Trumpeter Terell Stafford is celebrating his 25th year as Director of Jazz and Instrumental Studies at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. On April 19th and 20th, his students competed with nine other university jazz programs in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2022 Jack Rudin Jazz Championship and finished second. Here’s a look at some of the exceptional students in the Temple program. Banks Sapnar Outstanding Trumpet Growing up in Haddonfield, NJ, Banks Sapnar’s first exposure to jazz was a compendium CD his mother gave him, which was filled with Duke...

New this year, Chorus America established the Alice Parker Fund Award to support the composition and thoughtful presentation of choral music based in the traditions of Black and Latinx communities. The award recognizes the exemplary work of a Black or Latinx composer or an ensemble that respectfully and authentically presents works incorporating these traditions and experiences. Dr. Rollo Dilworth is the 2022 recipient of the Alice Parker Fund Award. Dilworth is a prolific composer and arranger, a renowned conductor, and a master educator who has celebrated the...

Honoring the retirement of Dr. Cynthia Folio, the Department of Music Studies welcomes the distinguished professor of music studies as the first presenter for the new CPCA@C4C Colloquium Series. Folio is a composer, music theorist and accomplished flutist who has taught at Temple University for more than 30 years. Prior to Temple, Folio taught music theory and flute at Texas Christian University and performed in the Fort Worth Symphony. As a professor at Temple, she has received numerous awards including the 1994 Lindback Award for Distinguished...

When Terell Stafford was a young and budding trumpet player, he was told he might have a problem. The way in which he applies his mouth to his mouthpiece—what is referred to as his embouchure by those in the profession—is crooked. “One teacher said, ‘If you can’t play right in the center you won’t be able to play past the age of 25,’” Stafford said. Still, his love for the trumpet never faded, and he continued to frequent clubs, taking in as much music as possible. Then he received guidance and encouragement from jazz greats like Wynton Marsalis and Clark Terry, and...

On March 20, the Temple University Symphony Orchestra and Choirs returned to the Kimmel Cultural Campus for the first time since 2019 to perform Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 under the baton of guest conductor Kensho Watanabe. As part of the annual concert event, Boyer College presented its 2022 Boyer College Tribute Award to music therapy alumna and visiting professor Tamsen Ann Ziff, BYR '16. The evening was marked by a very special surprise performance by internationally renowned soprano Renée Fleming, a friend of Ziff's who was thrilled to join us in honoring her. Fleming...

After almost a full academic year back on campus for in-person classes, we wanted to take a moment to recognize our faculty for their extraordinary achievements throughout 2021. Despite a virtual spring 2021 and select events remaining online-only, members of the full-time Boyer faculty continued to perform, present, publish and receive awards. Read Boyer College of Music and Dance 2021 Faculty News

The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) announced the results of its 2022 elections. Dr. Deborah Confredo was named president-elect of NAfME National, a position she will start this year and hold until 2024. Dr. Confredo is a professor of music education and the director of online graduate programs in music education at the Boyer College. In addition to numerous published articles on music education, pedagogy and research, Confredo is an instrumental editor, arranger, author and consultant for the FJH Music Company. A 42-year veteran...

This month, Network for New Music presents its long-awaited Intersections program celebrating Professor Jan Krzywicki’s 30th anniversary as its conductor. The performances will take place Sunday, February 27 at 3:00pm (Settlement Music School, 416 Queen Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147) and Monday, February 28 at 7:30pm (Roberts Hall, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 19041). Learn more about the events: https://www.networkfornewmusic.org/20212022-season The program will include Krzywicki’s work Catching Light; the premiere...

With a nod to Temple’s jazz program, the Philadelphia Inquirer named the Rite of Swing Jazz Café one of the city’s top 12 spots for live jazz. Boyer alumnus Tim Brey, '12 calls the weekly event one of jazz’s “best kept secrets” in Philly, where community members can experience live jazz performances by guest artists, Boyer faculty and its students for no charge. The Rite of Swing takes place in the Temple Performing Arts Center lobby on Thursdays throughout the semester from 4:30-6:30 PM. Read the full article