#ouralumnirock

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Telling stories through design

We checked in with recent alum Lucas Southworth (Digital Media and Design, Theatre) about his position at Xavier University. He is the "Electronic Media Specialist" in Enrollment Management. He calls himself a “jack-of-all-trades” for different media requests, from postcards to flyers to email graphics to web updates to photo and video work.

The work I do at Xavier is really diverse, but the Digital Media and Design program really prepared me for that. Students in DMD are able, and really are expected, to take a wide variety of design classes, from photography and video making to typography and web design. This gave me a solid and wide base of knowledge that I am applying to this position. So when my boss comes to me and says "Hey Lucas, do you have any experience editing video?" or "Do you know anything about coding?" I am able to answer YES with confidence.

One assignment that I think of often came from Mia Cinelli's Typography class. She had us find a print piece in the wild somewhere that we thought had poor typography, and then recreate the piece to fix these issues. This process of dissecting a design's weak points and building it back up from there is something I try to apply every time I create a new draft of my work.

My Theatre degree is also helping out daily! Not only in directly applicable skills (a sizable chunk of my practical video editing experience comes from my time and classwork in Projection Design) but in more subtle ways as well. A lot of the work I do boils down to telling a story effectively, and storytelling was what my time in the Theatre department was all about. 

Lucas has a word of advice for current students:

Pursue what you are interested in. It was a scary for me when I realized I wanted to add a second major in my junior year, but I was surrounded by a very supporting group of professors and advisors in both the Theatre and Digital Media and Design programs who made the process work as smoothly as possible, and adding that major is directly what got me my current job.

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Overtones Episode #32: Faculty Meeting Episode featuring UK College of Fine Arts Dean Mark Shanda, Professor Bobby Scroggins, Dr. Dennis Bender, Dr. Kevin Holm-Hudson with guest artist Derek Spencer. Hosted By School of Music alumna Renee Collins, Whitney Acke and Paulie Felice featuring music by Brother Smith Mama Said String Band, Bek and The Starlight Review and Joanna James. Original Broadcast Air Date October 22, 2018 on WLXU 93.9 FM Lexington Community Radio

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😎🎤 Lollapalooza opens in nearby Grant Park in two days, and rapper and DePaul alum Femdot is scheduled to take the American Eagle stage on Saturday. Heads up if you're visiting our Loop Campus: Some nearby streets have been closed and some buses have been rerouted for the festival. . . . #depauluniversity #depaulalumni #loopcampus #lolla #lollapalooza2018 #ouralumnirock #chicago #chicagogram #summerinchicago https://ift.tt/2OvEa5X

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UK Grad Student Singing in Met’s ‘Porgy and Bess’

Singing on the Metropolitan Opera stage is a lifelong dream for many young opera vocalists, and one University of Kentucky doctoral candidate, Makeda Hampton, is among the chosen few currently performing at America’s most prestigious opera house. But for this previous math and chemistry student, a dream to perform didn't take center stage until a bit later.

Read the story on UKNow >>

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Home for Christmas

By Nathan Williams, CFA Recruiting and Alumni Affairs Whenever University of Kentucky students, staff, faculty, and supporters attend an arts event in Central Kentucky, it’s very common to see a familiar face. On December 14, the Lexington Philharmonic’s “A Cathedral Christmas” ended up being an impromptu University of Kentucky School of Music reunion for many. When patrons began entering the Cathedral of Christ the King, they saw several familiar faces within the orchestra as well as the Lexington Singers – Catherine Clarke Nardolillo (DMA, 2013), Margaret Karp (Lecturer of Violin and Viola), Jason Dovel (Associate Professor of Trumpet) and even Andrew Miller (BMME, 2015). After being away from Lexington for a few years, it was great to catch up with Andrew!

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE GRADUATING FROM UK in 2015? After graduating from the University of Kentucky, I pursued my Masters in Conducting at the University of Louisville which led me to my first position as Director of Choral Activities at Henderson County High School. Although I enjoyed holding that role for two years, I accepted a position as Director of Choral Activities at Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, KY. In this position, I coordinate liturgical opportunities and choral opportunities for my ~50 male choir students. Most of my efforts are focused on creating relationships between college music programs and students at Covington Catholic. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT PERFORMING NEXT TO OTHER UK WILDCATS? As a result of my participation in UK’s Men’s Chorus and the a capella group, acoUstiKats, I always enjoyed being under the baton of Dr. Johnson. He had such an influence on my education at UK as well as my professional career. Receiving this solo opportunity from Dr. Johnson and the Lexington Philharmonic was beyond amazing as it gave me the opportunity to return to Lexington and perform alongside some of the best vocalists and instrumentalists from around town! Moreso, getting to perform next to Michael Preacely brought back memories from my time at UK because while I was an undergraduate student, Michael was pursuing his Masters in Music. Just like everyone else who hears him sing, I never get tired of listening to Michael’s voice. It was really cool to look out into the orchestra to see so many familiar faculty members from when I was a student at UK – Margaret and Benjamin Karp, Maestro Nardolillo, David Elliott, and more. WHAT ARE YOUR PROFESSIONAL GOALS FOR THE NEXT 5-10 YEARS? I plan on staying at Covington Catholic for several more years. My position here allows me to focus on receiving a lot of great teaching experiences while also emphasizing the importance of the performing arts in and around Northern Kentucky. Within the next 10 years or so, I would like to begin a DMA in Conducting or PhD in Music Ed with a goal of teaching in higher education. My dream role is to manage student teachers while working with conducting students.

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SA/VS’ alums Brian and Sara Turner, aka Cricket Press in Lexington.

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Theatre alumna’s award-winning 1st film catapulted by her ‘burning’ passion for Kentucky

Courtesy of UKNow / Whitney Hale

In an industry where the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film has reported only 4% of 2018's top 100 grossing films were directed by women, University of Kentucky theatre alumna Bethany Brooke Anderson is among those talented female filmmakers working to break the trend in Hollywood.

Click here to read the full story

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Not throwing away his shot: Patrick Garr in Hamilton

Courtesy UKNow, Story by Whitney Hale and Jenny Wells

"I’m young, scrappy and hungry/And I’m not throwing away my shot."

Fans of the Broadway juggernaut "Hamilton" will recognize those lyrics as the Tony Award-winning musical's depiction of America, as well as the show's protagonist. But those familiar with the story of University of Kentucky theatre graduate Patrick Garr might also find it an appropriate description of the up-and-coming actor/dancer now appearing as Samuel Seabury and Man 2 in the ensemble of the Angelica Tour of "Hamilton."

Click here to read the article

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Art Studio, Art Education, and Theatre alumni represented in Book Benches public art exhibit in Lexington!

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Theatre alum’s work chosen for Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival

Jeremy Gillett’s (BA ‘10) Black and 25 in America began as an independent study project at the University of Kentucky under the mentorship of Herman Daniel Farrell III. The captivating one-man show examines, race, class, gender, and identity. Today, Black and 25 in America has been performed throughout the country and, most recently, was featured in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (Region 4).

A few words from Jeremy on his path to a successful career as an actor and playwright in Los Angeles:

“Following graduation from UK, I attended Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, on a 3-year teaching fellowship. I taught undergraduate theatre and acting classes. During my time at ASU, I became the First National Diversity Intern for The Broadway League and Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers (ATPAM). I traveled to New York to experience the Spring Road League conference and learned what it meant to produce the Broadway shows Memphis and Motown; I worked closely with executive producers Sue Frost (Memphis) and Nina Lannan (MoTown). In addition, I was a scholarship recipient for ASU’s Gammage Theatre.

I graduated from ASU with an MFA in Theatre and Film Performance in 2014.

At ASU I had lead roles in several local productions including the role of Chad Deity in The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity and the role of Boesman in a production of Boesman and Lena. Locally, I returned to play the role of Henry Brown in the BCTC production of Race. I moved to Los Angeles following my graduation from ASU. I’ve had roles in several independent films Rapators (2017), Justice Served (2015) and Car Dogs ( 2014).

In addition, I’ve performed my one-man show Black and 25 in America at local theatres and venues in Los Angeles, Arizona, Chicago and for BCTC in Kentucky, and Oklahoma State University. Most recently I was a Featured Artist at 2018 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival-Region IV in Augusta, GA.

My journey has not been in a straight line, but I’m very proud of the relationships I’ve maintained with former students and mentors, being awarded the First National Diversity Internship for The Broadway League and ATPAM, and the way in which Black and 25 in America continues to resonate with audiences.

Black and 25 in America was developed during my senior year at UK during an independent study class with Professor Herman Daniel Farrell III. Following each performance, the audience and I learn something from each other.”

“I believe more than ever that theater, film and the arts have the potential to bridge what might appear to be an insurmountable difference.”

-Jeremy Gillett

Facebook: @black&25inamerica Twitter: @jeremyjgillett

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For some of our alumni, their creative career has taken them in a most surprising and unexpected direction. Melissa Van Sandt (MFA Sculpture‘11) has forged a path as a property sculptor for the film industry.

Whether in a forest or outer space, her work involves fantastical three-dimensional works in a variety of media. Here’s what she told us about her unique work environment:

“Never in my time as an art student did I imagine a career in film, yet the film industry can be a great field for an emerging sculptor. The hours are long, and deadlines can be brutal. The reward comes from the variety of ways in which you apply technical and theoretical skills to construct props and sets.

In the 6 years I have spent in film I have used metal fabrication to design and weld large and small armatures as well as architectural elements. I have used mold-making and casting to produce plastic, rubber, and even candy weapons and props. Geometry and Trigonometry skills are constantly polished in reading blueprints, creating material lists, and working on layout. Sometimes I am asked to recreate natural environments, such as caves or forests, and love to carve organic forms in Styrofoam. Other times I am asked to create the interior of a spaceship or laboratory, and also very much enjoy tightly rendering a “machined” surface in foam.

Some projects are massive, employing hundreds of skilled workers for months, while other projects are hand-held, given a week or a day to complete, and you are the sole master of its inception and completion.”

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Educating Young Actors

During its 50th Anniversary, the Department of Theatre and Dance is featuring graduates of the program on its Facebook page.

Lauren Carr graduated in 2004 with an emphasis in Acting and Directing. Here’s what this amazing, multi-faceted artist has been up to.

“I currently live in Cincinnati, OH. Upon graduation from UK’s Theatre Department, I moved back to Cincinnati to start teaching at University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music’s Preparatory Department. I continued to perform and direct but found a true passion for Theatre Education. In 2015, I started working at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park as a Resident Teaching Artist and Education Associate. In the summer of 2017, I began my journey as the Director of Education & Outreach at Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. I have been fortunate to perform in the Cincinnati Fringe Festival for several years running, directing for the One-Minute Play Festival, collaborating with playwrights on developing new works, and directing plays and musicals each summer for both Playhouse in the Park and CCM Prep working with young actors from age 5 to 18. Over the years, I have developed several workshops for the International Thespian Festival, Educational Theatre Association’s Theatre Educator’s Conference, and several state Thespian Festivals. One of my greatest highlights since graduation was in the fall of 2015 when I married Craig Branch, a man whom I met in a production of The Glory of Living under the direction of Rhoda Gale Pollack at UK Theatre!”

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UK Alumna to Appear on ABC’s ‘black-ish’

Congratulations to Angel Laketa Tanksley-Moore, theatre and arts administration alum, on her recent television work from Gap commercials to the award-winning show “black-ish.” Here’s her story on UKNow.

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A dreamer of dreams: CFA alum travels to the Wonka Chocolate Factory

Audrey Belle Adams (’19 B.M. Music Performance)

Anything is “Wildly Possible” when you become a UK Wildcat. Whether that is becoming an entrepreneur, working for an international business, pursuing a graduate degree, or portraying the role of Mrs. Gloop in Roald Dahl’s new musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and its National Tour! Audrey Belle Adams, originally from Louisville, Ky., was a 2015 All-Tech Music Scholar at UK. Throughout her time in the Opera Theatre program, she was seen on stage during It’s a Grand Night for Singing, Ragtime, The Barber of Seville, The Old Maid and the Thief, and Amahl and the Night Visitors. Audrey also performed regularly with the Lexington Theatre Company during their production of Legally Blonde, Mary Poppins, and Concert with the Stars.

“I talk about UK and Lexington every day to colleagues in New York, and I get prouder sharing my experiences and opportunities I had at UK every single day. The attention and appreciation of the arts is very much alive and well in Lexington and I could not be more grateful that I learned and performed with some of the greatest while in Kentucky. The UK Opera Theatre and The Lexington Theatre Company were fundamental in my undergraduate training, and are the reason why I have the confidence to be living up in New York working, and "pounding the pavement". I love my Kentucky home, and I am thankful for the arts community that surrounds it.”

www.audreybelleadams.com

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UK Music takes over The Met

by Nathan Williams

The Metropolitan Opera is a vibrant home for the most creative and talented singers, conductors, composers, musicians, dancers, and…Wildcats?! Last week, 8 University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts alumni took over the stage and orchestra pit during the return of George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.”  

“One of America’s favorite operas returns to the Met for the first time in nearly 30 years. James Robinson’s stylish production transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants. “If you’re going to stage Gershwin’s opera, this is how,” raved the Guardian when the new production premiered in London in 2018. David Robertson conducts a dynamic cast, featuring the sympathetic duo of Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles and an all-star ensemble.”

Seth Morris (Principal Flute, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra) was recently seen at the Singletary Center for the Arts back in September 2018 where he performed Mozart’s Flute Concert with the UK Symphony Orchestra.  

This production of Porgy and Bess will run from September 23, 2019 through February 1, 2020. Tickets can be purchased here.

School of Music Alumni in The Met’s Porgy and Bess:

Reginald Smith, Jr. - 2012 and 2013 (Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Music Performance)

Christine Mabel Jobson – 2012 (Master of Music Performance)

Karmesha K. Peake – 2007 and 2009 (Master of Music Performance)

Denisha Leshai Ballew – 2008 (Bachelor of Music Performance)

Andrea Jones-Sojola – 2001 (Master of Music Performance)

Markel Deshaun Reed

Makeda Danielle Hampton

La’shelle Quinette Allen

Seth Morris – 2007 (Bachelor of Music in Music Education)

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Zixi Ren (MM ‘17) was appointed a piano teacher in the Shenzhen International school (China), a highly desirable and competitive position.

Another 2017 graduate Wei-Sian (“Tiny”) Chen was appointed a Visiting Assistant Professor at Kentucky State University.

Congratulations to Zixi and Wei-Sian on their success!!