The UWM String Academy presents a faculty chamber music recital featuring works by Brahms and Mozart, along with performances by students from the String Academy Violin Virtuosi and the Milwaukee Cello Institute I Cellisti.
Curated by MFA candidates from the Department of Film, Video, Animation and New Genres, these programs feature a unique opportunity to see some of the incredible 16mm prints from the UWM Cinema Arts Archive. For each program, the curator is invited to program a selection of films around a theme of their choosing.
J Taran Diamond is a Baltimore-based metalsmith and educator. She has completed residencies at Arrowmont and Baltimore Jewelry Center, where she’s a Teaching Fellow. Outside of the studio, Diamond is an advocate for Black people in the fields of craft and academia and works to help achieve equity and accessibility within those fields.
This workshop explores documentary filmmaking as a tool for community advocacy and social impact. Attendees will examine how nonfiction stories can amplify marginalized voices, engage local communities, and move audiences toward awareness and action. Through case studies and practical discussion, the workshop addresses ethical storytelling, relationship-building with participants, and strategies for designing films with impact beyond the screen—equipping emerging filmmakers to tell responsible, community-centered stories that matter.
An evening of films, videos and conversation with the legendary filmmaker, artist, community activist and educator Ben Caldwell. Caldwell is widely known for his role in the L.A. Rebellion and for founding KAOS Network, a media arts hub dedicated to Black artistry, fellowship, and love for over four decades.
Oaxaca-based printmakers Conhg Lopez and Enrique Gijon exhibit nationally and internationally. Gijon directs Taller de Artes Plásticas Rufino Tamayo, while Lopez works from a studio at Milwaukee’s House of RAD.
This workshop guides filmmakers through the process of transforming a short film script into a feature-length screenplay. Focusing on character depth, narrative structure, and thematic expansion, students will explore how to grow a contained idea into a sustained, compelling story without losing its core. Through practical frameworks and development strategies, the session offers tools for reimagining scale, stakes, and arcs—helping writers envision their short film as the foundation for a feature.
Anthony Di Sanza has performed and presented master classes throughout North America, Asia and Europe. Di Sanza serves as percussion professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison where he was recognized in 2020 with the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professorship.
A collection of shorts that shift from abject to exalted in the black between frames. In each of these films, the mire of life is dissolved and re-made by humor. And don't we need it.
A mistimed sneeze, a foolish drowning stunt, a helpful cuckold, an enthusiastic dentist, and a boy reluctant to face manhood—this is just a taste of what unfolds when Anton Chekhov’s short stories meet the wit and whimsy of Neil Simon. The Good Doctor is a clever “tour de farce” filled with absurdity, charm and deeply human foibles and follies. Blending Chekhov’s timeless observations with Simon’s comedic sparkle, this series of vignettes captures the unexpected tenderness of life’s missteps with humor and heart.
South Carolina-based painter Todd McDonald has exhibited widely, including in Denmark’s Velux International Painting Exhibition, Redux Contemporary, and the Gardiner Art Gallery. He is Associate Professor and Head of Painting at Clemson University.
The Wind Band Conducting Symposium will focus on enhancing conducting, score study, and wind band teaching. Conducting participants will conduct the UWM Wind Ensemble or Symphony Band while receiving feedback from the conducting faculty. Session topics also include conducting pedagogy, rehearsal techniques, and musicianship. Attendees may participate as either a Conducting Participant or an Observing Auditor. Conducting participants will also have the opportunity to conduct one of the large wind bands in concert at the end of the symposium.
The UWM Wind Band Conducting Symposium Concert is the climax to a weekend of intense conducting, score study, and wind band pedagogy. Symposium participants, each carefully selected from a pool of local and international talent, will conduct the Wind Ensemble and University Community Band in concert following two days of study under Dr. Thomas Gamboa, Director of Bands at UW-Milwaukee; Dr. Scott Corley, Associate Director of Bands at UW-Milwaukee; and a guest conducting clinician, Dr. Mallory Thompson, Professor Emeritus and Retired Director of Bands from Northwestern University.
Curated by MFA candidates from the Department of Film, Video, Animation and New Genres, these programs feature a unique opportunity to see some of the incredible 16mm prints from the UWM Cinema Arts Archive. For each program, the curator is invited to program a selection of films around a theme of their choosing.
Rory King is a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary designer, creative director, writer, and educator. He’s collaborated with artists, architects, curators, designers, musicians and brands like Sony Music, Vox Media, and 2×4, and taught design at Pratt Institute and Wayne State University.
Join us for an evening of evocative storytelling and finely crafted music as lyric-coloratura soprano Alisa Jordheim and acclaimed collaborative pianist Kuang-Hao Huang present the world premiere of a new song cycle by composer Rami Levin.
The Florestan Duo, Stefan Kartman, collo and Jeannie Yu, piano perform an exciting program as part of the Chamber Music Milwaukee series featuring music from Bach and Rachmaninoff.
Steve Teeple (aka Teeps) is a Los Angeles-based digital artist specializing in 3D character development and printing, digital sculpting and art, visual development, and illustration. He’s worked across games, fashion, music, TV, and film, collaborating with artists like The Weekend and Billie Eilish. He graduated from UWM in Interdisciplinary Arts & Technology.
Join us for a concert-style presentation of original works by composer Lauren E. Spavelko performed by soprano Dr. Jessica Spafford. This program will highlight Spavelko’s art song cycle Baby Book, a deeply expressive set of six songs exploring themes of pregnancy and miscarriage, and possibly include excerpts of other recent compositions depending on availability and programming.
UWM Piano Faculty Elena Abend is joined by violinist Victoria Moreira, clarinetist Orlando Pimentel and violist Doyle Armbrust, in a program highlighting the expressive and rhythmic drive of Latin American composers and their use of expression though different combination of instruments. Exploring works by Paquito D’Rivera, Leandro Coral, Jimenez Mabarak, Irma Urteaga among others.