Over the past year, students and faculty with the Department of Music and Theatre have enhanced their learning and scholarship through numerous events and activities. Here’s a snapshot of their honors, learning opportunities, research, outreach, and travels.
Faculty honors and creative activities
Andrew Bishop, assistant teaching professor, has been creating modern editions of standard orchestral trumpet repertoire for years and was recently approached by Art of Sound Publications (AOS) about carrying his catalog. AOS launched “The Andrew Bishop Orchestral Editions” in February, and currently features 37 new editions of orchestral trumpet repertoire.
Christian Carichner, associate teaching professor of music, recently graduated with his Doctor of Musical Arts in wind band and orchestral conducting from the University of Memphis. Congratulations, Dr. Carichner!
Brad Dell, chair of the Department of Music and Theatre, directed and co-produced “Twelfth Night” for the Shakespeare on the Lawn series at Salisbury House and Gardens, Des Moines, Iowa. He also assumed the role of national chair of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. In this role he travels the country as a guest artist respondent at regional and national theatre festivals. Back home at Iowa State, he was appointed co-director of the Emerging Leaders Academy, a year-long professional development program for faculty and staff.
Michael Golemo, University Professor, conducted honor bands this past year in Iowa and Kentucky, and all-state bands in Texas and Colorado. He served as an adjudicator at band festivals in Iowa; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Nashville, Tennessee. The ISU Wind Ensemble, under his direction, recently performed with the Boston Brass at the Iowa Bandmasters Association conference.
Christopher Hopkins, professor of music, composition, had a performance of his work for bowed piano and electroacoustic sounds, “Arched Interiors II,” at the National Sawdust Festival in Brooklyn. Hopkins continued his Galilei Dialogues project, editing 16th century music with an advanced projects workshop at the national meeting of the Viola da Gamba Society of America at the University of Rhode Island. He also received an artist residency award from the Lillian E. Smith Center of Piedmont University for readings of new editions and original compositions.
Charissa Menefee, professor of English and theatre, published a new book this year, “Embodied Playwriting: Improv and Acting Exercises for Writing and Devising,” with Routledge Publishing. She also presented at several conferences, including the Midwest Climate Summit, Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference, and Iowa Conservation Education Coalition’s Winter Workshop.
Amanda Petefish-Schrag, associate professor of theatre, co-presented a workshop, “Puppetry’s Transformative Potential in Actor Development,” with Jennifer Lale of Indiana University at the 2024 Mid-America Theatre Conference. She also co-presented a talk, “From Chaos to Collaboration: Building Effective Cross-Disciplinary Theatre Projects,” with Tiffany Antone, assistant teaching professor of theatre.
James Rodde, Louise Moen Chair in Music, was recently honored by his alma mater, Augsburg University in Minneapolis, with the Distinguished Alumni Award, given in recognition of his significant achievement in vocation and outstanding contribution to community.
Kelly Marie Schaefer, teaching professor of theatre, received the Kennedy Center Gold Medallion. This recognition is the most prestigious award given by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) and is considered one of the greatest honors in educational theatre. Schaefer also serves on the regional advisory board for Region 5 KCACTF as the current hospitality coordinator for the festival. Schaefer’s costume design for the musical “Head Over Heels” was honored with a KCACTF regional certificate of merit, and her costume design for “Night of the Living Dead! The Musical!” earned a regional award from Broadway World.
Jonathan Sharp, associate professor of music, presented his research on electroacoustic solo snare drum at the Association for Technology in Music Instruction National Conference in Miami, Florida. He also performed and presented at the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, Oregon Fringe Festival, and the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy. In addition, he composed and premiered a new work for solo snare drum titled “Truss” at the Electronic Music Midwest Festival in Illinois.
Christina Svec, associate professor of music, music education, was an invited conductor for the 2024 Celebrate Singing Festival, West Central Activities Conference Middle School Honor Choir, and the South Central Iowa Choral Directors’ Association 5th/6th Grade Honor Choir. Her recent publications can be found in the International Journal of Music in Early Childhood, Journal of Music Teacher Education, and the Journal of Research in Music Education. Recent research article topics include music aptitude, preservice elementary general music teachers, and music teacher education programs.
Tin-Shi Tam, University Professor, was a keynote speaker at the 2024 ISCORE conference and an instructor for masterclasses at the Congress of The Guild of Carillonneur in North America. Her online course, MUSIC 102, has received certification from Quality Matters, an internationally recognized symbol of quality in online and blended course design. In addition, she has been awarded the 2024 Education Leadership Award from the Chinese Association of Iowa.
Our travels
From Brazil to Santa Fe, the Department of Music and Theatre students and faculty crisscrossed the nation and world last year. Here’s just a few of the places we traveled.
ISU Theatre students intern around the country:
• Bobbie Buie (‘25 English, performing arts) and Kaushik Raghavan (‘25 performing arts), Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Valentine Chenus (’24 environmental science), Northern High Tier Adventure, Ely, Minnesota
• Addison Salski (’25 music), Cricket Theater Company, Lake Zurich, Illinois
• Rylee Foreman (’25 performing arts) Calumet Theater, Calumet, Michigan
• Samuel McDaniel (’24 computer engineering, performing arts), Lees-McRae Summer Theatre, Banner Elk, North Carolina
• Annika Baker (’24 performing arts, accounting), Paul Bunyan Playhouse, Bemidji, Minnesota
Faculty and student performances:
• Jonathan Sharp, associate professor of music, performed as the featured percussionist at the 2023 Midwest clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago.
• Nathan Dishman, associate professor of music, performed at the Mid-South Horn Symposium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
• Borivoj Martinić-Jerčić, the Bacon Louis Faculty Fellow in Instrumental Music and associate professor of music, performed and also taught in Croatia.
• Sonja Giles, associate chair and professor of music; Sabrina Bleile (’25 music); and Aubrey Garretson (’24 music) performed at the National Flute Festival in Scottsdale, Arizona
• George Work, professor of music, gave a performance of Brahms "Double Concerto" with friend and violinist John Gilbert in Recife, Brazil.
• Cantamus performed at the American Choral Directors Association Conference in Omaha, Nebraska. Directed by Jennifer Rodgers, assistant teaching professor of music, their program included songs such as “W.I.T.CH,” a hit song that first appeared on TikTok, and “Hurricane,” from an environmentally-inspired choral cycle.
• Led by Louise Moen Chair in Music and Professor James Rodde, the Iowa State Singers toured Norway this May, performing at the famous Oslo Domkirke, Bergen Cathedral, Ålesund Church, Molde Cathedral, and Nidaros Cathedral, just to name a few highlights.
• ISU Wind Ensemble performed at the Iowa Bandmasters Association annual conference in Des Moines, Iowa, under the direction of Michael Golemo, University Professor and professor of music.
• Jodi Goble, teaching professor of music, premiered new operas at Minneapolis Music in the Parks; the San Francisco Conservatory of Music; in Munich, Germany; and in Ames.
• The pep bands for Iowa State men’s and women’s basketball played at the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri, and brought the Cyclone spirit to March Madness games.
• The Ames Piano Quartet has been busy touring nationally, including a notable performance on the Maverick Concert Series in Woodstock, New York. The concert featured George Tsontakis’ “Piano Quartet #4,” commissioned by the quartet. With the composer in attendance, the performance received a glowing review in the “Boston Musical Intelligencer.” The quartet plans to release new recordings next year. Members include Borivoj Martinić-Jerčić, associate professor of music and violinist; George Work, professor of music and cellist; and Mei-Hsuan Huang, associate professor of music and pianist.
Education, outreach, and research
• Thirty-seven students, faculty, and staff represented ISU Theatre at the Region 5 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Des Moines.
• Tiffany Antone, assistant teaching professor of theatre; Cason Murphy, assistant professor of theatre; and Amanda Petefish-Schrag, associate professor of theatre; presented research at the MidAmerica Theatre Conference, in Madison, Wisconsin.
• Brad Dell, chair and professor of theatre, helped represent Iowa State at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE) in Honolulu, Hawaii; the National Association of Schools of Music conference in Scottsdale, Arizona; and served as a Guest Artist Clinician as chair of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Flint, Michigan; Des Moines; Abilene, Texas; and Washington, D.C.
• Natalie Royston, associate professor of music, shared scholarship on mental wellness and music education this summer during the International Society of Music Education 36th World Conference. She co-presented research in Helsinki, Finland, and Tallinn, Estonia.
• Mei-Hsuan Huang, associate professor of music, is mentoring young artists this summer through performances and masterclasses at National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She also coached a graduate chamber class and participated in the Brahms project at her alma mater, National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan.
• Michael Golemo, University Professor and professor of music, conducted the Texas High School All-State Band in San Antonio, Texas.
• Chad Sonka, assistant teaching professor of music, shared leadership as an executive director, director, and performer at the Savannah Voice Festival in Savannah, Georgia.