Peter Takács—A Half-Century Celebrated</h1> <article> <h1>Peter Takács—A Half-Century Celebrated</h1> <p>cstrauss — Sun, 05 May 2024 04:01:47 +0000</p> <span>Peter Takács—A Half-Century Celebrated</span> <span><span>cstrauss</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-05-05T00:01:47-04:00" title="Sunday, May 5, 2024 - 00:01">Sun, 05/05/2024 - 00:01</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="https://www.petertakacspianist.com/">Peter Takács</a> may be retiring from 91ֱ��, but that doesn’t mean he’ll stop coming to campus anytime soon.</p> <p>“They can’t get rid of me quite so easily,” the piano professor says, with a knowing smile. After all, he and his wife live in town, and there are still performances and recording sessions to look forward to.</p> <p>Still, this spring marks the official conclusion of Takács’ tenure, after an incredible 48 years of teaching. Many of his former students from around the world are set to convene— either live or via video—for a <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/concert-a-celebration-of-peter-takacs">celebratory concert in Warner Concert Hall on May 12</a>. A reception and <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/piano-play-a-thon-celebrating-peter-takacs">Piano Play-a-thon</a> will round out the festivities that day.</p> <p>Born in Bucharest, Romania, Takács studied piano in France and the United States before accepting his teaching job at 91ֱ�� in 1976. Described by the <em>New York Times </em>as “a marvelous pianist,” he has performed and given master classes around the world.</p> <p>Even in the midst of his 91ֱ�� career, Takács performed 15 to 20 concerts in a typical year, which he said “contributed to my teaching by always keeping me on my toes, musically speaking.” His student <a href="http://www.spencermyer.com">Spencer Myer '00</a>, now an associate professor at Indiana University, says he has a new appreciation for the challenges of juggling teaching with performing. </p> <p>“I'm excited for him in that he can invest more time in practicing, performing, and doing his passion projects,” Myer said. “It’s definitely not an end—it’s a new chapter. So there’s a lot to celebrate.”</p> <p>Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 90 is Myer’s chosen repertoire for the celebration concert. It’s a fitting tribute, as Takács is a well-known Beethoven interpreter. His recording of the complete piano sonatas—released in 2011 and <a href="/news/peter-takacs-complete-beethoven-sonatas-reissued-cambria-label">reissued</a> in 2021—made him the first pianist to release them all in a single volume.</p> <p>“I think he’s just the perfect person and musician and pianist for Beethoven,” Myer said.</p> <p>At 91ֱ��, the <a href="/news/ho-ting-kelvin-tang-earns-2021-takacs-beethoven-piano-prize">Peter Takács Beethoven Prize</a> was established in fall 2019 to celebrate his teaching legacy and lifelong dedication to the composer.</p> <p>Myer had initially come to 91ֱ�� to study with Joseph Schwartz, who retired after his first two years. But Myer felt drawn to Takács because they were of similar musical minds.</p> <p>“He just loves nothing more than to live and breathe and talk about music. I definitely share that with him,” Myer said. “So the connection was there, and I knew that transition from one teacher to another would be totally seamless.”</p> <p>During a recent conversation, Takács touched on the highlights of his teaching career, the legacy of his students, and what comes next.</p> <p><strong>You started at 91ֱ�� more than four decades ago. Could you paint a picture of your first few years?</strong></p> <p>In the early days, I was kind of eager to do just about anything that anybody wanted me to do. You know how it is when you’re young, right? Those were the heady early days of doing difficult contemporary music. And you know, I must say that over the years I’ve retired from that literature and gone to what I love, which is the classics.</p> <p><strong>Any favorite memories from that time?</strong></p> <p>Olivier Messiaen was here in 1978, and I played a piece called Oiseaux exotiques. There's a cadenza for piano, and I made some kind of gesture and I knocked my glasses off. And I just kind of leaned down, picked them off the floor, put them back on and just kept playing. People still remember that—it was an exciting performance.</p> <p><strong>How are you feeling about retirement, has it sunk in yet?</strong></p> <p>There are going to be some adjustments, of course. But last year I was teaching at two thirds, and this year I’m at half. So it’s not completely cold turkey. I feel good about it—I’m still performing and I have some recording plans for the next couple of years, so I’ll definitely keep active.</p> <p><strong>What kind of recording projects are in the works?</strong></p> <p>I’ve already recorded five of Beethoven’s violin sonatas, and the next five are planned for next year. It’s been really exciting—with editing these days, you can do anything you want. The latest violin sonata is in the process of being edited, and it’s fun to see if you can find that perfect take that can fill a gap.</p> <p><strong>You’ll be playing in the celebration concert together with one of your former students, conductor Robert Spano. How did that come about?</strong></p> <p>Bob and I are friends, and he’s writing a piece for us for piano four hands. The working title is Benediction, so that has a ring to it. He said it’s a combination of Arvo Pärt and Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite. So he wants it to be kind of simple and maybe sort of childlike in some ways.</p> <p>I’m very touched that he’s coming and I’m touched by everyone that’s coming. There’s maybe 40 studio alumni who are coming that day, including the performers. They’re all exceptional.</p> <p><strong>Are there any shared attributes that you see among your students?</strong></p> <p>There are some things that are very important to me. It’s kind of a combination of intellectual analysis and emotional involvement with the music. And I think I hear that in my students. I have some who still write to me and say, “I found the perfect phrasing for a certain section of a piece—it took me like a week to figure it out, but I finally did it.” So it’s very rewarding to hear that my legacy is still out there.</p> <p><strong>What’s your favorite 91ֱ�� venue?</strong></p> <p>I think Finney Chapel is a treasure—really beautiful acoustics. There have been events there that linger in the memory. One of them was when Simon Rattle came and conducted Mahler 4 in Finney. The place was completely electric—it was packed to the gills.</p> <p>My concert with Robert Spano was another one of those electric moments, but I was on stage. The orchestra was on its toes and the audience was pretty full—big ovation at the end and all that. </p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Peter Takács with Robert Spano after their December 2021 performance of Beethoven's third piano concerto with the 91ֱ�� Orchestra.</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>Any non-musical hobbies you’re excited to have more time for?</strong></p> <p>I’m kind of an addicted puzzle solver. I do the <em>New York Times</em> crossword, the Spelling Bee, and Wordle. I would love to get in better shape, that would be nice. And we’ll do some traveling. There’s a lot of exciting things that I’m planning to do when I have more time.</p> <p><strong>Any final thoughts about your time at 91ֱ��?</strong></p> <p>I'd like to say that 91ֱ��'s been an ideal place to be. I have incredibly stimulating colleagues and I have had an administration that's been very helpful and not interfering. You pretty much have freedom to profess your convictions. And the students over the years have been incredible.</p> <p>—</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">Professor Peter Takács has taught 91ֱ�� pianists since 1976. His impressive teaching career may be coming to an end, but a new chapter is just beginning.</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="2024-05-04T12:00:00Z">Sat, 05/04/2024 - 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="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3878">Conservatory of Music</a></div> <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 class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2414">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=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">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>91ֱ�� Presents Grammy-Winning Imani Winds in Concert</h1> <p>srasmuss — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 01:42:38 +0000</p> <span>91ֱ�� Presents Grammy-Winning Imani Winds in Concert</span> <span><span>srasmuss</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-02-28T20:42:38-05:00" title="Wednesday, February 28, 2024 - 20:42">Wed, 02/28/2024 - 20:42</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When flutist Brandon Patrick George ’08 attended <a href="https://imaniwinds.com/">Imani Winds’</a> Artist Recital Series performance back in 2007, he never imagined that he would one day sit in the flute chair. “Being able to perform with my colleagues is such an honor,” he says about returning to 91ֱ�� with the pioneering wind quintet on March 7. The ensemble last appeared in Warner Concert Hall in 2021 when they gave a short performance and enjoyed a wonderful dialogue with students during a generous Q&A.</p> <p>The ensemble—who recently won their first Grammy for their album <em>Passion for Bach and Coltrane</em>—will present a contemporary program that George says is connected to two key parts of Imani Winds’ mission: “to highlight the shared humanity between all individuals from all walks of life, and to advocate for change.”</p> <p>Carlos Simon’s <em>Giants</em> celebrates the stories of influential Black American figures, while Andy Akiho’s <em>BeLoud, BeLoved, BeLonging</em> combines the sounds of protests at an immigrant detention center with the incarcerated individuals at Rikers Island. The program continues with Damien Geter’s playful <em>I Said What I Said</em> and Billy Taylor’s jazz-influenced <em>I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free</em>.</p> <p>The 91ֱ�� performance is a homecoming not just for George, but also for bassoonist Monica Ellis ’95. Oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz ’94 is currently on leave, but her former student and recent Curtis Institute of Music graduate Mekhi Gladden is stepping into her shoes.</p> <p>“We are delighted to have Mekhi with us for this season,” George says. “The opportunity to watch a young musician blossom and then sit next to them makes us very proud.”</p> <p>A more permanent personnel change for Imani Winds occurred in 2021, when 91ֱ�� Associate Professor of Horn Jeff Scott retired from the ensemble after 24 years. “I’m still with them in spirit,” says Scott, who continues to contribute to the group through his compositions. It was his piece, <em>Passion for Bach and Coltrane</em>, that helped win the ensemble a <a href="/2024_grammy_awards_oberlin">Grammy</a> this year.</p> <p>Another of Scott’s works is also central to Imani Winds’ 91ֱ�� performance in March. <em>Fallen Petals of Nameless Flowers</em>, a commission from Chamber Music Detroit, tells the story of four juvenile lifers—young men who were sentenced without parole, spending decades in a Michigan prison before the Supreme Court ruled the practice unconstitutional in 2012.</p> <p>The subject was a difficult one for Scott to approach. “I was like, man, I'm going to write about the dark side of human society and American society,” he says. “So, how do you do that and make it something that people will want to hear?”</p> <p>The answer came in the form of poet Robert Laidler, who had been working on a project with the <a href="https://www.chambermusicdetroit.org/">Chamber Music Detroit</a> community engagement manager Bryan Jones—a formerly incarcerated individual himself—to connect with juvenile lifers.</p> <p>“I can never compose in a vacuum,” Scott says. “It could be a picture, it could be a memory, but I need something to sort of get the inspiration from. And with this, poetry was definitely the conduit.”</p> <p>The emotional arc of Laidler’s poems helped Scott navigate his way through the dark subject matter, which discusses themes about making wrong choices and tumultuous childhoods. He also decided to add cellist Seth Parker Woods and pianist Cory Smythe onto the instrumentation of wind quintet with narrator. “If you're going to do a piece of this magnitude, you need more instruments to really bring up more colors,” he says.</p> <p>At the piece’s premiere in Detroit in 2022, the men who inspired the piece and their families were all in attendance. “To know that they had spent so much of their youthful life in prison, and here we are celebrating that they persevered—it was powerful,” Scott says.</p> <p>Woods and Smythe will join Imani Winds in 91ֱ�� for the work’s second-ever performance. While Laidler was the narrator for the premiere, the text will be narrated by actor Michael Braugher '14 for this performance.</p> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>L-R: Braugher, Woods, and Smythe</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p>Scott is now part of the welcoming party for <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/search/events?search=%22Imani+Winds%22">Imani Winds’ March visit</a>, which will also include a preconcert panel discussion and six master classes for students in the Winds Department. He says the 91ֱ�� influence was evident during his time with the group. “No matter where we went, if we played a concert and there was a meet and greet or some sort of gathering, somehow the Obies just kind of surfaced and found one another,” he says, adding he never experienced the phenomenon with any other school.</p> <p>“There's a pride of having either attended, taught, or just being associated with 91ֱ�� that people wear like a badge—like, ‘Hey, I'm part of the family.’”<br> </p> <hr> <h5><br> Event Details for Thursday, March 7</h5> <p><a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/imani_winds_preconcert_panel_discussion">6:45 PM Panel Discussion</a><br> <strong>The stories behind <em>Fallen Petals of Nameless Flowers </em><br> Panelists: </strong>Monica Ellis '95, Imani Winds bassoonist; Bryan Jones, Chamber Music Detroit director of community and patron engagement; <a href="/jody-kerchner">Jody Kerchner</a>, 91ֱ�� professor of music education; Jeff Scott, composer and 91ֱ�� associate professor of horn</p> <p>7:30 PM Concert<br> <strong>Imani Winds with cellist Seth Parker Woods, pianist Cory Smythe,<br> and actor Michael Braugher '14</strong><br> <br> Free admission</p> <p>91ֱ�� Conservatory of Music <br> Warner Concert Hall<br> 77 W. College St.<br> 91ֱ��, OH 44074<br> </p> <hr> <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">91ֱ�� alumni-founded ensemble brings a program anchored by composer Jeff Scott’s "Fallen Petals of Nameless Flowers"</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="2024-02-28T12:00:00Z">Wed, 02/28/2024 - 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="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2548">Concerts and Recitals</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3878">Conservatory of Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2414">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2364">Artist Recital Series</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="/jody-kerchner" hreflang="und">Jody Kerchner</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/winds-brass-and-percussion" hreflang="und">Winds, Brass, and Percussion</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">Shervin Lanez</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>David Byrd-Marrow Appointed Horn Faculty at 91ֱ�� Conservatory</h1> <p>cstrauss — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 03:41:28 +0000</p> <span>David Byrd-Marrow Appointed Horn Faculty at 91ֱ�� Conservatory</span> <span><span>cstrauss</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-02-06T22:41:28-05:00" title="Tuesday, February 6, 2024 - 22:41">Tue, 02/06/2024 - 22:41</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Versatile American horn player David Byrd-Marrow has been appointed to the tenure-track horn professor position at 91ֱ�� Conservatory. He brings an expansive range of experience and repertoire to the role, including his most recent five-year position as assistant professor of horn at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver.</p> <p>“I'm honored to become a guiding and motivating part of the student journey at 91ֱ��,” Byrd-Marrow says. “It is such a rich place for young musicians to explore and develop their artistic creativity. Most of a musician's education happens after graduation. So, my job will be to ‘set the bones,’ so to speak.”</p> <p>“We’re delighted to welcome David to the brass faculty,” says Conservatory Dean William Quillen. “The impressive breadth of his professional experience will lend a phenomenal dimension to his work with the 91ֱ�� horn studio and students throughout the Conservatory more broadly.”</p> <p>Byrd-Marrow established his performance credentials as a freelance musician after earning his undergraduate degree at the Juilliard School, where he studied with Jerome Ashby, and his graduate degree at Stony Brook University, studying with William Purvis.</p> <p>He was part of Carnegie Hall’s inaugural Ensemble Connect (formerly Ensemble ACJW), a two-year fellowship program for young artists that hones skills in teaching, community engagement, advocacy, entrepreneurship, and leadership.</p> <p>His foray into the New York freelance scene began in more traditional roles—on Broadway and in orchestras. He also became the solo hornist with the International Contemporary Ensemble, which expanded his career in a direction he had not anticipated, opening his exploration of experimental music and improvisation—as well as much more chamber music.</p> <p>Over the last 15 years, Byrd-Marrow has established himself more prominently, appearing with the New York Philharmonic, the Atlanta and Tokyo symphony orchestras, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Washington National Opera, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.</p> <p>He frequently performs at festivals including the Ojai Music Festival, Spoleto Music Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival, Tanglewood Music Center, and Summerfest! at the La Jolla Music Society.</p> <p>Byrd-Marrow is also a member of the acclaimed flexible orchestral collective, The Knights, and in April 2022 was featured in a familiar role as soloist, performing Eleanor Alberga’s <em>Shining Gate of Morpheus</em> during the ensemble’s 2021-22 season residency at 92Y.</p> <p>His career focus as a chamber musician of contemporary and experimental music has early roots. He grew up hearing a lot of jazz French horn—and more experimental sounds from the instrument—from his father, who was also his elementary school band director.</p> <p>This allowed him an open-minded value set for music-making and led to collaborations with a uniquely wide range of performers and premieres of works by Anna Webber, Arthur Kampela, George Lewis, Tyshawn Sorey, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, 91ֱ�� alumna Du Yun ’01, Marcos Balter, Eric Wubbels, Jörg Widmann, Miguel Zenón, and Chick Corea.</p> <p>"I've had the benefit of playing the horn in a great variety of forums,and I've experienced making music in a wide spectrum of situations that have very different sets of priorities and creative expectations,” he says. “This has strengthened my sense of artistic identity, which is a powerful thing for an artist to understand about themselves."</p> <p>In an interview for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center last April, prior to his performance of György Ligeti's <em>Horn Trio, Hommage à Brahms</em>, Byrd-Marrow said, "The thing that I'm looking for in my music-making is a sense of freedom: the freedom to be expressive as an individual and as a group." </p> <p>At 91ֱ��, Byrd-Marrow hopes to help students build a solid foundation that encourages a long career of physical and mental performance health. “And, I hope to inspire the students to cultivate a sense of purpose and a positive relationship with the craft."</p> <p>And what excites him the most about coming to 91ֱ��?</p> <p>“Being surrounded by so much musical activity. I'm looking forward to the energizing effect it will have on me.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Byrd-Marrow to join the brass department in fall 2024</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="2024-02-07T12:00:00Z">Wed, 02/07/2024 - 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=3341">Conservatory Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2414">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=37371">Horn</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/winds-brass-and-percussion" hreflang="und">Winds, Brass, and Percussion</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">Shervin Lainez</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>91ֱ�� Faculty, Alums Win 2024 Grammy Awards</h1> <p>azaleski — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 16:58:41 +0000</p> <span>91ֱ�� Faculty, Alums Win 2024 Grammy Awards</span> <span><span>azaleski</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-02-06T11:58:41-05:00" title="Tuesday, February 6, 2024 - 11:58">Tue, 02/06/2024 - 11:58</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>During the February 4 pre-telecast ceremony, 91ֱ�� horn professor and composer Jeff Scott won Best Classical Compendium for his composition <em>Passion For Bach And Coltrane</em>.</p> <p>The recording features performances by Imani Winds (whose 91ֱ�� alumni members are flutist Brandon Patrick George ’08, oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz ’94, and bassoonist Monica Ellis ’95) as well as jazz percussionist Neal Smith ’96. Imani Winds will also be <a href="/events/imani_winds_with_cellist_seth_parker_woods_pianist_cory_smythe_and_actor_michael_braugher_14" target="_blank">performing at Warner Concert Hall on March 7</a>, a free bonus concert on the 2023-24 Artist Recital Series.<br> <br> The award for Best Opera Recording—The Metropolitan Opera’s recording of Terence Blanchard’s <em>Champion</em>—was given to the conductor, producer, lead soloists, orchestra, and chorus, including two alums: violinist Laura McGinnis ’83 and music librarian Nishana Gunaratne Dobbeck ’09 in the The MET Orchestra, as well as Rosalie Sullivan ’99, an alto in the Metropolitan Opera Chorus.</p> <p>The Los Angeles Philharmonic’s recording of Thomas Adès’ <em>Dante</em> won Best Orchestral Performance. Numerous alums are members of this orchestra, including Principal Clarinet Boris Allakhverdyan ’06, Associate Principal Viola Ben Ullery ’04, Oboist and Solo English Horn player Carolyn Hove ’80, Associate Principal Oboe Marion Arthur Kuszyk ’88, and Bass Trombone John Lofton ’77.</p> <p>Bass-baritone Dashon Burton ’05 won his third Grammy, as his group Roomful of Teeth took home Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for 2023’s <em>Rough Magic</em>. Burton also sang with Roomful of Teeth on composer Jessie Montgomery’s <em>Rounds</em>, a release that won Best Contemporary Classical Composition.</p> <p>“The American Project,” a collaboration with pianist Yuja Wang and the Louisville Orchestra, won Best Classical Instrumental Solo. Members of the orchestra include violist Jennifer Shackleton ’94 and principal bassoonist Matthew Karr ’78.</p> <p>David Amlen '83 also took home a Grammy for engineering the Best Jazz Vocal Album, Nicole Zuraitis's <em>How Love Begins</em>.<br> <br> In addition to the above winners, numerous 91ֱ�� alums and other Conservatory faculty members (including Professor of Conducting <a href="/timothy-weiss" target="_blank">Timothy Weiss</a> and Professor of Advanced Improvisation and Percussion <a href="/jamey-haddad" target="_blank">Jamey Haddad</a>) were nominated for Grammy awards this year across classical, contemporary, jazz, American Roots, and world music categories.</p> <hr class="hr--light" style="margin:2rem 0 1.75rem;"> <h2 class="h3">Watch Imani Winds’ Ellis and Spellman-Diaz accept the Best Classical Compendium Grammy Award</h2></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Multiple musicians receive awards in the classical and opera categories</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="2024-02-06T12:00:00Z">Tue, 02/06/2024 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Office of Communications</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>91ֱ�� had a big night at Music’s Biggest Night, the 2024 Grammy Awards. </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=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3878">Conservatory of Music</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2414">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</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/conducting-and-ensembles" hreflang="und">Conducting and Ensembles</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">At the Grammy Awards, 91ֱ�� horn professor and composer Jeff Scott (far left) won Best Classical Compendium for his composition “Passion For Bach And Coltrane”. The recording features performances by Imani Winds, a group featuring multiple 91ֱ�� alums: flutist Brandon Patrick George ’08 (second from left), bassoonist Monica Ellis ’95 (third from right), and oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz ’94 (second from right).</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-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 Imani Winds/Facebook</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"> <div class="video-embed-field-provider-youtube video-embed-field-responsive-video"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>The Cleveland Orchestra Honors Chris Jenkins with Award</h1> <p>cstrauss — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 17:35:34 +0000</p> <span>The Cleveland Orchestra Honors Chris Jenkins with Award</span> <span><span>cstrauss</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-01-25T12:35:34-05:00" title="Thursday, January 25, 2024 - 12:35">Thu, 01/25/2024 - 12:35</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/chris-jenkins">Christopher Jenkins</a>, associate dean at 91ֱ�� Conservatory, was honored with a 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Service in the Arts Award by <a href="https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/globalassets/editorial/press-releases/2024/01-15-2024_newsmlkawards.pdf">The Cleveland Orchestra</a> this month. For 20 years, The Cleveland Orchestra has honored individuals and organizations for their extraordinary service to Greater Cleveland, recognizing those whose work has a positive impact on music and the arts in the community, reflecting the spirit, example, and teachings of Dr. King. </p> <p>In presenting the award, the orchestra cited Jenkins' recent book and his ability to use music as a conduit for meaningful change, through his work at 91ֱ�� and The Music Settlement in Cleveland. </p> <p>In Jenkins published monograph, "Assimilation v. Integration in Music Education: Leading Change Toward Greater Equity (Routledge Press & the College Music Society), he argues: “We actually have to change our institutions—to change not just the repertoire, but also how we think about making music, to include other traditions, harmonic and melodic languages, and ways of approaching music.”</p> <p>At the Music Settlement school, Jenkins oversees musical community engagement, fostering "deep relationships with local churches and other neighborhood gathering spaces, engaging communities of color in free music concerts across the Greater Cleveland area," said one nomination.”</p> <p>The tireless Jenkins is also in the midst of completing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Cleveland Institute of Music and a PhD in musicology at Case Western Reserve University.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">91ֱ��'s associate dean receives 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Service in the Arts Award</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="2024-01-25T12:00:00Z">Thu, 01/25/2024 - 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=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3341">Conservatory Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2414">Faculty</a></div> <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> <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/musicology" hreflang="und">Musicology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Jenkins (second from left) receives award at Severance Hall in Cleveland.</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">Roger Mastroianni</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Sheera Talpaz to Study Poets of Israel and Palestine as Fulbright U.S. Scholar</h1> <p>eburnett — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 21:09:10 +0000</p> <span>Sheera Talpaz to Study Poets of Israel and Palestine as Fulbright U.S. Scholar</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-07-06T17:09:10-04:00" title="Thursday, July 6, 2023 - 17:09">Thu, 07/06/2023 - 17:09</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/252571">Sheera Talpaz</a>, an assistant professor of <a href="/node/3356">comparative literature</a> and <a href="/node/3416">Jewish studies</a> at 91ֱ��, will spend the 2023-24 academic year in Israel and Palestine as a <a href="https://fulbrightscholars.org/">Fulbright U.S. Scholar</a>. Her research there will support the completion of a forthcoming book on national poets of the region.</p> <p>Talpaz, who earned a PhD in comparative literature from Princeton University, specializes in modern Hebrew and Arabic literatures with a focus on the intersection of politics, poetry, and literary reception. As part of Fulbright’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Research Program, she will study the phenomenon of the national poet in Jewish/Israeli and Palestinian literature and culture.</p> <p>Through her research, she seeks to define the concept of the national poet and include close looks at the works and reception of poets like Yehuda Amichai, Mahmoud Darwish, and Haim Nahman Bialik, as well as the marginalization of female poets like Fadwa Touqan and Esther Raab.</p> <p>“Although these poets have been discussed and written about extensively, the ideas or phenomena of the ‘national poet’ and ‘national poetry’ have not been adequately defined or comprehensively historicized to account for national poetry in Hebrew/Israeli and Palestinian cultures and literatures,” she says.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">91ֱ�� professor’s research will culminate in a book on national poets of the conflict-riddled region.</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="2023-07-10T12:00:00Z">Mon, 07/10/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Kate Kaput</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=2414">Faculty</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=25316">Comparative Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25386">Jewish Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25241">Peace and Conflict Studies</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/comparative-literature" hreflang="und">Comparative Literature</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/jewish-studies" hreflang="und">Jewish 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">courtesy of Sheera Talpaz</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-32098" class="paragraph paragraph--type--pb-el-bq paragraph--view-mode--default"> <blockquote class="blockquote--quotemark" data-text-color-red data-text-size-giant> <p>It’s important to me to bring major Hebrew- and Arabic-language poets into conversation with each other rather than keeping literatures and cultures siloed.”</p> </blockquote> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-27746" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <p>Talpaz was raised in a bilingual English- and Hebrew-speaking home and began studying Hebrew poetry as a teenager. Years later, while pursuing her Master of Fine Arts at the University of Michigan, she was introduced to the works of Palestinian poets and began learning Arabic. The experience ultimately compelled her to immerse herself in the study of comparative literature, kicking off a decade of research on the concept of the national poet.</p> <p>“I wanted to understand how poets and poetry came to matter and what kinds of social and political functions they served, since there seemed to be a connection between political crisis and the popularity of poetry,” she says. “It’s important to me to bring major Hebrew- and Arabic-language poets into conversation with each other rather than keeping literatures and cultures siloed.”</p> <p>Talpaz plans to spend two months this fall living in Israel and conducting research at Tel-Aviv University, followed by two months in the Palestinian territories, where she seeks institutional affiliation at Al-Quds University. The time abroad offers critical access to archives and other materials that will fill in gaps in her research, allowing her to complete the final chapter of her manuscript. She hopes to secure a contract for the book, tentatively titled <em>Resistance and Reluctance: On the ‘National Poets’ of Palestine/Israel</em>, by spring 2024.</p> <p>“Ultimately,” she says, “I’m aiming at a comprehensive view of this phenomenon because I couldn’t find what I was looking for when I learned about it and because there are so many elements about it that fascinate me.”</p> <hr> <p><em>The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program provides opportunities for college and university faculty and other professionals to teach, conduct research, and pursue specialized projects in more than 135 countries. A program of the U.S. Department of State, it seeks to strengthen and expand relationships between the U.S. and other nations. The program boasts more than 400,000 distinguished alumni, including 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 62 Nobel Prize Laureates, 78 MacArthur Foundation Fellows, and thousands of leaders spanning the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.</em></p> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Ana María Díaz Burgos Earns Excellence in Teaching Award</h1> <p>anagy — Thu, 18 May 2023 15:30:23 +0000</p> <span>Ana María Díaz Burgos Earns Excellence in Teaching Award</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-05-18T11:30:23-04:00" title="Thursday, May 18, 2023 - 11:30">Thu, 05/18/2023 - 11:30</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> 91ֱ�� has recognized six faculty members with <a href="/news/six-faculty-receive-2021-2022-excellence-teaching-honors">Excellence in Teaching Awards</a> for the 2021-22 academic year. The annual Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes faculty in the college and conservatory who have demonstrated sustained and distinctive excellence in their teaching at the college and conservatory.</p> <p>Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies <a href="/ana-maria-diaz-burgos">Ana María Díaz Burgos</a> specializes in Spanish and Spanish American early modern literature and culture with an emphasis on gender studies and social history. Her research explores the impact of institutional practices and legal systems on the creation of female subjectivities in Hispanic territories. Her work has appeared in a variety of academic journals and edited volumes.</p> <p>Most recently she published the chapter “Marital Pains, Heterodox Cures: Alternative Economies of Sorcery and Witchcraft in the Inquisition of Cartagena de Indias” in <em>Women Facing the Inquisition</em> (2021) and co-edited the dossier “Yo llana estoy’: jerarquías, transgresiones y despliegues de género en América hispana colonial (1492-1898)” for Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades (2022). Her book <em>Tráfico de saberes: Agencia femenina, hechicería e inquisición en Cartagena de Indias 1610-1614</em> (Iberoamericana-Vervuert 2020) studies the first inquisitorial prosecution of female sorcery in early seventeenth-century Cartagena de Indias. </p> <p>“Associate Professor Ana María Díaz Burgos brings her superb pedagogical skills to a wide range of language, literature, culture, film and history courses in Hispanic Studies, while making the most of our extraordinary Special Collections and Allen Memorial Art Museum resources,” says Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences David Kamitsuka. “Ana has a rare talent for highlighting the contemporary relevance and significance of centuries and cultures often far removed from our students’ present-day experiences.”</p> <p>Díaz Burgos teaches Spanish language classes and early modern literature and culture courses in the Department of <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/hispanic-studies">Hispanic Studies</a>, some of which are cross-referenced with the Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies Program. Collaborating with the Special Collections and the Allen Memorial Art Museum has played an essential role in her courses to increase students' opportunities to engage with class material. For instance, students in her classes this spring have written bilingual labels and are planning public programming initiatives for the exhibition “What is in a Spell?: Love Magic, Healing and Punishment in the Early Modern Hispanic World,” which she and Hannah Kinney, Curator of Academic Programs, are curating.</p> <p>"I am truly honored to receive this award along with this amazing group of peers, Díaz Burgos says. “I am thankful to my students' curiosity and willingness to explore topics that at times seem completely foreign to them. I am inspired by the generosity and openness of my colleagues inside and outside my department and from the Special Collections and the Allen Memorial Art Museum, from whom I continuously learn how to create spaces for conversation and debate with and for students. This recognition is a motivation to continue building bridges that go beyond the classroom."</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Díaz Burgos teaches Spanish language classes and early modern literature and culture courses in the Department of Hispanic Studies.</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="2023-05-18T12:00:00Z">Thu, 05/18/2023 - 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=2414">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2576">Excellence in Teaching Award</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3501">Teaching & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2377">Arts & Humanities</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=4796">Hispanic Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25361">Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies</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="/ana-maria-diaz-burgos" hreflang="und">Ana María Díaz Burgos</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/hispanic-studies" hreflang="und">Hispanic 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">Jennifer Manna</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Keith Tarvin Earns Excellence in Teaching Award</h1> <p>anagy — Thu, 18 May 2023 15:17:43 +0000</p> <span>Keith Tarvin Earns Excellence in Teaching Award</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-05-18T11:17:43-04:00" title="Thursday, May 18, 2023 - 11:17">Thu, 05/18/2023 - 11:17</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> 91ֱ�� has recognized six faculty members with <a href="/news/six-faculty-receive-2021-2022-excellence-teaching-honors">Excellence in Teaching Awards</a> for the 2021-22 academic year. The annual Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes faculty in the college and conservatory who have demonstrated sustained and distinctive excellence in their teaching at the college and conservatory.</p> <p>Professor Emeritus of Biology <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/biology/faculty-list">Keith Tarvin</a> came to 91ֱ�� in 2000 as a visiting assistant professor. He was hired as a tenure track faculty member in July 2001 and became a full professor in 2014. At 91ֱ��, he taught 11 lecture and discussion courses and four different lab courses in the fields of evolution, behavioral ecology, ornithology, and organismal biology.</p> <p>Throughout his career, Tarvin mentored 89 individual undergraduate research students (including 11 honors students) spanning 230 student-semesters, student-summers, or mentored student-winter term projects since fall 2000. These projects included field and laboratory studies of goldfinches, mockingbirds, tree swallows, snakes, squirrels, fish, salamanders, dolphins, and ants, as well as theoretical projects and preparation of bird specimens.</p> <p>“Throughout his career, Professor Keith Tarvin has instilled in his students a profound scientific sense of wonder through brilliant lecturing and mentoring of undergraduate researchers in biology,” says David Kamitsuka, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The number of undergraduate student co-authors on Keith’s important peer reviewed publications would fill a classroom in our Science Center.”</p> <p>Tarvin was a mentor for junior faculty and served on a host of elected and volunteer committees related to faculty governance, undergraduate research, and curriculum.</p> <p>“Teaching at 91ֱ�� demands constant re-evaluation and reinvention, which makes it both scarily challenging and wonderfully stimulating,” says Tarvin. “To my great benefit, many colleagues have graciously shared pedagogical ideas, approaches, and strategies with me over the years. Being recognized at an institution bursting with so many amazing teachers is truly an honor.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">A scholar in the fields of evolution, behavioral ecology, ornithology, and organismal biology, Tarvin was honored for his approach to teaching and mentoring undergraduate researchers. </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="2023-05-18T12:00:00Z">Thu, 05/18/2023 - 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=2414">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2576">Excellence in Teaching Award</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3501">Teaching & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2367">Science & Math</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=25251">Biology</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/biology" hreflang="und">Biology</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 '97</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Renee Romano Earns Excellence in Teaching Award</h1> <p>anagy — Thu, 18 May 2023 15:03:04 +0000</p> <span>Renee Romano Earns Excellence in Teaching Award</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-05-18T11:03:04-04:00" title="Thursday, May 18, 2023 - 11:03">Thu, 05/18/2023 - 11:03</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> 91ֱ�� has recognized six faculty members with <a href="/news/six-faculty-receive-2021-2022-excellence-teaching-honors">Excellence in Teaching Awards</a> for the 2021-22 academic year. The annual Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes faculty in the college and conservatory who have demonstrated sustained and distinctive excellence in their teaching at the college and conservatory.</p> <p><a href="/renee-romano">Renee C. Romano</a> is the Robert S. Danforth Professor of History and Professor of Comparative American Studies and Africana Studies. A specialist in 20th- and 21st-century American cultural and political history and in the field of historical memory, she is the author of <em>Racial Reckoning: Reopening America’s Civil Rights Trials</em> (Harvard University Press, 2014) and <em>Race Mixing: Black-White Marriage in Postwar America</em> (Harvard University Press, 2003.) She has also co-edited three collections: <em>Historians on Hamilton: How a Blockbuster Musical Is Restaging America’s Past</em> (Rutgers University Press, 2018); <em>Doing Recent History: On Privacy, Copyright, Video Games, Institutional Review Boards, Activist Scholarship, and History that Talks Back</em> (University of Georgia Press, 2012); and <em>The Civil Rights Movement in American Memory</em> (University of Georgia Press, 2006).</p> <p>“Professor Renee Romano has been at the forefront of deeply important curricular, pedagogical, and mentoring initiatives in undergraduate education, including the formal establishment of curricular pathways in Public Humanites at 91ֱ��,” says David Kamitsuka, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Renee trains her students not only how to grapple with the most challenging social, political, and institutional issues in American history, but also to share their learning for the benefit of the broader public.”</p> <p>Romano teaches courses on a variety of topics related to political, cultural, and racial history in the modern United States, including the History of Museums, Race and Sexuality in U.S. History, and Deconstructing Disney. She is also committed to the practice of public history. She is a founder and co-director of the <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/public-humanities">Public Humanities Integrative Concentration</a> at 91ֱ��, and she has been involved in numerous public humanities projects, including consulting for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, directing the 91ֱ�� visit of “Courage and Compassion: Our Shared Story of the Japanese American World War II Experience,” and serving as a scholarly advisor for the Kent State May 4th Walking Tour and Visitor's Center, the Brooklyn Historical Society, Eyes on the Prize Revisited, and Radio Diaries. From 2016 to 2019, Romano was a member of the Executive Board of the Organization of American Historians, and she is currently on the board of National History Day. She has also served as an 91ֱ�� campus mentor for the Posse Leadership Program.</p> <p>“I am humbled and gratified to be recognized with this award, especially given how many wonderful and dedicated teachers there are at 91ֱ��,” says Romano. “I feel extraordinarily lucky to have the opportunity to work with 91ֱ�� students, whose energy, intellect, and curiosity constantly push me to experiment with new pedagogies, to create new courses, and to keep working to improve my teaching.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">A specialist in 20th- and 21st-century American cultural and political history, Romano is instrumental in establishing a public humanities concentration.</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="2023-05-18T12:00:00Z">Thu, 05/18/2023 - 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=2414">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2576">Excellence in Teaching Award</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3501">Teaching & Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2377">Arts & Humanities</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=25381">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25311">Comparative American Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4821">Africana Studies</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/history" hreflang="und">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/comparative-american-studies" hreflang="und">Comparative American Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" hreflang="und">Africana Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/public-humanities" hreflang="und">Public Humanities</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">Jennifer Manna</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Six Faculty Receive 2021-2022 Excellence in Teaching Honors</h1> <p>anagy — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:33:35 +0000</p> <span>Six Faculty Receive 2021-2022 Excellence in Teaching Honors</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-03-14T15:33:35-04:00" title="Tuesday, March 14, 2023 - 15:33">Tue, 03/14/2023 - 15:33</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> 91ֱ�� has recognized six faculty members with Excellence in Teaching Awards for the 2021-22 academic year.</p> <p>The recipients are <a href="/news/ana-maria-diaz-burgos-earns-excellence-teaching-award">Ana María Díaz Burgos</a>, associate professor of Hispanic studies; <a href="/news/megan-kaes-long-earns-excellence-teaching-honors">Megan Kaes Long</a>, associate professor of music theory; <a href="/news/bryan-parkhurst-earns-excellence-teaching-honors">Bryan Parkhurst</a>, assistant professor of music theory and aural skills; <a href="/news/renee-romano-earns-excellence-teaching-award">Renee Romano</a>, Robert S. Danforth Professor of History; <a href="/news/keith-tarvin-earns-excellence-teaching-award">Keith Tarvin</a>, professor emeritus of biology; and <a href="/news/dang-thai-son-earns-excellence-teaching-honors">Dang Thai Son</a>, professor of piano. </p> <p>The annual Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes faculty in the college and conservatory who have demonstrated sustained and distinctive excellence in their teaching at the college and conservatory. An award is given in each division of the college (arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and natural sciences and mathematics). The College Faculty Council solicits nominations, which are then reviewed by a faculty committee. The conservatory dean recommends six to seven conservatory faculty to the Conservatory Faculty Council, and together they review and narrow the list of recommendations to three recipients.</p> <p>A ceremony was held for the recipients on February 28 at President Carmen Twillie Ambar’s home. In the coming days, we will feature individual award winners. </p></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="2023-03-14T12:00:00Z">Tue, 03/14/2023 - 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=2414">Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3341">Conservatory Faculty</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2583">College of Arts and Sciences</a></div> <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-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/megan-kaes-long" hreflang="und">Megan Kaes Long</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/ana-maria-diaz-burgos" hreflang="und">Ana María Díaz Burgos</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/bryan-parkhurst" hreflang="und">Bryan Parkhurst</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/dang-thai-son" hreflang="und">Dang Thai Son</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">From left: Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences David Kamitsuka; President Carmen Twillie Ambar; Keith Tarvin, Megan Kaes Long, Ana Maria Diaz Burgos, Renee Romano, and Dean of the Conservatory Bill Quillen.</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">John Seyfried</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>