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Josh Aerie (MM ’02) is in Notre Dame, Indiana. Aerie also maintains an active performing career as a conductor and cellist. He is a founding member of the Sylvan Trio—a flute-cello-piano ensemble that advances new music and underrepresented composers.

In October 2025, Technical Sgt. Michael Aiello (MM ’13)—a baritone member of the United States Air Force Band Singing Sergeants—performed in a free concert with the United States Air Force Concert Band at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia.��

(Daily Camera)
This spotlight on�� (BM ’91) illuminates the evolution of a multifaceted musical life: “I’ve always loved how music makes me feel, the challenge it presents on so many levels, and how I can touch and open the hearts of others when I play.”��

CU �Ǹ�Թ� piano alumni Justin Badgerow (DMA ’06) and Maria Wietrzynska (DMA ’24) presented and performed at the North Texas International Piano Symposium: Sounds of Latin America in November 2025; their presentations focused on composers from Venezuela and Brazil.��

Retired CU Presents Executive Director Joan Braun (BM ’81, MBA ’93) is a recipient of the Western Arts Alliance’s Emeritus Award which—since 1985—honors WAA members upon retirement for exemplary and extensive service to the WAA and the field.��

Alumna Pia Bose (DMA ’12), a member of the Bose-Pastor Duo, created “3/4,” an interdisciplinary project that reimagines Maurice Ravel’s “La Valse” through the lens of Edgar Allan Poe.

(MM ’97) was selected as Missouri’s representative for SBO+ (School Band and Orchestra) magazine’s 2026 “50 Music Educators Who Make a Difference”—a national honor recognizing outstanding contributors to music education. Now completing his 30th year in the classroom, Connor has served as Head Band Director at Principia School in St. Louis since 2023 and has 11 original works for band, published by RWS Music and Grand Mesa Music.

At 94, Francis Elliott (BM ’53, BME ’54, MM ’55) remains actively engaged in music, continuing to attend university concerts and teach private lessons. Elliott served as a violin professor at Tennessee Tech from 1971 to 2002 where he taught private lessons in violin and viola, and instructed the Introduction to Strings course for all first-year music majors. He also performed for more than 50 years in the first violin section of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra at Tennessee Tech. In recognition of his enduring commitment to his students and the institution, the Tennessee Tech School of Music and its alumni established the Francis Elliott Consortium to commission a new musical work and create a scholarship in his honor.

Sam Griffith (DMA ’13)—an educator, trombonist and composer—was awarded a 2026 Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation | JEN Research Fellowship.

Ian Gunnarschja (MM ’25) is school operations assistant with the �Ǹ�Թ� Symphony Music Academy.

Double alumnus in violin performance Ryan Jacobsen (MM��’17, DMA��’20) is the Chas Wetherbee Endowed Concertmaster of the �Ǹ�Թ� Philharmonic. Jacobsen studied with the late Charles (Chas) Wetherbee who served as College of Music associate professor of violin as well as �Ǹ�Թ� Philharmonic concertmaster.

(September 2025, Elevations magazine,��University of Wyoming College of Arts & Sciences)
O’Neil Jones (DMA ’24)—visiting associate professor of music at the University of Wyoming—shares how he creates community and belonging through music on the University of Wyoming campus, pp. 20-23.

(MM ’93, vocal performance) made her solo concert debut at the Laureate Gala with the New York Chamber Players, conducted by Giacomo Franci, on June 28, 2026, at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York City. A milestone more than 40 years in the making, Lobo performed “Deh vieni” from “Le Nozze di Figaro” by W. A. Mozart and “Il est doux, il est bon” from “Hérodiade” by Jules Massenet.

Heather MacDonald (MM ’18) was appointed assistant professor of oboe at the University of Iowa.

Mark Nowakowski (MM ’05) is associate professor of music at Kent State University. He is releasing his second album–“Metanoia”—through DUX/Naxos; the album is a followup to his 2017 Naxos premiere portrait disc—“Blood, Forgotten”—, the title track of which was composed while Nowakowski was still a student at CU �Ǹ�Թ�. Nowakowski’s choral work “Lacrimosa” premiered at Carnegie Hall in November 2025 by the Sonus Cantus Chamber Choir. Composer-in-residence with His Majesty’s Men and director of the Vos Omnes Virtual Choir, Nowakowski has also been published in numerous publications including��Sound on Sound Magazine and��Sacred Arts Journal.��

Jordan Pyle (BM��’17)—currently second oboe/English horn with the Reno Philharmonic—won a one-year second/assistant principal oboe position with the Colorado Symphony.

Ian Saverin (BM��’25) joined the cast of the “Les Misérables” U.S. tour as Constable, Jean Prouvaire, U/S Bamatabois and U/S Grantaire.

Max Stern’s (DMA ’89) most recent book—“”—reflects his search and research into music as a form of sacred cultural expression. Additionally, 2026 saw the release of “,” a CD collection of recordings of Stern’s works inspired by the Bible and Jewish tradition.

Violinist and nonprofit arts leader MinTze Wu is founder of the Sounds of Lyons Music Festival and BenFeng Music Productions where she has served as producer and artistic director to several signature productions including “Death of the Pugilist” at the Dairy Arts Center in November 2025.