Mark Ballora, a devoted and dynamic professor of music technology in the Penn State School of Music, affiliate faculty in the School of Theatre, and newly appointed director of the Arts & Design Research Incubator, unexpectedly died Thursday, July 18, 2019. He was 57 years old.
Where were you during the Apollo moon landing 50 years ago? For 60 former Penn State choir members, the answer is easy — they were performing an open-air concert in the Stadium of Apollo in Delphi, Greece. Today, international tours remain a highlight for Penn State musicians, providing unique performance opportunities and bonding experiences.
“The Last Day,” written by former Nittany Lion and Cincinnati Bengal football star Mike Reid, is an ambitious musical theater piece that tackles issues relevant to today's youth, including mental health and substance abuse among college students.
Penn State Centre Stage will launch its return to professional summer theatre with "The Last Day," June 12–22, at the Penn State Downtown Theatre, with music by Mike Reid, lyrics by Sarah Schlesinger and book by Reid and Schlesinger. John Simpkins directs, with musical direction by Jennifer Peacock. Reid is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and former Penn State defensive lineman.
The 2019 Penn’s Woods Music Festival kicks off June 11 with Music in the Gardens at The Arboretum at Penn State, featuring the Altoona Brass Collective, with the festival orchestra and chamber music concerts taking place in the School of Music’s new recital hall starting June 16. For the first time, the season will include opera and jazz, along with the classical music festival audiences know and love.
State College youth in the Roots of Life performing arts ensemble joined with members of the Foxdale Village chorus for a unique intergenerational performance on Saturday, May 11. Titled “Imagine: Songs of Hope and Peace,” the performance featured individuals from under 10 to over 90.
Penn State School of Music graduate student Jiwon Ha, a pianist from South Korea, recently won third prize at the Seventh New York International Artists Competition, which included participants from the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, China, Korea, Singapore and Thailand.
The Penn State School of Music will celebrate women in music with "Empow(H)er," a concert featuring the works of female composers, at 8 p.m. Sunday, April 14, in the new School of Music Recital Hall at University Park. The program will feature a variety of works, including performances by marimba, brass, solo voice and choirs.
Ted Christopher, Penn State School of Music associate professor and director of Penn State Opera Theatre, discusses "Leavings," or "The Borderland." A reading of the new opera will be performed at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The University community is invited to join the Penn State School of Music and the Penn State Alumni Association for the 13th annual President's Concert at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20, at the Hershey Theatre in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
National Endowment For The Arts Jazz Master Benny Golson will headline the 20th Annual Penn State Jazz Festival on March 29 and 30 at the Penn State School of Music’s New Recital Hall and Esber Rehearsal Hall, Music Building 1, University Park.
Penn State alumna Libby Gopal, 2002 bachelor of science in music education, was recently selected as the recipient of the New Jersey governor’s Educator of the Year Award for East Orange Campus High School for her educational contributions at the local, district and state level.
Vincent P. Benitez, associate professor of music theory in the Penn State School of Music, has been appointed as the scholarship and research editor for the College Music Symposium: Journal of the College Music Society.
Partners in Music was created in 2006 by music education faculty members Linda Thornton and Robert Gardner to provide the opportunity for young instrumentalists and prospective music teachers to make music together.
Pitch Exploration Lab is a space created for undergraduate or graduate students from any major to explore music, brain and psychology topics with a focus on pitch processing and psycho-motor activity.
