The Texas Society for Music Theory held its 48th annual meeting on February 27 – 28, 2026, on the campus of Texas Woman’s University with 109 student and faculty scholars in attendance. Stephen Rodgers, Edmund A. Cykler Chair in Music, Professor of Music Theory and Musicianship, and Department Head of Academic Music at the University of Oregon, presented the conference keynote address entitled, Canons—Repertorial, Analytical, Personal. Susan de Ghizé, Professor of Music Theory at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, was the presenter for the special pedagogy session speaking on the topic, Curriculum, Coaching, and Collaboration: Strategies to Improve TExES Student Outcomes. In addition to the two plenary sessions mentioned above, the conference program featured eighteen papers, four undergraduate lightning talks, and eight posters.
The Texas Society for Music Theory makes a special effort to engage students at all levels. This year, TSMT offered three awards open to student presenters: (1) the Colvin Award for best student 20-minute talk, (2) an award for best student poster, and (3) an award for the best undergraduate presentation. Each winner received a monetary reward. In addition, the recipient of the 2026 Colvin Award received an invitation to serve on the 2027 Program Committee. This years winners were:
- Colvin Award: Zekai Liu, Eastman School of Music for his paper, “Keyboard Distance: An Analytical Tool for Bridging Transformational Theory and Embodied Performance in Piano Music”
- Colvin Award, Honorable Mention: Jiaqi Sun, University of North Texas for her paper, “‘Otonality’ and ‘Utonality:’ Semantic and Expressive Contents in The Long-Departed Lover from Harry Partch’s Seventeen Lyrics by Li Po“
- Best Student Poster: Sanha Lee, University of North Texas for her poster titled, “Jochanaan’s Beheading: Distorted Authentic Cadence at the End of Salome”
- Best Undergraduate Presentation: Mercedes Shook, Texas Woman’s University for the lighting talk, “‘The More I Get of You the Stranger it Feels’: Narrativizing the Stages of Addiction Through Seal’s Kiss from a Rose“
In addition to the scholarly activities mentioned above, TSMT sponsored a student dinner encouraging interaction outside of the formal conference setting.
TSMT elected some new officers for its Executive Board. David Heetderks (University of North Texas) was chosen as President-Elect. Bryan Espinosa (Sam Houston State University) was selected to the Executive Board as a representative from a large University, replacing Justin Lavacek. David Easley (Oklahoma City University) was chosen as a representative from a small University, replacing Damian Blättler.