When dozens of alumni choir members joined with the current TLU choir in singing “Beautiful Savior” at homecoming last September, tears of emotion and a shared love of music melded the past and present. Whether from the organ, band or voice, music continues to touch the lives of Texas Lutheran students, instilling a sense of community that becomes a large part of the college experience. Music is – and always has been – a vital part of life at Texas Lutheran.
 
 
By including music in the liberal arts curriculum, TLU ensures that all students have an opportunity to experience music and all it has to offer. Each student is required to take six semester hours of the arts as part of the dimensions of liberal education requirement. While the arts can include courses in dramatic media or fine art, many students choose to fulfill the requirement with music classes.

“The study of music at TLU provides the opportunity to create, define, communicate and, ultimately, add deep meaning to the lives of our students,” said Dr. Douglas R. Boyer, associate professor and director of the TLU School of Music.

Boyer came to TLU in 2001 following the retirement of Dr. Sigurd Christiansen, who had been a fixture as TLU choir director for 30 years. A 1983 graduate of Texas Lutheran, Boyer explained that he returned to TLU because he saw an opportunity to bring together his spirituality and his love of music.

“My father is a Lutheran minister, so I grew up in a Lutheran home, went to Bethany Lutheran College in Minnesota, and then received two B.A. degrees from Texas Lutheran… I feel at home at TLU. I am incredibly fortunate to work with such wonderful students, such brilliant educational colleagues from all disciplines and such amazing staff,” he said.

Dr. John Masterson, executive vice president and provost, praised the music program. “It is the soul and voice of TLU,” he said. “Often the first contact the public has with the university is through the choir or band.”

Dozens of past choir members join in singing “Beautiful Savior” at Homecoming 2006. The choir is directed by Dr. Douglas R. Boyer ’83, associate professor and director of the TLU School of Music.

In recognition of that importance, TLU began offering the bachelor of music degree in 2002 and created the School of Music in 2004, demonstrating the university’s commitment to the music program – not only to its future, but also recognizing the university’s rich musical traditions. Thousands of students who have attended Texas Lutheran have participated in the choir or band, and thousands of others have been enriched by their performances.

While TLU prepares some students to pursue a career in performing, many more find their calling in education as music teachers, band directors, or possibly church musicians. These educators bring the love of music and their spirituality and devotion to their students.

TLU recognized the importance of music education when it made the School of Music a part of the College of Professional Studies.

“We take pride in our music education program,” Masterson said, “and we believe that we are signaling the importance of preparing our students with a strong music education.”

Music scholarships

In order to attract top music students, TLU has recently strengthened its scholarship program. The Da capo Award is a scholarship valued up to $15,000 a year recognizing those musical performers who also meet certain academic requirements.

Boyer explained that auditions and interviews for the Class of 2011 will take place Feb. 18 at the university’s PACE Day. For more information, prospective students should visit www.tlu.edu or contact Boyer at 830-372-8000.

Other scholarships are available for non-music majors, including performance scholarships worth up to $2,000 a year.

“Music is a vital element at TLU, not only for those who wish to have a career in the field of music, but really for every student,” Boyer said.

“We have a huge group of non-music majors,” he says. “They love music and are part of one or more of our ensembles – and they are involved in other things as well.”

Ensembles range from the University Choir and Band to the recently established TLU Drumline.

The Choir is open by audition to all students of the university, according to Boyer, who is also the director of choral music and the Mary Gibbs Jones Chair in Choral Music. The Choir performs a wide range of both sacred and secular choral works, and performs during the traditional Christmas Vespers and spring choir tour, which will include the Houston area this year.

While the Women’s Choir, begun in 2002, also performs sacred and secular literature on campus and on tour, Boyer says that their performances are totally different and have an amazing sound.

The Kantorei Chamber Choir is comprised of the strongest vocal musicians and, again, is open by audition  to all students. Kantorei focuses on music of our time and often performs works written by Boyer and other modern composers. The group has been praised for their performances on campus, on tour, and at events such as the Excellence in Leadership Dinner.

Along with Boyer, other full-time music professors include Shaaron Melcher Conoly, associate professor of music who teaches vocal performance and who has been at Texas Lutheran since 1970. Conoly studied in Paris with noted baritone Pierre Bernac on a Fulbright Award, and she was a recipient of the Sears Foundation Teaching Excellence Award.

Dr. Eric Daub serves as the head of the piano department, teaches music theory courses, and is active as a soloist and accompanist at TLU and in the surrounding area. Daub is a recording artist for Pure and Simple Music, active in the music ministry at his church, and has a variety of experience in jazz, country, blues, gospel, arranging and composing.

The TLU String Ensemble presents “Morning Strings” in chapel last fall.

Dr. Denise Peterson, assistant professor, is the initial appointee to the Anita Windecker Chair in Music, teaches violin and viola, and conducts the strings program at the university. The TLU String Ensemble performs in concert and recital each semester. Peterson also conducts the Community Youth Orchestra of the Mid-Texas Symphony and is currently the co-principal violist in the Mid-Texas Symphony. Dr. Peterson also has an interest in ethnomusicology and performs locally in traditional Irish bands.

Director of bands Beth Bronk is new to the TLU campus this fall. While at the University of North Texas, Bronk was a trumpet Teaching Fellow and studied conducting with Anshel Brusilov. She has taught instrumental music in Texas public schools for 18 years, most recently in New Braunfels where her bands earned statewide honors. She was awarded New Braunfels I.S.D. Teacher of the Year and the Mirabeau B. Lamar Award for Teaching Excellence. She currently serves as president of the Texas Music Educators Association Region 12.

Bronk says she is pleased with the musical talent that she sees on campus, including six Da capo Awardees in its initial year. About 100 students are involved in various band ensembles.

The University Concert Band is open by audition to all students of the university. The Concert Band performs in concert and on tour. Members of the top woodwind, brass and percussion sections comprise the Symphonic Winds, an elite ensemble that performs regularly.

The Jazz Ensemble plays a traditional Big Band format along with more contemporary literature. TLU offers courses in jazz improvisation and jazz history.

The Bulldog Pep Band performs at most home football and basketball games and is open to all university students with a band background.

Other ensemble opportunities include the Flute Choir, Clarinet Choir, Double Reed Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble, Brass Choir, Trombone Ensemble, Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and the newest ensemble, the TLU Drumline.

Many of the ensembles and individual instruments are taught by adjunct professors. Because of its proximity to Austin and San Antonio, TLU attracts a number of adjuncts who are also performing professionals with groups such as the Austin Lyric Opera, the San Antonio Symphony, and other area orchestras.

Among the adjunct faculty members at TLU are Vanguel Tangarov, principal clarinet for the Austin Lyric Opera who has won national and international compeititions and is currently working on his doctorate at The University of Texas at Austin.

Guitar instructor Tony Morris is heard each week on over 200 public radio stations as the host of the “Classical Guitar Alive!” program. He performs throughout the United States as a solo guitarist and chamber musician, and has performed at the White House three times.

Assistant professor Andrea Sokol-Albert, pianist, has won several national and international awards and has been highly acclaimed in the European and North American press. Her concerto appearances include the National Symphony Orchestra and broadcasting credits include National Public Radio.

New to TLU this year, Leigh Ann Woodard, an accomplished English hornist, recently performed the premiere of John Corigliano’s third symphony Circus Maximus with The University of Texas Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall.

“We are fortunate to be able to offer our students such prestigious instructors, despite the relatively small size of our univeristy’s music program,” Boyer said, noting that with the improvement of the scholarship program and the outstanding faculty, the School of Music is growing.

“And as the School of Music continues to grow in prestige and stature, more and more alumni continue to take pride in its ongoing traditions as a vital part of college life at Texas Lutheran.”
 
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