*With special guest narrator Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson Dash (2001) Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962)
II. Danse Africaine III. Le Grand Duc Mambo IV. Silver Rain V. Parisian Cabaret VI.
Presents Portraits and Emblems Faculty Trio Recital Tuesday September 6th, 2022 7:30 PM UTSA Recital Hall Rachel Woolf, flute Nicholas Councilor, clarinet Tracy Cowden, piano
I.
*Portraits of Langston (2007) Valerie Coleman (b. 1970) Prelude: Helen Keller Harlem’s Summer Night Poetry reading by Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson Prélude à l’après midi d’un faune (1894) Claude Debussy (1862 1918) Arr. by Michael Webster Tarantella Op. 6 (1857) Camille Saint Saëns (1835 1921)
Dr. Rachel Woolf, Assistant Professor of Instruction of Flute at The University of Texas at San Antonio, is an award winning soloist and chamber musician. Rachel is principal flute of Symphony of the Hills, a member of middle eastern fusion group Viatorum, and the symphonic choral rock band The Polyphonic Spree. She has performed with the Musicians of the San Antonio Symphony, Dallas Winds, Abilene Philharmonic, and the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, among others.
Faculty Artist: Dr. Nicholas Councilor Dr. Nicholas Councilor is an Assistant Professor of Practice at The University of Texas at San Antonio School of Music. He previously held teaching positions at Texas A&M University Kingsville and The University of Texas at Austin. He also maintains a large private studio in Austin, where his students frequently make the TMEA All State ensembles and earn top accolades in solo competitions. As a clinician for the D’Addario Woodwind Method Program, Dr. Councilor has taught nearly 100 clinics to students of all ages throughout Central Dr.Texas.Councilor is a versatile freelance musician with an active schedule of solo, orchestral, and chamber music performances. He has performed as a featured soloist with the Austin Symphonic Band, the Waterloo Wind Band, and performed John Corigliano’s Concerto with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble in a premiere performance of a new wind band transcription by Craig B. Davis. Nicholas is a member of the Mid Texas Symphony and Central Texas Philharmonic and regularly performs with the San Antonio Symphony, the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and other regional orchestras across the state. He has also appeared as guest principal clarinetist with the San Antonio Symphony and the Dallas Winds. He can be heard as principal clarinetist in the UT Wind Ensemble recording Wine Dark Sea. As an avid chamber musician, Dr. Councilor has earned the silver medal at the prestigious Fischoff Competition and is a prizewinner of the Coleman and Plowman chamber music competitions, as well as the American Prize. He is also a skilled woodwind doubler and has performed for dozens of musical theater productions.
Dr. Councilor earned his Doctoral of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Eastern Michigan University.
Rachel is a sought after clinician and judge and has performed at the National Flute Association’s (NFA) Convention six times, including the 2022 NFA premiere performance of Julia Wolfe’s Oxygen. Rachel was a prize winner of the San Diego Flute Guild Young Artist Competition, a finalist in the Myrna Brown Competition, and a semifinalist in the NFA Young Artist and Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. She has performed with Swedish Argentinian folk singer José González, Iranian legend Aref, multi platinum operatic pop superstars Il Divo, GLEE, and Emmy winning Darren Criss, and has recorded with Grammy winning producer John Congleton on experimental rock band Swans record, The Glowing Man.
Faculty Artist: Dr. Rachel Woolf
A native of San Diego, Rachel completed her Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of North Texas with Terri Sundberg and Dr. James Scott, her Master of Music at Bowling Green State University with Dr. Conor Nelson, and Bachelor of Music with Amy Porter at the University of Michigan.
Faculty Artist: Dr. Tracy Cowden Appointed in 2018 as Roland K. Blumberg Endowed Professor in Music and Chair of the School of Music at The University of Texas at San Antonio, Tracy Cowden’s professional life centers around making music with others, whether in duos, chamber music, or orchestral settings. Her work as a collaborative pianist includes a wide range of music and partners, from the music of Jane Austen’s songbook with soprano Julianne Baird, to klezmer-influenced music with clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein and cellist Nick Cannelakis, to American fiddle music with violinist Mark O’Connor. She is also active in commissioning and performing 21st century music and has premiered works in concerts from Kalamazoo to Bangkok. Cowden’s interest in poetry and art song has led her to commission a song cycle by Gregory Hutter that features the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, and another by Daron Hagen titled Vegetable Verselets, which features poetry by Margaret Hays, and which will be released on a forthcoming recording in 2021.
Guest Artist: Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson
Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson is the first Black Poet Laureate of San Antonio, 2020 2023. Her dynamic style is a fusion of poetry, hip hop, and R&B. She has traveled internationally, teaching workshops and public speaking. Her awards include The Arts and Letters Award 2020 and Best Local Poet 2021 by the San Antonio Current. In 2021, she received an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship. In 2022 She received a Creative Funds Award from National Performance Network. Vocab's debut book is entitled She Lives In Music, Flower Song Press; February 2020. You can stream her music on all music platforms. For more info, visit her website: AndreaVocabSanderson.com
Also active as a clinician and lecturer, Cowden has presented master classes and workshops on topics related to collaborative music making and creative programming across the country. She has been a presenter or performer at conferences including the National Opera Association, Music Teachers National Association, College Music Society, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, International Trumpet Guild, International Tuba Euphonium Conference, and the National Flute Association. Cowden is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music through the Music Teachers National Association, and currently serves as the chair of the MTNA National Certification Commission, as well as chair of the College Music Society 2021 National Conference Committee, and as a visiting evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Music.
Cowden’s recent work includes performing in health care settings, both in person and virtually, and facilitating interdisciplinary research regarding music and health; she is a member of the Brain Health Consortium at UTSA.
A Michigan native, Cowden has previously served as a faculty member at Virginia Tech, Ohio Wesleyan University, Kalamazoo College, and Hope College. She received the D.M.A. and M.M. degrees in piano accompanying and chamber music from the Eastman School of Music, and a B.M. degree in piano performance from Western Michigan University.
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