The Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts hosted a High School Honor Choir Festival on Thursday, March 30, when 113 students attended from eight high schools. These students were selected by their high school choir directors based on their musicianship skills. Our Chamber Choir and Chorale joined these students, creating a mass choir of nearly 150 members. Nearly 40 of these high school students expressed interest in the music major or minor at IU South Bend. Dean Curtis and Dr. Jeffrey Wright welcomed the students in the morning. Dr. Wright took the choir directors for coffee. After lunch at the Campus Grille. We concluded the day with a “concert” for ourselves in the Performance Hall. Chancellor Allison greeted the students at our “concert."
Ruby Jazayre, adjunct lecturer in theatre and dance, presented “Dances for a Festive Night,” at the Battell Center Theater. The annual showcase of her students featured twenty dancers including five IU South Bend students, two faculty members, and three Alumni members. Sound and lighting performed by Lucas Deitz, and Stage Manager Troy Lewis, both IU South Bend alumni, managed their positions with professional skill. The program included choreographies from Ruby’s repertoire. Also featured were duets, trios and solos, some choreographed by the artists.
Michael Lasater, professor of mass communication, video work Stilts (2016) in the New Arts Program 28th Annual International Invitational Salon, May 26 to July 9, 2017. In Kutztown, Pa. Lasater’s poem “Now” will be published in Kansas Time & Place: An Anthology of Heartland Poetry, 2017, Little Balkans Press, Pittsburg, Kansas. Nowwas initially published by Kanasas Time + Place in April, 2016 and included in Catarina Davinio's Big Splash video/poetry installation at the Palazzo Reale, Naples, Italy, in October 2014.
Jessica McCormack, assistant professor of voice, presented a masterclass in Thailand and gave a lecture on vocal health for students at the Mahidol University College of Music. In Hong Kong, McCormack sang an all-French recital for the Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong honoring Canada's 150th birthday and the month of the Francophonie. She was also a guest teacher-artist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she presented a vocal masterclass and sang a recital in the Lee Hysan Concert Hall, as part of the Chung Chi College recital series.
Kim McInerney, lecturer in communication arts, and Diona Eskew, visiting lecturer in communication studies, participated in part two of a six-part series, “Real News vs. Fake News,” on March 29 at the St. Joseph County Public Library.
Ryan Olivier, visiting professor of music, will join with Andrew Litts of PhEAD to perform Fortspinnung as part of the New York City Electronic Music Festival (NYCEMF) at the National Sawdust Theater, NYC on Sunday, July 16, 2017 from 3-5 PM. The Relâche Ensemble will perform Olivier's, Three Artistic Glimpses for mixed octet and live electronics and video at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia on June 18th, 2017. Olivier will be representing the Great Lakes Region as one of nine national CMS-NAMM Fellows at the GenNext Faculty Forum during NAMM Summer in Nashville, TN July 12th-17th.
Victoria Schemenauer, music BA, and Julius C. Miller III, voice BM, have advanced to the next round of the Classical Singer Competition and will be competing in Chicago, May 24-28.