Piano + Keyboard

The musical talents of College of Music staff members, Part IV

Mariefaith Lane — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 14:28:00 +0000

The musical talents of College of Music staff members, Part IV Mariefaith Lane Wed, 09/09/2026 - 08:28

Kathryn Bistodeau

As the 2026-27 academic year gets underway, we’re pleased to share Part IV in our series highlighting our multitalented, musically-oriented staff: Meet Javier Abreu, Sabrina Green, Sabine Kortals and Kayla Pierce!

Abreu as Beppe in “Rita” (Gaetano Donizetti)
Chicago Opera Theater (2018)
Photo: Liz Lauren

Graduate Advisor + Admissions Coordinator Javier Abreu introduces prospective students to the wonderful world of the CU �Ǹ�Թ� College of Music. Along with that, he’s an advisor for master’s and artist diploma students in voice.

Working with voice students is extra close to his heart, as Abreu enjoyed a two-decade career in opera—earning multiple degrees and performing with countless ensembles. “I was very lucky to have worked all over the world,” he says. “I sang at New York City Opera, I sang in Switzerland and France and Germany. It was a crazy, amazing 20 years,” he says.

That background is especially helpful when connecting with students about their dream career trajectories. Having hands-on experience in the industry allows him to offer sage wisdom and advice.

“I love being able to provide some context and maybe some calming moments to demystify the process. Sometimes students get so overwhelmed by what it represents and nd I’m like, ‘let’s just focus,’” he says. “I also love being an advisor for singers because I’m able to give them a little idea of what happens outside these walls.”

Abreu still finds ways to put his gifts to use, singing in local projects or concerts that pique his interest. He even lent his talents to the College of Music when, in 2023, he sang the tenor solo in “Carmina Burana” as part of the biannual CU at Boettcher concert.

“I still sing, I take voice lessons and I work on projects that interest me,” he says.

“I think it’s important to keep up with the gifts that you’re given. It's part of being grateful for them.”

For Abreu, sharing the advantages of the College of Music is easy: “My favorite part of my job is meeting new people and singing the praises of this place because I believe in it.”

If you’ve come to a show on the CU �Ǹ�Թ� campus and held a program in your hands, then you’ve appreciated the work of CU Presents Publications Manager Sabrina Green. Green creates marketing materials, both print and digital, for the College of Music, Department of Theatre & Dance and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.

Her love for music began in the third grade during the rite-of-passage recorder unit. After switching to trombone, she got involved in bands in high school, then went on to college for a music management degree. Though a performance career wasn’t in her future, she wanted to keep music in her life in a big way.

As soon as she saw the job posting for her current position, Green knew it was a perfect opportunity for her. Now working here for nearly a decade, her favorite part is “making things”—creating art that ends up in the world, available to the public.

“There’s something really fulfilling about seeing the work you do in a tangible end result—and just getting to be creative about the work you do,” she says. “I went to music school, but I’ve always had an affinity for art. Being able to combine those two things is what makes it a dream.”

Her background in music gives Green a unique perspective on her work as well as the resilience to roll with the punches and dig into difficult projects. With all this in mind, Green’s advice to current music students is short and sweet: “Good things come to those who wait.”

“Sometimes things don’t move as quickly as you would like them to. And sometimes your life path doesn’t look the way you envisioned it. But in the end, you will get where you need to go.”

Kortals at the piano in Weimar, Germany, while on a Robert Bosch Foundation journalism fellowship (1999-2000).
Photo: Susanne Ollmann

The CU �Ǹ�Թ� College of Music has always been a part of Assistant Dean for Communications Sabine Kortals’ story.

“I’m a �Ǹ�Թ� native and I grew up in a music-loving family,” she says, recalling that her grandmother played guitar and piano, and sang beautifully. Her grandfather and mother played the violin, and her aunt also played the piano. “Ever since I can remember, we’d attend College of Music concerts including Faculty Tuesdays—it was very much part of my formative upbringing.”

While Kortals joined the College of Music full-time in 2021, she freelanced for CU Presents in various capacities well before then. She’s also a CU �Ǹ�Թ� alumna with a BM in piano performance, a BS in finance and an MA in journalism + mass communication.

From that broadly-based background, Kortals forged her own universal musician path: Her interests in music and journalism led her to teaching piano students of all ages, privately and at the Center for Musical Arts, while also engaged as a publicist and grant writer for local composers and ensembles. She then served as classical music critic for The Denver Post and other local, national and international media outlets before launching her own business as a communications consultant for nonprofit organizations and foundations. Her communications career ultimately led her back to CU �Ǹ�Թ�.

As a musician, Kortals is a lifelong pianist—her first teacher was her Austrian grandmother, Gerda Weska, and she kept taking lessons through high school, studying with College of Music grad students and alums. As a scholarship student at CU �Ǹ�Թ�, she then continued her studies with the late Professor Emerita Doris Priodonoff Lehnert. Kortals still plays regularly, and she’s passionate about participating in the arts world.

“I believe that music and all the arts are essential to what it means to be human,” she says. “In my current role, sharing and amplifying the stories, influences and impacts of our students, alumni, faculty, staff and supporters is deeply gratifying.”

Scheduling Manager Kayla Pierce handles the overwhelming job of scheduling events in the Imig Music Building with ease—in part because of her background scheduling much larger feats.

“I taught high school orchestra and guitar for almost seven years. I planned all of our concerts, rehearsals, trips and everything regarding those logistics on a large scale for 500-plus students,” she says. “When I left teaching, I went into a music traveling company that worked with bands, orchestras and choirs for national and international travel. I liked it—it’s like a big puzzle where you have to make sure all the pieces work together.”

Pierce started at the college a year and a half ago, coming to us from a similar position at Arizona State University. So far, she and her family love Colorado, and her job has been “a dream.”

“I love it. I feel like I mesh really well with the team. It’s the first time I feel like I’m part of a team that is so collaborative in a way that I really appreciate,” Pierce says. “It feels like a place where I belong.”

Along with her background in teaching music, Pierce is a violin player, most recently playing with the Chandler Symphony Orchestra before leaving Arizona; she hopes to get involved in Colorado, too. For her, music helped get her out of her shell and gain confidence in working with groups of people.

“Being able to get in front of a group of 100 or more students and to talk with them, teach them about music, work with them on ideas—and then working at ASU and getting that background working with the faculty as a support—I think it’s helped me be a little more outgoing than I was previously.”

Browse previous staff spotlights

In this edition of our series highlighting our wonderful, multitalented staff, meet Javier Abreu, Sabrina Green, Sabine Kortals and Kayla Pierce!

Off

Traditional

White

Grant awards expand Entrepreneurship Center programming

Mariefaith Lane — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 20:29:01 +0000

Grant awards expand Entrepreneurship Center programming Mariefaith Lane Thu, 08/13/2026 - 14:29

Spring '26 Leading Through Dissonance cohort with guest speakers.

Kathryn Bistodeau

Spring '26 Leading Through Dissonance cohort with guest speakers.

The College of Music’s Entrepreneurship Center for Music (ECM) will expand its programming this year with several key grants from across campus: A Roser Visiting Artist Grant; a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Impact Grant from Leadership Support and Programming; and the renewal of an A-Lab grant from the Center for Leadership.

The Impact and A-Lab grants both help fund Leading Through Dissonance, the ECM’s leadership series that focuses on how musicians can respond thoughtfully and ethically to challenges impacting today’s arts spaces. The series kicked off this spring and, through these grants, will continue through the 2026-27 academic year.

Leading Through Dissonance will have two cohorts this year, one per semester. All participating students receive a stipend for attending, helping to alleviate the financial burden of extra time spent on campus.

Interim ECM Director Marilyn Brock says the A-Lab grant, awarded for the first time last year, allows her to accommodate student needs. “It's wound up being a great opportunity because it gives me flexibility to develop this new series based on patterns I’m seeing in feedback from students including the topics they want to talk about,” she explains, also noting her observation of broader patterns among arts organizations “when difficult current events have a direct impact on them, and they have to figure out how to respond.”

The Roser grant will allow the ECM to host a residency in March 2027 featuring Duo Mundi, a piano duo comprising George Lopez and Gulimina Mahamuti, in collaboration with the college's composition and piano departments. The residency will include classes and seminars, a guest appearance in the Leading Through Dissonance series and a performance.

“They’re both phenomenal pianists, phenomenal musicians,” says Brock. “They also have so much amazing lived experience—as entrepreneurial artists, as teachers, as people who’ve really lived the life of building a portfolio career. They have an incredible journey of how their own individual paths unfolded over the years.

“I’m very excited about the residency, and to have the time and space where they’re doing multiple events, and students get to learn from them and engage with them in multiple ways.”

Brock says the grants allow the ECM to enhance resources available to students, and to consider the larger impacts of college programming. “These grants really make a profound difference—we have a lot more opportunity to expand the events and opportunities that we provide our students. They really help our overall trajectory for the year.”

Support the Entrepreneurship Center for Music

Our Entrepreneurship Center for Music will expand its programming this year with several key grants from across campus: A Roser Visiting Artist Grant; a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Impact Grant from Leadership Support and Programming; and the renewal of an A-Lab grant from the Center for Leadership.

Off

Traditional

White

An ECM project grant + an alumni collaboration

Mariefaith Lane — Fri, 01 May 2026 20:03:08 +0000

An ECM project grant + an alumni collaboration Mariefaith Lane Fri, 05/01/2026 - 14:03

Kathryn Bistodeau + Sabine Kortals

Each spring, our Entrepreneurship Center for Music (ECM) awards project grants designed to support College of Music students in their professional development, entrepreneurial endeavors or creative works.

In 2024, Er-Hsuan Li (DMA ‘24) received such a grant in support of the world premiere of a piano concerto composed by John Clay Allen (DMA ’19) who’s also a College of Music lecturer in music technology + composition. Li, now assistant teaching professor at Montana State University, performed the concerto with a string orchestra at the Dairy Arts Center, and the ECM grant helped pay the musicians and rent the venue.

This March, “The Stone Harp” album was released on streaming platforms featuring both Allen’s piano concerto with Li as soloist, as well as Allen’s concerto for oboe and string orchestra featuring Ingrid Anderson (BM ’08) as soloist. The recording is a collaboration between Allen and the �Ǹ�Թ� Symphony under the direction of conductor Devin Patrick Hughes.

CONTINUE TO FULL STORY

In 2024, Er-Hsuan Li (DMA ‘24) received a project grant from our Entrepreneurship Center of Music in support of the world premiere of a piano concerto composed by John Clay Allen (DMA ’19) who’s also a College of Music lecturer in music technology + composition. “The Stone Harp” album was released on streaming platforms in March featuring both Allen’s piano concerto with Li as soloist, as well as Allen’s concerto for oboe and string orchestra featuring Ingrid Anderson (BM ’08) as soloist. Congratulations to all involved!

Off

Traditional

White

2026 Concerto Competition winners announced

Mariefaith Lane — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:02:56 +0000

2026 Concerto Competition winners announced Mariefaith Lane Thu, 04/02/2026 - 14:02

Kathryn Bistodeau

Congratulations to the winners of the College of Music’s 2025-26 Concerto Competition! On March 29 in Grusin Music Hall, the competition finals showcased the college’s remarkable graduate and undergraduate students competing for a chance to perform with the CU �Ǹ�Թ� Symphony Orchestra this fall. Undergraduate flutist Corva Graham and graduate cellist Sam Moore won that honor and will appear as soloists with the orchestra during its 2026-27 season.*

Undergraduate competition winner
Corva Graham, a third-year undergraduate studying flute performance and statistics & data science, won the undergraduate competition performing Hisatada Otaka’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 30b accompanied by Associate Teaching Professor of Collaborative Piano Hsiao-Ling Lin. Graham is a student of Professor of Flute Christina Jennings, Brook Ferguson and Rachelle Crowell.

“Winning this competition is incredibly meaningful to me and I’m so excited to share the Otaka concerto later this year,” she says. “Though not widely known, it’s one of my favorite works. The concerto blends Eastern musical ideas with late-Romantic influences. It contains post-World War II gravity paired with a persistent sense of resilience and hope.

“I'd like to thank Professor Christina Jennings and Brook Ferguson as well as the CU �Ǹ�Թ� Fludio [flute studio] for their support. I'm also feeling especially grateful to Dr. Hsiao-Ling Lin for her inspiration and collaboration.”

Graduate competition winner
First-year master’s student in cello performance Sam Moore performed Dmitri Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 77 accompanied by Will Shi, lecturer, collaborative piano. Moore is currently studying with Associate Professor of Cello David Requiro.

“I feel very grateful for all of my mentors, especially Professor Requiro, for their guidance,” he says. “I'd also like to thank my collaborator, Dr. William Shi, for all his work. I'm excited to perform this incredible concerto with the orchestra next year!”

Honorable mention
Congratulations also to Spencer Cox, saxophone—a student of Assistant Professor of Saxophone Nathan Mertens—who performed Ingolf Dahl’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Orchestra earning an honorable mention.

Congratulations to all who competed this year!

Undergraduate finalists:
Corva Graham, flute
Keegan Arnsmeier, trumpet
Willem Rohwer, double bass

Graduate finalists:
Sam Moore, cello
Spencer Cox, saxophone (honorable mention)
Hannah Benson, mezzo-soprano
Conner Johnson, trumpet
Andrew Konopak, baritone
Katharine Nelson, violin
John Petefish, clarinet
Warner Nûñez Solano, piano
Jordan Spivack, horn

This year, the judging panel for the finals included Co-chair, Voice + Opera + Musical Theatre and Associate Professor of Vocal Coaching Jeremy Reger, Assistant Teaching Professor of Music Education and Associate Director of Orchestras Renee Gilliland, Assistant Professor of Conducting + Music Education and Associate Director of Bands Logan Sorey and guest judge Natasha Kislenko—piano/collaborative piano faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Music Academy of the West, and principal pianist of the Santa Barbara Symphony.

*Check cupresents.org to catch the winners’ performances this fall!

Left to right: Reger, Kislenko, Graham, Gilliland, Sorey.

Left to right: Sorey, Gilliland, Moore, Cox, Kislenko, Reger.

Explore our awards + competitions

On March 29, undergraduate flutist Corva Graham and graduate cellist Sam Moore won first prizes in the annual College of Music Concerto Competition: They will perform with the CU �Ǹ�Թ� Symphony Orchestra this fall. Congratulations to all finalists, also including Spencer Cox, saxophone, who earned an honorable mention!

Off

Traditional

White

2025-26 Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Graduate Student Competition winners announced

Mariefaith Lane — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:38:43 +0000

2025-26 Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Graduate Student Competition winners announced Mariefaith Lane Wed, 11/19/2025 - 10:38

Kathryn Bistodeau

Congratulations to the winner of the 2025-26 Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Graduate Student Performance Competition: Violinist Katharine Nelson!

At the competition finals on Nov. 18 in Grusin Music Hall, Nelson performed works by Eugène Ysaÿe, Florence Price and William Kroll accompanied by collaborative pianist Gabrielle Lowman. In addition to winning first prize ($2,000), Nelson—a student of Takács Quartet members Harumi Rhodes and Edward Dusinberre—also earned the $250 audience favorite prize.

“I’m immensely grateful to Harumi Rhodes and Edward Dusinberre for their guidance,” Nelson says. “It was a privilege to share the stage with my pianist, Gabrielle Lowman, who made the learning process so enjoyable.”

Flute and piccolo player Mallory Wood, a student of Professor of Flute Christina Jennings, won second prize ($1,000). Other finalists this year (awarded $500 each) include soprano Alice Del Simone, a student of Associate Professor of Voice Jennifer Bird-Arvidsson and Associate Professor Voice Andrew Garland; baritone Tyler Middleton, also a student of Andrew Garland; and the Skyline Saxophone Quartet comprising Joel Ferst (soprano saxophone), Spencer Cox (alto saxophone), Catherine Oles (tenor saxophone) and Gavin Martellotti (baritone saxophone)—all studying with Assistant Professor of Saxophone Nathan Mertens.

Esteemed judges
This year’s competition finals were judged by Barbara Lynne Jamison, general director and CEO of Opera Colorado; alumnus Charles Lee (DMA ’04, cello performance), principal cellist of the �Ǹ�Թ� Philharmonic and cello faculty at Metropolitan State and Regis universities; and Rita Sloan, professor emeritus of collaborative piano at the University of Maryland and founder of the Aspen Music Festival collaborative piano program.

2025 semifinalists
Mark Bennett, trombone
Alice Del Simone, soprano
Jared Hartl, tuba
Carrina Macaluso, mezzo soprano
Aimée McAnulty, viola
Paige Michaud, flute
Tyler Middleton, baritone
Katharine Nelson, violin
Luca Pompilio, piano
Mallory Wood, flute
Alex Yang, percussion
Cello Quartet: Priscilla Kim, Matthew Huff, Thea Dardanis, Sam Moore
Skyline Saxophone Quartet: Joel Ferst, Spencer Cox, Catherine Oles, Gavin Martellotti

2025 semifinal judges
Associate Professor of Opera and Director of the Eklund Opera Program Leigh Holman; Professor and Chair of Composition Carter Pann; and Teaching Professor + Chamber Music Coordinator for the Chamber Music Program Meta Weiss.

The competition, launched in 1986, is named in honor of Bruce Ekstrand—former CU vice chancellor, supporter of the college and member of the CU Golden Buffalo Men’s Chorus. Every year, CU �Ǹ�Թ� College of Music graduate students compete in preliminary competitions in their studios for the opportunity to advance to the semifinals and finals. The competition is generously supported by the Ekstrand family—Norma Ekstrand, Andrea Ekstrand, and Brad and Diana Ekstrand among other College of Music donors.

Finalists of the 2025-26 graduate competition. Photo by Kathryn Bistodeau.

Finalists of the 2025-26 graduate competition.

Skyline Saxophone Quartet with Assistant Professor of Saxophone Nathan Mertens.

Congratulations to the winners—and all participants—of the College of Music’s annual graduate student competition, named in honor of former Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Bruce Ekstrand.

Off

Traditional

White

Innovation as a collaborative act

Mariefaith Lane — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:00:41 +0000

Innovation as a collaborative act Mariefaith Lane Thu, 10/30/2025 - 04:00

John Davis

From left to right: On Oct. 1-4, 2025, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies Margaret Berg, Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives Kate Cimino, Dean John Davis and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies Matthew Roeder welcomed participants of the National Association of Music Executives at State Universities (NAMESU) Annual Meeting to our campus and the brand new Limelight �Ǹ�Թ�.

Greetings “from the road” where I’ve been engaged in two accreditation site reviews for the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)—at institutions in Mississippi and New York—as well as a trio of October conferences: From hosting the National Association of Music Executives at State Universities (NAMESU) Annual Meeting right here on our campus and at the new Limelight hotel to the 61st Annual Conference of the International Council for Arts Deans (ICfAD) in Santa Fe, New Mexico to the College Music Society (CMS) National Conference in Spokane, Washington this week where I’ll be interacting with other deans and senior arts administrators engaged in public service and mentoring. Everywhere I go, I enjoy representing the unique achievements, aspirations and opportunities of our College of Music; along the way, I’ve been struck by the supportive camaraderie and timely shared learnings among my counterparts.

As noted by American theatre and opera director Anne Bogart, “We have been discouraged to think that innovation can be a collaborative act” and yet it’s exactly that—a collaborative act—that’s at the heart of institutions like ours.

It’s a collaborate act to not only innovate our curriculum in accordance with our universal musician approach—most recently including the launch of our songwriting degree emphasis, a new master’s degree in performance and pedagogy and the addition of a strings emphasis within our jazz studies degree programs; but also to sustain a healthy environment in which our students and faculty can advance their artistic integrity and imagination, and push back against ongoing pressures and pervasive feelings of despair—for example, when the Evergreen High School Cougar Pride Marching Band joined our Golden Buffalo Marching Band for a halftime performance on Oct. 11, marking a significant moment of healing for a community still recovering from a school shooting in September; and when our University Choir takes the spotlight at the National Collegiate Choral Organization Biennial Conference at Cal State Fullerton College on Nov. 7, among just 10 choirs selected to perform via a nationwide competitive application process.

These days, we’re constantly buffeted by events. In the 24/7 news cycle, it’s all too easy to catastrophize, to lose proportion. In response, among arts leaders nationally, I’m finding a palpable purpose to meet the moment with intentionality, resulting in more opportunities for energetic engagement based on shared values.

At ICfAD, I participated in several facilitated discussions including Building Coalitions Across Campus, Creating Cultural Buy-In, and Strategies for Leading and Building a Team; as well as a riveting presentation—Common Characteristics of the Most Successful Fundraising Deans by James M. Langley, a prolific author and successful pioneer of fundraising strategies in higher education. The result? My own deepening dedication to the college’s focus areas—offering relevant, adaptable curriculum and student opportunities; enhancing faculty and staff success; and sustaining a community of wellness and resilience—as well as refining, right-sizing or even shifting college priorities to ignite greater immediate impacts as well as future possibilities for our students.

In short, my notes from a month of travel on behalf of our college—where I’m enthusiastic about my second term as dean—reflect that we’re not alone in taking a fresh look at everything we do to ensure student, staff and faculty flourishing within a resilient community, no matter the external pressures on (and often misdirected passions against) universities, generally.

Through radical resourcefulness, and with your programmatic and scholarship support, I’m eager to redirect adversity into advocacy, and conflict into collaborative acts that elevate music making as a basic human right: A right that serves and sustains the human experience, that draws us together when words fail, that offers an inclusive place of refuge and that uplifts expression of the beauty within all of us.

Dean Davis shares reflections “from the road” where he’s been engaged in a trio of October conferences as well as two accreditation site reviews for the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

Off

Traditional

White

New innovative graduate degree bridges music research + performance

Mariefaith Lane — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 11:41:31 +0000

New innovative graduate degree bridges music research + performance Mariefaith Lane Wed, 10/08/2025 - 05:41

MarieFaith Lane

This fall, the �Ǹ�Թ� College of Music launched a graduate program that reimagines the study and practice of historical music. The new master’s degree in historical performance and research blends rigorous academic scholarship with intensive professional-level performance training, offering students a path found at no other institution in North America.

The program is co-directed by Assistant Professor of Harpsichord + Eugene D. Eaton, Jr., Chair in Baroque Music Performance Lillian Gordis (pictured left) and Assistant Professor of Musicology Saraswathi Shukla (right) who developed a curriculum modeled after European conservatories and universities where hybrid programs have existed for decades. Gordis, who completed such a program in Paris, says it was “a really rewarding degree” that empowered her to develop broadly-based skills in writing, archival research and performance-related scholarship. Our new program offers CU �Ǹ�Թ� students the opportunity to gain a comparable level of knowledge and skill without traveling abroad: Emphasizing cohesion among university and conservatory coursework, co-taught classes and rigorous skill-building, the program prepares students for scholarly creative works, performance and more.

“Historically, early music has always been a blend of scholarship and performance,” says Shukla. “Over time, those two branches split apart. What we’re doing is bringing them back together in a way that equips students with the full range of skills they need to succeed in diverse disciplines.”

A rigorous curriculum
Students will take seminars in performance practice, tuning and temperament, basso continuo and archival research. They will also study privately on their instrument, perform in the College of Music’s early music ensemble and complete a master’s thesis. Public performance is a major component of the new master’s degree: Students must present a recital in both the first and second years.

“This is not a program for the faint of heart,” notes Gordis. “Students are expected to perform at a high level, write a substantial thesis and master the core skills of historical performance. It’s almost a double workload, but it prepares students for doctoral study, or a professional performing career or other related career.”

Unlike a conventional performance or musicology degree, the program demands equal commitment to both. Gordis and Shukla emphasize that the workload is intentionally rigorous but designed to be complementary: Research courses inform performance and performance deepens research.

Responding to national trends
The College of Music is introducing the degree at a pivotal moment: Across the country, early music programs are shrinking or closing, leaving fewer opportunities for students who wish to pursue specialized training.

“There’s strong demand from students for this kind of program, but fewer places where they can actually get it,” explains Shukla. “Our program fills that gap while also offering something distinctive: The chance to graduate prepared for both research and performance at the highest levels.”

Gordis adds that young musicians increasingly demand flexibility in their training. “Many students don’t want to be forced to choose between performance and scholarship right after completing their undergraduate degrees,” she shares. “Our new master’s degree keeps both doors open and allows them to build the skill set they need in a complex and changing profession.”

Ensuring broadly-based career options
This forward-thinking approach aligns with the College of Music’s mission to prepare students for careers beyond music performance, embracing an interdisciplinary model that encourages holistic student development and discovery. Specifically, the program reflects the college’s innovative universal musician approach to achieving its mission, preparing students for flexible career options.

The program’s inaugural student—Ray Pragman—establishes the beginning of a new academic community and the future of historical performance education, nationally.

A forward-looking mindset
For Gordis, the program is also about cultivating a mindset. “Historical performance is about curiosity,” she says. “It’s about asking questions, experimenting and building community. We want our students to experience the new program as a space where they can pursue their interests rigorously, but also creatively—and come out prepared for whatever direction they choose.”

Shukla also views the program as developing skills that extend beyond music. “We’re offering students the tools to ask the right questions. That kind of open-mindedness and critical thinking are valuable not just in music but in any field.”

A one-of-a-kind opportunity
By combining research and performance into a single degree, the CU �Ǹ�Թ� College of Music is positioning itself at the forefront of historical music education in North America. The ability to attract international guest artists, invest in tenure-track faculty and foster interdisciplinary collaboration sets the program apart.

Applications for the master’s in historical performance and research are now open.

This fall, the CU �Ǹ�Թ� College of Music launched a new master’s degree in historical performance and research—the first of its kind in North America. Combining rigorous academic training with professional-level performance, the degree prepares students for doctoral study, performance and diverse other music careers.

Off

Traditional

White

Global Seminar livecasts piano recital from Paris to Denver

Mariefaith Lane — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:07:35 +0000

Global Seminar livecasts piano recital from Paris to Denver Mariefaith Lane Mon, 07/14/2025 - 08:07

Steinway & Sons Spirio, “the world’s highest resolution player piano.”
Photo: Steinway & Sons.

Kathryn Bistodeau

Steinway & Sons Spirio, “the world’s highest resolution player piano.”
Photo: Steinway & Sons.

Professor of Piano Andrew Cooperstock loves all things French—the art, music, food and language—and he’ll soon combine that passion with his love for teaching and performing.

In partnership with CU �Ǹ�Թ� Education Abroad, a brand new Global Seminar—Chamber Music Performance—will engage a dozen student participants in Aix-en-Provence, Marseille and Paris, France. Eight of the students traveling to France with Cooperstock are from CU �Ǹ�Թ� and four are joining the class from the University of South Carolina.

From July 24 to Aug. 7, the seminar will offer students opportunities to perform chamber music across France—including a unique occasion for a local audience to experience the performers from half a world away.

“One of the concerts in Paris is going to be at the new Steinway & Sons gallery there,” explains Cooperstock. “The students will perform chamber music and then—in the second half of the program—just the pianists will each play a short piece on the Spirio Steinway.

College of Music students Juhyun Hwang (MM ’26, piano) and James Morris (DMA ’25, piano) rehearse for their Spirio piano duet at CU �Ǹ�Թ� before traveling to France for a two-week Global Seminar.
Photo: Andrew Cooperstock

“A signal will be livecast from Paris to the Spirio piano in the new Steinway & Sons Denver location where audience members can hear the sound actually coming out of another Spirio piano, like a player piano—not from a speaker like a Webcast or Zoomcast or something.

“The sound is extremely accurate, so it should sound pretty much exactly like the Paris concert,” he adds.

In addition to the technologically remarkable Steinway recital, participating students will perform in a Baroque church in Aix-en-Provence and the American Church in Paris, among other venues, and rehearse great chamber music by American and French composers with talented peers. Students will also engage in guest master classes, studio classes and private lessons.

The students’ cultural immersion further includes French language lessons, a boat ride along the Seine, a trip to Notre Dame, a tour of the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM) and more.

“The support of Stephanie Pund and Sylvie Burnet-Jones from Education Abroad, College of Music Dean John Davis and the college’s administrative team were really instrumental in supporting this class and recognizing its importance. It’s a lot of work on everybody’s part but well worth it!”

Join us to experience the livecast recital at Steinway & Sons on July 28, 11 a.m. (56 Steele Street, Denver)!

On July 28, a new Global Seminar in France includes a special opportunity for local fans of the College of Music to experience a recital livecast from Paris to Denver with digital piano technology.

Off

Traditional

White

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!

Off

Traditional

White

Fennoyee Thomas named 2025 Distinguished Alumna

Mariefaith Lane — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 18:47:33 +0000

Fennoyee Thomas named 2025 Distinguished Alumna Mariefaith Lane Mon, 04/21/2025 - 12:47

MarieFaith Lane

The �Ǹ�Թ� College of Music is pleased to announce that triple alumna Fennoyee Thomas (BA ’68, MA ’71, DMA ’83) has been named our 2025 Distinguished Alumna, honoring her lifelong contributions to the arts.

“When I graduated from high school, I had no intention of attending CU �Ǹ�Թ�,” recalls Thomas, reflecting on her journey. “But my piano teacher was insistent—and in the end, it felt like a conspiracy between my parents and him to get me here. Looking back, they were right.”

Thomas—who established a distinguished career as a pianist and educator—spent decades shaping the next generation of musicians. “Teaching was never just a job, it was my calling,” she says. “Seeing students grow, challenge themselves and find their voices as musicians has been one of the greatest joys of my life.”

Beyond teaching, Thomas is a passionate advocate for the arts, having served on numerous local, state and national boards, commissions and committees—including the College of Music Advisory Board and the CU National Alumni Board Association. “Music connects us in ways words cannot,” she observes. “It brings communities together and that’s why I’ve always believed in supporting the arts at every level.”

Looking back on her College of Music experience, Thomas credits her professors with igniting her confidence and shaping her career. “I was very fortunate to have wonderful teachers,” she shares. “My first two years, I studied with [the late] Storm Bull who was not only an excellent teacher, but who also made me feel secure and supported.”

Thomas also speaks fondly of her later studies with the late Paul Parmelee: “He was a fantastic pianist and preparing for our lessons was something I truly looked forward to—we had the most wonderful discussions about music and piano. I admired him and he played a significant role in shaping my career.”

She adds, “My life was practically transformed at CU �Ǹ�Թ�. I learned to be self-confident and I experienced success in the College of Music that I carried with me throughout my professional career.”

As a student, Thomas was the recipient of the Theodore Pressler Piano Performance Award and represented our College of Music at its NASM Evaluation/Accreditation student concert.

She also cherished the natural beauty of the campus. “Coming from Houston, I was so taken by the mountains—the beauty of the campus. I still think that it’s one of the most beautiful campuses in the country.”

Beyond her personal experiences, Thomas supports the College of Music’s universal musician approach that aims to equip students with a flexible skill set to navigate broadly-based careers. “I think it’s very important and I’m impressed with the curricula, programs and all of the opportunities that students have now to help them become well-rounded artists in today’s society,” she says. “The arts can play such an important role in service to mankind. I applaud the College of Music administration for adapting to students’ needs, providing more options for them to be creative and responsive to today’s world.”

Noting the evolving role of education and advocacy in today’s cultural landscape, Thomas adds: “More people are beginning to appreciate the arts as essential to our humanity and how we relate to each other. From attending concerts and visiting museums to attending lectures, listening to poetry or even joining a book club—all of these experiences shape our perspectives on society.

“It’s encouraging to see so many patrons supporting the arts. Their dedication makes a difference, and it reassures me that the arts will continue to thrive and impact future generations.”

Although retired from her role as professor of music and associate dean at Texas Southern University, Thomas remains active as an arts advocate and mentor to young musicians. She offers this advice to our graduates: “Follow your passion and pursue what you love with determination. Use the knowledge and positive experiences you’ve gained here to go out into the world, make it a better place and support others—because now, more than ever, we need that.”

Congratulations on your well-earned distinction, Fennoyee Thomas!

The �Ǹ�Թ� College of Music is pleased to announce that triple alumna Fennoyee Thomas has been named our 2025 Distinguished Alumna, honoring her lifelong contributions to the arts. Thomas credits the College of Music with igniting her confidence and shaping her career as she reflects on the mentorship of her former professors, the campus’ natural beauty, and the transformative experiences that inspired her dedication to music and education.

Off

Traditional

White