UNM Fine Arts

06/05/2025

Welcome to Travis Maril, our new Assistant Professor of Viola!

Praised for his “apt eloquence” and “persuasive, stylish ardor” (San Diego Story), violist Travis Maril is an accomplished chamber musician and innovative pedagogue.
As violist of the Hyperion Quartet, he was a top-prize winner at the Fischoff National
Chamber Music Competition and performed on NPR’s Performance Today. His chamber music collaborators have included members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Miró Quartet, and principal players of the Cleveland Orchestra, LA Phil, Dallas, San Diego and Pittsburgh Symphonies.

In 2021, Travis won the gold medal in the Violympics, an online competition of over a
hundred violinists and violists organized by Boston Symphony Concertmaster Nathan
Cole, with a panel of judges including Augustin Hadelich, James Ehnnes and Gil Shaham. Festival appearances include La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, Schleswig-Holstein, Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Ojai, the Banff Institute and Mainly Mozart.

Travis taught at San Diego State University’s School of Music and Dance for nearly two decades. During his time at SDSU he performed as soloist with the SDSU Symphony Orchestra in Vaughan Williams’ Flos Campi and Paganini’s Sonata for the Grand Viola. At SDSU Travis co-founded the String Academy, a pre-college program for string students. He was awarded Outstanding SDSU Music Faculty Member in 2021.

Travis writes regularly on topics in string pedagogy on his blog, String Theory. Since 2021 he has led online workshops and educational programs through his website
www.travis-maril.com, working with hundreds of violists from all over the world.
Travis earned his degrees at the University of Southern California and Rice University. He studied with Donald McInnes, Ralph Fielding, Karen Ritscher, Che-Yen Chen and Nathan Cole.

UNM Fine Arts

06/05/2025

Welcome to our new Assistant Professor of Oboe, Dr. Jillian Kouzel!

An advocate for new music, Dr. Kozuel has commissioned and premiered numerous works, most recently Quiet Triumph by Karalyn Schubring, which she will perform at the IDRS conference this summer. She is an active freelance musician and previously held the position of utility oboe and English horn with the Lima Symphony Orchestra. Kouzel frequently performs with the Illinois, Heartland Festival, and Peoria Symphonies, and has appeared as a soloist across the U.S. and internationally. Her recordings include The Wind Ensemble Music of Arnold Rosner and Fernande Decruck Concertante Works. She performed in internationally recognized festivals such as the New York String Orchestra Seminar and National Repertory Orchestra. Kouzel previously served as Assistant Professor of Oboe at Illinois State University. She holds a DMA and dual MM degrees from the University of Michigan, and a BM from the University of Texas at Austin.

UNM Fine Arts UNM Orchestras

06/04/2025

Welcome to our new Director of UNM Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Professor of Orchestral Studies, Dr. Kǎrin Hendrickson!

Dr. Hendrickson joins the University of New Mexico with a distinguished career in orchestral conducting, opera, and training young musicians.

She has performed with prestigious orchestras, including the Belgian National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, and all of the BBC orchestras, among others. Dr. Hendrickson also has significant experience in opera, having served as Music Director for various opera performances, as well as Chorus Master for both professional adult and children’s opera choruses.

An accomplished orchestra and opera training pedagogue, Dr. Hendrickson has trained and performed with over 35 pre-professional ensembles across four continents. Highlights of her teaching career include collaborations with the Concertgebouworkest Young and the Royal Conservatoire Ghent (opera). She was a 3-year guest artist at the North Carolina School of the Arts, which featured performances of Bernstein’s MASS and a PBS-televised adaptation of The Nutcracker Ballet as well as multiple appointees with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. She has also prepared young musicians for esteemed conductors such as Marin Alsop, Michael Tilson-Thomas and Gustavo Dudamel.

Dr. Hendrickson has taught masterclasses or seminars at world-class institutions, including die MUK in Austria, the Southbank Centre (London), and Concertgebouworkest Young. Additionally, she served on competition panels for the Royal Northern Sinfonia (England) Composition Competition and the University of Iowa Concerto Competition.

Her conducting training began at George Mason University under Professor Anthony Maiello, continued with Gustav Meier at the Peabody Conservatory, and culminated in a degree with Distinction from the Royal Academy of Music in London under Colin Metters. She has an undergraduate degree in Music from Grove City College, and was awarded their Jack Kennedy Distinguished Alumni award in 2024.

UNM Fine Arts UNM Orchestras

06/04/2025

06/04/2025

06/03/2025

We’re proud to name Michael Madrigal the winner of this year’s SFIFC Screenplay Contest for his stunning sci-fi horror script, Leviathan.

Selected from a field of powerful submissions, and chosen blindly by our judges without knowing the writers’ names, Leviathan stood out for its cosmic atmosphere, eerie intimacy, and poetic terror. Set beneath a rare eclipse in a remote cabin, the script explores what happens when contact is made—and it’s not what we expected.

Michael, an Albuquerque-based writer-director, brings a bold, visionary voice to the screen. We can’t wait to see Leviathan come to life.

05/22/2025

THE LAST CHALLENGE for the Class of 2025 was accepted! We challenged you to consider showing your supporters and doubters what you are made of, to own the moment, and to create memories with your supporters. Cheers erupted as graduate Julian Kazusa somersaulted across the stage and stuck the landing.

SHARE YOUR JOY with the UNM Fine Arts community by tagging your Convocation 2025 photos with on Instagram, @ UNM Fine Arts on Facebook, and join our growing alumni community on LinkedIn @ UNM College of Fine Arts.

STAY TUNED and follow us for more Convocation 2025 photos and posts.

05/19/2025

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2025! - The UNM College of Fine Arts shares in the joy of all graduating students and those who continue on their path towards that goal.

As Dean Harris Smith shared, “As we mark this stage of your successful journey, we must also remind ourselves that success is not a comfortable process nor one that is achieved in isolation. Success is a collective, life-long journey, that demands the best of each of us at each step. The journey towards this goal will continue to challenge us all beyond today, and we must remember to share the joy in all of our celebrations along the way. Much like the creative process, which we, as members of the Fine Arts community know intimately, when we share our vision for what we can create together, we achieve greater outcomes. When we truly collaborate, build on each of our unique strengths, and support each other in the process, together we create a more meaningful and fulfilling version of success.

SHARE YOUR JOY with the UNM Fine Arts community by tagging your Convocation 2025 photos with on Instagram, Fine Arts on Facebook, and join our growing alumni community on LinkedIn College of Fine Arts.

STAY TUNED and follow us for more Convocation 2025 photos and posts.

05/16/2025

Congratulations class of 2025!

05/09/2025

05/07/2025

This week, our world-class faculty take stage! Get to know them!

Brazilian-born violinist Cármelo de los Santos has captivated audiences worldwide with his expressive artistry and technical brilliance. A laureate of several international competitions, including the Júlio Cardona International String Competition, he has performed as a guest soloist with over 40 orchestras across the Americas and Europe. In 2002, he made his New York debut as soloist and conductor at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Currently, he serves as Professor of Violin at the University of New Mexico and Concertmaster of the New Mexico Philharmonic. He performs on a 1791 Angelo Soliani violin.

German cellist Christoph Wagner is renowned for his emotive performances and dedication to music education. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has graced stages across Europe and the United States. Wagner holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Rice University and currently serves as Assistant Professor of Cello and Head of Strings at the University of New Mexico. His commitment to nurturing young talent complements his dynamic presence on stage.

Falko Steinbach is Professor of Piano at the University of New Mexico and an internationally recognized concert pianist, composer, and pedagogue. A native of Germany, he has performed in major venues throughout Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Known for his virtuosic command and interpretive insight, Steinbach is also an advocate for contemporary music, often performing premieres of new works—including his own compositions. He has released numerous critically acclaimed recordings and published groundbreaking work on piano technique and musical interpretation.

05/07/2025