Here's a great story from yesterday's Norman Transcript about Reneé Hays and the iconic local cover band Banana Seat! We are very proud to note that Reneé and band members Grant Wells, Jeff Stanley, Nick Paynter, Daryl Nagode, and Eric Walschap all have strong OU School of Music ties! Congratulations to this great group of musicians!
Norman Transcript Article
Congratulations to OU School of Music graduate student Geoff Harmon, who has been selected into the 2020 Music Technology Leadership Academy as part of the TI:ME & TMEA conference in February!
Here's a great story in this morning's Norman Transcript about OU meteorology and saxophone student Jeffery Stevenson!
Norman Transcript Article
Congratulations to OU School of Music professor Dr. Melissa Baughman, who has been selected to serve as a guest clinician at the 2020 Kantorei Summer Choral Institute!
Congratulations to OU music education professor Dr. Chris Baumgartner! Dr. Baumgartner’s book chapter “Student Teaching” has just been published in The Oxford Handbook of Preservice Music Teacher Education in the United States! Bravo, Dr. Baumgartner!
Congratulations to OU School of Music vocal music education student Caroline Smith, who will be studying abroad in Peru during the spring semester. Caroline has also been invited to teach general music classes, piano, and guitar in a local K-12 school while she is there. Congratulations on this great opportunity, Caroline!
Congratulations to OU School of Music voice students Jin Yu, Robert Hartfield, Skye Baxter, Claire Robinson, Maddie Breedlove, Hannah Talfaro, Natasha Naik, and Sarah Spurlin (not pictured), who have been invited to perform a pre-concert recital prior to Sarah Coburn's performance with the Tulsa Symphony in January! Outstanding!
Congratulations to OU School of Music student Luke Staisiunas, who is the featured performer on tonight's Yuletide Organ Concert at the Guthrie Scottish Rite Temple!
Congratulations to OU School of Music student Solena Rizzato, who was featured in the final installment of the OU Daily's Who Are yOU? series!
Here's a great story in today's Norman Transcript about OU School of Music graduate voice student Emma Youngblood and her upcoming guest artist appearance with the Norman Children's Chorus! Congratulations, Emma!
Congratulations to Dr. Barbara Fast, Director of Piano Pedagogy at the OU School of Music! Since July, Dr. Fast has had an article published in "The Piano Magazine," presented three peer-reviewed workshops at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago, appeared as the featured clinician at the First Annual Arizona State University Piano Pedagogy Day, delivered presentations at Texas Woman's University and the Carrollton Music Teachers Association Workshop, and was featured on a national webinar session presented by the NCKP (National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy)!
Congratulations to OU School of Music percussion student Hunter Gross! Hunter was selected by audition to perform with the PASIC19 All-Star Percussion Ensemble this past weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana!
Congratulations to this year's winners of the OU School of Music Concerto Competition!
Congratulations to the 2019-2020 Sooner Bassooners, conducted by OU School of Music bassoon professor Rod Ackmann, on this outstanding performance of our National Anthem at an OKC Thunder game!
Congratulations to OU School of Music theory professor Dr. Sarah Ellis, whose article "Retheorising the End: Sonata Structures and Morphological Form in Shostakovich's String Quartet Finales" has just been published in Music Analysis!
Shout out to our OU School of Music Faculty Woodwind Quintet! Professors Dan Schwartz, Valerie Watts, Suzanne Tirk, Eldon Matlick, and Rod Ackmann were at Southern Mississippi University yesterday performing and presenting master classes, and will do the same at Tulane University in New Orleans tomorrow.
Last Saturday evening the Pride of Oklahoma paid tribute to OU School of Music trombone professor Dr. Irv Wagner for his 50 years of service to OU! Congratulations, Dr. Wagner, and thank you for your countless contributions to the students and faculty of the University of Oklahoma!
Congratulations to Sarah Stevens and Parker Milspaugh, this year’s School of Music recipients of the Helene C. Lottinville prize! The Lottinville prize was established in 1993 to provide awards to recognize merit in the performance of undergraduates of junior standing from the five schools in the College of Fine Arts, to encourage the pursuit of their chosen art form for its lifetime rewards and to match the performance of those who have gone before.
Congratulations to OU School of Music theory professor Dr. Jeffrey Swinkin! Intégral, Eastman's music theory journal, has just published his "Analytic Context and Aesthetic Properties: Listening to Recordings of Beethoven's Largo Appassionato from Op. 2, No. 2" as its first online article. It features multimedia components, including an animated Schenker graph.
Congratulations to visiting composition lecturer Dr. Josh Tomlinson, who has just returned from Ireland where he presented a performance of his composition A Short Story at the Irish Sound, Science, and Technology Association (ISSTA) conference at the Cork School of Music!
Congratulations to OU School of Music graduate conducting student Hannah Rudy, who participated in the Conductors Guild Frederick Fennell Memorial Conducting Masterclass at Eastman last weekend!
Congratulations to OU School of Music students Tatiana Stratenco, Evelyn Culver, Noah Smith, Wenxin Guan, Audrey Rutt, Anthony Barcio, Alexis Seah, Parker Fritz, Jacob Nance, Benjamin MacDonald, and Ashley Mueller on their outstanding performances at this weekend's MTNA/OMTA competition! Bravi Tutti!
Congratulations to all our OU School of Music voice students who competed at Texoma NATS this past weekend! 18 of our students made into the semifinal round, with 4 continuing on to the finals! Congratulations to finalists:
- Margarita Parsamyan - 2nd Place Junior Women
- Nicholas Skotzko - 2nd Place Senior Men
- Robert Hartfield - 4th Place Graduate Men
- David Soto Zambrana - 5th Place Graduate Men
Congratulations to OU School of Music graduate piano pedagogy student Tobi Otekayi, who has just received the Student Leadership & Academic Development Scholarship from the University of Oklahoma!
Congratulations to OU School of Music alumnus Dr. Chris Westover, who was recently named the winner of the Warsaw Wind Ensemble Conducting Competition in Poland! Dr. Westover, who is the Director of Bands at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, will return to Poland for additional conducting opportunities as part of his award. Bravo, Dr. Westover!
Congratulations to OU Athletic Bands Percussion Coordinator Benjamin Holmes on his newly published percussion duet Palm Reader!
Congratulations to OU School of Music Graduate Teaching Assistants Audrey Rutt, John Murphy, Karlin Labenske, Clara Boyett, and Jenna Klein! These five outstanding graduate students will be receiving The Provost's Certificate of Distinction in Teaching Award later this month. Audrey, John, Karlin, Clara, and Jenna rank in the top 10 percent of all graduate assistants across the OU campus by student evaluations for courses taught during the Spring 2019 semester.
Congratulations and to our OU School of Music students and to our high school guests who participated in master class sessions with Eighth Blackbird!
Congratulations to Dr. Roland Barrett! His newest band composition Blessed Are They has just received a "highly-recommended" review in the October Instrumentalist Magazine.
We are very excited to announce the release of "Illuminate," the first-ever OU Wind Symphony CD recording! Congratulations to Dr. Shanti Simon and the ensemble members for bring this exciting project to fruition! The recording is now available for FREE download on SoundCloud: University of Oklahoma Wind Symphony. Enjoy!
Congratulations to 2019 DMA Choral Conducting graduate Dr. Antonio Montrell Hunt! Dr. Hunt, pictured with Scott McAdoo, Head Principal at Classen SAS, is in his first semester as Director of Choirs at Classen School of Advanced Studies High School at Northeast in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Antonio will lead the choral program at Classen SAS, directing four choral ensembles and teaching voice.
Congratulations to viola doctoral student Michael Garland, who is in his first semester as the Assistant Orchestra Director at Putnam City West High School!
Congratulations to music education professor Dr. Melissa Baughman, who delivered two presentations and co-presented a third session at last week's National Symposium for Music Teacher Education. Dr. Baughman's solo presentations included “Shattering the Glass Podium: Successes and Setbacks of Female Collegiate Choral Conductors” and “Preservice Teachers' Experiences as First-time Voice Instructors.” Congratulations, Dr. Baughman!
Bravo to music education professor Dr. Chris Baumgartner, who co-presented two research topics at the recent National Symposium for Music Teacher Education: “An Online Community of Interns: Examining the Music Student Teaching Seminar in a Virtual Setting,” and “Band Directors’ Perceptions of Instrumental Conducting Curricula.” Congratulations, Dr. Baumgartner!
Congratulations to music education graduate student Mr. Lonnie Easter Jr. II, who delivered two presentations at last week's National Symposium for Music Teacher Education: “Jazz Pedagogy in the Music Teacher Education Curriculum: Policies Influencing Curricula, Certification, and Pedagogical Competency in Oklahoma”; “Exploring Applied Jazz Improvisation Instruction Through a Hybrid Internet-Mediated Communication Virtual Learning Environment: An Instrumental Case Study.” Congratulations, Lonnie!
Congratulations to OU music education professor Eric Pennello, who presented “Not Just an Ambivalent Participant: The Cooperating Teacher as a Music Teacher Educator” at last week's National Symposium for Music Teacher Education at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
Congratulations to Music Education major Madison Fleming, who presented "My Experiences Teaching in a Study-Abroad Summer Music Program: A Preservice Music Educator's Story" at the 2019 National Symposium for Music Teacher Education at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro this past weekend!
Congratulations to Music Education student Lauren Garcia, who co-presented (along with Dr. Melissa Baughman) her research "Preservice Teachers' Self-reported Knowledge and Application of Choral Blend" at the National Symposium for Music Teacher Education at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro last week!
Congratulations to DMA Piano Performance & Pedagogy candidates Danny Milan, Todd Van Kekerix, John Price, and 2017 DMA Piano & Pedagogy graduate Dr. Ivan Hurd on their new teaching positions!
Congratulations to OU composition professor Dr. Marvin Lamb! Dr. Lamb's "Eagle Has Landed" will be performed next month by the Muscatine (IA) Symphony Orchestra. Congratulations, Dr. Lamb!
Congratulations to PhD Piano Pedagogy student Jenna Klein! Jenna presented her research findings at the NCKP Conference in July, and has been invited to present at both the upcoming CMS National Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, and the 2020 National Group Piano and Pedagogy Forum (GP3) at the Oberlin Conservatory. Congratulations, Jenna!
Congratulations to John Patrick Murphy, Instructor of Piano Pedagogy! Mr. Murphy, who is a DMA Piano Performance & Pedagogy candidate at OU, has been invited to present "Sing, Dance, Play: Applying Orff-Schulwerk Pedagogy in the Group Piano Classroom" at the 2020 National Group Piano and Pedagogy Forum (GP3) in Oberlin, Ohio.
Congratulations to OU School of Music theory professor Dr. Jeffrey Swinkin, who delivered a paper at the Southampton Music Analysis Conference in August, and will have three articles published this fall: “Analytic Context and Aesthetic Properties: Listening to Beethoven’s Largo appassionato from Op. 2, No. 2," in Intégral; “‘Breakout’ Themes in Classical Sonata Forms," in Theory and Practice; and “Paratactic Performance: Toward an Adornian Theory of Musical Interpretation,” in International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music. Congratulations, Dr. Swinkin!
Congratulations to OU School of Music visiting lecturer of composition & technology Josh Tomlinson and composition students Jacob Frost and Caleb Westby, whose works were selected for performance at last weekend’s Electronic Music Midwest Festival in Kansas City, Missouri!
Congratulations to OU DMA Piano Performance & Pedagogy candidate Mr. Omar Roy, who has just been hired as a Visiting Instructor of Piano at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Congratulations, Omar!
Congratulations to 2017 DMA Piano Performance & Pedagogy graduate Dr. Christopher Madden, who is beginning his new job as Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music!
Congratulations and best wishes to Andrea Johnson, who is beginning her new tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Congratulations, Andrea!
Congratulations to Musicology Professor Dr. Jennifer Saltzstein, whose busy summer included editing a collection of essays: Musical Culture in the World of Adam de la Halle (Leiden: Brill, 2019) and publishing an article entitled "Songs of Nature in Medieval Northern France: Landscape, Identity, and Environment" in the flagship journal in the field of musicology, the Journal of the American Musicological Society.
Congratulations to visiting lecturer of composition and technology Dr. Ioannis Andriotis! Ioannis' dissertation composition "Vocem" for alto flute and electronics has been chosen to be part of the Music from SEAMUS Vol. 29 CD Series, and is scheduled for release in late 2019/early 2020!
Congratulations to Ms. Katrina Randolph, 2019 Music Education graduate and new Choir Director at Whittier Middle School in Norman!
Here's Connor Pratt, first year Assistant Band Director at Ponca City High School! Congratulations, Connor!
Congratulations to 2019 Music Education graduate Amanda Wilson! Amanda (on the left, with colleague Grace Gill on the right) is the new Assistant Choir Director at JJ Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas. Congratulations, Amanda!
Here's 2019 Music Education graduate Calvin Sweeney, new Band Director at Santa Fe South High School in Oklahoma City! Congratulations, Calvin!
Congratulations to Hunter Stutzman, new Band Director in the Pleasant Grove Public Schools and Percussion Instructor at Shawnee High School!
Here's Bailee Moore, on her way to her new job as Assistant Band Director at Bridgeland High School in Houston, Texas! Congratulations, Bailee!
Congratulations to senior Music Education major Madison Fleming, who spent 3 weeks this summer participating in the Daraja Music Initiative in Moshi, Tanzani. The Daraja Music Initiative is an organization that provides interdisciplinary music and conservation education to primary and secondary students in Moshi. While there, Madison taught both private and group lessons, helped plant and care for Mpingo trees, performed in several community concerts and outreach engagement opportunities, and gained invaluable experience in teaching through geographical, cultural, and language barriers. Congratulations, Madison!
Congratulations to Avery Rich, who is entering her first year of teaching as Assistant Band Director in the Stillwater Public Schools!
Here's 2019 Music Education graduate Gabriel Schafer on his first day on the job as a Band Instructor in the Keller (TX) ISD! Congratulations, Gabriel!
Congratulations to Jessica Stout, who is beginning her new position as Elementary Music Teacher at Westside Elementary in Claremore, OK!
Here's 2019 Music Education graduate Milik Coffer (pictured front left in this photo), who is just beginning his new job as Assistant Band Director at Edmond Santa Fe High School! Congratulations, Milik!
Congratulations to Rebecca Harrison, new Elementary Music Teacher at Jenks East Elementary School in Tulsa!
Here's 2019 Music Education graduate Tanner Brown! Tanner is entering his first year as Assistant Band Director at Clarksville (TX) High School. Congratulations, Tanner!
Congratulations to 2019 Music Education graduate Chelsea Cahwee, who is just beginning her first year as Assistant Band Director in the Chisum ISD in Paris, Texas!
Congratulations to our 2019 Music Education graduates who are beginning their first year of teaching! Here's Rayèl Lindsey, beginning his first year as Assistant Director of Bands at Tulsa Memorial High School!
Congratulations to junior OU music education student Laura Dombkowski, who participated in this summer’s Lift Clarinet Academy at Colorado State Unversity in Ft. Collins, Colorado! Laura joined 23 clarinetists from Florida, Texas, Colorado, Indiana, Canada, and Taiwan for a full complement of private lessons, chamber coachings, and masterclasses covering all aspects of clarinet playing. Congratulations, Laura!
Congratulations to OU School of Music composition student Caleb Westby! Caleb's mixed-media composition "Pop music" has been nominated for the XII Foundation Destellos Competition.
Congratulations to Dr. Chris Baumgartner, OU music education professor, whose article "Music Student Teachers' Perceptions of their Seminar Experience: An Exploratory Study" has been accepted for publication in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Music Teacher Education! Congratulations, Dr. Baumgartner!
Congratulations to OU School of Music voice professor Dr. Les Flanagan! Dr. Flanagan appeared recently at the Glebe Society Community Festival in Sydney, Australia, performing a program of traditional and contemporary Australian art songs. Congratulations, Les!
More accolades for OU School of Music alumnus Mr. Alex Purdy (B.M. Tuba, 2018, student of Professor Brian Dobbins)! Alex has just won 1st Place in the Artist Division of the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Competition! Congratulations, Alex!
It was a GREAT day for the OU School of Music, as several faculty members traveled to the Steinway factory in NYC to select two brand new 9-foot D model instruments (one for Sharp Hall & one for Pitman Hall). After an amazing factory tour, the group began the selection process. Just a few short hours later, the decisions were made, and these beautiful new pianos will grace our concert stages this fall!
Congratulations to Dr. Brian Wolfe, who has just returned to campus after delivering a presentation at the 2019 CBDNA National Athletic Band Symposium in Seattle, Washington!
Several OU School of Music students, graduates, faculty, and friends just returned from Poland, where they performed 8 concerts as members of the Zielinski Singers. Congratulations to Emi Bias, Ashley Carr, Claire Robinson, Audra Evans, Emma Bayne, Rachel Snapp, Cameron Currier, Jesse Stout, Katrina Randolph, Maddie Breedlove, Tarasina Compagni, Dr. Nicole Van Every, Cameron Johnson, Parker Millspaugh, Amanda Wilson, Lauren Garcia, Rebecca Harrison, Hayley Burgess, Joshua Tomlinson, Cale Smith, Jeff Welch, Charlie Burgess, Bill Renfroe, Cory Shoemaker, Scottie Brown, John Lauferweiler, Hunter Birkhead, John Morrow, Michael Stafford, Jadon Gaudin, Jake Fowkes, Vlad Markov, Chancelor Barbaree, Michael Pugh, Joel Mercer, Jacob Waters, Timo Sheridan, Nicholas Skotzko, and Dr. Rick Zielinski!
Here's a wonderful story in the Norman Transcript about the performance tour:
Congratulations to Alex Purdy, who has just won the Artist Solo competition at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference! Alex also received 2nd place in the Orchestra Excerpt Competition! Alex is a 2018 graduate of the OU School of Music, where he studied with Professor Brian Dobbins. Congratulations, Alex!
We are very proud to announce that former OU School of Music piano & piano pedagogy professors Dr. E.L. Lancaster and Dr. Jane Magrath have been named co-recipients of the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy Lifetime Achievement Award! They will receive this award at the NCKP Conference in Chicago in late July. Congratulations, E.L. and Jane, on this outstanding honor!
Here's a great NewsOK/Daily Oklahoman article featuring OU School of Music violin professor Dr. Gregory Lee, who will be the featured soloist on the Oklahoma City Philharmonic's upcoming season finale!
Here's a great story from Voyage LA featuring Hayden Lane Purdum, a recent BM Composition graduate from the OU School of Music. Congratulations, Hayden!
We are THRILLED to share the news that OU School of Music alumnus Eddie Walker has received one of this year's Regents' Alumni Awards!
Eddie earned his Bachelor of Music in Piano Pedagogy from OU in 1989. He then accepted an internship with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, eventually became its executive director, and helped lead the Philharmonic into a long and flourishing period of financial and artistic success.
In April of 2019 Eddie became the executive director of Oklahoma Contemporary, a multidisciplinary arts organization providing opportunities for learning through internationally relevant exhibitions, performances and educational programs. Oklahoma Contemporary will open its new facility in downtown Oklahoma City in January of 2020.
Congratulations, Eddie! You have greatly enriched the musical tapestry of this state and region, you are extremely deserving of this tremendous honor, and we are very proud of you!
Congratulations to Dr. Konstantinos Karathanasis, recent graduate Ioannis Andriotis, graduate student Josh Tomlinson, and undergrad students Jacob Frost, Caleb Westby, and Ben Krumwiede! ALL SIX of these individuals will have their compositions performed at this summer's International Computer Music Conference & New York City Electronic Music Festival! Outstanding!
Congratulations to OU School of Music voice professor Dr. Mark McCrory, who was recently featured as a guest soloist with the Eastern New Mexico University choirs!
OU School of Music graduate voice student Thomas Cannon is performing the role of Porgy in Fort Worth Opera's current production of Porgy and Bess, and the critics have taken notice! Check out this review from the Texas Classical Review!
Congratulations to OU School of Music horn student Samanda Engels, who has recently been accepted into two summer study programs! Samanda has been invited to participate in the Bay View Music Festival in Petoskey, Michigan where she will participate in wind and brass chamber music performances, and has also received an invitation to participate in the Summer Orchestra Academy (Filarmonietta Praga) of the Ameropa Music Festival in Prague. Congratulations, Samanda!
Congratulations and welcome home to our Music Education faculty and graduate students Dr. Chris Baumgartner, Eric Pennello, Shaylynn Sienkiewicz, Griffin Maxwell, and Ryan Meeks! These individuals were invited to present their research at the international Research in Music Education conference in Bath, U.K.!
Congratulations to junior vocal music education major Dylan Madoux, who has been accepted as a Conducting Fellow in the 2019 Conductor's Institute of South Carolina, which is one of the nation's most comprehensive summer training programs for young conductors. Congratulations, Dylan!
Here's the OU Trumpet Ensemble reprising their NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP performance from the 2019 NTC Competition! Congratulations to Sarah Stevens, Jacob Merrill, Paxton Leaf, Michael Meier, Drew O'Dell, Austin Broadway, David Marvel, Josh Harney, arranger Jay Wilkinson, and OU trumpet professor Dr. Karl Sievers!
The OU School of Music is very proud to announce that composition professor Dr. Marvin Lamb has just been awarded a Henry Zarrow Presidential Professorship! Congratulations, Dr. Lamb, on this well-deserved honor!
Congratulations to our awesome voice students (and their outstanding teachers) on their performances at the 2019 Oklahoma NATS conference hosted at OU last Saturday! Here's a list of our finalists:
Congratulations to the h2 quartet on the release of their sixth recording, "Soul Searching." We are very proud to note that OU School of Music saxophone professor Dr. Jonathan Nichol is one of the members of this critically acclaimed and award winning quartet!
Congratulations to OU School of Music theory professor Dr. Jeff Swinkin! Intégral, Eastman's music theory journal, has recently accepted Dr. Swinkin's article, “Listening with Analytic Context: Beethoven’s Largo appassionato from Opus 2 No. 2.” The article will inaugurate the journal's new online/open access format. Additionally, Dr. Swinkin has just been invited to deliver a paper on Adorno's theory of performance at the Southampton Music Analysis Conference in England this summer. Congratulations , Dr. Swinkin!
Congratulations to the Fountain City Brass Band on winning the North American Brass Band Association championship last week! We are proud to note that OU School of Music tuba/euphonium professor Brian Dobbins is a member of this award winning ensemble!
Congratulations to OU School of Music DMA voice student Thomas Cannon! Thomas will sing the role of Porgy in Gershwin's Porgy & Bess with the Fort Worth Opera later this month, and will also perform several roles with the new American opera "Fellow Travelers" with Arizona Opera later this year. Congratulations, Thomas!
The OU School of Music was extremely well represented by our outstanding piano faculty and students last week at the 2019 MTNA convention in Spokane, Washington. Congratulations to Drs. Magrath, Ham, and Fast, and to DMA student Clara Boyett!
We are very proud to report that the International Trombone Association has awarded Dr. Irv Wagner its 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award! This award "recognizes people who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to the trombone profession over a long career." Congratulations, Dr. Wagner, on this outstanding honor!
Dr. Wagner recently returned from teaching masterclasses at the Paris Conservatory.
It is our honor to report that Dr. Jane Magrath has just received the 2019 MTNA Achievement Award! This prestigious award "is bestowed upon an individual who has made significant and lasting contributions to the music teaching profession." Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Dr. Magrath!
Congratulations to OU Trumpet Ensemble members Jacob Merrill, Paxton Leaf, Sarah Stevens, Michael Meier, Drew O'Dell, Austin Broadway, David Marvel, and Josh Harney! The OU Trumpet Ensemble just won the ensemble competition at the 2019 National Trumpet Competition!
Congratulations to concurrent enrollment bassoonist Taylor Akin, who recently received the 1st Place award in the High School Woodwinds division of the annual Ladies Music Club Spring Scholarship Competition!
Congratulations to Evelyn Culver and Thomas Mondry, 1st and 2nd place winners in the Ladies Music Club of OKC Scholarship Competition!
Professor Rodney Ackmann and the Sooner Bassooners performed the National Anthem at an Oklahoma City Thunder game.
Congratulations to OU School of Music alum Jacob Chen! Jacob was named Mustang Public School's Rookie Teacher of the Year.
Congratulations to OU School of Music alum Tyler Overton! Tyler was named Norman's Rookie Teacher of the Year.
Congratulations to our 2019 Young Artist Competition winners!
Congratulations to our 2019 Benton-Schmidt Competition Winners! 1st Place: Alexander Purser, 2nd Place: Robert Hartfield, 3rd Place: Beatrice Kim, and 4th Place: Jacob O'Shea. Outstanding performances by outstanding musicians!
We are very excited to announce that Dr. Damin Spritzer, Assistant Professor of Organ at the University of Oklahoma, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Organ Media Foundation! The board oversees the operation of several projects, including organlive.com. Congratulations, Dr. Spritzer!
Congratulations to MM horn student Sonia Villaneuva, who has just returned from Washington, D.C., where she participated in the United States Air Force Collegiate Symposium. (photo courtesy of MSgt. Brandon Chaney)
Congratulations to concurrent enrollment bassoonist Taylor Akin! Taylor has won the Woodwind Division in the Oklahoma Community Orchestra Young Artists Competition, and is both the division winner and overall winner of the Oklahoma City Symphony Orchestra League's Young Artist Competition! Congratulations, Taylor, on these outstanding accomplishments!
Dr. Irv Wagner and the OU Trombone Choir performed the National Anthem at last Sunday's Oklahoma City Thunder game!
Congratulations to DMA trumpet student Ricky Spears, who has just finished a stint as lead trumpet for the touring company of "A Chorus Line" in China. Ricky has also played on the national tours of "A Christmas Story," "Elf," and "Beauty & The Beast," as well as an extended run in the lead trumpet chair for "Taboo," a Cirque du Soleil-style cabaret show in Macao, China. Congratulations, Ricky!
CONGRATULATIONS to 1st-year DMA piano & piano pedagogy student Hannah Roberts! Hannah is one of two winners of the Oklahoma Community Orchestra Young Artist Competition, and will be featured on their April concert. Brava, Hannah!
We are very excited to share the news that OU Music Education Professor Dr. Charlene Dell has been named Vice-Chair of the Editorial Committee for the American String Teachers Journal for 2019-2021, and will be Chair of the Editorial Committee from 2021-2023! Congratulations, Dr. Dell!
Congratulations to Dr. John Schwandt and Dr. Damin Spritzer! They have both been selected to perform at the 2019 American Guild of Organists SW Regional Convention in Denver, Colorado this summer. Congrats to these outstanding professors!
Congratulations to our OU School of Music trumpet students who have just been selected to the quarter finals of the annual National Trumpet Competition! Jacob Merrill has been selected as a soloist, and our trumpet ensemble consisting of Jacob, David Marvel, Michael Meier, Sarah Stevens, Josh Harney, Drew O'Dell, Paxton Leaf, and Austin Broadway has also been selected. Congratulations to these outstanding students!
Congratulations to OU School of Music composition student Tanner Harrod! His piece “Fiery Sea” has been selected for performance at the 2019 Region VI conference of the Society of Composers, Inc. at their conference at Texas A&M-Commerce in April. Bravo!
CONGRATULATIONS to OU School of Music composition students Ray Zepeda, Jacob Frost, Caleb Westby, Christopher McLaughlin, Joshua Tomlinson, Zachary Daniels, and Hayden Iskander! These students were recently selected to participate in a composer’s exchange recital hosted by the University of North Texas. They will travel to Denton to have their works performed on February 3rd and 4th by students at UNT and will then subsequently host UNT’s winning composers in a recital of our own on February 11th. While visiting Denton, OU’s composers will be invited to participate in master classes, discuss their music, and receive feedback from the UNT composition faculty.
Congratulations to OU School of Music faculty members Gregory Lee, Mark Neumann, and Jonathan Ruck, who recently performed on the Brightmusic Russian Romantics concert. (photo credit: Michael Anderson, performingartsphotos.com).
CONGRATULATIONS to our OU School of Music students who are participating in the 2019 OkMEA Intercollegiate Honor Band: Laura Amstutz, Cameron Dickey, Kayelin Fant, Taylor Gambill, Jacob Nance, Jacob Merrill, Jacob Howey, Eli Breon, Kyle Hamrick, and Aaron Smith! And, we can proudly report that 5 of these students (Laura, Cameron, Taylor, Jacob Nance, and Aaron) won principal chair positions! Congrats to all!
CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Jeffrey Swinkin, Assistant Professor of Music Theory in the OU School of Music! The Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy has just published a positive review of The Norton Guide to Teaching Music Theory, which was co-edited by Dr. Swinkin. Congratulations!
CONGRATULATIONS to OU School of Music alum Matt Graves, who was recently named Teacher of the Year at Noble High School!
Taylor Akin, concurrent-enrollment bassoon student of OU SoM Professor Rod Ackmann, was recently featured on an episode of NPR's "From The Top." Based on the success of that episode, a crew has traveled to Oklahoma to film segments about Taylor for an upcoming documentary!
OU School of Music Interim Director of Percussion Activities Dr. Andrew Richardson presented a session at OkMEA convention titled "Classroom Warmups and the Percussion Section".
CONGRATULATIONS to OU School of Music Oboe Professor Dan Schwartz! “Echoes,” a collaborative art project created by Dr. Schwartz, Yona Verwer, and Katarzyna Kozera, has received a very nice write up in jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. Congratulations, Dr. Schwartz!
