FIRST FRIDAY NEWS A Letter from the Director

Dear friends,

It is inspiring to see our students, faculty, and staff back on campus for another productive academic year. The fall semester has commenced with a strong sense of caution but also with much-needed optimism. I am pleased to inform you that we started our new season of concerts, art exhibits, and theater plays on campus and online. All BSM&A events are open to external audiences, and some concerts are also available online. The best way to stay informed about our offerings is to visit our website. Please keep checking https://www.fgcu.edu/cas/bsma/ for more information, and make sure to visit the Bower School this season.

I want to stress that our top priority is maintaining everyone's health and safety throughout the year. FGCU continues to expect all students, employees, visitors and vendors to wear face masks at all times while indoors and when attending large, outdoor gatherings, even if they are vaccinated. If you are not vaccinated yet, I hope you will consider doing so as soon as possible.

I would like to wish everyone a healthy and productive year. See you at the Bower School!

Go Eagles!

Dr. Krzysztof Biernacki Director, Bower School of Music & the Arts

Faculty News Kristin Mellian (Theatre) is serving as an Associate Producer on the feature film Carrie and Jess Save the Universe! which is currently filming in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This 80’s style sci-fi feature comedy, of which Kristin plays the main villain, includes Richard Karn (Home Improvement, Last Man Standing), Robert William Ford, Lydia Keen, and Samantha Berends. More information can be found on IMDb.

Kyle Szabo (Music) will be guest conducting at the Naples Community Orchestra. Naples Philharmonic principal horn, Ryan Little (adjunct Music), will also be working with the NCO as the star in a performance of the Richard Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 01. More information about the Naples Community Orchestra can be found here.

Faculty News (continued) Jessica Osceola (Art adjunct) recently opened an exhibition at the Marco Island Historical Museum entitled Creating Home: Artwork by Jessica Osceola. The exhibition features work inspired by her experience of growing up in her great grandmother’s Seminole village in Collier County. More information can be found here. The exhibition will run through October 9.

Kristin Mellian (as Space Queen) and Robert William Ford (as Marco) during filming of Carrie and Jess Save the Universe!

Student News Congratulations to Arturo Fernandez (junior, Music) on being the first first-prize winner of the vaccine drawing for students! The drawing is an incentive for students of FGCU to get vaccinated and slow the spread COVID-19.

Alumni News Kristy Fish (Music, ‘16) and Nathan Fish (Music, ‘18) welcomed a baby girl this summer.

Congratulations to the following recent graduates on their new teaching posts: Anthony Claro (Music, ’21) - Palmetto Ridge HS, Naples Jacob Cowley (Music, ’21) - Granite City HS, Granite City, IL Brandon Grindle (Music, ’21) - Naples Park Elementary and Herbert Cambridge Elementary, Naples

Alumni News (continued) Julian Grubb (Music, ’21) - Veterans Park Academy for the Arts (MS), Lehigh Acres Michael Flores-Perez (Music, ’21) - Sabal Palm Elementary, Naples Madison Fullarton (Music, ’21) - Lehigh Senior HS, Lehigh Acres Karl Nilssen (Music, ’21) - Brunton Elementary, Springfield, MA Marissa Wells Francis (Music, ‘20) - Evangelical Christian School, Fort Myers Eduardo Ortega (Music, ‘19) - Cape Coral HS, Cape Coral Alex Burden (Music, ’18) - LaBelle HS, LaBelle Stephanie Nelson (Music, ’18) - G. Weaver Hipps Elementary, Lehigh Acres Francisco Zabala (Music, ’19) - Manatee Elementary School, Fort Myers Kenny Carter (Music, ’19) - Sarasota HS, Sarasota

Focus On… The past 18 months have been difficult for many in the arts, but few have had a tougher time and been forced to adapt more drastically than those in theatre. Some of the graduates from FGCU’s Theatre Program, however, have found ways to keep theatre alive in their communities.

Katie Graves (Theatre, ’14) has been the Production Stage Manager at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre (WHAT) in Wellfeet, Massachusetts for the past several years. WHAT has adapted by presenting “outside, under the stars; physically distanced, emotionally close” productions, according to their website. Most recently, Katie was the Production Stage Manager for their performance of SHIPWRECKED! An Entertainment.

Gulfshore Playhouse Education’s STAR Academy has continued to offer classes and camps, culminating in performances. Aimee Greco (Theatre, ’20) has served as the Stage Manager for 6 of their musical productions during the pandemic.

Several alums have recently been hired by local theatres and will help those companies reopen or continue productions as they continue to adapt to the “new normal.” Dallas “Bubbles” Dusenchuk (Theatre, ’16) was just named Head Electrician through IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees), the union representing over 140,000 technicians, artisans, and craftpersons in the entertainment industry. Dallas will be working at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers. Julie McCracken (Theatre, ’21) has been hired as the Scenic Charge at Florida Rep in Fort Myers. Briallen Sanchez-Thurber (Theatre, ’21) just accepted a position at Central Casting in Atlanta, GA. She will serve as the COVID Coordinator and assistant to the casting directors. Elana Deutch (Theatre, ’19) has been an intern at JOY Records in Tel Aviv, Isreal. Kalie Minor (Theatre, ’20) is the Box Office Manager at TheatreZone in Naples.

Focus On (continued)… Finally, Savannah Forbus (Theatre, ’15) has been serving as a theatre teacher and director at Lincoln Park Academy in Fort Pierce, FL. She has done Artistic Direction at Pineapple Playhouse, also in Fort Pierce. She created a youth theatre program during the pandemic to help keep students engaged.

(from top, left to right) Katie Graves, Aimee Greco, Briallen Sanchez-Thurber

The 2021/22 BSM&A Season Brochure

If you have any questions or comments concerning the First Friday News, or if you have information about the work being done by our alumni, please feel free to contact Joanna Hoch, Events Coordinator, by email at jhoch@fgcu.edu.

Don’t miss the chance to see a sample of last season’s events, thanks to our streaming partner, WGCU Public Media.

September Events August 19- September 30 Friends on Earth: Gretel Eisch, Harvey Littleton, Andy Owen and Hollis Sigler; ArtLab in the west side of the Library Building, FGCU, 10501 FGCU Blvd. S., Fort Myers; This exhibition is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; 239-590-7199 or fgcu.edu/artgalleries

August 27-November 10 Erwin Eisch: Heaven Starts on Earth; Wasmer Art Gallery, Arts Complex, FGCU, 10501 FGCU Blvd. S., Fort Myers; This exhibition is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; 239-590-7199 or fgcu.edu/artgalleries

Thursday, September 16 at 5:00 p.m. Erwin Eisch: Heaven Starts on Earth talk; Wasmer Art Gallery, Arts Complex, FGCU, 10501 FGCU Blvd. S., Fort Myers; This event is free and open to the public; 239-590-7199 or fgcu.edu/artgalleries

Thursday, September 16 at 7:30 p.m. Wind Orchestra; U. Tobe Recital Hall, Music Building, FGCU, 10501 FGCU Blvd. S., Fort Myers; This concert is free and open to the public

Sunday, September 19 at 3:00 p.m. Jeanie Darnell, soprano & Michael Baron, piano Nisita Concert Series; U. Tobe Recital Hall, Music Building, FGCU, 10501 FGCU Blvd. S., Fort Myers; Tickets are $10 for the general public and $7 for students and are available at fgcu.edu/concerts; 239-745-4268

Thursday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m. Symphonic Band; U. Tobe Recital Hall, Music Building, FGCU, 10501 FGCU Blvd. S., Fort Myers; This concert is free and open to the public

Sunday, September 26 at 3:00 p.m. Jazz Ensemble; U. Tobe Recital Hall, Music Building, FGCU, 10501 FGCU Blvd. S., Fort Myers; This concert is free and open to the public

For the most up-to-date information, visit fgcu.edu/CAS/BSMA

The Wasmer Art Gallery will be the location of 3 events hosted by FGCU Storytelling: Open Mic Storytelling ~ The Elephant @FGCU Friday, September 17 from 6pm – 7:30pm Come to listen or bring your own story. 7 minutes or less. Put your name in the hat. Emcee Dr. Joel Ying. Open to the public… students, faculty, staff, friends, and everyone who loves a good story. Personal stories to folk tales, and everything in between, bring your stories. fgcustorytelling.eventbrite.com

Kuniko Yamamoto ~ Folktales & Personal Tales - Rooting Osaka on Wednesday, September 22 from 6pm – 7:30pm Kuniko Yamamoto ~ Origami Monologue on Wednesday, September 29 from 6pm-7:30pm Storyteller and artist Kuniko taps the imaginations of audiences with folk tales and legends from her native Japan. She uses masks, musical instruments, origami, magic, and mime to take her listeners to faraway lands and into the distant past. Kuniko also tells her personal stories and original stories rooting her hometown Osaka, where comedy is king! A native of Japan, Kuniko Yamamoto received her Bachelor of Psychology from Otani University of Kyoto, Japan in 1983. She started performing professionally in her hometown of Osaka where she grew up studying traditional dance, music and theater. She now lives in Sarasota, Florida, where she is a performer and teaching artist of origami and storytelling. fgcustorytelling.eventbrite.com