Natalie L. Haslam College of Music

UT Wind Ensemble Makes Historic Debut at National Conference 

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For the first time in the University of Tennessee Band Program’s 155-year history, the UT Wind Ensemble has been invited to perform at the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) National Conference on March 27 in Fort Worth, Texas. The UT Wind Ensemble is one of only seven performing groups selected to perform on a national level.  

“Being invited to perform at the CBDNA National Conference is the equivalent of performing at the Super Bowl as a concert band,” said Jeffrey Pappas, Founding Dean of the Natalie L. Haslam College of Music.  “I am incredibly proud of our faculty and students for leading the UT Wind Ensemble into this season of growth and opportunity.”  

To receive an invitation to perform at CBDNA, university ensembles must go through a competitive blind audition application process, which includes submitting high-quality performance recordings to a panel of distinguished band conductors. Because CBDNA is known for its high standards, selection to perform at the national conference is highly competitive and considered a tremendous honor as an indoor band at the collegiate level. 

The invitation to CBDNA is emblematic of the growth that the UT Bands program has seen over the last few years under the leadership of John Zastoupil, director of the UT Bands and associate professor of music. Since assuming his role at UT in fall 2022, the Wind Ensemble has been invited to perform at the Tennessee Music Educators Association Conference, the East Tennessee Band and Orchestra Conference, and the Southern CBDNA Convention. The Wind Ensemble has also recently joined an extensive list of commission projects by nationally recognized composers as well as hosting composers such as Joel Puckett, Roger Zare, Paul Dooley, John Mackey, Zhou Tian, and Gala Flagello. 

While Zastoupil’s leadership has been incredibly instrumental in elevating the UT Bands program to new heights, he credits the culture and collaboration within the Natalie L. Haslam College of Music as another driving force behind the growth of the band program.  

“It all goes back to building culture and having a growth conscious mindset,” said Zastoupil. “Our faculty across the college have been incredibly supportive – challenging students in their studios and pushing them to elevate their skills. Our students have embraced that challenge, and their dedication is what makes this moment so special.” 

The UT Wind Ensemble’s program for the CBDNA National Conference is a testament to the college-wide collaboration that made this milestone possible. Alongside the world premiere of Brilliant Brushstrokes composed by UT Music Professor Ryan Lindveit, several faculty members will join as guest artists, including Professors Maria Castillo (flute), Jaren Atherholt (oboe), Victor Chavez (clarinet), Allison Adams (saxophone), and Ryan Yamashiro (bassoon). Additionally, Assistant Director of Bands Fuller Lyon will take the podium as a guest conductor. 

For the students, this moment is more than just a performance – it’s a powerful reflection of their dedication, the support of their mentors, and the culture of excellence they have built together. Seeing their hard work culminate on a national stage reinforces what is possible when passion and perseverance come together. 

“Watching us grow over the past three years has been incredible,” said Caleb Delong, junior music performance major (horn). “Getting to go to Texas for this, especially as the first time in the university’s history, is such an honor. My mom was in the Wind Ensemble when she was a student here, so playing in the same ensemble, now on an even larger level, makes this experience even more special.” 

The UT Wind Ensemble will be the first to perform among the seven ensembles at the CBDNA National Conference. Audiences can watch the performance via Livestream on March 27 at 1:30 p.m. CST/ 2:30 p.m. EST. More information about the CBDNA National Conference can be found on www.cbdna-tcu.org.  

Watching us grow over the past three years has been incredible. Getting to go to Texas for this, especially as the first time in the university’s history, is such an honor.”

Caleb Delong, Music Performance (’26)

Drum Line Member Uses Engineering Resources to Fix Part

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Original story written by Rhiannon Potkey, Tickle College of Engineering

Anukkah Burleson thought there had to be a better solution to fix the whale tail connector on the carrier of her bass drum. Every year, like clockwork, the part would break. 

Burleson, a senior mechanical engineering major, is a member of the drumline for the Pride of the Southland Marching Band. She spends every Saturday marching on the field during Tennessee football games, not to mention the countless hours spent each week in practice. 

A bass drum can weigh up to 40 pounds and the whale tail connector helps support the drummer’s back and takes pressure off the shoulders. Burleson and her fellow drum members had connectors made from plastic and the wear and tear would cause them to snap or splinter. 

“It’s hard to find replacements and they’re pretty expensive. Then, they’re just going to break again. They barely make it through a season,” Burleson said. “Some of us ended up not having one to use or we would try to tape them together just to get through a few weeks.” 

Burleson decided to take matters into her own hands. She went to the Min H. & Yu Fan Kao Innovation & Collaboration Studio during the summer to ask about making the parts out of metal. She was introduced to Aidan Schmitz, junior mechanical engineering and the lead consultant at the metal shop. 

Burleson and Schmitz devised a plan to make the parts in the Kao ICS and started the project in the fall once everyone returned to school. 

Schmitz served as a project manager of sorts. Assistant Professor of Practice Jeff Foote asked him to investigate the plastic part and figure out the best method to make one out of metal. 

“The water jet was the most obvious choice, because it’s a two-axis cutter. Every one of the whale tails is a half inch thick. That’s a pretty easy thing to do,” Schmitz said. “We already have that sketch drawn up in Fusion, which you can upload to the waterjet as a DXF.” 

Creative Problem Solving

Schmitz and Burleson made 30 of the metal parts, which was “one of the first few times we’ve had something that we’ve made that many of,” according to Schmitz. Burleson has been wearing one on her carrier since the final product was produced. 

“It’s been great. It feels the same and works the same,” she said. “I’m planning to replace everyone’s on the drum line, even the ones that have plastic ones that aren’t broken. I want to make sure they don’t break in the future.” 

Burleson kept Michael Stewart, the associate director of bands and WJ Julian Endowed Director of the Pride of the Southland Marching Band, updated throughout the entire engineering process. 

“Everyone’s been super excited and very supportive about it,” Burleson said. “Any way we can improve the band and make us more comfortable once we’re playing and going out on these long game days is usually a good thing.” 

Foote was pleased to see a group of students receive hands-on lessons in creative problem solving and hardware production with practical implications. 

“Anukkah identified an issue with the band hardware and worked alongside Aidan to specify a solution, then they worked together to take that solution from theory to reality,” Foote said. “This precisely demonstrates what the KICS is all about and shows what students can do when provided the tools and training to solve their own problems.” 

Positive Developments

Given the success of the project, Burleson has considered making parts for other band members beyond UT. 

“I do know this is a reoccurring problem for a lot of drum lines,” she said. “I’ve got a friend on drumline who works for a high school drumline, and he asked me if they could get some of these because they have this issue too. It’s definitely something in the back of my head that I wouldn’t mind pursuing.” 

Burleson gained valuable skills throughout the part-making experience that she never considered before embarking on the project. 

“I learned about the management side of making projects happen,” she said. “I was coordinating communication between the ICS and getting permission from my band directors and making sure they were comfortable with me doing this and writing grant proposals to get the funding to do this. That is something I’ve never done before.” 

Burleson will be graduating in December and is considering returning to UT for graduate school. After four years in the marching band, she’s glad one of her last projects involved music and ingenuity. 

“I felt like I got to combine two of my passions: engineering and the drums,” she said. “This project allowed me to finally find something to put them together.” 

The Natalie L. Haslam College of Music would like to thank the Tickle College of Engineering for their collaboration in improving the experience for the Pride of the Southland Marching Band drum line members.

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“Gospel in the Gardens” Concert to Uplift Spirits and Fight Food Deserts 

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Music enthusiasts and philanthropists alike are eagerly anticipating the upcoming “Gospel in the Gardens” concert, set to take place on Saturday, May 4 at 6 PM at Payne Avenue Baptist Church (2714 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave) in Knoxville, Tennessee. This unique event will feature a performance from the new UT College of Music Gospel Choir in support of Battlefield Farm, a local non-profit organization with the mission of ending food insecurity in East Knoxville by partnering with community members to make fresh food accessible.  

For Shawn Turner, UT Gospel Choir Director, witnessing events like “Gospel in the Gardens” come to fruition is a testament to the tremendous dedication and effort invested in the UT Gospel Choir. 
 
“We are incredibly excited to perform during ‘Gospel in the Gardens,’ an event that embodies the spirit of both music and community service,” said Turner. “The journey of revitalizing our choir has been nothing short of inspiring. From just six members last year, we’ve seen remarkable growth to over 25 singers this year. It’s truly gratifying to witness the resurgence of enthusiasm and dedication within our ensemble. Now, as we prepare to share our passion for gospel music with the community, we are eager to make a meaningful impact that resonates far beyond the stage.” 

“Gospel in the Gardens” welcomes the public to attend free of charge, while offering attendees the opportunity to contribute donations to Battlefield Farm throughout the event. Guests can anticipate a lively evening filled with soul-stirring musical performances and food offerings. Every donation made will directly contribute to initiatives dedicated to enhancing access to fresh, nutritious food in underserved communities, effectively addressing the urgent challenge of food insecurity. 
 

For more information regarding the UT College of Music and the UT Gospel Choir, please contact: 

Alissa Galyon 

Director of Marketing & Communications, UT College of Music 

[email protected] 

865-974-8935 

About the Venue: 

Payne Avenue Baptist Church 

2714 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave 

Knoxville, TN 37914 

UT Wind Ensemble to perform during CBDNA/NBA Southern Division Conference

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The UT Wind Ensemble, the premier wind band of the College of Music, was selected to perform during the invitational College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Southern Division Conference. The CBDNA is a grassroots organization that serves a variety of constituents, from the conservatory wind ensemble, to the athletic band, to the small college band, and everything in between.

Under the leadership of John Zastoupil, director of bands and associate professor, the UT Wind Ensemble has regained national recognition being accepted to perform at this conference, as well as the Tennessee Music Educators Association Conference and being able to collaborate with world-renowned composers on the commissioning and premieres of multiple works for band.

For those unable to attend in-person, a livestream will be available to watch the UT Wind Ensemble performance on Friday, March 1 at 8 p.m. EST. The performance will include:

  • Gala Flagello – Bravado                                                                 
  • Gustav Holst – Hammersmith                            
  • Brian Balmages – Hopscotch, for Tuba and Wind Ensemble                
  • Paul Dooley – Lovestruck
https://vimeo.com/916745106


CONTACT:

Alissa Galyon, College of Music Director of Marketing & Communications
[email protected]

UT Trumpet Ensemble invited to National Trumpet Competition

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One of the largest trumpet competitions in the world, the National Trumpet Competition features many different competition categories and age groups ranging from very young children to college trumpeters. After a very rigorous and selective application process, the UT Trumpet Ensemble was invited to the National Trumpet Competition’s “large trumpet ensemble” category with their submitted recording of Professor Arthur Zanin’s arrangement of the Overture to the Magic Flute by Mozart.

The UT Trumpet ensemble will now have the opportunity to compete in the live rounds of the competition this March at Texas A&M University – Kingsville. The Ensemble will be in good company, competing against Ensembles from Florida State, Indiana State, Michigan State, UT Austin, and Boston University to name a few.

CONTACT:

Alissa Galyon, College of Music Director of Marketing & Communications
[email protected]

UT Symphony Orchestra named 2023 winner of The American Prize in Orchestral Performance

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Founded in 2010, The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is the nation’s most comprehensive series of contests in the performing arts. The American Prize is designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, directors, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college/university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings. 

“It’s an evaluation and contest platform,” James Fellenbaum, UTSO music director and conductor, explained to Arts Knoxville, “that many orchestras, composers, conductors, etc. have entered to aid in promotion of their work, and to gain recognition for their successes. As another example: last fall 2022, Alex Lapins performed Todd Goodman’s Tuba Concerto 2 with the UTSO, and that work (in its original tuba and piano version) is a candidate/finalist in the composition category for The American Prize.” 

UTSO is one of the most prominent collegiate orchestral ensembles in the state of Tennessee. The UTSO presents several performances each academic year, performing repertoire that spans from the Baroque era to the present, featuring faculty soloists as well as national and international guest artists. Their performances placed them ahead of several notable universities in this year’s awardee line-up. 

Read more about The American Prize and the awardees on the organization’s blogspot.