University of Central Arkansas Department of Music

05/05/2026

The UCA Department of Music is searching for a Administrative Specialist III to join our vibrant musical community! Interested parties should apply through the link below.

The University of Central Arkansas Department of Music is searching for an Administrative Specialist III. This position is governed by state and federal laws and agency/institution policy.The Department of Music in the College of the Arts Humanities and Social Sciences enjoys endowments and private....

03/09/2026

It is with great sadness that the UCA Department of Music announces the passing of Dr. Kay Kraeft, former Professor of Voice at UCA.

Dr. Kay Kraeft passed away on March 3, 2026, in Conway, Arkansas. Born on November 8, 1937, in Madison, Wisconsin, she was the daughter of Evelyn & Armin Kraeft. She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Tom and Linda Kraeft of Pewaukee, Wisconsin.

Dr. Kraeft studied voice at Lawrence University and received her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from Indiana University. Her specialty was opera performance. After college, she went to New York City to audition for opera companies, but decided that vocal teaching was her passion. She was a professor of voice at Avery University of Virginia, the University of Alabama, and for over 20 years at the University of Central Arkansas.

While at UCA, Dr. Kraeft accomplished many major projects. In 1983 she established the Petit Jean International Art Song Festival, bringing in national and international artists and composers such as Phyllis Bryn-Julson, John Stewart, Tomas Grubb, Diana Walker, Michael Rickman, Jeorge Jellinek (well-known host of WQXR) and composers Libby Larsen, Lori Laitman, and Ned Rorem. She also distinguished herself by receiving a Fulbright Scholarship to teach at the Bolivian National Conservatory in La Paz, Bolivia. This residency led to a lifetime of trips to Bolivia for various purposes. She also wrote a Fulbright Grant to bring Bolivian Baritone, Ricardo Estrada, for a teaching residency at UCA in 1999. Following this, Dr. Kraeft became an active member of the Arkansas-East Bolivia Partners of the Americas, an organization whose mission is to “connect people and organizations across borders to serve and change lives through lasting partnerships.” Inspired by President Kennedy and founded in 1964, Partners of the Americas is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that links Arkansas and Bolivia. Dr. Kraeft was able to receive some travel funding over the years; however, she continued to support much of her travel and operating costs from her own funds.

Dr. Kraeft’s trips resulted in the discovery of numerous musicians who are the young musical leaders of Bolivia. These are national level players who she identified and brought to the attention of UCA music faculty. Often these students have wanted to pursue acceptance into quality music programs, yet the opportunities for advanced study do not exist in Bolivia. Working with her Bolivian partners, Dr. Kraeft actively recruited scores of students to the University of Central Arkansas Department of Music. While here, these students, in addition to studying music, enrich the lives of faculty and staff, and contribute to the community through participating in church music and the Conway Symphony Orchestra. For her tremendous work in teaching, traveling, and impacting the community through her endeavors, Dr. Kraeft was presented the Mayor’s Award for Community Advocate of the Arts. The award was presented at the 2016 Conway Alliance for The Arts awards ceremony.

Dr. Kraeft traveled to Bolivia with Maestro Israel Getzov, conductor of the Conway Symphony Orchestra and professor at UCA. While there, Getzov made numerous presentations and conducted a high profile concert with Encuentros Jovenes Musicas Bolivianos Festival. He was also exposed to Dr. Kraeft’s widespread influence. “Kay Kraeft is a music institution in Bolivia. Literally every musician I met knew of Kay Kraeft. Her 20 years of building musical bridges and serving as a vocal teacher in the country created an amazing contribution to musical society. It was an honor to be introduced to her network . . .”

On top of her recruiting efforts, Dr. Kraeft kept in contact with students once they were in Conway. She was an advocate for their well-being and helped them to find appropriate housing, jobs, and everyday resources. At any given time, she had students renting a room from her in her West Conway home. Students paid very little, and in exchange, they were able to pool resources for food and transportation. The bond between Dr. Kraeft and the students was wonderful to see. Students often accompanied her to concerts, church, and other events, and the number of Bolivian students studying at UCA continues to increase to this day. They are all especially grateful to Dr. Kraeft who initiated their experiences.

In retirement, Dr. Kraeft formed the “Songs Unlimited Foundation‘ for the purpose of hosting song festivals. She hosted two festivals at UCA, “Music of the Americas” and “Songs for Remembrance and Peace.” These events brought artists from across the U. S., South America, and the Caribbean to present recitals, lectures and concerts featuring song literature from around the world.

Information about a memorial service will be available at a later date. Donations will be accepted to the Arkansas-East Bolivia Partners of the Americas Kay Kraeft Music Scholarship for Bolivian music students attending the University of Central Arkansas, https://givebutter.com/YInPup or to UCA Friends of Music.

01/24/2026

11/18/2025

Due to unforeseen circumstances we will have to postpone our concert tonight. We hope to perform these works for you all at the beginning of our spring semester. We’ll keep you updated!

08/28/2025

The UCA Department of Music is proud to announce the appointment of our new Visiting Assistant Professor of Violin, Dr. Lauren Pokorzynski!

Dr. Lauren Pokorzynski is a dynamic violinist and dedicated educator, equally at home on stage as a chamber musician, orchestral leader, and soloist. In 2023, she was appointed violinist of the Quapaw Quartet in Little Rock, AR for the 2023–24 season. She currently performs with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, and this fall she steps into the role of Concertmaster for the Conway Symphony Orchestra. Lauren has also appeared as Guest Concertmaster with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra.

Previously based in Texas, Lauren was Principal Second Violin of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra from 2019–2023. Her past roles include Concertmaster of the Texas Tech University Symphony Orchestra, Associate Concertmaster of both the Lubbock Chamber Orchestra and the West Texas Symphony, and Principal Second Violin with Chamber Music Amarillo.

As a soloist, Lauren has performed with the Texas Tech University New Music Ensemble (“NOW”), the Lubbock Chamber Orchestra, and the Benzie Symphony Orchestra. She won the Texas Tech Concerto Competition with her performance of Korngold’s Violin Concerto and has premiered a range of contemporary works, including collaborations with Amusement Park Studios and a multimedia ballet titled Click.

Her recording credits include the 2024 album Shifting Directions with the Texas Tech Contemporary Ensemble (Navona Records), and a featured performance on Interlochen Public Radio’s “In Studio A.” She also served as Concertmaster on the MSR Classics recording of the Stephenson Trumpet Concerto.

Lauren spends her summers performing with the Bellingham Festival Orchestra in Washington and has appeared with the L. Mattson Chamber Collective in Colorado. She’s also served on the faculty of the Hot Springs Music Festival, Mozart in the K***s, and the Faulkner Chamber Music Festival.

A passionate teacher and lifelong learner, Lauren holds degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder (B.M. with high honors) and Texas Tech University (M.M. and D.M.A.). Her doctoral research, A Holistic Approach to Reframing Tension in Violin Performance, is already helping violinists reimagine their relationship with tension and technique.

Originally from Michigan, Lauren has a deep love for the water and feels most at peace near a shoreline. She shares her life with her partner, James, and their three beloved dogs — Mabel, Eleanor, and Ida — her constant companions and biggest fans.

08/20/2025

08/06/2025

Congratulations to the UCA Chamber Singers who have been selected as the 2026 ArkCDA Collegiate Honor Choir! They will be performing in February at the Arkansas All State Music Conference.

Thank you to Chamber Singers from the last two years! Recordings of your stellar performances made this opportunity possible. Thank you, as well, to the board and membership of ArkCDA for this honor. Thank you, Arkansas choral music educators, for your dedication and musicianship that has prepared your students for a lifetime of music making and for encouraging your students to continue their musical journey with us at UCA.

Thank you, UCA Voice faculty; Drs. Robert Holden, Gregory Church, Celeste Church, and JoAna Rusche for your work guiding our students toward professionalism and artistry.

Thank you UCA Faculty, Staff, and Dr. Stephen Plate for your abiding commitment to the success of our students and the UCA Department of Music.

Please feel free to share this and help me congratulate our current and former Chamber Singers for this great honor!

06/30/2025

The UCA Department of Music is proud to announce the appointment of our new Visiting Assistant Professor of Trombone and Jazz, Professor Tylar Bullion!

Tylar Bullion is an active performer, educator, and clinician throughout the South and Southeast. Originally hailing from the mountains of East Tennessee, Bullion found his love of music through his community, having been brought up in the traditions of bluegrass, folk, gospel, and jazz alongside his classical study. Bullion has earned his B.M. in Jazz and Studio Music from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, M.M. in Trombone Performance from Western Michigan University, and is currently completing his D.M.A. in Trombone Performance at the University of North Texas.

As an educator, Bullion has served on faculty at the University of North Carolina-Pembroke, Lindsay Wilson College, the University of North Texas, Hendrix College, and currently serves as Visiting Instructor of Trombone at the University of Central Arkansas. In addition to collegiate teaching, Bullion has held a private studio since 2010 that has spanned across seven states, with students in each state placing in their respective all-state and collegiate programs.

As a performer, Bullion has performed with the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, Vance Thompson’s Five Plus Six, the Holland Symphony, the West Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, the Hickory Chorale Society Symphony Orchestra, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and has been a guest soloist with several ensembles across genres. An avid proponent of chamber music, Bullion was founding member of the Odyssey quartet, who won runner up in the 2022 ITA Quartet Competition, were semifinalists in the 2023 Litten International Trombone Quartet Competition, and was the grand prize winner of the 2022 IWBC Ginger Turner ensemble competition. In an effort to contribute new music to trombone quartet literature, this quartet has recently released their debut album. This album features all new compositions and/or arrangements, of which 50% were written or arranged by underrepresented composers.

Bullion’s primary teachers include Ms. Lynn Gorbski, Mr. Robb Neill, Mr. Don Hough, Dr. Daniel Cloutier, Mr. Vance Thompson, Dr. Alex van Duuren, Dr. Steve Wolfinbarger, and Dr. Natalie Mannix.

05/27/2025

The UCA Department of Music is proud to announce the appointment of our new Associate Professor of Music & Director of Bands, Dr. Dominic Talanca!

Joining us from the Cape Fear region of North Carolina, Dominic Talanca has served as the Director of Bands at the University of North Carolina Wilmington for the past 8 years. During his time there, Dr. Talanca engaged with various ensembles of all ages. He was the artistic director and conductor of the Wilmington Symphonic Winds – an ensemble that has twice performed at the North Carolina Music Educators Association Conference. Talanca is the conductor of the Wilmington Symphony Pops Orchestra and has worked with multiple intergenerational community ensembles, including the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute’s New Horizons Band and the UNCW Summer Concert Band.

Dominic Talanca has enjoyed numerous opportunities for professional collaboration in recent years. Some meaningful engagements include invitations to conduct productions of Considering Matthew Shepard with Wilmington Voices and Man of La Mancha with Opera House Theatre Company. Dr. Talanca co-founded Southern Harmonie – a professional chamber ensemble of winds, percussion, and strings. Talanca has also traveled to Costa Rica for a week-long residence & performance with the Banda de Conciertos de San José.

Over the past 8 years, Dr. Talanca has worked with hundreds of secondary schools through clinic and adjudication activities. He has also served as the conductor for dozens of honor bands throughout the US and abroad. In the spring of this year, Dominic Talanca traveled to Frankfurt, Germany to conduct the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) European High School Honor Band. Dr. Talanca is excited to meet and connect with teachers and students throughout Arkansas and the surrounding states!

Talanca received his Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Wind Conducting degrees from the University of North Texas, where he studied conducting with Eugene Migliaro Corporon. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting degree at Northwestern University, where he studied with Mallory Thompson. Prior to his graduate studies, Dr. Talanca taught middle school and high school for ten years in the Lewisville Independent School District in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and served as the Associate Director of Bands at Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas from 2006–2013.

Dominic Talanca is co-author of a beginning band method, Musical Mastery, published by MRNS Music. The text is used in 150+ school districts (over 400 schools) across the country and internationally, e.g., Japan and Oman – impacting over 100,000 students to date. Several universities have also adopted the book as the primary text for their instrumental methods classes. Additionally, Dr. Talanca has contributed three chapters to GIA Publication’s Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series, published journal articles for music education journals in North Carolina, Utah, and Arkansas, and an article in the WASBE Journal. He has presented multiple times at The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago and other music education conferences in several states.

Before moving to Arkansas later this summer, Dr. Talanca is excited to conduct a Fourth of July Celebration and JAWS in Concert with the Wilmington Symphony Pops Orchestra in addition to spending two weeks working with the Young Artists Wind Ensemble at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in a shared performance with Mallory Thompson. Dr. Talanca can’t wait to meet the UCA students, faculty, and community!

Please welcome Dr. Dominic Talanca!

05/19/2025

The UCA Department of Music is proud to announce the appointment of our new Artist-in-Residence/Assistant Professor of Piano, Dr. Oliver Jia!

Described Jan Popis as an ‘incomparable beauty of color and sound’ (Chopin Gazeta: 2005), Swedish-American pianist Oliver Jia has performed for audiences worldwide and is actively involved in concerts on three major continents. With a repertoire of dozens of concertos and over two hundred solo and chamber works, Oliver made his official debut at the Isaac Stern Auditorium in Carnegie Hall, playing Sergey Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with the Juilliard Orchestra under Maestro James DePreist.

As a showcase for his diverse performing career, Oliver has performed with groups such as the St. Luke’s Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony, the National Symphony of China, and the Juilliard Orchestra. He has made solo and concerto appearances at venues such as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, the Royal Dublin Society, and the Manhattan Center, as well as in leading concert halls in mainland China. Other notable engagements include tours and engagements in northern Italy (Bologna, Senigallia), China (many cities including Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou), the North Carolina Triangle Area (Raleigh, Durham, etc.), and individual recitals in Warsaw, Stockholm, Dublin, Hastings, and other European cities.

In addition to his solo career, Oliver is a busy chamber musician and has collaborated with many chamber music ensembles, particularly in the United States. He is also a busy pianist, working with a wide range of string, wind and vocal musicians on various projects. As a teacher, Oliver has maintained a private studio for twenty years and teaches both solo piano and chamber music. He was a member of the piano faculty at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley from 2017 to 2019. Since 2019, he has been Assistant Professor of Piano at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey.

Finally, Oliver is also actively involved in musical research. For his doctoral dissertation, Oliver presented a two-hour lecture recital on the complete set of Frédéric Chopin’s monumental Études, gave a performance and a talk on the subject. In addition, he has written several research articles on unique aspects of musicology not often covered in the mainstream of academic journals, including “Josquin des Prez: A Contrapuntal Study” (New Haven, CT. 2014), “Transcriptions: The Piano as a Publishing Medium” (New York, NY. 2012), and “The War of the Romantics: The Clash of Artistic Idealism” (New York, NY. 2006).

Oliver was born in Nanking into a family with a significant musical background (his grandparents were respected opera directors for decades) and grew up in Stockholm. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan, an Artist Diploma from Yale University, and a Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees from the Juilliard School. His primary teachers include Logan Skelton, Peter Frankl, Jerome Lowenthal, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Oxana Yablonskaya, and Paul van Ness.

Please welcome Dr. Jia!

📷: Jiyang Chen

05/05/2025

The UCA Department of Music is searching for a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music - Trombone to join our vibrant musical community! Interested parties should apply through the link below.

The College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences invites applications and nominations for the tenure-track position of Visiting Assistant Professor of Music - Trombone in the Department of Music. The department enjoys endowments and private scholarship funds in excess of $1.5 million, annual....