Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra听

Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026 | 2:30 p.m.听 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel听

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra opens the season with a performance showcasing one of the nation鈥檚 premier orchestras and Wisconsin鈥檚 largest cultural institution.听

Since its founding in 1959, the MSO has built a national reputation for artistic excellence, innovative programming, and community engagement. The orchestra鈥檚 72 full-time professional musicians perform more than 125 concerts each season throughout Wisconsin, spanning classical, pops, family, education, and community performances.听

The MSO has presented world and American premieres by leading contemporary composers including John Adams, Philip Glass, and Roberto Sierra, while also becoming the first American orchestra to offer live recordings on iTunes. Beyond the concert hall, the orchestra reaches thousands of young people and families annually through its education and outreach initiatives.听

Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration Weekend听

November 6 鈥� 7, 2026听

Christie Dashiell听

Friday, Nov. 6, 2026 | 7:30 p.m.听 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel听

Kicking off the Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration Weekend, GRAMMY-nominated vocalist, composer, and educator Christie Dashiell brings her distinctive blend of jazz, rhythm and blues, gospel, and soul to 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel as part of the Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration Weekend. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in North Carolina, Dashiell is known for her improvisational artistry and rich vocal tone. A graduate of Howard University and the Manhattan School of Music, she first gained national attention performing with Howard University鈥檚 acclaimed vocal jazz ensemble Afro-Blue, which appeared on NBC鈥檚 The Sing-Off. Her sophomore album, Journey In Black, earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album and was praised by DownBeat Magazine as a 鈥渕asterpiece.鈥� The recording explores themes of freedom, legacy, grief, and joy while drawing from multiple traditions within Black American music.听

Billy Childs Jazz Chamber Ensemble听

Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 | 7:30 p.m.听 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel听

The Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration Weekend continues with the Billy Childs Jazz Chamber Ensemble. Pianist and composer Billy Childs is recognized as one of the foremost American composers of his generation, seamlessly blending jazz traditions with contemporary classical influences. Throughout his career, Childs has received 17 GRAMMY nominations and six GRAMMY Awards, including Best Instrumental Jazz Album honors for Winds of Change and Rebirth. Childs has also received a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, and honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work as a composer, performer, and arts advocate has established him as one of the most influential voices in contemporary jazz.听

Kings Return听

Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027 | 7:30 p.m.听 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel听

Acclaimed vocal quartet Kings Return will bring its genre-blending a cappella sound to 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel. The Dallas-based ensemble first gained widespread attention through viral stairwell performance videos showcasing their lush harmonies and effortless blend. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Take 6 and Boyz II Men, Kings Return incorporates elements of R&B, jazz, gospel, pop, and classical music into its performances. Comprised of Vaughn Faison, Gabe Kunda, JE McKissic, and Jamall Williams, the quartet has built an international following through both live performances and online audiences captivated by the group鈥檚 rich vocal textures and musical versatility.听

Dreamers鈥� Circus听

Monday, April 5, 2027 | 8 p.m.听 Stansbury Theatre听

Dreamers鈥� Circus, one of the Nordic region鈥檚 most acclaimed contemporary folk ensembles, will perform at Stansbury Theatre. Blending Nordic folk traditions with classical lyricism, jazz improvisation, and pop influences, the Copenhagen-based trio has earned international recognition for its adventurous and genre-defying sound. The ensemble features Nikolaj Busk on piano and accordion, Rune Tonsgaard S酶rensen on violin, and Ale Carr on cittern. Since its formation, Dreamers鈥� Circus has released seven albums, toured internationally, and received major honors from the Danish Arts Foundation. Their latest album, Handed On, reflects on musical heritage while showcasing the trio鈥檚 inventive and dynamic approach to acoustic music.听

The Westerlies听

Friday, April 30, 2027 | 7:30 p.m.听 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel听

The season concludes with a performance by The Westerlies, the GRAMMY-nominated brass quartet praised for blending jazz, classical, and folk traditions. Described by The New York Times as 鈥渁n arty quartet鈥ixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk,鈥� The Westerlies have performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Coachella while redefining expectations for brass chamber music. The ensemble, Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands on trumpet and Andy Clausen and Addison Maye-Saxon on trombone, has released 10 critically acclaimed albums and collaborated with artists including Caroline Shaw, Bill Frisell, and Nico Muhly. This performance is also part of 麻豆影院 University鈥檚 New Music Series.听

鈥淭his is a way to deepen ties with Appleton. It鈥檚 a way to recruit students. It鈥檚 a way to involve students in our new business program who are doing the arts administration track. And it鈥檚 a way to share live music with the community.鈥�
– Michael Mizrahi

Recent partnerships between 麻豆影院 and Mile of Music have gotten rave reviews.

鈥淭hey鈥檝e been supportive of us coming to them with a 50-minute set,鈥� Mizrahi said of Mile of Music organizers. 鈥淲e鈥檒l work with an artist like Ben Mulwana, and we鈥檒l do two of his songs and arrange things for 15 minutes and then we鈥檙e going to bring in our stuff. Some old music, some contemporary classical music, and the Mile of Music audiences are so open-minded. (Mile of Music organizers) Dave Willems and Cory Chisel have created that mindset. And so, we鈥檒l have 500 people in Memorial Chapel. Yes, they鈥檙e going to hear Ben Mulwana sing and hear the backup group, but then they鈥檙e going to hear the students play some Mozart and hear a curated set.鈥�

It’s an eye-opener for the students as they tread into unfamiliar territory. It鈥檚 a gift to the audience as they take in vibrant, intimate music from talented young musicians, all free of charge.

鈥淭he students have to plan it to the minute, they have to do their transitions, they have to talk about the pieces, they have to banter with the audience,鈥� Mizrahi said. 鈥淭hat is all stuff younger musicians might be a little scared to do. And they do it in front of 500 people in the Chapel or in a packed Copper Rock. It鈥檚 this beautiful moment where we get to put them out there at the end of two weeks. 鈥楬ere you are, out in the world playing a major music festival.鈥� It鈥檚 really awesome.鈥�

Faculty and guest artists for the Chamber Music Festival include Mizrahi, trumpet player Brandon Ridenour (Founders), violinist Ben Russell (Founders), percussionist Jean Carlo Ure帽a Gonz谩lez, flutist Erin Lesser, trombonist Tim Albright, clarinetist Andy Hudson, flutist Leo Sussman, cellist Caitlin Sullivan, and violinist Teagan Faran.

Check here for updates on the music performances, including at Mile of Music.

Mizrahi called the debut of the two summer music festivals a significant moment for 麻豆影院 and the Fox Cities.

鈥淭his is a blueprint for solid summer programming,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is a way to deepen ties with Appleton. It鈥檚 a way to recruit students. It鈥檚 a way to involve students in our new business program who are doing the arts administration track. And it鈥檚 a way to share live music with the community.鈥�

The lineup includes:

S艒 Percussion with Caroline Shaw,听Friday, October 18, 2024, 7:30 p.m., 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel

The performance features Eric Cha-Beach, Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski, and Jason Treuting with composer Caroline Shaw. S艒 Percussion has redefined chamber music for the 21st century over the past two decades. The ensemble brings to life a vibrant percussion repertoire; for an extravagant array of collaborations in classical music, pop, indie rock, contemporary dance, and theater; and for their work in education and community, creating opportunities and platforms for music and artists that explore the possibilities of art. S艒 continues its collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw with a new collection of songs. The new songs will be featured alongside music from 2020鈥檚 Grammy Award-winning song cycle Narrow Sea, and the co-composed album of songs Let the Soil Play its Simple Part.

Grupo Bella,听Monday, October 28, 2024, 8 p.m., Harper Hall

Formed in the summer of 2011, Grupo Bella is a multi-faceted ensemble from the Los Angeles area. Grupo Bella is known for their musicianship and diverse repertoire. With their use of traditional Mariachi instrumentation, they have their roots in the Mariachi genre, while also spanning the music of many different cultures, decades, and various Latin American and American styles.听The group founder and musical director, Vanessa Ramirez, is an accomplished singer, Grammy-award winning vocalist, and Grammy-nominated composer.听

Rene Marie Quartet,听Friday, November 8, 2024, 7:30 p.m. 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel

In a span of two decades, 11 recordings and countless stage performances, vocalist Ren茅 Marie has cemented her reputation as not only a singer but also a composer, arranger, theatrical performer, and teacher. Guided and tempered by powerful life lessons and rooted in jazz traditions laid down by Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, and other leading ladies of past generations, she borrows various elements of folk, R&B and even classical and country to create a captivating hybrid style.

Sean Jones Quartet,听Saturday, November 9, 2024, 7:30 p.m., 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel

Music and spirituality have always been fully intertwined in the artistic vision of trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator, and activist Sean Jones. Singing and performing as a child with the church choir in his hometown of Warren, Ohio, Jones switched from the drums to the trumpet at the age of 10. He turned a 6-month stint with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra into an offer from Wynton Marsalis for a permanent position as lead trumpeter, a post he held from 2004 until 2010. In 2015, Jones was tapped to become a member of the SFJAZZ Collective. He has kept a core group of talented musicians together, producing and releasing eight recordings on the Mack Avenue Records; the latest is his 2017 release, Sean Jones: Live from the Jazz Bistro.

Larry & Joe,听Wednesday, January 29, 2025, 8 p.m., Harper Hall

This dynamic duo is composed of Larry Bellor铆n of Monagas, Venezuela, a legend of Llanera music, and Joe Troop, a Grammy-nominated bluegrass musician from North Carolina. The two fell into step together when the pandemic sent Troop home to North Carolina after 10 years in South America, the same state where Bellorin happened to end up as an asylum seeker.听Their blend of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk on the harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, guitar, maracas, and whatever else fits in the van, unites their cultures and traditions while bringing music to the forefront of social movements.听

Isidore String Quartet,听Friday, February 7, 2025, 7:30 p.m., 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel

The quartet features Adrian Steele and Phoenix Avalon on violin, Devin Moore on viola, and Joshua McClendon on cello. Formed in 2019 in New York City, they were winners of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2022. The quartet is heavily influenced by the Juilliard String Quartet and the idea of 鈥渁pproaching the established as if it were brand new, and the new as if it were firmly established.鈥�

Matt Wilson Good Trouble Quintet,听Saturday, February 22, 2025, 7:30 p.m., 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel

The quintet features Matt Wilson on drums, Tia Fuller on alto saxophone, Dawn Clement on piano and vocals, Jeff Lederer on tenor saxophone and clarinet, and Ben Allison on bass. Wilson has released 13 albums as a leader, appeared on more than 400 others as a sideman, and has played with an impressive array of some of the most legendary names in jazz. He was named 2018 Musician of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association and his album,听Honey And Salt (Music Inspired by the Poetry of Carl Sandburg), won the JJA鈥檚 Album of the Year Award. That recording and his previous,听Beginning of a Memory,听received consecutive 5-star (masterpiece) reviews from听Downbeat magazine.听

Yumi Kurosawa Trio,听Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 8 p.m., Harper Hall

Yumi Kurosawa was born and raised in a traditional Japanese music environment, taking up the Koto from a young age and rising fast to the upper echelons of her craft. Ever since she was a teenager, however, she constantly surrounded herself with contemporary music by Western music composers, integrating their melodies and phrasings into her solo Koto. As her career expanded, she carried these interests into ensembles featuring Western musical instruments, especially strings. For this trio, Yumi is joined by violinist Naho Parrini and percussionist Yousif Sheronick.

Roomful of Teeth,听Friday, April 4, 2025, 7:30 p.m., 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel

Roomful of Teeth is a two-time Grammy Award-winning ensemble dedicated to the performance of new works for eight amplified voices. Through collaboration, commissioning, and new technologies, they seek to reimagine the expressive potential of the human voice. Their latest album, Rough Magic (New Amsterdam Records, 2023) was captured using groundbreaking recording techniques and innovative spatial technology. Roomful of Teeth was recognized at the 66th Grammy Awards in 2024, winning Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for Rough Magic; and composer William Brittelle鈥檚 work, Psychedelics, which appears on the album, was nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. The group includes Gomez, a professor in the 麻豆影院 Conservatory since 2019.

Michelle Cann, piano,听Friday, April 18, 2025, 7:30 p.m., 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel

Michelle Cann has become one of the most sought-after pianists of her generation. She made her debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2021 and has recently performed concertos with The Cleveland Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Orquestra Sinf么nica Municipal de S茫o Paulo, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, and Cincinnati. Highlights of Cann鈥檚 2023-24 season include appearances with the Charlotte, Hawaii, Indianapolis, Qu茅bec, Sarasota, and Winnipeg symphony orchestras, and recitals in New York City, Portland, Berkeley, Beverly Hills, and Denver.

Kneebody,听Friday, May 2, 2025, 7:30 p.m., 麻豆影院 Memorial Chapel

In their almost two-decade history, the Grammy-nominated band Kneebody has created a genre and style all its own. Their sound is explosive rock energy and high-level nuanced chamber ensemble-playing set within the frames of highly wrought compositions that are balanced with adventurous improvising. Kneebody is keyboardist Adam Benjamin, trumpeter Shane Endsley, saxophonist Ben Wendel, and drummer/bassist Nate Wood.

As a singer in the choir, I鈥檝e experienced this beautiful tradition first-hand. The university鈥檚 three choirs join the 麻豆影院 Symphony Orchestra, forming an ensemble that can hardly fit onstage.

I find myself encountering a curious paradox: while it’s harder than ever to hear my own voice amidst hundreds of musicians, I feel louder, empowered by the support of this vast ensemble.

鈥淚t teaches us so much about how to be musicians and how to communicate,鈥� said Dupere, associate professor of music and director of orchestral studies. 鈥淵ou have to communicate with Mozart鈥攊t鈥檚 exposed, and you can hear it immediately if there鈥檚 no conversational aspects to the music.鈥�

Pedagogically, it teaches a different set of skills for both ensembles, explained Stephen Sieck, associate professor of music and co-director of choral studies.

鈥淚t’s the only time the orchestra really has to think about the text setting and word stress,鈥� Sieck said, 鈥渁nd the only time the choral ensembles have to think about being in tune with woodwinds.鈥�

The tradition stands among the most anticipated 麻豆影院 performances, with a history of multiple decades on its belt. Its repertoire is not confined to canonical standards; the 麻豆影院 faculty regularly alternates between traditional classics and important contemporary works. Last year featured This Love Between Us by Reena Esmail, written in the last decade; the previous year was Brahms鈥� 1868 German Requiem; before that, two works by the contemporary composer Adolphus Hailstork.

Such opportunities are uncommon among other liberal arts colleges, Sieck remarked.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e at a school of music big enough to do oratorios,鈥� he said, 鈥渋t really opens up this entire library of outstanding music that composers throughout the centuries have poured a lot of their best work into.鈥�

For nearly a year, planning commences as Conservatory faculty sift through repertoire. Dupere, Sieck, and their colleagues work together to select the piece that aligns best with the abilities of the current students.

The choice of Mozart’s Great Mass was deliberate; it boasts numerous soprano solos鈥攁 perfect fit for the plethora of talented sopranos in the Conservatory.

鈥淚t is so exciting to be able to fully let go and enjoy a different kind of freedom that singing with an orchestra brings,鈥� said senior Tanvi Thatai, a soprano soloist from Sterling, Virginia, double majoring in music performance (voice) and linguistics. 鈥淚 definitely have some more tools under my singing belt, from ensemble coordination to some of the more technical aspects of singing.鈥�

The frequent soprano solos sung by Thatai and others reflect Mozart鈥檚 intention to showcase the talents of his wife, Constanze, who probably first sung the part. In this regard, the Great Mass was very much a wedding gift to his spouse, but it also reflects a look back at his predecessors.

鈥淚t is simultaneously so, so Mozart.鈥� explained Sieck, 鈥渂ut there are so many spots in which it is clear that he is a student of Bach and Handel.鈥�

Many scholars regard the Great Mass as the culmination of Mozart’s study of earlier contrapuntal music, with nods to Handel’s iconic Hallelujah chorus, an emphasis on counterpoint, and the use of a Bachian double choir.

Like Mozart鈥檚 Requiem, the Great Mass was left incomplete. Regardless, the work belongs to the missa solemnis (solemn mass) tradition, where composers wrote monumental works better suited for concert than worship.

鈥淭his music is glorious, transcendent, and so needed in our time today,鈥� Dupere said.

Each movement expresses a distinct character, varying between devastating chromaticism and optimistic jubilance. With orchestral and choral forces of such magnitude, the music becomes emotionally charged and genuinely moving.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something to be celebrated when we all come together,鈥� Dupere said.

Indeed, these moments of such immense artistic unity hold a special place in my 麻豆影院 experience. Each one stands as a yearly highlight, and together they form timeless memories.

In the days leading up to the performance, Gibson will be meeting with students and guest teaching several classes, including Musicians in Movement, Articulating the Solo Body, and Dance Collective Ensemble. 麻豆影院 introduced a new dance minor in 2023.

鈥淪he has infectious, embodied energy that brings people together and builds healing, wholeness, and belonging,鈥� said Paek, who knows Gibson from graduate school.

She calls Gibson a 鈥渇orce of nature鈥� and said she鈥檚 excited for Gibson to share these dances alongside 麻豆影院 students at the April 14 event, titled A Congo Square Gathering: A Reverence for Culture and Healing for Humanity, Down by The Riverside.

鈥淚t is a fabulous collaborative opportunity for the five 麻豆影院 student jazz musicians who will be playing with her,鈥� Paek said. 鈥淭hey will get professional experience working with a stellar choreographer, playing both pre-determined songs and improvising for her.鈥�

Raised in New Orleans, Gibson is well acquainted with gospel, jazz, traditional funeral processions, Congo Square gatherings, the Black church, and Second Line parades celebrating community, according to her biography. Together, her dance and music experiences inform her instruction of African American vernacular dance forms.

Gibson received her BFA in Dance from Tulane University and her MFA from Hollins University/American Dance Festival at Duke University. She moved to Dallas and launched her dance career in the early 2000s and has performed all over the world. She is a consummate storyteller, employing body and mind to build a bridge between the arts and academia.

The New York Times featured Gibson and her Second Line workshops in 2022: 鈥淚n Gibson鈥檚 workshops, she starts by helping students find the second line beat in their bodies, the bounce in their feet, hips, shoulders, heads. A strut shifts into a skip, because the dance has to cover ground. Gibson, who calls herself 鈥榮assy and saucy鈥� and refers to herself at 鈥楳z. G,鈥� is an encouraging, permission-giving coach.鈥�

The first staged reading of Run with the Hare took place in the Barnstorm Studio at the Home Rule Club in Kilkenny, Ireland, giving Troy a chance to test his Irish dialogue with Irish actors.

鈥淭he action of the play takes place in Kilkenny, so having a Kilkenny-based cast and audience, I was able to test the accuracy of all the place names, locales, and historical references, and more importantly, the associations locals make with those places and events,鈥� Troy said. 鈥淚 made a few adjustments to the play based on that feedback.鈥�

The March 28 reading at 麻豆影院, set for 7 p.m., will be the first reading in the U.S. Four professional actors鈥擲tephen Spencer (from TV series Fargo and Empire and the film Public Enemies), Olivia Gregorich 鈥�17, Alan Kopischke, and Jacque Troy鈥攚ill be joined in the cast by three 麻豆影院 seniors, Ella Rose Schaefer, Alec Welhouse, and Jon Winkler.

Troy will direct the production and then partake in a talk-back session with the audience.

The staged reading, Troy said, is a significant step in the development of the play. It鈥檚 an opportunity for him as the playwright to hear the dialogue with fresh ears because the audience is hearing the play for the first time.

The story, Troy said, is focused on Stapleton, a three-time All-Ireland hurling champion, pharmacist, and happily married father of two. He awakens his commitment to Irish Nationalism as the First D谩il and the Irish Volunteers struggle to establish the new Irish State in 1918. From that moment until the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, Stapleton manufactures and distributes war materials and gathers important intelligence, all while winning golf tournaments, nurturing a growing family, attending to the ailments of his community, decoding messages disguised as folklore, and gathering allies among those who appear to support British occupation, Troy said.

Troy first heard about Stapleton in 2016 while visiting with friend and occasional collaborator Lucy Stapleton, Dan Stapleton鈥檚 great-granddaughter. The two attended a museum exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising. Troy learned that his friend鈥檚 aunt, Helen (Stapleton) Ledwidge, had written a thesis on Dan Stapleton while studying at UCD.

鈥淗er research, additional Stapleton family letters, an unpublished memoir of Dan Stapleton鈥檚 youngest son, photos and documents, and Dan鈥檚 1953 oral history of his experiences during the Anglo-Irish War served as my primary sources for the play,鈥� Troy said.

He also consulted with modern Irish historians from UCD, Trinity College, and Maynooth University and explored archival material from the National Library of Ireland, the Irish Military Archives, UCD archives, and the National Folklore Collection.

Ledwidge and other Stapleton family members attended the reading of Troy鈥檚 play in Kilkenny.

鈥淗e sent me a copy of his first draft, and when I read it,听I was blown away by his take on Dan’s听story, his grasp of Irish dialogue, humor, and events,鈥� Ledwidge said. 鈥淗e organized a first reading in Dan’s old hometown of Kilkenny. The family went to see it, and it was so wonderful to see it live; we were blown away at how good the story looked and sounded on stage.鈥�

As someone who has dedicated significant time to researching and documenting her family history, Ledwidge said she is thrilled to see her grandfather鈥檚 story come to life on stage.

鈥淚 hope when Run with the Hare is eventually performed live it will be received with great applause as it is in my opinion a great piece of writing by Tim,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e all wish him every accolade due to him and the recognition that he is indeed a great playwright.鈥�

Troy鈥檚 year in Ireland was a return engagement. He taught there during a residency 15 years earlier.

A 1985 graduate of 麻豆影院, Troy has been teaching in 麻豆影院鈥檚 theatre arts program since 1997 (he also taught from 1989 to 1992), with a focus on acting, directing, script analysis, and playwriting.

The听听is the U.S. government鈥檚 flagship international educational exchange program.听Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than听400,000听participants from听over听160 countries the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research, exchange ideas,听and contribute to finding solutions to shared听international听concerns.

On stage

What: Staged reading of Run with the Hare (鈥nd hunt with the hound), written by Timothy X. Troy

When: 7 p.m. March 28

Where: Cloak Theater in the Music-Drama Center

Cost: Free

It鈥檚 the second Grammy win for Roomful of Teeth. They won a Grammy in 2014 in the same ensemble performance category for their self-titled debut album, and they were nominated in two other categories. They were nominated again in 2016 following the release of their second album, Render.

Gomez joined the faculty in the 麻豆影院 Conservatory of Music in 2019. She continues to perform at music halls around the world. She leaves this week for Paris, where she will teach remotely while Roomful of Teeth embarks on a series of performances with Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra.

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In the lead-up to the Grammys, Gomez said she was excited about the accolades coming to Roomful of Teeth for the Rough Magic album.

鈥淚鈥檓 so glad to have this album out in the world finally, after eight years between our second and third albums,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really proud of it. It鈥檚 an honor for our group to have been nominated for Grammys for all three of our albums, but this one is such a special mix of music that we鈥檝e gotten to tour and dig into over years of live performances, commissioning projects, and artist residencies.鈥�

Gomez is doing her best to bring her students along for the ride. The performing she does with Roomful of Teeth鈥攕triving to improve and grow as a vocal performer鈥攊nforms her teaching every step of the way. That, she said, is at the heart of being a mentor.

鈥淚 really feel a sense of symbiosis with my teaching and singing work鈥攂oth types of work are about communication and self-expression, and connecting with people,鈥� Gomez said. 鈥淭he kinds of connections I get to make with Roomful鈥檚 collaborators directly inform and inspire the way I think about singing, and the way I think about teaching. That makes my teaching always more creative and alive upon my return.鈥�

Watching Gomez build those connections between her performances and her teaching has been a joy to witness over the past five years, said Brian Pertl, dean of the Conservatory.

鈥淓stel铆 Gomez is one of the most versatile and virtuosic singers in the world,鈥� Pertl said. 鈥淐lassical, jazz, musical theater, throat singing, and heavy metal. She literally can do it all.听 When she is not performing at the most famous concert halls around the world, she is here at 麻豆影院 teaching.听And her teaching is as virtuosic as her singing.鈥�

Gomez鈥� students share the Grammy excitement. Prior to Sunday鈥檚 Grammy ceremony, they talked about what she brings to her students.

鈥淪he has spent so much of her time caring for her students and showing us love and compassion, and I think this nomination is a good way for her to receive that love and appreciation back,鈥� said senior Damian Islas, a music performance (voice) major from Houston. 鈥淎side from her nurturing persona, she has put in so much hard work into mastering the art of singing and knowing her voice and body inside and out, which is the hardest job for a singer. Some singers spend their entire lives trying to figure that out, but with one single beautiful soprano note, Prof Gomez shows us all that she has cracked the code.鈥�

Ava Wadia, a sophomore from San Diego, said she鈥檚 thrilled to see Gomez and the Roomful ensemble recognized at the highest levels of the music industry.

鈥淚t’s inspiring as a student to see the payoff of all the techniques that she imparts to us in our lessons,鈥� Wadia said. 鈥淚t’s also a point of pride I think for me, like I get to shout, 鈥楾hat’s my voice teacher!鈥� at people.鈥�