Invited annually, graduate schools of music present the Presser Graduate Music Award to an outstanding graduate music student whom they select. The program is designed to encourage and support in a special way the advanced education and career of truly exceptional graduate music students who have the potential to make a distinguished contribution to the field of music. The Award is a cash stipend of up to $10,000, which is made available to a graduate student designated by the institution.
Abbey Young received the Award in 2020-2021 from the University of Texas, Austin. Her project “Amplifying the Unheard: A Studio Album by the Pure Goodness Music Collective” focused on the recording of original songs by individuals living at Community First! Village (CF!V) who participate in the Pure Goodness Music Collective. CF!V is a master-planned development that offers permanent housing and a supportive community to those coming out of long-term homelessness in Austin, Texas. Composed of musicians from CF!V with occasional guests from the greater Austin community, the Pure Goodness Music Collective aims to instill a sense of self-pride and unity among its musicians through open jam sessions, writing workshops, small ensemble rehearsals, and performances.
With the financial support given from The Presser Foundation Graduate Music Award, my work has amplified the voices of those traditionally unheard and forged a mutually beneficial relationship between the Butler School of Music and the Pure Goodness Music Collective. I have spotlighted the musical talent of my neighbors through video, recording studio time, live performances, and collaborative opportunities.
With the Award funds, I oversaw the production of an album by the musicians of the Pure Goodness Music Collective. Featuring the talent of over twenty musicians who have experienced chronic homelessness, the album consists of eight original songs and two covers. In celebrating their artistry, the recording process dignified my fellow residents at CF!V, restoring confidence and motivation in a way I will never forget. Previously a songwriter for Keith Urban, my neighbor Vernon Rust wrote Eye for an Eye, which he calls an anthem for the downtrodden and disenfranchised. For the recording, he collaborated with my friend Matthew Gustafson, Butler School of Music student and Austin Symphony Orchestra cellist. When tasked with writing a song that embodies the spirit of Community First! Village, my neighbor Scott Osborn wrote Heads Held High, which culminates in a joyful group vocal.
I also oversaw the production of a promotional video for the Pure Goodness Music Collective. Shot and edited by Young Visuals, the video can be found on the collective’s website and Facebook page. It captures the essence and vision of the collective, featuring footage of performances, recording sessions, and life at Community First! Village. The stories of four members of the collective are featured as well as a portion of a song written and recorded by my neighbors.
Because of the generosity of the recording engineer and videographers, a large portion of the budget remained; touched by the cause and inspired by my neighbors, they each offered exceedingly discounted rates for their work. The remaining funds have been used to commission work from my neighbors and hire Butler School of Music students to lend their instrumental skills to my neighbors’ continued recording projects.
For my doctoral solo recital, I commissioned a fellow resident at CF!V to create visual artwork to accompany my performance of Steve Reich’s New York Counterpoint. I also commissioned a songwriter from the Pure Goodness Music Collective to write a piece for clarinet alone. This work will be featured on my doctoral lecture recital, which discusses meaningful community engagement through music.
Thanks to The Presser Foundation, I have realized an essential desire within my musical career: to amplify the voices of those traditionally unheard. My neighbors have been through the unthinkable. Some have been denied basic needs from early in life. Others have fallen victim to depression and addiction without the necessary financial and relational safety nets. I am humbled by their resilience and emboldened by their enthusiasm. While I have been offered a stage and cheery applause at every phase of my musical career, my friends were treated as white noise on city streets.
It was the greatest honor of my life to bring these musicians into the recording studio. We wept with joy and beamed with pride. It dignified, uplifted, and rejuvenated all of us.
A native of central Pennsylvania, Abbey Young is a clarinet performer, teacher, and doctoral candidate at the University of Texas. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University, where she was awarded the Merle Evans scholarship and the Premier Young Artist Award. After four years of study with Professor Howard Klug, she graduated from the Jacobs School of Music and Hutton Honors College with high distinction.
During her graduate work, she has enjoyed playing in UT’s Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, New Music Ensemble, Hispanic Caribbean Ensemble, and Klezmer ensemble. She has also performed with the New York City-based Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, Texas Festival Orchestra, and contemporary chamber orchestra Density 512.
Her recent project, Songs of the Unheard, gives a platform to musicians who have experienced chronic homelessness.
