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 UNL Teaching Council and UNL Parents Association honored the following Fine and Performing Arts faculty and staff at their recognition ceremony on Jan. 25. The number in parentheses indicate the years a recipient has received the award:
- Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film: Brad Buffum (3); Todd Cuddy (2); Tice Miller (2); Virginia Smith (4); and Sharon Teo.
- School of Music: John Bailey (7); Karen Becker (2); Alisa Belflower (3); Douglas Bush (2); Kathleen Butler; Peter Eklund (7); Rhonda Fuelberth (2); Paul Haar (3); Alan Mattingly; Nicole Narboni (4); William Shomos (3); and Michael Tully.
Faculty
Scott Anderson, Associate Professor of Trombone, performed a solo recital on Feb. 8 featuring Music for Trombone and Organ from the Czech Republic including the U.S. premier of Juraj Filas' De Profundis. He also performed as soloist on Feb. 23 with the Twin Ports Wind Orchestra on a program featuring the music of Johan De Meij at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Anderson performed De Meij's T-Bone Concerto. In addition to performing, he presented two masterclasses. Immediately following the performance in Duluth, Anderson performed for a week as second trombonist with the Minnesota Orchestra on a program featuring the Shosktakovich's Fifth Symphony, Blue Cathedral by Jennifer Higdon and the Piano Concerto #1 by Sergei Rachmaninov.
John Bailey, Larson Professor of Flute, was a featured guest artist at the 2008 Orlando convention of the Florida Flute Association. He performed a headliner recital, judged a high school and collegiate young artist competition, gave a morning warm-up session and worked with collegiate flutists in an advanced masterclass. In addition, he performed a piece for piccolo and piano written for his Orlando appearance by Florida composer Howard Buss. Bailey also performed at Florida State University, where he gave a guest recital, conducted a performance of the Florida State Flute Choir, and gave graduate and undergraduate masterclasses.
Carolyn Barber, Associate Professor and Director of Bands, conducted the Dorian Festival Honor Band in February at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. In early March she traveled to Baltimore, Md., to conduct the Maryland Music Educators Association Junior All-State Band. At the 2008 College Band Directors National Association Conference in mid-March, Barber presented Percy Grainger's "The Merry King" in a session with the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band. Barber has also been invited to conduct New York All-State Band.
Kate Butler, Assistant Professor of Voice, sang the solos for the Brahms' "Alto Rhapsody" at Carnegie Hall in New York City with the University Chorus and Orchestra in January. She presented a lecture-recital, "Programming and Presentation of Creative Christian Concerts" for the 2008 National Conference of the Forum on Music and Christian Scholarship in Waco, Texas, in February. Butler also presented a lecture-recital, "Gli amanti impossibili" on the songs of Gian Carlo Menotti for a Menotti Weekend in February at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., on the first anniversary of Menotti's death.
Ann Chang-Barnes, Senior Lecturer of Music, has received a Fulbright Scholar Award for next year. She will be doing research and performing at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, Belgium in the summer of 2009.
The Chiara String Quartet (Rebecca Fischer and Julie Yoon, violins; Jonah Sirota, viola; and Gregory Beaver, cello) will embark on a concert tour of Sweden in April.
Mark Clinton, Associate Professor and Co-Chair of Piano, was the featured guest soloist with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra on Feb. 1. His performance of the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 was praised by the Lincoln Journal Star as "one of both command and caress, strongly leading the orchestra while manipulating phrasing and dynamics to achieve lyricism." On March 2, Clinton also appeared with violist Clark Potter in a UNL faculty recital featuring works for viola and piano by Glinka and Juon.
Peter Eklund, Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities, Therees Hibbard, Assistant Professor, and Rhonda Fuelberth, Associate Professor, presented clinics, and the Varsity Men's Chorus and University Women's Chorale performed concerts at the American Choral Directors Association North Central Division Conference in March.
Gretchen Foley, Associate Professor of Music Theory, and Stanley Kleppinger, Assistant Professor of Music Theory, were invited to present papers at an Arnold Schoenberg Retrospective Conference at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music in March. Foley's presentation was titled, "Perle and Schoenberg: Two Approaches to Serialism," while Dr. Kleppinger discussed "Copland on Schoenberg and Serialism." Foley also attended a three-day meeting of the Society for Music Theory (SMT) Program Committee in Nashville, Tenn., the location for the national SMT annual conference next November.
Dana Fritz, Associate Professor of Art, and her husband, Larry Gawel, are curators of the new Workspace Gallery, located in the Sawmill Building at 440 N. 8th St. in Lincoln's Haymarket. Their first exhibition, "Temples of Democracy: photographs by Keith F. Davis" is on display through April 30. Workspace Gallery is dedicated primarily to exhibiting fine art photographs.
Paul Haar, Assistant Professor of Saxophone, will conduct the Jazz Ensemble I when they represent UNL at the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley Jazz Festival in April.
Jeffrey McCray, Assistant Professor of Bassoon, has been selected to perform on the 2008 Conference of the International Double-Reed Society in Provo, Utah, this July. He will be performing Samuel Adler's Canto XII (1989) for solo bassoon.
Giacomo Oliva, Dean and Professor of Music, has been selected to receive the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award of New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. The award recognizes exceptional individuals whose achievements in his or her profession, vocation, social and/or cultural endeavors are of extraordinary merit. The award is Steinhardt's highest alumni honor. The award will be presented at the Doctoral Convocation on May 12. Oliva also served as a curriculum consultant in December for the Department of Music at Kean University in N.J.
Alison Stewart, Professor of Art History, attended the opening and symposium for "Grand Scale: Monumental Prints in the Age of Dürer and Titian" at Wellesley College's Davis Museum and Cultural Center in March. She contributed an essay on large woodcuts as wallpaper for the exhibition catalogue and attended the symposium as an invited guest.
Tyler White, Associate Professor and Director of Orchestral Activities, has been commissioned to write a new work for chamber orchestra for the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.
The University of Nebraska Brass Quintet (Darryl White and K. Craig Bircher, trumpets; Alan Mattingly, French horn; Craig Fuller, tuba; and Scott Anderson, trombone) recently toured Missouri and Kansas. The quintet presented recitals at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, Washburn University and Kansas State University.
Eight UNL School of Music faculty and one doctoral student have been invited to present at the biennial World Conference of the International Society for Music Education in Bologna, Italy, in July. The faculty include Gretchen Foley, Rhonda Fuelberth, Kevin Hanrahan, Glenn Nierman, Giacomo Oliva, John Richmond, Robert Woody and Brenda Wristen. The doctoral student is Jeffrey Richmond.
The following UNL School of Music music education faculty will present at the peer-reviewed Music Educators National Conference National Biennial Conference in April in Milwaukee: Dale Bazan, Brian Moore, Glenn Nierman, Giacomo Oliva, John Richmond and Robert Woody. In addition, Bazan will also present at the national conference of the American Education Research Association.
Students
"Temper Espresso," written and directed by Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film junior John Albrecht (B.F.A.) won the Best Nebraska Short Film Award at the Omaha Film Festival in February. The film was made by the Film Production II class in March 2007.
Christopher Barrick (D.M.A.) has accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Music at West Liberty State College in Wheeling, W.V.
Autumn Cipala (M.F.A. Art) received a $2,000 NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) Graduate Student Fellowship. She will give a presentation of her research and work at the 2009 NCECA conference in Tempe, Az.
Kurt Knecht (D.M.A.) had a composition accepted as part of the 2009 Walton Catalogue.
Craig Mathis (B.M.E. sophomore) won $400 and the opportunity to perform a solo with the Lincoln Municipal Band on their March 16 concert as the winner of the 15th annual John Shildneck Young Artist Competition.
Erika Navarrete (M.F.A. Art) was featured in the March 2008 College Art Association News for her honorable mention selection for the 2007 CAA Fellows program. Navarrete was one of only six students out of 90 applicants nationwide to receive grant or honorable mentions through the professional development fellowship program.
Marissa Penner (B.A. Music freshman) won runner-up in the John Shildneck Young Artist Competition through the Lincoln Municipal Band. She also was a finalist in the Arapahoe Philharmonic Solo Competition.
Laura Sedivy's (B.A. Dance) dance, "this is not quite the beginning," was selected for the Gala at the Regional American College Dance Festival Association Conference in March. Only eight of 26 dances were selected, and of these, only three were student works.
Amanda Smith (M.F.A. Art) has been offered a tenure-track faculty position at Mankato State University in Minnesota.
Kimberly Thomas (M.F.A. Art) won the Midwest Society for Photographic Education (SPE) Graduate Student Scholarship to attend the SPE National Conference in Denver.
Matt Walley (B.A. Music) was a finalist in the John Shildneck Young Artist Competition through the Lincoln Municipal Band.
The Nebraska Trombone Ensemble performed at the recent NMEA (Nebraska Music Educators Association) and has been invited to perform at the Siouxland Trombone Festival on April 3-4. Members of the ensemble include Andy Converse, Andrew Binkard, Matt Walley, Craig Mathis, Marissa Penner, Matt Juhl, Teresa Dwyer, Tyanne Bennett, Micah Hestermann, Ryan Juhl, John Sens, Zach Braxton, Joe Ghormley and Jay Siverson.
Alumni
Joseph Pintz (M.F.A. Art 2006) was recently appointed to a tenure-track faculty position at Bowling Green University in Ohio. (Photo above)
Melinda Yale (M.F.A. Art 2006) had an installation, "Pipes and Bursts!" installed at the Proteus Gowanus Gallery in New York City in February. Her work was created at the Women's Studio Workshop with the support of an AIE Fellowship.