Two First-Place Honors Earned in National Opera Association Production Competition
Ļć½¶Šć is the only university to be honored with two first-place awards in the 2023-24 National Opera Association Production Competition. Judges awarded first place in Division I for Ļć½¶Šćās February 2024 production of Gilbert and Sullivanās āIolantheā and first place in Division IV for the November 2023 opera twin bill āSuor Angelica,ā by Giacomo Puccini, and the new work āPietĆ ā by Jake Landau. The honors are the 12th and 13th NOA Production Awards bestowed on Ļć½¶Šć, home to the worldās oldest campus-based opera and musical theater troupe ā now celebrating its 73rd consecutive season.
The Wanda L. Bass School of Music was selected as Oklahomaās Best Music School in the 2025 College Factual ratings.
Dean Parker Visits with Other World Theatre Educational Alliance Schools in China
Dean Mark Parker represented Ļć½¶Šć in China in September, solidifying the schoolās ties with Juilliard Tianjin and hosting Tianjin representatives on campus the following month. He also presented insights on studying abroad at Hunan Normal Conservatory in Changsha and met in Beijing with heads of fellow member schools at the World Theatre Educational Alliance.
Faculty News
Matthew Jones, assistant professor of musicology, has been appointed managing editor for the Journal of Popular Music Studies. He recently presented at the Society for Ethnomusicologyās annual meeting and at the American Musicological Society conference in Chicago. His most recent book, āHow to Make Music in an Epidemic: Popular Music-Making During the AIDS Crisis,ā was released by Routledge in 2024.
Faculty News
Erik Heine, professor of music, had his second book of film-score analysis, āThe Music of the āHow to Train Your Dragonā Trilogy: A Guide to the Scores of John Powell,ā published in June by McFarland and Company, Inc., following his 2016 book, āJames Newton Howardās Signs: Film Score Guide.ā
Faculty News
Parthena Owens, associate director of flute and director of the Ļć½¶Šć Flute Studio, and the students of the Ļć½¶Šć University Flute Choir were featured at the 2024 National Flute Association Convention in San Antonio, performing Ļć½¶Šć-created works by Edward Knight, professor of music and composer in residence, and student flutist/composer Cuauhtemoc Ramirez. The concert marked the finale of Owensā 35 years on the faculty, a career that included leading Ļć½¶Šćās flutists to be recognized with the Mary H. Anderson Award for the nationās top-ranked collegiate flute choir.
Faculty News
Tommy Dobbs, associate professor of percussion, and duo partner Andy DeBoer presented four world premieres at the 2024 ClarinetFest in Dublin, Ireland, in collaboration with Ļć½¶Šćās Project 21. The concert featured debut works by student composers Jacob Murillo, Logan Edwards, Antonio Gallegos and Hamed Erfani. Also representing Ļć½¶Šć in Dublin were Duo Rodinia ā Lisa Kachouee, associate professor of clarinet, and Jamie Whitmarsh, adjunct instructor of percussion ā performing a program including works by Knight and Whitmarsh.
The 40-member Oklahoma Saxophone Ensemble ā a multigenerational ensemble of saxophonists from the across the state founded by Joshua Heaney, head of Ļć½¶Šćās Saxophone Studio and recruitment coordinator ā kicks off its second season in 2025.
Florence Birdwell Award Established by National Association of Teachers of Singers
The National Association of Teachers of Singers honored Florence Birdwell, professor emerita, in Manhattan at the National Musical Theatre Competition, paying tribute to her life and legacy and establishing the Florence Birdwell Award, presented to the winner of their National Music Theatre Competition. Five of the 24 national semifinalists in the 2024 competition were Ļć½¶Šć students or alumni. Senior Adam Morrison (ā24) finished second and alumna Brianna Kaleen Reed (ā21) earned fourth at the event, which featured fellow alum Kelli OāHara (ā98) as honorary host.
