The Third and Final UW-Eau Claire New York Young Artist Immersion program is about to start!  Funded through a grant from the University to give Domestic Intercultural Experiences to students, my colleague Dr. Alan Rieck and I are taking twelve music students to New York City from January 2-9, 2014 and we will experience a life-changing exposure to arts, culture, people, and ideas during our time in that great city.  We have kept some of the most successful events from previous years--like a masterclass with the amazing Clauda Catania--and added some new ones.  Some of our friends that we have enjoyed spending time with the last two years, like Ken Benson, are unable to meet with us this year because of our change in schedule (we've traveled over spring break the previous two years) but I am looking forward to the incredible itinerary we have created.  We're meeting with musicians and other artists and teachers at all levels of success and experience, attending performances at the Met, on and off Broadway and at the Village Vanguard Jazz Club (a first for me), and we are giving a concert at a high school in Brooklyn!  The students have each set up at least one "interview" with a professional in the field they want to go into and will be conducting those interviews in pairs through the week.  Some students have also set up lessons with teachers at different New York schools.  I'm excited for these twelve students to experience this great program--a special thank you to the Blugold Commitment program at UW-Eau Claire for supporting this once in a lifetime opportunity for our students!
So what am I most looking forward to?  First and foremost, to witnessing the learning experiences of our students. Second, to the new musical "Fun Home" at The Public Theatre.  The show was originally scheduled to close in December, and I was disappointed to not be able to take students to this important new show.  Jeanine Tesori is the composer, and I respect her work a lot.  The story is an important one, and the reviews of the show have been stellar.  In mid-December I received an email from a Broadway watch mailing list I'm on that said the show had been extended until January!  I called within 15 minutes of reading the email, spoke with a wonderful Group Ticket person at The Public, and the rest is history!  We'll be there on Sunday, January 5.  Even better, we have a tour of the theatre the next day so we'll get to see backstage!
I look forward to authentic Persian food.  We are doing a YogaVoice session which will be very interesting.  My dear friends Rob Kleinendorst and Caroline Worra are meeting with us, and I am so proud of them and their successes.  I look forward to being surrounded by people from many different countries, cultures, and religions.  So, I look forward to the whole thing really, except for the early ride to the airport!
I invite you to watch the blog regularly as we will have updates every day.  Follow our journey!
Dr. Mitra Sadeghpour, group leader