Points of Pride - October, 2009

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

Paul Steger, Director of the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, has been invited to join the prestigious National Theatre Conference (NTC). Founded in 1925, the NTC is a cooperative association of distinguished leaders of the American theatre-university, community and professional. Membership to the conference is by invitation only and is limited to 120 members. The conference operates as a theatrical "think tank" and meets annually to review and confer on matters pertaining to the welfare and development of the theater and to honor outstanding achievement of organizations and individuals in the field.

The following School of Music students placed at the 2009 National Association of the Teachers of Singing's (NATS) Nebraska auditions:

• First-year women: 1st Kendall Reimer; 2nd Hannah Kurth; 3rd Jamie Pruden; and finalists Kamerin Churchman, Kaya Gausman, Jenna Prather and Sara Warner.
• First-year men: 2nd Jake Skarin; and finalists Patrick Brown, Josh Huls, Brian Jeffers and Robert Klein.
• Sophomore Women: 1st Arica Coleman; 2nd Allison Harvey; 3rd Melanie Holm; and finalists Sloan Cornelius and Kelsey Denton.
• Sophomore Men: 2nd Jon Sill and finalists Aaron Nicholson, Jacob Royal and Zachary Smith.
• Junior Women: 1st Adria Caffaro; 2nd Kellyn Wooten; and finalists Dani Cisna and Cami Philgreen.
• Junior Men: 1st Sam Hartley and finalist Jason Frew.
• Senior Women: 1st Allison Frenzel and finalist Laura Hendrickson.
• Senior Men: 1st Adam Fieldson; 3rd Bryce Bartu; and finalists Bryan McKnight and Stuart Richey.
• Advanced College (graduate students under 30 years old): 1st Patrick O'Halloran; 2nd Jeni Houser; 3rd Talea Bloch; and finalist Jessie Cotton.
• Post-Advanced College (graduate students 30+ years old): 1st Enoch Ulmer.

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

• Anthony Bushard, School of Music, $1,300, presentation of a paper at the Mediating Jazz Conference in Manchester, England.
• Paul Haar, School of Music, $1,180, presentation of a premier performance at the Biennial Meeting of the North American Saxophone Alliance.
• Wendy Katz, Department of Art and Art History, $830, presentation of a paper at the Annual Meeting of The College Art Association.

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

• Joseph Mann, School of Music, $600, presentation at the Music and Moving Image Conference.
• Nettie Locke Rogers, Art and Art History, $1,000, exhibition at the Clay Studio in Philadelphia.

The following students received Hixson-Lied International Study Grants in April:

• Jesse Cotton, School of Music, $1,500, study at La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy.
• Allison Harvey, School of Music, $1,500, study at La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy.
• Tobin Stewart, School of Music, $2,000, study at International Institute for Conductors in Romania.

The following students received Hixson-Lied Domestic Study Grants in April and May:

• David Boese, School of Music, $2,000, study at the Madeline Island Music Camp.
• Lindsay Carr, School of Music, $1,000, internship in arts management at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
• Jordan Ellis, School of Music, $900, study at Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colo.
• Sakura Ewer, School of Music, $1,150, study at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, N.C.
• Meghan Sullivan, Art and Art History, $600, study at the Penland School of Arts and Crafts.

The following faculty received Hixson-Lied Faculty Development Travel Grants in April:

• Aaron Holz, Art and Art History, $460, travel to the RARE Gallery in New York City to prepare for an exhibition.
• David Neely, School of Music, $900, travel to the national meeting of the American String Teachers Association.
• Francisco Souto, Art and Art History, $900, travel to produce a series of prints for exhibition at Museon Grabado.
• Alison Stewart, Art and Art History, $400, travel to participate in the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute at Stanford University.

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

• John Bailey, School of Music, $1,770, performance at the National Flute Association Conference in New York City.
• Rhonda Garelick, Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, $1,780, presentation at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
• Ian Borden, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, $950, presentation at the Blackfriars Conference at the American Shakespeare Center in Stanton, Va.
• Kevin Hanrahan, School of Music, $2,100, presentation at the International Congress of Voice Teachers in Paris, France.
• David Neely, School of Music, $2,700, performance at the Schlern International Music Festival in Italy.
• Brenda Wristen, School of Music, $600, presentation at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Illinois.

The following students have received UCARE grants for 2009-2010:

• Rebecca Aiken, Art and Art History, "Reclaiming," 2nd year, faculty sponsor: Dana Fritz.
• Alexandra Borovski, Art and Art History, "Studio Work in Painting," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Aaron Holz.
• Jeffrey Bunker, School of Music, "Epidemiology of Music-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in String Players," 2nd year, faculty sponsor: Brenda Wristen.
• Adria Caffaro, School of Music, "A Virtual Model of the Mozart Tenor," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Kevin Hanrahan.
• Justine Carmer, Art and Art History, "Exploring the Torn Man," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Eddie Dominguez.
• Lindsey Clausen, Art and Art History, "A continuing study of ceramic glazes," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Peter Pinnell.
• Kyren Conley, Art and Art History, "Painting and Short Animation Films," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Sandra Williams.
• Sylvia Cox, Art and Art History, "Mapping Nebraska: Personal Cartography, Eccentric Topography," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Elizabeth Ingraham.
• Lindsay Graef, Art and Art History, "Literal and Psychological Portraits," 2nd year, faculty sponsor: Elizabeth Ingraham.
• Neil Griess, Art and Art History, "Miniature Set Construction/Painting Studies," 2nd year, faculty sponsor: Aaron Holz.
• Sylvia Hall, Art and Art History, "Peter Bruegel's 'Wedding Dance' in Detroit," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Alison Stewart.
• Valerie Harper, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, "Nebraska Repertory Theatre," 2nd year, faculty sponsor: Janice Stauffer.
• Harrison Hohnholt, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, "Computer control and programming of theatrical lighting equipment," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Scott Parker.
• Jared Johnson, Art and Art History, "Analysis of tombs near Antiocheia," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Michael Hoff.
• David Knox, Art and Art History, "Developing glazes that react well with surface textures," 2nd year, faculty sponsor: Peter Pinnell.
• Audrey Koch, Art and Art History, "Japanese Visual Culture and 'Terraria Gigantica,'" 1st year, faculty sponsor: Dana Fritz.
• Christopher Lyons, School of Music, "Research on the Organ Music of Composer Seth Bingham," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Christopher Marks.
• Jessica Machacek, Art and Art History, "Large Handmade Paper Production," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Karen Kunc.
• Christina Mainelli, Art and Art History, "Handmade Papermaking," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Karen Kunc.
• Justin Potter, School of Music, "UNL Opera, Creative and Technical Design and Stage Management," 2nd year, faculty sponsor: William Shomos.
• Mai Sahiouni, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, "Audience Development and Marketing Associate for the Nebraska Repertory Theatre," 2nd year, faculty sponsor: Julie Hagemeier.
• Meredith Sandberg, Art and Art History, "A Potters Life," 2nd year, faculty sponsor: Gail Kendall.
• Kenny Seidel, Art and Art History, "Exploring the Torn Man," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Eddie Dominguez.
• Daisy Smith, Creativity in the Classroom: What teachers need to help make it happen," 2nd year, faculty sponsor: Dale Bazan.
• Lily Spader, School of Music, "Charles Ives Chamber Music," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Mark Clinton.
• Trent John Stork, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, "Assistant to the General Manager," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Paul Steger.
• Amy Waddle, School of Music, "Study of the History of Chant and of Current Practices of Chant," 1st year, faculty sponsor: Peter Lefferts.
• Emily Wall, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, "Stage management for the Nebraska Repertory Theatre," 2nd year, faculty sponsor: Brad Buffum.
• Cody Wheelock, Art and Art History, "Discover Sheldon," 2nd year, faculty sponsors: Karen Janovy and Sandra Williams.

The following faculty received Hixson-Lied Faculty Research/Creative Activity Travel Grants in February and March:

• Paul Barnes, School of Music, $760 to support his presentation at the Society for American Music National Conference in Denver, Colo.

Faculty

Scott Anderson, Associate Professor of Trombone, performed in the trombone section with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra from Sept. 9-20. The works performed included Beethoven's Symphony #5, Mozart's "Magic Flute Overture" and "L'Enfance du Christ" by Hector Berlioz. Anderson has recently presented masterclasses at Northwestern College, Drake University, Lincoln East High School and for the Omaha Area Youth Symphony. In April, the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts presented Anderson with the 2009 College Distinguished Teaching Award.

John Bailey, Larson Professor of Flute, conducted the International Flute Orchestra (35 professional flutists and teachers from the U.S. and Canada) on tour in Poland this past May, performing concerts in Krakow, Zakopane, Warsaw and Gdansk. In August, Bailey performed two works (including one by UNL Composition Professor Emeritus Randall Snyder) at the National Flute Association's annual national convention in New York City. Bailey also moderated a panel discussion "So You Want to Get it Published?" sponsored by the NFA Research Committee. In September Bailey visited the University of Akron, where he gave a recital, lecture and masterclass for the flute studio.

Diane Barger, Professor of Clarinet, was a featured guest artist at the 2009 Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium in June. Also featured in lecture presentations at the symposium were two of Barger's UNL clarinet studio alumna, Dr. Christy Banks (D.M.A. 2005, B.M. 1996) and Jessica Lindsey (M.M. 2004). Barger was also a featured performer at the International Clarinet Association's ClarinetFest® in Porto, Portugal, in July. Most recently, she performed a collaborative recital of music and dance with UNL Associate Professor of Piano Mark Clinton and Assistant Professor of Dance Susan Levine at Millersville University in Pennsylvania. While at Millersville, Barger worked with several of Banks' clarinet students in a masterclass and private lesson setting.

Andrea Bolland, Associate Professor of Art History, has been elected to the UNL Graduate Council, representing the arts. Her four-year term ends in August 2013.

Ann Chang-Barnes, Artist-in-Residence in Piano and Interim Artistic Director of the Lied Center for Performing Arts, spent the summer in Brussels as part of the Fulbright Scholar appointment with the Royal Conservatory of Music. She participated as juror in graduate examinations and engaged in research of the conservatory's highly respected keyboard music curriculum. She performed recitals for the conservatory's students and faculty, as well as for the invited guests and the Ambassador at the United States Embassy.

Carolee Curtright, Professor Emeritus of Music, received the Cornell Runestad Lifetime Service Award given by the Nebraska Choral Directors at their summer conference. The award is in its sixth year, and Curtright is the first female recipient.

Peter A. Eklund, Associate Professor and Director of Choral Activities, was the principal conductor this past summer for a Youth Honor Choir and Instrumental Ensemble that concertized in 10 major venues in Europe. Highlights were major performances in Notre Dame in Paris, the Strasbourg Cathedral, the Salzburg Cathedral, Reims Cathedral and the Abbey Church of St. Hildegard of Bingen above the Rhine River. In addition, his conducting, clinician and adjudicating took him to Kansas City (the All-Metro Honor Choir), South Dakota, Iowa, Florida, New York City, Nashville, Texas, Oklahoma City (where his Men's Choir was only one of 36 in the world invited to perform at the choral director's national convention), California, Massachusetts and Connecticut. In addition, three titles were added to the nationally distributed Peter A. Eklund Choral Series the past few months.

William Grange, Hixson-Lied Professor of Theatre, presented his paper "The Bitter Path of the Bitterfelder Weg" at the European Studies Conference on Oct. 2. The paper dealt with literature in the German Democratic Republic, which lasted from 1949 to 1989. The Republic's literary establishment imposed numerous policies intended to make literature more inclusive and politically correct.

Stan Kleppinger, Assistant Professor of Music Theory, had his article, "A Contextually Defined Approach to Appalachian Spring," published in the 2009 volume of Indiana Theory Review. Kleppinger also presented "The Structure and Genesis of Copland's Quiet City" at the annual conference of Music Theory Midwest on May 15. His Quiet City research was spawned by study of Aaron Copland's manuscripts at the Library of Congress and funded by a generous Hixson-Lied Research Grant. His work on Quiet City will also be featured at the national conference of the Society for Music Theory in Montreal on Oct. 29.

Steve Kolbe, Assistant Professor of Film, was the technical director for the animated show "Back at the Barnyard" on Nickelodeon, which won an Emmy© Award for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program at the 36th Annual Daytime Entertainment Creative Arts Emmy© Awards on Aug. 29 from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Karen Kunc, Cather Professor of Art, had a solo exhibition entitled "Volumina" at the Tugboat Gallery in Lincoln in September. She is also featured in "Blocks of Color: American Woodcuts from the 1890s to the Present" on exhibition through Jan. 3, 2010, at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Other upcoming exhibitions include the solo exhibition "Order" at Davidson Galleries in Seattle in October and a solo exhibition at Kaiku Galleria at the Academy of Fine Art in Helsinki, Finland in November. Kunc presented "Book Arts: The Journey of an Artist's Heart" at the Dan A. Williams Branch Library in Lincoln on Oct. 11. She also has a new website at karen-kunc.com.

Christopher Marks, Assistant Professor of Organ, performed in the 2009 National Convention of the Organ Historical Society in July on a historic 1875 organ built by Johnson & Son, in Sandusky, Ohio. Marks also taught and performed at two Pipe Organ Encounters, week-long summer camps sponsored by the American Guild of Organists, during this past summer. In the past several months, he has also given recitals at Oklahoma City University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His recent CD, Organ Music of Seth Bingham, Vol. 1, produced by Raven CDs, continues to receive critical acclaim in organ journals.

Jeffrey McCray, Assistant Professor of Bassoon, will be the featured soloist on an upcoming concert of the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra. He will be performing Dan Welcher's "Concerto da Camera" for bassoon and small orchestra on Oct. 23 in Kimball Recital Hall. In addition, McCray will also be performing Franz Joseph Haydn's Sinfonia Concertante for violin, cello, oboe, bassoon and orchestra with UNL faculty David Neely, violin; Karen Becker, cello; William McMullen, oboe; and the UNL Symphony Orchestra for two performances in October. He will also perform the same work with students from the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony in November.

The Moran Quintet (John Bailey, flute; William McMullen, oboe; Diane Barger, clarinet; Alan Mattingly, horn; and Jeffrey McCray, bassoon) will perform a recital of music by Danzi, Muczynski, Miranda and Ligeti on Oct. 27 in Kimball Recital Hall. In November, the Quintet will travel to Colorado, where they will be performing concerts at Colorado College in Colorado Springs and Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

Pamela Starr, Professor of Music History, has been re-elected to a second term as Secretary of the American Musicological Society.

The University of Nebraska Brass Quintet (Associate Professor of Trumpet Darryl White, Lecturer of Trumpet K. Craig Bircher, Assistant Professor of Horn Alan Mattingly, Senior Lecturer of Tuba Craig Fuller and Associate Professor of Trombone Scott Anderson) was an invited ensemble on the Omaha Chamber Music Society concert series on June 14 at St. Margaret Mary Church in Omaha. The group presented a recital of original music for brass quintet. The quintet also presented concerts at Drake University and Grinnell College in April.

Students

The work of students in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film on the Troika Ranch Project Creative Campus Nebraska is viewable at creativecampusnebraska.com. The Lied Center for Performing Arts, in collaboration with Troika Ranch, has been awarded a grant from the Creative Campus Innovations Program to undertake a collaborative project resulting in a new work from Troika Ranch, software developed for rehabilitation, a student dance work and a documentary film of the two-year process.

Jazz Times published a review of the School of Music's Jazz Ensemble's CD, Beyond the Plains in its 2009-2010 Education Guide. "Some college bands are more notable for having a few talented soloists, while others boast creative arrangements or clean ensemble work. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln School of Music Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Paul Haar, succeeds in all three areas," wrote reviewer Scott Yanow.

John Fischer (B.M.E. senior) and Greg Coffey (B.M.E. senior) worked this summer to start a music program at a Job Corps center in Arkansas. Job Corps is a nationwide vocational training program for students between ages 16 and 24. It is believed that this is the first music program established. They hope to publish information about their groundbreaking pilot program in national music journals.

Seven students from the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, along with Assistant Professor Sandy Veneziano, helped work on a national Visa credit card commercial that filmed in Lincoln for one day in September. The 90-second spot focused on Nebraska's use of electronic payment cards through Visa for child support payments.

Brooke Glaser (B.F.A. Theatre senior) was awarded a Gilman Scholarship for her study abroad this fall at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand. This national scholarship funds undergraduate students who have been underrepresented in study abroad to study in diverse locations. Glaser is a senior in the Film and New Media program in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. She is studying Thai culture and language, which will help her understand the Thai people and the way they communicate. This opportunity will enhance her storytelling abilities, a filmmaker's most important skill.

Karl Lyden (B.A. Music sophomore) won the 2009 Nebraska Jazz Orchestra young artist competition. He will perform as soloist with the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra on Oct. 29.

Craig Mathis (B.M.E. junior) participated in the 2009 Rafael Méndez Brass Institute, where he studied with Ralph Sauer, Carl Lenthe and Larry Zalkind. The Institute was held at the University of New Mexico.

Matt Walley (B.A. Music senior) participated in the 2009 Michael Mulcahy Trombone Master Classes at Northwestern University.

The Nebraska Trombone Ensemble performed at the 2009 Siouxland Trombone Festival on the Morningside College campus in Sioux City, Iowa, in April. The guest artist/clinician was Ron Barron, Principal Trombonist of the Boston Symphony. UNL students Marissa Penner (B.A. Music junior), Matt Walley (B.A. Music senior) and Craig Mathis (B.M.E. senior) performed on Barron's masterclass.

The School of Music's sixth annual Chamber Music Institute was held in June. Thirty-three student fellows, from 15 American and Canadian universities, spent an intensive week coached by 10 School of Music faculty members including the Chiara String Quartet, and performed on three separate concerts, including premieres of works by five composition fellows. The fellows also attended sessions on Entrepreneurship in Music.

Alumni

Katie Brennan (M.M. 2008) ) is currently pursuing the Doctorate of Musical Arts at Michigan State University. She currently serves as principal bassoon of the MSU Symphony Orchestra, a position she also held for much of the 2008-09 school year.

Autumn Cipala (M.F.A. Art 2009) and Seth Green (M.F.A. Art 2009) had their work appear in Ceramics Monthly magazine in an article about the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Regional Juried Student Exhibition they both were in last spring at the NCECA Conference in Phoenix.

Andy Converse (D.M.A. tenor trombone 2008) has accepted a position at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio, Texas.

Susan Dewsnap (M.F.A. Art 2008) had her work featured this summer at the AKAR Gallery in Iowa City, Iowa. Her work is viewable online at akardesign.com.

Claire Eason (B.M.E. 1963, M.M. 1983) has recently been awarded the title of Colleague of American Guild of Artists by The American Guild of Organists.

Dominique Ellis (B.F.A. Art 2005) received a Fulbright Scholarship to spend a year in Egypt working on a printmaking project. She previously spent the last two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco.

Christopher Ervin (B.F.A. Art 1995) and his firm Velocity/Ape FX created the graphics and special effects for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Put Yourself on the Map campaign this fall (gobigred.unl.edu).

Jessica Graff (B.A. Theatre 2007) will appear in the Oct. 28 episode of CBS' "Criminal Minds." She plays a jogger who gets murdered in the park. She has also recently appeared in episodes of "Nip/Tuck," "Heroes" and "Numb3rs."

Lindsay Kerns (B.F. A. Theatre with distinction 2009), has been selected as a Portz Scholar. This is a prestigious award made by the National Collegiate Honors Council. She graduated from UNL's Honors Program in August. Her honors project was entitled "The Life and Surprising Adventures of Mary Ann Talbot." She developed a short film and a one-act play on Talbot.

Jeremy Kolwinska (M.M. tenor trombone 1999) has been appointed chair of the Department of Music at Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minn. In addition to his administrative duties, Kolwinska also teaches all low brass.

Steve Shelley's "A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, Second Edition" has been released by Focal Press. The new edition expands the original from 300 to 480 pages and covers more than 60 new topics, 20 new forms and 15 new drafting presentations.

Andrew Strain (B.A. Music 2001), tenor trombone, is currently touring with "Beowulf - A Thousand Years of Baggage."

Melinda Yale (M.F.A. Art 2006) has work in the national juried print exhibition "Shy Rabbit" at the Shy Rabbit Contemporary Art Gallery in Pagosa Springs, Colo., through Oct. 10. Her work will be in the Bemis Center's 11th Annual Art Auction and Exhibition in Omaha Oct. 2-Nov. 14. Her work will also be featured in "Pacific Pictures: Prints and Sketchbooks from the South Pacific" at the Wellesley College Art Gallery in Wellesley, Mass., Oct. 6-Nov. 2. Finally, she will be in the exhibition "Collage Collage: 9 Brooklyn Artists" Oct. 30-Dec. 14 at NURTUREart Gallery in Brooklyn, N.Y. Yale also has a new website at melindayale.com.

Programs

The Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film welcomed Jeff Sotzing, President of Carson Entertainment Group, and three Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson writers Anthony DeSena, Darrell Vickers and Andrew Nicholls to present the first Carson Lecture on Oct. 16. Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film Director Paul Steger moderated the discussion, which included a screening of some of Johnny Carson's best comedy clips. The four also were in classes that day visiting with both graduate and undergraduate students.

 

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