CFA Gala 75: ROOTED program

“To know your future, you must know your past.”

— Philosopher and writer George Santayana

PROGRAM

State of the Arts Address

A look at what is happening in the arts at the U

Welcome

Erin Farrell Speer, Emcee

Opening Remarks

John W. Scheib

Associate Vice President for the Arts and Dean, College of Fine Arts

Special Guest

Taylor Randall President, University of Utah

Scholarship Impact

Erin Farrell Speer and Jason Dreher

Music

‘’Conga del Fuego Nuevo’’ by Arturo Marquez

Performed by the Utah Philharmonia

Arts Educator Award Presentation

Georgiana Kennedy Simpson (MAT-FA)

Art & Art History

“The New Gittins Gallery” a film made with gratitude for the generosity of the Wheatley family in honor of their mother and artist Mary Lois Wheatley

Theatre

Finale from “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare

Performed by theatre students

Horizon Award Presentation

Ewa Płonka (Music)

Film & Media Arts

“Game of Love”

Written and directed by student Jacob Hagen

Dance

Movement from “A Choreographic Offering”

Choreography: José Limón, Music: J.S. Bach

Performed by dance students

Legacy Award Presentation

Marilyn Berrett (Dance)

Closing Remarks

Erin Farrell Speer

TONIGHT’S ARTISTS AND CREDITS

MUSIC

‘’Conga del Fuego Nuevo’’

ByArturo Marquez

Conductedy by Robert Baldwin

Performed by the Utah Philharmonia

Flutes

Reuben Councill*

Bryan Kiang*

Siyoung Lee

Piccolo

Reuben Councill

Bryan Kiang

Oboes

Karen Hastings*

Anna Larson*

English Horn

Abby McMullen

Clarinet

Darrin Theriot*

Christian Manley**

Zane Jensen**

Bassoons

Jane Pugmire*

Luke Pfiel

Horns

Ethan Young*

Mya Scheib

Brian Larson*

Justice Nugent

Trumpets

Taylor Duby*

Duncan Moore*

Mariah Turner

Trombones

Kyle Larson*

Kade Gordon

Bass Trombone

Saila Briggs

Tuba

Isaac Anderson*

Timpani

Zach Clawson

Percussion

Ryan Hushaw*

Brandon Lupus

Madi Bowles

Alec Godfrey

Harp Whitney Jensen

Violin 1

Kristen Olsen+

Lauren Peck, asst.+

Elizabeth Curtis

Alina Baron

Melanie Hansen

Derek Blodgett

Jewelia Spjute

Paul Petersen

Abby Morrell

Joshua Lewis

Cynthia Jensen

Melodee Valentine

Saya Zeleznik

Violin 2

Sidney Lofthouse*

Sadie Swain

Adele Clarke

Emma Lamb

Elizabeth Margetts

Grant Durtschi

Ethan Gardner

Wen Rui Zhao

Autumn Wood

Elizabeth Gardner

Violas

Caitlyn Curry*

Jack Johnson**

Lydia Miller

Celeste Adams

Miriam Randall

Myalee Smith

Dallas Bitter

Lillian Ault

Stephanie Coleman Lauren

Tian-Machado

+Concertmaster

*Principal/Co-Principal

**Assistant Principal

Cellos

Milo Nieves*

Karina Miner**

Stella Wadsworth

Debbie Hsu

Kaitlin Booth

Nicholas Kelly

Lydia Mitchell

Yasmine Abuelhija

Julia Fiero

Eden Wilson

Nikei Bowen

Sophia Warnas

Siang-Qing Chen

Bass

Megan Hall*

Brenna Kirby

Graduate Conductors

Brandon Horrocks

Oswaldo Machado

TONIGHT’S ARTISTS AND CREDITS

ART & ART HISTORY

“The New Gittins Gallery”

A film made with gratitude for the generosity of the Wheatley family in honor of their mother and artist Mary Lois Wheatley.

THEATRE

Finale from “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare. Original Music written and composed by Lilly Stone (2023 graduate)

Company;

Camden Barrett

Caro Ciet

Sandra Deitweiler

Kassi Dobler

Cade Freiermuth

Nate Ginsberg

Debora Ingabile

Matthew Jabara

Tyler Kline

Isacc-Martinez-Trinidad

Tobi Okhimamhe

Audrey Pan

Rachel Roetcisoender

Emily Tatum

Tyler Van Oostendorp

Abyanna Wood

FILM & MEDIA ARTS

“Game of Love”

Written and directed by Jacob Hagen

Starring Ava Kostia and Abhi Harikumar

Produced by Bridger Roberts and Liam Bice

Cinematography by Jet Whiting

Edited by Jacob Hagen and Bridger Roberts

To learn more about the College of Fine Arts’ history and to read other stories about our faculty, staff, students, and alumni, check out Studio Magazine.

TONIGHT’S ARTISTS AND CREDITS

DANCE

Movement from “A Choreographic Offering”

First performed August 15, 1964, at the American Dance Festival by the José Limón Dance Company

Choreography: José Limón

Music: J.S. Bach

Staging and Direction: Natalie Desch

Rehearsal Assistant: Kimberly Fulmer

Dancers

Miriam Au

Emilie Bishop

Edie Clarke

Sarah Conover Hui

Emma Feddo

Corinne Fellerhoff

Meshayla Gardinier

Addison Goan

Sophie Greenwood

Anouk Haffner

Sophie Kane

Hannah Kiers

Maggie Maierle

Clea Mathieu

Sophie O’Brien

Adelaide Pitcock

Autumn Ryskoski

Savannah Sherman

Max VanNocken-Witmer

Regan Wilkens

This work is in memory of Doris Humphrey. It is based on movements from her dances, and contains variations, paraphrases, and motifs from:

GIGUE, SARABANDE, WATER STUDY, DIONYSIAQUES, THE PLEASURES OF COUNTERPOINT, CIRCULAR DESCENT, HANDEL VARIATIONS, AIR ON A GROUND BASS, RUDEPOEMA, NEW DANCE, WITH MY RED FIRES, PASSACAGLIA AND FUGUE IN C MINOR, RUINS AND VISIONS, and INVENTION.

Dance for Twenty – Ricercar (2a6) - Finale

©1996, José Limón Dance Foundation, Inc. These performances of Suite from A Choreographic Offering, a Limónsm Dance, are presented by arrangement with The José Limón Dance Foundation, Inc. and has been produced in accordance with the Limón Stylesm and Limón Techniquesm service standards established by The José Limón Dance Foundation, Inc. Limónsm, Limón Stylesm and Limón Techniquesm are trade and service marks of The José Limón Dance Foundation, Inc. (All rights reserved)

José Limón (1908-1972) electrified the world with his dynamic masculine dancing and dramatic choreography. One of the 20th century’s most important and influential dance makers, he spent his entire career pioneering a new art form and fighting for the recognition and establishment of the American Modern Dance. Born in Culiacán, Mexico in 1908, he immigrated to California in 1915, and in 1928 Limón came to New York and saw his first dance program. Limón enrolled in the dance school of Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman and, from 1930 - 1940, performed in works created by his teachers. In 1946, with Doris Humphrey as Artistic Director, Limón formed his own company. Over the following 25 years, he established himself and his company as one of the major forces of 20th century dance. Limón was a key faculty member in The Juilliard School’s Dance Division beginning in 1953 and continued choreographing until his death in 1972. Limón choreographed a total of seventy-four works, including The Moor’s Pavane, Missa Brevis, There is a Time, The Traitor, and Psalm.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

Georgiana Kennedy Simpson Arts Education Award

Living at the crossroads of artmaking and learning, Georgiana Kennendy Simpson is an award-winning arts educator dedicated to growing through the practices of making and the idea that education breeds opportunity. For nearly a decade, she has guided 7-12th graders in visual arts, student leadership, and academic excellence at Whitehorse High School in the Navajo Nation. Kennedy Simpson earned her BS in Business Administration/Marketing from University of Arizona (‘83) and her Master of Arts in Teaching – Fine Arts (’20). She owns a comedic arts business called Bluffoonery that supports development of local teenage artists and addresses other local needs, has written three books on indigenous artmaking practices, participated in a multitude of community arts projects, and lives in Bluff, UT with her husband and two dogs.

Ewa Płonka Horizon Award

Ewa Płonka is an award-winning, internationally renowned pianist and opera star. Born in Poland, Płonka has degrees from The Academy of Music in Ponzań/Poland (‘07 BA and MM in piano performance), Oklahoma City University (‘09 MM in piano performance), the University of Utah (’14 DMA in piano performance), and The Juilliard School (‘16 Artist Diploma in Opera Studies). She has graced stages across the globe, with recent opera performances at Teatro Real Madrid (Spain), The Royal Opera House (England), Bayerische Staatsoper (Germany), or Arena di Verona (Italy). Upcoming performances include the leads in productions at La Scala (Italy), Staatsoper Berlin (Germany), Zurich Opera (Switzerland) and the Washington National Opera at The Kennedy Center. Her signature roles include Turandot by Puccini, Lady Macbeth (Macbeth) by Verdi, Aida by Verdi, Abigaille (Nabucco) by Verdi or Tosca by Puccini.

Opera magazine, “Das Opernglas,” described her prowess as rightfully earning “frenetic applause.” When she’s not performing internationally, she splits her time living in New York City and Côte d’Azur (France) with her husband.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

Marilyn Berrett Legacy Award

It was when Marilyn Berrett was 4 and she saw her cousin dance the way a seashell made her feel that a lifelong love affair with dance began. Though opportunities to do so were not always easily accessible, Berrett’s perseverance and ability to garner support catapulted her from being a Virginia Tanner mentee at the Children’s Dance Theatre to an Elizabeth R. Hayes Scholarship recipient at the University of Utah, to an award-winning Professor Emeritus at Brigham Young University, an independent dance artist, and master teacher in modern dance, choreography, Graham technique, creative dance for children, and pedagogy.

Berrett earned her BA in modern dance at the University of Utah (’79) and went on to receive her MA in Dance from BYU (’84) and still collaborates with dance colleagues around the globe presenting at conferences, guest teaching, and choreographing at schools, universities, and dance companies. Berrett treasures her “roots” at the University of Utah and feels humbled and honored to receive the 2023 College of Fine Arts Legacy Award.

EMCEE

Erin Farrell Speer (she/her) | Erin is a director, choreographer and theatre educator. Originally from Los Angeles, Erin’s career has taken her from coast to coast, working both on and off Broadway, at regional theaters and in film and television. Her directing mentors include both Susan H. Schulman (Tony nominated director for “The Secret Garden”) and Christopher Ashley (Tony award winning director for “Come from Away”).

Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Utah this Fall, Erin co-founded and developed the curriculum for the BFA in musical theatre at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. There she received multiple awards for excellence in teaching. She has also taught in the musical theatre programs at Penn State and Florida Southern College.

Most recently she directed “Rock of Ages” at UNCG, “The Bridges of Madison County” at Elon University, “The Scarlet Pimpernel” in Cape Cod, and assisted on the world premiere of “Stardust Road” at Off-Broadway’s York Theatre.

Erin earned her BFA in Acting from the University of Michigan, and her MFA in Directing for the Musical Theatre Stage from Penn State University. She is an avid college football fan, proud Wolverine and Nittany Lion, and is delighted to join the faculty at Utah. Go Utes!

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

Jason Dreher started playing music at age 11, receiving private music tutoring after school on the trombone. He picked up the guitar at age 14. After high school he moved from his home state of Wyoming to California to study for 2 years at Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. Jason has played many styles of music throughout the years including jazz, country, rock, gospel, and classical. Jason is currently a senior at the University of Utah pursuing a bachelors degree in jazz guitar performance.

CFA 75TH ANNIVERSARY PLANNING COMMITTEE

Denise Begue / Senior Director of Advancement

Edward Bateman / Art & Art History

Melissa Bobick / Dance

Kevin Hanson / Film & Media Arts

Julie Wright-Costa / Music

Andra Harbold / Theatre

Andrea Ashdown / Dean’s Offrice

Blake Bratcher / Dean’s Offrice

Marina Gomberg / Dean’s Offrice

THANKS TO THE ENTIRE CREW

Producer / Gary Vlasic

Associate Producer / Karen Domer

Stage Manager / Jacquelynn Potts

Lighting Designer / Cole Adams

Graphics Operator / Derek Rood

Camera Operator / Jennifer Humphreys

Operations Director / Aja Vogelman

Production Manager / Ashley Behunin

Master Electrician / David Braithwaite

Audio Engineer / Jacob Martinez

House Stage Manager / Steve Wimmer

Video Production / TWIG Media Lab

Catering / Lori Tolbert Catering

Event Logistics / Blake Bratcher

Alumni Relations / Emeri Fetzer

Donor Relations / Denise Begue and Devon Barnes

Communications & Marketing / Marina Gomberg

We are filled with gratitude for where we have been and anticipation for where we’re headed. Your gift in honor of this monumental landmark – no matter the size – fuels dreams taking root in the College of Fine Arts.

Thank you for investing in our future.

All gifts tonight will be generously matched 1:1 up to $7,500 by Merit Medical.

Find your voice. Fuel your passion. Ignite your future.