Rochester Institute of Technology, one of the nation’s top universities working at the intersection of technology, arts, and design, is creating a performing arts school to provide additional creative opportunities for thousands of students who wish to pursue their passions in performance. while specializing in a range of other areas.
Rochester, NY, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Rochester Institute of Technology, one of the nation’s top universities working at the intersection of technology, arts and design— establishes a School of Performing Arts to provide additional creative opportunities for thousands of students who wish to pursue their passions in performance while specializing in a range of other fields.
The new school will be housed within the RIT liberal arts college start 1st of July, and a nationwide search is underway for a director. In addition to the faculty and staff already involved in the performing arts at RIT, new recruits will join the effort as the university expands its dynamic and multidimensional “performing arts ecosystem”.
Anna Stenport, Dean of RIT’s College of Liberal Arts, said RIT’s School of Performing Arts will provide distinct and unique opportunities, focusing on advancing the talents of strong STEM students who cannot major. -be not into the arts.
RIT aims to offer the nation’s leading performing arts program for non-majors.
“We will provide students with integrated, accessible and diverse experiences where music, theater and dance integrate technologies to create stunning works of expression. These could include AR/VR performances of Shakespearean tragedies, choreography of motion-capture dance, animated scenes that accompany a philharmonic orchestra play,” said Stenport. “Performance and music are now fully integrated with technology, from composition and audio engineering to stage sets. electronics and immersive environments. “Stages” come in all shapes and forms these days. Using technology to enhance, develop and continue to develop the performance arts is essential… The connections are endless.
Stenport said RIT has steadily developed the performing arts across the university. Three years ago, RIT began offering partial scholarships to students interested in music, dance, theater, technical production, and even circus arts. To date, more than 950 Performing Arts Fellows have enrolled at RIT, with another 450 expected in the fall semester.
The university is also investing in facilities with some $200 million in other buildings under design and construction. the Student residence for exploration and development (the SHED), which will open in 2023, will include a large black box theater, a dance teaching and performance studio, a music rehearsal studio and numerous individual practice rooms. A 750-seat performing arts theater for musical theater productions will debut in early 2024, with a 1,500-seat orchestra hall to be added later.
RIT will leverage the unique strengths of diversity in the new school. RIT houses the National Technical Institute of the Deafwhich has its own highly regarded performing arts department and offers several annual theater and dance productions, as well as set and costume design, as well as lighting and sound opportunities for students.
Stenport said the new school should develop and deliver innovative, respected and sought-after curriculum and professional training incorporating NTID’s strong history of excellence in the performing arts, particularly in theater and dance.
RIT currently offers minors in Music Performance, Music and Technology, and Theater Arts. Future university ventures may place greater emphasis on dance, musical theatre, entertainment management, interactive media, audio engineering, augmented and virtual reality, games, and theater technology. Two immersions, music and performing arts, are already in place. Both involve history, theory and practice.
President of the IRT David Munson says that it is well established that mathematical talent and musical talent often go hand in hand. Additionally, expanding the learning experience to include the arts can build the skills needed to engage creatively, critically, and confidently.
“Many college students across the country are forced to choose between studying a STEM discipline in science, technology, engineering, and math, versus one of the performing arts as an academic major,” said Munson. “The real world requires you to think in many dimensions. We are looking for students who want to pursue STEM and the performing arts wholeheartedly, using all parts of the brain and their full range of social, emotional and intellectual skills. Our Students need not choose between their passion for the arts and their desire to pursue a different career; they have the opportunity to pursue both interests simultaneously.”
He expects thousands of RIT students from all disciplines to be involved in the performing arts in just a few years, and he said RIT is currently working to develop a similar program in the performing arts. studio.
“More broadly, we envision an education where engineers and scientists pursue performance, technicians approach the humanities, and artists learn to code,” Munson said. “It’s about fostering curiosity, discovery, innovation and teamwork. It’s about maximizing talent, living a lifetime and not hiding your light under a bushel.”
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Rochester Institute of Technology is home to leading creators, entrepreneurs, innovators and researchers. Founded in 1829, RIT enrolls 19,700 students in more than 200 professional and career-oriented programs, making it one of the largest private universities in the United States.
The university is internationally recognized and ranked for its academic leadership in business, computer science, engineering, imaging sciences, liberal arts, sustainability, and fine arts and arts applied. RIT also offers unparalleled support services for deaf and hard of hearing students. The cooperative education program is one of the oldest and largest in the country. Global partnerships include campuses in China, Croatia, dubai and Kosovo.
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