TMEA & ATSSB ALL-REGION FLUTE DAY: OCTOBER 30, 2021
HSU, 2434 Cedar St. Abilene, TX 79601
Sign-In begins at 9:30 am, Events last through 7:00 pm
Gala Recital at 4:30 and Masterclass at 5:30 are open to the public
Payment for the day will be due at sign-in.
Guest Artist: Dr. Carolyn Keyes
Flutist, educator, and arts advocate Dr. Carolyn Keyes brings infectious creativity and passion to every aspect of her career. From the concert stage to the classroom and the community, she is committed to sharing the wonders of music making with the world.
Carolyn’s love of performing has taken her around the United States: most recently to join the faculty of Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. Since moving to back to the area, she has reunited with guitarist Tim Courtney to form dZuo, an eclectic chamber ensemble specializing in original transcriptions of everything from traditional Japanese music to punk rock. Previously she was a member of the Longmont Symphony in Colorado, the Lone Star Wind Orchestra in Dallas, Texas, and was a frequent performer with the Cheyenne Symphony in Wyoming. Carolyn was a finalist and prize winner in the Bruce Ekstrand Memorial Competition and received honorable mentions in the National Flute Association Masterclass Competition and the Texas MTNA Woodwind Young Artist Competition.
In her teaching practice, she continually strives to find innovative ways to empower her students. In the spring of 2011, she developed and implemented a class on creativity for the undergraduate flutists at the University of Colorado. She utilized exercises from creative writing and theater, along with original exercises, to help the students hone their creative process. She also organized a “scale relay race” to help her high school students improve their technique while having fun and working in teams. Currently, Dr. Keyes is an adjunct instructor at Tarleton State University. Prior to this year, she taught flute, flute choir, and various academic courses at Cameron University. She has also held positions as a lecturer at the University of Colorado, and as flute faculty at the Dallas School of Music, DanaVMusic, and the Jan Angle Memorial Conservatory.
As a recipient of the Priddy Fellowship in Arts Leadership, Carolyn is committed to supporting the arts in schools and the community. Most recently, she served as the administrator for the Longmont Youth Symphony and participated in the Longmont Symphony’s Mentors in Music program, which provides expert instruction to schools in low income districts. Carolyn interned with the Shropshire Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization that teaches music to war torn children in Europe and Africa, where she helped to organize their first annual “Practice for Peace” fundraiser. In 2011 she published an article on the role of imagination and the arts in a democratic education in the independent interdisciplinary journal, Consortium.
Carolyn received a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Flute Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado. Her previous studies include a master’s degree from the University of North Texas and bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University. Her major teachers include Christina Jennings, Terri Sundberg, Elizabeth McNutt, Leonard Garrison, Nina Assimakopolous, and Judith Bentley. Carolyn continues to study the shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) with David Yūdo Sawyer.
Director: Alex Carpenter
Alex Carpenter is an Adjunct Professor of Flute and Music Theory at Hardin- Simmons University, Abilene Christian University, and McMurry University. She began her collegiate teaching career in music theory in the fall of 2019 and flute in the spring of 2020. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Hardin-Simmons University in 2014 and her Master of Music degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2019, both of which are in flute performance and music theory/composition. She's studied flute with Dr. Douglas Worthen and Dr. Karla Ordoñez, and music theory/composition with Dr. Chris Walczak and Dr. Bernard Scherr. Her theory thesis, titled The Craft of Musical Imagery in Augusta Read Thomas’ ‘Carillon Sky’, explores the various post-tonal composition techniques Thomas used to paint her musical visions.
Mrs. Carpenter has been teaching privately since 2011 and is an active performer. Her private high school flute students have participated in TMEA and ILMEA competitions, winning chairs in the region/district band, and in UIL solo and ensemble, receiving exemplary ratings for their performances. She also enjoys teaching beginner to intermediate piano with her current studio ranging in ages from 5 to 10. She has been a flute/woodwind clinician at several public schools in southern Illinois and west Texas areas.
She is currently collaborating on a research project with a local flute repair technician to test the efficacy of a new style of head-joint cork replacement. She is also regularly working on new theory papers about and compositions for flute, including her new flute choir piece with soprano solo, Mare Hibernicum, to be premiered in December with the Big Country Flute Choir.
Collaborative Artist: Marc Sanders
Marc Sanders is a collaborative pianist from Albany, Texas. He currently serves as the Coordinator of Collaborative Piano at Abilene Christian University. Before his current appointment, Marc held positions as staff accompanist at both Hardin-Simmons & McMurry Universities, where he maintained a prolific performance schedule. Performance opportunities there included undergraduate, graduate, and faculty recitals, studio classes, musicals, and accompanying choral ensembles.
He is also an active church musician, having held positions as pianist or organist for over twenty-five years. He has been the pianist at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene since 2006. He tours and performs with their high school choir every summer.
Other musical endeavors have included work with the Civic Orchestra of Abilene, Red River Lyric Opera (as conductor for Rachel Portman's "The Little Prince", July 2019), the Church of the Heavenly Rest recital series, North Central Texas College, KCACTF, the Point Theatre, Abilene Community Theatre (where he now serves on the Board of Directors), and the Paramount Theatre in Abilene.
Marc loves spending time with his wonderful daughter, Josephine. His hobbies include collecting vinyl records, watching baseball, and finding new ways to connect with the community.