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 School of Music received two grants totaling $10,000 from the Berman Music Foundation. The first was to support the Honor Jazz Weekend, a unique jazz experience for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. The festival, which will take place in 2009, is designed to give outstanding young musicians a comprehensive learning and playing experience. The grant will underwrite a music educator training session for high school music teachers in the region at the festival. Up to five music educators will be invited to the UNL Honor Jazz Weekend as Berman Jazz Fellows. The second grant will support the UNL Summer Jazz Camp for high school music students next June. The camp includes a week of instruction and jazz performance, with special emphasis on small-group performance and jazz composition.

The following students received Hixson-Lied Presentation of Scholarly and Creative Activity Grants in May:

  • Paul Hegstrom, School of Music, $800 to support his presentation at Campo Aperto in Morelia, Mexico. Graham House, III, School of Music, $800, to support his presentation at Campo Aperto in Morelia, Mexico.
  • Nicholas Kenney, School of Music, $800, to support his presentation at Campo Aperto in Morelia, Mexico.
  • Leonardo Lebas, School of Music, $800, to support his presentation at Campo Aperto in Morelia, Mexico.
  • Jeff Richmond, School of Music, $2,000, to support his presentation at the International Society for Music Education Conference in Bologna, Italy.
  • Mikiko Sakamoto, School of Music, $2,300, to support her presentation at the International Fortepiano Conference in the Netherlands.
  • Daisy Smith, School of Music, $800, to support her presentation at Campo Aperto in Morelia, Mexico.
  • Enrico Sartori, School of Music, $800, to support his presentation at Campo Aperto in Morelia, Mexico.
  • Jessica Vansteenburg, School of Music, $800, to support her presentation at Campo Aperto in Morelia, Mexico.
  • Katherine White, School of Music, $800, to support her presentation at Campo Aperto in Morelia, Mexico.

The following faculty received Hixson-Lied Faculty Presentation of Scholarly/Creative Activity Grants in June:

  • John Bailey, School of Music, $727, to support his conducting the Winds Flute Orchestra at the National Flute Association Meeting in Kansas City.
  • Paul Barnes, School of Music, $1,392, to support his artist residency at the Oxbridge Festival in Oxford and Cambridge, U.K., and $783 to support his presentation at the College Music Society Conference in Atlanta, Ga.
  • Kate Butler, School of Music, $1,392, to support her presentation at the Oxbridge Festival in Oxford and Cambridge, U.K.
  • Dale Bazan, School of Music, $542, to support his presentation at the 2008 Alberta Music Conference in Alberta, Canada.
  • Mark Clinton, School of Music, $478, to support his piano recital at Steinway Hall in New York City.
  • Gretchen Foley, School of Music, $1,392, to support her presentation at the ISME 2008 World Conference Meeting in Bologna, Italy, and $783 to support her presentation at the 2008 College Music Society Meeting in Atlanta, Ga.
  • Rhonda Fuelberth, School of Music, $1,392, to support her presentation at the ISME 2008 World Conference Meeting in Bologna, Italy.
  • Kevin Hanrahan, School of Music, $1,392, to support his presentation at the ISME 2008 World Conference Meeting in Bologna, Italy.
  • Stanley V. Kleppinger and the Moran Woodwind Quintet, School of Music, $4,040 to support their presentation at the College Music Society Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga.
  • Stanley V. Kleppinger, School of Music, $804, to support his presentation at the Cardiff University Music Analysis Conference in Cardiff, U.K.
  • Karen Kunc, Dept. of Art and Art History, $1,305, to support her presentation at El Minya University in Egypt.
  • Jeffrey McCray, School of Music, $707, to support his presentation at the 2008 Conference of the Double Reed Society in Provo, Utah.
  • William McMullen, School of Music, $707, to support his presentation at the 2008 Conference of the Double Reed Society in Provo, Utah.
  • Glenn Nierman, School of Music, $1,392, to support his presentation at the ISME 2008 World Conference Meeting in Bologna, Italy.
  • Robert Woody, School of Music, $1,392, to support his presentation at the ISME 2008 World Conference Meeting in Bologna, Italy.
  • Brenda Wristen, School of Music, $1,392, to support her presentation at the ISME 2008 World Conference Meeting in Bologna, Italy.

The following faculty received Hixson-Lied Faculty Presentation of Scholarly/Creative Activity Grants in September:

  • Kate Butler, School of Music, $665, to support her presentation at the Forum on Music and Christian Scholarship at the University of Notre Dame.
  • Dana Fritz, Dept. of Art and Art History, $3,024, to support her exhibition and presentation at the Tokyo Municipal Museum in Tokyo, Japan.
  • Gail Kendall, Dept. of Art and Art History, $655, to support her residency at the Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, Mt.
  • Scott Parker, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, $3,600, to support his lighting design and presentation at the Michael Schimmel Center for Performing Arts in New York City.
  • Alison Stewart, Dept. of Art and Art History, $900, to support her presentation at the Early Modern Cultural Studies Conference in Philadelphia.


Faculty

John Bailey, Larson Professor of Flute, spent two weeks in May in South America. In Caracas, Venezuela, he gave four two-hour masterclasses, conducted the Venezuelan National Flute Choir in concert and performed a solo recital with Christian Bohnenstengel (D.M.A. 2008). He then conducted the International Flute Orchestra (35 professional flutists from around the U.S. and Canada) on tour in Chile, performing concerts in Valparaiso, Concepción, and Santiago. Bailey conducted the High Winds Flute Orchestra (150 flutists) at the opening concert of the National Flute Association's annual national convention in August 2008, as well as the International Flute Orchestra on a showcase concert at the convention. After the convention he conducted the IFO in a full-length concert in Independence, Mo., to a crowd of 400. In September, Bailey gave recitals, masterclasses and four lectures at the University of Idaho, the University of Montana and Washington State University.

Diane Barger, Professor of Clarinet, was re-elected for a third term (2-year service obligation) as Treasurer of the International Clarinet Association during the annual ClarinetFest® Conference, held in Kansas City, Mo., this summer. While at the conference, Barger was a featured performer on the ICA Board of Directors recital.

Paul Barnes, Associate Professor and Co-Chair of Piano, was an Artist-in-Residence at the 2008 Oxbridge International C.S. Lewis Conference held in Oxford and Cambridge, England. Barnes performed Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17 with the City of Oxford Orchestra, as well as solo performances in both Oxford and Cambridge.

Peter Bouffard, Lecturer of Guitar, was Director of Jazz at the University of Maine Summer Youth Music where, in addition to being a featured performer, he directed jazz ensembles and coordinated all jazz activities.

Kate Butler, Assistant Professor of Voice and mezzo-soprano, was Artist-in-Residence in July and August 2008 for the C. S. Lewis Foundation Summer Institute and International Convention, "Oxbridge 2008" in Oxford and Cambridge, U.K., on the theme of "Imago Dei: the Self and the Search for Meaning." The C. S. Lewis Foundation Conference is a triennial gathering of higher education faculty, artists, scientists, theologians, authors, scholars and businessmen from North America, Great Britain and around the world, and involves approximately 20 plenary speakers from a variety of disciplines including science, literature, history, philosophy, theology and the arts. At the conference, Butler sang a solo performance of French opera arias accompanied by the City of Oxford Orchestra in Oxford, U.K., on a concert titled "Sojournings." She sang a concert of art songs by British composers and poets, accompanied by collaborative pianist Jonathan Crutchfield, on An Evening of Piano, Poetry, and Song in Oxford, titled "Bright is the Ring of Words." This concert included readings by poets Dana Gioia (Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts) and Andrew Lazo. In Cambridge, she also performed on "An Evening of the Arts" and sang a solo performance of songs on a late evening Cafe Concert. In April Butler was the alto soloist for Honegger's King David with the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus and Orchestra in Oklahoma. In June she sang a chamber music recital, "Music for a Summer Afternoon," in Redlands, Calif.

The Chiara String Quartet (Rebecca Fischer and Julie Yoon, violins; Jonah Sirota, viola; and Gregory Beaver, cello) toured extensively this summer. They begin their work in the Blodgett Residency at Harvard University this fall, concurrent with their newly extended residency in the UNL School of Music.

Mark Clinton, Associate Professor of Piano, was the featured guest artist at the Seattle International Piano Festival and Competition during September 2008. He appeared in recital at Seattle's world famous Benaroya Hall on Sept. 20, performing a varied program of works including Brahms' Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, William Bolcom's Garden of Eden Suite, and Leonard Bernstein's solo piano arrangement of El Salon Mexico by Aaron Copland. Clinton also conducted two masterclasses for participants in the SIPF Collegiate Competition. On Sept. 29, Clinton appeared in recital in New York City in the historic Rotunda of Steinway Hall in a recital sponsored by Steinway and Sons.

Peter Eklund, Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities, led a high school honor choir on a tour of France and Italy this summer.

Ed Forde, Chairman of the Department of Art and Art History, Aaron Holz, Assistant Professor of Art, and David Gracie had an exhibition entitled "Three Way" at Lincoln's Tugboat Gallery in September.

Craig Fuller, Senior Lecturer in Tuba, has been appointed Principal Tuba of the Peninsula Music Festival in Door County, Wisc. The Peninsula is a three-week festival held in August, and Victor Yampolsky is the Music Director. Fuller was also recently elected Chairman of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra Musician's Organization and was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Omaha Symphony Association.

William Grange, Hixson-Lied Professor of Theatre, had his fifth book, Cultural Chronicle of the Weimar Republic published in October. The book is an account of significant cultural events in Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. Weimar, already a German cultural mecca because Goethe and Schiller had lived and worked there 120 years earlier, emerged as a unique and experimental culture. Weimar culture was responsible for producing such icons as actress Marlene Dietrich, novels like All Quiet on the Western Front, musicals like The Threepenny Opera, the political cabaret, the Bauhaus School, along with films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Metropolis. Cultural Chronicle of the Weimar Republic presents these and scores of other modernist inscriptions worthy of note, while providing notations that inform readers of connections among individuals, art works, related cultural activities and significant political and economic developments.

Paul Haar, Assistant Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies, released a new CD of the UNL Jazz Ensemble I and UNL Jazz Combo I entitled "Beyond the Plains." The recording features an original arrangement by new Assistant Professor of Composition Eric Richards and three UNL student composers—David von Kampen (B.M. senior), Paul Krueger (B.M.E. senior) and Jeff Richmond (D.M.A.).

Therees Hibbard, Assistant Professor of Choral Conducting and Repertoire and Associate Director of Choral Activities, was a workshop leader for the American Boychoir at the American Boychoir School in Princeton, N.J., in September. She has also been a workshop leader and guest conductor for the St. Olaf Choir, Chapel Choir and Viking Chorus at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. in September; guest lecturer and workshop leader for a graduate conducting course at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul in September; presenter and masterclass instructor for the Association of British Choral Directors Annual Convention in Lincoln, England, in August; presenter and workshop leader at the Minnesota American Choral Directors Association convention in August; and was conductor, presenter and workshop leader for the Conference on Worship, Theology and the Arts at St. Olaf College in July.

Stanley V. Kleppinger, Assistant Professor of Music Theory, presented papers at two national conferences in September. The first was "Salience as a Structure Determinant in Post-Tonal Pitch-Centric Music" at the Music Analysis Conference in Cardiff, Wales, sponsored by the Society for Music Analysis, the national music theory society of Great Britain. The second paper, "Structure as Informed by Perception and Performance in Two Woodwind Works by Elliott Carter" was delivered to the national conference of the College Music Society in Atlanta. This paper focused upon music for woodwind quartet and quintet, and featured performances of the works in question by the Moran Woodwind Quintet (John Bailey, flute; Diane Barger, clarinet; Alan Mattingly, horn; Jeffrey McCray, bassoon; and William McMullen, oboe).

Tom Larson, Lecturer of Music, had his third textbook, Modern Sounds: The Artistry of Contemporary Jazz (Kendall/Hunt Dubuque, Iowa), published in May. He also marked the publication of the third edition of The History and Tradition of Jazz (Kendall/Hunt).

Christopher Marks, Assistant Professor of Organ, was a featured recitalist at the 2008 national convention of the Organ Historical Society in Seattle in July. In July, he also directed the first ever Pipe Organ Encounter Advanced program for the American Guild of Organists, for which 18 high school students from all over the U.S. came to study organ in Lincoln for a week. His recent recording of organ works of Seth Bingham received a glowing review in the British journal The Organ.

Jeffrey McCray, Assistant Professor of Bassoon, performed Samuel Adler's Canto XII for solo bassoon at the 2008 Conference of the International Double Reed Society, held in July at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He also taught a group of high school students for one week at the acclaimed Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. This fall, McCray will present a recital and masterclass at the University of Arkansas, and he will be performing several concerts as the principal bassoonist with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic.

William McMullen, Professor of Oboe, appeared at the 37th Annual Conference of the International Double Reed Society this summer at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. On his recital program he was accompanied by UNL Professor of Voice Donna Harler-Smith, Hastings College Professor of Voice Charles (Chip) Smith and pianist Christopher Koelzer (from BYU Provo). The 30-minute program was focused on presenting works for oboe and narration of poetry, and included recently retired UNL Professor of Composition Randall Snyder's Lagu Obo (Song of the Oboe) for oboe and narrator with poetry by Indonesian poet Goenawan Mohamad, British composer Paul Reade's Aspects of a Landscape with poetry of American poet Rosemary Bergstrom, and British composer Benjamin Britten's Two Insect Pieces for oboe and piano with poetry by British poet Abraham Cowley and Canadian poet Daryl Hine. The performance took place in the Madsen Recital Hall on the campus BYU Provo on July 26.

The Moran Woodwind Quintet (John Bailey, flute; Diane Barger, clarinet; Alan Mattingly, horn; Jeffrey McCray, bassoon; and William McMullen, oboe) performed recitals at the University of Kansas at Lawrence, William Jewell College, the University of Missouri-Columbia and Washburn University in Topeka in April. In October, the quintet returned to Liberty, Mo., where they gave a mini-recital and clinic on Missouri All-State audition music to local students and teachers.

Glenn Nierman, Steinhart Professor and Associate Director of the School of Music, became President of the North Central Division of MENC: The National Association for Music Education.

Jamie Reimer, Lecturer in Voice, has been invited to present a lecture and performance on the music of African American composer Robert Owens at the National Opera Association's 54th Annual Convention in Washington, D.C., this January. This presentation is featured as part of their Legacy Project, one of the NOA's three major initiatives. Reimer will be speaking about and performing some of Owens' songs prior to a master class for singers with the composer.

Eric Richards, Assistant Professor of Composition and Jazz Studies, will present two new works in October in concert halls in Omaha and Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The U.S. Air Force Brass in Blue symphonic brass ensemble will premiere his new three-movement work for solo trombone, brass and percussion entitled "Three Scenes for American Trombone and Brass Orchestra" on Oct. 20 at the Holland Center for the Performing Arts in Omaha. The piece was commissioned by the USAF Heartland of America Band and will feature internationally renowned trombone virtuoso Joseph Alessi, principal trombone of the New York Philharmonic. Ten days later on Oct. 30, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Jazz Orchestra will premiere Richards' "Fantasia on Kang Ding Love Song." The piece will have its Nebraska premiere in March 2009 by the UNL Jazz Ensemble I.

John W. Richmond, Professor and Director of the School of Music, was reappointed for a second five-year term as Director of the School of Music.

Virginia Smith, Associate Professor of Theatre, serves as Artistic Director for the Nebraska Repertory Theatre (NRT). This season she oversaw the productions "Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins," "Doubt: A Parable," "The Cripple of Inishmaan," "Having Sharing: Six Lessons I Learned" from Bill T. Jones, "The Exonerated" and "Kaleidoscope." Smith directed "An American Daughter and "An Experiment with an Air Pump" for University Theatre and "Souvenir" and "Having Sharing" for the NRT. She is in pre-production for "Santaland Diaries" for the NRT. She wrote four short video scripts, in collaboration with Nebraska Educational Telecommunications and the Department of Graduate Studies" for "The Responsible Conduct of Research" (RCR Videos). Smith performed in the NET Video "Data" as part of the RCR Videos. She also acted in the short film, "Heart," written and directed by David Steen Martin from Timeline Productions. She completed a revision of the "Local Wonders" script and managed the production of a professional CD, the designing of branding and marketing materials and a web site (localwondersmusical.com), all focusing on distributing the script to potential producers across the country. This effort was supported by a UNL Research Layman grant.

The UNL Faculty Brass Quintet (Darryl White and Craig Bircher, trumpets; Alan Mattingly, horn; Scott Anderson, trombone; and Craig Fuller, tuba) appeared as guest artists and performed a program on the Black Hills Chamber Music Society's season opener on Sept. 21. The quintet was also invited to perform at the International Brass Chamber Music Festival at the University of Louisville on Oct. 14. The group was featured performing works by the winners of the Festival Composition Contest.

Eight School of Music faculty and one student (Professors Gretchen Foley, Rhonda Fuelberth, Kevin Hanrahan, Glenn Nierman, Giacomo M. Oliva, John Richmond, Robert Woody and Brenda Wristen and Emerson Doctoral Fellow Jeff Richmond) were featured on the 2008 World Conference Program of the International Society for Music Education in Bologna, Italy, in July.



Students

Sarah Barnard-Blitz (M.F.A. Art) and Carlos Guerrero (M.F.A. Art 2006) were featured in the exhibition "Interconnectivity" at Lincoln's Tugboat Gallery in August.

Katie Brennan (D.M.A.) has accepted a graduate fellowship at Michigan State University.

Jen-Kuang Chang (D.M.A.) received a Music Omi International Residency Award in 2008. In October, he received $500 as the second prize winner for the Visual and Performing Arts Achievement Awards, Mixed Media Category from the Golden Key International Honor Society. His composition, "Chakra" was the second prize winner of the JIMS "Stadtpfeifer" International Composition Contest for Improvised Chamber Music in Salzburg and was selected to be included in the SCI Journal of Music Scores, published by EAM European American Music Distribution. His compositions will be included at a number of festivals, conferences and symposiums this fall in Germany, Italy, El Salvador, France, Spain and Italy, as well as in the U.S. in Chicago; Turlock, Calif.; Cleveland, Ms.; Muncie, Ind.; and Providence, R.I., among others.

Joseph Curiale (D.M.A.) will have a world premier in February of "Silent Snow" at Polar Bear Day at the Freed Center at Ohio Northern University. The piece was commissioned by the ONU Symphony in celebration of Polar Bear Nation as a reflection on the changing climate and the impact this has on the polar bear. He will also be the guest conductor of Nebraska Wesleyan's high school honor orchestra in February.

Kurt Knecht (D.M.A.) had his composition, "Shalom Aleikhem" (a setting of traditional Hebrew prayer for SSA chorus, piano and clarinet) recently published by Walton Music. His "Sero Te Amavi" (an a cappella chorus arrangement of St. Augustine's "Late Have I Loved Thee" text) was premiered by the UNL Chamber Singers last year and featured at the Association of British Choral Directors annual meeting in London this summer and will be published by Walton in the spring. Knecht received his first award grant from the American Society of Composers and Performers (ASCAP) through the ASCAP Plus Awards. His composition, "Manly Men" has been recently performed in Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and Singapore and has topped out at more than 30,000 copies sold, becoming one of the top 50 sold of all time in the Walton catalogue. Knecht played his organ Toccata at the American Guild of Organists first-ever Pipe Organ Encounter Advanced this summer as part of a faculty recital. He was also the theory teacher for this event, where talented high school organists from all over the country came for advanced instruction. His seminar paper "'That book by the Christian enamoured of aesthetics:' The musicological misunderstanding of Kierkegaard's Don Giovanni essay" won the Woodberry Prize from the English and History departments for outstanding graduate seminar paper on an interdisciplinary 19th century topic last semester. Last December, his "Go Tell It on the Mountain" was performed at the Kennedy Center by the Grammy Award winning Washington Chorale and was described as "funky" and "joyous" in the Washington Post.

Jeffrey Richmond (D.M.A.) has had the following compositions recently published: "Halcyon Days" (2008), "Joy Dance" (2008), "Street Angel" (2008), "Velvet Rope" (2008), "Techno Tron" (2008), "Deep Blue" (2008), "Angel's Rewards" (2008) and "Scared of the Dark" (2007). He was also a featured presenter at the 2008 World Conference of the International Society for Music Education in Bologna, Italy, this past summer. His paper was entitled "Teaching to the Third Stream: Considerations for the Composer/Educator" and addressed the need to broaden the musical vocabulary and preparation of composers during their applied studio experience in undergraduate and graduate school.

Laura Trotta (B.M. senior) received an E. Power Biggs Fellowship from the Organ Historical Society (OHS). The competitive fellowship provides funding for people who have never attended an OHS convention to be able to do so.



Alumni

Caitlin Applegate (M.F.A. Art 2007) curated the exhibition "Personal Histories" at Lincoln's Tugboat Gallery in July.

Wendy Bantam (M.F.A. Art 2007) was the featured artist in June at the Nebraska Furniture Mart's Design Gallery in Omaha.

Mary Gaetz (M.F.A. Theatre 2008) had her film "Caretakers" screened at the University Film and Video Association (UFVA) annual conference on Aug. 14 in Colorado Springs.

L. Curtis Hammond (B.M. 1985) is serving as interim chair of the Morehead State University Department of Music. The department currently has 35 faculty and 265 music students.

Therese Laux (M.M. 1994), Omaha North High School Magnet School educator, was selected by Apple, Inc., for their Apple Classroom of Tomorrow Today curriculum development team. Apple chose 20 of their distinguished educators from across the nation to develop project-based units leveraging Web 2.0 technology and creative applications. At Apple, Inc., in Cupertino, Calif., Laux worked on an interdisciplinary team to develop innovative high school materials for a high school curriculum designed to prepare students for life and work in the 21st century.

Matt Miller (B.A. and B.F.A. Theatre 2008) became an assistant lighting designer at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.

Sheryl Monkelien (M.M. 1996, Ph.D. 2001) is Associate Professor and Director of Music Education at Mansfield University in Mansfield, Pa. She is serving as the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Eastern Division Vocal Jazz Repertoire & Standards Chair. Most recently, the Mansfield University Vocal Jazz Ensemble—the Mansfieldians, which she directs—participated in the 2008 World Choir Games in Graz, Austria. The Mansfieldians were awarded a Gold Level V Certificate during the qualifying round and were named World Champions of the Vocal Jazz A Capella Category during the competition round. The Mansfieldians were one of only two American choirs to be named champions of the World Choir Games (the other was the Mansfield University Concert Choir).

Scott Raymond (B.F.A. Film and New Media 2003), has worked on several "crowd shots" and other full animation for the upcoming movie Madagascar Escape 2 Africa.



Programs

The School of Music is completing installation of the new Advanced Digital Composition Studio in Rm. 13 of Westbrook Music Building. The studio will serve graduate and select upper-level undergraduate composition students as a state-of-the-art technological resource facility. Two professionally equipped Macintosh workstations (based on the design specifications used in major music production facilities) are in the process of final installation and testing. These workstations will be used for a variety of student projects, including film and video scoring, electroacoustic composition, creation of digital mockups for composition and arranging projects, sequencing and digital recording, and computer-based music notation and processing.

The 2008 International Thespian Festival, which is hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was featured in a New York Times article on July 13.

 

 

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