Awards and Achievements

Mary Hoskins chosen as second place winner for Classical Emerging Professional category

In place of an annual conference, winners were invited to record their winning compositions

For his 14th production at Tuacahn, Threlfall and his cast — which includes BYU alums — take a different approach to “The Sound of Music” BYU professor Tim Threlfall takes the stage at Tuacahn in St. George, Utah as director for the 14th time in his interpretation of “The Sound of Music.”

BYU’s College of Fine Arts and Communications celebrated the historic joining of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads On May 10, 1869, history was made in the small town of Promontory, Utah. A single golden spike signified the completion of one of the biggest engineering feats in history. The golden spike — driven into the final link of track — joined the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific railroads, creating the first transcontinental railroad in the United States. The marriage of the railroad tracks in northern Utah marked the start of a new era, completely revolutionizing transportation in the United States. With Utah’s close historical tie to this momentous event, members of the BYU community joined in the 150th anniversary celebration happening in their own backyard. This event has connected a BYU alumnus, an illustration professor and others within the College of Fine Arts and Communications who have joined to commemorate the golden spike anniversary. Golden spike postage stamps for USPS BYU alumnus Kevin Cantrell was hired by the USPS to illustrate the forever stamps recently added to the 2019 stamp program. In collaboration with USPS art director Greg Breeding and painter Michael J. Deas, Cantrell helped create a set of stamps that depict the uniting of the two railroads with the Golden Spike. These new stamps are considered to be the most intricate stamps to ever be executed by the USPS — requiring them to get a new machine that is capable of the ornate details in the design. For Cantrell, a native Utahn, this project hit close to home, especially since most of the work he does is outside of Utah and the U.S. “The biggest significance about this project for me was finally being able to work on a project of historical significance for my home state,” said Cantrell. “When I tell people I designed the golden spike stamps, everyone’s eyes just light up and they immediately recognize it. It is personally very gratifying.' Commemorative posters for city of Ogden BYU illustration professor David Dibble was commissioned to design posters for the city of Ogden’s railroad anniversary celebration. “I loved getting to know the trains better,” said Dibble, who grew up in Ogden surrounded by trains. “It was fun to dive in, learn about them and celebrate what they meant to the country at such a significant time in our history. Because of these trains, our nation was never the same.” Dibble worked with train experts to design historically accurate versions of the trains — Jupiter and No. 119 — used in the 1869 ceremony. The two posters were intended to be a set, representing what it would have looked like for someone in Promontory on the day the two trains came together as the golden spike was driven. Dibble’s posters were displayed at the Ogden Heritage Festival and were sold as prints at the Weber State University and Ogden Chamber of Commerce stores. “After Promontory” — a special exhibit in the MOA that highlights the history of railroads In the BYU Museum of Art, the history of the railroad — particularly the anniversary of the transcontinental railroad — is being celebrated in a new exhibit called “After Promontory,” which shows the historical importance of the transcontinental railroad and its continued impact even today. “This exhibit merges 150 years of great railroad photography with an interesting and relevant discussion of transformation and change — both locally and nationally — that still impacts us today,” said MOA curator Ashlee Whitaker. While this same exhibit is currently on display at other locations throughout the nation, BYU’s “After Promontory” contains additional pictures taken from the holdings of the BYU Library’s L. Tom Perry Special Collections. This added section in the exhibit emphasizes the vital role that Utah had in building and completing the transcontinental railroad. “After Promontory” will be on display at the BYU Museum of Art through October 5, 2019. More information about the exhibit and programming can be found online at moa.byu.edu. “Along the Line: Contemporary Explorations of the Transcontinental Railroad” in the HFAC The paintings and art currently featured in the main gallery of the HFAC offer a modern perspective of the transcontinental railroad and how it continues to affect lives today. “This exhibition seeks to bring together contemporary artists’ interpretations of the cultural, social and economic effects of the railroad,” said graduate student curator Meagan Anderson Evans. The majority of the works in the exhibit were created by regional artists, BYU alumni and faculty who Evans personally reached out to. A few pieces were included from students at BYU, UVU and Snow College. HFAC gallery director Jason Lanegan mentored Evans as she sought to make her vision a reality and help audiences increase their understanding of the impact of the railroad. “There are so many different events taking place both statewide and outside of Utah. It’s about recognition and knowledge,” said Lanegan. “This exhibit helps to bring awareness and different insight.” The show will be up in the HFAC through June 26. A companion show — also curated by Evans — is on display in the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in West Valley, Utah.

Lanegan connects his artwork with family history work

Keynote speaker Mike Rugnetta will address the possibilities and positive use of new media

The office of External Relations was awarded with the Golden Spike award for their work with Sacred Sounds: Can Music Heal the Religious Divide

Brendon French, Megan Holbrook, Dayne Joyner and Sarah Broyles share their experiences serving and performing in historic Nauvoo.

Out of more than 1,000 entries, BYU students and faculty won top award for their performing arts posters at the University and College Designers Association Competition

Jason Robert Brown and Kelli O’Hara spent time working with students while at BYU

The College of Fine Arts and Communications and the College of Engineering teamed up to develop an alternate reality game. Tessera: Light in the Dark will be released in January after over a year of development by professors and students at BYU. Tessera: Light in the Dark is an interactive game about a mysterious collective of historically significant innovators, known as “The Tessera,” hunted by an even more unknown character who goes by “S.” Players navigate real-world and online computational thinking puzzles with the help of the ghosts of these famous men and women who are trying to save everything their think-tank stands for from S’s destructive tendencies. “The normal claim from educators is that the devices that we use, like a cellphone or a computer, is distracting from students’ learning,” said Jeff Sheets, Associate Professor of Communications. “An alternate reality game is a great vehicle to use for teachers because it actually reverses those relationships. Students can play this game while learning and having fun by trying to solve the mystery.” A replayable version of the game that can be condensed into a concise teaching unit will become available for classroom and home use after the live release. Teachers and students will have access to the game, both in and out of the classroom, for no cost. The Tessera players will learn principles of computational thinking (CT), which prepares them to better understand problems in computer science and technology fields. This is not a “learn-to-code” game but students who practice CT can become more confident and interested in studying computer programming. “This makes teachers the heroes because they have helped make learning interesting for students,” said Sheets. “The same tools and techniques that are used to distract students are being used to engage them, and this is the winning formula for teaching kids STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Math) subjects in the future. Students will be able to solve a puzzle while learning how to computer program. And we are bringing a little bit of the Arts to teaching STEM, they even call it STEAM now.” The game targets students ages 13-16, but aims to get more girls and minorities interested in STEM subjects. This game could potentially encourage more minorities and girls to become involved in STEM classes and careers in the future by showing them the basics of computational thinking. This game will show students that they already have the skills for computational thinking, including coding, and can encourage them to pursue STEM subjects in the future. The game developers designed a trading card game to go along with the online game because they wanted students to have an all-immersive experience. Players can use famous scientists, engineers, artists and mathematicians to claim innovations and gain higher points to win with the trading cards. Each card has a code that can be used in the online game to play against online opponents around the world. This game is designed to be both educational and fun. BYU faculty members have been working with students over the last year to develop this game. Over 30 students from various programs such as illustration, design, advertising, public relations, animation and film have worked together to create the content and to design the game. “The design of the game is two fold,” said Connor King, BFA Graphic Design student. “There is the puzzle and level design, as well as the art design and player experience, both of which are linked together.” Jeff Parkin, a BYU Theatre and Media Arts professor, and Jared Cardon, owner of partner group Tinder Transmedia developed the overall story arc of the game. Students involved created the levels, puzzles, gameplay and a majority of the art included. “After the levels were built, it was tested to see if things broke, and of course, if it was fun! If our game isn't fun, there is no purpose to making it,” said King. “It might look beautiful, and run without any errors, but if it isn't fun, we missed the mark.” Utah locals have the opportunity to attend a launch party for the game on Tuesday, January 17 from 5-7 pm in the Amber Room at the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point. There will also be a concurrent launch with program partner Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley. The Computer History Museum will host a real-life version of the game in conjunction with the virtual game. To learn more and to receive updates on the game, register on http://thetessera.org.

The Brigham Young University 2016-17 BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts Series opens Sept. 2 and 3, 7:30 p.m. with two special performance from Leslie Odom, Jr., Tony Award-winning star of the hit musical, Hamilton.

The stars of BYU’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast maintained their luster during the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) hosted in Hawaii bringing home multiple awards.“We really, really showed well,” said George Nelson, director of the tale as old as time.

Shaun Parry will be presented with a BYU Alumni Achievement Award on Thursday, Oct. 8. Prior to the award reception, Parry will give a lecture entitled “Impossible Dreams I Didn’t Know Enough To Dream.” The lecture will be held in the Madsen Recital Hall at 11 a.m. Admission is free and the lecture is open to the public.

PHOTO: BYU Young Ambassadors perform at the Covey Center on Provo Center Street. by Cassidee Hobbs The triple threat of singing, dancing and acting may not be enough anymore, as more and more musicals require the fourth skill of playing a musical instrument as well.

Three leading female soloists across three different fields of music – Renee Fleming, Kelli O’Hara and Nnenna Freelon – will headline the BYU Bravo! 2015-16 Performing Arts series.

BYU’s premier a cappella group recognized for best male collegiate album and best religious song in prestigious a cappella recording awards

Photo by Jocelyn Horne. Hundreds of students graduate from BYU’s Department of Theatre and Media Arts every year, prepared to bring their technical and artistic skills into the worlds of theatre, education, television or film. But Hannah Kroff hasn’t let that stop her from becoming more marketable upon her graduation from the College of Fine Arts and Communications this August.