CLA: School of Music News

Say hello to Jessica Grimm, Assistant Technical Coordinator at Ted Mann Concert Hall, this week's SOM Super Fan! When she's not working the lights and building sets for productions in Ted Mann Concert Hall, you'll find her tearing it up at a roller derby. Let's find out more about Jessica!

1. Where are you originally from (hometown)?
Georgetown, CO

2. What instrument(s) or do you play (if any, or what voice type are you)?
Flute and piano primarily though I did learn how to play the baritone bugle to march in drum corps in 2003. I've also been known to sing somewhere between a second soprano and alto.

3. What was the last live performance that blew you away?
Irish Fest 2010 with Great Big Sea. They got the entire audience to sing along with not only their music but other pop songs. It was kind of a Glee moment but it was so intense to be sharing that with people who all loved the music.

4. How long have you worked at the U of M School of Music?
Just over 4 years.

5. What do you like most about the U of M School of Music?
I love all the hidden gems, like the organ studio, that no one else seems to know about and then showing them to people.

6. Name your favorite musical moment at the SOM.
The 2007 Collage concert. It was my first Collage concert and I loved the fact that the trumpet group was on the canopy. I remember hearing some guests trying to figure out where the trumpets were playing.

7. Where is your favorite place to eat/hang out on campus and/or the Twin Cities?
Tough choice but I'd probably have to go with True Thai as my favorite place to eat in the Cities.

8. What's most frequently on your playlist?
Usually something by Great Big Sea and a dash of musical theatre.

9. What is something you know about Ted Mann Concert Hall that no one else does?
I doubt that there's anything that I'm truly the only one who knows about it but when we are in a theatrical setting for opera or other such concerts, we are only using one type of lamp for our lighting plot. A few years ago we were using three different types of lamps

10. What are the first three things that come to mind when someone mentions Minnesota?
Roller derby, the Renaissance festival and CONvergence. I'm a geek and proud of it.

Posted by School of Music Pubs and Public Rel at 11:01 AM | Permalink

Guest Artist Eliezer Freitas Santos and Professors Scott Currie and David Myers are featured in the Minnesota Daily article "School of Music finds way to offset cuts: teaching the samba" on Creative Instructional Residencies Initiatives (CIRIs) at the U of M School of Music.

Posted by School of Music Pubs and Public Rel at 4:01 PM | Permalink

U of M professor James Dillon (composition) is interviewed in Time Out New York in "Interview: James Dillon A Scottish composer's poetic, problematic magnum opus comes to Miller Theatre" by Amanda MacBlane. Dillon is also featured in The Star-Ledger's article "James Dillon's decades-in-the-making work is an ambitious symphonic cycle" by Ronni Reich. Steven Schick will conduct the American premiere of Dillon's "Nine Rivers" at the Miller Theater in New York City on September 14, 16, and 17 and is featured in the New York Times article "Steven Schick Brings 'Nine Rivers' to New York: Tough Assignment for an Accidental Conductor." The event, jointly produced with Works & Process at the Guggenheim, divides the work across three evenings. For more information, visit the Miller Theater's website. Watch a video featuring Steven Schick on the U.S. premiere of "Nine Rivers."

Posted by School of Music Pubs and Public Rel at 3:03 PM | Permalink