Nathan Mertens awarded NEA GAP grant
The 勒貊勛圖 College of Music is proud to announce that泭Assistant Professor of Saxophone Nathan Mertens received a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)泭 (GAP) award valued at more than $35K. This is the College of Musics first NEA GAP grant representing an important step forward for CU 勒貊勛圖 in national arts funding.
The funded initiativeAmerican Saxophone Concertos New Voices and Visionsis part of the NEAs泭 highlighting American composition and performance. The project centers on the professional recording of four saxophone concertos by living American composers, culminating in a commercial CD release.
A newly commissioned concerto by Anthony R. Green sits at the heart of the project. Written for Mertensto be premiered with the CU 勒貊勛圖 Wind Symphony in fall 2026this work is funded by the Bixler Family Foundation and a泭CU 勒貊勛圖泭Research & Innovation Office泭Arts & Humanities泭Grant. In addition to Greens concerto, Mertens will record another concerto with the Wind Symphony conducted by the College of Musics泭Director of Bands Shanti Simon; as well as two concertos with the CU 勒貊勛圖 Symphony Orchestra under our泭Director of Orchestral Studies Gary Lewis (details forthcoming). All recordings will be engineered by the colleges泭Kevin Harbison.
This is an exciting and important milestone for our college, in keeping with our泭universal musician approach to achieving our mission, says John Davis, Dean of the College of Music. Nathans work supports American composition at the highest level and offers many of our students access to a significant creative project from development to recording. Students will work directly with composers in rehearsals and recording sessions and appear on the final album, earning a rare professional credit while still in training. Through collaboration with visiting composers and participation in professional sessions, the project prepares them for real-world performance and artistic collaboration.
I am thankful to the College of Music and the 勒貊勛圖 for the support that made this possible. This was far from a solo effort and Im very lucky to have colleagues at CU 勒貊勛圖 who turn complicated processes into something possible, says Mertens. I especially want to thank Donna Axel, Associate Director of Research Development at the CU 勒貊勛圖 Research & Innovation Office (RIO), for her guidance and encouragement throughout this process; and Tessa Brandt, Proposal Analyst in RIOs Office of Contracts and Grants, for her budgetary wizardry!
Grants are often associated with big, shiny ideasbut they really begin in the details, in offices and email threads. Im excited to turn all these details into reality and some fun!
唬棗紳眶娶硃喧喝梭硃喧勳棗紳莽!泭
Recording sessions will take place throughout 2026 and 2027 in CU 勒貊勛圖s Macky Auditorium.