Centers + Programs

Grammy-nominated artist-in-residence Marco Pavé to showcase artistry, wisdom

Mariefaith Lane — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 11:09:13 +0000

Grammy-nominated artist-in-residence Marco Pavé to showcase artistry, wisdom Mariefaith Lane Tue, 09/16/2025 - 05:09

Kathryn Bistodeau

As artist-in-residence of our American Music Research Center (AMRC) and the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Center for African & African American Studies, Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist, dramatist and writer Marco Pavé—stage name for Tauheed Rahim II—will showcase his artistry and wisdom through classes, workshops and a concert, Sept. 22-26.

AMRC Director Michael Uy notes that many College of Music students have been interested in a chance to engage with hip-hop. “When Marco Pavé reached out, I jumped at the opportunity because I knew of his participation as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department,” says Uy. “He also came highly recommended as Georgetown University’s first hip-hop artist-in-residence.”

In preparation for classes that he’s guest teaching, Pavé asked students to listen to his Grammy-nominated work “Requiem for the Enslaved” which blends contemporary classical music with hip-hop. MORE

As artist-in-residence of our American Music Research Center and the Center for African & African American Studies, Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist, dramatist and writer Marco Pavé will showcase his artistry and wisdom through classes, workshops and a concert, Sept. 22-26.

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Lynn-Craig Living Music Award recipients announced

Mariefaith Lane — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 18:57:23 +0000

Lynn-Craig Living Music Award recipients announced Mariefaith Lane Wed, 07/30/2025 - 12:57

Kathryn Bistodeau

The American Music Research Center (AMRC) awarded the 2025 Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award to Kristina Butler (MM ’25, voice) and Katiann Nelson (MM ’25, voice). The awardees will each receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Nelson’s project—”Making a Composer: Alex Craig”—involves presenting a recital of Craig’s works alongside works by composers that Craig found inspirational.

“I’m really looking forward to diving into the music itself,” says Nelson. “For me, getting to know a new composer through their work is like getting to know a new friend—I’m excited to start this process with a composer who is completely new to me.”

Butler will also be organizing a recital and hopes to record the music she prepares. Her project—”Seasons of Life: Music of Alex Craig”—will explore the seasons of life in the context of the four weather seasons.

“I’m most excited to work artistically from a relatively blank slate as there isn’t a wealth of recordings of Professor Craig’s music,” explains Butler. “Learning music without a recording is an exciting challenge that frequently comes with learning contemporary works. It’s even more magical when everything comes together!”

The Lynn-Craig Living Music Award is open to both undergraduate and graduate students and supports the performance of works by the late composer Alex Craig, housed in the Rare and Distinctive Collections at the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Libraries.

Congratulations to our most recent Lynn-Craig Living Music Award recipients!

The American Music Research Center awarded the 2025 Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award to Katiann Nelson and Kristina Butler, both recent voice performance grads.

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American Music Research Center reflects on successful AY2024-25

Mariefaith Lane — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 17:32:49 +0000

American Music Research Center reflects on successful AY2024-25 Mariefaith Lane Thu, 07/10/2025 - 11:32

Kathryn Bistodeau

Friedel leads an archive tour as part of the AMRC’s spring Open House.

The American Music Research Center (AMRC) had a bustling year. With the introduction of a new director, Michael Uy, came new events, collaborations and opportunities to leverage our varied archives.

The AMRC, jointly housed by the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ College of Music and University Libraries, has an archive collection full of musical memorabilia; collection highlights include silent film music, big band artifacts and Colorado-specific research and manuscripts.

In February, the AMRC opened its doors to curious members of our community: Our Open House attendees were treated to a range of archival materials as well as a guided tour through the stacks to see where the collections are held. Megan K. Friedel, head of collections management and stewardship for the libraries’ Rare and Distinctive Collections (RaD), and A. R. Flynn, project archivist for the Glenn Miller Collection, helped organize the event and curate the selection of materials.

“The event that had the most significant impact on me was our Open House,” reflects Uy. “The initial idea was Josie Moe’s—as administrative and student services assistant for the College of Music, she noted that staff, faculty and students wanted more opportunities to see what was in the AMRC collections. With professors Friedel and Flynn, we were able to bring out Glenn Miller’s trombone, original and sketch scores by Dave Grusin and music compositions by Carrie B. H. Collins.” MORE

The American Music Research Center had a bustling year. With the introduction of a new director, Michael Uy, came new events, collaborations and opportunities to leverage our varied archives. Learn more and discover what lies ahead for the center!

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2025 ECM grants help students shine

Mariefaith Lane — Fri, 23 May 2025 17:51:36 +0000

2025 ECM grants help students shine Mariefaith Lane Fri, 05/23/2025 - 11:51

Kathryn Bistodeau

Each spring, the Entrepreneurship Center for Music (ECM) awards project grants to support students in their professional and artistic endeavors. This year’s adjudicator panel—comprising Dairy Arts Center Executive Director Melissa Fathman, Colorado Symphony member Nick Davies and myself—considered 27 applicants and awarded 16 grants totaling just over $6,200. I sat down with a few of these students to learn about their projects and how the grants helped fuel their success:

Electronic oboe piece
When Grace Stringfellow discovered composer Gracie Fagan’s work, they knew they had to work together. Stringfellow, a DMA student in oboe performance and pedagogy, first discovered Fagan (MM ’25) through an Instagram post of a piece she wrote for Assistant Professor of Saxophone Nathan Mertens.

“It was a really good example of her compositional style. She’s very into using electronics, live processing and other more modern sounds,” Stringfellow says. “She’s inspired by EDM and other dance musics.”

They then reached out to Fagan about writing a piece for oboe—something that would bring the repertoire into the present and showcase more extended techniques on the instrument. The ECM grant helped Stringfellow to compensate Fagan for the project.

“The main motivation was to create something that feels modern—that feels like something you would hear on the radio, something that’s singable, maybe has a little bit of improvisation,” they say. “Throwing everything out of the window of what is expected.”

Stringfellow and Fagan worked together to come up with inspiration for the piece, creating a collaborative and integrative process that Stringfellow says is unique from their commission experiences in the past.

“This feels like almost, almost co-writing. Obviously, she’s doing the body of the work, but it feels like co-writing and co-creating which is fantastic.”

The completed piece will be six or seven short movements, reflecting the shorter songs heard in pop music. Stringfellow plans to premiere the work at a recital in October, then hopes to perform at other local venues as well. They also plan to record the piece for public release.

“I really want to push the boundaries with this commission, so I’m really glad that we can do this,” Stringfellow says. “Gracie will be able to come back for the premiere, so I think I’m looking forward to that most of all and continuing to work with her!” MORE

Each spring, our Entrepreneurship Center for Music awards project grants to support students in their professional and artistic endeavors. This year’s adjudicator panel awarded 16 grants—meet some of the amazing student recipients and learn about their projects!

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Gems of the AMRC collections: Sister Mary Dominic Ray

Mariefaith Lane — Tue, 20 May 2025 15:32:17 +0000

Gems of the AMRC collections: Sister Mary Dominic Ray Mariefaith Lane Tue, 05/20/2025 - 09:32

Kathryn Bistodeau

Sister Mary Dominic Ray.

When Taylor Howard, a first-year PhD student in ethnomusicology, dove into the Sister Mary Dominic Ray Collection, she was expecting to find the nun’s biography, books she annotated or articles she wrote. Instead, she unlocked a highly varied collection of documents that left Sister Mary—who founded our American Music Research Center (AMRC)—a mystery.

“She founded the center at Dominican College [now Dominican University of California] in 1967,” Howard says. “She took sole control for the first 20 years and her focus was on California mission music.”

Sister Mary had a connection to music through her background as a trained concert pianist. She studied in Europe, and traveled and competed across America.

“She gradually transitioned to the collecting of sacred music,” adds Howard. “She had about seven years as a concert pianist and then went on to teach at Dominican College—initially only as faculty—and then she joined the order of the Dominican Sisters in 1947.”

A map of the California missions.

Sister Mary’s collection is now housed with the AMRC in Norlin Library. It holds various media detailing facets of American music that Sister Mary found fascinating including California mission music—sacred music from the Spanish colonies in a region known as “upper California,” or the modern-day West Coast of the United States, in the 18th and 19th centuries. MORE

When Taylor Howard dove into the Sister Mary Dominic Ray Collection, she was expecting to find the nun’s biography, books she annotated or articles she wrote. Instead, she unlocked a highly varied collection of documents that left Sister Mary—who founded our American Music Research Center—a mystery.

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Entrepreneurship Center for Music announces leadership transition

Mariefaith Lane — Tue, 13 May 2025 21:29:50 +0000

Entrepreneurship Center for Music announces leadership transition Mariefaith Lane Tue, 05/13/2025 - 15:29

Sabine Kortals Stein

On June 30, 2025, Professor of Composition Jeffrey Nytch—who’s directed the College of Music’s Entrepreneurship Center for Music (ECM) for the past 16 years—will step down from that role. Marilyn Brock—currently ECM lecturer—will assume the roles of assistant teaching professor and interim ECM director; and Nytch—as professor of composition + entrepreneurship—will continue to teach The Entrepreneurial Artist, the Certificate in Music Entrepreneurship capstone and the college’s new Graduate Career Seminar, as well as help develop new opportunities for the composition department with the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ ATLAS Institute and Leeds School of Business.

“I’m proud of what Jeff Nytch has built,” says College of Music Dean John Davis. “The college’s Entrepreneurship Center for Music is broadly recognized, domestically and abroad, as one of the top programs of its kind.

“The center is a keystone of our college’s universal musician approach to developing multiskilled, multifaceted musicians prepared for flexible career options.”

At the time of its founding by former Dean Daniel Sher in 1999, the ECM was the first program of its kind. Nytch’s subsequent appointment to lead the center was the first known tenure-track position in arts entrepreneurship.

As an early leader in developing entrepreneurship programming on our campus, Nytch helped establish the university’s New Venture Challenge and other cross-campus programs. He later developed the first arts-focused track in a collegiate entrepreneurship competition and—most recently—his work in these areas was recognized with the Frank Moyes Award, the university’s top award for entrepreneurship. MORE

This summer, Professor of Composition Jeffrey Nytch—who’s directed the College of Music’s Entrepreneurship Center for Music (ECM) for the past 16 years—will step down from that role. We reflect on his impact and influence on the center—and what’s next for him and the ECM.

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Celebrate + aspire

Mariefaith Lane — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 15:59:06 +0000

Celebrate + aspire Mariefaith Lane Thu, 03/13/2025 - 09:59

John Davis

On March 2, the College of Music’s talented Opera Theater Singers once again delivered outstanding performances at our Eklund Opera Program gala at the Academy University Hill. We were honored to welcome Chancellor Schwartz for the first time at this annual fundraising event that aims to sustain and support the arts in our community. Pictured above (left to right): Andrew Todd, Assistant Dean for Advancement; Justin Schwartz, ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Chancellor; Leigh Holman, Eklund Opera Program Director; Paul + Kristina Eklund, naming donors of the Eklund Opera Program; and John Davis, College of Music Dean.

At the College of Music’s recent Eklund Opera gala, Chancellor Justin Schwartz described the magic of music as a hallmark of human connection; of a civilized society; and as its own kind of renewable energy.

More broadly, in the words of Ukrainian-born writer Joseph Conrad, “All creative art is magic, is evocation of the unseen in forms persuasive, enlightening, familiar and surprising, for the edification of mankind.”

As I reflect on the first months of 2025, I’m struck by the countless ways in which our students, alumni, faculty, staff and supporters embody these values. In these disorienting times, I’m heartened that our mission is more relevant than ever—as is my commitment to continue to celebrate and support our students and colleagues in their transformative work and artistic aspirations.

For example, I encourage you to discover how Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Professor of Music Education Margaret Berg is creating sustainability through music education, ensuring the well-being of individuals and communities. By integrating human and environmental sustainability into music education, the College of Music is preparing students to make an impact on our interconnected society. Related, two graduate students—Nicholas Felder and Ian Gunnarschja—received grants to support innovative projects that promote equity in music and wellness among neurodiverse musicians.

Creative courage and unique expression at our college are further personified by Enion Pelta-Tiller—a master’s candidate in jazz performance and pedagogy—whose ambitious, experimental approach to music brings together a wealth of coexisting influences and helped shape our new cross-genre ensembles and curricula. And, in case you missed it, our Distinguished Professor of Piano David Korevaar recently shared a delayed tribute to Beethoven’s semiquincentennial birthday—a labor of love and creative fortitude in the face of COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing five years ago.

Additionally, more than 100 guest artists, ensembles and lecturers have energized our classrooms and graced our stages so far this academic year—most recently including Kennedy Center honoree and five-time Grammy Award-winner Renée Fleming, and Pulitzer Prize-winning Diné composer, musician and sound installation artist Raven Chacon; as well as visiting scholars in our Musicology + Music Theory Colloquium Series and local luminaries like alumnus Gregory Walker—son of the late Helen Walker-Hill and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker—who presented a master class last week as part of our annual Persevering Legacy events showcasing works by women composers including those from historically marginalized groups. Also inspiring to our community this month was a musicians’ workshop led by Blues icon (and Boulder resident) Otis Taylor, a Colorado Music Hall of Famer.

For all these reasons among many more, I remain steadfast in our resolve to inspire artistry and discovery, together.

With gratitude,

John Davis
Dean, College of Music

"At the College of Music’s recent Eklund Opera gala, Chancellor Justin Schwartz described the magic of music as a hallmark of human connection; of a civilized society; and as its own kind of renewable energy. As I reflect on the first months of 2025, I’m struck by the countless ways in which our students, alumni, faculty, staff and supporters embody these values. In these disorienting times, I’m heartened that our mission is more relevant than ever—as is my commitment to continue to celebrate and support our students and colleagues in their transformative work and artistic aspirations."

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Persevering Legacy events showcase works by women composers

Mariefaith Lane — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 20:40:09 +0000

Persevering Legacy events showcase works by women composers Mariefaith Lane Wed, 02/26/2025 - 13:40

Kathryn Bistodeau

Since 2019, the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ College of Music’s annual Persevering Legacy events have showcased works by women composers, including those from historically marginalized groups. This year’s concert and master class are no different.

Student soloists and ensembles are encouraged to select works from the Helen Walker-Hill collection—housed in our American Music Research Center archives—comprising compositions by Black women composers.

This year, the concert will feature 11 different acts—including the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Chamber Singers led by Director of Choral Activities Coreen Duffy—presenting compositions by Connie Converse, Reena Esmail, Florence Price, B.E. Boykin and our previous Genevieve McVey Wisner lecturer Gabriela Lena Frank, among others.

“Persevering Legacy is an opportunity for students to research composers or pieces that may be entirely new to them and then present those works, broadening their scope,” says Alexis McClain, director of community support + programming, who helps facilitate Persevering Legacy. “Our audiences also benefit, experiencing music that’s not often programmed.”

Alumnus Gregory Walker (DMA ’92, composition)—son of the late Helen Walker-Hill and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker—will lead a master class for Persevering Legacy participants, working through the pieces they’ve selected and offering his unique background, knowledge, insight and passion for the collection based on his directly personal connection.

“I’ve watched the collection unfold from close proximity for a number of years and love every aspect of the master class,” he says. “I love the music. I love getting in touch with the students who are discovering this music, often for the first time. And really, this keeps my mom alive for me because it’s not just my mother’s work, but a life’s work.”

Helen Walker-Hill

Walker says playing new and largely unfamiliar pieces is helpful to students in their music careers as it allows them to apply their creativity and artistry in perhaps unexpected ways.

“We spend most of our music education studying the guys that are the Mount Rushmore of classical music. The thing is, there’s a lot of baggage that comes with this default—not only are you trying to nail the notes, but there are all these expectations that have been dictated by performers who preceded you,” says Walker who recently released a satirical new book, “Curse of the Maestro and Other Stories.”

“So, if you’ve got these underrepresented composers, not only have you found them or are championing them, but you have to make these decisions,” he adds. “You have to develop your own internal tradition and use your creativity. It's more than you and impressing your audience that’s at stake, it's making a case for someone who could still be lost to history after you're done performing that night—and that is a really worthy challenge.”

Join us for the Persevering Legacy concert on Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. and the preceding master class with Gregory Walker on Tuesday, March 4 at 2 p.m., both in the Chamber Hall (S102), Imig Music Building.

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“Art is possibility, expression is potential.”

Mariefaith Lane — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:12:27 +0000

“Art is possibility, expression is potential.” Mariefaith Lane Tue, 02/18/2025 - 12:12

Adam Goldstein

“Art is possibility, expression is potential.”

That’s according to Raven Chacon, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Diné composer, musician and sound installation artist slated to deliver the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ College of Music’s annual Genevieve McVey Wisner lecture on Feb. 26. In his wide-ranging and ambitious oeuvre, Chacon—a member of the Navajo Nation who resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico—has tackled themes ranging from colonization to displacement to questions of environmental stewardship and conservation.

The myriad media he’s chosen to explore these themes reflect a spirit of creative exploration. His Pulitzer Prize-winning work, “Voiceless Mass,” is an ensemble work composed specifically to be performed in any space of worship with high ceilings and pipe organ. “Sound Ladder” is a sound installation—debuted in 2024—that features a sequence of 16 pine planks hung from ceiling to floor; for this work, Chacon collaborated with members of the Bål Nango family, a Sámi family of reindeer herders and land guardians.

Chacon has built instruments and explored new ways to present sound. He’s paired his compositions with visual cues and physical components, and drawn upon the very land surrounding his compositions to convey his messages.

“I think art is there to show that we can all think in different ways, we can all dream in ways we didn’t know we could,” Chacon explains. “We’re in danger when we become narrow and exclude possibilities.” That philosophy is part of the lure of Chacon’s upcoming visit to Boulder. Working firsthand with students and offering novel perspectives about the possibilities of self-expression reconnects the artist to his own commitment to learning and growth; the chance to explore his work and style with developing musicians and artists holds its own unique appeal.

“Part of my interest in giving lectures and visiting universities is to share my work and offer music students insights into ways that music doesn’t have to be on the stage,” Chacon says, also reflecting the College of Music’s universal musician approach to achieving our mission. “It can be presented in different media—performance art, sound sculpture, as film or video. I am really interested in sharing my different tactics with students.”

The concept of place plays a large role in Chacon’s work and one of the pieces he’ll detail in his lecture is located in the United Arab Emirates in a “ghost village” that was originally assigned to a tribe of nomads by the government. “Being that they’re nomadic people, they did not move in. These houses are being taken by the desert,” Chacon explains.

“I’ve collaborated with these individuals and musicians to record their songs,” he adds, noting that the ultimate effect of the installation is that “it sounds like their music is moving through these houses and into the desert.”

It’s an immediacy that Chacon stresses in his approach to music. While he’s a classically trained composer and musician, he’s careful not to undervalue the importance of the indefinable elements of the art form—the aspects of music that can’t necessarily be conveyed in a classroom, studio or textbook.

“I do feel like I’m continually learning,” says Chacon . I’m always seeking out the best media that an artwork should take. I’m constantly researching new technologies—experiencing exhibitions, artists and concerts.

“I’m still a big fan of being able to see musicians play, even more so than listening to recordings. I think live music is not only an obligation or responsibility, but it’s something that is wonderful to do, as a member of an audience.”

Even as he tackles weighty questions in his work, Chacon also finds power and joy in the ability to create—a boon he looks forward to sharing during his residency. “No matter what our occupation or how we spend our daily lives, we should be conscious of the work we can do to improve upon justice and the way we treat each other.”
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Join us for the College of Music’s annual Genevieve McVey Wisner Lectureship* featuring Raven Chacon on Feb. 26 at 11:30 a.m., Chamber Hall (S102), Imig Music Building. On Feb. 27 at 9:30 a.m., Room NB185, Imig Music Building, Chacon will be part of a panel discussion, “Situating your soul’s work in a hegemonic sphere.” Both events are free and open to the public.

Raven Chacon’s residency is made possible by the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ American Music Research Center, the College of Music’s composition department and the college’s Diverse Musicians’ Alliance.

*Having graduated from Western University in Kansas—an historically Black college—with her first bachelor’s degree in 1922, Genevieve McVey Wisner became the first Black graduate of the College of Music in 1940 with a bachelor’s degree in music education, followed by a master’s degree in 1944 at age 42.

On Feb. 26 and 27, the College of Music’s annual Genevieve McVey Wisner Lectureship will feature trailblazing composer, musician and sound installation artist Raven Chacon. Even as he tackles weighty questions in his work, Chacon also finds power and joy in the ability to create—a boon he looks forward to sharing during his residency. “No matter what our occupation or how we spend our daily lives, we should be conscious of the work we can do to improve upon justice and the way we treat each other,” says Chacon, the first Native American to win the Pulitzer Prize for music.

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Gems of the AMRC collections: Dan Fong

Mariefaith Lane — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 22:02:39 +0000

Gems of the AMRC collections: Dan Fong Mariefaith Lane Mon, 02/10/2025 - 15:02

Kathryn Bistodeau

Among the American Music Research Center (AMRC) collections, hidden gems exist around every corner: Colorado history, music legends, big band ephemera, silent film scores, letters from ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ founders and more. In our new series—Gems of the AMRC collections—we aim to spotlight their content and the stories of the people behind them.

Our first deep dive explores the Dan Fong Collection comprising folders of photos captured by the legendary Colorado rock ’n’ roll and folk music photographer.

Fong’s start in photography wasn’t music at all, but a chance to capture the president at the time: Dwight D. Eisenhower. “Since I was such a little kid, all the photographers let me stand in the front. To me, those photos are amazing because at 14, I could tell that I already had the eye and the way to compose the pictures—plus they were really sharp and in focus.”

From there, Fong (Mktg. ’70) continued to take photos and started his own photography business after graduating from ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ. “I did everything from bar mitzvah photographs to portraits to weddings,” he recalls. “The biggest break came when KFML—the underground radio station—ended up three blocks from my studio. I went down there and made a deal with them: ‘I’ll take photographs of the artists and give them to you for your advertising and you do radio commercials for me.’ That was a big deal because that’s when I met all of the record guys.” MORE

The American Music Research Center collections, housed in the ��ý�Ļ��Ʒ Libraries Archives in Norlin Library, comprise the region’s largest repository of archival music materials. In this spotlight, discover Colorado’s involvement in the rock and folk eras through the Dan Fong Collection.

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