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Recent News
February 14, 2025
In his 30 years at the School of Music, trumpeter Roy Cummings influenced the musical training of thousands of students, introducing them to the greats of the jazz art form and encouraging their professional and musical aspirations. He also was a cofounder of the School’s Jazz Studies Program, serving as its chair from 1979 to 1993.
Cummings’ career at UW began in 1970 when he became a trumpet instructor after earning music and music education degrees at UW, and continued with his longtime... Read more
February 6, 2025
In a recent interview with Bloomberg Law, School of Music adjunct faculty member Peter Nicolas weighs in on the impacts on songwriters of recent court rulings in favor of Spotify USA Inc. and its "bundling" pricing structure that drastically reduced royalty payment to artists on the streaming platform.
The ruling, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, opens the door for providers like Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. to mimic Spotify’s royalty-slashing... Read more
January 23, 2025
From The Strad, Jan 29, 2024
Violinist Michael Jinsoo Lim performs ‘Hertabuise’ by violist–composer Melia Watras, a work for violin and narrator, setting a poem by poet Herbert Woodward Martin who performs as the narrator.
‘Hertabuise is part of my continued work with poet and friend Herbert Woodward Martin,’ wrote Watras. ‘I asked Herb if he was interested in a new collaboration, this time with him reading to a single violin, played by Michael Jinsoo Lim. Among the writings... Read more
January 23, 2025
Doppelgänger Dances for violin solo was written in 2017 by composer Melia Watras. Her husband, violinist Michael Jinsoo Lim, performs the work on the upcoming album Kinetic.
This video... Read more
January 12, 2025
December 11, 2024
School of Music students and alumni report recent awards, appointments, honors, and other academic and career achievements.
Alumna Kristin Vogel Lindemuth (DMA, Voice) took a starring role as Mimi in Tacoma Opera’s recent production of Puccini’s La Bohème at Pantages Theater. UW Voice professor Thomas Harper directed. School of Music students and alumni performing included Sarah Santos, Meliza Redulla, Mallory McCollum, Sydney Belden... Read more
December 11, 2024
Former longtime School of Music piano technician Susan Willanger Cady died in early September, 2024, after a long, recurring battle with cancer. Susan started work at the School of Music in the early 1990s, assisting Steve Brady, the School's former head piano technician, and was hired permanently in 1995. She retired in 2017.
A self-avowed “Steinway junkie,” Susan worked hand-in-hand at the School of Music with former tech Doug Wood, who came aboard upon Brady’s retirement, and together they... Read more
December 11, 2024
A community engagement initiative established at the School of Music last year has brought hundreds of elementary school children to the University of Washington over the past several quarters to observe rehearsals and performances in a guided listening format.
Through a partnership with Seattle educator and arts activist Emilia Kister and her company Common Thread Arts, LLC, the School of Music has engaged young listeners and their families and teachers in live music experiences intended to... Read more
December 11, 2024
The campaign to revitalize critical spaces in the University of Washington Music Building has reached an important milestone, with generous gifts from UW friends helping to secure funding necessary to unlock matching funds from UW leadership and to move the project to the next phase of planning.
School of Music acting director Joël-François Durand recently announced to faculty and staff that LMN Architects will be the official prime consultant and lead design team for the renovations.
“The... Read more
December 5, 2024
School of Music student Flora Cummings is known to her teachers and community for excelling in a variety of settings both on and off the concert stage. An undergraduate viola student of Melia Watras double majoring in Music and Wildlife Conservation, Cummings serves as co-principal violist of the UW Symphony, performs in the Seattle Collaborative Orchestra and the Leonore Chamber Orchestra, competes in Scottish highland dance competitions, and enjoys performing Scottish music with her family,... Read more