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Congratulations
Dr. Baker!
Dr.
Sonya Baker has recently been appointed by the Governor
to the Kentucky Arts Council Board of Director.
Dr.
Sonya Gabrielle Baker made her Carnegie Hall debut with
conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, singing music of Aaron
Copland. This soprano has been heard in concert both nationally
and internationally, including concert appearances in Sardinia,
Italy, the Troy Music Hall in New York, Haverford College
in Pennsylvania and Syracuse University in New York. Noted
for her performances of American music, Baker's most recent
performances included a solo recital of American music in
Charleston, West Virginia and the presentation of a solo
lecture recital entitled "Creating the Best of All Possible
Worlds" presented for the Murray Civic Music Association
featuring music by American women Libby Larsen and Ruth
Schonthal. These composers are two of five American women
art song composers represented on Baker's debut recording,
SHE SAYS , released in October 2004. In 2003, Baker had
the honor of appearing as a soloist at the US Ambassador's
residence in Moscow and joined members of the Yale Alumni
Chorus in to sing on the palace stage of the Kremlin last
April. Nearer home, Baker was the soprano soloist for the
Paducah Symphony's gala opening concert at the Four River's
Performing Arts Center and she appeared there again in April
2005. Equally at home in opera, highlights of Baker's operatic
roles include Elisabetta in Verdi's DON CARLO , Donna Anna
in Mozart's DON GIOVANNI , Monisha in TREEMONISHA , and
the title role in the U.S. premiere of Mascagni's PINOTTA
. In 1998, Baker was invited to visit China as a soloist
in performances of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and other
choral works. Baker has also sung solos in several choral
masterpieces including Bach's Magnificat , Poulenc's Gloria
and Mendelssohn's Elijah with Robert Shaw conducting.
Baker
is currently Associate Professor of Voice at Murray State
University in western Kentucky. Along with a Doctor of Music
from Florida State University, Baker holds a Master of Music
degree from Indiana University and a Bachelor's of Arts
in American Studies from Yale University. Her voice teachers
have included Yvonne Ciannella, Rita Patané, Lili Chookasian,
and Virginia Zeani. Baker has also worked with renowned
teachers, coaches and directors such as Frank Corsaro, Evelyn
Lear, Jerome Hines, Douglas Fisher, Michael McConnell and
Craig Rutenberg.
Baker has received numerous academic and vocal awards including
the Arthur J. and Glenna B. Collins Memorial Scholarship
to attend the Stean's Institute for Young Artists at the
Ravinia Festival in Chicago and a University Fellowship
from Florida State University. As a recipient of a Dissertation
Research Grant from FSU, she visited the Marian Anderson
Collection at the University of Pennsylvania. The resulting
lecture recital entitled, "For Thee We Sing: The Historical
Implications of Marian Anderson's 1939 Easter Concert,"
includes interactive web site materials and has been presented
at several universities including Florida State, Syracuse,
and Ohio Northern Universities, the Phenomenon of Singing
International Symposium in Newfoundland, Canada, and most
recently at the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts
in Lexington, Kentucky.
Baker
is a frequent guest artist and teacher, having appeared
regularly at the Virginia Governor's School for the Arts
and having completed three summers on the faculty at the
Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts. In addition to
her singing and teaching engagements, Baker has performed
in children's theater, served as a vocal coach for soul
music, and worked as a youth self-help facilitator.
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select
articles from
Diverse
Issues
Study
Notes College-access Barriers Faced By Asian American Students
Despite the pervasive “model-minority” myth of overachieving
Asian Americans easily getting into U.S. colleges and universities,
a study at the University of California, Los Angeles has
found that more Asian American students are facing problems
in accessing higher education opportunities than ever before.
Oct 11, 2007, 20:50
Columbia
Professor Targeted With Noose: “I Will Not Be Silenced”
NEW YORK
Hundreds of students and faculty members at Columbia University
in New York City rallied Wednesday afternoon to protest
the hanging of a noose on the office door of a popular African-American
professor.
Oct 10, 2007, 19:41
Jury
Deliberates Fate of Texas Southern University’s Former President
HOUSTON
The first full day of jury deliberations in the trial of
Texas Southern University’s former president, who is accused
of spending more than $500,000 of school money to lavishly
furnish and decorate her homes, ended Tuesday without a
verdict.
Oct 9, 2007, 20:31
Perspectives:
Houston, We Have a Problem Over the “Ghetto Handbook”
Not since the Oakland, Calif. School Board voted in 1996
to recognize Ebonics as a language to be factored into its
speakers’ English classes — sparking a national debate —
has there been so much focus on African-American speech
patterns.
Oct 9, 2007, 20:20
Rutgers
To Recruit Future Students — Starting in Eighth Grade
Officials at Rutgers University in New Jersey hope that
a new pilot program will help lure more minority and low-income
students to the state institution.
Oct 8, 2007, 20:25
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