Graduate Assistantship
In the spring of 2000, the John Donald Robb Graduate Music Assistantship program at the University of New Mexico was established to support the preservation and improvement of the John Donald Robb Archive of Southwestern Music and the Robb manuscript collection at the University Libraries’ Center for Southwest Research as well as to assist with the annual John Donald Robb Composers’ Symposium and biennial Composers’ Commission/Competition. The program is open to qualified students wishing to study for a Master’s Degree in Music or Music Education.
The Assistantship offers:
Graduate Assistant Responsibilities:
Qualifications:
If you are interested in applying, please contact the UNM Department of Music.
The Assistantship offers:
- Tuition remission for one year
- A stipend
- It is a renewable position
Graduate Assistant Responsibilities:
- Improving Access to the Robb Archive
- Assisting with the John D. Robb Composers’ Symposium and Composers’ Commission Competition
- Participating in educational and community outreach programming
- Other duties as directed
Qualifications:
- A qualified student pursuing a Master’s Degree in Music or Music Education
- Experience and interest in composition and theory
- Strong proficiency with technical equipment and computer software
If you are interested in applying, please contact the UNM Department of Music.
Current Graduate Assistant

Christopher Orphal is a young student composer at the University of New Mexico, where
he has studied for the last four years. The music he composes has been described by listeners as
“music,” “sounds produced and organized in a structured way,” and “the bare minimum.”
Christopher’s oeuvre is characterized stylistically through a seeming incapability of composing
anything which doesn’t feature some sort of stringed instrument. His compositional interests
usually center on the dimension of harmony, which has led him recently into the harmonically
expanded area of microtonal systems. Previously, Christopher’s works have been premiered in several well-respected venues, including his old High School and his mother’s living room.
You can listen to some of Chris's music here.
Past Graduate Assistants include Josh Aguiar, Levi Raleigh Brown, Steven Gomez, Matthew Stanley, Joe Hay, Tom McVeety, and Tatiana Vetrinskaya.
he has studied for the last four years. The music he composes has been described by listeners as
“music,” “sounds produced and organized in a structured way,” and “the bare minimum.”
Christopher’s oeuvre is characterized stylistically through a seeming incapability of composing
anything which doesn’t feature some sort of stringed instrument. His compositional interests
usually center on the dimension of harmony, which has led him recently into the harmonically
expanded area of microtonal systems. Previously, Christopher’s works have been premiered in several well-respected venues, including his old High School and his mother’s living room.
You can listen to some of Chris's music here.
Past Graduate Assistants include Josh Aguiar, Levi Raleigh Brown, Steven Gomez, Matthew Stanley, Joe Hay, Tom McVeety, and Tatiana Vetrinskaya.