Letter from the Dean

This is a great time of the year. As I write, the new semester, a new academic year, has just begun and the air is full of excitement as the College of Fine Arts' (CFA) music, theater and dance seasons burst upon the Albuquerque arts scene. Our college buzzes with the activity of students, faculty and staff busily involved in exhibits, concerts, rentals, new play readings, a full-blown musical, film screenings our Saturday morning Music Prep School for Albuquerque children and lectures on arts issues, as well as many other endeavors all attesting to the vibrancy of our production and our cultural impact on the surrounding community to addition, we continue to maintain a national visibility.

This Fall, Digby Wolfe's new play. Laughing Room Only, opens on Broadway at the Brooks-Atkinson Theatre-Tamarind Press will offer a major show of prints in NewYork City, and the dance program of the Department of Theatre and Dance hosts the annual conference of the National Dance Education Organization, bringing some 500 dance educators from across the country to our campus. Articles in this newsletter detail some of these activities.

Dean Moy (middle) with Awadagin Pratt, internationally acclaimed pianist, violinist and conductor, and Pamela Pyle, UNM assistant professor of piano and renowned pianist, after the Awadagin Pratt chamber music master class in Keller Hall last spring.

In addition, as I begin my first full academic year with the College of Fine Arts at the University of New Mexico, I welcome four new faculty members to the College. Steven Feld joins the Department of Music Ray Hemandez-Duran and Laura Andre join the Department of Art and Art History, and Donna Jewell becomes the new head of dance in the Department of Theatre and Dance. We are most fortunate to have these talented and distinguished individuals join our faculty, and they are introduced inside.

The CFA continues to review its strategic options as we prepare for a major fund-raising initiative to ensure the future of the college. We invite you to come and participate in the many artistic enterprises our college
offers. Enjoy!

James S. Moy, Dean
jimmoy@unm.edu

Theatre and Dance Collaboration

UNM's Department of Theatre and Dance is collaborating with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra on a production of West Side Story, to be performed on March 5, 6 and 7, 2004. This collaboration is unique in that its the first time the department has been able to profide its students the opportunity to perform with a professional organization on a project of this scale. Approximately 30 UNM students will be performing and many other students and faculty will be involved in all phases of the production, including costume design, scenery, lighting, choreography and coaching. UNM students will assume the lead roles of Tony and Maria. The community response so far has been tremendous and tickets are selling fast for all performances.

The Department of Theatre and Dance sees this project not only as an educational opportunity for its own sutdents, but also as a way of reaching out to the youth of the community. A special dress rehearsal is planned with a lecture on gangs and teenagers at risk. The department believes that such collaborative projects help to fulfill its mission of serving the community the borders of the UNM campus.

The department is planning a special event in conjunction with the West Side Story production to raise funds for the recently created UNM Theatre and Design Scholarship Fund. Friends of Theatre and Design, a new support group, will help to coordinate the event and raise money for the scholarship. The group's efforts will bring in guest artists, allow for the production of more quality. Performances, and enable students to complete their studies by offering much-needed scholarships.

For ticket information, please contact the UNM Ticket Office at (505) 925-5858. To make a donation, please contact cfadevel@unm.edu or call (505) 277-9377.