Dear alumni and friends,
This past year, the Department of Music and Theatre joined the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) in a strategic planning process led by our new dean Benjamin C. Withers. Our faculty and staff reaffirmed our enthusiastic commitment to four key pillars that have been core to our department for many years and align with Iowa State’s land-grant mission and its Principles of Community. In summary, our pillars are to:
• Prepare music and theatre students for professional life
• Create high-impact learning opportunities for students across the university
• Serve as the cultural life force for the university, the state of Iowa, and beyond
• Provide a welcoming community for all.
The Department of Music and Theatre fosters creativity and community through these pillars, as exemplified in the following points of pride.
We celebrate students who achieve top honors in their fields, from placement in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival finals at the Kennedy Center to acceptance into the nation’s top music graduate programs. We’re particularly proud of our 100% placement rate for music education majors – and grateful for the strong network of Cyclone music education alumni who help mentor them.
We delight in offering high-impact travel experiences for our students. This spring, the Iowa State Singers presented at the American Choral Directors Association conference in Dallas, and the ISU Wind Ensemble performed at the Salzburg Cathedral in Austria. Esteemed guest artists also came to Ames to coach and conduct, including Mary Jo DuPrey, vocal coach for Jon Bon Jovi, and Lt. Col. Craig Hallat, principal director of music in the British Army.
As a destination for Iowa arts events, we offer our community weekly (and often daily) opportunities to hear beautiful music and experience dynamic stories. A special highlight this year was our 125th-anniversary concert celebrating Iowa State’s campanile-carillon.
Finally, our department creates spaces that are sanctuaries of belonging. We continue to offer free snack pantries to uplift our students and faculty. And we are designing a new Cyclone support space in Simon Estes Music Hall to help students de-stress from long days of study and rehearsal.
Our strategic actions will set the stage for even greater success and more enriching experiences for our students, faculty, staff, and community of alumni, friends, and audiences. Thank you for your continued generosity and support that propels our students and uplifts the joy of music and theatre at Iowa State!
With gratitude and care,
Brad Dell