NMHU News

Five of New Mexico Highlands’ top music students will perform in the Thomas Mishler Scholarship Recital March 17 at 7 p.m. in Kennedy Hall.
 

The scholarship recital will feature Nicole Robinson, Stephanie Salas, Karliz de Marco, Shawn Woodyard and Dennis Montano. Performances include vocal performances of classical and musical favorites, original compositions and trumpet and piano combinations.

Las Vegas native Karliz de Marco, soprano, has been well known as a singer with mariachis for almost 10 years. A soon-to-be-graduating student in the music department at Highlands, she specializes in classical, opera and choral music. De Marco has traveled twice to the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria to perform. She was recently the female soloist in the Faure Requiem for Canticum Novum, a Santa Fe-based classical group. 
 

A newcomer to the music department, Nicole Robinson has dazzled audiences with her beautiful soprano voice. Robinson recently played the role of Mimi in the musical rock-opera RENT at Ilfeld Auditorium and has soloed in Madrigal Choir and in various HU Singers and Performing Arts Club shows. 
 

Stephanie Salas is a mezzo-soprano who has studied voice performance since 2007. She performed in mixed choir at All State and also performed with the NMHU Madrigal Choir in Austria for the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt. Last fall, Salas soloed in Haydn’s Theresienmesse with the Santa Fe Symphony.
 

Shawn Woodyard is a versatile musician and composer. Woodyard has soloed for various Highlands choir performances, sings with the Canticum Novum choir in Santa Fe, the Santa Fe Symphonic choir, and the Men’s Camerata in Santa Fe. Woodyard has taught woodwinds at the Waldorf School in Santa Fe. His specialties include jazz, classical and world music.
 

Dennis Montano plays trumpet and guitar and will be performing his own compositions for the recital. Dennis is a music composition major.
 

Every year, music students compete for the Thomas Mishler scholarship by submitting a resume of their musical experience and an essay describing what music means to them. References from professors and other community members are included in the application. All applicants perform for professor Robert Mishler and his wife, Ann, at a special scholarship convocation. Members of the music department along with the Mishlers review the candidates and make their selections. 
 

The Thomas Mishler Scholarship was developed to encourage and reward New Mexico Highlands University students in their pursuit of music. The scholarship was started in honor of the Mishlers’ late son, Thomas, who played both the guitar and the trumpet and was a gifted musician.
 

The recital is free, however, donations, are welcome.