January February 2021 College News

MUSIC Music, Music Studies, Per formance, & Sound Recording Technolog y FACULTY ACCOLADES In October 2020, Texas State Sound Recording Technology (SRT) staff member Chris Bell received a call from musician Jennifer Akerman. Akerman, who releases music under band name Final Child, was working on music for Paul Leyden’s film Chick Fight . Bell assisted her in production of these 7 tracks for the film, which was produced by and stars her sister, Malin Akerman. Malin Akerman is joined by Alec Baldwin and Bella Thorne rounding out this star-studded cast. The soundtrack for the film will be released on all music platforms in two waves, including the tracks Bell mixed for Final Child. The first round of music can be found on all platforms, including Apple Music. Akerman’s tracks partner with works by composer Benson Taylor and Los Angeles based band Bones UK to complete the soundtrack for Chick Fight . Chick Fight was released by Quiver Distribution and Redbox Entertainment on November 13th. [ 1 ] Austin Opera presents a weekly Vimeo broadcast series on Fridays at 3:00pm entitled Live from Indy Terrace which spotlights artists who are part of Austin Opera productions. Live from Indy Terrace has featured vocal artists, costume designers, lighting designers, live recitals, and more. A recent three-episode series during January featured extended discussions between Austin Opera Artistic Director Timothy Myers and three prominent principal players in the orchestra: Principal Oboe, Ian Davidson (Episode 30) , Principal Trumpet, Robert Cannon (Episode 31 ), and Principal Violist, Ames Asbell (Episode 33) . In addition to their time spent with the opera, these artists are all Texas State University School of Music faculty teaching applied lessons in their area of expertise. Episodes 30, 31, and 33 are available in Austin Opera’s video archive on Vimeo. Associate Professor of Practice, Hank Hehmsoth , was recently featured on the front page of the Texas State Paul Leyden’s film Chick Fight featuring soundtrack music production by Sound Recording Technology staff member Chris Bell Professor and Director of the Trombone Choir and Jazz Trombone Ensembles, Dr. Martin McCain Music studies major Morgan Milner works on finger patterns with beginning bass students Photo by Jacob Harrisson 14 | January & February | College News 1 2 3 Stories. The story, "We Are the Music Makers," follows Hehmsoth’s research in the field of Jazz as well as the research grants he has been awarded. The second half of the piece gives an overview of Hehmsoth’s storied 30-year-career as a jazz musician, composer, and performance artist. For more information and to find links to more of Hehmsoth’s works and achievements, read the full story here. Dr. Lynn F. Ledbetter, Professor of Violin, was invited to give a masterclass for the Escuela Superior de Danza y Musica de Monterrey (Mexico) for violin students playing Prokofiev "Concerto No. 1", Stravinsky "Concerto in Re", Mendelssohn "Concerto in E Minor", and Ysaye "Sonata No. 4" on Friday, February 5, 2020. The class was livestreamed to Mexico, Germany and the United States. Dr. Martin McCain [ 2 ] was a guest artist on January 9th for the Brass Out Loud workshop where he led a masterclass for an international audience. He was featured on Pedal Note Media’s podcast "The Entrepreneurial Musician," Episode 228. On January 19, McCain presented a lecture, “How to Succeed as a Professional Musician” to the McCown Middle School band students. He performed a virtual recital at the University of Michigan and facilitated a post-concert discussion on January 25 in addition to curating and producing brass quintet outreach concerts for the Austin Chamber Music Center. Additionally, McCain hosted Jeremy Wilson from Vanderbilt University who led a masterclass for the Texas State trombone majors. Dr. Todd Oxford , Associate Professor of Saxophone, stayed busy during the latter half of 2020. Recently Dr. Oxford served on the judging panel for the Enkor International Music Competition in London. He also was named Silver Medal Winner Global Music Awards Solo Instrumental Division in La Jolla, California and First Prize Winner Charleston International Competition Fall 2020 Instrumental Soloist Division and Charleston The Texas State University String Project [ 3] was recently featured in the University Star by Tania Zapien, Life and Arts Contributor. Zapien outlines the impact of the project on the community of San Marcos and its involvement with the School of Music students and faculty. “The program gives performance and music education majors the opportunity to provide low-cost group and private string lessons to San Marcos children 5 to 14 years old,” writes Zapien. Moreover, Zapien highlights String Project’s importance in fulfilling the string educational needs of the area, helping to jumpstart public school orchestral programs nearby. For the full story, you can read the full University Star article here. YOUTH OUTREACH PROGRAM College of Fine Arts and Communication | 15