Local musician, educator and researcher, Jonny Verbeten, brings passion for music and deep knowledge of the West Texas arts scene to the university’s popular series.

Jonny Verbeten knows how to play to a room. The jazz pianist leans into a melody or pulls back. He gauges the energy of an audience and notes what they are craving – whether it’s on the setlist or not. 

It’s this intuitive insight, among other talents, that made him the natural selection for Texas Tech University’s Presidential Lecture & Performance Series’ (PLPS) new assistant director. 

When someone from the university reached out to Verbeten about the opportunity, he was already familiar with the series’ impact.

Verbeten earned his doctorate in musicology at Texas Tech where he directly benefited from programs like the PLPS. He made time to sit down with visiting artists and learn from guests on campus. 

Verbeten has received the Edward T. Cone Award from the Society for American Music and earned first place for Texas Tech’s Outstanding Dissertation Award.

While his accomplishments certainly prepared him for leading the PLPS, it’s his unrivaled passion for music and his community that makes him the perfect person to carry the series into the future. 

“Music is my life,” Verbeten said. “Everything I’ve gotten out of life came from music.” 

Never Another Plan

Verbeten grew up in Wisconsin as one of seven children. 

“We lived in a very poor neighborhood,” he explained. “I was the only one of my siblings who went to college.”  

From a young age, Verbeten knew he’d been put on earth to make music. He began asking his parents for piano lessons in second grade. They repeatedly told him no, explaining that unless they could afford music lessons for all his siblings, it wouldn’t be fair. 

But Verbeten kept asking for two years.

Finally, as his 10th birthday approached, his parents decided to make an exception and gave him lessons as a birthday gift. The piano instructor was 18 years old and charged $5 a lesson, but it was enough to get going. 

“I was obsessed,” Verbeten recalled. “I could play for up to six hours without a break.” 

From that point on, the only plan was to become a musician. Verbeten knew if he went to college, it would be for this purpose. He got a scholarship and attended a small private college in the Midwest where he majored in piano performance. He fell in love with learning, and knew he wanted to earn a graduate education, which took him to the University of Arkansas for a master’s degree in music history. 

It was there, during a conference, he met Professor Chris Smith from Texas Tech University. The two shared a great deal of common research interests and Verbeten was convinced the musicology program at Texas Tech’s School of Music was his next home. 

“Jonny had musical mastery and intellectual curiosity,” said Smith. “He wanted a bigger and wider range of creative and scholarly investigation and impact, and during his time as my doctoral candidate, he fulfilled that promise.”

By this time, Verbeten’s passion had gone beyond playing piano. He realized his great love lay in research, composing and jazz.

“Jazz is the thing I keep coming back to after 20 years as a musician,” Verbeten said. 

He formed the Jonny Verbeten Trio with Dustin Pedigo on upright bass and Tristan Nock on drums. The trio frequently plays at eateries and private events throughout Lubbock and the greater West Texas area. 

But that wasn’t enough. Verbeten needed to immerse himself into the world of jazz both in practice and in a cerebral manner. He became a certified archivist through the Society of American Archivists and studied figures such as William Grant Still and others who composed bodies of work during the Harlem Renaissance. This set Verbeten up to become the manager at Texas Tech’s Southwest Music Archive after completing his doctoral degree in 2020. 

“I adore that archive,” Verbeten said. “I poured a lot of my heart and soul into it, and in the process, I learned so much about West Texas music and became really involved with the community.” 

Verbeten was appointed to the West Texas Walk of Fame Committee, which he still serves on. 

He saw himself staying with the archive forever. But in 2024, the Lubbock Cultural Arts Foundation came knocking with a proposal he couldn’t turn down. They had created a new position, arts education coordinator, and they wanted Verbeten. 

“I handled workshops and events for the community,” he recalled. “It was a great job. I got to meet so many artists and musicians. It was bittersweet to give that up for where I am now.” 

Full Circle 

During his time working as an archivist for the Southwest Music Archives, he helped consult on many PLPS performances, including playing keys for a 2022 Lubbock Lights performance celebrating the life and music of Mac Davis. 

“It’s such a great series,” Verbeten said. “I’m blown away by the wonderful talent Texas Tech has brought to this campus.”

But that wasn’t the only interaction Verbeten had with the series.

During Verbeten’s first year as a doctoral student, the PLPS hosted world-renowned jazz musician John Pizzarelli as part of its 15th season. Pizzarelli offered masterclasses through the School of Music as part of the outreach each guest takes part in. 

“Getting a private meeting with Pizzarelli was really special,” Verbeten recalled. 

While roughly half of the performers who come to campus are musicians of some kind, the series hosts dancers, authors, journalists, screenwriters and directors, scientists, theater companies, comedy troupes and even poet laureates – all of whom spend time visiting classes and engaging with Texas Tech students and faculty. 

“The Presidential Lecture & Performance Series is about engaging creativity and conversation across our campus and the community,” said Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec. “Jonny’s passion for the arts and his understanding of this region will serve Texas Tech and the series well as it enters its next chapter.” 

Verbeten loved his work with the Lubbock Cultural Arts Foundation but knew by leading the PLPS, he would have even wider resources to reach the community. One of his favorite things about Lubbock is while there may be many opportunities, the world of artists is still small and familial. 

All the relationships he’s built will serve to catalyze this next season at the helm of the PLPS. 

“We’re coming up on the series’ 20th season, which is exciting,” he said. 

Like the archivist he is, Verbeten has been digging through the files and posters reconstructing the past 20 years. He looks to the past for inspiration but also looks forward, poised to compose the series’ best years yet. 

“I’ve had a lot of ‘pinch-me-this-can’t-be-real’ moments in my life,” Verbeten said. “This is definitely one of them.”

About PLPS

The series, created in 2006 by former Texas Tech President Jon Whitmore, exists to enhance the intellectual and cultural landscape of not only Texas Tech but also the surrounding community. In the past 19 seasons, the series has hosted guests such as Taylor Sheridan, Fran Lebowitz, Flatland Cavalry, Lyle Lovett, David Sedaris, Tony Kushner, The Santa Fe Opera, Garrison Keillor, Cokie Roberts and many others. 

This semester includes Singer-Songwriter Morgan James and will pay a special tribute to Chrisopher “Stubb” Stubblefield through the Lubbock Lights celebration “Barbeque Beyond the Grave.” 

For tickets, visit the PLPS website or call (806) 742-2121.