Amanda Belew: Agribusiness Management, Maddie Carter: Parks, Recreation and Sport Management, Madeline Meiss: Animal Sciences and Paige Williams: Animals Sciences

"Participating in the chancellor’s art showcase allowed us the opportunity to be in an encouraging but competitive environment. Gaining some hands-on experience with gaining conceptual art to stretch our creativity meshing fresh flowers and alternate structures. Where we as students can have a creative outlet practicing skills gained from Mizzou Student Chapter of the American Institute of Floral Designers."

Alexandra Gast: Agricultural Education 

"The American Overtune for Band-Wind Ensemble is a stylish piece that collaboratively brings together the skills of many sections of a band. With this design, I brought together the art of many different colors and blooms into one cohesive ‘musical staff’ like structure. These monochromatic ‘notes’ in this piece portray the wide range of emotions that the music brings to the listeners, and also showcases the movement and connection they could get from this successful piece of musical art."

*Image Caption: Floral Display from Chancellor's Arts Showcase 2019

RENT

Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson

Department of Theatre 2021 production

Director, Dr. Joy Powell
Musical Director, Brett Kristofferson
Choreographer and Assistant Director Brandon V. Riley

Scenic Designer, Professor Mimi Hedges
Stage Manager, Sydney Lewis
Dramaturg, Dr. Les Gray

Lighting Designer, Vincent Williams & Jake Price
Sound Designer, Eliza Brooks
Costume Designer, Professor Marc W. Vital II

Awards of Merit for Outstanding Accomplishment from the 2022 Region V Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival were awarded to the production of RENT, the most number of awards ever received by MUTheatre! -  Dr. Heather Carver, Theatre Department Chair

Show selections from Rent:

Out Tonight, Santa Fe, Take me or Leave Me, and Seasons of Love

Program Notes

American Overture for Band (1953) ………………...…….. Joseph Willcox Jenkins (1928-2014)

Joseph Willcox Jenkins was born in Philadelphia and started composing at the same time he began taking piano lessons as a young boy. He studied formally with composer Vincent Persichetti at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music while simultaneously pursuing a pre-law degree at the nearby St. Joseph’s College. Further musical studies followed at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where Jenkins earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees and counted among his mentors more luminaries of American classical music, including Howard Hanson and Bernard Rogers.

Jenkins embarked on his professional career by joining the military and serving on the arranging staff of the U.S. Army Field Band at Fort Meade, Maryland. With the goal of showcasing the superb horn section of that band, Jenkins composed his American Overture for Band in 1953. Although he wrote the work for the Army Field Band, the overture quickly gained attention from the band community at large and has since become one of the most often performed works in the concert band repertoire.

American Overture for Band calls for skilled playing by several sections, especially the French horns. It is written in a neo-modal style being flavored strongly with both Lydian and Mixolydian mode. Its musical architecture is a very free adaptation of the sonata form. The music material borders on the folk tune idiom, although there are no direct quotes from any folk tunes. It was the composer’s first band piece and remains his most successful work.

Echoes (2022) ………………............................................................…….. Luis Hermano Bezerra

Echoes is inspired by the phenomenon of reverberation and reflects the persistence of an initial sound after its first attack. The opening signal of this natural event becomes quieter as the waves are absorbed by the surfaces around the sound source. The music mirrors this process. A shattering mass of sound is followed by both long and repeated notes transported from one family of instruments to the other. Just as in nature, the reflection navigates through the band's medium. The music abounds in wave-like patterns of rise and fall—crescendo and decrescendo as well as tension and relaxation. Furthermore, the shape of the piece translates this event as it assumes a softer character towards its conclusion. The cycle of sound comes to an end.

Wind Ensemble

Spring 2022

Dr. Brian A. Silvey, conductor

Chiyedza Mbira Ensemble

Megan Arns, director

Program Notes:

• Chigwaya (traditional Shona - as taught by Patience Munjeri)
• Nhemamusasa (traditional Shona - as taught by Musekiwa Chingodza)