Congratulations to Jonathan Gunn, Laurie Scott and Luisa Nardini on Teaching Awards

The Butler School of Music is delighted to unveil this year’s recipients of the Teaching Excellence Awards: Laurie Scott and Jonathan Gunn. Additionally, we extend our congratulations to Luisa Nardini for her outstanding achievement in receiving the university-wide Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award.

Butler School Teaching Excellence Award

The award annually recognizes one member of the performance faculty and one member of the academic faculty for sustained records of outstanding teaching. A committee of faculty and students appointed by Director Susan Thomas met to determine the winners. The committee considered all aspects of a nominee’s teaching, including classroom teaching, individual instruction, and the impact that a faculty member has on students beyond the classroom and beyond the University.

Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award

The Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award is university-wide and recognizes the distinguished teaching of a graduate faculty member.  One award is presented annually, with nominations limited to one per graduate program.  They are selected based on 

• The nominee's demonstrated excellence in the classroom and laboratory, as reflected in course-instructor survey evaluations and letters of recommendation from both students and colleagues
• The nominee's distinctive contribution in mentoring graduate students and helping them achieve their goals in academic or professional careers
• The nominee's commendable track record of supervising and participating in students' thesis, report, recital and dissertation committees

Winner of the Teaching Excellence Award Jonathan Gunn

Jonathan Gunn is a highly accomplished clarinetist renowned for his versatility across various musical domains.Appointed by Maestro Paavo Järvi to the position of Associate Principal and Eb Clarinet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 2004, Mr. Gunn then served as Principal Clarinet from 2011 to 2016. Prior to joining the Cincinnati Symphony, he was the Principal Clarinetist of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Mr. Gunn has also performed as Guest Principal Clarinet with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Houston Grand Opera among others. Gunn's career spans solo performances with notable orchestras, including the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, as well as international appearances and festival engagements. Committed to education, he conducts masterclasses globally and has taught at esteemed institutions like the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and The University of Texas. A distinguished recording artist, Gunn's work is featured on numerous albums, and upcoming releases include collaborations showcasing his virtuosity. He is endorsed by D’Addario and Buffet Group USA, exclusively playing Buffet-Crampon clarinets.

Winner of the Teaching Excellence Award Laurie Scott

Laurie Scott is an Associate Professor of Music and Human Learning at The University of Texas at Austin, where she also directs The University of Texas String Project and the Musical Lives string program at UT Elementary School. Previously, she held positions as a professor of violin and viola and director of music education studies at Southwestern University. A recipient of multiple teaching excellence awards, Dr. Scott is dedicated to mentoring young professionals in string education and advocating for inclusive music classrooms. She is a registered teacher trainer for the Suzuki Association of the Americas, maintains a private violin studio, and co-authored several acclaimed books on music education. Recognized for her impactful contributions, Dr. Scott has received prestigious awards, including the Marvin J. Rabin national award for Community Service from the American String Teachers Association.

Winner of the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award Luisa Nardini

Luisa Nardini is Professor of Musicology at the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas, Austin and an Endowed Fellow to The Walter and Gina Ducloux Fine Arts Faculty Fellowship Endowment. Her expertise includes liturgical chant, women, digital humanities, and global studies. She is the author of Interlacing Traditions: Neo-Gregorian Chant Propers in Beneventan Manuscripts (Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies) and of Chants, Hypertext, and Prosulas (Oxford University Press), both focusing on extended repertories of sacred music that reveal the cultural exchanges between Romans, Franks, Normans, Byzantines, Jews, and Muslims as well as the involvement of women in chant and book productions and diffusions in southern Italy. She is co-editor of Acta Musicologica and co-chair of the Skills and Resources in Early Musics Study Group of the American Musicological Society. She has received an American Council for Learned Societies fellowship, the Gladiatore d’oro, the Kenneth Levy book subvention for Outstanding Publications in Early Music, and an inaugural research fellowship at the Harry Ransom Centre among many other recognitions. She is co-editing with Adoyo Catherine a textbook on Global Early Musics (ca. 700-1500).