April May 2023 College News

MUSIC Music, Music Studies, Per formance, & Sound Recording Technolog y FACULTY ACCOLADES Ames Asbell , Robert Cannon , Ian Davidson , Genaro Gonzalez , Adah Jones , and Vanguel Tangarov performed in the Austin Opera production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin. All are permanent members of the company and hold principal positions. These same faculty performed as part of Austin Opera’s “Bella Noche de Musica” in early-April. Held at the Moody Amphitheater in Austin, the performance was sponsored by the Mexican Consulate, Opera de Bellas Artes from Mexico City, PBS, and Univision Austin. In addition to the Austin Opera Orchestra, soloists include the mariachi group Trio Chapultepec and soprano Genesis Moreno, bass Ricardo Ceballos, and tenor Jorge Echeagaray—all from Opera de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. [1] Ian Davidson was recognized by film director Megan Mylan for his solo work in the 2021 documentary Simple as Water following the Austin Film Society screening. The documentary tells the story of five Syrian families and the devastating effect of the civil war. The New York Times reported: “Filmed over five years in five separate countries, ‘Simple as Water’ is anything but simple when it comes to its technical achievements, weaving together familiar immigrant narratives in ways that still manage to surprise and stun.” The Los Angeles Times described the film as “an achingly poignant testament to the unwavering strength of parental and filial bonds.” Variety called it “a graceful, touching sampler of dilemmas few viewers are likely to have experienced, even as they become ever-more-common reality for the less fortunate in many nations.” Simple as Water premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was released for national distribution by HBO Films. The film was one of 138 eligible films in the Documentary Feature category for the 2022 Academy Awards and advanced to the Final 15. Multiple facutly members performed as part of Austin Opera's "Bella Noche de Musica" Dimitar Ninov won two Big Special Prizes at the Sixth International Composition Competition Nico Schüler presented "The Harmonic Language of African American Composer Jacob J. Sawyer (1856-1885)," at a national conference 18 | April & May 2023 | College News 1 2 3