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Category: Press Releases

Critical Issues Forum series explores “The Purpose of Higher Education”

A Head shot of Lawrence University President Mark Burstein — President Mark Burstein

Lawrence University President Mark Burstein leads a panel discussion examining the issues and challenges facing higher education as part of the university’s ongoing Critical Issues Forum series.

The program “The Purpose of Higher Education,” Friday, April 14 at 11:10 a.m. in the Thomas Steitz Hall of Science atrium, is free and open to the public.

A Head shot of Lawrence Provost David Burrows — Provost David Burrows

A Head shot of Lawrence vice president for diversity and inclusion Kimberly Barrett — Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Kimberly Barrett

Burstein will be joined on the panel by Provost and Dean of the Faculty David Burrows and Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Kimberly Barrett. Together they will explore the role education plays in addressing the challenges of our day and discuss university and community practices related to higher education. Audience members will be encouraged to share their perspective and opinions on the topic and their input will be used to inform future university decision making and practices.

About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Engaged learning, the development of multiple interests and community outreach are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.

2017-18 Lawrence Performing Arts Series features renowned classical, jazz musicians

More than a dozen world-class artists will grace the stage of the Lawrence Memorial Chapel during Lawrence University’s 2017-18 Performing Arts Series.

Subscriptions for both the Artist and Jazz series are on sale now. Subscribers may choose from either series for a “Favorite 4” package, with discounts available to senior citizens and students. Single-concert tickets go on sale Sept. 18. For more information, contact the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749 or boxoffice@lawrence.edu.

The Artist Series

• Jonathan Biss, piano, Friday, Oct. 6, 8 p.m.

A head shot of pianist Jonathan Biss — Pianist Jonathan Biss. Photo by Benjamin Ealovega.

Since making his New York City recital debut as a 20-year old in 2000, Biss has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and many other of the world’s leading orchestras.

He performs regularly as a guest soloist throughout Europe and in 2002 became first American to be named the BBC’s “New Generation Artist.”

Biss is currently in his second year of the “Beethoven/5” project, in which he will premiere five new piano concertos, each inspired by one of Beethoven’s. He opened the project in 2016 with “The Blind Banister” by Timo Andre, which was a finalist for Pulitzer Prize in Music. Later this year he will debut Sally Beamish’s concerto with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

• Sasha Cooke, mezzo soprano, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018, 8 p.m.

A head shot of singer Sasha Cooke — Mezzo soprano Sasha Cooke

A 2011 Grammy Award-winner for her electrifying performance as Kitty Oppenheimer in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of “Doctor Atomic,” Cooke has been racking up acclaim and honors since graduating from Rice University and the Juilliard School, where she made her professional debut.

Hailed by the New York Times as “a luminous standout,” Cooke specializes in contemporary opera and is renowned for her work with the music of Gustav Mahler, which she has performed to robust praise on four continents.

A much-in-demand singer, Cooke has performed with nearly 30 orchestras around the world from New York to New Zealand and from San Francisco to Shanghai.

She released her debut solo album “If you love for beauty” with the Colburn Orchestra in 2012, one of six albums in her discography. Her latest, “Liszt: The Complete Songs, Vol 4” was released in 20

• Colin Currie, percussion, Friday, March 30, 2018, 8 p.m.

A photo of percussionist Colin Currie. — Percussionist Colin Currie

A champion of new music at the highest level, Currie has been called “the world’s finest and most daring percussionist” by British magazine The Spectator. A graduate of England’s Royal Academy of Music, Currie performs regularly with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors.

Known as an adventurous soloist with an unmatched commitment to creating new music, Currie was recognized by the Royal Philharmonic Society in 2000 with its Young Artist Award and in 2015 with its prestigious Instrumentalist Award.

Professor of Music Dane Richeson, who teaches percussion in the Lawrence conservatory, said Currie “ranks right there with the top contemporary percussionists in the world.”

“Colin has inspired many new compositions that have led the way in breaking new ground for the percussive arts, bringing whole new audiences and appreciation to the art form,” said Richeson. “We’re all grateful for his musical mastery.”

Currie’s 13-album discography includes 2016’s “Dawn to Dust” with the Utah Symphony.

• Joshua Roman, cello, with JACK Quartet, Saturday, April 21, 2018, 8 p.m.

A photo of cellist Joshua Roman. — Cellist Joshua Roman

The 33-year old Roman has earned an international reputation for his wide-ranging repertoire, artistic leadership and versatility. Beyond being a celebrated performer, he is recognized as an accomplished composer and curator.

As artistic director of Seattle’s TownMusic, Roman has showcased his own eclectic musical influences and chamber music favorites while also promoting newly commissioned works. His cultural leadership utilizes digital platforms to harness new audiences, including YouTube for his “Everyday Bach” project, in which he performs Bach’s cello suites in gorgeous settings around the world.

A photo of the musical quartet JACK Quartet — JACK Quartet

He’ll be joined by the JACK Quartet — violinists Christopher Otto and Ari Streisfeld, violinist John Pickford Richards and cellist Kevin McFarland. Founded in 2007 and based in New York City, the quartet was called “superheroes of the new music world” by the Boston Globe.

Their performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center were met with critical acclaim and their commitment to new music has earned them the CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and New Music USA’s Trailblazer Award.

The Jazz Series

• Lizz Wright, vocalist, Friday, November 3, 7:30 p.m.

Singer Lizz Wright. Photo by Jesse Kitt.

The charismatic, honey-voiced Wright opens Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration Weekend. A native of Georgia who makes her home now in North Carolina, Wright’s musical baptism began in church. Her early gospel roots have since been fused with jazz, blues, folk and R&B, earning comparisons to Norah Jones.

She has drawn critical raves since her debut album, “Salt,” zoomed to the top of the contemporary jazz charts in 2003. Through her three following discs, Wright has demonstrated her innovative interpretation skills and established herself as popular song stylist.

• Storms/Nocturnes with the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble, Saturday, Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m.

A photo of the trio Storms/Nocturnes — Storms/Nocturnes

Combine British saxophone legend Tim Garland, world-class vibraphone virtuoso Joe Locke and recent Grammy nominee pianist Geoffrey Keezer and you have a chamber jazz trio with few peers. The extraordinary combination serves as the bookend to Lizz Wright for Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration Weekend.

As Storms/Nocturnes, the three artists combine their distinctive talents and diverse backgrounds to create captivating music that can be spacious or immensely complex one moment and delicate the next. No less an authority than jazz legend Chick Corea has said “This trio truly sizzles with virtuosity and creativity.”

After collaborating on a pair of successful releases, “Storms/Nocturnes” in 2002 and “Rising Tide” in 2003, the trio members spent seven years working on individual projects and with other bands before reuniting in 2010 to release the 10-track disc “VIA” the following year. The reunion revived one of the most timeless intercontinental jazz collaborations in the world today.

• Joe Lovano Classic Quartet, Friday, February 2, 2018, 8 p.m.

A photo of saxophonist Joe Lovano — Saxophonist Joe Lavano

For more than 20 years, Lovano has enjoyed an international reputation as one of the world’s premiere tenor saxophonists. Allmusic critic Chris Kelsey has described him as “the tenor titan for our times.”

A 2000 Grammy Award winner, Lovano more recently was recognized by DownBeat magazine and the Jazz Journalists Association as 2014’s tenor saxophonist of the year.

José Encarnación, director of jazz studies at Lawrence who met Lovano at the Heineken Jazz Festival in the late 1990s, calls him “one of my favorite saxophone players ever.

“Joe’s unique voice on the saxophone, or any other instrument he plays, is so full of expression and freedom,” said Encarnación. “He possesses that innate ability in his playing to convey the sense of fresh spontaneity that has always characterized the music’s greatest improvisers.”

• Vijay Iyer Sextet, Friday, May 11, 2018, 8 p.m.

A photo of pianist Vijay Iyer — Pianist Vijay Iyer

A three-time recipient (2012, ’15, ’16) of DownBeat magazine’s “Artist of the Year” honor, Iyer unprecedentedly added Pianist of the Year, Jazz Album of the Year, Jazz Group of the Year and Rising Star Composer honors in the 2012 Downbeat International Critics Poll.

It’s little wonder the The New York Times wrote “There’s probably no frame wide enough to encompass the creative output of the pianist Vijay Iyer.”

The recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant in 2013, Iyer has expanded his acclaimed piano trio to a sextet by adding renowned horn players Graham Haynes, Steve Lehman and Mark Shim.

In 2014, Iyer began a permanent appointment as the Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts in Harvard University’s music department.

Lawrence students win pair of music competitions

Two Lawrence University students finished first in a pair of recent music competitions.

A head shot of Lawrence student Sam Buse — Junior Sam Buse

Sam Buse, a junior from La Mesa, Calif., earned first-place honors in the first round of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) Regional Young Organists Competition conducted at First United Methodist Church in Glendale, Calif. He received $1,000 for his winning performance and advances to the AGO’s regional convention June 10 in Salt Lake City. The competition is open to competitors up to 24 years of age.

Competitors are required to play four selections during a 45-minute performance. Buse played the hymn “In Babilone,” Frank Ferko’s “Mass for Dedication,” J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor “Dorian” and Max Reger’s “Introduction and Passacaglia in D Minor.” He studies with university organist Kathrine Handford.

Jessica Castleberry, a senior from Dillon, Colo., won the 2017 Wisconsin Music Teachers Association (WMTA) Badger Collegiate Performance Competition conducted at Silver Lake College in Manitowoc. She received $200 for her winning performance.

The competition is open to pianists, instrumentalists and vocalists. Each is required to perform three different pieces from three contrasting musical eras.

A head shot of Lawrence student Jessica Castleberry — Senior Jessica Castleberry

Castleberry played Mozart’s “Piano Sonata’ in G major, Chopin’s “Polonaise” in F-sharp minor and Debussy’s “Images Book 1.” Maria Santos, a freshman from Princeton, N.J., and Christian Vallery, a sophomore from Hampton, Iowa, tied for second place in the WMTA Badger Competition. All three study in the piano studio of Professor Catherine Kautsky.

Castleberry is the second straight Lawrentian to win the WMTA Badger Competition after sophomore Neil Krzeski earned first-place honors in 2016.

Ming Hu, a sophomore from Changsha, China, earned honorable mention honors in the piano at the annual Schubert Club Student Scholarship Competition conducted at St. Catherine’s University in Minnesota. The competition features divisions for piano, strings, brass, woodwinds and guitar. Hu is a student of Kautsky’s.

Five other Lawrence pianists advanced to the Schubert competition finals: Gabrielle Claus, Milou De Meij, Xiaoya Gao, Krzeski and Tammy Li.

Liam Mayo, a piano student in the Lawrence Academy of Music from Green Bay who studies with Lawrence Professor Anthony Padilla, won first place honors in the Schubert competition’s high school division.

The Garden of Humanity: Lawrence International Cabaret celebrates the beauty of diversity

The beauty and richness of the world’s diverse heritage will be celebrated April 8-9 in two performances of Lawrence University’s 41st annual International Cabaret.

Representing more than 30 countries, 125 Lawrence students showcase their native cultures through dance, music and fashion in performances Saturday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 9 at 3 p.m. in Stansbury Theatre of the Music-Drama Center. A free reception follows Sunday’s performance at 5 p.m. in the Warch Campus Center.

Tickets, at $10 for adults, $5 for students/children (age four and under are free), are available online or through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749. In addition to its normal hours, the box office will be open one hour prior to Sunday’s performance.

This year’s theme for Cabaret, “The Garden of Humanity,” reflects the organizers vision of people of different races and cultures as flowers, each uniquely beautiful in their own individual way.

“For the international community at Lawrence, Cabaret gives us an incredible opportunity to show a little glimpse of where we are from and encourage others to learn more about it,” said Tamanna Akram, a junior from Dhaka, Bangladesh and current president of Lawrence International.

“Everyone involved puts in an enormous amount of time and effort to share a piece of their culture,” Akram added. “It’s amazing to see how involved everyone is as they work together as a team for months to make this show a success. It is a collaborative effort by Lawrentians with different interests and backgrounds, but when they take the stage, they have one goal: to make Cabaret a success.”

In addition to a pair of fashion shows featuring traditional clothing from the students’ home countries, Cabaret will include 14 performances.

Among this years acts will be “Ode to Beauty,” a dance that will transport the audience to the beauty of the southern Yangtze River in China, a singer-pianist duo performing a German song that incorporates lyrics from many famous songs, Nepalese dances that fuse folk, traditional and modern styles, a song that melds elements of classical Indian music with modern, fast-paced rhythms, the totem birds dance, which celebrates the rich history of the Vietnamese agrarian society and the always-popular K-pop dance showcasing modern Korean dance.

Educators with Lawrence ties recognized with state teaching awards

Stacy Mallette, a 2013 Lawrence University graduate, has been recognized by the Wisconsin Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (WACTE).

A head shot of Stacy Mallette — Stacy Mallette ’13

A secondary level language arts and special education teacher at Green Bay’s Dr. Rosa Minoka-Hill School, a K-12 school that serves students with a continuum of unique learning needs, is one of the 2017 recipients of the WACTE’s Early Career Educator Award.

Corey Otis, who has been instrumental in shepherding nearly a dozen student teachers from Lawrence into the profession, has been named one of the 2017 winners of WACTE’s Pre-Service Educator Mentor Award.

Both will be honored Sunday, May 7 at the home of Lawrence University President Mark Burstein.

Otis and Mallette were selected for the awards by faculty of Lawrence’s college and conservatory teacher education program. Each Wisconsin college or university that belongs to WACTE was invited to select a recipient for each award.

The Early Career Educator Award honors outstanding educators within the first three years of their professional career. Mallette has taught at Minoka-Hill for three years.

Minoka-Hill Principal Renee Every credited Mallette for connecting with students who may never have experienced the benefit of having an adult in their school lives. While Minoka-Hill’s students are traditionally labeled “at risk,” Mallette only sees their “promise of success” according to Every.

“Stacy is caring, compassionate and an upbeat advocate for our students who not only cares about academic success, but about each one of them as a person,” said Every.

Stewart Purkey, Bee Connell Mielke Professor of Education and associate professor of education at Lawrence, called Mallette “the kind of teacher every parent would like for their children.”

“Lawrence is proud to name Stacy as its Early Career Educator this year,” said Purkey.

A head shot of teacher Corey Otis — Corey Otis

The Mentor Award recognizes an outstanding educator who has demonstrated a sustained pattern of mentoring pre-service educators for at least five years. Otis has taught English language arts teacher at Appleton East High School for 17 years.

Purkey describes Otis as a mentor in every sense of the term: advisor, guide, confidant, counselor, guru.

“Although veteran teachers sometimes forget they were once beginners and how difficult it is to learn to teach,” said Purkey, “Corey always treats budding teachers gently, with patience and good humor, care and respect, even as he holds them to the highest standards of the profession.”

Otis earned a bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison and his teaching certification from Lawrence.

Roomful of Teeth returns to Lawrence with its distinctive vocal creations

If your recipe for a beautiful vocal concert includes a dash of yodeling, a pinch of Inuit throat singing, some Broadway belting and a large serving of new music punctuated with clicks, clucks and sighs, then Roomful of Teeth is for you.

The eight-voice, Grammy Award-winning a cappella ensemble brings its distinctive vocals to Lawrence University’s Memorial Chapel Friday, April 7 at 8 p.m. in the final concert of the university’s 2016-17 Artist Series.

Tickets, at $25-30 for adults, $20-25 for seniors, $18-20 for students, are available online through the Lawrence Box Office or by calling 920-832-6749.

Since its founding in 2009 at Williams College in Massachusetts, Roomful of Teeth has embarked on a mission to fully mine the expressive potential of the human voice, creating instrumental music with their voices. Officially the group includes two sopranos, two altos, a tenor, a baritone, a bass-baritone and a bass. Unofficially, it includes yodelers, classical singers and throat singers.

Their concert program will include “Partita for 8 Voice,” written by former member Caroline Shaw, for which she was awarded the 2013 Pulitzer Prize (2013) for music, becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the Pulitzer for music.

The product of singing traditions, non-traditions and techniques from around the world, Roomful of Teeth has created a unique sound unlike any other vocal ensemble. By incorporating an ongoing commissioning, the ensemble produces a steady stream of new repertoire.

The group’s 2012 eponymic debut disc “A Roomful of Teeth” earned three Grammy Award nominations and won for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance.

Beyond their concert tour performances, Roomful of Teeth has collaborated with artists as diverse as Kanye West and the Seattle Symphony. They also provided the soundtrack to the documentary film “The Colorado.”

This is the ensemble’s second visit to Lawrence, having previously performed in February, 2014 as part of the university’s New Music Series that year.

Contemporary prints, photography featured in new Wriston Art Center exhibition

Detroit-based printmaker Tyanna Buie, photographer Tara Bogart and works from the Paper Fox Printmaking Workshop collection will be featured in Lawrence University’s Wriston Art Center Galleries’ latest exhibition.

In conjunction with her show, “Irrational in Light of Danger,” Buie will deliver the exhibition’s opening talk Friday, March 31 at 6 p.m. followed by a reception. Both are free and open to the public. The exhibition runs through May 7.

The product of a broken home on Chicago’s south side, much of Buie’s work focuses on her family history and what she calls “the re-creation of memory.” Prior to the exhibition opening, Buie will spend three days (March 28-30) as an artist-in-residence in Associate Professor Ben Rinehart’s Paper Fox Printmaking Workshop in the Wriston Art Center.

The workshop will be open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Buie’s artistic mastery with silk screen will be available for anyone to observe as she creates a unique edition of prints for the workshop’s permanent collection.

Bogart presents “The Burden of my own Immoderation” in the Hoffmaster Gallery, a photographic collection of new work that explores her relationship with vintage items. A native of Milwaukee, Bogart is currently living in Paris. Her work has been exhibited in galleries around the country, including Chicago, Houston, New York and Portland, and is included in the permanent collection of the National Library of France.

A screen print entitled Walking Away by D. L. (Lee) Simmons, created in 2013. — “Walking Away” by D.L. (Lee) Simmons, archival pigment print and silkscreen (2013).

“Tyanna and Tara have very different artistic practices and look to different cultural references in their work, but there also is a particular resonance they share,” said Beth Zinsli, director and curator of the Wriston Art Center, who met both artists several years ago at The Pitch Project, a Milwaukee gallery and studio space for artists of diverse cultural perspectives. “It made a lot of sense to show their work in our galleries at the same time to highlight that.”

“In their respective shows in this exhibition, Tyanna and Tara dig deeply into private, internal matters: memory, history, family, and the way our social roles and relationships tie us to each other and to things.”

The Leech Gallery will host “Selections from the Paper Fox Printmaking Workshop Collection.” The brainchild of Rinehart and launched in 2011, the workshop was created to cultivate a deeper understanding of printmaking as an artistic process.

The Wriston Art Center galleries are free and open to the public Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday noon – 4 p.m.; closed Mondays.

Wild Space Dance Company wants you to get “Caught up in the Moment”

Sound, music and movement intersect to create a moving work of art in Milwaukee-based Wild Space Dance Company’s performance of “Caught Up in the Moment” Friday, March 31 at Lawrence University’s Stansbury Theatre.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. show, at $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, $8 for students, are available online or through the Lawrence Box Office, 920-832-6749.

The performance unfolds in interconnecting vignettes of shifting solos, duets, trios and quartets as audience members share the stage with the eight dancers as they invent impromptu movement set to eclectic, improvised live music by percussionist/composer Tim Russell and saxophonist/composer Nick Zoulek.

Choreographed by Artistic Director Debra Loewen and intern Nicole Spence, dancers sing, hum and create sounds with costumes and props to create textured layers of sound and music while Russell and Zoulek respond to interlocking dances.

“Each element — sound, music and movement — inspire and respond to each other during the creative process,” said Loewen. “This performance captures those moments of invention and connection as they happen. Having the audience on the stage puts them in the center of this artistic interplay and offers opportunities for dancers to create something unique to their interaction with the audience.”

Wild Space has been as an artist-in-residence at Lawrence since 2000, teaching dance classes, theatre movement workshops and choreographing for selected productions.

Founded by Loewen, Wild Space Dance Company is celebrating its 30th season of inventive performances and innovative outreach programs. Known for site-specific works and artistic collaborations, Wild Space takes audiences on adventures through built and natural landscapes, visual art, history and the human condition through wry humor, clever choreography and emotionally-charged dance.

It has toured performance work to Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, South Korea and Japan.

Mnozil Brass brings its whimsical virtuosity to the Lawrence Memorial Chapel

The seven-member ensemble Mnozil Brass brings its unique blend of music virtuosity and theatrical wit to the Lawrence Memorial Chapel Wednesday, March 29 in a Lawrence University Artist Series performance.

A group photo of members of Mnozil Brass sitting on stools — The seven-member Mnozil Brass combines musical brilliance with touches of humor. Photo by Carsten Bunnemann.

Tickets, at $25-30 for adults, $20-25 for seniors, $18-20 for students, are available online through the Lawrence Box Office or by calling 920-832-6749.

Since their first performances in 1992 at open mic events in a Vienna, Austria, tavern, the seven graduates of the renowned Vienna College of Music have established themselves as one of the world’s premiere brass ensembles…with a twist.

Presented with a generous dollop of Austrian-style humor, their repertoire spans the musical spectrum from Bach to Zappa, from the classics to new movie music. A concert program may include everything from Austrian drinking and folk songs to jazz and pop, new arrangements of classical works and some 20^th-century German schlager pieces thrown in for good measure. Coupled with choreographed theater, dance moves and some slapstick antics have led to descriptions as “the Monty Python of the musical world.”

In his review of a 2016 performance, Jonathan Blumhofer wrote “Whether they’re lampooning scenes from ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ leading the house in the Macarena or providing a lengthy commentary on the night’s proceedi

Thomas Gansch is one of the founding members of Mnozil Brass.

ngs in Spanish, the Mnozil’s are about as zany as they come. But they’re also among the most stellar brass players you might hope to encounter.”

Marty Erickson, who teaches tuba at Lawrence, calls their visit to Appleton “a must-see event.”

“Not only is this group considered the finest brass ensemble of its kind in the world, they do it all seemingly effortlessly with great fun,” said Erickson. “Imagine hearing something by Debussy followed by Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ or an opera excerpt followed by Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition.’ They are truly a hoot.”

Featuring three trumpet players —Thomas Gansch, Robert Rother and Roman Rindberger — three trombonists —Gerhard Füssl, Zoltan Kiss and Leonhard Paul — and one tuba player —Wilfried Branstoetter — Mnozil Brass has recorded eight albums and six DVDs. They’ve collaborated on three operetta and opera productions and composed and recorded the music for the 2006 film “Freundschaft.”

The ensemble has been nominated for the Amadeus Austrian Music Award and was the recipient of the prestigious Salzburger Stier Cabaret Prize in 2006.

Bridging Cultural Gaps: Senior Sam Genualdi will travel the globe in search of musical collaborations as Watson Fellow

Music has always been a part of Sam Genualdi’s DNA.

A Head shot of Lawrence University student Sam Genualdi — Sam Genualdi ’17

He grew up as a serial instrumentalist, working his way through a litany of recommendations from his parents — violin, piano, percussion, double bass — but it wasn’t until he taught himself to play the guitar at the age of 15 that he found his sweet spot.

“When I picked up the guitar, it felt like something on my terms,” said Genualdi, a senior at Lawrence University from Evanston, Ill. “I felt like I was rebelling against my parents through the electric guitar.”

As his musical interests evolved, he discovered collaborating with other musicians was vital to his creative process. Later this year, Genualdi will embark on a year-long musical “binge” to feed his creative hunger that will take him around the world to engage in collaborations with musicians he’s never met.

Genualdi, a student-designed contemporary improvisation major at Lawrence, has been named one of 40 national recipients of a $30,000 Watson Fellowship for a wanderjahr of independent travel and exploration. Beginning in August, Genualdi will spend 12 months visiting Scotland, Peru, Indonesia, India and Japan.

“I plan to spend my Watson year in five countries steeped in unfamiliar musical traditions,” said Genualdi, Lawrence’s 72nd Watson Fellow since the program’s inception in 1969. “Music can be a powerful tool to bridge cultural gaps. I hope to co-create music that makes this evident. I want to engage in musical collaborations that push against the boundaries of existing genres.

“I have always thrived on collaboration,” added Genualdi, who has had plenty of opportunities as a member of numerous groups and ensembles at Lawrence, including the small jazz combos, the improvisation group IGLU, Gamelan Cahaya Asri and the Sambistas Brazilian drumming group, among others. “While I’ve done a fair amount of solitary work as a musician, the experiences that most excite me are those that involve interacting with other people.”

At each of his global destinations, Genualdi plans to meet musicians he hopes to work with by attending concerts and jam sessions. He will approach local musicians as a student to develop relationships and more effectively absorb the culture.

“Sam is infinitely curious about sonic possibilities and how improvisation and collaboration can create
musical worlds yet unimagined.”
— Brian Pertl, dean of the conservatory of music

“Taking lessons will give me the opportunity to interact with these musicians on a personal level, accumulate skills and expand my musical vocabulary,” said Genuldi. “I may learn a new instrument to gain perspective, but mainly I intend to communicate musically through my primary voice, the guitar.”

In Scotland, Genualdi will focus on the country’s rich history of stringed instruments, including guitar. In Peru, he will work with within Afro-Peruvian music traditions which combine African, European and native influences.

“Afro-Peruvian music along with the salsa and flamenco traditions prevalent in Lima involve unique forms of improvisation,” said Genualdi. “My background in jazz will help me find common repertoire to play with locals because of the relatively recent surge in the fusion of jazz and local traditions.”

January will find Genualdi in Bali where he looks to expand his experience with Indonesian music, which has been limited to his work with Gamelan Cahaya Asr. The following three months will take him to India, where traditions of improvisation in Hindustani music run deep. Much of his time there will focus on working with several highly regarded sitarists.

The final three months of his travels will be spent in Tokyo’s vibrant musical community with its improvised and experimental music scene. Genualdi calls the enthusiasm in Japan for fringe musical projects “inspiring.”

A photo of Lawrence University student Sam Genualdi playing his guitar. — When it comes to instruments, the guitar serves as Sam Genualdi’s “voice” of choice.

Brian Pertl, dean of the conservatory of music and Lawrence’s campus liaison to the Watson Foundation, calls Genualdi “an explorer of sound.”

“Sam is infinitely curious about sonic possibilities and how improvisation and collaboration can create musical worlds yet unimagined,” said Pertl, himself a Watson Fellow in 1986 as a Lawrence senior. “He has been pushing the boundaries of improvisation during his time at Lawrence and now will have an opportunity to explore his passion across the globe. I can’t wait to see what new musical concoctions will emerge from his grand adventure.”

Genualdi says the Watson experience will deepen his relationship to music and profoundly affect every aspect of his life moving forward.

“The musical experiences I’ll have in each country is sure to be different, but each will help bring into focus a larger picture of the human experience. Music is an important part of lives across the globe and I am intensely inspired by discovering these connections.”

Genualdi was selected for the Watson Fellowship from among 149 finalists nominated by 40 leading liberal arts colleges. This year’s 49th class of Watson Fellows hail from 21 states and six countries and will collectively visit 67 countries.

More than 2,700 students have been awarded Watson Fellowships, providing opportunities to test their aspirations, abilities and perseverance through a personal project that is cultivated on an international scale. Watson Fellows have gone on to become international leaders in their fields including CEOs of major corporations, college presidents, MacArthur grant recipients, Pulitzer Prize winners, diplomats, artists, lawyers, doctors, faculty, journalists, and many renowned researchers and innovators.

The fellowship was established by the children of Thomas J. Watson, Sr., the founder of International Business Machines Corp., and his wife, Jeannette, to honor their parents’ long-standing interest in education and world affairs.

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