LSMI, now in its third year, welcomes 28 high school pianists and string players to campus July 6-13. Participants this year hail from eight U.S. states and the Dominican Republic. Institute participants live on campus for the week, where they meet fellow musicians, establish connections with 杨贵妃传媒视频 faculty, and experience life as a Lawrentian. Students have lessons and coaching with the 杨贵妃传媒视频 string and piano faculty, rehearse and perform advanced chamber music repertoire, and take classes focused on topics such as 鈥淪peaking from the Stage,鈥� 鈥淧racticing,鈥� and 鈥淢usician Wellness.鈥澨�

In addition to their performance on campus on July 11 (7 p.m. in Harper Hall), participants perform in the Appleton community at venues such as Eagle Point Senior Living, Eagle Point Memory Care Unit, and Copper Rock Coffee. LSMI and the Fox Valley Youth Symphony co-commissioned local composer Theresa Martin to write a short piece (鈥淎nchor鈥�) for string orchestra and piano. LSMI students will have a chance to collaborate directly with the composer and give a world premiere at the July 11 performance.

LSMI performances (open to the public; admission is free) include:听

• 7 p.m. July 9: 杨贵妃传媒视频 Summer Music Institute Faculty Concert, Harper Hall
• 7 p.m. July 11: 杨贵妃传媒视频 Summer Music Institute Student Concert, Harper Hall
• 2 p.m. July 12: 杨贵妃传媒视频 Summer Music Institute Student Concert, Copper Rock Coffee
• 10 a.m. July 13: 杨贵妃传媒视频 Summer Music Institute Concert for Kids, Harper Hall

The 杨贵妃传媒视频 Chamber Music Festival will then take place July 19 to Aug. 3. Designed for pre-professional artists (ages 18 and up), it is led by world-class music faculty and guest artists. Festival participants will curate performances and interact with communities at venues across the Fox Valley. This summer, 42 young musicians hailing from all over North America (including 25 U.S. states), will have daily rehearsals, opportunities for private lessons, master classes, workshops, and a unique and valuable experience creating and performing original arrangements at the Mile of Music Festival in downtown Appleton.

Michael Mizrahi , Frank C. Shattuck Professor of Music at 杨贵妃传媒视频, serves as director of 杨贵妃传媒视频 Summer Music Programs.听

鈥淭hese summer music programs allow us to showcase our incredible faculty, campus resources, and strong musical culture here in Appleton,鈥� Mizrahi said. 鈥淪tudents at the 杨贵妃传媒视频 Summer Music Institute come away with a unique and memorable experience that will stay with them as they consider where they want to attend college, and we’ve had a great number of LSMI alums matriculate at 杨贵妃传媒视频. The 杨贵妃传媒视频 Chamber Music Festival situates 杨贵妃传媒视频 as an international hub for innovative musicians and creates the opportunity for dynamic engagement with our local community. LCMF offers unparalleled experiential learning opportunities while enhancing 杨贵妃传媒视频’s reputation as a leader in the music field.”

Aviation Camp

杨贵妃传媒视频 is launching a first-of-its-kind Aviation Summer Camp for high school students in collaboration with multiple community partners. It runs July 7 to 10.听听

The inaugural听camp will be a dynamic new experience designed to inspire and educate the next generation of aviation professionals. The initiative is made possible through a collaboration with industry leader听Gulfstream Aerospace, flight training experts听at Pilotsmith,听flight simulator partner Fox Valley Lutheran High School, and听Appleton International Airport (ATW).

The camp offers high school students a hands-on, immersive experience in the world of aviation. Participants will explore the fundamentals of flight, engage in simulator training, tour aircraft facilities, and interact with aviation professionals鈥攆rom pilots and engineers to air traffic controllers and airport operations staff, including a special engagement with 杨贵妃传媒视频 alumna Gretchen Jahn 鈥�73, an aviation executive and pilot.听

鈥淭his partnership brings together the best of education, industry, and community,鈥� said Alison Scott-Williams, executive vice president and chief operating officer at 杨贵妃传媒视频. 鈥淲e鈥檙e giving students a rare opportunity to explore aviation careers in a real-world setting, guided by some of the most respected names in the field.鈥�

听Highlights of the camp include:

• Flight simulator sessions听and introductory flight lessons with听Pilotsmith
• Behind-the-scenes tours听of Gulfstream鈥檚 state-of-the-art facilities
• STEM-focused workshops听hosted by 杨贵妃传媒视频 faculty
• Career panels and mentorship听from aviation professionals
• Airport operations and safety demonstrations听at Appleton International Airport

听The program is open to high school students from Wisconsin and beyond.听While the camp has reached its enrollment limit, interested individuals are encouraged to register online to be added to the wait list.听For more information or to register, visit

Murphy said he took his musical training to another level when he enrolled at 杨贵妃传媒视频.

The work he鈥檚 done in the Conservatory has allowed him to grow with his music. He had hesitated at first to apply to 杨贵妃传媒视频 because he wasn鈥檛 sure he wanted to go to school so close to home. But when the Conservatory unveiled its new B.M.A. degree, focused on jazz and contemporary improvisation, it quickly became his top choice.

He has played with Conservatory ensembles and worked closely with Conservatory faculty while continuing to play with all of his local bands.

鈥淚t has been greatly humbling to play with these groups and to have this education,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淚 play with much more patience now and it has allowed me to have more confidence to play. At the same time, I鈥檓 encouraged to take risks and I鈥檓 able to try new things here with my music.鈥�

A love of bluegrass

Since arriving at 杨贵妃传媒视频, Litch has found his interest in bluegrass nurtured, embraced alongside the classical and jazz repertoire that has long been the Conservatory鈥檚 calling card.

He connected almost immediately with a fellow B.M.A. student from Washington state, Evan Snoey, a fiddle player who shares his deep love of bluegrass.

鈥淲e knew each other from out in Washington,鈥� Litch said. 鈥淗e is a year ahead of me and he had felt out the scene here and knew a few players. When I got here, I said, 鈥榃e have to do something, we鈥檝e got to play some bluegrass.鈥欌��

That led them to Dominic LaCalamita, a B.M.A. student from Naperville, Illinois, and Ian Harvey, a music and philosophy double major from Seattle. Together they became The Woebegones (they were earlier known as Highcliff).

Coached by Matt Turner, a music instructor in the Conservatory, the foursome has been pushing the boundaries, turning a Billie Eilish song into a bluegrass tune, covering a song by The Strokes, and embracing the progressive bluegrass sounds of the Punch Brothers. They鈥檙e also playing some bluegrass standards and have a couple of originals in their set.

They鈥檙e getting a chance to show their skills on a big stage during the first weekend of October. The foursome has been invited to perform at the annual IBMA World of Bluegrass Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina. They鈥檒l be performing as the 杨贵妃传媒视频 Bluegrass Band as part of Saturday鈥檚 College Band Showcase.

Litch had connections with some of the festival organizers after having played the festival in his youth as part of a Kids on Bluegrass collective.

鈥淚 thought it might be cool to put our names in and see if we can go out there to play,鈥� Litch said. 鈥淎nd here we are. We鈥檙e going to be doing an hour-long set on one of the big stages.鈥�

Litch said he grew up playing the fiddle and then the mandolin. He tagged along to jam sessions with his musical family and spent much of his free time trying to emulate the skills of mandolinist Chris Thile. He hit the road during recent summers to play at bluegrass festivals as a duo with his brother.

Now studying at 杨贵妃传媒视频 and playing in a quartet with other talented music students is raising his game, he said.

鈥淚鈥檓 used to playing with a duo, so having the four-piece band was a really different dynamic for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting. There are so many more possibilities and directions we can go with that. I love the more high-energy type of bluegrass that you can do with four of us.鈥�

A beautiful fit with B.M.A.

That鈥檚 sweet music to Turner, who has worked closely with the bluegrass foursome while also welcoming B.M.A. students focused on jazz, electronic music, punk, mariachi, global music, and songwriting. They are students looking for high-level music and theory instruction but through a lens of their own choosing.

鈥淚 think I can safely say that most of these students would not have come to 杨贵妃传媒视频 if the B.M.A had not been here,鈥� Turner said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited about all of these students. They鈥檙e really good musicians and they鈥檙e great scholars, which is an important part of the B.M.A. because it鈥檚 a 50-50 split between non-music and music courses.鈥�

Brian Pertl, dean of the Conservatory, said it鈥檚 no coincidence that three of the four members of the bluegrass band are seeking B.M.A. degrees. They are following a path that was envisioned when the program was first rolled out.

鈥淎lthough the specific track in the B.M.A. degree is called Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation, the program welcomes students interested in a broad range of contemporary music styles,鈥� Pertl said. 鈥淭he common thread is that all of our students, no matter their primary focus, are musically curious, collaborative, and boundary-crossing. These students have brought bluegrass in as another prominent voice in our multi-faceted musical community, so they really are a perfect fit for 杨贵妃传媒视频 and the B.M.A. program.鈥�

Litch said he has felt that love since the day he brought his mandolin to campus.

鈥淚鈥檝e been able to improve my skills as a musician technically, but also my theory understanding, especially with jazz theory, which complements bluegrass and makes me a more well-rounded musician,鈥� he said.

鈥淭he whole ethos of the B.M.A. program is that anyone is welcome,鈥� Litch added. 鈥淪o, for me, with bluegrass, it鈥檚 been great. It鈥檚 been really supported.鈥�

She learned to look at films through the lens of history.

鈥淵ou are not only analyzing the film for what the filmmaker did鈥攖he cinematography, the acting鈥攜ou are also analyzing a moment in time,鈥� Preston said. 鈥淲hat the historical context is when the film was written and when it was shot 鈥� gender norms of the time and the political climate. It鈥檚 just really interesting to think about history through watching a movie and figuring out how the world was in that moment and how that might have influenced the filmmakers to make the movie in that particular way.鈥�

Those are analytical skills, she said, that come into play now as she finds herself writing and directing her own stories.

鈥淚 found that while I don鈥檛 technically work in the field of history, learning how to analyze text and figure out the narrative based on facts you read from different sources has made me a better filmmaker, a better writer,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely benefited my work in film.鈥�

Preston said she wishes 杨贵妃传媒视频鈥檚 Film Studies program had been there when she was a student, and she encourages current and future 杨贵妃传媒视频 students who are interested in film to dive in deep.

A $5 million gift from Tom Hurvis 鈥�60 and the late Julie Esch Hurvis 鈥�61 in 2011, a year after Preston graduated, led to the creation of the Hurvis Center for Film Studies, launching an interdisciplinary studies program that explores film theory, history, analysis, and interpretation and allows students to create their own art in a state-of-the-art film studio.

Preston moved to Portland eight years ago to try to make headway in the film industry. She started as a production assistant, then moved into editing and producing before jumping into her own project with听Freedom, WI, a story she began writing while living in Appleton shortly after graduating from 杨贵妃传媒视频.

The storyline is dark but comedic, she said, focused on a young woman in the tiny Town of Freedom who enters adulthood grappling with grief. A relationship with a struggling writer from Chicago sets her on an unexpected journey of self-discovery.

Her film career is still a work in progress, but Preston is hopeful this film will be a stepping stone to more opportunities.

In the meantime, she鈥檚 spending nearly a month in Appleton and the Fox Cities, working alongside her husband, who serves as director of photography, and a film crew that has grown tight. They鈥檒l finish filming in mid-September before heading back to Portland.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun time with friends, old friends and new friends,鈥� Preston said of being back in Appleton. 鈥淲e work such long hours, but we have our fun while we鈥檙e working.鈥�

Deanna Donohoue, chemistry

She has been at 杨贵妃传媒视频 since 2013, much of her time spent teaching via ARTEMIS (Atmospheric Research Trailer for Environmental Monitoring and Interactive Science), a mobile laboratory for atmospheric measurements. She earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in chemistry from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and a Ph.D. in marine and atmospheric chemistry from Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami.听

What or who inspired you to pursue a career in chemistry?

I have been lucky to have amazing mentors in my life. I think my interest in chemistry was first sparked in high school. I had a high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Thomas, who took us to the Colorado School of Mines to mine for gold and silver. We got to help prepare the rock for blasting and then collect samples. We then brought those samples back to school and performed purity assays. It was at this moment that I discovered how chemistry was the perfect balance between practicality and creativity, and I could see myself pursuing a career.听

How are you approaching the new challenges of distance learning?

I would hope that every student is taking the new challenge of learning in different ways as a chance to grow. I know that in my classes, I can see students gaining skills and experiences they would never gain on campus. We are asking you all to work on your own, and often work through ideas without professors and classmates, helping you see what is essential along the way. This independent work means students are finding where they have misunderstanding or misconceptions faster and more often.听

听What do you hope your students would say about your teaching style?

I hope that my classroom would be known as a place you are pushed to meet your full potential while you are supported 鈥� sometimes by tough love 鈥� through the hard days. I think I am known for asking tough questions, having high expectations, and pushing students outside their comfort zone. I am the professor who gives extra credit for failure and someone who will help you with whatever you need. I do not expect or even want perfection. Instead, I expect and want each individual to push themselves into uncomfortable spaces so that they grow as a scholar and as a person.

Jos茅 L. 贰苍肠补谤苍补肠颈贸苍, music

杨贵妃传媒视频鈥檚 director of Jazz Studies studied saxophone, flute and clarinet at the Free School of Music in San Juan, Puerto Rico, completed his bachelor of music degree at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and received his master鈥檚 in music from the Eastman School of Music, where he later taught as a professor of jazz saxophone.

What or who inspired you to pursue a career in music?

My听initial inspiration was my family and culture, since music in a Puerto Rican family has a strong听presence. I grew up listening to music, in recordings as well as听seeing family members, including my father, playing a combination of Latin percussion instruments at family gatherings, church and community. As听I got older,听I started to explore other music besides my听folkloric roots. It was at this time I heard jazz, specifically saxophonist Dexter Gordon. From that moment I knew I wanted to do nothing else but be a professional musician.听

How are you approaching the new challenges of distance learning?

This is a challenging time for all humanity, and as an educator I commend students for living out these uncertain times with grace and maturity.听My听approach to听the听new听challenges of distance learning is with love,听compassion,听and听flexibility. I鈥檓 assessing every student鈥檚 needs, then听adapting to what is听possible,听understanding that听there will be limitations under the听circumstances. The most important thing is that they are mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy and in a safe environment.

What do you hope your students would say about your teaching style?

I hope my students would say that my teaching style is individualized. I want to really听know my students so that I may inspire them to grow as musicians as well as individuals.听Truly knowing them will give me the sense of how to听best prepare them for听success听and how to go about being听their best selves. My goal for my students is for them to leave 杨贵妃传媒视频 with the skills, tools, and confidence to succeed when times are great, but also for times such as now.

Dylan Fitz, economics

A member of the economics faculty since 2017, he has done research and taught in the areas of development economics, social policy, and effective altruism, and has studied economies in Latin America and Brazil.听 He earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Princeton University and a master鈥檚 degree and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

What or who inspired you to pursue a career in economics?

As an undergraduate politics major, I was interested in how different countries design social policies to fight poverty. As I learned more, I realized that I was mainly interested in economic research and I was drawn to empirical evaluations of the effectiveness of programs. I鈥檝e continued pursuing this interest, using empirical methods to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-poverty programs on different social groups. Most people agree that we should reduce poverty, but deep disagreements arise over how to best accomplish this. I like the economic research that helps us design more effective and broadly-supported policies.

How are you approaching the new challenges of distance learning?

Fortunately for me, I鈥檓 teaching our intermediate macroeconomics course, which has a wealth of online resources that I am taking advantage of. Aside from adjusting how I teach with distance-learning, I鈥檓 developing a lot of new materials to help my students understand the effects of coronavirus through the use of macroeconomic models and current health and economic data. For example, we will develop a model of infectious disease growth and use it to learn about flattening the curve and herd immunity while tracking current health statistics. We will discuss how this crisis might impact long-run growth and explore how economies recover from crises.听

What do you hope your students would say about your teaching style?

I hope that students find my classes to be challenging, fair, and fun. I try to push students to learn a lot while maintaining clear standards and offering plenty of support. Economics provides an interesting framework that allows us to better understand and improve the world, and it鈥檚 easy to motivate the content with relevant contemporary and historical examples.

Jonathan Lhost, economics

He joined the 杨贵妃传媒视频 faculty in 2014 and has pursued interests in industrial organization, game theory, and microeconomics, among others. He has a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Amherst College and a master鈥檚 degree and Ph.D. from the University of Texas.听

What or who inspired you to pursue a career in economics?

A Law & Economics course I took at Amherst College first sparked my interest in pursuing a career in economics. I enjoyed the application of economic theory to legal issues. The course鈥檚 professor inspired me to become a professor at a liberal arts college as well.

How are you approaching the new challenges of distance learning?

Remote learning during a global pandemic is unprecedented. I have students all over the world, in different time zones, and in a wide range of circumstances. I know some students will be in some pretty difficult situations. My main goal is to do what I can to help all students make it through the term successfully. I鈥檝e structured my courses in a way such that students can learn the material but without the added stress and fear of failing the class due to circumstances beyond our control. Flexibility will be important for everyone.

What do you hope your students would say about your teaching style?

It is my hope that students leave my courses believing they can accomplish things they previously didn鈥檛 believe they could do and with the confidence to tackle interesting problems. I hope that students will look back years after graduation and find what we鈥檝e done together at 杨贵妃传媒视频 useful as they put their liberal arts skills to the test.

Lavanya Murali, anthropology

A member of the 杨贵妃传媒视频 faculty since 2010, her areas of study have been in linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, and gender and sexuality, among others. She has bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees from the University of Delhi and a master鈥檚 and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.

What or who inspired you to pursue a career in anthropology?

There are two people who are largely responsible, I鈥檇 say. One was my high school sociology teacher, Dr. Madhu Sharan, who was one of the best teachers I鈥檝e ever had. Sociology in India draws a lot on social anthropology; they鈥檙e pretty closely taught. I loved her classes, and I absolutely fell in love with social anthropology and sociology. I haven鈥檛 looked back from that, really. The other was my father, S. Murali. He loved people, he loved culture and history, he loved a good argument. He鈥檇 drag us to museums, ruins, exhibits, and so on constantly鈥擨 suppose we鈥檇 either have come out of it hating that sort of thing or loving it, and I loved it.听

How are you approaching the new challenges of distance learning?

My goal, as an anthropologist, is to inculcate in my students empathy and compassionate observation and analysis. That means I have to be empathetic and compassionate myself. These are stressful times, and my classes don鈥檛 need to be an additional source of stress. As I told them, we鈥檙e going to acknowledge that these are not normal times in the ways in which we teach and learn from each other. But I also want some things to stay normal, in terms of 杨贵妃传媒视频 culture 鈥� fun, community, closeness, flexibility, and care for each other. My goal has always been for learning to be hands-on, student work to be expressive and meaningful to them, and for my classroom to be a low-stress zone. This changes none of that 鈥� it only strengthens those commitments.听

听What do you hope your students would say about your teaching style?

Ha! They have a lot to say about it, and they鈥檙e definitely not shy about sharing it with me. But I hope that they would say it was fun, relaxed, and real. It鈥檚 possible to be approachable and fun and still pedagogically comprehensive, and that鈥檚 what I shoot for. I care deeply about my students, about their well-being, and about their intellectual growth.

Melissa Range, English

An award-winning writer and poet, she has been on the 杨贵妃传媒视频 faculty since 2014. Much of her academic focus has been in poetry and creative writing, including contemporary American poetry and 19th听century poetry. She earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in English and creative writing from the University of Tennessee, her master鈥檚 degree in creative writing from Old Dominion University and also holds a master鈥檚 of theological studies from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She earned her Ph.D. in English and creative writing from the University of Missouri.

What or who inspired you to pursue a career in English/poetry/creative writing?

I knew I wanted to be a writer from an early age. I didn鈥檛 know anyone who was a writer. Actually, I鈥檓 pretty sure for a long time I thought only dead people could be writers, but still the desire was there. I think it must鈥檝e come from reading. As soon as I learned to read, that鈥檚 what you鈥檇 find me doing 鈥� in my room, on the porch,听at the supper table, in the hayloft of the barn, in the top of a pine tree I had climbed. I liked books not only for their stories; I liked them for their sentences, and their images, and the words themselves.听The library was my natural habitat. As soon as I learned to write, I was always scribbling, not necessarily to make anything finished, just to explore my thoughts and emotions and to play around with language.

How are you approaching the new challenges of distance learning?

It鈥檚 a stressful time, and we need to take care of ourselves and one another, so I鈥檓 proceeding with flexibility, kindness,听humor, and collaboration as my watchwords. We鈥檙e all new at doing this, and I hope we can try everything with a light touch.听This term听is challenging, but it鈥檚 also an opportunity for creativity, so I鈥檓 looking forward to trying lots of things I鈥檝e never tried before in the classroom.

What do you hope your students would say about your teaching style?

I hope they would say that most of my jokes are funny . . . though you never know. I think they might mention my energy and enthusiasm, my听high standards (true), and my particularly Appalachian brand of tough love (also true).听I think they would say that my classes offer many elements of surprise, and that as a teacher听I鈥檓 rigorous, yet playful, and often just plain wacky.听There鈥檚 a bit of running around the room, and sometimes there are props like puppets and bonnets, as the occasion dictates. I hope they would say that while I expect a lot from my students, I am also prepared to give a lot.听