The Brigham Young University Department of Dance presents a senior project showcase Friday, Aug. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Dance Studio Theatre, 169 Richards Building.

More than fifty flutists flocked to BYU professor April Clayton’s Salt Lake Flute Forum, which ran from June 26 to 29 at The Waterford School in Sandy. The turnout and interest the forum generated led Clayton to consider the festival’s freshman foray “a resounding success.”

Reposted from The Digital Universe, July 22, 2013 The Universe is a “General Excellence” winner in the National Newspaper Association’s most recent Better Newspaper Contest, announced July 19.The Universe also claimed first place awards for its promotions and typography excellence and additional awards for promotions, best use of ad color and feature and sports photos.Details of the General Excellence recognition will be announced at an award ceremony in Phoenix on Sept. 14.“Loved this!” judges said of the promotion for The Universe’s “Day in the Life of BYU” project conducted Nov. 9. The project invited the entire campus community, including students and faculty studying abroad, to document their “campus” experience in photos, all during a single 24-hour period. Participation came from across campus and remote locations like Jordan, Spain and Scotland.“I imagine this was very popular and garnered a lot of interest. I also loved your promotional ad and how you handled the results,” judges said. The day-in-the-life project resulted in a web gallery of more than 700 pictures that significantly boosted online traffic. “What a great idea to see the university through the eyes of your readers,” the judges said.Students contributing to the planning and execution of the day-in-the-life project include editor Rebecca Lane, web editor Court Mann, project coordinator Kristina Smith, web developer Bobby Swingler and features editor Charles Beacham.The Universe also claimed an honorable mention for its “Discover Your University” promotion, designed by Thomas Busath, James Gardner and Brad Davis; and a second place award for best use of ad color.The contest grouped media outlets by circulation size. These Universe entries were judged among non-daily newspapers with a circulation of 16,000 or more.Also in the non-daily division of the contest, The Universe claimed first place for Excellence in Typography and honorable mentions in photography for a feature photo by Chris Bunker and sports photo by Sarah Hill.The Universe is Brigham Young University’s student laboratory news organization. It’s core news products are the online news site, universe.byu.edu, mobile news apps available for both Apple and Android platforms, and a weekly newspaper that is circulated on campus.In June The Universe claimed eight first-place awards and 14 other awards, more than all other Utah collegiate publications combined, in an annual competition sponsored by the Utah Headliners chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. That recognition followed the Student Society of News Design’s top honors in its College News Design Contest, which went to The Universe in April for breaking news coverage of the LDS Church’s announcement about lower eligibility ages for missionaries.Also in April, The Universe swept the in-depth reporting category for student newspapers in its size category, claimed first-place honors in breaking news reporting, general news reporting and photo illustrations and was recognized with other awards in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence competition.See more at: http://universe.byu.edu/2013/04/15/byu-takes-society-of-professional-journalists-awards/#sthash.tS3Tbw1h.dpuf- See more at: http://universe.byu.edu/2013/07/22/national-newspaper-assn-gives-universe-general-excellence-and-other-awards/#sthash.ITEg8WaZ.dpuf

Under his tutelage, the event blossomed into an internationally respected competitionBy David Burger | The Salt Lake Tribune

Last Friday's episode of Thinking Aloud on BYU Radio, Classical 89 KBYU-FM featured Dale Cressman, the Associate Chair of the BYU Department of Communications. Dr. Cressman and the show's anchor, Marcus Smith, discussed 1963: The Year that Changed America and the impact that resulted from the social and media movements during those 12 months. To listen to the entire episode or download it for free from the iTunes Store, click here.

Gary Barton, an associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications at Brigham Young University, will speak at the campus devotional Tuesday, July 23, at 11:05 a.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall.

Robin Hancock, a member of the piano faculty at the Brigham Young University School of Music, will present a recital titled “Classics for Piano and Ballet” with his daughter, dancer Holly Hancock Christensen, Wednesday, July 17, at 5:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall. The family will be assisted in the performance by guest artist Samuel Fulk, a professional dancer at the Utah Regional Ballet Company. Admission is free and the public is welcome. The program will begin with the Chaconne in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach, which was transcribed for piano left hand alone by Johannes Brahms. Christensen will perform choreography by using her right foot alone. The performance will continue with “Die ErlkÁ¶nig” by Franz Schubert, “Three Etudes” by Frederic Chopin, “Clair de lune' from Suite Bergamasque No. 3 by Claude Debussy and the pas de deux from “Sleeping Beauty” by Peter Tchaikovsky featuring Christensen and Fulk. The program will conclude with another pas de deux, choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan, used for the balcony and final scene from 'Romeo and Juliet' by Sergei Prokofiev. For more information, contact Robin Hancock, (801) 422-3180, robin_hancock@byu.edu. Source: BYU News

Curt Holman, an associate chair of the Department of Dance at Brigham Young University, will give an address titled “Raising your Ebenezer — A Monument to Remember” at the campus devotional Tuesday, July 30, at 11:05 a.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall.

Read KSL's story here.Find out more about the exhibition at moa.byu.edu/sacredgifts.

What do the owners of a highly successful publishing company, Managing Editor of two of their largest publications and the seasoned reporter writing about her have in common? Besides their mutual affinity for the written word, these four share another commonality: their BYU Communications degrees. In this article written by a communications alumna, about a communications alumna who just happens to work for two of our alumni, get to know Briana Stewart, Managing Editor for two of Bennett Communications‘ largest publications: With an adventurous toddler at your ankles, a laptop balancing on your knees and Sesame Street playing in the background you try, unsuccessfully, to reply to a single email— even a simple sentence. And yet mother of two small girls, Briana Stewart isn’t just making it work, she’s making magic as the Managing Editor for Utah Valley BusinessQ and Utah Valley Bride Magazines. Click HERE to read the full article by Jennifer Stagg. Photo: Veronica Reeve

Vocal Point's second week in Nauvoo saw the group even busier than the first. Outreaches in Keokuk, IA; Memphis, MO; and Quincy and Springfield, IL, were all successes as the group performed for enthusiastic crowds. Vocal Point performed at the Keokuk Dam Centennial Anniversary for an especially excited audience. There, the stormy weather stopped just long enough for the group to perform its set. Indeed, not a single show the entire trip was cancelled or relocated due to weather (though a few came close). For the Springfield outreach at the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the museum curator greeted the group and gave his parameters for the performance: 'You can sing whatever you want, for as long as you want. I trust you guys completely.'

As an Emmy-winning meteorologist, mother of four, and avid marathon runner, Amy Freeze knows a thing or two about making it all work. On the night of the awards ceremony where Freeze would receive her fourth Emmy — this time for Best Weather Anchor — she had a decision to make: an evening spent with distinguished journalism colleagues, or an evening wearing jeans and a t-shirt and cheering from the sidelines at a child’s soccer game. On this night, the choice was an easy one for Freeze. “There is never real balance in life, but having the ability to recognize the priority of the moment is the only secret I know to making it all work,” said Freeze. “Every aspect of life surfaces as the priority at different times — family, work, church, personal time. Being able to recognize the priority at the time is a challenge, but if you can see it and do it, you will win every time.” Freeze is a self-described “BYU baby.” Both of her parents are BYU graduates, so she grew up cheering for the “Blue and White.” It was only natural, then, that while working toward her Communications degree at BYU, she would become a cheerleader and eventually marry Cosmo the Cougar. Her first real-world journalism experience came as part of a study abroad in South Africa. “It was during Nelson Mandela’s election. We spent time at the country’s newspaper agencies and I did an internship in Africa with Worldwide TV News,” Freeze said. “Then, during my first job as a writer at a TV station, I realized I could enterprise, write, and present stories. My last name caught the attention of my coworkers who encouraged me to try out weather storytelling. They said, ‘Freeze, you were born to do the weather!’” Her first job in broadcasting was with KBYU Report and KBYU radio. It was during this time that she learned to shoot, write, edit, and package stories. After completing her Communications degree, she went on to earn a BS in Geosciences with an emphasis in Severe Weather from Mississippi State University, followed by a MS in Environmental Science degree from University of Pennsylvania. To those who knew her as a budding journalism student, Freeze’s professional success was only a matter of time. “If I had ever seen a natural for television, it was Amy Freeze,” said Dale Cressman, who was her BYU instructor and KBYU news director. ”Color me unsurprised that she’s succeeded in the largest TV markets in the country.” Freeze has worked in various markets across the country, including Portland, Oregon, Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, and currently as Weekend Meteorologist with the number one affiliate in the country, WABC-TV in New York City. She says that there has been no shortage of excitement during her first year in New York. “I was thrilled to receive an Emmy for my first year of work in New York City,” said Freeze. “We have had intense weather since I arrived, including Hurricane Irene, Hurricane Sandy, record flooding, extreme heat, historical blizzards, and everything in between.” Besides the thrill of winning awards and tracking severe weather, there is something more driving Freeze’s passion for her work. “This job is special. It allows for unique experiences and unusual opportunities. The best part is that doing a special job allows me to serve others in a way that motivates me to do my best. When I do my job well, it opens doors and invites experiences that allow me to help those around me.” Freeze’s off-camera successes include completion of multiple New York City Marathon races, SCUBA diving with sharks, and broadening children’s understanding of weather by speaking at schools. She enjoys supporting charitable causes and once competed in and won Chicago’s “Dancing With the Stars” event to benefit the March of Dimes. She and her husband, Gary have four children: three boys ages 14, 11, and 4, and a daughter who is 8 years old. Source: Department of Communications News