School of Fine Arts

Two KU students perform at Carnegie Hall

A dream has come true for two School of Fine Arts students: Mary Fukushima, flute, and Michael Kirkendoll, f'01, piano. On June 4, the two took the stage at Carnegie Hall. The recital included works by Aaron Copland, Olivier Messiaen, Andre Jolivet, Joyce Mekeel and David Rakowski as well as KU composer-in-residence Gabriela Frank and the world premiere of KU student Brian Bondari's Kaykhosrow's Ascension in the Weill Hall.

Both students won spots through a 2005 Artists International Debut Auditions. "Playing in Carnegie Hall is a dream for every musician," said Fukushima. "Michael and I are so excited to have this opportunity and feel very fortunate to be able to work with such talented composers as Gabriela Frank and Brian Bondari. We look at this concert as the springboard from which many more opportunities will come."

Fukushima hails from Long Beach, Calif. At KU, she's working under the supervision of Professor David Fedele. She holds a bachelor's degree from Long Island University and a master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York. Fukushima has performed for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and throughout the United States and Asia.

An Andover native, Kirkendoll also received a master's from the Manhattan School of Music in addition to his bachelor's from KU. He is studying under Professor Jack Winerock and has performed in New York's Merkin Hall and throughout the U.S. and Europe.

For more information, please contact the department of music and dance in KU's School of Fine Arts at 785-864-3436.

Two KU alumni lead national associations

On July 1, Martha Randall, f'64, g'66, and Lynn Brinckmeyer, PhD'93, will start tenures as president of the National Association of Teachers of Signing (NATS) and MENC: The National Association for Music Education, respectively.

"We are extremely proud of these two outstanding graduates," said Larry Mallett, chair of the KU department of music and dance. "Being elected to lead a national organization is recognition of years of dedicated and excellent professional service."

Founded in 1944, NATS is now the largest association of its kind with more than 6,300 members. In her new leadership role, Randall hopes to continue and improve upon the organization's strong traditions. "NATS promotes communication as performers and teachers, but I think we can do a better job of communicating on a day-to-day basis." Randall added, "I want to encourage dialogue and discussion among our members and with professionals in related fields."

She brings to the organization her experience as an accomplished teacher. Currently a professor at the University of Maryland in College Park, she established a vocal pedagogy lab and received the Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award in 2002. Her list of high-profile appearances includes the Kennedy Center, the Constitution Hall and the Phillips Gallery as well as performances with the National Symphony, Washington Bach Consort and the Kansas City Philharmonic.

Lynn Brinckmeyer has also enjoyed a distinguished career since leaving the Hill. In her new roll at MENC, she's responsible for the organization's approximately 120,000 members worldwide. "Serving as the MENC national president is an incredible honor, and throughout the next two years I hope to focus on the ‘human' aspects of MENC and the profession of teaching music," said Brinckmeyer. Her experience includes her current position as a professor of music and director of choral music education at Texas State University. She also has conducted, lectured, presented master's classes and performed nationwide and in Korea, Taiwan, Amsterdam, Italy and the British Isles.

For more information, please contact the department of music and dance in KU's School of Fine Arts at 785-864-3436.