The Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin invites you to a captivating series of performances this winter and spring. From the thrilling 'Audition Fever' opera and the festive Butler Holiday Concert to the enchanting sounds of the Symphony Orchestra, this season promises a diverse array of musical experiences. With illustrious conductors and soloists, including Ebonee Thomas on flute and Donnie Ray Albert celebrating fifty years of performing, these events showcase the brilliance and creativity of artists from around the globe. Prepare for an unforgettable journey through the world of music!

A Musical Celebration: Unveiling Butler School's Spectacular Winter and Spring Line-Up

The Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin is set to host a series of captivating events from January to March 2025, featuring a blend of classic and contemporary performances. From the melodious strings of the Miró Quartet and the dynamic Wind Ensemble to the soulful homage by Donnie Ray Albert, these events promise an enriching musical experience. Join us in celebrating the rich tapestry of music with performances by renowned artists, all while exploring the diverse genres and themes that make these concerts unforgettable.

A Musical Odyssey: Exploring the Vibrant Concerts at UT Austin's Butler School of Music

Join the Butler School of Music for an unforgettable journey through a tapestry of musical performances, including ghostly operas, jazz orchestras, and centennial celebrations. From the romantic specters of Versailles to the elegant melodies of Schubert and the dynamic rhythms of jazz, this concert series showcases a diverse array of artists and works. With a line-up that features renowned performers like Douglas Kinney Frost and Donnie Ray Albert, audiences at the University of Texas at Austin are in for a cultural feast that traverses epochs and genres.

A Symphony of Spectacles: Butler School of Music's 2025 Concert Series

The Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin is set to host an assortment of captivating musical events in early 2025. From operatic tales of the afterlife to jazz orchestras and Schubertiades, each event promises a unique glimpse into the world of music. The school's diverse lineup includes performances by renowned artists who will bring to life compositions spanning from classical to contemporary, offering students and the general public an opportunity to experience the rich tapestry of musical expression.

A Symphony of Events: Celebrating Music at the University of Texas at Austin

The Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin recently hosted a captivating week-long series of events, celebrating diverse musical genres and highlighting exceptional talent. From rhythmic percussion recitals to the harmonious sounds of wind symphonies and the powerful performances of renowned soloists, these events showcased the rich tapestry of music that continues to thrive at the university. This article delves into the performances and artists that brought this remarkable week of music to life, offering insights into the artistic expressions and cultural significance of each event.

A Week of Musical Excellence at the University of Texas: Exploring Diverse Sounds

EPSG:4326

Caroline Richards, percussion

Butler School of Music - University of Texas at Austin

Nadia Para, oboe

Homer Rainey Hall

Genesis Staple, mezzo soprano

The University of Texas at Austin

Wesley Liu, piano

Lucy Croasdale, saxophone

In her book Island Time, ethnomusicologist Jessica Swanston Baker examines wylers, a musical form from St. Kitts and Nevis that is characterized by speed. Baker argues that this speed becomes a useful and highly subjective metric for measuring the relationship between Caribbean aspirations and the promises of economic modernity; women's bodily autonomy and the nationalist fantasies that would seek to curb that autonomy; and the material realities of Kittitian-Nevisian youth living in the disillusionment following postcolonial Independence. 

Baker traces the wider Caribbean musical, cultural and media-based resonances of wylers, posing an alternative model to scholarship on Caribbean music that has tended to privilege the big islands—Trinidad, Jamaica and Haiti—thus neglecting not only the unique cultural worlds of smaller nations, but also the unbounded nature of musical exchange in the region.  The archipelago emerges as a useful model for apprehending the relationality across scales that governs the temporal and spatial logics that undergird Caribbean performance.  The archipelago and its speeds ultimately emerge as a meaningful medium for postcolonial, postmodern world-making.  

Jessica Swanston Baker Book Talk: Island Time

University of Texas at Austin

Dean Roberts, viola

Seth Underwood, percussion

Nico Shank, oboe

Maggie Chvatal, flute

Evelyn Lee, violin

Clarinetist James Campbell will be presenting a comprehensive class on the two Brahms clarinet sonatas using a contemporary description of Brahms's playing and how it relates to these compositions. This class references Brahms’ letters, correspondence with Clara Schumann as well as her documentation of his works, and recordings that highlight Brahms’ “true” intentions in his compositions. While the class is focused on Brahms’ clarinet sonatas and should interest clarinetists and pianists especially, all are welcome and can benefit from the insight into Brahms’ works.

James Campbell, clarinet

Elizabeth Ornduff, flute

Rae Brown, tenor/countertenor

Davin Cai, percussion

Xingchang Ye, double bass DMA Chamber Recital

Mason Smith, clarinet Recognition in Music Performance Recital

Jackson Wolf, trumpet Junior Recital

Chase Cano, clarinet Recognition in Music Performance Recital

Oliver Heimbauer, violin Junior Recital

Jared Sierra, trumpet Recognition in Music Performance Recital

Jacob Otchis, saxophone Recognition in Music Performance Recital

Corey Castillo, bassoon Masters Recital

Emily Whitney, viola Senior Recital

Ethan Ashley, saxophone Recognition in Music Performance Recital

Crocetto Voice Studio Recital

Miguel Gonzales, euphonium Junior Recital

Isabella Perez, bassoon Junior Recital

Jo Hammerstein, bassoon Recognition in Music Performance Recital

Ben Kaplan, saxophone Recognition in Music Performance Recital

Jackie & Jimmy Shim, violin Junior Recital

Jaime Garcia, percussion Recognition in Music Performance Recital

Samuel Shin, clarinet

Nathaniel Payan, bass baritone

New Music Ensemble

All University of Texas at Austin students are allowed one free ticket as long as they are available. Student tickets must be picked up at the Box Office with valid student I.D. Seating is unassigned.

Anton Nel & Friends  Schubertiade

Wind Ensemble Celebrating the centennial of Gunther Schuller’s birth

Donnie Ray Albert, baritone Celebrating 50 Years of Performing

Jazz Orchestras

What happens when ghosts fall in love? Inside the palace of Versailles, the long-dead Marie Antoinette is pursued by the (also long-dead) writer Beaumarchais, famous for his stories of Figaro and the Almaviva family. Will his newest opera assuage the royal’s sadness, joining them for eternity? Or, will its production alter the course of human history?

The Ghosts of Versailles Butler Opera Center

Symphony Orchestra

Ebonee Thomas, flute

Circus Maximus was commissioned by Jerry Junkin for the UT Wind Ensemble in 2004. It is scored for three different bands: one on stage, an antiphonal ensemble in the hall, and a marching band. As the title of Corigliano’s third symphony suggests, the composer used the Circus Maximus arena in Rome as inspiration, with the audience situated in the center surrounded by sound:

Wind Ensemble

Miró Quartet

Our Combined Choirs and Wind Ensemble will anchor the program, but this year they will be joined by other Butler School ensembles and soloists; a collage of sounds for the holiday season!

Butler Holiday Concert

This one-act opera explores the chaotic frenzy and overload of emotions that come with auditioning for professional opera companies. Composed by Butler School alumna Tzu-Chin Hsu and premiered as an online concert production during the pandemic, Audition Fever receives a full staging this fall.

This one-act opera explores the chaotic frenzy and overload of emotions that come with auditioning for professional opera companies. Composed by Butler School alumna Tzu-Chin Hsu and premiered as an online concert production during the pandemic, Audition Fever receives a full staging this fall.

Audition Fever & L'enfant et les sortilèges Butler Opera Center

Jazz Orchestras  With Michael Dease, trombone

Butler Opera Center Song Reimagined Series  The Shards of Love

John Largess, viola & Tamar Sanikidze, piano Clara & Johannes

Concert Chorale

Triptych Trio

Gregory Eaton, organ The Organ - A Kaleidoscope of Sound

 The Parisian party girl Violetta is determined to leave her scandalous past behind her when she encounters unconditional love from a handsome poet named Alfredo. But when his disapproving father enters the picture, Violetta’s past re-emerges, and she is forced to make an impossible choice.

La Traviata

Les Noces & Ballet Mécanique

Branford Marsalis continues to thrill audiences around the world while racking up achievements, even after four decades in the international spotlight. From his initial recognition as a young jazz lion, he has expanded his vision as an instrumentalist, composer, and educator, crossing stylistic boundaries while maintaining unwavering creativity. In the process, he has become a symbol of artistic excellence, winning three Grammy Awards, a Tony nomination for his work as a composer on Broadway, a citation by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master, and a 2021 Primetime Emmy nomination.

Branford Marsalis with the UT Jazz Orchestra

Bion Tsang, cello & Anton Nel, piano

Liliana Guerrero, soprano & James Maverick, piano Canciones de latinoamérica: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Sandy Yamamoto & Friends

Butler School of Music

Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition Concert 2

Jacob Martinez, Jazz Trombone Junior Recital

Monks Jazz Club

University Orchestra Chamber Concert

Dan Thomas, Jazz Saxophone Senior Recital

Santana Rojas, Jazz Trumpet Senior Recital

Saxophone Studio Froshmore Recital

Gene Centeno, Jazz Saxophone Dma 2 Recital

Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition Concert 1

Wind Symphony

Woodwind Chamber Music Recital

Froshmore Clarinet Recital

Brass Chamber Music Recital

Symphony Band

Ut Jazz Combos In The Loft Capital & Verve Combos

Oyster Landing

Voice 201 Recital

University Orchestra

String Chamber Music Recital

Mariachi Paredes De Tejastitlán

Xiaoyi Lin, Collaborative Piano Dma Chamber Recital

Eli Miller, Jazz Bass Junior Recital

Longhorn Concert Bands

Sandy Yamamoto Violin Studio Recital

Benjamin Ramirez, Jazz Bass Junior Recital

Sam Dimov, Jazz Trombone Master's Recital

Lizette Wong, Jazz Piano Senior Recital

What do you call a person consumed with gambling, but who never places a bet? Tchaikovsky called him Hermann, a Russian soldier obsessed with the three cards that won a countess her fortune. Her mystery cards, however, are a secret that will ultimately drive Hermann to the brink of madness. With the lives of friends and lovers strewn along the way, Hermann finally takes a seat at the card table, and declares: “Life is but a game.” In games, there are winners and there are losers; when that third card is revealed, which will Hermann be?

The Queen Of Spades Butler Opera Center

Saxophone Ensemble

Bassoon Studio Recital

Oboe Studio Recital

Alternative Improvisation Music Ensemble

Longhorn Jazz Band, Percussion Ensemble & Color Guard

Shuyi Xie, collaborative piano

This concert will last about 90 minutes with one intermission.
Please silence your electronic devices.
Photography, video, or recording of any part of this performance is prohibited

Ryan Robinson, tuba with Jake Johnson, piano

Boris Berman, piano

Leah Crocetto, soprano & Tamar Sanikidze, piano Women's Voices

This concert will last about one hour without intermission.
Please silence your electronic devices.
Photography, video, or recording of any part of this performance is prohibited

University Chorus

Harp Ensemble

Trombone Choir

Longhorn Jazz Festival

Percussion Ensemble

Hispanic Caribbean Ensemble

Piano 201 Recital

Caio Campos, composer Masters Recital

Orchestra Room

Gabriel Araujo, composer

Concert Bands

Conjunto Ensemble

A whole lot can happen in the course of a single day!  Secret alliances, mistaken identities, and adolescent passions – all wed to a sublime musical score – make this chaotic comedy one of the most beloved operas of all time.

Le nozze di Figaro Butler Opera Center

Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition Winners Concert 1

Repertoire will be announced after competition finals in December.

Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition Winners Concert 2

Butler School of Music

Mar 25, 2025

Shuyi Xie, collaborative piano

Mar 25, 2025

Ryan Robinson, tuba with Jake Johnson, piano

Mar 25, 2025

Alternative Improvisation Music Ensemble

Mar 26, 2025

Wind Symphony

Mar 27, 2025

Boris Berman, piano

Mar 24, 2025

Caroline Richards, percussion

Mar 13, 2025

Nadia Para, oboe

Articles & News

Butler School of Music