The Shepherd School of Music

Music meets the Olympics! 🇫🇷🏅 We proudly congratulate Shepherd School alumnus Cristian Măcelaru (MM '06, MM '08) as he conducts the Orchestre National de France during tomorrow's Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics! ◯‍◯‍◯‍◯‍◯

📺 Tune in to the opening ceremony (7/26) live at 12:30pm CT or watch the rebroadcast at 6:30pm CT on NBC.

📷: RR Jones

A small group of Shepherd School students, alumni, and faculty attending the Aspen Music Festival and School enjoyed an evening of music and celebration hosted by Rice alumnus Will McCullough ('02). It was a night to remember with Shepherd School friends! 🎶✨

Group Photo 📷: Ande Bernal, Kathleen Winkler, James Dunham, Mika Gibbs, Lauren Carroll, Will McCullough, Lisa Kazami, George Jennings, Dean Matthew Loden, Camille Cole, Timothy Pitts

Recent Shepherd School graduate Tessa McQueen (MM '24) was selected as one of 14 participants for The Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. A student of Nova Thomas, Tessa performed many roles during her master's degree at Shepherd, including Poppea in “L’incoronazione di Poppea” and the Female Chorus in “The R**e of Lucretia."

Read more about Tessa and the esteemed program in Rice News: https://bit.ly/4dfoTAN

📷: Jeff Fitlow, Natalie Powers, Muriel Steinke, Lynn Lane.

An elite team of professional bassoonists, including Shepherd School Professor Benjamin Kamins and alumni Rian Craypo (MM '06) and William Short (MM '12), gathered to test Fox Products Corporation's new Model 750 bassoon. This new American-made model helps address a gap in the market of high-quality instruments at an affordable price. The project combined innovative engineering and musical expertise to create an instrument accessible to more players. "This initiative exemplifies the innovation and excellence our musicians bring to the world," said Shepherd School Dean Matthew Loden.

Read more about this collaboration in Rice News: https://bit.ly/3xSqoWN

These recent Shepherd School opera grads will join the Academy of Vocal Arts next year as Resident Artists! These singers were selected from a highly competitive pool of vocalists from around the world. Congrats to Daniela Machado (MM '24, student of Nova Thomas), Beautiful Sheriff (MM '24, student of Ana María Martínez), and Katherine Dobbs (MM '24, student of Robin Rice)! 👏

Congratulations to our Shepherd School bass alumni! Casey Karr (MM ’21) and Ryan Avila (BM ’21, MM ’23), both students of faculty member Paul Ellison, were recently appointed to the Bass section of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra! 👏

🎶🎙️ Hats off to Shepherd School Preparatory Program recent graduate Mary Brook Hartmann for performing her own composition on NPR's From The Top this month! Mary is a rising cellist and composer and studied composition with Shepherd School faculty member, Dr. Pierre Jalbert.

Check out her full performance of "Behind the Barrier for Solo Cello" and learn more about the musical techniques used in the piece during her interview here: https://bit.ly/3RJ4QSS

📷: From the Top

📺 Tune in tonight to cheer on current DMA candidate Jonathan Mak, pianist, as he performs as a semifinalist in the 2024 Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation's Artists Competition! 🎹

Jonathan will perform at 8:30pm CT for a 60-minute program featuring a new work by Shepherd School alumna Gabriela Lena Frank (BM '94, MM '96). Each of the 12 semifinalists will perform a newly commissioned piece by Frank as they compete for over $108,000 in prize money. Way to represent, Owls! 🦉

Watch the livestream here: https://bit.ly/3L2Mrg0

Our alumnus Tommy Dougherty (MM'15) is featured in the "Transformations: Contemporary Artists at Winterthur" exhibit at the Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library in Delaware! 🎶

Tommy composed The Winterthur Suite, a twenty-minute fixed media piece he wrote for Alexandra Cade (viola) and himself (violin), incorporating sounds recorded at the Winterthur Museum as part of their Maker-Creator Fellowship. "Transformations" showcases over thirty artists' reinterpretations of Winterthur's collections, blending historical inspiration with modern expression.

Congratulations on your new work, Tommy! 👏

The Shepherd School mourns the passing of faculty member Charlie Geyer, after a long battle with ALS. Charlie has left an indelible mark on the international trumpet community and the Rice community, touching the lives of countless students, faculty, staff, and audience members over his 11 years at the Shepherd School. His professional achievements, including his recent Honorary Award from the International Trumpet Guild (Official), serve as a testament to his exceptional talent and commitment to the next generation of trumpet players.

Before coming to Rice University, Charlie taught at the Eastman School of Music and the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University and was a member of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Grand Park Symphony Summer Orchestra, and the Houston Symphony.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife and fellow Shepherd School faculty member Barbara Butler, daughter Jorie, and all of Charlie’s family, friends, and musical colleagues during this difficult time. He will be greatly missed.

Welcome to Houston, League of American Orchestras! 👋

We are thrilled that the keynote speaker at the League's opening session is our own alumna, Gabriela Lena Frank (BM '94, MM '96).

A leading figure in the music industry, Frank currently serves as Composer-in-Residence with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Her opera, El último sueño de Frida y Diego, recently debuted at LA Opera and Opera Omaha, featuring voice faculty Ana María Martínez and alumni Madeleine Lyon (BM '19, MM '22) and Stephanie Sanchez, mezzo soprano (AD '17) in leading roles.

📷: Andrew DeGarde, Jan Sturmann, Cory Weaver, Opera Omaha, and Stephanie Ramona Sanchez

From Florence with love! 🫶 Shepherd School vocal students recount their unforgettable time in Italy last month. 🇮🇹

Shortly following their first year of graduate study, these nine students began a three-week intensive language program at the Michelangelo Institute - Art, Language and Italian Culture in Florence. This incredible opportunity was generously funded by Margaret Pack '50 and the Margaret Pack Language Institute for Singers, which has supported our students since 2010.

Learn more about their experience in the Rice News article here: https://bit.ly/3VeWinV

Celebrating the remarkable legacy of the great American soprano, Leontyne Price. 🎶✨

Our own Danielle Ward-Griffin (Assistant Professor of Musicology) presented a lecture on Price and opera casting in the Civil Rights Era at The Library of Congress last week as part of the American Musicological Society's Lecture Series. We are thrilled to support her impactful work! 📝

🇺🇳 Shepherd School students at the United Nations in Geneva! 🇺🇳 Professor Anthony Brandt (professor of composition and theory) and four students performed "Meeting of Minds" at the AI for Good global summit at the United Nations on May 31.

This groundbreaking artistic collaboration between Rice University, University of Houston, and Sam Houston State University merges dance, neuroscience, and music to explore human connection.

“Part of our mission is to show how much science is in art, how much it actually reveals beyond its beauty or suspense...The arts tell us about pattern recognition, how we associate things, what we remember, what matters to us, what guides our attention.” Anthony Brandt - Composer and Author

Read more about the event here: https://bit.ly/4ayOPFF

📷: Chelsea de Souza, pianist performs "Window into the Creative Mind" at the Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University in March 2024. Photo by Brandon Martin.

The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University is pleased to announce that Emmy Award-winning and Grammy-nominated conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya will join the faculty as Distinguished Resident Director of Orchestras and Professor of Conducting. Beginning his tenure as Designate in the 2024–25 school year, Harth-Bedoya will assume full responsibilities overseeing our preeminent orchestral programs in the 2025–26 season.

"Throughout my career, I've championed the development of the next generation of musical talent. The chance to do that at such a renowned institution is truly exciting. Together, we'll inspire and challenge each other to excel and create unique and transformative opportunities to prepare musicians for the 21st century." —Miguel Harth-Bedoya

Read the full announcement here: https://bit.ly/4bEHpC2

Our very own alumnus Luke Sutliff, Baritone (MM '21) recently received the prestigious Richard Tucker Career Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation! 🏅

The coveted award, which includes a $10,000 grant, is given to candidates with a significant background of performances in professional opera companies, showcasing their talent, dedication, and expertise in the field. Luke now joins an esteemed roster of past winners, including some of the biggest and most renowned figures in opera. We're honored to celebrate this incredible achievement with you! 👏

Rice University's Shepherd School of Music Class of 2024 🎓🎵

We are so proud of our amazing graduates! 🥹

We can't wait for graduation tomorrow! 🎓🎵🦉

Learn how Orion Miller (BM '24), a graduating senior from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, discovered both a world-class education and a world-class bass department. Click the link below to watch his journey and hear what he’ll be up to after graduation.

https://bit.ly/3QtVoCo

Unconventional Students at Rice: Orion Miller finds a world-class education and music school at Rice Orion Miller is from New York and is a double bass performance major at Rice University. During his high school years, he looked up to certain schools and as...

🎉 Our Concerto Competition winners! 🎉

We're thrilled to share the four outstanding musicians who won the 2024 Shepherd School Concerto Competition. 🏆🎶 The judges acknowledged the extraordinary skill and refined musicianship displayed by these performers. Here's a huge round of applause for:

🏅 Kayleigh Kim, Violin
🏅 Jonathan Mak, Piano
🏅 Anne Pinkerton, Oboe
🏅 Dana Rath, Cello

You won't want to miss their amazing performances in the 24-25 season, which will be announced this summer.

Congratulations to Valentina Qishan Huang on winning First Prize at The Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition in Syracuse and the First Presbyterian Church’s National Organ Playing Competition in Fort Wayne!

Valentina is a current DMA student of Ken Cowan.

Congratulations to current voice student Kellan Dunlap for winning a 2024 Presser Graduate Music Award! His project will take listeners on a “thought-provoking musical journey that addresses the multifaceted dimensions of school shootings.”

The Shepherd School is immensely grateful to The Presser Foundation for supporting Shepherd students for 25 years!

Read more in Rice News: https://bit.ly/4d7rbTg

Congratulations to Shepherd School graduate Viviana Goodwin (MM '24, Nova Thomas) on being named a 2024–2025 Cafritz Young Artist at Washington National Opera! 👏

In addition to her time at WNO, Viviana will spend her summer as a member of the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3w1JY1Q

Congratulations to Richard Lavenda, professor of composition and theory and director of graduate studies, for receiving the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Doctoral Adviser. 👏

This prestigious award honors a Rice University faculty member for their guidance in leading doctoral students toward successful careers and their broader impact as a mentor within the degree program. We appreciate your dedication to our students' success!

Tonight in Brockman Hall for Opera! The 🌎 WORLD PREMIERE 🌎 of Music for New Bodies, composed and conducted by Matthew Aucoin and directed by Peter Sellars.

👉 Co-commissioned by the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, Da Camera of Houston, American Modern Opera Company, LA Opera, & Aspen Music Festival and School.

📷 Lynn Lane Photography

Join us for the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra's ‘A Constellation of Sounds & Stories' at 7:30pm TONIGHT in Stude Concert Hall.

This final performance of the season, led by six-time Grammy Award-winning conductor Giancarlo Guerrero and featuring clarinetist Najee Greenlee, is SOLD OUT! $5 standby tickets are available to purchase in person.

Can't make it? Listen to our FREE livestream 🔊 here: https://bit.ly/3ul8lqi

We are thrilled to see Music for New Bodies featured in The New York Times! 📰✨

Dive into the preview article for an inside look at the work from the perspectives of composer-conductor Matthew Aucoin, director Peter Sellars, and poet Jorie Graham. https://nyti.ms/4dj0bAz

We can't wait for the 🌎 WORLD PREMIERE 🌎 TOMORROW in Brockman Hall for Opera!

👉 Co-commissioned by the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, Da Camera of Houston, American Modern Opera Company, LA Opera, & Aspen Music Festival and School.

Isabel Leonard treated our students to a bonus master class this week ahead of our public master class in Brockman Hall for Opera tomorrow (Sunday) at 2:00pm! 🎵✨

We are ecstatic that Ms. Leonard could join us for her multi-day residency, sharing her wisdom and passion with our aspiring vocalists during their one-to-one coaching sessions.

🎟️ Reserve free general admissions tickets to the master class here: https://bit.ly/3Vy0Qrk

This week, we were fortunate enough to have Ensemble Modern read and record the works of our composition students in Stude Concert Hall, led by our own Jerry Hou, Conductor. 🎼📝 Alumnus Paul Cannon (MM '13) has been a member of the group since 2014.

The group performed as part of Da Camera of Houston's season in Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center on Tuesday before their Carnegie Hall concert in New York City this weekend! 🗽

Each year, we're thrilled to welcome a new music ensemble into our spaces, offering our composition students the invaluable experience of having their works recorded by a professional ensemble.