B1 | Thursday February 7, 2013 | The University Star
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Lawyer, lecturer teaches from experience By Glen Tadych Assistant Trends Editor The path from professional musician to lawyer to college instructor has been a winding road for one Texas State adjunct lecturer in the School of Music, but one full of opportunities for him to show off his talents and passion for music. Born in Houston on June 22, 1950, Stephen Summer joined the world of music following his graduation from Bellaire High School in 1968. He decided college was not for him after briefly attending the University of Houston, and went on to live the life of a professional musician. “Music really permeated the culture back then,” Summer said. “The culture was receptive to everything and I feel very fortunate to have lived in that time.” Summer played drums for decades with groups such as Kirk Whalum and Group Session in the mid-80s, The Brew in 1989 and Beto and the Fairlanes from 1992 to the present. The beginnings of Summer’s history with Texas State began during his time with Whalum in Austin. Keith Winking, a trumpet performance graduate who became Texas State’s Director of Jazz Studies in 1991, met Summer while performing in an adjacent club on Sixth Street in 1983. After his gigs, Winking often watched Kirk Whalum and Group Session play, taking notice of Summer’s skill and chemistry with the group. “They were one of the best groups I’d ever seen,” Winking said. In 1989, Summer returned to college to finish his bachelor’s degree. At that time, Winking was teaching part-time in Texas State’s music department and working to build the school’s jazz program. When the two recon-
nected, Winking suggested attending Texas State and offered Summer the opportunity to become involved with the school’s jazz ensembles. Accepting Winking’s offer, Summer began attending Texas State in 1989, making an impact as soon as he arrived. “Having Steve here really raised the standards of the program,” Winking said. Summer was tentative about re-entering the collegiate world. Failing his first history exam led Summer to question where he was, but he pushed on, unconquered by self-doubt. Soon, he began to make a home out of San Marcos. He moved from Austin, regularly played gigs and in 1992, graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in applied arts and sciences. In 1991, Winking got the school’s jazz band accepted to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. However, Summer’s father passed away in June 1991, less than a month before the group departed for the festival. Summer still accompanied the group to Switzerland despite the loss. It was a rare opportunity to spend time with his close musician friends, perform at the festival and spend nine days in Montreux. “It was one of the best trips of my life,” Summer said. Summer continued his education, earning a master’s in jazz music education from The University of Texas in 1995. That same year he met his wife, got married, had a baby girl and gave thought to starting a career in law. In 1997, after considering other schools, Summer chose South Texas College of Law. He and his family then relocated to Houston where Summer spent the next three years obtaining his law degree. “Law school was not easy, particularly because I was coming from being a musician, and I felt like such a fish out of water,” Sum-
mer said. Upon graduating in 2000, Summer and his family moved back to Austin, where he was hired as an associate with a small law firm. After two years, Summer left and established Stephen Owen Summer, P.C., specializing in estate planning, business law, copyrights and entertainment law. In 2009, Summer re-entered the world of Texas State. The instructor for the Business in Music class was leaving, and Senior Lecturer Hank Hehmsoth, having played music with Summer for years, asked him to come back and teach the course. “There are only about three lawyers who are entertainment lawyers in Austin, and Steve just seemed like the right guy,” Hehmsoth said. Summer thought teaching this course would be a way to give back to young musicians and consequently accepted the position. Sonja Burton, Staff Photographer Because no one ever explained the music business to him, Sum- Stephen Summer, lecturer in Texas State’s School of Music, is mer wanted to make sure upcom- an avid drum player and teaches History of Rock and Roll. ing musicians knew their options H Project, and various other acts as a freethrough learning copyright, business formation, income taxation, creating lance musician. “There’s a core of professionalism inbusiness plans and understanding contracts volved,” Hehmsoth said. “Twenty to thirty in the music industry. He also teaches History of Rock, a course guys who play a variety of instruments, and evaluating the emergence and evolution of they’re the first-call guys. Steve is one of those rock music, as well as the culture changes guys.” Today, Summer continues to practice law that accompanied this evolution. Summer said the course is “a blast” to teach because in Austin, in addition to teaching and perhe gets to relive the culture of the time from a forming. He enjoys time with his family outside of work. different perspective. “The whole point of life is family,” SumIn addition to teaching, Summer performs on a regular basis with Hehmsoth’s group, mer said.
Jazz festival to feature students, award-winning saxist By Fiona Riley Trends Reporter This Saturday, Texas State students will have the chance to perform with a Grammy Award-winning artist. The Texas State Jazz Ensemble will be performing at the Hill Country Jazz Festival with Vincent Herring, alto saxophonist. Herring is known for his energetic performances and has recorded 19 of his own CDs and played on more than 240, according to his website. “He’s worked with a lot of the major band leaders in the history of bee-bop, and post-bop in the last couple of decades that he’s been playing,” said Rus-
sell Haight, Texas State Jazz Ensemble director. The festival takes place on Saturday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Evans Auditorium. Admission is free. Ensemble members want the performance to be memorable, and are not taking the easy route with their choices of music for the festival. “They’ve risen to the occasion,” Haight said. “We talked through this program of music, and we could have chosen a slightly less challenging path, but everybody wanted to take the more challenging path, and do some more ambitious repertoire.” The ensemble has only been prac-
ticing since the start of the semester. They have had to work extra hard to ensure they’re prepared for the weekend, Haight said. Besides Texas State students, the invitation to play in the festival is extended to high schools and middle schools. Keith Winking, music professor, believes the festival will benefit the students by providing them the opportunity to meet and network with professionals. Winking founded the festival in 1990, and continues to run it today. He first set up the festival because he was surprised at how little jazz there was in the area. “I thought there was a need for a fes-
tival, for groups to come play and to create interest among other schools,” Winking said. Students like Altin Sencalar, music performance freshman, are excited about performing at the festival. Sencalar performed at the festival with his high school band last year, which is what influenced him to apply to Texas State. “I was planning on attending the University of North Texas, but Freddie Mendoza, the jazz trombone (senior lecturer), talked to me, and now I’m here,” Sencalar said. “I told myself ‘If I go to Texas State I want to play in the festival again,’ and I reached my goal.”
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