Destined for the Stage
March 03, 2014 Thanks to having three sisters who liked watching musicals, Rob Stack, ’07, grew up watching them too. As a kid, he found himself drawn to Grease 2. “I know. It’s a horrible movie with a campy, cliché depiction of high school,” he says. “But, I loved every minute of it....
Theatre Lecturer Receives Life @ UCF Award
February 27, 2014 Theatre Lecturer Sybil St. Claire is a recipient of the 2014 Life @ UCF Award for UCF Women Faculty Excellence in Academic Partnerships. She was awarded for the creation of interACTionZ: a queer youth theatre for social change. interACTionZ is a partnership between Theatre UCF, the Zebra Coalition, the Orlando...
Theatre UCF Student Wins Regional Competition for Dramaturgy, Advances to Nationals
February 14, 2014 University of Central Florida student Elle Sullivan has won the Southeast regional competition for dramaturgy at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and will be heading to Washington D.C. to compete at the national level this spring. Sullivan, a junior majoring in Theatre Studies and minoring in Music, says...
Adele LaBrake Retires After 35 Years of Service to UCF
February 05, 2014 Adele LaBrake worked at the University of Central Florida for 35 years, and for 25 of those she was a staple in the Music Department. On Friday, January 31, 2014, Adele retired from the university. During her time at UCF she was the Administrative Assistant to more than 10 different...
Adriana Nieves Recipient of Burnett Honors College Scholarship
January 22, 2014 UCF senior music major Adriana Nieves is the recipient of a $ 1,000.00 scholarship award from the Burnett Honors College at UCF for her HIM (Honors in the Major) Thesis proposal, which was submitted during the Fall 2013 semester. Her thesis, “Madama Butterfly: the Mythology, or How Imperialism and the...
Trumpet Ensemble to Perform at FMEA Conference
January 08, 2014 The UCF Trumpet Ensemble has been invited to present a clinic andperformance at the Florida Music Educators’ Association conference in Tampa on January 9. The session, “Superior Choices: A Survey of Exemplary Trumpet Ensemble Literature from the FBA S&E List”, will introduce new works for trumpet ensemble and offer techniques...
Meet UCF Grad Who is Broadway's Spider-Man
November 22, 2013 Who says Knights can’t fly? Justin Matthew Sargent, who graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2008 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in musical theatre, is soaring over New York City audiences in the title role of Broadway’s “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” Sargent got his start...
Theatre Graduate Sings Hit Tunes in Latest Peformance
November 05, 2013 Theatre Graduate Natalie Cordone performed along with Shawn Kilgore in their most recent show “It Takes Two” on October 26. The night of popular song took the audience on a relationship journey with tunes from Broadway, television and film. The featured songs included “Our Love is Here to Stay,” “Chapel...
Percussion Instructor Performs on John Luther Adams Upcoming Album
October 07, 2013 UCF Percussion Instructor Thad Anderson performs on an upcoming album release of John Luther Adams’ Inuksuit from Cantaloupe Music. Inuksuit, a CD-length work for 9 to 99 percussionists, has been called “the ultimate environmental piece” by the New York Times. The recording was made in the forest surrounding Guilford Sound...
Theatre Graduate Student Writes and Directs Full Length Play
September 24, 2013 Theatre UCF graduate student Whit Emerson is presenting a new full length play in the UCF Performing Arts Center October 10-13. The comedy, titled All of Chinese Literature Condensed covers 10 major works of literature that contribute to modern day Chinese culture. The play is written in a style reminiscent...
Theatre Professor Receives Estill Voice Lifetime Achievement Award
September 16, 2013 Theatre professor Steven R. Chicurel, DMA, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Estill Voice International at the Sixth Estill World Voice Symposium at Harvard University, August 2013. The Estill Lifetime Achievement Award “recognizes outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of voice. Recipients of this award have...
Music Professor Jeremy Hunt Releases Apps
September 12, 2013 Jeremy Hunt has released four new educational apps to the Apple Store. His IPA Sing, French Diction, German Diction, and Italian Diction are instructional tools for singers. They are all currently available for iOS 6.1 or later on the Mac App store.
Drexler Joins Jazz Greats on New Album
August 28, 2013 Richard Drexler features prominently on Low Standards, the latest release from renowned jazz musician Jeff Berlin. Drexler plays piano and bass alongside Berlin, one of the world’s most influential electric bass players. They are joined by famed drummer Mike Clark. The album, along with Drexler’s performance, has been received warmly...
Trumpet Student Wins First Place at Drum Corp Competition
August 26, 2013 Kyle Schmidt (B.M.E. Trumpet) won 1st Place in the Drum Corps International Individual and Ensemble Competition. The event was held during the DCI Grand Championships on August 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Schmidt was one of 37 brass soloists vying for first place. There were 16 trumpet players...
Student and Faculty Composers Score Success in Fanfare Competition
August 26, 2013 Josh Hobbs won a place in the prestigious Dallas Wind Symphony Fanfare competition. Hobbs is a graduate student studying composition in the Master of Arts in Music program. UCF made an impressive showing with two winners. A piece by Josh’s teacher Christopher Marshall was also selected. The Fanfare Competition boasts...
Jeff Rupert Performs at I Love Jazz Festival in Brazil
August 13, 2013 This August, Jeff Rupert performed in Brazil at the I Love Jazz Festival Internacional. The festival boasts an attendance of more than 10,000 visitors each night. Rupert appeared with the Happy Feet Big Band and the Judy Carmichael Group on August 10 and 11 in Belo Horizonte. Rupert also performed...
"Music and Neuroscience" Research Featured in Orlando Weekly
June 06, 2013 The latest issue of Orlando Weekly features research on “Music and the Brain” by UCF faculty members. The work began with a course by Dr. Kiminobu Sugaya, a UCF professor of neuroscience, and Juilliard-trained violinist and UCF professor Ayako Yonetani. The course lead to lectures, performances, and a symposium as...
Central Florida Future on the Music and the Brain Symposium
May 17, 2013 Whether it’s an exciting baseline, a somber melody or a crescendo that makes your heart flutter every time, we’re all aware of the power music can have over our emotions. But is it capable of curing diseases? Could it be the reason for a murder or a suicide? Could it...
Sophomore Wins Central Florida Jazz Scholarship
April 12, 2013 Sophomore Greg Zabel has won the Central Florida Jazz Society 2013 Scholarship. Zabel was one of seven finalists following a preliminary round consisting of a recorded performance. Four of the finalists were UCF students. Zabel will receive a $2000 prize that he expects to put toward the purchase of a...
Spotlight on Award-winning Senior Flute Players
March 29, 2013 Flute players Adriane Hill and Nicholas Buonanni are entering their final semester at UCF. During their time at UCF, they have been highly active performers, and their efforts have been recognized with numerous awards. Both students are studying with Nora Lee García in the flute studio and had the opportunity...