Running to the Noise
with President Carmen Twillie Ambar
An Oberlin College Podcast
When First Lady Michelle Obama spoke to the graduating class of Oberlin College and Conservatory in 2015, she encouraged students to embrace Oberlin’s history and run to the “noise”— those challenging, contentious situations that threaten to divide us.
As the first college in America to officially embrace the admission of Black students, and the first co-ed school to grant bachelor’s degrees to women, Oberlin has been Running to the Noise almost since our inception. And that’s just what we’ll do in each episode of our podcast, hosted by College President Carmen Twillie Ambar.
President Ambar will talk with all manner of interesting and influential people on and off our campus who are tackling some of the world’s toughest problems, working to spark positive change for everyone.
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Episode Details
- Episode 1: Using Your Platform For Good with Ed Helms
- Episode 2: Repairing a Fraying Democracy with Richard Haass
- Episode 3: The Radical Truth of Fiction with James McBride
- Episode 4: Helping Others Reach the Spotlight with Denyce Graves
- Episode 5: Restoring Trust in the Media in an Age of Disinformation with Peter Baker
- Episode 6: The Fearlessness and Faith of Documentary Filmmaking with Shane Boris
- Episode 7: What It Means To Be a Woman in Power with Stephanie Rawlings Blake
Show Notes
The music you hear at the beginning and end of every episode of Running to the Noise is Muscanti, composed and arranged by Bobby Ferrazza, Oberlin Conservatory professor of jazz guitar and director of the Oberlin Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble, a student group created through the support of the legendary jazz musician.
Muscanti was recorded by the Oberlin Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble on November 16, 2020 at Oberlin Conservatory’s Clonick Hall and performed by Kurton Harrison (trumpet); Nick Beltramini (alto sax); Benjamin Byrd (guitar); Christopher McDole (voice); Alejandra Williams-Maneri (piano); Ian Ashby (bass); Eytan Schillinger-Hyman (bass), and Jeremy McCabe (drums).
About the Host
Carmen Twillie Ambar is the 15th president of Oberlin College and Conservatory and the first Black chief executive in the institution’s nearly two-century history.
Running to the Noise is a production of Oberlin College and Conservatory and is produced by University FM.
