Department of Music & Theatre at Iowa State University

Mady Ney, junior in Performing Arts and Digital Storytelling worked this summer at the Brownville Village Theatre. She acted in three shows, stage managed one, and worked in the scenic department for all five shows, including “Two Witches, No Waiting”, “Steel Magnolias,” “Beware the House on Haunted Hill,” and “Schoolhouse Rock Live Too!” “I grew so much from my experience at BVT. Having the opportunity to act in three shows (sometimes two different ones a single day) while also shifting the sets showed me just how valuable hard work is. It meant so much to me that I got to be a part of something so special, while also witnessing what happens when you devote such time and effort to producing art.” Congratulations, Mady!

Don't miss our All State Workshop on Saturday, August 30 at 1:00pm in the Simon Estes Music Hall.

Iowa State University will host an All State Workshop for aspiring students who play Winds, Brass, Percussion or Strings. This FREE event will offer students the opportunity to perform for ISU music faculty, receive musical and pedagogical feedback related to their instrument, hone audition skills and develop an audition mindset. The faculty will address individual components of the audition: scales, etudes and solos. There will be ample opportunities to play audition repertoire alongside peers and ISU faculty. The faculty will offer an audition panel that addresses performance anxiety, audition mindset and anecdotes from their own audition experiences. This event is free with registration.

Please register here today! https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=mthHA3QB002t6zM5yJw19b7PG75xdXlAj3KynNVJgolURERXVkJVWjIzWDdMWEc3Uzg0SkZUUlVXNC4u

The Department of Music and Theatre faculty and staff was back together yesterday! At our annual retreat, we spent time together planning and setting goals for the year ahead. We are so grateful for this awesome team!

Emma Lea Werling, senior Fashion Design and Merchandising major and performing arts minor, was a design intern with Weissman this summer. “It has been such a surreal experience to be designing and interning at a company whose dance costumes I grew up wearing. I have loved collaborating with other creatives and growing my technical skills. It’s been so rewarding to see my design go from a concept to seeing a dancer model it!”

Abby Taliaferro, junior in Clarinet performance, spent two weeks in the Netherlands studying at Cortona Sessions for New Music. She played in numerous ensembles and had rehearsals and concerts every day. “I met so many amazing musicians, and it was an honor to perform with them.” Way to go, Abby!

For Kiernan McReynolds, a summer internship with Shakespeare on the Lawn in Des Moines was the perfect opportunity to gain professional acting experience — and support from a donor-funded scholarship helped put the position within reach.

“Having this experience, where I felt so supported, it gave me so much hope, confidence, and drive to continue pursuing performing professionally,” McReynolds said. Read more: https://isu.foundation/4fTjxhG

Congratulations to the Ames Piano Quartet on their new release!

The Ames Piano Quartet’s recording of George Tsontakis’ Piano Quartet #4 will be released this Friday, August 7 by Navona Records. This is the first new commercial release by the Quartet since 2016, and it is particularly significant both because it is a premiere recording, and because it was commissioned by the Ames Quartet by means of an ISU Subvention Grant. The complete information can be found at this link: https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6881/.

One of the few regularly constituted piano quartets in the world, the Ames Quartet has been the resident chamber ensemble at Iowa State University since its inception in 1976. It has an extensive discography (16 commercially released recordings on various labels) and has appeared in concert throughout the world. More information on the Quartet can be found at https://www.music.iastate.edu/ensemble/apq.