The Governor's School for the Arts provides precious opportunities for students to work with professionals in their chosen area of interest. This ETV Classic is a celebration of an event in which returning alumni visit the Governor’s School For the Arts and have a chance to work with the newest generation of students in the program. In addition to master classes, the guest alumni present a realistic portrait of their lives to the students attending The Governor's School for the Arts. Alumni baritone Phillip Boykin said that coming back was a dream come true.
In addition to the performing arts, the Governor's School provides for talented students in the visual arts, and we meet Martin Cooper (1983 Alumni) who described his position as Director of Design at Burberry, overseeing global design for men, women, and accessories. Against a montage of his designs, he spoke about taking one element of design and repeating it to make a rhythm. Later in the program, Martin discussed the business end of the field of design and the intense competition to secure a position therein.
You will not want to miss the remainder of this ETV Classics episode either! In addition to celebrating the returning alumni, we gain insights about them from their former instructors at the Governor's School. Learn more about the returning Governor's School alumni and their instructors in Side Notes. The program opens with Phillip Boykin (1987 Alumni) singing "Deep River" to the student audience. On this return to the Governor's School, he presented a vocal master class teaching them about the importance of reaching your audience and making the music dance. Selections that he performed included Richard Strauss's "Morgen," and Ravel's "Don Quichotte à Dulcinée (III. Chanson a boire) for Voice and Piano."
In addition to Phillip Boykin, returning alumni included Robert Moody (1984 Alumni), Assistant Conductor, Evansville Philharmonic, Evansville, Indiana; Elizabeth Bishop (1984 Alumni) who performed D'amour l'ardente flamme from The Damnation of Faust by Berlioz; Kenneth Law, Jr. (1984) cellist, and member of The Maia String Quartet who, with guest performer, Elizabeth Oakes, violist with the Maia String Quartet, performed Brahms Sextet in G Major.
Some of the student participants in this Governor's School for the Arts program included Dawn Biega, Elizabeth Linstrom, Kelly Gallamore, Harrison Wilder, and Brian Scott.
Side Notes
- Phillip Boykin - Baritone and Actor. Internet Broadway Database For Phillip Boykin.
- Martin Cooper - Made in Cola Town. Martin Cooper reflects on Burberry and Beyond 2019.
- Richard Kravchak, internationally renowned oboist.
- Lenny Schranze - viola. University of Memphis, Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music, instructor/musician.
- Leo Twiggs -Visual Arts. Arriving: Leo Twiggs and His Art. SCETV
- Mac Arthur Goodwin - Visual Arts. Remembering Mac Arthur Goodwin. He was an early architect of the state’s arts education programs and policies at both the South Carolina Dept. of Education and the South Carolina Arts Commission. A long-time South Carolina Arts Alliance board member and former president of the board, Goodwin was a part of the founding of many arts organizations around the state. He received the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Governor’s Award for the Arts in 1990.
- Robert Moody - Conductor Robert Moody celebrates his ninth season as Music Director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and eighteenth season as Music Director of Arizona Musicfest. He was named Music Director of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra in June 2024.
- Elizabeth Bishop - American Mezzo-Soprano - Juilliard.
- Terry Hunter - A renowned artist, administrator, arts advocate, curator and educator, he has significantly influenced the landscape of the arts in South Carolina. As an artist, Hunter wants his art work to engage viewers in reflective thought relative to their own experiences. He has participated in more than 60 group and solo exhibitions throughout the United States.
- Elizabeth Oakes - violist, is an active chamber musician, chamber music coach and performer. Ms. Oakes is currently Director of the University of Iowa String Quartet Residency Program. For twenty-two years, Ms. Oakes was the violist of the Maia Quartet.
- Kenneth Law - comfortable on the stage, in the lecture hall, or in the private studio, cellist Kenneth Law enjoys a diverse career as performer, teacher, and author. A native of Columbia, SC, he is a member of the Main Street Chamber Players, Davenport Chamber Players, Cirrus Ensemble and Colour of Music Festival. His chamber music performances include appearances at the Washington Performing Arts Club and German Embassy in Washington D.C., the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, and Carnegie Hall.
