Adams State University - Music Department

07/07/2025

NEW FACULTY MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT:

We are excited to announce Dr. James Wehe as our Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano. Dr. Wehe, a native of Alamosa who left the Valley and returned, will bring a unique perspective to Adams State University. He is deeply committed to fostering artistic growth and educational opportunity throughout the San Luis Valley.

Dr. Wehe recently earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano from Texas Christian University. There, he was a student of Dr. Tamás Ungár, world-renown piano pedagogue. In addition to his doctoral studies, Wehe holds a Masters degree from New York University and a Bachelors and Performer's Certificate from the University of Denver. We are excited to welcome Dr. Wehe to Adams State University!

If you'd like to read Dr. Wehe's full bio or find out more information about the Music Department, go to music.adams.edu.

06/05/2025

Adams State University Master's in Music Education student Adam Kallal will present his graduate video composition recital on youtube this Saturday, June 7th at 4pm MT. Included are works for percussion ensemble, string quartet, choir, flute and electronics, and several short film scores. Adam has written some beautiful and exciting pieces on his 30-minute composition recital video with some excellent performances. Hope you can check out the video premiere and the youtube link is below.

Thank you for watching my recital! Special thank you to:Dr. Matthew Schildt from Adams State UniversityDr. Jonathan Sharp and the Iowa State Percussion Ensem...

05/07/2025

Dr. Anna Hawkins will be giving a faculty piano recital this Saturday, May 10th at 7pm in Leon Hall. Come enjoy music by Ravel, Price, Gershwin, and more!

05/05/2025

Pianist Dr. Heather Hancock will be giving a guest lecture recital on Thursday (5/8) at 6pm in Leon Hall! Come hear this dynamic performer discuss the relationship between music and trauma and perform relevant music.

Dr. Hancock is a pianist, educator and activist who is passionate about the intersection of artistry and social justice. She has also been an Artist Ambassador for International Justice
Mission, an anti-human trafficking NGO and has been a guest lecturer and performing artist at several universities and civic organizations generating conversations around the role of music in creating a just world. Heather received her Doctorate in Piano Performance from the University of Georgia in 2024. Her research explores solo piano works that directly confront traumatic realities.

05/01/2025

We loved welcoming Professor Vargas to teach a masterclass to our woodwind students yesterday! Thank you for an AWESOME class! :)

04/30/2025

The Adams State University Chamber Choir will be sharing a concert with the Voices of the Valley on Thursday, May 1 at 7:00 pm in Richardson Hall Auditorium. They will be performing a wide variety of pieces, including closing the concert together with Z. Randall Stroope’s moving Homage. Admission is free for AS&F and Friends of Music, $5 for adults, and $1 for K-12 students and seniors. Hope to see you there!

04/23/2025

Come on out to the percussion ensemble concert tonight at 7:00pm in Richardson!

And then, if you still need more percussion in your life, come out tommorrow, Thursday at 7:00pm in Richardson for our Spring Percussion Festival concert featuring amazing guest artists!

There is different music each night so hope to see you there!

04/15/2025

From Broadway musicals, to pop, to jazz standards, 80’s, and more, you’ll get a little bit of everything if you attend the Jazz Ensemble and 68 West concert tomorrow night!

7pm, Tuesday, Richardson Aud., free for AS&F members. We hope to see you there for a great night of music!

04/09/2025

Randy Macy, a collaborative pianist in the Adams State music department, will perform a 50th Anniversary Concert of his senior piano recital in Leon Recital Hall on Sunday, April 13th at 2:00 p.m. The concert will be the same program that Randy performed at his undergraduate senior recital.

Joining him on the program will be pianist Dr. Anna Hawkins in Milhaud’s two-piano suite, “Scaramouche;” flutist Chelsea Todd in Bach’s third flute sonata; and soprano Dr. Amy Johnson in Canciones del Pasado with clarinetist Dr. Brooke Miller, flutist Chelsea Todd, and violinist Dr. Sarah Off-Fixmer.

In the 1920’s, Del Norte musician/historian Ruth Marie Colville collected and preserved 17 Spanish folk songs of the San Luis Valley and Northern New Mexico. In 2019, an ASU cultural grant allowed composer Mari Valverde to begin a song cycle using 4 of these folk songs, Canciones del Pasado. When finished, this song cycle will contain 7 of the 17 SLV Spanish folk songs collected by Colville. The concert will conclude with Beethoven’s “Moonlight” piano sonata. Hope you can join us!

04/04/2025

We are looking forward to the performance of duo Martha Shepp (piano) and Mark Dudrow (cello) in Leon Recital Hall on Thursday 4/10 at 7pm. There is a suggested donation of $10-25 and the concert is free to AS&F and Friends of Music. Classical music duo Mark Dudrow on cello and Martha Shepp on piano are excited to share an eclectic mix of cello-piano and solo works too, from the baroque to modern eras and many different countries. This presentation will take you on an inner journey of beauty and aspiration, a perfect antidote to our chaotic world these days! Composers include: Antonio Vivaldi, J.S. Bach, Enrique Granados, Erik Satie, Turlough O'Carolan, and David Lockwood. We hope you can join us!

03/28/2025

The Adams State University Music and Theater departments presents "The Cup Runs Over," a night of cabaret, stories, and songs under the direction of Dr. Amy Johnson and Nicholas Hoguin. The event will be at the Church Project in Monte Vista, CO (256 S. Broadway) at 8pm Saturday March 29th and is free to all with donations welcome. Hope to see you there!

03/09/2025

❗️This Week❗️

Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas return to the San Luis Valley this Thursday at ASU’s Leon Memorial Concert Hall @ 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm)

Have you bought tickets yet? For general admission, tickets are $25 and $15 for ALMA members and ASU/AS&F (please email [email protected] for discount code). Tickets can be purchased at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/alamosalivemusicassociation/1501626; the online ticket vendor will close this Wednesday at 11:59pm and limited tickets will also be available at the door.

Join us for an evening of exquisite harmonies and contagious energy, exploring the history and tradition of Scotland in sound! Want to listen for yourself before the concert? Click here to hear more: https://alasdairandnatalie.com/video

Don’t miss out on this unforgettable opportunity, we hope to see you there!