Natalie L. Haslam College of Music

Archives for July 2023

Jazz Guitarist & Composer Denin Slage-Koch to join UT College of Music

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The University of Tennessee School of Music is proud to announce that Denin Slage-Koch will be joining our faculty this fall as Lecturer of Jazz Guitar!

His slate of professional achievements is long and varied, including three albums of original music, multiple Downbeat Student Music Awards, a 2022 Pathways to Jazz grant award, and a published book. He has worked with several artists, including Ryan Keberle, Shane Endsley, Carmen Bradford, Clay Jenkins, Brad Goode, Wycliffe Gordon, and the Colorado Symphony, and has written music for artists like Melissa Aldana and Carmen Bradford.

“I am thrilled to be joining the faculty of a jazz department with such a long-standing legacy of excellence and to be moving to a beautiful place with a deep, rich musical tradition,” he said. “My new colleagues at the University of Tennessee are all outstanding musicians and educators, and I have already been impressed by the passion and achievement of UT’s music students. The transition from a School of Music to a College of Music makes this an especially exciting time to be coming on-board, as we are entering a new period of opportunity and possibility for empowering our students to express themselves and build meaningful, sustainable careers in music.”

Slage-Koch is also frequently in-demand as a composer and arranger for artists and ensembles across the United States. In 2023, he received a Herb Alpert Young Composer’s award for his piece “It Comes in Waves,” and in 2022 his composition “One for Honey” was recognized as an honorable mention at the Ithaca College Jazz Composition Contest against entries from 15 countries. Slage-Koch has written and arranged for artists including Kurt Rosenwinkel, Melissa Aldana, Carmen Bradford, and the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra, among others, and maintains a consistent workload of commissions. His major teachers include renowned names such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Gary Versace, Steve Kovalcheck, Bob Sneider, Dave Rivello, Bill Dobbins, Dan Keberle and Brent Edstrom, and Slage-Koch himself has more than a decade of teaching experience.

Slage-Koch holds a Doctor of Arts in Jazz Studies from the University of Northern Colorado, and has also received a Master of Music in Jazz and Contemporary Media from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Studies from Whitworth University.

Composer Ryan Lindveit to join UT College of Music

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The University of Tennessee College of Music is delighted to announce that composer Ryan Lindveit will join their faculty as Lecturer of Music Theory & Composition. 

A composer with credits spanning from commissioned performances to a docuseries soundtrack, Lindveit’s work ranges from orchestral pieces premiered in Carnegie Hall and wind ensemble pieces performed at top universities to pieces for chamber ensembles, soloists, electronics, dance, and visual media.  His commissioned pieces have been performed by numerous outstanding ensembles, including the Minnesota Orchestra, Alarm Will Sound, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, American Composers Orchestra, New York Youth Symphony, Interlochen World Youth Symphony Orchestra, Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra, Orkest de Ereprijs, Yale Philharmonia, USC Thornton Symphony, Donald Sinta Quartet, FearNoMusic, the City of Tomorrow, and the wind ensembles at Northwestern, USC, UT Austin, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Illinois, and Yale, among others.   As a conductor, Ryan has premiered several of his own works as well as works by other living composers. 

“I take seriously the tremendous privilege of teaching music to students who are in quite formative moments in their lives and careers, and I look forward to growing alongside UT students as we explore our shared love of music and curiosity for discovery,” he said.

Lindveit holds degrees from the University of Southern California (BM), the Yale School of Music (MM, MMA) and the University of Michigan (DMA). His composition mentors include Michael Daugherty, Aaron Jay Kernis, Chris Theofanidis, David Lang, Martin Bresnick, Frank Ticheli, Andrew Norman, Ted Hearne, and Bright Sheng.

Baritone Stephen Salters to Join UT College of Music

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The University of Tennessee College of Music is proud to announce the addition of prestigious vocalist Stephen Salters to its vocal faculty as Assistant Professor of Voice.

Salters is a widely respected baritone singer with a long list of credits and accolades accumulated throughout his storied career. His evocative performances spanning a wide breadth of repertoire have garnered acclaim throughout much of the globe, including Europe, Asia, and the United States. He has collaborated with acclaimed conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, James Conlon, Seiji Ozawa, Robert Spano, Nicholas McGegan, Keith Lockhart, Ivor Bolton, Will Crutchfield, Leonard Slatkin, Hugh Wolff, Bobby McFerrin, Jane Glover, Jeff Tyzik, and Martin Haselboeck. On the opera stage, he has performed in more than 30 roles, excelling in both standard repertoire and contemporary works. Recent credits include the lead role of Kovalyov in a rare performance of Shostakovich’s opera The Nose in Boston and orchestra concerts in France, the fantastic role of Elijah in Canada and recitals in Europe and Hawai’i,in addition to several world premieres. 

Salters first gained worldwide attention in 1996, when he won First Place in Belgium’s Queen Elisabeth International Competition of Singing and became the first American to win the Grand Prix of one of the most important vocal competitions in the world. He captured First Place in the 1996 International Puccini-Licia Albanese Competition; National Finalist of the 1996 Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions; first place winner of the Leontyne Price Competition; recipient of the Esther B. Kahn Career Entry Award; candidate of the Marian Anderson Award; and a George London Foundation Award in memory of Bruce Yarnell. It was indeed no surprise when Mr. Salters next obtained America’s most prestigious vocal award, the 1999 Walter W. Naumburg International Competition becoming the first and only musician to win both the Queen Elisabeth & Walter W. Naumburg International Competitions in their combined approximately 180-year history.

“The students of UT consistently showed an insatiable desire to learn, dive into their more authentic selves, and expand their wisdom,” he said. “I am eagerly anticipating this thrilling new adventure in the College of Music, and in this monumental moment, becoming a part of its history.”