A West Virginia University School of Music alumnus has endowed a music education scholarship in honor of her beloved professors.
Nancy Douglas attended WVU from 1952 - 1956. During her time as a music education major, faculty members Clifford Brown and Bernard McGregor left a lasting impression.
In September, junior and senior BFA Musical Theatre students got the opportunity to speak to Emmy-Nominated Broadway actress Sarah Bolt about careers in the musical theatre industry.
Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre Jeremiah Downes told us that she talked to them about “What it’s like to make theatre in COVID and post-COVID times, what the future looks like for the commercial Broadway, film and TV industries and how to remain true to one’s self as an artist and human. It was an excellent afternoon!”
The Art Museum of West Virginia University is typically a buzzing building. Open to the public on weekends and school groups during the week, the museum welcomes thousands of visitors a year to use art as a medium to better understand the world.
The Covid-19 Pandemic put an abrupt halt to the museum’s day-to-day operations. With campus closed, how does the museum reach its audiences? The staff had to get creative.
The West Virginia University Jazz Studio will perform a small ensembles concert on Oct. 6 in support of Black Lives Matter and The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People .
The concert, which will begin at 7:30 p.m., can be streamed at https://youtu.be/exjxRO6-iy4. The program will begin with a performance by Aether Flute Quartet, made up of WVU undergraduate students.
The Art Museum of West Virginia University recently acquired “Four Seasons,” a suite of four color photographs from nationally recognized contemporary artist Wendy Red Star.
“The ‘Four Seasons’ series is about the representation of Native peoples in museums,” said Red Star. “This work is meant to promote education and awareness so it is fitting that the work is in an academic museum at a Big 12 school.
The Art Museum of West Virginia University opens again on Saturday, Aug. 29 with a new exhibition, new hours and new guidelines to keep visitors safe.
“Personal to Political: Celebrating the African American Artists of Paulson Fontaine Press” will be on view in the Upper Gallery at the museum through Dec. 13. The traveling exhibition was organized by Carrie Lederer, Curator of Exhibitions, Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, California.
Professor of Voice Hope Koehler stayed busy this summer, virtually.
Koehler taught in June at the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts. She taught voice to 15 students, ages 15 - 17. The students created three mini operas using famous opera tunes, but wrote the lyrics and plots themselves. To watch, visit https://bit.ly/3gd7pHf.
A new program in the West Virginia University College of Creative Arts will bring students together with successful alumni and friends of the university for one-on-one mentorship and career guidance.
Creative Consultants is a professional mentorship initiative that, through a competitive application process, matches outstanding College of Creative Arts students with extraordinary professionals in the fields of art and design, music, theatre, dance, and arts education, administration and industry.
West Virginia University’s Matthew Heap created a video game to help his students learn music theory.
Heap, assistant professor of composition and theory in WVU’s School of Music, designed and built “Theory Game: The Curse of the Lost Rules." The game, available in the Apple App Store, is made up of mini-games that help reinforce theory skills.
The practice facility is supported by the College of Creative Arts and WVU Athletics. It will be a much-needed upgrade for The Pride of West Virginia – its current practice space is a parking lot at WVU’s Coliseum. The new facility will be located on the Evansdale campus, replacing Hawley Field, the old home of WVU
Baseball.