April 17, 2017
Undergraduate and graduate students honored at recital and awards ceremony
Award recipients were announced at the 2017 Music Program Honors Recital and Awards Ceremony April 7 at All Faiths Chapel. Present adjudicators included David Littrell, university distinguished professor of music; Craig Parker, associate professor of music; and Penny Senften, executive director of the Manhattan Arts Center.
The ceremony opened with performances from both the graduate and undergraduate division. Undergraduate performers included Elizabeth Tobald, senior in applied music, viola, Glasco; Steven Robinson, junior in music education, clarinet, Hutchinson; Kelly Urschel, junior in applied music, voice, Overland Park; Henry T. Law, senior in music education, bass trombone, Wichita; and Adam Lechner, junior, saxophone, Kearney, Missouri. Graduate performers included Michael Meier, alto saxophone, Topeka; and Jack Donovan, marimba, St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Accompanying the students was local pianist, Alicia Willard.
Following the performances, awards were presented. In the undergraduate category, Law received the first-place award, and Lechner received the second-place award. In the graduate category, Meier received the first-place award, and Donovan received the second-place award.
The Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Scholastic Award was presented to Stephen Kucera, senior in music, Manhattan, and Matt Honas, senior in music, Wichita.
Sigma Alpha Iota, the women's music fraternity, presented the Scholastic Award to senior Victoria Floyd, Overland Park, who is pursuing degrees in biology and gerontology. The Collegiate Award was given to Tobald, who is studying instrumental performance.
The Lloyd W. Muir Memorial Music Scholarship was awarded to Lechner, who is studying saxophone performance.
The Tau Beta Sigma and Kappa Kappa Psi Stan Finck Memorial Leadership Awards were then presented. Tau Beta Sigma awarded Jessica Brummel, junior in music education, Louisburg, and Shelby Goss, senior in music education, Wichita. Kappa Kappa Psi was awarded to Alex Meek, senior in music education, Derby; and Blake Moris, senior in engineering, Manhattan.
The Dick Mason Award for Music Education was presented to Logan Caywood, senior in music education, Hutchinson, and Jeremey Reynolds, senior in music education, Olathe.
Seniors and graduate students also were inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda Delta Lambda chapter. Seniors included Karis Dolenz, music education, Atchison; Mary Wahlmeier, music, Burlington; James Renner, applied music, Inman; Madison Moore, applied music, Iuka; Kellyn Harrison, music education, Leawood; Emily Fish, music education, Olathe; Abigail Baeten, music education, Topeka; Honas; and Kucera. Graduate students included: Donovan; Meier; Miranda Martin, music, Manhattan; Matthew Cyphert, music, Blairsville, Pennsylvania; and Mitchell Jerko, music, St. Marys, Pennsylvania.
Certificates also were awarded to Madison Hines, sophomore in music education, Overland Park, for Outstanding Freshman Music Major; Cooper McGuire, junior in applied music, Gardner, for Outstanding Sophomore Music Major; and to Dolenz for Outstanding Graduating Senior Music Major.
The final award of the night was the Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award, given to Alex Wakim, junior in composition, Wichita. The ceremony was followed by a reception in the McCain courtyard.