Introducing the 2009-2010 Kenan Fellows

October, 01 2009

Each year, six young artists, recent graduates of theUniversity of North Carolina School of the Arts, come to Lincoln Center Institute to refine their artistic skills and work in classrooms with our teaching artists, thanks to support by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Fund for the Arts and the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust. Here's a brief introduction to this school year's "Kenan Fellows":

Pianist Emile Blondel performs in projects that range from solo piano and chamber music to jazz, hip-hop and rock. Violinist Elisa Friedrich's musical instincts were nurtured by her grandfather, a violinist with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and by parents, who are still performing in Germany. Laura Gutierrez studied dance with such luminaries as Ethan Stiefel, Diego Schoch, and Brenda Daniels, and performed works by, among many, Lar Lubovitch and Molly Shanahan. Composer Gregory Miles Hoffman's work includes both acoustic and electro-acoustic music, for which he draws on experiences from welding custom metal furniture to glassblowing. Mari Meade Montoya pursued her ballet training with prestigious teachers, such as Nina Danilova and Ethan Steifel, and took parts in performances that included Agnes Demille's Rodeo. Violinist Rachel Perkins has a long-time interest in opera orchestras: she has performed in Don Giovanni, Idomeneo, Belisario; as well as the 50^th anniversary production of West Side Story.

The Kenan Fellows are immersed in LCI's approach to education, working closely with their mentors (LCI teaching artists) and supporting them in the classroom. In turn, they receive constant support and invaluable advice from their mentors as well as from Melissa Gawlowski and José Vélez, who co-coordinate the Fellowship program at LCI. The six Kenan Fellows will be periodically posting stories of their experiences with aesthetic education, their work with LCI, and living in New York City in their blog. In January 2010, they will offer us performances of their own creation-we are sure to keep you posted.

Please visit Kenan Fellow Program for Curriculum and Leadership Development for more information about the fellowship.

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