Melvin R. Laird Exceptional Artist Award

We are delighted to announce the 2022 recipient of the Melvin R. Laird Exceptional Artist Award: Jax Emmel. During her time on campus, Jax has performed in multiple student and faculty directed dance concerts and her original choreography “I Long for a Place…” was selected to represent UWSP at the American College Dance Association Conference this spring. She has served in leadership roles as President of the National Dance Education Organization – UWSP Student Chapter and as a board member for Players Artistic Alliance. Following graduation, Jax plans to apprentice with Water Street Dance Milwaukee and will use support from the Laird award to develop and present an original work exploring the perception of women in society. In her pursuit of a career as performer and choreographer, she aims to elevate the visibility of trans perspectives and foster a more inclusive community in the professional dance world. Congratulations, Jax!

Congratulations to 2021 recipient of the Melvin R. Laird Exceptional Artist Award: Emily Rahn.  Following student teaching, Emily will complete her Bachelor of Music degree with a double major in Instrumental Education and Trumpet Performance. During the challenges of the past year, Emily rediscovered her love of drawing with music — creating characters inspired by pieces she performs on the trumpet. In her plans to pursue a career as a classical trumpet player and trumpet professor, she aims to create unique, multi-sensory performances by collaborating with other artists and combining time-lapse drawing with classical performances. The Laird Exceptional Artist Award will support her professional development and experimentation as not only a musician and educator, but an innovative multi-media artist. Congratulations, Emily!

Alyssa Eiden 

Alyssa is from Amherst, Wisconsin and graduated with her Bachelor of Music in both Choral and General Music Education along with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance. During her time at UWSP, Alyssa has enjoyed masterclasses and workshops including La Musica Italia Opera Program and has performed in solo recitals and as part of Kids from Wisconsin, Jazz Central Voices Ensemble, and UWSP’s Concert Choir, Choral Union, Women’s Choir, and Chamber Singers. This June, Alyssa will perform the role of Laurie in Aaron Copland’s The Tender Land at the American Gothic Performing Arts Festival in Eldon, Iowa. Alyssa began studying Suzuki violin as a child and aims to blend her appreciation of the Suzuki method with her love of vocal performance to become a K-12 music teacher as well as a certified Suzuki Voice Teacher. The Laird award will help support Alyssa’s tuition for immersive study in Suzuki Voice methods along with professional recording for her portfolio and graduate school auditions. Congratulations, Alyssa!

Anja Pustaver 

 Following graduation in May, Anja went to the Harrower Opera Summer Workshop in Atlanta, GA where she performed the role of Amy in Mark Adamo’s contemporary opera Little Women. She then traveled to New York City to study with Metropolitan Opera soprano Elisabeth Stevens and prepared audition repertoire for young artist program applications and auditions. She was awarded second place in the “Artist of the Year” competition which is part of the International Great Composers Competition.

Anja completed her Master of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she is studied with Professor Mimmi Fulmer. She also held the leading role of Poppea in the opera L’incoronazione di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi for University of Wisconsin-Madison Opera, directed by David Ronis. Anja performed in the UW Opera Props Showcase Concert and was chosen to work with Metropolitan Opera tenor Kyle Ketelson in a masterclass. In spring 2019, Anja performed with the Madison Opera in their spring production of Dvorak’s Rusalka —”time to learn some Czech!”

Timothy Zeszutek

Tim is currently working as a Graphic and Pre Press Designer for CLI in Plover, as he saves money for graduate school. He is also doing freelance graphic design work, including a project for Point Brewery that resulted in Tim’s design featured on a longboard skateboard.

When he is not working on graphic design projects, he is taking commissions for painting. His work can be seen at https://www.tzeszutekart.com/

Abigail Herold

Abby was accepted into Upright Citizen’s Brigades (UCB) Academy program—an audition-only process meant for the best of the best students in improvisation. She is also involved in their sketch comedy program and is interning with UCB as well. When not at UCB, she is busy auditioning for TV and theatre and working on final editing for her web series.

Abby will be going into rehearsals for a sketch comedy show as well as participating in Actor Therapy, a musical theatre laboratory class taught by Tony Award-winner Lindsay Mendez and Ryan Scott-Oliver.

Abby continues to work as an assistant for Florence D’Lee custom couture for drag queens. She is excited to note that something she made was featured in Vogue Germany.

Emily Reeves

Emily wrapped up her cruise ship performance contract and, unfortunately, suffered an injury to her hip that required surgery. Currently back in New York, Emily auditions frequently and signed with talent agent Dulcina Eisen Associates this past spring. When not auditioning, she has been trying to travel, including an October trip to Copenhagen.

Bennett Heinz

Bennett continues to work for Schilke Music Products, where he plays key roles across a number of areas—Bennett serves as production manager for the Greenhoe Trombones line, leads educational tours of the factory and the process of building brass instruments, works with customers in the showroom to help fit them to the right instrument or mouthpiece, travels to trade shows and events (including trips to Germany and Taiwan), facilitates parts/repair requests, and numerous other “hands on” tasks in the factory.

Bennett also organizes “Schilke Day” events at regional universities, including the University of Minnesota Duluth (where former UWSP trumpet professor and Music Department Chair Dr. Bob Kase serves the Dean of the School of Music) and UWSP.

Alongside his “day job,” Bennett still practices trumpet every day and works as a freelance musician in Chicago. He recently worked with jazz big band Heisenberg Uncertaintly Players to perform new arrangements of all of the music for the Beatle’s “Abbey Road” album.

Bennett shared, “Although my current career path is not what I originally intended on, I truly love what I do and I honestly don’t think I’d be where I am with the company had it not been for the Laird Award and using it as an opportunity to connect with Schilke Music Products.”

Alexandria Mueller 

Alex recently composed music for three short films and a feature, as well as created demos for sound sets by Matt Bowdler (The Unfinished). These products are used regularly in Hollywood movies, AAA games and hit TV shows around the world. She spent the last year in a mentorship with jazz violinist Christian Howes for music business and taught a contracts and licensing course at the Institute of Production and Recording.

She continues to play viola with her quartet, Boom Island String Quartet, and the Saint Paul Civic Symphony, along with various gigs and recording sessions. Alex maintains her connection to UWSP by serving on the Board of Directors for Very Young Composers of Central Wisconsin (her 6th year).

Kelly Jelinek 

Kelly continues to create custom, commissioned faux taxidermy art pieces through her business, Little Stag Studio. This past year, she was thrilled to purchase a “turn-of-the-century” fixer-upper and has been jumping from one old-house project to the next.

Andrew Broomell
with John Laird