Spring 2024 Quarter Notes | School of Music

This issue of Quarter Notes contains recent news highlights and updates from throughout the School of Music community as we near the conclusion of a busy and varied Spring Quarter 2024. In this issue, we announce the successful conclusion of recent faculty searches as well as a recent bequest that will benefit our piano students in the years to come. We congratulate School of Music students who were recently chosen for the UW's Husky 100 and share video performances by the winners of our 2024 Concerto and Composition Competitions. And we invite our alumni, friends, and supporters to join us on May 31 for the Second Annual UW Music Homecoming, presented by the School of Music and the UW Alumni Association. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your continued support!
—Joël-François Durand, Acting Director

Faculty searches complete

The School of Music recently announced the successful completion of faculty searches in the areas of Music Education; Composition/Improvisation/Theory; and Music Technology, plus a spousal hire in Music. New appointments are effective in Fall 2024 and Winter 2025. Francisco Luis Reyes, Music Education The UW gains a new assistant professor of Music Education in Fall 2024 with the recent selection of Francisco Luis Reyes to join the Music Education faculty at the School of Music. A… Read more

2024 Husky 100 includes School of Music student Brandon Cain

School of Music student Brandon Cain has been named one of the University of Washington’s 2024 Husky 100, recognized by the UW as being exemplary of a student making the most of their University of Washington experience. The annual recognition is granted to 100 undergraduate, graduate and professional students from the UW Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses in all areas of study. Cain, a senior who graduates this June with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education (Instrumental/General… Read more

Willard Schultz legacy to benefit UW piano students

A beloved piano teacher’s last acts of generosity will enhance the education of young musicians for years to come, thanks to a former student’s decision to direct a bequest from Seattle pianist Willard Schultz to benefit piano students at the University of Washington. Schultz was extraordinarily devoted to his students, says UW piano professor Robin McCabe, who studied with him briefly as a young musician and remained friends with him until his death in April 2022 at age 96. “Will Schultz… Read more

Spring 2024 Student and Alumni Notes

Students of piano professor Craig Sheppard

School of Music students and alumni report recent honors, performances, career milestones, and other notable achievements. Alumna Jiannan Cheng (’16 MM, Wind Conducting), former student of Timothy Salzman, recently returned from Romania, where she competed in an international competition with 200 conductors from countries throughout the world. She finished second in the finals, competing against accomplished conductors from orchestras and opera houses in Italy, Germany, and… Read more

Spring 2024 Faculty Notes

School of Music director Joël-François with Clark Tenakhongva, Hopi singer and recording artist, whose group The Öngtupqa Trio were in residency at the UW in April 2024 (Photo: Joanne DePue).

School of Music faculty report recent performances, residencies, teaching engagements, summer tour plans, and other updates. Geoffrey Boers, Choral Conducting A concert tour of Europe is on the itinerary this June for the UW Chamber Singers, led by Professor Geoffrey Boers, and the University Chorale, led by Professor Giselle Wyers. The singers and graduate student conductors are scheduled to present concerts in Prague, Czesky-Krumłowski, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest. In… Read more