Author Archives: mccauleyn

Arts Abound | Fall 2017 Events Calendar

With events ranging from fully-staged, professional dance and theatre productions to scholarly lectures on art and architectural history, the College of Charleston School of the Arts offers numerous public arts experiences for well-seasoned patrons and curious novices alike.

Throughout the academic year, the school presents a robust season of CofC Concerts, arts management sessions on navigating the music industry, theatre + dance performances, studio art exhibits and lectures, historic preservation/community planning lectures, plus the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art’s unique exhibitions, lectures and films.

View our fall arts calendar for a listing of this semester’s arts opportunities. Events are added as the semester progresses, so be social with the School of the Arts for the latest news.

SOTAcofc-twitterCofCSOTA-facebookinstagram

Piccolo Spoleto Festival: College of Charleston Young Artists Series

The Young Artists Series features some of the College of Charleston School of the Arts’ most accomplished music students and alumni. Tickets are $11 (FREE for kids 12 and under) and available for purchase(up to 2 hours before performance) at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival Box Office in the Charleston Visitors Center, by calling 1-(866)-811-4111, online, or at the door. All concerts take place at 12:00 noon in the College’s Recital Hall in the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip Street, except for May 27 at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, 126 Coming St.

Follow #CofCyoungartists
 

Saturday, May 27 – College of Charleston Concert Choir [tickets]
Robert Taylor, Director of Choral Activities at the College of Charleston, will lead this outstanding and award-winning ensemble. The College of Charleston Concert Choir has been featured in juried performances at several national conferences and has toured the Southeast. The choir returns to Piccolo Spoleto with an invigorating performance of many choral classics.. This concert takes place at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, 126 Coming St.

Monday, May 20 – Get off my Bach! [tickets]
This performance of the Baroque period’s greatest composer includes Cello Suite no. 4 as well as arias from the St. Matthew Passion. A group of talented musicians bring this renowned composer Bach to life!

Tuesday, May 30 – Early Romantics [tickets]
From the charm of Chopin’s piano to the passion of Schubert’s and Schumann’s lieder, this concert will bring out the romantic in you. Featuring Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2 in A minor and more, come and hear the intricacies of these masters through the articulation of award-winning performers.

Wednesday, May 31 – College of Charleston Alumni  [tickets]
College of Charleston alumni Diego Suarez (piano) and Fernando Troche (guitar) return to Charleston to demonstrate their ever developing talents. In 2013, Suarez won the Edwin Davis Peacock Award for Excellence in Piano, and in 2014, he won the School of the Art Scholars Award, the Outstanding Student Award, and the Sue Simons Wallace Award for Excellence in Music. Troche has been teaching guitar at the Charleston Academy of Music since 2008 and has been a part of the academy’s satellite programs at Memminger Elementary School and Mason Preparatory School.

Thursday, June 1 – Beethoven to Brahms  [tickets]
Beethoven’s chamber music is prominently featured in this concert as award winning young artists bring to life his Trio in E-flat for violin, cello and piano and his Sonata quasi una Fantasia for piano. Lieder of Brahms, Schubert, and Schumann will be interpreted as well.

Friday, June 2 – What’s Opera Doc?  [tickets]
Enjoy famous arias and ensembles from the great operas of the repertoire. Included are selections from Don Giovanni, La Boheme, Die Zauberflöte, and many more.

Saturday, June 3 – College of Charleston Jazz  [tickets]
Students of the College of Charleston’s immensely successful jazz program play standards and originals.

Monday, June 5 – Go for Baroque  [tickets]
The music of J.S. Bach and Handel are featured in compositions for piano, chamber music and voice. Selections will include Bach’s Suite for Cello No. 2 in D minor, Prelude & Fugue in C minor from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier and operatic arias from various Handel operas. Enjoy an afternoon of music from some of the world’s most renowned composers.

Tuesday, June 6 – To Infinity and Beyond  [tickets]
Music of the 20th Century and beyond, into the 21st Century. Included are pieces from Shostakovich, Barber, and College of Charleston’s own, Edward Hart.

Wednesday, June 7 – Mostly Mozart  [tickets]
The College of Charleston’s regionally and nationally recognized students will perform some of Mozart’s most recognizable operatic arias along with piano sonatas of Mozart and Beethoven. Featured operas will include Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni. This program will feature both ensembles and sonatas of Mozart, performed by the young talent at the College of Charleston.

Thursday, June 8 – A Day With the Romantics  [tickets]
Enliven lunch hour by spending it with Brahms, Strauss, Rachmaninoff, Paganini, and more. This program will feature music for violin, cello, piano and voice in a series of works by favorites of the Romantic era.

Friday, June 9 – College of Charleston Jazz Alumni  [tickets]
Spend the afternoon listening to the College of Charleston Jazz alumni in a delightful and energizing presentation of a series of jazz standards.

Piccolo Spoleto Stelle di Domani Theatre Series

Spoleto Festival USA and Piccolo Spoleto Festival present a 17-day feast of the arts featuring some of the most talented artists from the School of the Arts, from the local area and from around the world. The cultural adventure begins on Friday, May 26 and continues through Sunday, June 11.

Piccolo Spoleto Festival’s Stelle di Domani series features students, faculty and alumni from our award-winning Department of Theatre and Dance. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll feel the power of dance and the theatre in five professionally produced events. 

    
UNDER THE LIGHTS – A series of 10-minute plays written by students, Under the Lights features winners of the Franklin B. Ashley Playwriting and the Todd McNerney Student Playwriting Awards. Spend an evening celebrating the voices and ideas of the next generation of writers. [more info and tickets]

EMERGING ARTISTS DANCE CONCERT – This concert celebrates the connection between alumni and the department, and promotes creativity between professional and emerging dance artists. Enjoy unique choreography and impressive performances from a group of talented dancers. [more info and tickets]

STAGED READINGS – Staged reading of the 2017 Todd McNerney National Playwriting contest winner and runner-up. Previous winning plays have come from such notable playwrights as Caridad Svich (lifetime Obie award winner), James Still, William Missouri Downs, and Donnetta Lavinia Grays. FREE admission. [more info]

BETWEEN US – This concert, the culmination of a residency with Annex Dance Company, presents students and professionals performing company repertory that explores relationships between dancers in a series of duets. [more info and tickets]

17 HOURS: AN ACOUSTIC MUSICAL – 17 Hours is a new American musical written by and featuring Nashville recording artist, South Carolina native, and College of Charleston Alumna Rachel Troublefield ’10. Told acoustically through original stories and songs, 17 Hours follows three individuals whose lives are intertwined as they find themselves, each other, and their own sense of home in unexpected places. [more info and tickets]

2016-17 School of the Arts Awards

The School of the Arts honors the achievements of a select group of students who have demonstrated excellence in their respective disciplines. The Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 11 recognizes those who have set a standard for their peers as well as those who will follow in their footsteps.

The School also acknowledges illustrious alumni:

ALUMNI AWARDS
Award of Achievement
Clay Ross ’98

Award for Philanthropy
Lisa Decker Roy ’06

Young Alumnus Award
William Bennett ’04
Eliot Dudik ’07

ART and ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY
School of the Arts Scholars
Sarah Frances Cohen
Cathryn Maitland Gibbs
Christina Laura Lilly
Margaret Grace Nolan (double major in HPCP)

Dean’s Excellence Award
Natalie Pagan

ARTS MANAGEMENT
School of the Arts Scholars
Victoria Blunt
Kayla Bray
Ashley De Peri
Constance Dewey
Delaney Hogan
Carolyn McCalley
Colleen McManus
Rebekah Rast
Madeline Ryan
Cortney Shea
Jessica Spence

Outstanding Student Award
Addison Brown
Veronica Grace Davis
Ashley De Peri
Constance Dewey
Aliana Holliday
Katie Jones
Carolyn McCalley
Kyrstin McDonald
Patrick McKiernan
Annamarie Morris
Rebekah Rast
Perri Schwartzman

Dean’s Excellence Award
Jessica Spence

Julie Jett Arts Management Citizenship Award
Justine Hall

Dr. Norton M. Seltzer Prize in Arts Management
Victoria Blunt

HISTORIC PRESERVATION & COMMUNITY PLANNING
School of the Arts Scholars
Martha Claire Henry
Margaret Grace Nolan
Andrew Zachary Spitzer
Emily Claire Whisenant
Johnsie Caroline Wilkinson

Outstanding Student Award
Aubrey Grooms
Andrew Spitzer
Johnsie Wilkinson

Dean’s Excellence Award
Margaret Grace Nolan

MUSIC
School of the Art Scholars
Madison Anderson
Sarah Milowic
Alan Peter Schmitt

Outstanding Student Award
Madison Anderson
John Nerges
Courtney Pourciaux
Alan Peter Schmitt
Craig Torella
Sarah Ae-Lin Youn

Dean’s Excellence Award
Courtney Pourciaux

Mary Stewart Allan Award for Violin
Jin Hui

Marguerite Elfe Erckman Vocal Award
Courtney Pourciaux

The Deborah and John Zeigler String Award
Anna Galura
Rafe Goldman

The Melvin H. & Virginia Peacock Goodwin Award for Instrumental Performance
Sarah Ae-Lin Youn

Edwin Davis Peacock Award for Excellence in Piano
Eleni Kamaratou

Reba Kinne Huge Award in Music
McKenzie Anderson

Sue Simons Wallace Award for Excellence in Music
Maxx Bradley

Robert and Pamela Dickson Outstanding Achievement in Violin Award
Mengting You

STUDIO ART
School of the Arts Scholars
Kylie Beall
Hannah Malone

Outstanding Student Award
Ellie Dreyer
Samantha Horodecki
Danielle Lewis
Rayne MacPhee
Annamarie Morris
Neha Muppala
Anna Self

Dean’s Excellence Award
Rayne MacPhee

The Artists and Craftsman Award
Meredith Huff

Brian and Kathryn Rutenberg Studio Art Award
Christian Birk
Samantha Horodecki
Jessica Mack
Michael Williams

The Corrie McCallum Award for Printmaking
Joshua Wyndham

The Laura M. Bragg Memorial Award
Ellie Dreyer

Dr. Norton M. Seltzer Prize in Studio Art
Hannah Malone

Dr. Norton M. Seltzer Prize for Young Contemporaries
Anjali Naik

Summerville Artists Guild Award in Memory of Detta Zimmerman
Francisca Palazuelos

The Tyzack Prize
Danielle Lewis

THEATRE and DANCE
School of the Arts Scholars
Caitlin Barth
Anna Bengtson
Lydia Brown
Nicholas Brown
Delaney Hogan
Julia Marks
Rebekah Rast
Nicole Tarcza

Outstanding Student Award in Theatre
Kaitlyn Bailey
Krista Grevas
Price Long
Julia Marks

Outstanding Student Award in Dance
Lydia Brown

Dean’s Excellence Award (Theatre)
Caroline Connell

Dean’s Excellence Award (Dance)
Lacey Heffernan

Arthur McDonald Award for Theatre
Brianna Rodriguez

Center Stage Award
Julia Marks

Eliza Ingle Dance Honor
Madeline Goodman

Faculty Award of Merit – Theatre & Dance Faculty Award
Jennifer Asouzu
Kaitlyn Bailey
Lydia Brown
Gracie Lawson
Price Long
Bailey McFaden

Franklin B. Ashley Playwriting Award
Brent Dorwart

Future Teacher Award
Nicholas Brown

Hannah Strickland Award for Excellence in Design
Carrie Ferrelli

Maria Alicia Elfe Award for Theatre
Price Long

Dr. Norton M. Seltzer Prize in Theatre
Nicholas Brown

The Stelle Award in Theatre
Jordan Benton

Valerie Morris Award for an Outstanding Performance
by an Actor or an Actress in a Play
Joel Watson

ADDITIONAL AWARDS
Jean W. Johnson Study Abroad Awards
Emma Penny | University of Westminster (Arts Management, fall 2016)
Margaret Grace Nolan | Edinburgh Internship Program, Arcadia University
(Art and Architectural History, and Historic Preservation and Community Planning, fall 2016)
Le’ah Griggs | College of Charleston in Spain (Music, spring 2017)
Elliot Slovis | CIEE: Global Architecture and Design in Prague
(Historic Preservation and Community Planning, spring 2017)
Ceili Hesselgrave | British Studies Program (Theatre, summer 2017)
Alexandra Higakim | Florence University for the Arts (Arts Management, summer 2017)
Stephanie Tanzi | American Hellenic Institute Foundation, Greece (Arts Management, summer 2017)

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON AWARDS
ExCEL Awards (Excellence in Collegiate Education and Leadership Awards)
Jennifer Asouzu | Student of the Year, School of the Arts
Tyana Woodard | Eugene C. Hunt Award for a Rising Senior

STATE, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL AWARDS
South Carolina National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Auditions
McKenzie Anderson | Third Year College Women (regional), Second Place
McKenzie Anderson | Third Year College Women (state), Honors Winner
Jasmine Crowder | Third Year College Women (regional), First Place
Jasmine Crowder | Reid Alexander Brown Scholarship for
Outstanding College (Classical) Woman (regional)
Jasmine Crowder | Third Year College Women (state), Honors Winner
Mary Ott | Third Year College Music Theater Women (regional), Third Place
Mary Ott | Third Year College Women (regional), Competitor
Mary Ott | Third Year College Music Theater Women (state), Honors Winner
Mary Ott | Third Year College Women (state), Honors Winner
Josh Overby | Lower Advanced College Men (regional), Fourth Place
Josh Overby | Lower Advanced College Men (state), Honors Winner
Katherine Kuckelman | Third Year College Women (regional), Competitor
Katherine Kuckelman | Third Year College Women (state), First Place
Eli Major-Wright | Second Year College Men (state), Honors Winner
Harper Mobley | First Year College Women (regional), Competitor
Harper Mobley | First Year College Women (state), First Place
Laura Owens | Lower Advanced College Women (regional), Honors Winner
Laura Owens | Advanced College Women (state), Honors Winner
Courtney Pourciaux | Fourth-Fifth Year College Women (state), Honors Winner
Trevor Walker | First Year College Men (regional), Competitor
Trevor Walker | First Year College Men (state), Honors Winner

Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) Region IV Conference Excellence in Lighting Design
Alexia Sosa

Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region IV Conference
Summer Fellowship at the Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas
Carrie Ferrelli

Southeastern Theatre Conference Undergraduate Scenic Design Award (Runner Up)
Rebekah Rast

Graduates with honors from the National Honor Society of Dance Arts
Victoria Conley
Lacey Heffernan
Chelsea Taborn

Cellist/Alumnus Wade Davis ’08 to Perform

The 2nd Monday Series at the College of Charleston School of the Arts will present a concert by cellist Wade Davis, a 2008 alumnus. An active solo and chamber performer, he has prepared for this concert a virtuosic collection of music by Francois Couperin, Gabriel Faure, Johann Sebastian Bach, plus others. Pianist Robin Zemp will join Davis on stage.

The concert will take place on Monday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m., at the Recital Hall of the Simons Center of the Arts, 54 Saint Philip St. General admission is $15 and $10 for all students with school I.D. Tickets can be purchased at the door, or reserved by emailing concerts@cofc.edu.

Hear a clip of Davis performing.

Davis was born in New York in 1982. At the age of seven, he began studying the cello in the String Project at the University of South Carolina, in Columbia, S.C. After two years of studying privately with Ashley Gobbel, he began studying with Dr. Robert Jesselson, Professor of Cello at the University of South Carolina. Davis was the winner of the South Carolina Philharmonic Jr. Young Artist’s Prize in 1998 and the South Carolina All-State Orchestra Concerto Competition winner for 2001. His studies continued with Dr. Jesselson for eight years until his graduation in the inaugural class of 2001 at the Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. He then attended the North Carolina School for the Arts in Winston-Salem. After two years of tutelage with Marcy Rosen, Davis transferred to the College of Charleston where he completed his undergraduate studies with Professor Natalia Khoma. He was named the ExCel Student of the Year for the School of the Arts at the College of Charleston in 2007. He then obtained both a Master’s Degree in Baroque Cello Performance and a Graduate Performance Degree in Historical Cello from Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, as a student of John Moran.

Davis is an active solo and chamber performer in Baltimore, Md., and his newest project is an Early Music group called S’amusant in which he plays baroque cello. Recent performances include a fundraiser concert for the Westchester Oratorio Society’s Annual Gala in Westchester, N.Y., a concert engagement at Baltimore’s Walters Art Gallery featuring the world-premiere of “A Valediction of Weeping,” a new work written for the ensemble by Baltimore-based composer John Belkot, and pre-Evensong recital at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Roland Park.

When Davis is not performing he spends his time teaching for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra OrchKids program. He was published in Early Music America for the article “Seeing Ourselves in Early Music: Working for Diversity in the Field.” Davis writes “It is so meaningful to me as I think on upcoming events to not only to be teaching these children but to also have the opportunity to experience of being black in the world of classical music onstage, side-by-side with them. It is an incredible privilege to be showing classical audiences that myself and the next generation of young black musicians are thriving and will continue to strive for increased diversity in the field.”

Collaborative Music Series to Present Concert of 21st Century Composers

Magnetic South, a collaborative project between the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and the College of Charleston Department of Music, will present its second contemporary classical music concert to Charleston audiences during the 2016-2017 season.

The spring concert, “Ambiguous Symmetries,” is an evening of music from 21st century composers and includes Festino Notturno by Mario Davidovsky, As We Do, an Etude for Mixed Ensemble by Kurt Rohde, and Deep Water by John Allemeier, as well as a performance of the winning composition from a Call for Scores administered by the College of Charleston’s Music Department; the winning piece, is Sift by Connor Elias Way, a new work that masterfully treats musical texture and instrumental color to create a slowly unfolding narrative inspired by Renaissance vocal music. 

College of Charleston faculty member Yiorgos Vassilandonakis and CSO Music Director Ken Lam will conduct the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Yuriy Bekker is concertmaster.

The “Ambiguous Symmetries” concert will take place on Friday, April 7, 2017, at 7:30pm at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, 126 Coming Street, Charleston, SC 29403. Tickets are $25.00 for adults and $10.00 for students and can be purchased at the door, by calling (843) 723-7528, ext. 110, or at charlestonsymphony.org.

About Magnetic South:

Magnetic South is an innovative partnership between the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and the College of Charleston Department of Music. It combines the resources of the two institutions to present contemporary classical music in Charleston in an informative context. The goal of the Magnetic South partnership is to bring to the audiences of the Lowcountry, including students at the College, masterworks of the 20th and 21st centuries along with important new works by living composers. The concerts, performed by CSO musicians and conducted by College of Charleston faculty member Yiorgos Vassilandonakis, feature carefully selected works from a variety of aesthetic directions and styles to represent the panorama of the music of our time. Magnetic South was co-founded in 2012 by Vassilandonakis, fellow faculty member Edward Hart and CSO concertmaster and Principal Pops conductor, Yuriy Bekker.

CofC Theatre to Stage Tony Award/Pulitzer Prize-winning musical ‘Rent’

Presented by the College of Charleston’s department of theatre and dance, Rent is a multiple award-winning musical based loosely on Giacomo Puccini’s opera La Boheme. With music, lyrics and book by Jonathan Larson, this rock musical shares the story of eight impoverished artistic friends struggling to survive bohemian life in Manhattan’s East Village in the late 1980s/early 1990s. The group’s dreams, losses and love stories weave through the musical’s narration to paint a stunningly raw and emotional portrait of life at the end of the millennium in a gritty world being torn apart by drugs, HIV/AIDS, social tension and political unrest. Yet, through all of that darkness, it offers a positive outlook on life and living that resonates with everyone.

The production will run Thursday, April 6 through Tuesday, April 11, 2017. Curtain times will be 7:30 p.m., except the Sunday show at 2:00 p.m. only. Performances will take place at the Emmett Robinson Theatre in the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 Saint Philip St. Admission is $20 for general public; $15 for senior citizens College of Charleston employees and non-College of Charleston students; $12 for College of Charleston students. Tickets can be purchased at theatre.cofc.edu or by calling (843) 953-6306. This production contains mature thematic material including drugs, sexuality, and some adult language. Discretion is advised.

Following its off-Broadway run and a Pulitzer Prize win, the Rent premiered on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre in April 1996 and ran for 12 years, having presented over 5,000 performances. Winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book and Best Featured Actor, “Rent” is the eleventh longest-running Broadway show. During its 20th Broadway-opening anniversary last year, a national tour was launched in celebration.

The College’s production is directed by theatre faculty member Todd McNerney with musical direction by guest artist Justin Wham and choreography by adjunct dance faculty member Jessica Cerovic.

The score features a number of famous songs, including “Seasons of Love,” “No Day But Today,” “Rent,” and “La Vie Boheme.” A five-piece rock band will perform with the show. 

Armenian-American Sergei Babayan to Perform Season Finale of Piano Series

Sergei Babayan
Photo: Marco Borggreve

World renowned pianist and winner of the Cleveland, Hamamatsu, and Scottish international competitions, Armenian-American pianist Sergei Babayan will perform the final concert in the 2016-2017 season of the International Piano Series at the College of Charleston School of the Arts. Hailed for his emotional intensity, bold energy and remarkable levels of color, Babayan brings a deep understanding and insight to a stylistically diverse repertoire, which includes a performance history of 54 concertos. Le Figaro has praised his “unequaled touch, perfectly harmonious phrasing and breathtaking virtuosity.” Babayan’s program will include an impressive body of repertoire featuring works by J.S. Bach, Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy, Frederic Chopin, Sergei Rachmaninov, Vladimir Ryabov, and Arvo Pärt.

The concert will take place on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at 7:30 p.m., in the Sottile Theatre, 44 George St. General admission is $20 and free for students and faculty/staff. Tickets may be purchased online at go.cofc.edu/ips, at the door, by emailing concerts@cofc.edu, or by calling (843) 953-6315. 

Babayan will also offer a master class, free and open to the public on Wednesday, March 22, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., on the Sottile Theatre stage. Students from the Music Department at the College of Charleston will perform.

Sergei Babayan has collaborated with such conductors as Yuri Temirkanov, Neeme Järvi, Hans Graf, David Robertson, Tugan Sokhiev and Kazimierz Kord among others. Over the years he has performed with Valery Gergiev numerous times to great critical acclaim, including appearances at the international festival “Stars of the White Nights,” the Moscow Easter Festival, the Barbican with Gergiev conducting the London Symphony Orchestra, St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, the Théâtre des Champs Élysées in Paris, the Salzburg Festival and the Rotterdam Philharmonic-Gergiev Festival where Babayan was Artist-in-Residence.

Babayan performs with the world’s most prominent orchestras, including the London Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Mariinsky Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National de Lille, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the New World Symphony.

Learn more about Babayan and watch a video.

Simons Medal of Excellence to Be Awarded to Peter Pennoyer

The Historic Preservation and Community Planning Program in the College of Charleston School of the Arts will present the Albert Simons Medal of Excellence to Peter Pennoyer for outstanding work in design, historic preservation, and education.

A lecture by Pennoyer about his career and experiences will take place on Thursday, March 16, 2017, at 6:00 p.m., at the Recital Hall in the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 Saint Philip St. Admission is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.

Peter Pennoyer is a passionate and dedicated advocate for the relevance of traditional and classical architecture in contemporary practice. He established his firm in 1990 and it has since grown to include four partners, fifty associates, and four interior designers. Pennoyer has followed an unusual path in his career as an architect and historian. From his education at Columbia University in the early days of Post Modernism, to his first independent and modern commissions for the Warhol Factory and Keith Haring’s Pop Shop on Lafayette Street, Pennoyer emerged with a conviction that his firm could serve as a laboratory for the practice of architecture inspired by history.  He has made the study of history the generating force of his firm and believes that by mastering the interpretation of architectural history, he and his colleagues design projects that are both modern and classical.

Through scholarship, education, and advocacy, Pennoyer seeks to further enrich the discourse of architecture today. With his co-author, Anne Walker, he has written four award-winning monographs on architects of the first half of the 20st century: The Architecture of Delano & Aldrich, The Architecture of Warren & Wetmore, The Architecture of Grosvenor Atterbury, and New York Transformed: The Architecture of Cross & Cross. Their lectures on their monographs, architectural history, and urban design have reached audiences across the country and abroad. In addition, Pennoyer and Walker are adjunct professors in the Department of Urban Design and Architecture Studies at New York University where they teach a seminar that emphasizes the civic potential and understanding of architectural history in New York City.

Pennoyer uses his scholarship and knowledge of New York City as a springboard to advocate for positions and designs he feels reflect the values of his firm. He actively participates in the civic dialogue among neighborhood groups, professionals, and government agencies, and takes positions for architecture that is contextual and respectful to the fabric of the city.

The Albert Simons Medal of Excellence was established in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the College’s School of the Arts. Albert Simons pioneered the teaching of art at the College in 1924, with a longstanding course in art history. Years later, a general department of fine arts was established and grew to become the School of the Arts, which is on the cusp of its twenty-fifth anniversary and currently offers studies in seven major areas. The Simons Medal honors individuals who have excelled in one or more of the areas in which Simons excelled, including civic design, architectural design, historic preservation and urban planning. Learn more at albertsimonsmedal.com. 

Faculty Vocal Virtuosos in Concert, March 13

The 2nd Monday Series at the College of Charleston School of the Arts will present a concert featuring virtuoso singers. Professors from the College’s music department will perform a variety of works including arias by J.S. Bach, Erich Korngold, Robert Schumann and Victor Herbert, in addition to selections from Franz Schubert’s Schwanegesang.

The performers will include sopranos Judith Acres, Amanda Castellone, Deanna McBroom, Kim Powell and Kayleen Sánchez; tenor Robert Taylor; with Robin Zemp on piano, Julia Harlow on harpsichord, Dan Urbanowicz on viola d’amore and viola, and Tim O’Malley on viola da gamba. Each artist-scholar carries an impressive range of performance and teaching experience; the concert offers a unique opportunity for students and the public to see them perform on stage together. 

The 2nd Monday Series presents monthly concerts featuring College of Charleston faculty and friends. The Monday, March 13, 2017 performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Recital Hall in the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 Saint Philip St. General admission is $15 and $10 for all students. Tickets can be purchased by emailing concerts@cofc.edu, by calling (843) 953-6315, or at the door.