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Phone: (956) 882-7768
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Phone 956 665-3471
Email: music@utrgv.edu
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Active Faculty

Areas of Study - Faculty Directory

Nicaulis Alliey-Escalona

Nicaulis Alliey-Escalona

Asst. Prof., Flute
956-882-7245
nicaulis.allieyrodriguez@utrgv.edu
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Nicaulis Alliey-Escalona

Performing artist, teacher, author and entrepreneur, Dr. Nicaulis Alliey has appeared as a soloist, chamber musician, and flute teacher in France, Venezuela, the United States, and the Caribbean area. 

First Prize Unanimous at the Ville de Paris Centralized Contest (1994), First Prize at the Latin American Flute Competition (Caracas, 2000), Nicaulis Alliey is an artist with Polyphony Artist Management and part of the Artistic Roster of Cayambis Music Press, and develops her artistic work as a solo performer, flutist with Music of the Americas Ensemble (chamber music) and with La Cuadra Venezolana (Venezuelan and Latin-American music, traditional-jazz fusion). 

Nicaulis Alliey has been featured as a soloist with most major orchestras in Venezuela, has been First Flute with Orchestre International de Paris, Assistant Principal Flute with Orquesta Sinfónica de Lara, First Flute with Orquesta Sinfónica de Maracaibo, and flutist with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra. Two recordings (CD) with La Cuadra Venezolana, and numerous collaborations that include recitals with renowned classical musicians, as well as productions and recordings of renowned Venezuelan popular musicians, endorse Dr. Nicaulis Alliey as a versatile and sought-after artist. 

As a teacher, Dr. Nicaulis Alliey has been Flute Professor and Founder Director of the Music School at the Universidad del Zulia, Flute Professor at Universidad de Los Andes, Guest Artist-Teacher at UNET (Venezuela), Flute Instructor at North Park University (Chicago), and guest teacher at El SISTEMA-Venezuela and numerous universities and festivals in the US, Venezuela, Colombia and the Caribbean.  Her work "Sonoridad en la flauta traversa: Consideraciones para su estudio y resolución de dificultades técnicas" was published by the Universidad del Zulia (2014).

Nicaulis Alliey is Executive Director of the Music of the Americas Project (Chicago) and holds a DMA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Maîtrise en Musique from Sorbonne University (Paris), Diploma of Superior Studies in Flute under renowned French flutist Raymond Guiot (France), and a degree of Profesor Ejecutante de Flauta (Venezuela).

www.nicaulisalliey.com 

Nicaulis Alliey-Escalona
Asst. Prof., Flute
School of Music
Email: nicaulis.allieyrodriguez@utrgv.edu
BMSLC 2.218
Phone: 956-882-7245
Claudia Arroyave-Mendoza

Claudia Arroyave-Mendoza

Lecturer: Double Bass
(956) 665-5318
claudia.arroyavemendoza01@utrgv.edu
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Claudia Arroyave-Mendoza

Claudia Arróyave-Mendoza is a skilled double bass performer and dedicated music educator. She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Houston. Claudia has extensive teaching experience, having instructed double bass at various institutions, including the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey.

As a certified Suzuki Bass instructor, Claudia is committed to nurturing musicians through personalized, student-centered approaches. She is also a certified yoga instructor specializing in holistic and restorative practices, integrating mindfulness and wellness into her teaching philosophy. Her holistic approach to music and wellness inspires her students to connect deeply with their craft and personal well-being. Claudia continues to perform actively with ensembles like the Valley Symphony Orchestra.
Claudia Arroyave-Mendoza
Lecturer: Double Bass
School of Music
Email: claudia.arroyavemendoza01@utrgv.edu
PACB 2.125
Phone: (956) 665-5318
Andres R. Amado

Andres R. Amado

Assoc. Prof., Musicology and Ethnomusicology
956-665-2944
andres.amado@utrgv.edu
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Andres R. Amado

Dr. Andrés R. Amado teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in music history, world music, research methods, ethnomusicology, and courses cross-listed with the department of anthropology, the Mexican American Studies program, and the Center for Gender and Women Studies. His research focuses on the music of Latin America, particularly Guatemala, where he studies issues of race and ethnicity, musical nationalism, and cosmopolitanism and transnationalism. He incorporates methodologies from ethnographic fieldwork, archival research, and musical analysis. He has contributed entries to the second edition of the Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments and the forthcoming edition of Music in Geschichte und Gegenwart (MGG). He has published papers in peer-reviewed journals in ethnomusicology and cultural studies in English and Spanish.
As a musician, Dr. Amado has performed with various Western and non-Western ensembles. He has extensive experience in choral music as a singer, conductor, and arranger, and has performed with the Phoenix Symphony Chorus (Phoenix, Arizona), the Valley Chamber Chorale (Phoenix, Arizona), the Salt Lake Choral Artists (Salt Lake City, Utah), the Texas Choral Consort (Austin, Texas), The Valley Symphony Orchestra and Chorale (McAllen, Texas), and the Valley Choral Artists (Edinburg, Texas). He has also played in the UTRGV African Drumming Ensemble (Edinburg, Texas), the UT Javanese Gamelan (Austin, Texas), the ASU Javanese gamelan (Tempe, Arizona), the UT Caribbean Ensemble (Austin, Texas), and the Marimba Maderas de Comitán (Tempe, Arizona).
Andrés Amado holds a Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas), a Master’s from Arizona State University (Tempe, Arizona), and a Bachelor’s from Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah).

Curriculum Vitae

Andres R. Amado
Assoc. Prof., Musicology and Ethnomusicology
School of Music
Email: andres.amado@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: Performing Arts Complex B1.117
Phone: 956-665-2944
Juan Pablo Andrade

Juan Pablo Andrade

Prof., Piano
(956) 882-7477
juan.andrade@utrgv.edu
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Juan Pablo Andrade

Costa Rican pianist Juan Pablo Andrade is the recipient of numerous awards, among them are the First Prize at the Artlivre International Piano Competition in Sao Paulo, Brazil; First Prize in the National Piano Competition in CR; First Prize in the Concert of Soloists Competition at Arizona State University; First Prize at the UNCG Concerto Competition and Second Prize in the University of Costa Rica Concerto Competition.

He has performed as soloist with the South Bend Symphony, the UNCG Symphony, the ASU Symphony, the Central American Symphony, the Bolivian National Symphony, the Costa Rican Youth Symphony, and in several occasions with the Costa Rican National Symphony. As a recitalist he has appeared in almost every Costa Rican city, Santa Cruz and La Paz in Bolivia, San Salvador in El Salvador, Washington DC, Oslo and Madrid. Many of his performances have been recorded and broadcasted by the Phoenix Classical Radio Station KBAK, Costa Rican University Radio and Costa Rican National Television.

In the year 2000 he was awarded the National Prize of Music, the highest recognition given to a musician by the Costa Rican Ministry of Culture. Andrade obtained the Bachelors and Licenciatura in Music degrees from the University of Costa Rica in San José; the Masters of Music from Arizona State University, an Artist Diploma from Indiana University-South Bend and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano at Idaho State University and Lecturer of Piano at UNCG. 

Curriculum Vitae

Juan Pablo Andrade
Prof., Piano
School of Music
Email: juan.andrade@utrgv.edu
Brownsville: BMSLC 1.208
Phone: (956) 882-7477
Gabriel Bauza

Gabriel Bauza

Lecturer III, Music Appreciation/Elem. Music Ed
(956) 665-3471
gabriel.bauza@utrgv.edu
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Gabriel Bauza

Mr. Gabriel Bauza is currently serving his fifth year as a faculty member in the School of Music at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Mr. Bauza is currently serving the School of Music in the capacity of full time lecturer, where his responsibilities include teaching Elementary Music Education, Music Appreciation, Applied Percussion, Dance Accompaniment, and the One O’clock Latin Band. Mr. Bauza is active as a performer in south Texas in commercial, popular, and Latin Music settings. He most recently completed a performance engagement in Vancouver, Canada at a DRUMEO Drum Camp. Mr. Bauza’s musical training includes tutelage under Mr. Robert Botello, Mr. Oscar Sanchez, Mr. Raul De Leon Jr, Mr. Dave Atkinson, Mr. Jared Falk, Mr. Mike Michalkow, and Dr. Mark Ramirez. Mr. Bauza earned a Bachelor of Music degree (BM) in 2009, and a Master of Music degree (MM) in 2011, in music performance from the University of Texas-Pan American. With over 5 years of teaching experience at this institution, and  over 10 years of professional performance experience, Mr. Bauza continues to strive for excellence in teaching and performance at the local, national, and international levels.

Curriculum Vitae

Gabriel Bauza
Lecturer III, Music Appreciation/Elem. Music Ed
School of Music
Email: gabriel.bauza@utrgv.edu
PACB 2.108
Phone: (956) 665-3471
Art Brownlow

Art Brownlow

Prof., Music History
(956) 882-8946
art.brownlow@utrgv.edu
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Art Brownlow

Art Brownlow is Faculty Fellow for Academic Innovation and Professor of Music at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where he teaches music history. He is a Fellow in the University of Texas System Academy of Distinguished Teachers and an Apple Distinguished Educator. He has received the UT System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, the College Music Society Instructional Technology Initiative Award, and certification from Flipped Learning Global Initiative. He is also a founding fellow in the UTRGV Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Dr. Brownlow's research interests are varied, including brass instrument history, nineteenth-century orchestral music, educational technology, and flipped learning. Scholarly works include the books The Last Trumpet: A History of the English Slide Trumpet and Teaching Music History with iPad, articles in journals and conference proceedings, and many presentations at conferences and symposia. Previously, Dr. Brownlow was an active performer, having played for thirty years as Principal Trumpet with the Valley Symphony Orchestra, and with many orchestras in Illinois, Texas, the Carolinas and the Spoleto Festival in Italy. He has also played with the Ringling Brothers/Barnum and Bailey Circus Band, the Red Skelton Show, and at the Carowinds Theme Park in Charlotte, NC. In addition to a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Texas at Austin in Trumpet Performance, he received degrees in trumpet performance from Northwestern University and music education from Furman University, with additional studies in musicology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Former trumpet teachers include Vincent Cichowicz (Chicago Symphony/Northwestern University), Raymond Crisara (NYC studios/UT Austin), Larry Black (Atlanta Symphony) and Helmut Wobisch (Vienna Philharmonic). Former musicology teachers include Howard Smither and James Harr (UNC Chapel Hill), and Elliott Antokoletz and Michael Tusa (UT Austin). Other academic honors include graduation cum laude from Furman University, selection for membership in the Alpha Chapter (Northwestern University) of Pi Kappa Lambda, National Music Honor Society, and selection for membership in the University of Texas Graduate Honor Society.

Curriculum Vitae
Art Brownlow
Prof., Music History
School of Music
Email: art.brownlow@utrgv.edu
Brownsville: BMSLC 2.227
Phone: (956) 882-8946
Dongwook Cheon

Dongwook Cheon

Lecturer, Collaborative Piano
956-882-7182
dongwook.cheon@utrgv.edu
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Dongwook Cheon

Dongwook, a professional collaborative pianist deeply involved in opera, musical theater, and chamber music, was born into a music-loving family in Seoul, Korea. He began piano lessons at the age of four, quickly achieving success by winning several music competitions during his teenage years. Encouraged by his family's support, Dongwook's passion for music led him to pursue a double major in linguistics and piano during his college years. During this formative period, he worked with exceptional mentors and graduated with honors, earning multiple scholarships.

After graduation, Dongwook sought to broaden his musical horizons in the United States, where he earned a Master of Music in Piano Performance under Steinway artist Sergio Monteiro at Oklahoma City University. His growing interest in piano collaboration led him to further his studies, obtaining a Master of Arts in Collaborative Piano under the guidance of Ana Maria Otamendi and Michael Gurt at Louisiana State University, followed by a Doctoral degree under Michael Bunchman at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Dongwook describes his philosophy of collaboration with the simple yet profound idea: "The pianist must always breathe with their partner." For him, dialogue is as essential as practice, and he finds great joy in discussing both music and life with his collaborators. He is particularly drawn to French mélodie and instrumental works from the 19th and 20th centuries, which continue to inspire his artistic journey.

Curriculum Vitae
Dongwook Cheon
Lecturer, Collaborative Piano
School of music
Email: dongwook.cheon@utrgv.edu
BMSLC 2.219
Phone: 956-882-7182
Migeun Chung

Migeun Chung

Lecturer I - OYA, Piano
956-665-7490
migeun.chung@utrgv.edu
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Migeun Chung

Dr. Migeun Chung is a highly accomplished collaborative pianist and coach who has garnered a wealth of experience across the world of opera and musical theater. Dr. Chung set to join the Professional Pianist for SongFest She returned to Bay View Music Festival as an Artist in Residence, where she worked as an Assistant Music Director for the Musical, Beauty and the Beast as well as a coach for the Art Song class in summer 2023. Additionally, she has participated in faculty recital and chamber music at Bayveiw. Notable among her achievements, she served as music director for Opera Scenes at MOSI during the year 2021, pianist-coach for Così fan tutte in the winter of 2022, repetiteur/pianist for A Midsummer Night's Dream at Opera NUOVA in the Summer of 2019, as well as coach/pianist at Opera in the Ozarks in 2018.

Throughout the 2022-2023 season, Dr. Chung held the position of Resident Artist at the Indianapolis Opera. She made her mark in various major productions, including Tosca the double-bill of Gallantry & Veteran Journeys and the grand finale of Die Zauberflöte. Beyond the stage, she engaged in outreach programs, masterclasses, and educational initiatives. Notably, she contributed her talents as the Resident Pianist for the Vocal Immersion Program (VIP) in Castleton, VA in 2023. Her international pursuits encompassed collaborations with Marcello Cormio at Opera Lucca in Italy and Gabriel Dobner at AIMS in the summer of 2022, as well as engagements at Interlochen Arts Camp, Classical Lyric Arts in Italy, Westminster's CoOperative Program, Opera Nuova in Canada, Opera in the Ozarks, and Bay View Music Festival. Dr. Chung's talent extends beyond performance to education and training. She notably participated in the Varna International Piano Master Class and Concerto Competition in Varna, Bulgaria during the summer of 2006.

Her extensive repertoire includes a wide range of works in a full production, such as George Frideric Handel's Rinaldo, Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus, Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Douglas Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe, Cinderella (a Pastiche) of Rossini and Massenet, Bizet's Carmen, Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Gréty's Zémire et Azor, Kurt Weill's Berlin to Broadway, and Stephen Schwartz's Pippin, and Duncan Sheik's Spring Awakening, Looking at You, La Finta Giardiniera, and Giulio Cesare featuring extensive opera scenes as well.

She earned both her Doctorate and Master's degree in piano performance, specializing in collaborative piano, from the University of North Texas, where she received multiple scholarships and a graduate assistantship under Adam Wodnicki. She also earned a second Master's degree in collaborative piano from Carnegie Mellon University, where she served as an opera rehearsal/principal pianist. Dr. Chung joins as a Lecturer I in the School of Music at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley this fall 2023. She is also an apprentice pianist for Vincerò Academy in 2023-2024.

Curriculum Vitae

Migeun Chung
Lecturer I - OYA, Piano
School of Music
Email: migeun.chung@utrgv.edu
EPACB B2.113
Phone: 956-665-7490
Rebecca Coberly

Rebecca Coberly

Prof., Voice
(956) 665-7154
rebecca.coberly@utrgv.edu
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Rebecca Coberly

Soprano Rebecca Coberly is a frequent recitalist throughout the United States and internationally, and has appeared as soprano soloist in Poulenc’s Gloria with the Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, and with the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus in their performance of Barber’s Prayers of Kierkegaard and Theofanidis’s The Here and Now. Other solo appearances include Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and performances of Handel’s Messiah in Ireland and Great Britain with the American Oratorio Chorus. She has performed and presented at regional and national College Music Society conferences, has been a frequent participant in the annual Music by Women Festival in Columbus, MS, and was invited to serve as a Master Teacher for the 8vo. Congreso Nacional of La Asociacion Mexicana de Maestros de Canto in Culiacan, MX. She holds degrees in voice from Northwestern University (BA) and the Rice University Shepherd School of Music (MM), and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Texas Tech University. She currently serves as Professor of Voice and Associate Director of the School of Music at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Curriculum Vitae
Rebecca Coberly
Prof., Voice
School of Music
Email: rebecca.coberly@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: Performing Arts Complex B1.119
Phone: (956) 665-7154
Matthew Coffey

Matthew Coffey

Asst. Prof. Choral Studies
956-665-3473
matthew.coffey@utrgv.edu
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Matthew Coffey

Dr. Matthew Coffey is Assistant Professor of Choral Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley where he conducts the University Choir and teaches coursework in conducting and secondary choral methods. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and degrees in Music Education from the University of Houston and Sam Houston State University.  

At the University of Cincinnati, he served as the conductor of the University of Cincinnati Men’s Chorus, a 100-year-old ensemble that comprises students from all 14 UC colleges. He also supervised undergraduate Music Education students in their student teaching placements, taught private conducting lessons to undergraduate and graduate students, and served as assistant conductor of the undergraduate opera. While in Cincinnati, he served on the music staff of Knox Presbyterian Church and sang professionally with the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati, conducted by GRAMMY® award winner, Craig Hella Johnson.
During his 11 years as a high school choral director in the Houston area, 45 of Dr. Coffey’s students were named to a Texas All-State Choir. While at Ridge Point High School in Fort Bend ISD, he oversaw a 346% increase in enrollment in choral programs and the institution of a yearly Masterworks concert with professional chamber orchestra. 

His current research interests include the sacred choral music of Michael Haydn, pre-service music teacher education, and rehearsal pedagogy. He has studied conducting with Joe Miller, Earl Rivers, Brett Scott, and Allen Hightower and participated in conducting masterclasses with Simon Carrington, Donald Nally, Joshua Habermann, Louis Langrée, and Dale Warland.  

Dr. Coffey has given lectures and presented interest sessions at conferences and universities in Texas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. His speaking engagements this year include the Ohio Music Educators Association, the North Dakota Music Educators Association, and the Southwest division of the American Choral Directors Association.
Matthew Coffey
Asst. Prof. Choral Studies
School of Music
Email: matthew.coffey@utrgv.edu
EPACB 1.112
Phone: 956-665-3473
Cynthia Cripps

Cynthia Cripps

Prof., Winds: Saxophone Ensemble
(956) 665-3474
cynthia.cripps@utrgv.edu
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Cynthia Cripps

Dr. Cynthia Cripps is professor of saxophone in the School of Music at UTRGV. She currently teaches applied saxophone and saxophone ensembles, instrumental pedagogy, woodwind methods, and is graduate advisor. She organizes and directs UTRGV's Summer Saxophone Ensemble and SUMMERFEST concert series and plays bassoon in UTRGV’s chamber and large ensembles.

Dr. Cripps resided in the Republic of Panama for ten years where she played bassoon and saxophone in the Panama Symphony Orchestra from 1993-1999. From 1997-2003, she taught band, grades 6-12, at the International School of Panama (ISP). Dr. Cripps worked on curricula design at ISP and developed an eight-year saxophone program for the Instituto Nacional de Musica (INM - music conservatory) where she taught saxophone from 1994-2003. As part of her DMA, she traveled to the countries of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala to research and complete her essay "Classical Saxophone Curricula in Central America."

Dr. Cripps has performed solo and quartet recitals and presented lectures at the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Regional and Biennial Conferences in Texas, Arizona, South Carolina, Illinois, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. She has performed in three World Saxophone Congresses in Croatia, Slovenia, and Minnesota. She has performed new music and celebrated music of female composers at the Music by Women music festival at Mississippi University for Women. She has performed at the American Single Reed Summit and showcase performances at TMEA (Texas Music Educator's Association).

In Michigan, Indiana, Panama, Florida, and Texas, Cindy has participated in many community orchestras, concert and jazz bands, including pit orchestras. She enjoys chamber music and taking her students to perform locally and at conferences.

Curriculum Vitae
Cynthia Cripps
Prof., Winds: Saxophone Ensemble
School of Music
Email: cynthia.cripps@utrgv.edu
EPACB 2116
Phone: (956) 665-3474
Peter Dabrowski

Peter Dabrowski

Prof., Music Appreciation
(956) 665-3471
peter.dabrowski@utrgv.edu
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Peter Dabrowski

"A true concert leaves the audience and musicians on the edge of their chairs", says Peter Dabrowski, conductor, who in such a way leads his concerts. His interpretations, imbued with great expression, provoke, intrigue and excite, creating much emotion throughout the audience. Full of magnetism, charisma, and love for music, Peter Dabrowski is a conductor devoted to his art. Described by critics as exceptionally talented, his artistic personality wins over both audiences and musicians alike.
Great partnership with the soloist and orchestral musicians characterize Dabrowski's artistic work. Musicians under his baton are creative, involved and disciplined. As a conductor he is able to convey his rich and colorful musical interpretations with authority and scholarship. The final interpretations are not only the result of rehearsals, but are also due to the tremendous level of energy and concentration exerted during the concert. Dabrowski unifies the intensity and many talents of the musicians into one orchestral voice.
Musicians enjoy making music with Dabrowski. His passion and musical sensitivity empowers the orchestra. His goal is to create an atmosphere within the orchestra in which each musician feels like an artist. "I present attractive programs not only for the audiences, but, also for the musicians," says the conductor, for whom the role of concert programming is very important.
Dabrowski is the Music Director and Conductor of the Valley Symphony Orchestra and Chorale in Edinburg, TX and the Associate Conductor of the Chicago Chamber Orchestra. He also served as the music director and conductor of the American University Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., the American Youth Concert Orchestra in Northern Virginia, and the Chicago Philharmonic. He is in demand as a guest conductor throughout Europe and the United States. He studied conducting at Northwestern University, the University of Utah, and the Warsaw Music Conservatory in Poland. He also participated in prestigious conducting courses at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Aspen Music Festival, and in Budapest and Miskolc, Hungary.
Curriculum Vita
Peter Dabrowski
Prof., Music Appreciation
School of Music
Email: peter.dabrowski@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: ELABS 334
Phone: (956) 665-3471
Allison Davis

Allison Davis

Asst. Prof. of Music Education
956-665-8707
allison.davis@utrgv.edu
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Allison Davis

Dr. Allison Davis serves as Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where she currently teaches music education courses and directs the Concert Band. An Ohio native with roots in Massachusetts, Dr. Davis holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education from the University of Missouri with a Cognate in Wind Conducting and Band Pedagogy, a Master of Music in Music Education with a Specialization in Wind Conducting from Bowling Green State University, and a Bachelor of Music Education from Bowling Green State University. She has worked with top-tier collegiate ensembles and athletic bands in both the Southeastern and Mid-American Conferences since 2018. Dr. Davis also served as the Woodwind Director for the Rock Bridge High School band program in Columbia, MO and founded the Missouri Youth Symphonic Band. She has had the pleasure of studying with Dr. Brian Silvey, Dr. Wendy Sims, Dr. Amy Knopps, Dr. Ken Thompson, and Dr. Bruce Moss.

Dr. Davis’s primary areas of research focus on instrumental conducting and rehearsal techniques, preservice music education curricula, repertoire selection, and democratic practices in large ensemble settings. Her dissertation, A Multiple Case Study of Preservice Music Educators Experiences in Rehearsal Clinic, investigated the experiences of secondary instrumental music education majors in an advanced conducting and rehearsal skills course. Dr. Davis is active in both state and national research settings, presenting at conferences and publishing in both peer-refereed and practitioner journals.

Prior to her university teaching experience, Dr. Davis taught a combination of secondary band, choir, general music, and marching band in the public schools of Ohio. Due to her time spent with a diverse student populations, she has advocated for the performance of contemporary music by minoritized composers. Ensembles under Dr. Davis’s direction have premiered works by Cory Brodack, Emilio José González, and Yoell Tewolde (student composer), and she has worked closely with other acclaimed composers including Katahj Copley, Kevin Day, Grace Baugher Dunlap, Kelijah Dunton, Roshanne Etezady, and Jennifer Jolley. She actively integrates technology in both lecture-based and ensemble-rehearsal settings, including utilizing ForScore in full ensemble rehearsals and frequently hosting collaborative Zoom sessions with composers, to create a more interactive and enhanced student experience. Dr. Davis regularly works as an adjudicator, clinician, and music arranger for bands of all ability levels and age ranges around the country.

Allison Davis
Asst. Prof. of Music Education
School of Music
Email: allison.davis@utrgv.edu

Phone: 956-665-8707
Richard Davis

Richard Davis

Prof., Voice
(956) 665-2868
wendell.davis@utrgv.edu
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Richard Davis

Richard Davis, baritone, has combined a career as both singer and teacher. After a successful season at Wolf Trap he acquired management in New York City and sang roles in regional opera houses for three years. He sang in a production of Il Signor Bruschino in Florence, Italy, in 1989, and has sung six roles with the New Orleans Opera. He has directed three zarzuelas at UTRGV and a professional production of Rigoletto for South Texas Lyric Opera in 2009.
As a teacher he has served on the faculties of Columbus College (GA), Eastman School of Music (CED), Nazareth College (Rochester,NY), Oberlin Conservatory, Penn State University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Pittsburgh State University (KS). He has had student winners at regional and state Nats competitions for many years.
He has published articles in the American Music Teacher, Journal of Singing, Nats Journal, and the Choral Journal. His new book, A Beginning Singer's Guide is in its second printing and is available from Scarecrow Press. The book has received good reviews from scholarly publications and eminent vocal pedagogue Richard Miller. Planned as a text for voice lessons and pedagogy class, it fast-tracks undergraduates to an understanding of the vocal mechanism and the immediate issues of learning to sing.
Richard Davis is active in the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the College Music Society. He holds the Doctor of Music in Performance Degree (with Distinction) from Indiana University. He teaches voice and directs opera at UTRGV. Dr. Davis likes to spend time with his family, travel, play with electronic technology, and collect old cars.
Curriculum Vitae
Richard Davis
Prof., Voice
School of Music
Email: wendell.davis@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: Performing Arts Complex.
Phone: (956) 665-2868
Virginia Davis

Virginia Davis

Prof. of Music Education
(956) 665-7439
virginia.davis@utrgv.edu
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Virginia Davis

Dr. Virginia Wayman Davis is Professor of Music Education at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. After earning her undergraduate degree in Music Education at the University of Missouri, she received her Master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. Dr. Davis has taught public school music at all levels, holds Level I & II certification in both Orff and Kodaly techniques, and received training in popular music education through the Little Kids Rock Modern Band Fellowship. At UTRGV, she teaches courses in elementary general music methods, graduate music education courses, and leads UTRGV’s new Popular Music Education minor. As part of that program, she teaches coursework in modern band pedagogy and facilitates elective modern band ensembles. Dr. Davis also recently became a teacher trainer for Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock), leading Modern Band 101 and 102 workshops around the country. 

She is on the editorial board of The Journal of Popular Music Education, and the advisory board of the Desert Skies Symposium on Research in Music Education and is a committee member of the Association for Popular Music Education. She is also a frequent presenter at the Modern Band Summit, the Association for Popular Music Education annual conference, and numerous other professional symposia. Dr. Davis is published in the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, General Music Today/Journal of General Music Education, The Journal of Popular Music Education, The Journal of Music Teacher Education, Visions of Research in Music Education, and several others, in addition to several upcoming authored and edited books and chapters. Her research interests include popular music education, meaningful music education practices, drumming and percussion, and secondary general music. Dr. Davis stays active as a musician, currently playing percussion with the Valley Symphony Orchestra in south Texas and the faculty pop/rock band she founded, The Minör Revisiöns.


https://virgdavis.wordpress.com/ 
Curriculum Vitae
Virginia Davis
Prof. of Music Education
Email: virginia.davis@utrgv.edu
EPACB 2126
Phone: (956) 665-7439
Francis Favis

Francis Favis

Assistant Professor, Percussion
956-882-8244
francis.favis@utrgv.edu
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Francis Favis

A champion of contemporary music, percussionist Dr. Francis Favis enjoys a multi-faceted and multi-national musical career. He has performed on prestigious stages such as the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), SXSW, the College Music Society International Conference, the Canadian Music Centre, the Red Note New Music Festival, the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS), and the Toronto Creative Music Lab. With over 30 commission and premiere credits to his name, Francis continues to be involved with the creation and performance of new works by living composers. He has had the privilege of working closely with a number of acclaimed composers including Kelley Sheehan (Gaudeamus Prize winner), James Tabata (Morton Gould Award winner), and Sophie Mathieu (KMFA composer-in-residence). Francis is a founding member of Less Than 10 Music and SoundMap Ensemble, both of which specialize in contemporary chamber music. Recent performance highlights include the Texas premiere of Mayke Nas’ seldom performed I Delayed People’s Flights by Walking Slowly in Narrow Hallways for amplified chalkboard quartet and the world premiere of Sophie Mathieu’s VOID for vibraphone and electronics.

Equally at home with a large ensemble, Francis has experience both in the front and at the back of the stage. He has been featured as a soloist on several percussion concerti, including Michael Daugherty’s timpani concerto, Raise the Roof, and David T. Little’s unique percussion quartet concerto Radiant Child. As a section percussionist, he has performed with several organizations such as the Heartland Festival Orchestra, Red River Ensemble, the American Festival Pops Orchestra and the renowned University of Texas Wind Ensemble.

An in-demand educator, Dr. Favis is the newly appointed Assistant Professor of Percussion at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, overseeing the Brownsville campus, where he teaches applied lessons and percussion methods, coaches percussion ensemble, and oversees the brand-new Vaquero Marching Band drumline. Groups and individuals under his tutelage have enjoyed success and accolades, such as TMEA All-State, admission into college music programs, and Superior ratings in Solo and Ensemble competitions. Francis has presented clinics and masterclasses all over the world with appearances at Far Eastern University (Philippines), The Music for All Summer Symposium, Texas Woman’s University, the Twin City Band Festival (IL), Northern Virginia Youth Winds, and the South Texas Percussion Festival. Previously, Francis held teaching positions at Tarleton State University, and The University of Texas at Austin.

Outside of the classical realm, Dr. Favis has been heavily involved in the marching arts as well. As a participant, he performed with the Pioneer Drum & Bugle Corps, and Cavaliers Indoor Percussion. After his years of eligibility, Francis continued to stay involved as an educator and arranger. At the collegiate level, Francis was most recently the drumline director for Tarleton State University, and previously served for 4 years as the director of Texas Drums, the drumline of the Longhorn Band of UT Austin.

Francis earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin. He holds additional degrees in Music Performance from George Mason University (MM) and Illinois State University (BM). His primary teachers include Thomas Burritt, Ivan Trevino, David Collier, John Kilkenny, and John Spirtas. Francis is a proud artist-endorser of Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets, and Sabian Cymbals.

Curriculum Vitae

Francis Favis
Assistant Professor, Percussion
School of Music
Email: francis.favis@utrgv.edu
Brownsville: BMSLC 1.202
Phone: 956-882-8244
Norman Gamboa

Norman Gamboa

Assistant Professor, Orchestra
(956) 665-3771
norman.gamboa@utrgv.edu
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Norman Gamboa

Dr. Norman Gamboa is the Director of Orchestral Activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, conductor of the Rio Grande Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Rio Grande Valley Ballet Orchestra. He also serves as Music Director of the Sonoma County Philharmonic in California. Gamboa is considered one of the most prominent Central American conductors, with an active schedule that includes appearances with the Kansas City Philharmonia, Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, Topeka Symphony Orchestra, Idaho State Civic Symphony, Winchester Orchestra, Bay Area Rainbow Symphony Orchestra, Newton Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Civic Symphony, and Salina Symphony Orchestra among others. Worldwide engagements include renowned orchestras such as the Západočeský Symfonický (Czech Republic), Orchestra Filarmonicii de Stat Ploieşti (Romania), Orquesta Filarmónica de Medellín (Colombia), Orquestra Sinfônica de Ribeirão Preto and Orquestra Sinfônica Estado de São Paulo (Brazil), Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Municipal de Guatemala, Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado Mérida and Orquesta Sinfónica de Los Llanos (Venezuela), Camerata Bach (Nicaragua), Orquesta Sinfónica de Cuenca (Ecuador), as well as the National Symphony Orchestras of Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras.

Dr. Gamboa has led numerous joint ventures including fully choreographed ballet productions with Ballet Midwest, Aurora Dance Arts, Rio Grande Valley Ballet, Santa Rosa Dance Theater, Fiesta Colorado Dance Company, and Edinburg Dance Theatre, as well as several operas with the Topeka Opera Society and Opera on Tap Colorado. Festival appearances include Pilsen 2015, FOSJA Casals Festival, Central American Festival of Chamber Music, Medellín International Music Festival, Villarrica Arts Festival, Costa Rica International Festival of Arts, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Bregenzer Festspiele, Las Vegas Music Festival, OSESP Orchestra Conductors Competition, New York Brass Conference, Regina Music Conference and the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Europe. Previously, he served as Music Director of the Powder River Symphony in Wyoming, Director of Orchestral Studies at Washburn University in Kansas, Cover Conductor of the Topeka Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Las Vegas Music Festival, Assistant Conductor of the Waco Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Waco Symphony Youth Orchestra in Texas.

Gamboa has served as conductor and clinician with honor student orchestras throughout the Midwest and western United States as well as abroad, he holds orchestral conducting degrees from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and Louisiana State University. Born and raised in Costa Rica, he currently resides in McAllen, Texas.




Norman Gamboa
Assistant Professor, Orchestra
School of Music
Email: norman.gamboa@utrgv.edu
EPACB 2.126
Phone: (956) 665-3771
Charles Greggerson

Charles Greggerson

Lecturer, Director of Athletic Bands
956-665-4162
charles.greggerson@utrgv.edu
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Charles Greggerson

Dr. Greggerson is the Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, in which he directs the Vaquero Marching Band and the Vaquero Pep Band. He earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Wind Band Conducting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in May 2024. He was a graduate teaching assistant with the Division of Wind Band Studies, in which he assisted with the UNLV Star of Nevada Marching Band the Runnin Rebels Basketball Pep Band, taught undergraduate conducting lessons, and served as co-conductor of the UNLV Symphonic Winds and Community Concert Band. 

He is a native of Ohio, where he graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. As a graduate assistant at Ball State University, he concurrently pursued a Master of Music degree in Instrumental Wind Conducting. Mr. Greggerson possesses eleven years of K-12 instrumental and general music teaching experience in the urban, rural, and Title 1 schools of Ohio, Oregon, and Washington. In addition, he served as a private saxophone instructor, interim Ball State University Bands administrative assistant, and was a member of numerous teacher union committees. Mr. Greggerson is an alumni member of the Ohio State University Marching Band and has performed in numerous community bands throughout his teaching career. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha, National Band Association, and the National Association for Music Education.
Charles Greggerson
Lecturer, Director of Athletic Bands
School of Music
Email: charles.greggerson@utrgv.edu
EPOB9 1.101B
Phone: 956-665-4162
Marco Guerra

Marco Guerra

Lecturer I OYA, percussion
(956) 665-3471
marco.guerra02@utrgv.edu
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Marco Guerra

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Percussion Performance from the University of Texas Pan American, Marco Guerra spent subsequent years working in New York City as an Afro-Caribbean percussion facilitator in after-school programs and Integrated Arts Program where he gave applied drum-set lessons, served as consultant for professional drummers while working at Drummer’s World in Manhattan’s Broadway Theater District and performed on a regular basis in NYC and surrounding areas.

Upon returning to the Rio Grande Valley, Marco served as a graduate assistant in the UTRGV School of Music while working on a Master’s in music performance. He performs regularly with in with his jazz trio, an R&B group, a flamenco duo, and he freelances throughout South Texas.

Marco Guerra
Lecturer I OYA, percussion
School of Music
Email: marco.guerra02@utrgv.edu

Phone: (956) 665-3471
Jonathan Guist

Jonathan Guist

Prof., Winds: Clarinet Ensemble
(956) 882-8808
jonathan.guist@utrgv.edu
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Jonathan Guist

Dr. Jonathan Guist is Professor of music at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where he teaches applied clarinet, clarinet ensemble and chamber music. He holds a D.M.A. from the Eastman School of Music, a M.M. from Baylor University and a B.M.E. from New Mexico State University. Principal teachers include Kenneth Grant, Richard Shanley, and Laroy Borchert.  Dr. Guist’s previous teaching engagements have included the Eastman School of Music, Nazareth College, Baylor University, the Hochstein School of Music and Dance, and the Conservatory of Central Illinois.
Dr. Guist holds the position of Co-principal Clarinet with the Valley Symphony Orchestra (Edinburg, TX) and also appears frequently as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and internationally. His recent engagements include performances as featured soloist with the Valley Symphony Orchestra, UTRGV Symphony Orchestra, and UTRGV Wind Ensemble and a solo recital at the Escuela de Artes Musicales, Universidad de Costa Rica. Additional appearances include lectures, clinics and performances at conferences of the International Clarinet Association, National Flute Association, Texas Music Educators Association, College Music Society, National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors and the International Double Reed Society and as an adjudicator for Music Teachers National Association, Texas Music Educators Association and Texas UIL Solo & Ensemble.
Dr. Guist is a strong advocate for chamber music and new music and has been involved in the commission of several new works for chamber ensemble.  Additionally, he is a founding member of the Frontera Chamber Music Society whose mission is to advance and promote chamber music through inspiring community performance, education and outreach.
Curriculum Vitae
Jonathan Guist
Prof., Winds: Clarinet Ensemble
School of Music
Email: jonathan.guist@utrgv.edu
Brownsville: BMSLC 2.223
Phone: (956) 882-8808
Daniel Hunter-Holly

Daniel Hunter-Holly

Prof., Voice, Opera
956-882-7178
daniel.hunterholly@utrgv.edu
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Daniel Hunter-Holly

Daniel Hunter-Holly, baritone, is a Professor of Music and Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.  An active recitalist, having performed throughout North and Central America, he is also an acclaimed educator, receiving a University of Texas System Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award in 2015; more recently, he was selected by the National Association of Teachers of Singing as an Emerging Leader in the Texoma Region.  Recent presentations and workshops at international and national conferences include topics such as “Projected Imagery in Opera” (National Opera Association National Conference, 2018), “Assessment Tools for Applied Voice Teachers” (International Congress of Voice Teachers, 2017, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing National Conference, 2016), and “Incorporating Movement and Vocal Improvisation Training into the Undergraduate Voice Curriculum” (College Music Society National Conference, 2017).  He holds degrees in vocal performance from The Ohio State University, the University of North Carolina Greensboro, and the University of California Santa Barbara, with additional training at SongFest, OperaWorks, and the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar.
Curriculum Vitae
Daniel Hunter-Holly
Prof., Voice, Opera
School of Music
Email: daniel.hunterholly@utrgv.edu
Brownsville: BMSLC 2.229
Phone: 956-882-7178
Susan Hurley-Glowa

Susan Hurley-Glowa

Prof., Ethnomusicology
(956) 882-5787
susan.hurleyglowa@utrgv.edu
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Susan Hurley-Glowa

Susan Hurley-Glowa is a Professor of Music at UTRGV with a specialization in ethnomusicology. Her research interests include Luso African and Latin American music cultures. A Fulbright scholar, she has published numerous articles and a documentary film on music of Cape Verde, and holds a Ph.D. in musicology (ethnomusicology) from Brown University as well as degrees in applied music. Susan hosts the weekly radio show “Excursiones Musicales,” for Rio Grande Valley 88 FM Public Radio. She is also a horn player, and has performed with professional orchestras in America and Germany, including Opera Fairbanks, Orchestra of Northern New York, the Erie Chamber Orchestra, the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, and the Arctic Chamber Orchestra. Her primary horn teachers were Roy Schaberg and Ifor James.
Curriculum Vitae
Susan Hurley-Glowa
Prof., Ethnomusicology
School of Music
Email: susan.hurleyglowa@utrgv.edu
Brownsville: BMSLC 2.226
Phone: (956) 882-5787
Shayna Isaacs

Shayna Isaacs

Assist. Prof., Voice and Lyric Diction
shayna.isaacs@utrgv.edu
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Shayna Isaacs

A native of Boca Raton, Florida, soprano Shayna Tayloe’s most recent roles include Lucy in The Billy Goats Gruff and Adele (cover) in Die Fledermaus with Amarillo Opera, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, Monica in The Medium, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Marian Paroo in The Music Man, Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Flora in The Turn of the Screw, and Gretel in Hansel and Gretel. She has recently appeared as a soloist with the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra and with the Cornish-American Song Institute (CASI) as a Vocal Fellow. With CASI, she appeared in recital at Oxford University in Oxford, England and was the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Regina Coeli in Falmouth, Cornwall. She has appeared as an artist in the Concert Studio at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria and was an artist at the Tallis Scholars Summer Institute in Seattle, WA., where she performed under the baton of Peter Phillips. Shayna appears on the 2011 Grammy Nominated recording of Brahms'  Ein Deutsches Requiem as a member of the Professional Choral Institute ensemble, a collaboration with Seraphic Fire.

Dr. Tayloe co-presented the session “Write it Down: An Opera Singers’ Guide to Character Paperwork” at the National Opera Association Texoma Regional convention in September 2019, and presented her research, “Analysis of Fluctuations in Vibrato Rate and Extent Using Affect in Operatic Repertoire” in January 2019 at the National Opera Association Convention Poster Session in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has participated in masterclasses with distinguished artists such as Susan Graham, Barbara Bonney, Silvia McNair, and Sherrill Milnes. Dr. Tayloe received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Alabama and her Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Graduate Certificate in Opera Studies from Texas Tech University. Dr. Tayloe currently serves as Lecturer of Voice and Lyric Diction at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Curriculum Vitae

Shayna Isaacs
Assist. Prof., Voice and Lyric Diction
School of Music
Email: shayna.isaacs@utrgv.edu
BMSLC 2.228
Tido Janssen

Tido Janssen

Lecturer III, Strings: Cello
956-665-3475
tido.janssen@utrgv.edu
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Tido Janssen

Dr. Tido Janssen, cello, is Lecturer of Cello at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He is director of the annual Pan American Cello Festival, Associate Principal Cello of the Valley Symphony Orchestra, and has served as director of the UTPA Symphony Orchestra.
A native of Germany, Dr. Janssen studied cello performance at Folkwang Hochschule für Musik in Duisburg before continuing his studies in the US. He holds a Master of Music Degree from Boston University, and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas. His major teachers include Jürgen Wolf, George Neikrug, Carter Enyeart, Walter Gray, and Eugene Osadchy. His chamber music studies include coachings with the Muir Quartet, Lydian Quartet, and members of the Lyontevich and Kolisch Quartets.
Before joining the music faculty at UTRGV in 2015, Dr Janssen served on the faculty of the University of Texas Pan American, the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, and Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. As a charter member of the University of Lethbridge faculty ensemble Trio Amaranth, he has performed extensively throughout western Canada. In Abilene, TX, he was Principal Cellist of the Abilene Philharmonic and Abilene Opera Orchestras, founder and Director of the Abilene Summer Music Festival, and founding member of the Abilene Chamber Players. In the summer of 2013 he performed with the Abilene Chamber Players for the Concerti Nel Chiostro at the Conservatorio di musica “Giuseppe Verdi”, and the Abrosianeum Concerti, in Milan, Italy.
As a performer Dr. Janssen has repeatedly appeared in Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Austria, Canada, and throughout the US. He has been a member of the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra since 2000, and has recorded for Deutsche Welle, Public Radio, and Centaur Records.

Curriculum Vitae

Tido Janssen
Lecturer III, Strings: Cello
School of Music
Email: tido.janssen@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: Performing Arts Complex B2.128
Phone: 956-665-3475
Krista Jobson

Krista Jobson

Prof., Winds: Flute, Flute Ensemble
956-665-7227
krista.jobson@utrgv.edu
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Krista Jobson

Dr. Krista Jobson enjoys a multi-faceted career that has included Principal Flute positions in orchestras, military bands, chamber music ensembles, concerto soloist appearances, and teaching positions. A sought after guest artist and clinician, she has given performances and masterclasses in Australia, Germany, Japan, France, Mexico, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Peru, and Puerto Rico, as well as across the continental United States.

As a soloist, Dr. Jobson has won numerous awards and honors. She has been named a prize winner in competitions sponsored by the National Flute Association and Florida Flute Association and was a finalist in the American Prize National Music Competition in both the Instrumental Soloist-Professional and Chamber Music-Professional divisions. Her concerto performances include solo appearances with the Valley Symphony Orchestra, Taffelmusik, the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley Symphonic Winds, the UTRGV Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Symphony Orchestra, and the Converse College Symphony Orchestra.

​Jobson is Co-Principal Flute of the Valley Symphony Orchestra (McAllen, TX). She is also Principal Flute of The Trade Winds Recording Ensemble for Excelcia Music Publishing. She toured for four years as Co-Principal Flute of the concert band and woodwind quintet of an active-duty U.S. Air Force Band. From 2009-2011, Dr. Jobson served as Principal Flute of the Topeka Symphony Orchestra. She has also given performances with Spoleto USA (Piccolo Spoleto), Brevard Symphony Orchestra, Blue Lake Festival Faculty Orchestra, Blue Lake Faculty Wind Ensemble, and the International Fellowship of Conductors Composers and Collaborators (IFC3).

Her love for collaborative musical settings has led her to serve as flutist with several active professional chamber music groups, including Duo Aldebaran (flute & guitar) who were named finalists in the Chamber Music: Professional division of the American Prize Competition and who released their debut album in 2021: "Colores Latinos" - music of contemporary Latin American composers for flute & guitar; Cherry Street Flute Duo who released their debut album "Music of Women Composers" in 2022, and Crossroads Flute Quartet, who will release their debut album in 2023.

Dr. Jobson earned a Bachelor of Music degree with High Honors from Converse College as a student of Christopher Vaneman, and both a Master of Music degree and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Flute Performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, where she studied with Mary Posses and where she held the flute position in the fellowship woodwind quintet. Her other principal flute teachers include Christina Smith, Jean West, and Nancy Clew. She has performed in masterclasses for Jim Walker, Leone Buyse, Peter Lloyd, Charles Wadsworth, Claudia Anderson, Bart Feller, Michael Gordon, Shannon Finney, Inara Zandemane, the Imani Winds, Borealis Wind Quintet, and the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet.

Krista Jobson
Prof., Winds: Flute, Flute Ensemble
School of Music
Email: krista.jobson@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: Performing Arts Complex B2.112
Phone: 956-665-7227
Jason D. Jones

Jason D. Jones

Asst. Prof. of Music Education
956-882-7726
jason.jones@utrgv.edu
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Jason D. Jones

Dr. Jason D. Jones, a native of the Appalachia region, is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at UTRGV on the Brownsville campus. From conducting the Eastman Women’s Chorus to singing shape note songs at a goth bar, Jones’ performance experience is as varied as his teaching and research interests. He earned a Ph.D. in Music Education at the Eastman School of Music where he earned the Shetler Prize. Jones holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio, Master of Education from Emory & Henry College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and French from Emory & Henry College in Emory, VA. Jones holds certification Kodály from OAKE and Eurhythmics from the American Eurhythmics Society. Previously, Jones was an assistant professor of music education and music education coordinator at Reinhardt University in Waleska, GA. He has experience teaching elementary general music, choir, and strings to children in urban and suburban areas. He was a recipient of the SAISD Foundation Inspire award for his work with urban elementary school children and was recognized for his significant contributions to the SAISD elementary strings project. He has presented workshops, research, and clinics on several topics for school districts, state, national, and international conferences, non-profits, and universities. His research interests include motivation in music classrooms, cross-cultural and intergenerational relationships between teachers and students, Sacred Harp, differentiated music classrooms, and differently abled students in elementary music. His work has been published in the Journal of General Music Education, the book Kaleidoscope: A Collection of Standards-Based Lessons for the K-7 General Music Classroom, and by the American Eurhythmics Society.

Curriculum Vitae

Jason D. Jones
Asst. Prof. of Music Education
School of Music
Email: jason.jones@utrgv.edu
Brownsville: BMSLC 2.224
Phone: 956-882-7726
Brendan Kinsella

Brendan Kinsella

Prof., Piano
956-665-2874
brendan.kinsella@utrgv.edu
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Brendan Kinsella

“Brendan Kinsella presented the concert ‘Lisztomania’ on a date that could be daunting, October 22nd, 2011, the actually 200th birth anniversary of Franz Liszt, but you will hear that it didn’t seem to faze him at all.  In fact, he attacked one of Liszt’s more famous transcriptions [Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, op. 67] with the passion and energy that Liszt required.”
    -Bill Baker, host of Syracuse Public Radio’s “Concert Hall”.
“An amazing pianist.”
    -The Houston Chronicle
“Pianist Brendan Kinsella did a great job of breathing life into arrangements [Radiohead-O’Riley transcriptions] that, in lesser hands, might deflate ever so slightly.”
    -Andrew Sigler, NewMusicBox.org   
Described as a “sensitive musician with an ear for color” by the Cincinnati Enquirer, pianist Brendan Kinsella’s recent concert engagements have taken him to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Holland, Italy, and other cities throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.  He earned his Bachelor (with honors) and Master of Music degrees at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as a pupil of Frank Weinstock (with additional coaching from James Tocco and Kenneth Griffiths) and in 2008 received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City as a student of Robert Weirich.  In master classes, he has performed for artists such as Christopher Elton, Susan Graham, Martin Katz, Ani Kavafian, Anne-Akiko Meyers, Frederic Rzewski, Andre-Michel Schub, Peter Serkin, David Shifrin, Midori, and the Takacs Quartet.  He completed his training as a Solo Piano Fellow at the Music Academy of the West, working under the guidance of Jerome Lowenthal, Professor of Piano at the Juilliard School.  In 2010, he debuted as a soloist in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and was a featured concerto soloist at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago.
Kinsella has appeared in concerti ranging from Beethoven to Brahms to Barber with the Kentucky Symphony, the Jefferson City Symphony, the CCM Chamber and Concert Orchestras, the UMKC Conservatory Orchestra, and the UMKC Wind Symphony in collaboration with conductors Xian Zhang, Steve Davis, and Robert Olson.  As a collaborative pianist, he has performed both as an orchestral pianist and in duo-recitals with members of the New World Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, the Omaha Symphony, the Dayton Philharmonic, the Kansas City Symphony and Lyric Opera, and in recital with artists such as Benny Kim, Carter Enyeart, Daniel Saenz, and his wife, Shoko.  During the summers, he serves as an Artist-Teacher of Piano at the Maccagno Piano Days Festival and Competition.
A noted interpreter of all things dissonant, Kinsella’s all-contemporary recitals featuring the works of living masters and emerging voices have garnered wide acclaim.  Of a performance of Rzewski’s De Profundis in Montecito, the Santa Barbara Daily Sound remarked that “Kinsella’s performance was truly astonishing, as he missed nary a beat nor tripped over any words. The sense of terror, misery, despair, disdain, and righteous anger was palpable, and the essay is ultimately life-affirming if horrifying…I’m glad to have heard it, especially by such a passionate and gifted pianist who clearly believed in his mission.”  The Kansas City Star declared that his performances of George Crumb’s chamber repertoire were “marvelous…he displayed convincing tonal colors, impressive technique, and incisive rhythms.”   Utrecht’s Le Bon Journal described a 2011 solo recital of Beethoven, Rzewski, Liszt, and Poulenc as characterized by the “indestructible force and optimism that Americans can radiate proverbially.”  In 2014, his national concert tour of Rzewski’s ""The People United Will Never Be Defeated!"" was the subject of a full-length profile article in the Houston Chronicle and a corresponding interview on NPR.
Among Kinsella’s experiences as a lecturer and visiting artist at festivals and universities include engagements at the 2014 Texas A&M Contemporary Music Festival, the 2013 International Conference on Medieval and Renaissance Thought, the 2011 College Music Society South Central Conference, the 2010 Cal State Fullerton New Music Festival, the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, the SUNY Fredonia School of Music, the University of Iowa School of Music, and many others.  His seminar topics have included lectures on keyboard music of the Italian Renaissance, recent developments in avant-garde American music, the influence of Greek philosophy on Olivier Messiaen’s piano music, and studies on the evolving role of the collaborative pianist in selected chamber repertoire.  
A dedicated teacher, Kinsella presently serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, where he teaches applied piano, chamber music, piano pedagogy, and piano literature.  Members of his select studio of graduate and undergraduate pianists regularly participate in prestigious national and international summer festivals, perform in master classes for distinguished artists (such as Jerome Lowenthal, James Dick, and Adam Wodnicki), present their scholarly research at professional conferences, and gain admittance to prestigious master’s and doctoral programs nationwide.  Before joining the faculty at UTPA, he was as a member of the piano area at Missouri Western State University and held graduate assistantships in piano and collaborative piano at CCM and UMKC. 
Born 1980 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Kinsella began playing the piano at age 11 and made his concerto debut at 15.  A live recording of his performance of Messiaen’s Oiseaux Exotiques at the Midwest Clinic is commercially available from the MarkRecords label, and his recording of Narong Prangcharoen’s chamber music was released on Albany records in 2012 to favorable reviews.  His recent and upcoming engagements include a teaching residency at Xinghai Conservatory in China, a series of outreach concerts throughout Texas with his collegiate studio, and speaking on teaching advanced repertoire at the 2016 MTNA National Convention in San Antonio.
Curriculum Vitae
Brendan Kinsella
Prof., Piano
School of Music
Email: brendan.kinsella@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: Performing Arts Complex B1.109
Phone: 956-665-2874
Shoko Kinsella

Shoko Kinsella

Lecturer III, Piano
(956) 665-2884
shoko.kinsella@utrgv.edu
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Shoko Kinsella

Pianist  Dr.  Shoko Nakamura Kinsella enjoys her diverse career as performer and teacher. She has extensively performed as a recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician throughout the United States, Italy, and Japan.  Her past concert engagements include a solo recital in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Valley Symphony Orchestra’s Chamber Music Series, and Artist Presentation Society in St. Louis as a result of winning the APS Solo Competition.  Her concerto appearances include Jefferson City Symphony Orchestra, after winning the JCSO Concerto Competition, and University of Cincinnati Orchestra Club, performing at the inaugural concert.  

As a chamber musician, she has appeared as guest artist at Western Illinois University, Earlham College in Indiana, Johnson County Community College in Kansas City (live performance broadcasted by 91.5 Kansas Public Radio), Summer Opera and Music Festival in Lucca Italy, and numerous collaborative appearances with large and small ensembles. She served as guest artist faculty of the soundSCAPE New Music Festival in Maccagno, Italy.

Dr. Kinsella is currently on the piano faculty at University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate piano students, as well as collaborates in recitals with faculty and guest artists. She also gives masterclasses, clinics, and judges competitions internationally and across the state.  She received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (2010), under the instruction of the artist-pedagogue Robert Weirich, with additional trainings by artists including Jerome Lowenthal, Ivan Moravec, and Anthony De Mare.  She earned her Master’s (2006) and Bachelor’s (2004,  magna cum laude) degrees in Piano Performance from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as a student of William Black and Michael Chertock, where she was nominated for the Excellence in Teaching Award.  Born in Chiba, Japan, Dr. Kinsella currently resides in McAllen, TX.

Curriculum Vitae

Shoko Kinsella
Lecturer III, Piano
School of Music
Email: shoko.kinsella@utrgv.edu
Performing Arts Complex B1. 108
Phone: (956) 665-2884
Stacy Kwak

Stacy Kwak

Lecturer III, Piano
956-882-7387
stacy.kwak@utrgv.edu
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Stacy Kwak

Curriculum Vitae

Stacy Kwak
Lecturer III, Piano
School of Music
Email: stacy.kwak@utrgv.edu
BEIDM 120B
Phone: 956-882-7387
Jerianne Larson

Jerianne Larson

Lecturer - Director of Bands
956-665-4161
jerianne.larson@utrgv.edu
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Jerianne Larson

Jerianne Larson serves as Director of Bands at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley where she conducts the Wind Orchestra and Symphonic Winds (Edinburg) and teaches courses in conducting as well as the history and repertoire of the wind band.

Prior to this appointment, Larson served as a graduate teaching fellow for the Wind Studies department at The University of North Texas where she conducted the Concert Band, guest conducted the North Texas Wind Symphony, the North Texas Wind Orchestra, and the North Texas Wind Ensemble, assisted with the Green Brigade Marching Band, and taught courses in conducting. She also served as the graduate conducting studio coordinator and Wind Studies librarian. During this time, she was also involved with the Lone Star Wind Orchestra as rehearsal assistant and guest conductor. 

Larson is an active guest conductor and clinician and holds professional and honorary memberships in a variety of music organizations at the state, national, and international levels including TMEA, CBDNA, PMEA, NAfME, TBA, NBA, WASBE, WBDI, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Mu Phi Epsilon. Larson has been invited to present at several conferences including the 2022 PMEA Conference and the 2023 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic where her presentation, "Empowering and Mentoring the Next Generation of Female Band Directors," discussed the everchanging music education landscape and the best ways to navigate mentoring the upcoming generation of band directors. She has also been featured on the podcast, Music Ed Insights, discussing similar topic materials. Larson had the distinct honor of being selected into the prestigious U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” Conductors Workshop. In addition to rehearsing the ensemble, Larson conducted the band in concert at the Schlesinger Concert Hall in Alexandria, VA. 

A native of Pennsylvania, Larson is currently pursuing a doctor of musical arts degree in wind conducting from The University of North Texas, where she is ABD, and studied with Eugene Migliaro Coproron and Dr. Andrew Trachsel. She received a master of music degree in wind conducting from Messiah University, studying under Dr. Bradley Genevro, and a bachelor of music education degree from Westminster College (PA) where she studied with Dr. R. Tad. Greig. Larson served for nine years as a public high school band director in western Pennsylvania and her ensembles consistently earned Superior ratings at assessment and earned a special invitation to perform at the state capitol.

Curriculum Vitae

Jerianne Larson
Lecturer - Director of Bands
School of Music
Email: jerianne.larson@utrgv.edu
Portable 9, office 1.101A
Phone: 956-665-4161
Francisco Loera

Francisco Loera

Senior Lecturer, Mariachi/Mexican Folk Music
(956) 665-3045
francisco.loera@utrgv.edu
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Francisco Loera

Francisco Loera has been a Lecturer at UTPA/UTRGV for over twenty years in the Departments of Modern languages and Music, teaching Language and Literature, the History of Mexican Folk Music, and Mariachi ensemble. He has been the co-director of Mariachi  Aztlán during his time at the University, leading the mariachi to earn the reputation as the most outstanding university mariachi program in the nation.

 The Mariachi has traveled throughout Mexico representing the United States and throughout America as musical ambassadors representing the beauty of the Hispanic music and cultural traditions.  For more than 15 years, in San Antonio, Texas, and in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Mariachi Aztlán has been selected as the “Outstanding College or University Mariachi” in nationwide competition several years in a row.  For several years, the Mariachi Aztlán won “Grand Champion” of the Mariachi Spectacular Competition. In 2014 and 2016, the Mariachi Aztlán was invited as guest clinicians for the Mariachi Spectacular Workshop and performed at international mariachi conferences in San Diego, Tucson and Chicago in 2015 and 2016. The Mariachi Aztlán has won first place in the “Best in Texas” Mariachi Invitational at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, in Houston, Texas numerous times.

Highlight performances include an invitation from the White House to perform at a signing ceremony of an Executive Order commemorating the renewal and enhancement of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, performing for President Barack Obama in 2010.  In collaboration with the Houston Grand Opera, Mariachi Aztlán premiered the stage production of Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, the world’s first “Mariachi-Opera” in 2010.  Other concerts include appearances at the Hollywood Bowl, the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center, and a performance of the mariachi opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna with the Chicago Lyric Opera in 2013.  Other performances include an encore concert with the Chicago Lyric Opera in 2014 and concerts at the 2015, 2016 San Diego Mariachi Festival,  the Tucson International Mariachi Conference in 2015, and the Chicago Heritage Mariachi Conferences in 2015 and 2016.  The Mariachi Aztlán premiered the new mariachi opera El Pasado Nunca Se Termina with the Chicago Lyric Opera in 2015 and proudly released a new CD, Mi Nombre es México to commemorate the 25 th Anniversary of the UTPA/UTRGV Mariachi Program.

Curriculum Vitae

Francisco Loera
Senior Lecturer, Mariachi/Mexican Folk Music
School of Music
Email: francisco.loera@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: Performing Arts Complex B 1127
Phone: (956) 665-3045
Teresita Lozano

Teresita Lozano

Asst. Professor, Musicology & Ethnomusicology
(956) 665-2929
teresita.lozano@utrgv.edu
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Teresita Lozano

Dr. Teresita Lozano is an Assistant Professor of Musicology and Ethnomusicology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. A native of the El Paso, Texas – Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua borderland, Dr. Lozano engages in research that explores the relationship between music, migration, religion, cultural memory, and identity. Her research, which combines ethnographic and archival study, currently focuses on musical and religiopolitical manifestations of the undocumented migrant experience in the U.S.-Mexico transborder region. She has presented her research at multiple national and international conferences in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Portugal, and Austria, including the Society for Ethnomusicology, International Council for Traditional Music, and the Latin American Studies Association.

Dr. Lozano is a passionate advocate for musical activism and civic engagement in the community, particularly in public education, human rights movements, and immigrant right movements. She has served as a Borderland music specialist, artistic performer, and monologist for Motus Theater’s UndocuAmerica Project, Welcoming the Stranger, Women of Resolution, and Salsa Lotería immigrant women’s project in collaboration with Motus Theater’s artistic director, Kirsten Wilson.

Dr. Lozano maintains a professional performance career as a flutist and vocalist in diverse global traditions, including Latin American and Western Art music. She is a co-founding member of the Colorado-based Mexican women’s ensemble, Las Dahlias, and is the former director of the Banda MUSE children’s Mexican ensemble in Boulder, CO. She has also performed and recorded with multicultural community ensembles, including projects featuring Mexican, Georgian, Balkan, and Romanian traditions.

Prior to her current position at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Dr. Lozano served as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Ethnomusicology at West Virginia University. She was previously awarded the prestigious Charlotte Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship for research centered on religion and ethics. She is also an alumna of the Smithsonian Institution’s Latino Museum Studies Program where she worked in residence as a graduate fellow for the National Museum of the American Latino (formerly the Smithsonian Latino Center). Dr. Lozano holds a BME with an emphasis in flute performance from Baylor University and a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology (Musicology) from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Teresita Lozano
Asst. Professor, Musicology & Ethnomusicology
School of Music
Email: teresita.lozano@utrgv.edu
EPAC B1.107
Phone: (956) 665-2929
Samantha Luna

Samantha Luna

Part Time Lecturer, Voice
956-882-7527
samantha.luna@utrgv.edu
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Samantha Luna

“Samantha’s luscious middle range, easy top, and sonorous low notes provides many
pleasures…” Lew’s Opera Views and Experiences in Tempo Philadelphia. Samantha Luna is a Mexican-American Soprano, currently based in South Texas. In the 2023-2024 season, Samantha made her debut as Isabel, in OPERA San Antonio’s production of Pirates of Penzance. She presented a Faculty – Guest Artist Recital at The University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley, featuring song cycles, “Siete canciones populares españolas & Dichterliebe”, with Tenor, Ricardo Diaz-Garcia, and Pianist, Linda Chavez. During the 2024 summer, Samantha made her debut as Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, with International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia. She also made her debut as The Plaintiff in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, with Lawrence Opera Theatre. Some of Samantha’s upcoming engagements include her role debut as La Cugina in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly with OPERA San Antonio and a Voice Recital with Brownsville Piano Studio, ClassiCulture Concert Series. Ms. Luna has received numerous awards such as an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, first-prize winner of both the Quest for the Best and Amelia Rieman Opera competitions and has previously qualified for the North Carolina and Washington Districts of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. Ms. Luna has worked and sang with companies such as OPERA San Antonio, the Opera Fort Collins Guild, Utah Valley Operafest, Russian Opera Workshop, the Opera Guild of Southern Arizona, AZ Rose Opera Company, Le Chiavi: The Institute of Bel Canto Studies, and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Some of Samantha’s most notable roles consist of: Micäela from Carmen, Rachel from La Juive, Rusalka from Rusalka, Mimì from La bohème, Rosina from Il barbiere di Siviglia, Cenerentola from La Cenerentola, Konchakovna from Prince Igor, Mother Marie from Dialogues of the Carmelites, Mrs. Nolan from The Medium, Marcellina from Le nozze di Figaro, and Hansel from Hansel and Gretel. She holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from The University of Texas at Brownsville. Ms. Luna is currently an Adjunct Voice Professor at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley, a Texoma NATS fellowship teacher, and an active chorus member with OPERA San Antonio.
Samantha Luna
Part Time Lecturer, Voice
School of Music
Email: samantha.luna@utrgv.edu
Brownsville: BMSLC 2.225
Phone: 956-882-7527
Rachel Mann

Rachel Mann

Assoc. Prof., Music Theory
(956) 882-7116
rachel.mann@utrgv.edu
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Rachel Mann

Dr. Rachel E. Mann is an Associate Professor of music theory and a content developer for the NSF-funded, part-writing and analysis app, Harmonia by Illiac Software. She completed a Ph.D. in music theory at the University of Texas at Austin, where she held a Kent Kennan Endowed Graduate Fellowship. She also holds a B.M. with all-level teacher certification and M.M. in music theory from Texas Tech University. Prior to joining the UTRGV faculty, she held positions at the University at Albany – SUNY, the University of North Texas, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Mann’s research interests include the music and writings of Second Viennese School composers—primarily the exiled the Catalan composer, Roberto Gerhard; DEIB issues in the theory classroom; and educational technology. Dr. Mann has presented her research throughout the United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, and the UK. Her work is published by the British Academy for Oxford University Press, Routledge, Cambridge Scholars Press, Ashgate, Salem Press, and the Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy. She has also been a featured guest on the Note Doctors and Picardy: Parallel Motion podcasts.

Dr. Mann is a question leader for the College Board AP Music Theory Exam, she is an active member of the Texas Society for Music Theory, and has served on the executive board of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction (ATMI). In her free time, she sings in the Brownville Festival Chorus and plays electric guitar/bass and sings in the UTRGV faculty rock band, The Minör Revisiöns.

Rachel Mann
Assoc. Prof., Music Theory
Email: rachel.mann@utrgv.edu
Brownsville: BMSLC 2.222
Phone: (956) 882-7116
Kurt Martinez, Director

Kurt Martinez, Director

Prof. Guitar Ensemble
(956) 665-2992
kurt.martinez@utrgv.edu
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Kurt Martinez, Director

Dr. Kurt Martinez completed the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Wisconsin- Madison, he also has degrees in guitar performance from Georgia State University and the University of Miami. Dr. Martinez has studied with some of the finest teachers in the world including , Javier Calderon, Angelo Gilardino and Juan Mercadal. His studies have taken him to Europe, where he attended the Corsi Internazionali di Chitarra in Muzzano, Italy and also studied flamenco guitar in Madrid, Jerez de la Frontera, Granada and Cordoba Spain, with numerous distinguished guitarists.
Dr. Martinez maintains an active performance schedule and has presented recitals at guitar festivals throughout the United States, Europe, Central America, South America and Mexico. In addition to being recognized as a performer Dr. Martinez has also been recognized as a teacher, and has presented master classes at the Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Sonora, Festival Internacional de Guitarra-Solistas del Mundo, Lawrence Conservatory of Music, Copiah - Lincoln College, Laredo Community College, Beloit College and Del Mar College. Dr. Martinez is also often called to adjudicate International guitar competitions most recently serving as a judge in the Concurso Nacional de Guitarra de Mexico.
The doctoral research of Dr. Martinez on La Folia has led to an article published in Soundboard Vol 30 No. 3, 2004, and his debut recording entitled Folias. This recording charts the history of a work that has been used repeatedly by guitar composers for five hundred years. Dr. Martinez has also given lecture/recitals on La Folia explaining the history of this work and providing reasons for its longevity. He has presented this lecture at guitar festivals and prestigious academic institutions such as the Colegio de Sonora in Hermosillo, Mexico.
Dr. Kurt Martinez currently holds the position of Director of the School of Music at the University of Texas- Rio Grande Valley.
Curriculum Vitae
Kurt Martinez, Director
Prof. Guitar Ensemble
School of Music
Email: kurt.martinez@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: Performing Arts Complex B2.108
Phone: (956) 665-2992
Monica Martinez

Monica Martinez

Assist. Prof., Brass: UTRGV Horn Studio/Horn Choir, High Brass Methods
(956) 665-3399
monica.martinez@utrgv.edu
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Monica Martinez

Dr. Monica C. Martinez is Assistant Professor at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She currently holds the third Horn position with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra and is also a member of Hill Country Brass, 956 Brass Trio, and newly formed Texas Chamber Winds.  She is a passionate educator and freelance musician who regularly performs and teaches masterclasses to musicians of all levels. Recently, she was promoted to Secretary of the Executive Advisory Council with the International Horn Society where she is responsible for carrying out the mission, vision, values, and goals of the Horn community worldwide.

Dr. Martinez has presented as a soloist, adjudicator, panelist, and chamber performer at the Southeast Horn Workshop, Mid-South Horn Workshop, and International Women’s Brass Conference, and the International Horn Society’s Horn Symposiums.  She has also been a contributing artist with the Chromatic Brass Collective, Texas All-Star Horn Professors Horn Choir, PHAT Big Band, and Corni Angelicus. The UTRGV Horn Choir has also been featured as a music showcase ensemble for the Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention and the International Horn Society’s Horn Symposiums and featured yearly at the Mid-South Horn Workshops. The Texas Chamber Winds will be featured at the MÚSICA NO MUSEU chamber festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November 2024.

Prior to her time at UTRGV, Dr. Martinez taught public school for Point Isabel ISD, Grades 3-5 at Derry Elementary and private school, Grades 6-12 at San Marcos Baptist Academy. She has held Adjunct Horn Instructor positions for Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi and Prairie View A&M University. She taught as a private Horn instructor for Austin ISD, Pflugerville ISD, and Dripping Springs ISD. As an active freelance musician, she’s performed with the San Antonio Symphony, Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, Mid-Texas Symphony, Symphony of the Hills - Kerrville, Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, Temple Symphony Orchestra, Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, Round Rock Symphony Orchestra, Central Texas Philharmonic, Austin Symphonic Band, Chicago Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Lakeside Pride Symphony Orchestra and the Beloit-Janesville Symphony Orchestra.

She achieved a Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in Horn Performance from The University of Texas at Austin. She also earned dual Bachelor's degrees in Horn Performance and Music Education from Texas A&M University at Kingsville. Her mentors have included Patrick Hughes from The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Jennifer Ratchford-Sholtis from Texas A&M University at Kingsville, and Robert Ward, Principal Horn of the San Francisco Symphony and Horn instructor at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Curriculumn Vitae

Monica Martinez
Assist. Prof., Brass: UTRGV Horn Studio/Horn Choir, High Brass Methods
School of Music
Email: monica.martinez@utrgv.edu
EPAC-B1.110
Phone: (956) 665-3399
Pedro Martinez

Pedro Martinez

Prof., Brass: Trombone, Latin Band
(956) 665-3182
pedro.martinez@utrgv.edu
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Pedro Martinez

Dr. Martinez is currently serving his 13 th year as a faculty member of the School of Music at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, formerly named University of Texas - Pan American. In the 12+ years of service at this institution, 7 of those years were served in the capacity of Department Chair for the Department of Music and Dance. Since 2004, Dr. Martinez has proudly dedicated himself to ensure excellence in teaching, performance and service in the Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Martinez is currently serving the School of Music in the capacity of Associate Professor of Music, where his responsibilities are to teach all aspects related to the trombone studio, be it through applied lessons, low brass methods, trombone pedagogy, or as director of the trombone choir and One O’clock Latin Band. In regard to his teaching philosophy, he firmly believes that versatility is an important asset for successful administrators, artists, and teachers in music. The experience he gained from performing in diverse musical ensembles and teaching in both musical and non-musical settings have given him a well-rounded understanding of many educational and instructional techniques that he uses on a daily basis with his students. At both UTRGV and UTPA, he has been fortunate to teach a wide variety of classes where he has made use of these skills. Courses taught by Dr. Martinez include Applied Low Brass (trombone, euphonium, and tuba from 2004-2006), Brass Methods/Techniques, Music Appreciation, One O’clock Latin Band, Jazz Combo, Secondary Methods, Brass Pedagogy, Brass Literature, and he re-established a Spirit/Pep Band, Brass Ensemble, and secured funding for the inception of the Drum Line even though it was outside of his area of specialization.
Curriculum Vitae
Pedro Martinez
Prof., Brass: Trombone, Latin Band
School of Music
Email: pedro.martinez@utrgv.edu
EPACB 2.111
Phone: (956) 665-3182
Jason Mitchell

Jason Mitchell

Lecturer II, Music Technology, Composition, Music Appreciation
jason.mitchell@utrgv.edu
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Jason Mitchell

Jason H. Mitchell is a classically trained guitarist and a composer of instrumental and electro-acoustic music. Though he has lived throughout the United States, he grew up in the lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, where the rich cultural heritage of the Texas-Mexico border region influences much of his music.
 
Jason is a Lecturer of Composition and Music Technology at UTRGV where he maintains two labs (Mac & PC) and additionally serves as the advising coordinator for the School of Music. He earned a DMA in Music Composition and Theory from the University of Illinois, a MM in Theory and Composition as well as a MM in Classical Guitar Performance from Texas Tech University, and a BA in Applied Classical Guitar from University of Texas - Pan American. Jason has taught music theory and aural skills at the University of Illinois as well as undergraduate courses in electro-acoustic music composition at the University of Illinois’s Allen Hall. He has worked as a studio technician for the University of Texas Film Scoring Studio and served as studio director for the University of Illinois Unit 1 Electronic Music Studio.
 
Jason’s compositions appear on the EMPiRES, HighSCORE, and UIUC-EMS labels as well as on the 50th Anniversary of the University of Illinois Experimental Music Studios CD and his works have been featured on the Foldover Radio Show in Oberlin, Ohio. “Fractured Focus,” a video and sound collaboration with artists Josephine Turalba and Joaquin Tangalin, is on permanent display at the Yuchengco Museum in Manila, Philippines and other collaborative works have been installed at the 2016 CairoTronica and 2015 Venice Biennial. He was the featured composer of the 2014 Oh My Ears! Festival in Phoenix, Arizona, and his music has also been performed at numerous festivals and conferences including ICMC, SEAMUS, SCI, NYCEMF, Studio 300, NSEME, NMEA, EMM, KCEMA Happy Hour series, Channel Noise at Georgia Southern U., and Ensemble Mise-En’s summer festival and concert series. He has attended residencies at the Atlantic Center for the Arts (US), SoundSCAPE (Italy), HighSCORE (Italy), and UpBEAT (Croatia). To learn more about Jason’s music, visit www.jholtmusic.com. 
Jason Mitchell
Lecturer II, Music Technology, Composition, Music Appreciation
School of Music
Email: jason.mitchell@utrgv.edu
EPAC C1.107
David Moreno

David Moreno

Lecturer I - Mariachi
956-665-3471
david.a.moreno01@utrgv.edu
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David Moreno

David Moreno
Lecturer I - Mariachi
School of Music
Email: david.a.moreno01@utrgv.edu
EPACB 2.108
Phone: 956-665-3471
Juan de Dios Ocampo

Juan de Dios Ocampo

Lecturer, Piano
juan.ocampofonseca01@utrgv.edu
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Juan de Dios Ocampo

Juan de Dios Ocampo is a Mexican pianist, who has a Bachelors Degree in Piano Performance from the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City, and a Master Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, he has played many recitals in various cities in Mexico and in the south of Texas. He has been an accompanist for the Reynosa Choir from 2009-2020.
Juan de Dios Ocampo
Lecturer, Piano
School of Music
Email: juan.ocampofonseca01@utrgv.edu

Lorne O'Neil

Lorne O'Neil

Prof., Winds: Clarinet/Clarinet Choir
(956) 665-3476
lorne.oneil@utrgv.edu
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Lorne O'Neil

Dr. William O'Neil joined the Faculty of the University of Texas Pan American in 1992, where he now holds the rank of Professor. Dr. O'Neil received his DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) degree in clarinet from the University of Minnesota in 1990 where he studied with Cloyde Williams and John Anderson. He subsequently held one-year appointments at Utah State University and at Memorial University of Newfoundland before coming to UTPA. Dr. O'Neil is active as a recitalist, chamber musician, and clinician as well as being a prolific arranger of music for clarinet and saxophone solos and ensembles. Notable among his teachers have been Leon Russianoff, Mitchell Lurie, John Anderson, and Cloyde Williams. He is the creator of a highly successful On-Line Music Appreciation class being offered through the UT Telecampus since 1996. He is co-founder of the Valley Classic Ensemble and the University of Texas-Pan American faculty Ensemble Romantique. As an orchestral performer, he has been principal/co-principal clarinetist with the Valley Symphony since 1994. He has also played with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Omaha Symphony, the Victoria (TX) Symphony, the Symphony Orchestra of Nuevo Leon (Mexico), the Minnesota Opera, the North Star (MN) Opera, and the South Texas Lyric Opera. He recently was featured soloist with the Valley Symphony in the Weber Concertino for clarinet and orchestra. Dr. O'Neil attributes much of his success as a teacher to a terrible start on the clarinet, with no formal instruction whatever from his start in 7th grade until his second year in college. Having corrected every bad clarinet habit in the world, he has both the diagnostic/remedial skills to fix most students' problems, and the patience to help a student past some of their own personal musical crises.
Curriculum Vitae
Lorne O'Neil
Prof., Winds: Clarinet/Clarinet Choir
School of Music
Email: lorne.oneil@utrgv.edu
EPACB 2114
Phone: (956) 665-3476
Joel Pagan

Joel Pagan

Prof, Strings: Viola/Violin
(956) 665-3677
joel.pagan@utrgv.edu
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Joel Pagan

Hailed by The Monitor as an “impassioned performer,” Joel Pagán enjoys a multi-faceted career as a concert artist and educator.  An active chamber and solo recitalist, Pagán has performed throughout the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Canada, Bolivia, Italy, Costa Rica and Brazil.  Additionally, Pagán has performed in various international festivals such as the Brevard Music Center Festival, FOSJA/Casals Festival Puerto Rico, Meadowmount School of Music, Schlern International Music Festival, Cooperstown Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Institute at UNL, Festival Internacional de Música de la Escola de Música e Artes Cênicas da UFG, UNB Encontro de Cordas, International Adventist Youth Festival, Banff Centre and the Killington Music Festival among others. He has also given master-classes and workshops in the National Conservatory of Bolivia, Middle Tennessee State University, University of California Santa Cruz, Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, UNADECA, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Universidade de Brasil, Andrews University, Texas State University at San Marcos, University of Wyoming, Colorado State University and the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music among others.
As a soloist with orchestras, he has appeared with the Valley Symphony, Laredo Philharmonic, Monterey Bay Sinfonietta, UTPA Symphony, Sam Houston State University Symphony, Puerto Rico Conservatory Symphony and Andrews University Symphony. As an orchestral musician, Joel has performed in the violin and viola sections of the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio, Puerto Rico Philharmonic, Puerto Rico Chamber Orchestra, Corpus Christi Symphony, Mansfield Symphony, Lansing Symphony, Jackson Symphony, and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra.  Pagán has also appeared in the Youth Symphony of the Americas, Midland Symphony, Laredo Philharmonic, and Valley Symphony as principal violist.
Having studied with Robert Dan, I Fu Wang, Alan Bodman, José Figueroa, Ann Setzer, and Sally Thomas, Pagán holds degrees from Michigan State University, University of Akron, and the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico.
Currently, Pagán is an Associate Professor of Viola & Violin at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, faculty at the Killington Music Festival and principal viola of the Laredo Philharmonic.
Curriculum Vitae
Joel Pagan
Prof, Strings: Viola/Violin
School of Music
Email: joel.pagan@utrgv.edu
Performing Arts Complex B2.129
Phone: (956) 665-3677
Michael Quantz

Michael Quantz

Prof., Guitar Ensemble
956-882-7387
michael.quantz@utrgv.edu
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Michael Quantz

Dr. Michael Quantz is an innovative and groundbreaking educator on a national level. His teaching career has, so far, spanned nearly 50 years. His students have a remarkable record of success as music educators: all his graduates who have sought teaching have been successfully employed as music teachers. Dr. Quantz’s dedication to convening multiple entities through music events led to the creation the Brownsville Guitar Ensemble Festival, the first of its kind, which has run for more than 20 years and has attracted renown international performers and participants from all over the US and Mexico.

Dr. Quantz has combined innovative music instruction and event productions as fixtures in South Texas. He led the first US university guitar ensemble (the UTB one O’clock Guitars) to tour in Austria and they were the first guitar ensemble to perform on the US Embassy concert season in Vienna and the first to perform at the Schoënbrunn Palace Summer Concert Series. He conducted the Orquestra del Congresso Nacional de la Guitarra de Nicaragua, the first national music event of its kind in Nicaragua. His university ensemble was the first university guitar ensemble featured on Classical Guitar Alive!, an internationally syndicated show on National Public Radio. His accomplishments as a pioneering guitar ensemble conductor have an especially strong history including selection as the inaugural director for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) All-National Honors Guitar Ensemble (2018). He conducted the Austin (Texas) Classical Guitar Showcase Guitar Orchestra for over 10 years and conducted the All-State Guitar Ensemble for the Florida Music Education Association. His teaching recognition includes being a recipient of the University of Texas System Regents Outstanding Teaching Award and the University of Texas at Brownsville President’s Outstanding Teaching Award.

Dr. Quantz began his work in the Lower Rio Grande Valley as site coordinator for the J. Paul Getty Trust and the College Board during a multi-year national project: Unifying Secondary Education through the Arts. Dr. Quantz has enjoyed service for the Texas Guitar Directors Association (as VP and founding member), the Texas Music Educators Association (the world’s largest organization of its kind), Director of Education for the Guitar Foundation of America (GFA, 2005-2012), and the projects with the American String Teachers Association. He has served as Associate Dean for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley College of Fine Arts and as Interim Music Chair at the University of Texas at Brownsville.

He is currently Professor of Music and Guitar Area Coordinator at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and the President of the Brownsville Society for the Performing Arts, a nonprofit bringing world-class music to the Brownsville community.

Curriculum Vitae
Michael Quantz
Prof., Guitar Ensemble
School of Music
Email: michael.quantz@utrgv.edu
Brownsville: BMSLC 2.221
Phone: 956-882-7387
Mark Ramirez

Mark Ramirez

Prof., Percussion Ensemble
956-665-8762
mark.ramirez@utrgv.edu
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Mark Ramirez

Dr. Mark Joseph Ramírez is Professor of Percussion at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. As an artist, Mark has performed and collaborated under the direction of some of the leading musical authorities in the field composition, including Pulitzer Prize-winning composers John Corigliano, David Del Tredici and William Bolcom and Prix de Rome recipient Kevin Puts. He has performed with internationally acclaimed jazz and classical artists Ernie Watts, Eddie Daniels, Greg Abate, Jeff Jarvis, Dick Oats, Steve Wiest, Gordon Stout, Phil Smith, and performed as a guest Soloist with the Rio Grande Valley Symphony Orchestra.
As a scholar, Dr. Ramírez has received invitations to present and perform at the International Conference on Caribbean Studies, the Southwestern Conference on Latin American Studies, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and the American Association of Hispanic in Higher Education. In addition, Dr. Ramírez was awarded a 2008-2009 Faculty Fellowship from the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education and the 2015 Kerspit (X, Y)-honor Artist in Residency Fellow in Gent, Belgium. Other work includes six pending publications of original compositions for Marimba entitled Psalm, Despedidas, and Wooden Landscapes: IV Landscapes for Marimba. In the fall of 2012, I completed a collaboration with Fulbright SIR Scholar Mark Cloet (artist and sculptor). An exhibition entitled C. Stone was showcased at the International Museum of Art and Science in McAllen, TX. The exhibit ran for six months, from October 2012 through February 2013. My contribution to the exhibition resulted in a five movement original composition entitled Transformation of Stone. The first two movements were recorded at Breed Music in Dallas, TX in collaboration with 2012 84th Oscar Academy Award Winner John Hunter.
Curriculum Vitae
Mark Ramirez
Prof., Percussion Ensemble
School of Music
Email: mark.ramirez@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: Performing Arts Complex B1.125
Phone: 956-665-8762
Mezraq Ramli

Mezraq Ramli

Asst. Prof. of Double Reeds and Aural Skills
(956) 882-7188
mezraq.ramli@UTRGV.edu
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Mezraq Ramli

Dr. Mezraq Ramli serves as Assistant Professor of Double Reeds at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley where he specializes in oboe and bassoon. He also teaches chamber music, sight-singing and ear training. Prior to relocating to the Valley, Dr. Ramli served on the faculties of Northwestern Michigan College, Saginaw Valley State University and Lubbock Christian University. He has presented recitals and masterclasses at Texas Tech University, Eastern New Mexico University, New Mexico State University, The University of Texas at El Paso, Central Michigan University and Miami University.

Dr. Ramli maintains an active and diverse career as a chamber and orchestral musician, recitalist, and arts administrator. He performs as Principal Oboe with the South Asian Symphony Orchestra in India, Valley Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, as well as Second Oboe with the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria, and Baroque on Beaver Music Festival in Michigan. He has also performed with the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, Traverse Symphony Orchestra, Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, Middletown Symphony Orchestra, and Holland Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Ramli has concertized throughout South and South East Asia, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, Finland, and the U.S.A.

In 2015, Dr. Ramli founded the Leland Musical Arts Celebration (LMAC), an annual summer concert series in Leland, Michigan, which features world-class musicians from the U.S. and abroad.

A self-confessed double reed geek, Dr. Ramli is a consultant at Advantage Double Reeds USA, where he assists in research and development of oboe and bassoon products.

Dr. Ramli earned his degrees from Texas Tech University (DMA), Miami University (MM) and Grand Valley State University (BM) where he studied oboe with Amy Anderson, Andrea Ridilla, and Dr. Marlen Vavriková, respectively. His principal bassoon teachers include Richard Meek and John Clapp. Dr. Ramli deems his teachers: Andrea Ridilla, Barry Martin, Lynn Hansen, Lindabeth Binkley and Elizabeth Tomorsky Knott to be his most influential artistic influences and mentors.

Dr. Mezraq Ramli is proud to be an F. Lorée – Paris Performing Artist.
Mezraq Ramli – Loree – Paris (loree-paris.com)



Curriculum Vitae 

Mezraq Ramli
Asst. Prof. of Double Reeds and Aural Skills
School of Music
Email: mezraq.ramli@UTRGV.edu
BMSLC 2.220
Phone: (956) 882-7188
David Rios

David Rios

Part Time Lecturer
(956) 665-3471
david.rios@utrgv.edu
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David Rios

David Rios lives in McAllen, TX with his wife, 3 kids ages 12, 9 and 6, and 3 dogs.  David has an AA in Culinary Arts from South Texas College, BPS in Music Production from Berklee College of Music, and MBA from Southern New Hampshire University with a concentration in Music Business from Berklee.  Currently working as the Reference Supervisor at McAllen Public Library, he owns and operates Musicademy McAllen, which employs 6 private music instructors.  Additionally, he works as a music producer for local bands and artists.  Throughout the past 25 years David has formed and played in several bands, for which I played guitar or bass, selected repertoire, and managed.

Curriculum Vitae

David Rios
Part Time Lecturer
School of Music
Email: david.rios@utrgv.edu
EPACB 2.108
Phone: (956) 665-3471
Hector Javier Rodriguez

Hector Javier Rodriguez

Lecturer III Guitar, Guitar Ensemble
956-665-3471
hector.rodriguez@utrgv.edu
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Hector Javier Rodriguez

Dr. Hector Javier Rodriguez Santos enjoys an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher, having given performances and masterclasses in Puerto Rico, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Peru, and Mexico, as well as in the United States

As a soloist, Dr. Rodriguez’s career is highlighted by several events: he was first place winner in the University of Texas-Pan American Guitar Competition in 2009 and second place winner in the Houston Guitar Competition in 2010 (Classical Minds). Additionally, Rodriguez was recipient of the Ocelotl Award by Universidad Autonoma de Coahuila 2010 for Best Artistic Project. In 2014, he received the Leo Brouwer Prize at Festival Internacional de Guitarra del Noreste in Saltillo, Mexico. He was Second Prize Winner at the Dallas International Guitar Competition in 2018.

Dr. Rodriguez joined the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley faculty in the fall of 2014, where he serves as Director of the Guitar Ensemble and as Lecturer of Applied Guitar. Prior to his appointment at UTRGV, Dr. Rodriguez served on the faculty of the Escuela Preparatoria, Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, and on faculty at South Texas College.

An advocate for new music for guitar ensemble, Dr. Rodriguez has arranged several works, with the particular aim of replicating the sound world of the symphony orchestra. His arrangements are published by Bergmann Edition and ALRY Music and have been performed in concerts and festivals in Mexico, Puerto Rico, the United States, Panama, and Lebanon, among others.

Dr. Rodriguez holds a Bachelor of Music in Classical Guitar Performance from the Escuela Superior de Música Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila (Saltillo, Coahuila, México) where his primary teacher was Martín Madrigal; a Master of Music from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico where he studied guitar with Ivan Rijos and Manuel Barrueco; and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree with a secondary emphasis in early music from the University of North Texas, where he studied guitar with Thomas Johnson, and where he studied theorbo and early instruments with Daniel Swenberg and Arash Noori.

For more information please visit: www.hectorguitar.com
Hector Javier Rodriguez
Lecturer III Guitar, Guitar Ensemble
School of Music
Email: hector.rodriguez@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: Performing Arts Complex B2.127
Phone: 956-665-3471
Scott Roeder

Scott Roeder

Prof., Brass: Tuba, Euphonium
956-665-7134
scott.roeder@utrgv.edu
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Scott Roeder

Dr. Scott Roeder is Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley where he teaches applied tuba/euphonium and conducts the UTRGV Brass Band and UTRGV Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble. Previously Dr. Roeder served as Principal Tubist with the Midland-Odessa Symphony, Lone Star Brass Quintet, and the Texas Music Festival. Currently he serves as Principal Tuba with the Valley Symphony Orchestra and serves as the Personnel Manager for the organization. Additional orchestral performances include the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Canton Symphony, Illinois Symphony and many other professional orchestras throughout the country.
As a soloist Dr. Roeder has performed recitals at universities around the country and has been an invited performer at multiple ITEA Regional Tuba Euphonium Conferences as well as a guest artist at the 2012 and 2014 International Tuba Euphonium Conferences in Linz, Austria and Indiana University. Additionally he has been a featured soloist with the Midland-Odessa Symphony, Valley Symphony Orchestra, University of Akron Symphony, Odessa College Band, and the UTPA Wind Ensemble and UTPA String Orchestra. Dr. Roeder has been a prize winner in multiple regional solo competitions and was named a semi-finalist for the Leornard Falcone International Tuba Competition (1999 and 2000) and the 2000 International Tuba Euphonium Conference Solo Artist Tuba Competition in Regina, Saskatchewan.
As an educator Dr. Roeder previously taught at Wayland Baptist University, the University of Akron, and served as the low brass instructor for the Midland, Odessa, and Crane (TX) school districts. Other teaching positions have included the Wisconsin Summer Music Clinic, Baylor University Summer Music Camp, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and Sewanee Summer Music Festival. Dr. Roeder has also presented sessions at the 2004 International Tuba Euphonium Conference in Budapest, Hungary and the 2010 International Tuba Euphonium Conference in Tucson, Arizona. He is the author of the book “Tuba Tutor”, a pedagogical text on solo tuba literature. Dr. Roeder has also served as an adjudicator at the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Competition and the International Tuba Euphonium Conference. Dr. Roeder’s students have advanced in numerous international competitions and have held positions in the US Army Bands and other professional music ensembles.
Dr. Roeder received his Bachelors in Music Education at the University of Illinois, Masters in Music Performance from the University of Akron, and in 2008 received his DMA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His teachers include John Stevens, Tucker Jolly, Mark Moore, Sam Pilafian, and Pat Sheridan.
Curriculum Vitae
Scott Roeder
Prof., Brass: Tuba, Euphonium
School of Music
Email: scott.roeder@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: Performing Arts Complex B2.115
Phone: 956-665-7134
Katrina Roush

Katrina Roush

Assist. Prof., Music Theory
(956) 665-2681
katrina.roush@utrgv.edu
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Katrina Roush

Dr. Katrina Roush is an Assistant Professor of Music Theory at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music theory and ear training. She holds a Ph.D. in Music Theory from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, an M.M. in Music Theory from Michigan State University, and a B.A. in Applied Piano from Indiana Wesleyan University. Her dissertation, titled “Framing Listening Experiences in Selected Works of Corelli,” explores the roles listeners play in their own subjective experiences with music and examines the interaction between pieces and listeners through analysis.

Some of Dr. Roush’s other research interests include emotion and meaning in music, music and philosophy, musical agency, topic theory, video game music, and television music. She has presented her research at conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, including the Gruppo Analisi e Teoria Musicale International Conference of Music Analysis and Theory, the European Musical Analysis Conference, and the Rocky Mountain Society of Music Theory. In addition, Dr. Roush strongly believes in the collaboration between professors and librarians, and has co-presented on this topic at the Texas Music Library Association with her librarian husband.

Before coming to UTRGV, Dr. Roush taught at Butler University, Indiana University, and Michigan State University. A special interest of hers is online instruction. While at IU, she participated in the pedagogical development of Music Fundamentals Online, a web-based program for remedial music theory. She currently teaches the fully online Fundamentals of Music course at UTRGV using her own materials.

In her courses, Dr. Roush emphasizes the necessity of communication between musicians by encouraging written and spoken dialog about musical works. She believes that analytical skills will help her students become better teachers, performers, conductors, and composers as they understand music more deeply. Dr. Roush is especially concerned about the mental, emotional, and physical health of academic communities and works to find ways to integrate these principles into her classroom and one-on-one interactions with students.

Katrina Roush
Assist. Prof., Music Theory
School of Music
Email: katrina.roush@utrgv.edu
EPACB 1.126
Phone: (956) 665-2681
David Sadlier

David Sadlier

Prof., Voice, Opera
956-665-2860
david.sadlier@utrgv.edu
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David Sadlier

David Sadlier has been praised for both his vocal and dramatic abilities and hailed as "one of America's leading dramatic tenors" (Oxford Mail). Dr. Sadlier's opera credits include appearances with the Lyric Opera of Baltimore, Chicago Opera Theater, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, New Orleans Opera, Opera Circle of Cleveland, Opera North, and the Baltimore Concert Opera. Fortunate to be involved in many new works, Dr. Sadlier has performed several world premieres including Loss of Eden (Opera Theater of St. Louis), the title role in Thamos: King of Egypt (Opera Circle of Cleveland), Our Town and the collegiate debut of A View From the Bridge (Indiana University). Most recently, Dr. Sadlier appeared in Tosca with the Lyric Opera of Baltimore and both Carmen and Tosca with The Baltimore Concert Opera.  He returned to Opera Circle of Cleveland as Edrisi in Szymanowski's Krol Roger where he also performed Tebaldo in I Capuletti e i Montecchi, and the role of Fritz Kobus in L'Amico Fritz. In addition, the tenor covered the role of Siegmund in Virginia Opera's recent production of Die Walküre. Concert appearances include a world premier song cycle, All ye know on Earth with the St. Anne's Camerata (Oxford), Handel’s Messiah with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra with Maestro Joanne Falletta;Britten's Serenade under the baton of Richard Hughey, Mozart's Requiem with the Battle Creek Symphony, Britten's Saint Nicolas with the Kokomo Symphony Orchestra, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass and Brahms' Liebeslieder Walzes with the Lafayette Bach Chorale, Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music with the Indianapolis Symphony, and several performances with the Valley Symphony Orchestra.
Equally at home on the recital stage, Dr. Sadlier has performed many major works including Die schöne Müllerin, Dichterliebe, An die ferne Geliebte, On Wenlock Edge, andFinzi's O fair to see and been featured at major international venues including London’s Church of St. Martin in the Fields, Oxford’s Jacqueline du Pré Music Room and The Schumann-Haus in Zwickau, Germany.  Dr. Sadlier collaborates in recital with his wife, pianist, Dr. Lelia Molthrop Sadlier.  The duo specialize in theme-specific recitals and past performances have featured songs of William Shakespeare and, most recently, World War I.
Dr. Sadlier currently serves as Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley where he teaches applied voice, language diction, and serves as operatic conductor and stage director. Dr. Sadlier's students have distinguished themselves as winners of regional competitions, and through admittance to nationally and internationally recognized summer training programs and leading graduate programs such as the Manhattan School of Music, the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, the University of Michigan, the New England Conservatory of Music, and the Longy School of Music. Dr. Sadlier continues to serve as a guest clinician and recitalist at universities and institutes throughout the country; including Florida State University, The University of Colorado Boulder, Radford University, University of Southern Mississippi, Nicholls State University, SUNY Geneseo, the Interlochen School for the Arts, Montana State University, Western Illinois University, Albion College, and the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory. Dr. Sadlier has also served as a guest-lecturer at St. Anne's College, Oxford.
In the summer of 2011, Dr. Sadlier founded The Cornish American Song Institute (CASI) based in Falmouth, Cornwall, UK. The Institute is a three-week study of art-song for singers, pianists, and composers. The Institute provides applied music lessons, musical coachings, English Music Classes, tours of historic sites in England, and presents several concerts. In addition, CASI spends one-week in Oxford engaging in lectures and master classes with musical luminaries from the University of Oxford and Trinity College in London.  CASI has become a leading training ground for art song performers whose alumni have gone on to distinguish themselves in their young careers.
Dr. Sadlier earned the Doctor of Music degree from The Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where he continues to study with Andreas Poulimenos. While at IU he served as an Associate Instructor of Voice for four years. Dr. Sadlier also holds a Masters degree in vocal performance from Indiana University as well as a Bachelor of Music from Loyola University in New Orleans.

Curriculum Vitae

David Sadlier
Prof., Voice, Opera
School of Music
Email: david.sadlier@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: Performing Arts Complex
Phone: 956-665-2860
Katilyn Sanders

Katilyn Sanders

Part Time Lecturer, Voice
956-665-3471
katilyn.sanders@utrgv.edu
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Katilyn Sanders

Soprano Katilyn V. Sanders, a native of Lubbock, Texas, recently completed her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. During her time at UMKC, she performed the roles of Nella in Gianni Schicchi, Geraldine in A Hand of Bridge, Ma Zegner in Proving Up, and was a chorus member in The Magic Flute. She was honored twice with the Women’s Council Graduate Award and served as the soprano section leader for the Conservatory Singers, UMKC’s most advanced vocal ensemble. While living in Kansas City, Professor Sanders made her debut with the Topeka Symphony and the professional choir Cardinalis.

Professor Sanders holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where she portrayed Sister Genevieve in Suor Angelica, First Knitter in A Game of Chance, and Mother/Grandma in Little Red Riding Hood. During her time at UTSA, she won the Concerto & Aria Contest and performed with the San Antonio Master Singers and the San Antonio Symphony. She was also a semifinalist twice in the Young Texas Artist Music Competition and toured with UTSA’s Opera On The Run outreach program. She frequently collaborated with Opera San Antonio in productions such as La traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, Faust, Tosca, I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Don Giovanni, and Rigoletto.

While at UTSA, Professor Sanders was awarded both the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and the Professional Development Award, which enabled her to study abroad in Italy for two semesters. There, she studied with La Scala tenor Patrizio Saudelli at the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro, Italy. She also studied Italian, music history, and art history while taking regular voice lessons and presenting several recitals.

Professor Sanders is a proud alumna of Amarillo College, where she received her Associate’s Degree in Music Performance. She has performed regularly with Amarillo Opera in productions such as Speed Dating Tonight!, La Périchole, Madama Butterfly, Candide, and Lucia di Lammermoor. She is also an alumna of the Taos Opera Institute, the Crittenden Opera Studio, and most recently, Music Across the Pond, where she served as their Performance Fellow in Oxford this past June. Professor Sanders has performed in master classes with world-class musicians such as Teresa Cahill, Roger Vignoles, and Jill Grove.
Katilyn Sanders
Part Time Lecturer, Voice
School of Music
Email: katilyn.sanders@utrgv.edu

Phone: 956-665-3471
Alexander Sanso

Alexander Sanso

Assistant Professor, Trumpet
956-665-3471
alexander.sanso@utrgv.edu
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Alexander Sanso

Dr. Alexander Sanso serves an Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He previously held a position at Bowling Green State University as Adjunct Instructor of Trumpet, a position he has held Fall of 2021 through Spring of 2023. A native of Monroe, NY, He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the State University of New York, College at Potsdam’s Crane School of Music where he double majored in music education and performance, along with minoring in jazz studies. After attending Potsdam, Alexander received his Master of Music degree in trumpet performance from Bowling Green State University and his doctorate from The Ohio State University.

Alexander has had the pleasure of studying with Dr. James Madeja (Crane School of Music), Charles Saenz (Bowling Green State University), Timothy Leasure (The Ohio State University), Byron Stripling (The Ohio State University), and Dr. John Charles Thomas (Assistant Principal trumpet, Hartford Symphony). Sanso has performed with the Lima (Ohio), Columbus (Ohio), Westerville (Ohio), Worthington (Ohio), and Adrian (Michigan) symphony orchestras. Alongside his orchestral work, Sanso also regularly performs as a pit musician with the Columbus Children’s Theatre and South Eastern Summer Theater Institute.

He has served as third trumpet with the Westerville Symphony Orchestra and second trumpet Worthington Chamber Orchestra, and can be heard on the Bowling Green State University Wind Symphony’s 2018 album as a section and principal player. Sanso has also performed with the Tower Brass Quintet, a Toledo based group, with other faculty members from Bowling Green State University, as well as the Utopia Brass Quintet based in Columbus, Ohio. Sanso also has a developing solo career, performing solo recital programs at both Bowling Green State University and Ohio University.

Alexander’s area of research focuses primarily on new works which feature the trumpet as a solo instrument. Additionally, his dissertation document, “An Analysis of Three Compositions for Trumpet by Female Composers,” centers around works for trumpet by underrepresented composers (Female and BIPOC). As a soloist, Sanso premiered Cooper Wood’s Sonata for Trumpet and Piano in October of 2020, and has joined consortiums of composers Robert Langenfeld and John Hennecken.

Curriculum Vitae
Alexander Sanso
Assistant Professor, Trumpet
School of Music
Email: alexander.sanso@utrgv.edu

Phone: 956-665-3471
Kenneth Saxon

Kenneth Saxon

Prof., Piano
956-882-8267
kenneth.saxon@utrgv.edu
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Kenneth Saxon

Pianist Kenneth Saxon has performed as a soloist and collaborative pianist on three continents, including recent appearances in Sri Lanka and India. Known for his wide-ranging repertoire, Saxon has premiered works by Gary Smoke and Kawai Shiu and regularly explores works by Schumann, Crumb, Bartok, and Kurtág. Saxon’s recording of the Rachmaninoff Preludes, Op. 32 was praised for the “fineness of touch . . . and excellent handling of polyphony” by William Kreindler for MusicWeb-International.

Saxon uses color, touch, and timing to create distinct sound worlds for each composer. His distinctive programming helps audiences make unexpected connections between the music and their own lives. An entertaining and engaging presence, Saxon often introduces works with a brief story about the pieces and his own experiences with them. Recent programs that include a storytelling element include:

A Secret Tone, https://vimeo.com/234890570 
Cold War Recital, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_khyHBSdNlU 
Out of Doors #1, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO182Y_BqRY 

Kenneth is Professor of Music at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He has published articles on sight reading in the Piano Pedagogy Journal, American Music Teacher and Pianist magazine. His book Steps to Success has helped hundreds of musicians improve their sight-reading fluency. Saxon regularly offers coaching, master classes and workshops along with his performances.


Curriculum Vitae
Kenneth Saxon
Prof., Piano
School of Music
Email: kenneth.saxon@utrgv.edu
Brownsville: BMSLC 1.207
Phone: 956-882-8267
Diana Seitz

Diana Seitz

Assoc. Prof., Strings: Violin
956-665-2869
diana.seitz@utrgv.edu
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Diana Seitz

Violinist Diana Seitz is currently violin faculty at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, Texas where she resides with her husband and the youngest of her three children. A soloist and chamber musician in demand, Diana has had the pleasure of performing in sold-out venues such as: Segerstrom Concert Hall (Costa Mesa, CA), Detroit Music Hall (MI), Lensic Performing Arts Center (Santa Fe, NM), Krannert Center (Champaign, IL), The Palladium (Carmel, IN), Touhill Performing Arts Center (St. Louis, MO), ARTIS-Naples (FL), Steinmetz Hall, and Dr. Phillips Center (Orlando, FL). Diana’s most recent engagements included a full-length Recital at Carnegie Hall with pianist Maya Tuylieva and cellist Esther Seitz. Born and raised in Baku, Azerbaijan into a family of professional singers, Diana grew up backstage traveling with her parents’ popular band. She made her debut at the age of nine as a soloist with chamber orchestra. As a teenager, she went on to become a laureate of the Azerbaijan National Young Musician’s Competition, performing Paganini’s Violin Concerto No.1 with the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Orchestra, including a fiendishly difficult cadenza by E. Sauret. After graduating from the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory, Diana was forced to leave her homeland. A refugee fleeing severe ethnic persecution, Diana stepped off an airplane onto US soil in 1993 and never looked back. Since then, Seitz has performed all around the US, including solo appearances with the Kansas City Civic Orchestra, Kinnor Philharmonic Orchestra (Kansas City, KS), Grassroots Festival Orchestra (PA), Endless Mountain Music Festival Symphony Orchestra (Corning, NY), Lancaster Symphony Orchestra (PA), and was the featured soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of Turkmenistan on the soundtrack of the VR immersive documentary “1991”. Diana’s international career has taken her to concert halls in Russia, Europe, and Mexico, and has garnered the highest praise of her colleagues. Diana’s growing YouTube channel Seitz String Pros has allowed her to connect with audiences in both the US and abroad. Diana plays a 1759 Paolo Testore violin.

Curriculum Vitae

Diana Seitz
Assoc. Prof., Strings: Violin
School of Music
Email: diana.seitz@utrgv.edu
EPACB B2.130
Phone: 956-665-2869
Hector Silva

Hector Silva

Lecturer I (OYA), World Music, Sight Singing & Ear Training
(956) 665-2403
hector.silva02@utrgv.edu
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Hector Silva

Hector Silva
Lecturer I (OYA), World Music, Sight Singing & Ear Training
School of Music
Email: hector.silva02@utrgv.edu
ELABS 265
Phone: (956) 665-2403
Daniel Soto

Daniel Soto

Lecturer I - Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
(956) 665-3471
daniel.soto@utrgv.edu
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Daniel Soto

Daniel Soto serves as Lecturer I – Assistant Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. In his duties at UTRGV, Mr. Soto is responsible for assisting with directing and administrating all UTRGV Athletic Bands, including the Vaquero Marching Band, volleyball and basketball pep bands, and maintains close collaboration with UTRGV Athletics. Along with athletic band responsibilities, Prof. Soto teaches a Marching Band Methods course, Applied Saxophone and directs the Concert Band at the Brownsville campus. Prior to his appointment at UTRGV, he served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Texas at El Paso and at Oklahoma State University, where he earned his Master of Music in Wind Conducting degree under the tutelage of Dr. Brad Genevro.

Daniel Soto is a native of El Paso, Texas, where he completed a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Texas at El Paso. During his time in El Paso, Soto taught saxophone lessons to students of all levels, worked with various marching band programs, adjudicated for TMEA’s region 22, and performed with the local civic wind band – The El Paso Winds. While at UTEP, Mr. Soto worked with the Marching Miners and UTEP Pep Bands arranging music, and teaching drill. He also worked with the UTEP Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Concert Band. While at Oklahoma State, Soto served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Cowboy Marching Band, OSU Spirit Band, all university concert bands, and the Advanced Conducting Class. In his multi-faceted role at OSU, Soto served as a Graduate Conducting Associate for the OSU Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Co-Director of the University Band and the OSU Saxophone Ensemble – where he commissioned, arranged and premiered new works for saxophone ensemble at the 2024 North American Saxophone Alliance biennial conference. At both UTEP and OSU, Soto was an active performer with all university ensembles and has taken part in a variety of recording projects, with recordings being released on the Mark Records and Klavier Records labels.

Mr. Soto holds professional and honorary memberships with Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, National Association for Music Education, National Band Association, College Band Directors National Association, North American Saxophone Alliance, and Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity.

Curriculum Vitae

Daniel Soto
Lecturer I - Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
School of Music
Email: daniel.soto@utrgv.edu
BMSLC 2.212
Phone: (956) 665-3471
Diane Taylor

Diane Taylor

Part Time Lecturer, Voice
(956) 882-7768
Diane.Taylor@utrgv.edu
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Diane Taylor

Diane Taylor, described as a “clear, beautifully colored soprano” by the Broad Street Review in Philadelphia and “sweetly endearing” by Music in Cincinnati, is an artist based in Brownsville, Texas. A specialist in collaborative music, Diane has sung with ensembles across the country and in Europe including the Grammy award-winning ensemble, The Crossing, Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble, RedShift, Taylor Festival Choir, Weimar Bach Cantata Academy, Chorosynthesis, Berwick Chorus of the Oregon Bach Festival, Schola Cincinnati, Dallas Choral Festival, and JSB Ensemble of the International Bachakademie Stuttgart. Diane apprenticed for two summers with Berkshire Choral International and is now soprano faculty. She recently founded, Alium Spiritum, a chamber vocal quartet dedicated to one-on-a-part music and school outreach.

A frequent soloist, Diane has appeared recently with the Warminster Symphony, Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, Network for New Music, the Northern Kentucky Community Chorus, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Master Chorale. Recent works include Mozart’s Requiem, Honegger’s King David, Messiah, Mozart’s Mass in c minor, and Fasch’s Misssa à 16 voci in Quattro Cori.

She received a Bachelor of Music from Capital University Conservatory of Music, and a Master of Music and a Professional Studies Diploma from the Boyer College of Music and Dance at Temple University. When not singing, Diane spends her free time tangled up in a knitting project or baking pastries.
Diane Taylor
Part Time Lecturer, Voice
School of Music
Email: Diane.Taylor@utrgv.edu
Brownsville: BMSLC 2.225
Phone: (956) 882-7768
Sean Taylor

Sean Taylor

Assoc. Prof., Voice, Master Chorale
956-882-7724
sean.taylor@utrgv.edu
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Sean Taylor

Dr. Taylor serves as an Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies on the Brownsville campus. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, the Master of Music in Conducting from Carnegie Mellon University, where he served as Assistant Conductor to Grammy winner Robert Page, and the Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Westminster College (PA). He is an active teacher, performer, and guest conductor.  In addition to his duties at UTRGV, he sings with the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati under the direction of Grammy winner Craig Hella Johnson, serves on the summer faculty of Berkshire Choral International, and is a diction specialist for SingersBabel.com.
While at CCM, he served as assistant conductor of the CCM Chorale and Chamber Choir under Earl Rivers and as music director of the UC Cabaret Singers. An experienced church musician, he has served on the music staffs of Knox Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati and Third Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. In addition to extensive freelance solo work, Sean has performed with the Cincinnati Opera Chorus, the May Festival Chorus, the Pittsburgh Opera Chorus and Mendelssohn Choir in Pittsburgh, for whom he was a Conducting Assistant and member of the Professional Core for 6 years.

Curriculum Vitae

Sean Taylor
Assoc. Prof., Voice, Master Chorale
School of Music
Email: sean.taylor@utrgv.edu
Brownsville: BMSLC 2.230
Phone: 956-882-7724
Liudmila Varlamova

Liudmila Varlamova

Lecturer III, Piano
956-665-7914
liudmila.varlamova@utrgv.edu
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Liudmila Varlamova

PhD, Pedagogical Sciences, Russian Academy of Education, 1993

MFA, Choral Conducting, Gnesins' State Music and Pedagogical Institute, 1982

BFA, Choral Conducting, Gnessin State Musical College, 1977

Curriculum Vitae

Liudmila Varlamova
Lecturer III, Piano
School of Music
Email: liudmila.varlamova@utrgv.edu
EPACB 1126
Phone: 956-665-7914
Justin Writer

Justin Writer

Prof., Music Theory/Composition
956-665-2890
justin.writer@utrgv.edu
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Justin Writer

Justin Writer is Associate Professor of Composition and Music Theory at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Writer’s music is performed by professional and university ensembles throughout the United States, Europe, Mexico, and South America. Among groups that have performed Writer’s works include the October Trio, Crouse Quartet, Levande Musik, Contemporary Ensemble, Konza Winds, Duo Avanzondo, Springfield Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (Massachusetts), Bozeman Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Choir, Wichita State University Wind Ensemble, Emporia State Concert Band, Pittsburg State University Wind Ensemble, University of Texas-Pan American Wind Ensemble, Quintet Oklahoma, and Quartetto Saloma. His music is published by Cimarron Music Press,  Media Press, Fatrock Ink, Echelon Music, and Really Good Music. Fantasia and Five Images From Early Earth can be heard on Duo Avanzando's debut CD.
Awards, honors, and special performances include ASCAPLUS awards (2007-2014), International Trumpet Guild (2015), CMS South Central Chapter (2009), 2012 International Tuba/Euphonium Conference, 2011 International Tuba/Euphonium South Central Regional Conference, 2012 North American Saxophone Alliance, 2012 Chicago Bass Festival, 2010 SCI Region 6 Conference, 2010 and 2011 CMS National Conferences, winner of the Wichita State University Contemporary Music Festival Competition (1999, 2000), winner of Levande Musik’s Live Elevator Project (2008), Voxnovus 60X60 Midwest Minutes Mix (2006), work selected for 2009 Nashville Sound Crawl, work selected for the University of Nebraska at Kearney New Music Festival (2007), work selected for the Seventh International Festival of Contemporary Art, Mexico, 2000, Finalist, 1997 BMG National Young Composers Competition, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Kappa Kappa Psi.
Writer received his D.M.A in Composition from the University of Oklahoma, his M.M. in Theory/Composition from Wichita State University, and a B.M.E. from Pittsburg State University (Kansas). Dr. Writer’s principal composition teachers include Marvin Lamb, Walter Mays, Robert Deemer, Katherine Ann Murdock, Evan Hause, and Stephen Andrew Taylor.
Curriculum Vitae
Justin Writer
Prof., Music Theory/Composition
School of Music
Email: justin.writer@utrgv.edu
Edinburg: Performing Arts Complex B2.131
Phone: 956-665-2890
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