Students

Gems of the AMRC collections: The George Lynn Memorial Award and the Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award continue with generous bequest

Mariefaith Lane — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 20:01:24 +0000

Gems of the AMRC collections: The George Lynn Memorial Award and the Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award continue with generous bequest Mariefaith Lane Thu, 04/23/2026 - 14:01

Kathryn Bistodeau

Christina Lynn-Craig and her father George Lynn, 1984.

Christina Lynn-Craig (DMA ’94, voice + vocal pedagogy), a board member of the college’s American Music Research Center (AMRC), has had deep ties to CU �鶹ӰԺ her whole life.

“Both my mother and father were on faculty here in the early 1950s,” she says. “They met in 1950, so they were still dating when they were teaching here. Then I met my husband in 1990 when I was a DMA candidate in voice. We were musical partners before we became life partners.”

Her father George Lynn and her late husband Alex Craig both have collections in the AMRC archives. Along with being a composer, Lynn was a nationally celebrated choral conductor and organist, and an assistant professor of music at the College of Music from 1950-52. Craig was a pianist, composer and staff accompanist at our college from 1976-2011.

AMRC Director Michael Uy notes, “our archives are full of many compositional treasures written by CU �鶹ӰԺ faculty—it really is an incredible resource for student performers, researchers and teachers.”

Each of their collections, which contain a complete catalogue of their compositional scores, also has a biannual award that encourages students to research or perform a selection of the music and write about their experiences. The two awards—the George Lynn Memorial Award and the Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award—are given to College of Music students on a rotating basis. This spring, the George Lynn award was granted to Glenda Luck and Grace Stringfellow.

Now, Lynn-Craig is making a generous donation in the form of a bequest, to ensure the continuation of the two awards. “We are beyond grateful for Christina’s gift which provides a permanent monetary incentive for our students to engage with the AMRC’s collections,” says Uy.

CONTINUE TO FULL STORY

Alumna Christina Lynn-Craig, a board member of the college’s American Music Research Center, is making a generous donation to ensure the continuation of the George Lynn Memorial Award and the Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award. The two awards are given to College of Music students on a rotating basis. This spring, the George Lynn Memorial Award was granted to Glenda Luck and Grace Stringfellow.

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Meet Presser Scholar Holly McMahon

Mariefaith Lane — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 19:48:44 +0000

Meet Presser Scholar Holly McMahon Mariefaith Lane Thu, 04/23/2026 - 13:48

Kathryn Bistodeau

Holly McMahon describes music as her first love. When she chose CU �鶹ӰԺ, it was important to her to study something that she enjoyed—and she has.

McMahon—set to graduate next month with a Bachelor of Music degree in composition and a Certificate in Music Technology—is the College of Music’s 2025-26 recipient of a Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award in recognition of her high level of musical and academic excellence, demonstrated leadership and service, and contributions to an inclusive community. Graduating with highest honors, McMahon was nominated for the $3,000 award by Associate Professor of Composition Annika Socolofsky.

“[Socolofsky] has been a huge advocate for me,” McMahon says. “That’s a really beautiful thing. One day, when I have the influence to do so, I’d like to lift others up in a similar fashion, and advocate for other young composers and artists.”

As a student here, McMahon was involved in the CU �鶹ӰԺ Early Music Ensemble as well as our chamber groups and world music ensembles. “As a composer, being in the world music ensembles was such a blessing, diversifying the types of music I was exposed to,” she says. She also participated in our Persevering Legacy events including this spring’s concert, performing excerpts from a ballet she composed, “The Snow Queen.”

When McMahon reflects on her time at CU �鶹ӰԺ, she says she’s learned a lot about music—and about herself. “I’ve really come into myself as a person, not as a productivity machine,” she shares. “Now, so much of my worth comes from things that don’t have to do with what I’ve produced, and more just who I am and what I’ve learned about myself.

“I think that’s so important in my trajectory as a composer because it allows me to approach music in a way where I’m not projecting my insecurities onto it. It’s just me and I think that’s where the best music that I’ve written has come from.”

This fall, McMahon will pursue a master’s degree in composition at the University of Michigan: “I’m very, very excited about it!”

Congratulations to McMahon and to all of our 2025-26 graduates!

Explore composition at our College of Music

Set to graduate next month with a Bachelor of Music degree in composition and a Certificate in Music Technology, McMahon is the College of Music’s 2025-26 recipient of a Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award in recognition of her high level of musical and academic excellence, demonstrated leadership and service, and contributions to an inclusive community. Congratulations to McMahon who’s graduating with highest honors—and to all of our winter 2025 and spring 2026 graduates!

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Johnette M. Martin awarded Fulbright to study Indigenous musical sovereignty

Mariefaith Lane — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 20:17:55 +0000

Johnette M. Martin awarded Fulbright to study Indigenous musical sovereignty Mariefaith Lane Thu, 04/16/2026 - 14:17

College of Music

The College of Music is pleased to share that our very own Johnette M. Martin is the recipient of the 2026-27 Fulbright U.S. Student Award to Aotearoa New Zealand!

“I’m honored,” says Martin, who plans to graduate in 2028 with a PhD in indigenous ethnomusicology with a geographic focus on Oceania. “This opportunity feels both humbling and affirming—a recognition not only of my work but also of the communities, mentors and collaborators who have shaped how I listen, think and create.

“To me, the Fulbright represents a commitment to dialogue across difference—an invitation to engage music and sound as ways of building relationships, asking better questions and learning with and from others.”

The Fulbright is one of the most prestigious and competitive international exchange programs in the world, supporting exceptional scholars whose work demonstrates significant academic merit, cultural engagement and global impact. Among Fulbright applicants, New Zealand is widely regarded as one of the most sought-after and highly competitive placements, making this achievement especially distinguished.

Martin will conduct advanced research in Aotearoa, continuing her work on indigenous musical sovereignty and community-centered scholarship. “What excites me most is the chance to immerse myself in new sonic worlds while contributing meaningfully through research, collaboration and teaching,” Martin shares. “I’m especially looking forward to the unexpected moments—the conversations, rehearsals and everyday exchanges that challenge assumptions and open new directions for my work as a Kanaka Maoli Indigenous woman and scholar.”

She adds, “My time at CU �鶹ӰԺ’s College of Music has been central to this journey. The college’s universal musician approach—grounded in curiosity, versatility and a willingness to move across disciplines—has shaped how I approach music not just as an object of study but as a living, relational practice. That broadly-based training has prepared me to engage this next chapter with openness, rigor and care.

“I’m grateful for the guidance, support and aloha that made this possible and excited for what lies ahead.”

Congratulations, Johnette, on this extraordinary honor and on representing your communities and your university with such purpose!

Explore musicology at the College of Music

The College of Music is pleased to share that our very own Johnette M. Martin (PhD candidate, ethnomusicology) is the recipient of the 2026-27 Fulbright U.S. Student Award to Aotearoa New Zealand!

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Meet 2026 Outstanding Graduating Senior Luka Vezmar

Mariefaith Lane — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:48:27 +0000

Meet 2026 Outstanding Graduating Senior Luka Vezmar Mariefaith Lane Mon, 04/13/2026 - 15:48

Kathryn Bistodeau

Luka Vezmar experienced the CU �鶹ӰԺ College of Music to the fullest and advises incoming freshmen to “say yes, especially at the beginning, because that could set you up to be saying a lot of yeses to opportunities later, too.”

By faculty vote, Vezmar was named the college’s 2026 Outstanding Graduating Senior based on his strong record of scholarship, musicianship and an emerging record of service and/or leadership. Majoring in both composition and oboe performance, Vezmar was doubly engaged.

Since his freshman year, he’s been part of the Bar Before Quintet, a wind ensemble also including Corva Graham (flute), Nikhila Narayana (clarinet), Nathan Bonin (horn) and David Guy (bassoon). “We got into two national competitions this year—the Coltman Chamber Competition and the Music Teachers National Association [MTNA] Competition—winning third place at MTNA which was really awesome,” he says.

Through the college’s Chamber Music Program, he also met Associate Professor of Violin Harumi Rhodes and eventually composed a piece for her Faculty Tuesdays concert in September 2025, with Rhodes on violin and himself on accordion. “That was probably my favorite commission because we got to have so much fun and we incorporated staging which made the music come alive,” Vezmar says. He further composed pieces for the College of Music Chamber Winds as well as commissions for Chase the Music, bringing inspiration to children battling critical illnesses with music written and performed just for them.

Vezmar also worked three years as an usher under the supervision of CU Presents Front of House Director Rojana Savoye. “She’s the best boss ever and I got to still be close to music by listening to the concerts I was working,” he says.

In addition to giving a speech at the College of Music’s recognition ceremony on May 2, Vezmar is performing in the Colorado Symphony’s “The Rite of Spring” concerts, May 1-3. “It’s crazy, but very wonderful.”

“I'm very thankful for all of the experiences I’ve had here and for all of my professors, getting me to where I am today,” he adds. “Being named Outstanding Senior is a wonderful end to my time at CU �鶹ӰԺ—it’s nice to know that what I did is appreciated and that I made an impact.”

This fall, Vezmar will continue his studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, pursuing a master’s in composition.

Congratulations to Vezmar and all of our 2026 outstanding students!

Outstanding Graduating Senior—Luka Vezmar, composition + oboe performance
Outstanding Junior—Corva Graham, flute performance
Outstanding Sophomore—David Guy, music education (instrumental band) + bassoon performance
Outstanding Freshman—Eliot BeVier Dill, musicology

Learn more about the college’s 2026 recognition ceremony!

College of Music faculty name Luka Vezmar the 2026 Outstanding Graduating Senior: Selection is based on a strong record of scholarship, musicianship and an emerging record of service and/or leadership. Congratulations!

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2026 Concerto Competition winners announced

Mariefaith Lane — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:02:56 +0000

2026 Concerto Competition winners announced Mariefaith Lane Thu, 04/02/2026 - 14:02

Kathryn Bistodeau

Congratulations to the winners of the College of Music’s 2025-26 Concerto Competition! On March 29 in Grusin Music Hall, the competition finals showcased the college’s remarkable graduate and undergraduate students competing for a chance to perform with the CU �鶹ӰԺ Symphony Orchestra this fall. Undergraduate flutist Corva Graham and graduate cellist Sam Moore won that honor and will appear as soloists with the orchestra during its 2026-27 season.*

Undergraduate competition winner
Corva Graham, a third-year undergraduate studying flute performance and statistics & data science, won the undergraduate competition performing Hisatada Otaka’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 30b accompanied by Associate Teaching Professor of Collaborative Piano Hsiao-Ling Lin. Graham is a student of Professor of Flute Christina Jennings, Brook Ferguson and Rachelle Crowell.

“Winning this competition is incredibly meaningful to me and I’m so excited to share the Otaka concerto later this year,” she says. “Though not widely known, it’s one of my favorite works. The concerto blends Eastern musical ideas with late-Romantic influences. It contains post-World War II gravity paired with a persistent sense of resilience and hope.

“I'd like to thank Professor Christina Jennings and Brook Ferguson as well as the CU �鶹ӰԺ Fludio [flute studio] for their support. I'm also feeling especially grateful to Dr. Hsiao-Ling Lin for her inspiration and collaboration.”

Graduate competition winner
First-year master’s student in cello performance Sam Moore performed Dmitri Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 77 accompanied by Will Shi, lecturer, collaborative piano. Moore is currently studying with Associate Professor of Cello David Requiro.

“I feel very grateful for all of my mentors, especially Professor Requiro, for their guidance,” he says. “I'd also like to thank my collaborator, Dr. William Shi, for all his work. I'm excited to perform this incredible concerto with the orchestra next year!”

Honorable mention
Congratulations also to Spencer Cox, saxophone—a student of Assistant Professor of Saxophone Nathan Mertens—who performed Ingolf Dahl’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Wind Orchestra earning an honorable mention.

Congratulations to all who competed this year!

Undergraduate finalists:
Corva Graham, flute
Keegan Arnsmeier, trumpet
Willem Rohwer, double bass

Graduate finalists:
Sam Moore, cello
Spencer Cox, saxophone (honorable mention)
Hannah Benson, mezzo-soprano
Conner Johnson, trumpet
Andrew Konopak, baritone
Katharine Nelson, violin
John Petefish, clarinet
Warner Nûñez Solano, piano
Jordan Spivack, horn

This year, the judging panel for the finals included Co-chair, Voice + Opera + Musical Theatre and Associate Professor of Vocal Coaching Jeremy Reger, Assistant Teaching Professor of Music Education and Associate Director of Orchestras Renee Gilliland, Assistant Professor of Conducting + Music Education and Associate Director of Bands Logan Sorey and guest judge Natasha Kislenko—piano/collaborative piano faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Music Academy of the West, and principal pianist of the Santa Barbara Symphony.

*Check cupresents.org to catch the winners’ performances this fall!

Left to right: Reger, Kislenko, Graham, Gilliland, Sorey.

Left to right: Sorey, Gilliland, Moore, Cox, Kislenko, Reger.

Explore our awards + competitions

On March 29, undergraduate flutist Corva Graham and graduate cellist Sam Moore won first prizes in the annual College of Music Concerto Competition: They will perform with the CU �鶹ӰԺ Symphony Orchestra this fall. Congratulations to all finalists, also including Spencer Cox, saxophone, who earned an honorable mention!

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SSCI grant to examine singing at altitude

Mariefaith Lane — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 16:56:55 +0000

SSCI grant to examine singing at altitude Mariefaith Lane Mon, 03/23/2026 - 10:56

College of Music

Nicholas Perna, associate professor of voice + director of vocal pedagogy—along with students Whitney Robinson (DMA ’28) and Alice Del Simone (DMA ’26)—demonstrates how the RespTrak system measures abdominal and rib cage movement.

The CU �鶹ӰԺ College of Music is pleased to share that Associate Professor of Voice + Director of Vocal Pedagogy Nicholas Perna—and a team of collaborators including Jen Walentas Lewon (CU �鶹ӰԺ Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences), and Mona Abaza and Blair Whiteside (CU Anschutz Department of Otolaryngology)—were awarded a $10K grant from the CU �鶹ӰԺ Division of Social Sciences (SSCI).

SSCI grants support initiatives focused on equity, interdisciplinarity, student success and staff/faculty support. This newly funded collaboration is a multiyear initiative that will examine why it's difficult to adapt to singing here in Colorado, and provide best practices for singers who tour through or move to our state “to keep their voices healthy and adapt to singing at altitude with efficiency,” says Perna, who directs the college’s vocal pedagogy program.

To start, a new RespTrak system—purchased with support from Perna’s CU �鶹ӰԺ Arts & Sciences grant last year and housed in the Berton Coffin Voice Lab—will measure abdominal and rib cage movement as singers adapt respiratory strategies upon arriving at altitude over several months. The SSCI grant funds a stroboscope system housed in the CU �鶹ӰԺ Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences (SHLS). “This is the first stroboscopic system on the CU �鶹ӰԺ campus,” notes Perna. “This system will allow us to take high-definition pictures and videos of the vocal folds of a singer to determine function, normality and health of vocal fold anatomy.”

The screenings will provide SLHS graduate students with supervised experience performing stroboscopic exams on singers. Participating College of Music singers will benefit from the opportunity to have a baseline stroboscopic screening upon their arrival at CU �鶹ӰԺ and near the conclusion of their first year.

Congratulations to all awardees!

An innovative, ‘multiplistic’ approach to vocal pedagogy

A newly funded interdisciplinary collaboration will examine why it’s difficult to adapt to singing here in Colorado, and provide best practices for singers who tour through or move to our state “to keep their voices healthy and adapt to singing at altitude with efficiency,” says Nicholas Perna, associate professor of voice + director of vocal pedagogy.

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2026 Persevering Legacy—meet the performers

Mariefaith Lane — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:08:54 +0000

2026 Persevering Legacy—meet the performers Mariefaith Lane Thu, 03/12/2026 - 07:08

Kathryn Bistodeau

On March 26, the annual College of Music Persevering Legacy event will celebrate women composers including those from historically marginalized groups. Undergraduate and graduate students have the opportunity to choose compositions from the Helen Walker-Hill collection housed in our very own American Music Research Center, or contribute their own discoveries: This year, seven acts from across the College of Music will present pieces from Jessie Montgomery to Dolores White and more.

Holly McMahon

Senior composition student Holly McMahon describes the event as “music you’ve probably never heard before and a lot of students excited to share pieces that are uniquely interesting to them.”

McMahon is part of an ensemble performing excerpts from a ballet she wrote—“The Snow Queen”—, a rendition of a story by Hans Christian Anderson. McMahon will play piano alongside Katherine Fornshell (cello), Caden Craig (clarinet) and Elijah Pouliot (violin).

McMahon has performed in previous Persevering Legacy events and has been attending them since her first year at CU �鶹ӰԺ. “It was a really nice concert for me to go to when I was a freshman,” she says. “I didn’t know that much about female composers and it’s inspiring to see yourself in composers on a program. This year, I wanted to give back and add to the concert.”

She was commissioned by a local dance studio to compose “The Snow Queen” which was performed in full, with dancers, in December. McMahon herself danced seven years before beginning her undergraduate degree. “There’s so much joy that can come from writing music meant for movement,” she says. “It feels very me to have written this ballet.

“I really love the music that I wrote and the group that I’m playing with.”

Lucy O’Byrne

This is also the first year that the CU �鶹ӰԺ Thompson Jazz Studies Program will be represented in the event with a sextet performing Esperanza Spalding’s “Mela.” Lucy O’Byrne, a sophomore in jazz saxophone performance, says that only makes sense: “Jazz is a very male dominated music and I’m not saying that classical music isn’t,” she says. “Just historically, women have not been safe or welcomed to perform in a lot of the spaces where jazz is welcome.”

O’Byrne jumped at the chance to perform a more difficult piece, diving in and working hard to prepare. “The music we’re playing is really challenging. We’re having a total of five or six rehearsals,” she says. “We really want to put time and effort into making it sound super good.”

The ensemble will also feature sophomores Bella Lanier (voice), Avi Bergman (trumpet), Gabe Hazleton (piano) and Gavin Hulse (drums), and freshman Mateo Perez (bass). While the ensemble wasn’t assigned by the department, the students have played together before.

“A really awesome thing about the jazz department—which I’m glad that we’re able to feature on this concert—is that all of us have a lot of experience playing with each other. The department’s small and we’re all friends who play together often,” adds O’Byrne.

Shai Wexler

Shai Wexler—a first-year master’s student in violin performance—will perform a piece for solo violin, “T’filah” (“Prayer”) by Lera Auerbach.

“It’s very meaningful to me because it’s a piece by a female Jewish composer on Jewish themes and that I feel very connected to because I’m Jewish,” she says.

For Wexler, there are parts of the piece that portray anxiety and unease about the world, and the ability to use music and prayer to express that. “This piece uses a lot of musical language from Jewish prayers and the violin really mimics the human voice,” she explains. “It sounds a lot like a cantor singing in synagogue which I think is really special.”

Wexler is also looking forward to the freedom the piece offers—it’s an unmetered work, meaning the performing musician can choose the rhythm and pacing. “That’s a really exciting opportunity for me because I haven’t played a lot of works like that,” she says.

“In classical music a lot of the time, we’re trained to play what’s on the page exactly as the composer intended. It’s been really meaningful to have this opportunity to break out of that a little bit and present my own unique interpretation of this piece.”

The participating students’ excitement and anticipation is palpable. They’re eager to work with the other students on the program and experience something new: “I’m really looking forward to being educated on artists and composers from other genres that are also underrepresented in this music,” O’Byrne says. “I’m looking forward to learning and hearing what other people have to say.”

Complementing the Persevering Legacy event on March 26, 7:30 p.m., Chamber Hall (S102), Imig Music Building, alumnus Gregory Walker (DMA ’92, composition)—son of the late Helen Walker-Hill and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker—will lead a master class for students on March 24, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (N180D).

Discover the CU �鶹ӰԺ Diverse Musicians’ Alliance

The CU �鶹ӰԺ Diverse Musicians’ Alliance presents its annual Persevering Legacy event celebrating women composers including those from historically marginalized groups. Meet some of the student performers, learn about their chosen works and join us on March 26!

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CU �鶹ӰԺ’s Nathan Mertens awarded NEA GAP grant

Mariefaith Lane — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:52:24 +0000

CU �鶹ӰԺ’s Nathan Mertens awarded NEA GAP grant Mariefaith Lane Tue, 02/17/2026 - 17:52

College of Music

The �鶹ӰԺ College of Music is proud to announce that Assistant Professor of Saxophone Nathan Mertens has been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) grant valued at more than $35K. This is the College of Music’s first NEA GAP grant representing an important step forward for CU �鶹ӰԺ in national arts funding.

The funded initiative—“American Saxophone Concertos New Voices and Visions”—is part of the NEA’s Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary highlighting American composition and performance. The project centers on the professional recording of four saxophone concertos by living American composers, culminating in a commercial CD release.

A newly commissioned concerto by Anthony R. Green sits at the heart of the project. Written for Mertens—to be premiered with the CU �鶹ӰԺ Wind Symphony in fall 2026—this work is funded by the Bixler Family Foundation and a CU �鶹ӰԺ Research & Innovation Office Arts & Humanities Grant. In addition to Green’s concerto, Mertens will record another concerto with the Wind Symphony conducted by the College of Music’s Director of Bands Shanti Simon; as well as two concertos with the CU �鶹ӰԺ Symphony Orchestra under our Director of Orchestral Studies Gary Lewis (details forthcoming). All recordings will be engineered by the college’s Kevin Harbison.

“This is an exciting and important milestone for our college, in keeping with our universal musician approach to achieving our mission,” says John Davis, Dean of the College of Music. “Nathan’s work supports American composition at the highest level and offers many of our students access to a significant creative project from development to recording.” Students will work directly with composers in rehearsals and recording sessions and appear on the final album, earning a rare professional credit while still in training. Through collaboration with visiting composers and participation in professional sessions, the project prepares them for real-world performance and artistic collaboration.

“I am thankful to the College of Music and the �鶹ӰԺ for the support that made this possible. This was far from a solo effort and I’m very lucky to have colleagues at CU �鶹ӰԺ who turn complicated processes into something possible,” says Mertens. “I especially want to thank Donna Axel, Associate Director of Research Development at the CU �鶹ӰԺ Research & Innovation Office (RIO), for her guidance and encouragement throughout this process; and Tessa Brandt, Proposal Analyst in RIO’s Office of Contracts and Grants, for her budgetary wizardry!

“Grants are often associated with big, shiny ideas—but they really begin in the details, in offices and email threads. I’m excited to turn all these details into reality … and some fun!”

Congratulations!

Recording sessions will take place throughout 2026 and 2027 in CU �鶹ӰԺ’s Macky Auditorium.

Meet Nathan Mertens—NEA GAP grant recipient

Assistant Professor of Saxophone Nathan Mertens was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) grant! This is the College of Music’s first NEA GAP award representing an important milestone for CU �鶹ӰԺ in national arts funding.

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Beyond composition: A collaborative approach to creativity

Mariefaith Lane — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 22:48:28 +0000

Beyond composition: A collaborative approach to creativity Mariefaith Lane Wed, 02/04/2026 - 15:48

MarieFaith Lane

For composer and arranger Ilan Blanck (MM ’23), collaboration is integral to his creative identity and career success. When he reflects on his time at the �鶹ӰԺ College of Music, what stands out most is an approach to music making grounded in curiosity, openness and collaboration.

“I feel like my experience at CU �鶹ӰԺ really reinforced an approach based on an equal type of collaboration,” says the recent alum. “So much of that was influenced by the faculty and the composition department.”

Specifically, Blanck traces that mindset to the culture modeled by composition faculty members Professor of Composition Carter Pann, Associate Professor of Composition Annika Socolofsky and former Associate Professor of Composition Michael Theodore whose willingness to engage with unfamiliar ideas left a lasting impression. Blanck said his mentors treated each project as an opportunity to learn alongside their students.

“I spent so much time as the recipient of their curiosity,” he notes. “They were curious about things I was doing or conversations we’d have about all sorts of random things. That really stuck with me.”

That openness mattered especially because Blanck arrived at CU �鶹ӰԺ via an unconventional academic path: After completing his undergraduate degree, he spent a few years working in genres outside traditional classical music, including pop and fusion projects that emphasized arranging and producing as much as composing.

“I never felt like I was the most inspiring contemporary composer,” shares Blanck. “So I wasn’t sure who would be interested in what I had to offer.” Being accepted into the College of Music felt like a clear endorsement of his broadly based creative identity. “What I was told was, ‘We think what you’re doing is cool and we’d love for you to keep doing that here,’” he recalls. “That felt like explicit encouragement to continue to develop my skills beyond composition.”

While completing the formal requirements of his degree, Blanck was also able to bring his ongoing professional work into conversations with faculty. He sought advice on arranging sessions, production logistics and the interpersonal dynamics of working with musicians outside academic settings. Even when projects fell outside faculty members’ areas of expertise, the response was consistent. “When I came to them with projects that were unfamiliar, they’d say, ‘I don’t really know about that, but let’s find out together,’” he says. “Being around people like that made me willing to say the same thing to others.”

Teaching Introduction to Music Technology for two years further shaped how Blanck thinks about music technology, music theory and popular music. The experience clarified his belief in learning through doing, particularly across genres that are often separated in formal music education.

“The opportunity for musicians to explore their own musicality by actively composing, producing and writing songs became really important to me,” he continues. “Doing the work helped me develop a clearer sense of what feels meaningful, not just creatively but pedagogically.”

That philosophy continues to guide the projects Blanck pursues today. On Feb. 21, he’ll present ChamberSongs at the Chautauqua Community House, a concert featuring four artists closely connected to �鶹ӰԺ’s acoustic and Americana music scenes: Megan Burtt, Jayme Stone, Emma Rose and Alexa Wildish. Each artist will perform newly arranged versions of their songs accompanied by a string and bass ensemble made up entirely of CU �鶹ӰԺ-affiliated musicians.

The ensemble includes alumni violinist Jordan Grantonic (MM ’23, AD ’25), violinist Laura Pérez Rangel (MM ’25, DMA ’28), violist Ryan Drickey (BME ’01, MM ’06), cellist Sophie Stubbs (MM ’23) and double bassist Will Kuepper (MM ’26). “All of the string players are CU �鶹ӰԺ people in some capacity,” Blanck says. “These are artists I love, who are also my friends They’re people I associate with �鶹ӰԺ, not just geographically but musically.”

The project took shape slowly, beginning nearly a year in advance as Blanck aligned schedules, arranged 24 songs and managed the logistics himself. While he has extensive experience arranging and booking performances, taking on the entire scope of the project was a personal challenge. “I was honestly just trying to take a big swing,” he reflects. “This was the first time I really took on all of it.” He likened the arranging process to designing a machine: “Arranging is kind of like designing a spaceship—you make the plans and then it’s someone else’s job to figure out if it can fly.”

Beyond ChamberSongs, Blanck continues to collaborate with College of Music alumni on other large-scale projects including The Song of Pueblo, an oratorio portraying the history of southern Colorado. Orchestrated by Blanck and fellow alumnus Max Wolpert, the work brought together the CU �鶹ӰԺ Chamber Orchestra and the El Pueblo Ensemble, and is available for streaming on PBS. “That project keeps resurfacing in ways that remind me how much sustained effort and cooperation it took,” Blanck says. “It was meaningful for everyone involved.”

Looking back, Blanck sees a clear throughline from his time at CU �鶹ӰԺ to the creative life he has built since graduating—one shaped less by individual milestones than by long-term relationships. “It’s very easy for me to trace specific opportunities to specific people,” he notes. “Someone mentions someone else, who connects you to another person—and suddenly you’re doing work you care about.”

That belief shapes what he hopes audiences take away ChamberSongs. For Blanck, the �鶹ӰԺ event is not only about the music on stage but about the act of gathering itself. “I hope people come away feeling inspired to keep leaving their houses and gathering in rooms together, to listen to other people make music and have shared experiences. Those things feel at risk right now.”

As advice to emerging composers, Blanck resists offering prescriptions. Instead, he points to the practices that have sustained his own career over time. “To the degree that I’ve gotten anywhere figuring it out, it’s been by finding people whose work I admire, learning from them and keeping those connections going.”

For Blanck, connection is ongoing and deeply personal: The relationships he formed at CU �鶹ӰԺ continue to grow into new collaborations, new projects and new ways of listening to one another. “It’s not even that they’ve been valuable to my career,” he concludes. “They are my career.” All told, a creative life driven by the generosity of collaboration often leaves behind its greatest imprint in the community it builds.

For composer and arranger Ilan Blanck (MM ’23), collaboration is integral to his creative identity and career success. His College of Music experience encouraged curiosity, openness and a willingness to learn alongside others—an approach that continues to guide his work across genres including a community concert on Feb. 21 featuring several fellow alumni and students.

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Meet College of Music Student Government President Lau Marial

Mariefaith Lane — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 20:13:10 +0000

Meet College of Music Student Government President Lau Marial Mariefaith Lane Wed, 12/10/2025 - 13:13

Kathryn Bistodeau

For Lau Marial—a senior studying choral music education (BME ’26) and president of the CU �鶹ӰԺ College of Music Student Government (CMSG)—leadership comes naturally.

Marial is exuberantly passionate about her work: Under her leadership, our student government has organized and executed events emphasizing community well-being and personal wellness—from yoga classes and meditations to practice room cleanups and an event with a nutritionist to learn how to fuel musicians’ bodies.

“There hasn’t been a structured goal for our student government,” reflects Marial. “So we’re creating that. And for me, I thought, ‘What can we do to serve our community as musicians?’

“We’re such busy people. And it’s expensive and time consuming to be a musician—and oftentimes we’re overworked and underpaid—but being a musician is so fulfilling. So how can we help and lean into one another?”

The CMSG comprises nine members—president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, two senators who report to the campuswide student government, two at-large members representing the instrumental and voice areas, and a general member. Marial was involved as a senator for three years before assuming her current role.

Along with throwing events for the student body, the CMSG also funds projects of other recognized student organizations. Coming up, the CMSG is helping six students in the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) attend next week’s Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference; as well, the CMSG is reviewing project funding for students in the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) slated for next semester.

“My favorite aspect of the CMSG is when we’re able to provide funding for students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to support themselves to go to these conferences,” she says. “I understand those economic barriers.

“Then they come back with all these stories and they were so impacted and I’m just like, ‘I love that you were able to do this!’”

This spring, Marial envisions more wellness events—maybe even with some furry friends. “I’m trying to bring in therapy dogs, that’s in the works,” she says. “That’s huge because that’s fun and it’s really cute. Even people who are passing by with 15 minutes in-between can pet a puppy!”

Such activities aim to strengthen community bonds within our College of Music. As we’re a smaller college, Marial notes that many connections happen naturally in our halls—and she wants to do her part to strengthen the bonds among students in different departments. She also wants to pass on her passion for leadership to fellow CMSG members.

“I want to train other leaders to be leaders as well, so our community grows in that way,” says Marial, describing her leadership approach as compassionate. Already looking ahead, she’s applying to graduate school programs in psychology or education policy.

Marial’s parents are Sudanese war refugees making Marial a first-generation American and college student which she credits for her drive for education. “For my aunts, my mom—literally their biggest dream is to get an education,” Marial shares. “That alone is enough for me to run with the opportunities that are in front of me and keep trying to find ways to educate myself.

“Another thing that’s super important to me in terms of leadership is that I have siblings who look up to me—I want them to know that if I can do it, they can do it, too.”

All told, Marial’s message to fellow students is one of motivation, confidence and embracing what makes them unique. “Be you! That’s really big to me. I think that musicians have a naturally competitive nature—that competition can be healthy, but no matter what you’re doing, always be 100% yourself and walk in knowing what you bring to the room. Don’t ever let other people tear you down.”

Learn more about the CMSG

Lau Marial—a senior studying choral music education—is the president of the CU �鶹ӰԺ College of Music Student Government (CMSG). Learn about the impact of the CMSG and Marial’s inspiring journey!

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