UConn School of Fine Arts

08/28/2026

SFA ALUMNI IN ACTION: Will Graziano ’14 is taking the big screen by storm!

Dramatic Arts alum Will Graziano ’14 wrote, produced and stars in HONEYWELL and the short film is already making waves.

After premiering at the Academy Award-qualifying Palm Springs International ShortFest, HONEYWELL screened at festivals including Charlotte and Mystic Film Festival and won Best Short and Best Actor at the Red Rose Film Festival.

The film also features music by fellow Dramatic Arts alum Elysse Yulo ’12, whose song “If These Walls Had Eyes” is featured in the film.

Now, HONEYWELL has premiered on Omeleto’s YouTube channel, where you can watch it for free!

From UConn classrooms to award-winning filmmaking—we’re proud to see where our alumni are taking their talents.

Watch HONEYWELL → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grwKWGG7wAE&t=1s

08/27/2026

Art has the power to inspire, educate, and bring our community together. For six decades, the William Benton Museum of Art, Connecticut's State Art Museum, has been doing just that while being FREE and accessible to all. To mark The Benton's 60th Anniversary, we are launching a spectacular Online Silent Auction running from September 10 to September 27, 2026. Register now and get notified when the auction preview launches next week! Link to register: https://e.givesmart.com/events/Ojb/

08/26/2026

UConn Music welcomes Dr. Samuel Oram as Instructor of Class Piano!

Praised by the Pittsburgh Tribune for his “stunning artistry” in “the way he uses virtuosity for musical coherence and precise expression,” pianist Samuel Oram has performed in many countries of the world. In 2022, he made his Carnegie Hall (Zenkel) debut performing Bach’s Keyboard Concerto No. 2 in E major. He has also appeared as a recitalist and concerto soloist in the Kennedy Center, Jordan Hall, Jüdische Volkshochschule in Berlin, Edward Grieg Museum in Bergen, Conservatorio Profesional de Música “Jacinto Guerrero” in Toledo, Asakusa Civic Center in Tokyo, National Concert Hall in Taipei, and National Shenyang Opera House in Shenyang, China.

Born in Boston, Oram began his musical training at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School and continued his studies at Manhattan School of Music. His teachers have included Ursula Oppens, Jeffrey Cohen, Alan Smith, Andrew Harley, and Stewart Gordon. He was also selected to join many prestigious festivals, where he participated in lessons and masterclasses with Leon Fleischer, Manahem Pressler, Lilia Zilberstein, and János Starker. His awards include the Grand Prize and Solo Performance Prize in the Corpus Christi International Competition, Second Place (first place absent) in Concours Musical de France, Honorable Mention in the International Wideman Competition, and First Prize in the Manhattan School of Music Concerto Competition.

In addition to performing as a soloist, Oram is also an avid chamber musician. During his doctoral studies at the University of Southern California, he worked for three years as the studio pianist for the concertmasters Martin Chalifour and Glenn Dicterow. In the years since, he has presented chamber recitals with members of prominent symphony orchestras across the country. Since moving to Connecticut in 2023, Oram has performed regularly with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra while serving as the principal pianist for the New England Chamber Orchestra (NECO). His recording of Hindemith’s rarely played Kammermusik II (Klavierkonzert) with NECO is in the process of being released on their debut album. His second album of the chamber music of Poulenc, Ravel, Šulek, and Carolina Calvache, which he recorded with the principals of NECO, will be made available in the next season.

UConn School of Fine Arts

08/25/2026

Join us on Wednesday September 9 for the opening reception for Landscape: Revealed and Reframed. The exhibition features four artists’ contemporary perspectives on landscape in photography, print, painting, and drawing.

In Pamela Marks paintings on book pages from The Living Earth series, published in 1975 and focused on our world’s interconnectedness and precarious balance, Marks employs an orderly use of color and geometric abstraction to heighten the pages emotional impact.
Pamela Marks

UConn School of Fine Arts Art + Art History Dept, UConn UConn Avery Point

08/24/2026

For nearly two decades, John Bell has helped shape the UConn puppetry community and left a lasting impression on generations of students along the way.

Since arriving at UConn in 2007, John has championed puppetry as an art form that reaches far beyond the stage and far beyond childhood: deeply embedded in our everyday lives, “invisible and ubiquitous.”

As John prepares to retire this fall, we’re celebrating his extraordinary impact on the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, UConn’s puppetry program and the wider puppetry community. His creativity, mentorship and passion will be deeply missed.

Join us in wishing John Bell a very happy retirement! Read more about John’s legacy in the CT Mirror: https://ctmirror.org/2026/08/23/ct-uconn-puppetry-john-bell-retiring/

08/19/2026

UConn Puppet Arts Program sighting at the Puppet Fringe Festival last night! John Bell, Deungwon Kang, Sarah Nolen, and Amy Liou!

08/14/2026

We’re excited to have her!

UConn Music is happy to announce that Dr. Ellen Voth will continue her work on our faculty as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Studies.

Dr. Ellen Gilson Voth begins this fall as Director of Choral Studies and Visiting Assistant Prof. of Music at UConn. Voth’s conducting spans professional, collegiate, community and secondary-level ensembles throughout the Northeast. Past conducting mentors include Edward Bolkovac, Ann Howard Jones, Joseph Flummerfelt, Allen Crowell, Paul Wiens and Mary Hopper. Voth is active as a guest conductor, festival clinician and presenter at conferences across the US, particularly on the integration of ear and movement in the choral rehearsal and how the creative process informs conductors' score study and interpretation.

A regularly commissioned and award-winning composer, Voth’s compositions and arrangements are published by ECS Publishing, Graphite Publishing, Oxford University Press, Walton Music, Colla Voce and Santa Barbara Music Publishing. She has received national awards from The American Prize and from ACDA, and her music have been performed in contexts ranging from tour concerts of Lyyra of the VOCES8 Foundation, to the Kennedy Center, to ACDA national and regional events. Voth's work has been the subject of recent DMA dissertations on the symbiotic relationship of conducting and composing disciplines, and the study of choral works by women composers.

Voth has served on the Board of CT-ACDA and the Board of Choral Arts New England. Her DMA is from The Hartt School, Univ. of Hartford, where she received the Regents' Honors Award for graduate students.

UConn School of Fine Arts UConn Choirs

08/07/2026

SFA Alumni in Action: Alexander Donovan ’05

A new documentary celebrating artists, makers, and creativity is making waves and UConn alum Alexander Donovan ’05 helped bring it to life.

The UConn Art & Art History Department graduate recently released "Outliers," a feature length documentary created alongside his filmmaking partner that follows five regional artists and their crafts. The film offers a powerful tribute to the creative process and the people behind it.

Donovan’s contributions went far beyond the camera. In addition to co-shooting the film, he composed and produced the original score, drawing on his talents as both a filmmaker and musician.

Check out "Outliers" and watch the trailer at the link🎬: https://resonance-films.com/outliers/

08/04/2026

The UConn Music Department is thrilled to announce that Jessica Dickerson has been appointed Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Connecticut. Please join us in celebrating her in this new role leading the "Pride of Connecticut" Marching Band and Pep Bands.

Jessica Dickerson is Assistant Professor in Residence and Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Connecticut with more than a decade of service to the Department of Music. A two-time UConn graduate, she earned her bachelor's degree in music in 2012 and her Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting in 2016.

Since joining the faculty, Dickerson has served in a variety of artistic and academic leadership roles, including Associate Director of Athletic Bands, Associate Director of Wind Bands, and Associate Head of Undergraduate Advising. She has conducted the University Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and Wind Ensemble.

Throughout her career, Dickerson has sought to create meaningful, hands-on experiences that prepare students to succeed beyond UConn. Whether performing on nationally recognized stages, leading peers, engaging with community partners, or serving the University through music, she believes students learn best when they are entrusted with authentic responsibility and given opportunities to apply their skills in real-world settings.

As Director of Athletic Bands, Dickerson looks forward to building on the program's rich tradition while continuing to cultivate a student experience defined by excellence, community, and opportunity.

UConn Marching Band UConn School of Fine Arts

08/04/2026

Creativity takes many forms and our Puppet Arts students know how to bring imagination to life. From character development and design to construction and performance, these creations showcase the incredible artistry and technical skill of our students.

We’re proud to highlight the passion, creativity, and craftsmanship behind these one of a kind puppets and characters.