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September 28, 2014 Going for a Grammy! Micah Haven ’09 is in his fifth year as band director at Meeker Middle School in Tacoma. (Photo: Tacoma School District) Micah Haven ’09 is 1 of 25 semifinalists for the 2015 Music Education Award By Sandy Deneau Dunham PLU Marketing & Communications When you think Grammys, you might think Béyoncé and Macklemore—but you might not think Lute. It might be time to rethink the Grammys. Micah Haven, a 2009 Music Education graduate of Pacific Lutheran University

in orchestras like the Virginia Symphony or the Boston Camerata. Some are music teachers and professors. One of my most talented former ear-training student is now TYC conductor Dr. Leann Conley-Holcom! I even have a former student that is a movie director and another one that records for Hans Zimmer in Hollywood! By night, I play in Symphony Tacoma, but I also run the Second City Chamber Series that performs chamber music concerts around Pierce County year-round. And I have a string quartet. And

Black History Month Concert kicks off 2014 SOAC Focus Series on Entrepreneurship Posted by: Mandi LeCompte / January 21, 2014 January 21, 2014 On Thursday, February 20, the 2014 SOAC Focus Series on Entrepreneurship will kick off with the Black History Month Concert in Lagerquist Concert Hall. Directed by David Deacon-Joyner, the concert plays tribute to the entrepreneurship of African-Americans featuring the legacy of their music, literature, and art. A joint effort by the PLU School of Arts

The End of an Era Posted by: Mandi LeCompte / May 21, 2014 May 21, 2014 Dave Robbins Steps Down after 33 Years as Chair of the Department of Music Greg Youtz’s first glimpse of Dave Robbins was him strolling down a hallway in Eastvold, while his two-year-old daughter toddled along at his side, clutching his finger. “I remember thinking that Dave is not only this great dad to his kids, but that was an image the rest of us felt – like we were holding on to Dave’s finger too, and he was sort of

major you take.” Yes, if you want to be a full-time musician, you have to be tough and good to make it in the professional world, he said. But even if that’s not your final goal, Ronning encourages all students with an interest in music to pursue it at PLU. “When you build music skills, you build skills for life,” he said. “It teaches you to think faster, work harder, and to feel more deeply. And PLU is a great place to study music, whether you pursue it professionally or just pursue it passionately

May 18, 2009 Off to China Blending the Chinese tale of Monkey with an original musical composition comes natural for PLU Music Professor Greg Youtz. The guy is not only a well-respected composer, but learning about and engaging the Chinese culture is a passion of his. “My head is constantly full of China,” he said about a love of a culture that began nearly 25 years ago and has since included many trips to the country. Getting a chance to take PLU music students to China is a perfect blend of

New work celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Reformation Posted by: Mandi LeCompte / March 16, 2017 March 16, 2017 By Mollie Smith '18 and Mandi LeCompteThe Lyric Brass Quintet will perform “Luther, Seven Scenes for Brass Quintet” composed by PLU music professor emeritus Jerry Kracht, in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation on Sunday, April 23, at 3 p.m. in Lagerquist Concert Hall. “The piece is highly programmatic—that is, it is music designed to tell a story—in this

December 2, 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uu94p78Pz0 ‘Sunrise’ and Stardom By Sandy Deneau Dunham One amazing Sunrise is shining quite a spotlight on Luke Olson ’16. Olson and his band, The Olson Bros, are the new national champions of The Texaco Country Showdown songwriting contest, billed as the nation’s largest and longest-running country-music talent search. The band’s original song Sunrise earned its members $5,000 and a January trip to Nashville, where they will be introduced at

the summer and early fall, PLU Music faculty connected with peers and respected artists to arrange these unique connections. Our students had a whopping 63 opportunities this semester to listen to and collaborate with world class musicians and teachers. In this post we summarize just a few of the experiences for students involved in Wind and Brass, Trumpet Studio, Voice/Opera, Jazz Ensemble, and Music Education. As it looks like online learning will continue into Spring 2021, faculty are

New piano chair looks forward to a new chapter at PLU Posted by: Mandi LeCompte / October 21, 2011 October 21, 2011 After more than 25 years performing piano, Oksana Ezhokina opens a new chapter of her life as an Assistant Professor of Music and Chair of Piano Studies at PLU. Ezhokina performed in Lagerquist Concert Hall as a guest artist in 2000 for the very first time and says she was immediately taken with the school and the collaborative environment. “It was the spirit of the faculty, the