Department of Organ student Zoe (Kai Wai) Lei (DMA ‘23, organ & sacred music) has been named a winner of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) National Student Commissioning Project. “I am very humbled and honored to be selected for the AGO grant to continue polishing my skills and creativity in contemporary organ works,” said…

Dr. Larry Visser (DMA ’95, organ) has won the 2021 Hymn Tune Search sponsored by the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. Of 213 entries submitted, the selection committee chose Dr. Visser’s tune “Embrace,” a setting of “With open arms Christ welcomes you,” a text by Thomas H. Troeger. This year’s search sought a…

Department of Organ students Zoe (Kai Wai) Lei (DMA ‘23, organ & sacred music) and Jackson Merrill (MM ‘22, organ performance) have been named part of The Diapason magazine’s “20 under 30” class for 2021. Each year, the magazine selects the top 20 “young talents in the fields of organ and harpsichord performance, organ and…

A new presidential Arts Initiative at the University of Michigan is seeking proposals from faculty, students and staff for pilot projects that will be funded as part of the launch of a two-year startup phase. Announced by President Mark Schlissel in October 2019, the Arts Initiative was established by a working group of leaders from…

SMTD Alumni Reflect on Their Top Honors The Long View They say it’s an honor just to be nominated, but after four Tony nods over a 14-year span—and a successful and varied career as a stage actress—Celia Keenan-Bolger, BFA ’00 (musical theatre) was eager to take home a trophy. “With each nomination, I found that my…