Student Achievements

The first annual state-wide chamber music competition sponsored by Texas University Interscholastic League involved 16 chamber groups from all over the state of Texas and featured an exhibition performance from Baylor's Impetus Saxophone Quartet. The group consists of Cole Allex, soprano saxophone (M.M.); Jonny Wolf, alto saxophone (senior B.M.E.); Mitch Gilly, tenor saxophone (M.M.); and Manfredo Guerra, baritone saxophone (junior B.M.E).

Dr. Bradley Kent, UIL State director of music, said the Quartet's performance during the finals "not only reflected well on Baylor University, Dr. Michael Jacobson's saxophone studio, and Baylor's School of Music, but also added a fitting musical conclusion to the day. The artistry and showmanship displayed was among the most outstanding university level chamber ensembles I've witnessed." The Impetus Quartet also was selected to perform for the Baylor Collage Concert and participated in the Baylor Pro Muisca Chamber Competition this year.

Baylor Jazz Ensemble students spent eight days in Scotland over the summer on a life-changing mission trip to perform concerts and engage in local culture. Alex Parker, director of the Wayne Fisher Jazz Program at Baylor University, has taken his Jazz students on mission trips since 2012 so they can acquire global experiences and learn rich history in foreign countries.

During their trip to Scotland, they visited historic sites throughout the countryside and held performances inside packed churches to help raise money for Ukraine war relief efforts. The students were invited to meet-and-greets after their concerts to meet parishioners and local citizens; dined on local cuisine and home-cooked meals; experienced popular stores, cathedrals, and villages; discovered the hidden history of Edinburgh that's been buried under the city for centuries; and dealt with sore leg muscles due to plenty of walking.

Parker said he received many emails about their concerts including one that read, "I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the concert last night. A talented bunch of lovely young people. Just fabulous." Another email expressed, "It was a really fabulous concert and your students did you proud. I have had many messages this morning saying how much people enjoyed it all and how great the band was. They also like your informative chat in between the music! It was also so lovely that all the students mixed with folks in the hall over refreshments. Polite, charming, well-mannered young people."

Congratulations to several Baylor viola students who advanced to competition live final rounds and/or were selected to perform in masterclasses at the 2022 American Viola Society Festival and 47^th International Viola Congress that was held in June at Columbus State University in Columbus, GA:

Emily Bustos appeared as a finalist in the Orchestral Audition Competition and was selected to perform in a masterclass for Polish violist Marcin Murawski.

Gina Gravagne appeared as a finalist in the Senior Solo Competition and was selected to perform in a masterclass for Brazilian violist Carlos Aleixo Dos Rios.

Freya Downey was selected to perform in a master class for violist Katherine Lewis.

Mary Cardenas, soprano, was named the fourth-place winner in the DFW NATS Competition, First-year College Classical Treble Voice division. Cardenas is a student of Julianne Best.

Ziyue Gao, piano performance and pedagogy, presented a research poster on "Practice Strategies for Playing Fast Phrases" and taught in a masterclass at the 2022 Texas Music Teachers Association state conference in June. She also created a video for the Frances Clark Center Inspiring Artistry series, where she shares strategies for teaching a piece by Samuel Maykapar titled "At the Smithy," Op. 8, No. 5.

Myles Meader, oboe, received a full scholarship to participate in the prestigious fellowship program for the 2022 Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival at the Mannes School of Music in New York City in July. "As an oboist, Myles possesses a natural innate talent for music and is also academically accomplished," said Dr. Euridice Alvarez, Assistant Professor of Oboe. "Last year he was selected to play in a masterclass for Ryan Roberts, English horn/Oboist of New York Philharmonic. This year he was a finalist in the Baylor Concerto Competition, and most recently he won the Collegiate/Post Graduate Division Solo Contest hosted by University of Texas Arlington Double Reed Day. He also has done an outstanding job playing in both Baylor's Wind Ensemble and Orchestra."

Kaylee Smith, oboe, received an Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Achievement (URSA) grant for her research on "Adaptive Materials in the Elementary Music Classroom" and was awarded a research grant through the Honors College in fall 2021. Smith won an Outstanding Platform Presentation Award at URSA this semester and presented her research at Louisiana State University's Discovery Day, a national research symposium for undergraduate students. The judges and audience were impressed with Kaylee's research and findings. (One judge said Smith should go on Shark Tank with her presentation content.) She plans to present this project as a solo research poster at TMEA in February 2023.

Blayne Stonecipher, church music and vocal studies, was the first-place winner in the regional round of the prestigious Schmidt Voice Competition, hosted at Baylor University in October 2021. Stonecipher went on to sing in the very competitive National Schmidt Voice Competition in Sarasota, FL, in June 2022, and was one of a small number of singers who advanced to the final round of the national competition. He will receive future mentorship from internationally renowned soprano Tamara Wilson.