Woodwinds news

Longtime Associate Professor of Saxophone Tom Myer retired in May. As the year draws to a close, enjoy his insightful career reflections and advice … and discover what he’s up to now!

We’re thrilled to announce that Nathan Mertens will join the College of Music faculty as assistant professor of saxophone in fall 2023.

This winter, our Outstanding Graduating Senior is flute performance major Andrea Kloehn. Meet Kloehn and celebrate ALL our amazing College of Music grads! Congratulations, #MusicBuffs!

The work of Assistant Professor of Music Technology Grace Leslie—flutist, electronic musician and scientist—melds art, engineering and neuroscience to probe the millennia-spanning relationship between humans and a good tune ... and whether the right kind of music can help to heal the body and brain.

Olivia Huizar Conner shares how her background inspires her to promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in music.

We’re so excited to welcome alumnus Damani Phillips back to campus this week and to present him the College of Music’s 2022 Distinguished Alumnus Award at our commencement ceremony on May 5! “The versatile training provided by CU has been the cornerstone of my success to date, and has enabled me to do and be many things well beyond typical expectations,” he says. Meet Phillips and discover his powerful advice to graduating Music Buffs.

On April 22, the CU Flute studio will present diverse works by Valerie Coleman, Jennifer Higdon, Toru Takemitsu and Annika Socolofsky to commemorate Earth Day.

In a delayed celebration of the College of Music’s 100th anniversary, the CU Symphony Orchestra will perform a specially commissioned work by renowned composer Christopher Theofanidis. “The one thing you can do is create something that represents you—a musical poem that you leave behind for others to enjoy and perform,” says the Grammy-nominated composer whose “On the Bridge of the Eternal” will debut in Macky Auditorium on April 26.

To support our students’ and our community’s musical development, the College of Music offers summer session courses and richly varied summer programming.

Recent alumnus Kaleb Chesnic has already made his mark on flute repertoire by transcribing all three of Edvard Grieg’s violin sonatas. He shared with us how his debut recording with collaborative pianist and alumna Nathália Kato came to be.