Faculty and Staff Notes

Oberlin jazz faculty member and legendary saxophonist Gary Bartz was named a 2024 Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts. Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran says, “Gary Bartz's saxophone has blazed trails with his dynamic phraseology and iconic tone for decades—he is representative for the truth in music.” Bartz joins the ranks with fellow Oberlin faculty member Billy Hart, a 2022 NEA Jazz Master.

The Cleveland Arts Prize has announced the 2023 winners of their 63rd edition of the awards. Bassoonist Dana Jessen, Oberlin Conservatory of Music associate professor of contemporary music and improvisation, won an award for mid-career artists. A soloist, chamber musician, improviser, and new music specialist, Jessen has presented dozens of world premiere performances throughout North America and Europe with the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Alarm Will Sound, Ensemble Dal Niente, Anthony Braxton’s Tri-Centric Orchestra, S.E.M. Ensemble, and the Amsterdam Contemporary Ensemble. 

The Cleveland Arts Prize (CAP) promotes creativity in northeast Ohio by honoring artists for artistic excellence and recognizes community leaders who help regional arts flourish. CAP winners will be honored at an October 26 awards event at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Jessen joins a long roster of Oberlin College and Conservatory faculty and alumni who have been honored with Cleveland Arts Prize awards including Baroque oboist Debra Nagy BM ’00 & MM ’02, harpsichordist and conductor Jeannette Sorrell ’90, harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, writer Dan Chaon, African American music and jazz studies professor Wendell Logan, conductor Louis Lane, art historian Ellen Johnson, harpist Alice Chalifoux, painter John Pearson, and composers H. Leslie Adams, ’55, Margaret Brouwer ’62, Lewis Nielson,  Dennis Eberhard, Edward Miller, Walter Aschaffenburg, and Herbert Elwell.

Conservatory Associate Dean Chris Jenkins’ first book, Assimilation v. Integration in Music Education, was published in late July by Routledge and the College Music Society. In it, he writes about issues of diversity in classical music education.

Professor Jason Stalnaker coauthored a paper, "What Can a GNOME Do? Search Targets for the Global Network of Optical Magnetometers for Exotic Physics Searches," in Annalen der Physik with former Oberlin undergraduates Sun Yool Park ’19, Perrin C. Segura ’20, Dhruv Tandon ’22, and Heather Pearson ’23.

Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Jillian Scudder's most recent book, The Milky Way Smells of Rum and Raspberries, was reviewed by Foreword Reviews: "Her explanations of complex information—as about how black holes use jets of fast-moving energy to blow bubbles—are clear, following the step-by-step processes of discovery in easy-to-understand terms. The book’s biggest message is to be amazed, because the universe is an amazing place and its mysteries are endless. Aiming to intrigue general readerships about astrophysics, The Milky Way Smells of Rum and Raspberries is full of the energy and excitement of discovery."

Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Jillian Scudder published "The Shiniest Planet Has Clouds of Metal and Glass" in Nautilus, exploring a recent paper describing a very reflective exoplanet.

Yveline Alexis has launched her historical consult LLC available at https://yvelinealexis.com/. The project offers academic coaching, historical reviews, and research services.

Science Library Head Alison Ricker gave a talk "Fun in Small Doses: Stress Relief in the Library" at the Great Lakes Science Boot Camp for Librarians, held at Pennsylvania State University July 19-21. Her presentation focused on activities, events, exhibits and collections in the science library that help students feel a sense of welcome and belonging.

Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Jillian Scudder was interviewed live on WWL radio based in New Orleans. The interview was an hour-long spontaneous conversation, and the third time she has been hosted on this program.

Associate Professor of Music Theory Megan Kaes Long published an article, "Hexachordal Solmization and Syllable-Invariant Counterpoint in the Vocal Music of William Byrd" in Music Theory Spectrum. The article explores how the principles of solmization shaped Byrd's contrapuntal decisions and tonal strategies.