News

• Featured News

  Actress, Dancer Charlotte d’Amboise Holds Residency in Department of Drama

  Tony-nominated actress and dancer Charlotte d’Amboise visited the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Department of Drama in early March for a four-day guest residency in the musical theater program. A legendary triple-threat performer, d’Amboise was invited to teach content from her array of Broadway shows, which include “A Chorus Line,” “Chicago” and “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway.” She worked with students in several tap, jazz and ballet classes as well as in Robbins’ Repertoire, an upper-level course focused on Robbins’ choreography. d’Amboise also answered questions from the students regarding the “show-biz” industry and enlightened them with stories about directors and choreographers with whom she had the opportunity to work. “I loved working with the students at Syracuse University,” says d’Amboise. “This is an incredible musical theater program—such dedication and talent!” Read More...

• Featured News

  Pianist Andrew Willis to Hold Residency at Setnor School of Music

  Pianist Andrew Willis, a fortepiano expert and professor of music at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Greensboro, will be in residence March 28-29 in the keyboard department of the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Rose, Jules R. and Stanford S. Setnor School of Music. The residency will include a presentation and recital of Bach Partitas performed on Willis’ own fortepiano on Thursday, March 28, from 12:40 -1:50 p.m. in Room 404 Crouse College. He will also present a masterclass with keyboard students on Friday, March 29, from 11 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. in Room 404 Crouse College. Both events are free and open to the public. Read More...

• Featured News

  Ashley Stewart® ME by EMME® 2019 Collection Features Dresses by Fashion Design Students

  Ashley Stewart®, the leading lifestyle and social commerce brand, has launched the ME BY EMME® 2019 capsule dress collection in partnership with iconic supermodel Emme ’85. The yearlong partnership consists of 12 new trend-forward dress styles that are perfect for the modern-day woman. Created by Emme and KBL Group International, the capsule spotlights two winning dresses from Fashion Without Limits (FWL) EMME Award™ winners at Syracuse University: Courtney Capazzi ’18 (2017 winner) and Kerry Phelan ’19 (2018 winner). Read More...

• Featured News

  Creativity and Innovation of VPA Professors to be Showcased at ACCelerate Festival

  Kelly Homan Rodoski Three Syracuse University professors--two from the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA)--have been selected to showcase their creativity and innovative spirit as part of the second ACCelerate: ACC Smithsonian Creativity and Innovation Festival. The exhibitions and performances of Christopher Wildrick, Daniele Profeta and Nicolas Scherzinger, assisted by students and University staff, will be featured as part of the festival. Additionally, Professor Dympna Callaghan will participate in a related cross-disciplinary communication event during the festival, known as “Bridging Chasms.” Read More...

• Featured News

  Film Majors Celebrate Recent Awards, Screenings

  By Erica Blust Several film majors in the Department of Transmedia were honored recently for their work as filmmakers and writers by national and international film festivals. “I Remember Ashes,” a film made by senior film majors while studying abroad in Prague, Czech Republic, received three awards at the 2018 Denver Underground Film Festival: Best Narrative Short, Best Cinematography and Best Child Actress. In the film, a brother and sister spend a summer day in the hills of the Czech Republic. Graham Turner ’19 served as director, Oriane Playner ’19 served as executive producer and art director, Scott Sweitzer ’19 served as director of photography and Manoli Despines '19 served as editor. The film was written by Turner and Sweitzer. It will screen at the 2019 Capital City Film Festival in Lansing, Mich., in April. Read More...

• Featured News

  20th Annual PRISM Concert to Be Held March 27

  The 20th Annual PRISM concert will be held on Wednesday, March 27, at 8 p.m. in the Rose and Jules R. Setnor Auditorium, Crouse College. The concert is free and open to the public. PRISM concerts surround the audience with both light and sound. Different acts are positioned throughout the auditorium, and colorful lights illuminate an otherwise dark performance space. The purpose of a PRISM concert is to present as diverse a musical program as possible. The music at this year's concert covers a variety of genres, from singer/songwriters to jazz bands to folk music to a steel drum ensemble. All of the performers are Syracuse University students. Setnor’s PRISM concert was started 20 years ago by the music industry program in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Rose, Jules R. and Stanford S. Setnor School of Music with the intent of giving seniors in the program valuable experience in planning a live music event. Read More...

• Alumni News

  Vanessa Williams Performance Supports Scholarship for Black and Latino Students

  By Kevin Morrow Syracuse University’s Office of Multicultural Advancement is hosting a benefit concert featuring award-winning singer and stage, television and film actress Vanessa Williams ’85, an alumna of the College of Visual and Performing Arts' (VPA) Department of Drama, on Wednesday, April 24, at 7 p.m. at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Blvd. in Manhattan. Proceeds will benefit the Our Time Has Come (OTHC) Vanessa Williams Scholarship supporting Black and Latino students in VPA. Tickets start at $120 and are available for purchase online.  For more information, contact Miko Horn at 315.443.9406. Read More...

• Featured News

  Oscar-Nominated Director, Minions Co-Creator Chris Renaud ’89 to Deliver VPA Convocation Address

  Chris Renaud ‘89, the Oscar-nominated director behind such box office hits as “Despicable Me,” “Despicable Me 2,” “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” and “The Secret Life of Pets,” will deliver the 2019 convocation address to bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates of Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) at the college’s convocation ceremony on Saturday, May 11, at 7:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. Renaud, who earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in illustration from VPA’s School of Art, has established himself as one of the most prolific and consistent talents in the world of feature animation. Along with...

• Featured News

  Communications Design Alumnae Honored for Student Work

  Recent graduates of the communications design program in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ School of Design were honored for work they created as students. Erin Reeves ’18 won a gold award in the Graphis New Talent Annual 2019 for “Borderland Distilling Co.,” design packaging work for a fictitious, family-owned distillery. Graphis presents and promotes the work of exceptional talent in design, advertising, photography and art/illustration. Alison Emmel ’18 and Sami Albert ’18 had student work selected to appear in Creative Quarterly’s “100 Best Annual 2018” in the graphic design top 25 list. They also...

• Featured News

  Syracuse Legacies Organ Conference to Be Held at Syracuse University March 29-31

  By Rebe The Rose, Jules R., and Stanford S. Setnor School of Music in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and Hendricks Chapel will co-host the Syracuse Legacies Organ Conference March 29-31. The festival and symposium honor the contributions of three important figures in the field of organ music with ties to Syracuse University: Arthur Poister, Walter Holtkamp, Sr. and Calvin Hampton. The conference will include performances, academic papers, panel discussions and masterclasses given by renowned organists and scholars. All of Syracuse University’s former and current organ faculty will play a role in the conference. Christopher Marks, associate dean of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and former University organist, will give the keynote address “Something Blue” to open the conference. The conference will also host presentations by David Pickering (author of “Arthur Poister: Master Teacher and Poet of the Organ”) and Jonathan Hall (author of “Calvin Hampton: A Musician Without Borders”) and offer book signings with the authors. Read More...

• Featured News

  School of Art Graduate Student to Exhibit Work at California’s New Buckwheat Space

  Rene Gortat, a sculptor and graduate studio arts student in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ School of Art, will present “Artist Shelter” during the “(W)here” exhibition at Buckwheat space, 11564 Tioga Dr., Morongo Valley, Calif. His work will be on view March 15-17 with hours on Friday, March 15, from 2-7:30 p.m. Gortat is the first resident artist of Buckwheat. “Artist Shelter” is a functional container tiny house conceived and constructed by Gortat for housing future resident artists. The shelter is part of his master of fine arts thesis project for the School of Art. In addition, he...

• Featured News

  New Syracuse Stage Season to Include Three Department of Drama Co-Productions

  Syracuse Stage announced the six shows that will make up the 2019/2020 subscription season: “Twelve Angry Men,” “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” “The Wolves,” “Amadeus,” “Once” and the East Coast premiere of “Yoga Play.”  The subscription season runs Oct. 9, 2019 – June 14, 2020. The season will be preceded by an off-subscription production, the world premiere of “Thoughts of a Colored Man,” by Keenan Scott II and directed by TV, stage and film actor Taye Diggs. The play runs Sept. 4 – 22, 2019. The Cold Read Festival of New Plays returns for a third season with Octavio Solis as playwright-in-residence working on a new play and nationally recognized poet Charles Martin represented by his new translation of “Medea.” Read More...

• Featured News

  M.F.A. Candidates to Exhibit Thesis Work in New York City March 8-9

  Master of fine arts (M.F.A.) degree candidates in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) will present “Plans Are Cancelled,” an exhibition of thesis work, March 8-9 at 321 Canal St., New York, N.Y. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 8, from 6-10 p.m. Additional hours are Saturday, March 9, from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. Curated by Scott Campbell, a visual artist and curator born in New York and based in Detroit, “Plans Are Cancelled” features the work of 19 M.F.A. candidates from VPA’s School of Art and Department of Transmedia, including Garrett Bryant, Perry Burlingame, Taylor Clock, Samantha Corbett, Candice Corgan, Rebecca Forstater, Rene Gortat, Leticia Hernandez, Adam Hutchinson, Megan King, Salome Kokoladze, Hollie Lyko, Hlumela Matika, Jeremy Tarr, Louise Thompson, Jie Wang, Haotian Wu, Yilu Yang and Mark Zbikowski. Read More...

• Featured News

  Industrial and Interaction Design Students win Syracuse University ACC InVenture Prize

  A group of prominent judges, including investors, technologists, funders, and successful entrepreneurs, selected College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Design students Quinn King (left) and Alec Gillinder (right) as winners of the prestigious ACC InVenture Prize at Syracuse University.  The senior industrial and interaction design students won the award for an invention developed by MedUX, a medical product design and research firm they founded to create innovative solutions for inpatient, at home, and mobile care. Their first invention, a lightweight, wearable, portable IV system will allow patients to receive intravenous treatment quickly and efficiently while still keeping them mobile.  It is very useful in hospital settings, stand-alone infusion centers, and home palliative care where a patient might need intravenous delivery and wants to be mobile.  They initially conceived the concept and first prototype in Invent@SU, where they won first place in summer 2018.  Over this academic year, they further developed the product and business model working with the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at Syracuse University Libraries, along with mentors and industry experts.  After being selected "SU's top innovators" in the campus competition, they will now be competing against student teams from other ACC member institutions, “Shark Tank,” style in the finals of the 4th annual ACC Inventure Prize Competition April 16-17 in Raleigh, North Carolina. "Medical products are often only designed for function and lack the consideration for the users’ needs," says King. "The medical field is always evolving, and there is a need for better designed and considered products. Our company is flipping the approach of how to consider medical healthcare design." "Healthcare needs to consider patients as customers," adds Gillinder. "Patients want mobility, more personal control, and health care providers want more innovative solutions." Read More...

• Featured News

  Students Design Dresses for AHA’s Go Red for Women Fundraiser on Wednesday

  The entire fashion design program has gone all in for the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Go Red for Women campaign. In collaboration with AHA and the Office of Community Engagement, the program is hosting “A Red Dress Affair” on Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., Syracuse. The event benefits Go Red for Women–AHA and has a suggested donation price of $50. All donations include entrance to the event, spirits, light hors d’oeuvres and a tour of the fashion design program and the Sue Ann Genet Costume Collection. In the entryway of the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, attendees will see red paper dresses made by first-year students. Second-year students will be scattered throughout the building to answer questions and act as tour guides. Read More...

• Featured News

  VPA Director of Student Success to Serve as Middle States Peer Evaluator

  Carol J. Ruffin, director of the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ (VPA) Office of Student Success, has been named a peer evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). MSCHE peer evaluators are qualified higher education professionals who serve as the first layer in a multi-layered accreditation decision-making process. Accreditation is the means through which MSCHE assures students and the public of educational quality. Read More...

• Featured News

  ‘Venus in Fur’ To Be Performed at 914Works March 1-3

  “Venus in Fur,” a play written by David Ives, will be performed March 1-3 at 914Works, 914 E. Genesee St., Syracuse. The play is directed by Celia Madeoy, associate professor of acting in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ (VPA) Department of Drama, and features acting students Ella Leh ’21 and Logan Shiller ’21. The story delves into the themes of humanity, sexuality, fantasy vs. reality and dominance, all under the context of a young actress trying to prove to a director she’s right for the lead in his play. Performances begin at 8 p.m.; doors open at 7:30 p.m. For...

• Featured News

  Bass Trombonist Justin Clark ’03 and Tranzient Ensemble to Perform Feb. 27

  Bass trombonist Justin Clark ’03, a graduate of the music industry program in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Rose, Jules R. and Stanford S. Setnor School of Music, will perform with the Tranzient Ensemble on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 8 p.m. in the Rose and Jules R. Setnor Auditorium, Crouse College. The concert is free and open to the public. Clark’s playing has been described as “delicate while fiercely intense.” Already with an orchestral career that has taken him around the world, he is gaining recognition as a soloist, recording artist and educator. Read More...

• Featured News

  Burton Blatt Institute’s Multimedia (Dis)courses Series Presents Transmedia Faculty Duke, Battersby March 27

  Emily Vey Duke and Cooper Battersby, art video faculty members in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Department of Transmedia, will present the Syracuse premiere of their experimental film “You Were an Amazement on the Day You Were Born” on Wednesday, March 27, at 7 p.m. in Watson Theater, Watson Hall, as part of the Burton Blatt Institute’s (BBI)’s new series (Dis)courses: Interdisciplinary Disability Dialogues. Read More...

• Featured News

  Syracuse University Department of Drama Production Investigates the Act of Storytelling

  The College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Department of Drama continues the 18/19 season with “We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884–1915” written by Jackie Sibblies Drury and directed by Gilbert McCauley. The play runs Feb. 22 - March 3 in the Arthur Storch Theatre, 820 E. Genesee St., Syracuse. Read More...