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Performing Arts Department: Music, Theatre and Dance
The mission of the Performing Arts Department at Olivet College is to nurture the creative spirit of our students by providing a quality education in Music, Theatre, and Dance with the personal attention and performing opportunities offered by an intimate Liberal Arts college environment that also serves the community through vibrant culture experiences.
Students interested in the performing arts while at Olivet can choose from one of the many majors or minors in these areas of study or they can participate as non-majors in music ensembles, theatrical productions, and dance events and classes. The performing arts are inextricably linked to the college’s core mission of a true liberal arts education with emphasis on education for individual and social responsibility. Students will be able to integrate experiences in the performing arts with their major and/or minor, working in a pan-discipline fashion to design a comprehensive arts experience linking music, theatre and dance with other programs. Committed to offering exceptional educational opportunities and experiences in the performing arts, it is the intention of the Performing Arts Department to enable students to participate fully in music, theatre and dance.
Specific majors, minors and courses in the performing arts are listed below. For more details or if you have questions, please contact Timothy Flynn, Ph.D., Chair of the Performing Arts Department at tflynn@olivetcollege.edu or at 269-749-7660.
About the Music Program
The Olivet College music program offers several degrees including a bachelor of arts in music with a concentration in vocal or instrumental music; bachelor of arts in music education; bachelor of arts with elective studies in business; and a bachelor of arts in sacred music. Each of these educational experiences has been designed to help prepare students for specific careers in music or to continue graduate level studies, and each will require intensive study in either vocal or instrumental music.
The Margaret Upton Conservatory of Music is home to the music program and contains a state-of-the-art electronic music studio, Smart Classrooms to enhance the delivery of instruction, a dozen individual practice rooms with upright and grand pianos, a music listening center, large ensemble rehearsal rooms and an intimate 123-seat recital hall.
During the course of study at Olivet, all music students are required to participate in performing ensembles, take private music lessons, participate in the music major seminar, and pass a piano proficiency examination, as outlined in the Music Student Handbook. Specific requirements for the various music degree programs are listed below.
The music program also offers opportunities for students majoring in other academic disciplines to fully participate in our performing ensembles and to study voice or various instruments privately with our faculty artists. It is also possible to minor in music.
At Olivet, music is a selective admissions program and in order to major or minor in music, students must successfully complete an audition for the music faculty. Auditions are normally held twice a year; for further details regarding dates, times and appropriate repertory, please contact Timothy Flynn, Ph.D., Chair, Performing Arts Department, music program director and assistant professor of music at (269) 749-7660.
Additionally, there are many opportunities for generous scholarship support in music. Upon successful audition, music majors and minors will receive talent-based scholarships, and other scholarship funding is available to students who would like to participate in the choirs or instrumental ensembles. In order to be considered for these special scholarships, students must demonstrate both talent and need, and audition for the conductor of the ensemble. For more information regarding music scholarship opportunities, please contact the Office of Enrollment Management at 1-800-456-7189.
About Theatre and Dance
Students who are interested in theatre and dance are encouraged to pursue the numerous courses offered in these disciplines. Students may choose from various courses which are designed to support performance in theatre productions and dance. Also available are courses which explore acting, theatre and culture, and others which will prepare students to participate as actors and technical assistants in productions.
For details of these courses please see the college catalogue or contact
Timothy Flynn, Ph.D.,Chair of the Performing Arts Department at tflynn@olivetcollege.edu or at 269-749-7660.
Special Performances
The Performing Arts Department is pleased to announce that Icarus Falling, a professional theatre company based in Lansing, will be in residence this academic year at Olivet. As a part of their residency, Icarus Falling will be presenting Henrik Ibsens’s “A Doll’s House,” directed by the company’s co-founder, Daryl Thompson, Oct. 10 and 11 at the Oaks Theatre in downtown Olivet. More details will be available shortly. To learn more about Icarus Falling, please visit www.icarusfalling.com.
Department Chair
Faculty Members
Julia DeRosa
Adjunct Instructor of Voice
jderosa@olivetcollege.edu
Jonathon Gewirtz
Adjunct Instructor of Saxophone and Jazz
jgewirtz@olivetcollege.edu
Bill Henson
Adjunct Instructor of Voice and Music Education
bhenson@olivetcollege.edu
Roger G. Humphrey
Adjunct Instructor of Guitar
rhumphrey@olivetcollege.edu
(269) 749-6627
Mary “Sam” O’Neill
Adjunct Instructor of Theatre Acting
moneill@olivetcollege.edu
Deborah Rickert
Adjunct Instructor of Dance
drickert@olivetcollege.edu
Kristen Tait, D.M.A.
Adjunct Instructor of Percussion
ktait@olivetcollege.edu
Daryl Thompson
Adjunct Instructor of Acting
dthompson@olivetcollege.edu
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Olivet College to host jazz concert Dec. 1