On a Friday afternoon this past October, UT flute professor Ebonee Thomas was teaching when she got a text that made her do a double take. It’s not every day that someone says music legend André 3000 wants to visit your class. Famed for his rap career with OutKast, André Benjamin recently turned to flute for a new album and spent a day talking with students and staff at the Butler School of Music. “We were all excited, we were all nervous, but he just has this calm demeanor,” Thomas remembers. “It’s just rare that someone of his caliber takes the time to genuinely connect with young artists.”
The plan was hatched by UT’s senior director of live music and entertainment, Andy Langer, who joined the college’s staff last fall. Langer brings decades of experience in the music world, including serving as the voice of ACL Radio for about 15 years. The hire signals UT’s mission to boost the quality and frequency of music experiences for students on the Forty Acres.
The capital city’s robust music culture is undeniably part of the calculus for young people deciding where to attend college. But now more than ever, schools are looking for ways to market themselves as their own insular lifestyle brand. For example, UT had a notable presence at SXSW last year with an installation at Antone’s called the Hook ’Em House. The pop-up featured panels, touted academic programs, and a performance by indie pop musician Dayglow, with plans to return in 2025.
Langer worked with UT unofficially for about a year, consulting on projects like the CMT Awards at Moody Center, bringing Diplo in for a show on campus, and helping facilitate a songwriter in residence program. After joining the staff in earnest, he’s brimming with ideas: tapping musician Warren Hood to play fiddle at a UT football game and booking T-Pain for Ball on the Mall this past December. He even had a hand in getting that recognizable burnt orange Longhorns jersey on Leon Bridges for his performance at ACL Fest.
But UT’s new hire is most focused on creating singular experiences for students. In November, he brought international pop sensation Keshi to the Cactus Café. A former UT nursing student, the artist’s popularity has soared thanks to a devoted online following. While Keshi’s recent tour included arenas like Madison Square Garden, Langer arranged a quiet set at the historic listening room on campus. The musician spent the day talking with students and did an onstage Q&A during his show.
“Everyone says Austin is the live music capital and it’s funky and weird, so knowing that UT was part of such a vibrant city was definitely a very big pull,” says senior Reo Lee, who got to be a part of the team that helped plan the event. “Working behind the scenes really does teach transferable skills that go on my résumé.”
Ultimately, Langer has a simple litmus test for which of his myriad ideas he’ll pursue next. “Does it better connect the university and the Austin culture, or does it create core memories for students?” he asks. “The things that do either of those are a yes for me—and the things that do both are an ecstatic yes.”
