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(L. to r. Bermudez, Padavan, Belo, McKeon, Zinn, Lin)

This year, for the 50th anniversary Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, seven current ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ students, and one recent alumnus participated in both the Irene Ryan Acting Award and the Richard Maltby Jr. Musical Theatre scholarship competitions. This is a recognized and esteemed college level theatre event that many students look forward to year after year.

FTC students Tyler Belo (junior), Ashley Bermudez (junior), Dylan Bivings (senior), Giancarlo Estrada (junior), Stephanie Lim (senior), Ryan McKeon (junior), Christian Padavan (freshman), Renee Shubert (recent grad), and Julia Zinn (junior) spent a week at Western Connecticut State University performing material that they had prepared with faculty mentor Ronald Land during the month of January.

FOUR students made it to the finals of the Musical Theater competition. They were Mr. Belo, Ms. Bermudez, Mr. McKeon and Ms. Zinn. This was an awesome accomplishment for them! Tyler Belo was the only student at the festival to place in the finals of the Ryan and Maltby competitions, garnering first runner-up in the Ryan Acting Award (a $500 award), and 2nd runner-up in the Maltby Award. FTC is very proud of him and the other students, too.

Professor Land was a workshop presenter at the Festival, providing a vocal technique Master Class for musical theatre students. The ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ Theatre Division looks forward to our students and faculty participating in the festival again next year.

To learn more about the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), go to .

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ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ Celebrates
Black History Month in Style!

Photo of Imani Jenkins

While February is known as Black History Month, we are celebrating diversity with a Show called UNITY – The Movement created and produced by Imani Jenkins, a sophomore here at FTC.

This year on Thursday February 15th, 2018 at 7-10p.m. several students who are a part of the second annual Black History Month Show UNITY – The Movement will fill the ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ Performing Arts Center with Poetry, Music, Special Guests, and more.

This is a movement to promote love, unity, and excellence. We are giving honor to African American leaders who have paved the way for many of us today.

So, please join us! FTC students, faculty and staff receive complimentary admission, and we asking for a $5 donation from all others who attend. All proceeds will be go to the NAACP Foundation. We welcome you to celebrate Black History Month with us.

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Friday, May 4^th at 7:30pm – $10

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with FTC Choir, Wind Ensemble & Chamber Orchestra

The ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Peter Philip DeSalvo, will present a program of serious wind band literature. The ensemble is comprised of outstanding ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ students and several local music educators to round out the instruments needed for this challenging and interesting music.Β The FTC Wind Ensemble will also feature a guest artist, Douglas Jones, principal tuba of the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band, located at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia.Β This performance is not to be missed!

Tuesday, May 8^th at 7:30pm – $10

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with FTC Chamber Singers & Concert Pops Orchestra

Sunday, May 6^th at 2pm – $10

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Final STAGE was the climax of the competitions that occurred over the past few months. Students have tirelessly fought through five preliminary rounds to make it through to the ever-elusive Final STAGE. Those lucky five contestants were Jessica Trifoli, Taylor Hogan, Sarah Borukhov, Dino Ciccarelli, and Obasi Jackson.

These students each had their own unique style with their own originally developed performance, collaborating from the top down with other students within or outside their major. Using any and all resources to their advantage, these students gained close to real world experience on how a live show would be organized, performed, and the expectations that come with it.

STAGE hosts were Taliek Hill, a recent alum, and Jamila Gordon, a well-known theater extraordinaire FTC senior and both were full of energy, jokes, skits, and musical numbers that added to the fantastic event. They pulled the crowd into the show right from the get go with their theatrics. Next, Rose started the show off with her impressive costume design and her outfit as well as her fluid and natural stage presence to go along with it. Taylor followed up with her own, personally written country music and vibrant country voice. Sarah had a well-arranged presentation, with an amazing combination of piano and vocals. Not to be shown up, Dino also put on a fantastic performance and with his vocals, he even got the crowd into it. The final act finished the show on a spectacular note with an eye-popping performance by Obasi and his band “The Vibe.”

There was much deliberation between the three judges, Stephanie Strippoli, a Concert Producer and Promoter, Jason Melker, an established Studio Manager, and Annie DiBiasi, Blackheart Records Associate, plus a close vote from the audience. It is never an easy choice to decide who wins STAGE since everyone had worked so hard and performed so well.

After careful consideration and discussion the winner of Final STAGE was finally announced–FTC’s up-and-coming country music star, Taylor Hogan!! Her setup was simplistic, natural, and this gave her performance a clear identity. She wrote much of her own music that she performed and the judges agreed the songs were unique and well written. The music she wrote made her voice shine and stand out the most, which was the focal point of her performance.

ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ and the Office of Student Life would like to personally congratulate the students who participated, thank the staff and faculty who helped set up, and all who attended, as well as the judges and hosts for giving their time to make this an extraordinary event possible. A special thank you to Residence Life’s Christian Altamura, Audio Department’s Carlos Dias and Performing Art Center’s Laura Kruegel for planning and executing a fantastic event!

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The Jazz Education Network
Invites FTC Jazz Guitar Ensemble To Perform
at International Conference in Dallas, Texas

ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ is proud to announce that the FTC Jazz Guitar Ensemble has been selected to perform at the prestigious Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference in Dallas, Texas from January 3-6, 2018.

This professional-level group is comprised of FTC students, including Brandon Nichol, William Ruggiero, Hee Soo Chae, Kyle Young, Alex Vietheer, and Marcos Garcia. They are led by Professor Peter Rogine and Dr. Steve Briody. These esteemed faculty also direct and create arrangements for this outstanding group.

Professor Steve Briody who is also the Director of Instrumental Music, reported, β€œThousands of college ensembles from around the world submitted audio recordings to audition for a limited number of performance slots. Although the odds were very slim, FTC received the invitation—we are both thrilled and honored!”

The JEN Conference hosts thousands of people from around the globe, and consists of performances, workshops, research presentations, and industry symposiums. It is an awesome educational opportunity for the group and the College is proud to support them. The group has held vigorous rehearsals since August. Here are some of the members’ comments:

• β€œI am honored, and have grown as a person and player through these rehearsals” – Alex Vietheer, Master’s student.
• β€œIt is such an honor to be representing ΒιΆΉΣ°ΤΊ . . .Professor Rogine has put a great deal of work into fine-tuning the details that make these pieces exceptional” – Kyle Young, Master’s student.

FTC wishes these exceptional young musicians the best of luck and commends the Music Division faculty for spearheading this wonderful initiative!!

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Spotlight on Professional Photographer
and FTC Professor Harold Naideau

Though the summer seems like a memory now, FTC faculty memorialized their experiences in different ways to be able to share stories with FTC students. Since FTC prides itself as a creative institution, all forms of creativity are welcomed and appreciated.

One great example was shared by FTC Assistant Professor of Art & Photography Harold Naideau. He is one of our faculty who traded the comforts of home, and spent his summer trekking across the grand and dusty American West to broaden his photographic expertise. With his cameras and gifted photographic eye, Naideau traveled over eight western states, taking hundreds of photographs far beyond the traditional sightseeing pictures that a tourist would ordinarily take. Naideau sought out images that represented the heart and soul of the west. His vision turned ordinary images of people, places, and things into insightful works of beauty. Even a dilapidated shed, alongside an empty stretch of dusty roadway, was captured in a photograph and transformed into a thing of beauty with a story all its own.

Abandoned Mine Shack

Assistant Professor Naideau says, β€œThat’s the difference between taking pictures and photography. That’s what we teach. A photograph should capture and tell a story, not just be a picture. Just about anyone can take a picture. A photographer captures images that can make someone think, laugh, and even cry. The images that I took over this summer could tell a story long enough fill a novel.”

And what an award-winning novel that would be, as the images he has taken are now being exhibited in galleries all over the United States. His Abandoned Mine Shack photograph is currently on exhibit at The Center for Contemporary Arts National Juried Competition in Abilene, Texas, and at the Vets Gallery in Newport, Rhode Island, produced by the Art League of Rhode Island.

Taking nationally recognized photographs is not new for Naideau, as his photographic works are regularly exhibited in galleries in New York and throughout the United States. Currently, in the New York area, you can see his photographs: β€œBarnyard Breakfast”, β€œVanitas Still Life” and β€œTrees of Winter” at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook.

Barnyard Breakfast

Vanitas Still Life

Trees of Winter

Besides being one of Five Town College’s faculty members, Harold Naideau is also a published author of two books of his photography, an editor of photographic textbooks, an accomplished commercial photographer, and he has the very unique distinction of having one of his photographs used as a United States First Class Postage Stamp.

One thing that can be said with sincerity is that FTC is proud to boast about this special Professor and Photographer! He not only has a gifted photographic eye but also a gift for sharing his expertise-in and out of the classroom-with beautiful and unique photos.

His work should be an inspiration for all FTC constituents!

To learn more about Professor Naideau and see more of his work, go to www.naideauphoto.com.

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