Recent vocal performance alumna Alexis Hill (BM '19) plans to return in the Fall 2019 semester to continue her education at Kent State University’s Hugh A. Glauser School of Music. She will pursue a Masters of Arts degree in Ethnomusicology on a full assistantship, which includes a significant stipend and tuition remission. As part of her assistantship, she will be teaching the undergraduate course Music as a World Phenomenon and also doing independent research on music.
This summer, Alexis will intern at Winston-Salem State University (North Carolina) in the diversity department of campus ministries. While there, she will meet with the Dean of Students from both Duke University and Winston-Salem to learn how to more effectively engage in dialog with majority students about minority issues. Her experience in this internship will directly feed into her role as a diversity liaison for Kent State's campus ministries.
Miss Hill came to Kent State from The Cleveland School of the Arts in the fall of 2015 to study with voice division coordinator, Timothy Culver. During her undergraduate career, Alexis frequently appeared in performance, with roles in over 10 productions of the Kent State Opera and participated in three choirs, including the school's flagship choral ensemble, the Kent State Chorale. She had the privilege to present an original composition entitled “Halim el-Daboots” at the College Music Society’s National Conference in Vancouver, Canada in October 2018. In March of 2019, she presented "South African Gumboots: The Making of 'Halim El-Daboots'" at the annual Society for Ethnomusicology – Midwest Chapter Conference in Dayton, Ohio.
Alexis grew up in the greater Cleveland area and was surrounded by music her whole life. Her musical interests were nurtured by exposure to the rich heritage of African American folk and gospel music and she was later introduced to the world of classical singing through these genres. Her life-long love of music and unique musical background brought her to Kent State to pursue a vocal performance degree and a career in music.