Biography and education
Professor of Practice / Jazz & Composition – Texas State University School of Music
• MacDowell Norton Stevens Fellow in Composition, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Fellow in Jazz Composition (1979), Fulbright Senior Specialist in Jazz Studies, NEA Project Specialist
• Research Scholar, Institute of Jazz Studies – Rutgers University, Newark, NJ
• Recipient, Texas State University Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarly / Creative Activities; featured in Spotlight on Excellence at Texas State; Dean’s Seminar Award recipient
• Distinguished Academic Member, International Conference on Visual and Performing Arts, Athens Institute for Education and Research (Athens, Greece)
• Pianist with the Grammy®-nominated jazz ensemble John Mills Times Ten
• Composer / Pianist, Double Vision™ – Austin jazz quartet performing all-original music
• Lifetime voting member, The GRAMMY® Awards
• 1st Place, National Association of Composers USA – Composer Competition
• Recipient, 2025 Aaron Copland Fund for Music Award for Performance Program
• Featured in national media, including All About Jazz (2025 Feature Author and Song of the Day) and Voyage Austin (2025 Artist Spotlight “Life, Values & Legacy”).
• MacDowell Norton Stevens Fellow in Composition, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Fellow in Jazz Composition (1979), Fulbright Senior Specialist in Jazz Studies, NEA Project Specialist
• Research Scholar, Institute of Jazz Studies – Rutgers University, Newark, NJ
• Recipient, Texas State University Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarly / Creative Activities; featured in Spotlight on Excellence at Texas State; Dean’s Seminar Award recipient
• Distinguished Academic Member, International Conference on Visual and Performing Arts, Athens Institute for Education and Research (Athens, Greece)
• Pianist with the Grammy®-nominated jazz ensemble John Mills Times Ten
• Composer / Pianist, Double Vision™ – Austin jazz quartet performing all-original music
• Lifetime voting member, The GRAMMY® Awards
• 1st Place, National Association of Composers USA – Composer Competition
• Recipient, 2025 Aaron Copland Fund for Music Award for Performance Program
• Featured in national media, including All About Jazz (2025 Feature Author and Song of the Day) and Voyage Austin (2025 Artist Spotlight “Life, Values & Legacy”).
Teaching Interests
Research Interests
Featured grants
- Hehmsoth, Henry (Supporting). 2024 National Endowment for the Humanities PBS/WVIA-TV - Eddie Durham Documentary, National Endowment for the Humanities, Federal. (Funded: February 1, 2024). Grant.
- Hehmsoth, Henry. 2025 Aaron Copland Fund for Music Award, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Private / Foundation / Corporate. (Submitted: 2024, Funded: 2025). Grant.
- Hehmsoth, Henry. Golden Era of the Big Band Jazz Musicians: Reminiscences of NEA Jazz Master Dan Morgenstern, National Endowment for the Arts NEA ArtWorks, Federal, $25000. (Funded: June 2018 - December 2019). Grant.
- Hehmsoth, Henry. Proposal 295 Texas State University: Eddie Durham Celebration/Hill Country Jazz Festival, San Marcos Arts Commission, Municipal, $8000. (Funded: September 2017). Grant.
- Hehmsoth, Henry. FULBRIGHT SPECIALIST GRANT, J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, Federal, $8500. (Funded: 2016). Grant.
Featured scholarly/creative works
- Hehmsoth, H. (2025). Eddie Durham: The Jazz Innovator a City Refuses to Forget. All About Jazz. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutjazz.com/eddie-durham-the-jazz-innovator-a-city-refuses-to-forget-eddie-durham
- Hehmsoth, H. (2025). Charles Rangel: Harlem’s Congressman, Jazz’s Quiet Witness. All About Jazz. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutjazz.com/charles-rangel-harlems-congressman-jazzs-quiet-witness
- Hehmsoth, H. (2025). Unearthed & Unforgettable: The Lost Tapes of Just Jazz. All About Jazz. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutjazz.com/unearthed-and-unforgettable-the-lost-tapes-of-just-jazz
- Hehmsoth, H. (2025). The History of Jazz Drums: An Archival Treasure Rediscovered. All About Jazz. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-history-of-jazz-drums-an-archival-treasure-rediscovered
- composer, pianist, soloist, Double Vision takes the stage with their electrifying performance - live at SXSW 2024.
March 14, 2024.
Performances:
- DOUBLE VISION - LIVE AT SXSW. March 14, 2024 Elephant Room, Swift Building, 315 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701.
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: ASCAP Plus Award, The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publisher. January 8, 2024
- Award / Honor Recipient: Research Enhancement Program "Blue Drifter" jazz album recording, Texas State University. January 8, 2024
- Award / Honor Recipient: Dean’s Seminar Award, College of Fine Arts – Texas State University. 2015
- Award / Honor Nominee: ASCAP Plus 2024 Award for ASCAP writer activity in 2023, ASCAP PLUS AWARDS PANEL Jazz Division. June 8, 2024 - Present
- Award / Honor Nominee: Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities, Texas State University. January 2020 - Present
Featured service activities
- President
The Austin Jazz Composers Collective
- Other
Certified School of Music TSP Technical Support Person
- Chair
H Project Performing Arts Association (HPPAA) a 501 C3 non-profit organization
- Other
Grammy in the Schools - NARAS National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
- Reviewer / Referee
Fulbright Specialist Peer Reviewer - U.S. Department of State Cycle 1, 2, 3, 5 - 2023
- Other
School of Music Website