Points of Pride lists faculty, student and alumni achievements. It is accumulated and produced three times a year, generally in January, March, and October.


Grants and Awards

The following faculty received Hixson-Lied Research/Creative Activity Travel Grants in October:

  • Aaron Holz, Department of Art and Art History, $550, Presentation at the Lake George Art Project.
  • Mark Clinton and Nicole Narboni, School of Music, $1,570, Performance at the Festival de Piano de St. Tropez.
  • Gail Kendall, Department of Art and Art History, $350, Presentation at the Old Church Cultural Center Annual Exhibition.
  • Darryl White, School of Music, $1,400, Performance at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Jazz Education.
  • Brian Moore, School of Music, $1,100, Presentation at the combined meeting of the College Music Society and the Association for Technology in Music Instruction.

The following faculty received grants from the UNL Research Council in December:

  • Paul Barnes, School of Music, $1,341, to support the American Liszt Society Conference.
  • John Bailey, School of Music, $800, Visiting Scholar Grant; $6,500, Grant-in-Aid.
  • Santiago Cal, Department of Art and Art History, $6,500, Grant-in-Aid.
  • Dana Fritz, Department of Art and Art History, $3,000, Grant-in-Aid.
  • Michael Hoff, Department of Art and Art History, $10,000, Faculty Seed Grant.
  • William McMullen, School of Music, $658, Visiting Scholar Grant.
  • Albie Micklich, School of Music, $513 Visiting Scholar Grant; $6,500, Grant-in-Aid.
  • Francisco Souto, Department of Art and Art History, $6,500, Grant-in-Aid for "Mezzotint as Testimony."
  • Brenda Wristen, School of Music, $20,000, Interdisciplinary Research Grant to conduct an electromyographic study of small-handed pianists on the 7/8 size piano keyboard.

The following School of Music students received recognition at the West Central Regional National Association of the Teachers of Singing (NATS) 2004 Auditions in Emporia, Kansas, in November:

  • First Year Women: Jamie Unger (semi-finalist)
  • Sophomore Women: Jennifer Weiman (2nd place) and Bekah Freeman (5th place)
  • Sophomore Men: Victor Romero (semi-finalist)
  • Junior Women: Tertia Hock (1st place)
  • Senior Men: Chris Deaton (2nd place), Eric Shepard (4th place) and Linc Henjum (semi-finalist)
  • Graduate Women: Pam Miller (4th place), KristÉ Belt (5th place) and Olga Saad (semi-finalist)
  • Graduate Men: Ryan Powell (3rd place)
  • Lower Musical Theatre: Natalie Tavlin (1st place)
  • Upper Musical Theatre: Eric Shepard (5th place), KristÉ Belt (semi-finalist), Chris Deaton (semi-finalist) and Tertia Hock (semi-finalist)


Faculty

Scott Anderson, Associate Professor of Trombone, performed with a number of ensembles throughout the fall including the Heartland of America Band, the New Music Agency, the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra. Anderson performed as second trombonist with the Minnesota Orchestra on the Sinfonietta by Leos Janacek, as well as two weeks of the subscription season. Anderson presented his campus solo recital as a feature of the Trombone Music of Randall Snyder, which featured the premiere of Snyder's "More Minor Flips and Fugues" based on text by Jack Kerouac. The University of Nebraska Brass Quintet, made up of brass faculty members at UNL, performed their fall recital at Cornerstone Church in Lincoln. The quintet will perform a campus recital in April and a tour of Colorado in March.

Diane Barger, Associate Professor of Clarinet, was featured in winter issue of "Lifestyle" magazine, a local magazine. Barger presented several master classes in early November for the Austin Chamber Music Society in Austin, Texas. She also gave a clinic presentation, "17 Keys to Success" at the Nebraska Music Educators Association Clinic/Conference on November 19 at UNL. She continues to serve as Treasurer of the International Clarinet Association for which she also holds the title of Coordinator for the annual ICA High School Solo Competition. In December, her review of the 2004 ICA High School Solo Competition was published in the professional journal, The Clarinet. As Treasurer of the ICA, Barger will be performing as an invited recitalist at the 2005 ICA ClarinetFest in Tokyo, Japan, this July and will also serve as Coordinator for the 2005 ICA High School Solo Competition.

Mark Clinton, Associate Professor and Co-Chair of Piano, and Nicole Narboni, Senior Lecturer in Piano, were guest soloists with the Springfield (Mo.) Symphony on September 25. They collaborated with new SSO Music Director Ron Spigelman in a performance of the Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos in D minor. Clinton and Narboni attended the Ninth World Piano Pedagogy Conference in Las Vegas in October, where they were invited to perform as part of a special concert celebrating the 70th birthday of their teacher and mentor, John Perry. The Clinton/Narboni Duo appeared in recital at the second annual Festival de Piano de St. Tropez, sponsored by the St. Tropez Society of Friends of Music and the Mayor of St. Tropez. The recital took place on November 13 in the Salle de la Renaissance, located on the picturesque Place des Lices in the famous French resort town of St. Tropez. The program consisted of works for piano four-hands by Mozart, Debussy, Mendelssohn and Stravinsky. A critic from the regional newspaper Le Bavar was particularly impressed with Clinton and Narboni's performance of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, saying that "…in grandiose style, Clinton and Narboni were able to bring to life through their piano the primitive impulses of people subjected to the raging elements of a barbaric world... with, at times, a moment of calm—clear as the dewdrops on the first earthly morning."

Peter Eklund, Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities, will be conducting three All-State choirs this year: Indiana, Missouri and South Dakota, plus a state-wide honor choir in Alabama in May. In addition, he will conduct a Midwest regional honor choir at Carnegie Hall in June and performances in France, Prague, Munich and other venues.

Dana Fritz, Associate Professor of Art, will participate in a two-person exhibition at the Community College of Southern Nevada Art Gallery in Las Vegas, Nev., and a three-person exhibition at the Marxhausen Gallery at Concordia College in Seward, Neb. Her 2004 exhibitions included "Within the Garden" at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill.; "Managing Eden" at University of North Texas in Denton, Texas; "American Visions" at Elmira College in Elmira, N.Y.; "Marked-New Topographies" at the Center for Photography at Woodstock in Woodstock, N.Y.; "Eclectic Visions" at Parkland College in Champaign, Ill.; and "Different Spaces and Places" at Central Wyoming College in Riverton, Wyo. Her recent acquisitions include the Center for Photography at Woodstock and University Art Gallery at New Mexico State University. Fritz has been invited to participate in the Museum of Contemporary Photography's Midwest Photographers Project. Fifteen of her prints are featured in themuseum's downtown Chicago viewing room for two years.

William Grange, Professor of Theatre Arts, had his publication "Oskar Blumenthal and the Lessing Theater in Berlin, 1888-1904" published in Text and Presentation XXV in 2004 and "The Theatrical Concession System in Prussia, 1811-1869" published in Theatre Annual #57 in 2004. His reference work "Historical Dictionary of the German Theatre" will be published later this summer by Scarecrow Press. Grange received a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award for teaching at the Film Acting School of Cologne last summer. He translated and directed "Woyzeck" by Georg BÜ̈chner as part of the University Theatre season last fall. He presented a paper titled "Anti-modernism in Modernist Berlin, 1888-1904" at the Modernist Studies Association Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia in October. Aaron Holz, Assistant Professor of Art, had three of his paintings selected for exhibition at MPG Contemporary in Boston, Mass. The national show was juried by Linda Norden, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Fogg Art Museum of Harvard University. The show runs through January 29, 2005.

Gail Kendall, Professor of Art, presented a three-day hands-on workshop and a public lecture at the Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, W.V. These events coincided with a solo exhibition of her functional pottery at the museum. In December, she participated in the Old Church Cultural Center Annual Pottery Show and Sale in Demarest, N.J., which is a community visual arts organization. Curated by Karen Karnes, a renowned American potter, the sale draws collectors and patrons from across North America. This was Kendall's sixth year participating in this prestigious pottery venue. Her recent acquisitions include the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney and The Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, Va. She also has new gallery representation through Allene Lapides Gallery in Santa Fe, N.M.

Tom Larson, Lecturer in Music History, scored the documentary film "Willa Cather: The Road is All," which was produced by Nebraska ETV for WNET-TV in New York for the American Masters series. It will be shown on the PBS network in September. Among the performers were UNL faculty members Clark Potter, Albie Micklich, Karen Becker, Darryl White, Diane Barger and William McMullen.

Susan Levine, Lecturer in Dance, has been invited to be a panelist on the Nebraska Arts Council Grant Review committee. She also presented "The Role of the Male Gaze in the Classic Dances of India and the West" at the Nebraska International Multicultural Exchange Conference at UNL in November.

The Moran Woodwind Quintet (John Bailey, flute, William McMullen, oboe, Diane Barger, clarinet, Albie Micklich, bassoon, and Allen French, horn) played recitals and gave masterclasses in October at Northwest Missouri State University, the University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa, and Western Illinois University.

George Ritchie, Scribante Professor of Organ, has had his latest and final volume of CD recordings surveying the complete organ works of J.S. Bach released by Raven Recordings. "J.S. Bach Organ Works, Vol. 6: Youthful Brilliance" is a two-CD set recorded on the new Pasi organ in St. Cecilia's Cathedral in Omaha and on the Fisk organ in the House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, Minn. The two CDs are the final two of an 11-CD series recorded on nine historically influenced American organs in universities and churches through the United States. Information about the entire series, including specific contents and national and international reviews may be found at georgeritchie.com.

Joseph M. Ruffo, Professor Emeritus of Art, and Judith Burton (BFA 1955, MFA 1989) have a two-person exhibition entitled "Objects and Atmosphere" at Modern Arts Midwest, located on the third floor at The Loft at The Mill, through February 1.

William Shomos, Associate Professor of Voice and Director of Opera, staged a production of Puccini's "Turandot" with Nevada Opera in Reno last fall.

Randall Snyder, Professor of Composition and Composer-in-Residence, had his poetry-inspired piece, "Traveling West" recorded by the North/South Consonance Ensemble, a New York City chamber group. "Traveling West" was inspired by works from Nebraska poets Susan Strayer Deal, Marjorie Saiser, Hilda Raz and Kathleene West.

Francisco Souto, Assistant Professor of Art, has participated in the following solo and group exhibitions last fall: "Francisco Souto Solo Exhibition" at Brookhaven College School of the Arts in Dallas; "6th Kochi International Triennial of Prints" in Kochi, Japan, where he received a Special Prize; "2005 Pacific Rim International Print Exhibition" in Hilo, Hawaii; "18th Parkside National Small Print Exhibition" in Kenosha, Wisc.; and "Colorprint USA International Edition 2004" in Lubbock, Texas. Souto also received an award at the "Roots and Crowns: UNL Printmakers" exhibition at the Great Plains Art Collection. He will be a guest lecturer at Emporia State University in Kansas in February and a visiting faculty member at Anderson Ranch Art Center in August.

Alison Stewart, Associate Professor of Art History, received an honorable mention book award from the Society of the Study of Early Modern Women for a collaborative project published during 2003 for "Saints, Sinners and Sisters: Gender and Northern Art in Medieval and Early Modern Europe" published by Ashgate: Aldershot, U.K., and Burlington, Vt. The book was also favorably reviewed in the journal, Renaissance Quarterly, winter 2004 issue.

Sandra Williams, Assistant Professor of Art, organized an exhibition featuring the work of high school educators created in a class taught by Williams at University Place. The exhibition runs through January 29. She also won an award at a regional juried exhibition at Barton Community College in Kansas.

Robert Woody, Assistant Professor of Music Education, has been appointed to the Editorial Committee of the Music Educators Journal. Woody recently presented a session on the psychology of music at the Annual Convention of the Nebraska Music Educators Association.



Students

Eighteen graduate students from the Department of Art and Art History are showcasing their newest work in January in the Firehouse Gallery at University Place Art Center in Lincoln. The exhibition continues through January 29 and features work in ceramics, graphic design, painting, printmaking and sculpture.

Two UNL Department of Art and Art History graphic design students received high honors at the American Institute of Graphic Arts Nebraska Awards 2004 Showcase. Dennis Schmickle, a second-year graphic design graduate student, won all three medal categories. He won a gold medal for his "Printmaking Project" in the web site category, a silver medal for "1% Productions" in the poster category, and a bronze medal for "DennySchmickle.com" in the website category. Heather Morris, an undergraduate student, won a bronze medal for her "Hummingbird" logo in the identity category. Jack Whitman, an undergraduate student and President of AIGA Students in Design UNL Chapter, also exhibited work in the show. This year, the Showcase, which exhibits the best in graphic design, photography and illustration produced in the region, received a record-breaking 516 entries from across Nebraska. The awards and exhibition were held at Jackson Art Works in Omaha on November 5.

Andrew Binkard (BM Tenor Trombone) won the University of Nebraska Concerto Competition for undergraduates. He will perform the "Ballade for Trombone" by Frank Martin with the UNL Symphony. He is also a finalist in the Des Moines Symphony Young Artists Competition.

Jason Faas (DMA Bass Trombone) won the University of Nebraska Concerto Competition for graduate students. He performed the "Concerto for Bass Trombone" by Frank Siekmann with the UNL Symphony.

Catherine Meier (BFA Art senior) has been accepted to present "Depicting Societal Issues through Animated Drawings" at the 19th annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Lexington, Va., in April. Her abstract was based on her UCARE project.

Jen Muller (BFA Art senior) has designed the new identity element for the UNL State Museum, as part of a sponsored competition in Professor Ron Bartels' Advanced Graphic Design class. Other semi-finalists include Kyle Behrens (BFA Art senior), Benjamin Clough (BA Art senior), Tyler Vasa (BFA Art senior) and Mike Vithoulkas (BFA Art senior).

Lorilee Slough (BM Tenor Trombone) won the lead trombone position in the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra's "Young Lions" band.



Alumni

Anne El-Omami (BA Visual Arts Education and Art History 1970, MA Arts Education and Art History 1974), returned to campus last October as one of the honorees for Master's Week, sponsored by the UNL Alumni Association. She is a highly regarded leader in the arts education field. El-Omami is the associate professor and director of the graduate program in museum education at the University of Arts in Philadelphia. Among her many awards, she was named Distinguished Fellow of the National Arts Education Association in 1998. She is an author, teacher, creative leader and a member of the UNL's Cather Circle.

Paul Janda (BM 2003) won the second trombone position in the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra in Dubuque, Iowa.

Heather Morris (BFA 2005) has accepted a position at Dye-Namix in New York City. She will be doing textile design and graphic design of presentation and promotional materials for the company, which is a textile design studio that create textiles for fashion, Broadway, film, television, interiors and art projects.

Ian Moschenross (DMA 2003) accepted a position as assistant professor of music at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Ill. Soon after arriving there, he gave a solo piano recital of works by Chopin, Schubert, Ginastera and Debussy. He recently collaborated in a performance with pianist C. Kimm Hollis at the Harold Washington Library Center auditorium in Chicago as part of the "Sounds of Our City" concert series. The program featured works for piano four-hands by Mozart, Poulenc and others.

Cris Rook (MM 1992), currently serves as Vice President and Musical Director for TADA Productions, an independent theatrical company created in 2001 and a stakeholder arts organization in the new Loft at the Mill performance space in Lincoln's Haymarket. While at UNL, Rook performed in several operas and musical theatre productions and was a company member of the Nebraska Repertory Theatre.

Bryant Scott (BA Music 2003) won a trombone position in the Heartland of America Band at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha. He will begin his new position following the completion of his MM at DePaul this spring.

 

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