The Class of 2022 began freshman year like any other, swept up in longstanding University of Mary Washington traditions like Move-In Day, Eagle Gathering and Honor Convocation. That all changed when they were sophomores. Classes went online, study abroad trips were postponed and everything – activities, internships and volunteer experiences – became virtual. But these […]
Department of Music
UMW Presents a Palette of Pandemic-Era Arts
Soon after the University of Mary Washington Chamber Choir performed live in the James Farmer Hall atrium last March, UMW went totally online, and singing was deemed a “super-spreader” activity. Last fall, UMW Choirs sang together again – virtually – performing In Te Domine Speravi. The new piece by composer Sarah McDonald focuses on isolation, […]
Music Professor Shares ‘Note’worthy Research on ‘With Good Reason’
University of Mary Washington Music Professor and Department Chair Brooks Kuykendall will be featured on the With Good Reason public radio show. The episode, Unexpected Remixes, will air daily beginning Saturday, Sept. 21, and continuing through Sept. 27. The episode showcases Kuykendall’s discovery of an epic 19th-century musical crossover. Working with Mary Washington alumna Elyse Ridder […]
UMW Senior, Music Faculty Collaborate on Note-Worthy Research
When Elyse Ridder ’19 declared as a music major, she expected to perform pieces by the likes of Aaron Copland. Never could she have imagined that she’d get to finish a work by the famed American composer. But Mary Washington made it happen. The UMW senior, who graduates next week, has spent countless hours working […]
UMW Hits High Notes with New Pianos
Andrew Kraus was in the middle of a performance when he heard it. After playing the first of Brahms’s powerful and dramatic Rhapsodies, Op. 79, he began playing a softer piece. As his hands danced deftly and gracefully across the keys, he heard a distinctive “twang” that rang out through the hushed Dodd Auditorium. It […]
