News Stories

Sonia Seeman has received a seed grant to support a capstone conference and concert event with the National Academy of Performing Arts in Karachi, Pakistan. The seed grant will cover travel for up to six UT faculty members and students. This conference event serves as the culmination of a two-semester series of workshops and seminars to train NAPA faculty to develop music curricula, funded by a University Partnership Grant from the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP). 

By Mariane Gutierrez

Professor of Voice Darlene Wiley was recently named to the American Academy of Teachers of Singing, a select group of internationally recognized voice teachers and singing voice experts with the purpose of contributing to the singing profession in an advisory capacity. She began her career as a lyric coloratura at the Staatstheater Darmstadt, and she has now accumulated more than 1,500 opera performances. Wiley has performed at more than 25 opera houses and received awards such as that of Distinguished Professor at Myong Ji University. We recently caught up with Wiley about her recent induction.

Nathaniel Brickens has been awarded funding for a “global career launch” (international internship program) to partner with two UT alumni in Zurich, Switzerland: David Garcia, a trombonist in the Zurich Orchestra, and Bill Thomas, a trombonist in Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. Students will receive mentorship and coaching from trombonists of these historic orchestras and will also attend auditions and performances. At the completion of the internship, students will present a trombone octet concert at a Zurich venue.

"Encouraging students to be 'small in their greatness and great in their smallness,' Thomas has an honest, modern view on composition and musical growth. He inspires students and educators alike to test boundaries, supported by a belief that people are naturally going to stumble at times when they're pioneers."

String Project student Ileana Nicholson has been performing outdoor concerts for neighbors throughout the pandemic. Nicholson and collaborator Lucy Hamre have raised over $1,000 for organizations in need.

At a time when so much of the world has been put on pause, the 2020 Rainwater Innovation Grant projects show us just how unstoppable creative energy is.

'“He’s also an open, democratic leader. If you have an idea, Billy’s default is to try to find a way to make that work, to incorporate your idea into what the group is doing. He leads by example with his playing.” Those qualities, Sprott says, will make him a great educator at UT, adding that for Black trumpet players—of which there are so few, percentage-wise—seeing someone in an authority position will move the needle for diversity and inclusion. Hunter tells me that he’s already working behind the scenes to diversify the Butler School, from student population all the way up to administration.'