The Arts at Olivet
Beyond the humanities courses of the liberal arts curriculum that students at Olivet Nazarene University are required to take, many students choose to engage further in the arts at Olivet through rigorous academic study and/or extracurricular participation in music ensembles, art courses, and theatrical and dance performances. This wide spectrum of vibrant opportunities allows students and the community to interact with rich cultural activities in stunning campus venues.
Making a Joyful Noise
Music has been a core element of both the academic and social threads at Olivet since the inception of the University in 1907. Popular ensembles such as Orpheus Choir and the University Orchestra have provided entertainment and atmosphere to enhance prominent University events such as the annual Commencement Ceremony, chapel services, and football and basketball games from the start. Proclamation Gospel Choir, Jazz Band, Concert Singers, Concert Band and Steel Drums round out the soundtrack to life at Olivet.
Beyond campus events, many Olivet music ensembles regularly travel throughout the United States and around the world to perform. For example, the ONU Marching Tigers have performed at prestigious global events, including the London New Year’s Day Parade for the queen of England, Inauguration Day in Washington, D.C., and the New Year’s Day Parade in Rome, Italy. Concert Singers have sung in Greece and Paraguay, and Orpheus Choir has traveled to India and Puerto Rico.
Two annual events, Sounds of the Season and a performance of Handel’s Messiah, combine the talents of almost every voice, instrument and conductor within the School of Music to produce breathtaking performances that fill Centennial Chapel each December. These holiday season concerts are open to the public, and many families have integrated the concerts into their Christmastime traditions.
For students who are interested in studying music, the School of Music at Olivet offers seven majors, minors and concentrations, which are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. Throughout their college years, students in the School of Music have multiple recital and concert opportunities to showcase the progression of their talents. Seniors perform individual capstone recitals to demonstrate their musical proficiency and cultivated artistry. Scholarships opportunities are available for all incoming students, regardless of their area of study.
The Shape of Things
Engaging visual media created for and by Olivet students enhance learning and social environments all across campus. Dedicated gallery spaces in the Ken and Judith Sims Educational Center, Weber Center, Benner Library and the on-campus Starbucks café showcase the visual media for other students, campus visitors and the general public to enjoy. Additionally, the Victorian House Gallery is used for visiting alumni and guest artists to display collections of their work.
Students who choose to study art may pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with specialization options including drawing, painting, ceramics, graphic design, media arts, photography or art education, or a Bachelor of Arts degree. During their senior year, art students propose a capstone thesis project to demonstrate their creative skills, technical knowledge and ability to craft a collection based on a cohesive theme. Once the proposal passes faculty review, students present an artist statement at a reception that recognizes their hard work.
Students in any academic discipline are invited to take art classes as electives and can participate in the creation of TYGR, an annual art and literary magazine that is published by students with the assistance of faculty advisers.
All the World’s a Stage
From historical accounts that are grounded in reality to fantastical otherworldly narratives, ONU Theatre engages audiences of all ages through entertaining and thought-provoking storytelling. Under the direction of professor Kelsie Davis ’19/’22 MBA, the department each year presents a fall play, a spring musical that is co-produced by the School of Music, and a weekend of one-act plays. The rest of the annual season is supplemented by Green Room Theatre Company, a student-run organization that typically produces two to four additional shows.
Performances are showcased on stage in the Theatre at Sims, a recently renovated black box-style venue, or in Kresge Auditorium in Larsen Fine Arts Center. Opportunities to perform, direct, choreograph, design sets, program lights, run sound, design costumes and work backstage are open to all students, regardless of their major. However, students who are interested in pursuing a theatrical career can choose to major or minor in theatre production and performance.
Two annual events, the New Works Festival and Professional Theatre Conference, provide students with settings to flex their individual creativity and honed skills in collaborative environments that encourage constructive criticism alongside networking opportunities with industry professionals.
Creative Connection
The consistent theme that connects all facets of the arts at Olivet is a desire to create meaningful connections based on a shared experience of music, visual art or theatre. Faculty in each discipline are subject-matter experts who possess a combination of academic achievement and years of dedicated personal practice and artistic exploration. They generously share their cultivated skills and knowledge with students in classroom environments, large ensemble rehearsals, group art critiques, sectionals and one-on-one lessons and mentoring sessions. In turn, students are encouraged to collaborate on projects, performances and productions that display purposeful design and professional execution in preparation for careers that reflect a Kingdom mindset.
Read the entire “Doing Something Good Together” issue here.
