes the ensemble an increasingly “Zion-like” group, is a blessing I will always cherish.”

BYU Choirs students sightsee while on China tour

BYU Concert Choir pre-concert group photo while on Argentina tour

Story by Shelby Laycock

After the summer kicked off with an incredible start of the BYU Singers European tour, the Concert Choir then prepared for their upcoming Argentina tour. The choir spent about ten days performing in solo and collaborative concerts, while their main festival participation was in the San Juan Canta Festival that spanned multiple days and included many concerts and cultural activities with the other international choirs. This tour was packed with both musical and cultural events. The members of BYU Concert Choir bounced from Buenos Aires, San Juan, Mendoza, and Santiago, and made many meaningful and lasting connections with the people and culture of Argentina.

Samuel Gilbert, a Junior in the Vocal Performance program and a member of the BYU Concert Choir as well as the BYU Select Singers Choir, commented on this tour’s impact on his life, saying, “BYU Concert Choir’s tour to South America impacted me significantly. Having served my mission in South America, I was reminded of the sweet spirit of many of the pioneers of the church there and was able to meet up with a companion and a few mission friends in Argentina and Chile. Meeting and speaking with new friends who shared the common bond of the gospel was a highlight - reminding me that God is in all places and among all people.”

He also shared his musical highlight that many of the attendees of this tour would agree on, saying that, “There was truly nothing better than getting to perform in the spaces that BYU was given access to! By far my highlight was performing in the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral in Chile - a cathedral whose history dates back to 1541. Singing hymns from different denominations in such a breathtaking venue was compelling, touching, and unforgettable.”

BYU Choirs pre-concert in China

Finally, following both the BYU Singers and Concert Choir tours, the long anticipated trip to China arrived in early July. This group was composed of members from almost all of the BYU Choirs, and though many of the Select Singers choir members had travelled exhaustively prior to this tour, all of the singers that made the trip were ready to represent BYU enthusiastically. The choir had stays in both Beijing and Fuzhou and were incredibly busy from the start. They had collaborative concerts, flash mob performances, participated in the Bond with Kuliang Festival Special Concert in Fuzhou, and gave a closing performance at the China National Opera House. While they were there to perform, they also attended to make connections to the culture, community and its leaders. The group participated in many activities hosted to foster friendship with foreign countries, and had meaningful interactions with local choirs, university students, and cultural representatives. They also made time for cultural activities, including many tours, heritage workshops, and exploration of the cities they visited.

Angie Whiting shared another experience from the trip to China, sharing that, “While in China, I was part of an interview conducted by Chinese national media. We sat with two reporters and discussed the mission of the festival, which was to celebrate and foster relations between China and the

BYU Choirs students on sightseeing break while in China on tour

Exploring the Great Wall of China

United States. Though I started off nervous, the discussion quickly turned into a poignant spiritual experience for me. I was struck by the fact that people all around the world all hope for peace on earth. The large majority of humanity yearns to leave the world better than they found it. In going to China, I was blessed to see and interact with tons of people just like me. We all believed strongly in our hope for a better world. We knew that knowledge and education dispel fear, and we bonded together by means of that shared desire. I consider those two reporters, Shuan and Salty, as good friends and I hope to never forget that experience I had with them.”

David Kime, a graduate student of Choral Conducting and a member of BYU Singers and the Select Singers Tour summarizes many of the choir member’s feelings by saying, “As BYU celebrates its 150th year in 2025, I wonder whether Brother Brigham, Karl G. Maeser, and other BYU founders had a vision back in 1875 of what the school would become, and that its performing arts ensembles would one day travel around the world sharing the light of Christ and the love of God through music, dance, and theater. I am guessing they must have had some inkling of this future, because early leaders, faculty, and students at BYU made such great sacrifices to build a foundation for what the university has become. As a student, I am so grateful to watch as prophecy is fulfilled here at BYU and to be a small part of “becoming the BYU of prophecy” in the BYU choirs. Our performance tours are just one way in which we take the Savior’s light and love to the world and bear witness of His restored gospel.”

Dr. Castellanos Defies Gravity

As a journalist, it’s often my job to get the facts. But the facts are out there, and pretty public. So instead, I try to get the story. I want to get the emotional pull of peoples’ struggles and their great achievements — the process to get there, or the process out. So when the opportunity to write about Christina Castellanos’ Bell’s palsy diagnosis came across my desk, I was deeply excited.

Bell’s palsy is facial paralysis; its effects can be short-term, long-term, or permanent. A great shock to anyone receiving such news, a nigh death sentence for any vocalist, public speaker, or, in our case… a flutist.

Onset was April 9th:

“I went to the E.R. that night, and the doctor just listened and asked me lots of questions, and he said ‘well, I can say you’re not having a stroke,’ which is good news but he said, ‘100% you have Bell’s palsy.’ And I knew what that is because my dad had it years ago and for him it lasted 5 or 6 months. A very long time. So for me, I just… had a panic attack in the E.R.

I was able to just finally calm down, and the doctor said ‘you know, I find this really interesting; patients would be relieved to find that they’re not having a stroke.’ I had to explain to him that this is my livelihood, my life, it’s everything to me.

I also know someone in my ward who unfortunately has effects from Bell’s palsy, permanently, and she actually used to be a flutist. It was… terrifying.

I think the scariest part was that the more research I did, the more I realized it was just this huge unknown. It could be three months, it could be a year, two years, or forever.

I dived into everything: western medicine I’m a proponent of, but I went on the eastern medicine side too and tried to figure out all the natural things I could do, because I really think both could work together.

All the people I had read about who had Bell’s palsy highly recommended acupuncture. I had heard of acupuncture before but never done it, and it was very helpful for my anxiety if nothing else. So even if it’s not Bell’s palsy, I think acupuncture can be extremely helpful for anyone who’s struggling with anxiety, depression, or lots of ailments. But it was like a scheduled time for me to take a nap and focus on myself, or meditate, or pray. I was in the zone. It was my

Dr. Castellanos and the BYU Flute Studio

Dr. Castellanos and colleague in the pir for Wicked at Broadway

full-time job to take care of myself and try to get better.

April was… interesting, it had to be all about my health, because I couldn’t take care of all my things if I wasn’t healthy. I actually dove right back into playing concerts once I got my playing back. I played 24 shows of ‘Wicked.’

It was one of those things that can change your perspective on things, but I’m really just grateful to teach and to perform. My struggle is trying to do all of that and take care of myself at the same time.

And a part of that I absolutely want to share is that during that time in April, at the end of the semester we had a faculty meeting and our director started the meeting with a group prayer, and she knew about me but she opened it up to have anybody share anything they were struggling with or that family or close friends who needed extra help. She took notes on the whiteboard of people who needed that help. We all cried; it was really a special experience and I just don’t know anywhere else that you would have a faculty meeting like that, so that meant a lot to me. And everyday I’m able to teach these students, they’re just… so special. They make the hard things about the job absolutely worth it.”

During our interview, I also had the pleasure to ask some questions about how her experience with this changed her perspectives or reaffirmed the struggles of any musician, not just those suffering from illness.

“My first thought goes to my friend who has these lasting effects from Bell’s palsy. I thought about her a lot, but I was actually scared to talk to her because I didn’t want to hear about that, I wanted to learn about hopeful stories. She obviously can’t play the flute anymore, but she does sing. So she found another avenue to still be a musician, and still be creative and still have an outlet. And I talk to my students a lot about this because being a musician is so… demanding and difficult. It’s very competitive. Not everyone is going to have an orchestra job, not everyone is going to have a job teaching. So you kinda have to find the niche that you — just you — are put here on the earth to do. There’s so much that you can do to share music and your talents, even if it’s taken away. But yeah, not everybody gets to always do what they’re passionate about.

I thought about it my whole life, always in the back of my head. I’ve always thought if I lose a finger, I’m in trouble. However, I’ve actually spent a lot of time listening to podcasts, reading books and just doing research on what it takes to become great as a musician, and those skills are what it takes to be great at anything in life. Just the dedication, passion, and hard work it takes to be a musician can be applied to anything.

Acupuncture treatments that Dr. Castellanos experienced while treating Bell’s Palsy

Dr. Castellanos and the faculty wind quintet Morpheus Winds

Sometimes our trials and struggles are a blessing in a way, because you learn something about yourself that you need to learn that you probably wouldn’t have unless you had this tragedy or big life defining moment.”

Christina Castellanos has since made a full recovery, performing in ‘Wicked’ alongside student shadows, with the Utah Symphony, concerts for an international flute festival, and, of course, she’s still an amazing professor here at BYU. We are all so grateful for her, as she remains both a remarkable professor and a spectacular flutist.

Story by Thatcher Longman

FALL FORUM 2025

September 11 2025 | 11:00AM

Story by Shelby Laycock

YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAMS

BYU

At the BYU School of Music, many students are encouraged to participate in Young Artist summer programs. These programs are intensive training opportunities where emerging musicians receive professional coaching, performing experience, and networking in their industry to help the transition into a future professional career. If students are able to attend, the experiences that they have both in the U.S. and abroad are incredibly motivating for students, as well as provide many valuable connections and friendships outside of BYU. Young Artist programs are especially impactful in order to build one’s performing resume and experiences. We were able to speak to two BYU Vocal Performance majors that attended different Young Artist programs this summer that were willing to share their experiences, speak to the benefits they received from these various programs, as well as give advice on the application process and why BYU students should put in the effort to participate.

Bella Thurgood

“I went to the Teton Valley Chamber Music Festival in Driggs, Idaho. It is a program for vocalists and collaborative pianists! It’s five days long and it’s in a gorgeous part of the country. A very pretty and calm environment for a young artists program! I’m a junior in the classical voice program. One thing I loved about this program was having multiple lessons a day with different professors from all over the country. It was cool to see how many different directions I can take with my career. It was also incredibly helpful to learn from different professors and their different teaching styles. I learned new ways to approach my instrument and overcame obstacles I’d been facing this last year.”

What would you recommend/advice to other students regarding study abroad programs? (How to apply, why you should do it, etc.)

“Be sure to look at what different programs offer so you can see what is the right fit for you. Even though this program wasn’t very long, it had so much to offer in that short amount of time.”

Bella Thurgood and other

School

Music students during summer experiences

Adam Bell

“I actually participated in 3 programs:

1. A short intensive with legendary baritone, Sherrill Milnes

2. Janiec Opera Company at Brevard music center

3. Vienna Opera Academy where I performed the title in Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro”

I’m a Classical vocal performance major, and this is my senior year! I gained so much from these experiences! Musically, many vocal issues were remedied with the help of teachers and coaches from all over the world. At Brevard, I learned a substantial amount about the art of stage craft. Interestingly, I found that the training I’m receiving with the BYU’s opera workshop class is on par with or even better than many other top music conservatories. The amazing industry professionals, mentors and peer connections I made this summer for my career moving forward will be invaluable.”

What would you recommend/advice to other students regarding study abroad programs? (How to apply, why you should do it, etc.)

“Research the programs to find which are the best fit for your goals, talk to your teachers and previous participants, keep track of admission due dates and make audition videos well ahead of time—don’t wait until the last minute. Apply for scholarships the programs offer. Most importantly, pray about the offers and that the Lord will open a path you can follow. There is a wider world that BYU prepared me to step into both academically and spiritually.”

Adam Bell (right) onstage at summer program performance

Recently, Michelle Cheuk worked on a sound-design internship with Riot Games, as well as directing her own short film @firstshortfilm_official, making leaps and bounds in her professional career.

Michelle Cheuk

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

- Matthew 5:16

Help us share YOUR light by emailing us stories about your experiences, accomplishments, or to shout out a friend or faculty member! The School of Music Journal team can be reached at musicevents@byu.edu