October 30, 2024
Voice faculty member Katya Powder performed at Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s home for her annual Pride celebration. She was joined by some of Michigan’s fiercest LGBTQ+ leaders and allies and heard inspiring remarks from Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, Attorney General Dana Nessel, and the first drag queen ever invited to the Governor’s House — Sabin Detroit Cooper.
OU alumna Sarah Grace Odom (musical theatre, ’21) starred as Joanne Jefferson in Tibbits Summer Theatre’s production of Rent!, which ran from July 11-20.
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| The Notebook |
On July 12, OU alum Alex Benoit made his debut as Middle Noah in The Notebook, a Broadway musical based on the best-selling novel that inspired the iconic film.
Shakespeare Royal Oak’s production of Twelfth Night featured three OU alumni — Olivia Kiefer (BFA Acting Class of ‘22) played Captain/Fabian, Mason Gaida (BFA Acting Class of ‘23) played Orsino, and Brady Jacot (BA Theatre Class of ‘24) played Sebastian.
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| Lost In Yonkers |
Distinguished Professor of Theatre Karen Sheridan and OU alumna Elise Castle performed in Michigan Stage’s production of Lost in Yonkers from July 11-20.
OU theatre student Ashley Erdman performed in Nunsense at The Playhouse in White Lake from July 26-28.
Casey Van Dyke performed in in The Solve It Squad! Returns at Planet Ant Theatre in July.
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| Anna Kamryn Marck |
On July 27, alumna Anna Kamryn Marck (BFA Musical Theatre, ‘15) shared her final rehearsal with an invited audience in the Lab Theatre of her new original work called Movers, Shakers and Music Makers. It joins her other Michigan history play Women of the Watch, Keepers of the Light about female lighthouse keepers in Michigan. She tours both these shows as well as performing in plays and musicals. Check out her upcoming productions on her website, www.anna-marck.com.
OU alumna Sara Chiesa (Youngblood) joined the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music in August as special faculty in vocal coaching and collaborative piano. “I am overjoyed to be joining such a brilliant group of educators and students,” Chiesa said. “I’m looking forward to this next era of my life, and can’t wait to meet my new colleagues and students at CMU.”
Cayla Stus, a contemporary music major, and Dion Jackson Jr. released an acoustic version of Stus’ single “UNFAIR” on Aug. 2. Stus and Zena Kissinger, an acting major, also performed in The Ringwald Theatre’s production of Applause, which ran from Aug. 23-26.
Musical Theatre major Cali Hill starred in Penny Seats Theatre Company’s production of Beehive! as Jasmine from Aug. 8-24.
Bex Papazian’s costumes appeared in Garden City Summer Theatre’s production of Mamma Mia!, which ran from Aug. 23-25.
OU musical theatre student Deagan Krohn was featured as Feathertop in NDP Players’ new musical, ALYCE, which ran Aug. 23-25 at Meadow Brook Theatre.
Aurora Ave-Lallemant performed in Strangekind Studio’s Mercy, a Queer Eldritch Western Audio Drama that’s available and airing on multiple podcast streaming platforms. Aurora provided the voice for Dr. Daisy Gray, a student of the occult and preternatural phenomena, who gets wrapped up into an eldritch adventure much larger than she could’ve imagined after running into Wayne Sawyer, a man trying to solve the recent killings at Bliss, a small farming town on the outskirts of Mercy.
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| The Tempest |
The Wishing Well Theatre Inc.’s production of The Tempest featured many OU alums, students, and faculty, onstage and behind the scenes. The production, directed by Distinguished Professor Karen Sheridan, ran Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 in Rackham Park in Fenton, and Sept. 6-8 in Downtown Linden.
OU Theatre Alum Brady Jacot appeared in Cornwell Dinner Theatre’s production of Million Dollar Quartet from Aug. 29 – Oct. 19.
OU theatre alum Jason Maracani and Associate Professor of Theatre Jeremy Barnett shared their work in Portugal with their art book,” Village Sketches: Serra da Lousã, Portugal.” It can be ordered online here.
OU SMTD alums Chanelle Beach and Travis Darghali performed in Godspell at Flint Repertory Theatre from Sept. 27 – Oct. 20.
Oakland University celebrated Peace Day with a special performance by the Stone Sound Collective on Sept. 21. In the group, OU Professor Mark Stone plays the newly-invented array mbira, an American-made 120 key lamellaphone and traditional melodic African instruments, including the Ghanaian gyil and South African karimba. He was joined by Matt Dufresne (saxophones, bass clarinet, flutes, and nadaswaram), Sam Jeyasingham (mridangam, tabla, kanjira, thavil, and morsing), and Lalitha Ramamoorthy (dance).
Isabeli Buendia received an Irene Ryan nomination for her performance in Caribbean Dreamin’.
On Sept. 13, OU SMTD presented a fantastic faculty recital featuring the award-winning saxophonist and soprano chair of the Assembly Quartet, Jeffrey Heisler, alongside the brilliant Dr. I-Chen Yeh on piano.
OU SMTD alums Sam Sommer and JuJu Palmer were featured as Lucas and Wednesday in The Addams Family at Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse. The show ran Sept. 6 through Nov. 2.
OU SMTD alums Aurora Renee and Antonio Vettraino were featured in The Dio’s production of Something Rotten in October.
Grace Lawrence received an Irene Ryan Nomination for her performance in The Burial At Thebes. The entire company also received a Certificate of Merit.
OU SMTD alum Jake Surzyn joined the Indianapolis Opera and performed at many events for their season, including: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on Oct. 5 at the Palladium; Opera Cabaret, a program of scenes and arias, at Union 50 in Indianapolis on Oct. 9, and he will be singing Fiorello in Indianapolis Opera’s production of Il barbiere di Siviglia at The Booth Tarkington Theatre on Nov. 15-17. In addition, Jake will be making his European debut this winter as Forum Neue Kunst’s baritone resident artist. While in Oldenburg he will perform in the world premiere of Christoph Gützkow’s Der kleine Prinz as Der Pilot and as Monty in the German premiere of Russell Hepplewhite’s Unter dem kleinen roten Mond.
Grammy nominated Genevieve Feiwen Lee and Oakland University’s own Tian Tian presented an enchanting evening of piano duets on Sept. 20 at Varner Recital Hall. Together, they brought to life the masterpieces of works by Eleanor Alberga, Gabriela Frank, Gao Ping, and Astor Piazzolla.
OU SMTD alum Sam VanKampen performed in Farmer’s Alley Theatre’s production of Jersey Boys, which ran from Sept. 19 to Oct. 13.
OU’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance was well represented in Tipping Point Theatre’s production of Grand Horizons, which featured Oscar Quiroz (new faculty) as Tommy, Christa Koerner (costume shop supervisor) as costume designer, Sonja Marquis (adjunct faculty) as sound designer, Karen Sheridan (former faculty) as director, and Max Bolton (MT alum, 2008) as marketing head.
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| Actor's Lab |
OU alums Sean McClellan and Sara Group ran a workshop focusing on devised theatre during the Actor’s Lab on Sept. 24. The Actors Lab is a free acting workshop that takes place every Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Lab Theatre. It is open to any major.
OU alum Josh England made his National Tour Debut in the 2024/2025 National Tour of Chicago.
OU’s Repertory Dance Company performed Bodies in Protest on Oct. 4 at the Elliot Tower.
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| Aniya “AG” Gray |
Aniya “AG” Gray is a senior Music Technology major who had the chance to perform at the OU Fall Fest on Oct. 4. Included in her setlist was her recently released single, To This Melody. Gray was also the recipient of a My Music Matters Scholarship.
Dr. Elisabeth Hoegberg, director of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was elected to the national board of the College Music Society, where she will serve as a member-at-large for the organization for a two-year term beginning in January 2025. “I’ve been a member of the College Music Society for nearly 25 years,” Hoegberg said. “With a mission to promote collegiate music study, advance the arts, and foster connections, CMS is an incredibly inclusive and welcoming space. I am very proud to belong to an organization whose values align with my own and am excited for the opportunity to serve CMS as the national board member-at-large.”
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| Music from the Cinema |
Many OU jazz students attended “Music from the Cinema,” a jazz concert on Oct. 13 featuring Vanessa Rubin, as well as many OU SMTD faculty members, including Scott Gwinnell, Marion Hayden, and Gayelynn McKinney.
OU alum Matthew Carlsen, who earned a BFA in musical theatre in 2020, has been working on HBO’s The Gilded Age as the show’s costume coordinator.
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| Global Jam |
The World Music Organization had a great Global Jam on Oct. 11. Students in attendance had the opportunity to learn about traditions from Northern Ghana, St. Lucia, and Western Africa. By exploring the cultural ties and history to the music, a bit of the world was shared with all students involved.
Oakland University’s Music Technology students will be presenting their original works at the Oakland Composers Concert on Nov. 17 at 3 p.m. in Varner Recital Hall. The concert will feature outstanding vocalists and instrumentalists who use innovative technologies in creative ways.
Terry Herald, who is a music audio technology lecturer at Oakland University, will be a guest artist on the Steinway Society of Michigan: Alexander Zonjic and Friends Concert on Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Steinway Auditorium in Commerce Township.
Take Root, founded by OU Associate Professor of Dance Ali Woerner, now offers a Detroit location for its Dance for Parkinson's disease program at the Detroit Opera House every Tuesday. This class is made possible by The Kirk Gibson Foundation. Dance Special Lecturer, Teresa Muller, is teaching the class. Take Root is also partnering with the Michigan Parkinson Foundation and offering a virtual class every Thursday. This class is taught by company member and OU alumni Andrew Dettloff. Take Root also offers monthly classes at OU. For more information, visit www.takerootdance.com/danceforpd.
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| Martyna Gogolkiewicz (right) |
OU SMTD student Martyna Gogolkiewicz was selected as a winner of the Ocean Foundation Chopin Competition. She performed at a concert, had a masterclass with Yoheved Kaplinsky, the chair of the pre-college piano department at Julliard.
OU SMTD alum Peyton Miller recently completed his master’s degree in composition at Michigan State University after defending his thesis composition, which was performed and premiered at Yale School of Music. He is currently living in Warsaw, Poland, and is enrolled in the “artistic training” program for solo piano at Uniwersytet Muzyczny Fryderyka Chopina, where he studies with Professor Jerzy Sterczyński. “Regarding my future plans, I will continue to compose and receive commissions, and hope to establish my career as a full-time concertizing pianist and performer,” Miller said.
Professor Mark Stone continues to serve as chair of the World Percussion Committee for the Percussive Arts Society. At this year’s Percussive Arts Society International Conference (PASIC) in Indianapolis, he helped facilitated a diverse rooster of exceptional percussion artists, presenting a wide range of world percussion concerts and masterclasses.
Stone also has upcoming performances of his own on Dec. 7 at Orchestra Hall with Joe Reilly and on Dec. 14 at the Detroit Institute of Arts with the Stone Sound Collective.
Former OU student Lanjiabao Ge is now the instructor of collaborative piano at Easter New Mexico University (ENMU). She was formerly the coordinator of collaborative piano at Truman State University in Missouri. Dr. Ge has maintained an active solo performing career that has included venues such as Carnegie Hall, Steinway Piano Gallery, Hershey Theatre, and the Kennedy Center. Ge is a winner of various international piano competitions including the MTNA Young Artist Performance Competition, World Piano Teachers Association’s International Competition, Wiesbaden International Piano Competition, Muse International Music Competition, Paderewski International Piano Competition, King’s Peak International Music Competition, and Hershey Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition.
Rolando Rolim, who studied with Flavio Varani at Oakland University, is now the assistant professor of piano and director of keyboard studies at the University of Puget Sound in Washington.