The program, titled 鈥淚nto the Blue and Beyond,鈥� featured music inspired by the sky and outer space. Unique to this ensemble, all selections were chosen and arranged by the students, allowing them to highlight their artistic voices while creating arrangements tailored to the EMA鈥檚 distinctive instrumentation.

Performing members included Tess Trayner, Patrick Davison, Eliot Morris, Doug Baker, Hashini Amarasinghe, Jake Sherman, Micah Cabot, Mindy Monroe, Noah Raney, Xie Atkinson and Anthony Hotakainen. Maya Cohen supported the tour as the ensemble鈥檚 live sound technician, ensuring each performance delivered a polished and professional experience.

In addition to sharing their music, ensemble members participated in lively question-and-answer sessions following each performance. High school audiences asked about life at 乱伦视频, pathways in music, and what it means to pursue the arts in college鈥攃onversations that created meaningful connections and offered students valuable insight into collegiate music study.

The Thanksgiving break tour not only showcased the students鈥� musical excellence but also their dedication to community engagement and arts education. The 乱伦视频 Music Ambassadors ensemble looks forward to continuing its mission of inspiring young musicians across the region.

The ensemble presented “Anthems of Social Change,” a program featuring music that has historically confronted injustice, inspired social movements and fostered unity across cultures and generations. Audiences experienced a dynamic selection of anti-war songs from the Civil Rights Movement, protest music from Ireland, Ukraine, and Panama, and contemporary works addressing today鈥檚 most pressing social issues. Each piece was carefully selected and arranged by the students, customized to highlight the unique instrumentation of the ensemble.

Members of the 乱伦视频 Music Ambassadors who participated in the tour included Julian Brown, Peter Collins, Grace Chester, Tess Trayner, Kate Rivera, Noah Raney, Anthony Hotakainen, Ella Nagel, Erik Houck, Hashini Amarasinghe, Laker Figueroa and Maya Cohen.

At the conclusion of each performance, the students led a question-and-answer session with the high school audiences discussing the music performed and providing information about 乱伦视频 and careers in music.

This fall concert, 鈥淲anderlust,鈥� features a select group of talented student instrumentalists and vocalists showcasing a wide variety of genres, from jazz to pop.

Virginia Novine-Whittaker, lecturer in music and director of the concert, says the performance had to be rescheduled due to two students studying abroad.

鈥淚t is fitting that the theme of the concert is Wanderlust, and we are moving our concert date to allow students to travel,” said Novine-Whittaker.聽鈥淲anderlust is the lust to wander or a desire to travel. When you have wanderlust, you have that ache in your heart that needs to escape to new and beautiful places.”

Whittaker says the concert will consist of many different genres of music, including jazz, pop, Latin, country and even international music.

鈥淢any of our students have studied abroad, and these experiences bring a special meaning to some of the songs in our concert,” she said.

If the songs display colorful depictions of one鈥檚 love for traveling, they are sure to be heard in this performance.

鈥淭here is truly something for everyone at this concert,” said Novine-Whittaker.

The Music Ambassadors will perform “Vienna” by Billy Joel which holds special meaning for one member of the ensemble, Ella Nagel, who performed with an opera company in Vienna this past summer. The song depicts the importance of slowing down and admiring the view every now and then, something the Music Ambassadors encourage everyone to do as they come enjoy the beautiful music.

The awards are given annually, and recipients are nominated by their colleagues and selected by the College鈥檚 dean and associate deans.

鈥淚t gave me great joy to announce these awards as one of my first official duties of the 2024-25 academic year,鈥� said Dean of 乱伦视频 College, the College of Arts and Sciences, Hilton Kelly, who joined 乱伦视频 in June. 鈥淪tanding in front of the room, I could see that my team and I got it right.聽Faculty and staff were overjoyed for each award recipient.聽The recognition was great and well-deserved for each, but the reception from their colleagues signaled to me that 乱伦视频 College, the College of Arts and Sciences, will be a wonderfully positive and supportive working environment.鈥�

The 2024 College Excellence Award recipients included:

Excellence in Teaching Award

Pratheep Paranthaman

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Since joining 乱伦视频 in 2019, Assistant Professor Pratheep Paranthaman has become recognized as an innovator in the classroom who is dedicated to staying on the cutting edge of his fields of game design and user experiences in virtual and augmented reality technologies. As coordinator of 乱伦视频鈥檚 game design minor, he shares his knowledge and experience with students as they design and publish their own games in the program. He is highly responsive to students鈥� needs, and uses a range of teaching methods, software options and aligns with industry standards to prepare students for life after graduation. Paranthaman鈥檚 enthusiasm drives students鈥� curiosity and passion, and many graduates go on to careers and advanced study in the field. He is also a strong academic adviser to computer science majors and game design minors.

Excellence in Scholarship Award

Bari艧 Kesgin

Associate Professor of Political Science and Policy Studies

Associate Professor Bari艧 Kesgin is a prolific scholar. Since 2021, he has published four articles on topics ranging from Turkish leaders and their foreign policy decision-making style to the operational codes of Pacific Island countries鈥� leaders in relation to climate change.鈥疘n the scholarship of teaching, he has published about teaching through games and simulations for international relations courses. Highly regarded in his field, Kesgin has given six invited talks at universities around the world since 2020, 12 conference presentations in the same timeframe, and published several book reviews on subjects of political science and international relations. Kesgin has several works in progress that bridge the lenses of gender and political analysis.

Excellence in Service-Leadership Award

Richard Blackmon

Associate Professor of Engineering

Associate Professor Richard Blackmon is a dedicated service-leader for the Department of Engineering and 乱伦视频鈥檚 LGBTQIA community. Blackmon鈥檚 involvement guided the engineering degree program to ABET accreditation by assessing courses with an eye toward continuous improvement. He served on the Design Course Sequence Committee to evaluate student outcomes and identify and implement interventions. He is involved with several other department and campus committees at 乱伦视频, including the Innovation Challenge Committee, Math and Natural Sciences Curriculum Committee, Engineering Advisory Board and as a leader of 乱伦视频鈥檚 LGBTQIA Employee Resource Group. He is also a co-advisor of student organization Out in STEM (oSTEM) and advisor for . Blackmon also is director of 乱伦视频鈥檚 Engineering Dual Degree Program.

Sandra Reid

Senior Lecturer in Human Service Studies

Called 鈥渢he epitome of a selfless service-leader for the College and the university,鈥� Senior Lecturer Sandra Reid is involved in initiatives and programs that improve the outcomes of 乱伦视频 students and colleagues at the university. Among many roles, she is campus advisor for the Omicron Iota Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., an advisory board member for the African and African-American Studies and the Criminal Justice Studies minors, as well as the Black student spiritual support group. She is a member of the Black Employees Resource Group. Reid has also served as the internship coordinator for the Poverty and Social Justice minor and co-created the international practicum course in Morocco for the Department of Human Service Studies. In 2023-24, Reid served on 乱伦视频鈥檚 lecturer track review and implementation committee, providing the essential voice of a senior lecturer in the committee鈥檚 processes and recommendations. Her service commitment extends beyond 乱伦视频 and into the greater community as a board member of the Alamance County Community Services office and the Alamance County Community Remembrance Coalition.

Excellence in Mentoring Award

Emily Evans

T.E. Powell Jr. Professor and Professor of Physics

Professor Emily Evans consistently mentors undergraduate researchers to successful outcomes that include publication of their work and acceptance into advanced degree programs. As a mentor, she has secured external research funding to support students while mentoring their projects. Evans finds ways to mentor students in and beyond the classroom, and in curricular and non-curricular spaces. She served as the director of the Lumen Prize, creating cohorts of intellectual community while mentoring both students and faculty mentors through the Lumen process. Evans is the kind of teacher-scholar-mentor faculty in the College aspire to become, evident in the many ways she collaborates with students and colleagues.

Virginia Novine-Whittaker

Lecturer in Music

A longstanding, respected and admired music instructor, Lecturer Virginia Novine-Whittaker has for years provided strong mentorship for 乱伦视频鈥檚 student musicians.鈥疢any of her students now work in major cities around the country, performing in musicals and saxophone quartets, working in the recording industry, and managing, conducting and performing in jazz ensembles. Her students have a track record of success in earning highly competitive positions in military bands, and several of her saxophone students have won national and international performance competitions. Novine-Whittaker was also instrumental in developing the 乱伦视频 Music Ambassadors program, and has taken 乱伦视频鈥檚 undergraduate musicians across the country to showcase their talent and recruit new students for the music program.

Staff Excellence Award

Melissa McBane

Operations and Accounts Specialist for 乱伦视频 College, the College of Arts and Sciences

As operations and accounts specialist for the College, Melissa McBane processes more than 200 contracts a year for contingent faculty and is integrally involved in searches for new permanent faculty and staff in the College. She helped the dean鈥檚 office and faculty in the College navigate the new PageUp hiring processes, managing the technological transition with ease. McBane also processes countless check requests and purchase orders within the College each year. She does it all with a positive attitude and eagerness to help colleagues.

鈥淥ften people think being in a studio is glamorous, being near all of these high-profile clients, but once you鈥檙e actually here, it鈥檚 a lot of work and you need to stay professional and I鈥檝e learned a lot about that in this role,鈥� Bazos said.

Learning the notes

Republic Studios is a section of Republic Records and the larger Universal Music Group (UMG) which hosts many big-name artists including Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Post Malone, Nicki Minaj among others. As an intern, Bazos鈥� responsibilities include prepping the studios for the artists, helping to plan events and getting a front row seat as UMG mixes their entire back catalog to surround sound. The label even lets interns mix their own song as part of a capstone project.

Bazos applied to about 15 different studios/record labels, including Sony and Warner Bros. so she was excited to hear back from UMG 鈥� one of the largest record labels in the world.

鈥淚nstead of just working for the studio, I get to learn about the whole Universal Music Group and other parts of the company as well,鈥� she said.

乱伦视频 music mastery

Bazos credits 乱伦视频鈥檚 music production and recording arts program with helping her get the position by helping her develop her skillset, which stood out from other applicants.

鈥淎 lot of students don鈥檛 even know what a console is. They鈥檙e so used to working on a computer and doing everything virtually,鈥� said Bazos. 鈥淏ut 乱伦视频 has all the technology for mixing, which is great. So, when Republic Studios heard that I already worked with that technology, they said I was ahead of so many people.鈥�

While at 乱伦视频, Bazos has been able to record her own projects at the studios in Arts West. She joined Thistle Ridge Band on campus and recorded their last EP she has been part of several ensembles and she is now an 乱伦视频 Music Ambassador.

During her sophomore year, Bazos was the recipient of the Effie Mae Wicker Johnston music scholarship, which covered her tuition for the year. This summer, she advanced to the National Student Auditions through the National Association of Teachers of Singing, placing third in the lower commercial music tremble voice category.

鈥淭he hands-on attention from faculty at 乱伦视频 and getting to know me so well, being eager to help has changed everything, because it has allowed me to learn so much more,鈥� said Bazos. 鈥淚 also love all of the classes and the program is special because most of the projects we do are real world focused.鈥�

That hands-on attention has also been present at her internship. No matter the level of seniority, Bazos says everyone at the company is willing to help her learn and grow.

鈥淭hey always say 鈥榶ou all are the future generation of the music industry, and we need to teach you guys,鈥欌�� Bazos said about speaking with company leadership. 鈥淚 feel comfortable asking everyone questions and everyone has been so kind. It was a good surprise.鈥�

Know an 乱伦视频 student doing a unique summer internship?
Email Avery Craine Powell, associate director of the 乱伦视频 News Bureau, at acrainepowell@elon.edu.

While at 乱伦视频, Eady studied privately with Thomas Turanchik and worked regularly with accompanist Sharon LaRocco. She was principal clarinet in the 乱伦视频 Orchestra for four years under the direction of Thomas Erdmann and performed with the 乱伦视频 Music Ambassadors led by Virginia Novine-Whittaker. She was a recipient of the 乱伦视频 Presidential, Orchestral and Music Department scholarships recipient and earned a bachelor of arts degree in arts administration and music in the liberal arts with minors in communications and business administration.

Eady performed two movements of Bernhard Henrik Crusell’s Clarinet Concerto No. 1 to win the competition. Although the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancelation of the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra鈥檚 annual soloist concert, she will perform a solo clarinet recital in April.

The virtual performance will take place inside McCrary Theatre on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. and be streamed live on the .

Each semester the unique chamber ensemble creates a theme-based program meant to entertain and educate audiences. Friday, the 乱伦视频 Music Ambassadors will perform a variety of music styles in a performance carefully selected and arranged by students to bring joy and peace in a time when the world needs them most.

Under the direction of Lecturer in Music Virginia Novine-Whittaker, the 乱伦视频 Music Ambassadors include Kevin Wilson ’22, Ben Hawkins ’23, Miles Caraballo ’21, Sam Ellingsworth ’21, Eli Wheeler ’21, Brendan Steuart ’21, Giselle Watts ’23, Andrew High ’22 and Alexandra Byers ’22.

The 乱伦视频 Music Ambassadors are a select group of music majors chosen by faculty from 乱伦视频鈥檚 Department of Music based on their musicianship, academic and leadership skills. The ensemble engages in multiple performance tours each semester, visiting more than 30 high schools in five states and performing for approximately 4,000 high school students in just the past few years.

Learn more about the 乱伦视频 Music Ambassadors and the Department of Music here.

Friday, Sept. 22 – 7:30 pm – Dana Auditorium in Greensboro
Saturday, Sept. 23 – 7:30 pm – Brendle Recital Hall in Winston-Salem.

Tickets: $20/adult – $5/student

More information at 

The North Carolina Brass Band, under the direction of Brian Meixner, is a 28-member brass band composed of many of the state’s finest brass players and percussionists. The diverse musicians of the NCBB have come together to provide concertgoers with a variety of musical styles including transcriptions of music for orchestra, wind band, choir, jazz and pop music, and the wealth of exciting original music written for brass band. 

The North Carolina Brass Band has recorded two albums and has been performing for audiences in its home region of the Triad and beyond. Performances at the Great American Brass Band Festival and the North Carolina Music Educators Association convention were received enthusiastically.

“The North Carolina Brass Band is the real deal!” – Vince DiMartino, brass and jazz legend

“The North Carolina Brass Band’s debut album, ‘First in Flight’, is an amazing testimony in ensemble musicianship and performance.” – International Trumpet Guild Journal

An encore performance of 乱伦视频 Music Ambassadors presents: A Celebration of Music in Film will instead be held at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 16 in Yeager Recital Hall. 

Music has been at the heart of every memorable film, enhancing emotions and bringing the story to life. Under the direction of Professor Virginia Novine Whittaker, the 乱伦视频 Music Ambassadors perform favorite movie themes and iconic melodies that exemplify the art of film music. We will be featuring music from films including Schlindler’s List, James Bond 007, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars, Disney films and more. 

The concert is free and open to the public.