Come Join The Celebration! - Wayne State College

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Campus Notes Pfaltzgraff Pfinds Pfriends at Wayne State Philip Pfaltzgraff will mark time for Wayne State College as the college celebrates its centennial. Unveiling his new composition, Pfaltzgraff has created a unique, lasting time capsule for the event with a work that focuses on time. “‘The Time Cycle’ is a work with five sections: ‘Once Forever,’ ‘Timeless,’ ‘The Time Keeper,’ ‘Junctures’ and ‘Time to Sing,’’’ Pfaltzgraff said. “This work will involve the Concert Choir, Concert Band, a Soprano solo and piano. My creative process has been all over the map for this centennial project. I have been looking at some of John Neihardt’s writing for inspiration. Some of the phrases of his writing have imagery that is wonderful. When I write music, I start out with a text, a scripture or some idea, and then a chord progression jumps out. In this case, there also are all the colors of the concert band available to create something that is hopefully memorable.’’ Pfaltzgraff began in August as a staff accompanist for the college. He has also been performing, composing and helping students and faculty with practices and performances. “Music is a good way to bridge gaps with people. It has a way of reaching people,’’ Pfaltzgraff said. “My contact with students has included working with nonmusic majors in the Topics in Music Class. I’m very impressed with the students here at Wayne State College. I like the attitude of the students here.” Pfaltzgraff staged “Pfaltzgraff and Pfriends” last year at Lutheran Churches in the community with other WSC faculty members. He has also consulted with them on his compositions including “The Time Cycle.” In February, the Wayne State College Concert Choir performed choral music by traditional and contemporary composers, including the Nebraska premiere of a work by Pfaltzgraff. Pfaltzgraff graduated from Westmar College in LeMars, Iowa, in 1971 with a music education (major in voice) degree. He has worked in public and private schools (K-12) in Hubbard, Des Moines and Waukee, Iowa, St. Petersburg, Fla., and Mt. Pleasant, Mich. In addition to a career in music education, he has served in music and pastoral leadership in churches in Iowa, Florida, and Michigan. 12 Philip Pfaltzgraff As a Methodist pastor’s son, Pfaltzgraff said he’s always written works for churches including praise and worship music and small anthems. He worked with musical theater shows such as “Godspell’’ and “Jesus Christ Superstar.’’ He was one of nine children in his family who all took organ and piano lessons. At the age of 12, he began to give piano lessons. Pfaltzgraff said his family is multiethnic as his parents adopted two children who are Korean American and two from the United States. “It was a good experience growing up with a large and diverse family. We always had music in the house,’’ Pfaltzgraff said. “Mom and Dad have both been singers and instrumentalists, and many of my nieces and nephews are also involved in music. We put on a musical program with family members for my Mom and Dad’s 60th anniversary.’’ Pfaltzgraff has worked with nationallyknown composers. Some of his original compositions were written with specific groups of people in mind who will be performing it. “When you write for someone, there is a sound expectation,” he said. “Music on a page is just dots on a page until they come to life in performance.” Pfaltzgraff composed a set of pieces for Josh Calkin’s students to perform in his low brass studio after walking by his office, hearing music and stopping to ask what he was working on. Calkin, who was hired in the 2007-08 academic year, is assistant director of bands and instructor of low brass at Wayne State. “I have been very impressed with Wayne State College. Every aspect of the WSC performance spaces, classrooms and pianos have been great,’’ Pfaltzgraff said. “I’m an advocate of higher education, but I believe that smaller colleges have a unique way of caring for and working with students.’’
New Wayne State Professor Quickly Finds a Voice CELEBRATING 100 YEARS Dr. Elise Gutshall, who came to Wayne State College in August, approaches singing as more than a technical art. Gutshall, soprano and assistant professor of voice at Wayne State College, teaches students as vocalists. She also tries to bring in aspects that students haven’t experienced before, including opera, how the songs they sing entwine with history and how to compete as vocalists. “I love it (at Wayne State College),’’ Gutshall said. “I feel like it’s a gem in northeast Nebraska, a wonderful school that gives students opportunities that they wouldn’t have otherwise.’’ Gutshall is a native of Hamilton, Mo. She received degrees in 2000 and 2003 from Northwest Missouri State University and the UMKC Conservatory of Music, respectively. She earned a doctorate of arts in music from the University of Mississippi in 2006. Her research focused primarily on vocal pedagogy and performance. Her studies included an internship with The Voice Care Associates of Memphis, Tenn., and interdisciplinary work with the Ole Miss Communicative Disorders Department, focusing on pathological disorders of the voice. Gutshall has performed leading roles with the University of Mississippi Opera Department and Inspiration Point Opera in Eureka Springs, Ark. Productions included The Ballad of Baby Doe, Into the Woods, Die Zauberflöte, The Mikado, Tartuffe, Martha, and Le Nozze di Figaro. She received an honorary scholarship in 2007 from Rotary International to study at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington, New Zealand. She completed research under the tutelage of world-renown Brahmsian scholar Inge van Rij, the lied of Richard Strauss and Johannes Brahms. During her studies in Wellington, she performed with the New Zealand Light Opera as Stella and Antonia in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann opposite international tenor, Patrick Power. She also performed with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra as a finalist in New Zealand’s National Aria and Art Song Competition, placing second in the Lied and English Art Song divisions. Gutshall continues to perform regionally and nationally as a recitalist and clinician. Her performances since she began at WSC have included campus events and concerts with other faculty members. Fifteen voice students from Wayne State’s Department of Music had the opportunity to compete in the Dana Vocal Arts Competition on April 15 in Blair. More than 50 students from six colleges and universities from Iowa and Nebraska participated in the competition. Each student was required to present a variety of vocal solo repertoire in more than two languages (including but not limited to: French, German, Italian and English). They were all judged according to their vocal ability, the accuracy of language and technique, as well as their musical expression. Eight of her students won either first or second place in the five classical divisions. “Vocal competitions were very good for students to attend and something new for them. It was good for them to see how hard you need to work to be a singer,’’ she said. “I try to treat them like colleagues,’’ Gutshall said of her students. “I want to empower them to do well and give them motivation. I still think of my vocal teacher who told me, ‘I really think you could be a singer,’ I feel like I could be that person for my students at WSC.’’ Wayne State College, Nebraska State Colleges Offer Advantage Program The newly approved Nebraska State College System Advantage program guarantees first-time freshmen students who receive federal Pell Grants will pay no tuition at the Nebraska State Colleges for the 2009-10 academic year. The NSCS Advantage offers an innovative way for Chadron, Peru and Wayne State to serve students, communities and the state of Nebraska. The program fulfills the promise of excellent educational programs combined with unrivaled affordability. Participants in the NSCS Advantage Program must be: • A Nebraska resident • A federal Pell Grant recipient • A first-time freshman for the 2009-10 year • Enrolled in at least 12 on-campus credit hours “The new Nebraska State College System Advantage scholarship program is designed for first-time, full-time freshmen enrolling at Wayne State, Chadron State, or Peru State Colleges who receive a federal Pell Grant,” said Dr. Richard Collings, Wayne State College president. “In these economic times, this program will allow Pell Grant recipients at Wayne State to cover the cost of tuition not covered by other awards.” For information about the NSCS Advantage, go to the NSCS Web site at www.nscs.edu or visit Wayne State’s Web site at www.wsc.edu/advantage. Wayne State Magazine 13
Page 1 and 2: Wayne State College Magazine for al
Page 3 and 4: President’s Message Dr. Richard J
Page 5 and 6: CELEBRATING 100 YEARS Don and Carol
Page 7 and 8: CELEBRATING 100 YEARS past 15 years
Page 9 and 10: CELEBRATING 100 YEARS Leader of the
Page 11: Business Communications Students He
Page 15 and 16: CELEBRATING 100 YEARS Wildcats Soft
Page 17 and 18: Alumni Notes CELEBRATING 100 YEARS
Page 19 and 20: Alumni in the News: Minks Acts as P
Page 21 and 22: CELEBRATING 100 YEARS ALUMNI REUNIO
Page 23 and 24: Come Join The Celebration! Homecomi

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