Love is...collaboration

Dear Friends,

Founded in 2017, Usdan's Artist in Residence program offers professional artists the unique opportunity to genuinely collaborate with students in a variety disciplines. Typically spanning multiple years, Artists in Residence spend their initial year conducting creative research during the summer followed by two years of direct collaboration with Usdan students.  

Usdan's first Artist in Residence (2017 through 2019) Pedro Lasch developed the ongoing tradition where students bring a red object from home to leave somewhere on campus and exchange with another red object they find. For Pedro, this invitation allowed for a visualization of all the places Usdan students come from — a massive exchange spanning Long Island, New York City, and its surrounding areas. On Thursday, August 7, Pedro's project came to life for its sixth year, with students bringing objects such as close pins, red butterflies, nail polish, and hats. 

Usdan's Music Composition program is another area of campus shaped by Artists in Residence. This summer, in her first summer of her residency, Lisa Schonberg reflected,

"This is the first time I have had students properly as collaborators. It has been really a privilege to be able to work with them and to develop ideas together. The hardest part has been trying keeping up with them. It’s a different pace, but really good for me." 

Lisa, along with Artists in Residence "the First Lady of Hip-Hop" Cindy Campbell and her brother DJ Kool Herc, taught Composition Music Minors during session 4A. Lisa's "Found Sound" Music Composition Minor class culminated in a sound installation during July Community Day. Cindy and Herc, in their second year of Residency, taught "Intro to DJing and the History of Hip-Hop" during session 4A as well, and will celebrate their second SOLD OUT Hip-Hop Pool Party on Saturday, August 9. Cindy and Herc's DJ class performed at Festival last session and some of those students will DJ at Saturday's Pool Party. 

In the ninth year of the program, Artists in Residence continue to explore making art that draws on young artist's ideas and creativity. 

In other news, this week brought lots of energy to campus. It is hard to describe, but when it is there, it is palpable. Read on for some special moments of the week and some ways you can get in involved before the end of the season! 

 

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Love is..."Into the Woods"

& Fairytale Tuesday!

Tuesday, August 12, 2025
at 10:30 a.m. & 1:15 p.m.
Dale Lewis Stage of the McKinley Amphitheater

Fairytale Tuesday

In honor of Troupe's performance of "Into the Woods" on the big stage, students and adult audience members are invited to come to campus wearing fairytale attire on Tuesday, August 12. 

Now, for more explanation

This summer, the Usdan Troupe, our selective theater ensemble, will perform Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical “Into the Woods” on the Dale Lewis stage of the McKinley Amphitheater. For the very first time in Usdan’s history, the entire campus will have the opportunity to attend a full-length Troupe performance on the big stage. 

“Into The Woods” re-invigorates the classic fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Using those old and familiar tales, the show explores universal themes and highlights the notion that true happiness, even in the presence of love, requires facing difficult truths and challenges.

Did you know...

Multi-award-winning American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim was a member of Usdan’s permanent panel. Established in June 1965, the 12-member panel represented fields, such as: cultural affairs, general education, music education, psychology, dance, drama, musical theater, art, jazz, popular music, and architecture. The panel worked with the project director and the associate director, as well as a team of artistic and educational consultants to develop curricula for a new summer program for young artists, which would become Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts.

 

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Community Day is Back!

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Our biggest, fun-filled fundraiser of the year! Think of this day as an enhanced visiting day for our whole community! We’ll celebrate this summer’s theme of Love by highlighting all the ways we connect, care for, and cherish our Usdan community through art.  

For more details visit community.usdan.org.

 

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Festival Recap

A week of large ensembles

Back by popular demand, the Brown Rice Family Band had students jumping up and down, making up dance moves, and feeling the music at their Festival show Monday, August 4. Later that day, the band led an inspiring songwriting workshop where students wrote a song together about butterflies.

 

The Sam Dillon Quartet tested a popular theory on campus that jazz music brings out the dragonflies. "It must be something about their frequency," one student hypothesized. During this enthralling jazz performance, dragonflies circled in front of the stage and students celebrated skillful solos from the band. Usdan alum Sam Dillon was accompanied by Nathan Peck (bass/pictured), Mike Capobianco (piano), and Charlie Schefft (drums).

 

42nd Division Infantry Band brought a high-energy performance to Festival on Wednesday, August 6. Their first time at Usdan, the large ensemble (over 30 members and a box truck) described themself as musical ambassadors for the National Guard, singing songs like Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" and Jay Z's "Empire State of Mind."

 

This session's Cocoon Bloom Faculty Ensemble performance included four strings instruments and piano accompaniment who played Schubert's Trout Quintet. One member described the piece as a metaphor for falling in love.

 

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company closed out the week of large ensemble work with a brilliant genre-bending dance performance including traditional Chinese martial arts with contemporary dance techniques. Following the performance, the dance company taught a workshop on using ribbons in dance performance.

 

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Student Spotlight: Matthew R.

Student Matthew R. posing with the audio equipment in the Amphitheater booth. 

At Usdan’s McKinley Amphitheater, Matthew R. is diving head-first into his interest in technical production. Since his first summer at Usdan five years ago, Matthew has developed a passion for hands-on exploration. His first major, Sustainable Design, included “building stuff with tools and thinking deeply about how things work."

He knew that he wanted to continue uncovering how things are made — from environmentally-friendly buildings to Usdan’s daily Festival performances. This summer, Matthew has developed his own leadership role as a lighting and sound technical apprentice at Usdan.  

“I asked Manager of Administration Lauren Kinane, who was running pick-up and drop-off at the time, if I could look in the [lighting and sound] booth one day," Matthew shared. "She introduced me to Dave Schaeffler, and the rest is history.”

While this is Matthew’s first summer as an official apprentice, he has been peeking his head in the booth at the back of the McKinley Amphitheater to shadow Dave for the past three years.  

Matthew reports that his favorite part of working in the Amphitheater is problem-solving.

“You have to figure out what works, what doesn’t, and if there’s more than one option, what are the pros and cons? When you’re just sitting at a concert, you don’t really think about all that.”

He also enjoys working with performers one-on-one.

“You get to meet performers somewhat personally,” Matthew said. “I am learning how to communicate with performers and accommodate their needs.”  

For those interested in getting involved in leadership at Usdan, Matthew recommends “pushing yourself and jumping off the deep end.” He tells his fellow students not to be afraid to ask about opportunities that they are interested in. You never know where a question may lead.

“Usdan is a place where, no matter who you are, you feel accepted and encouraged to pursue your interests.”

 

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WEEK 6 IN MEDIA

For more photos and videos, follow us on Instagram and TikTok.

 

Dear Reader,
Theme check-in inspired by the yoga platform's butterflies: What is transforming for you at this point in the summer? Tell us on Instagram @usdanarts.

 

On Wednesday, August 6, Usdan regulars (aka students who have attended Usdan for five or more years) had their annual pizza party to celebrate all the good times they have had at Usdan.

 

In the Art Village, Dance students modeled for the Painting & Drawing class — allowing Art students to practice their figure drawing skills.

 

On Thursday, August 7, the Long Island Association's Young Professionals Committee met at Usdan for the Coccoon Bloom Faculty Ensemble and a networking lunch. Alum, Usdan parent, Usdan board member, and member of the committee Maura Charles joined the event wearing her 2025 Bubble U t-shirt that she got to match her daughter.

 

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Calendar Highlights: Week 7

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Here is what's coming up next week!

Families of students are welcome to attend Festival performances and join us after for a backstage lunch. Festival performances will also be livestreamed, as well as recorded and posted, to our YouTube Channel.

On most days the Usdan Leadership Team hosts lunches for Usdan parents, supporters, grandparents, and caregivers. If you would like to join us for lunch, email rsvp@usdan.org, preferably 24 hours in advance. 

On regular camp days, families do not need to RSVP to visit campus; just bring your 2025 Access Pass to ensure smooth entry onto campus. Please allow 20 minutes to get from Usdan's entrance to your destination. Visit the last page of the calendar for FAQs on visiting campus.

Monday, August 11

Festival Performance: "Into the Woods" Highlights by the Usdan Troupe

Monday, August 11, 12:10 p.m. & 12:35 p.m. | McKinley Amphitheater 

 

Tuesday, August 12

"Into the Woods" by Usdan Troupe & Fairytale Tuesday 

Tuesday, August 12, 10:30 a.m. & 1:15 p.m. | McKinley Amphitheater 

 

Wednesday, August 13

Ranked by Senior Musical Theater 

Wednesday, August 13, 10:30 a.m. | Lucy Moses Theater 

Festival Performance: Junior & Senior Creative Writing Majors & Minors

Wednesday, August 13, 12:10 p.m. & 12:35 p.m.| McKinley Amphitheater

Ranked by Junior Musical Theater 

Wednesday, August 13, 1:30 p.m. | Lucy Moses Theater 

 

Thursday, August 14

Festival Performance: Senior Orchestra Majors

Thursday, August 14, 12:10 p.m. | McKinley Amphitheater 

Festival Performance: Senior Band Majors

Thursday, August 14, 12:35 p.m. | McKinley Amphitheater

All Shook Up by Children's Theater

Thursday, August 14, 1:30 p.m. | Hillside Theater 

 

Friday, August 15

Spirit Friday: Crazy Hat Day

Friday, August 15, All day

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Senior Musical Theater

Friday, August 15, 10:30 a.m. | Lucy Moses Theater

Festival Performance: Junior Orchestra Majors

Friday, August 15, 12:10 p.m. | McKinley Amphitheater 

Festival Performance: Junior Band Majors

Friday, August 15, 12:35 p.m. | McKinley Amphitheater

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Junior Musical Theater

Friday, August 15, 1:30 p.m. | Lucy Moses Theater 

 

Do you have any Usdan news we should know about? Write to us at media@usdan.org, and we may feature it in our next newsletter or on our social channels!