Ohio Music Teachers Association names University of Dayton music professor commissioned composer chair and state board member
By Ashley Junkunc ’21
The Ohio Music Teachers Association named Stefanie Acevedo, University of Dayton assistant professor of music theory and technology, its 2021 commissioned composer chair and a state board member 一 a role where she oversees an annual project to commission a new composition by a selected Ohio composer.
Acevedo oversees the annual Ohio search by selecting a three-person judging panel, asking for nominees, curating composition portfolios and serving as a liaison between the commissioned composer and OhioMTA.
The winner is commissioned to compose a piece to be premiered at the OhioMTA annual conference. This year’s winning commissioned composer was HyeKyung Lee, associate professor of composition at Denison University, whose piece will be premiered at the OMTA State Conference in October at Northern Kentucky University. The commissio
By Ashley Junkunc 21
The Ohio Arts Council honored two University of Dayton College of Arts and Sciences faculty Individual Excellence Awards for their respective creative work in filmmaking and graphic design. Jesseca Ynez Simmons, assistant professor of communication, and Misty Thomas-Trout ’11, assistant professor of art and design, received the awards and $4,000 grants to develop their skills and advance their careers.
The council awarded grants to 75 artists from across the state in art sectors that include crafts, interdisciplinary, media arts, design arts, 2D and 3D visual art and photography last year.
Simmons submitted two documentaries for the award that symbolized her love of “docu-fantasy” 一 an original, self-created genre that combines aspects of documentaries and experimentation. One of these films, Emerald Ice, explores the mind of American poet, Diane Wakoski.