Our Alumni! The place Are They Now? | College of Music

Header: Our alumni. The place are they now?

The premier ladies’s chamber choir, Bella Voce, offered a Bella Voce Alumni Weekend Live performance in September. The live performance celebrated greater than 10 years of music beneath founding director, Dr. Lynne Gackle, Mary Gibbs Jones Chair in Music, director of choral actions, and chair of the ensemble division[JM1] . Greater than 100 Bella Voce singers returned to campus to carry out a choice of works by Stroope, Gjeilo, and Hagenberg. 

Hannah Becker (B.M.E. ’21) was awarded Rookie of the 12 months at Bear Ranch Junior Excessive within the Magnolia ISD.

Hayden Coie, (M.M. ’18, piano pedagogy and efficiency), offered a session titled “Participating the Thoughts and Coronary heart” on the 2023 Texas Music Academics Affiliation state convention in June.

Barbara B. Elliott (M.M. ’03, music training, B.M.E. ’97, voice), who, in January of 2022, after 10 years of esteemed educating at Texas State College (and previous to that, a educating profession on the elementary degree), started a brand new profession with McGraw Hill Training. She is an instructional designer engaged on digital music curriculum. She is thrilled to make use of her educating expertise in a brand new and difficult approach.

Jason Nitsch (B.M.E. ’95) not too long ago had his first choral piece recorded by the Cape City Youth Choir. Written through the peak of the pandemic in 2020, Jason stated he sat down sooner or later after watching the information and wrote, “Too Many Angels in the Heavens Tonight” on the highest of a yellow pad. He stated it was not an in-memoriam piece, however slightly an expression of the grief and loss collectively felt throughout this time interval. In November of 2021, his father handed away all of the sudden and he modified the ending to incorporate a solo that brings the piece to a detailed. Jason additionally has been named director of superb arts in Crimson Oak ISD.

Isabel Randall (B.A. ’19, church music) was chosen to be an apprentice artist for Des Moines Metro Opera’s (DMMO ) Frank R. Brownell III Apprentice Artist Program this previous summer time. She coated the roles of Annie (Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess), and study-cover the roles of Maria (Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess) and Hippolyta (Britten’s A Midsummer Evening’s Dream). For DMMO’s scenes live performance, Isabel carried out in choose scenes from Useless Man Strolling (Heggie), Faust, and Rigoletto.

Angela Ripley (M.M., church music) accepted the place of Assistant Professor of Music Idea at Texas A&M College-Kingsville.

Blair Williams (B.M., viola) joined the American String Academics Affiliation as Director of Skilled Growth in July. Dr. Williams has served the string training neighborhood inside public training, larger training, and within the non-public string studio for over 20 years. She has offered workshops, trainer in-services, convention academic classes, analysis, and served as clinician, conductor, and adjudicator throughout the USA.

A number of College of Music Woodwind Alumni represented Baylor effectively with stellar performances, masterclasses and lectures all through the five-day Worldwide Double Reed Society Convention held in Boulder in July:

Kelly Vaneman, Babcock Professor of Oboe at Converse School
Brittany Bonner, Greeley Philharmonic principal oboe, and different Colorado orchestras
Abby Held, Ohio State College, Marigaux liaison to USA (oboe) 
Fernando Zuniga, Bassoon Professor, College of Costa Rica
Rachel Fredericksen, not too long ago appointed school, College of Alabama (bassoon)
Michael Garza, principal bassoon, Guangzhou Symphony, 2001-21; now Pan Pacific Ensemble