OSAI Faculty Presentations Continue

by Catherine Roberts, OSAI PR Counselor

Evening faculty presentations continue at Quartz Mountain. The second and third evening programs were filled with insights from ballet instructor Brian Reeder, film instructors Elisabeth Haviland James and Revere La Noue, drawing/painting instructors Jose and Cynthia Rodriguez, and orchestra conductor Scott Parkman.

Brian Reeder and one of his students. 

Brain Reeder’s distinguished performance background includes dancing for New York City Ballet, William Forsythe’s Ballet Frankfurt and American Ballet Theatre. He has been a choreographer since 2002, and currently serves as a teacher and choreographer for The Manhattan Youth Ballet and as adjunct faculty at Vassar College.

His OSAI students assisted with his presentation, demonstrating the basic barre warm-up exercises that dancers use to prepare for center-floor combinations and choreography. 

Film instructors Elisabeth Haviland James and Revere La Noue are a couple who met during the production of their first collaboration, a documentary about former Florida State head football coach Bobby Bowden. James and La Noue both have extensive experience in documentary filmmaking, with work appearing in various venues across six continents. The pair emphasized the importance of artists also being skilled at business. 

Cynthia Rodriguez explains one of her pieces. 

Drawing and painting instructors José and Cynthia Rodriguez, also a married couple, displayed many of their works for students and described their respective paths to becoming professional artists. José was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, and traveled across Asia and Europe with his family as a young child. He spent many years as a tenured professor of printmaking at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque before leaving academia to concentrate on studio production. Cynthia grew up in Western Oklahoma, and has taught all ages in Oklahoma in New Mexico. Her works can be found in private collections in many countries.

Scott Parkman discusses his career. 

Orchestra conductor Scott Parkman also briefly described his career, including one of his proudest achievements, founding American Century Music, a non-profit organization dedicated to performing the works of 20^th Century American composers. He gave students an overview of some of the notable names, works and ideas behind that period in American music and culture. 

The OSAI Orchestra will perform this weekend with the Chorus June 22 at 7pm, at the Performing Arts Center. The concert is free and open to the public.