A Semester of Forward Thinking and Hard Work Earns Students Across the College National Recognition
The Fall 2023 semester saw many awards for students within the College of Fine Arts. Students in the School of Communications, Design Department, Department of Dance, School of Music and Department of Theatre and Media Arts received top prizes and rankings for their projects and research.
School of Communications
Emily Hooke and Clark Stuart, two public relations students, were among the top five finalists for the Public Relations Student of the Year Award at the 2023 Utah PRSA Golden Spike Awards. To be considered, students must create a communications plan complete with tactics for a non-profit in the Salt Lake area. Hooke won first place and Stuart was awarded third place.
Department of Design
Brigham Young University’s Department of Design was ranked number 25 out of the Top 50 Graphic Design Schools in the U.S. for the Animation Career Review’s 2023 College Rankings. They were also ranked 11 in the Top 50 Animation Schools in the U.S. and 15 in the Top 50 Illustration Schools. They were number 10 in the Top 50 animation Bachelor’s of Fine Arts programs and 15 in the Top 50 Illustration BFA programs in the U.S.
Department of Dance
BYU Ballroom Dance Company competed in the Embassy Ballroom Championships 2023. They successfully kept their National U.S. title in the Latin Formation category and their U.S. National Amateur Ballroom Formation Championship title.
School of Music
Music student Jackie Biggs won first prize at the Utah Liszt Festival and Competition in the Young Artist Etude division. The Utah Liszt Festival and Competition, sponsored by the American Liszt Society, includes masterclasses, competitions and solo and ensemble performances. It was held at the University of Utah.
BYU students were awarded multiple prizes at various Utah Music Teacher’s Association (UMTA) competitions. In the Utah Piano Division Jacob Warnick won first place with James Wilson as an alternate and Amberlee Abbott receiving an honorable mention. In the Idaho Piano Division, Alissa Dormon was also named alternate. In the String Collegiate Division Nathan Cox won first place. In the Virginia Piano Division Christopher Papenfuss won first place. The BYU Collegiate Chapter, with student Jacie Glenn serving as President, won the Utah Collegiate Chapter of the Year Award.
Student and trombonist Randall Smith won first prize at the jazz-composition competition, Sphere of a Genius: Honoring Carla Bley, for his original composition, “Blue Bongo Fever Dream.” This competition was started in 2017 by Jam Music Lab Private University and ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. The competition is dedicated to celebrating the works of the esteemed composer and pianist, Carla Bley. This year there were 50 international applicants. Smith is currently the assistant director of BYU’s Group for Experimental Music.
Department of Theatre and Media Arts
TMA student Bailey Pack was recently recognized by the New York Cinematography Awards for her AFP film “Dollhouse,” which was produced by Lille Knudsen. The film and its crew were winners in multiple categories: Best Student Director, Best Student Cinematographer (Barrett Shoenrock), Best Editing (Adam Bonny) and Best Production Design (Olivia Osterlund).