Running to the Noise
with President Carmen Twillie Ambar
An Oberlin College Podcast
When First Lady Michelle Obama spoke to the graduating class of Oberlin College and Conservatory in 2015, she encouraged students to embrace Oberlin’s history and run to the “noise”— those challenging, contentious situations that threaten to divide us.
As the first college in America to officially embrace the admission of Black students, and the first co-ed school to grant bachelor’s degrees to women, Oberlin has been Running to the Noise almost since our inception. And that’s just what we’ll do in each episode of our podcast, hosted by College President Carmen Twillie Ambar.
President Ambar will talk with all manner of interesting and influential people on and off our campus who are tackling some of the world’s toughest problems, working to spark positive change for everyone.
Listen Now
Episode Details
- Episode 17: Meeting the World As It Is with Rumaan Alam
- Episode 16: All the World's a Stage with Julie Taymor
- Episode 15: Special Episode - Best Of Season 1
- Episode 14: Second Acts and Arias with Limmie Pulliam
- Episode 13: Tracking the Flu with Disease Detective Dr. Timothy Uyeki
- Episode 12: Rethinking Our Place in Nature with Sonia Shah
- Episodes 1–11 (season 1)
Show Notes
The music you hear at the beginning and end of every episode of Running to the Noise is Muscanti, composed and arranged by Bobby Ferrazza, Oberlin Conservatory professor of jazz guitar and director of the Oberlin Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble, a student group created through the support of the legendary jazz musician.
Muscanti was recorded by the Oberlin Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble on November 16, 2020 at Oberlin Conservatory’s Clonick Hall and performed by Kurton Harrison (trumpet); Nick Beltramini (alto sax); Benjamin Byrd (guitar); Christopher McDole (voice); Alejandra Williams-Maneri (piano); Ian Ashby (bass); Eytan Schillinger-Hyman (bass), and Jeremy McCabe (drums).
About the Host
Carmen Twillie Ambar is the 15th president of Oberlin College and Conservatory and the first Black chief executive in the institution’s nearly two-century history.
Running to the Noise is a production of Oberlin College and Conservatory.