The Art of Chaos and Collaboration</h1> <article> <h1>The Art of Chaos and Collaboration</h1> <p>kviancou — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:14:20 +0000</p> <span>The Art of Chaos and Collaboration</span> <span><span>kviancou</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-04-03T13:14:20-04:00" title="Friday, April 3, 2026 - 13:14">Fri, 04/03/2026 - 13:14</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Tei Blow’s initial exposure to artistic collaboration was accidental. In his first semester at �鶹��Ƶ, Blow ’02 enrolled in an interdisciplinary class called New Media Collaborations, co-taught by professors in the <a href="/timara">TIMARA</a>, <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/dance">dance</a>, and <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/art">studio art</a> departments. The multimedia course was offered just as brand-new editing technology like Final Cut was rolling out, giving students the opportunity to discover new tools and explore different ways of working together. </p><p>For a college first-year student who had never done anything creative, the emphasis on collaboration and play was a radical way of thinking and making, Blow says. “I skipped a very necessary step as an artist of learning formal rudiments. My first lesson was learning to work with other people.”</p><p>As Blow continued at �鶹��Ƶ, he built on what he learned in New Media Collaborations through courses in other departments. Emeritus Professor of English Anu Needham’s course, Anglophone Postcolonial Literature of the Third World, transformed how Blow approached texts and incorporated them into his work. He was also one of Professor of Studio Art and Photography <a href="/pipo-nguyen-duy">Pipo Nguyen-Duy</a>’s first photography students. </p><p>Blow spent his winter terms putting these lessons into practice by creating music with his friends. “It was a strange, roundabout way of learning how to work collaboratively through individualized practices,” he says. “The spirit of that �鶹��Ƶ cohort was, ‘Let’s go out and try to build something together, because that’s how we will find our artistic voices and our interests.’”</p><p>The lessons he learned at �鶹��Ƶ enabled Blow to create a <a href="https://teiblow.com/">body of work</a> oriented around site-specific installation art, built on a foundation of manipulating sounds, music, video, and photography. </p><p>And this ethos of working with others to create art and learn more about the self has remained integral to Blow’s life and artistic practice. He now co-leads Royal Osiris Karaoke Ensemble (ROKE), a collaborative company (and a self-defined “musical priesthood” that aims to use ancient practices to solve modern problems) that dates back to Blow’s time at �鶹��Ƶ. </p><p>Over the years working in New York, Blow has crossed paths with many artistic Obies who embody that same spirit of collaboration and curiosity. While working on a show with costume designer <a href="/news/treasure-hunting">Montana Levi Blanco ’07</a> in 2019, Blow and Blanco found themselves “speaking the same artistic language,” Blow recalls. “We wondered, ‘Why is it that we speak the same language? Oh, it’s because of �鶹��Ƶ.’”</p><p>These days, Blow is pivoting his practice into experimental and interactive art for children. This year he’s directing a play by the Japanese writer Toshiki Okada—<em>Sonic Life of a Giant Tortoise</em>—and making a family-friendly interactive installation, <a href="https://pacnyc.org/bio/stompopolis/">Stompopolis</a>, that opens at the Perelman Arts Center in May 2026.</p><p>“I want to create art that has no function other than to create pandemonium and chaos and joy,” says Blow. “All of these things I thought about in school, and the peripheral teachings of the school beyond the classroom, have become my artistic practice now. I’m excited to see where it leads.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">How Tei Blow '02 Found His Artistic Voice at �鶹��Ƶ</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2026-04-03T12:00:00Z">Fri, 04/03/2026 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Serena Zets ’22</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">A multimedia installation created by Tei Blow’s Royal Osiris Karaoke Ensemble called "The Art of Luv (Part 6): Awesome Grotto!"</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Maria Baranova</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-article-header field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">0</div> </article> <article> <h1>Expressive Machines</h1> <p>awillia2 — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 04:15:42 +0000</p> <span>Expressive Machines</span> <span><span>awillia2</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-03-11T00:15:42-04:00" title="Tuesday, March 11, 2025 - 00:15">Tue, 03/11/2025 - 00:15</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">How Steven Kemper’s Musical Robots Enhance Human Creativity.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2025-03-21T12:00:00Z">Fri, 03/21/2025 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Lucy Curtis ’24</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>How do we think about musical expression, especially in relation to robots and machines? That’s the question Steven Kemper aims to answer in his research. In the age of artificial intelligence—and the various concerns surrounding it—Kemper’s research proves that robots can, in fact, enhance human creativity.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=4292">�鶹��Ƶ Research Review</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/steven-kemper" hreflang="und">Steven Kemper</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/contemporary-music" hreflang="und">Contemporary Music</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-cte-images field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yes (Individual Images)</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Israel Vargas</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-flex-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden vertical-spacing--basic field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-40688" class="paragraph paragraph--type--pb-el-bq paragraph--view-mode--default"> <blockquote class="blockquote--distinguished" data-text-size-giant> <p>If those machines go on to make art or make music, ultimately there’s still humans in the chain who have contributed creativity to that.</p> </blockquote> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-40370" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <p>“Robots exist in the world, and machines that do things exist in the world, and people are always going to make art with the latest technologies,” says the associate professor of computer music and digital arts in the Technology in Music and Related Arts (TIMARA) department. “That’s always been the case, whether it’s the printing press or electricity. Artists have always been on the front lines of using things not as they were originally designed and intended, but for creative purposes.”</p> <p>His research spans beyond the theoretical: Kemper actually designs and creates the musical robots that he studies. He is involved in every step of the process—whether it’s brainstorming ideas, researching technology, writing software, or developing hardware and fabricating parts. </p> <p>“What is interesting about this?” he always asks himself when creating a new machine. “What can I do that's going to be novel?”</p> <p>That question is poignant, especially with the growing fears that AI and robots might eliminate certain professions and diminish our ability and need to be creative and produce our own original work. Kemper acknowledges these fears but explains that his work doesn’t necessarily use AI.</p> <p>On the contrary, Kemper builds machines that humans can use to realize their creative vision. As he outlines in an article in the journal <em>Frontiers in Robotics and AI</em>, there are many different types of musical robots. For example, one of his creations is a performance system that involves vibrating motors. He held the motors, controlling the speed of their vibrations by turning his wrist a certain way, and then used them to play a harp. The machine didn’t remove humans from the process of making music; instead, the machine changed and expanded the sounds we could produce. </p> <p>Kemper has also explored the concept of machines making “mistakes” to illustrate robots being musically expressive. He explains that when we watch a human performer, we feel a sense of empathy for (and an inherent connection to) them because they are another human. This is the impact of hearing music, especially when we see it performed live. </p> <p>This concept becomes more complicated when it comes to robots, as empathy is a human quality. “How do we empathize with robots?” Kemper wondered. “How do we anthropomorphize these machines?” </p> <p>His solution was to program his musical robots to “get stuck” in a loop. The robot will suddenly start repeating the same action over and over. Though this is deliberate on the part of the creator, it gives the appearance of a glitch.</p> <p>“It’s like a mode of failure,” he explains. “As an audience member, you’re thinking, ‘Oh, is it stuck? Is it working?’ There’s this moment of empathy for this machine, like, ‘Oh, I want it to work.’ But it’s also a critique on mechanization in general—how we view machines and technologies as things that are perfect and always working.”</p> <p>This critique and alteration of people’s perspectives on robots and machines is an integral part of Kemper’s research and mission. Given the multifaceted nature of his work, it also has many layers of impact. On one hand are the boundaries he pushes with the music he makes through his robots. Because they are machines, they can be sonically distinct from humans. On the philosophical side, Kemper wants people to question their preconceived notions about creativity and machines. </p> <p>“As humans, we invented the concept of creativity,” Kemper stated. “You can’t have creativity without human involvement. So one way to think about it is that the design of robots and machines in general is an outgrowth of human creativity. If those machines go on to make art or make music, ultimately there’s still humans in the chain who have contributed creativity to that.”</p> <p>Kemper’s work lends itself well to student collaboration, and he’s taught relevant classes such as Workshop in Music and Media Technologies. But he views ideas and inspiration as a constant flow—which is why he introduces students to his work and assists them with their own research.</p> <p>“The more students can be involved with my research and see what I’m doing,” he says, “the more that I can also help them with the projects that they want to pursue.”</p> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-40371" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <hr> <p><em>Steven Kemper’s research revolves around musical robotics and the impact they can have; this research involves the creation of his own machines. He earned his doctorate in composition and computer technologies at the University of Virginia. Prior to coming to �鶹��Ƶ, he was an associate professor of music technology and composition and the director of the music department at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="field field--name-field-bio-card-el-biography field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="biography-card"> <figure> </figure> <div class="biography-card__content"> <h2><span>Steven Kemper</span> </h2> <ul class="item-list list--clean" style="margin-top: 0px;"> <li class="professional-title">Associate Professor of Technology in Music and Related Arts</li> </ul> <a class="view-more" href="/steven-kemper">View Steven Kemper’s biography</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-40387" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <h2 class="small-headline" style="margin-top: 1.25rem;">About the Illustration</h2> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right" data-cte style="margin-bottom: 1.75rem;"> <figcaption><em>Click the image to expand</em></figcaption> </figure> <p class="subhead" style="color: var(--darkgray);">Illustrator: Israel Vargas</p>  <p class="icon-text"><span class="icon-text__icon fas fa-fw fa-link" aria-label="Phone" style="color: black;"></span><a href="https://israelgevargas.net/" target="_blank">israelgevargas.net</a></p> <p class="icon-text"><span class="icon-text__icon fas fa-brands fa-instagram" aria-label="Instagram"></span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/israelgevargas" target="_blank">@israelgevargas</a></p> <hr class="hr--light" style="clear: both; margin: 1.25rem 0;"> <p><a class="view-more" href="/node/488025">Return to <em>�鶹��Ƶ Research Review</em></a></p> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-40372" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <p class="header-tag no-show" id="header-tag">�鶹��Ƶ Research Review</p> <style> .no-show { display: none } </style> <script> (function() { var header = document.querySelector(".story-header"); var headerTag = document.getElementById("header-tag"); header.insertBefore(headerTag, header.firstElementChild); headerTag.classList.remove("no-show"); })(); </script>  <script> (function() { var credit = document.querySelector(".top-combo__figure .figure__credit"); credit.innerText = credit.textContent.replace("Photo credit","Image credit"); })(); </script>  <style> aside .list--clean li { margin-bottom: 0.25rem; } aside ul.list--clean { margin-top: .5rem; font-family: var(--font-sans-serif); font-size: 0.875rem; } aside .basic-box { margin: .5rem 0; max-width: 240px; } aside .basic-box .small-headline { font-size: 1rem; } </style>  <style> .biography-card blockquote { display: none } .body-centered-layout blockquote.blockquote--distinguished { margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: -1rem; } </style> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Conservatory Celebrates Standout Students for 2024</h1> <p>eburnett — Mon, 13 May 2024 20:02:44 +0000</p> <span>Conservatory Celebrates Standout Students for 2024</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-05-13T16:02:44-04:00" title="Monday, May 13, 2024 - 16:02">Mon, 05/13/2024 - 16:02</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Each spring, �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory’s faculty and administration celebrate students whose academic and artistic work is especially meritorious. They are selected by committees and competition juries for exemplary musicianship and academic and personal achievement. Awards generated by numerous endowed funds are dedicated to acknowledging these musicians’ demonstrated excellence, supporting their ongoing study and creative projects, and even assisting with instrument purchases.</p> <p>This year’s honorees were celebrated at a May 13 reception in Stull Recital Hall (<a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBqtKj">see photos</a> of the event on Flickr). They are listed below in alphabetical order by last name:</p> <p><strong>Beethoven Prize in Piano: Finalist</strong><br> Awarded to piano majors by the piano faculty for excellence in performing works by Beethoven<br> <em><strong>Nio L. Ajero</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Louis and Annette Kaufman Music Achievement Award in Violin</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding student of violin<br> <em><strong>Max W. Ball</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Theodore Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding returning student for excellence in musicianship<br> <em><strong>Max W. Ball</strong></em></p> <p><strong>James H. Hall Prize in Musicology</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating senior for excellence in work in musicology<br> <em><strong>Eliza R. Balmuth</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Delores and Donald White Prize</strong><br> Awarded to conservatory students who demonstrate leadership in elevating �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging goals through music performance<br> <em><strong>Joshua A. Barron</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Walter E. Aschaffenburg Prize</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating senior for outstanding music composition<br> <em><strong>Jake L. Berran</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Flint Initiative Grant</strong><br> Awarded to innovative, motivated, and prepared conservatory and double-degree students to develop imaginative artistic projects<br> <em><strong>Holly Bogle </strong></em></p> <p><strong>Faustina Hurlbutt Prize</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding graduating student in cello, piano, violin, or voice<br> <strong><em>JJ Jun Li Bui</em></strong></p> <p><strong>Beethoven Prize in Piano: Finalist</strong><br> Awarded to piano majors by the piano faculty for excellence in performing works by Beethoven<br> <em><strong>James Chen</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Arthur Dann Senior Piano Competition</strong><br> Awarded to the winner of this juried competition for excellence in piano performance<br> <em><strong>Yihang Chen</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Senior Concerto Competition</strong><br> Awarded in a juried competition each fall. Four winners are featured as soloists in performances of complete concertos with �鶹��Ƶ orchestras during the spring semester<br> <em><strong>Drew Dansby</strong></em>, cello</p> <p><strong>Senior Concerto Competition</strong><br> Awarded in a juried competition each fall. Four winners are featured as soloists in performances of complete concertos with �鶹��Ƶ orchestras during the spring semester<br> <em><strong>Juan Pedro Espinosa Monteros</strong></em>, clarinet</p> <p><strong>Margot Bos Stambler ’84 Professional Development Award</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding voice major of great promise<br> <em><strong>Elizabeth N. Hanje</strong></em></p> <p><strong>James H. Hall Prize in Musicology</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating senior for excellence in work in musicology<br> <em><strong>Sam C. Hart</strong></em></p> <p><strong>TIMARA Founders Fund John Clough Prize</strong><br> Awarded to a TIMARA major for distinctive work within the department<br> <em><strong>Ben P. Hochster</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Carol Nott Piano Pedagogy Prize</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding graduating senior for continued study in piano pedagogy<br> <em><strong>Soyoung Jeong</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Delores and Donald White Prize</strong><br> Awarded to conservatory students who demonstrate leadership in elevating �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging goals through music performance<br> <em><strong>Daniela Jimenez Ochoa</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Senior Concerto Competition</strong><br> Awarded in a juried competition each fall. Four winners are featured as soloists in performances of complete concertos with �鶹��Ƶ orchestras during the spring semester<br> <em><strong>Maya Irizarry Lambright</strong></em>, violin</p> <p><strong>John Elvin Piano Prize</strong><br> Awarded to the student judged by the piano department to be the most talented in the junior class<br> <em><strong>Yu-Wei Lee</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Beethoven Prize in Piano Third Place: Howard Karp ’51 Prize</strong><br> Awarded to the third-place finisher of this juried competition for excellence in performance of works by Beethoven<br> <em><strong>Leo Lu</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Beethoven Prize in Piano First Place: Peter Takács Prize</strong><br> Awarded to the winner of this juried competition for excellence in performance of works by Beethoven<br> <em><strong>Iskandar O. Mamadaliev</strong></em></p> <p><strong>TIMARA Founders Fund Olly Wilson Prize</strong><br> Awarded to a TIMARA major for distinctive work within the department<br> <em><strong>Maya T. McCollum</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Watson Fellowship</strong><br> Awarded by the Thomas J. Watson Foundation to graduating seniors for purposeful, independent exploration outside the United States<br> <strong><em>Maya T. McCollum</em></strong></p> <p><strong>Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Agnes Fowler Collegiate Scholarship</strong><br> Awarded to a junior majoring in music and strong in instrumental or vocal performance<br> <em><strong>Ian N. McEdwards</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Ruth Cogan Memorial Scholarship in Vocal Performance</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding voice major who has dedicated significant time to the Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center<br> <em><strong>Isabel Merat</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Pi Kappa Lambda Prize for Musicianship</strong><br> Awarded to students judged to be the most outstanding of those elected to Pi Kappa Lambda<br> <em><strong>Immanuel B. Mykyta-Chomsky</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Piano Faculty Prize in Accompanying</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence in accompanying singers and instrumentalists<br> <em><strong>Immanuel B. Mykyta-Chomsky</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Ernest Hatch Wilkins Memorial Prize</strong><br> Awarded to a returning student who has demonstrated academic excellence in the three preceding years<br> <em><strong>Khai Nien K. Nguyen</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Flint Initiative Grant </strong><br> Awarded to innovative, motivated, and prepared conservatory and double-degree students to develop imaginative artistic projects<br> <em><strong>Sangeetha Ramanuj</strong></em></p> <p><strong>David S. Boe-C. B. Fisk Prize for Excellence in Organ Performance</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding organ student<br> <em><strong>William F. Rehwinkel</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Earl L. Russell Award in Historical Performance</strong><br> Awarded to a student majoring in Historical Performance to assist with the purchase of a musical instrument<br> <em><strong>William F. Rehwinkel</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Margot Bos Stambler ’84 Professional Development Award</strong><br> Awarded to an outstanding voice major of great promise<br> <em><strong>Alan F. Rendzak</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Pi Kappa Lambda Prize for Musicianship</strong><br> Awarded to students judged to be the most outstanding of those elected to Pi Kappa Lambda<br> <em><strong>Alan F. Rendzak</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Wendell and Bettye Logan Prize in Jazz Studies</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating student who has demonstrated excellence in performance or composition<br> <em><strong>Coleman Rose</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Selby Harlan Houston Prize</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating senior whose performance in organ and music theory is of distinguished quality<br> <em><strong>Mark U. Slatter</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Rudolph Serkin Scholarship</strong><br> Awarded to a student demonstrating excellence in piano performance<br> <em><strong>Chau Minh Tran</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Flint Initiative Grant </strong><br> Awarded to innovative, motivated, and prepared conservatory and double-degree students to develop imaginative artistic projects<br> <em><strong>Sebastien Tsai</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Louis and Marguerite Bloomberg Greenwood Prize in Voice</strong><br> Awarded to a graduating student excelling in cello, piano, violin, or voice<br> <em><strong>Jordan L. Twadell</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Senior Concerto Competition</strong><br> Awarded in a juried competition each fall. Four winners are featured as soloists in performances of complete concertos with �鶹��Ƶ orchestras during the spring semester<br> <em><strong>Jiongli Wang</strong></em>, piano</p> <p><strong>Beethoven Prize in Piano Second Place: Leon Fleisher Prize</strong><br> Awarded to the second-place finisher of this juried competition for excellence in performance of works by Beethoven<br> <em><strong>Fiona Wu</strong></em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Annual reception held May 13 in Stull Recital Hall.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2024-05-13T12:00:00Z">Mon, 05/13/2024 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=29541">Piano</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=39981">Piano and Vocal Accompanying</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=42726">Piano Pedagogy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33331">Composition</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32966">Organ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=34691">Jazz Performance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/keyboard-studies" hreflang="und">Keyboard Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/musicology" hreflang="und">Musicology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/music-theory" hreflang="und">Music Theory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/historical-performance" hreflang="und">Historical Performance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/winds-brass-and-percussion" hreflang="und">Winds, Brass, and Percussion</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies" hreflang="und">Jazz Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Elizabeth Hanje (middle), a fourth-year soprano from Vestavia Hills, Alabama, won the Margot Bos Stambler ’84 Professional Development Award. She is pictured with Dean of the Conservatory Bill Quillen and Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs Leah Brockman.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yevhen Gulenko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>�鶹��Ƶ Musicians Collaborate at California’s Hidden Valley Institute</h1> <p>jstrauss — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 17:09:26 +0000</p> <span>�鶹��Ƶ Musicians Collaborate at California’s Hidden Valley Institute</span> <span><span>jstrauss</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-02-01T12:09:26-05:00" title="Thursday, February 1, 2024 - 12:09">Thu, 02/01/2024 - 12:09</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>�鶹��Ƶ students and their faculty mentors devoted Winter Term to a pair of immersive musical projects at <a href="https://www.hiddenvalleymusic.org/">Hidden Valley</a>, an institute of the arts located in Carmel Valley, California.</p> <p>The projects—a TIMARA/dance collaboration and a chamber music intensive—culminated in a <a href="/events/series/oberlin-hidden-valley">series of five public performances</a> at Hidden Valley in January.</p> <p>The bucolic locale also played into the Winter Term itinerary of the �鶹��Ƶ Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble, which performed at the Hidden Valley Theater in addition to an engagement at SFJAZZ’s Miner Auditorium in San Francisco.</p> <p>Since its founding in 1963, Hidden Valley has fostered artistic excellence through a diverse array of music education programs for youth, emerging artists, and adults.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Winter Term projects culminate in performances involving TIMARA, dance, chamber music, and jazz.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2024-02-01T12:00:00Z">Thu, 02/01/2024 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2402">Winter Term</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25331">Dance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/aurie-hsu" hreflang="und">Aurie Hsu ’96</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/edwin-huizinga-06" hreflang="und">Edwin Huizinga ’06</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/dmitry-kouzov" hreflang="und">Dmitry Kouzov</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/yulia-fedoseeva" hreflang="und">Yulia Fedoseeva</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/dance" hreflang="und">Dance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/contemporary-music" hreflang="und">Contemporary Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Hidden Valley, a California institute dedicated to supporting the development of young artists, played host to a trio of �鶹��Ƶ performances over Winter Term.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pull-images field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yes</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-cte-images field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yes (Gallery Style)</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Sherman Chu</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-flex-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden vertical-spacing--basic field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-33587" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-cont-img-section paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images photoswipe-gallery"> <div class="o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <div class="image-grid image-grid--single-caption pull"> <div id="obj-31752" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-image-row paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <div class="image-row"> <div class="image-row__images" data-cols="3"> <div id="obj-30017" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-figure paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <figure> <a href="/sites/default/files/content/figure/hiddenvalleycompressed-17.jpg" class="photoswipe" data-pswp-width="2048" data-pswp-height="1366"> </a> </figure> </div> <div id="obj-30018" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-figure paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <figure> <a href="/sites/default/files/content/figure/hiddenvalleycompressed-16.jpg" class="photoswipe" data-pswp-width="2048" data-pswp-height="1366"> </a> </figure> </div> <div id="obj-30019" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-figure paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <figure> <a href="/sites/default/files/content/figure/hiddenvalleycompressed-13.jpg" class="photoswipe" data-pswp-width="2048" data-pswp-height="1366"> </a> </figure> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="obj-31753" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-image-row paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <div class="image-row"> <div class="image-row__images" data-cols="3"> <div id="obj-30020" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-figure paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <figure> <a href="/sites/default/files/content/figure/hiddenvalleycompressed-08.jpg" class="photoswipe" data-pswp-width="2048" data-pswp-height="1366"> </a> </figure> </div> <div id="obj-30021" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-figure paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <figure> <a href="/sites/default/files/content/figure/hiddenvalleycompressed-01.jpg" class="photoswipe" data-pswp-width="2048" data-pswp-height="1366"> </a> </figure> </div> <div id="obj-30022" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-figure paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <figure> <a href="/sites/default/files/content/figure/hiddenvalleycompressed-07.jpg" class="photoswipe" data-pswp-width="2048" data-pswp-height="1366"> </a> </figure> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="obj-31754" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-image-row paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <div class="image-row"> <div class="image-row__images" data-cols="3"> <div id="obj-30023" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-figure paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <figure> <a href="/sites/default/files/content/figure/hiddenvalleycompressed-10.jpg" class="photoswipe" data-pswp-width="1366" data-pswp-height="2048"> </a> </figure> </div> <div id="obj-30024" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-figure paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <figure> <a href="/sites/default/files/content/figure/hiddenvalleycompressed-09.jpg" class="photoswipe" data-pswp-width="1366" data-pswp-height="2048"> </a> </figure> </div> <div id="obj-30025" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-figure paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <figure> <a href="/sites/default/files/content/figure/hiddenvalleycompressed-23.jpg" class="photoswipe" data-pswp-width="1366" data-pswp-height="2048"> </a> </figure> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="figcaption"> <div class="figure__credit"> Photo credit: Sherman Chu Photographer </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-33588" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-cont-img-section paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images photoswipe-gallery"> <div class="o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <div class="image-grid image-grid--single-caption pull"> <div id="obj-31755" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-image-row paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <div class="image-row"> <div class="image-row__images" data-cols="2"> <div id="obj-30032" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-figure paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <figure> <a href="/sites/default/files/content/figure/hiddenvalleycompressed-21_0.jpg" class="photoswipe" data-pswp-width="2048" data-pswp-height="1366"> </a> </figure> </div> <div id="obj-30033" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-figure paragraph--view-mode--photoswipe-images"> <figure> <a href="/sites/default/files/content/figure/oberlin_283_large.jpeg" class="photoswipe" data-pswp-width="1280" data-pswp-height="854"> </a> </figure> </div> </div> <div class="figcaption"> <div class="figure__credit"> Photo credit: Sherman Chu Photographer </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Meet the Conservatory’s Newest Tenure-Track Faculty</h1> <p>eburnett — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 20:43:15 +0000</p> <span>Meet the Conservatory’s Newest Tenure-Track Faculty</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-10-04T16:43:15-04:00" title="Wednesday, October 4, 2023 - 16:43">Wed, 10/04/2023 - 16:43</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Five members of the conservatory faculty have been granted tenure-track positions beginning this academic year. They span the disciplines of <a href="/node/3326">music theory</a>, <a href="/node/75916">composition</a>, <a href="/trombone">trombone</a>, and <a href="/timara">TIMARA</a>—each of them standout artist-educators who join a highly revered conservatory faculty.</p> <p>And while some are entirely new to their roles, many have deep ties to campus as past visiting faculty, guest artists—and even a former student.</p> <p>Follow the links below to learn more about each of them, from their areas of scholarly and artistic interest to the courses they teach this fall.</p> <p>Welcome—and <em>welcome back</em>—to �鶹��Ƶ, one and all!</p> <script> (function () { document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () { const educationBlocks = [ `<div class="lined-list"> <h2 class="small-headline">Education <ul> <li>PhD, music theory, Indiana University, 2023 <li>BMus, violin performance, �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory of Music, 2017 `, `<div class="lined-list"> <h2 class="small-headline">Education <ul> <li>BM, acoustic and electronic composition, University of South Florida, 2014 <li>MA, musical composition, Eastman School of Music, 2016 <li>PhD, musical composition, Eastman School of Music, 2021 `, `<div class="lined-list"> <h2 class="small-headline">Education <ul> <li>BME, instrumental music education, Bowling Green State University, 2010 <li>MM, trombone performance, University of Michigan, 2015 <li>DMA, trombone performance, University of Michigan, 2018 `, `<div class="lined-list"> <h2 class="small-headline">Education <ul> <li>PhD in composition and computer technologies, University of Virginia <li>MM in music composition, Bowling Green State University <li>BA in music, Bowdoin College `, `<div class="lined-list"> <h2 class="small-headline">Education <ul> <li>BA cum laude, music (concentration in music theory), Pomona College, 2016 <li>MA, music theory, Eastman School of Music, 2019 <li>PhD, music theory, Eastman School of Music, 2022 `, ] const cardTitles = document.querySelectorAll('.biography-card__content h2 ~ .item-list'); cardTitles.forEach(title => { title.classList.add('list--clean'); title.querySelector('ul').style.marginTop = 0; title.querySelector('li').classList.add('professional-title'); }); const cardLinks = document.querySelectorAll('.biography-card__content .view-more'); cardLinks.forEach((el, i) => { el.insertAdjacentHTML("beforebegin", educationBlocks[i]); }); }); })(); </script> <style type="text/css">.professional-title { font-size: 1rem; /* margin-bottom: 2rem;*/ margin-bottom: 1.5rem; line-height: 1.4; } .biography-card__content h2 { margin-bottom: 0.25rem; } .biography-card__content .lined-list li { font-size: .9375rem; } </style></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Five artist-teachers, many with deep ties to campus, settle into new roles.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-10-04T12:00:00Z">Wed, 10/04/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3341">Conservatory Faculty</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33331">Composition</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=28876">Music Theory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35836">Trombone</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/john-gruber" hreflang="und">John Gruber</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/christa-cole-17" hreflang="und">Christa Cole ’17</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/steven-kemper" hreflang="und">Steven Kemper</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/michael-frazier" hreflang="und">Michael Frazier</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/eron-smith" hreflang="und">Eron Smith</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/contemporary-music" hreflang="und">Contemporary Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/winds-brass-and-percussion" hreflang="und">Winds, Brass, and Percussion</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/music-theory" hreflang="und">Music Theory</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Mike Crupi</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-flex-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden vertical-spacing--basic field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="field field--name-field-bio-card-el-biography field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="biography-card"> <figure> </figure> <div class="biography-card__content"> <h2><span>Christa Cole ’17</span> </h2> <ul class="item-list list--clean" style="margin-top: 0px;"> <li class="professional-title">Assistant Professor of Music Theory</li> </ul> <a class="view-more" href="/christa-cole-17">View Christa Cole ’17’s biography</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="field field--name-field-bio-card-el-biography field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="biography-card"> <figure> </figure> <div class="biography-card__content"> <h2><span>Michael Frazier</span> </h2> <ul class="item-list list--clean" style="margin-top: 0px;"> <li class="professional-title">Assistant Professor of Composition</li> </ul> <a class="view-more" href="/michael-frazier">View Michael Frazier’s biography</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="field field--name-field-bio-card-el-biography field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="biography-card"> <figure> </figure> <div class="biography-card__content"> <h2><span>John Gruber</span> </h2> <ul class="item-list list--clean" style="margin-top: 0px;"> <li class="professional-title">Assistant Professor of Trombone</li> </ul> <a class="view-more" href="/john-gruber">View John Gruber’s biography</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="field field--name-field-bio-card-el-biography field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="biography-card"> <figure> </figure> <div class="biography-card__content"> <h2><span>Steven Kemper</span> </h2> <ul class="item-list list--clean" style="margin-top: 0px;"> <li class="professional-title">Associate Professor of Technology in Music and Related Arts</li> </ul> <a class="view-more" href="/steven-kemper">View Steven Kemper’s biography</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="field field--name-field-bio-card-el-biography field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="biography-card"> <figure> </figure> <div class="biography-card__content"> <h2><span>Eron Smith</span> </h2> <ul class="item-list list--clean" style="margin-top: 0px;"> <li class="professional-title">Assistant Professor of Music Theory</li> </ul> <a class="view-more" href="/eron-smith">View Eron Smith’s biography</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Steven Kemper Named Professor of TIMARA</h1> <p>jreinier — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 13:52:26 +0000</p> <span>Steven Kemper Named Professor of TIMARA</span> <span><span>jreinier</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-06-02T09:52:26-04:00" title="Friday, June 2, 2023 - 09:52">Fri, 06/02/2023 - 09:52</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/457616">Steven Kemper</a>, a creative music technologist, instrument designer, and composer, has been appointed to a permanent position in the <a href="/node/51641">Technology in Music and Related Arts (TIMARA)</a> Department at �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory. Kemper’s appointment begins in fall 2023. </p> <p>Kemper comes to �鶹��Ƶ from Rutgers University, where he served as a professor of music technology and composition at the Mason Gross School of the Arts. With a background in developing technologies that bridge the gap between computer-based music and the physical world, Kemper’ brings expertise that reflects TIMARA’s interdisciplinary and creative approaches.</p> <p>“It’s incredible that, for more than 50 years, TIMARA has been at the forefront of technologically mediated musical expression within a conservatory,” Kemper says. “Given the eclectic nature of my own career, I am looking forward to working with students on a variety of different types of projects.”</p> <p>Kemper’s work revolves around musical robotics, instrument design, human-computer interaction, gesture, and musical expression. He has gained recognition for an approach that combines technical development, creative output, and humanistic inquiry, exemplified by his creation of vibration-motor actuated performance systems including the Tremolo-Harp, Lux Tremens, Manus Tremens, and Tremolo-Chimes. </p> <p>Kemper is a cofounder of Expressive Machines Musical Instruments, a collective dedicated to creating and composing music for robotic instruments. He also co-developed the RAKS (Remote electroAcoustic Kinesthetic Sensing) System, a wireless sensor interface designed specifically for belly dancers in collaboration with composer and dancer <a href="/node/7011">Aurie Hsu ’96</a>, �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory associate dean of academic affairs and a TIMARA professor.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Ongoing work revolves around musical robotics, instrument design, human-computer interaction, and musical expression.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-06-02T12:00:00Z">Fri, 06/02/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Joshua Reinier</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/contemporary-music" hreflang="und">Contemporary Music</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Steven Kemper</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-flex-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden vertical-spacing--basic field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div id class="o-flex--video-embed"> <h2>Tremolo Harp Study 1 (2020)</h2> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video"> </div> <p>Tremolo-Harp Study 1 represents the first piece composed for the Tremolo-Harp. This study explores the instrument’s unique timbral properties as well as its capabilities to create long, sustained textures and continuous dynamic changes. The overall musical concept for this piece is one of slowly-evolving chords of differing durations that move across the range of the instrument.</p> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-27729" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <p>Kemper’s work also encompasses acoustic composition and research. He has a long-running series of compositions for acoustic instruments and fixed media electronics that explore the connection between sound and urban vibrancy, which have been played by groups including the <a href="https://americanmodernensemble.org">American Modern Ensemble</a>, <a href="https://www.bmop.org">Boston Modern Orchestra Project</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjTgtHf3qT_AhXoEFkFHR7uBmYQFnoECBEQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nowensemble.com%2F&usg=AOvVaw2PQe1SXiRWPDHFTgqi_bKu">NOW ensemble</a>, and the Grupo Sax-Ensemble. Kemper draws from field recordings and data sonification to investigate the ways that periodic sounds help form a sense of place. His research has been widely recognized and presented at prestigious conferences such as the <a href="https://www.nime.org">International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression</a>, the <a href="https://icmc2022.org">International Computer Music Conference</a>, and the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi7nd-v36T_AhWKF1kFHQPVD2YQFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.movementcomputing.org%2F&usg=AOvVaw2AIVQy2M_J5bXt84f6JwjK">International Conference on Movement and Computing</a>, and been published in respected journals including <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjDju-236T_AhVBElkFHe_4DIYQFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdirect.mit.edu%2Fleon&usg=AOvVaw35lctX7NYoNQUDMDOISUh6"><em>Leonardo</em></a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjTjei936T_AhVrEFkFHdDcAl0QFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdirect.mit.edu%2Flmj&usg=AOvVaw1txFbZ9tI5gm3jRuNa9vHZ"><em>Leonardo Music Journal</em></a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjphc_D36T_AhVFFFkFHcECCDQQFnoECBwQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cambridge.org%2Fcore%2Fjournals%2Forganised-sound&usg=AOvVaw3_PYIYLEN8x4YfxLwVMc5n"><em>Organised Sound</em></a>, and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiU0LvM36T_AhUyVTUKHR7hAH4QFnoECA0QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontiersin.org%2Fjournals%2Frobotics-and-ai&usg=AOvVaw3fa14ki5Y836AutmFUbmxs"><em>Frontiers in Robotics and AI</em></a>.</p> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id class="o-flex--video-embed"> <h2>Lux Tremens (2018)</h2> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video"> </div> <p>Lux Tremens, Latin for “trembling light,” was created in 2018 for the Rutgers Interactive Music Ensemble (RIME). In this structured improvisation, which takes place in the dark, performers use vibration motors to actuate small percussion instruments or found resonant objects. Custom-designed hardware allows performers to control the speed of the vibration motors by adjusting the amount of light they shine on photoresistors, thus altering the intensity of the motors’ vibration.</p> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-27730" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <p>Kemper looks forward to returning to the environment of a liberal arts college. He shares, “I am thrilled to join the artistic and intellectual community of �鶹��Ƶ. While I have appreciated working at large public research universities, some of my most memorable educational experiences came through my close working relationships with faculty during my time as an undergraduate at Bowdoin College.” He plans to introduce new courses in sensor-based instrument design, musical robotics, and data sonification, in addition to exploring the connection between music, myth, technology, and futurism.</p> <p>“I am looking forward to sharing my expertise in these areas with the TIMARA community as well as learning from TIMARA students and faculty. What stands out to me the most about TIMARA is the passionate creativity of the students and the diversity of musical approaches that they bring.” </p> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Conservatory Celebrates Recipients of 2022-23 Honors & Awards</h1> <p>jreinier — Tue, 23 May 2023 18:41:50 +0000</p> <span>Conservatory Celebrates Recipients of 2022-23 Honors & Awards</span> <span><span>jreinier</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-05-23T14:41:50-04:00" title="Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 14:41">Tue, 05/23/2023 - 14:41</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Recipients of �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory’s 2022-23 Honors and Awards included 43 outstanding students from across the Conservatory’s 11 divisions. Most of the prizes were given to graduating seniors honored for their achievements throughout their time at �鶹��Ƶ. </p> <p>Some awards, such as the Beethoven, Serkin, Elvin, and Dann prizes in piano, and the Senior Concerto Competition winners, were earned earlier in the year through juried competitions. </p> <p>The Flint Initiative, Grindlay, and XARTS grants were awarded by Conservatory Professional Development to fund exceptionally creative, collaborative, and entrepreneurial projects that students completed during Winter Term and summer break. </p> <p>Conservatory Dean Bill Quillen shares: “On behalf of the Conservatory’s faculty and staff, it is a great pleasure to congratulate the 2023 Conservatory Honors and Awards winners. We are incredibly proud of these students — and, indeed, all of our students — and we are inspired every day by their creativity, artistry, hard work, open-mindedness, and their commitment to service and to making the world a better place through music.”</p> <h3>2022-23 Honors and Awards</h3> <p><strong>The Arthur Dann Piano Competition</strong><br> <em>Awarded to the winner of this juried competition for excellence in piano performance.</em><br> <strong>JJ Bui</strong>, third year</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Prof. Alvin Chow, Jiongli Wang</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>The Beethoven Prizes in Piano</strong><br> <em>Awarded in a juried competition to piano majors for outstanding performance in works of Beethoven.</em><br> The Takács/Beethoven Prize (First): <strong>Jiongli Wang</strong>, third year<br> The Leon Fleisher Prize (Second): <strong>Yihang (Alex) Chen</strong>, third year<br> The Howard Karp '51 Prize (Third): <strong>Natasha Wu ’23</strong><br> Semi-finalist prize: <strong>Leo Lu</strong>, first year</p> <p><strong>The Carol Nott Piano Pedagogy Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to an outstanding graduating senior for continued study in piano  pedagogy. </em><br> <strong>Annie (Guoanni) Qin ’23</strong></p> <p><strong>The David S. Boe - C. B. Fisk Prize for Excellence in Organ Performance</strong><br> <em>Awarded to an outstanding organ student.</em><br> <strong>Oziah B. Wales ’23</strong></p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Malcolm Bamba, Chris Jenkins</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>The Dolores and Donald White Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to Conservatory students who demonstrate leadership in elevating �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging goals through music performance.</em><br> <strong>Malcolm F. Bamba</strong>, fourth year, Independent Major in Arts Leadership & Marketing<br> <strong>Blake Logan</strong>, second year, Cello Performance and Undecided B.A.</p> <p><strong>The Earl L. Russell Award in Historical Performance</strong><br> <em>Awarded to worthy students majoring in Historical Performance to assist with the purchase of a musical instrument.</em><br> <strong>Kailah Grace Robbins</strong>, third year, Flute Performance and Baroque Flute</p> <p><strong>The Ernest Hatch Wilkins Memorial Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a returning student who has demonstrated academic excellence in the three preceding years.</em><br> <strong>Nik D. Rejto (Divall)</strong>, third year, Classical Guitar</p> <p><strong>The Faustina Hurlbutt Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to an outstanding graduating student in cello, piano, violin, or voice.</em><br> <strong>Luka C. Stefanovic ’23</strong>, BM/MM, Cello Performance, Historical Performance, Baroque Cello</p> <p><strong>The Flint Initiative Grant (FIGs)</strong><br> <em>Awarded to innovative, motivated, and prepared Conservatory and Double-Degree students to develop imaginative artistic projects.</em><br> <strong>Ishan Loomba ’23</strong>, Piano Performance and Psychology, minor in Computer Science<br> <strong>Ilana McNamara</strong>, fourth year, Viola Performance and Mathematics<br> <strong>Ozüm Pamukcu ’23</strong>, Musical Studies and Economics<br> <strong>Sangeetha Ramanuj</strong>, second year, Musical Studies and Mathematics<br> <strong>Katia Rumin</strong>, second year, Viola Performance</p> <p><strong>The Graham Grindlay '00 Endowed Memorial Music & Computer Science Innovation Fund </strong><br> <em>Supports the development and execution of projects that bring together music and sound with computer science or technological innovation.</em><br> <strong>Ivy Fu ’23</strong>, TIMARA and Art History<br> <strong>Julia Collins</strong>, third year, TIMARA <br> <strong>Maya McCollum</strong>, fourth year, TIMARA and Studio Art</p> <p><strong>The John Elvin Piano Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a student judged by the Piano Department to be the most talented in the junior class.</em><br> <strong>Yihang (Alex) Chen</strong>, third year, Piano Performance</p> <p><strong>The Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts</strong><br> <em>Awarded in the Conservatory every five years and on the faculty’s recommendation to a graduating senior who has performed with uncommon distinction in music performance. The award was established in 1982 by Louis Sudler of Chicago, a musician with a lifelong commitment to the training of young artists in university.</em><br> <strong>Adam S. Chlebek ’23</strong>, Organ Performance</p> <p><strong>The Louis and Annette Kaufman Music Achievement Award in Violin</strong><br> <em>Awarded to an outstanding student of violin.</em><br> <strong>Matthew S. Cone ’23</strong>, Violin Performance</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Bill Quillen, Gillian Piper</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>The Louis and Marguerite Bloomberg Greenwood Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a graduating student excelling in cello, piano, violin, or voice.</em><br> <strong>Gillian B. Piper ’23</strong>, Jazz Voice Performance<br> <strong>Kylie P. Buckham ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance</p> <p><strong>The Margot Bos Stambler '84 Professional Development Award</strong><br> <em>Awarded to an outstanding vocal performance major of great promise to enhance career opportunities.</em><br> <strong>Kylie A. Kreucher ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance<br> <strong>Brian R. Wacker ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance</p> <p><strong>The Ohio Federation of Music Clubs (OFMC) Agnes Fowler Collegiate Scholarship</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a junior majoring in music, and who is strong in instrumental or voice performance. Made possible by the OFMC, a statewide organization devoted to the love and encouragement of music in Ohio.</em><br> <strong>Felix J. Veser</strong>, third year, Viola Performance</p> <p><strong>The Pi Kappa Lambda Prize for Musicianship</strong><br> <em>Awarded to students judged to be the most outstanding of those elected to Pi Kappa Lambda, an American honor society for undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors of music.</em><br> <strong>Clara I. Dahmer ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance<br> <strong>Kylie A. Kreucher ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance<br> <strong>Matthew S. Cone ’23</strong>, Violin Performance</p> <p><strong>The Piano Faculty Prize in Accompanying</strong><br> <em>Awarded to graduating seniors who have demonstrated excellence in accompanying singers and instrumentalists.</em><br> <strong>Kai-Min Chang ’23</strong>, Piano Performance<br> <strong>Ishan Loomba ’23</strong>, Piano Performance and Psychology, minor in Computer Science</p> <p><strong>The Rudolph Serkin Scholarship</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a student demonstrating excellence in piano performance.</em><br> <strong>Yubo Deng</strong>, second year, Piano Performance</p> <p><strong>The Ruth Cogan Memorial Scholarship in Vocal Performance</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a vocal performance student who has demonstrated significant work in voice pedagogy or in the PACE concentration.</em><br> <strong>Nisha P. Caiozzi ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Adam Chlebek, Oziah B. Wales,<br> Katherine Johnson, Prof. Jonathan Moyer</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>The Selby Harlan Houston Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a graduating senior whose performance in organ and music theory is of distinguished quality.</em><br> <strong>Katherine E. Johnson ’23</strong>, Organ Performance and English</p> <p><strong>The Senior Concerto Competition</strong><br> <em>Awarded in a juried competition each fall. Winners are featured as soloists in performances of complete concertos with the �鶹��Ƶ orchestras during the spring semester.</em><br> <strong>Kylie P. Buckham ’23</strong>, Vocal Performance<br> <strong>Annie (Guoanni) Qin ’23</strong>, Piano Performance<br> <strong>Matthew S. Cone ’23</strong>, Violin Performance<br> <strong>Jonathan Kronheimer ’23</strong>, Oboe Performance</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Rachel Yee, Prof. Tom Lopez, Gabriel Baskin</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>The TIMARA Founders Fund John Clough Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a TIMARA major for distinctive work within the department.</em><br> <strong>Gabriel L. Baskin ’23</strong></p> <p><strong>The TIMARA Founders Fund Olly Wilson Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a TIMARA major for distinctive work within the department.</em><br> <strong>Rachel Yee ’23</strong>, TIMARA and Computer Science, minor in Music and Cognition</p> <p><strong>The Theodore Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award</strong><br> <em>This award, made possible by the Presser Foundation, is awarded to an outstanding returning student for excellence in musicianship.</em><br> <strong>Abby Lopez</strong>, second year, Bassoon Performance</p> <p><strong>The Walter E. Aschaffenburg Prize</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a graduating senior for outstanding music composition.</em><br> <strong>Isaac Santos ’23</strong>, Composition</p> <p><strong>The Wendell and Bettye Logan Prize in Jazz Studies</strong><br> <em>Awarded to a graduating student who has demonstrated excellence in performance or composition.</em><br> <strong>Kamran M. Curlin ’23</strong>, fourth year, Jazz Bass and History</p> <p><strong>The XARTS Fund</strong><br> <em>Supports the development and execution of collaborative, multi-disciplinary, artistic projects.</em><br> <strong>Awen McKee</strong>, second year, Composition<br> <strong>Analise Granados</strong>, second year, Violin Performance and Undecided (B.A.)<br> <strong>Katie Galt</strong>, fourth year, Viola Performance and Comparative Literature<br> <strong>Mariah Leontopoulou-Cochran</strong>, fourth year, Jazz Voice, minor in �鶹��Ƶ<br> <strong>Maya Irizarry Lambright</strong>, third year, Violin Performance<br> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">43 outstanding students from the Conservatory were selected for honors and awards this year.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-05-23T12:00:00Z">Tue, 05/23/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>At the end of each spring semester, �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory’s faculty and administration celebrate students whose academic and artistic work is especially meritorious. They are selected by committees and competition juries for exemplary musicianship, academic work, and personal achievement. Awards generated by numerous endowed funds are dedicated to acknowledging these musicians' demonstrated excellence, supporting their ongoing study and creative projects, and even assisting them with instrument purchases.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33331">Composition</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=34691">Jazz Performance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35116">Violin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=36206">Viola</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35261">Cello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33041">Baroque Cello</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=29541">Piano</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32966">Organ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35881">Bassoon</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=37361">Oboe</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=35596">Voice</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies" hreflang="und">Jazz Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/keyboard-studies" hreflang="und">Keyboard Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/winds-brass-and-percussion" hreflang="und">Winds, Brass, and Percussion</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/contemporary-music" hreflang="und">Contemporary Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/historical-performance" hreflang="und">Historical Performance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/music-theory" hreflang="und">Music Theory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/musical-studies" hreflang="und">Musical Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/pace" hreflang="und">Pedagogy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/musicology" hreflang="und">Musicology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Joshua Reinier</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>GEARing Up: Registration Open for the 2023 Girls Electronic Arts Retreat</h1> <p>jreinier — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 14:24:48 +0000</p> <span>GEARing Up: Registration Open for the 2023 Girls Electronic Arts Retreat</span> <span><span>jreinier</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-04-21T10:24:48-04:00" title="Friday, April 21, 2023 - 10:24">Fri, 04/21/2023 - 10:24</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>GEAR is unique every year, and past projects have taken campers to prehistoric worlds, time-traveling spaceships, and even their own planets (made of projections, papier-mâché, and kid-sized inflatable beach balls). They have access to �鶹��Ƶ’s whole campus, and they have created creatures on 3D printers, used the letterpress printing machines in Mudd Library, and programmed machines to cut out their own detailed stickers. </p> <p>The program is part of �鶹��Ƶ's idyllic summers, when the college-aged students are off on summer ventures, and the campus is opened to another kind of experience. A wide range of students—from elementary through adult, and from the local area to visitors from across the country—come for the opportunity to experience music making in introductory and <a href="/summer-programs">enrichment programs</a> that cover historic performance to electronic and digital music as well as immersive study in a number of instruments. </p> <p>GEAR students might be seen roaming around campus with headphones and field recorders to make sound collages, or on an excursion to the biology building to make stop-motion videos using free iPad apps. Or they could be in the TIMARA basement making “R2-D2” sounds on �鶹��Ƶ’s collection of vintage synths. The possibilities are endless, and every hour there’s something new.</p> <p>Past campers have enjoyed GEAR for how it combines imagination and learning. One camper shares, “I liked to pretend that the entire room we were in with the synthesizers was a time machine.” Another adds, “It was so fun. You learn so many things about science, technology, and the world. Plus you get to make awesome friends and memories.” </p> <p>GEAR fosters a love and talent for technology in girls at a young age, and shows them that their only limit is their imagination. And after the collaborative journeys campers undertake, they’re sure to come away with a new set of friends, and most likely a whole new set of ideas that will inspire them throughout the year. </p> <p>One parent shared, “Thank you for a great camp! My child came home with lots of stories and projects each day.” And there’s sure to be even more this summer in GEAR 2023.</p> <p class="obj-center"></p> <hr> <p><i>Register for GEAR <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIy-oTBv0PJjbXYlEffWr24DAtCkbnyhZ5yxPrRKRMcK4woA/viewform">here</a>. Please contact Abby Aresty at </i><a href="mailto:Abby.Aresty@oberlin.edu">Abby.Aresty@oberlin.edu</a> <i>if you have any questions.</i></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">From June 12-16, 3rd to 5th grade girls will get hands-on experience with software, hardware, and mixed media.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-04-21T12:00:00Z">Fri, 04/21/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Joshua Reinier</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>It’s only five days—but it might as well be five universes. In the <a href="https://www.girlselectronicartsretreat.org/">Girls Electronic Arts Retreat (GEAR)</a>, held from June 12-16 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at �鶹��Ƶ, TIMARA professor <a href="/abby-aresty">Abby Aresty</a> leads third to fifth grade girls in technological journeys to worlds big and small, other times, and even other dimensions. Campers undertake collaborative, hand-on projects with a wide variety of software, mixed media, and technology. It’s arts-and-crafts, but with a sci-fi spin.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2387">Conservatory Summer Programs</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/abby-aresty" hreflang="und">Abby Aresty</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Abby Aresty</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>�鶹��Ƶ Improv Fest 2023 Celebrates Range of Creative Practices</h1> <p>cstrauss — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 17:03:21 +0000</p> <span>�鶹��Ƶ Improv Fest 2023 Celebrates Range of Creative Practices</span> <span><span>cstrauss</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-03-02T12:03:21-05:00" title="Thursday, March 2, 2023 - 12:03">Thu, 03/02/2023 - 12:03</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This year �鶹��Ƶ students have had the opportunity for the first time to declare a minor in a new formalized course of study in improvisation. And from Thursday, March 2 through Saturday, March 4, they will have an immersive experience in the �鶹��Ƶ Improv Fest 2023. All events of the festival are also open to audiences and are free.</p> <p>The festival kicks off on Thursday at noon in the Birenbaum with a panel discussion with faculty and guest artists. <a href="/la-tanya-hall">La Tanya Hall</a>, associate professor of jazz voice, will moderate a discussion about improvised music and improvisation in the creative process with the four guest artists of the festival—flutist and composer <a href="https://www.nicolemitchell.com">Nicole Mitchell</a>; shakuhachi player and composer <a href="https://kojiroumezaki.com">Kojiro Umezaki</a>; multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer <a href="https://www.auroranealand.com">Aurora Nealand ’01</a>; and jazz pianist and composer <a href="https://luisperdomojazz.com">Luis Perdomo</a>—and �鶹��Ƶ’s Visiting Assistant Professor of Baroque Violin <a href="/edwin-huizinga-06">Edwin Huizinga '06</a>.</p> <p>The events that follow over the three days encompass workshops, presentations, and performances that showcase exciting performances with AI-based interactive and immersive sound, group improvisation, jazz, and students in �鶹��Ƶ's Performance and Improvisation program. </p> <p><a href="/dana-jessen">Dana Jessen</a>, �鶹��Ƶ’s associate professor of contemporary music and improvisation and a key organizer of Improv Fest, shares that the inspiration for the festival “came about as a means to celebrate the many outlets for improvisation on campus, and at the same time, bring together world-renowned artists to interact with our students and community.” Festival co-organizer is <a href="/aurie-hsu">Aurie Hsu '96</a>, associate dean for academic affairs and a professor in <a href="/timara">TIMARA</a>.</p> <p>Jessen continues, “Improvisation is deeply rooted within �鶹��Ƶ's campus, from official ensembles and courses, to student-led groups and initiatives.”</p> <p>In fact, improvisation has been emphasized at �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory for generations—from early practices in organ, to historical performance, as well as free jazz, fusion, electronic music, and more recently in non-Western idioms explored in �鶹��Ƶ’s Performance and Improvisation (PI) Program. Courses and ensembles in PI provide students with the opportunity to enrich their existing musical vocabularies and skills through practical exploration of many different world musics and improvisation across a range of genres and styles. This study is fundamental to �鶹��Ƶ’s directive to optimally prepare musicians for any number of potential 21st-century career paths.</p> <p>“The festival aligns with �鶹��Ƶ's new improvisation minor in that it seeks to convey how improvisation can be a thread that connects different areas of music-making,” says Jessen. “The scope of the festival itself in many ways mirrors the many pathways that students could pursue in the minor.”<br> <br> In choosing the guest artists for the festival, Jessen describes, “Improvisation takes many forms and the festival artists represent a range of practices, styles, and traditions. Our events throughout the festival highlight the breadth of their work, as well as the range of offerings on campus. These include Afrofuturism, interactive electronic improvisation, non-western idioms, jazz, historical performance, conducted improvisation, free music, and songwriting.”</p> <p>Each of the four guests will appear in concert during the festival, highlighting an experience for listening audiences.</p> <p>Nealand and Umezaki will collaborate on Thursday, March 2 at 8:30 p.m. in the Birenbaum. Mitchell’s concert on Friday, March 3 at 8:00 p.m., also in the Birenbaum, will involve jazz studies students and faculty performers in performances of her works. Students in �鶹��Ƶ’s PI Program will collaborate with jazz pianist Perdomo on his festival closing concert on Saturday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse.</p> <p>“These performances will highlight the high level of musicianship connected to these practices,” emphasizes Jessen.</p> <p>Additional concerts feature �鶹��Ƶ’s student small jazz ensembles at the weekly Jazz Forum held at the Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse on Friday, March 3 at noon. A Student Showcase performance with OCTaiko, the Silent Film Ensemble, �鶹��Ƶ Creative Music Lab, and �鶹��Ƶ Percussion Group takes place on Saturday, March 4 at Wilder Hall’s Main Theater.</p> <p>Jessen expresses “hope is that the festival will bring our community together and offer inspiration for students to explore the many pathways to improvisation, while the workshops and presentations will offer an entryway for newcomers.”</p> <p><strong>�鶹��Ƶ Improv Fest 2023 Event Schedule</strong></p> <p>PANEL DISCUSSION: GUEST ARTISTS AND FACULTY<br> Thursday, March 2, 12:00-1:30 PM<br> Birenbaum Innovation and Performance Space, Hotel at �鶹��Ƶ</p> <p>GUEST MASTER CLASS: JAZZ PIANIST LUIS PERDOMO<br> Thursday, March 2, 4:00-5:00 PM<br> Clonick Hall</p> <p>PRESENTATION: KOJIRO UMEZAKI<br> Thursday, March 2, 4:30-6:00 PM<br> Birenbaum<br> Umezaki presents his work featuring global and hybrid practices in acoustic and electronic music.</p> <p>PRESENTATION: NICOLE MITCHELL<br> Thursday, March 2, 7:00-8:15 PM<br> Stull Recital Hall<br> The music that flutist, composer, bandleader, and educator Nicole Mitchell creates celebrates contemporary African American culture and explores intercultural collaborations. In her presentation, she will discuss Afrofuturism.</p> <p>CONCERT: AURORA NEALAND AND KOJIRO UMEZAKI<br> Thursday, March 2, 8:30 PM<br> Birenbaum </p> <p>PERFORMANCE: JAZZ FORUM<br> Friday, March 3, 12:00 PM<br> Cat and the Cream Coffee House<br> �鶹��Ƶ student jazz ensembles perform.</p> <p>SONGWRITING WORKSHOP: AURORA NEALAND '01<br> Friday, March 3, 3:30-5:30 PM<br> Stull Recital Hall</p> <p>CONCERT: NICOLE MITCHELL<br> Friday, March 3, 8:00 PM<br> Birenbaum</p> <p>ORGAN WORKSHOP: CHRISTA RAKICH ’75<br> Saturday, March 4, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM<br> Finney Chapel<br> “How To Sound Like Messiaen”</p> <p>INFO SESSION: IMPROVISATION MINOR WITH DANA JESSEN<br> Friday, March 4, 12:00-1:00 PM<br> Birenbaum<br> The Improvisation Minor draws upon several departments across the conservatory and college, enabling students to create a pathway that suits their artistic interests.</p> <p>SOUNDPAINTING WORKSHOP: DREW PATTISON ’10<br> Saturday, March 4, 1:30-3:00 PM<br> Central 25<br> Soundpainting is the universal multidisciplinary live composing sign language for musicians, actors, dancers, and visual artists, developed by Walter Thompson. Drew Pattison '10, assistant professor of bassoon, will engage workshop participants in improvisation and group interaction through the conducted Soundpainting language.</p> <p>CONCERT: STUDENT SHOWCASE<br> Saturday, March 4, 4:30-6:30 PM<br> Wilder Hall - Wilder Main Theater</p> <p>CONCERT: PIANIST LUIS PERDOMO WITH OBERLIN PI ENSEMBLE<br> Saturday, March 4, 7:30 PM<br> Cat and the Cream Coffee House</p> <hr> <p><em>�鶹��Ƶ Improv Fest 2023 is organized with support from TIMARA, Conservatory Deans Office, Conservatory Professional Development, and the Alumni in Service to �鶹��Ƶ College (ASOC) Fund.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">The three-day festival, running March 2-4, presents 13 events; brings guest artists to campus to teach and perform</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-03-02T12:00:00Z">Thu, 03/02/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Cathy Partlow Strauss ’84</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2865">Performance & Improvisation (PI)</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3874">Improvisation</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32966">Organ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=464502">Improvisation</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/dana-jessen" hreflang="und">Dana Jessen</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/aurie-hsu" hreflang="und">Aurie Hsu ’96</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/la-tanya-hall" hreflang="und">La Tanya Hall</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/edwin-huizinga-06" hreflang="und">Edwin Huizinga ’06</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/christa-rakich" hreflang="und">Christa Rakich</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/drew-pattison" hreflang="und">Drew Pattison</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/contemporary-music" hreflang="und">Contemporary Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies" hreflang="und">Jazz Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/keyboard-studies" hreflang="und">Keyboard Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/winds-brass-and-percussion" hreflang="und">Winds, Brass, and Percussion</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/historical-performance" hreflang="und">Historical Performance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">From top, L-R: Luis Perdomo, Kojiro Umezaki, Aurora Nealand '01, Nicole Mitchell</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of the artists</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>3 �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory Alumni Win 2022 Guggenheim Fellowships</h1> <p>eburnett — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 19:26:59 +0000</p> <span>3 �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory Alumni Win 2022 Guggenheim Fellowships</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-04-22T15:26:59-04:00" title="Friday, April 22, 2022 - 15:26">Fri, 04/22/2022 - 15:26</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Three �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory alumni are recipients of 2022 Guggenheim Fellowships in support of future research or creative projects.</p> <p>Composer and sound artist <a href="http://www.phyllischen.net/">Phyllis Chen ’97</a> and trumpeter-composer <a href="https://www.peterevanstrumpet.com/">Peter Evans ’03</a> were awarded in the Composition category. Playwright and composer <a href="https://cesaralvarez.net/">César Alvarez ’03</a> was selected for Drama and Performance.</p> <p>A former piano performance major in the studio of Robert Shannon, Chen (pictured left) has forged a career creating music on and for marginalized and unconventional instruments, including toy pianos and music boxes. She is a professor in the music department at the State University of New York at New Paltz.</p> <p>Evans (pictured center) has cultivated a vibrant and varied career in New York, where he performs with a number of groups, most notably as leader of the Peter Evans Ensemble and Being and Becoming. He has collaborated with a wide range of musicians, from John Zorn to Kanye West, and his compositions have been commissioned by the International Contemporary Ensemble, Yarn/Wire, and others.</p> <p>Initially a jazz saxophonist who completed an individual independent major incorporating studies in TIMARA at �鶹��Ƶ, Alvarez (pictured right) operates between the worlds of theater, music, performance art, and social practice, with a specialization in large-scale experimental musicals. An assistant professor of music at Dartmouth College, Alvarez was also the winner of the 2022 Kleban Prize in Musical Theatre for lyrics.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.gf.org/">John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation</a> was established in 1925 to support advanced scholarship or artistic endeavors among exceptional individuals at the midpoint of their careers. Each year, the foundation selects approximately 175 fellows from a pool of 3,000 applicants. Fellowships are accompanied by a grant and are awarded across a comprehensive range of disciplines encompassing sciences, fine art, performing arts, and more.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Annual awards support research or creative endeavors across a range of disciplines.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2022-04-22T12:00:00Z">Fri, 04/22/2022 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erich Burnett</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2974">Conservatory Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=29541">Piano</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/keyboard-studies" hreflang="und">Keyboard Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies" hreflang="und">Jazz Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/contemporary-music" hreflang="und">Contemporary Music</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>