At more than 870 miles above Earth, this was no ordinary violin recital.

On Sept. 13, 2024, Sarah Gillis (AeroEngr’17) played “Rey’s Theme” from Star Wars: The Force Awakens by legendary composer John Williams — from a . As she played, Gillis firmly pressed her violin to her shoulder with her chin as she floated around the zero-gravity chamber, her hair flowing wildly. 

Gillis’ three astronaut crewmembers filmed the inaugural performance as part of the Polaris Program’s , then transmitted the video to  Earth via Starlink, a laser-based satellite communication. 

Polaris Dawn posted the video,  on X that day as part of a partnership with  and , which supports American music education programs. The video included Gillis’ performance and clips from orchestras playing the same piece in Los Angeles, Boston, Haiti, Sweden, Brazil, Uganda and Venezuela. 

“The whole music moment was meant to inspire and show what’s possible when you can bring the world together,” Gillis said in an interview two months after returning to Earth. 

“The whole music moment was meant to inspire and show what’s possible when you can bring the world together.”

Gillis reflected on the months of preparation for the performance, which included having engineers completely reconstruct her violin to survive the harsh space environment, and meeting Williams himself at the Los Angeles recording session. 

“That was probably more stressful than actually going to space, if I’m completely honest,” said Gillis, who does not play violin professionally. “I was so nervous that he would show up and say, ‘No, you don’t have the rights to use this anymore.’ And instead he was so kind and supportive.”

From Training Astronauts to Becoming One

Gillis first gained interest in space as a high school student at Boulder’s Shining Mountain Waldorf School, where she attended a CU Boulder space for nonmajors course with her brother David Levine (FilmSt, Hist’13) and met former CU instructor and NASA astronaut . Tanner helped Gillis with a space-related project she had for school, and he encouraged her to consider engineering at CU Boulder. 

“He really planted that seed,” she said. “I honestly don’t know that I would’ve considered engineering if that hadn’t happened.” 

After Gillis returned to Earth, Tanner — who flew on four NASA space shuttle flights from 1994 to 2006 — was eager to swap space stories with her. 

“Being a friend to Sarah was perhaps my greatest joy during my eight years at CU,” said Tanner. “I may have helped open a few doors for her, but she made everything happen. I couldn’t be more proud of her, even if she were my own daughter.” 

During her junior year at CU, Gillis took an internship at  that lasted more than two years. She helped develop and test displays and interfaces on the interior of the company’s Dragon spacecraft, the first private spacecraft to take humans to and from the .

“I got to see some of those design decisions in space on my mission,” she said. She joined SpaceX full time in August 2017 as a space operations engineer, training astronauts on the interfaces she’d already worked on. 

Several years later, her boss called a surprise meeting with her. Jared Isaacman, Polaris Dawn’s mission commander, was there to invite her to become part of the crew as a mission specialist, joining himself, Scott Poteet (mission pilot) and Anna Menon (medical officer and mission specialist). 

“My response was, ‘Hell yes, but I’ll need to talk to some people first,” she said. “I immediately walked out of the room and straight downstairs to my husband, who worked at SpaceX with me. He had his headphones on at his desk. I tapped him on the shoulder and said, ‘I need to talk to you.’ … It was very special to share that exciting news.”

Five Record-Breaking Days

Two and a half years later, on Sept. 10, 2024, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched the crew aboard a Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. One of the crew’s main objectives on the mission was to conduct research to help better understand the human effects of space flight and space radiation. This included the first spacewalk from Dragon.

On the third day of the mission, Gillis and Isaacman exited the spacecraft in SpaceX’s newly designed and developed extravehicular activity spacesuits. For 10 minutes, she tested different components of the suit and became, at 30 years old, the youngest astronaut to complete a spacewalk. 

When asked to describe the feat in one word, she settled on “dark.” 

“I was emerging into the total blackness of space. It’s this immense void where you realize how close to Earth we are and how much is still left to explore out there, but it’s also this overwhelming dark blanket that is surrounding you.” 

"It’s this immense void where you realize how close to Earth we are and how much is still left to explore out there."

The next day was her violin performance, which was planned to test the connectivity of SpaceX’s Starlink laser-based internet from space. The data may help improve communications for future missions to the Moon and Mars. 

The crew also conducted other experiments — including gathering data on space radiation — that could help advance human health for future long-duration space flights. 

Gillis noted one surprising aspect of being in space she hadn’t prepared for: how easily things got lost without the presence of gravity. 

“It was always a constant treasure hunt of, ‘Has anybody seen this? Has anybody seen that?’” she said, adding that a missing camera SD card was found in the spacecraft weeks after landing. “You’d stick something with Velcro, then turn around and it would be gone.” 

The historic mission lasted five days and ended with a successful splashdown off the coast of Florida. 

“I hope that it is inspiring to people to see what the future of human spaceflight could be and where we’re going — that it is a possibility that more and more people are going to go to space.”

“I hope that it is inspiring to people to see what the future of human spaceflight could be and where we’re going — that it is a possibility that more and more people are going to go to space,” Gillis said.

The Next Step 

Gillis’ husband, Lewis Gillis (Aero Engr’17; MS’17), formerly a SpaceX senior propulsion engineer, reflected on his wife’s extraordinary career to date when the couple visited campus this past November. 

“With some curiosity and passion and connecting to all the humans around her, Sarah’s made it quite a long way,” he said. “I’m excited to see what she builds next and who she meets along the way.” 

Gillis said she would reconsider another spaceflight if given the opportunity, but she is eager for others to experience space first. She remains in her astronaut training position at SpaceX. 

Reflecting on her historic mission, she said: “I think the more people we can get into space to see the world from that perspective, the better off humanity will be.

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Photo by Glenn Asakawa; Polaris Dawn Crew (violin)

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When a CU Buffaloes football player gets injured, coach Deion Sanders enlists a team of professionals to ensure a swift recovery. That’s what professor James Brody does with students at the College of Music’s Musicians’ Wellness Program (MWP).

that 90% of professional musicians experience playing-related pain or injuries due to misuse or overuse, and 80% of college-aged musicians report stress, anxiety or depression tied to their craft.

In response, Brody founded the MWP in 2003 to help students prevent and recover from injuries, sustain peak performance and maintain robust mental health throughout their careers.

“It became glaringly obvious this was a necessity when students came to me with injuries 20 years ago,” said Brody. “I was committed to finding ways to make a difference.”

The MWP was among the first of its kind, predating the National Association of Schools of Music’s 2005 mandate requiring music programs to address wellness. Since its inception, Brody and the MWP have expanded services and recently shared their work at three international conferences.

The program teaches performance psychology and exercise techniques for breathing, hearing and vocal health. It also includes on-staff therapist Matthew Tomatz, who provides therapy sessions to support students’ emotional well-being, including managing performance anxiety.

After 47 years of teaching, Brody will retire as director of the MWP on July 31, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to positively influence the health of College of Music students, faculty and staff — and wellness aspirants across the globe.

“The fact that we’ve already helped so many to continue to do what they love is truly gratifying,” he said.

With a search for a new director underway, Brody hopes the program will receive expanded funding to introduce initiatives like a certificate in musicians’ health, onsite physical therapists and medical professionals and hearing protection devices for students. But one thing’s for sure: Brody’s revolutionary vision ensures the program’s lasting impact on future generations of musicians. 

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Photo courtesy Stacy Nick/KUNC

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In June, two renowned opera singers from CU were inducted into the. Cynthia Lawrence (Mus’83; MM’87) studied music at CU and went on to share the stage with Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti more than 70 times. Keith Miller (Art’97), on the other hand, was a star football player who pivoted to opera after graduation. They have both performed stints as principal artists at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Soprano, equestrian, stunt woman

“When I heard about [the Hall of Fame induction], I couldn’t believe it,” Lawrence said. “To be recognized is beyond an honor.” But the honor is no surprise to those in the singer’s orbit. Lawrence has performed with virtually every opera company in Colorado and worldwide, from Paris to Prague, with legendary performers like Plácido Domingo and Mirella Freni.

"Cynthia has a world-class voice. People say she was kissed in the throat,” said acclaimed tenor Mark Calkins (MMus’87), who met Lawrence at CU. (They married in 1985.) “She won the Metropolitan Opera contest in 1984 at age 23 — a stunning achievement.”

Lawrence credits her success, in part, to her time at CU. “It’s a great school with great facilities. Barbara Doscher was one of the best voice teachers in the world,” said Lawrence. She also points to her background as a competitive equestrian. “If you’re nervous on horseback, that horse may dump you in the dirt,” she said. “In opera, you also have to keep your nerves underneath you. That discipline, concentration and preparation made me a better performer on stage.”

In addition to jumping horses, Lawrence credits childhood time on the trampoline with her ability to perform dramatic free-flying leaps in Puccini’s “Tosca.” Lawrence, who insisted on doing her own stunts, perfected numerous daring feats on stage. She frequently plummeted backward (into a hidden foam pit), and her most notable stunt was a 26-foot forward jump at Royal Albert Hall.

Bass-baritone, athlete, thespian

Keith Miller grew up on a beet farm in Ovid, Colorado, a town so small that its high school football team consisted of six players and there was no school choir. A football scholarship recipient and three-year starter as a fullback, Miller played opera music in the locker room and sang in the shower.

He was inspired by varsity players singing the CU fight song on the sidelines. “These guys, my idols, were singing like they were warrior poets,” he said. Not long after the 1994 Michigan game, when CU made one of the greatest comebacks in Buff history, Miller took his then-girlfriend to see “Phantom of the Opera” in Denver. “I felt the same emotion at the opera that I had during the Michigan game,” he said.

In 2001, while working out with the Denver Broncos at North Dakota State University, Miller took refuge from a snowstorm in a music practice room. “I started singing along to “Don Giovanni” — and someone knocked on the door.” He was offered a scholarship on the spot. He declined, but decided it was time to start following the music. On the way out, he saw a flier for the Pine Mountain Music Festival in Minneapolis and decided to audition. Suddenly, Miller had a dozen job offers to sing and decided to pursue singing full-time.

The next fall, Miller enrolled at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and, after graduation in 2006, auditioned for the Met in New York. He made his debut at the opera’s opening-night gala. At the reception, he bumped into someone who remarked, “Wonderful performance,” in a familiar Scottish accent. It was Sean Connery.

Beyond the Hall of Fame

Today, the inductees are still showing off their versatility. Miller serves as founder and CEO of CedoHealth and has recently moved back to Colorado to re-engage with the Crested Butte Music Festival (CBMF). (For six years, he served as director of opera and oversaw the CBMF’s Opera Young Artists Program.) He also has his sights set on film acting. “There are things out there creatively I want to do,” he said. “My journey’s not done.”

Meanwhile, Lawrence works as the endowed chair professor for voice and opera at the University of Kentucky, where she’s teaching the next generation of opera singers. “I love teaching. When students have that ’Aha’ moment, when they finally get it — that’s the prize.”

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Illustration by Chris Buzelli

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With over three decades of experience as a performer, educator, conductor and administrator, College of Music Dean John Davis champions a holistic approach to musical education through a mission he calls “developing the universal musician.” Davis originally joined CU Boulder in 1999 as director of the jazz studies department. Following three associate dean roles from 2012 to 2020, he assumed the role of dean in January 2021. He discusses his musical background, career achievements and the issues within higher education that have inspired his leadership philosophy. 

How did you get your start in music? 

My musical journey began with the decision to pick up the trumpet in elementary school, which is reflective of how one small choice can change a person’s entire life.

I eventually joined my high school jazz band, which was led by a band director who regularly performed in shows and big-band gigs. And that came at a time when jazz musicians like Stan Kenton and Woody Herman were touring the nation. That exposure really inspired me, so I stuck with it. 

What prompted your shift from music performance to education and leadership? 

After earning my master’s degree in music, I found myself seeking a change. I realized that the life of a professional freelance musician lacked the stability I sought, particularly in terms of job security and benefits. 

Reflecting on my family’s military history, with my father’s service in both World War II and the Korean War, and my grandfather’s tenure as one of the oldest soldiers in the army, I became curious about that experience. So I enlisted as an infantry soldier for two years.

During my service, I gained a deeper understanding of the educational backgrounds of my fellow soldiers, many of whom had very little education beyond a GED or a few years of college. This made me realize the power of education in expanding opportunities beyond people’s immediate circumstances. 

That really solidified my commitment to education and prompted my return to academia to pursue a doctorate in trumpet performance and pedagogy, with an emphasis in jazz studies. But I wanted to play a more significant role in shaping music education, and that ultimately steered me toward administration. 

What’s the basis of your leadership philosophy?

Most music institutions have traditionally offered two career paths for students: performance and education. While those tracks are still very valid, many students are now seeking out music careers that don’t necessarily fit into those two areas, such as arts administration and entrepreneurship, tour management, recording engineering, music copyright law or health and wellness in music.

For decades, students have had to find their way to these careers through mentorships, outside education, self-teaching or learning on the job. As the dean, I want to address the demand for additional career pathways.

This has led me to establish the concept of the universal musician — a leadership philosophy and strategy aimed at providing students with a wide range of experiences and training so they can meet the demands of today’s industry and be better equipped to find success and fulfillment in emerging fields. 

How did the pandemic impact higher education?

The pandemic was by far the most influential factor in shaping my approach to leadership.

During the peak of COVID-19, one of our professors shared an impressive composition created by a recent graduate and performed by current and former CU Boulder students over Zoom. I was struck by the remarkable quality of the sound and presentation, despite each musician performing from their own little Zoom square. From technical setup to sound engineering and video editing, the project showcased a range of abilities beyond the traditional curriculum and allowed students to explore unique avenues of learning.

It also highlighted the skills and training that we as a college didn’t provide at the time — these students had to develop these skills independently. Since then, we’ve offered new badges, micro-credentials, certificate programs and interdisciplinary degree options to give students more agency in their education. With these new offerings, we hope to confirm the value and redefined relevance of higher education today. 

How do diversity, equity and inclusion factor into your philosophy?

Many musicians seeking higher education face significant barriers due to a lack of early training or access to instruments, teachers and practice spaces. 

CU Boulder’s goal is to create an environment of inclusive excellence where all aspiring musicians, regardless of their background, feel welcome, valued and supported. It’s an essential part of our mission to develop universal musicians who are equipped and empowered to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

What’s your favorite song?

The one song that always stops me in my tracks is Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.” The lyrics mean everything: “Smile though your heart is aching; smile even though it’s breaking…although a tear may be ever so near, that's the time you must keep on trying.” Despite being released in 1936, its relevance persists, demonstrating the impact of music across generations.

What do you believe is music’s most significant impact on society?

Music is what makes us human. When something of great significance takes place, people turn to music. It can serve as a celebration of joyous occasions, but it’s also where we find comfort and understanding in times of darkness. 

Music provides a platform for self-expression and helps us navigate the complexities of the world and our role within it. And that is crucial in today’s society, where the need for connection and empathy is paramount.

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In the heart of New York City’s vibrant music scene, a dynamic force is shaking up traditions and breaking down barriers. Meet an electrifying nine-piece, New Orleans-style brass band on a mission to redefine the landscape for female musicians in the Big Apple. 

But before they were playing major gigs like the Met Gala, performing on Good Morning America or releasing” the Brass Queens had to fight their way into existence. According to Ally Chapel (ArtHist’14), one of the founders of the Brass Queens, opportunities for female musicians in New York City circa 2018 were abysmal. 

“In the music industry, a lot of success comes down to your connections,” Chapel said. “At the time, the scene was so oversaturated with male musicians and bandleaders that it was hard for us to get enough attention to make those critical connections in the first place.”

Love for the Marching Band 

Chapel’s journey from art history major to working full time in music began in Colorado’s foothills. Born and raised in this Rocky Mountain state, CU Boulder was a natural choice. Soon after enrolling, Chapel’s love for music and art found fertile ground when she joined the Golden Buffalo Marching Band. Having done marching band throughout high school, Chapel thought she knew what to expect.

"Where I came from, the marching band wasn’t in the spotlight," Chapel said. "There wasn’t this sacred bond between musicians and the school or the fans [like at CU Boulder]. I remember thinking, “‘This is really special.’” 

During her college years, Chapel immersed herself in music as much as possible. Pivotal moments during this time shaped not only her musical aspirations, but also her life decisions for years to come. 

After graduation, Chapel crammed all her belongings into two boxes, grabbed her saxophone and headed for the Big Apple, where she jumped into the arts scene. She soon found a day job at a prestigious painting gallery, filling her evenings with jam sessions and impromptu performances with local musicians. 

Becoming Brass Queens

Among the female musicians Chapel met during these early days, many became the foundation for Brass Queens, not just as a band, but as a cultural revolution. Most had struggled to find reliable and consistent collaborators among their male cohorts. By 2019, Chapel was done waiting. Joining forces with friend and bandmate Alex Harris, the two musicians formed their own group dedicated to pushing musical boundaries and empowering female musicians.

“Brass Queens formed on March 9, 2019,” Chapel said. “I’ll never forget it because it was the day after International Women’s Day. That felt significant to us.”

Chapel immediately went to work on crafting the brand identity for the band, something she learned a lot about through . She knew the unifying power that two colors could have from her time at CU, so the group adopted black and gold as their official colors — also the colors of the Saints in New Orleans, where their sound originates. 

By enforcing a black-and-gold dress code at gigs, Chapel hoped to establish the same sense of pride she felt while performing as a member of the Golden Buffalo Marching Band. That unifying element has become their story, which they celebrated by naming their debut LP “Black & Gold.”   

Inspired by the soulful sounds of New Orleans, the Brass Queens’ band consists of one sousaphone, drums (both line and set), two trombones, one alto sax, one tenor sax, three trumpets and a whole lot of passion.  

From Gigs to the Met Gala

When Brass Queens first hit the gig circuit, they accepted a variety of opportunities that came their way. Soon, birthday parties, street festivals and busking on the streets of Brooklyn turned into higher-paying gigs at venues across the city. Within the year, the group became a local standout, earning them invitations to play at iconic venues like the Blue Note Jazz Club and exclusive events like the Met Gala. Chapel’s leadership and unwavering commitment to her craft propelled the band forward, earning them a loyal following and critical acclaim.

“We’re experiencing more success now because we’re doing something different. We don’t look or sound like other bands. We’re showing people that you don’t have to fit the mold to be successful at what you love.”  

Brass Queens do not take their success for granted. In 2017, several Brass Queens members helped establish , a nonprofit created to help increase access to the transformative power of music for adult musicians. Ally Chapel currently serves as the organization’s president along with two other Brass Queens, who serve on the board.

Looking ahead, Chapel’s impact on the music industry shows no signs of slowing. With collaborations on the horizon, including recording projects at Atlantic Records and touring across the country, the Brass Queens are poised to reach even greater heights. 

Her advice to aspiring artists? 

“Just start,” she said. “Find your community. Follow what inspires you.” 

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Grace Leslie stands in front of a crowd, a flute perched at her lips. In many ways, the ingredients of this performance are nothing extraordinary: performer, audience, instrument … other than, perhaps, the odd-looking headband affixed to her head. 

When she begins, the silvery sounds of the flute are joined by a wash of vaguely electronic tones. The result is ethereal and strange, moving between atonal and harmonious, unsettling and soothing. 

What you’re hearing are Leslie’s brain waves. During this performance of “Vessels,” a 30-minute brain-body concert, she wears a special EEG (electroencephalogram) monitoring device that measures electrical activity from her brain. These brain waves are then sonified by means of an algorithm that imprints their spectrum onto a bank of recorded samples of flute and singing. 

In other words, Leslie is playing two instruments: the flute and her own brain. 

This is the sort of work Leslie does in the Brain Music Lab at the ATLAS Institute, CU Boulder’s interdisciplinary institute for radical creativity and invention. 

The Lab as a Venn Diagram

“We discover different kinds of ways to transform data with sound and transform sound with data.”

Interdisciplinary at its core, the Brain Music Lab is focused on the nexus between music, technology and neuroscience.

“We look at people experiencing music and study their brain waves,” said Leslie. “From there, we develop new ways of working with that data and then often transform it back into the performance or a new artistic piece.” 

Typically, students begin with a broad scientific concept. For example: “What would we learn if we measured the brain waves of jazz performers during an improvisational set?” 

At an ordinary lab, measuring that data may be the end result. However, the Brain Music Lab takes it a step further. Once those brain waves are measured and analyzed, the question becomes: “How do we transform what we’ve learned into a new artistic expression?” The result may be a visual art piece, a composition or even a new form of electronic instrument. 

The lab works on the continuum of an art-science loop. 

“We discover different kinds of ways to transform data with sound and transform sound with data,” said music composition student Jessie Lausé (�Ѳѳܲ�’23).&�Բ�����;

The lab residents come from a variety of disciplines, their interests overlapping like a Venn diagram — from music students seeking to create experimental compositions to engineering students interested in a more artistic expression of their work. The thing they have in common is a desire for interdisciplinary innovation. 

“It’s super exciting for a student with an electrical engineering background to be able to apply the technical skills that they have to brain waves or a medical question or to a creative pursuit,” said Leslie. “I’m constantly astounded by the work that they’re doing. They surprise me every day.” 

Hyperscanning

PhD candidate Thiago Roque (PhDCreatTechCogSciNeuroSci’27) is investigating the phenomenon of neural entrainment in musical settings to better understand social interaction and empathy.

His current research is centered on hyperscanning (a procedure that records activity in two brains at the same time) during a musical performance to better understand the neurological link between performers and audience, as well as between performers themselves. 

“We are trying to measure the engagement and the connection between the audience and the musicians,” he said. “It’s this fundamentally different way of saying that musical communication is an interbody experience, and then measuring the brain waves that would result from that. 

“The whole idea is to operationalize how two brains find synchrony while someone is playing music and the other one is listening.” 

He hopes this set of research will help inform how we understand empathy — by watching how people interact with each other in nonverbal ways. 

Found Objects

“I really like this idea of not needing to know how to play an instrument to engage in music.”

Lausé is focusing on creating experimental works using sound from “found objects” rather than traditional instruments. Elements of a piece might include pouring out a bucket of water, ripping up crisp sheets of paper or dropping floor tiles from a height of five feet. A recent piece featured Lausé peeling a butternut squash alongside a saxophone quartet.

“I’m interested in anything that makes a good sound,” said Lausé. “I was pursuing this idea that within an object is everything you need to play this piece of music. It has an intuitive nature.”

At a macro level, Lausé’s work centers on accessibility.

“I really like this idea of not needing to know how to play an instrument to engage in music,” they said. “I didn’t grow up thinking that I was going to be in classical music or in academia. That was never something that was an accessible thought to me growing up.”

Lausé hopes this work will appeal to people who may not traditionally be encouraged to pursue revolutionary ideas. 

“I think a lot of what I want to do in my work is break some kind of barrier,” they said. “For me, it’s a matter of putting experimental art and process and creativity on display so that more people know it’s possible for them.”

An Interdisciplinary Community

For Leslie, interdisciplinary work has always been second nature. Raised by a physicist and a musician, she was encouraged from an early age to fuse her interests together. However, she’s found that the rest of the world tends to relegate skill sets to their own separate industries.

Leslie’s hope has been to create a lab that ushers traditionally disconnected fields into the same room. When she came across CU Boulder’s ATLAS Institute, it felt like the perfect fit.

“ATLAS is a truly, truly unique place,” said Leslie. “Experimental work is impossible without the support of others in other disciplines. And when you are able to build a little world to support that work, I think what comes out of it is very special.”

As the lab moves forward at CU, Leslie hopes it will become a place where more and more students and their work will find an expression.

Is it art? Is it science? At the Brain Music Lab, the answer is simply, “Yes.” 

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Illustrations by Andy Gilmore

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THEN 
2020 

In 2020, cornet player and composer Ron Miles (MMus’89) released his last album, . A fixture in the Denver music scene, Miles’ warm jazz melodies dazzled audiences. He last served as director of jazz studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where he taught for more than 30 years. Miles , from complications from a blood disorder. 

“If you played a Ron Miles song right, in the best of moods you'd be crying,” pianist Jason Moran told NPR in March 2022. 

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Photo by Elliot Ross

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CU graduate student is gaining national recognition as a musical conductor. 

Conductor Kedrick Armstrong (MMus’23) will earn his master’s degree in orchestral conducting this May, but his career is already hitting a high note.

An advocate for classical music performance and publication, plus the preservation of the voices of musicians of color, Armstrong is passionate about bringing recognition to Black female composers — with the Center for Black Music research in Chicago, Illinois, and the Helen Walker-Hill collection at CU Boulder among his crucial research tools.

In 2022, Armstrong conducted the with CU Boulder’s University Symphony Orchestra — the result of a “year-and-a-half labor of love,” he said. “It was truly one of the most life-giving moments for me as a conductor, a musician, a person, an artist and a humanitarian.”

Bringing Sinfonietta to life for the first time in decades was a testament to Armstrong’s belief about what the work of every artist should be: Along with making great art, he said, “…find where your culture, identity and the work you love to do meet the needs of the field and the vocation.”

Choosing such an ambitious piece was something Armstrong sees as a personal and triumphant moment and described his inner monologue as he embraced the daunting endeavor: “I'm going to do this, it's going to be really hard — but we're going to buckle down and figure out how to get through this.”  

A Musical Journey

Once the orchestra reached the Sinfonietta premiere, Armstrong felt “pride in myself and the entire school for wrapping their arms around me in the process,” he said.

He highlighted a guiding principle that’s been with him from the beginning: “I strive to make music with people who enjoy it as much as I do, and for me as a conductor it's all about community and collaboration.” With that in mind, Armstrong attributes the success of the performance to the support the orchestra provided since their first rehearsal together. 

“It means a lot to a young conductor to have the respect and trust of your peers [the orchestra] and I felt throughout that entire process … they were along for the journey. [Performing Sinfonietta] was one of the special moments in all of our lives, careers — and especially our time at CU.”

Conducting Success

Armstrong always takes time to recognize the roles that Gary Lewis — professor of conducting and director of orchestral studies — and Susan Thomas, professor of musicology and director of the American Music Research Center — played in his achievement. 

“It was so amazing to have both Susan and Gary beside me along this whole process, guiding and supporting me and finding the resources, people and tools for me to talk to,” he said.

In February John Davis, CU Boulder’s dean of the College of Music, attended Armstrong’s performance as he conductor of the world premiere of The Factotum with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. 

“Not only is Kedrick already widely valued as a conductor, he’s keen beyond his years when it comes to manifold, socially conscious collaborations that connect the dots between artistry and engagement in the social issues of our time,” said Davis. “I’m especially impressed by Kedrick’s active leadership in advancing new and diverse music, and in lifting up underrepresented composers and performers of all identities.” 

He added, “In realizing my vision to prepare our students as universal musicians — that is, developing multiskilled, multifaceted artists who are equipped to innovate and engage in a diversity of disciplines as both creatives and changemakers — it’s deeply important to me to support and encourage those students who, like Kedrick, embrace and model what we’re aiming to achieve.”

On That Note

For Armstrong, a classical musician who got his start as a gospel church pianist, conducting The Factotum provided a new professional challenge for him: cohesively blending multiple musical genres for a performance in just three short weeks. Armstrong prepared for the opera infused with elements of barbershop harmonies, hip-hop, jazz and musical theater by listening to shows such as The Wiz and analyzing old videos of barbershop quartets. 

“How do we best unify all of these different styles and genres and authentically represent them on the stage? This show and a lot of the work that I do right now requires me to dip into various styles … so that I have something to pull from in a rehearsal room,” he explained. 

Looking ahead, the 2023 season offers several debuts and exciting engagements for Armstrong. He’ll begin his duties with the Galesburg Symphony Society and conduct two masterworks and one community concert with the Knox-Galesburg Symphony. Future engagements also include the Opera Theater of Saint Louis and Houston Grand Opera. 

Said Davis, “It’s my hope that the College of Music increasingly provides our students the latitude, agency and welcoming space to explore their creative and scholarly work — as Kedrick has done — in ways that encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation, and in ways that positively impact our world beyond their graduation — as Kedrick is sure to do.”

Armstrong is listed among The Washington Post’s .”

For Armstrong, becoming a conductor is about determining how he can create the best environment for the most authentic musical experience. 

“[It] has never been about power, it has never been about status, it's never been about control,” he said. “It's always been about being a servant, a facilitator and a cultivator.”

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Photo courtesy Kedrick Armstrong

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Susan Thomas and Xóchitl Chávez with musicians Sam Medina and Gilbert Medina. 

Xóchitl Chávez (LatinAmer, SpanLit’02) grew up in Pueblo, Colorado's east side in a life rich with cultural heritage.   

“Summertime meant church festivals and street parades," said Chávez, who was a member of Pueblo's youth marching band programs. “There was always some sort of music being played.” 

Working as a young, bilingual radio personality in the city, she learned of the diverse historic music venues that served as hubs where long-term Pueblo residents and migrant workers united. The importance of these hubs has stayed with her as she studies cultural anthropology and ethnomusicology. 

Chávez is now the first Chicana tenure track assistant professor in the music department at the University of California, Riverside. For the past year, she’s partnered with CU Boulder on a research project, “Soundscapes of the People,” that blends her work and heritage.  

In 2019, Chávez met Susan Thomas, director of CU’s American Music Research Center, who was seeking a research project to focus on the diversity of Colorado’s music histories. Chávez encouraged her to start interviewing musicians in Pueblo.

“I was hooked,” said Thomas. “The thing that has really struck me is how fascinating Pueblo is as a city. It’s unlike any place I’ve ever been.” 

Thomas — also the College of Music’s associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion — secured grants to study and preserve the history of music in Pueblo and surrounding areas, and began interviews in 2021. 

By the end of the project, Thomas, Chávez and a team of three graduate students will have spoken to about 80 musicians and community members for the project, some of whom have played in Pueblo for nearly 70 years. 

“Looking at music and sound is a powerful way to consider how Puebloans have built resilient communities and social identities,” said Thomas. 

One particular elder, Sam Medina, known for his improvised songs called “versos,” helped coordinate interviews with musicians in their 80s, even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In April 2022, the team secured a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to continue the research through 2025. The interviews, music and stories collected will be publicly available through CU’s digital library and CSU Pueblo. 

Said Thomas: “The American West has been really understudied. This is an opportunity to change the narrative about how people have made music and why it matters.”

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Photos courtesy Xóchitl Chávez

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Brad Turner directing a live taping of On Something.

Put Your Headphones On 

After working several years as a print reporter and editor, Brad Turner (Jour, Mus’02) moved to Colorado Public Radio (CPR) where he is now executive producer of the Audio Innovations Studio, overseeing podcasts and other creative audio projects. In his eight years at CPR, he has explored his interests in journalism and music while producing podcasts with the newsroom, composing theme songs and scores, hosting a podcast on modern composers, and reporting stories for the radio. Here, he talks about his time at CU, his recent projects and the power of podcasting.

What was the best part of your CU experience?

Well, I met my wife Kim in one of my reporting classes. So that's hard to beat. And there were many places in Boulder I loved. I spent a lot of time on the Boulder Creek Path, in Chautauqua Park and shopping for music at Second Spin, which is long gone but always had something great in the new arrivals section.

What skills did you learn at CU that help you today in your career?

I earned degrees in journalism and music, which was fantastic. Podcasting didn't really exist at that point, but there were still moments where I got a glimpse of what I might like to do for a living. I wrote a couple of features about the Conference on World Affairs for a reporting class, and my instructor Sandra Fish helped get them published in the Boulder Daily Camera. Those first bylines in the newspaper are a thrill for a journalism student, and I loved interviewing people about the ideas that went into their work. On the music side, I remember really pouring myself into chopping up sounds on a computer for my electronic composition classes with John Drumheller and Michael Theodore. I got so into playing with sound on a computer screen that I'd be in the lab well past midnight. 

More than anything, I learned at CU that I love the kind of work that lets you sink into a flow state and lose yourself for a few hours. I feel that when I write a script for an audio story, mix a podcast episode or write music.

What is special about podcasts versus other forms of media? 

It's a really intimate medium. Great podcasts can have similarities to radio news, documentary film or talk shows, but it feels a little different to have the voice of a host or storyteller in your ear. That's powerful. I think it helps us connect on an emotional level with stories and ideas. I find it very easy to empathize with other people's stories that I hear in podcasts.

I've also come to appreciate that podcasts are a break from screen time. I like that both as a listener and as a parent.

You’ve helped produce many podcasts at CPR. Is there one that you are particularly proud of?

I am really proud of Systemic, which we released earlier this year. I hired a brilliant producer named Jo Erickson last fall, and in her first week or two on the job she came to me and pitched this great idea for a documentary series. She wanted to follow Black police officers who were working to make changes to law enforcement from the inside. This seemed like such an important story to tell. So Jo and the rest of our team collected audio over the next few months, and we released the show around the anniversary of George Floyd's murder. Apple Podcasts placed Systemic in its featured podcast queue that week, and it was amazing to have so many listeners discover the show during that national moment of reflection. 

You've launched a new podcast, Music Blocks. Tell us about it.

Music Blocks grew out of a research project with CPR Classical, the classical music station at Colorado Public Radio. We wanted to create a show for younger listeners. We had conversations with teachers and curriculum experts in Colorado schools and heard they could use something to help students think more deeply about music. We’ve released eight episodes so far, using listening examples from both current pop music and classical music. The common thread in each episode is an emotion, like happiness or fear.

You helped create Back From Broken, an interview podcast about recovery and comeback stories. What inspired this series’ creation?

It began as a passion project. Our host, Vic Vela, is a journalist who's in recovery himself. A small team worked with Vic to find a format, and we settled on an intimate series of one-on-one interviews about substance abuse and other challenges people struggle to overcome. We hear about how the person's life got off track, what the worst moments were like, how they found a path back and what they've learned from it all. It touches on incredibly raw subjects at times, but it always ends in a hopeful place. I think it's important that we interview some big names like members of Colorado folk-rock band The Lumineers or professional wrestler Jake the Snake Roberts along with everyday people, because addiction and mental health affect people in so many different ways.

Why is telling these stories important?

Back From Broken changes lives. We've had other podcasts that racked up more downloads, but the volume of messages we get from Back From Broken listeners is incredible. We've had listeners say that hearing the show led them to re-examine their lives or decide to seek treatment. Or we hear from family members who have a newfound sense of empathy for a loved one who's struggling. It's a great feeling to work on a show that means so much to listeners who need it. We saw the listenership grow quite a bit during the pandemic, probably because people wanted to hear stories about overcoming difficult times and finding hope.

What is your go-to podcast?

I listen to so many podcasts because I need to stay on top of what kinds of new shows people are making and talking about. I end up listening to a little of everything, but rarely make it through a whole season of anything because there's just so much to hear. But the exception to that is probably Heavyweight, a show that helps people find closure for unresolved moments from their past. That podcast is so beautifully written, and I'm pretty sure I've laughed out loud at some point in every episode. 

What are your favorite things to do when you’re not working?

I like to spend my weekends with my family, usually riding bikes or hanging out in the mountains. We also love to visit national parks. I'm really happy that concert venues and movie theaters are opening back up. I've been at Red Rocks and the Alamo Drafthouse lately, making up for a lot of music and films that I didn't see over the past year and a half. And I still like to play bass and make music on the computer, just like when I was at CU.

Condensed and edited by Alexx McMillan. 

Photo courtesy of Brad Turner

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