Reimagining the Voice: Nick Hallett ’97 on Art Without Boundaries</h1> <article> <h1>Reimagining the Voice: Nick Hallett ’97 on Art Without Boundaries</h1> <p>kviancou — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 15:20:30 +0000</p> <span>Reimagining the Voice: Nick Hallett ’97 on Art Without Boundaries</span> <span><span>kviancou</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-03-27T11:20:30-04:00" title="Friday, March 27, 2026 - 11:20">Fri, 03/27/2026 - 11:20</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When Nick Hallett ’97 reconstructs a piece of music, he’s not just reviving a score—he’s reimagining a living work.</p><p>In 2025, Hallett earned a master’s degree in music composition at Wesleyan, where he had the time and opportunity to dive more deeply into new work. His final project was a musicological thesis centered on reconstructing and performing "City Park" by the late cellist and composer Arthur Russell. </p><p>City Park hadn’t been heard in five decades until performances held in 2023 at Wesleyan and the New York City AIDS Memorial. Returning to academia allowed Hallett to reimagine the composition for a new generation. A longtime admirer of Russell’s work, Hallett sought out the composer’s instructions for the piece, along with archival recordings and the memories of those who had participated in the premiere. </p><p>“The score is a map,” Hallett said in a <em>New York Times</em> feature about the work, “one that is not intended to be followed literally but one that puts agency in the performer and allows them to make choices.” </p><p>Hallett’s artistic practice has always been integrative. Initially a vocal student in �鶹��Ƶ’s Conservatory of Music, he later added a self-designed linguistics major in the college and graduated with a double degree. “Linguistics stimulated my sense of interdisciplinarity,” he says. “TIMARA was a place where I could figure out how to make the things I liked learning about, and I took classes in theater and dance as well.” </p><p>Hallett studied under Richard Miller in the conservatory. The storied voice professor “had such a strong impact on my formation as an artist, but not in the ways I imagine he intended,” Hallett says. He notes that Miller’s use of scientific listening tools are still part of Hallet’s teaching and artistic practice. “Much of what I’m working on right now goes back to what I absorbed during my time in his studio.” </p><p>By his final semester at �鶹��Ƶ, Hallett had ventured into experimental work. He staged a guerrilla-style performance-composition recital in Fairchild Chapel titled “The Theater of Organized Sound.” In true Obie fashion, Hallett postered across campus to spread the word outside of official channels. The performance was off the record from any academic department yet drew a rapt crowd and was reviewed in <em>The �鶹��Ƶ Review</em>. </p><p>The success of that DIY recital gave Hallett the experience and confidence to stage his own interdisciplinary works, an approach that came in handy after moving to New York City shortly after graduating. “If Miller knew I was performing experimental vocal music within the conservatory at the same time, I would have been kicked out of his studio,” Hallett says. “But I was far from alone, and it was not hard to find faculty support to realize my ideas. The like-minded artists I identified as an �鶹��Ƶ student remain my close associates.” </p><p>In recent years, Hallett has created scores for works by choreographer Bill T. Jones and collaborated with artist Shana Moulton on multiple projects. He will make his debut as a solo artist in fall 2026 with an art exhibition of acousmatic <em>Voice Portraits</em> at New York’s Klaus Von Nichtssagend Gallery. The project draws on his longtime work as a voice teacher to artists and rock singers, as well as technologies he first encountered at �鶹��Ƶ. </p><p>To create the portraits, Hallett leads participants through creative prompts similar to those used in a voice lesson, then transforms the recordings into multichannel sound sculptures that capture each subject’s vocal essence.</p><p>Hallett remains deeply connected to the network of artistic Obies in New York City who champion experimentation and mixed-media work. He teaches at Eugene Lang College at the New School and the School of Visual Arts and recently published his first academic article, “Transidiomatic Orality: Anthony Braxton's Journey through the Voice,” in the book <em>Anthony Braxton – 50+ Years of Creative Music</em>. And while he’s come a long way as an academic and artist since his time at �鶹��Ƶ, the lessons of his double-degree education continue to influence his work. </p><p>“I was on a trajectory of being the musical collaborator to artists working in non-musical fields,” Hallett says. “I wouldn't be having my first solo art exhibit if I hadn’t gone back to school and put my thinking about voice into a new creative practice.” </p><hr><p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Double degree graduate draws on his musical and artistic background to create large-scale collaborative projects. </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="2026-04-07T12:00:00Z">Tue, 04/07/2026 - 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-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2357">Double Degree Program</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Nick Hallett ’97 performs "City Park" in New York.</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">Michael Azerrad</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-49608" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <p><strong>C Is For Collaboration </strong></p><p>Hallett has remained close to peers from �鶹��Ƶ, including Zach Layton ’99, with whom he co-organizes the annual NYC <em>In C</em> performance of Terry Riley’s epic 1964 composition. What began as an �鶹��Ƶ rite of passage—Layton performed it in Randall Coleman's composition seminar, and Hallett remembers gathering in the conservatory courtyard to play In C with classmates—has endured as a New York City tradition.</p><p>“I’ve been lucky to have a supportive network of Obies who champion my energies across music and dance and visual art,” Hallett says. The 2025 performance featured an impressive list of Obies, including flutist Claire Chase ’01, violinist Erica Dicker ’01, trombonist Sam Kulik ’04, cellist Alex Waterman ’98, and composer Du Yun ’01.</p><hr><p><em>�鶹��Ƶ’s </em><a href="/arts-and-sciences/ba-bfa" target="_blank" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="3b72b3d9-2465-48c8-9c21-0dd1037a3a87" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="BA+BFA in Integrated Arts"><em>BA+BFA in Integrated Arts program</em></a><em> combines the rigor of an arts school with the well-rounded, interdisciplinary education of a liberal arts college. Learn more about this five-year program that’s tailored to each student’s academic and artistic interests.</em></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-article-header field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">0</div> </article> <article> <h1>Cellist Drew Dansby to Perform Jazz-Influenced Cello Concerto</h1> <p>cstrauss — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 03:30:37 +0000</p> <span>Cellist Drew Dansby to Perform Jazz-Influenced Cello Concerto</span> <span><span>cstrauss</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-04-11T23:30:37-04:00" title="Thursday, April 11, 2024 - 23:30">Thu, 04/11/2024 - 23:30</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Each October seniors in the Conservatory are eligible to compete in the annual Concerto Competition. An external jury selects four young artists to perform complete concertos with �鶹��Ƶ's orchestras, conducted by Raphael Jiménez.</p> <p>This year cellist Drew Dansby entered the competition with David Baker’s 1987 Concerto for Cello and Jazz Band, and earned one of these four solo spots. On <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/concert_oberlin_orchestra_oberlin_jazz_oberlin">Friday, April 12</a>, he'll perform this work accompanied by an ensemble of students from �鶹��Ƶ's Jazz Division under the leadership of <a href="/chris-anderson">Chris Anderson</a>, director of the �鶹��Ƶ Jazz Ensemble. It is the first time a jazz ensemble has been employed as collaborators for a Concerto Competition winner's solo date.</p> <p>The evening's program in Finney Chapel will also showcase the �鶹��Ƶ Orchestra, with <a href="/raphael-jimenez">Raphael Jiménez</a>, in performances of Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9 and Carlos Simon's AMEN!, written in 2017 and revised in 2019.</p> <h6><em>Meet the soloist</em></h6> <p>At 23, Drew Dansby is the youngest member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and he is the cellist of the award-winning <a href="https://poiesisquartet.com/">Poiesis Quartet</a>, formed at �鶹��Ƶ in the Advanced String Quartet Seminar. Dansby won the position with Cincinnati last spring. He will graduate from �鶹��Ƶ this spring with dual degrees—a Bachelor of Music in cello performance and a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry, along with minors in sociology and comparative American studies. He is a student of <a href="/darrett-adkins">Darrett Adkins</a>.</p> <p>With the Poiesis Quartet, Dansby won the Grand Prize at the 2023 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, as well as the gold medal at the 2023 St. Paul String Quartet Competition. Highlights of the quartet's 2023-24 season include a recording project with Grammy-winning producer Elaine Martone and mezzo-soprano Nancy Maultsby, the quartet's New York City debut on the Schneider Series at the Mannes School of Music, and a summer residency at the Emilia Romagna Festival in Italy. The Poiesis Quartet is continuing their studies in the Graduate Quartet Program at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.</p> <p>Dansby began playing both violin and cello at the age of 4 and continues to perform on both instruments. He was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of the United States for three international summer tours, and was recognized as the first person in the history of that orchestra to be accepted on two instruments. </p> <p>He made his solo debut with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra at age 15, and he has performed with the Eastern Festival Orchestra as a winner of the Eastern Music Festival Concerto Competition. He was recognized as a National YoungArts Winner and was awarded the gold medal in the Cleveland Cello Society competition. </p> <p>Committed to using music as a tool for community building, Dansby has worked as a volunteer to expand access to music education for young people and created organizations and programs that have served as fundraisers and outreach vehicles to nursing homes, hospitals, and after-school programs.</p> <p>As a chemistry major at �鶹��Ƶ, Dansby conducted molecular dynamics and computational chemistry research under Professors <a href="/manish-mehta">Manish Mehta</a> and <a href="/shuming-chen">Shuming Chen</a>, and he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honors society. He also interned as an air quality analyst at the Charlotte branch of Civil and Environmental Consultants and conducted atmospheric chemistry research with Dr. Terry Miller at The Ohio State University. </p> <h6><em>Q&A</em></h6> <p><strong>How did you come to choose the David Baker Concerto for Cello and Jazz Band?</strong></p> <p>I first learned about David Baker in 2020 during the George Floyd uprisings, when there was increased interest in the classical music community in platforming works by Black composers. David Baker was a prolific multi-instrumentalist (including cellist), improviser, and composer, who many remember for his warm sense of humor and his brilliant teaching at Indiana University. He wrote a concerto for cello and chamber orchestra and a solo cello sonata, which are perhaps more well known. But, I came across his Concerto for Cello and Jazz Band and was really curious. No recordings were publicly available at that time. I reached out to the Conservatory Library, where Deborah Campana (Head of the Conservatory Library at the time) was able to find a recording of the first movement from a limited edition CD recorded shortly after Baker finished the composition in 1987. The piece sounded wicked hard, but also had some achingly beautiful moments, and I knew I had to learn it. The library also had a scan of Baker’s handwritten manuscript of the big band score, which gave me the idea to make a transcription of the composition for cello and jazz piano so I would be able to play it for the rounds of the �鶹��Ƶ Concerto Competition. I eventually met and partnered with Mitchell Galligan, a really talented jazz piano student who agreed to play my arrangement with me. I hoped this piece would be a good alternative to playing a canon cello concerto with orchestra, and thought it could also be an opportunity for collaboration between the classical and jazz departments of the Conservatory.</p> <p><strong>What has the piece taught you about your playing and how to reach an audience?</strong></p> <p>Baker wrote this work to encompass a variety of Black American music styles that are generally grouped under the blanket term “jazz,” including bebop improvisation, early R&B, and soul. The structure of the work—featuring three movements, two extended cadenzas that open and close the piece, and big band sections—bring aspects of the jazz idiom to closely resemble a European concerto for soloist and orchestra. Every main melody in the work is very accessible, almost cinematic. There is a beautiful waltz that opens the second movement, and the driving main theme of the third movement could be heard as an intro in a 90’s action film. However, each theme is cloaked in very technical cello writing. It’s been a challenge to explore how the solo part’s virtuosity contributes to the spirit of each melody or line, while not getting distracted by its difficulty. For me, this piece is also a reminder that every aspect that is cool and popular in classical music—especially contemporary American music—is Black American music adapted to more traditional European forms. </p> <p><strong>When you think back on your time at �鶹��Ƶ, what stands out about the experience of going to school here?</strong></p> <p>�鶹��Ƶ has incredible professors and an academic culture that encourages critical inquiry, and I felt like I had the resources and support to pursue anything I was interested in. But I also feel like I learned as much from my classmates as I did from my classes and professors. The conservatory is a place where we often end up spending more time than even our homes or dorms. Everyone I’ve met at �鶹��Ƶ is deeply passionate about community building, and it reflects in the ways we all show up and look out for each other.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">In a "first" for the �鶹��Ƶ Concerto Competition, the soloist will be accompanied by a jazz ensemble.</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="2024-04-11T12:00:00Z">Thu, 04/11/2024 - 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=3878">Conservatory of Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=4052">Concerto Winners</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2357">Double Degree Program</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=35261">Cello</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="/darrett-adkins" hreflang="und">Darrett Adkins</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/raphael-jimenez" hreflang="und">Raphael Jiménez</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/chris-anderson" hreflang="und">Chris Anderson</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/manish-mehta" hreflang="und">Manish Mehta</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/shuming-chen" hreflang="und">Shuming Chen</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/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/chemistry-biochemistry" hreflang="und">Chemistry and Biochemistry</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">Tanya Rosen-Jones</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Time Traveling with Jeremy Denk</h1> <p>srasmuss — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 21:32:43 +0000</p> <span>Time Traveling with Jeremy Denk</span> <span><span>srasmuss</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-11-13T16:32:43-05:00" title="Monday, November 13, 2023 - 16:32">Mon, 11/13/2023 - 16:32</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>“The bad thing is that you’re always kind of stuck in the past,” the pianist said, referring to repertoire choices. “But the good thing is you can time travel in this wild way and see across centuries a little bit.”</p> <p>Denk’s latest program spans three centuries, to be exact—the 19th to the 21st. It’s also an exploration of women composers from the Romantic to the contemporary. While touring the recital across the country, he will perform in �鶹��Ƶ’s Finney Chapel on <a href="/events/artist_recital_series_jeremy_denk_piano">November 30 as part of the Artist Recital Series</a>.</p> <p>“I often struggle with how to present some of this neglected repertoire in the context of a ‘normal’ piano recital,” Denk said. For the works by women, he opted for a playlist format—10 selections, each between two and seven minutes. The order is a careful balance, divided into pairs which are each “wildly contrasting in one way or another.”</p> <p>The opening is shrouded in a “terrible grief,” Denk said, via Clara Schumann’s <em>Romance</em>, Op. 21, No. 1. “You feel her personal investment,” he said. “And there's a violence towards the end where this sorrow bursts into this thing.”</p> <p><em>Romance</em>’s pair, Tania León’s <em>Rituál</em>, is another approach to outpouring emotion. Denk described it as a “really wild and wooly” piece of piano writing. “It may be a little bit much to say it's a new classic, because it's a little bit more confrontational,” he said.“But for me, it’s a classic of the last 40 or 50 years.”</p> <p>The roughly 35-minute playlist continues bouncing back and forth from past to present. For fans of the Romantics, there’s Cécile Chaminade (<em>The Flatterer</em>) and Louise Farrenc (<em>Mélodie in A-flat Major</em>). And for those who prefer a modern sensibility, there’s Meredith Monk’s <em>Paris</em> and Missy Mazzoli’s <em>Heartbreaker</em>.</p> <p>“I wish Missy would write more piano music,” Denk said. “I think her command of harmonies is really astonishing.”</p> <p>Another pleasant surprise for Denk was Ruth Crawford Seeger’s <em>Piano Study in Mixed Accents</em>. “I knew she was a great composer, but this piece is so, so fabulous,” he said. ”It’s just a simple premise—both hands in unison changing meters—but the notes are brilliantly sinuous and it's so funky.”</p> <p>The final pairing stands out to Denk: Phyllis Chen’s ’99 <em>Sumitones</em> and the “Dreaming” movement from Amy Beach’s <em>Four Sketches</em>. Although written more than a century apart, the two works “speak to each other in an incredible way,” he said. </p> <p>He particularly praised the work by Chen, who is a former classmate of his from Indiana University—and a fellow �鶹��Ƶ alum. “It’s very much about awareness of the acoustics of the space,” he said. “I think it’s the perfect piece for Finney.”</p> <p>Finney Chapel holds plenty of memories from Denk’s time at �鶹��Ƶ. A double degree student in piano performance and chemistry, Denk characterized his time at the school as “incredibly intense” and “quite stressful.” Still, Finney provided plenty of moments to remember: late night recording sessions with the Contemporary Music Ensemble, a winning performance during the concerto competition, and the spellbinding experience of hearing The Cleveland Orchestra for the first time.</p> <p>“It’s a magical space,” he said. The Cleveland Orchestra performance, in particular, was a moment he recounted in his memoir, 2022’s <em>Every Good Boy Does Fine</em>.</p> <p>Denk’s program continues to develop, and he remains open to changes down the line. For instance, there’s the matter of what comes after intermission, which at his recent performance in Washington, D.C. consisted of works by Robert Schumann and Wolfgang Mozart. He asked the audience there whether he should flip the order of the program to end with the women’s voices instead.</p> <p>The response? “They seemed to want the dead white guys to have the last word.”</p> <p>Denk remains unsure. “It's a tough sell, the ending of the all-female composers’ set, because it is so spaced out,” he said after a pause. “We’ll see.”</p> <p>Regardless of the order, Denk hopes audiences walk away thinking of a composer they want to hear more of. There are plenty to choose from within the musical tapestry, from which he highlighted qualities of expressivity, romanticism, and yearning. </p> <p>“Also, my time at �鶹��Ƶ was characterized by all kinds of inchoate and wild yearning,” he added, laughing. “So, hopefully I can channel all that.”</p> <p>TICKETS<br> <a href="/tickets/event-details?EventId=6201">Reserved seating tickets</a> for Jeremy Denk's performance are $35 for the general public. Discounted tickets are $30 for senior citizens, military, and �鶹��Ƶ College staff, faculty, and alumni. Student admission is just $10. �鶹��Ƶ students with a valid ID have access to free tickets through our <a href="/artsguide/ticket-information/claim-your-seat">Claim Your Seat</a> program.</p> <p>Tickets are available online and by phone at 800-371-0178. Patrons may also purchase them in person between noon and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at �鶹��Ƶ College's Central Ticket Service, located at 67 N. Main Street, in the lobby of the Eric Baker Nord Performing Arts Complex.</p> <p>Learn more about the <a href="/artsguide">Arts at �鶹��Ƶ</a>.</p> <p>This program is proudly supported by Ideastream Public Media, official media partner of the Artist Recital Series.</p> <p><em>Stephanie Manning ’23 completed her bachelor’s degree in bassoon performance with a dual concentration in arts management and journalism. A 2022 fellow of the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism, she has contributed frequently to ClevelandClassical.com and Early Music America. She is currently pursuing a graduate diploma in journalism from Concordia University in Montreal.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">The pianist and �鶹��Ƶ alum is touring the country with an era-spanning program featuring women composers. He returns to Finney Chapel for the Artist Recital Series on November 30.</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="2023-11-13T12:00:00Z">Mon, 11/13/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Stephanie Manning '23</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Time traveling isn’t usually taught in music school. But it’s one of <a href="https://www.jeremydenk.com/">Jeremy Denk’s ’90</a> favorite parts about being a classical musician.</p> <p> </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=2364">Artist Recital Series</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2548">Concerts and Recitals</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2357">Double Degree Program</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> <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> <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">Michael Wilson</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Universal Languages</h1> <p>eburnett — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 20:06:20 +0000</p> <span>Universal Languages</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-07-06T16:06:20-04:00" title="Thursday, July 6, 2023 - 16:06">Thu, 07/06/2023 - 16:06</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Kenji Anderson grew up around native Japanese speakers. His mother is Japanese, and when his family visited his grandparents in Japan, he would pick up words and phrases along the way. But it was his Japanese classes at �鶹��Ƶ that expanded his knowledge and fueled his passion for the country’s language and culture.</p> <p>As a <a href="https://piaweb.princeton.edu/">Princeton in Asia</a> teaching fellow, Anderson looks forward to strengthening his language skills and immersing himself in the local community of Yakage, a town in the Okayama prefecture, which will be his home base for at least the next year. As a fellow, Anderson, who departed for Japan on June 19, teaches English in local preschools and provides administrative support to the Yakage Town Hall.</p> <p>“One of the really great things about Princeton in Asia is the focus on community,” he says: “Both the community of the other fellows, but in particular, the community that you’re entering into, because we have specific roles and specific jobs cut out for us in the community.”</p> <p>Anderson, a 2022 �鶹��Ƶ grad who studied <a href="/node/3441">English</a> and <a href="/node/24141">piano performance</a>, also pursued his interest in <a href="/node/388191">Japanese culture and language</a> through his classes and social ties on campus. He credits an East Asian studies course on fantasy in Japanese literature and movies for sparking his interest in the subject.</p> <p>“I’ve always been really interested in living in Japan,” he says. “Over my time at �鶹��Ƶ, my general interest in Japan became combined with my interest in English and literature.”</p> <p>Anderson also took several Japanese language courses. “It was a cool way to really work on a skill that I grew up around. It was also great to have the language-learning process <em>defamiliarized</em> to me.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Kenji Anderson came to �鶹��Ƶ to study English and piano—and left with a deepened love of Japan.</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="2023-07-13T12:00:00Z">Thu, 07/13/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Brittany Moseley</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=2357">Double Degree Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2391">Languages & Literatures</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=25336">East Asian Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</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/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/keyboard-studies" hreflang="und">Keyboard Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/east-asian-studies" hreflang="und">East Asian Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">In addition to his studies toward a double degree, Kenji Anderson fueled his fascination for Japanese culture through �鶹��Ƶ courses and social events.</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 Kenji Anderson</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-32097" class="paragraph paragraph--type--pb-el-bq paragraph--view-mode--default"> <blockquote class="blockquote--quotemark" data-text-color-red data-text-size-giant> <p>�鶹��Ƶ’s <a href="/node/24686">Double Degree Program</a> was definitely what drew me in. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to study in the college coming in, so I landed on the English major, which was also one of the best gifts of �鶹��Ƶ.”</p> </blockquote> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-27745" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <p>Anderson grew up in “a pretty musical household” in Emporia, Kansas. He began taking piano lessons at an early age and went on to learn the violin. For a while, he considered life as an opera singer. When it came time to apply for college, he was interested in studying at a conservatory, but also wanted to attend a school that was academically strong. For him, �鶹��Ƶ was the perfect fit.</p> <p>“�鶹��Ƶ’s <a href="/node/24686">Double Degree Program</a> was definitely what drew me in,” he says. “I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to study in the college coming in, so I landed on the English major, which was also one of the best gifts of �鶹��Ƶ.”</p> <p>Anderson sees a connection between his chosen majors. Without even realizing it, he invokes musical references when talking about his English major (“Texts are a great instrument for learning about life generally,” he says at one point). He even conjoined them for his English honors thesis: a musical literary analysis on opera, which focused on the art form’s text.</p> <p>Outside of his coursework, Anderson was involved with the Japanese Student Association, which celebrates traditional and contemporary Japanese culture through events held throughout the school year. Early on, he also worked with Ballet �鶹��Ƶ in a musical capacity and contributed to the student newspaper the <em>�鶹��Ƶ Review</em> as well as the student-run literary publication <em>Wilder Voice</em>.</p> <p>Anderson admits that �鶹��Ƶ’s close-knit campus community—roughly 2,900 students pursuing studies across the college and conservatory—was a surprise at first. In time, that very dynamic became a highlight of his experience here. “By the end, it’s really nice, because you can’t get too wrapped up in your own world,” he says. “You run into people so you’re pulled back into the community. That’s a really valuable experience I had at �鶹��Ƶ.”</p> <hr> <p><em>Founded in 1898 and affiliated with Princeton University, Princeton in Asia is dedicated to promoting appreciation and cross-cultural understanding between the U.S. and Asia.</em></p> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Use It or Lose It: Railey Stern Yen Uses Fulbright to Reconnect with Taiwan</h1> <p>anagy — Thu, 25 May 2023 18:13:58 +0000</p> <span>Use It or Lose It: Railey Stern Yen Uses Fulbright to Reconnect with Taiwan</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-05-25T14:13:58-04:00" title="Thursday, May 25, 2023 - 14:13">Thu, 05/25/2023 - 14:13</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Railey Stern Yen looks forward to reuniting with family and reconnecting with the education system in Taiwan as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) next fall.</p> <p>A <a href="/admissions-and-aid/double-degree-program">double-degree</a> student with majors in economics and jazz performance and a minor in statistical modeling, Stern Yen applied for the Fulbright ETA because it aligns with his goal of working with children as a clinical psychologist, both as a practitioner and researcher. Ten years ago, a great aunt was instrumental in bringing Stern Yen to Taiwan to visit and attend school, and the experience left a positive, lasting impression. </p> <p>“I think living abroad is one of the best ways to develop as a person and expand your perspective, especially when using a different language,” says Stern Yen, who is from Oakland, California. “I am on the ‘lose it’ side of ‘use it or lose it’ with Mandarin, so being surrounded by other Mandarin speakers will help me learn to adapt and grow. I also feel like I am dealing with the same ‘lose it’ feeling with Taiwanese and Chinese culture. I am trying to regain some intuitive cultural understanding that I once had as a kid. It’s poetic to return to somewhere you once were, this time with something to give instead of just receiving from others.”</p> <p>This spring, Stern Yen learned the basic theories and application of teaching language in �鶹��Ƶ’s new Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages course. He also has experience with one-on-one tutoring for math and music. Through �鶹��Ƶ’s Junior Practicum, he worked as a teaching assistant for OhioGuidestone, a behavioral health agency, where the therapists and social workers informed his interest in working with young people.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Professor of Jazz Saxophone Gary Bartz, left, chats with Railey Stern Yen.</figcaption> </figure> <p>“The existence of an established Double Degree Program helped me grow a lot from the help of teachers and mentors with very different knowledge bases, all while (mostly) retaining my sanity,” he says, noting the bonds he made with faculty mentors in <a href="/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies">jazz</a>, <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/economics">economics</a>, and <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/psychology">psychology</a>. He worked closely with his advisor, Assistant Professor of Economics <a href="/paul-brehm">Paul Brehm</a>, and he was a research assistant for psychology faculty members <a href="/clinton-merck">Clint Merck</a> and <a href="/katherine-lawson">Kailey Lawson</a>.</p> <p>“In the jazz department, I’ve had mentors who are also life coaches—particularly <a href="/gary-bartz">Gary Bartz</a>—but many others too. They helped me learn about growth and discipline in a way that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else.”</p> <p>Outside of the classroom, Stern Yen performed in the <a href="/conservatory/on-stage/ensembles">�鶹��Ƶ Jazz Ensemble</a>, as well as a student-created Afro jazz ensemble and swing band. </p> <p>Stern Yen looks forward to immersing himself in the culture of Taiwan, including the music scene and night markets. “I want to explore as much of the country as I can, from malls in cities to vast rural areas, and just be a sponge. It doesn’t hurt that the food is delicious, including the school lunch.”</p> <p>His Fulbright begins the first of August 2023 and lasts 11 months. Following the Fulbright year, Stern Yen intends to apply for clinical psychology PhD programs, with a focus on working with children and adolescents. He also plans to find ways to continue his musical journey.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">A May 2023 graduate of the double degree program, Stern Yen will apply his experiences in teaching and working with youth.</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="2023-05-25T12:00:00Z">Thu, 05/25/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</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=2357">Double Degree Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2413">Social Sciences</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2370">Ensembles & Orchestras</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=25341">Economics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=34691">Jazz Performance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=84821">Statistical Modeling</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="/gary-bartz" hreflang="und">Gary Bartz</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/paul-brehm" hreflang="und">Paul Brehm</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/economics" hreflang="und">Economics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies" hreflang="und">Jazz Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/psychology" hreflang="und">Psychology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Railey Stern Yen will teach English in Taiwan.</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">Tanya Rosen-Jones '97</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>�鶹��Ƶ Conservatory Organist Daniel Jacky Wins Duke Chapel Position</h1> <p>eburnett — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 15:44:59 +0000</p> <span>�鶹��Ƶ Conservatory Organist Daniel Jacky Wins Duke Chapel Position</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-06-01T11:44:59-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 1, 2022 - 11:44">Wed, 06/01/2022 - 11:44</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New organ students at �鶹��Ƶ are greeted by some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjE_rzAUtaM">32 outstanding instruments</a>, but personal favorites inevitably develop over time.</p> <p>For Daniel Jacky, it was the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jQfUcAL-1Q">Brombaugh Opus 25</a>, found in the loft of medieval-inspired Fairchild Chapel and built in the tradition of early 17th-century Germany.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>(photo by Yevhen Gulenko)</figcaption> </figure> <p>“I love the Fairchild one best,” the fifth-year senior says without hesitation in late May, with just one philosophy final separating him from a double degree in organ performance and mathematics. “You won’t find another one quite like it. It’s so unique in terms of the sound, the touch, and the way it resonates in the chapel.”</p> <p>So taken by the instrument’s charms, Jacky once asked his teacher, <a href="/node/6761">Jonathan Moyer</a>, to devote an entire semester of lessons on it. “That’s the one I’m going to miss the most, for sure,” he says.</p> <p>But for Jacky, there will be new options: He has been named the American Guild of Organists’ Organ Scholar for 2022-23, a position he will serve at Duke University Chapel in Durham, North Carolina. Among Duke Chapel’s four instruments is one made by Brombaugh, much like the one Jacky knows so well at �鶹��Ƶ. Another is a Flentrop crafted in the model of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfE5UmIyBCM">�鶹��Ƶ’s Flentrop</a> (pictured, above and below), which towers over Warner Concert Hall.</p> <p>Beginning in August, Jacky will perform for services at Duke Chapel and assist with its three choirs, in addition to continuing his studies with chapel organist Christopher Jacobson and performing at Duke Divinity School. The paid internship also covers his housing and healthcare.</p> <p>“Obviously, the music is great, and the organs are great,” Jacky says of the opportunity. “But everybody there is so welcoming and so friendly. They said, ‘We’re meeting you where you are, and we’re going to make this a good experience for you.’ They really value the things �鶹��Ƶ has taught me and the experience I had here. It’s actually like �鶹��Ƶ in a lot of ways. It hit me at one point: I get to do �鶹��Ƶ <em>professionally.</em>”</p> <p>Jacky is the first recipient of the <a href="https://www.agohq.org/organ-scholar-program/">AGO Organ Scholarship</a>. In addition to Duke, the program—whose parent organization supports some 12,000 professional organists nationwide—will partner with other top-flight organ institutions across the country in future years.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Jonathan Moyer works with Daniel Jacky at<br> Warner Concert Hall's Flentrop Organ, formally<br> known as the Van Cleef Family Organ. A very<br> similar Flentrop, installed under the leadership of<br> former �鶹��Ƶ organ professor Fenner Douglass,<br> awaits Jacky at Duke University Chapel.<br> (photo by Yevhen Gulenko)</figcaption> </figure> <p>“It has been such a joy to see Daniel blossom over these last five years,” says Moyer, �鶹��Ƶ’s David S. Boe Associate Professor of Organ. “Through it all, Daniel has been a committed and hardworking student, as well as a truly uplifting presence in our department. We are so excited for this next chapter in his career: The Organ Scholar Program at Duke Chapel is a real steppingstone into the professional world of cathedral church music.”</p> <p>Born and raised in rural southern Ohio, Jacky is the son of two teachers who specialize in the subjects he chose as majors: music and math. (“I love to learn!” he says through a beaming smile.) In high school, he juggled a heaping plate of academics, piano studies, soccer, tennis, and track. His introduction to organ came when his piano teacher recommended him for an open position at a local church.</p> <p>“He was also the first person to tell me about �鶹��Ƶ,” Jacky says of that teacher. “He described it as sort of an organ Mecca: a small town with a ton of organs. And I thought <em>Wow, this sounds great!</em>”</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Fairchild Chapel's Brombaugh organ, also known<br> as the Mary McIntosh Bridge Memorial Organ,<br> Daniel Jacky's favorite instrument at �鶹��Ƶ.<br> (photo by Jennifer Manna)</figcaption> </figure> <p>The advance publicity didn’t lie.</p> <p>“�鶹��Ƶ has so many different instruments—the sheer variety is amazing,” he says. “No other institution in the world compares to the variety of organs here.”</p> <p>At �鶹��Ƶ, Jacky was the recipient of a Stamps Scholarship, a highly competitive honor through which he earned annual funding from the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation, which has partnered with �鶹��Ƶ since 2013.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>(photo by Yevhen Gulenko)</figcaption> </figure> <p>Despite COVID interruptions, he served the congregations of three area churches during his five years: one in �鶹��Ƶ, another in Cleveland, and a third in nearby Amherst, where he also directed the choir. He completed an internship at St. Peter’s Church in Manhattan as well.</p> <p>Jacky considers those outside experiences crucial to earning the AGO internship.</p> <p>“At Duke, I’ll be leading rehearsals of professional musicians, and that’s not an experience you really get in school without trying to get it yourself,” he says. “We get so much experience here, and being able to adapt to any situation—you learn that at �鶹��Ƶ.”</p> <p><em>Learn more about organ performance at �鶹��Ƶ at <a href="/organ">oberlin.edu/organ</a>.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Double-degree student devotes coming year to performing, choir directing, and continued studies in North Carolina.</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="2022-06-01T12:00:00Z">Wed, 06/01/2022 - 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=2357">Double Degree Program</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=32966">Organ</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="/jonathan-william-moyer" hreflang="und">Jonathan William Moyer</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="/arts-and-sciences/departments/mathematics" hreflang="und">Mathematics</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">Yevhen Gulenko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Nick Beltramini Receives NOAA Hollings Scholarship</h1> <p>anagy — Fri, 13 May 2022 20:25:10 +0000</p> <span>Nick Beltramini Receives NOAA Hollings Scholarship</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-05-13T16:25:10-04:00" title="Friday, May 13, 2022 - 16:25">Fri, 05/13/2022 - 16:25</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Double degree student Nick Beltramini hopes to contribute to the management, regulation, and public appreciation of marine fisheries as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hollings Scholar. </p> <p>The <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/office-education/hollings-scholarship">Hollings Scholarship Program</a> awards undergraduates with academic assistance (up to $9,500 per year) for two years of full-time study and a 10-week, full-time paid internship at a NOAA facility during the summer. The internship between the first and second years of the award provides scholars with hands-on, practical experience in NOAA-related science, research, technology, policy, management, and education activities. Awards also include travel funds to attend a mandatory NOAA Scholarship Program orientation and the annual Science & Education Symposium, scientific conferences where students present their research, and a housing subsidy for scholars who do not reside at home during the summer internship.</p> <p>Beltramini is in his third year as a double degree student majoring in <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/environmental-studies">environmental studies</a> and <a href="/jazz-performance#:~:text=At%20�鶹��Ƶ%2C%20Jazz%20Performance%20students,%2C%20percussion%2C%20and%20double%20bass.">jazz performance</a>. This summer, he has an internship with Jeff Kneebone of the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, where he will be tagging mako sharks and yellowfin tuna offshore to monitor the potential adverse effects of catch and release.</p> <p>“I grew up obsessed with fishing, and I still am,” says Beltramini, who is from Wrentham, Massachusetts. “I was heavily involved in the local fisheries and the local fishing community, and it’s quite obvious that overfishing pressures and poor management have negatively impacted our nation's fisheries, including the local fisheries I grew up with. I want to make a difference and feel that I can make a difference in the end. NOAA is arguably the largest national player in terms of fisheries management, and that’s where I want to be.”</p> <p>Beltramini says his combination of studies in the <a href="/admissions-and-aid/double-degree-program">double degree program</a> gives him a distinct advantage when tackling challenges. </p> <p>“I firmly believe that music makes me a better scientist and science makes me a better musician,” he says. Most importantly, leading the band Slightly Tooned has been the most influential experience of my life to date. Learning how to communicate with people, be a leader, and acquire all the necessary skills it takes to run a business have been incredibly important to my ability to achieve as a scientist.”</p> <p>Off campus, Beltramini has performed research at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, where he headed a project on methylmercury bioaccumulation of trout in kettle ponds. He has also aided and will continue to be involved in NOAA-funded research monitoring sandbar shark mortality for the New England Aquarium.</p> <p>When he’s not practicing or studying, Beltramini plays club soccer at �鶹��Ƶ, and there’s a good chance he can be found on the rivers casting for steelhead. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">A double degree student, Beltramini is eyeing a career in fisheries management.</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="2022-05-16T12:00:00Z">Mon, 05/16/2022 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</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=2363">Academics & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2367">Science & Math</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2357">Double Degree Program</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=25351">Environmental Studies and Sciences</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="/arts-and-sciences/departments/environmental-studies" hreflang="und">Environmental Studies and Science</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">Nick Beltramini is a 2022 Hollings Scholar.</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">Tanya Rosen-Jones '97</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>From Preschool to Star Wars</h1> <p>eburnett — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 17:25:04 +0000</p> <span>From Preschool to Star Wars</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-06-17T13:25:04-04:00" title="Thursday, June 17, 2021 - 13:25">Thu, 06/17/2021 - 13:25</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>There’s more than one way to be a singer, and nobody knows it better than <a href="https://www.adriana-manfredi.com/">Adriana Manfredi ’01</a>. A mezzo-soprano and music educator who sings with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Los Angeles Opera Chorus, Manfredi has used the skills she learned at �鶹��Ƶ to create a unique career that marries her interests in performance and teaching.</p> <p>“�鶹��Ƶ was my dream school. It truly was,” Manfredi says. “I started as a pianist, and my mom put me in musical theater because I was a shy kid. I came in as a double-degree transfer student—so I was there for four years and walked out with two degrees.”</p> <p>Originally from the Los Angeles area, Manfredi majored in English and music education, with a voice concentration. “�鶹��Ƶ was the best-quality school I could find where I could do both. The quality of conservatory classes is very <em>academic</em> in what they ask you to do, and write, and think, and how to make connections. They’re really asking you to put together big ideas; it’s not just about creating great performers. It all works together.”</p> <p>During her final year at �鶹��Ƶ, Manfredi wrote an interdisciplinary thesis on choral settings of Song of Songs, a section of the Old Testament that centers on two lovers. She is quick to note how the project influenced the work she does today with the Master Chorale.</p> <p>“Researching and writing my thesis really informed how I think about being a singer,” she says. “Now I'm able to really analyze the text of an art song or aria: how the text informs the harmonies, how deeply the composer is thinking about the partnership, how to find out the story of the work. The piece informs itself. I find that when I go into new musical projects, it’s really exciting to just dig deep in talking about this poetry. I use my English degree all the time, working with text. As singers, we have to!”</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>courtesy Adriana Manfredi</figcaption> </figure> <p>After graduating, Manfredi moved back to Southern California, where her work has included a 12-year tenure as a vocal arts instructor at the Orange County School of the Arts, cofounding an early childhood music collective, and performing with the L.A. Master Chorale and Opera Chorus.</p> <p>The welcome surprise? The Obies she finds along the way.</p> <p>“Really, Obies maintain friendships our whole lives from that time at �鶹��Ƶ. I made friends with Stefan Grube ’03. He went to both �鶹��Ƶ High School and �鶹��Ƶ College, ended up coming out to L.A. for the movie industry, and 10 or 15 years later, he’s working for J.J. Abrams, got to work on <em>The Force Awakens</em>, had a cameo, and then he got to edit <em>Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker</em>. Now he and his wife are godparents to my oldest son, Gio.</p> <p>“When Stefan edited <em>Rise of Skywalker</em>, I was singing on episodes eight and nine with the L.A. Master Chorale. It was the last thing John Williams conducted before he retired, so at the last session they had champagne, a big celebration for him. Stefan was in the booth with J.J. Abrams, and he knew I was going to be there, so we both came out at break and were looking at each other like <em>Whoa</em>. There were no pictures, but we were just like…<em>Pretty cool</em>.”</p> <p>Manfredi’s other credits as a session singer—a singer hired specifically for recording sessions—include the films <em>Frozen</em>, <em>Minions</em>, and <em>Big Hero 6</em>.</p> <p>In February 2020, mere weeks before COVID-19 shut down the world, Manfredi and the L.A. Master Chorale took part in the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s sessions for the recording <em>Complete Symphonies of Charles Ives</em>. It went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance, and Manfredi can be heard on the first and fourth movements of Ives’ Fourth Symphony.</p> <p>"Being a part of the Ives recording was such a thrill,” she says today. “The chorus part comes right at the end of the last movement, just a simple hymn tune, but of course it is what was so dear to Ives. So it’s a special moment to be included."</p> <p>When the pandemic hit, Manfredi and the chorale were in Auckland, New Zealand, at the Auckland Arts Festival, for the Peter Sellars production of Orlando di Lasso’s <em>Lagrime di San Pietro</em>. The work narrates the seven stages of grief St. Peter experienced after disavowing Jesus before his crucifixion. Originally created in 2016, the production has since toured the world, including performances at the Salzburg Festival in Austria, Festival Internacional Cervantino in Guanajuato, Mexico, and the Barbican Centre in London.</p> <p>“The piece is about the expressions of this incredibly human moment, and it’s what Peter does so well—bringing out the humanity of the text. It’s really a hybrid form: It’s very operatic, but we’re singing Renaissance tone. We’re all trained opera singers, but we all have to be versatile singers. What’s super-exciting is that the staging is so physical. We’re rolling on the ground, we’re throwing ourselves on the ground, running all over the place. It’s very extreme, physically; I ended up going back to train in dance just to keep being nimble. We all reinvigorated our physical routines.</p> <p>“It was a huge challenge, but we’re so excited to get back to it!”</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Adriana Manfredi teaches a Music Play session with son Octavio. (photo courtesy of Adriana Manfredi)</figcaption> </figure> <p>These days, Manfredi is focused on <a href="https://linktr.ee/inspiredmusicplay">Inspired Music Play</a>, an early childhood music education collective she cofounded with Kate Richards Geller, a music therapist and vocal improviser. The group promotes music education for the “little-littles,” as Manfredi calls them—children ages 6 and under.</p> <p>“Any kid who studies an instrument, you bet they had musical experiences when they were 0 to 6. It doesn’t just start when you go to first grade. It’s also that play and interactive element, rather than just<em> Oh, we play the classical music station in the background</em>. That’s stage one. It’s more <em>Hey, we’re going to improv warm-ups!</em> To just have that vocabulary. That play vocabulary, that improv vocabulary. And then the movement vocabulary. It’s all related to brain function, but it also lays the foundation for wherever they’re going to go in their artistic lives, and just their lives to begin with.”</p> <p>This understanding of music as a lifelong pursuit shapes Manfredi’s advice for young singers.</p> <p>“Know that your musicality is for your whole life, and you’re just beginning on your path,” she says. “Don’t talk yourself out of anything. If you feel moved to do something, there’s going to be a path for you. And there will be connections back to your �鶹��Ƶ experience that you won’t even see until decades down the road, or when you become a parent, or when you get a really cool job and you see another Obie there.</p> <p>“The �鶹��Ƶ experience is not finite at all. It’s planting seeds for the rest of your life.”</p> <p><em>Charlotte Maskelony graduated from �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory in spring 2021 with a degree in vocal performance. As a student, she wrote for the Office of Conservatory Communications.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Versatile singer and educator Adriana Manfredi ’01 stretches the bounds of her music career.</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="2021-06-17T12:00:00Z">Thu, 06/17/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Charlotte Maskelony '21</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=2357">Double Degree Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2974">Conservatory Alumni</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=35596">Voice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32971">Opera Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25346">English</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="/arts-and-sciences/departments/english" hreflang="und">English</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/pace" hreflang="und">Pedagogy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement</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 Adriana Manfredi</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Janet Wu ’21 Earns �鶹��Ƶ’s Nexial Prize for 2021</h1> <p>eburnett — Tue, 25 May 2021 20:07:04 +0000</p> <span>Janet Wu ’21 Earns �鶹��Ƶ’s Nexial Prize for 2021</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-05-25T16:07:04-04:00" title="Tuesday, May 25, 2021 - 16:07">Tue, 05/25/2021 - 16:07</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Janet Wu credits a piano mentor in high school for opening her eyes to �鶹��Ƶ. Five years later, �鶹��Ƶ has had its eyes opened to Janet Wu.</p> <p>In May, Wu was named the winner of �鶹��Ƶ’s 2021 Nexial Prize, a $50,000 award made annually to a member of the graduating class whose science studies are complemented by a profound interest in the study of culture. Wu, with majors in neuroscience, biology, and piano performance, is the first double-degree student to be honored in the prize’s five-year history, and also the first student of color and the first Asian American student.</p> <p>She is also one of two winners of the Pi Kappa Lambda Prize for Musicianship, one of the conservatory’s highest honors.</p> <p>During her time at �鶹��Ƶ, Wu has shown a profound interest in just about every corner of campus. A pianist since age 3, with a fascination for science that dates back almost as far, she was perhaps an ideal candidate to pursue a double degree, even if her ultimate goal involves oncologic surgery rather than performance.</p> <p>“I hadn’t planned on going into piano after high school because my focus was on science,” says Wu, who grew up in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. “But I had an unease in not continuing music in college in a more formal way. I knew that if I didn’t even try it, I would regret it.” In her time at �鶹��Ƶ, she has found the practice rooms of Robertson Hall to be the perfect antidote to the occasional stress of her science studies—and at other times, science is her calming escape from the keyboard. To her, the twin passions are not so unalike.</p> <p>“In music and in science, we’re trying to understand things by breaking them down into very small blocks and building them back up to either create a performance or create an understanding of how things are all interrelated,” she says. “That sort of big-picture mentality has informed my learning here at �鶹��Ƶ, and I think that comes from music and how we learn music.”</p> <p>She considers her conservatory education crucial to developing a necessary sense of vulnerability—the kind that comes from sharing music with others in a classroom or on a stage, as she did as a piano accompanist with the �鶹��Ƶ College Choir for its 2019 performance at Carnegie Hall. Experiencing vulnerability, she believes, is essential to developing meaningful relationships, especially among people with significantly different life experiences. It’s a notion she also developed as a student leader of Barefoot Dialogues, a program of the <a href="/religious-and-spiritual-life/staff">Office of Religious and Spiritual Life</a>, through which students engage in extended conversations on any and all topics, including sharing deeply personal life experiences, to fully connect with each other.</p> <p>Wu was one of three students appointed to �鶹��Ƶ’s <a href="/about-oberlin/leadership-and-administration/aapr">Academic and Administrative Program Review</a> steering committee, the 31-member body charged with examining the institution’s programs and practices, with an eye toward developing recommendations for a sustainable path forward. She was also active as treasurer of the �鶹��Ƶ Student Cooperative Association, which operates �鶹��Ƶ’s popular food and housing co-ops.</p> <p>In the margins between her majors, Wu relished her liberal arts courses—from Asian American Literature, to Ethics in Early China, to Global Indigenous Health, and more. Over time, she became attuned to a cultural history that her pre-college education had overlooked, and she was increasingly aware of the ways in which ethnic factors can influence health and healthcare.</p> <p>“I would describe Janet as fearless, highly motivated, and dependable,” says Professor of Piano <a href="/node/6726">Angela Cheng</a>, her musical mentor at �鶹��Ƶ. “She is fearless in that she is never afraid to study and perform some of the most demanding pieces in our repertoire. She is highly motivated in that she is not going to shy away from something difficult and choose something less challenging, just to make her life easier. And she is dependable: No matter how hard a situation is, she always comes through.”</p> <p>In August, Wu will begin the <a href="https://med.stanford.edu/pstp.html">Physician-Scientist Training Program</a> at Stanford Medicine. It’s a next step facilitated by five years of �鶹��Ƶ rigor, not to mention numerous undergraduate fellowships and shadowing experiences, through which she has experienced countless hours of surgeries and conducted research on the resistance of brain tumor cells to chemotherapy. (Her work, conducted as a summer fellow at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, was published in the February 26, 2020, edition of <a href="https://stm.sciencemag.org/content/12/532/eaay7522"><em>Science Translational Medicine</em></a>.) At Stanford, she will continue her cancer research, seeking new biomarkers for early detection and approaches to treatment.</p> <p>“The bulk of my experience so far has been in brain cancer research, and specifically why and how glioblastoma is so resistant to chemotherapies,” she says. “But I’m sort of at a crossroads because I love that research and I love that topic, but more recently I’ve developed another interest—in liver cancer, and especially those types that are derived from hepatitis B infections and that health disparity for Asian Americans, in particular.</p> <p>“I actually learned about it through my liberal arts classes at �鶹��Ƶ, which inspired further self-directed research,” she adds. “They made me curious about health disparities. We’ll see if these interests deepen, or if they evolve into something else. There are so many fields I have not explored yet.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Double-degree pianist to pursue medicine at Stanford University.</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="2021-05-25T12:00:00Z">Tue, 05/25/2021 - 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=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2357">Double Degree Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3846">Engaged Liberal Arts</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=4861">Neuroscience</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25251">Biology</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="/angela-cheng" hreflang="und">Angela Cheng</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/neuroscience" hreflang="und">Neuroscience</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/biology" hreflang="und">Biology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/keyboard-studies" hreflang="und">Keyboard Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/pre-medicine-and-health-careers" hreflang="und">Pre-Medicine and Health Careers</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 Janet Wu</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Taking a Shine to TIMARA</h1> <p>eburnett — Wed, 05 May 2021 19:01:17 +0000</p> <span>Taking a Shine to TIMARA</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-05-05T15:01:17-04:00" title="Wednesday, May 5, 2021 - 15:01">Wed, 05/05/2021 - 15:01</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Diana Gruber wears a lot of hats: philosophy major, conservatory innovator, and pop star.</p> <p>A double-degree student who splits her studies between philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences and a self-designed conservatory major in contemporary vocals and electronics, Gruber has taken an unconventional path to where she is today.</p> <p>Originally from Menlo Park, California, she arrived at �鶹��Ƶ as a jazz voice major under professor <a href="/node/6696">La Tanya Hall</a>, but she soon found herself gravitating toward <a href="/node/33031">TIMARA</a> classes. She ended up with an <a href="/node/50301">individual major</a> that allows her to incorporate her jazz vocal training with the experimental improvisation and extended technique elements of TIMARA. For Gruber, it’s the best of both worlds.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Diana Gruber (on screen) works with La Tanya Hall in a low-latency studio for voice instruction in fall 2020. (photo by Tanya Rosen-Jones)</figcaption> </figure> <p>Fittingly, the music she creates strikes a balance between worlds as well. Gruber's classical, jazz, and contemporary musical training helps her see music from a unique perspective: “Vocal training has influenced my singing style a lot, and I’m really grateful to La Tanya for helping me hone my craft,” she says. “I would say that you can kind of hear the jazz influence, but there’s also a lot of what I learned in classical theory. I mostly just apply it on the aural skills side, having these cadences and this classical chordal structure, combined with jazz and pop.”</p> <p>Gruber’s internet persona, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2i7HtVZgy9BmqgUqZ9NA3L">diana starshine</a>, combines vocal lines with synthesized and found sounds that are at times lush, at times high-energy. Gruber describes diana starshine as “a project with pop music taken to the extreme, with pretty experimental production. It’s very <em>online</em>. It exists sort of within a community.” And that community is growing: Her first single as diana starshine, “it’s love”—a collaboration with artists galen tipton and recovery girl—has been streamed more than 200,000 times on Spotify alone. </p> <p>Collaboration is another important part of Gruber’s musical practice, and �鶹��Ƶ is not short on options. She makes music with her housemates, as well as students in TIMARA and jazz. “It’s nice to have people around to collaborate with, but also to bounce ideas off of,” she says. “I do trust my vision, but I want to know what people think. It’s really nice having a community of artists.”</p> <p>We caught up with Gruber, as she completes her fourth of five years at �鶹��Ƶ, to talk about her musical lives on and off campus.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>What is the origin of diana starshine?</strong></p> <p>I have a project that is pop-oriented that errs on the side of almost—not quite—satire. I think people can take it however they want. I’ve never said anything that I haven’t actually done. You could say it’s abrasive, I suppose...But I would say it extends more into “tasteful music” too.</p> <p>At the same time, I am making music under my normal name, which leans more toward the electroacoustic side, where I’ve done collaborations with more “serious” people like Giant Claw (Keith Rankin). I am sort of bridging the gap between serious and not serious. A lot of the music I make takes inspiration directly from theory and aural skills from both jazz and classical. It’s really cool to have that approach to doing both popular and obscure/artsy music. </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Aside from your vocal studies with La Tanya Hall, how has your conservatory training informed the music you’re making?</strong></p> <p>The [music theory and aural skills] classes I’ve taken with <a href="/node/6841">Arnie Cox</a> have influenced my music so much, because it’s made me think a lot about theory as concepts and more from a liberal arts academic perspective, which is less based on just learning notes, but rather thinking more of overarching theory. That’s really useful for making pop music too because there’s a lot of thinking of memetic participation and expectation, how something will make somebody feel, particularly based on timbre, rhythm—all that stuff.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>In what ways do you collaborate at �鶹��Ƶ?</strong></p> <p>It’s really nice within the TIMARA and jazz departments to have people to work with, learn from, and play with. You can’t really go here without absorbing some of the aesthetics and attitudes. A lot of the stuff I’ve learned here is really useful. My housemates and I all do stuff together, and that’s really fun.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>What’s next for you? </strong></p> <p>I have a whole other year here, which I am really excited about, because I feel like my practice has been developing so much. Up until now, I really didn’t have a lot of free time because I was trying to balance jazz, classical, and TIMARA. Next year I am only finishing up my college degree. I am really excited for my recital next year because I don’t know where I am going to go with it.</p> <p><em>Oli Bentley is a fourth-year TIMARA major from Cincinnati, Ohio. She currently resides in Los Angeles.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Vocalist and philosophy major Diana Gruber ’22 crafted an innovative conservatory major—and an alter ego to match.</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="2021-05-05T12:00:00Z">Wed, 05/05/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Oli Bentley '21</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=2357">Double Degree Program</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=34691">Jazz Performance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25406">Philosophy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25271">Individual Major</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="/la-tanya-hall" hreflang="und">La Tanya Hall</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/contemporary-music" hreflang="und">Contemporary Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/philosophy" hreflang="und">Philosophy</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 Diana Gruber</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>