Dr. Ryan Fisher, assistant professor of choral music education, recently had his article, “British and American Theories of the Changing Male Voice: An Historical Overview” published in the Journal of Historical Research in Music Education. He and Dr. Paige Rose, assistant professor of instrumental/elementary music education, also recently presented a workshop entitled, “What’s HOT?: Higher Order Thinking in Your Music Ensemble” at the Arkansas Music Educators Association Fall Professional Development Conference.
Art instructor David Bailin’s drawing, “Pondering,” was included in a group show called “10 Year Celebration: Solo Exhibition Artist Retrospective (1999-2009)”. The show is being held at the Fine Arts Gallery, Washington Pavilion in Sioux, Falls, S.D. through December. Bailin’s new work will be unveiled during a solo show “Paper Trails” January through February at the Fine Arts Gallery at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. A catalogue will be published.
Mark Spitzer, assistant professor of writing, recently had his creative nonfiction collection Season of the Gar accepted by the University of Arkansas Press. His memoir, Writer in Residence, was accepted as well by the University of New Orleans Press, and his novel CHODE! has just been published by Six Gallery Press. Recently accepted work has been published in Rain Taxi, The Minnetonka Review, &Now, Clockwise Cat, Cherry Bleed, Barbaric Yawp, Danse Macabre, Yellow Mama, and Reconfigurations. National Geographics has commissioned him for his research on alligator gar for a documentary film currently in production.
Dr. Stephanie Vanderslice, an associate professor of writing, was presented the Arkansas University English Teacher of the Year Award on Nov. 5. The award was presented by the Arkansas Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts. Winners are selected based on their professionalism, service and accomplishments in the field of English and Language Arts.
Robin Becker, instructor of writing, will have her debut novel, BRAINS: A Zombie Memoir, published by Harper Collins on May 25, 2010. BRAINS, Becker’s third novel, is the first-person account of a college professor turned zombie who retains his sentience and recruits others like him on a heroic quest to fend off the living while searching for the meaning of un-life.
Robin Becker, instructor of writing, and Huixia Lu, assistant professor of digital film making, were recipients of the Arkansas Arts Council’s Individual Artist Fellowship.
The Scarlet Letter, the opera commissioned by UCA, was featured prominently in the October issue of The Classical Singer magazine. The four-page spread was a feature Q & A by Susan Dormady Eisenberg with composer Lori Laitman. The opera premiered November 2008 in Reynolds Performance Hall and featured Israel Getzov, instructor of music at UCA and conductor of the Conway Symphony Orchestra, who conducted the opera and UCA faculty members Christine Donahue, Rob Holden, Martha Antolik, along with John Garst, who sang the principal roles. Diane Kesling of Hot Springs, a former member of the Metropolitan Opera roster of singers, was the stage director. William Henshaw of Henderson State University designed the set and costumes.