For both employees, the recent government shutdown and reduction of benefits provided through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was a unique opportunity to call attention to the need. According to Dare to Care, one in eight Americans rely on SNAP benefits, including co-workers, friends and neighbors. In Jefferson County alone, SNAP has supported more than 96,000 people and 45,000+ households per month.

One food drive in November that was organized by Lawson delivered four truckloads of donations to the La Casita Center and the Chestnut Street YMCA.Ìę

In addition, just in the month of November, various holiday initiatives were organized by athletics, the Cardinal Commuter Community, Bluegrass Student Collective, Graduate School, School of Music, School of Dentistry, College of łÉÈËֱȄ and Human Development, Department of Theatre Arts, Early Learning Center, Visitor Information Centers, parking and many more.

plays a pivotal role in all these efforts bringing departments together and setting the tone for collaboration. From hosting initial planning meetings to creating outreach materials and coordinating logistics, the team’s leadership amplifies the impact and demonstrates UofL’s commitment to supporting both internal and external community members.

“Our goal was to unite the Cardinal family in a way that showed the power of working together,” said Vice President for Community Engagement Douglas Craddock. “This drive was about more than donations—it was about building connections and supporting our neighbors during a challenging time.”

Lawson said she sees how UofL lives the community of care principle. “In the current environment, people in the world are just going their separate ways, but the Cardinal community has never worked like that. We know it takes a village, we need to stay a village and continue pulling together for one another and the broader community.”Ìę

Amanda Schweinzger, who grew up in a low-income household in Northern Kentucky, was inspired to start a drive and online fundraising campaign because she knew of people dealing with difficulty from the shutdown. “I could not just sit idly by,” she said. “I know what it’s like to struggle, what it’s like to get help from food pantries.”

Schweinzger, who started with her own department, grew the outreach from there. She decided to partner with Dare to Care, who supplies the , extending to the broader community and giving back to an organization that gives to UofL students year-round.

While physical donations are always appreciated, Dare to Care encourages monetary donations because they can fill in the gaps in what is needed most and can supply perishables such as fresh meat and produce. Every dollar donated to Dare to Care means two meals for needy families.

For her campaign, Schweinzger set up a and has already raised more than $500. Her goal is to bring in $1,000 by end of January 2026.

Schweinzger said in her experience as a student and now as an employee at UofL, she sees empathy and generosity as a common core value of the campus community. “They care about people, and the community around them, and they’re always willing to rise to the occasion.”

The UofL Fulbright winners were awarded grants to teach English abroad in Turkey, Thailand, Moldova, Spain, Jordan, Taiwan and Germany.

TheÌęFulbright Program, administered by the Department of State’s Bureau of łÉÈËֱȄal and Cultural Affairs, is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program.

Since 2001, UofL has been a Fulbright powerhouse, producing 175 scholars (the most in Kentucky) and earning national recognition seven times.

Those receiving ÌęČč°ù±đ:

• Medina AslanÌę’24, , of Krymsk, Russia, to Turkey.
• Julia BarclayÌę’22, ’24, of Union, Ky., toÌęThailand.
• Beverly Granger ’18, ’24, College of Arts and Sciences, of Louisville, Ky., to Moldova.
• Olivia Hanke ’24,Ìęof Louisville, Ky., to Spain.
• Anna HylenÌę’23,Ìę, of Wilmore, Ky., to Jordan.
• Kaitlyn Purcell ’24, ,Ìęof Georgetown, Ky., to Taiwan.
• Abigail Stanger ’24, College of Arts and Sciences, of Gilbertsville, to Germany.

In addition to the teaching assistantships, sophomores Alexandria Ipock-Groves, College of Arts and Sciences, of Madisonville, Ky., and Saadhavi Maskey, , of Lexington, Ky., were selected as recipients of the . Participants experience an academic program at a United Kingdom university and explore the culture, heritage and history of the UK.

Other prestigious scholars

Three UofL students were awarded . The Boren Awards provide students in all fields of study with funding for immersive study abroad in languages and regions of interest to U.S. national security.

Awardees include the following graduate students:

• Yelena Bagdasaryan, School of Public Health & Information Sciences, will study Czech in the Czech Republic
• Alexis Daniel, College of Arts and Sciences, will study Portuguese in Brazil; and
• Mikaella Tanales, College of Arts and Sciences, will study Mandarin in Taiwan

Four students were awarded the from the U.S. Department of State. The CLS program provides opportunities for overseas language and cultural immersion in critical languages that are essential to the United States’ engagement with the world.

CLS recipients are:

• Kamal Amirneni, senior, College of Arts and Sciences, of Aldie, Va.
• Ryan AppersonÌę’24, College of Arts and Sciences and College of Business
• Laura Hanna, senior, College of Arts and Sciences
• Rehan Kahloon, senior, College of Arts and Sciences,Ìęof Louisville, Ky.

Other students also earned unique honors and opportunities.

Forest Clevenger ’22,ÌęCollege of Arts and Sciences,Ìęof Louisville, Ky., was awarded the

Eden Baize, senior, College of Arts and Sciences, was selected as the recipient of the This scholarship promotes the advancement of knowledge in an expanding global community.

Edler Jonhatan, senior, was awarded fellowship, an academic preparation program for undergraduate juniors committed to public service careers.

And, two students received scholarships the university had never been awarded before.

Shraddha PatelÌę’24, College of Arts and Sciences, was awarded the FAO Schwarz Fellowship. The selective fellowship provides an intensive two-year experience where participants hone their leadership development and professional skills to pursue careers in social impact.

Afi TagnedjiÌę’23, was selected for the which brings together graduate students from various disciplines across Stanford University.

More on these scholars and winners of other prestigious academic scholarships can be found atÌę

It was an opportunity for her to put her work in context for herself in a way she had never done before, Vrebalov, 53, told the audience at the University of Louisville on April 11.

Vrebalov, a Serbian-American composer who now resides in New York City, was awarded the 2024 for “‘.”

The Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, which was the first of the five , typically receives 150 to 200 entries each year from around the world.

The work’s Latin title translates to “Mass Above Words” in English. The nontraditional work, which is performed by string quartets and girls’ chorus, features just two words in English.

“Words are not essential,” she said. “And I will say again – words are not essential for us to understand, and have insight into the abstract concepts of creativity, truth, beauty and love. These concepts represent the mental aspects of human existence and transcend language.”

Kronos Quartet, a group long known for nurturing musical innovation, and San Francisco Girls’ Chorus, a Bay Area group for young women from diverse backgrounds, premiered the work in 2018 in San Francisco.

Following her presentation, the audience had the opportunity to fully take in “Missa Supratext” by listening to the 22-minute work, which includes handbells, Tibetan bowls and musical saw.

Vrebalov said through her music, she hopes to bring people together.

“It’s about my own yearning for a world that’s filled with love and a world in which we can experience connection and belonging,” she said.

ÌęThat’s why “Missa Supratext” deliberately has no recognizable language, she said.

“We have reached a point of realizing individual freedoms as never before in history, and at the same time, our communities are fragmenting into increasingly separate worlds that often exclude each other,” Vrebalov said.

Her idea – to create a work that forces people to confront human existence – inspired her to “bypass traditional language elements and focus on a nonverbal dramatic narrative.”

“Words move us, but music can move us in ways that are not always easy to explain because it doesn’t require language,” Vrebalov said.

The $100,000 Grawemeyer prizes also honor seminal ideas in ,Ìę,ÌęÌęandÌę. Winners visit Louisville to accept their awards and give free talks on their winning ideas.

.Ìę

After studying at the University of Louisville under Ìęand getting a master’s in 2006, Wang has had a successful career across Asia, North America and Europe. He also has a degree from Oberlin College & Conservatory.

He is an award-winning composer in multiple genres who has composed for film, orchestra and the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. According to his , he has also written contemporary classical, TV scores, modern ballet and musicals to world music and pop music. Wang lives in Los Angeles.Ìę

In an interview with the School of Music, Wang said his father was his mentor in music as a child. His passion for music began at the age of 5 when he began studying piano and grew into a career of composing at the age of 12 with his first piano piece. Here are some excerpts from the interview:

When you were at UofL, what ignited your passion to continue to discover and compose?Ìę

It’s a natural way because I learned composition at a very young age, and I find my passion in this specific way of doing music. So, I just continued my passion with the right mentor, a beautiful school, nice people surrounding me. I think it’s a natural thing, I don’t have a very specific intention of I would like to be a good composer, I would like to be as famous as anyone else. I need to express myself through notes. That makes me happy, that makes me feel not lonely. I can communicate through notes, I can create a dialogue with people based on music. That’s my passion. So, I keep going and starting and writing music at UofL.Ìę

Your works are often said to be cross-cultural. What kind of impact do you think you’ve had across the world with your music?

I think nowadays musicians have it easy to showcase their works than before because we have the internet and communications easier than before. So, it is a good way to have a multi-cultural background. You can show different layers, different patterns of your work and you can communicate with a broader audience of the world. I think it’s an interesting way and I am proud of that my own culture, and I will be willing to work with different musicians, different cultures from parts of the world.Ìę

How did you keep your own voice as a composer when you were listening to other types of music?Ìę

First you are influenced by many styles at a young age where you cannot have a distinctive own voice. You just learn different styles, different genres. You listen to many music as much as you can. You keep writing. After a long time, you can have a more distinctive voice. But maybe you don’t have (it). It’s you know – an unpredictable way. But by learning the writing music, you are always talking to yourself to find what you really want. What is your real voice. It’s a path to discover your own inner voice. So, you know you can write many different style, genre, instrumentation. Finally, you will find a voice that you are most capable and most comfortable with, and you think you’re good at it. And you just do it.Ìę

What advice would you give to our young musicians at UofL right now?Ìę

Find your own passion. Because music is not the easy way to go. You have to put exercises in the studio every day. It’s your time. It’s you know, some people can eat food or play around, but you have to play in the studio. So, it’s difficult. And find your own voice of that, meaning that you are really serious about it. You want to be a real artist, which requires a lot of work, a lot of devotion in what you do. So, find your own voice and keep it. Then you will find something in return.Ìę

by Sara Holmbland,

Through the Ascending Star Fellowship program, the partners with academic units to accelerate scholarship and promote the national reputation of exceptional mid-career researchers. During the year long program, the fellows work with an external mentor and are coached through an ambitious project that moves their scholarship to the next level of development.ÌęÌę

This year’s class — representing four schools — includes:

• • Amanuel Beyin, College of Arts and Sciences, whose work focuses on the anthropoligical origins of humans in East Africa;Ìę
  • Adam Enders, College of Arts and Sciences, whose work focuses on political science and conspiracy beliefs;Ìę
  • Lesley Harris, Kent School of Social Work, whose work focuses on improvement of service delivery for persons over the age of 50 living with HIV/AIDS;
  • Jonathan Kopechek, J.B. Speed School of Engineering, whose work focuses on development of image-guided molecular therapy platforms utilizing ultrasound-responsive drug and gene carriers for treatment of cancer and cardiovascular diseases;
  • Matthew Nelson, School of Music, whose work focuses on recording and disseminating historical clarinet works of United Kingdom artist, Charles Hartford Lloyd;Ìę
  • Stephanie Prost, Kent School of Social Work, whose work focuses on the health of incarcerated aging individuals;
  • Farshid Ramezanipour, College of Arts and Sciences, whose work focuses on chemistry solutions in renewable energy.Ìę
  • Hui Zhang, J.B.Speed School of Engineering, whose work focuses on precision medicine and machine learning; mathematical visualization, multimodal data analysis, and human-computer interaction;
  • Jianhua Zhao, College of Arts and Sciences, whose work focuses on anthropological study of the Chinese fashion industry.

“The breadth and depth of this cohort’s work is truly impressive,” said M. Cynthia Logsdon,Ìęassociate vice president for research and innovation, who leads the fellowship program. “While they’re already ‘stars,’ my hope is that through the Ascending Stars Fellows Program we can support them in advancing their scholarship, its impact and recognition.”

To be considered for the program, faculty must be associate professor rank, must be nominated by their unit and must show a “consistent record of scholarship with the passion and desire to achieve greater national recognition.”Ìę

UofL News: How did you secure Kelli O’Hara to teach a masterclass?

Emily Albrink: We learned that Kelli O’Hara was coming to sing with the Louisville Orchestra for the opening of their POPS season on Saturday, September 24. When the season was announced, I knew we had to seize the opportunity to make sure our students had access to this incredible artist. After much persistence through many emails with her agent, we secured her!

UofL News: How unique is it for UofL to work with an artist of this caliber?

Emily Albrink: I cannot remember a time when a star of this magnitude has been in town and worked with our students. Kelli is unique in that, not only is she a star on Broadway, she is also a television star, with a leading role in the HBO series The Gilded Age as well as The Accidental Wolf on Amazon Prime. In addition, she is a classically trained soprano and will be staring at the Metropolitan Opera next month in a new opera based on The Hours. Her success and fame are far reaching and cross genres.

UofL News: Have you brought in other big names in the past?

Emily Albrink: The School of Music has a rich history of bringing in exceptional artists from across the world to work with our students. Specifically, the voice area has hosted famous opera singers: Frederica von Stade, Jamie Barton, Michelle DeYoung, Stephanie Blythe, Wolfgang Holzmair and the incredible opera composer, Jake Heggie. Ìę

UofL News: Describe what happens during a masterclass.

Emily Albrink: A masterclass is a class given to students of a particular discipline (in this case, singing) by an expert in the field. A group of students or audience listens as the teacher takes one student at a time. Usually a single piece is performed by each student and then the master technician will work with them in front of the audience. It can be an eye-opening experience for the listener as much as it is for the participant.

UofL News: What do students gain from these classes and how does it help them grow professionally?

Emily Albrink: The chance to work with an artist such as Kelli O’Hara is a once in a lifetime opportunity for our students. The breadth of experience and knowledge Kelli brings to the table is unparalleled and the personal interaction inspires our students and motivates them in a special way. This also provides an opportunity for students to make a connection with someone deeply rooted in the profession which could lead to any number of prospects for them in the future.

The biennial event has taken place in different locations all over the globe for the past 40 years. This year, the WASBE Conference will take place on Slavonic Island in the ĆœofĂ­n Palace on the Vltava River. Elite wind ensembles from Spain, Germany, South Korea, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Czech Republic and the United States have been invited to perform.

The University of Louisville Wind Ensemble will perform on the final day of the conference, Saturday, July 23, performing a program that will highlight the conference theme celebrating the life and work of Grawemeyer Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer .

Husa’s “Concertino for Piano and Wind Ensemble” will feature UofL faculty artist Anna Petrova as soloist. The wind ensemble also will perform Husa’s symphonic work, “Cheetah,” which was commissioned by the UofL Division of Music Theory and Composition for the wind ensemble. It was Husa’s final work composed for the wind band medium; he died in 2016. Amy Acklin, UofL associate director of bands, will present an accompanying lecture on “Cheetah.”

As a thank you to donors and friends, the wind ensemble also will perform the Husa compositions, along with others, in a send-off concert in Comstock Hall on UofL’s Belknap Campus on July 18 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.

Director of Bands Frederick Speck conducts the UofL Wind Ensemble, consisting of approximately 46 student musicians.

A new minor offered by the University of Louisville College of Business and School of Music is designed to help music majors and other students interested in careers in the music industry gain insight into the options open to them.

“Music students don’t always recognize the full spectrum of jobs and careers available to them once they graduate. With training to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, these students are better equipped to earn a good living doing what they love,” said Robert Garrett, professor and director of the UofL Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship in the College of Business.

The will help prepare students for this challenge, enhancing a degree in music with entrepreneurial skills and music industry savvy. Available beginning in the fall 2022 semester, the minor includes 12 hours of entrepreneurship training in the College of Business and 6 hours of courses specific to the music industry.

“We want to give music majors the tools they need to create their own jobs and find their own path to success,” Garrett said.

Austin Smith, a music major, plans to spend part of his career finding creative new ways to share music with the public.

“I plan on doing partnerships to bring public performances out to new places,” Smith said. “I noticed during COVID that people were getting really creative with their performance spaces, and I think that’s a new way to share with people who really need art.”

Smith believes the entrepreneurship minor will help him navigate those partnerships and create a successful business.

“That is something that I definitely plan on fully grasping before I graduate so I feel prepared so I can survive while I am trying to find fulfillment,” Smith said.

The minor curriculum pairs the essential skillsets needed to succeed in the music industry with the venture mindset to make a passion for music a sustainable profession, including creativity, innovation, the entrepreneurial process and venture planning and management.

“Recognizing that many students show an interest in the commercial side of music, the School of Music is proud to partner with the College of Business to offer an educational pathway that supports this pursuit,” said Teresa Reed, dean of the UofL School of Music.

“We appreciate the crucial value of a broad exposure to the liberal arts and we know the value of giving liberal arts students – our poets and artists and musicians – a thorough understanding of business,” said Todd Mooradian, dean of the UofL College of Business. “We hope the students engaged in this new program will actualize their passion for music and also will prosper using the essential business tools we provide.”

Music major Ashton Clark plans to take advantage of the entrepreneurship minor to broaden her understanding of both the music industry and business to build the skills she needs to run a successful lesson studio.

“My hope is to get a grasp of the business side. I am in Entrepreneurship 350 now, which is the starting course for the minor,” she said. “A lot of it is about expanding your creativity, so it has helped me a lot in finding new ways to be more creative when I think about my future business.”

Knuckles, from Atlanta, served in the Marine Corps as a Marine Musician and Small Ensemble Leader from 1995 to 2018. His 23-year career enabled him to see much of the world, including 10 different duty stations, an assignment to Okinawa, Japan, and two deployments to Iraq.

It was while on a recruiting visit to UofL with the U.S. Marine Corps Jazz Orchestra that Knuckles to decide to enroll at UofL’s School of Music after his career in the Marine Corps ended. He is now scheduled to graduate in May 2022.

Knuckles said the faculty and students at UofL have been wonderful to work with, and that UofL has given him an opportunity to decompress from active duty while focusing on what he loves to do.

Chris Fitzgerald, associate professor of Performance Studies, has been his “go-to” faculty member, and calls him a “mentor who has always been a perfect sounding board and friend throughout my experience here at UofL.”

After graduation, Knuckles intends to complete his Master’s in jazz performance in New York and then to go back to Georgia to teach at the college level. He said Fitzgerald’s teaching style and knowledge is what he aspires to emulate when he is a professor.Ìę

The University of Louisville recognizes Knuckles’ service and the 246^th birthday of the United States Marine Corps on Nov. 10.Ìę

“The idea is exposure,” Tolson said. “Exposing the audience and students to music that they might not ordinarily experience. Also, fulfilling the mission of diversity within the School of Music and the university.”

Since 1996, the African American Music Heritage Institute has given the community an opportunity to learn about and experience the notable contributions that African Americans have made to culture and history through music.

Typically held during Black History Month, the event was postponed to November due to COVID. It includes clinics, lectures, workshops and concerts for Kentuckiana students and the Louisville community.

Tolson, chair of academic and professional studies at the School of Music, is the director and coordinator for the institute. His team of graduate assistants, students and fellow colleagues, along with the generous support of community and university organizations, make the AAMHI possible.

The 2021 theme is “The Spiritual Side of Jazz,” with renowned saxophonist Kirk Whalum and his band taking center stage. Whalum has worked with many musical greats including Barbara Streisand, Al Jarreau, Luther Vandross, Quincy Jones, Larry Carlton and most notably, Whitney Houston in her mega-hit “I Will Always Love You.” A Memphis, Tennessee, with gospel roots and a background forged in the 1980s Houston nightclub scene, Whalum’s stirring, soulful and passionate tenor sound is unmistakably his own.

The AAMHI will take place Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 1 and 2. On Monday, there will be a masterclass and workshop on improvisation that is free and open to the public. Whalum and his ensemble will perform at 8 p.m., that evening in Comstock Concert Hall. Concert admission is $20 for adults and $10 general admission for non-UofL students. University students are free with valid student ID. Due to COVID tickets are limited and will need to be reserved through Eventbrite, available on the . There also is a mandatory mask policy in place and proof of vaccination will be required for the concert.

On Nov. 2, Whalum will lead a lecture presentation at 1 p.m. at Comstock Concert Hall that is free to attend.

The School of Music is planning additional events in February.