What's NEW?

Our Students (and Alums)

Performance Calendar

FYI

The "Profs"

BRAVO! Music & Theater Newsletter

Welcome to the first edition of Bryan College's BRAVO! Music and Theater Newsletter.  Here's our chance to connect with all the friends and alums who want to stay informed about what's going on in the Music and Theater Departments here at the school.

It's our intention to send this out 3 times each year: the beginning of each semester and during the summer.  This will allow us to share with you all the exciting things that God is doing at Bryan.

What's NEW?

So--where to begin?  First let me say that we've had a fantastic summer.
Brock Hall and the area behind it is undergoing the first phase of a larger renovation that will eventually turn this area into a first-class Performance Space and Lecture Hall. Behind Brock we completed major renovation to construct a piano teaching/practice studio for our new 7'2" Baldwin grand piano. We know our piano students will be excited about this.	Before	After
We are especially thankful to the Steve and Barbara Snyder family for the loan of this wonderful grand piano.  Steve and Barb are alums and have been enthusiastic supporters of the Music Department for many decades.  Barb passed away last March after a long battle with cancer and so we're naming this new facility in honor of Barb:  The Snyder Piano Studio.
You may not be able to tell much from the pic, but for those of you who remember the dark old hallway behind Brock:  well, we've taken out some walls, put down new carpeting and painted the place.  You won't recognize it!  (New Synder Piano Studio is double doors on the right)
Of course, we're still enjoying 2 major upgrades from last year:
New music lab furniture and equipment State-of-the-art Clavinova electronic piano lab

2. We're excited to welcome a new full-time faculty member to the Music Department:  Assistant Professor of voice, Mrs. Kim Keck.  She'll also be teaching some theory, music education and Women's Chorus.  Check out her profile under "The Profs" on taskbar.
    

This fall will be the first year that we are placing an ad in the Chattanooga Symphony Program Guide.  Now all the folks who attend CSO concerts will see what's going on right here at BC every time they open their program.

Students/Alums

 Here's a brief update on this year's music graduates

• Emily Cook:  orientation leader for international students near home in Tennessee; will room with music alum Eva Holder next fall as Eva pursues masters work in piano at UT Knoxville
• Jennilee Elliot (St John): working as receptionist at real estate agency in Redondo Beach, CA
• Katie Fridsma:  beginning a graduate program in Theater at Regent University in Virginia
• Nathan Schmidt:  working fulltime at Harmony House Coffee Shop in Dayton and considering his graduate school options
• Amanda Sherrin:  returned to Dayton to fill the shoes of Jessica McCuiston (who's going to NYC to be with her husband), taking over the reins of the Dayton Christian Ballet and teaching the Stage Movement classes at BC
• Anna Squires (Demme): teaching music in private school and traveling the world with Ethan (on her own motorcycle)
• Daniel Tomyn:  moved to Wake Forest, NC, where he's beginning a graduate program in Church Music at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

 If you are involved in Music or Theater, drop us a line and tell us what you're doing;
better yet, send a pic.  Wilhoime@Bryan.edu

Performance Calendar

FYI

    Our spring chorale tour is already shaping up very nicely.  We are particularly excited about a scheduled concert at
Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

    And right after graduation, the Chamber Singers are going to the West Coast for their first California tour.

        Music alum Tim St. John (Piano Performance, 06) is helping set up the tour as he's in his 2nd year of graduate work at Masters Seminary. Tim also serves as Minister of Music/Youth at Anza Baptist Church, Torrance, CA.  He just got married (in June) to Jennilee Elliot (Vocal Performance, 07). 
 Both of them were Presidential/Music Performance winners.

The Musical Theater Department is stretching even further this year with the production of 2 musicals

• In January, the Dessert Theater will feature Spitfire Grill--The Musical

• In April, we'll present Man of La Mancha

Check your Performance Calendar for individual dates

In October, Belisle and Wilhoit will take 20 students and friends to the Big Apple for 5 days of musical theater and sightseeing (in conjunction with the Intro to Musical Theater class).

And while we're on musical theater, here are a couple of pics from this last spring's production of Into the Woods

In addition to our musicals, don't miss the Hilltop Players' fall production, Nov 1,2,3, of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew (tickets required)

The "Profs"

We are happy to introduce Mrs. Kim Keck, Assistant Professor of Music, to the Bryan family and the Music Department.

Kimberly Keck, soprano, brings over ten years of teaching experience to the music department of Bryan College. She received both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. After teaching for nine years in higher education, Mrs. Keck desired to expand her knowledge in the area of Music Education.  She is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University.  She has a long list of opera, musical theater, and concert credits--as performer and director.  Kim brings a wealth of experience and loads of enthusiasm to her new position.

Mr. Bernard R. Belisle

Office Phone: 423-775-7338

E-mail: belislbe@bryan.edu

Academic Degrees:

• AA - Adirondack Community College
• BA/BS - Speech & Theatre, State University of New York College, Oneonta
• MS - Communication Education, State University of New York College, Oneonta

Professional Associations:

• Southeastern Theatre Conference
• Tennessee Theatre Association

Topic of Expertise:

• Musical theatre

Volunteer Activities:

• Dayton Playhouse
• Tennessee Valley Theatre

Dr. David Luther

Office Phone: 423-775-7283

E-mail: lutherda@bryan.edu

Academic Degrees:

• D.M.A. Music, Louisiana State University
• M.M. Music, Louisiana State University
• M.C.M. Church Music, New Orleans Baptist Seminary
• B.A. Music, Bob Jones University

Professional Association:

• American Choral Directors Association

Topics of Expertise:

• Choral conducting
• Church music
• Vocal

Dr. Sigrid Luther

Office Phone: 423-775-7282

E-mail: luthersi@bryan.edu

Academic Degrees:

• D.M.A. Music (Piano), Louisiana State University
• M.M. Piano Performance, Louisiana State University
• B.A. Music (Piano), Bob Jones University

Professional Associations:

• Advisor to MTNA Chattanooga Area Collegiate Chapter
• Chattanooga Music Teachers Association Correspondence Secretary, Program Chair
• MTNA National High School Competition Coordinator 2008-2010

Workshop/Lecture Topics

• The Piano Music of Leonard Bernstein
• Contemporary Piano Teaching Pieces
• Performance from a Christian Perspective
• Developing Piano Skills through Church Music

Topics of Expertise:

• Music theory
• Piano performance

Dr. Mel R. Wilhoit

Office Phone: 423-775-7289

E-mail: wilhoime@bryan.edu

Academic Degrees:

• D.M.A. Church Music, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
• M.M. Music History and Literature, Mankato State University
• B.S. Music Education, Bob Jones University

Selected Publications:

• "A Hymnologial Whodunit or `The Case of the Fraudulant Philip Phillips.'"
• "A Sankey Primer." The Sonneck Society Bulletin Fall 1990
• "Alexander the Great; or Just Plain Charlie: Charles Alexander." The Hymn April 1995
• "American Holiness Hymnody: Some Questions -- A Methodology." Wesleyan Theological Journal Fall 1990
• "Elisha Albright Hoffman." The Hymn: A Journal of Congregational Song January 1984
• "Faith and Learning Reconsidered." Faculty Dialogue January 1988
• "Father of Gospel Music." Cross-Rhythms Fall 1992
• "Ira D. Sankey, the Father of Gospel Music." REJOICE, a Journal of Gospel Music Fall 1991
• "Look Who's Singing." The Church Musician April 1993
• "Sing Me a Sankey." The Hymn January 1991
• "The Birth of a Classic: The Story of `The Ninety and Nine.'" We'll Shout and Sing Hosanna 1998
• "The Music of Urban Revivalism." The Hymn October 1994
• "United States Hymnody from the Civil War through the Twentieth Century." The New Century Hymnal Companion 1998
• "White Gospel Music" and "Contemporary Christian Music." Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World
• "William Bradbury," "Fannie Crosby," "George F. Root," "George Webb." Signed articles for American Dictionary of Biography 1999
• Articles on Gospel hymnwriters for The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd ed. 2000
• Hymn October 1995

Topics of Expertise:

• Church music: hymnody and congregational song
• Music history: American music, European music, classical traditions
• Music of 19th and 20th century revivalism
• Music of the Scopes Trial