News

Lynn-Craig Living Music Award recipients announced

Kathryn Grace Bistodeau — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 22:44:26 +0000

Lynn-Craig Living Music Award recipients announced Kathryn Grace … Tue, 07/29/2025 - 16:44

Kathryn Bistodeau

Katiann Nelson

The American Music Research Center (AMRC) awarded the 2025 Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award to Kristina Butler (MM ‘25, voice performance) and Katiann Nelson (MM ‘25, voice performance). The awardees will each receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Nelson’s project—”Making a Composer: Alex Craig”—involves presenting a recital of Craig’s works alongside pieces from composers that Craig found inspirational.

“I am really looking forward to diving into the music itself!” says Nelson. “For me, getting to know a new composer through their work is like getting to know a new friend—I'm excited to start this process with a composer who is completely new to me.”

Kristina Butler

Butler will also be organizing a recital and hopes to record the music she prepares. Her project—”Seasons of Life: Music of Alex Craig”—will explore the seasons of life in the context of the four weather seasons.

“I’m most excited to work artistically from a relatively blank slate as there isn’t a wealth of recordings of Professor Craig’s music,” explains Butler. “Learning music without a recording is an exciting challenge that frequently comes with learning contemporary works. It’s even more magical when everything comes together!”

The Lynn-Craig Living Music Award is open to both undergraduate and graduate students and supports the performance of work by the late composer Alex Craig, housed in the Rare and Distinctive Collections at the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Libraries.

Congratulations to our most recent Lynn-Craig Living Music Award recipients!

The American Music Research Center awarded the 2025 Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award to Katiann Nelson and Kristina Butler, both recent voice performance grads.

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American Music Research Center reflects on successful AY2024-25

Kathryn Grace Bistodeau — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 16:50:26 +0000

American Music Research Center reflects on successful AY2024-25 Kathryn Grace … Thu, 07/10/2025 - 10:50

Kathryn Bistodeau

The American Music Research Center (AMRC) had a bustling year. With the introduction of a new director, Michael Uy, came new events, collaborations and opportunities to leverage our varied archives.

The AMRC, jointly housed by the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder College of Music and University Libraries, has an archive collection full of musical memorabilia; collection highlights include silent film music, big band artifacts and Colorado-specific research and manuscripts.

Friedel leads an archive tour as part of the AMRC's spring Open House.

In February, the AMRC opened its doors to curious members of our community: Our Open House attendees were treated to a range of archival materials as well as a guided tour through the stacks to see where the collections are held. Megan K. Friedel, head of collections management and stewardship for the libraries’ Rare and Distinctive Collections (RaD), and A. R. Flynn, project archivist for the Glenn Miller Collection, helped organize the event and curate the selection of materials.

“The event that had the most significant impact on me was our Open House,” reflects Uy. “The initial idea was Josie Moe's—as administrative and student services assistant for the College of Music, she noted that staff, faculty and students wanted more opportunities to see what was in the AMRC collections. With professors Friedel and Flynn, we were able to bring out Glenn Miller's trombone, original and sketch scores by Dave Grusin and music compositions by Carrie B. H. Collins.”

The Open House welcomed the AMRC’s local community members to get up close and personal with the archives and how the center utilizes them, which also sparked interest in more hands-on events in the future.

Later in the spring semester, two events highlighted local artists who have collections in the AMRC: Blues legend Otis Taylor held a master class and rock ‘n’ roll photographer Dan Fong (Mktg. ’70) helped host a photo exhibit.

Dan Fong exhibit.

Taylor’s master class offered College of Music students the special opportunity to play with Taylor and receive feedback. The class was followed by a concert bringing together Taylor and other musicians to showcase his musical portfolio. Taylor’s AMRC collection includes tour posters, photos, recordings and drafts of lyrics.

Fong’s photo exhibit—held in the AMRC offices in Macky Auditorium—featured over 30 photos representing Fong’s career and spotlighting musical talents and historical figures ranging from Joni Mitchell to President Eisenhower.

“While many of our events this year were tailored to the Boulder community and �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder students, faculty and staff, our Dan Fong exhibit brought in attendees from as far away as Fargo, North Dakota! It was a long drive for the Fong fan, but he saw some never-before-exhibited photos,” Uy shares.

Additionally, the AMRC awarded two Alex Craig Living Music Awards, co-sponsored the College of Music’s annual Persevering Legacy event and launched a new series—“Gems of the AMRC collections”—highlighting the breadth and depth of our individual collections.

Plans are underway for more residencies and concerts in AY2025-26. “The possibilities are endless,” says Uy. “We already have a scheduled residency with Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Tauheed Rahim, as well as a lecture and concert on Queen Lili'uokalani's music, found in the AMRC collections.

“Watch for programming and publications related to Indigenous music sovereignty, federal arts funding in the Trump era and more.”

Thanks for supporting the AMRC this academic year and stay tuned for more details on upcoming programming!

The American Music Research Center (AMRC) had a bustling year. With the introduction of a new director, Michael Uy, came new events, collaborations and opportunities to leverage our varied archives. Learn more and discover what lies ahead for the center!

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Gems of the AMRC collections: Sister Mary Dominic Ray

Kathryn Grace Bistodeau — Tue, 20 May 2025 16:52:11 +0000

Gems of the AMRC collections: Sister Mary Dominic Ray Kathryn Grace … Tue, 05/20/2025 - 10:52

Kathryn Bistodeau

When Taylor Howard, a first-year PhD student in ethnomusicology, dove into the Sister Mary Dominic Ray Collection, she was expecting to find the nun’s biography, books she annotated or articles she wrote. Instead, she unlocked a highly varied collection of documents that left Sister Mary—who founded our American Music Research Center (AMRC)—a mystery.

“She founded the center at Dominican College [now Dominican University of California] in 1967,” Howard says. “She took sole control for the first 20 years and her focus was on California mission music.”

Sister Mary had a connection to music through her background as a trained concert pianist. She studied in Europe, and traveled and competed across America.

“She gradually transitioned to the collecting of sacred music,” adds Howard. “She had about seven years as a concert pianist and then went on to teach at Dominican College—initially only as faculty—and then she joined the order of the Dominican Sisters in 1947.”

A map of the California missions.

Sister Mary’s collection is now housed with the AMRC in Norlin Library. It holds various media detailing facets of American music that Sister Mary found fascinating including California mission music—sacred music from the Spanish colonies in a region known as “upper California,” or the modern-day West Coast of the United States, in the 18th and 19th centuries.

“She also has a lot of playbills, physical media regarding sacred music, some of her old teaching material—especially that regards opera and its resurgence in selected towns, like St. Louis. She obviously loved doing research,” Howard says.

“Her own personal Bibles are there and a list of publications that she was featured in—you can kind of go down a rabbit hole with those things to get a little bit more insight into her thought process.”

To put it simply, “You'll find a lot of paper in there. A lot of paper.”

Howard sifting through the boxes of photo slides.

Also found in the collection are boxes of picture slides, many with photographs of productions put on at Dominican College including the comic operas that Sister Mary produced—such as “The Mock Doctor,” “The Devil to Pay” and “Flora.”

“My favorite part was seeing the little picture slides because it was seeing people in the moment just putting on plays that she liked, that Sister Mary produced at the college. It was funny knowing that she said ‘Oh, these are my favorites and I really want these students to perform these plays and comic operas here.’”

Howard found that there are many paths that researchers can take with the aid of Sister Mary, following any one of her musical interests. There’s more to be learned about California mission music, the comic operas, Moravian music and even Sister Mary herself, who left very little biographical information behind.

“If you want to learn about different sides of early American heritage, Sister Mary is a good place to start,” concludes Howard.

The Sister Mary Dominic Ray Collection is available to researchers and the public by appointment.

When Taylor Howard dove into the Sister Mary Dominic Ray Collection, she was expecting to find the nun’s biography, books she annotated or articles she wrote. Instead, she unlocked a highly varied collection of documents that left Sister Mary—who founded our American Music Research Center—a mystery.

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Gems of the AMRC collections: Dan Fong

Kathryn Grace Bistodeau — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 21:28:29 +0000

Gems of the AMRC collections: Dan Fong Kathryn Grace … Mon, 02/10/2025 - 14:28

Kathryn Bistodeau

Photos: Dan Fong
To request permission to reproduce these photos, please email sabine.kortals@colorado.edu.

Among the American Music Research Center (AMRC) collections, hidden gems exist around every corner: Colorado history, music legends, big band ephemera, silent film scores, letters from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder founders and more. In our new series—Gems of the AMRC collections—we aim to spotlight their content and the stories of the people behind them.

Our first deep dive explores the Dan Fong Collection comprising folders of photos captured by the legendary Colorado rock 'n' roll and folk music photographer.

Fong’s start in photography wasn’t music at all, but a chance to capture the president at the time: Dwight D. Eisenhower. “Since I was such a little kid, all the photographers let me stand in the front. To me, those photos are amazing because at 14, I could tell that I already had the eye and the way to compose the pictures—plus they were really sharp and in focus.”

From there, Fong (Mktg. ’70) continued to take photos and started his own photography business after graduating from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder. “I did everything from bar mitzvah photographs to portraits to weddings,” he recalls. “The biggest break came when KFML—the underground radio station—ended up three blocks from my studio. I went down there and made a deal with them: ‘I’ll take photographs of the artists and give them to you for your advertising and you do radio commercials for me.’ That was a big deal because that’s when I met all of the record guys.”

Fong’s photography is highly varied—from family portraits to posed album covers to current events photojournalism. But what he’s best known for is his 1970s concert photography. In his career, Fong photographed the Doobie Brothers, the Grateful Dead, Zephyr, The Who, Firefall, Fleetwood Mac and many others.

Stars of the collection include concert photos captured on the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder campus. There are shots of Otis Taylor performing with Zephyr on the steps of Norlin Library. There’s also a series of photos taken in Folsom Field featuring Firefall and a very familiar horizon.

Firefall at Folsom Field.

“I climbed up in the scaffolding to take all of those pictures of the people in the background and that teaches you not to be embarrassed—because, you know, 50,000 people are looking at you!”

A few years ago, Fong began thinking about how to ensure his collection outlived him and welcomed the opportunity to house his collection at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder. “I’ve known a lot of photographers who didn’t think about archiving their work—and then something would happen, people would throw their work away or it wouldn’t go to the same place,” he says.

“My collection is huge and I had been thinking about what to do with it, so I asked Megan [Lead Archivist Megan Friedel] whether she was interested in archiving my entire collection. Had Megan and the university not said yes, so many of these images…you'd never see them.”

Otis Taylor and Zephyr on the steps of Norlin Library.

Even the Eisenhower photographs were nearly lost to time. “I lost that film in a moving box in my parents’ basement for 50 years—but when my mom died, I found the box. The university has a bunch of those photographs now.”

Through the years, Fong has changed cameras, gone from film to digital photography and evolved editing strategies—but he says the main change to his photography is how comfortable he has gotten behind the lens. “Being a photographer is like being a basketball player,” he shares. “It’s like Caitlin Clark—you practice it and it’s muscle memory. That’s what happens after years of being a photographer.”

The AMRC will host an exhibit with photographs from the Dan Fong Collection in April—stay tuned for details. Ongoing, the Dan Fong Collection is available to researchers and the public by appointment.

The American Music Research Center collections, housed in the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Libraries Archives in Norlin Library, comprise the region's largest repository of archival music materials. In this spotlight, discover Colorado’s involvement in the rock and folk eras through the Dan Fong Collection.

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Libraries hire new archivist for the Glenn Miller Collection

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Libraries hire new archivist for the Glenn Miller Collection Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/12/2024 - 00:00

The Glenn Miller Collection now has a dedicated archivist in the University Libraries whose job will be to review and catalog over 1,400 boxes of artifacts from the legendary big band era musician who once attended �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder.

In 1923, Alton Glen “Glenn” Miller attended �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder for three semesters before becoming one of the most successful big band musicians of the 20th century. A gift from a group of committed jazz supporters allowed the University Libraries to hire an archivist to review and catalog the boxes safely secured in the Libraries Rare and Distinctive Collections (RaD).

The new archivist, A. R. Flynn, joined the Libraries after receiving a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Denver. In this profile we discuss Flynn’s history and interest in this project.

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Michael Sy Uy to direct American Music Research Center

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 16:26:49 +0000

Michael Sy Uy to direct American Music Research Center Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/24/2024 - 10:26

Marc Shulgold

Michael Sy Uy has been recently appointed the director of the American Music Research Center (AMRC) at the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder College of Music, and the newest member of our musicology faculty. A quick glance at the impressive biography of Michael Sy Uy begs two immediate questions—each eliciting chuckles from him during a call from his current office at Harvard University where he’s a music lecturer.

“[In the United States,] I pronounce my last name ‘Wee,’” he replies to Question No. 1, explaining that his family is Chinese-Filipino. “My parents immigrated from Manila and I was born in Las Vegas. I grew up in southern California.”

Question No. 2 addresses the bottom of his bio, which notes that Uy “biked across the United States, from California to Massachusetts, in 42 days.”

So, the obvious query: Will he peddle his way from Massachusetts to begin his new position in Boulder? More laughter. “Actually, I thought about it—but only for a minute.” Instead, he’ll pack his bags and drive west to assume a critical role at our college.

“The center provides an excellent opportunity for a researcher and professor,” he says. “In Boulder, I can immerse myself in the center’s archives, as well as incorporate the material in my teaching.”

Uy has a rich background in academia: He’s published a book on public and private arts funding and his other work appears in American Music, Journal of the Society for American Music, Journal of Musicology, and Music and Arts in Action. He’s also the recipient of several prestigious teaching awards and served as the Allston Burr Resident Dean of Dunster House and Assistant Dean of Harvard College from 2017 to 2023.

Uy is enthusiastic about the wide-ranging responsibilities and activities ahead of him. “I want to gain a deeper understanding of how the center operates and learn from its remarkable previous directors,” he says. “From them, the advisory board and others, I can think about how best to realize the center’s mission and how to achieve the goals of helping students and the community engage with our archival material. Perhaps our amazing performers within the College of Music students and faculty can showcase this music.

“I look forward to working with both undergraduate and graduate students, and I hope to continue to raise the profile of the AMRC.”

Uy also speaks in admiration of the college’s universal musician mission to develop well-rounded, multiskilled students. “I think the work of the center ties in with this mission perfectly,” he says. “Through what we do, what we research and what we write, we can all learn more about ourselves.”

“We should remember the AMRC’s location and history as part of the ‘American West,’” he adds. “Integral to our work will be documenting, preserving and performing the contributions of Native Americans, Chicanos, Asian Americans and African Americans. This is what America really looks and looked like.

“At the AMRC, we can support this research, preservation and history sharing.”

The first person in his family to attend college in the United States—earning a bachelor’s at the University of California, Berkeley; a master’s at Oxford University; and a doctorate at Harvard University—Uy identifies as a member of the BGLTQ community and a person of color who’s committed to a more socially just world. He is an avid coxswain, runner and peony farmer.

Welcome!

Our gratitude to Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology Austin Okigbo who served as interim director of the American Music Research Center this past academic year.

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Donor support puts Glenn Miller collections in the spotlight

Anonymous — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 22:16:43 +0000

Donor support puts Glenn Miller collections in the spotlight Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 04/23/2024 - 16:16

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s vast and historically valuable Glenn Miller collection is set to take the spotlight, thanks to a philanthropy-funded archiving project.

In 1923, Alton Glen “Glenn” Miller attended �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder for three semesters before becoming one of the most successful big band musicians of the 20th century. The gift from a group of committed jazz supporters is allowing the University Libraries to hire an archivist to review the campus’s collection of materials associated with Miller’s work—a mostly untapped trove of information about the iconic artist.

“The personal papers, photographs, music and other ephemera of the legendary Glenn Miller shed light on the man behind the music and open an extensive new collection of research for all to study and enjoy,” said Kate Tallman, assistant professor and interim faculty director of the university’s Rare & Distinctive Collections (RaD) team (part of the University Libraries). Tallman’s team manages the collections as part of its American Music Research Center archival collections (AMRC). MORE

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Materials from Boulder blues icon Otis Taylor now housed at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 17:58:01 +0000

Materials from Boulder blues icon Otis Taylor now housed at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/17/2024 - 11:58

Materials from renowned Boulder-based blues musician Otis Taylor are now part of �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s American Music Research Center archival collections. "...housing his work at the AMRC is the best way to give him the visibility, the recognition and the honor that he deserves, as somebody who has made major contributions to American music and culture,” says Austin Okigbo, interim director of the AMRC which supports the research, performance and preservation of all music of the Americas with a particular emphasis on music diversity from the United States. MORE

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American Music Research Center announces interim director, upcoming events

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 17:37:25 +0000

American Music Research Center announces interim director, upcoming events Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/13/2023 - 11:37

Kathryn Bistodeau

The American Music Research Center (AMRC) has named Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology Austin Okigbo as its interim director for the 2023-’24 academic year. Okigbo, also an affiliate faculty member in the Center for African & African American Studies, global health and ethnic studies, is no stranger to the AMRC.

Austin Okigbo

“I’ve been involved in the AMRC for as long as I’ve been at the College of Music,” Okigbo says. In the past—as an AMRC Faculty Affiliate and Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on the AMRC’s Soundscapes of the People grant—he has participated in outreach activities and research opportunities, and he continues to serve on the AMRC Advisory Board as well as the editorial committee for the AMRC journal, Americas: A Hemispheric Music Journal. Soundscapes of the People is, in part, funded through a �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Outreach Award from the Office for Outreach and Engagement.

This year, Okigbo has stepped in to lead the AMRC’s events and research projects while a search for a new permanent director is underway. Susan Thomas, the AMRC’s former director, is now with the Butler School of Music in Austin, Texas; she continues her involvement in the Soundscapes of the People project as a faculty affiliate.

“My goal at this point in time is to make sure that the center maintains the things we are doing,” Okigbo says. “I want to make sure the programming that we have in place is well executed.”

Coming up in October, the AMRC will host a pair of concerts titled “Song of Pueblo.” These concerts highlight the AMRC’s Soundscapes of the People study that’s documenting the history of Pueblo, Colorado, by researching its musical past and collecting oral testimonies.

“When you do a project like Soundscapes without something like these concerts, everything becomes confined to the libraries and archives,” Okigbo says. “Not everybody will be interested in going to the libraries to read up on what you have gathered, but a concert brings life to the community.”

“Song of Pueblo” features a folk oratorio composed by Daniel Valdez with an orchestration by two College of Music alumni: Max Wolpert and Ilan Blanck. The events—weaving together 16 songs and musical numbers that tell the compelling stories of the region’s early history—will highlight the El Pueblo Ensemble, which has been performing the oratorio since its inception, accompanied by the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Chamber Orchestra conducted by Associate Director of Orchestras Renee Gilliland.

“I’m looking forward to my role as interim director,” Okigbo concludes. “And I’m optimistic that we’re going to find the right person to permanently lead the AMRC going forward.”

“Song of Pueblo” concerts are Saturday, Oct. 21, at 2 p.m. in Pueblo, Colorado and Thursday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Grusin Music Hall. These free performances are made possible through The Roser Visiting Artist Endowment. Additionally, Valdez will present a lecture on Oct. 25, 4:15-5:30 p.m., in the British Studies Room of Norlin Library on the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder campus!

The American Music Research Center’s interim director, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology Austin Okigbo, shares the center’s fall semester highlights—including free performances of “Song of Pueblo” on campus and in Pueblo, Colorado.

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Meet O'Neil Jones: 2023-24 Porter Fellow

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 20:21:25 +0000

Meet O'Neil Jones: 2023-24 Porter Fellow Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/26/2023 - 14:21

Kathryn Bistodeau

The Susan L. Porter Memorial Fellowship is an award that provides scholarship support for a student doing exceptional research that supports the mission of �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder's American Music Research Center (AMRC). The 2023-24 recipient of this award is O’Neil Jones, a DMA student in choral conducting and literature. Originally from Montego Bay, Jamaica, Jones’ goal is to bring Jamaican music to the wider world.

“I think the world would be very interested in some of this music,” Jones says.

Susan Thomas, the director of the AMRC, says, “I was struck by both his passion and his commitment but also by the really unique access that he has to the history and performance practice of a choral tradition of the Americas. His personal experience is really unmatched and very special.”

Jones draws much of his inspiration from his late mentor Noel Dexter, a Jamaican composer. “Mr. Dexter decided that he never wanted to sing about ‘in the bleak midwinter’ in a country where we’ve never experienced winter. And so he started writing pieces and from there, other composers saw that we could bridge our language with our folk forms, and create something that was uniquely Jamaican,” he says.

In addition to being inspired by Dexter’s artistry, Jones also has a personal connection to him. Dexter gave him his first voice lesson 12 years ago.

Jones says, “He also encouraged me by giving me a choir to conduct when I was 19 years old and said, ‘You have the makings of a great conductor. You can do this.’”

Through the Porter Fellowship, Jones will work on publishing pieces from Jamaican composers, primarily Dexter. Often, Jamaican music isn’t published or available to perform outside the island country.

“I know of less than 10 pieces of Jamaican music that have been published,” Jones says. “We’re trying to create accessibility for people—to say, hey, this music is accessible, the language is not that difficult, we can send you with these pieces.”

Jones also hopes to bring Franklin E. Halliburton, a Jamaican conductor, musical director and contemporary of Dexter, to �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder to talk about Dexter and how Jamaican music came to be. “It’s lots of work, but I think it’s work that needs to be done because Mr. Dexter was a very humble person and even in his passing, the thing that he wanted people to know was that he tried,” Jones says. “He’s literally the only reason I’m even studying music here today. So I want to honor him that way.”

“I think O'Neil has a really clear understanding of how his research and his creative work will impact the field,” adds Thomas. “It’s always amazing when we see that from a graduate student. He’s definitely one of those people that came into �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder carrying out the mission of the AMRC.”

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News

Lynn-Craig Living Music Award recipients announced

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American Music Research Center reflects on successful AY2024-25

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Gems of the AMRC collections: Sister Mary Dominic Ray

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Gems of the AMRC collections: Dan Fong

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Libraries hire new archivist for the Glenn Miller Collection

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Michael Sy Uy to direct American Music Research Center

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Donor support puts Glenn Miller collections in the spotlight

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Materials from Boulder blues icon Otis Taylor now housed at �鶹��Ѱ�����Boulder

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American Music Research Center announces interim director, upcoming events

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Meet O'Neil Jones: 2023-24 Porter Fellow

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Materials from Boulder blues icon Otis Taylor now housed at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder