School of Music & Theatre lands first-ever NEA grant

The School of Music & Theatre is the recipient of a prestigious National Endowment for the Arts grant in support of the long-standing New Music Live series.

The school will receive $15,000 from the NEA as part of $82 million in funding announced by NEA Chairman Jane Chu. Heidelberg’s grant is part of NEA’s Art Works program, and is one of 1,029 awards in the organization’s second round of funding in fiscal year 2017. Art Works is the NEA’s largest category and focuses on funding the creation of art that meets the highest standard of excellence, public engagement with art, lifelong learning in the arts and strengthening of communities through the arts.

 “This is just spectacular,” said Dr. Carol Dusdieker, associate dean and the grant’s main author. “We are really looking forward to broadening the impact of New Music Live to the entire Heidelberg campus and the Seneca County community.”

 “We have a unique environment here at Heidelberg and within Tiffin and Seneca County. This grant will enhance our ability to bring top-notch artists to campus, not just for concerts free and open to the community, but for residencies, classes, discussions and rehearsals with Heidelberg students and possibly local high school students.”

The 2017-18 academic year will mark the 28th year that Heidelberg has brought “new music” to campus. Last year, the School of Music & Theatre moved away from the single-weekend festival format with numerous guests and performances to working major new music concerts by guest artists into the thread of the entire performance year. This year’s series will feature visiting artists and an ensemble that will explore the expressive and creative potential of the human voice. Guest artists will include composer Tom Cipullo, composer Michael John Trotta and the Ekmeles vocal ensemble.

Cipullo’s compositions have been described as imaginative, unconventional, expressive and intriguing. His works are performed nationally and internationally, and have been commissioned widely across the U.S. He is the composer of two operas: After Life, commissioned and premiered by Music of Remembrance in Seattle and San Francisco, and Glory Denied, after the book by journalist Tom Philpot and based on the true story of America’s longest-held prisoner of war.

Cipullo will be at Heidelberg Sept. 28-29 to conduct a master class with students and alumni. He’ll work with students one-on-one to interpret the musicality and creative inspiration behind his compositions. Heidelberg will host a professional concert of Cipullo’s works with faculty vocalists and guest artists on Sept. 29.

Ekmeles is a vocal ensemble that performs new and rarely heard works and gems of historical avant garde. The group presents new a capella repertoire for solo voices and by collaborating with other new music instrumental ensembles.

Heidelberg will host Ekmeles on March 22-23. The first day, the ensemble will conduct workshops with vocal students and local choirs around the theme of ensemble building. On March 23, they will present a concert.

Trotta, a conductor and clinician with choirs throughout the country, is one of the most exciting and prominent new composers of choral music. His award-winning commissions are frequently performed at Carnegie Hall and across the country. Trotta recently conducted world premieres of three new major works, Light Shines in the Darkness, For a Breath of Ecstacy and the Carnegie Hall premiere of Seven Last Words in May.

As part of the NEA grant, Heidelberg has commissioned Trotta to compose a piece exclusively for the Concert Choir. He will be at Heidelberg April 26-27 to conduct workshops with the choir and director Dr. Greg Ramsdell along with local high school students. The Concert Choir will give the world premiere performance of his commissioned piece during the annual home concert on April 27.  The Concert Choir will then incorporate Trotta’s piece into its repertoire for its annual spring tour in May 2018.