Emilie Amrein named founding director of UTSA Arts

JUNE 17, 2024 — UTSA has appointed Emilie Amrein as the founding director of UTSA Arts, a community arts initiative, and as associate dean for community engagement in the UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts (COLFA). Amrein will begin her role on July 1. 

Amrein currently serves as associate professor of music and chair of the Department of Music at the University of San Diego, where she teaches courses on the intersection of music education and social justice movements, community music, and changemaking. As the Director of the USD Choral Scholars, she centers embodiment, collective consciousness raising, dialogue, and storytelling in her teaching and artistry.

Amrein is the co-artistic director of Common Ground Voices / La Frontera, a bi-national community music project that aims to build relationships and understanding across political, demographic, and perceptual borders as an exercise of non-violence. She is the founder of The Choral Commons, a media platform that produces podcasts and community events, and fosters creative and artistic projects that empower singing communities and their work for a just and peaceful world.

“I am deeply honored to be joining the vibrant arts and culture community in San Antonio. UTSA has been an important anchor in this community for the past 50 years, and I am excited to be a part of the next chapter. I look forward to working with UTSA’s remarkable faculty, students and community partners as we imagine and build UTSA Arts together,” Amrein said.

“I look forward to working with UTSA’s remarkable faculty, students and community partners as we imagine and build UTSA Arts together.”

Amrein directed the University of San Diego Choral Scholars, San Diego State Chamber Singers and Miracosta College Concert Choir in a performance of Considering Matthew Shepard in November 2022.

UTSA Arts was established in 2022. It is dedicated to community arts education, public-facing performances and exhibitions, and arts-based research and partnerships that enhance the accessibility of the arts for the general public. UTSA Arts features research and initiatives from the UTSA School of Art, UTSA School of Music, and Office of Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE), and impacts over 15,000 students through adult and community programming. Over 80 faculty members participate as instructors and mentors.

Both the School of Art and the School of Music are celebrating their 50th anniversaries this year and the contributions each has made to UTSA’s cultural and academic landscape. Over the past five decades, the School of Music has grown from a modest division into a distinguished program known for its comprehensive coursework in music education, performance, composition and music technology. Today, the school hosts over 20 of its 200 annual performances through UTSA Arts, and it hosts community music classes.

From its beginnings, the School of Art has expanded its curriculum and resources, providing students with cutting-edge opportunities in various artistic disciplines. This growth has significantly enriched UTSA Arts, helping the initiative establish a dynamic and inclusive environment for artistic exploration and expression through community exhibitions and interactive spaces such as the UTSA Arts Cube at Blue Star.

A key pillar of Amrein’s vision for UTSA Arts is to improve access to the arts across San Antonio's diverse communities. This involves expanding community arts programming, offering adult art classes, youth programming and summer art and music camps. Many of these efforts are ongoing and include the School of Music’s “En Vivo Concert Series” and Lyric Theatre, guest exhibitions with the School of Art such as this year’s Delita Martin retrospective, and PaCE’s expansive summer camp programs. Amrein will help UTSA further expand its creative ecosystem — making arts education and participation available to all while building a thriving cultural environment across the city. 

The new director’s comprehensive plan for UTSA Arts also includes more support for faculty research through arts-based initiatives and academic collaborations. This interdisciplinary approach aims to integrate the arts into broader educational and social contexts, promoting healing and social action through creative expression.

Under the direction of Amrein, students from the University of San Diego Choral Scholars perform a scene from the sci-fi choral opera After the Flood at the Mingei Museum in San Diego in April 2023.

Through Amrein’s commitment to culturally sustaining pedagogies and the revitalization of endangered art forms, she aims to protect the city’s rich cultural history. Her strategy will address issues like gentrification and cultural displacement, and the role local communities play in maintaining their cultural identities through artistic expression.

Amrein’s appointment highlights the innovative approach and focus on community engagement that is the mission of this college, said Glenn Martinez, dean of COLFA.

“Dr. Amrein’s extensive experience and forward-thinking vision make her an excellent choice to lead UTSA Arts,” Martinez said. “Her work will elevate our arts programming and strengthen our connections with the San Antonio community, creating an inclusive cultural environment that will put UTSA at the forefront of arts programming in South Texas.”

Martinez continued, “I am grateful to Dr. Tracy Cowden, director of the UTSA School of Music and Roland K. Blumberg Endowed professor in music, for her outstanding work in creating a solid foundation for the future of UTSA Arts.”

— Nick Ward