Faculty duo, both alums, creates community in the costume shop at UWM and beyond
As active professionals, Peck School of the Arts faculty thrive in taking their talents off-campus, creating bridges into the community. Among them are theatre faculty members Jason Orlenko (Assistant Professor, Costume Design) and Dana Rochester (Teaching Faculty II, Costumes & Stage Makeup).
Collaborators for nearly two decades, Orlenko and Rochester graduated from UWM in 2008 and have stayed involved in the performing arts ever since. They have found great success in Milwaukee throughout their professional careers, crediting the city’s incredible arts community.
“Milwaukee is a great place to be for a performing arts career,” said Orlenko. “We have such a robust performing arts community, there’s a lot to do when you graduate.”
Orlenko and Rochester keep themselves as busy as possible. In addition to teaching, they oversee costumes for all UWM theater productions while also finding the time to freelance around Milwaukee. Their broad experience has taken them to productions such as West Side Story and You on the Moors Now at UWMand Xanadu at Skylight Theater.
Orlenko and Rochester bring industry experience into their classrooms to teach the importance of collaboration. They also create a strong example of this by creating costumes for campus productions outside of the theater department.
“We have a lot of crossovers with other departments at Peck,” said Rochester. “We have students run wardrobe with dance and music departments often.”
To further foster community, they open their classes to all arts students.
“Not only do we have our designated costume students, but we have a lot of actors who take our courses,” said Orlenko. “It fosters a collaborative effort, which they take into the professional world. They treat everyone backstage as equals, which is great!”
Orlenko and Rochester encourage their students to find connections throughout Milwaukee and beyond, which results in incredible job opportunities.
Recently, their alums have worked at professional theatre companies, including Skylight Theater, Next Act Theater and American Players Theater.
“There is a direct connection to the professional world for our students,” said Orlenko. “Growing that community is important as it ensures there will always be people carrying the torch in the performing arts.”
Up next, Orlenko and Rochester are teaming up for Once Upon A Mattress, which closes the 2023-2024 theatre season at UWM.
Milwaukee Film Festival Roundup: Alumni and Student Edition
The 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival is underway, and Peck School of the Arts has a lot to be proud of. Nineteen alumni and a current MFA candidate will have their work screened across 15 unique works, including shorts, features, and music videos. The PSOA community of artists is excited to highlight the incredible work.
Public Surfaces
Public Surfaces, a short film directed by Cinematic Arts MFA candidate Gillian Waldo, tackles the One Percent for Art program and the mysterious disappearance of sculptures placed in Baltimore public schools under the program.
Waldo completed the film during her second year in graduate school at UWM and was supported by the department in the creation of her short, especially by thesis advisor and Associate Professor Mike Gibisser. The film was a solo endeavor from Waldo, as she handled all creative aspects of the filmmaking process.
When discussing the film and its upcoming feature at Milwaukee Film Festival’s short film showcase The Milwaukee Picture Show, Waldo said her hope is for audiences to reconsider their thoughts on public art.
“I hope that audiences think more critically about what public art can be, how it can manifest in public schools, and how we steward public infrastructure, so it actually supports the communities we say it’s supposed to,” said Waldo.
Following the Milwaukee Film Festival, Public Surfaces will be screening at the Open City Documentary Festival in London.
ASPIRE
Cody LaPlant (BFA 2015, Film) served as co-director, cinematographer, and editor for ASPIRE. The short is described as a celebration of creative endeavors, reflecting an artist’s desire to constantly improve their craft. ASPIRE will feature in one of festival’s hottest tickets, The Milwaukee Show I.
Corridor
Directed by Johnathon Olsen and co-written by Olsen and fellow alum Martin Kaszubowski (BFA 2014, Film), Corridor promises big laughs. The feature-length film follows an incompetent security guard unraveling what he believes to be his own crime thriller.
Healing Hens
Healing Hens is a documentary short from co-director Andrew Natvig (BFA 2018, Film), following the story of a local woman and her decision to raise baby chicks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film’s subject and co-director Jodi Wilterdink went on to touch the lives of hundreds of seniors in her community by offering “Chicken Therapy.” The film will be featured in The Milwaukee Show I.
The Inhabitants
Brent Budsberg (BFA 2000, Art: Sculpture) co-directed and co-wrote The Inhabitants, a fictional short following ancestral immigrants exploring their shared past. Set in 19th century America, the no-dialogue short features highly cinematic imagery, reflecting how the two main characters are so similar, yet so different. Screening during The Milwaukee Show II, Budsberg will attend alongside their co-director and co-writer Tate Bunker (Teaching Faculty I, Film, Video, Animation & New Genres).
Last Truths from a Dying Star
An experimental essay film written and directed by Dontay Konkel (BFA 2023, Film), Last Truths uses collaged imagery and non-traditional storytelling to wrestle with the confusion of existence. Konkel utilizes the film as an opportunity to reflect on the uncertainties of the past, present, and future. The short will precede a screening of Decoupling 脱钩 by director Yinan Wang (Lecturer, Film, Video, Animation & New Genres).
Letter to the Captain
Letter to the Captain is an intimate short film from Philippe Melo (BFA 2022, Film), following a child and his granduncle through a collection of memories that spawn a personal exploration. The piece will screen during The Milwaukee Show I.
Fuzzysurf – “Liberty” (Music Video)
Tommy Simms (BFA 2011, Film) co-directed a “fanciful history lesson” of a music video for the song “Liberty” by Fuzzysurf. Declaring “the people’s right to rock ‘n’ roll,” the work is screening during The Milwaukee Music Video Show.
Night Collections #1
Another short screening in The Milwaukee Show I is Night Collections #1 by Britany Gunderson (BFA 2020, Film). One of the showcase’s more elusive works, Gunderson’s film is an intimate archive of collected images.
ONGOSF: Derivative Bullshit
Ryan Nels Pontillo directed, co-wrote, and co-produced his short film ONGOSF: Derivative Bullshit. It will screen during The Milwaukee Picture Show.
Once a Mormon
A dramedy TV series written and directed by Ryan Allsop (BFA 2012, Film), Once a Mormon follows two Mormon missionaries trying to convert a lonely country man. Throughout their summer-long adventure, it becomes less clear who is converting whom. An excerpt from the series will screen during The Milwaukee Show I.
Overhand – “Beneath the Flowers” (Music Video)
Jake Whalen (BFA 2021, Film) brought the crunchy guitar riffs and soaring choruses of Milwaukee-indie band Overhand to life in the music video for their song “Beneath the Flowers.” Whalen is one of several PSOA alums screening original music videos during The Milwaukee Music Video Show.
Peter the Painter
Director Chris James Thompson (BFA 2006, Film) and producer Andrew Swant tell the story of local painter Peter Barrickman and his piece “Sleeping Dogs” in Peter the Painter. The selected work is showcased as part of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s 2024 Exhibition “50 Paintings.” Thompson and Sant’s short will be featured in The Milwaukee Picture Show: Visual Arts Near and Far.
Resurrectionist – “Blue Henry” (Music Video)
Resurrectionist’s blues song “Blue Henry” was brought to life by TW Hansen for a surrealist, black-and-white music video. A departure from typical performance-based videos, “Blue Henry” follows a narrative you must see to believe. Hansen’s video will screen during The Milwaukee Music Video Show.
Rose of the West – “Feast or Famine” (Music Video)
Aliza Baran (BFA 2008, Inter-Arts) directed a rather psychedelic and moody music video for Rose of the West’s dreamy single “Feast or Famine”. Experimenting with deep shadows and unique aspect ratios, the short is going to soar on the big screen. Screening during The Milwaukee Music Video Show.
Wherever You Are, There You Go
Carol Brandt (BFA 2014, Film), Harper Robison, and Dana Shihadah’s (BFA 2016, Film) Wherever You Are, There You Go tells the story of Baby, a recovering alcoholic who takes a cross-country journey to right the wrongs she has made. Brandt co-directed, co-produced, and edited the film, Shihadah co-directed and served as cinematographer, and Robinson was a co-writer.
Bonus: Watch a tiny mic interview with Brandt and Robison as they reflect on their time at UWM PSOA on Milwaukee Film’s Facebook.
Why My Dad Loves
Why My Dad Loves by filmmaker Nkaujoua Xiong (BFA 2022, Film) tells the tale of her father coming to America at a young age in search of a better life. The short takes viewers through the experiences that have come to define how Xiong’s father expresses and understands love. Xiong’s film will be screened during The Milwaukee Show II.
Story by Jason McCullum ’25
EDITOR’S NOTE: This list is accurate and as comprehensive as possible at the time of publication. If we missed a PSOA alum or current student, please accept our sincere apologies! Contact us and we’ll gladly update the article.
Milwaukee Film Festival Roundup: Faculty and Staff Edition
Current students and alums are not the only ones displaying their work at the 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival. Several faculty members are also currently screening films for audiences, just one of many ways PSOA faculty stay engaged in the film community in Milwaukee and beyond.
Light Needs
Light Needs is an experimental documentary by Jesse McLean (Associate Professor & Chair, Department of Film, Video, Animation and New Genres). The film centers on the complex relationships that people have with plants, specifically domesticated.
UWM was well-represented in more ways than one for this film, with several other faculty members working on the film. Additionally, part of the film was shot in the UWM library. Crediting the library’s incredible selection of plants, McLean decided to feature UWM circulation assistant James Baxter in the film.
Having already screened at festivals around the world, McLean discussed how audiences have been responding to the film by re-evaluating their relationships with plants.
“Something that people have told me is that they think about their plants differently,” said McLean. “That they relate to their own houseplants in a more sympathetic way, and I find that is the ideal outcome for the film.”
McLean hopes that audiences at the Milwaukee Film Festival have a similar experience, acknowledging that plants are alive and should be treated as more than background objects in human life.
Directed by Yinan Wang (Lecturer, Film, Video, Animation and New Genres), Decoupling follows a Chinese father on his trip to Beijing to rescue his young daughter that has been stranded because of the “decoupling” between China and America. The film draws from Wang’s personal experience of how migrant families manage the stress that geopolitics bring. The feature will be preceded by Last Truths from a Dying Star, directed by PSOA alum Dontay Kankel ‘23.
Bonus: watch a segment with Wang on CBS 58 and listen to an interview on WUWM.
In Order for a Dune to Form
Jordy Brazo’s (Lecturer, Film, Video, Animation and New Genres) short film In Order for a Dune to Form details the cycles of extraction, consumption, and reclamation of a ghost town formerly on the banks of Lake Michigan. The short deals with the behaviors of the past, present, and future repeating themselves. In Order for a Dune to Form will precede the feature film Impossible Town.
The Inhabitants
Tate Bunker (Teaching Faculty I, Film, Video, Animation & New Genres) co-directed and co-wrote The Inhabitants alongside Shana McCaw and Brent Budsberg (BFA 2000, Art: Sculpture). The fictional short film followsancestral immigrants exploring their shared past. Set in 19th century America, the no-dialogue short features highly cinematic imagery, reflecting how the two main characters are so similar, yet so different. The Inhabitants will screen during The Milwaukee Show II.
The Last Week
The Last Week, screening during the Black Lens Shorts showcase was produced by Robin Whitmore (Lecturer, Film, Video, Animation and New Genres). The intimate and emotional short details a couple’s last week together before the looming threat of a prison sentence rips them apart. Viewers will confront the difficult themes of love, sacrifice, and the effects of Black male incarceration.
Out of the Picture
A feature length documentary, Out of the Picture highlights the work of art critics who have experienced monumental changes in art and media. Portia Cobb (Associate Professor, Film, Video, Animation & New Genres) served as humanities expert and story consultant for the film. Katie Avila Loughmiller (Lecturer, Theatre) served as coordinating producer. Additional contributors include alumni Johnathon Olson as editor and Andrew Swant as producer.
Black Lens Series
The increasingly popular Black Lens series presents genre-varying short films that reflect the relationship between Blackness, tension, and conflict. Marquise Mays (Assistant Professor, Film, Video, Animation, and New Genres) is the lead programmer for Black Lens and selected the short films that will be shown this year.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This list is as comprehensive as possible at the time of publication. If we missed a PSOA faculty or staff member, please accept our sincere apologies! Contact us and we’ll gladly update the article.
PSOA lecturer’s movie about his Chinese immigrant experience featured on CBS 58
Filmmaker Yinan Wang (Lecturer, Film, Video, Animation & New Genres) was recently featured on CBS 58 reflecting on his film, “Decoupling,” in advance of screenings at the Milwaukee Film Festival. The film documents his family’s experience during the pandemic, highlighting their journey to reunite with their daughter amidst the challenges of international travel restrictions and strained U.S.-China relations.
International art and media exhibition featuring work by PSOA artists on view at UWM
Nine Peck School of the Arts students, recent alumni, and a faculty member are currently displaying their work in the Cross Connections 2024 International Exhibition and Competition of Visual Communication Design and Emerging Media Design.
This juried exhibition is a global event that showcases top talent from higher education institutions worldwide, including the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. The artworks represent a wide variety of visual art forms that transcend borders, cultures, and disciplines.
Cross Connections features 188 juried works spanning 21 institutions, according to DVC Co-Area Head and Associate Professor Robert Grame.
Grame spoke in greater detail about the artwork currently on display: “UWM works selected by the Cross Connection jurors show a strong range of approaches and touchpoints,” he said. “From experience-centered design to illustration to app design to typeface design to packaging design, there is a dynamic array of outstanding work on view from PSOA students and faculty.”
The following students and alumni had works selected for the exhibition:
Sogol Saghatchi received juror’s recognition with an Honorable Mention in Marketing Graphic Design. Gisselle Dominquez was recognized with an Honorable Mention for Design Foundation in Illustration.
In addition to the nine students and alumni, Grame also has a piece in the exhibition.
Experts meticulously evaluated artworks for the international exhibition, and selected works are touring higher education institutions around the world through fall of 2024. Participating institutions span North America, Europe, and Asia, including renowned universities such as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in the United States, LUCA School of Arts in Belgium, and Central Academy of Fine Arts in China, among others.
Cross Connections is on view through April 20 at UW-Milwaukee in the Theatre Building’s Arts Center Gallery. A reception takes place on the evening of April 12.
Kim Cosier recognized by National Art Education Association
The National Art Education Association has named Kim Cosier (Professor Emerita, Art Education) as the recipient of the 2024 Western Region Higher Education Art Educator. This prestigious award, determined through a peer review of nominations, recognizes the exemplary contributions, service, and achievements of an outstanding NAEA member.
NAEA President Wanda B. Knight states, “This award is being given to recognize excellence in professional accomplishment and service by a dedicated art educator. Kim Cosier exemplifies the highly qualified art educators active in education today: leaders, teachers, students, scholars, and advocates who give their best to their students and the profession.”
Founded in 1947, the National Art Education Association is the leading professional membership organization exclusively for visual arts educators. Members include elementary, middle, and high school visual arts educators; college and university professors; university students preparing to become art educators; researchers and scholars; teaching artists; administrators and supervisors; and art museum educators—as well as more than 54,000 students who are members of the National Art Honor Society. We represent members in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, U.S. Possessions, most Canadian Provinces, U.S. military bases around the world, and many foreign countries.
The mission of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) champions creative growth and innovation by equitably advancing the tools and resources for a high-quality visual arts, design, and media arts education throughout diverse populations and communities of practice.
The award was presented during the NAEA 2024 National Convention in Minneapolis.
For more information about the association and its awards program, visit the NAEA website.
Press release by The National Art Education Association
Film and animation students heavily featured at Nō Studios Filmmaker Showcase
More than 10 film and animation students screened their work at Nō Studios’ inaugural Filmmaker Showcase in Spring 2024, highlighting the wide breadth of work being produced in Milwaukee.
Across five nights, the showcase featured a range of genres including horror, experimental, documentary, music video, anime, and more. Unsurprisingly, some of the best and most memorable shorts came from PSOA students.
An organic partnership
Nō Studios was founded by Oscar winner and Milwaukee native John Ridley following his Best Adapted Screenplay win for 12Years a Slave. Ridley, who serves as CEO, and Chief Operating Officer Lisa Caesar sought ways to create a socially responsible co-working and event space to leverage the platform of the modern film industry.
UWM and Nō Studios have been excellent partners since its inception, with the Filmmaker Showcase being the most recent connection among the two.
“The partnership in this instance was very organic,” said Caesar. “We very deliberately reached out to Peck School to find ways to work together.”
Class projects on the big screen
Many students screened films they made for class projects, giving filmgoers a glimpse into what students have been creating in the classroom throughout the school year.
A standout came from senior filmmaker Paige Streveler, who screened her short film Dream’s Death, an experimental horror short that wrestles with the fear of death.
The piece was made as a part of the course Dreams: Yours, Mine, Ours under the instruction of PSOA lecturer Neil Gravender. This course allows students to execute pieces centered on content and structures contained in dreams.
Streveler described her experience in the class and her subsequent creation of her film as an important moment that made her feel seen as an artist.
“Peck School of the Arts is really independent artist-driven, they really see filmmakers as artists,” said Streveler. Interacting with experimental film throughout the course inspired much of Death’s Dream.
Riley Killian, a junior, also showcased a class project during the showcase. His short film, The Small Things, was shot on black and white film for one of UWM’s 16mm classes, a popular offering for film students.
Killian expressed his gratitude and love for getting the opportunity to work with film.
“Shooting on film is such an intimate process,” said Killian. “You don’t even know what you are shooting half the time until you develop it.”
The PSOA community
Another student who screened an original work was sophomore film major Collin Chesak. His short experimental film, Cosmic Inertia, utilized static on a television screen to make the viewer ponder over existential questions.
Chesak highlighted the on-campus screening events and the strong communal aspect of PSOA as inspirational in his work as a filmmaker.
“Union Cinema is really unique,” said Chesak. “There are always interesting screenings, like Experimental Tuesdays. It’s cool to have screenings that you normally wouldn’t get to see in theaters while also showing old stuff.”
Another student who has felt positively impacted by PSOA’s strong film community is Dominic Sauve. After screening his autobiographical documentary, The Life of Dominic Sauve, Sauve took the time to praise all that PSOA has given him and how he feels his education thus far means big things for his future.
“The world-class professors I’ve been blessed to be taught by and the high-tech equipment I have access to use. Without all those things, I would not be the filmmaker I am today,” said Sauve. “Being at UWM has molded me to be able to be the best filmmaker I can be.”
Read more about Nō Studios and their upcoming events on their website.
Story by Jason McCullum ’25
PSOA alum Jeremy Novy’s urban koi fish and queer street art featured on CBS 58
UWM alum Jeremy Novy (BFA 2008, Photography) was recently featured in a comprehensive piece by CBS 58. Novy is best known as the artist behind the black, white, and orange koi fish that get painted throughout city sidewalks, starting in Milwaukee but now branching all around the world.
The idea came to Novy following a study abroad trip to China that he took while studying at Peck School of the Arts. One of the most important facets of his art is the number of fish swimming together at one time.
“In Chinese paintings, they’ve symbolized the number of koi that would be in a painting to represent different Chinese lucky numbers,” said Novy in his feature with CBS 58. “I try to incorporate what that Chinese lucky number means.”
Novy is also known for producing queer street art throughout Milwaukee, which he has credited as giving him the platform to be open about his identity while encouraging others to do the same.
Bel Canto Chorus names Jonathan Laabs as next artistic director
Milwaukee Magazine reports that the Bel Canto Chorus has named its next artistic director, Johnathan Laabs (MM 2017, Choral Conducting). Laabs assumes the role following the retirement of Music Director Richard Hynson and Assistant Conductor Michelle Hynson. Laabs has been an active conductor, clinician, performer, and music educator throughout the Midwest. Prior to being named artistic director at Bel Canto, Laabs served in the same capacity at Canticum Novum.
Florentine’s ‘La Bohème’ leverages extensive research and dramaturgy by Sheri Williams Pannell
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Florentine Opera’s production of “La Bohème,” which will be set in Milwaukee’s Bronzeville neighborhood in the 1940s, has enlisted the help of Sheri Williams Pannell (Assistant Professor and Area Head of Musical Theatre). According to the article by Jim Higgins, stage director Nadja Simmonds is “relying on the extensive research and dramaturgy of Milwaukee theater artist Sheri Williams Pannell, whose music-filled play “Welcome to Bronzeville” was produced by First Stage in 2017.”
Tone Madison highlights Jesse McLean’s film ‘Light Needs’ ahead of Wisconsin Film Festival
Jesse McLean (Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Film, Video, Animation & New Genres) and her feature-length documentary Light Needs were recently featured in an article by Tone Madison. McLean’s film is paired with four experimental shorts for a botanical inspired program in the 2024 Wisconsin Film.
In the article, McLean’s film is described as shining “a light on the responsibility for care towards other living beings,” which she does by prioritizing houseplants as subjects in addition to interview snippets from their owners.
Director of Pipeline credits theatre students with bringing the play to UWM
In early 2022, Peck School of the Arts students Ethan Hightire and Nahjee Robinson sat in Milwaukee’s Next Act Theater, immersed in Dominque Morisseau’s critical-acclaimed play Pipeline. Both were astonished by what they saw. Hightire recognized that the character Omari was a role he was born to play.
Hightire and Robinson immediately went to Katie Avila Loughmiller (Lecturer, Theatre) insisting that Pipeline was a show she had to see. Their intention? Advocate for an eventual UWM production of the piece.
Two years in the making, Pipeline opens at PSOA’s Kenilworth Five-0-Eight.
The play follows Nya and her son Omari, as Nya seeks the best for her son despite an education system that actively works against him. For Hightire, the themes of oppression and “Black silent rage” are of the utmost importance.
“I saw that I too could give myself permission to tell the stories of every Black boy that suffers with inherited rage through this role, including my own,” said Hightire. “Imagine how it feels to watch it come together after all these years of wanting, waiting, and work.”
Hightire found comfort in telling Omari’s story, which he sees as an opportunity to shed light on the ways Black students must fight for opportunity compared to others.
“So often, your work as a Black person is ignored, minimized, misidentified, or stolen,” said Hightire. “That’s why Black excellence is so significant. Not because there is a ‘colored version’ of excellence, but that the amount of effort it takes to be recognized as such requires so much more of us than our contemporaries.”
Loughmiller, who is directing Pipeline, noted how her love for the piece and desire to see it brought to life was multi-faceted, describing a connection with Nya as an educator and a person of color.
With a 17-month-old son of her own, Loughmiller felt a renewed connection to the story since Hightire and Robinson introduced her to the show. Her main motivating force is to showcase the work and sacrifices mothers make.
“The heart of this show is about a parent’s love, more specifically, a mother’s love,” says Loughmiller in the program’s director’s notes. “When I first watched this play, I was just starting to wrap my mind around the idea that I would have the same fears, worries, and love that mothers do.”
Despite challenging topics, she is confident that audiences will enjoy the show.
“This isn’t a lighthearted play, but it’s an important one,” said Loughmiller. “I really hope as many people come see my wildly talented cast tell this relevant and impactful story.”
Students inspired to push the boundaries of musical genres at two-day residency
Renowned vocalist Melissa Foster visited the Peck School of the Arts for a two-day residency last month as part of a growing effort to diversify the vocal stylings and teachings at PSOA.
Foster’s expertise ranges across genres that vocal students do not always get to work with. During the two-day residency, she led workshops and taught lectures on Motown, disco, rap, musical theatre, and more, to expose students to contemporary commercial music.
Alexa Furuta, left, and Melissa Foster, right | Photo by Elora Hennessey
“Popular styles at UWM are gaining a lot of attention right now, which has been exciting,” said Alexa Furuta, a current PSOA voice student who attended Foster’s residency. “I feel super grateful that Melissa took the time to be with us. I took a lot of technical notes and learned a lot about the history of these genres.”
Furuta further noted the impact that Foster had on those she worked with, thanks in part to her passion for music and education.
“Her work is so important to students, especially those who may feel trapped by classical, musical theater and have not gotten the chance to dig into pop styles before,” said Furuta.
Foster provided students with the opportunity to sing for their peers during performance masterclasses. These sessions revolved around songs that can be used in a variety of styles, which helps students curate a wide repertoire of audition material.
Katie Upthagrove | Photo by Elora Hennessey
Voice student Katie Upthagrove praised Foster’s ability to create a welcoming environment for students to perform.
“When you’re new to it, it can be very scary [to perform],” said Upthagrove. “However, being surrounded by people who are cheering you on and wanting to see you succeed is amazing.”
Dr. Aaron Agulay (Assistant Professor of Voice & Area Head of Voice & Opera) views Foster’s residency as just one example of how UWM’s Department of Music is diversifying its repertoire.
“We continue to garner new tools for repertoire being taught at UWM to respect the pedagogy and styles of contemporary commercial music,” said Agulay.
According to Agulay, students have gravitated toward UWM’s versatile voice concentration to work on a wider range of musical styles, making Foster an ideal artist to spend time with students at UWM.
Melissa Foster | Photo by Elora Hennessey
Foster is a professor at Northwestern University. Throughout her illustrious career, she has pushed the boundaries of what topics and genres get covered in a vocal performance program. When not at Northwestern, Foster has been welcomed throughout the U.S. as a guest artist including at Berklee College of Music, Notre Dame University, and Penn State.
Story by Jason McCullum ’25
PSOA alumni and faculty well represented at 2024 Wisconsin Film Festival
The Wisconsin Film Festival will feature the work of several PSOA faculty and graduates. The following individuals have PSOA connections:
Two of these filmmakers, Lori Felker and Magdelena Bermudez, were recognized as Golden Badger Award winners. The WFF runs from April 4 – April 11 in Madison.
Earlybird writer-director Martin Kaszubowski featured on Cinebuds podcast
‘Earlybird’ writer-director Martin Kaszubowski (MFA 2014, Film) recently spoke with Kristopher Pollard from Milwaukee Film and Radio Milwaukee’s Dori Zori on the popular podcast Cinebuds. In the episode, Kaszubowski reflected on his time at Peck School of the Arts, specifically noting that his experience with DocUWM and the course, Zen and the Arts of Filmmaking, were instrumental to his development as an artist. Milwaukee audiences may have seen his film, which includes several additional PSOA connections among the cast and crew, when it screened at 2023’s Milwaukee Film Festival. It is now available for streaming.
Listen to the full episode and check out the trailer for Earlybird on Radio Milwaukee.
