Blair School of Music alumnus
Accolade
Nov. 19, 2018—Dean Whiteside, BMus’10, of Miami—shown conducting that city’s New World Symphony PULSE concert—is the 2017–18 winner of the American Prize in Conducting in the Professional Orchestra division. After earning his undergraduate degree at Blair, the New York City native trained in Vienna at the University of Music and Performing Arts, where he graduated with distinction....
Alumnus Raviv in Tony-winning musical
Sep. 6, 2018—The Band’s Visit, a musical about an Egyptian orchestra stuck for a night in a remote Israeli town, swept the Tony Awards on June 10, winning 10 awards, including Best Musical. Katrina Lenk and Tony Shalhoub (above, seated) both won Tony Awards for their performances in the lead roles. The show’s small cast also features...
Accolade
Feb. 26, 2018—Daniel Bernard Roumain, BMus’93, (right, with the production’s assistant director and choreographer Bill T. Jones, center), composed the music for the opera We Shall Not Be Moved, which was named by The New York Times in December as one of the best classical music performances of 2017. Daniel Shirley, BMus’04, was among the six featured...
DeLesslin “Roo” George-Warren, BMus’14, Waking Up a Culture
Nov. 21, 2017—It’s been 53 years since the Catawba language perished with the death of its last fluent speaker. But DeLesslin “Roo” George-Warren, a member of the Indian nation that is the only federally recognized tribe in South Carolina—the reservation is based in Rock Hill—is working to breathe new life into his heritage. He’s the recipient of...
Finding ‘Calm:’ Lowry Wins 2016 World Projects Composition Competition
Jun. 2, 2017—In August 2016 much of southern Louisiana lay underwater, flooded by more than 7.1 trillion gallons of rainfall. It was, meteorologists said, a 1,000-year event. In hard-hit Baton Rouge, Christopher Lowry, BMus ’11, now a viola and music composition doctoral student at Louisiana State University, took pen to paper and let his emotions flow. That...
Brëw-hilde: Blair Alumnae Bring Opera to Nashville Bars
Jun. 2, 2017—Nashville is known for its live music scene. Some nights you can drink a beer and enjoy country, blues, bluegrass, opera … no, not opry, opera—complete with a Viking helmet passed around afterward for donations. Thanks to Blair School of Music alumnae Erin Ridge, BMus’15; Charlotte Ulrich, BMus’15; and Lindsay Cunningham, BMus’10, you can add...
Covering All Basses: Alumnus Michael Rinne Shows Up for Some Big Gigs
Aug. 12, 2016— Bassist Michael Rinne, BMus’10, is a busy guy. He has recorded with artists Caitlin Rose, Jack White and Andrew Combs, and has toured with Steelism, Mark O’Connor and, most recently, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell. Now he is featured in the recently released Hank Williams biopic I Saw the Light, backing up lead actor...