News Stories

The Butler School is proud to announce the 2021-22 Rainwater Grant winners. Students who were selected through a competitive process will receive funding to implement their proposed projects. Founded in 2017, the Rainwater Fund for American Music was established with a $5 million endowment created by the late UT Austin alumnus Richard E. Rainwater (B.A., Mathematics, 1966), a Fort Worth investor and fund adviser. 

Master's student in piano pedagogy Moegi Amano's article "Where to Begin" was recently published in Piano Magazine. Amano details the process for learning a new piece successfully, from identifying the title and how it's expressed in the piece, to creating characters and a story line in order to better imagine the piece.

Go inside rehearsal with the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra as they prepare for the final performance of the semester. Students discuss their love for the music, their shared experience and beloved conductor, the orchestra's Director of Music Farkhad Khudyev, who brings passion and energy to every rehearsal and concert.

The Caribbean Ensemble makes its annual Bates Recital Hall performance this Wednesday, November 10 at 7:30 pm. Led by Ethnomusicology Professor Robin Moore, they play a variety of musical styles including acoustic and electrified dance music mainly from the Spanish speaking Caribbean countries of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The ensemble consists of graduate Ethnomusicology students and undergraduate freshman, and it's a space where students of all skill levels can learn, grow musically and, most importantly, have fun!

Understanding the importance of playing with other musicians, Professor of Bassoon Kristin Wolfe Jensen resolved to find a way for her students to play together safely after the pandemic hit in spring 2020. That's how she came up with the October Bassoon Ensemble Festival. Her students put on a physically distanced live performance at Mueller Park, just a few minutes north of UT Austin's campus, to the delight of anyone in the park that day willing to watch and listen.

Jensen and her students had so much fun it's now an annual tradition! "At the end of the day, music is just about connecting with other people," said Quincey Trojanowski, a junior in bassoon performance who played in this year's performance. 

We go behind the scenes to see how the Butler Opera Center's resident designer, Aaron Kubacak, creates costumes for shows. Working closely with the show's director, he begins with research and drawings, then brings them to life. Kubacak is a UT Austin alumnus having earned his master's degree in costume design from the Department of Theatre and Dance within the College of Fine Arts.

University of Texas at Austin PTF Emeritus Fellow Martha Hilley, who taught group piano and pedagogy at the Butler School for 36 years, was recently inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame. 

The Butler School of Music proudly announces one of our very own was selected for a 2021 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award. Professor of Trombone Nathaniel Brickens is one of 27 winners, and will receive an award of $25,000 for his outstanding performance. 

Associate Professor of Practice in Violin Sandy Yamamoto said collaborations with professors was very meaningful to her as a student. That's why she created the Sandy Yamamoto & Friends concert, which gives Butler School students the opportunity to perform with her, John Largess and Joshua Gindele from Miró Quartet. The rehearsal schedule is short and rigorous, mirroring that of many professional groups. But Yamamoto said the ultimate goal is to learn from one another and, most importantly, have fun!