New Faculty in the Department of Music

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Brian Raya to our music family as our newly appointed Associate Di-rector of Bands and the director of the Western Thunder Marching Band at the University of Wyoming.

He recently finished his final semester as a Teaching Assistant at Arizona State University (ASU) while

earning a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in wind band conducting with his doctoral thesis, A Survey of

the Current Financial Trends in American Adult Community Bands. Dr. Raya worked with multiple

ensembles at ASU including the concerts bands, Sun Devil Marching band, and the pep band. Before

earning his Master's in conducting from Fresno State in 2014, he was a bandmaster/conductor in the

United States Army. He has performed as a trombonist and conductor throughout his musical career

with various military and civilian ensembles throughout the world. Since graduating in 2005 with his

Bachelor's degree in trombone performance, he has played for numerous dignitaries and government

officials, including the President and Vice President of the United States of America as well as other

elected and appointed officials from around the world. His military band assignments include Alabama,

Texas, Hawaii, and South Korea. While he was with the 25th Infantry Division Band stationed at

Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, he was deployed to support Operation Iraqi Freedom from August 2006 to

September 2007. Dr. Raya’s highest military position and last assignment was as the Executive Officer

with the 323rd Army Band "Fort Sam's Own" at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

A decorated military veteran, Dr. Raya has numerous achievements and honors. These include being named the 2006 U.S. Army, Pa-

cific Soldier of the Year, the Distinguished Honor Graduate for the Army's Advanced Leader Course in 2010, and being selected as a

warrant officer/bandmaster for the U.S. Army in 2011.

Before he joined the Army, Dr. Raya performed with the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps including their 1999 champi-

onship season, and he worked with numerous high school and college marching band programs. Dr. Raya is inspired by his previous

mentors, Dr. James Klein and Dr. Lawrence Sutherland, in both trombone and conducting. He is a member of the Association of Con-

cert Bands, College Band Directors National Association, National Band Association, Military Officers Association of America, and

also a life member of Kappa Kappa Psi, a national honorary band service fraternity.

We are also pleased to welcome Jennifer Stucki as

our new Oboe professor. She maintains a diverse

career that includes soloing, orchestra and chamber

ensemble work, organizing various collaborative

arts projects, and teaching. A recent migrant from

Chicago to Denver, she performed as principal obo-

ist with the Skokie Valley Symphony, second oboe

and english horn with the Racine Symphony and

was a member of the Sapphire Woodwind Quintet.

Recent performances include performing with the

Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Collins

Symphony and as a guest soloist with North Shore

Chamber Arts Ensemble performing the Marcello

Oboe Concerto. Additionally she has performed

with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Marriott

Hotel Theater pit orchestras, Fifth House Ensem-

ble, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Dubuque

Symphony Orchestra, and Civic Orchestra of Chi-

cago as well as many others. From 2005-2009 she

was the principal oboist for the Navy Band and part

of the Fair Winds Woodwind Quintet. She has been

a featured soloist multiple times with the Skokie

Valley Symphony, the Navy Band, and multiple chorale organizations in the Chicago area. She is inspired by vocal music, stories, nature,

the culinary arts, and enjoys seeing how life can be expressed through music.

A native of Colorado Springs, Jennifer moved to Chicago in 2000 to attend the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt Universi-

ty. Since then she has earned her Bachelor’s degree from CCPA and her Master’s degree from DePaul University. She has studied with

Jelena Dirks, Eugene Izotov, Grover Schiltz and Scott Hostetler. In addition, she has performed in masterclasses given by Alex Klein, Rob-

ert Walters and Carolyn Hove.

Jennifer's students have been accepted into Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music and Northwestern School of music.

Additionally, have also won positions with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Schaumburg Youth Symphony, ILMEA Honors

Orchestra and Young Artist Summerfest at the Curtis Institute of Music.

New Faculty in the Department of Music Continued…

Another addition to our Music Department family is

Dr. Tiger Robison, our newly appointed Assistant Professor

of Music Education at the University of Wyoming, where he

teaches courses in elementary general music methods, aural

skills, world music, and supervises student teachers.

Dr. Robison earned a Ph.D. in music education from The Hartt

School, University of Hartford, a M.S. in music education from

Central Connecticut State University, and a B.M. in music edu-

cation at The Hartt School. Additionally, Dr. Robison holds

level certifications in Orff, Kodaly, and First Steps in Music

methodologies.

Before his appointment at the University of Wyoming, Dr.

Robison was Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Education

at the University of Maryland. Prior to his collegiate teaching

career, Dr. Robison was a music teacher in the Connecticut

public schools for ten years. After teaching strings at the ele-

mentary level for two years, Dr. Robison taught general music

for eight years to students in pre-Kindergarten through grade

four. He also directed a primary choir for whom he created

original compositions and commissioned new works from young composers.

Dr. Robison is comfortable in the quantitative, qualitative, and philosophical research realms equally. He is interested

in issues related to gender, music teacher educators, and music teacher preparation. Dr. Robison has published in

the Journal of Music Teacher Education and he has presented his research at the biennial national symposium of the

Society for Music Teacher Education (SMTE), the Desert Skies Symposium on Music Education Research and the

Suncoast Music Education Research Symposium. Dr. Robison currently maintains his own musicianship by playing

double seconds steel pans.

Collegiate Chorale to NW National Association for Music Education

Nicole Lamartine, conductor

Lisa Rickard, piano

The University of Wyoming Collegiate Chorale, the 32-voiced auditioned mixed choir under the direction

of Dr. Nicole Lamartine, is winning accolades across the region. The Collegiate Chorale was recently se-

lected through audition to perform at the Northwest National Association for Music Education (NAfME)

conference in Bellevue, WA on February 18. The invitation is a prestigious honor to perform for music stu-

dents and teachers from all over the northwest region. The Chorale is one of two university-level choirs

that performed, and typically over 150 choirs audition for the opportunity. The UW Singing Statesmen

sang at a similar conference in Seattle in 2015 and garnered a hearty standing ovation.

The program was entitled “Enjoy the Silence” and included “May Sky,” an American premiere by our 2016

-17 Eminent Composer-in-Residence, Libby Larsen. The work is set to haiku-kai poetry written by detain-

ees in Japanese internment camps, one of which is Heart Mountain near Powell, WY. The Collegiate Cho-

rale had multiple opportunities to work with Dr. Larsen before the conference, and Dr. Larsen created a

slideshow presentation to accompany the performance, highlighting the facts of Japanese people and culture

in mid-century America.

The Chorale also performed the rousing “little man in a hurry” by Eric Whitacre, featuring Lisa Rickard at

the keyboard. The relentless clusters moving up and down the piano underpinned the sense of urgency in

e.e. cummings’ poem. In closing the program the Chorale displayed their signature collage style through a

spoken-word connection over piano improvisation into a joyful rendition of Shawn Kirchner’s arrangement

of the American Folk Hymn “Unclouded Day.”

The Collegiate Chorale is gaining a reputation for excellent singing of

creative programming that creates an audience experience, and the performance continues to create conver-

sation among music teachers, choral professionals, and students from across the region. We are proud to

have represented the excellence of the UW Department of Music on such a prestigious stage.

The Collegiate Chorale’s appearance at NAfME was made possible by the Colonel Rogers Excellence Fund.

On May 1st, 2017 the Wyoming Jazz Ensemble per-

formed at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola (Jazz at Lincoln

Center).

DCCC is revered by many as the best jazz club in the

world. Performing on a nationally recognized stage

brings enhanced visibility to the music program and

the University of Wyoming.

The 17-piece band performed with world renowned

trumpeter Terell Stafford and UW professor of saxo-

phone Scott Turpen. Stafford has performed with

many of the great players in the history of jazz music

including, Herbie Hancock, Bobby Watson, McCoy

Tyner, and many many others. To date he has played

on over 250 commercially released recordings.

The Wyoming Jazz Ensemble also visited schools

within the state including Rock Springs, Riverton, and

Rawlins. The Wyoming Jazz Ensemble performed

concerts for high school and middle school students

and also had the opportunity provide one on one instruction.

The Wyoming Jazz Ensemble is UW’s premier Jazz Ensemble. It is an auditioned group that consistent-

ly featured the finest instrumentalist in the school.

Jazz Studies is an integral part of the music department at the University of Wyoming. The program is

anchored on a strong curriculum of academic jazz courses, in addition to providing many opportunities

to perform on and off campus in a variety of venues, including concerts, festivals, and clinics. Courses

such as Jazz Improvisation/Theory, Jazz Arranging, Jazz History, and Jazz Techniques provide students

with a comprehensive understanding of the significance of jazz in contemporary culture, while partici-

pation in the instrumental jazz ensembles, vocal jazz ensemble, and jazz combos allow students to put

practice into experience.

The Jazz Studies program is available for all undergraduate and graduate students and complements the

outstanding traditional music curriculum. Students are able to supplement their music education with a

broad jazz curriculum that helps prepare them for a variety of situations in music whether as an educator

or performer.

UW Symphony

The UW Symphony’s season was full of outstanding repertoire, highlighted by a perfor-

mance of Prokofiev’s monumental fifth symphony. Their “Appassionata Season” also in-

cluded Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, the Siegfried’s Funeral Music from Wagner’s

Götterdämmerung, and much more, after opening the season with the Festive Overture by

Shostakovich. On the contemporary side, they did two Brazilian works: Museu da Incon-

ficência by Cesar Peixe and Psalmus by João Ripper; the Liebermann Trumpet concerto;

and two Libby Larsen works, each performed at two concerts: Overture: Parachutes

Daning and What the Monster Saw. Other solo works on the season were Mozart’s Envira

Madigan Concerto and Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer. Finally, eight students were finalists

on our Jacoby Competition, won by pianist Rui Gao playing the Liszt E-flat major

concerto.

In addition to the regular four subscription concerts, the UWSO played for an all-

department Libby Larsen concert, their annual children’s concert, and of course the Gala

Holiday Concerts. Look for the UWSO in Lander come November, when they will be part

of the Wyoming Arts Council’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Faculty News Nicole Lamartine, highlights, 2016-2017

Conductor, Association for Music in International Schools Men’s Honor Choir, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Conductor, Oregon Men’s All-State Choir, Eugene, OR

Conductor, Montana All-State Mixed Choir, Great Falls, MT

President, NW American Choral Directors Association (3000 members)

Performer and Creator, “Buddha and the Breath,” with Jeff Selden, Lisa Rickard, and Margaret Wilson. Performed on the Faculty Recit-

al Series and at the Shepard Symposium on Social Justice

Conductor, Chor Anno, semi-professional choir in Vancouver, WA (performances in Vancouver and Longview, WA)

Clinician and Adjudicator, Central Washington University Fall Choral Classic (40 high school choirs)

Clinician and Adjudicator, Greeley Jazz festival

Presenter, WMEA, “What the Men Need,” and “Lifting Weights and Lifting Students”

Clinician and Adjudicator, SW District Solo and Ensemble Festival

Conductor, SE District Honor Choir

Choral Area Highlights, 2016-2017

Happy Jacks sang for the Colorado Rockies baseball game against the Chicago Cubs

Bel Canto was selected to perform on the WMEA Opening Night Concert in Cody, WY and completed a tour to Billings, MT

The UW Singing Statesmen toured to Colorado and gave clinics and exchanges at Estes Park High School and Colorado State University

The Happy Jacks toured in January to Cody, Billings, and Boise, ID

The Happy Jacks toured in May to Colorado Springs, Longmont, Estes Park, CO

The UW Collegiate Chorale was one of two collegiate invited performing choirs at the NW NAfME Conference in Bellevue, WA

The Rocky Mountain Festival of Voices hosted about 100 high school students in clinics, workshops, and performances with UW Choirs

The first ever MANCAMP hosted 35 young men from elementary through high school grades in a two-day festival devoted to male

ensemble singing

The first ever “Wyoming Women of Song” developed the singing, musical, and ensemble skills of 65 high school women

Percussion Area Highlights, 2016-2017

The UW percussion area hosted Snarky Puppy percussionist and 3-time Grammy winner Nate Werth for a two-day residency in April,

2017

The UW Percussion Ensemble performed a joint concert with Nate Werth and the Denver School of the Arts Percussion Ensemble at

Dazzle Jazz in April, 2016

The UW Steel Pan Band performed the first ever UW Steel Band Dance Party at Shocktoberfest in November, 2016

The UW Percussion Ensemble performed a clinic at the Percussive Arts Society Wyoming Day of Percussion at in April, 2017 at Casper

College

The UW Percussion Ensemble premiered 4 arrangements for percussion ensemble written by UW percussion instructor Ed Breazeale

UW percussionist Larry Shaw was selected as the "Most Outstanding Drum Set Performer" at 2017 UNC/Greely Jazz Festival

www.uwyo.edu/music • 307.766.5242 • musicdpt@uwyo.edu

Department of Music

Dept. 3037

1000 East University Avenue

Department of Music

Contribution Form

Name ___________________________________________________________

Spouse Name (if joint gift) __________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________

City ___________________________ State _______ Zip_________________

Home Phone _________________ Email______________________________

I would like to make a gift of $ _____________ for the Department of Music in the form of

ONLINE: Make a payment using our secure server: www.uwyo.edu/giveonline. PHONE: Call the University of Wyoming Foundation during normal business hours: (307) 766-6300 or (888) 831-7795. MAIL: Return your payment with this form. Please send me information about planned giving.

If you would like your donation to support study within an particular area or instrument,

please indicate: _________________________________________

* Please make check payable to UW Foundation

* All gifts are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

* Many companies and firms have matching gift programs for their

employers, employees, spouses and board members. Please check with your

human resources or community relations department for more information.

N18MU Request for Alumni Information

Please send any information about

yourself, including your name and class

year, that you would like to have

included in the next newsletter to:

High Notes

University of Wyoming

Department of Music

Dept. 3037

1000 East University Avenue

Laramie, WY 82071 or

Fax: 307.766.5326

Email: musicdpt@uwyo.edu

Please let us know if your contact infor-

mation has changed. Feel free to email

or call us at (307) 766-5242. We don’t

want to miss you next year!