OfA, OCS name inaugural Artist Development Fellowship recipients

Harvard’s Office for the Arts (OfA) and Office of Career Services (OCS) recently announced the 2006-07 recipients of the Artist Development Fellowship. This new program supports the artistic development of students demonstrating unusual accomplishment and/or evidence of significant artistic promise.

OCS, a standing committee of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, awarded 12 fellowships for the 2006-07 academic year. Council members at the time of selection were Julie Buckler (chair), professor of Slavic languages and literatures and director of graduate studies; Elizabeth Bergmann, director, OfA Dance Program; S. Allen Counter, director, Harvard Foundation; Deborah Foster, assistant dean for undergraduate education; Jorie Graham, Boylston Professor of Rhetoric and Oratory; Annette Lemieux, professor of the practice of studio arts in visual and environmental studies; Cathleen McCormick, program director, OfA; Jack Megan, director, OfA; Robb Moss, Rudolf Arnheim Lecturer on Filmmaking and director of undergraduate studies; Carol Oja, William Powell Mason Professor of Music; Robert J. Orchard, executive director, American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T.); Marcus Stern, associate director, A.R.T. and the A.R.T./MXAT Institute for Advanced Theatre Training; and John Stewart, senior preceptor in music.

The program, jointly administered by the OfA and OCS, is open to all undergraduates currently enrolled in Harvard College. For further application information, visit the offices’ Web sites at http://www.fas.harvard.edu/ofa and http://www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu.

2007 Artist Development Fellowship recipients

Douglas Balliett ’07 has been awarded a fellowship for a professional recording of his original musical composition based on Homer’s “Odyssey.” A music concentrator, Balliett returned to Harvard this year to complete his studies after taking two years off to perform as assistant principal and principal double bass for the San Antonio Symphony. He plans to pursue a music career in performance and composition.

Damien Chazelle ’07-08 has been awarded a fellowship for production of a black-and-white musical combining the traditions of Hollywood studio-era musicals and French New Wave cinema. Chazelle plans to examine the potential links between documentary filmmaking and the highly artificial mode of the musical. In addition to writing and directing the piece, he has also written the lyrics for its original score. A visual and environmental studies concentrator, Chazelle plans to pursue a career in film upon graduation.

Jane Cheng ’09 has been awarded a fellowship for the production of a fine press edition of a C.F. Ramuz passage. Cheng will design, print, and bind the edition. She plans to submit the project to the National Guild of Bookworkers exhibit in 2008 as well as several other smaller juried exhibits. A history of art and architecture concentrator, Cheng plans to produce the edition at the Bow and Arrow Press in Adams House and the art room in Lowell House with her collaborator Abigail Fradkin ’09. Cheng hopes to pursue a career in bookbinding or conservation.

Lydia Conklin ’07 has been awarded a fellowship to expand a body of work that includes paintings (oil on canvas) and drawings (ink on paper), which explore presentations of childhood in contemporary American culture. Painter Maureen Gallace will act as adviser to the project, which will take place in New York City. Conklin is a visual and environmental studies concentrator.

Daniel Gurney ’09 has been awarded a fellowship for his apprenticeship with Irish accordion master Joe Derrane. A music concentrator and three-time U.S. National Accordion Champion player (2002, 2004, and 2006), Gurney will study with Derrane through the upcoming academic year.

Matthew Hall ’09 has been awarded a fellowship to attend summer workshop and master class programs in the study of historical music performance (17th century opera) at the Accademia d’Amore in Seattle and the Cambridge Music Summer School in England. A music and linguistics concentrator, Hall is the founder and director of the Harvard Bach Camerata and plans to pursue a career in early music performance (conductor/keyboardist).

Madelyn Ho ’08 has been awarded a fellowship to attend summer intensive modern dance study and technique workshops and classes with the Parsons Dance Company in New York City. A chemical and physical biology concentrator, Ho is a classroom director for CityStep at the Amigos Elementary School in Cambridge and has served as the Ballet Mistress for the Harvard Ballet Company since 2004.

John Kapusta ’09, a literature and music concentrator, has been awarded a fellowship to study voice and art song in Europe with Swedish baritone Hakån Hagegård. Kapusta, who is enrolled in the bachelor of arts and master of music dual-degree program at Harvard and the New England Conservatory, will travel to Europe this summer to begin his studies. A frequent performer at Harvard, Kapusta plans to pursue a career in classical singing.

Larissa Koch ’08 has been awarded a fellowship to study modern dance with the José Limón Dance Company through the company’s fall intensive studies program in New York City. A psychology concentrator, Koch performs with the Harvard Ballet Company and the Harvard Contemporary Dance Ensemble and has had her choreography showcased on campus in various concerts including the OfA Dance Program’s spring dance showcases Dancers’ Viewpointe VI and VII. Koch will continue performance and choreography endeavors while planning a career in medicine.

Alexandra Pape ’08 has been awarded a fellowship for research and development of a collection of short stories. A literature major who is arts editor and writer of a weekly column for The Harvard Independent, Pape is also author of The Harvard Crimson’s daily comic strip “Fin-de-Siecle.”

Nicole Salazar ’07 has been awarded a fellowship for the development and production of an animated short film. While at Harvard, her work appeared in a number of Harvard publications including The Harvard Advocate and Tuesday Magazine. Her short film “Pidge” received three award nominations at the 2005 Sundeis Film Festival held at Brandeis University.

Noah Van Niel ’08 has been awarded a fellowship to study singing at the Martina Arroyo Prelude to Performance Program this summer in New York City. An English concentrator, Van Niel has been featured in performances by the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan Players, as well as Lowell House Opera’s recent production of “Der Rosenkavalier.” He plans to pursue a singing career after graduation.

OfA supports student engagement in the arts and serves the University in its commitment to the arts. Through its programs and services, OfA fosters student art-making, connects students to accomplished artists, integrates the arts into University life, and partners with local, national, and international constituencies. OCS supports students and alumni of Harvard College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in exploring and making effective career and educational choices.