VCD Assistant Professor Andres Montenegro won the residency award for his animated film project,"The Little Quest of Petrovsky," at the Carrefour de la Creation at The International Animation Festival Competition of Annecy, France. Double Metre Animation adjudicated this film category. Annecy will support its production and development in Paris in December 2013. The short animated film will be distributed in France, Europe and presented at Annecy's 2014 festival.

Music major Drew Low was a semi-finalist in the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition held in New York City in May. The competition, sponsored by the Gerda Lissner Foundation , was created by Mrs. Lissner, a Metropolitan Opera subscriber for 77 years in an effort to provide young opera singers with the financial support they need to pursue their craft and excel in the world of opera. 

Recent graduate Nathan Garner ('13, music and theatre) is performing in summer stock at the Huron Playhouse, Ohio's oldest continuing summer theatre, which opened in 1949. The 2013 summer season includes The Wizard of Oz; Dangerous Corner; I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change; Blithe Spirit; and Gypsy.

Jim Gabbard has accepted an invitation to serve on the board of directors of the Garrett Museum of Art in Garrett, Ind. His voluntary services will include strategic planning and marketing of museum exhibits.

VCD students Zach Craft, Tia Harper and Jonathan Joseph Marony each received a $1,000 scholarship from the Fort Wayne chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AdFed) in May. University students who participated in the scholarship competition each submitted a portfolio of their work along with a statement of intent, which was then reviewed by panel of judges comprised of AdFed board members. Academic merit of the winners also was taken into consideration.

Bobby Rue Wilder ('12) was offered a graduate assistantship at the University of Maryland at College Park where he will be studying for his M.A. in Music History and Musicology.

VCD Assistant Professor Andres Montenegro presented a seminar on Emerging Technologies for Interactive Animation for Universidad de Playa Ancha in Valparaiso, Chile. The digital, live-streamed seminar presented to faculty and students was open to other artists, musicians, performers and designers.

Caleb Stuckey, piano student of Associate Professor Hamilton Tescarollo through the Community Arts Academy, was the winner of the Indiana Music Teachers Association (IMTA) Hoosier Auditions, state round, Junior Division, held at Butler University in Indianapolis on May 25, 2013. One winner in each division of the competition will perform at the IMTA State Conference in November.

The Hope Arthur Orchestra accompanied the Fort Wayne Ballet during their Fort Wayne Ballet Too performance at Barr Street Market on June 20. Arthur, an IPFW music major, composed 16 different original compositions, which had distinct influences from the music of Eastern Europe, which were played by her 30-piece orchestra. Fort Wayne Ballet Too allows the dance institution to showcase the contemporary side of the company with a modern dance repertoire that far exceeds the boundaries of classical ballet.

Recent VCD graduate John Ilang-Ilang ('13) was hired immediately upon graduation by the prestigious local advertising agency Boyden and Youngblutt (B&Y) as a creative director. B&Y has been developing colorful, award-winning campaigns for local, regional and national clients, including IPFW, for the last 21 years.

Music major Kurt Roembke's three-movement electro-acoustic composition Hunting for Mushrooms was commissioned for the November 2012 IPFW John Cage Centennial celebration. The composition was greatly expanded and performed at the first Fort Wayne Fringe Festival in January 2013. Subsequently, excerpts from Hunting for Mushrooms were choreographed by Melinda Jean Myers for performances at the Illinois State University Spring Dance Concert in May 2013.

Local musician Fernando Tarango is completing his M.A. in Liberal Arts at IPFW with a concentration in Music Technology. Tarango maintains a busy performance schedule in addition to his studies. In the last year, he has performed in a variety of concerts with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and co-created children's programming with Sameer Patel for the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Regional Discovery Concerts. He helped produce the first ever Fort Wayne Fringe Festival and composed music for the Mikaudatze Dance Theatre. He is also the front man and songwriter for the band, Wickersham Brothers, who have been featured on WBOI's Meet the Music.