Music Education student, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Bridget Koser was awarded the Richard G. Gaarder Award at the 2024 Wisconsin Music Educators Association conference in Madison. The achievement recognizes excellence in leadership, musicianship, and service to the music education community.
Students enrolled in Interactive Electronic Music classes will perform their final projects live at the third UW-MESS Interactive Electronic Music Showcase. In its early stages at PSOA, the UW-MESS program helps students fulfill an education focused on their passion for electronic music.
As the Fall semester winds down, many PSOA students have the opportunity to display their talents in public settings. For student musicians, this comes in the form of a whirlwind of concerts spanning nearly every evening during the final stretch of the semester. With the stress of finals in full swing, now is a time for music students at the Peck School to come together and support one another, reminding themselves and their peers of the power music has to uplift, inspire and foster strong communal relationships.
For the second consecutive year, Pilot Project Brewing, in conjunction with Milwaukee Athletics, is set to welcome its Panther beer this week – launched for the 2024-25 season with a new design. The “Panther Pale Ale,” an American pale ale …
PSOA Theater student and Arts Ambassador Josh Thone is competing this weekend in the American Pops Orchestra (APO) NextGen National Vocal Competition Semi-Finals.
Thone is one of 25 students competing out of 240 submissions. Viewers can watch Thone’s performance this Sunday, Dec. 1st, and vote virtually for Thone to advance to the live finals.
Senior dance students will present a wide variety of original works at “New Dancemakers: Emanation.” This marks a major moment in senior’s capstone projects, showcasing the skills they have developed in their education.
Art MFA candidate Corrigan Eckert is working alongside UWM partner WaterMarks to further develop the Milwaukee community’s understanding of water conservation and environmental activism. This project touches on these important subjects by using art to educate the city.
For Peck School of the Arts’ production of “Pericles,” the cast and crew come together to portray the tragedy of a devastating shipwreck and extreme weather through sound and movement. This involves actors creating human scenery and a student sound designer blending practical and digital sounds.
Over the summer, PSOA students worked alongside faculty members on paid research projects that provided valuable and engaging hands-on experience. One notable project, “The Brady Street Neighborhood Historical Project,” gave students the opportunity to work on a documentary that highlights one of Milwaukee’s most popular neighborhoods. Research topics ranged from 3D printing to arts installations and more.
Peck School of the Arts will kick off their 2024-25 Theater Season with “Bright Star,” a tale of love and redemption from the minds of Edie Brickell and Steve Martin. Director Raeleen McMillion (Teaching Faculty II, Voice, Speech and Dialects) offered first-hand experience to her students that helped shape this production. “Bright Star” is set in mid-20th century North Carolina through the Appalachian mountains, not too far from where McMillion was raised. Born into a family of strong storytellers, music lovers, and Steve Martin fans, McMillion still travels through the Appalachian mountains to stay connected with her roots.
Over the summer, a group of theater students spent two weeks traveling the United Kingdom including London, Sussex, York, and Stratford. Throughout this trip, they attended formal and self-guided tours, visited museums, and explored the culture of English life. View a slideshow of photos from their time abroad.
The first week of the fall semester ended on a celebratory note at the Peck School of the Arts as new students got acquainted with campus and their peers through department gatherings and the annual PSOA Fall Student Welcome. The …
During the summer of 2024, PSOA guitar students took center stage at a variety of festivals throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Everywhere our students went, they found great success and brought accolades back to Milwaukee. Leonela Alejandro (BFA 2020, Music) took first prize at the Guitar Foundation of America, widely considered the biggest international guitar competition. Meanwhile, at Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Mexico, second-year master’s student Alberto Daniel Quintanilla walked away with first prize.
MFA dance students get the opportunity to showcase their original, experimental choreography at UpStart 2024, an evening of diverse work from eight different students. The work showcased at UpStart is rooted in thoughtful creative research and strong collaboration between UWM students, alumni, and the Milwaukee community. These important facets allow choreographers to pose a multitude of questions and themes to those who attend. We caught up with three of the student choreographers to learn more about their process leading up to UpStart 2024.
For nearly 50 years, music fans and spectators from around the world benefited from the work of UWM alum Bob Babisch. As Summerfest’s top talent booker from 1976 to 2022, Babisch brought names such as The Rolling Stones, Lady Gaga, and Prince to Milwaukee’s—and perhaps the world’s—biggest music festival. Now in retirement, Babisch (’74 BFA Theatre) is being honored by his former employer, Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., and his alma mater with a named scholarship to support Peck School of the Arts students. Imanol Ruiz is one of those students. As a result, Ruiz graduated debt free, allowing him to explore opportunities in his field.
