Western Music Dept. welcomes new strings professor

Gunnison bluegrass enthusiasts might know Drew Murdza from Black Canyon Ramblers, the Gypsy Jazz Social Club, or Storm Pass. Still, music students at Western Colorado University are getting to know him as the new Director of Orchestra in the Western Music Department.

Murdza has been living in the valley for almost 30 years, having come to study music at Western in the late 90s. He chose Western because it was a small, affordable school, which was what he was looking for in his college experience. After school, he stuck around and became deeply involved in the local music scene through playing in various music groups and teaching strings and music education in the valley, and has really taken to Gunnison and the community.

“I really love this place,” said Murdza. “I could have moved anywhere in the world, and I chose to stay here because it’s such an awesome place.”

He taught violin at Slate River School, ran a strings program at the Crested Butte Community School, led group programs and taught at the Gunnison Arts Center, and gave private lessons in Gunnison and Montrose.

Murdza’s love for string instruments runs deep and wide, rooted in the violin, which he calls his primary instrument because he’s “played it the longest,” but extends that passion to the mandolin and the broader string family. However, he stated that he simply can’t pick a favorite. He has deep knowledge and love of how string instruments create texture, and each plays a unique role in bluegrass, classical, and other genres.

Now, he teaches String Methods, a required class for music education students, and directs the orchestra at Western. He teaches a variety of private lessons to university students, primarily violin but also mandolin, mandola, guitar, ukulele, and other string family instruments.

Murdza's vision for the community orchestra is not just to have a campus string ensemble, but also a countywide string program. Starting in the spring semester, he hopes to launch the program for all kids in Gunnison County, including students, homeschoolers, or anyone else interested. The program will feed into a youth orchestra, and through concurrent enrollment, more advanced high school students will be able to play in the Western Orchestra for college credit.

“I grew up on the East Coast and had amazing music opportunities in public schools,” said Murdza. “There’s no strings program in schools in Gunnison at all. I’ve always felt like Western was the one place that could truly be a home for a string music program in Gunnison. I want the kids here to have the same opportunities that I had.”

Longer-term, he wants the orchestra and strings at Western to reflect both classical tradition and the “new acoustic” genres, including bluegrass, swing, and other related styles, to give students a wider range of musical skills to sustain themselves as working musicians. He hopes to add things like a monthly old-time jam, partnerships with community school teachers and local bands, and to position Western as a hub for Colorado’s ever-growing bluegrass scene.

“Colorado has this really interesting and unique place in bluegrass and acoustic music,” said Murdza. “In a lot of ways, Colorado and the Front Range are kind of like the new Nashville. We have an immense amount of talent in bluegrass. So much so that we even have our own subgenre called Colorado Bluegrass. I think it’s important that we teach the students about it.”

The idea is that students and community members won’t just play in the orchestra, but can become well-rounded musicians with practical, modern skills while still learning classical repertoire.

Murdza is also working with Colorado Music Hall of Fame bass-baritone Keith Miller to partner with Gunnison Orchestral and Vocal Academy (GOVA), which is a summer program dedicated to cultivating artistry, collaboration, and excellence in music through orchestral and vocal performance, chamber music, and musical theatre.

This October, the orchestra will be performing with Orquesta Sinfónica del Colegio Bicentenario Domingo Santa Maria, a group of musicians from southern Chile that will be visiting, learning, and sharing knowledge at Western. Later on, the orchestra will be performing with the symphonic band and orchestra at Kincaid Concert Hall on Nov. 10, then again at Kincaid on Dec. 10-11 for the annual Holiday Gala, with works for a concert at the Crested Butte Center of the Arts.

“I feel like that music department here is in a really good place,” said Murdza. “We’re ready for a whole new chapter in Western’s music, and I hope to play a big role in it and bring a lot more kids to study here. I think it has the potential to be an awesome experience for everyone in Gunnison, not just Western students.”