Boston University School of Music

🌟Mivos Quartet premiering BU student composer works TOMORROW!! 🎻🎶 Open to the public

📣 Tuesday, April 7 at 8pm CFA Concert Hall!!

The renowned Mivos String Quartet will present an exciting concert featuring the world premieres of seven vew works written for them by BU composers. Don’t miss it!!

The concert will feature works by BU student composers: Alexandros Gaglias, Eunji Lee, Amara Farah
Melika Shirani Elyaderani, Samuel Long, Parastoo Shafiei and KJ Karapetkov

The Mivos Quartet is devoted to performing works of contemporary composers and presenting diverse new music to international audiences. The quartet, founded in 2008, commissions and premieres new repertoire for string quartet, and is dedicated to creative collaborations with a wide variety of artists.
Mivos maintains an active international performance schedule, with regular appearances as ensemble-in-residence at summer festivals. Mivos takes part in many educational residencies at universities and summer festivals, working with young performers and composers to develop their craft, technical skills and artistic expression.
The quartet also runs two composition prizes to help discover and promote emerging composers in the US and abroad. Beyond these activities, Mivos collaborates regularly with guest artists, presents multimedia projects, and performs improvised music.

www.mivosquartet.com



Mivos Quartet
Olivia De Prato, violin William Overcash, violin Victor Lowrie Tafoya, viola
Nathan Watts, cello

Presented by BU Center for New Music and BU Composition Department 🎶✍️

Congratulations are in order for some SOM students!! 👏🎉🎶🎵

Congratulations to Maria DeBoer (CFA ’27) on being named a semifinalist in the Military Excerpts Division of the 2026 National Trumpet Competition, taking place this March in Iowa, as well as in the International Trumpet Guild’s Ryan Anthony Solo Competition held in May. “For both competitions, I am most excited for the unique opportunity to connect with a broader audience through my music,” Maria shares. “Being a semifinalist means a lot to me. It has been encouraging to see the work I’ve put into my playing recognized and pushes me to keep growing as an artist. I look forward to going out there, doing my best, and giving it everything I’ve got!” We’re so proud of her accomplishment!

We’re thrilled to celebrate doctoral candidate Kaitlyn Oresky (CFA ’28) on winning a full-time position with the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps! 🇺🇸🎶 A dedicated performer, educator, and scholar, Kaitlyn’s journey has come full circle in the most inspiring way. Reflecting on this milestone, she shared: “Drum corps is the reason why I learned how to play baritone nearly thirteen years ago. I learned so many lessons out on the field that began to shape me into the student, teacher, and performer I am today. I never imagined that life would bring me back to performing in this capacity, but it couldn’t feel more perfect. I’m excited to perform in front of thousands of people again, to travel the world, and to discover new things about myself.” We can’t wait to see (and hear!) all that she accomplishes next! 🎺✨

We are delighted to share that doctoral student Erin Matthews (DMA ’27) earned top honors at the New England Regional National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards in November, and went on to achieve national distinction as a finalist in the same competition, securing an impressive fifth-place finish in January.

Huge congratulations to Jonathan Legere (BM ’25, MM ’27) for winning first prize and the Fenwick Smith Memorial Prize for Best Contemporary Performance in the James Pappoutsakis Memorial Flute Competition.

The SOM Scoop: Hey, Terriers! Spring has arrived in Boston, and we’ve rounded up some BU SOM must-dos to make the most of the season! 🌷

Congratulations to the 2026 Chamber Music Competition Winners!! 👏🎉🎶

1st place: Spark Trio
Yifang Xu, piano
Yi Ding, saxophone
Kuanhao Xi, saxophone

Francis Poulenc — Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano, FP 43
Jun Nagao — Paganini Lost

2nd place: Aoede Quartet
Cheng-Yeh Tsou, violin
Fujia Zhang, violin
Valentina Pulido Pardo, viola
Xiezixuan Wu, cello

Ludwig van Beethoven — String Quartet in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1

3rd place: Kračić Trio
Antony Kračić, violin
Giancarlo D’Agostino, alto saxophone
Emma Tio, piano

Antony Kračić — Trio for Violin, Saxophone, and Piano

🎤 Hear from our winning groups:

“Our Spark Trio began at Boston University when we first came together to work on the Poulenc Trio. During rehearsals, the two saxophonists often shared pieces from the saxophone repertoire with the pianist, who quickly became fascinated by the instrument’s unique color and expressive sound. That curiosity eventually led us to explore more repertoire together, and we decided to learn another chamber work written specifically for saxophone and piano. We quickly discovered that we share a similar artistic vision: exploring music that goes beyond traditional classical boundaries.“

“Aoede Quartet was created in Spring 2025 with the initial goal of learning and performing Beethoven’s String Quartet, Op. 59 No. 1. To begin developing their group sound and musical connection, the Aoede Quartet first worked on Beethoven’s String Quartet, Op. 18 No. 6 and Schubert’s Quartettsatz. In Fall 2025, they began studying Beethoven’s String Quartet, Op. 59 No. 1.”

“The Karacic Trio is an undergraduate chamber group dedicated to performing original, contemporary works. After saxophonist Gian D’Agostino approached violinist and composer Antony Karacic with an idea in FitRec last year, Antony wrote a brand-new composition that was completed just as pianist Emma Tio joined this semester. The trio recently premiered the innovative piece at Gian’s recital before finally competing it at the chamber competition.”

📣 The Winners’ Concert will take place in Concert Hall on March 19 at 8pm! 🎶

Our SOM February Faculty Showcase was last Friday and we had a wonderful turnout! The faculty and students sounded great and the repertoire was fantastic. 🥳

Faculty performers included Ed Barker, Tom van Dyck, Arneis Quartet (Heather Braun, Rose Drucker, Daniel Doña, Agnes Kim) Victor Cayres, Gabe Rice, Peter Zazofsky, Daniel Doña, Jean-Michel Fonteneau, Andrius Žlabys, Rob Patterson, Mike Roylance, Hazel Dean Davis, Terry Everson along with some SOM brass students. Bravo to all the performers!! 🎶👏🎉

Introducing 2026 Career Development Workshop Series!! Open to all CFA students. Please come and hear from these wonderful speakers! 🎶🧑‍🏫💼✏️

It’s Giving Tuesday at the BU School of Music!! 🎶🎁 Link to support is in our story and Giving Day highlight. Thank you for considering supporting the arts at BU Music! ❤️🐾🎵🎹🎺🎻🥁🎤🪉🪗🪈

The SOM Scoop: Hey, Terriers! Winter has officially arrived in Boston, and we’ve put together a few BU SOM winter to-dos to help you make the most of the season. Let the snow (and fun) begin! ❄️✨

📣SOM Graduate Students📣 Our admissions office is looking for a graduate assistant for Spring 2026. Apply by Tuesday, November 25, 5:00PM ET!

Our amazing MUED faculty along with Academic Administrative Coordinator Stone!! 👨‍🏫🧑‍🏫🎶🎼🎸🥁

We love this feature by BU Today highlighting our Career Development Workshop Series (CDWS)—an initiative at our School of Music offering dynamic workshops presented by renowned guest speakers who share their insights, challenges, and innovative approaches toward successful careers in the arts. Founded and organized by Professor of Cello Michael Reynolds with support from Assistant Director for Student Services Barbara Raney, the series connects students with artists and experts who have built diverse and fulfilling careers in music and beyond.

As Reynolds shared, “Being a musician requires your skills, but it’s not just your playing skills. With the internet, it’s blown up possibilities for how you can engage with the world.” Raney added, “Music students and musicians have to learn how to be their own best advocates and to think about creative ways to use their musical talents beyond performing.”

We were thrilled to host Dana Fonteneau—our most recent guest in the series. A former professional cellist turned somatic psychotherapist, Fonteneau shared how she transformed her passion for music into a career helping artists manage performance anxiety, burnout, and career transitions. Her talk, “How to Design Your Career Before You Graduate,” inspired students to think beyond the stage and embrace the many possibilities their musical training can offer. As Fonteneau reminded us, it’s about “changing from impossibility to infinite potential” as a career musician.

Learn more about the Career Development Workshop Series and check out the full article linked in our story and highlights! 🎶💼👷👷‍♀️

📅 Our next workshop is happening today!
HAVING IT ALL: THE ART OF THE PORTFOLIO CAREER | Laura Metcalf and Rupert Boyd
Friday, Nov. 7 • 4:30–6:30 p.m. • CFA 154