ArtsWinthrop promotes exceptional music, theatre, dance and visual arts programming for the Winthrop University campus, community, and regional audiences. Explore all that ArtsWinthrop has to offer by clicking the events tab on our main menu or connect with us on social media. With over 100 free events a year, there is something for everyone!
To purchase tickets to theatre and dance productions, please click here.
Fall Audition Dates for Theatre and Dance Productions Announced
The Addams Family Musical
Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. in Johnson Hall Lobby
Performance Dates: October 2-6, 2019
Sign up for an audition time in Johnson Hall theatre callboard (by the elevator). Call-backs will be held as needed on Wednesday, Aug. 21 at 6:30 p.m. Auditioning student should dress appropriately to move.
Winthrop Dance Theatre Fall Concert
Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 21 & 22 at 6:30 p.m. in Studio 235, Johnson Hall
Performance Dates: November 7-10, 2019
Sign up for audition times for each piece on dance board outside of 235 Johnson. Choreographers will post descriptions of their dance pieces as well as weekly rehearsal schedule for each piece and the number of dancers needd. Wear appropriate attire for dancing and bring any and all dance shoes.
The Rockhettes
Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 21 & 22 at 6:30 p.m. in Studio 235, Johnson Hall
Wear appropriate attire for dancing and bring character shoes if you have them.
No Exit (by Jean-Paul Sartre) and Love Song (By John Kolvenbach)
Thursday, Aug. 22 at 6:30 p.m. in Johnson Hall Lobby
Performance Dates: September 26-29, 2019/October 30-November 3, 2019
Sign up for an audition time in Johnson Hall Theatre callboard (by the elevator). Prepare a dramatic monologue 1-2 minutesin length. Cold reading "asides" will be available, though prepared monologues are preferred. Call-backs will be held as needed on Friday, Aug. 23 at 6:30 p.m. Auditioning students should dress appropriately. Attire should be comfortable but professional in appearance.
Leonard Mark Lewis Chosen to Honor the Lives of "The Emanuel Nine" as 2019 SCMTA Commissioned Composer
Leonard Mark Lewis, professor of music at Winthrop University, has been named the 2019 South Carolina Music Teachers Association (SCMTA) Commissioned Composer.
To memorialize and honor the lives lost in the tragic shooting at Emanuel AME Church
in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 12, 2015, SCMTA commissioned Lewis to write
a unique piece entitled “Elegy: In Memoriam of the Emanuel Nine.” SCMTA seeks for
this commission to capture the tragedy and sacrifice as well as the hope, healing
and resilience demonstrated by the community.
“Memorializing the lives of the Emanuel Nine is a sincere honor,” Lewis said. “I hope
to represent their individuality and distinctly beautiful souls through text and music.
It is also my aim to capture the essence and rich history of ‘Mother’ Emanuel Church
and the community that surrounds it following this most horrific tragedy. I have an
earnest task ahead of me.”
The Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) is dedicated to encouraging the creation
of new works by American composers and annually assists its affiliated state associations
in the generation and performance of new music through the national composer commissioning
program. SCMTA, as the MTNA affiliated organization in South Carolina, annually commissions
an American composer to write a new work which will premiere at its annual conference.
This year, the conference will be held Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at Newberry College.
Lewis is a composer, conductor and pianist specializing in new music. He has received
awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (Morton Gould
Young Composter Award), B.M.I., Columbia University (Bearns Prize), Voices of Change
(Russell Horn Young Composer Award), Frank Tichelli and MACRO.
In addition to his catalog of solo works, compositions by Lewis have been commissioned
and performed by an array of ensembles including the North/South Consonance, Truman
State Orchestra, AURA (University of Houston), Symposium for New Band Music, University
of Texas Composer’s Orchestra, New Music Camerata (East Carolina University), NACUSA,
Concordia Trio, Charlotte Civic Symphony, the Charlotte Symphony, Hyperion Ensemble
and numerous wind ensembles.
Lewis earned a D.M.A. at the University of Texas-Austin and his master’s and bachelor’s
degrees in music at the University of Houston.
Elisa Koehler Named New Winthrop Department of Music Chair
Dr. Elisa Koehler has been selected as the new chair of the Department of Music in
Winthrop University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. Koehler, who will begin
the role on August 1, will assume the position from Don Rogers, who is retiring after
23 years as a department chair. Rogers has been a member of the music faculty at Winthrop
since 1975 and helped elevate the Department of Music to one of the best programs
in the Southeast. Currently, Koehler is a professor of music and director of the
Center for Dance, Music, and Theatre at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. In
addition to six years in leadership positions at Goucher, she also served as music
director and conductor of the Frederick Symphony Orchestra for 17 years.
"Dr. Koehler brings with her over two decades as both a music educator and arts administrator,"
said Jeff Bellantoni, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. "We look
forward to working with Dr. Koehler on continuing our proud history of educating musicians
and music teachers, but also developing new and exciting programs at Winthrop."
Koehler earned a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the Peabody Institute of
the Johns Hopkins University, a master's degree in trumpet performance from the University
of Tennessee, and bachelor's degrees in both music education and trumpet performance
from Peabody. In 2009, the University of Tennessee honored her as a Distinguished
Alumna and in 2014, she received Goucher College's highest faculty honor, the Caroline
Doebler Bruckerl '25 Award, which honors an exemplary faculty member in the areas
of teaching, scholarly activity, and service. She is also a board member of the International
Trumpet Guild and the author of "Fanfares and Finesse: A Performer's Guide to Trumpet
History and Literature" (Indiana University Press).
Winthrop University's College of Visual and Performing Arts is the academic home to
over 600 undergraduate students majoring in dance, design, studio arts, music, and
theatre, and 40 graduate students in six graduate programs and one post-baccalaureate
certificate program. The College currently employs over 50 full-time faculty as well
as part-time lecturers, all practicing professionals from the surrounding metropolitan
area. Winthrop is one of only 37 universities in the United States and the only public
or private institution in South Carolina with all five of its undergraduate and graduate
arts programs nationally accredited (NASAD, NAST, NASD, NASM and CIDA). In addition,
Winthrop's arts education programs in art, music, theatre, and dance are accredited
through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
New CVPA Faculty Members Announced for 2018-2019 Academic Year
Karen Oremus, associate professor at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, has been selected as the new chair of the Department of Fine Arts in Winthrop University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. She will begin the new role on August 1. Oremus has worked at Zayed University since 2003 and has held numerous administrative roles during her time there, including chair of the Department of Art and Design and assistant dean of the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises. Most recently, she worked as the visual art major coordinator and associate professor of printmaking and visual arts. Prior to her time at Zayed University, Oremus served as an adjunct professor of printmaking at The Tyler School of Art at Temple University. Oremus holds an M.F.A. in printmaking from The Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia and a B.F.A. in printmaking from Concordia University in Montréal, Canada.
Robert Wildman is the new director and faculty member for the arts administration programs at Winthrop University. Prior to coming to Winthrop, Wildman served as program director at LIU Post in the B.F.A. program in arts management and has been an adjunct faculty member for Goucher College's arts administration distance-learning program. He also created the M.F.A. program in performing arts management at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. In addition to faculty positions, he worked for 16 years in non-profit performing arts venues in marketing and public relations, and six years at the University of Connecticut's Department of Dramatic Arts. Wildman holds an M.F.A. in theatre administration from the Yale School of Drama at Yale University and a B.A. in English from Stanford University.
Dr. Marvin McAllister joins the Department of Theatre and Dance as an assistant professor of theatre. Dr.
McAllister comes to us from the University of South Carolina and is the author of
the books "White People Do Not Know How to Behave at Entertainments Designed for Ladies
and Gentlemen of Colour: William Brown's African and American Theatre," and "Whiting
Up: Whiteface Minstrels and Stage Europeans in African American Performance." He has
worked as a dramaturg for theatrical productions in New York, Chicago, the District
of Columbia, and Seattle. Dr. McAllister holds a Ph.D. in theatre and drama from Northwestern
University as well as a bachelor's degree in history with theatre studies from Yale
University.
Claudia O'Steen joins us as an assistant professor of fine arts (interdisciplinary studio art) in
the Department of Fine Arts. Often collaborating with various art forms in her work,
O'Steen's work is inspired by the history of science, technology, and observation,
and has been exhibited nationally and internationally. A faculty member in the fine
art department at the University of West Florida since 2016, O'Steen has an M.F.A.
in digital + media from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and a B.F.A. in design
and film from Watkins College of Art.
Dr. Adam Snow has been named assistant professor of music after 13 years as part of the Department
of Music at Winthrop as an adjunct professor and instructor of music. Throughout his
career, Dr. Snow has performed with many legendary musicians and works closely with
the Jazz Arts Initiative in Charlotte. Dr. Snow holds a Ph.D. in musical arts from
the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a master's degree in music and
a bachelor's degree in music education from Winthrop University.
Jesse Weser joins the Department of Design as assistant professor of design after six years as
an adjunct instructor and senior instructor. She also served as a faculty member at
Domus Academy in Milan, Italy, and holds many years of experience as a creative director
and designer for Moonlight Creative Group in Charlotte, N.C. Weser holds a master's
degree in design from Domus Academy and a B.F.A in visual communication from Winthrop
University.
Julianna Hane is an instructor of dance in the Department of Theatre and Dance in Winthrop University's College of Visual and Performing Arts. A native of South Carolina, Hane holds an M.F.A. in modern dance from the University of Utah and a B.A. in dance performance from Winthrop University. She has previously taught at Winthrop University, Columbia College, The University of Utah, and the College of Charleston. Hane is a graduate of the Professional Training Program at New England Center of Circus Arts (NECCA). In 2008, she founded Revolve Aerial Dance as a studio and performing company, and her recent performance credits include Flight Collaborative in Boulder, Colorado, and the Atlanta Aerial Arts Festival. Hane is the author of the Aerial Teacher's Handbook and co-author of several aerial dance manuals as well as The Aerial Teacher's Creative Handbook.
*****
For more information on ArtsWinthrop, please contact Whitney Hough, director of communications and community engagement, at 803/323-2399 or houghw@winthrop.edu. If you need to speak to the Winthrop Box Office concerning tickets about theatre and dance productions, please call 803/323-4014.