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West Fork High School Chamber Choir Shines at TMEA Under Director Caroline Cavenaugh-Woodard
When the West Fork High School Chamber Choir from Kingwood, TX took the stage at the 2026 Texas Music Educators Association Convention, it was a landmark moment for a program still in its infancy. The school, which opened its doors in August 2022, has quickly built a reputation for excellence — thanks in no small part to alumna Caroline (Cara) Cavenaugh-Woodard, who leads the choral program.
In just a few short years, Cara has shaped the Chamber Choir into an ensemble worthy of statewide recognition. Their invited performance at TMEA this past February in San Antonio placed them among the top high school choirs in Texas, an honor typically reserved for long‑established programs. For a young school, the achievement was nothing short of remarkable.
As West Fork grows, Cara’s early accomplishments have already set the tone for what the program can become. We celebrate her leadership, her artistry, and the extraordinary achievement of guiding a brand‑new choir to one of the most respected stages in the state.
On the Rise in New York, Reed Miller Returned to Share His Journey
Straight Up! is a co-led jazz trio founded by guitarist Reed Miller and drummer Andrew Kushnir, joined by bassist Sam Trapchak.
What began as outdoor sessions in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park during the summer of 2021 quickly grew into a tightly knit ensemble rooted in the aesthetic of mid-century modernism. Eclectic and challenging repertoire rarely heard arranged for the guitar trio yields a new voice on the modern jazz scene.
Straight Up! has spent the past five years refining a sound one that honors the timeless energy of bebop and hard bop while exploring the harmonic and rhythmic complexity of composers like Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, Randy Weston, and Bud Powell. While inspired by the legendary Poll Winners trio (Barney Kessel, Ray Brown, Shelley Manne), the trio performs compositions beyond the boundaries of mainstream guitar jazz.
Straight Up! has quickly made a name in the Manhattan and Brooklyn jazz scenes performing at renowned venues like Smalls Jazz Club, Midnight Blue, St. Tuesday, and The Red Room.
On April 25, 2026, Reed Miller and Straight Up! visited Furman for a guest artist concert and spent time with jazz students, leading masterclasses during their visit.
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Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition
The New York Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition—previously known as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions—is designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist in the development of their careers. Some of today’s greatest opera singers got their starts in this competition, including Renée Fleming.
There are 41 districts that fold into 13 regions (12 in the US plus South America). Entrants first apply and compete via recording to be allowed to compete in a district. The winners of the districts advance to the region level. The winners of the 13 regions then go to New York to compete in the finals. Furman is in the South Carolina district of the Southeastern Region. (South Carolina is one of 5 districts in the Southeastern Region, and this region is one of the most competitive.) The age range for competitors is 20-30 years old; most of those who advance are toward the latter end of the age range, and many have competed multiple times.
Furman alum and tenor Tyrese Byrd ’20, who is now working on a doctorate at the University of Michigan, won an encouragement award in the South Carolina district.
From Raleigh to Madison: Bella Clinton on Music, Mentorship, and Making Opportunities
Author: Bella Clinton, 4/23/2026
After graduating in 2023, I took a gap year and moved back home to Raleigh, NC. During that time, I focused on building my harp business from the ground up. I joined an online wedding bootcamp for harpists created by Adrienne Knauer and learned not just how to play, but how to position myself as a freelance harpist. This meant learning where and how to market myself, what platforms to use, and how important it is to meet audiences where they are.
That meant stepping outside of classical music. I began learning and arranging pop music for harp, finding ways to perform it that still felt authentic to me. My classical training, shaped over many years with my teacher and professor, Anita Burroughs-Price, gave me the tools to do that with intention and depth.
During that year, I started saying yes to my first weddings, mostly for friends (thank you Jasmine, Kylie, and Michelle!), while also working in restaurants to support myself. It wasn’t easy. I struggled with imposter syndrome and questioned whether I could call myself a “professional harpist” while living at home and waitressing, especially as many of my peers pursued graduate school or orchestral paths.
But that gap year gave me something invaluable: real-world experience. I learned how to turn music into something sustainable. I developed resilience, customer service skills, and a deeper understanding of the audiences I wanted to reach.
In the summer of 2024, I moved to Madison, Wisconsin and began working in sales as an Account Manager. This was my first “big girl” job! At the same time, I brought my harp with me and began rebuilding my harp business in a new city.
One of the first things I did in Madison was reach out to Johanna Wienholts, principal harpist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, and that one message changed everything. It opened the door to a network of harpists who sent gigs, connected me with students, and brought me into harp community.
Since I grew up with a strong musical foundation thanks to my mom. A classically trained pianist and flutist, she introduced me to piano at four and harp at five, the instrument that would become my life! I went on to study for years with Anita Burroughs-Price, North Carolina Symphony harpist and eventually earned a scholarship to Furman University where she is the harp professor.
But when you move to a new city, none of that history speaks for you. You start from zero.
So I made a choice: I spoke up, reached out, and built connections. Because closed mouths don’t get fed.
About six months later, I joined the Madison Symphony Orchestra as Audience Experience Manager. It felt like a full-circle moment, returning to a musical environment, but from a new perspective. My role focuses on shaping what the concert experience feels like for audiences, from first impression to final applause.
During my time with the MSO, I have had the chance to work on projects that blend creativity and access, including helping redesign concert hall seating during the orchestra’s 100th season and launching a Community Ticket Initiative to make performances more accessible. This April, I created a Latin Night as part of our young professional’s series, pairing a concert with a post-show event at a local Latin club, where audiences and musicians could connect in a more informal, social setting. It became a vibrant, joyful space where people stayed, danced, and built community. I was passionate about this, since I am part of the Latinx community (Peruvian + Japanese + white) and the music community. I wanted a chance to blend multiple communities in a fun way.
Alongside my work at the symphony, I’ve continued to grow my harp career. I now perform regularly for weddings and events and teach lessons, which has become one of the most rewarding parts of my work. I also co-founded The Vilasi Project, a duo with a fellow peer, colleague, and friend I met while studying abroad in Vienna through Furman. Years later, we both found ourselves in Madison, creating immersive, improvisatory soundscapes featuring harp, bassoon, saxophone, and flute. We’ll be performing at the symphony’s centennial festival this June, another full-circle moment.
If there’s one piece of advice I’d share, it’s this: reach out to people and stay connected to your mentors. The relationships I built, with teachers, mentors, and peers, have shaped every stage of my journey.
When you first start out, it can feel uncomfortable, but it should be. Get outside your comfort zone. Send the message. Ask to meet. Build the relationship.
And just as importantly, in this digital age, make music and share it. Whether you’re performing, recording a practice session, or posting an event you did, people can’t support your work if they don’t see it. Many of my opportunities have come from simply putting myself out there. Opportunities don’t just find you. You have to put yourself in the way of them.
Temporal Echoes: New Album from What Is Noise, Highlighting Jensen Thomassie and Alumni Commission
April 3, 2026 marked the release of Temporal Echoes, the newest album from What Is Noise, issued on the Navona Records label through Parma Recordings.
The project features an alumni‑commissioned work by Jensen Thomassie. The album was recorded in Daniel Recital Hall by engineer Martin Aigner, with photography by Jeremy Flemming.
Temporal Echoes was supported in part by a Furman Standard Grant.
Natasia Simmons Earns Prestigious Aspen Fellowship
Natasia Simmons ’25 (Violin Performance and Africana Studies) has been selected for a highly competitive Orchestra Manager Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival and School. As one of a select few chosen for this role, she will work closely with the festival’s contemporary ensemble, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble (ACE), as well as with composition fellows throughout the summer.
Widely regarded as one of the premier music festivals in the United States, the Aspen Music Festival and School admits only an exceptional group of musicians and arts professionals each year. Natasia’s selection reflects both her outstanding musicianship and her growing leadership in the field.
Photos from TMEA
