Faculty and Staff Notes

Voice Professor Kendra Colton Premieres John Harbison Work

Oberlin voice professor and soprano Kendra Colton '83 has sung the music of John Harbison for some 25 years, including her 2020 album Late Air (Oberlin Music label) that includes music representing three decades of his writing. The two reunited for recent world premieres of Harbison's 2022 song cycle Winter Journey, based on three poems from Louise Glück’s recent collection, Winter Recipes from the Collective. Written in two different formats—one for voice with piano and another for voice with small ensemble—Colton performed the first version at the Token Creek Chamber Music Festival in September 2022 with pianist Kayo Iwama '83. The second version was created for the 50th anniversary season of Boston's Collage New Music ensemble and was performed in October at Elizabeth Parks Killian Hall at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

View the MIT performance.

Matthew Wright Awarded "Best Actor - Musical" by Cleveland Critics Circle

Professor of Theater and Department Chair Matthew Wright was awarded "Best Actor - Musical" by the Cleveland Critics Circle for his role as Nostradamus in Something Rotten at Beck Center for the Arts and is featured in the Cleveland Scene article announcing the 2022 winners.

Chanda Feldman Read at Literary Celebration; Published Two New Poems

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Chanda Feldman read as part of the WBUR and CitySpace hybrid celebration of 50 years of AGNI literary journal on Friday, November 4, 2022. Additionally, Chanda Feldman has published two new poems, "For the picnic in the sculpture garden" and "Shuk", in AGNI Issue 96.

Jenny Garcia Quoted in Article

Assistant Professor Jenny Garcia was quoted in an article in the Guardian US about Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries rise to power.

Jillian Scudder's Upcoming Book Reviewed in "Publisher's Weekly"

Jillian Scudder's upcoming book, The Milky Way Smells of Rum & Raspberries, was positively reviewed in Publisher's Weekly: "From Saturn’s slowly decaying rings to diamond rain on Neptune, Scudder delivers entertaining pop science, all explained in accessible prose. Armchair astronomers will come away with a renewed sense of wonder at the strangeness of the universe."

Stiliana Milkova's Book Reviewed in Italian Newspaper

Professor Stiliana Milkova's book of short fiction written in Italian Storia delle prime volte (Voland 2022) was reviewed in the major Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera. The reviewer compared Professor Milkova's literary style to that of Italo Calvino.