Indiana Wesleyan University music professors Drs. Lisa Dawson and Jess Munoz have been voted into leadership positions at the National Opera Association (NOA), a service organization promoting artistic excellence and education in opera. Effective immediately, Dawson will be serving on the board of NOA and Munoz will be chair of the Sacred in Opera Initiative.
Dawson’s roles as a board member include pre-visits to the conventions sites, serving on various committees and working integrally with NOA’s special initiatives such as Young Artists programs and internships, Opera/Musical Theater Scenes and Productions Competitions, and the Opera for Youth and Sacred in Opera Initiatives. Additionally, she will aid in the vetting process for session proposals and the various competition entries. She will also contribute to NOA publications, which are NOA Notes, The Opera Journal and Sacred in Opera Newsletter. Dawson’s two-year term will end January 2018 with the possibility of re-election.
As chair of the Sacred in Opera Initiative, Munoz will be responsible for furthering its mission to gather those interested and involved in sacred music drama for exchange of ideas, study, performance and camaraderie. As an ecumenical support project, the Sacred in Opera seeks to promote operatic representations of the religious quest through encouraging places of worship, universities, and communities to explore the dynamic interplay of opera and theology. Additionally, Munoz will serve as chief editor of The Sacred in Opera Newsletter, a quarterly publication.
“I am excited to see how this partnership with the National Opera Association is already providing the community at IWU with an array of formative opportunities at the global level,” said Munoz.
With their new positions, Dawson and Munoz hope to facilitate many opportunities for IWU and NOA to collaborate. Some possibilities include the following:
- Scenes and Productions competitions
- Faculty/Students Scholarship in Artistic Endeavors and Presentations
- Interdisciplinary collaboration with faculty and students on the publishing of the Sacred in Opera Newsletter
- Future Productions of Sacred Music Dramas
- Building relationships with the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale, The American Guild of Organists, and other institutions and sacred spaces committed to Sacred Music