Chancellor’s Arts Showcase Spotlights Student Success in the Arts

Incredible performances, stunning visuals, and exquisite displays of talent. The Chancellor’s Arts Showcase, a signature event hosted by the College of Arts and Science, continues to spotlight the immense artistic talent at the University of Missouri, more than forty years after it first took the stage. And, while the diversity in talent has evolved throughout the years, the vision to showcase the best in the arts at Mizzou remains the same.

The origin of the Chancellor’s Arts Showcase coincides with a leadership change within what was then called the Music Department in the 1970s. In August 1976, Donald McGlothlin became chair after serving in the same capacity at the University of Florida (UF). Soon after his arrival, McGlothlin convened his colleagues to discuss the status of the department.

Although the new leader stepped into leading a music program with immense potential, McGlothlin also found a few immediate needs including hiring tenure-track faculty specialists in essential instrument areas and creating an opera program. He also identified a need for more music scholarships and graduate assistantships, funding for instruments, music, and equipment, and additional vocal and instrumental ensemble teaching and rehearsal facilities.

With those goals in mind, McGlothlin began orchestrating a plan to bring additional funding and resources to the program. He recalled that during his tenure at UF, he developed a music festival to celebrate the dedication of a new music building. The results had been overwhelmingly positive. McGlothlin decided he would use that same idea to create a similar event that would both serve as a fundraising tool and celebrate music at Mizzou.

As colleagues assembled the new Choral Union, a group of university and community choral ensembles that would be featured at his first event, McGlothlin met with then Chancellor Herbert Schooling to garner support and funding. After a lengthy discussion, McGlothlin left the meeting with the chancellor’s endorsement and enough start-up funding to support the event for the next two years.

The first event, the Chancellor’s Festival of Music, was, in reality, a series of events that took place through February and March 1977. The festival featured a variety of performances, including a beautiful rendition of Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” in Jesse Auditorium attended by nearly 2,000, standing room only. With campus and community support, as well as an invigorated spirit within the department, plans were soon underway to turn the event into an annual tradition.

The tradition continued but not without some changes and even a ten-year gap. When McGlothlin left his position in 1990, the festival was put on hold. The event returned but with a new name - the Chancellor’s Emerging Artists Festival, and changed to a one-evening performance in 2000. The festival’s name changed yet again in 2004. The Chancellor’s Concert featured three to four of the top School of Music ensembles. This year, 2022, marks the event’s 22nd consecutive year.

Throughout the years, themes for the music festival evolved. Major works including Verdi’s Requiem and Haydn’s Creation were focal points in the beginning of the festival before transitioning into performances based on themes such as “Music of Britain” and “Music for the Theatre.” The current “MizzouMade” focus emphasizes the event’s continued mission to showcase student talent.

“Our original intent has not waivered since McGlothlin started the festival in 1977,” said Julia Gaines, Director of the School of Music. “We remain committed to expanding the experience of our students and audiences through the performance of grand masterworks.”

These extraordinary performances have often featured visiting professionals who not only share their talents on stage, but also in the classroom, providing invaluable workshop opportunities for students. Celebrated talents in the past have included renowned opera singer Marilyn Horne and cellist Yo Yo Ma, as well as, more recently, MU alumni including mezzo soprano Alicia Olatuja and actor Bryson Bruce, currently appearing in the national touring company of “Hamilton: An American Musical.”

To further support the academic growth of students in the School of Music, the Sinquefield Composition Prize was created by Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield in 2004. The competition, a component of the Sinquefield sponsored Mizzou New Music Initiative, includes an award that is presented annually to a student studying composition. The recipient is given the opportunity to write an original work for one of Mizzou’s premiere large ensembles and have their music performed and recorded. This is a huge undertaking and a unique experience for Mizzou students.

When Gaines took over as the Director of the School of Music in 2014, she became the driving force behind the music festival. Having already served 18 years as a music faculty member, she was already very familiar with the event and had a pretty good idea of the direction she wanted it to go.

“One of the goals I wanted to pursue was to be more collaborative with the other Arts areas on campus,” said Gaines. “Prior to 2014, the arts departments rarely coordinated events or participated in interdisciplinary work together. Fortunately, the two chairs in Theatre and Art were also relatively new and open to the idea.”

Today, the Chancellor’s Festival of Music is known as the Chancellor’s Arts Showcase and features a more encompassing scope of the visual arts, featuring work from not only the School of Music, but also the Theatre Department and School of Visual Studies, Textile and Apparel Management, Architectural Studies, and Mizzou Botanic Garden with plans to include creative writing from the English department in the future.

“We are thrilled that the Chancellor’s Showcase has evolved over time to join all the Arts in this annual showcase of student work,” said Heather Carver, professor and chair of the Theatre Department. “The Arts are always happening on our campus—from the rehearsal halls to the studios to the technical booths, our Mizzou students are boldly stepping into their future artistic careers. The Chancellor’s Arts Showcase is but a taste of our accomplished students and alumni, but they represent the pure pride and joy we have of their being MIZZOUMADE."    

The Chancellor’s Arts Showcase is a free event this year. Everyone is invited to attend.