The fall semester of 2021 brought numerous accolades to the College of the Arts School of Music for faculty, students and alumni alike. Local and national press coverage followed award-winning performances, milestone achievements and admission to highly selective programs, confirming that the School of Music is a pipeline to music excellence in the heart of Atlanta. Here is a sampling of highlights from a semester brimming with news:
Keeping A Competitive Edge
Kicking off an award-winning semester for the School of Music, faculty and students brought home several top honors including two category wins in the 2021 American Prize Competition. The Georgia State University Women’s Chorus secured the top prize in Choral Performance amid tough competition, and faculty members Nickitas Demos, Jennifer Sengin and Robert Thompson received awards in Composition, Choral Conducting and Instrumental Chamber Music, respectively. Find more details about the competition and award-winners here: https://news.gsu.edu/2021/10/01/school-of-music-wins-top-honors-in-the-american-prize-competition/
Dennis Lau, a current Master of Music student in choral conducting, has been accepted into the 2022 American Choral Directors Association graduate conducting masterclass. Selection for this program is truly elite; only four undergraduate and four graduate students nation-wide are selected in a highly competitive application process. “This is a huge honor for Dennis and our program,” said Jennifer Sengin, the associate director of choral activities. “We are so proud of him and his hard work!” Lau will have the opportunity to work with Dr. Eugene Rogers, Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Conducting at the University of Michigan and Artistic Director of the two-time GRAMMY Award-Winning Ensemble, The Washington Chorus (Washington, D.C.).
First-year music student, Fish Brosmer, is a finalist in the quarterfinals for the National Trumpet Competition. Only in his second semester in the School of Music, Brosmer has accomplished quite a bit in a short time at Georgia State. He received the Performance Scholarship, made the Dean's List for Fall 2021, was a soloist for the recent Trumpet Festival of the Southeast, and is a current Symphonic Wind Ensemble member.
The Pantera Trio, a new percussion ensemble from graduate assistants Khesner Oliveira and Noah Samuelson and alumnus-turned-artist-affiliate Victor Pons, was selected to compete in the International Percussion Trio Competition in Luxembourg’s eponymous capital city. The Pantera Trio was one of only two ensembles from the United States selected to compete in this prestigious event, which will feature only 24 ensembles in all. "There are very few music competitions that focus primarily on percussion,” said Professor and Percussion Coordinator Dr. Stuart Gerber. “To be chosen in this elite competition is very exciting." Originally scheduled to take place in February of 2022, the competition has been postponed until July.
In addition to her prestigious American Prize awards, Dr. Jennifer Sengin, Associate Director of Choral Activities, was awarded the 2021-2022 Georgia State University Instructional Effectiveness Award. Presented by the Office of Faculty Affairs, the purpose of the Instructional Effectiveness Award is to recognize an instructor who demonstrates a solid commitment to teaching and student success and to share at the university level outstanding approaches in instruction that are creative and effective in engaging students in the learning process. Read more here: https://news.gsu.edu/2022/02/21/dr-sengin-awarded-the-gsu-instructional-effectiveness-award/
Making a National Splash
Robert Boone, currently in his third year teaching jazz percussion at Georgia State, is the newest percussionist for the Count Basie Orchestra, one of the most well-known bands in the history of jazz. The band is celebrating the release of a new album, “Live at Birdland,” which they recorded at the historic Birdland Jazz Club in New York City almost 60 years following Count Basie’s own performance at the venue. More details about Boone and the album can be found here: https://www.artsatl.org/atlanta-drummer-robert-boone-drives-the-beat-in-the-count-basie-orchestra/
School of Music alumnus Matthew Kaminsky (B.Mu. ’00, M.Mu. ’12) commanded national attention during the Atlanta Braves’ World Series games as the clever organist behind the home field’s musical soundtrack. We weren’t the only ones who caught the easter eggs hidden in Kaminsky’s improvisational track selection – Kaminsky saw coverage on national television and major newspapers across the country, rolling all the way up to the Associated Press. Read that coverage and more here: https://news.gsu.edu/magazine/the-braves-key-player
Ringing in the New Year before the beginning of the new semester, the “Sound of Downtown” Georgia State Panther Band marched in the 133rd Tournament of Roses Parade for the first time ever, adding to their ever-growing resume of high-profile marching events after previously being invited to the 88th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the 2013 Presidential Inauguration Parade and a performance in the LIII Super Bowl Pepsi Halftime Show. With barely a decade since the founding of the athletic marching band, the future of this program is looking bright! Read more about their road to Pasadena here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00Vj71fAr3E
Operatic High Notes
Demetrious Sampson, an opera student in his third year, competed in the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition for The Metropolitan Opera. One of the youngest competitors, Demetrious, won The Encouragement Award for the Georgia District performing Lensky's Aria. As a result of his performance, David Neely, Principal Conductor of the Des Moines Metro Opera, offered him one of their apprenticeships for the summer.
This Valentine’s season, following a recent holiday performance with Sarah Brightman, the Georgia State University Singers have been tapped to perform with Andrea Bocelli and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for his In Concert for Valentine's on Feb. 10 at State Farm Arena. This will be the University Singers' third time performing in concert with Bocelli, and sixty members of the choir will participate in this event. Often called upon to lend their voices in unique opportunities, including a 2016 appearance in AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” they are the only choral group who have been invited to perform.
Alumna Gabrielle Beteag (M.Mu. ’18), one of five winners in the 2020 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, was among 11 recipients of the 2022 San Francisco Opera Adler Fellowship. She will begin an intensive residency at San Francisco Opera in January, where she will receive individually tailored musical and performance training. The prestigious Adler Fellowship has launched the careers of numerous musicians throughout the industry.
The next School of Music star on the rise is following closely in these footsteps. Alumna Melissa Joseph (BM'15, MM'17) won the North Carolina Metropolitan Opera Laffont District Auditions and will continue her journey to excellence in the regional competition.