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Shenandoah Conservatory Alum Petrina Jones ’93 Named Executive Director for Virginians for the Arts

Petrina Jones '93

Petrina Jones ’93

Virginians for the Arts (VFTA) announced earlier this month that Petrina L. Jones will serve as their new Executive Director.

“Petrina has a wealth of knowledge and experience, and is uniquely suited to lead Virginians for the Arts in engaging Virginians in a united advocacy effort to protect and increase support for the arts as our mission calls for” Chairman Butch Davies stated.

Before being named the Executive Director of Virginians for the Arts in January 2015, Petrina Jones worked at the lobbying firm, The Vectre Corporation in Richmond, Virginia. For nineteen years, she built her extensive statewide relationships while lobbying members of the Virginia General Assembly and the Executive Branch representing a broad spectrum of businesses and industries.

She developed and implemented grass tops and grassroots strategies for a number of projects on the federal, state and local levels. Jones successfully fought to protect her clients’ interests during the budget process and monitored pending legislative and regulatory issues before the General Assembly, Commonwealth Transportation Board, Coal and Energy Commission and the Board of Education.

A graduate of Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University, Jones received a Bachelor of Fine Arts – Music Theatre degree in 1993. Jones was named the 1997 recipient of the university’s Outstanding Young Alumni Achievement Award for her work as an actress. After touring the United States as a title role actress of a nationally acclaimed theatre company, Virginia Repertory Theatre, Jones performed in a statewide educational tour co-produced by Prevent Child Abuse Virginia, the Virginia Department of Social Services and Theatre IV America.

For the past seven years she has trained and led a group of six actors who assist the Child Advocacy Centers of Virginia in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice with a conference called ChildFirst Virginia-an instructional program for law enforcement officers, attorneys and social workers that interact with traumatized children. Jones served on the Board of Directors of CultureWorks (formerly the Arts Council of Richmond). She participated in Governor Warner’s Partnership for Achieving Successful Schools by mentoring at Clark Springs Elementary in Richmond.

On Feb. 4, the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Jan Wagner, wowed the audience during their world premiere performance of the newly revised, complete “Blues Symphony” by legendary jazz trumpeter, music educator and Grammy Award-winning musician Wynton Marsalis.

The performance, held at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland, was a result of a months-long residency in which Marsalis worked with the students to bring life and “swing” to the piece.

“The musicians — all Shenandoah undergraduates — were terrific,” noted a review of the performance by The Washington Post. “Trombone soloist Nathan Davis did some of the evening’s best work. In the fifth movement’s high point, he and violist Erin Reilly traded improvised blues choruses. Clarinetist Jacob Moyer was also superlative, as was trumpeter Nathaniel Hussell, whose parts required him to pull hard at the harmonic edges.”

The group also received a glowing review from Marsalis himself. “The Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra played my music with such passion and zeal last night, I can’t sleep,” said Marsalis. “Music is always so much deeper than notes. And a group of musicians dealing with the pressure of performance showcases a confluence of aspirations put to the test of execution. … Well, tonight, our young people over delivered.”

View a slideshow of the event below.

 

 

In January 2015, legendary jazz trumpeter, music educator and Grammy Award-winning musician Wynton Marsalis completed his 2014-15 residency at Shenandoah Conservatory, and the highlight of his involvement is the world premiere of his newly revised, complete “Blues Symphony” on Wednesday, Feb. 4, presented by Washington Performing Arts at The Music Center at Strathmore.

The premiere will feature the Wynton Marsalis Quintet and the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Jan Wagner. Marsalis has worked intensively with the 79-piece orchestra over the past few months, providing them with insight into his work and teaching them how to incorporate more “swing” into their classical training.

Marsalis reflected on his most recent visit to Shenandoah via a post on his Facebook page, and noted that “It was a busy and emotionally rich week and I left having experiences I know will become even more significant as valued memories.”

In addition, Marsalis sat down with Dean of Shenandoah Conservatory Michael Stepniak, Ed.D., to be interviewed as part of the conservatory’s American Icons series.

“Wynton Marsalis reminds us that artistry and excellence is not a destination but a deeply personal journey,” said Dr. Stepniak during his introduction of Marsalis during the event. “He’s on such a journey, and observing him from afar, I see in him not only a voracious thirst for learning but also those dual qualities we find in the best of artists — self-acceptance and self-criticism. Importantly, that self-criticism combines an intolerance for the second-rate with an extraordinary regard for collaboration and the dignity of all in our society.

“Indeed, through his educational work, writings and performances, he has revealed uniquely powerful messages about jazz — that even, above all else, it may uniquely teach respect and trust, can reveal wounds in this society and pathways to healing, can call us to honestly engage with each other as our true selves. He speaks, to put it simply, from a place of profound passion, concern and awareness; and in bringing his all to the task of his life’s work, he has a clarity that enables him to look at young artists with a wise, caring gaze.”

While in Winchester, Marsalis took some time to work with students from John Kerr Elementary School’s West African Drumming Ensemble. He also led a Big Band Jazz Clinic, working exclusively with the National Jazz Workshop All-Star Jazz Orchestra and the Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Ensemble.

“When I was growing up, and I’m sure it’s still prevalent today, high school orchestras played Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, the concert band played Vaughan-Williams and Holst, and the Jazz band played whatever the director has written or some jazz-funk or jazz-rock tunes. This band, however, was well-prepared and also very easy to work with,” said Marsalis of the NJW All-Star Jazz Orchestra in his Jan. 24 Facebook post.

The NJW All-Star Jazz Orchestra is an outgrowth of the conservatory’s summer National Jazz Workshop. It is an audition-based ensemble comprised of students aged 15 to 22 in the Washington, D.C., area and is under the direction of Jazz Composer-in-Residence and Adjunct Associate Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies Alan Baylock ’90, M.M. The Shenandoah Conservatory Jazz Ensemble is under the direction of Auxiliary Adjunct Associate Professor of Jazz and Trumpet Craig Fraedrich, M.M.

View a slideshow of the event below.

 

 

During the 2015 season, Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre will present three musicals new to the SSMT stage — “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “The Addams Family” and “The Wiz” — and conclude with a perennial family favorite, “The Music Man.”

Performances are at 8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, and matinee performances are at 2:30 p.m., every Saturday and Sunday. Matinees are also performed every second Wednesday:

  • Wednesday, June 17, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”
  • Wednesday, July 1, “The Addams Family”
  • Wednesday, July 15, “The Wiz”
  • Wednesday, July 29, “The Music Man”

“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, is a musical farce set in ancient Rome, featuring a crafty slave, his young master, a beautiful but slow-witted courtesan, and a plot full of twists, turns, mistaken identities, slamming doors, and a showgirl or two. It is based on the plays of Plautus.

The production runs from Thursday, June 11, through Sunday, June 21. It is directed by Jonathan Flom, with music direction by Thomas Albert and choreography by Edward Carignan.

From Thursday, June 25, through Sunday, July 5, SSMT will present “The Addams Family,” with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Charles Addams’ kooky, spooky cartoon family is brought to life as Morticia and Gomez fret over daughter Wednesday, who invites her new boyfriend and his “normal” family to visit, with comically chaotic results.

The production is directed by Carolyn Coulson, with music direction by Karen Keating and choreography by Edward Carignan.

There will be no performances of “The Addams Family” on Saturday, July 4. For the convenience of Saturday matinee subscribers, a 2:30 p.m. performance has been added on Thursday, July 2.

“The Wiz,” with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown, is presented from Thursday, July 9, through Sunday, July 19. It is a reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” and the 1975 Broadway production won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. This beloved Broadway musical sets Dorothy’s adventures in the Land of Oz to music in a dazzling, lively mixture of rock, gospel and soul.

The production is directed and choreographed by Edward Carignan, with music direction by Matthew J. Pool.

The 2015 SSMT season closes with “The Music Man,” with music, lyrics and book by Meredith Willson, from Thursday, July 23, through Sunday, Aug. 2. Based on a story by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey, fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill comes to River City, Iowa, to con the townspeople into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band. His plan to skip town with the cash is foiled when he falls for the town librarian, Marian.

The production is directed by Robin Higginbotham, with music direction by Karen Keating and choreography by Robyn Schroth.

The 2015 season features a revised performance schedule and a streamlined pricing structure. Single tickets and new subscriptions are now on sale. To purchase tickets, click here (there is a $2 per ticket charge for online purchases); you may also call the box office at (540) 665-4569 or (877) 580-8025 (toll free). The box office is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. as well as two hours prior to performances.

Individual rates for all performances are as follows: adult, $30; senior (62 and over), $25; child (13 and under), $15. Subscription rates are as follows: adult, $100; senior (62 and over), $85; child (13 and under), $50. For special rates/group sales, please call (540) 665-4545.

About Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre:

In 1984, then-Producing Artistic Director Harold Herman founded Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre, a professional summer stock theatre company, on the campus of Shenandoah University. Herman’s goals were to provide affordable, fully-staged family entertainment in the community of Winchester/Frederick County and to give Shenandoah Conservatory’s students the opportunity to work in a professional setting before venturing out to pursue their own careers.

Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre produces four Broadway musicals each summer in the beautiful 630-seat Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre on the campus of Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. Eleven performances are given of each musical over a two-week period, drawing audiences from a 150-mile radius with groups traveling in from as far away as Ohio and North Carolina.

Follow Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre on Facebook and Twitter.

Kathy Voytko (BFA – Musical Theatre, 1994), has toured the US as Christine Daae in THE PHANTOM of THE OPERA, soloist-THE MUSIC of ANDREW LLOYD WEBER, and was chosen by Hal Prince to play Eva Peron-25th anniversary tour of EVITA. She has appeared on Broadway in OKLAHOMA!, and NINE starring Antonio Banderras and Chita Rivera.

Rachel Oneika Phillips ’00 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance) has performed on Broadway in “Fela!” and played Anita in the 50th Anniversary World Tour of Jerome Robbins’ “West Side Story.” Following her graduation, Oneika danced with Forces of Nature Dance Company in New York City for several years. She has also performed in music videos for Caribbean Soca singer Alison Hinds.