2023-24听Colorado Music听homeClass notes

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Colleen White (DMA 鈥17), Paul Zaborac (DMA 鈥17) and Cecilia Lo-Chien Kao (DMA 鈥19)- Scheherazade Music Festival
Great ideas can come from anywhere鈥攅ven a meal with your friends. Three CU Boulder College of Music alumni鈥擟olleen White (DMA 鈥17), Paul Zaborac (DMA 鈥17) and Cecilia Lo-Chien Kao (DMA 鈥19)鈥攄eveloped a vision for the Scheherazade Music Festival (SMF) over brunch. Today, the SMF is an incubator for innovation and connection through chamber music, pushing the art form forward and bringing performers, composers and audiences together.锘 The nonprofit festival, held in Manhattan, Kansas, debuted in 2023 and will return for its second season in June 2024.

Among the many remarkable achievements of College of Music alumni in recent months, we鈥檙e pleased to share these highlights:

Kedrick Armstrong Kedrick Armstrong (MM听鈥23) was appointed.听


Annie Booth Annie Booth (BM 鈥11, MM 鈥20) presented on a panel at the American Musicological Society conference about supporting gender inclusivity in jazz education and presented two initiatives she created鈥攖he SheBop Young Women in Jazz Workshop and Brava Jazz Publishing.听


Michael Fiday The named Michael Fiday (BM 鈥83) a recipient of its 2024 Awards in Music.听


Indigo Fischer Indigo Fischer (BM 鈥19) is artistic operations manager at the Music Academy of the West.听


Alejandro G贸mez Guill茅n (DMA 鈥17) is director of orchestras at Arizona State University鈥檚 School of Music, Dance and Theatre.听


Jordan Holloway opened the Colorado Music Festival鈥檚 July 16, 2023 program which also included a world premiere by our Professor of Composition Carter Pann.听


Aaron Jenkins Aaron Jenkins (BA 鈥16) won the Utah district round of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.听


Victor Avila-Luvsangenden Victor Avila-Luvsangenden (DMA 鈥23)鈥攁n Australian violinist of Venezuelan and Mongolian heritage鈥攊s the Bozeman Symphony鈥檚听new principal second violin.听


Winona Martin Winona Martin (BM 鈥18) won the Colorado-Wyoming district round of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.听


John McKeever (DMA 鈥21) is director of orchestral activities at the University of Missouri School of Music.听


Ian Mertes Ian Mertes (MM 鈥21) is second trumpet player with the Atlanta Symphony.听


Josh Reed Josh Reed (DMA 鈥16) and visual artist Emily Ward Bivens (MA 鈥04) joined forces to create an immersive experience鈥斺.鈥 Reed is assistant professor of jazz trumpet at the University of Nevada School of Music and coordinates its jazz and improvisational music program.听


Mara Riley Mara Riley (BM 鈥20) won the 2023 Colorado Bach Ensemble Young Artist Competition.听


Rafael Antonio Rodr铆guez Rafael Antonio Rodr铆guez (DMA 鈥18) is at the University of Memphis, Tennessee.听


Emma Shubin (BA 鈥13) is an ambassador clinician artist for the William S. Haynes Flute Company and serves as assistant principal/piccolist of the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra. A Suzuki, Dalcroze and integrative educator, she also co-founded Colorado-based nonprofit, creating programming that supports the balanced development of individuals, families and communities by connecting music, movement, art and science.


Jacob West Jacob West (MA 鈥22) is development and operations associate for the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies serving more than 1,000 students in 10 orchestras.听


Wei Wu Grammy-winning alumnus Wei Wu (MM听鈥13) wowed us with his triumphant, with the San Francisco Opera in 鈥淭he (R)Evolution of Steve Jobs鈥濃攁n opera by Mason Bates and Mark Campbell about the rise of Apple. Campbell (BA 鈥75)听is a Pulitzer Prize and Grammy-winning librettist/lyricist who鈥檚 well known to the College of Music鈥檚 New Opera Workshop (CU NOW).听


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