The BYU School of Music is proud of its many talented alumni. Here are just a few of their accomplishments from the past few months.
Mia Black (BM 2023, choral education) recently won the 2024 Prize of the Ariel Bybee Endowment at the Center for Latter-Day Saint Arts for her development of an elementary music curriculum focused on teaching global folk music in America. Drawing inspiration from her experiences living in Istanbul and taking a multicultural education course, Black channeled her love for multicultural experiences into a songbook filled with American and other types of folk music. Black says, “This project will follow the immigration timeline of America, and will include folk songs that have been brought to this country by the many diverse ethnic groups that have come to call this land home.” Black is the winner of the $5,000 Endowment Prize. The development and distribution of Black's completed curriculum is supported by an additional generous grant of $10,000 from the Sorenson Legacy Foundation. “Without the courses that I took at BYU,” Black says, “I would never have found the inspiration for this project. And without the support of my incredible professors and mentors, I don’t think I would have had the courage to pursue this project.”
Andrew Maxfield’s (BM 2006, music studies) piece What About the Duck? was recently performed by the Utah Symphony. Learn more about the piece and Andrew’s career by reading, “Q&A with Alumni Composer Andrew Maxfield.”
Savannah Porter (BM 2021, vocal performance) is a freelance choral singer and soloist who has been singing professionally full-time since 2021. Porter lives in Brooklyn, New York, and sings with award-winning ensembles such as the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Conspirare, True Concord Voices and Orchestra, Artefact American Soloist Ensemble (located in South Korea), Skylark, Benedict XVI, and Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble. Porter is on contract to be part of a solo recital series with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale this upcoming July, and she is also a featured soloist and ensemble member in Conspirare’s current Grammy-nominated album “House of Belonging.”
Jacob Khalil (BM 2018, vocal performance) was recently featured on FOX 5 NY chronicling his heavy involvement in the New York jazz and singer-songwriter scenes. The segment featured his new song “Rest Of My Life.” Within the last year, Jacob has performed on Saturday Night Live with Sam Smith and has maintained a busy, full-time performing schedule in NYC and around the country.
BYU Orchestra Alumni Reunion: On April 13th, many BYU Orchestra Alumni gathered in the Music Building for a reunion. Whether alumni had graduated 7 or 70 years ago, they played together in a sight-reading session, held in the Concert Hall and directed by Dr. Nathan Haines. Afterwards, the alumni enjoyed a meal together in the Skyroom before watching the Philharmonic perform. To get connected with school of music orchestra alumni, join the “BYU Orchestra Alumni” group on Facebook.
