Please be seated.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the University
of North Texas Spring 2016 Undergraduate
Recognition Ceremony for the College of Music.
Our ceremony will begin in just a few minutes.
Please take this opportunity to turn off all
cell phones and other electronic devices.
For the safety of our candidates and guests,
only authorized press, university
photographers, staff, and candidates are
permitted in the corridors or other open spaces.
We hope you will enjoy this ceremony and
remember it fondly for many years to come.
Because this is a special day for all of our
candidates, we ask you to stay until the end of
the ceremony.
Now please stand and remain standing for the
processional and the national anthem.
National Anthem
Well, good afternoon, everyone. My name is
Warren Henry. I'm serving as the interim dean
for the College of Music.
It is my privilege to welcome all of you to
this year's undergraduate recognition ceremony
to celebrate the accomplishments of our
graduates in this very important milestone in
their lives.
Let me begin by thanking first our organist,
Joy Haig, for providing a prelude and
processional music, and to Aaron Matthews and
Suying Huang for leading us in singing of the
national anthem. Thank you.
Well, the spring semester is always an exciting
time for us, because it's a time when we as
faculty watch our students with the greatest
amount of pride as they complete the final
steps of a journey that began for them long
before they entered college.
To our graduates and to the families and
friends who are with us, you should be so proud
of today's accomplishment, particularly when it
represents years of preparation that started in
high school, middle school, or in most cases,
much, much earlier.
And now, with the completion of final projects
and final recitals or the final days of student
teaching, all of your hard work and
determination has come together for this moment.
And ironically, as we mark this celebration, we
are simultaneously preparing to welcome a new
class of freshmen who will arrive here in the
fall and start down the very educational path
that you are completing today.
I'll bet for most of you, including the parents
and families who are here, that it seems just
like yesterday when you were here to visit our
campus and to audition for the College of Music.
This year, approximately 1.8 million students
in the United States will be graduating with a
bachelor's degree.
But of this 1.8 million, only about 15,000
students will be receiving a degree in music.
It may sound like a lot, but that's less than
1% of the graduating population.
So I would say to our graduates, as you begin
the next stages of your career, remember that
with your diploma comes a great responsibility
to use your education and your platform to
advocate for the arts.
As of today, an arts leader is not something
you choose, but an arts leader is something you are.
We are thrilled to share this celebration with
you, and on behalf of the College of Music
faculty, staff, and our guests today,
congratulations on this accomplishment.
I am so pleased to introduce Debbie Brooks as
our speaker this afternoon.
She is the founder and director of DFW Musician
Services, which is a business that contracts
local musicians for events in the Metroplex.
Debbie's service has contracted musicians for
numerous gala events that have included the
Fort Worth Opera, the Texas Ballet Theater, and
the Van Cliburn Foundation.
She contracts musicians for the many Broadway
tours that come through Dallas.
She has put together orchestras for performing
artists that have included Andrea Bocelli,
Diana Ross, and Stevie Wonder.
And she even put together a string group to
back Dirks Bentley at the 50th anniversary of
the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Given Debbie's great success in the music
business, she was the perfect person to begin
teaching career development courses in the
College of Music, which she has done for us for
the past eight years.
She is a passionate advocate for students as
they begin to establish their professional
careers, and for that reason, she's the ideal
person to share her perspectives with our
graduates today.
I should also mention that Debbie is an active
cellist. She performs with the Fort Worth
Symphony. She's a member of our College of
Music Advisory Board.
And most importantly, Debbie is one of our
distinguished UNT graduates, holding both an
undergraduate and a master's degree in cello
performance from our College of Music.
We are so pleased to have her with us today.
Please join me in welcoming Debbie Brooks to
the podium.
Please join me in welcoming Debbie Brooks to
the podium.
Dean Henry, distinguished faculty, students,
graduates, and parents, I am very honored to be
speaking to you today.
I do have to read notes because I am a legit
player. If you're a jazzer, you'll know what I
mean by that.
This is one of the great milestones of your
life. It might seem like a point of arrival,
but it is actually a step on the Continuum of
your life.
You have largely been a taker up to now, a
taker of knowledge, developing your skills.
This process will never end, but today begins
the transition of beginning to give in a new
way, to give of yourself to the world.
You are now entering a life of service. Service?
No one talked to me about service when I graduated.
I didn't take a class called service. What do I
mean by service?
You will be serving clients, students, the
public with your performances, the music
community as you progress through your career.
Don't let your ego get in the way of developing
your true mission.
If you are furthering your education, have the
mindset that you have already entered a form, a
professional life, and develop professional habits.
Practical ones like promptness, preparedness,
and focus.
The habits developed here are the ones you will
take moving forward.
Hone your craft, master more your instrument or
whatever field you have chosen, but there are
other necessary qualities for success.
Put character in your toolbox. Your words
should be your bond.
People should be able to believe what you say
and you always follow through on what you say
you will do.
Put a sense of ethics in your toolbox.
Learn the written and largely unwritten rules
that govern your profession.
Know your place as you work your way up.
I mentioned mission a minute ago. Be aware that
your life has a mission.
This one is a little tougher to see at this
stage of your life, but you will look back
someday and see how everything you have done
and have studied have somehow magically worked
together into what you were meant to do.
This is when you will be the happiest, when you
realize that you have become and are doing
exactly what you were meant to do.
Sometimes you fall into your life's work.
Sometimes you have to work harder to find it.
Not everyone is 100% focused on their goals as
they graduate.
Working in the field of career development here
has taught me that.
I entered adult life playing the cello. That's
all I wanted to do, play anywhere and
everywhere that I could.
But as I look back now, that was only the
beginning of my life's work.
By listening to myself at various stages along
the way, my career has gone in directions never
imagined when I was in school.
But everything worked together in a fantastic
way as I look back.
Trust those moments of decision. Make sure that
it's in line with your mission.
Listen to yourself. Believe in yourself.
I'd like to share some practical advice, which
hopefully will save you a few learning steps in
the real world.
You've heard that the secret of real estate is
location, location, location.
Well, for us, it's network, network, network.
It's a fact that a lot of jobs come from
relationship before a resume even hits a desk.
Develop a personal and professional network.
The relationships here among fellow students
and professors will last the rest of your life.
Keep up with people. Care about people.
And as you meet new people, take the time to
learn something about them and keep up with
them, at the very least in a database that can
be maintained over a lifetime.
We didn't have social media or even a computer
when I graduated, but there are professors here
on this stage,
dear friends and colleagues that have remained
with me all these many years.
These are the friends who will remember you
when you were in school and can keep you honest.
Another point I want to make is to find a mentor.
Someone in your field who truly cares about
you, who has been where you want to go.
Someone who is willing to invest some time into
being a sounding board and can help you avoid missteps.
This might have been a parent, high school
teacher, or professor here up to now.
Thank them for the help that they provided.
Up to this point, but as you enter a new phase,
you need more.
Find at least one new mentor, someone who has
made a lot of mistakes on the way to the top
and has overcome them.
I'll tell you a little secret about the mentor relationship.
I've been on both sides, one mentored and as a mentor.
If you ask them for advice and they give it to
you, if you ignore it, they will notice.
If you continue to ignore it, they will be
hesitant to share with you the deeper ideas and lessons.
You have a right to make your own decisions,
but don't expect to get all of the gems that
they have to offer if you don't listen to what
they say.
In other words, trust that they have your best
interest at heart and that they're really there
to help you, but the trust goes both ways.
They will need to trust you as well with the
information that they're sharing with you.
You might have noticed that I said mistake twice.
Yes, everyone makes mistakes and you will too,
but these can be overcome with how well you
respond to them.
Own up to your mistakes so that you can learn
from them.
Remove the ego part of you that tends to stifle
your growth, but find out who you truly are,
the person, the dreams, the goals, and
ultimately the mission.
It is a long life ahead of you and you have
taken a big step here today, but there are many
steps to go.
We walk them one day at a time, one gig at a
time, one milestone at a time.
It might not be a straight path, it might even
wind around a bit, but it is a path and it is
your path.
You are leaving here with a set of skills in
your toolbox according to your degree plan, but
also put character and ethics in your toolbox.
Your talent will let you in, but your attitude
and character will keep you there.
Network, mentors, character, ethics, these will
be your keys to your future success.
The bottom line for us here at the College of
Music, faculty, donors, advisors, and alumni,
is that we want you to succeed.
We want you to be well. We want to help when we
can. Reach out when you need help.
None of us achieve success completely on our own.
We are cheering for you. Congratulations on
your achievement. Godspeed.
Thank you.
Thank you, Debbie.
Well, our recognition ceremony would certainly
not be complete without music, and we are
delighted to feature one of our graduates
today, Nattari Suwanpothipra, known to most of
us in the College of Music as Bell.
Bell is a student of Professor Gustavo Romero
and graduated today with her degree in piano performance.
And in addition to being an accomplished
pianist, Bell has served for two years as a
College of Music ambassador.
She has been on the front lines welcoming
interested students and their parents to our
college and giving them tours of our facilities.
Probably many of you took those tours.
We knew that whenever anyone interacted with
Bell that they would leave our campus with the
most positive impression of UNT in the College
of Music.
We are so pleased to have Bell share her music
with us today.
Please welcome one of our newest graduates to
the stage, Bell Suwanpothipra.
Thank you.
Bell is a student of Professor Gustavo Romero
and graduated today with her degree in piano performance.
And in addition to being an accomplished
pianist, Bell has served for two years as a
College of Music ambassador.
Bell has served for two years as a College of
Music ambassador.
And in addition to being an accomplished
pianist, Bell has served as a College of Music ambassador.
Bell has served as a College of Music ambassador.
(music playing) (applause)
She didn't learn to do that four years ago.
At this time we will recognize our graduates,
but first I would like to take a moment to
congratulate our students who are graduating
with distinction.
We have 25 students graduating with a GPA
between 3.5 and 369, cum laude, with praise.
We have 24 students graduating with a GPA of 3.7
-3.89, Magna cum laude, with great praise.
And we have 20 students graduating with a GPA
of 3.9-4.0, summa cum laude, with the highest praise.
Congratulations to those students.
Now may I ask the 2016 Bachelor of Arts in
Music and Bachelor of Music candidates to
please rise.
And will the audience please join us in
congratulating the class of 2016. (applause)
Candidates please be seated.
Will the marshals please usher the candidates
to the stage.
Candidates please be seated.
The following candidates have completed the
requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Music.
Lauren Austin Abey, Michelle Bittner, Francesca
Aurelia Cacal, Kaiyip Chan, Jonathan Escovach,
Gabriel S., Joshua Giles, Gabriel Noah Golond,
Hannah Mackenzie Grantham, Zoe Ansopoulos,
Joseph Taylor Mitchell, Alexander Moreno, Ethan
M. Schroeder, Tyler Yates, Zhao Yun.
The following candidates have completed the
requirements for the Bachelor of Music in Composition.
Ryan Ayers, also receiving a degree in Music
Theory, summa cum laude, Samuel Mikulewicz, cum laude.
The following candidates have completed the
requirements for the Bachelor of Music in Music Education.
General Choral and Instrumental Music Choral
Keyboard, Michael Drew Korenstein,
General Choral and Instrumental Music Choral
Vocal, Leanne Alvarado, also receiving a degree
in Vocal Performance,
Crystal Anaya, cum laude, E. Jonathan Ayana,
Kelly D'Souza, summa cum laude, Sylvia Cheyenne Irwin,
Lauren Anne Garcia, Darryl Alexandra Jackson,
summa cum laude, Marcus Wony Khan, Matthew Ryan Lee,
Natalie Carol Manning, Magna cum laude, also
receiving a degree in Vocal Performance, Sofia
Alicia Ramirez,
Amanda Margaret Sadler, summa cum laude,
Richard Daniel Serra,
General Choral and Instrumental Music
Instrumental Band, Charles Everett Agueros,
Caleb Benda,
Hannah Fox Britt, cum laude, J.J. Carter, Aaron
James Covey, summa cum laude,
Dwight Dwayne Dixon Jr., Magna cum laude,
Christopher Downs,
Kevin L. Ford, summa cum laude, Antonio Jesus
Gonzalez, Matthew M. Gordon, cum laude,
Amanda E. Grubb, Kaitlyn Eloise Hall, Magna Cum
laude, Mitchell Rader Hall, Magna cum laude,
Jason He Huang, cum laude, dual degree Bachelor
of Science in Computer Science, Austin J. Holder,
Brandon Lee Jones, cum laude, Philip B. Jones,
Magna cum laude,
Jacob D. Keener, Magna cum laude, Denver Wesley
Lamont, Magna Cum laude,
Christopher M. Lennox, Jack O. Pronsky, Chase
Brandon Rogers, cum laude,
Wesley Mitchell Smith, dual degree in
Performance, Magna cum laude,
Rebecca Marie Villareal, Perrin Douglas White,
General Choral and Instrumental Music,
Instrumental Orchestral,
Samuel Brian Hernandez, Magna Cum laude,
Immanuel Miguel Peralta Coraza,
Stephen Carl Benedetti, Daniel Beckwith, Toshi
Samuel Clinch, Magna cum laude,
Isabel Prespo, Magna cum laude, Henry William
Decoff, Magna cum laude, Kyle L. Downs, cum laude,
Edwin Eby, Amanda Elise Eckery, Magna Cum
laude, Kyle Daniel Gordon, Ian A. Henderson,
Paul Andrew Lees, cum laude, Trevor M. Lund,
Emilio Francisco Mesa, Magna cum laude,
Scott Robert Morse, summa cum laude, Derek
Heil, Mauricio Silva, cum laude,
Andrew Nolan Sneed, cum laude, Christian
Valdez, Jose Valdez,
The following candidates have completed the
requirements for the Bachelor of Music in Music Theory.
Danielle Engler Cordray, Dual Degree in Music
Theory and Performance, summa cum laude,
David Falcherman, Dual Degree in Theory and
Performance, summa cum laude,
Eli Ramirez, cum laude, The following
candidates have completed the requirements for
the Bachelor of Music in Performance.
Laura Anne Bradley, summa cum laude, Julian
Shalon, cum laude, Austin T. Krumrein, cum laude,
Adam B. Dillon, Gabriel Garabini Sakamoto,
Carrie E. Green, summa cum laude,
Laura K. Jamison, Magna cum laude, Sojung Jo,
Magna cum laude,
Jennifer Elaine Kennedy, summa cum laude,
Rebecca Ko,
Eleni Kotsabasis, Andrew James Leister, cum laude,
Erin Nicole Matthews, Magna cum laude, Mark Painter,
Angeline Park, Leland Rooney, David Thomas Summers,
Natnari Suwampotipra, Magna cum laude, Margaret
R. Tapley, summa cum laude,
and Susanna Caroline Woodruff.
Well, as our remaining students take their
seats, I do have some closing remarks for you.
There are so many people who helped with this ceremony.
And I would like to take just a moment to thank
the Merkison Performing Arts Center staff who
always make these events look so easy.
Thank you to my administrative assistant, Ann
Onken, and our assistant dean, Raymond Rowell,
for their help in putting together today's program.
And many, many thanks to our wonderful team of
volunteers, and particularly our advisors,
Carol Pollard, Ana Martinez, Jesse New, and
Becky King,
who do so much work behind the scenes to help
with this event.
Before we conclude, I'd like to make mention of
our recessional music.
You may have noticed in your program that we
are using Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance as our
recessional, which is typically used as the
processional at graduations.
But this is not a mistake.
Instead, this is something that has become
somewhat of a tradition for us in the College
of Music.
It was established several years ago when we
asked the Division of Jazz Studies to write an
arrangement of Pomp and Circumstance.
But rather than using the arrangement for our
processional, we instead chose to use it as the
recessional to symbolically represent our
students' processional into the next phase of
their lives and careers.
The arrangement you will hear today was written
by Gabriel Evans and will be performed by Aaron
Heddenstrom on the alto saxophone, Keith Karnes
on trumpet, Sergio Pamis on piano, Jack Helsey
on bass, and Andrew Sneed on drumset.
Andrew is graduating today with his
undergraduate degree in Jazz Studies.
The other five musicians, however, are all
graduating in just a few hours with their
doctorate in Jazz Studies, a degree we just
started to offer a few years ago.
Gabe, Aaron, Keith, Sergio, and Jack will be
the first full cohort of students to graduate
in our Jazz doctoral program.
And I cannot think of any better
representatives than these five extraordinary
students who have done so much for our College
of Music.
Well done, gentlemen.
And to our graduates, you will forever be part
of our College of Music community.
Please remember that we want to hear from you
and we will always welcome the opportunity to
celebrate your successes and accomplishments.
On behalf of our faculty and staff, thank you
for choosing our College of Music for your
undergraduate education.
We wish you the greatest success in the future ahead.
Congratulations to you.
Now Ms. Matthews will lead us in singing the
Alma Mater. Please rise.
The University is striving for the right.
Down the corridor of years, we'll forget the
joys and tears.
Not for Texas, for Texas freedom.
Please be seated.
Platform party, faculty, and students, after
the participants have recessed, we invite you
to remain in your seats for the conclusion of
the recessional.
The marshals will now lead the recessional.
(music playing)