2026 SoundWaves Festival Program

T E X A S

A & M

U N I V E R S I T Y - C O R P U S

C H R I S T I

SOUNDWAVES FESTIVAL S E P T E M B E R

2 4 - 2 9 ,

2 0 2 6

CLASSICAL MUSIC WITH A TWIST

2026 EVENTS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 7:00 PM | FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: CONTEMPORARY CURRENTS H-E-B PERFORMANCE HALL AT THE TAMU-CC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 6:00 PM | DOWNTOWN MUSIC DESTINATION BUS (BAR UNDER THE SUN) MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 2:00 PM | LECTURE WITH SHUYING LI CENTER FOR THE ARTS - ROOM 127 7:00 PM | UP CLOSE & CONVERSATIONAL LARRY URBAN GALLERY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 7:00 PM | VOICES, WINDS, AND ORCHESTRA H-E-B PERFORMANCE HALL AT THE TAMU-CC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Caitlin Beare clarinet

Sara Renner oboe

Carrie Pierce cello

Christina Adams violin & viola

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi & the SoundWaves Festival Committee Welcome You!

Praised as “a real talent” (The Seattle Times) with “vivid, dramatic” (San Francisco Chronicle) and “enjoyable” (Gramophone Magazine) scores, and “an incredible span of compositional tool box” (American Record Guide), Shuying Li’s compositions hhave been performed by major orchestras and ensembles worldwide, including the San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Santa Rosa Symphony, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Alarm Will Sound, West Edge Opera, Ningbo Symphony Orchestra (China), and The President’s Own United States Marine Band.

GUEST COMPOSER

Shuying Li

Her music is also championed by prominent chamber groups such as Windscape, Chinook Winds, Argus Quartet, Donald Sinta Quartet, and the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, as well as international ensembles including Orkest de ereprijs (Netherlands), Avanti! Chamber Orchestra (Finland), ICon Arts Ensemble (Romania), Cecilia Quartet (Canada), 15.19.

Ensemble (Italy), Ascanio Quartet (Italy), and Atlas Ensemble (Netherlands), among others. In addition, her works are widely performed by collegiate and professional wind ensembles and concert bands across the United States.

Shuying has received awards or grants from OPERA America, Alice M. Ditson Fund, Fromm Music Foundation, Copland House Residency Award, China National Arts Fund, ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Prize, The American Prize, International Antonin Dvorak Composition Competition, New Jersey Composers’ Guild Commission Competition, International Huang Zi Composition Competition, Melta International Composition Competition, among others.

Originally from China, Shuying holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the Hartt School. A passionate educator, Shuying has taught and directed the Composition/ Music Theory Program at Gonzaga University. She joined the faculty as the Assistant Professor of Music at California State University, Sacramento, in Fall 2022. Shuying is the founder and artistic director of the contemporary ensemble and non-profit organization Four Corners Ensemble and its annual festival, Operation Opera. For more information, please visit http://www.shuyingli.com.

Faculty Spotlight: Contemporary Currents Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi H-E-B Performance Hall at the TAMU-CC Performing Arts Center THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2026 7:00 PM

Join us in our state-of-the-art HEB Performance Hall for the opening concert of SoundWaves 2026, featuring our world-class faculty who will perform a vibrant collection of works by living composers.

FREE EVENT | No Tickets Required

Contemporary Currents Program Roberto Molinelli, Four Pictures from New York (2001) I. Dreamy Dawn II. Tango Club Matthew York, saxophone Sangmi Lim, piano Andy Akiho, Amethyst (2020) Caleb Pickering, vibraphone José Martinez, Guajeos for Four Hands Piano & Electronics (2018) Dino Mulić and Sangmi Lim, piano Michael Cotten, Now I Am Become Death (2020) Mary Thornton, trumpet Jane Kozhevnikova, Celestial Steps (2026) Sara Renner, oboe Sangmi Lim, piano Consortium Premiere Emma O’Halloran, Constellations (2018) Diana Sipes, flute; Caitlin Beare, clarinet; Christina Adams, violin; Carrie Pierce, cello; Caleb Pickering, vibraphone; Dino Mulić, piano; Jessica Spafford, soprano Brian Shelton, conductor

Downtown Music Destination: BUS BUS (Bar Under the Sun) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2026 6:00 PM

FREE EVENT (you buy your own drinks!)

Grab a refreshing beverage and relax as our talented students perform a variety of music!

BUS (Bar Under the Sun) List of Performers Low Tide: Cello/Bass Ensemble Carrie Pierce, Caesar Lecuona, Arielle Garza, Franklin Brown, Leah Tiner

Islander Voices

Syndi Vo, Liv Moya, Hunter Henne, Aiden Gonzales

Islander Flute Ensemble

Diana Sipes, Alaina Blanco, Juliana Cordero, Quin Davis, Genesis Rodriguez, Mariah Zamora

Lichtenstein String Quartet Jose Ledezma, Joe Rocha, Clarisa Martinez, Caesar Lecuona

Islander Clarinets & Saxophones Caitlin Beare, Rick Cantu, Alexis Cabrera, Javon Vela, Theresa Silvas, Becca Garza, Allison Maruschak, Matt York, David Cortez, Eli Clark, Tay Jamerson, Collin Utley, Rico Moore, David Gonzalez Garcia

BUS (Bar Under the Sun) List of Performers (continued) Brass Below!

Carlos Martinez, Yandiel Juarez, Giovanni Castellanos, Jatavrius Jamerson, Esteban Mejia, Luis Ordoñez, Zeferino Luna, Carlos Luna

Chikijaam

Javon Vela, Angelica Delgado, Aiden Gonzales, Maryssa Rivera

Islander Brass Quintet +1

Steven Garcia, Thomas Morgan, Savannah Garza, Justin Garcia, Esteban Mejia, David Gonzalez Garcia

All the Above

Liv Moya, Angelica Delgado, Nathan Verdin, Kyle Raz, Maryssa Rivera

Lecture: Shuying li, guest composer Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi CENTER FOR THE ARTS - ROOM 127 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2026 2:00 PM

Lecture with Shuying Li, overview and Q&A of her career, collaborations, festival work, and more Event is Open to All

Up Close & Conversational with Shuying Li LARRY URBAN GALLERY 223 N. CHAPARRAL ST. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2026 7:00 PM

Join us at the newly opened Larry Urban Gallery for an evening of music and discussion by featured composer, Shuying Li.

FREE EVENT | No Tickets Required Reception to Follow

Up Close & Conversational Program All works by Shuying Li (b. 1989) Unsettled Hope (2021) Carrie Pierce, cello Amaris Martinez Guedrey, dancer Jilissa Cotten, choreographer

Miss Ying-Ning (2019) Christina Adams & Sungho Jung, violins Betsabé Torres, viola Carrie Pierce, cello Shuying Li, narrator

Conversation with Shuying Li Fused (2025) Matthew York, saxophone

American Variations (2023) Caitlin Beare, clarinet Dino Mulić, piano

Collaborators & Acknowledgements

Jilissa Cotten CHOREOGRAPHER

Amaris Martinez Guedrey DANCER

Jennifer Arnold DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY GALLERIES

Voices, Winds & Orchestra H-E-B Performance Hall at the TAMU-CC Performing Arts Center TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2026 7:00 PM

Join us in our state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center for an exciting concert featuring TAMU-CC’s biggest music ensembles!

FREE EVENT | No Tickets Required

Voices, Winds, & Orchestra Program Featuring the music of Shuying Li

University Singers Dr. Liz Olson, conductor Rosephanye Powell, "Non Nobis, Domine" Shuying Li, When the Purple Mountains Burn, Scenes 14-15 Jessica Spafford, soprano; Ross Bernhardt, baritone; Sangmi Lim, piano

Faculty Feature Shuying Li, Migration Diana Sipes, flute; Caitlin Beare, clarinet; Christina Adams, violin; Carrie Pierce, cello; Sangmi Lim, piano; Caleb Pickering, percussion; Brian Shelton, conductor

Concert Orchestra Dr. Brian Shelton, conductor Karl Jenkins, Palladio Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra I. Allegretto II. Largo III. Vivace Christina Adams and Sungho Jung, violins

Symphonic Winds Dr. Brian Shelton, conductor John Williams, arr. James Curnow, Liberty Fanfare Shuying Li, In This Breath Shuying Li, The Last Hive Mind

Liz Olson DIRECTOR OF CHORAL ACTIVITIES

Dr. Liz Olson is Director of Choral Activities at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where she conducts the University Singers, music directs the annual musical, and teaches music courses. A dedicated conductor and educator, she is a frequent guest clinician, adjudicator, and honor choir conductor, working with singers of all ages.

Before joining TAMUCC, Olson served as Associate Director of Choral Activities at Lehigh University, conducting multiple choral ensembles and teaching aural skills and music history. She also taught at Hartsville High School in South Carolina.

Committed to creating welcoming environments for artistic growth, Olson fosters meaningful musical experiences that encourage curiosity, collaboration, and excellence. During her doctoral studies, she founded Cheers, Madison!, a community choir that grew to serve more than 230 singers in each concert cycle in the Madison, Wisconsin area.

Dr. Olson holds a DMA in Choral Conducting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MM in Choral Conducting from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a BM in Music Theory from the University of South Carolina.

Coloratura soprano Dr. Jessica Spafford has performed throughout the United States and Europe in opera and concert.

Internationally, she has appeared as Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Landesbühnen Sachsen near Dresden, Germany, and as Lucy in Menotti’s The Telephone with Mittelsächsisches Theater. Other credits include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, SOPRANO Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, solo appearances with the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, a masterclass residency at the Frankfurt Conservatory of Music, and collaborations with composers Libby Larsen, Elizabeth Raum, Lauren Spavelko, and Stephen Hartke. An advocate for contemporary music, she has premiered new works and is currently developing a recording project featuring a song collection commissioned specifically for her.

Spafford serves on the voice faculty at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, where she directs opera and teaches voice, vocal pedagogy, and vocal literature. She holds a doctorate from James Madison University and maintains an active career as a performer, clinician, adjudicator, and educator.

Jessica Spafford

Ross C. Berhardt is Professor of Music at Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi, where he teaches in the voice area and serves as Aural Training Coordinator. He was the Director of Choral Activities from 2008 to 2026 and previously served as Chair of the Music Department and Director of Choral Activities at B A R I T O N E Lambuth University in Jackson, Tennessee.

He received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from Michigan State University, and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of Missouri, respectively.

An internationally recognized composer, Dr. Bernhardt received third place in the American Prize in Composition for his opera, Olivia’s Ocean. His choral compositions have won competitions in the US, UK, and Spain. He served as assistant conductor for the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and was also the bass faculty for the Berkshire Choral Festival in Santa Fe. An active baritone soloist, Dr. Bernhardt has performed with musicians and organizations such as the Oregon Bach Festival, Santa Fe Opera, and Dave Brubeck.

Ross C. Bernhardt

Brian shelton DIRECTOR OF INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLES

Dr. Brian Shelton is Director of Instrumental Ensembles at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, where he conducts the Symphonic Winds and Concert Orchestra and teaches courses in conducting. He earned his doctorate in instrumental conducting from the University of Arizona, with additional degrees from George Mason University and Northern Illinois University. Dr. Shelton’s teaching experience spans all levels of public education, from beginning band through collegiate wind ensemble. From 1998 to 2000, he served as band director and music teacher in Malta, Illinois, followed by a position as Director of Bands at Oak Lawn Community High School in Oak Lawn, Illinois, from 2000 to 2002. Prior to joining Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, he served as Director of Bands and Supervisor of Student Teachers at Texas A&M University–Kingsville from 2006 to 2013.

Ensembles under Dr. Shelton’s direction have received high acclaim. He is an active clinician, working with bands throughout Texas, and he has presented clinics on wind band and marching band at conferences across the country. In addition to his collegiate responsibilities, Dr. Shelton conducts two community ensembles in the Coastal Bend: the Corpus Christi Wind Symphony, an ensemble of adult musicians from Corpus Christi and surrounding communities, and the Corpus Christi Area Youth Orchestra, which brings together middle and high school musicians from school districts throughout South Texas. His professional affiliations have included Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Golden Key National Honor Society, the College Band Directors National Association, the College Music Society, the National Association for Music Education, the Texas Music Educators Association, and the Texas Bandmasters Association.

Dr. Christina Adams serves as Assistant Professor of Violin & Viola at TAMU-CC, Assistant Concertmaster of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and artistfaculty at the Montecito International Music Festival. She has collaborated with leading artists from around the country, including New York Philharmonic principals, and has performed extensively throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

Christina adams VIOLIN

An enthusiastic advocate of new music, she is also the violinist/violist of the new music group Four Corners Ensemble, and can be heard on their album “World Map,” through Navona Records. Additional recordings include Butterfly Dreams for two violins by Augusta Read Thomas with violinist Carolyn Stuart.

Adams holds degrees from the University of South Florida, Boston University, and a DMA from the University of Michigan.

Sungho Jung

VIOLIN

Dr. Sungho Jung, a South Korean violinist, made his orchestral debut at age 13 with the Seoul Grand Symphony Orchestra and later pursued advanced studies in Europe and the United States. An accomplished chamber musician, he has performed in the “If Music Be the Food…Lansing” concert series and with Camerata Michigan’s “Cello Plus Series,” and has contributed to recordings, including New Works for Oboe and Orchestra.

He has participated in masterclasses with distinguished artists such as Miriam Fried, Soovin Kim, and Lawrence Dutton of the Emerson String Quartet. His performance credits include appearances at major venues such as Symphony Hall in Boston and Orchestra Hall in Detroit.

Dr. Jung holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Michigan State University, along with degrees from Boston University and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and a performance certificate from the Prague Conservatory.

CLASSICAL MUSIC WITH A TWIST THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 | 7:00 PM FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: CONTEMPORARY CURRENTS TAMU-CC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER FRI DAY, SEPTEMBER 25 | 6:00 PM DOWNTOWN MUSIC DESTINATION B US (BAR UNDER THE SUN) MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 | 7:00 PM UP CLOSE & CONVERSATIONAL LARRY URBAN GALLERY TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 | 7:00 PM EVENING CONCERT: VOICES, WINDS, AND ORCHESTRA TAMU-CC PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

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