Administration

Andrew Stetson — Director of the School of Music

Dr. Andrew Stetson is a versatile performer, clinician, educator, scholar, and administrator. Currently serving as Director and Professor in the School of Music at Texas Tech University, he previously held the positions of Senior Associate Director and Associate Director for Undergraduate Studies.

As a performer, Dr. Stetson serves as Principal Trumpet of the Steamboat Springs Symphony Orchestra (CO) and has performed with numerous orchestras, including the Alabama Symphony, Albany Symphony (NY), Arkansas Symphony, Boston Philharmonic, Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, Houston Symphony, and Lubbock Symphony. He has also given solo recitals across the United States and appeared as a featured soloist with several Texas Tech University ensembles. Internationally, Dr. Stetson has been an invited soloist with the Orquestra Sinfônica do Recife, Brazil's oldest and longest-running symphony orchestra. Prior to his appointment at Texas Tech, he placed in the International Trumpet Guild Solo Competition and performed in the live rounds of the National Trumpet Competition.

Dr. Stetson's debut solo album, "Rise Above," is available for sale and streaming worldwide on Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube, and has received airplay in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, and other countries. Dr. Stetson is committed to collaboration between students and professional performers, and was proud to feature over 100 Texas Tech University students on the release. Fanfare Magazine praised the recording, stating that "there's joy in Stetson's music-making, and it is captivating to hear his technical command and artistry."

Dr. Stetson's numerous performances, clinics, and masterclasses, as well as his debut album, have earned him the 2022 Chancellor's Council Research Award, the top faculty honor for research within the entire system of Texas Tech University.

Dr. Stetson is also a dedicated educator, and has received the 2016 Hemphill-Wells New Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, a university-wide honor at Texas Tech University. His students have achieved numerous accolades, including performing in the solo and ensemble rounds of the National Trumpet Competition, being a finalist in the Ellsworth Smith International Trumpet Solo Competition, winning positions with full-time military ensembles, and gaining admission to top graduate programs. Several of his students have also been invited to compete in live, invite-only rounds of the National Trumpet Competition in recent years.

As a clinician, Dr. Stetson has presented at numerous high schools and educational conferences, including the Texas Music Educators Association Clinic and Convention and the Florida Music Educators Association Convention.

Dr. Stetson holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, a Master of Music degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University. His principal studies were with Charles Schlueter, Eric Berlin, Terry Everson, and Thomas Siders.

Dr. Stetson is a Yamaha Performing Artist.

To contact Dr. Andrew Stetson, please email music.directorsoffice@ttu.edu 

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Sarai Brinker — Associate Director for Academic Studies and Affairs

Sarai Brinker is a dedicated, award-winning educator engaged in teaching subjects related to music and society, globalization, popular music, creativity, and Western art music- everything from Hildegard to Taylor Swift. She is a facilitator and teaching artist for the Carnegie Hall Lullaby Project and Link Up Programs and a founder of the Lubbock chapter of the international storytelling organization Tenx9. She is a member of the Texas Tech Teaching Academy and a former TEACH Peer Consultant, TEACH Fellow, and a recipient of the Professing Excellence Award as well as the Texas Tech Spotlight Award for teaching excellence.

She holds B.A. degrees in Natural History & Humanities and Music from Texas Tech University, an M.A. in Liberal Arts from Texas Christian University, and a Ph.D. in Fine Arts with an emphasis in musicology from Texas Tech University.

Her research background includes fieldwork in Ethiopia and Ghana, where she focused on worship music in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the impact of Christian Missionaries on worship hymns in Nalerigu, Ghana. Her doctoral research examined the impact of integrated arts practices in prenatal education and led to an affiliation with the Carnegie Hall Lullaby Project, a program that supports parental bonding with children through songwriting.

In addition to her work in musicology, she has a strong interest in the scholarship of teaching and learning and is a leader in incorporating and thinking about the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom and in creative spaces.

She believes teaching means being a part of a community searching for knowledge, truth, wisdom, and beauty- and that art and education have the potential to change the world.

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Alice Anne Light — Associate Director for Student Affairs

Dr. Alice Anne Light is a mezzo-soprano known for her versatility across opera, concert, recital, and musical theater. Praised for her rich and expressive voice, she has performed extensively in the U.S. and internationally. Her performances have included recitals in Italy, Romania, Ecuador, and China and collaborations with prominent organizations such as the Arkansas Symphony, St. Louis Bach Society, Bar Harbor Music Festival, Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater, and Central City Opera. She has been recognized multiple times by the American Prize in the categories of American Music, Art Song, and Collaborative Virtual Performance.

Dr. Light's influence extends beyond her performances. She is a vocal advocate for contemporary American art songs, often collaborating with composers to commission new pieces. Her innovative approach to performing these works in unique settings has redefined the traditional recital format. Notably, she commissioned and premiered hours by Cecil Price Walden, a project that seamlessly blends art song with visual arts. Dr. Light's debut album of hours is available for purchase and for streaming on Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, and the PARMA music website.

In addition to her performing career, Dr. Light is a dedicated educator. Dr. Light is a frequent masterclass presenter and adjudicator across the country and the globe and has recently worked with students at the University of North Florida, Washburn University, and the University of Mississippi, and well as the Universidad de los Hemisferios in Ecuador, Guanxi Arts University in China, and the West University of Timisoara in Romania. At Texas Tech, Dr. Light has taught courses in English, Italian, and German Diction, Song Literature, and Vocal Pedagogy. Her students have garnered accolades such as the Helen DeVitt Jones Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award, the Excellence in Graduate Music Study Award, and First Place in the Arts and Humanities Graduate Student Conference Presentation Competition. Her graduate students have presented nationally and internationally at the NATS National Convention, the National Association of Opera Conference, the International Conference on Women's Work in Music, and more.  

Dr. Light has served on the Board for the Kansas City Chapter of NATS and as Vice President, Auditions Chair, and President for the Panhandle Chapter of NATS. She is a member of AGMA.

Dr. Light holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harding University, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Mississippi, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music.

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Lisa Rogers — Associate Director for Applied Programs and Faculty Affairs

Lisa Rogers is Professor of Percussion Studies at Texas Tech University, where she teaches applied studies as well as directs ensembles such as the Texas Tech Steel Drum Band “Apocalypso Now.” She also serves as Associate Director for Applied Studies and Faculty Affairs. She attended Texas State University and Texas Tech University for her undergraduate and graduate studies. Rogers received a DMA degree in percussion performance from the University of Oklahoma. She is a Past President of the Percussive Arts Society and currently Executive Director of the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy. Rogers also serves as Associate Research Editor for the Percussive Arts Society's journal Percussive Notes and is Principal Timpanist of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra.

 

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Alan Zabriskie— Assistant Director for Outreach and Engagement 

Alan Zabriskie is Director of Choral Studies and Associate Professor of Music at Texas Tech University where he serves as conductor of the University Choir and mentors doctoral and masters students in choral conducting.  Prior to arriving at Texas Tech University, he served as Director of Choral Activities at the University of Central Missouri for seven years and taught middle school and high school choral music in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada.  He holds degrees from the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, and Florida State University.

Under Alan's direction, notable choral performances include a National Convention of the American Choral Directors Association, as the headline choir for the Missouri Music Educators Association In-service Workshop/Conference, and multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall. He has served as chorus master for the Utah Lyric Opera and Florida State University Opera, and has conducted honor choirs and served as clinician in choral festivals and conferences throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He has also conducted choirs on performance tours in the United States and abroad. Alan's textbook Foundations of Choral Tone: A Proactive and Healthy Approach to Choral Blend has been adopted by numerous universities and choral conductors around the world. His main conducting mentors include Kevin Fenton, Ronald Staheli, and André Thomas.

Alan is a member of NCCO, ACDA, and NAfME and has served terms as a national board member for the National Collegiate Choral Organization, R&S Chair for Multicultural Music for the Missouri Choral Directors Association, secretary of the Nevada Music Educators Association, and treasurer of the Nevada Choral Directors Association.