New College Students Explore Passions, Build Skills Through Performance

From SRQ Magazine.com

Performance is a vehicle for self-discovery and, at New College of Florida, the academic experience is the fuel.

Whether our students are interning at local symphonies or performing compositions in our on-campus concert series, there are countless opportunities here for artistic growth.

And we just happen to be located in Sarasota-Manatee—one of the most culturally vibrant areas in Florida—where students can intern at arts-and-humanities-based organizations and build career skills while fostering creativity.

One of my favorite examples of this artistic engagement is New Music New College (NMNC)—a program, founded by Professor Emeritus of Music Stephen Miles, that has involved New College students since its very first performance in 1998. This program not only allows students to showcase their original work, but it also gives them the opportunity to help produce the concerts in which they perform.

Just next month, there will be two free performances of compositions by New College students as part of “NMNC NewFest”— a festival of five concerts, including three by cutting-edge visiting artists. These events are supported, in part, by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation-funded “Connecting the Arts and Humanities on Florida’s Creative Coast” initiative.

Read the entire article here.