The simple power of sound can be strong enough to transport people’s imaginations anywhere, or convince them of just about anything — even Earth getting overrun by creepy-crawlies from another planet. Re-Imagined Radio, a sound-art and -storytelling project based at Washington State University Vancouver, has been exploring the way such mischief was, and still is, […]
A combination of innovative technology and careful use of practice and performance spaces will enable Washington State University musicians to play together virtually this fall. The University’s music groups, including jazz bands, choir, orchestra and of course, the Cougar Marching Band, all plan on recording and sharing virtual performances with the Cougar community in place […]
Jazz, opera, orchestra and choir—like a four-course feast for the ears, the musical showcase by WSU students and faculty on March 3 at the Fox Theatre in Spokane will serve up an array of aural treats. Four ensembles from WSU’s School of Music in Pullman will travel to the Lilac City to perform selections from […]
From Devo’s quirky take on the Rolling Stones’ “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” to Daughtry’s acoustic cover of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” musicians often reimagine popular tunes in their own style. In honor of the WSU Fight Song’s 100th anniversary, the Cougar Marching Band will perform four different arrangements of the beloved tune during the […]
Cuban-born master’s student Raul Blanco has long been interested in combining Cuban music with other types of music, such as Scottish bagpipes. But combining Cuban music and jazz piano is special because it bridges his years of learning classic piano in his homeland with his personal interest in jazz. “Raul has written music for several […]
WSU music student soloists and ensembles won several first place awards at the 2019 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival this past weekend in Moscow, Idaho. Ensemble winners include WSU Jazz Big Band I, and WSU combos: Jazz Wires and God’s Harmony. Student solo winners include Raul Blanco, piano; Brandt Fisher, tenor saxophone; Joel Roeber, guitar and […]
Eighty years ago, on the evening before Halloween, radio audiences across the country were shocked, thrilled, or panicked by a radio drama depicting an invasion by beings from the planet Mars. That radio drama was “The War of the Worlds,” directed by and starring Orson Welles. First heard on Oct. 30, 1938, “The War of […]
Before riding off in search of the Oregon Territory, the rangers stood and joined the audience in one final chorus of the famous words from the mysterious masked man known as The Lone Ranger: “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!” Applause erupted for the 11 voice actors and Foley artists dressed for the Old West. The lights of […]
Washington State University theatre faculty Benjamin Gonzales and Mary Trotter received separate awards for outstanding and innovative teaching at this years’ Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region VII, held Feb. 19-23 in Spokane. Outstanding and Innovative Teaching and Service Gonzales, a clinical associate professor and WSU faculty member since 2003, received the Horace Robinson/Jack […]
Nearly two dozen WSU students representing the STAGE student theater group and the Nuthouse student improve group attended the 2018 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) for Region VII to compete in several events, including Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions, Technical Olympics and Improv Olympics. WSU students Aryn Allen, Avery Barnwell, Spencer Knudson, and […]