Faculty, staff and students from multiple departments across Troy University have collaborated to host “An Evening of Music, Poetry and Arts” on March 8 as well as a Steinway concert series titled “Women in Music” on March 10. Both events are free and open to the public.
Dr. Hui-Ting Yang, Coordinator of Applied Studies and Associate Professor of Piano, said she’d had an idea for a multi-departmental showcase for some time but was deterred because of COVID-19. With many restrictions lifting and musical performances back on the schedule, now was the right time to put her ideas into action.
“I’ve wanted to do this collaboration for a long time, especially because of these last two years being isolated due to COVID,” she said. “We’re musicians—we’re used to working with colleagues and students, and it’s reminded me how much I miss collaborating with my colleagues.”
Building off similar past events, Yang reached outside of the School of Music and invited faculty in the English, art, theatre, dance, journalism, history, business, and international programs departments to share in her vision. Eventually, they settled on the idea to combine music performances and poetry readings with the goal of creating an engaging, inviting experience the community, students and other faculty could enjoy.
“Because of the combination of music, poetry and arts, it’s a great opportunity for us to outreach to the community and to connect with them. We want our community to know what Troy University students and faculty are doing,” she said. “Music and arts, for me, has always been cooperative, not confrontational. I think this event will really help to bring people together, and that’s where I wanted to start.”
The Tuesday, March 8 event, “An Evening of Music, Poetry and Arts,” will be held at the International Arts Center. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. followed by performances at 7 p.m. Among other acts, six women faculty members will recite poetry in their native languages ranging from English, Mandarin Chinese, Malayalam, Polish, Russian and Urdu.
The Thursday, March 10 event, “Women in Music,” features compositions by Amy Beach, Libby Larsen, Yuko Uebayashi and Clara Schumann, among others, performed by Yang and other faculty members. The concert will take place at 7 p.m. in the Long Hall Band Room.
Coinciding with Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day on March 8, Yang said the decision to highlight only female students and faculty was intentional.
“Sometimes we forget how many intelligent, fabulous female students and faculty we have here,” she said. “We really wanted to use this opportunity to promote our women composers, performers and artists.”
For more information, contact the School of Music at 334-670-3322 or the International Arts Center at 334-808-6412.
