Alumni Spotlights

Luis Rodriguez (B.M., Voice and Opera, 2010) was recently appointed operations manager for the Plano Symphony Orchestra in Plano, Texas. He continues to work as librarian and cover conductor for the Plano Symphony, as well as librarian for Irving Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Michal Dembinski

Audrey Bounds (B.A., Music, 2015) has joined Austin FC, The 27th Club in Major League Soccer, as the Director of Event Booking. Photo by Anne Claire Patterson

Midori Samson (M.M., Bassoon Performance, 2016) is participating in the Peace Studio's 100 Offerings of Peace campaign with a musical arts piece entitled "Crystals (On Peace)."

Sean Meyers (A.D., Woodwinds, 2020) alongside Vanguard Reed Quintet, release a debut album in June. The full-length album, Red Leaf Collection, features six world-premiere recordings of compositions for reed quintet. The ensemble has won Silver Medal at the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, Second Prize at the 2017 Briggs Chamber Music Competition and Honorable Mention at the 2019 Plowman Chamber Music Competition. Photo by Curtis Noborikawa III

Ruben Balboa (D.M.A., Strings and Harp, 2020) will serve as Instructional Assistant Professor of Viola,  Assistant Director and Master Teacher for the ISU String Project for the 2020-2021 academic school year at Illinois State University.

Roberta Rust’s (B.M., Piano, 1978) latest CD, Direct Contact, was released in May 2019 and has since then been praised by The Piano Magazine. She has also performed recitals and given master classes at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and Stephen F. Austin State University in January 2020. In 2019 she did the same at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory at the National University of Singapore, the Manila International Piano Masterclasses Festival, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, Arizona State University, University of Oregon, Auburn University and Reinhardt University. Rust also performed alongside the Fine Arts Quartet at Lynn University and served as faculty for her seventh year at the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival in Tampa. Photo by Richard Blinkoff

Anthony Gatto’s (M.M., Composition, 1991) two newest albums, The Making of Americans and Wise Blood, were commissioned by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and are set for release in July 2020 by New Focus Recordings. The first opera is based on the novel by Gertrude Stein while the second is based on the novel by Flannery O'Connor. Photo by Chris Larso

Altin Sencalar (B.M., Jazz Performance, 2017) released his second album, Realization, featuring performances by jazz veterans and luminaries. Sencalar is touring with his co-led group across the nation, and they will be featured as guest artists at the 2020 American Trombone Workshop at Fort Meyer in Washington, D.C. He was also named as one of the "Artists in Residence" for the 2020 Jazz Institute at Brevard Music Center in Brevard, North Carolina. Photo by Jessica D. Cowles

Joan Schubert (B.M., Woodwinds, 1981) has most recently recorded works by Astor Piazzolla, Django Reinhardt and Maurice Ravel. Schubert will also be performing and recording original music for voices and piano, “Caged Bird,” with text by Maya Angelou. Photo by Bryon Dahl

Garrett Keast (B.M., Music Studies,1995) debuted his 2019-20 season with the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Orquesta Sinfónica del Principal de Asturias, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonietta de Lausanne, Tonali Orchestra and Berlin Opera Academy. Photo by Marco Borggreve