KU School of Music

A big round of applause goes out to the finalists and winners of the 2024-25 KUSO Concerto Competition. The finalists were Liora McCoy, violin; Chang He, violin; Logan Bach, bassoon; Haiwen Xu, clarinet; and Connor Anderson, horn. The judges were extremely impressed with the remarkably high level of performances from each of the entrants. Two students were chosen as winners. They were Chang He, violin, student of David Colwell and Logan Bach, bassoon, student of Midori Samson. Chang and Logan will perform with KUSO and Maestro Herron on April 9, 2025.?

Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Musicology Colin Roust recently attended the Annual Meeting of the American Musicological Society. He presented a paper titled “Francis Johnson’s Grand American Tour, 1842–1843,” about the Philadelphia-based bandleader’s ambitious national tour that stretched from the East Coast to Milwaukee to St. Louis and through the Ohio River Valley. He spoke about the School of Music’s work on a roundtable about pedagogies of care. He also spoke on a roundtable about open access publishing, drawing on his experience as an author, reviewer, and editorial board member for various open access journals. Photo from left to right: Roust, Tyler Diaz (CUNY Hunter College), Mark Burford (Reed College).

A big congratulations to the members of the Midway Brass Quintet—Nic Weaver, Keith Popiel, Brooklyn McGonagle, Nic Kazmierczak, and Josie Jones—for being selected as one of only 17 groups worldwide to advance to the Semi-Final Round of the prestigious Festival Ljubljana International Brass Quintet/Quartet Competition in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in February 2025! Representing the KU School of Music, they are the only group from the United States to receive this incredible honor. The KU School of Music and the entire University proudly celebrate their dedication and accomplishment on the global stage. #MusicEducation #brassquintet The University of Kansas

Associate Professor of Flute?Daniel Velasco was recently featured on the Flute 360?podcast, titled “Beyond the Practice Room - Cultivating Community and Unique Voices.” In the episode, Dr. Velasco offered inspiring insights into his journey as a performer and educator, as well as his dedication to fostering community and empowering flutists to embrace their unique voices. https://lnkd.in/gwK8yDBk

KU faculty members Daniel Velasco (flute), Margaret Marco (oboe), and Ellen Sommer (piano) recently returned from an inspiring trip to Mexico, where they performed and led master classes at?prestigious?music schools?in?Monterrey,?Xalapa, Celaya, and?Mexico City. The trio?played works by various composers,?including?There are Things to Be Said?by KU’s own Ingrid St?lzel.??? They’re pictured here with students, faculty, and KU alum David Ramirez at the Conservatorio de Música de Celaya! #kumusicglobal

Representatives from Eutin, Germany, a sister city to Lawrence, visited the KU School of Music on Monday, October 21st. Eutin Mayor Sven Radestock, (center, right) along with Dr. Stephan Klein, Chair, Friends of Lawrence/ Eutin (right) and Achim Krauskopf met with School of Music Dean Paul Popiel and Associate Dean for Global Engagement Steve Leisring to discuss future possibilities of collaborations between KU and the The Eutiner Festspiel (music/theater festival). The School of Music has sent multiple KU students to perform in Eutin over recent years. For more on the Lawrence Eutin Partnership, visit??https://lnkd.in/gQSQ97qB.

The KU Marching Jayhawks helped kick off Homecoming Weekend with the grand opening of Riedel Family Field! ?? Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony and some refreshments, attendees enjoyed an exciting performance by the Marching Jayhawks. Pictured in the final photo are: (left to right) Dean Paul W. Popiel, Becky Foster, Bob Foster, Curtis Marsh, and Alan Riedel. All photos by Jon Robichaud. #kuhomecoming The University of Kansas #marchingband #highereducation #kujayhawks #jayhawks

Dean Paul W. Popiel has been busy over the last week. He stopped by?Eisenhower Middle School in Kansas City, where he worked with about 30 music teachers from across KCK. The teachers came from a wide variety of backgrounds and enjoyed the conducting refresher to kick start their work. ?? #musiceducation #kuschoolofmusic The University of Kansas #highereducation

KU Music Professor Martin Nedbal will be delivering an online lecture about the Czech composer Bed?ich Smetana for the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, DC, on October 22, 2024 (11 AM CST). In honor of the Year of Czech Music, Nedbal will discuss the legacy of Bed?ich Smetana, recognized as the Father of Czech Music. Nedbal, a renowned scholar of German and Czech music, is the author of several books on opera and national politics. You can register for the lecture here: https://lnkd.in/gZx43FgZ

This is great news! We're definitely feeling it here over at the KU School of Music. Have you seen how many Marching Jayhawks we have now? ?? Rock Chalk! ????