January February 2024 College News

artistry. Hehmsoth is known for his innovative approach to composition and improvisation. He draws inspiration from classical, world, and avant-garde jazz. In addition to his unique approach to jazz composition, Hehmsoth’s works often include a visual aspect. He is a painter of abstract artwork which accompanies his compositions, integrating large-scale art pieces that contribute to his creative vision. Hehmsoth is the MacDowell Norton Stevens fellow in composition and a National Endowment for the Arts fellow in jazz composition. Carig Hella Johnson has been named an Artistic Partner of the Oregon Bach Festival and was honored with the Graven Award from Wartburg College. Raúl I. Rodríguez recently accepted an invitation to present ongoing research which achieved inspiration during his spring 2022 faculty development leave. His workshop presentation, “Integration of Mindfulness Skills in the Applied Studio,” occurred on January 14 for the 2024 National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors Association Conference held at the University of Miami. STUDENT ACCOLADES The Apollo Saxophone Quartet ( Tomas Hinojosa , Jaime Fernandez , Miles Avelar , Emma Hallett ) were featured in an article for the University Star “Life and Arts” section. The article focuses on the group’s preparation for their February 8 Music Showcase at 2024 Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/ Convention. Emma Duncan was named a quarterfinalist in the undergraduate solo division in the prestigious National Trumpet Competition (NTC). She will be performing the James Stevenson Concerto, which she was able to perform for the composer when he was on campus for his week-long residency in the fall. Tomas Hinojosa is a recipient of the Texas Music Educators Association Undergraduate Scholarship ($2,500.00). Nolan Hopkins released an electronic music album, Mazes . He composed all music, plays all instruments, and sings. The album is available on major music streaming platforms. College of Fine Arts and Communication | 133 Jenna Stone recently won the U.S. Marine Band (“President’s Own”) clarinet audition and will join the military ensemble after graduating this year. Our TXST Wind Symphony was one of three university bands selected to perform at the Texas Music Educators Association convention, an event attended by more than 20,000 people. [2] ALUMNI ACCOLADES Coty Raven Morris was named a finalist for the Music Educator Award™ presented by the Recording Academy® and GRAMMY Museum ®. In total, more than 2,000 initial nominations from all fifty states were submitted. [3] John Nelson and Shawn McAnear made the UIL State 6A Marching Band finals for the first time. They were college roommates. Wesley Uchiyama-Penix had multiple performances of his compositions in 2023. He was a featured artist for Performing Media Festival 2023 for a performance of his work "Border of Wind" in South Bend, performed by the Indiana University–South Bend’s Audio-Visual Collective on March 10, 2023. Performing Media Festival is an annual showcase hosted by Indiana University–South Bend for artists around the world creating new works of integrated media crossing disciplinary boundaries. He also premiered two commissioned works. His work "A Traveler’s Fantasy" was commissioned and premiered by the South Texas Symphonic Orchestra. The work portrays the feeling of setting off into the intimidating, yet exciting unknown. Uchiyama-Penix ’s chamber opera Soul of Word was premiered by the UTSA Lyric Theatre as a part of their Epigrams series. Soul of Word examines the importance of language, specifically how language can tie into one’s ability to connect to their culture, their faith, or their identity. Jose Vela advanced in the graduate division of the National Trumpet Competition. MUSIC Music, Music Studies, Per formance, & Sound Recording Technolog y FACULTY ACCOLADES Ian Davidson appeared as soloist in a series of concerts at the RioWinds Festival in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. The first of three performances was a solo recital at the Museum of Justice Recital Hall, accompanied by Brazilian pianist Sonja Veira. Davidson also participated in a program of new music inspired by paintings that he shared with former principal oboe of the National Orchestra of Brazil, Harold Emmert. This program, held at the Galleria Atlantico, included Emmert’s work Masks for English horn and narrator as well as Davidson’s Five Works of Jackson Pollock that Mr. Emmert recently recorded for YouTube Music. For the third concert, held at the Cultural Center of Federal Justice Recital Hall, Davidson was joined by fellow Texas State faculty member, bassoonist Daris Hale . They performed a duo concert that featured works for oboe and bassoon by Eugène Bozza and Ludwig van Beethoven. The program included the premiere of two new works for solo oboe by Davidson, inspired by mountains in Arizona and Brazil. Davidson performed a pair of concerts as Guest Principal Oboe of the San Antonio Philharmonic. The performances were under the direction of Brazilian conductor, Marcelo Lehninger. [1] Hank Hehmsoth was featured in the TXST Newsroom. An independent panel of composers reviewed his compositions in 2023, written for the jazz ensemble Double Vision, and selected Hehmsoth for an ASCAP award based on the spirit of his work and importance to the world community of artists. Double Vision is a jazz performance ensemble made up of Hehmsoth and composer/arranger and saxophonist John Mills. With their combined experience of more than fifty years in the Austin jazz scene and award- winning credentials as jazz composers, Double Vision offers a unique musical experience that showcases the members’ original compositions and exceptional Ian Davidson performed in the San Antonio philharmonic under the conducotr Marcelo Lehinger Coty Raven Morris was name a finalist for the Music Educator Award The Texas State University Wind Symphony peformed at TMEA 12 | January & February | College News 1 2 3