Awards Archives | Visual and Performing Arts News

Congratulations Nate Lyons on Bronze Award in AES Student Recording Competition

Published October 23, 2024

Awards

Nate Lyons (VPA Sound Design, ’25) brings home the Bronze Award in the Audio Engineering Society (AES) international Student Recording Competition, Sound for Visual Media category for his sound design audio replacement of the video game Celeste. This is the second year in a row Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) sound design and audio production and technology students have received awards in the prestigious international competition. As an award winner, Nate will receive a prize that includes audio software from Bettermaker, Empirical Labs, and Eventide.

As part of VPA career development and professional presentation travel courses, students have an opportunity to attend and present at the international Audio Engineering Society convention in New York City led by Assistant Professor Jeff Sherwood, Department of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).

This opportunity is well suited for students interested in studio recording and music production, video game design, live sound, theatre, and AV or acoustics consulting. The week-long study away experience includes networking with Grammy-winning and Academy-winning professionals at the convention and a curated experience including private meetups with AV consulting and acoustics firms, facility tours, backstage tours and shadow opportunities, Broadway and other live productions, sightseeing, and Michigan Tech VPA alumni meetups for our students to form industry connections as they launch their careers.

This year VPA students presented in the AES Student Recording Competition, Student Mix Critiques sessions, and participated in career fairs hosted by the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and the co-located National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference.

As part of the curated study away experience, Assistant Professor Jeff Sherwood (VPA) also arranged visits of international concert touring production company Clair Global, Broadway audio rental shops PRG and Masque Sound, backstage tours of Jazz at Lincoln Center and Little Island, and talkbacks with sound designers from Stereophonic (Broadway) and Bad Kreyol (Off-Broadway) after seeing both productions as a group.

Congratulations to Nate Lyons and Department of Visual and Performing Arts sound design and audio production and technology students in their presentations at the 2024 AES New York convention.

Don Keranen Jazz Awards

Published May 13, 2024

By Tanya Maki

Awards

Each year, excellence in Jazz is recognized by way of the Don Keranen Memorial Jazz Scholarship. Two students are chosen by their peers in recognition of improvement, excellence, and leadership. Our award winners this year include one of the drummers from R&D Jazz Band, Eira Techtmann, and The Jazz Lab Band’s lead trumpeter Michael Tarske.

These students all showed leadership, dedication, excellence, and improvement this year. I am grateful for them, and wish them continued success in the coming years.
Director of Jazz Studies, Adam Meckler

Eira is a drummer, percussionist, and videographer/photographer for Michigan Technological University. They play in a total of 5 bands, including the R and D Jazz Band and Video Game Jazz Ensemble. With drumming influences from Jojo Mayer, Max Roach, and JD Beck, they try to play with a mix of traditional and new jazz whenever they can.

Michael Tarske is a Trumpeter that has been playing Jazz since High School. At Michigan Tech he is an Electrical Engineering Technology major with interest in automation. He started his music journey at Tech by sitting in on an R&D Big Band rehearsal and quickly found interest in the Jazz program. Regardless of where the future takes him, Michael plans to keep Jazz music a prominent part of his life.

Visual and Performing Arts Student Awards

Published May 2, 2024

By Tanya Maki

Awards

The Department of Visual and Performing Arts has announced its student award and scholarship recipients. Each year, a nomination and selection process is conducted by VPA faculty and staff with input from department students to identify outstanding student achievement. Below is a list of recognized students.

Student of Promise: Jos Olson

Jos just finished his second year at Tech as an Audio Production and Technology Major. He is honored to receive the Student of Promise Award. He can also be found playing drums in the jazz program, and working in the Rozsa Center as the Head of Living Streaming.

Art Award: Allison Lewis

Allison Lewis is a second year Theatre and Entertainment Technology major with a minor in Art. She enjoys creating and sharing her artwork, with her favorite subject being people. She’s worked with paint, sculpture, and traditional drawing but plans to explore many more mediums. During her time at Tech, she has been a Carpenter, Lead Painter, and is a soon-to-be TA for Scenic Art and Illustration. Allison plans to one day become a scenic artist and muralist. In her spare time she enjoys listening to music, hiking, and kayaking.”

Music Award: Eli Sierra

Eli is a Senior at Michigan Tech majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Aerospace Engineering. He loves music and has been a percussionist for almost a decade.

He works in the Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab (PSTDL) completing research for NASA’s Artemis program. And in the summer of 2024 he will be a mechanical engineer intern on the Starlink program at SpaceX.

Eli also enjoys the outdoors and partakes in sports such as: running, mountain biking and hiking.

Sound Award: Cora Moyers

Cora is a 5th year and graduating Sound Design student. Cora has spent her time at tech growing the SoundGirls MTU Chapter, and has served multiple e-board positions, but currently serves as President. Cora has worked on multiple productions while at tech including The Haunted Smelter, A Christmas Carol and The One Act Festival. She is very honored to have received the VPA Sound Award.

Theatre Award: Audrey Schulte

Audrey is completing her fifth and final year this spring as a Theatre and Entertainment Tech major here at MTU. Throughout her time spent here, she has gained incredible experiences and friendships within this department that have set her up for great success after graduation. She is extremely excited to take a step forward into the next chapter and owes a lot of gratitude to her classmates, professors, and colleagues for the work on all the shows and displays she has been a part of. Audrey has excitedly accepted an intern position at Walt Disney World this summer and can’t wait to put all the skills she has gained from MTU to work!

All Arts Award: Aidan Conrade

Aidan Conrade is a fourth year Sound Design student with a minor in Music Composition. They enjoy putting their knowledge of sound design together with their music to create unique and creative pieces for all types of projects. On top of this, they also play bass guitar and upright bass in a variety of groups at Michigan Tech, including the Playtesters, MTU’s video game jazz ensemble, which is a student-lead group that specializes in arranging their favorite video game tunes into various styles of jazz and adjacent genres to grow as musicians! When they are not working on a project or writing/listening to music, they are exploring the outdoors or discovering the latest indie games. Their goal after university is to join the video game and/or film industries as a sound designer and composer, where they will work to curate immersive and expressive experiences for others to enjoy!

Irish Award for Environmental Art: Connor Ford

Connor Ford is a College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (CFRES) student graduating with his bachelor’s in Applied Ecology this Spring. After years of traditional STEM coursework, he had an opportunity to enroll in “Art and Nature”, a contemplative photography course taught by Professor Anne Beffel in the Visual and Performing Arts Department. Upon taking the class, he soon realized the benefits of learning skills about mindfulness and its interplay with visual analysis.

Working to apply this knowledge, Connor created two works of art that guide viewers along an immersive photographic journey across the Keweenaw Peninsula. His photos are accompanied by audio tracks rich with environmental insight, adorned by poetic titles, and analyses of the work using the language of visual principles and elements (gestalt principles of visual interaction and Getty elements of art).

In addition to communicating the science behind the beauty in nature spaces, Superior Influence is Connor’s attempt to better grasp how gestalt principles can inform our perception of ecosystem function and reveal aspects of personal emotion in relation to the land. With assistance from the University, his project was temporarily installed in Wadsworth Hall during the Spring student art show, but it can also be accessed online through a website he created for the general public. Looking ahead, he’s excited for new opportunities in ecological research and watershed management, and can’t wait to further explore and incorporate these art practices into his work. In the meantime, you might find him wading in a stream, rock hounding, staring at a bug, or simply enjoying a quiet moment at the beach.

Milt Olsson Music Award: Benji Doerr

Benji is a Biochemistry student at Michigan Tech. He loves making music and has been playing violin and singing in choirs since he was young. In the summers he is a summer camp photographer, and he loves spending time outdoors with the kids. He’s the third in a family of 8 kids who all also love music.

Terri Frew Dean’s Teaching Showcase Selection Delivers Distinctive Display of Educational Excellence

Published March 21, 2024

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Awards
News

Terry Frew Dean's Potrait — **Terri Frew**
Assistant Teaching Professor, Visual and Performing Arts

College of Sciences and Arts Dean, Ravindra Pandey, selected Terri Frew for this week’s Dean’s Teaching Showcase. Frew, an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Visual and Performing Arts department, will be recognized at an end-of-term event with other showcase members. Frew is a candidate for the CTL Instructional Award Series.

Course Creativity Includes Community and Collaboration

Professor Frew demonstrates excellent teaching in a wide range of visual arts classes, including large general education courses (Art Appreciation), small studio courses (Drawing, Art + Design Studio, Ceramics, Fiber Arts), and theory courses (Color). Frew commits to nurturing creative exploration, practical hands-on skills, and critical analysis. She experiments with using community engagement to enhance student learning. For example, Frew partnered with the Hancock Community Garden for her Art + Design course. She also enjoys offering students new ways to think about what they are learning.

This semester she is piloting a new course in Fiber Arts. The course pairs creative “making and doing” with critical conversations about the role of hand-made items and craftsmanship, both historically and in today’s society. Jared Anderson, chair of the Visual and Performing Arts department, described Frew’s teaching as “ambitious, inclusive, and collaborative. Within the framework of arts education, she creates opportunities for students to explore varied topics and gain new perspectives. Her commitment to her teaching practices, students, and the university community is to be commended.”

Frew Dean’s Teaching Showcase Winner Displays Creativity and Expression

Professor Frew also serves as the Director of the Rozsa Galleries. She builds partnerships with other departments on campus related to the gallery’s exhibits. Frew fosters a gallery experience that highlights diverse perspectives and appeals to a wide audience. In 2022, she curated Arabesque, an exhibit that partnered international artist Clement Yeh with local artist Tomas Co. Created in close collaboration with the Rozsa Center’s programming, complementing the Rozsa’s fall ballet concert, Arabesque included drawings, sculptures, and video. Her recent curatorial project, Simple Machines, paired the work of Ukrainian Artist Yuliya Musakova and Michigan Tech Humanities professor M. Bartley Seigel. The multimedia exhibit included audio clips of the poets reading their work, a live printing demonstration, and a live performance from the visiting poet Musakova.

“Offering a vibrant arts curriculum that is available to all students is an important way that Michigan Tech sets itself apart as a STEM-focused institution”

“When we give students opportunities to explore creative and expressive practices, we enhance their ability to be truly innovative within their majors and in their future careers. We are fortunate to have outstanding faculty like Professor Frew encouraging Michigan Tech students to engage with the arts both now and throughout the rest of their lives.”

SPEAK Resilience Receives Curriculum Innovation Award

Published May 10, 2023

By Tanya Maki

Awards

SPEAK Resilience (Sustainability, Psychology, Ecology, Arts, Kultur) received a Spring 2023 award for Curriculum Innovation from the Tech Forward Initiative on Sustainability and Resilience (ISR). Co-PI’s include our very own Lisa Gordillo, Associate Chair and Associate Professor, Visual and Performing Arts, along with Tara Bal (CFRES), and Sam Smith (CLS).

SPEAK Resilience will be an interdisciplinary sustainability program for Michigan Tech students to study in Björkö-Arholma, Sweden. The program will include a collection of four courses: one each in psychology, ecology, and the arts; and one interdisciplinary course team-taught by the faculty co-PIs. The co-PIs will develop a program that draws on each of their specialties to create immersive, interdisciplinary curricula. Learn more about SPEAK Resilience.

Category: Awards

Published May 10, 2023

By Tanya Maki

Awards

Visual and Performing Arts Student Awards

The Department of Visual and Performing Arts has announced its student award and scholarship recipients. Each year, a nomination and selection process is conducted by VPA faculty and staff with input from department students to identify outstanding student achievement. Below is a list of recognized students.

Student of Promise: Rowan Parsons

Rowan Parsons is a third-year Sound Design major. Rowan is interested in broadcast media, and has been the Head of Productions at WMTU Houghton 91.9 FM for the past two years and will be shifting to Head of Events this coming year. They work with Michigan Tech IT and Athletics on the live broadcast of sporting events. They were the Front of House Mixing Engineer for Michigan Tech’s recent production of the musical Chess. They love spending time with their friends in the department, hanging out with their cat, and playing video games.

All Arts: Izzy Waldie

Izzy Waldie is a fourth year student majoring in Audio Production and Technology with a Minor in Computer Science. Izzy is the president of the student organization Above the Bridge Records, a student recording label, and Vice President of SoundGirls. Izzy has worked on many theatre shows as both a sound designer and sound system designer. She blends her creative and technical skills working for IT as a media tech specialist and an AV engineer for MTU Athletics. She is also a sound designer and film editor for Tech’s CinOptic Enterprise, and is currently working on promotional videos for Isle Royale National Park. Izzy also plays in multiple bands, including being the drummer for JAZTEC, MTU’s premier jazz combo. Last summer, Izzy secured a prestigious internship at Shure in Chicago, one of the biggest audio companies in the world, and she will be returning for another internship there this summer. As an avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast, she is very excited to return to Houghton for her final semester in the fall.

Arts: Bobbie Desgrange

Bobbie is a soon to be graduate from Lansing, Michigan. They will be getting their BS in Theater and Entertainment Technology with an Art minor. During their time here they have worked as a Scenic Artist in 5 VPA productions, and with two of their peers put on the first independent student gallery in the Rozsa titled Me, You, & Us. Along with that, they recently collaborated with Lisa Gordillo this past year to design an installation piece in the Minerals and Materials building.

Sound: Mason Waldrip

Mason Waldrip is a graduating senior in the Audio Production and Technology major. He
came to Michigan Tech in 2018 as a Computer Science major but quickly fell in love with
audio production when he took an elective course in the department. Since then, Mason
has been involved in the department most notably through working at the Rozsa,
working on several theatre productions, becoming the president of the Audio
Engineering Society at Michigan Tech, and designing and building multiple studios.
Mason also formed his band Bouquet with his friends and has been gigging, writing, and
recording for just over a year. Along with the band, Mason will be releasing an EP during
the summer. He has a passion for music, video games, live-streaming, programming,
photography, and snowboarding.

Music: Aidan Conrade

Aidan Conrade is a third year Sound Design student with a minor in Music Composition. They enjoy putting their knowledge of sound design together with their music to create unique and creative pieces for all types of projects. On top of this, they also play bass guitar and upright bass in a variety of groups at Michigan Tech, including the Playtesters, MTU’s video game jazz ensemble, which is a student-lead group that specializes in arranging their favorite video game tunes into various styles of jazz and adjacent genres to grow as musicians! When they are not working on a project or writing/listening to music, they are exploring the outdoors or discovering the latest indie games. Their goal after university is to join the video game and/or film industries as a sound designer and composer, where they will work to curate immersive and expressive experiences for others to enjoy!

Theatre: Maisie Whitaker
Department Scholar: Maisie Whitaker

Maisie Whitaker is a 4th year student studying Theater and Entertainment with emphasis in Mechanical and Craft alongside an Art Minor. She works as both gallery assistant and scene shop assistant. She also is a Peer Mentor to incoming students as they start their way into college. Maisie has a great love for all things theater and art of course but also finds joy in animals, nature, crafting, and reading. She is looking forward to participating in the VPA faculty led study abroad trip to the Prague Quadrennial. She was one of three artists featured in first student professional art show ‘Me, You, and Us’ down in the A-Space Rozsa Gallery. Maisie credits her success within the VPA department to her professors who have encouraged her growth as a student. She also recognizes her friends and peers who make every production or event that much easier to be apart of.

Milton Olsson Music Award: Alex Hudson

Alex is a Computer Engineering student from Alto, Michigan, near Lowell. He started playing violin when he was 11 and has since enjoyed performing in a wide variety of ensembles—including the Lowell Fusion Rock Orchestra, Grand Rapids Youth Symphony, multiple pit orchestras, and MTU’s own Video Game Jazz Ensemble. Alex is also an aspiring composer and is currently working towards a minor in music composition. Whether creating it or playing it, he finds music to be one of the best ways to express himself and de-stress after rough days.

Marian and John Irish Award for Environmental Art: August Camp

August Camp is a graduating senior in applied ecology and environmental science, and was a student last fall in Art & Nature. August considered deep questions of seeming binaries, such as beauty and horror, or natural vs. artificial. He was interested in the possibility that plastic can be both beautiful and an embodiment of the climate catastrophe we’re experiencing. And wanted to explore the way anthropogenic actions mimic natural disturbances across the landscape. They thought hard about how to position viewer-participants to consider the complexity of our climate crisis, including our individual, conflicted lifestyles.

Don Keranen Jazz Awards

Published April 19, 2023

By Tanya Maki

Director of Jazz Studies, Adam Meckler, has announced this year’s student recipients for the Don Keranen Endowed Scholarship Awards.

Each year, excellence in Jazz is recognized by way of the Don Keranen Memorial Jazz Scholarship. Three students are chosen by their peers in recognition of improvement, excellence, and leadership. Our award winners this year include R&D Bass Player Jay Jamison-Sawicki, Workshop Brass Band Harrison Harland, and Lab Band Lead Tenor Saxophonist Liam Cacioppo.

These students all showed leadership, dedication, excellence, and improvement this year. I am grateful for them, and wish them continued success in the coming years.
Director of Jazz Studies, Adam Meckler

Michael “Jay” Jamison-Sawicki is a First-Year majoring in a Bachelor’s in Power Distribution Engineering at Michigan Tech. He discovered his love of Jazz, however, his Senior year of High School where he was recruited by the Jazz/Honors Band at Summit Academy North. Ever since his time there, he’s played bass in the Research and Development Big Band at MTU, picking up multiple skills and learning valuable musical lessons that continue to further bolster his musicianship.

Harrison Harland is a second year at Michigan Tech, and a double major in Accounting and MIS. Harrison started playing bass guitar 3 years ago and the MTU jazz program has been an excellent first experience in both jazz music and performing live music! To Harrison, playing music is all about sharing cool ideas and spreading good vibes the whole way!

Liam Cacioppo is a saxophonist that has been playing for 12 years. He is from Ingleside, Illinois but frequent trips to the Upper Peninsula made him become familiar with Tech and its extreme winters. While being an engineer takes up most of his time, he always tries to find some time to continue playing jazz. Alongside playing jazz you could find him skiing, taking a walk around, or wearing a sweater.

Visual and Performing Arts Student Awards

Published June 13, 2022

By Tanya Maki

The Department of Visual and Performing Arts has announced its student award and scholarship recipients. Each year, a nomination and selection process is conducted by VPA faculty and staff with input from department students to identify outstanding student achievement. Below is a list of recognized students.

Department Scholar: Madison Wentela

Madi Wentela is a Theatre and Entertainment Technology major/Art minor scheduled to graduate in April 2023. She is an active, engaged member of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, whose scholarship, artistry, and leadership is a model for other students. Her interests span theatre, visual art, art history, and museum studies. In our department, Madi frequently serves in a leadership role. Most recently, she served as the Stage Manager for the theatre production of The Arsonists, and as a Student Gallery Assistant for the Rozsa Galleries. There, she has led the installation of more than twelve exhibits over the past three years, including the exhibit Hero City: Portraits of Modern Mongolia, which took place in five different venues on campus. Madi is an inquisitive, thoughtful student, and a leader both in class and out.

Student of Promise, and Theatre Award: Laurel Schmidt

Laurel is a 3rd year Theatre and Entertainment Technology major from Saline, Michigan. Her recent projects have included co-assistant stage managing “The Arsonists”, directing one of the one act plays, “Shaped By You” and acting as Lilith in “She Kills Monsters”. Outside of the theatre department, she is vice president of Mu Beta Psi National Honorary Musical Fraternity along with enjoying hiking and exploring waterfalls around the Keweenaw.

All Arts: Bebe Villanueva

Bebe is from Bangor, Michigan, and is in his fourth year of Theatre and Entertainment Technology with emphasis in Media and Crafts. He is a multimedia artist creating work in multiple mediums, focusing on digital media. His work consists of personal endeavors such as 2D animation, photography, video production, editing, directing, music, and crocheting. He has contributed to many media projects held by Michigan Tech such as, camera operation for Miasma, content creation for projections for She Kills Monsters, animations and special effects for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, and being Video Lead for Talking With. He wants to continue his work combining multiple art forms and create future works of art, music, and media. Currently he is venturing into 3D animation with Unreal Engine and Blender to create landscapes suitable for live productions and projections.

Arts: Maisie Whitaker

Maisie is from Hart, Michigan and is a third year Theatre and Entertainment Technology major with an Art minor. She has emphasis areas in mechanical and crafts. She’s had the opportunity lead installations and work with many artists as a gallery assistant in the Rozsa gallery. She also assists in the scene shop on special projects. She has found a lot of joy working on many productions with our department, most recently as the head of props for “She Kills Monsters”.

Sound: Matthew Anderson

Matt is a 4th year Audio Production Technology major from Midland, MI. Over the last two semesters he has been doing loudspeaker research as well as being a TA for several courses. During his time as a TA he was able to help other students reach there creative goals by giving them the tools necessary for the job and pushing people to use everything they have access to. Over the past several summers he has honed his live sound skills by working full time as a Systems and Mix engineer.

Milton Olsson Music Award: Jordan Zais

Jordan is a 3rd year Biomedical Engineering student from Excelsior, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. She has been a part of the conScience Chamber Choir at Tech since Fall 2019 and has greatly enjoyed it and plans to continue participating until she graduates next spring. Outside of choir, Jordan participates in student organizations like Keweenaw Pride and Tau Beta Pi. After graduation, Jordan is planning to attend nursing school to become a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and hopes to make reproductive healthcare and education more inclusive and accessible to everyone.

Music: Sarah Kempin

Sarah is a chemical engineering senior from Midland, Michigan, and is graduating with her bachelors this spring. She has always had a love for music, and has been playing the flute since the 4th grade. During her time at Michigan Tech she has played flute in the Superior Wind Symphony, the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra, and the Pit Orchestra. She has also started and conducted a local handbell choir. In addition to her musical endeavors, Sarah has been involved with Concordia Student Ministries, Circle K International, and Residence Education. Upon graduation Sarah will be entering industry to work as a process engineer.

Marian and John Irish Award for Environmental Art: Madalyn Tudor-Duncan

Madalyn Tudor-Duncan is an Applied Ecology major and an art minor. Her work frequentlyconnects arts and environmental issues. As a member of the 2022 Advanced Sculpture class, she developed large-scale sculptures that focused on inclusivity and touch, showcased in the student Rozsa gallery exhibit, Perpetual Motion Machine. In 2022-23, Madalyn will develop new works of art that bring together her studies in ecology and painting as part of the course, Art and Nature.

The Jazz Award recipients can be viewed here.

Congratulations to the award recipients and best wishes to all of our graduating seniors.

Don Keranen Jazz Awards

Published April 12, 2022

By Tanya Maki

Director of Jazz Studies, Adam Meckler, has announced this year’s student recipients for the Don Keranen Endowed Scholarship Awards.

Each year, excellence in Jazz is recognized by way of the Don Keranen Memorial Jazz Scholarship. Three students are chosen by their peers in recognition of improvement, excellence, and leadership. Our award winners this year include R&D drummer Zane Smalley, Workshop Brass Band trombonist Matthew Plansinis, and Lab Band Lead Tenor player Grayson Dunham. These students all showed leadership, dedication, excellence, and improvement this year. I am grateful for them, and wish them continued success in the coming years. – Director of Jazz Studies, Adam Meckler.

Zane Smalley is a 3rd Year Software Engineering Major with a minor in Mathematical Science. He is a founding member of the Video Game Music Ensemble, and a member of the R&D Big Band, a Jazz Combo, and the Huskies Pep Band at Michigan Tech. Zane has been consistently involved with various bands and choirs since the age of 10 and started playing drums when he was about 13. When he isn’t in rehearsals, Zane enjoys spending his free time playing Super Smash Bros and Risk of Rain 2 with friends or playing and watching disc golf.

Matthew Plansinis has had many aspirations in his life, but by far mathematics and music held most of his interest. From a young age, he liked to build stuff and was just curious how objects worked, so pursuing a career in engineering was an obvious choice. He only decided to major in biomedical engineering due to his youngest of two brothers, who was born with type 1 diabetes.

“A majority of my life I’ve worked with and used equipment designed by biomedical engineers, so in hopes of improving my brother’s physical health, I chose to follow their path.”

As for his interest in music, it started in 2011, when he started learning trombone for the first time in his middle school’s concert band. For the nine years following then, he would learn much, play in a variety of bands, and grow his appreciation for many genres of music. At this moment in his life, Matthew desires to gain a better knowledge of the history and theory of jazz, and to continue playing music in the future.

Grayson Dunham is a 4th year Audio Production and Technology student here at Michigan Tech. He has played in the Jazz Lab Band, as well as the Jaztec combo, for his entire collegiate career – as well as pursuing a minor in Jazz Studies. Some of his hobbies include backcountry skiing, mountain biking, music production and performance, and cooking.

Don Keranen Jazz Awards

Published May 13, 2021

By Tanya Maki

Director of Jazz Studies, Adam Meckler, has announced this year’s student recipients for the Don Keranen Endowed Scholarship Awards.

Each year, excellence in Jazz is recognized by way of the Don Keranen Memorial Jazz Scholarship. Three students are chosen by their peers in recognition of improvement, excellence, and leadership. Our award winners this year include Jazz Lab Band drummer Izzy Waldie, Jazz Lab Band trombonist Nicholas Bussey, and R&D Big Band lead trumpeter Matthew Fisher. These students all showed leadership, dedication, excellence, and improvement this year. Given the limitations of rehearsals, concerts, and recording sessions due to the pandemic, the work these students put in this year is especially impressive. I am grateful for them, and wish them continued success in the coming years. – Director of Jazz Studies, Adam Meckler.

Most Improved Player
Izzy Waldie, Percussion
Jazz Lab Band

Izzy is a 19 year old Audio Production and Technology Major with a Computer Science Minor here at Tech, and the drummer for the Jazz Lab Band and top combo. One day she hopes to work as a recording/mixing engineer or high fidelity loudspeaker designer. She has been drumming since the second grade, and started playing jazz music in High School. When not behind the kit or doing homework she is most likely making music, spending time with friends, or camping somewhere in the Keweenaw, or all three.

Most Valuable Player
Matthew Fisher, Trumpet
R&D Big Band

Matt just finished his first year here at Michigan Tech as a Sound Design major. Music has always been a passion of his, and was excited to be a part of Tech’s Jazz Program.

“I’ve never had an opportunity to be a part of a legit jazz band, so I had a blast this year being a part of two bands and a combo. I’m looking forward to the next three years here at Tech and excited to continue performing in the jazz program!”

Most Valuable Player
Nicholas Bussey, Trombone Jazz Lab Band

Nicholas is a Second-Year Chemical Engineering student and trombonist in MTU’s Jazz Lab Band and top jazz combo. Also a composer, arranger and former Ravinia Jazz Scholar, he is constantly growing as a musician, and uses his skills to create multitrack music videos on top of his contributions in the Lab Band and combo. In his free time, he enjoys cycling long distances and playing niche board games. After graduating, he hopes to work to improve sustainability in the specialty coatings, food or plastics industries.