Ferrum College’s 103rd commencement speaker is Rev. Bruce Hitchcock, an advocate for inclusion within the United Methodist Church. He is pictured here with his wife, Melissa.
Advocate for inclusion, Rev. Bruce Hitchcock, believes all are welcome within the United Methodist church. He will address Ferrum College’s 103rd graduating class as commencement speaker on Saturday, May 11, 2019, at 10 a.m. in Hart International Plaza on the College’s campus. Over 200 seniors are expected to walk the commencement stage to receive their undergraduate degrees.
Hitchcock, who currently serves as Ohio Valley District superintendent, believes “a Christian [can be] a brother and a sister of someone who has a different thought. We have to discover God within, in other people, and all around us, and the more we do that, the more human, the more decent, the more compassionate we become.”
United Methodist Church Bishop Tracy Malone described Hitchcock as “a visionary leader, a strategic thinker, and one who brings many learnings and experiences from serving in a variety of ministry settings. He has a deep faith and has demonstrated throughout his ministry a strong commitment to discipleship, evangelism, and mission.”
President David Johns met Rev. Hitchcock during their college days and the two remained in contact throughout the years. “I am pleased Bruce Hitchcock will join us for this year’s commencement ceremony,” said Johns. “We both grew up in Ohio and I am eager to introduce him to Virginia’s Blue Ridge and to the fine people of Ferrum College.”
Read more about Rev. Bruce Hitchcock in this East Ohio Conference announcement and in this Herald-Star article.
More about Rev. Bruce Hitchcock: Hitchcock was ordained a deacon in 1987 and then an elder in 1989. While serving as pastor of Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church in Carroll County, Ohio, he obtained his bachelor’s degree from Malone College, and then his Masters of Divinity from United Theological Seminary while pastoring State Road United Methodist Church in Germantown, Ohio. Additionally, he has served other Methodist churches: East Rochester-Bayard UMC (1989-1993), East Sparta UMC (1993-1996), and Huron UMC (1996-2002). Hitchcock worked as executive director of Urban Mission for nine years before pastoring at Geneva UMC in the Western Reserve District from 2011 to 2018. Hitchcock currently resides in Ohio with his wife, Melissa. They have two sons and one daughter.
Left to right: Susan Johns, Quentin Montgomery, President David Johns, Mark Kellam, Chantal Aaron, Joshua Wright, Leya Deickman, Katherine Anderson, Provost Aimé Sposato, and Program Director and Professor of English Lana Whited.
On April 28 during a banquet held in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room on campus, Ferrum College celebrated six Boone Honors Program seniors set to graduate on May 11: Chantal Aaron of St. Catherine Parish, Jamaica and of Suffolk, VA, who will earn a Bachelor’s of Science in pre-professional science; Katherine Anderson of Mechanicsville, MD, who will earn a Bachelor’s of Science in environmental science; Leya Deickman of Fayetteville, NC, who will earn a Bachelor’s of Science in psychology; Mark Kellam of Springfield, VA, who will earn a Bachelor’s of Science in environmental science; Quentin Montgomery of Ararat, VA, who will earn a Bachelor’s of Science in environmental science; and Joshua Wright of Stuart, VA, who will earn a Bachelor’s of Science in mathematical science.
After a welcome from Lana Whited, the program’s director and professor of English at Ferrum College, President David Johns greeted guests and thanked the seniors for their efforts during their time at the College. Each senior chose a professor, not necessarily in their field of study, to share comments about the seniors’ time at Ferrum College as they progressed through coursework. There were hugs, some tears, and lots of laughter. Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato closed the program with heartfelt well wishes.
The Boone Honors Program was established in 2001 under the direction of David Howell, dean of arts and humanities, professor of religion, and director of faculty development, and is named in honor of former Ferrum College President Jerry Boone and his wife, Shirley.
See photos from the event here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ferrumcollege/albums/72157708180238905.
FERRUM, VA. April 30, 2019 — Ferrum College Assistant Professor of Art Jacob (Jake) Smith participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by Roanoke Parks and Recreation, welcoming his new giant bike statues at the entrance to Mill Mountain Park in Roanoke, Virginia on April 22. The Big Ol’ Bikes were permanently fixed at this location on April 9.
The idea for the giant bikes was hatched by Patrick Boas, recreation manager for Roanoke Parks and Recreation. He found sponsors to fund the project and teamed up with Smith to create the bikes. Although similar in their vast size, each bike is a bit different: one is geared to trail enthusiasts; the other, to road-bikers traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Smith worked on the project for nearly a year, beginning construction in May 2018. He enlisted the help of his fiancée, Kathleen Tyler Herndon, along with others, particularly for the construction of the tires. “This was a complex procedure that required placing flexible tubing around the rims and using fiberglass to coat them,” explained Smith. “During this process I relied on a lot of people who helped out grinding, sanding, and painting. It took longer to do this than it took to weld together the structure.”
In addition to Big Ol’ Bikes, Smith has worked on other massive-scale projects: a 60-foot-tall bowling pin located in Fredericksburg, Virginia; a 16-foot-long fish for a Maryland pier; faux concrete panels for a concentration camp exhibit at the Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, IL; a circus-themed children’s exhibit about human parasites; and a six-foot-tall medal of honor for the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.
Read more about the April 22 ribbon cutting ceremony on the Roanoke Parks and Recreation website: https://www.playroanoke.com/new-bike-statues-at-home-on-mill-mountain/.
In the bottom photo: Jake Smith and Kathleen Tyler Herndon, with Tim Pohlad-Thomas ’08, who works in the recreation leadership field in Roanoke.
Learn more about Ferrum College’s art program here.
The campus community celebrated Ferrum College students during its annual Academic Awards Ceremony on Friday, April 12, 2019 in Vaughn Chapel.
After Dean of Chapel Jan Nicholson Angle offered the invocation, President David Johns welcomed students and their families, faculty, and staff, and expressed his pleasure in “celebrating today students who are not content with doing the minimum—meeting basic expectations. These students know that to be successful means stretching and daring to do a little more.”
“I am proud of our honorees,” continued Johns. “Let’s do more than congratulate them today; let’s thank them—because when they strive for and achieve excellence, they inspire us to do the same.” He closed by presenting the President’s Cup to senior Alexandria Dixon who is about to receive her bachelors degree in business administration with concentrations in management and finance, and a minor in philosophy. Awards were then presented to students by the dean of their school and their professors.
Provost Aimé Sposato bestowed special awards and closed the ceremony with these words of encouragement: “In just a few weeks, you will be walking across the Commencement stage — ready to take on the world. As you begin your next journey, carry a little bit of Ferrum College in your heart as you reach for the stars. We are honored to call you Panthers!”
A list of award recipients and honor society members follows.
See photos from the event here.
The Iron Blade Editor Commendation
AnnGardner Eubank
The Chrysalis Editor-in-Chief Award
AnnGardner Eubank
The Chrysalis Staff Member of the Year Award
Leya Deickman
The Eric Lee Baker Award for the Outstanding Student in English
Heather Ellis
The Outstanding Student of Russian Award
Suzanne Maines
The Spanish Award
Olivia Webster
The C.P. Minnick Award
Lorrie Ellis
The Acey-Wood-Rose Award for Excellence in Religious Studies
Christian Haley
The Jasse Scholarship in History Awards
Christian Haley
Pedro Arrocena-Jacuinde
Jack Sheehan
Jennifer Stough
Erica Tuck
The Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar in History Award
Claire Bailey
The Art Department Award
Atenoya Morris
The Theatre Arts Achievement Award
Sierra Pearson
Jasmine Williams
Lacey Matthews
The Dance Achievement Award
Sierra Pearson
Malcolm McRae
The Outstanding Music Student Award
Sierra Pearson
Corey Sutphin
The Agricultural Sciences Award
Sean Trollinger
The Biology Award
Quentin Montgomery
The Chemistry Award
Christina OubkeoThe Environmental Science Award
Katherine Anderson
Tamiah Palmer
The Environmental Studies Award
Caitlin Spencer
The Health Sciences Award
Taylor Atkinson
Hayden Storms
The Pre-Professional Health Sciences Award
Jared Williamson
The Pre-Professional Science Award
Chantal Aaron
The Mathematics Award
Joshua Wright
The Award for the Outstanding Student in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Chantal Aaron
The Management Award
Noah Collins
Alexandria Dixon
The Finance Award
Christian Cromer
Jake Martin
The Decision Support Award
Emma Grammer
The Marketing Award
Chanté Elam
The Hamblin Accounting Award
Sierra Roach
The Outstanding Student Researcher Psychology Award
JC Hazelwood
The Outstanding Student in Psychology Award
Rachael Ellis
The Health and Human Performance Award
Anton Traquair
The Recreation Leadership Award
Samantha Davis
The Jane Addams Social Work Achievement Award
Guy RamseyThe Outstanding Social Work Student Award
Alexandra Young
Taylor Woods
The 2019 Dr. Ken McCreedy Outstanding Criminal Justice Graduating Senior Award
Koby McMahon
The Dr. Betty N. Bailey Silver Weaver Award
Bethany Fletcher
The Delta Kappa Gamma Outstanding Woman in Education Award
Cheyenne Strickland
The Charles A. and Marion C. Skinner Award for Excellence in Education
Elementary Education
Molley Massey
Rachel Lowe
All-Level
Kelsey Mosley
Joshua Grimard
The Frank Benjamin Hurt Award
Matt Wright
The Rising Star Award
Gabrielle Reichard
Model United Nations
The Most Effective Delegate
Zachary Bullard
Model United Nations
The Most Effective Delegation
Zachary Bullard
AnnGardner Eubank
The Advisor’s Choice Award
Zachary Bullard
President’s Cup
Alexandria Dixon
The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards
Student Recipient
Mark Kellam
Faculty Recipient
Dr. Delia Heck
Non-Student Recipient
Dr. Ed Cornbleet
The Lillie Warwick Slaven Award
Alexis Hatcher
The James T. Catlin Citizenship Award
Lawrence BaranskiChantal Aaron
Pedro Arrocena-Jacuinde
Katherine Anderson
Taylor Atkinson
Claire Bailey
Lawrence Baranski III
Zachary Bullard
Noah Collins
Christian Cromer
Samantha Davis
Leya Deickman
Alexandria Dixon
Chanté Elam
Heather Ellis
Lorrie Ellis
Rachael Ellis
AnnGardner Eubank
Bethany Fletcher
Emma Grammer
Joshua Grimard
Christian Haley
Alexis Hatcher
JC Hazelwood
Mark Kellam
Rachel Lowe
Suzanne Maines
Jake Martin
Molly Massey
Lacey Matthews
Koby McMahon
Malcolm McRae
Quentin Montgomery
Atenoya Morris
Kelsey Mosley
Christina Oubkeo
Tamiah Palmer
Sierra Pearson
Guy Ramsey
Gabrielle Reichard
Sierra Roach
Jack Sheehan
Caitlin Spencer
Hayden Storms
Jennifer Stough
Cheyenne Strickland
Corey Sutphin
Anton Traquair
Sean Trollinger
Erica Tuck
Olivia Webster
Jasmine Williams
Jared Williamson
Taylor Woods
Joshua Wright
Matthew Wright
Alexandra YoungChantal Aaron
Bryce Beard
AnnGardner Eubank
Dakota Fletcher
Suzanne Maines
Nancy Shoaf
Victoria WagnerTaylor Brown
Samantha Combs
Kevin Ramirez
Charissa Reter
Satin Alicia Lee WilliamsMarquis LeeHallie ChappellOlivia Fox
Amber Scott
Mallory ScottMegan Allen
Renee Alleyne
Elina Baltins
Ametria Booker
Makenna Carden
Graham Doucette
Mikayla Floyd
Dominique Harper
Brady Hentz
Danielle Johns
Lauren Jutras
Abigale Light
Morgan McCoy
Kenzie Mosley
Amber Osborn
Hunter Tharpe
Ayanna Virgin
Carissa WilliamsAbigail Baker
Lawrence Baranski III
Katelin Benton
Hunter Berrier
Cayla Berry
Ysabella Bettilyon
Matthew Boyd
Mia Brower
Ashley Charters
Kimberly Clements
Samantha Combs
Taylor Darnell
De’Asia Darrington
Leya Deickman
Dakota Fletcher
Christian Haley
Rachel Hancock
Clifford Harrison
Caitlin Hodges
Sarah Peyton Hodges
LaErica Hubbard
Jonathan Iraggi
Jenna Janicki
Zack Jones
Gabriella Kermon
Rachel Knick
Lindsay Koogler
Allison Kurfees
Kayla Lentini
Alexzondra Mattson
Mikayla Moreno
Atenoya Morris
Autum Murray-Burns
Christina Oubkeo
Tamiah Palmer
Addison Philpott
Casey Raggett
Gabrielle Reichard
Destiny Roane
Davon Robinson
Amber Scott
Morgan Scott
Natasha Shelton
Cayla Stephens
Victoria Wagner
Brittany Warren
Grant Welch
Haley Yates
Rebecca YearyJamecia SmithPedro Arrocena-Jacuinde
Nancy Shoaf
Erica TuckLeya Deickman
Sierra Helton
Mallory Hall
Brianna Martin
Christopher RodriguezKathryn Bonner
Ametria Booker
Susan Cook
Leya Deickman
Kayla Divers
Daishi Dudley
Chanté Elam
Koby McMahon
Autumn Potkay
Mary Stoudt
Jasmine WilliamsJasmine Agee
Mark Allen
Jason Anstice
Max Baker
Cayla Berry
Jacob Blaukovitch
Tanner Brooks
Taylor Brown
Tucker Brown
Sianna Burgos-Altman
Mikayla Cannaday
Henry Carkhuff
Antonio Carrabotta
Chris Clarke
Dominick Claxton
Kimberly Clements
Noah Collins
Bailey Cooper
Taylor Darnell
Konner Deeds
Leya Deickman
Alexandria Dixon
Taylor Dodson
Moore Dolue
Miranda Dougherty
Alison Ford
Benjamin Foster
Tyler Fullem
Abigael Germeroth
Raekwon Giggetts
Courtney Gosslin
Hunter Goulart
Nick Helton
Anitria Henderson
Layura Henley
Shannon Johnson
Alicia Jones
CJ Kaashif
Lindsay Koogler
Breanne Kretzer
Allison Kurfees
Brooke Lewis
Michael Lyons
Brian Mann
Jake Martin
Alex Mattson
Ashley McAllister
Koby McMahon
Kevon McNeil
Hailey Meyer
Vicki Meza
Kiani Mohica
Christian Mosier
Travis Murray
Tim Ortega
Sirena Pangelinan
Austin Pennington
Matthew Poirier
Kevin Ramirez
Sierra Roach
Courtney Rudd
Samantha Sabater
Brendon Schrantz
Kali Setzer
Jack Sheehan
Kasey Sheets
Nancy Kathryn Shoaf
Brett Sommers
Cheyenne Strickland
Payton Stuart
Brandon Turner
Victoria Wagner
Shane Walker
Jasmine Wilson
Gloria Wood
Robert Ziehfreund
The annual livestock show and plant sale event occurs this year on Saturday, April 13. Spring plants will be for sale at the Titmus Agricultural Center, 
370 Ferrum School Road, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The plants have been grown in the College’s own greenhouse by horticulture students and include annual plants and seed annuals, hanging baskets, vegetables, and herbs. Proceeds from this cash-only sale support Ferrum College’s horticulture program. The showing of goats and lambs will also take place at the Agricultural Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Weaned goats and lambs will be available for sale after the showing. There will be additional activities and the opportunity to purchase lunch and Ferrum College agriculture merchandise on-site. Read more about the College’s agricultural science’s program here.
The fourth annual Moonshine Heritage Car Show will take place at Ferrum College on Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. This unique car show will showcase vehicles that were actual transporters of moonshine or the type of vehicle that was used for the hauling of illegal spirits. Admission is free so bring the family for a day of fun!
There will be plenty of storytelling and bragging about the exploits and history of these special cars and trucks from the actual drivers. After the show, participants will cruise down to Twin Creeks Distillery in Rocky Mount for a moonshine tasting. Also visit the special moonshine souvenir tent with models of stills, mash sticks, and Virginia is for Moonshine Lovers hats, t-shirts, and bumper stickers.
Food will be available onsite from the legendary Bowling’s Hotdogs of Waidsboro.
This event is sponsored by the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum of Ferrum College with the assistance of the Outlaw Cruisers Car Club of Franklin County, VA.
For more information, call the Blue Ridge Institute at 540-365-4416 or email bri@ferrum.edu. To register a car for the car show, please complete a registration form here: https://ferrumcollege.wufoo.com/forms/m17zr5tu1d37fh6/.
To learn more about the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, visit: https://dev.ferrum.edu/blueridgeinstitute/.
Ferrum College Theatre Arts will present Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart April 24 – 26, at 7 p.m., in the Black Box Theatre in Schoolfield Hall on campus. Entrance is free for Ferrum College students and faculty; $5 for non-Ferrum College students; and $10 for adults. Reserve tickets here. This production contains adult language and situations.
Set in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, three sisters, each with unique life circumstances including spinsterhood, a failed career, and the possibility of jail time, await their grandfather’s death in the local hospital. Through hilarious yet touching twists and turns, the sisters escape their pasts and make strides toward their futures. A New York Times review remarked: “While this play overflows with infectious high spirits, it is also, unmistakably, the tale of a very troubled family. Such is Miss Henley’s prodigious talent that she can serve us pain as though it were a piece of cake.”
The play, which won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, has been described by the New York Post as having “heart, wit, and a surprisingly zany passion that must carry all before it…it would certainly be a crime for anyone interested in the theatre not to see this play.”
Learn more about Ferrum College Theatre Arts here.
More about Beth Henley: Henley’s plays have been translated into over ten languages. Broadway productions include Crimes of the Heart and The Wake of Jamey Foster. Off-Broadway productions include: The Miss Firecracker Contest; Am I Blue; The Lucky Spot; The Debutante Ball; Abundance; Impossible Marriage; and Family Week. Her additional works have premiered at the McCarter Theatre and South Coast Repertory Theatre (Ridiculous Fraud); the Geffen Theatre (The Jacksonian, 2012); and Studio Theatre (Laugh, 2015). Awards include: the Pulitzer Prize in Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best American Play (Crimes of the Heart); American Theatre Wing 1998 Award for Distinguished Achievement in Playwriting and Susan Smith Blackburn Finalist (Crimes of the Heart and Ridiculous Fraud); Richard Wright Literary Excellence Award (2000); New York Stage and Film Honoree (2007); and ATHE Career Achievement Award (2010). Henley hails from Jackson, Mississippi; serves as a theatre arts presidential professor at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles; and is a member of The Fellowship of Southern Writers, the Dramatist Guild and the Academy of Arts and Science.
Mary Carter Bishop, author of “Don’t You Ever: My Mother and Her Secret Son.”
Mary Carter Bishop believed she was an only child all her life. Well into adulthood, while applying for a passport that required a copy of her birth certificate, she discovered her mother’s secret: she was not her mother’s only child. Bishop had a half-brother named Ronnie, the product of her mother’s affair with a married man.
Eventually, Bishop was able to track down her half-brother and was shocked to discover Ronnie’s childhood was vastly different from her own, the effects from which he still suffered. Born out of Bishop’s experience came Don’t You Ever: My Mother and Her Secret Son.
On Monday, April 1, Ferrum College will host Mary Carter Bishop in a panel discussion regarding her experience, her resulting book, and how women’s options have changed since her mother’s unexpected pregnancy in 1935. This free event is open to the public and will take place in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room in Franklin Hall on campus, beginning with book sales at 6:30 p.m. and discussion following at 7 p.m. Additional panelists include Dr. Sharon Stein, professor of psychology; Dr. Allison Harl, associate professor of English; and Leya Deickman, a Ferrum College senior.
Don’t You Ever has received glowing reviews, called “brave and terrific,” by an Atlantic Journal-Constitution reviewer, and described as “lay[ing] bare the cancer of shame and its often devastating results,” by Publisher’s Weekly. Beth Macy, author of Factory Man, Truevine, and Dopesick, stated Bishop’s book is an “open-hearted and unflinching look at a family history that is equal parts love story and requiem for a brother she barely knew. [Bishop] turns her formidable investigative journalism skills inward to unearth long-simmering class and culture divides in bucolic rural Virginia.”
Bishop is a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and graduated from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. She was a long-time reporter for The Roanoke Times and won a George Polk Award for her series on pesticide poisonings and fraud by exterminators. Additionally, Bishop was part of the Pulitzer-Prize winning Philadelphia Inquirer team that covered the 1979 nuclear leaks at Three Mile Island, Pa. She lives in Roanoke.
On Sunday, March 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Ferrum College invites members of the community to enjoy homemade soup and bread served in
handcrafted ceramic bowls during the Empty Bowls event in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room in the College’s Franklin Hall, 215 Ferrum Mountain Road, Ferrum. For $15 (or $10 with a valid student ID), attendees are invited to choose a bowl to fill with soup, enjoy fellowship with others, and take their special “empty bowl” home. Proceeds from this event support the Panther Packs program at Ferrum Elementary School, which sends qualifying children home for the weekend with backpacks stocked with nutritious, non-perishable food.
Students, faculty, professional potters, and other area volunteers made hundreds of unique bowls for this year’s event. In addition, there will be a silent auction featuring original works of art, including paintings, jewelry, quilts and pottery, generously donated by Blue Ridge Potters Guild members and other talented local artists.
“This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Empty Bowls event,” said Nell Fredericksen, local potter and jeweler and co-coordinator of the event. “It is a true partnership between the College and the community, working to provide much needed food to children right here in our own neighborhood. I, along with Josh Manning, Ferrum College ceramics professor and Jake Smith, Ferrum College art professor, would like to express our gratitude to the students that helped make bowls, the group of professional potters that came and helped throw close to 200 bowls, all the artists that have so generously donated to the silent auction, and the sponsorship of the Blue Ridge Potters Guild. This event would not be the success it is each year without so many in our community coming together to make a difference.”
The Empty Bowls event raises over $6,000 each year and is the sole fundraiser for the Panther Packs program. It is designed to educate Ferrum College students about how they can make a positive difference in their communities through service.
To learn more about the Empty Bowls event, please visit here and here.
Senior Oliver Flood, a financial management major, assists a VITA client.
Twenty-seven Ferrum College accounting students have received training to assist with STEP’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which will be available on campus through April 11. Tax Day is April 15.
VITA, an IRS-sponsored program, provides free tax preparation assistance to those whose annual income is $55,000 or less. Sessions will be available on the Ferrum College campus in Beckham Hall, rooms 201 and 204, on Wednesdays from 4 to 9 p.m. and Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m., with the exception of March 6 and 7 when the students are away for spring break. To schedule an appointment, call STEP at 540-483-5142.
“Our students have put in a tremendous amount of effort to learn the new tax laws and regulations to properly prepare tax returns for our clients,” explained Sadie Wallace, assistant professor of accounting and VITA program director at Ferrum College. “As a whole, the group has prepared around 200 tax returns this tax season so far, with that number to increase substantially by the time April 15th arrives. This program would not be successful without the countless hours of commitment and dedication the students put in to help serve the Ferrum College community and the surrounding areas.”
Those taking advantage of this volunteer program should bring all tax-related documents, including W-2’s, photo identification, last year’s tax return, and social security cards for themselves and dependents.
Check out this Franklin News-Post article to learn more about the VITA program offered in Franklin County. Read more about STEP here.
Ferrum, VA, February 25, 2019 — Former Broadway star Brad Bass spent a month working with Ferrum College’s theatre arts students to choreograph upcoming performances of Pippin, the story of a young prince in search of true happiness and fulfillment. Performances will be in Schoolfield Hall’s Sale Theatre on campus, 305 State Route 602, Ferrum, on March 13, 14, and 15 at 7 p.m. and on March 16 at 2 p.m.
Bass is now a musical theatre artist in residence at Averett University and is on faculty at Orbit Arts Academy. Ferrum College theatre arts students and Bass worked every weekend for the past month to choreograph Pippin.
“We are overjoyed to have Brad Bass share his experience with our students,” said Giuseppe Ritorto, assistant professor of dramatic and theatre arts and musical theatre at Ferrum College. “He brings a warmth and joy to this process of directing that can only be found in someone who shares a love of teaching the theatrical skills to the next generation of performers.”
Theatre arts students have gained a new perspective through Bass’s presence on campus. “Outside of rehearsal, students have loved picking his brain about his time on Broadway in Wicked and Memphis,” Ritorto remarked. “Brad has been more than happy to indulge them.”
Brought to life by Roger O. Hirson’s book and set to music with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, Pippin is the winner of four 2013 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, and has captivated audiences throughout the world.
Ticket cost for Pippin is $5 for non-Ferrum College students and senior citizens, and $15 for adults. To reserve tickets, visit here.
Please note: this production occasionally contains strong language and adult situations that may be unsuitable for children.
Click here for a list of upcoming theatre arts performances, and here to read more about the theatre arts program at Ferrum College.
About the photograph: Brad Bass worked with theatre arts students to choreograph Pippin.
More about Bass: Brad Bass was born and raised on a tobacco farm in Ringgold, Virginia. After high school he moved to New York City, where he trained at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. He joined the Chicago production of Wicked and not long after, made his Broadway debut in the production. His other Broadway credits include the original casts of Memphis and Jersey Boys. He was in the feature film Memphis, and sang on the original cast albums of Memphis and Andrew Lippa’s A Little Princess. Bass has performed on Good Morning America, CBS Morning Show, The View, and the Tony Awards. After performing for 14 years, he realized that teaching and writing were his new creative passions. He obtained faculty positions at Averett University and Orbit Arts Academy and received a master’s in creative writing with a focus in libretto from Goddard College. He is co-writing three musicals: The Collins Boy, The Gathering of Waters, and Learning to Fly. Bass was also commissioned to write the music and lyrics for a new film adaptation of Hansel and Gretel, entitled Gretel + Hansel.
On Friday, February 22 at 12:15 p.m., Ferrum College provost and soprano Aimé Sposato, tenor Byron Jones, bassist John Moir, and pianist Robert Thieme will perform A Musical Conversation Between Friends in Vaughn Chapel on the Ferrum College campus. This classical voice recital will incorporate works by Mozart, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Strauss, and is free and open to the community.
Sposato, of Ferrum College, has performed over 24 operatic roles and over 30 oratorios roles, receiving critical acclaim for performances in major concert halls, recital halls, and cathedrals throughout the world, including the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the Music Centre in Strathmore, Carnegie Hall in New York City, Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur Cathedrals in Paris, Basilica di San Marco in Venice, the Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican in Rome, St. Stephen’s in Vienna, the National Concert Hall in Budapest, and the Rudolfinum Concert Hall in Prague. Sposato joined the leadership team of Ferrum College as provost in July 2017 and holds a faculty appointment as professor of music, voice.
Jones, of Shenandoah University, has more than two decades experience in opera, concert, and recital in locations such as the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and Millennium Stage. He is a singer and stage director, and has performed with the Washington Opera, Baltimore Opera, Opera Vivente, and Florentine Opera. He carries an affection for French cabaret songs and visits Schroon Lake in New York during the summer months to instruct at the Seagle Music Colony, a top training program for opera. Jones currently serves as associate professor of music (voice) and chair of the voice division at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University.
Moir, of Bluefield College, has enjoyed singing with the Opera Pacific, Pacific Chamber Opera, Santa Barbara Civic Opera, the Roger Wagner Chorale, and the San Diego Master Chorale. A bit of a comic, he was also a founding member of the San Diego Gilbert and Sullivan Company, which is now the San Diego Comic Opera. His resume includes performances with the Akron Opera, Eastman Chorale, the Colgate University Chorale, and the San Diego Civic Light Opera. He has experience as a performer, singer, conductor, in choir and artistic direction, and now serves as an assistant professor of music and conductor of Bluefield College’s vocal ensembles.
Thieme, retired from West Virginia University, served as the director of the University’s opera theatre, head of accompanying, and coordinator of vocal studies from 1996-2013. He also served as co-artistic director of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. His experience includes conducting and staging opera, operetta, and musical theater productions. Thieme has worked with a number of opera companies, most recently conducting a production of Pagliacci for the Opera Fundación de Panama.
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More about Dr. Aimé Sposato: Prior to joining the Ferrum community, Dr. Aimé Sposato served as the associate dean for undergraduate studies and professor of voice at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Va. During her 24-year tenure at Shenandoah University, Sposato maintained an active performing career while training young singers in the studio and classroom and was recognized by her peers. She was awarded the Exemplary Teacher of the Year Award.
Sposato received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh; a Master of Music degree from Duquesne University, where she received a graduate fellowship in opera; and served as a graduate teaching fellow in opera throughout her Doctoral of Musical Arts degree at West Virginia University. Specializing in music of the 17th and 18th centuries, Dr. Sposato has performed over 24 operatic roles and over 30 oratorios roles in the U.S. and throughout Europe. She refined the art of Baroque Ornamentation for the voice at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Sposato has received critical acclaim for performances in major concert halls, recital halls, and cathedrals throughout the world, including the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the Music Centre in Strathmore, Carnegie Hall in New York City, Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur Cathedrals in Paris, Basilica di San Marco in Venice, the Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican in Rome, St. Stephen’s in Vienna, the National Concert Hall in Budapest, and the Rudolfinum Concert Hall in Prague. For some diversion, she was often heard singing the national anthem for the Pirates, Penguins, and NASCAR.
More about Dr. Byron Jones: For more than twenty years, Dr. Byron Jones has performed regularly for Washington, D.C. audiences in opera, concert, recital, and cabaret settings, to include the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Opera House, and Millennium Stage, Lisner Auditorium, and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. He has recorded vintage songs, some from early aviation days, which are on display at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institute.
Jones has performed Jacques Brel’s songs to critical acclaim and has received praise for tone warmth, expression, and clarity of diction. He has also directed “Riders to the Sea”; “Gianni Schicchi”; “HMS Pinafore”; “Amahl and the Night Visitors”; “Il matrimonio segreto”; “The Old Maid and the Thief/The Secret of Suzanne”; “Scene and Aria, or Mozart’s Impresario, reimagined”; and “Side by Side by Sondheim.”
A specialist of the French language, Jones has given masterclasses at Carnegie-Mellon University, The Hartt School, and Boston Conservatory. He is currently associate professor of music (voice) and chair of the voice division at Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University. During the summer, he joins the voice faculty at Seagle Music Colony at Schroon Lake in New York, where he works with young singers on artistry and vocal technique. Jones holds degrees in French Language and Literature, and in Vocal Performance, from the Universities of North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Maryland, and from Shenandoah University.
More about Dr. John Moir: Starting off as a chorister with the San Diego Opera, Dr. John Moir has enjoyed a career as a teacher, performer, singer, and conductor with more than two decades of experience in music. He has worked alongside George London, Joan Sutherland, Sherrill Milnes, Richard Leech, Aprile Millo, Beverly Sills, Richard Bonynge, Eduardo Müller, and Theo Alcantara.
Moir’s experience includes performances with Opera Pacific; Pacific Chamber Opera; Santa Barbara Civic Opera; the Roger Wagner Chorale; the San Diego Master Chorale; the San Diego Civic Light Opera; Akron Opera; Eastman Chorale; and the Colgate University Chorale, where he sang solos in Mendelssohn’s “Elijah.” He was a founding member of the San Diego Gilbert and Sullivan Company, now known as the San Diego Comic Opera. Moir also enjoyed time as artistic director with a semi-professional chorus called CORO!, which performed with Minnesota Sinfonia, Dakota Valley Symphony, and the MacPhail Center for the Arts’ Chorus “Sonomento.” Moir now serves as assistant professor of music and conductor of Bluefield College’s vocal ensembles.
More about Mr. Robert Thieme: Robert Thieme retired from West Virginia University as Professor Emeritus after teaching for 29 years. He served as the director of the WVU Opera Theatre, head of accompanying, and coordinator of vocal studies from 1996-2013. Thieme has served as coach and accompanist for many singers and instrumentalists throughout the United States and Europe. His experience also includes conducting and staging opera, operetta and musical theater productions. He has taught classes in vocal repertoire and vocal diction. In 2008 he retired as co-artistic director of the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria after serving on the faculty for 21 years. Thieme was a frequent keyboardist with the Wheeling Symphony and accompanied all operatic productions of the West Virginia Symphony. He has worked with a number of opera companies and most recently conducted a production of “Pagliacci” for the Opera Fundación de Panama.
