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 Fellow in Jazz Composition (1979)
• Fulbright Senior Specialist in Jazz Studies
• National Endowment for the Arts Project Specialist
• Research Scholar, Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University—Newark
• 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
• Co-leader, composer, and pianist with Double Vision, Austin jazz quartet performing all-original music
• Lifetime voting member of the The GRAMMY® Awards
• First Place, National Association of Composers USA – Composer Competition
• Recipient of the 2025 Aaron Copland Fund for Music Award for Performance Program
• Featured in national media, including All About Jazz and Voyage Austin
• MacDowell Norton Stevens Fellow in Composition
• National Endowment for the Arts Fellow in Jazz Composition (1979)
• Fulbright Senior Specialist in Jazz Studies
• National Endowment for the Arts Project Specialist
• Research Scholar, Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University—Newark
• 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
• Co-leader, composer, and pianist with Double Vision, Austin jazz quartet performing all-original music
• Lifetime voting member of the The GRAMMY® Awards
• First Place, National Association of Composers USA – Composer Competition
• Recipient of the 2025 Aaron Copland Fund for Music Award for Performance Program
• Featured in national media, including All About Jazz and Voyage Austin
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 (Principal). 2026 Elevate Grant — Double Vision: Contemporary Jazz in Performance, Austin Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment Department (AACME), Municipal, $6400. (Funded: 2026 - 2027). 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.
Featured scholarly/creative works
- Hehmsoth, H. (2026, March 3). Kenny Dorham: The Composer in the Horn - A Verified Chronology, 1953–1964, N/A(N/A), N/A. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutjazz.com/kenny-dorham-the-composer-in-the-horn-a-verified-chronology-1953-1964
- Hehmsoth, H. (2025, November 14). Songs for Nica: How Jazz Fell in Love with a Baroness, N/A(N/A), N/A. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutjazz.com/songs-for-nica-how-jazz-fell-in-love-with-a-baroness
- Hehmsoth, H. (2025, September 28). 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, June 5). 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, May 9). 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
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Aaron Copland Fund for Music Award – Performance Program 2025, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc. January 4, 2025 - December 31, 2025
- 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 Recipient: ASCAP Plus 2025 Award for ASCAP writer activity in 2025, ASCAP PLUS AWARDS PANEL Jazz Division. December 19, 2025 - Present
Featured service activities
- President
The Austin Jazz Composers Collective
- 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
- Other
Certified School of Music TSP Technical Support Person
- Reviewer / Referee
Fulbright Specialist Peer Reviewer - U.S. Department of State Cycle 1, 2, 3, 5 - 2023
- Other
School of Music Website