Class Notes

David Vogels (MM ’77)
Vogels has translated Dorothee Bauer’s groundbreaking study—Olivier Messiaen’s “Livre du Saint Sacrement”: Mystery of the Eucharistic Presence (Brill | Schöning)—from German to English. In March 2023, Vogels performed the entire 18-movement organ work, “Livre du Saint Sacrement,” at Augustana Lutheran Church in Denver.

Jeff Colella (’78)
Colella has released Love Music (And It Will Love You Back)—Palmetto Publishing—a book about how we learn and understand music that turns some of the most sophisticated ideas in jazz philosophy into practical, accessible advice. In this collection of essays on a variety of musical topics—from improvisation and harmonic analysis to comping, time concepts, piano technique, phrasing and more—“it’s my hope that the book will prove helpful to musicians and teachers in general, regardless of instrument or stylistic preferences. I talk about how we learn, teach and perform the music we love,” Colella says. 

Steven Bernstein (BM ’80)
A veteran composer for films and television, Bernstein is widely recognized for his work. In 2020, he received his 13th Emmy Award nomination after previously winning five for music composed for animation. The most recent nomination was for his and his wife Julie’s work in the reboot of the popular show “Animaniacs,” streaming on Hulu. The Bernsteins premiered the second season of the series in November 2021 and presented a master class on music for animation for the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers.

John Heins (MM ’82)
Heins was a finalist of the 9th International Film Music Competition (2021) which took place in Zurich, Switzerland. Under the baton of Frank Strobel, the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra world-premiered the three finalists’ compositions, including Heins’ composition—out of 182 participants from 37 countries. Entrants were asked to write a symphony orchestra score for the eight-minute short film “Etiqueta Negra” by David Vergés.

Michael Fiday (BM ’83)
The American Academy of Arts and Letters named composer Michael Fiday (BM ’83) a recipient of its 2024 Awards in Music—accompanied by an additional $10,000 grant towards a recording of his work. The ceremony and reception will be held at the Arts and Letters Library in New York in May 2024.

John Kaye Gottschall (MM ’73, DMA ’83)
Gottschall self-published the complete four-part J. S. Bach chorales in two volumes–the first in 2012 and the second in 2015. He is  now translating all of the Bach cantatas with inclusive and gender sensitive texts in both English and Spanish.

Max Stern (DMA ’89)
Stern’s book—“The Art of the Music Critic”—has been published by Nova Academic Publishers. “It’s based on my reviews as music critic for The Jerusalem Post from 1988-2020,” says Stern. “If it were not for my studies at the CU Boulder College of Music, this book would never have been written. It was the coursework I did in American Music with Professor William Kearns—and the academic papers under Professor Karl Kroeger and Professor Richard Toensing—that gave me the skill and background in writing, critical thinking and evaluation to become a music critic.”

Max Stern (DMA ’89)
Stern—composer, performer, conductor, musicologist and educator—pioneers biblical compositions blending contemporary idioms and genres. The Israel Music Institute released his “Retrospective” recording. Stern’s publication—“The Speech of the Angels: Thoughts on the Theory of Music A Philosophical Perspective”—explores the meaning of the Theory of Music from a humanistic perspective. Additionally, Stern was invited to Budapest, Hungary, to attend a performance of his composition “Prayer for Israel” by the Kecskemet Singing Circle under renowned conductor and Kodály method expert Péter Erdei at the European Cantors Association 14th Convention. Stern’s “Blessings and Praises” CD—comprising five biblical compositions—was released in October 2023. 

Meryl Mantione (MM ’84, DMA ’89)
Mantione retired from the School of Music at Ball State University in May 2021 after a 34 year teaching career.

Thomas Caneva (DMA ’94)
Caneva conducted the Ball State University (BSU) Wind Ensemble at the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) National Conference in Athens, Georgia, in February 2023. The Wind Ensemble premiered new works by Paul Dooley (“Boom Goes The Dynamite”) and Gilda Lyons (“Cenizas”) at the conference. This marked the third appearance by the Ball State Wind Ensemble at a CBDNA National Conference since 2011. In 2022, the BSU Wind Ensemble performed at the national convention of the American Bandmasters Association. Caneva is currently the Chair of the Sousa-ABA-Ostwald Composition Contest. He has served as Director of Bands at Ball State University since 2006 and held the position of Associate Director of Bands at CU from 1989-1998.

David Radames Toro (BM ’02)
Radamés Toro applies his experience in music and stage movement to direct creative and meaningful opera. He directed Opera Colorado’s production of “The Shining” in spring 2022.

Mark Nowakowski (MM ’03)
Nowakowski was promoted to associate professor of music at Kent State University. He is releasing his second album–“Metanoia”–through DUX/Naxos. The album is a follow-up to his 2017 Naxos premiere portrait disc, “Blood, Forgotten”—the title track of which was composed while Nowakowski was still a student at CU Boulder. Composer-in-residence with His Majesty’s Men and director of the Vos Omnes Virtual Choir, he has also been published in numerous publications including Sound on Sound Magazine and Sacred Arts Journal.

Sara Gartland (MM ’04, AD ’06) 
Gartland performed as Marie/Marietta in Opera Colorado’s production of “Die Tote Stadt” (“The Dead City”) in spring 2023.

Nathan Wilson (BM ’09) 
Wilson is a member of Trio Polytone debuting July 2023.

Catherine Compton (MM ’11)
Compton was named a 2021 P.E.O. Scholar, receiving a $20,000 scholar award in support of her doctoral research at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She joined the IU Jacobs School faculty in August 2021 as visiting lecturer in music (voice).

Landon Morrison (MM ’12)
Morrison serves as director of undergraduate studies at the Harvard University Department of Music where he also teaches undergraduate theory, musicianship, timbre, popular music and sound studies.

Lisa Martin (MME ’10, PhD ’14)
Martin is associate editor of the Music Educators Journal, as well as associate professor with tenure at Bowling Green State University.

Abby Yeakle Held (MM ’14)
Held was appointed oboe faculty at Ohio State University.

William Kinne (DMA ’15)
Kinne serves as director of bands and assistant professor of music at the University of Southern Maine, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on conducting and music education.