So, Rob, what all is going to be taking place at UCO in the upcoming week?

Well, we got it started tonight, tonight with a concert by Alexander Dossin.

He's a pianist from the Pacific Northwest, actually originally Brazilian, but has won a bunch of competitions.

And he's a guest artist tonight at 7.30 p.m. in Radke Fine Arts.

And then he follows it up tomorrow with a masterclass in Radke Fine Arts from 9 till 12.

So a world-class level pianist, if you're interested in coming to that this Thursday, tonight evening.

um and then tomorrow in addition to the master class in the morning we have our second street singers concert on a friday evening we don't usually have these on friday evenings they're usually on a monday or tuesday so this is a great time to get out and say see this amazing group it's our it's our vocal jazz group the evening is always so fun um uh the the group has just uh produced some incredible singers and uh i'm excited for that concert on uh tomorrow night at 7 30 p.m in the jazz lab for the second street singers concert and then on sunday another event that's happening in the jazz lab is our songs from the heart uh concert which is happening as a part of our faculty artist concert series this performance is by kevin eckard and sally pollock And Kevin will be singing some classical songs, some music theater songs, and more.

And I know we have plenty of those small ensembles that rehearse and perform regularly at UCO.

So, Rob, what else is going to be coming to UCO in the coming week?

Well, we have a good, just a few events this week, but they're great events.

So starting tomorrow and Saturday, we have the New Bronco Showcase.

And this is our annual introduction of our incoming class of music theater students.

To the world.

It's the first time they get a chance to get up on stage and perform.

It's always a really, really fun show.

feel free to come over and get some more.

Now, Rob, is there a specific area or student organization we wanted to highlight this week?

Well, since it's a marching band, you know, this weekend, let's go ahead and talk about them.

So the Stampede of Sound is UCO's marching band.

And we don't often talk about the marching band in this Spotlight on the Arts, but it's a fantastic way to engage students.

the entire university community in what the School of Music has to offer.

You know, there are a lot of people on campus who will never go to see an opera or a musical or a symphony concert, but they will go to a football game.

They will go to a basketball game.

So, Rob, can you tell us or remind us, because I know we talked about this previously, about the decade of divas that's taking place this upcoming weekend?

So what all will be going on at UCO?

Yeah, Paul, as you said, it is a pretty light time, uh, right now.

Actually, today is the start of fall break, so this whole weekend we have nothing going on at the School of Music or really at UCO at all.

Um, and so next week, we're looking at just one event before our next Spotlight, and that is our jazz ensembles have their second concert of the year on Wednesday, the 21st of October, and Thursday, one week from today, the 22nd, both at s- 7:00 PM, and you'll hear two of our jazz ensembles per concert, plus, uh, we always have a high school guest ensemble that opens for us.

So those, uh, jazz ensemble concerts are always, um, standing roo- room only.

It's, it's just a really great experience.

You know, I had a...

[laughs]

I know we've got the music theater that's really kind of taken over Mitchell Hall, correct?

Yeah, this is the first weekend of our first production at Mitchell Hall this year.

And it's Anything Goes, which is one of my favorite shows.

Anything Goes is just such a fun show, a laugh a minute.

I mean, you can say that about a lot of shows, but Anything Goes is really that way.

I've now been in two productions myself.

And both were, the audiences just went crazy for the show.

I know that's a point of pride for you all.

So, Rob, what's all going to be taking place at UCO in the coming week?

But we've got performances by three of our major ensembles in the next week.

It's an exciting, it's our first real big week of music.

And we start off by Saturday.

This Saturday at the Oklahoma State Fair, our Stampede of Sound marching band is marching in the Grand Heroes Parade.

So, of course, that's the opening day of the Oklahoma State Fair, and we'd love to see everyone out there.

The parade starts at 2 p.m. and come and support the Broncos as they march on by and then get yourself a smoked turkey leg or a Dole Whip or something like that and enjoy the fair after that.

we

And if I'm remembering correctly, this all kind of started because a little kid, when you were out and about, asked you to write a musical about pirates, correct? Or an opera about pirates?

Yeah, I asked him.

A nine-year-old said, what kind of opera would you like? to see as a kid.

And he, and he said, I would really like an opera about real life pirates.

And I said, I could do that.

And I did.

So, yeah.

So what is what has been like kind of seeing it, you know, expand and now be put on stage at the little theater at the Civic Center Music Hall?

So Rob, what else is going to be coming to Mitchell Hall this season?

Yeah, this year is our 100-year anniversary at Mitchell Hall, so we're excited about that.

We have a great season for you.

We start at the end of September, two weeks of Anything Goes, the wonderful Cole Porter musical set on a ship filled with tap dancing, and that's presented by our UCO Musical Theater Program.

And then we follow in the end of of October with Dracula, but not just a normal Dracula.

This is Dracula, a feminist revenge fantasy, really, which is a darkly comic stage adaption of the classic novel written by playwright Kate Hamill in November of twenty twenty six.

We have our kaleidoscope dance company with their their fall concert.

Now, this has been, I know we've talked in previous episodes, my affinity for the Pirates of Penzance, and you have adapted this from the Pirates of Penzance, correct? Correct.

in a very similar setting.

But it's also one of the greatest works in all history of theater.

So it was just a perfect match for us the first year.

And In February of 2017, we performed La Traviata twice.

We sold out both performances and we were kind of on our way.

So if you fast forward to 10 years now, we're celebrating 10 years as an opera company.

Already performed more than 30 operas in our 10-year history.

with uh uh professor jan mcdaniel who unfortunately we lost um this past week i know he was the music director for was he the music director for all 10 years there at pain it's guy forgive my ignorance i should have looked at it yes