TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Hank Hehmsoth, a Texas State Professor of Practice in Jazz Piano, has been awarded a 2026 Elevate Grant from the city of Austin through his nonprofit organization, H Project Performing Arts Association (HPPAA) to support his new performance initiative.
The Elevate program, administered by Austin Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment (AACME) supports arts initiatives that expand cultural access and community engagement across Central Texas. “The Elevate program invests in cultural organizations, groups, and individual artists that create vibrant, publicly accessible artistic experiences,” according to the city of Austin website.
Hehmsoth’s project to be funded by the grant, “Double Vision: Contemporary Jazz in Performance,” presents a series of original jazz performances co-led with saxophonist and former Texas State faculty member Dr. John Mills. The Double Vision ensemble also features Texas State School of Music Jazz Director Dr. Utah Hamrick, along with guest artists from across the Austin and San Marcos music communities.
Double Vision was recently featured as the headline ensemble for the 2025 Supple Music Series at Texas State.
Hehmsoth said that he was planning several events in San Marcos in the Fall of 2026, which will “connect performance, visual art and community engagement.” Details for these performances will be announced on his website: hanksjazz. com.
“The goal of this project is to create a space where original music, collaboration and mentorship all intersect,” said Hehmsoth. “It’s about connecting generations of musicians and audiences through creative work that reflects both the history and the evolving future of jazz in our region.”
Hank Hehmsoth
The project continues Hehmsoth’s longstanding efforts to match Texas State students with professional performance opportunities. Student musicians will have opportunities to observe, participate and engage with working artists, while also interacting with original compositions and collaborative performance models that extend beyond the classroom.
Hehmsoth’s teaching at Texas State has emphasized creative development and mentorship as part of the student experience, he said.
An established jazz musician with decades of teaching and performing experience, Hehmsoth is perhaps his best-known work is his piano intro to the Christopher Cross classic “Sailing.” But he has written more than 200 compositions, ranging from works for small jazz ensembles to scores for large orchestras.
His recent work with HPPAA has also received national recognition through a 2025 award from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music. The Copland grant funded a series of live performances, as well as the creation of new compositions and educational initiatives, including masterclasses and workshops at TXST.
He has also received the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Jazz Composition, a MacDowell Composing Fellowship and has been recognized as a Fulbright Specialist in American Studies.
Through HPPAA, Hehmsoth strives to continue creating opportunities for students and professional artists while “expanding access to contemporary jazz in Central Texas.”
The Double Vision jazz ensemble performing at Texas State University in 2025.
