Welcome to the October issue of Cadenza! This month, we bring many exciting concerts to you – and not just in one location! Please see the feature about the upcoming Chamber Singers concert which will be performed both at the Main Campus, and at the Chapel of the Incarnate Word. In addition, we are featuring a wonderful collaboration with our colleagues in the College of Science for the Interstellar Concert. We look forward to welcoming you to all of these venues for a wonderful month of performances by students, faculty, and guest artists!
This issue of Cadenza also features some of our outstanding faculty research and creative projects, as well as an Alumni Spotlight on Michael Kelly, a graduate in Music Marketing who is now a local business owner.
Please keep an eye on these pages and our online event calendar for upcoming concert information. And share Cadenza with your friends and family outside of San Antonio; they can check out the livestreams of our performances on our School of Music Facebook page! As always, we hope that all of you will take this opportunity to follow us on social media, where we post fun features on our students, faculty, and staff, link to our livestreams, and share photos and video clips of all that is taking place in the School of Music.
Are you interested in having live music at your own event? You could hire a student group! Our Gig Service link is live on the School of Music website! And as always, we invite our alumni to submit your news and reconnect with your UTSA Music friends by sending an update to music@utsa.edu. We hope you are as excited as we are about all that is happening in the School of Music, and we look forward to seeing you soon for live music at UTSA!
Tracy Cowden Roland K. Blumberg Endowed Professor in Music and Director
UTSA School of Music alum and business owner, Michael Kelly graduated as part of the Roadrunner Class of 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Music Marketing and a certificate in Jazz Studies. He is an active musician and founded Music on Magnolia, a music education program in San Antonio, TX.
For high school seniors, choosing a college can be quite difficult. What made you choose UTSA?
“As the end of high school approached, I had already planned on attending UTSA, although I did apply at a couple of nationally recognized colleges in the hopes of studying music in film. My Mom actually got her teaching degree from UTSA, as well, so when I was accepted, it made sense to stay home, work, and see what UTSA had to offer.”
What fond memory can you recall from your time at UTSA Music?
“My favorite memories from UTSA are those first moments that I met my friends that would eventually become my Jazz musician network. I had always searched for people that were excited to make music and had the ability to improvise, so looking back, it was those first conversations with the interesting characters from class that I appreciate the most.”
“While taking music classes and working as a server, I began hosting music lessons from my home music room. Since my early years, I'd ask for instruments for gifts and tried to learn anything I could get my hands on. All of the instruments and gear eventually needed its own room. I'd say that's the beginning of Music of Magnolia, although it took years of building local clientele to fill my studio. By the time I graduated college, I could support myself from music alone and quit the restaurant industry. Within a year or so, I had a completely full schedule working from home and began to realize the
opportunities arose.” pandemic. However, about 40% of my students stuck with me, allowing me to stick with it and wait out the storm. Along with online lessons, we had lessons on my front porch! I put up fans to counteract the summer heat, and we all wore masks. It was a test for me and the students. I used the free time to dive into writing my own music, which was a very small
silver lining on the whole situation. I'm still so grateful for those families that helped the business get through that time.”
they will). Start to develop a small and effective team that supports the vision. Dream big and take small daily actions to get you there. Like someone told me, set your goals and work toward them. Accept that they might change but continue working toward them.”
How did obtaining a Music-Marketing degree help develop your own business?
“As the professors at the time would say, the music industry is always changing. It's impossible to predict what's next. So, what I learned that has benefited me the most was developing a DIY, guerrilla marketing attitude that illustrated to me a timeless truth; if there's a will, there's a way. The business classes did introduce important concepts that I'm only beginning to learn the importance of, and the music theory courses are invaluable, but the required reading throughout the curriculum was my foundation for diving deeper into the mentality of becoming a business owner with creativity and determination. “
What pre- or post-graduation advice would you give to Music Marketing majors looking to start a professional music business?
“Register a DBA today! Becoming a business is very simple. Begin to keep track of finances and play the tax game. All of this revolves around one important thing; what are you good at and what do you enjoy doing? If you follow the passion first, you'll find the resolve to meet the challenged when they come (and
To learn more about Michael’s music education program, Music on Magnolia, click the hyperlink button below!
The realms of music and space distinguish themselves through a clear, conceptual difference; one is the creation of humanity, and the other’s design is utterly independent of our existence. Despite their specific fields, a deep running parallel between astronomy and music can be found within their influence on human culture and philosophy. The exploration and constant expansion of both realms has piqued society's curiosity since ancient civilizations. Throughout history, both have been utilized by us to convey stories of the universe, of life as we know it, and of what else may be lying in wait beyond our known frontiers.
These parallels and contrasts between human perception versus reality are what choral director Jordan Boyd (M.M.) intends to conceptualize through his upcoming concert program titled Interstellar. The concert is a collaboration between the UTSA Concert Choir, the University Chorus, and the UTSA Department of Physics and Astronomy to create a program unlike any other previously hosted by the UTSA School of Music.
Jordan Boyd was initially inspired to do an astronomy-themed concert when he saw brand new images taken from the James Webb Telescope in the summer of 2022. It was an unveiling that he had been anxiously anticipating.
“When those images were released in July, I had set my alarm, then I got up, and I had my TV on. And then my jaw hit the floor,” said Jordan Boyd upon seeing the images for the first time. “I had this realization, this stunning moment of ‘Wow…we’re so small. How do I want to capture this in music?’”
Boyd has been a member of the UTSA music faculty as Assistant Director of Choral Activities since the beginning of the Fall 2022 semester. He is already making waves within the School of Music with his ambitious style of conceptual programming to deliver a narrative to audiences. This concert will also mark Boyd’s first return to conducting for a live audience in a hall setting since February 2020, when he taught public school choirs in Charleston, South Carolina.
Joining Boyd and representing the university’s Department of Physics and Astronomy in this program is Chris Packham (Ph.D.) Dr. Packham's research background encompasses topics such as supermassive black holes, protoplanetary discs around stars, and infrared technology utilized by the most advanced telescopes. He will be giving a pre-concert lecture and exhibiting images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. The optical telescope is the largest of its kind and utilizes infrared technology to capture high-res images of distant objects in space, such as the one shown above.
Boyd’s fascination with space and particularly with the images produced by the James Webb telescope led him to the concept of a collaboration concert between music and astronomy. He learned of Dr. Packham’s work with the university through an article featuring his work in UTSA Today.
“I met [Chris] at the new faculty orientation; he was with his research interest group. So I pulled him minimal involvement on his part, just a little chat with the students, helping me select some images, telling people what’s happening, etc. But he was as excited as I was, and then the project just took on a life of its own,” said Boyd.
Once ideas began to materialize, it was quickly realized that the concert had the potential to become a concert unlike anything ever seen in the Recital Hall before. The collaboration between the two sectors of the university would also be a push for further university unification on a grand scale, encouraging an overall stronger institution.
To further drive home the point of creating a multidisciplinary bridge, it’s important to note that a substantial number of singers in the concert are majoring in studies outside of the School of Music and the College of Liberal and Fine Arts. The University Chorus consists almost entirely of non-music majors, with the Concert Choir being nearly 40% non-music majors.
“The bridge between music and astronomy is a nice, unusual approach to follow. Building these multidisciplinary bridges is something UTSA wants to see happen more and more,” said Packham on the collaborative effort from all sides.
Thematically, much of the music choice is based on the timeless concept of humans perceiving and making sense of what’s above us. There is a contrast between the scientific context of astronomy and lyrical interpretations that incorporate spirituality, and romanticism. A musical highlight among the
Jordan Boyd, M.M. – Assistant Director of Choral Activities Chris Packham, Ph.D. – UTSA Physics and Astronomyconcert’s repertoire is a piece titled I Cannot Count the Stars by Eugene Butler, which features our String Area coordinator, Dr. Nicole Cherry, on the violin.
Mary Lowder will also join the choir as their collaborative pianist, whom Boyd has known since his days in Charlotte, SC. She is quintessential to the performance’s success and will play on every piece featured in the concert.
The event is expected to make quite the splash among the local San Antonio arts community, as such a collaborative concert effort is rarely seen between science and the fine arts. The pre-concert talk will have several notable speakers and guests, in addition to Chris Packham. Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia from San Antonio City Council District 4 will be present to give remarks, as well as Roland K. Blumberg Endowed Professor in Music and Director, Dr. Tracy Cowden. There is much excitement from the community about the implications of UTSA School of Music’s future concert programming if this upcoming event is any indicator.
As with most of UTSA School of Music’s concerts, Interstellar will be held in the UTSA Recital Hall with free admission to the general public. The pre-concert talk with Dr. Chris Packham begins at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 20, 2022. The choir will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. The UTSA Recital Hall entrance is located on the 2nd floor of the Arts Building on UTSA’s Main Campus. Surface and garage parking will be available on-site for all visitors.
Mary Lowder (piano) accompanies the University Chorus in rehearsal while Boyd conducts Nicole Cherry (D.M.A.) - Violin
Dr. Rachel Woolf has already been heavily involved with our 2022 2023 concert season thus far. She made her initial appearance this semester at the first School of Music recital, “Portraits and Emblems,” on September 6th. Alongside Dr. Tracy Cowden and Dr. Nicholas Councilor, she performed a selection of works for flute, clarinet, and piano trio. The concert was highlighted by Valerie Coleman’s Portraits of Hughes, which featured readings of poet Langston Hughes’s works by guest artist Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson. The program made for an exciting performance and a unique concert experience
Rachel was featured in the UTSA Orchestra’s first concert of the semester, “Northern Lights,” as the soloist for Carl Reinecke’s Flute Concerto in D major, Op. 283. The massive work showcased Dr. Woolf’s virtuosic abilities as a flutist, especially in the piece’s final movement. Her beautiful tone cut through the air with ease and resonated throughout the halls to a thunderous reception from the audience
In addition to her performances, Dr. Woolf’s UTSA Flute Ensemble was one of three School of Music ensembles invited to perform at TMEA in February 2023.
Prof. John Nix is our associate professor of Voice and Vocal Pedagogy and the founding director of the UTSA Vocal Arts Laboratory.
Oxford University Press recently recruited Nix to develop and edit a new book on singing voice training, The Oxford Handbook of Voice Pedagogy. He is the lead editor and has invited Leda Scearce (MM, MS, CCC SLP, Duke Medical Center) to work with him as co editor. This book will have 32 chapters and will feature the work of scholars worldwide. Nix will author and co author several chapters, in addition to co editing the entire book. This book marks the third book he has worked on for Oxford University Press, having already been Vocal Music Editor of The Oxford Handbook of Music Education and one of three General Editors of The Oxford Handbook of Singing.
Dr. Rachel Woolf
Prof. John Nix
Aat the Chapel of the In
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Dr. Lloyd noted that much of his inspiration for this work came from the music of English composer Herbert Howells. Howells was an organist known for his significant contribution to Anglican church music Lloyd also cited inspiration from Russian sacred music, such as Rachmaninoff's All Night Vigil (Vespers), Op. 37, with his experimentation and use of octave unisons throughout the piece.
S. Andrew Lloyd, DMA The UTSA Chamber singers present Bach and the world premiere of Andrew Lloyd’s newest work to the city of San Antonio.Lloyd’s approach to writing for choir and organ is also somewhat experimental. Instead of treating the choir and organ choir as separate entities, Lloyd uses a style that he terms assisted acapella, in which the organ functions as a foundation for the choir. It differs from traditional accompaniment in that the organ feels like part of the choir, providing a rich foundation upon which the other voices can build Occasionally, the organ takes the melody itself in the piece.
“There’s times where the organ rises out of the fabric of the choir piece, and it becomes the moment,” said Lloyd.
It’s worth noting that the choir’s second concert performance at the Chapel of the Incarnate Word on Sunday is a part of the chapel’s Caritas Concerts, which is currently in its second season The program’s name was derived from the Latin word “caritas,” which references “the outpouring of love through charity,” as noted on the Chapel’s website.
The concert series was established by Mary Ann Winden, the chapel’s organist and choir director, in 2022 to promote the organ in a worship setting. The concerts have hosted several talented organists paired with various instrumental and choral performers, presenting bold and innovative uses of the instrument. The organ itself has played a significant role in the chapel’s functions since it was founded in 1869. Since then, the chapel has seen four different organs in service, with the current instrument having been made by the Schoenstein Company of San Francisco
Because of the chapel’s ties to spirituality, the sacred nature of the works being performed, and the date being on a Sunday, a truly authentic performance setting is being created on October 16th . Regardless of one’s faith, there is a sense of purity in having these compositions presented in a manner that is so close to the way they were intended to be performed. It maximizes the potential for the performers and the audience to make a truly meaningful connection to the music when the environment that it’s presented in, by design, allows it to thrive When a performance is experienced like that, we can completely detach ourselves from all other elements of the material world and allow the music to sustain our existence almost entirely on its own at that moment.
The concert will provide a fantastic opportunity for the School of Music to showcase its chamber choir group to the public outside UTSA. On that note, having ensembles and faculty perform more often in a public outreach setting outside the university is a direction the School of Music seeks to continue moving forward.
The Chamber Singer’s concert in the Recital Hall on October 13th will occur at 7:30 pm. Their Sunday concert on October 16th at the Chapel of the Incarnate Word is scheduled for 3:00 pm. San Antonio concertgoers are encouraged to attend either concert, as they both include free admission to the general public.
The chapel’s organ up close The Chapel of the Incarnate Word
As an institution with a bold promise to ensure affordable quality education to its students, UTSA offers many opportunities for students to earn merit based scholarships. UTSA’s Presidential Inclusive Excellence Scholarship is one of these annual opportunities for students. This year the award was given to 12 students and among those recipients is junior voice student and music education major Jared Kellman Medina.
The scholarship recognizes students passionate about diversity, inclusion, and social justice These students have demonstrated their ability to improve campus culture and engage in activities adding to their skills and abilities to further contribute to the campus community on topics related to inclusive excellence.
As we look forward to 2023, the preparation for TMEA’s annual convention in Alamo city has already begun. UTSA Music has traditionally maintained a significant presence as exhibitors and performing artists at the convention, reaping the benefit of being the hosting city’s premier music program at the collegiate level. With February’s convention being a little more than four months away now, performer selections have been made, and multiple UTSA ensembles have been invited to make an appearance at this upcoming year’s showcase. Our Flute Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and the mighty Boom Squad are all slated to perform at the conference in February and represent UTSA for its first ever appearance at TMEA as the School of Music
The Flute Ensemble is stacked for the Fall 2022 semester, with 12 members this year. The ensemble is led by Dr. Rachel Woolf, our flute instructor. The TMEA invite certainly isn’t anything new, as they've been invited to perform at the National Flute Association, Austin Flute Festival, the Texas Flute Society Festival, and the San Diego Flute Guild Festival within the last two years.
The Boom Squad, directed by Gary Poffenbarger and John Caputo, is an ensemble comprised entirely of tuba and euphonium players. This combination makes up one of our most powerful sounding ensembles. This ensemble also looks forward to holding its annual Octubafest concerts on October 25th and 26th.
The UTSA Percussion ensemble is looking forward to their performance at the clinic. They’ve commissioned two new works for the performance, one composed by director Paul Millette titled Joy Variations. The other is a composition by a UTSA alum, Alice Gomez, titled Yanaguana The piece’s name is derived from the indigenous name for San Antonio before the arrival of the Spaniards
A quick look at our UTSA Music students and how they achieve Roadrunner excellence.
UTSA Flute Ensemble
Boom Squad
UTSA Percussion Ensemble
Jared Kellman Medina (junior)
Junior Music Composition major most of opportunit experience. volunteers as a nonprofit organiz
The organization is community based and is dedicated to the mission of preserving traditional Conjunto music as played with the accordion and bajo sexto. The organization provides the community with lessons in accordion/bajo sexto and music theory. With conjunto music traditionally passed down orally, Valles’s music theory students range from age 12 to seniors who wish to understand sheet music.
Conjunto Heritage Taller also provides students opportunities to perform at festivals and local events. The events also help keep the music active within the community and occasionally serve as fundraisers for the organization and charity. Their most recent events, Tardeada and Sesiones Acousticas, were held in August this year and showcased a variety of local talent
UTSA graduate piano students Eymen Geylan and Juliana Woodlee were recently accepted, along with piano faculty member Dr. Kasandra Keeling, to present their research at the Music Teachers National Association’s 2023 Conference in Reno, Nevada this March. The title of their presentation will be “Student Approved: Handpicked Piano Music by Uncelebrated Women Composers,” which stems from work completed in a graduate applied literature course taught by Dr. Keeling in Spring 2022.
The trio will share the results of a survey created in the course that includes samples of piano pieces by women that are not widely known. They look forward to sharing this repertoire and helping to champion these pieces as part of the standard teaching literature for piano students.
Pictured from top right to bottom: Juliana Woodlee, Eymen Geylan, Kassandra Keeling
Alex Valles (junior)
VOCAL ARTS SERIES
3:00 PM | Laurel Heights United Methodist Church
RECITAL
Noah Serrata, piano 7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
AREA RECITAL
7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
featuring performances by Dr. Andrew Lloyd 3:00 PM | Chapel of the Incarnate Word
7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
SYMPHONIC BAND CONCERT
Joint performance with Health Careers HS featuring Gary Poffenbarger, tuba 7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
STUDENT RECITAL
Noah Serrata, composition 5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
GUEST RECITAL
Ann DuHamel, piano 7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
UNIVERSITY CHORUS & CONCERT CHOIR CONCERT
7:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
3:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall UNIVERSITY BAND CONCERT
STUDENT RECITAL
Micah Rosenstein, composition 7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
OCTUBAFEST I RECITAL
5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT
7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
OCTUBAFEST II RECITAL
5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
27 27 28 28 29
Jolynn Creel, piano
5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
UTSA JAZZ ENSEMBLE CONCERT
7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
BRASS ENSEMBLES RECITAL
5:00 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
STUDENT RECITAL STUDENT RECITAL
Alejandro Palacios, tuba
7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
GUEST RECITAL
Daniel Del Pino, piano
7:30 PM | UTSA Recital Hall
