Dear Colleagues, Please join me in wishing a hearty congratulations to Jamie Johnson as he retires on July 1 after 43 years as part of the Temple community. Jamie’s endless hours of dedication to Temple University Opera Theater have supported countless productions and numerous awards for our program. Jamie came to Temple in 1979 as a Radio-Television-Film major as part of an exchange program with Messiah University. He received his bachelor’s degree and went on to complete Master of Music degrees in voice and opera performance, singing ten roles in Temple University Opera...

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...

Dear Boyer Community, It is with incredible sadness that I share with you that Florence Brown Palmore passed away on Saturday, February 26. We were informed two weeks ago that her health had been gradually improving. Since then, however, she became ill again and her condition declined very rapidly. Her family was with her at the end to provide her comfort and peace. More information about final arrangements will be shared as they are available. Until then, please keep Florence’s family in your thoughts.   Florence dedicated so much of her life to the students,...

On Jan. 24, Fareed Simpson-Hankins, BYR ’19, ’21, premiered his video series, Second Line Bebop, on YouTube. Of the public’s positive reaction, he said, “I don’t think people were expecting it to be what it was, which is a good feeling for jazz musicians, as we don’t like to be predictable.” The video series highlights the cultural parallels between Philadelphia and New Orleans with a focus on jazz music. It was the culmination of research that Simpson-Hankins conducted with support from a $10,000 stipend granted through the Presser Graduate Music Award. Only graduate...