Westminster’s performing arts faculty are renowned for their high-level teaching ability and creativity in the classroom, but this extends beyond the Westminster campus. Some work in ballet, while others work on Broadway musicals. How much does the Westminster community know about the performing arts department faculty’s involvement in the greater Atlanta arts communities?
“I love collaborating with various professional musicians, and I think that it is truly my happy place to be performing and sharing different ideas and different works with various musicians,” said Joli Wu, director of Upper School orchestras.
Wu has worked with many different groups across Atlanta, two of the most notable being the Atlanta Ballet and the Atlanta Opera. She is both a core member and the principal violist for those groups. She plays in informal settings such as weddings, festivals, and even with her friends.
“We have this gift of sharing music and the love of music with others, and I think that that is probably something that I feel brings me the most joy,” said Wu. “I have this ability to share my music making with the community.” Within her work at the Atlanta Ballet, Wu has worked on shows like The Nutcracker. When reflecting on her work within the Atlanta community and specifically with the Atlanta Ballet, Wu focuses on the smiles of the families for which she plays her music.
“It’s amazing to see so many different people, and just seeing them there with their smiles brings me so much joy to be able to give that gift to them.”
Dr. McKinley Stinson is the band director for the Middle and Upper School. He has participated in multiple events and groups across Atlanta. For the first few years of his being in Atlanta, he was a member of the North Star Percussion Trio.
“One of the most fun gigs was playing for Aretha Franklin at the Fox,” said Stinson. “Now that was terrifying, but it was kind of surreal. You just look around, and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is really really great to be a part of.’”
One of Stinson’s more memorable experiences with the performing arts community of Atlanta was his time working as a percussionist with the Broadway musical Wicked. As part of the crew for Wicked, Stinson needed to learn a vast amount of material in a limited amount of time.
“You get one day of rehearsal, and then you start,” he said. “They’ll actually send out previously recorded shots of the conductor for you to practice with so that when you get to the first rehearsal, it’s a run-through because you are playing beside people who have played that show anywhere between 800 to 3000 times.”
“[The Atlanta performing arts community] inspires me to understand what the future of performing arts looks like in the outside world so that I can teach to the best of my ability,” said director of theater arts Kate Morgens. Morgens has contributed to the performing arts community of Atlanta as an actress, singer, teacher, and a board member of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. She has performed at the Breman Museum, taught at the Alliance Theatre, and acted in many films from companies such as Creative Studios of Atlanta and Re: Imagine Filmmaking.
“I think there are exciting ways that the performing arts community of Atlanta can challenge our community to grow and innovate and change,” said Morgens.
“One of the things I love about being at Westminster on the performing arts department faculty is all of our performing arts faculty members in some way, shape, or form practice their art in the community, and I think that benefits our students a lot because we are excited to bring what we learn from the community back to school,” said chorus director Jason Maynard.
The active involvement of Westminster performing arts faculty in the larger Atlanta arts community cannot be understated. The same teachers who contribute to the development of artistic culture around Atlanta use their experiences to shape the education of students, using their expertise to cultivate artistic evolution. Their unique experiences, from Broadway to the Atlanta Opera, allow them to continually inspire new generations of Westminster performing arts students. Sharing their passion for the arts results in the vibrant performing arts community that has bloomed at Westminster, from concerts to plays. The interchangeability of the terms “educator” and “professional” is one of the main factors that contribute to the spirit of the Westminster performing arts.
Edited by Lucas Liu
