music department
USD Music Department Host Third Annual Music is Alive Festival
USD’s Music Department hosted its third annual Music is Alive festival and partnered with Vermillion High School, which provided a variety of musical performances from eight ensembles. The event kicked off with Vermillion High School’s Pride of Vermillion, then followed in the order of USD Jazz Band, USD Symphony Orchestra, Vermillion High School’s Rhythm in […]
Gesteland’s Annual Studio Showcase Made Their First Appearance Since COVID-19
Tracelyn Gesteland, a voice and opera professor, brought back the annual studio showcase this year. This was the first time she has been able to hold this event since 2019. “We’ve had a studio showcase every spring since I began teaching at USD, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. It […]
Music is Still Alive
USD’s music department hosted the second annual Music is Alive Festival Sunday, Oct. 17. The festival tradition began in 2020 as a way for students to perform together, as COVID-19 made it difficult to host these events indoors. The free, outdoor event took place at Prentis Park off of North Plum St. in Vermillion. Assistant […]
USD faculty perform at Colton Grand re-opening concert
After six months of renovations, the Colton Recital Hall is now open. The faculty of the music department at USD performed at the Colton Recital Hall Grand Re-opening Celebration Concert. USD music department chair, professor and director of choral activities David Holdhusen said the entire music department was excited and ecstatic to be back on […]
Fine Arts looks forward, prepares for “normal” semester
The Fine Arts building has seen many changes during the last year due to COVID-19 — changes such as smaller ensembles, livestreamed performances and limited audiences. Before COVID-19, Bruce Kelley, dean of the College of Fine Arts, said the building was lively and had frequent performances. Although the departments have tried to continue with performances, Kelley said […]
Clarinet masterclass: Learning how to enjoy the music
The Music Department has been hosting Clarinet Day since 2016 where students are able to learn new things from teachers from across the country. However, due to COVID-19, the event has changed and will now be entirely online, spanning the course of a couple months. Dr. Luis Viquez, the director of orchestras and assistant professor of clarinets at USD, is […]
Faculty recital continues through setbacks
The yearly faculty recital is put on by a group of volunteer staff members who wish to perform for students, faculty and the community. Despite experiencing small setbacks such as social distancing, the recital was able to be performed almost exactly like prior years. Assistant Professor of Horn, Amy Laursen, performed at the yearly staff recital on Jan. 25. Laursen […]