{"id":110311,"date":"2024-05-26T19:47:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-26T23:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&p=110311"},"modified":"2024-06-28T10:56:22","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T14:56:22","slug":"class-notes-5","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2024\/class-notes-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Class Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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Kathy McCafferty (\u201996), left, and Tatiana Chavez (\u201920) starred in Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater\u2019s world premiere of The Pickleball Wars<\/em> by Kevin Rice (CAS\u201974, GRS\u201999) in August 2023. Other alums involved in the production include producing artistic director Christopher Ostrom (\u201998), company manager Geoff Borman (\u201908), and technical director Danielle Ibrahim (\u201921). Michael & Suz Karchmer<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tClass Notes\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Summer 2024<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n
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May 26, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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SHARE YOUR STORY!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

We want to hear what you\u2019ve been up to. Send us your news and photos at bu.edu\/cfa\/share-your-story<\/a>, and we\u2019ll share the highlights here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1960s<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Charles W. Palmer (\u201965) <\/strong>had 14 oil paintings, all completed in 2023, featured in the exhibition Recent Works<\/em> at the Fire on Main Gallery in Soap Lake, Wash., from August through November 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Anabel Graetz. SOPA Images Limited\/Alamy Live News<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Anabel Graetz<\/strong> (\u201966)<\/strong> (pictured, right) played the role of Ruth in Good Burger 2<\/em>, which was released in 2023. Graetz continues to teach voice out of her Lexington, Mass., studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cynthia Close (\u201967,\u201969)<\/strong> is a contributing editor for Documentary Magazine<\/em> and writes regularly about art, cinema, and culture for Artists Magazine<\/em>, Art & Object<\/em>, Pastel Journal<\/em>, Watercolor Artist<\/em>, Art New England<\/em>, and The Observer<\/em>. Her creative nonfiction and essays have been published in anthologies and various literary journals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen Roop (\u201969,\u201975)<\/strong> exhibited her paintings in fall 2023 as part of a group show celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Francesca Anderson Fine Art Gallery in Lexington, Mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philip G. Simon (\u201969) <\/strong>is an associate professor of music emeritus and has continued to teach part time at the Wilkes University Division of Performing Arts music program following his May 2019 retirement. He transcribed and arranged Lili Boulanger\u2019s D\u2019un matin de printemps<\/em> for woodwind trio and string quartet, which was performed by members of the New Jersey Chamber Orchestra in August 2022. Simon also published a book, A History of American Popular Music<\/em> (Cognella, 2024). He currently teaches a course in American popular music for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Temple University, and he continues to teach, guest conduct, present clinics, and perform on tuba and bass throughout northeastern Pennsylvania. Simon serves as an alumni ambassador for the Boston Youth Symphony and would enjoy hearing from his friends and classmates. You can email him at philip.simon@wilkes.edu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1970s<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Marguerite V. Ogden (\u201970)<\/strong> exhibited a monotype in The Boston Printmakers 2023 North American Print Biennial, at BU\u2019s 808 Gallery. The exhibit ran from October through December 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will Lyman (\u201971)<\/strong>, Talia Sulla (\u201923)<\/strong>, <\/strong>and Jesse Kodama (\u201925) <\/strong>performed in the Huntington Theatre Company\u2019s Prayer for the French Republic<\/em>, which ran in fall 2023. Christopher Akerlind (\u201985)<\/strong> was lighting designer for the production and Zach Kelley (\u201922) <\/strong>and Fady Demian (\u201923)<\/strong> were understudies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judith Dickson (\u201975) <\/strong>published a book, A Successful and Proven Guide to the First Time Homebuyer, Putting It All Together<\/em> (Page Publishing, 2016), inspired by her homebuying experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sandi Gold (\u201975)<\/strong> released her book I Chose Love: How to Thrive After a Life-Threatening Illness Using Love to Guide You<\/em> on January 16, 2024. The book, which has been 30 years in the making, is part memoir and part self-help, chronicling her transformative journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Krafchick (\u201975)<\/strong> wrote the play The Fawn and the Black Oak, A Sword Play<\/em>. It has had two professional readings at the Tacoma Little Theatre in Tacoma, Wash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grant Drumheller (\u201976,\u201978) <\/strong>participated in the exhibition Horizons<\/em> at the Museum of New Art in Portsmouth, N.H., in summer 2023. He writes that the exhibit offered a fresh perspective on the horizon, an essential way of understanding the space around us and our relationship to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susan Kerner (\u201977)<\/strong> is a professor emerita at Montclair State University and <\/strong>is coproducer of the nationally and internationally recognized documentary Eva\u2019s Promise<\/em>. The film tells the story of Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, who had promised her brother, Heinz Geiringer, that she would retrieve his paintings and poetry, hidden under the floorboards of the attic where Heinz and his father were hiding, if he should die in the concentration camps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Stuart (\u201977)<\/strong> had his 10th solo exhibit, Light Gets In,<\/em> at the Reynolds Gallery in Richmond, Va., in November and December 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tracy Burtz (\u201978)<\/strong> showcased her work in the solo exhibition Voices<\/em> at The Painting Center in New York City in January 2024 and in the show Solitude<\/em> at Edgewater Gallery in Middlebury, Vt., in spring 2024. Edgewater Gallery, Thomas Deans Fine Art in Atlanta, Ga., and East End Gallery and Nantucket Looms, both in Nantucket, Mass., represent Burtz\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jody Gelb\u2019s (\u201978)<\/strong> micro-memoir, She May Be Lying Down but She May Be Very Happy<\/em>, was published by Kelson Books in 2023. The book explores terror, hope, joy, disability, acceptance, death, and awe through Gelb\u2019s writing about life with her late daughter who survived a catastrophic birth during Gelb\u2019s pregnancy leave from The Who\u2019s Tommy<\/em> on Broadway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deborah Kamy Hull (\u201978)<\/strong> had her new collection of work, Cross-Pollination<\/em>, exhibited at HallSpace in Dorchester, Mass., last winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marsha Goldberg (\u201979) <\/strong>exhibited her work in Marsha Goldberg & Andrew Zimmerman: Taking Shape<\/em> at the Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, N.J., from September 2023 to January 2024. Goldberg also had work included in Adah Rose Gallery\u2019s booth, B-2, at ArtFair 14C at the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal building at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, N.J., in October 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nina Tassler (\u2019<\/strong>79, Hon.\u201916) <\/strong>produced the Chicago Shakespeare Theater\u2019s Judgment Day<\/em>, which was directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel (\u201900)<\/strong> and starred Jason Alexander (\u2019<\/strong>81, Hon.\u201995)<\/strong>. The comedy ran from April 23 through May 26, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ed Wierzbicki (\u201979, COM\u201990) <\/strong>has been leading a team of actors, therapists, and Emmy-winning filmmakers in producing more than 80 films that delve into adolescent trauma and therapy. They now have two ongoing series: Critical Moments<\/em>, which takes audiences inside therapy sessions by way of a devised theater approach, using improv actors and trauma therapists; and the Trauma Avengers<\/em>, where actors portray six young characters, based on actual clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1980s<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Julia Shepley (\u201980)<\/strong> was the 2023 environmental\/installation artist for the Goetemann Artist Residency in collaboration with the Ocean Alliance. Her prints were on exhibit in Somerville Prints!<\/em> at the Brickbottom Gallery in Somerville, Mass., in November and December 2023. Other new works were included in the exhibition Object Lesson<\/em> in February and March 2024 at the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset, Mass. Her solo exhibition, Carry<\/em>, at Boston Sculptors Gallery was reviewed in Sculpture Magazine<\/em>, and her participation in the Material Drawing-Drawn to Touch<\/em> exhibit at Catamount Arts in Saint Johnsbury, Vt., in discussion with curator Katherine French, is recorded on the Catamount Arts website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jason Alexander (\u201981, Hon.\u201995)<\/strong> was the director of the Broadway comedy The Cottage<\/em>, which had performances at the Hayes Theater in summer and fall 2023. Paul Tate DePoo (\u201910) <\/strong>was the show\u2019s scenic designer. Alexander was also honored at the Creative Coalition Humanitarian Awards, which recognizes those who donate their time, resources, and celebrity to promote worthy social causes. Additionally, Alexander lent his voice to the Netflix animated film Leo.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen Carpenter (\u201981)<\/strong> is the director of the musical Ballad of Dreams<\/em>. She is also associate artistic director of The Old Globe, where she has produced over 40 plays and musicals, revived their annual Shakespeare Festival, and directed many award-winning plays, among them, As You Like It<\/em>, named Best of the Year by San Diego Magazine<\/em>. She is also the producing director of her company, The Figment Factory, LLC, which puts on corporate and nonprofit events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacob Litoff (\u201981) <\/strong>performed the Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint Georges Violin Concerto #9 and the Concertino in G, Opus 42 by Mieczyslaw Weinberg with the Charles River Sinfonietta in their June and July 2023 music festivals. He also played the first cello in the Elegie for 4 Cellos by Josef Werner. Litoff is still freelancing and teaching violin, viola, and cello.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stephanie Reiter (\u201981)<\/strong> showcased her work in exhibitions at George Billis Gallery in Fairfield, Conn., and New York City in summer 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wynn Harmon (\u201982) <\/strong>played Doc in West Side Story<\/em> at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Sardinia; Francis Fuller in the 2023 Law & Order SVU <\/em>episode \u201cBend the Law\u201d; and multiple roles in the world premiere of Anna Deavere Smith\u2019s Love All<\/em>, the story of Billie Jean King (Hon.\u201908), at La Jolla Playhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kathleen Mulligan (\u201982)<\/strong> completed her project \u201cPreserving the Vanishing Stories of Partition,\u201d which was awarded a Fulbright-Nehru grant. Mulligan created original monologues with students at Khalsa College in Amritsar, India, based on interviews with survivors of the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. While in India, Mulligan also gave a performance of William Luce\u2019s one-woman play, The Belle of Amherst<\/em>, at seven different venues throughout northern India and Nepal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Nixon (\u201982)<\/strong> writes that he presented a new body of work that merged the spheres of old-world etching, contemporary digital image-making, and traditional printmaking technology in the Art at Watson exhibition, Andrew Nixon: Inventions and Discoveries<\/em>, which ran at Brown University from September 4, 2023, through January 12, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nancy Goldstein (\u201983)<\/strong> is designing architectural and landscape lighting for a large residential renovation project in Brookline, Mass. She writes that BU once owned the house and John Silber (Hon.\u201995) lived in it during his presidency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julianne Moore<\/strong> (\u201983)<\/strong> starred as Gracie Atherton-Yoo in the film May December<\/em>, a drama about a notorious tabloid couple whose lives are upended when an actress arrives to do research about their past for a movie. Moore\u2019s performance earned her nominations for the 2024 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role and the 2024 Critics\u2019 Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Michael Chiklis. Warrick Page\/HBO<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Michael Chiklis (\u201985) <\/strong>(below) starred as Celtics general manager Red Auerbach (Hon.\u201984) in the second season of HBO\u2019s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,<\/em> which premiered in August 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Near (\u201985)<\/strong> edited and translated Autobiographical Recollections of Charles-Marie Widor<\/em> (University of Rochester Press, 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steven Sussman (\u201987) <\/strong>plays piano in the acclaimed trio Ensemble Aubade, which made its debut in the Music at Christ Church Concert Series in Andover, Mass., on November 19, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ellen Harvey (\u201988)<\/strong> acted in the Off-Broadway play Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors<\/em>, a reimagining of the classic, which ran at New World Stages from September 2023 through January 2024. Tijana Bjelajac (\u201907)<\/strong> was the production\u2019s scenic\/puppetry designer and Tristan Raines (\u201912) <\/strong>was the costume designer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sonya White Hope (BUTI\u201983,\u201984, CFA\u201988,\u201990,\u201916)<\/strong> is founding executive director of Sankofa Songs, which, she writes, cultivates exceptional Africentric arts education practice by nurturing community among aspiring and experienced Africentric arts educators, providing professional development, producing events, spearheading research, and developing pedagogical tools that support K\u201312 arts educators and their instruction. For more information, visit sankofasongs.org.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura Reeder (\u201989) <\/strong>is a curriculum coordinator for a US Department of Education \u201cPEACE\u201d Project with Patchogue Arts Council, addressing issues of segregation in New York\u2019s Suffolk County, which, she writes, is one of the most segregated counties in the US. Reeder was invited to be a part of a panel on ecofeminism and land art at the 2023 International Sculpture conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cathy Sheridan (\u201989)<\/strong> was named president of New York City\u2019s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Bridges and Tunnels in August 2023 after serving as the interim president since March 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1990s<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Ken Schaphorst (\u201990) <\/strong>had his compositions played by the New England Conservatory Jazz Orchestra on December 7, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christopher Shelley (\u201992) <\/strong>earned his certified professional wedding officiant distinction from the International Association of Professional Wedding Officiants and is a member of The Knot Hall of Fame for wedding officiating. Shelley\u2019s <\/strong>passion project is developing a keynote speech and program called People Skills Live for colleges, high schools, and companies around the country. It\u2019s designed to help people conquer social anxiety, present themselves with confidence, and position themselves for success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Coleman (BUTI\u201986, CFA\u201993)<\/strong> is a composer and theater music director. He has been the director of choral music at the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Mass., for 23 years and the director of the 220-voice Tufts Third Day Gospel Choir for 16 years. He recently celebrated 26 years of marriage to Fadie Thomas Coleman (CAMED\u201916), who won a BU Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2022 while teaching at BU\u2019s medical school. Their daughter, Aim\u00e9e (BUTI\u201921)<\/strong>, is in her second year of college, majoring in musical theater. Coleman also won the 2023 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Music Direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cristina Todesco (\u201994,\u201905,\u201909)<\/strong> was the scenic designer for SpeakEasy Stage Company\u2019s production of Samuel D. Hunter\u2019s A Case for the Existence of God<\/em>, directed by Melinda Lopez (GRS\u201900), which ran from January 26 through February 17, 2024. Aubrey Dube (\u201918)<\/strong> was the production\u2019s sound designer and Jolie Frazer-Madge (\u201920)<\/strong> was the assistant stage manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kathy McCafferty (\u201996)<\/strong> and Tatiana Chavez (\u201920) <\/strong>starred in Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater\u2019s world premiere of The Pickleball Wars<\/em> by Kevin Rice (CAS\u201974, GRS\u201999)<\/strong> in August 2023. Other alums involved in the production include producing artistic director Christopher Ostrom (\u201998)<\/strong>, company manager Geoff Borman (\u201908)<\/strong>, and technical director Danielle Ibrahim (\u201921)<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rick Plaugher (\u201997)<\/strong> opened Take Choice Acting, a conservatory-level training studio in New York City for young talent that offers a variety of classes, such as small group training sessions, one-on-one coaching, and college audition preparation sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michele Caniato (\u201998) <\/strong>composed Ao Viandante<\/em> (To the Wayfarer)<\/em> while at Obras Foundation for the Arts in Portugal. The choral work will be recorded by Coro Volante for Ablaze Records. Caniato\u2019s piece Half-Time (A Basketball Intermezzo) <\/em>for saxophonist Andy Wen premiered in November 2023 at Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio. It was included in Wen\u2019s recital tour of numerous universities and at the 44th International Saxophone Symposium at George Mason University. In April 2024, Caniato was a resident composer at the Visby International Center for Composers in Sweden, where he worked on an opera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2000s<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Fay Wolf (\u201900) <\/strong>had two original songs and a commissioned cover of \u201cThe Water Is Wide\u201d featured in the Netflix limited series Devil in Ohio<\/em>, which was created and executive produced by Daria Polatin (\u201900) <\/strong>and starred Emily Deschanel (\u201998)<\/strong>. Her songs are featured on the show\u2019s official soundtrack, which was released on vinyl in fall 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ginnifer Goodwin (\u201901)<\/strong> starred in Buddy Games: Spring Awakening<\/em> and voiced Judy Hopps in Once Upon a Studio, <\/em>a short film marking Disney\u2019s 100th anniversary that featured an ensemble of beloved characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justin Nurin (\u201901)<\/strong>, a trumpet performer, shares that he played the national anthem prior to game 7 of the MLB National League Championship Series in Philadelphia in October 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steven Behnke (BUTI\u201902)<\/strong> is the large ensembles manager for the Mannes School of Music at The New School in New York City. Behnke manages all aspects of the orchestra program as the orchestra, library, and stage manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ilah Cibis (\u201902) <\/strong>won the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award from the North Bennet Street School in Boston. She attended their jewelry making and repair program after completing her BFA at BU. Cibis also opened the flagship store for her jewelry brand in Worcester, Mass., in summer 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah Davis (\u201902) <\/strong>performed at the Logan County Historical Society and Overland Trail Museum in Sterling, Colo., honoring veterans with a special concert, \u201cWartime Songs Through the Years.\u201d She also works for the state of Colorado and serves as a board member on the Logan County Arts League and the Ivan E. Rundus Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla Mohammadi (\u201902)<\/strong>, an assistant professor at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and an abstract artist, was the juror for an abstract art show at River Arts in Damariscotta, Maine, in fall 2023. Mohammadi also had her work on display in Seeing Through <\/em>at Cove Street Arts in Portland, Maine, from July to September 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jason Borbet (\u201903) <\/strong>opened Borbay Studios & Gallery in Victor, Idaho.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arturo Chac\u00f3n-Cruz (\u201903)<\/strong> sang the title role in Verdi\u2019s Il trovatore<\/em> at the San Francisco Opera in fall 2023. Other roles of his include Des Grieux in Massenet\u2019s opera Manon<\/em> in Tenerife; King Gustavo III in Un Ballo in Maschera<\/em> at Barcelona\u2019s Gran Teatre del Liceu; Rodolfo in Puccini\u2019s La boh\u00e8me<\/em> in Las Palmas, Spain, and Bordeaux, France; and Don Jos\u00e9 in Bizet\u2019s Carmen<\/em> in Belgium. He also sang the closing concert of the Cervantino Festival in Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clare Maloney (BUTI\u201903, CFA\u201908) <\/strong>has been recording original music and performing with her band, Clare Maloney & The Great Adventure. Their 2023 summer tour included stops across the northeast United States. They opened for Bailen as well as Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo and played a preshow for Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Maloney and the band returned to Boston for a show at the Rockwood Music Hall in the Fenway in October 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coleen Scott (\u201904) <\/strong>signed a second book contract to document Hollywood costume history, focusing on The Collection of Motion Picture Costume Design in Los Angeles. Scott is also a member of the costume technology and makeup faculty at Santa Rosa Junior College in Santa Rosa, Calif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nathan Zullinger (\u201904,\u201912)<\/strong> is an assistant professor and director of the choral and vocal program at Haverford College. He previously served on the faculties of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the University of Rhode Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resa Blatman\u2019s (\u201906)<\/strong> paintings were included in the fall 2023 exhibition Bats!<\/em> at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass. She was also a 2023 recipient of the Mass Cultural Council grant and the city of Somerville recovery grant. Blatman is the 2023\u20132024 artist-in-residence at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Mass., where she is making a series of paintings and terrariums inspired by the cemetery decorations and the landscape. She is also hosting intimate and informal chats about death with anyone interested and curious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katy Rubin (\u201907)<\/strong> is working to implement Legislative Theatre (LT), a participatory policy-making strategy, in cities in the UK and internationally. She collaborated with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on an LT initiative to create a five-year Homelessness Prevention Strategy. The project was awarded the International Observatory of Participatory Democracy\u2019s 2022 Award for Best Practice in Citizen Participation. Rubin also was named a 2023\u201324 Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity at the London School of Economics. The mission of the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity program is to create and support a community of changemakers from around the globe who are working to address social and economic inequalities. To find out more about Legislative Theatre and Rubin\u2019s work, visit katyrubin.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicholas Zegel (\u201907)<\/strong> has been building his own design studio, NICK, in Long Beach, Calif. One of his major clients is New Balance. Zegel has also worked with Arts Council Long Beach on a large-scale community project set to debut in 2024 and has been hosting a local Taco Bell Drawing Club, where artists gather at a Long Beach location of the fast food chain to work on drawings. This community building effort was inspired by the late artist Jason Polan and continues to attract new members and the attention of press and Taco Bell corporate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vasiliy Medved (\u201908,\u201909)<\/strong> composed his \u201cThree Pieces for Choir Acapella\u201d score during his graduate studies at BU. It won the Ablaze Records Call for Scores and was included in the National Union of Composers of Moldova collection of choral pieces that are waiting for government grant approval for publishing in Eastern Europe. Medved\u2019s music was published by Lumina Publishing House, Republic of Moldova (2021 and 2022), and by Lantro Music Publishing House, Brussels, Belgium (2023).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jenny Rachel Weiner (\u201909)<\/strong> wrote The Chameleon<\/em>, a satire that explores the complexities of assimilation and Jewish identity. Directed by Ellie Heyman (\u201912)<\/strong>, the play had its world premiere in fall 2023 at Theater J in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2010s<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Katie Fortunato (\u201910)<\/strong> produced Nicole Travolta\u2019s autobiographical one-woman comedic play, Nicole Travolta Is Doing Alright<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kathy Liao. Photo by Jim Barcus<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Kathy Liao (\u201911)<\/strong> was a 2023 recipient of the Joan Mitchell Fellowship, awarded to 15 artists from across the US. The Joan Mitchell Fellows each receive $60,000, distributed over five years, and the chance to participate in professional development opportunities, convenings that facilitate community building and peer learning, and programs that focus on personal finance, legacy planning, and thought leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Mayer (\u201911)<\/strong>, Jesse Garlick (\u201914)<\/strong>, <\/strong>and Fady Demian (\u201923) <\/strong>acted in SpeakEasy Stage and the Huntington Theatre\u2019s coproduction of The Band\u2019s Visit<\/em> by Itamar Moses and David Yazbek, directed by Paul Daigneault, which ran November 10\u2013December 17, 2023. Aja M. Jackson (\u201918) <\/strong>was the production\u2019s lighting designer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jason Powell (\u201911)<\/strong> wrote and published an autobiography, Red-Headed Stepchild<\/em> (2023), about the horrors of child abuse. He writes that he is hoping educators will use his book to help teach students that they must have a voice when it comes to their safety. Powell received his doctorate in leadership for educational justice with an emphasis in child abuse from the University of Redlands. His dissertation was an autoethnography designed to explore how and why some students are able to emerge victoriously from horrific and traumatic upbringings, while others are unable to find their own equal liberation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sydney Lemmon (\u201912)<\/strong> starred in the world premiere of the play Job<\/em> in fall 2023, which marked her Off-Broadway debut. Job<\/em> is a thriller with a twist that upends all expectations. The play won the inaugural SoHo Playhouse Lighthouse Series in 2021 and received an extended run at the Connelly Theater through March 23, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katrina Galka (\u201913) <\/strong>and Jose Mart\u00ednez (\u201920) <\/strong>performed in Peter Grimes <\/em>at the historic Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy, in fall 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristin Renee Young (\u201913)<\/strong>, a soprano, joined the music ensemble Celtic to Classical for performances at venues in southern Delaware in August 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leonard Augustine Choo (\u201914)<\/strong>, a costume designer, fashion consultant, and educator, was named to Prestige Online<\/em>\u2019s Class of 2023 40 Under 40 list. Choo is the director of industry development at Singapore Fashion Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benjamin Taylor (\u201914,\u201916) <\/strong>played Marcello in a new adaptation of La boh\u00e8me <\/em>in August and September 2023 at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naomi J. Brigell (BUTI\u201911, CFA\u201915) <\/strong>performed in a Fran Randall classical concert in the Maple Room in Evanston, Ill. Brigell has appeared as a soloist with the Dayton Philharmonic, Palm Beach Symphony, Bach Collegium Fort Wayne, and Salt Creek Song Festival. She is based in Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben Ducoff (\u201915) <\/strong>recently released an independent feature film, Yaniv<\/em>, which he cowrote, produced, and starred in alongside fellow CFA grads, including producer\/actor Nik Sadhnani<\/strong> (\u201915)<\/strong>, and actors Annabel Steven<\/strong> (\u201915)<\/strong>, Ben Salus<\/strong> (\u201916)<\/strong>, and Ian Geers<\/strong> (\u201914)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katie Velasquez (BUTI\u201910, CFA\u201915) <\/strong>is the principal flutist of the Missouri Symphony and the artistic director of the Virtual Flute Music Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kathryn D. Brownlee (\u201916) <\/strong>was awarded the 2023 American Prize in Conducting\u2013Community Orchestra Division. Brownlee <\/strong>is the founder, artistic director, and conductor of New Texas Symphony Orchestra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brad Foust (\u201917)<\/strong> was appointed to the board of directors for Arts Ed Tennessee, a nonprofit agency that advances, promotes, and supports music, theater, dance, and visual art education through a robust statewide coalition of arts education advocates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachel Orth (\u201917,\u201928) <\/strong>performed the violin in the Center for Beethoven Research at Boston University\u2019s event Creation and Temporality: Beethoven\u2019s Piano Trio in Bb, Op.97 and Schubert\u2019s Piano Trio in Eb, Op. 100\u2013A Symposium and Performance <\/em>in November 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kendra Jain (\u201919)<\/strong> and Sarah Shin (\u201919)<\/strong> coproduced The<\/em> Sitayana (or \u201cHow to Make an Exit\u201d)<\/em>, presented by The Tank, in association with Waves of Love, which had performances in New York City in August 2023 and in Boston in 2024. Jain starred in and Shin directed the one-woman, contemporary retelling of the Ramayana, a classic Hindu epic. Kyra Tantao (\u201918)<\/strong> (graphic designer), Elizabeth Baker (\u201920)<\/strong> (social media manager), Bea Perez-Arche (\u201920)<\/strong> (production stage manager and assistant director), Danielle DeLaFuente (\u201922)<\/strong> (scenic designer), and McKenna Ebert (\u201922, CAS\u201922)<\/strong> (lighting designer) were also involved in the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Pfitzer (\u201919)<\/strong> is choral director at Deerfield Academy and interim conductor of the Mystic Chorale. Pfitzer lives in Greenfield, Mass., with his two children, wife, Caitlin, and new dog, Rosie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020s<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Gina Fonseca (\u201920)<\/strong> starred in Martyna Majok\u2019s Cost of Living<\/em> at SpeakEasy Stage Company in March 2024. Alex Lonati (MET\u201921) directed the play and Amanda Fallon (\u201921)<\/strong> was the production\u2019s lighting designer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jose Mart\u00ednez (\u201920) <\/strong>was recently granted the International Tuba and Euphonium Association Jim & Jamie Self Creative Award and was named ambassador of the Luminarts Cultural Foundation at the Union League Club of Chicago in 2023. Mart\u00ednez is currently on a one-year leave from the National Orchestra of Spain in order to perform internationally in countries including Belgium, Switzerland, United States, the Netherlands, and Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa Primeau (\u201920) <\/strong>joined the US Navy Band flute section based in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maurya Dickerson (\u201921) <\/strong>plays with the Ocala, Fla., and Venice, Fla., Symphonies and with the Gainesville Chamber Orchestra. She has also performed at the Zodiac Chamber Music Festival in France and at the Virtuoso & Belcanto Music Festival in Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ashby Gentry (\u201921) <\/strong>starred as Alex in the Netflix original series My Life with the Walter Boys<\/em>. The coming-of-age drama premiered in December 2023 and was in Netflix\u2019s Top 10 in 88 countries the week of its release. The series has already been renewed for a second season, in which Gentry will reprise his role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victoria Paspalas (\u201921,\u201923) <\/strong>is the assistant band director at the University of Notre Dame, where she works with the marching band, varsity band, and concert bands as well as teaches several classes in instrumental techniques and music technology. Paspalas also accompanied the band on a trip to Dublin, Ireland, for their first football game as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in August 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bobby Rogers (\u201921)<\/strong> is a professor of music at Woodland Community College in Woodland, Calif. Rogers, who is also maestro of the Santa Rosa Youth Symphony and Santa Rosa Symphony Professional Orchestra Family Concert Series, also completed an 11-day tour of Spain conducting the Santa Rosa Youth Symphony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

mica rose (\u201921)<\/strong> is the codirector of emergence at Arts Connect International, a nonprofit dedicated to building equity in and through the arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saejin Yoo (\u201921)<\/strong> is program coordinator, regional initiatives, at the New England Foundation for the Arts, where she helps manage new programs that will support nonprofit organizations engaged in arts programming that uplifts underserved communities, especially communities of color, and will feature cohort building and learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danielle DeLaFuente (\u201922)<\/strong> was the associate scenic designer for Covenant<\/em> at the Roundabout Theatre Company, which ran October 5\u2013December 17, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victoria Omoregie (\u201922) <\/strong>and Isabel Van Natta (\u201922) <\/strong>acted in the Huntington Theatre\u2019s production of Kimberly Belflower\u2019s John Proctor is the Villain<\/em>, which ran February 8\u2013March 10, 2024. Valyn Lyric Turner (\u201923, CAS\u201923) <\/strong>and Jack Greenberg (\u201924) <\/strong>were understudies in the production, while Jessica Scout Malone (\u201917) <\/strong>was a fight and intimacy consultant and Kevin Schlagle (\u201912)<\/strong> was line producer. Aja M. Jackson (\u201918) <\/strong>was the lighting designer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anthony Cosio-Marron (\u201923)<\/strong> will join the Nashville Symphony Orchestra as second\/assistant principal trombone (tenure track) in September 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yaming Jiang (\u201923)<\/strong> won a Juror\u2019s Choice Award at the Cambridge Art Association\u2019s 2023 National Prize Show. She is working part time at a gallery and continues to make paintings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mary Pyrdol (\u201923)<\/strong> began a part-time lecturer position teaching web programming at Lesley University College of Art & Design in fall 2023. She writes that she is extending her education by completing the Google UX certification course on Coursera.<\/p>\n\n\n\t

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This Series<\/h3>\n\t\t
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Also in<\/h4>\n\n\t\t\t\t

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    October 31, 2025<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tClass Notes<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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    June 18, 2025<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tClass Notes<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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    December 21, 2024<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tClass Notes<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\tSeries home<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/article>\n\n\t<\/section>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    SHARE YOUR STORY! We want to hear what you\u2019ve been up to. Send us your news and photos at bu.edu\/cfa\/share-your-story, and we\u2019ll share the highlights here. 1960s Charles W. Palmer (\u201965) had 14 oil paintings, all completed in 2023, featured in the exhibition Recent Works at the Fire on Main Gallery in Soap Lake, Wash., […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14125,"featured_media":110104,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[191],"magazine-article-category":[372,377,378,379],"magazine-topic":[393],"news-article-category":[],"news-topic":[],"bu_edition":[435],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/110311"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110311"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/110311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111114,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/110311\/revisions\/111114"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110311"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=110311"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=110311"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=110311"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=110311"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=110311"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=110311"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=110311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}