UWM alum wins second and third Emmy 

UWM alum and acclaimed filmmaker Chris Smith (MFA 1999, Performing Arts – Film) won his second and third Emmy for his work as an executive producer on the documentary series 100 Foot Wave. Smith won his previous Emmy in 2024 …

Music alum earns two awards at international guitar competition

Kyle Khembunjong, a recent graduate of UWM’s classical guitar studio, received second prize and the audience prize at the Josefina P. Tuason International Guitar Competition in Denver over the weekend. The competition draws talented musicians from around the world.

UWM alum named director of the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus  

Jonathan Laabs (MM 2017, Music) was announced as the new director for the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus. “We are thrilled to welcome Jonathan Laabs as Director of the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus,” said Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra’s music director Ernesto Estigarribia Mussi. “Jonathan …

UWM alum’s hot wax works on view at Idea Galley 

UWM alum Jane Michalski (BFA 1978) is exhibiting her new collection of hot wax art titled “Enduring Process” at Door County’s Idea Gallery.   Inspired by her love of the natural world, Michalski takes inspiration from the rock formations and forest …

UWM filmmaker talks about his feature film ‘The Field” 

Tate Bunker (Teaching Faculty I, Film) was featured on Civic Media’s “Nite Lite” with Pete Schwaba to talk about the process of making his 2019 feature film “The Field.”  “The Field,” based in Manitowoc, is a thriller that follows a …

UWM alum’s film series to show at Thrasher Opera House 

Peck School of the Arts alum and film producer Kurt Sensenbrenner (BFA 2011, Film) is set to screen his new film series “The Low-Phe Life” at Green Lake’s Thrasher Opera House on Thursday, May 29.  “The Low-Phe Life’ is a …

Current guitar student earns international festival spots this summer

Guitar performance and music education student Annika Nelson is the recipient of multiple scholarships, which allow her to attend the Volterra Project Guitar Festival in Italy and the Brevard Music Center Summer Institute in North Carolina over the summer. Nelson’s …

Assistant Professor Jesse Malmed presents variety of works this spring

Jesse Malmed (Assistant Professor, Film, Video, Animation, and New Genres) has been in the midst of a busy spring, presenting a variety of works. Malmed premiered two new archival photo projects as part of The Chicago Cluster exhibition “Don’t Make Photographs, …

Film alum and indie film producer speaks at SXSW

On March 9, alum Kurt Ravenwood (BFA 2011, Film) spoke on a panel at media festival SXSW in Austin, Texas. Ravenwood discussed pursuing film production outside of New York and Los Angeles. Ravenwood was one of the minds behind 2024’s …

Master of Music student takes First Prize at Columbus Guitar Symposium

Master of Music student Alberto Daniel Quintanilla recently won First Prize at the prestigious Columbus Guitar Symposium. Quintanilla’s victory helps cement PSOA’s reputation as a leader in classical guitar education, as the Columbus Guitar Symposium is considered a “proving ground …