Resonance Across Borders: Teaching Exchange Between NTNU and the University of Texas at Austin and the “A Thousand Miles, A True Talent” Concert
A faculty delegation from the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin visited National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) on October 30 and 31. As part of the visit, the professors conducted teaching demonstrations, delivered lectures, and gave a faculty concert in NTNU’s Historic Auditorium. The two universities have maintained a longstanding partnership, with regular academic and artistic exchanges, particularly in music and the performing arts.
Over the course of two days, the visiting faculty held masterclasses for students from NTNU’s Department of Music and the Graduate Institute of Performing Arts. The delegation included Professor Ebonee Thomas (flute), Professor Andrew Parker (oboe), Professor Jonathan Gunn (clarinet), Professor Kristin Wolfe Jensen (bassoon), Professor Patrick Hughes (horn), and Professor Colette Valentine (collaborative piano). The sessions focused on performance technique, musical interpretation, and stage presence, with each professor offering detailed, practical guidance during live student performances.
The program also included two academic lectures. Professor Susan Thomas, dean of the Butler School of Music, spoke at the Graduate Institute of Ethnomusicology on the topic “Amplifying and Remixing History: Making the Case for Community-Engaged Music Research.” Her talk addressed methods of community-based research and its broader cultural and social dimensions. Separately, Professor Jensen presented a session titled “Body Mapping and Optimizing Performance,” which introduced students to body mapping techniques as a means of developing greater physical awareness in musical performance.
A concert featuring the Butler faculty was held on the evening of October 31. The program began with Umoja by Valerie Coleman, followed by Luminations from Quinteto Sinfonico by Miguel Del Aguila. Also performed in the first half were Amanda Harberg’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano and Marie de Grandval’s Grand Trio for oboe, bassoon, and piano.
The second half opened with Kokopeli by Katherine Hoover, a work for solo flute inspired by Hopi mythology. This was followed by a performance of an original composition by Professor Hughes, which explored a range of tone colors and extended techniques for horn. The concert concluded with Francis Poulenc’s Sextet for Winds and Piano.
The event was titled “A Thousand Miles, A True Talent,” a reference both to the Butler School’s name and to the classical Chinese metaphor of the discerning “Bole,” who recognizes talent. The title reflects the distance traveled by the faculty and the ongoing commitment of both institutions to meaningful collaboration in music and education. Plans for continued exchange between NTNU and the University of Texas at Austin remain underway, with a shared interest in fostering cross-cultural learning and artistic dialogue.