Department of Music | News

Department of Music Welcomes Acclaimed New Faculty this Fall

2022-08-22T09:23:00-04:00

The Department of Music is pleased to welcome two new faculty members beginning in the Fall 2022 semester.

Dror Baitel is the new Assistant Professor of the Practice of Collaborative Piano, as well as Music Director of Opera and Musical Theatre. Baitel comes from The University of Memphis where he served as visiting Assistant Professor and Music Director of Opera. Baitel earned his MM and DMA from The Juilliard School. He has established himself as a leading talent through his virtuosity and versatility across diverse musical genres. His scholarly interests include the history of the American Musical Theater, the Golden Age of Musicals, Stephen Sondheim, and romantic operas.

Patrick Yim is the new Assistant Professor of Violin. Yim comes from Hong Kong Baptist University where he has served as Assistant Professor of Music since 2017. Yim earned his DMA from Stony Brook University and MM from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Praised for his superb performances, Yim has performed on stages around the world, including Carnegie Hall and David Geffen Hall (New York), Seoul Arts Center, Harpa Concert Hall (Reykjavík), Hong Kong City Hall, Severance Hall (Cleveland), Orchestra Hall (Chicago), Teatro alla Scala (Milan), and the Musikverein (Vienna). Honolulu-born Yim has extensive work with contemporary music, and has commissioned 29 works and performed the works around the world at museums and galleries.

Welcome to Notre Dame, Professor Baitel and Professor Yim!

First-Year Journey: James Bennett '25, Computer Science and Music Major

2022-05-15T13:06:00-04:00

James Bennett '25 has been playing the piano for about 12 years. He started playing around the age of six. His older sister had taken piano lessons and Bennett's mom asked him if he'd like to take them too. He said yes and soon he was learning at a quicker pace than the other piano students. It became clear that Bennett had an aptitude for the piano. He continued playing, both learning new pieces and learning to create his own music. In high school, he was part of the orchestra.

Now, Bennett is a first-year music major at Notre Dame who is considering a second major in computer science through the College of Arts and Letters. He says that Notre Dame was among his top schools during his college search and the tight-knit community within the Department of Music, along with an initial practice lesson with Professor John Blacklow, helped convince him to enroll here.

"There are some real plusses to being at a smaller music program just because it feels more personal," says Bennett. "With a smaller number of people, you really grow to know all of the music majors, whereas at a larger program with tons of people you don't get that interaction. So I really liked that interpersonal aspect of [the program]."

James Bennett '25 (second from left) with friends outside of Notre Dame Stadium

As part of his music major, Bennett has so far taken a music theory course, a musicianship course, and his regular one-on-one piano lessons with Professor Blacklow.

"I actually love doing these [individual lessons]. I get a lot of good feedback and [Professor Blacklow] tells me what I should be practicing for the week," says Bennett. He likes having preset goals for the week so he knows what to focus on as he practices.

When he's not in class or playing the piano, Bennett enjoys hanging out with his friends in Stanford Hall, his home on campus. He says the camaraderie between hallmates began during Welcome Week, when first-year students are welcomed to campus with programming both inside and outside of their halls. One of his favorite campus memories so far took place that week when Stanford and Keenan Hall battled through a game of tug-of-war.

Bennett has also joined the Polish Club as he is part Polish and grew up speaking Polish. He has an interest in the Chess Club, too, which is becoming more active this semester, mostly thanks to a friend of Bennett's who is kick-starting club activities.

So far, Bennett is loving his first year on campus, including his classes, his extracurricular activities, and, of course, the opportunity to study music. To learn more about his experience, and to hear him play the piano, check out the video above.

Learn More

Explore the music major at Notre Dame.
Learn about computer science through the College of Arts and Letters.
Check out the previous First-Year Journey: Misa Muranaka '25 Finds Community, Explores Psychology and Biology

Originally published by Shannon Rooney at admissions.nd.edu on May 02, 2022.

Piano Success at Competition!

2022-04-14T16:00:00-04:00

On April 9, two Department of Music performance majors, Andrew Ganahl '22 and James Bennett '25, competed with undergraduate pianists statewide in the finals of the Charles Joray Piano Competition, and were awarded 1st and 2nd place respectively. The prize includes a substantial cash award. Usually held at Butler University, this year the competition took place at the Phillippe Performing Arts Center at Indiana Wesleyan University.

Andrew performed Beethoven's Sonata Op. 10 no 2 and Chopin's Barcarolle Op. 60, and James played Beethoven's Sonata Op. 111 in C minor and Chopin's Nocturne Op. 15 No. 2.

Congratulations to both Andrew and James!

Opportunities Abound for Performance Majors

2022-04-01T12:00:00-04:00

Music students in the performance track have incredible opportunities at Notre Dame, and the 2021-2022 school year is a good case in point.

In addition to studying with our accomplished faculty members, students have interacted with an enviable list of guests. Last November, pianists Gilbert Kalish and Christina Dahl, two of the most revered pedagogues around, coached students Andrew Ganahl and James Bennett in works by Rachmaninov and Beethoven. In February, star violinist Jennifer Koh offered insights to violinists Abbey Fontana and Hope Yuan in works of Bach and Brahms, and most recently, Grammy-nominated soprano Laura Strickling coached several voice majors in addition to presenting a recital in LaBar Recital Hall.

The Department has a long tradition of providing undergraduate students an unusual amount of access to guest artists. “Our program is really special in the amount of attention our undergraduate majors receive,” says Prof Daniel Schlosberg, Director of Undergraduate Studies. “I should also note that, due to the intimate nature of the department, our majors are able to take their core music history and music theory classes from our most distinguished academic faculty members.”

A more recent initiative is the Boehnen Scholarship for Summer Study, in which the Department provides funding for summer study, thanks to the generosity of David and Shari Boehnen. Last year, the program supported study for pianist Parker Olson at the Atlantic Music Festival, clarinetist Emily Kane at the ARIA Academy, and violinist Abbey Fontana at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival.

These summer experiences enrich an already robust program on campus. Whether remaining in our state-of-the art building, O’Neill Hall, or traveling to far-flung locales, musical opportunities abound for our students.

In memoriam: Carmen-Helena Téllez, 66, professor of conducting

2021-12-14T16:10:00-05:00

Carmen-Helena Téllez, a professor of conducting in the Department of Music, died Friday (Dec. 10) after a battle with cancer. She was 66.

A member of the Notre Dame faculty since 2012, she served for several years as head of the Graduate Conducting Studio in the Sacred Music at Notre Dame program and was the first to lead its doctoral program in choral conducting. At Notre Dame, she conducted and designed a series of musical works with new modes of interdisciplinary presentation.

“Professor Tellez spent her final days doing what she loved — teaching, composing, and performing,” said Mark Doerries, head of SMND’s Graduate Conducting Studio and associate professor of the practice in conducting. “Her uncompromising artistic vision and her own gifts as a visual artist took her beyond the bounds of choral music into performance art and dramatic theater. She touched the lives and careers of students for more than 30 years. Her indomitable spirit will be missed.”

A Venezuelan-American conductor and scholar who had been called “a quiet force behind contemporary music in the United States today,” Téllez took a co-creative approach to new music performance, devoting special attention to vocal-instrumental and staged genres.

She earned a doctor of music degree in 1989 from Indiana University, and was the winner of the American Choral Directors Association’s Julius Herford Dissertation Prize. She pioneered new modes of classical music presentation through the exploration of the relationship of music with other arts and technology.

Téllez delved into the work of underrepresented composers, especially women and Latin American artists, with her performances of contemporary music for chorus, orchestra, and opera. She advocated for the reconsideration of the concept of art music, and she proposed the co-creative role of the listener in the value of music as art.

A frequent composer, her most recent work, “A Dance for Seurat,” will be premiered by the South Bend Symphony Orchestra on Jan. 9 at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at Notre Dame.

Téllez conducted in the United States, Europe, Israel, and Latin America. After her tenure as music director of the National Chorus of Spain, she joined the music faculty at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 1992, as director of the Latin American Music Center and the Contemporary Vocal Ensemble.

She commissioned and recorded several new works, produced 14 CDs of Latin American music, and organized several Inter-American Composition Workshops. During the 2001–2002 period, she was the resident conductor of the pioneering Contemporary Chamber Players of Chicago and became the music director of the Pocket Opera Players in New York City. Téllez is the first woman on record to conduct Berlioz's Grande Messe des Morts (Indiana University, 2000).

She is preceded in death by her mother, Auristela Valle; and is survived by her father, Dr. Ramón Téllez; her sisters, brother, several nieces and nephews, and countless friends.

Palmer Funeral Home – Hickey Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements, and condolences may be sent online.

A memorial concert will be held at Our Lady of Loretto Church at Saint Mary’s College on March 4.

Originally published by SMND at sacredmusic.nd.edu on December 14, 2021.

Lights, camera … opera: Film premiering at DPAC showcases talent — and pandemic perseverance — of Opera Notre Dame students and faculty

2021-10-25T13:00:00-04:00

Emorja Roberson, a Sacred Music at Notre Dame doctoral student in choral conducting and master of sacred music alumnus, prepares to film a scene as part of Please Give: A Cinematic Opera Experience.

Amidst all the anxiety and upheaval created by the coronavirus pandemic, Opera Notre Dame faced a difficult and unique dilemma.

How do you give a voice to voice students when their foremost skill — singing opera — poses a potential health risk to others?

“To the extent it was possible, we needed to do everything we could do to give our students the opportunity to perform,” said Kiera Duffy, head of undergraduate voice studies in the Department of Music.

As uncertainty reigned in the fall of 2020, Duffy started to plan with a clear goal in mind — an opera production that is artistically meaningful, an experience that is educationally rich, and rehearsals and performances that are safe as possible.

That goal was achieved because creative minds did what they do best — they got creative.

They made a movie.

Presented by Opera Notre Dame, Please Look: A Cinematic Opera Experience premieres at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center’s Browning Cinema at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3. The screenings are free but ticketed, and a panel discussion will be held after the Oct. 29 show.

The 75-minute film features about 20 students, most of whom are from the Department of Music and Sacred Music at Notre Dame program, performing excerpts from the work of minimalist composers such as John Adams (Nixon in China), Julius Eastman (The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc), Philip Glass (Akhnaten), David Lang (The Little Match Girl Passion), and Meredith Monk (Atlas).

“To see them come into film shoots in a warehouse and act like they were seasoned veterans of the medium, it was deeply moving and incredibly inspiring.”

‘There were a number of times I cried watching them’

To complete the project, tradition took a back seat to reality. Comfort zones expanded.

Opera singers typically perform with an orchestra for an audience in a theater with acoustics that carry their voice. In this production, the vocals and music were pre-recorded, and the singers lip-synced their performances to the camera.

Music major Erica Forbes on set performing John Adams’ Magnificat.

That’s a skill that even Duffy — who has traveled the world for more than a decade as a soprano working with major opera productions — doesn’t have a lot of experience doing.

“To see them come into film shoots in a warehouse and act like they were seasoned veterans of the medium, it was deeply moving and incredibly inspiring. There were a number of times I cried watching them,” she said. “Most people going to music school are not learning how to lip-sync to recordings of themselves while acting for the camera. I was just so impressed with the students’ openness and willingness to dive into this project, especially with all of the uncertainty surrounding it.”

Fortunately, no COVID-19 cases emerged during the three months of rehearsals and four days of filming. The foundation for that success came from the guidance of Mark McCready, a professor and the senior associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Engineering, who served as the project’s COVID-19 safety consultant.

McCready ran tests with fog machines to simulate human aerosol emission and tracked both the fog’s path and the time it took to dissipate. With that information, students had an educated sense of where they could sing and where others could play wind and brass instruments — and for how long. As long as they followed McCready’s advice, they could rest easier knowing that their risk of contracting COVID, while not nothing, was greatly mitigated.

The rehearsals also served as a meditative space for the students as they watched a world spin through the pandemic, an American presidential election, and deep discussions of racial inequality. The film doesn’t offer explicit commentary on any of it, but the work helped the students process all of it.

“This is not meant to be a political or didactic work. It is conceptual in nature, and the beauty of art in abstraction is that the experience that the viewer — and the performer — takes away is very personal,” Duffy said. “My hope was that this film might provide a space to reflect on the many and profound challenges we all have faced in the last two years.”

‘It was so enriching’

As for the shift from live to recorded performances, Duffy acknowledged that nothing can replace the experience of hearing a powerful operatic voice in an acoustic setting.

The Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra — spread throughout Leighton Concert Hall to follow COVID-19 safety protocols, including with brass instruments in the audience winds in the upper level — rehearses music for the film.

“We in the classical music world, however, would be foolish not to acknowledge the role that screens play in modern life,” she said. “So I think there is a place for integrating film and TV into our corner of the arts world, while not abandoning the live performances that distinguish our form.”

The students also welcomed the experience, which fostered personal and artistic growth as they ventured into pre-recording and filming.

“It was so enriching. I felt like I had a little eye into modern artists of today who record their songs and shoot music videos,” said Megan Meyer, a senior in the Program of Liberal Studies who is also majoring in music with a concentration in vocal performance.

“It’s having an appreciation for that kind of art form and the kind of emotional investment that goes into those performances — even though it can be repeated” through multiple film takes, said Meyer, who performs in the film as a soloist and in ensemble and backup vocal roles.

Duffy stands in front of the bonfire, lit and supervised by the Notre Dame Fire Department, that was used in a scene of Please Look.

Students had the opportunity to prepare their music with several distinguished classical music industry professionals — including Monk, a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant”-winning composer/choreographer, composers Lang and Michael Gordon, and performers Katie Geissinger, Anthony Roth Costanzo, and Davóne Tines. Cori Ellison, a faculty member at The Juilliard School and staff dramaturg at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and renowned opera and film director James Darrah served as consultants on the film.

Raj Das is a second-year master of sacred music student with a concentration in voice. He plays two characters in the film and appreciated the opportunity to participate in virtual master classes with Lang and Monk. The coaching sessions with Monk made for an experience he called “beyond privileged.”

“Hearing her own vision, her own takes — how she saw a vision of her performances — was really remarkable,” Das said.

Even though the performance lacked a live audience, Das said the filming didn’t feel like he was singing in a vacuum.

“When you’re on stage, whatever happens in the moment is what the audience gets. There are no do-overs, no retake. But I think we don’t feel the ‘eyes’ as acutely as when there’s a guy with a body camera 5 feet behind you and he’s focused on you,” Das said. “It’s a different feeling even though you do get the opportunity to redo, you do get the opportunity to refine.”

‘A legacy that very much continues’

Directed by Evan Monroe Chapman and Kevin Eikenberg of the Philadelphia-based production company Four/Ten Media, the film also benefited from collaborations with other Notre Dame departments, the community, and a little luck.

Howard Eckdahl, a Sacred Music at Notre Dame doctoral student in conducting, gets set to sing during filming of Please Look.

DPAC provided rehearsal space at Leighton Concert Hall. Costumes came from the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre. The warehouse that was needed for certain scenes was provided for free by Holladay Properties. When the set’s outdoor light batteries failed, Duffy sent a text message that sparked the donation of a generator 20 minutes later. When the crew needed a controlled bonfire for a scene, the Notre Dame Fire Department lit an inferno that amazed the crew. A connection through the Studebaker National Museum loaned a 1967 Studebaker Avanti for a scene. A posting on a neighborhood forum yielded a 1950s-era television for another scene.

With everything ready for the film’s release, the attention now turns to the audience and the hope that viewers will gain a more expansive understanding of opera.

“A lot of people have this idea that opera is people in 18th-century petticoats singing in a foreign language, about stories that feel very disconnected to contemporary American life,” Duffy said. “But with this project, we wanted to challenge that narrative. We wanted people to know that there has been really compelling ‘classical’ vocal music being written by a diverse roster of American composers over the last few decades, a legacy that very much continues into the present day.

“If people walk away with a better understanding of that, I’ll consider Please Look a resounding success.”

“A lot of people have this idea that opera is people in 18th-century petticoats singing in a foreign language, about stories that feel very disconnected to contemporary American life. But with this project, we wanted to challenge that narrative.”

Originally published by Josh Weinhold at al.nd.edu on October 25, 2021.

Alumni Thrive in Music Theory

2021-08-19T10:25:00-04:00

Two recent alumni are thriving in the elite graduate theory program at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Their success points to the unusual access Notre Dame’s undergraduates have to the department’s own prestigious theory and composition faculty, consisting of Professors Peter Smith, Johanna Frymoyer and John Liberatore.

“Our theory faculty is a treasure, and our intimate undergraduate program sees leaders of the field teaching students everything from the introductory courses to highly specialized electives,” says Daniel Schlosberg, the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Anthony Napolitano '19, winner of ND’s Department of Music Senior Award in 2019 will be entering the M.A. program in theory at IU/Jacobs in fall 2021, with tuition remission, fellowship award, and teaching assistantship.

Anthony writes: "My musical education at Notre Dame was incredibly strong, encompassing all aspects of the field. Even though my primary focus was on performance, Notre Dame's additional emphasis on theory, history, and aural skills was invaluable for me to become such a well-rounded musician. This is no doubt why I was able to get into such a good graduate school. On top of that, the faculty is so talented and supportive.”

Kelvin Wu '19 entered IU/Jacobs as an M.M. student in piano performance in fall 2019 in piano performance but has since added a second, independent masters program—M.A. in theory—to his studies there. He will complete the two masters in spring 2022. He also has a tuition remission, fellowship award, and teaching assistantship.

Kelvin writes:

"My continued pursuit of graduate studies owe much to not only the well-rounded intellectual spectrum of Notre Dame's liberal arts education but also more specifically to the dedicated tutelage under the music faculty: among them, Prof. Peter Smith offered me a rigorous training in harmony and voice-leading, formal analysis as well as plenty of support for my interest in Brahms.

Peter Smith, who taught both students in a variety of theory course offerings, adds:

"It is a great testament to Anthony's and Kelvin's preparation for graduate studies that the Jacobs School has awarded them both positions as teaching assistants. Anthony and Kelvin built their musical foundation by taking full advantage of the holistic approach to the study of music that the Department's major prioritizes. They excelled in their music theory and music history courses, to be sure, but they also integrated those studies with a deep immersion in musical performance. Their concentration, in fact, was in performance—flute for Anthony and piano for Kelvin—and Anthony even completed the honors track in performance, serving with distinction for four years as principal flutist of the Notre Dame Symphony. Aspects of music theory draw extensively on mathematical concepts, and Anthony will be further served in graduate school by his second major in math, where he also excelled to the point of achieving honors.”

Congratulations to Kelvin and Anthony, as well as to our wonderful theory faculty!

The Musical Mansours: Siblings blazed own creative paths at Notre Dame

2021-07-12T14:00:00-04:00

Ronnie Mansour was 2 and a half years old when she followed her older brother Alex to a piano lesson. After he finished playing a Mozart piece, she jumped on the bench and started to play the song by ear.

The piano teacher told the precocious child she wasn’t playing Mozart correctly.

“I said I don’t want to play the Mozart way, I want to play the Ronnie way,” she recalled. “The piano teacher looked at my mom and said, ‘You’re gonna have a big problem on your hands’ — because I was acting like a little bit of a diva.”

Ronnie and Alex Mansour chose Notre Dame over a traditional music conservatory because the University’s music program allowed them the flexibility to do it, as Sinatra would say, their way. They were able to study a wide liberal arts curriculum and go abroad. Both majored in cello performance, but they also found the freedom to create musical paths that included writing original compositions performed by their classmates.

To read the full story, click here.

Originally published by Brendan O'Shaughnessy at news.nd.edu on July 12, 2021.

Seniors Heading to Grad School in Music

2021-06-09T19:00:00-04:00

Congratulations and best wishes to the Class of 2021 music majors!

In addition to students who will attend medical school, enter the finance sector, teach in the ACE program, and many others, the following seniors have elected to continue their music education in graduate school, many with substantial scholarships:

-Lan Anh Dinh will be be pursuing a Masters degree in Music Education at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

-Veronica Mansour will be pursuing a Masters degree in the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing program at the Tisch School of Fine Arts at New York University.

-Andrew Peterson will be pursuing a Masters degree in Music Education at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music.

-Kate Ragan will be pursuing a Masters degree in Composition at the Eastman School of Music.

-Michelle Tapp will be pursuing a Masters degree in Piano Performance at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts.

Notre Dame piano performance alumna Megan Walsh named Director of Frost Preparatory Programs at the University of Miami

2021-04-19T11:00:00-04:00

For Megan Walsh, being named the Director of the Frost Preparatory Program was something she had prepared for since her time as an undergraduate in the Department of Music. After she received a B.A. in Piano Performance in 2000 and an M.A. in Piano Performance and Literature in 2003 at the University of Notre Dame, she began her doctoral studies at the University of Miami and founded the Frost Preparatory Program. Now she is the Director of that Program. The Frost Preparatory Program is a pre-college music program that is intended to develop a child’s interests and abilities in music. It offers courses for children ages 0-18 ranging from music appreciation to preparation for music conservatories. Starting with 35 students in 2003, the Program has grown to approximately 500 students today. It employs 54 teachers, including University of Miami graduate and undergraduate students, recent graduates, Frost School of Music Faculty, and other renowned music teachers in the South Florida area.

Walsh said her time in the Department of Music prepared her for the role as Director. "Notre Dame provided many opportunities for me to perform while I was a student, beginning as a freshman giving a full-length recital, which is rare for a freshman at other universities. This played an important part in my musical development and led to performances in various countries such as Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Italy upon graduation. I have pulled on these performance experiences to provide a robust performance component to the Frost Prep Program. Our students participate in many competitions, concerts, and events each year. All of my performances have also helped me to gain the necessary confidence that I need as the director, to give frequent speeches in public, attend executive meetings at the university, and interact with high-profile clients."

Perhaps the most impactful part of her Notre Dame career was teaching at the Robinson Center. "I was fortunate to start a piano program at the Robinson Learning Center concurrent with earning my Master’s degree. There I gained valuable real-world teaching experience that helped me develop a pre-college comprehensive music program at the University of Miami. My time at the Robinson Center helped me apply my knowledge in music pedagogy and learn skills such as client relationships, business development, recital and event planning, community engagement, and much more, " she said.

The Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC) was started in 2001 as an off-campus educational initiative of the University of Notre Dame, in partnership with Northeast Neighborhood residents of South Bend.

Walsh has many fond memories of her time as a piano student at Notre Dame, but she recalled the one she is most fond of. “During my junior year, I visited Holy Cross House once a week to perform for the retired priests. I was looking for an opportunity to practice in front of an audience as I was preparing for my junior recital. I met Fr. Lauck on one of my first visits. He would come sit next to me and listen to me play each week, and we enjoyed talking about music and art. Fr. Lauck was suffering from dementia. When I would arrive and greet him at his lunch table, he would not know who I was. I would say ‘I’m here to play the piano today for you’ and he would tell me ‘not today come back another day I am too tired.’ Then I would go to the piano and begin playing. Almost immediately I would hear the sound of his walker with the tennis balls on the bottom working their way over to the piano. He would sit down and say, ‘Megan, it is so good to see you, thank you for being here today.’ He would remember our conversation from the week before and the pieces I played. The music brought him back for that moment in time.”

"Our weekly visits went on for the whole year, and fortunately he was in good enough health to be brought to campus to attend my junior recital. His presence at the recital calmed me and I am grateful he was there, and our time together will always be a cherished memory that I will carry with me throughout my life. His health declined shortly after my recital and he lost his vision. He no longer was able to come downstairs at the Holy Cross House to hear me play, so I made recordings of all the pieces I would play for him and brought over a tape player and placed it in his room. Music calmed him and knowing I could help him when he needed it the most made me realize how powerful music can be, and this helped to solidify my belief in my career choice. When he passed, I kept a picture of the stained-glass window he made at the Moreau Seminary on the piano during my concerts for good luck and confidence, and most importantly to feel as though he was there sitting next to me listening as I played."

Over the years, many ND piano majors have gained teaching experience through the Robinson program, which has in turn enhanced their applications for MM/DMA programs and teaching assistantships, as they embark on their own teaching and performing careers. During the pandemic, this program was adapted to serve the local community via Zoom.

For senior Veronica Mansour, creating and staging an original musical is the perfect blend of her English and music majors

2021-04-15T13:00:00-04:00

English and music major Veronica Mansour spent last semester workshopping her original musical, An Old Family Recipe, which will be filmed over the course of a few weeks and released to the public in a live-streamed opening night this spring.

When Veronica Mansour landed her first role in musical theater as Marcie in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown at age 8, she never imagined she would one day write a musical of her own.

Veronica Mansour

She still has trouble believing it now.

“I just have to pinch myself sometimes to say this is real life and this show is going to happen in one way or another, even if COVID is putting speed bumps in our path,” Mansour said.

Mansour, a senior English and music major with a minor in musical theatre, spent last semester workshopping her original musical, An Old Family Recipe, which will be filmed over the course of a few weeks and released to the public in a live-streamed opening night this spring.

The process of writing the music, lyrics, and book for the show has been quite the challenge — one that draws from all of her academic pursuits.

“I feel like English has really helped me to articulate myself as a writer in a more concise way,” she said, “but also to push myself creatively with some of the creative writing classes I’ve taken.”

“An Arts and Letters education allows students like me, who maybe aren’t exactly sure what they want to do in the future, to pursue everything that they want to — and I didn’t come across any other school that was really supportive of that. I can do whatever I want and be whoever I want at Notre Dame.”

‘A new family’

Mansour’s passion for music began at age 2 when she started playing piano — and continued at age 4, when she picked up cello.

Mansour started playing piano at age 2 and picked up cello at age 4.

By high school, Mansour was considering attending a conservatory to focus on cello, but decided she wanted a college experience that would allow her to pursue her wide range of musical talents, including singing, songwriting, and arranging music.

She found just that when visiting Notre Dame.

“An Arts and Letters education allows students like me, who maybe aren’t exactly sure what they want to do in the future, to pursue everything that they want to — and I didn’t come across any other school that was really supportive of that,” Mansour said. “I can do whatever I want and be whoever I want at Notre Dame. Arts and Letters doesn’t want students to limit themselves, but instead challenge themselves by studying anything that sparks their interest.”

Mansour has embraced this philosophy fully, while still excelling at cello performance, her concentration for her music major. She is the principal cellist of the Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra, with which she soloed during the spring of her sophomore year.

“Even though cello is not necessarily the thing I want to pursue professionally, it’s just been a constant for me throughout my life,” Mansour said. “It helped me so much within my classical training, which helped me in writing songs and in the musical theater realm — they just kind of blended together.”

And it is in this musical theater realm that Mansour has found her home at Notre Dame. She was the musical director for PEMCo’s production Guys and Dolls her sophomore year, and has performed in Department of Film, Television, and Theatre productions of Spring Awakening and a student production of Heathers. She also composed and arranged music for FTT’s adaptation of The Imaginary Invalid.

“Being in a cast allows you to bond with people on a really intimate level and share your gifts with people while they’re sharing their gifts with you,” she said. “It becomes this really positive community. When a show is over, you just leave with a new family.”

‘Growth as a writer’

Mansour’s greatest FTT undertaking by far has been An Old Family Recipe, which tells the story of Toni, a young woman struggling with depression and anxiety as she navigates relationships and tries to create a life for herself.

Mansour performing with her brother, Alex, an FTT and music major who graduated from Notre Dame in 2019.

The process began in a summer songwriting program at New York University and a fiction-writing program at Skidmore College during the summer after her first year. Those experiences challenged her as a writer and an artist, Mansour said, and encouraged her to consider how to blend her two core interests.

After hearing some of Mansour’s songs from that summer, Notre Dame musical theatre director Matt Hawkins encouraged her to develop a larger project, and her thoughts immediately went to creating a musical.

Mansour began talking with classmate and friend Gabe Krut, and a story started to develop, influenced by their plans to study abroad in Rome the coming year.

But once Mansour began writing, she became overwhelmed by the scale of the task in front of her. So she wrote the plot as a short story first, then adapted it into a play, then added songs.

When she arrived in Rome, she immersed herself in Italian culture — a centerpiece of An Old Family Recipe.

“It’s all about Italian food, so I was eating a lot and calling that research,” Mansour said with a laugh.

The coronavirus pandemic cut short her abroad experience, but she used her extra time at home to continue working on the musical and preparing it for the lab class that workshopped the show twice a week with Hawkins last fall.

“It’s been really humbling to hear all the criticism and all the praise as well,” Mansour said. “Implementing the thoughts of all the people in my class and recognizing that people often do know better than me has been such an experience of growth as a writer.”

‘Music brings people together’

The class has also been working with Jennifer Hames, an assistant clinical professor of psychology, to ensure that the musical appropriately represents mental health in a way that’s beneficial to the audience.

Mansour on stage at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center with rock star Todd Rundgren, a Notre Dame artist-in-residence in 2018.

Mental health has been something Mansour has struggled with for years, and she’s found talking about it with others to be a challenge.

“Using the arts to help me broach conversations about mental illness has been a really special opportunity,” she said. “Really that’s what I want to do in life — use music and theater and the arts to have these important conversations that are generally stigmatized.”

After graduation, Mansour hopes to remain in the field of music and is applying to various graduate programs in musical theater writing and commercial music.

“Music brings people together — it has united me with my family and my closest friends, and it has made me feel the most comfortable in my own skin,” she said. “I think people feel the happiest when they’re doing the thing they love the most with the people they love the most, and music provides me with the opportunity to do just that.”

Originally published by Sophia Lauber at al.nd.edu on March 16, 2021.

Winners of the Notre Dame Symphony Concerto Competition Announced

2021-04-05T13:00:00-04:00

Andrew Peterson, clarinet ('21) and Abbey Fontana, violin ('23) were co-winners of the Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra concerto competition. They will perform with the orchestra in the spring. Congratulations, Andrew and Abbey!…

Sophia Koo, piano ('21) Wins First Prize in the Charles Jouray Piano Competition

2021-04-05T12:00:00-04:00

Sophia Koo, piano ('21) was the first prize winner of the Charles Jouray Piano Competition at Taylor University. She performed works by Stravinsky and Schumann. Congratulations, Sophia!…

Stephen Lancaster and Kevin Vaughn's Recording of "Easter" Featured

2021-03-31T10:00:00-04:00

Department of Music faculty baritone Stephen Lancaster and ND alumnus Kevin Vaughn's recording of "Easter" from Vaughan Williams' "Five Mystical Songs" - from their 2018 Albany Records album "Sacred Song," the first album to feature the Murdy Family Organ by Paul Fritts (Opus 37) at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, University of Notre Dame - was recently featured on the March 29, 2021 program of nationally syndicated radio program Pipedreams (American Public Media). https://www.pipedreams.org/episode/2021/03/29/easter-music…

Professor Owolabi on Organ at Notre Dame

2021-02-16T13:00:00-05:00

Kola Owolabi is Professor of Organ at the University of Notre Dame. There he teaches the graduate organ performance majors in the sacred music program, as well as courses in hymn playing and improvisation.…

Notre Dame London Global Gateway, campus partners, launch new program exploring London through song

2020-12-18T14:15:00-05:00

The Notre Dame London Global Gateway, along with six partners from across the University of Notre Dame campus, has launched the next in the London Book Club series, an interactive, educational enrichment program featuring Notre Dame’s expert faculty.

The program, entitled “London in Song,” is led by Ian Newman, Assistant Professor of English and Fellow of the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies and the Nanovic Institute for European Studies.

“As one of the central nodes of the global entertainment industry, London has a long and complex relationship to song, and much can be learned about the cultural life of the city through its song cultures,” said Newman. “‘London In Song’ explores the history of London by examining the popular music that it inspired.”

“London in song” includes songs, explainer videos from Newman, short essays, a LinkedIn discussion group and weekly interactive Zoom sessions, starting in January. The program is free and open to all, and it is hosted exclusively on ThinkND, Notre Dame’s open, online learning community brought to you by the Alumni Association.

In addition to offering the opportunity to learn from and interact with Notre Dame’s expert faculty, the program allows participants to engage more deeply with United Kingdom culture through the London Global Gateway and offers unique insight into the University’s presence abroad.

“Music is a universal language, beyond time and space. It invites us into a deeper understanding of persons and places, also in times of virtual encounters. The opportunity to discover more about London through song with the guidance of Nanovic faculty fellow Ian Newman is an invitation to enter the global city of London through the door of art. This event will kindle further the anticipation of future explorations when travel resumes,” shared Clemens Sedmak, interim director of the Nanovic Institute and Professor of Social Ethics. “The program designed by Ian Newman exemplifies the Nanovic Institute’s aspirations to bring Notre Dame to Europe and Europe to Notre Dame in unusual and deep ways, through intentional engagement with culture and creativity, art and history. The Nanovic Institute enthusiastically supports this initiative.”

The first week of “London in Song” explores Jack Hall (aka Sam Hall), a traditional British folk song dating back to 1707, with the initial Zoom discussion on Tuesday, January 12 at 11:30am (EST). In the remaining weeks, participants will look at songs, “The London Waterman,” “Jerusalem” and “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.” While the Book Club is presented as a four-week experience, participants are invited to join for any session.

“It is with great delight that we welcome Ian Newman as the next presenter in the London Book Club. Ian brings further evidence of the diversity and expansiveness of the kind of research and scholarship that the Notre Dame faculty is doing in London and all over the world. On this occasion, Ian will give focus to the history of London through the songs that it inspired over time.” said Fr. Jim Lies C.S.C., interim senior director for academic initiatives and partnerships at the London Global Gateway. “The London Global Gateway is honored to host Ian for the LBC, and to welcome all who might wish to travel with us on this musical history tour!”

Partners for the London Book Club include the College of Arts & Letters, ND International, the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, the Nanovic Institute, the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies, ND Learning and the Notre Dame Alumni Association.

Originally published by Joanna Byrne at london.nd.edu on December 10, 2020.

A New Recording from Professor Stephen Lancaster

2020-12-16T14:00:00-05:00

Music Department faculty member Stephen Lancaster, baritone, and French fortepianist Laure Colladant collaborated on a newly released recording of Schumann’s Dichterliebe and Liederkreis, Op. 39 on the Blue Griffin label. Recorded in the salon of the seventeenth century Château du Tertre in Sérigny, France, this intimate recording of Schumann's beloved song cycles features a rare, early nineteenth century Filippo Molitor fortepiano.…

Let's Hear It for Music History!

2020-11-10T14:00:00-05:00

The Norton Guide to Teaching Music History, ed. C. Matthew Balensuela (New York, 2019) was awarded the 2020 Teaching Award from the American Musicological Society for innovative work in teaching music history and music appreciation at the Society’s Business Meeting on November 8, 2020. In announcing the award, AMS President Suzanne Cusick described the collection as “an exceptional pedagogical resource” that was “highly successful in its aim to be useful to both experienced and novice teachers of music history.” Professor Margot Fassler is one of the twenty contributors to this volume with the essay "Medieval Religious Women and Their Music Books: Online Resources for Teaching and Learning," pp. 16-28.

Originally published by SMND at sacredmusic.nd.edu on November 09, 2020.

Students Perform Lyric Theatre Scenes

2020-10-25T13:00:00-04:00

In October '20, Notre Dame voice students took to the Irish Green for an open-air concert of Lyric Theatre Scenes, featuring music from Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, Norma, Dear Evan Hansen, Wicked, Company, Follies, and many more.

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Visiting Associate Professor, Dylana Jenson To Give Virtual Violin Masterclass

2020-10-07T16:00:00-04:00

Department of Music Visiting Associate Professor, Dylana Jenson will be having a virtual masterclass on October 16 and November 13. In a recent interview with violinist.com Jenson discussed her approach to the violin; helping people heal from playing-related injury, and injury prevention. She also shares her experience with teaching lessons during COVID-19. You can see the interview in its entirety here.…