Nayeli Dousa, D.M.A.
Piano

Nayeli Dousa joined the faculty of the UTEP Music Department in 2019. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Piano Performance with a minor in Music Theory from the University of Arizona, and Master and Bachelor of Music degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso (cum laude). Her doctoral dissertation focused on the piano music of Mexican composer Samuel Zyman. Dr. Dousa’s principal piano teachers include Tannis Gibson, Mauricio Náder, and Arryl Paul.
From 2006 to 2018, she was on the faculty of the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ), where she taught applied piano lessons, class piano, chamber music, and courses in music theory and music history. She also served as rehearsal pianist for the operas Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana and collaborated as a pianist to prepare choirs of other operas presented in the city. During this time, she was granted a full scholarship from a Federal Mexican Government Program (PRODEP) to complete her doctoral studies. During her time as a UTEP student, she was winner of the Concerto Competition, received the Outstanding Academic Achievement in Music Award from the College of Liberal Arts, the Outstanding Music Student Award, and the membership to the Pi Kappa Lambda National Honor Society in Music. She also served as a teaching assistant. Some of her duties as a TA included teaching private lessons and class piano.
Dr. Dousa has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals and is an active accompanist. She was 3rd place winner of the Edvard Grieg National Piano Competition in Mexico and performed as a soloist with the Chihuahua Philharmonic. As a chamber musician she has performed at the Centro Cultural Ollin Yolitztli’s Chamber Music Concert Series in Mexico City. In 2014, she was the featured soloist in the premiere of her husband Dominic’s piano concerto ‘Estrella del Norte’ with the Orquesta Sinfónica de la UACJ, which was commissioned to commemorate the 40 years of the university. As part of Diez Pianos, an ensemble that toured extensively throughout Mexico, she gave performances in major concert halls, including the Auditorio Nacional, the Teatro Insurgentes, the Poliforum Cultural Siqueiros, and the Palacio de Minería. She has also given presentations as a lecturer and performer at national and international conferences, at events by organizations such as the College Music Society and the Hawaii University International Conferences. She received a grant to record the CD entitled “Lands of Enchantment”, an original suite for piano four hands with her husband, Dr. Dominic Dousa, collaborating as composer and pianist. The CD has been released by Blue Griffin Recording.
In addition to training as a musician, Dr. Dousa was a national youth chess champion in her high school years and a member of the Mexican national team. She represented Mexico in international tournaments in Slovakia, Spain, Hungary, and Russia, and was ranked among the top 50 women by the US Chess Federation.
Contact Info
Department of Music
Email: nayelil@utep.edu
Office: FFA M338
Office Phone: (915) 747-7819