You'll Hear Adam Schoenberg's 'Picture Studies' at SFCM's Wind Ensemble Concert, Thanks to Josías Muñiz

Musically, Josías Muñiz is the very definition of a "multi-hyphenate." At SFCM to study trombone with Paul Welcomer, Muñiz was also a drum major in his undergraduate marching band and a talented singer, who will be heard in SFCM's productions of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods in December.

Before that, though, Muñiz will be coming face-to-face with an old frenemy of a composition: Adam Schoenberg's Picture Studies at SFCM's Wind Ensemble concert Friday, Oct. 2026 at 7:30PM.

At the end of SFCM's Spring 2026 semester, the Conservatory's Music Director Edwin Outwater and Ensemble Operations Manager and Head Performance Librarian Keeley Brooks put out an open call for submissions to students for pieces they wanted to perform in the 2026-2027 season. Muñiz submitted Picture Studies, unaware that Wind Ensemble Director Brad Hogarth and Outwater had already been considering the piece, and got his wish. "This was honestly the first time as a student I encountered that. But from the time I finished playing [Picture Studies] in undergrad, I was like, 'One day I think I want to play it again.'"

Muñiz's father was a trombonist, and he grew up singing with his family, which informs his expressive approach to trombone, though he'll be playing euphonium for Picture Studies, unlike the last time he performed the piece. Muñiz also met Schoenberg when the composer's Losing Earth—commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony and written for SFCM's Percussion Department Chair Jacob Nissly—was performed by the Atlanta Symphony.

"We were sitting in the same section at the symphony, and I waited outside for him like a kid with candy or something," Muñiz recalls. "And I just brought up that I'd played the piece and how much, honestly, I really enjoyed playing it, but there was a moment when I was like, 'But also that piece is really hard,' and he agreed."

Muñiz played the piece during his undergraduate years—he was also one of the drum majors for his school's marching band for three years—and says he was drawn to it "not so much because of the difficulty. It was more how he interweaves that difficulty with these beautiful melodies that get passed around to everybody in the ensemble. I think it's so cool how he takes the time to really give everybody an opportunity to shine. The piece does it really well because it's based on paintings, photographs, and sculpture, so that connection to art creates all these different aspects that a composer can play with using an ensemble of that size."

Having played the first trombone part as an undergraduate, Muñiz's initial thought when he saw the completely different euphonium part was slight intimidation. "The euphonium acts as an extension of the woodwinds, so there are a lot of very technical runs I have to play," he says. "I thought, 'Oh, I'm going to have to really try on this one.' The euphonium hasn't been my daily life for around three years, so the dexterity is tough, but I'm up to it."

"And our rehearsals are awesome," Muñiz continues. "Brad Hogarth is fantastic. I feel like he always knows just what to say to get the right thing out of the ensemble. That's really important from a conductor: Listening to the ensemble, hearing what they're struggling with, and figuring out how to lead them through. Even if somebody isn't going to get it right then and there, kindly guiding them to something that will address that in the practice room is really valuable."

Josías Muñiz.

Although SFCM doesn't offer any opportunities for drum majoring, Muñiz's non-brass talent will be on display in December for the SFCM Opera & Musical Theatre Department's production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods. "Everyone's very gung-ho about the crossover here—being able to collaborate with other departments. I know there are schools that aren't that way, and so having these opportunities is pretty cool."

"In Wind Ensemble—but also with every instrument I've played, like, flute as well—we're always asking, 'What would a vocalist do?" Muñiz continues. "'What would this sound like if I was singing it?' So in a lot of our lessons, for me and a lot of my colleagues, it comes down to, 'Can you sing this? How would you sing this?'"

Learn more about studying brass or trombone at SFCM. Reserve tickets to SFCM's Wind Ensemble concert on Oct. 23 and the Conservatory's Dec. 11 and 12 performances of Into the Woods.