The University of Louisville Alumni Magazine: for alumni, faculty, staff, students and anyone that is a UofL Cardinal fan.
Issue link: https://louisville.epubxp.com/i/643329
W I N T E R / S P R I N G U O F L M A G A Z I N E | 4 9 A C R O S S C A M P U S UofL parents honored Beth McPheron had no idea that she was going to win the University of Louisville Parent of the Year Award this time around. It was the second time her son, Drew, nominated his mom for the award. Drew, who has muscular dystrophy, said his mother has to feed him, dress him and even go to class and take notes for him. He described her as "amazing." "I'm still shaking," McPheron said when asked how she felt about being honored at the Oct. 24 ceremony. The Parent of the Year Award, now in its eighth year, lets students recognize their parents for the help and support they've given throughout the students' lives. UofL students were encouraged to nominate a family member and a selection committee judged the nominated essays and came to a consensus on the 2015 award recipient. Beth McPheron was one of more than 40 parents nominated for this year's award. Students nominate their parents by writing a letter and then submitting it to a committee of UofL staff for consideration. Each nominee received a small plaque and a rolled scroll that included his or her child's nomination letter. Assistant Provost for Student Affairs and Assistant Dean of Students Angela Taylor read excerpts from some of the letters that highlighted parents' accomplishments. In his letter, Drew McPheron stated that Beth had been instrumental in helping him overcome adversity so he could attend and succeed in college. Beth had done everything from attend class with him to staying late in the afternoon so that her son could work on group projects. Beth took home a large plaque and a framed copy of Drew's nomination letter. STUDENT AFFAIRS Bigger and better than ever: New Music Festival celebrates 30th year of the Grawemeyer award The School of Music's storied history of championing new music — the diverse, contemporary music of our times — reached a particularly high note in 2015. The school's annual New Music Festival celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Grawemeyer Award in Music Composition, featuring guest composer and 2003 Grawemeyer Award winner Kaija Saariaho, one of the most important and sought after composers in the world. Saariaho, who often combines live music and electronics, has received commissions from the Lincoln Center for the Kronos Quartet, the New York Philharmonic and the BBC. Other guests included renowned French composer and visual artist Jean-Baptiste Barrière, American f utist Camilla Hoitenga and Danish cellist Jakob Kullberg. "It was a great honor for us to be able to work with international compos- ers and performers of the f nest caliber for this year's edition of the New Music Festival. The quality of talent represented well the impact that the Grawemeyer Award has had on the development of research in the humanities," said Krzysztof Wolek, festival director. In addition to nightly concerts, the featured guests held master classes and lectures on campus the week of Nov. 10–15. Along with the on-campus events, the Louisville Orchestra for the f rst time performed as part of the festival. Teddy Abrams conducted an evening of music by Grawemeyer-winning composers, which included Saariaho's cello concerto "Notes on Light." The festival opened with a UofL faculty chamber music concert featuring Saariaho's oft-lauded "Six Japanese Gardens." And, the Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium presented a special addition, "Nox Borealis," an audio-visual installation by Saariaho and her husband, Barrière. SCHOOL OF MUSIC Louisville Orchestra conductor Teddy Abrams leads the orchestra in a rehearsal for UofL's New Music Festival. FROM LEFT: Assistant Dean of Students Angela Taylor, Drew McPheron, Beth McPheron, 87GB, and Danny McPheron, 82GB.