UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts Names Twelve New Medici Circle Scholars
UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) is pleased to announce the 2023 Medici Circle Scholars. Twelve awards were given to both undergraduate and graduate students offering an opportunity to take their education beyond the classroom and collaborate with academics and artists in the community and worldwide.
Medici Circle Scholarships in art, dance, drama, and music are competitive and provide deserving young artists and scholars the opportunity to focus on a specific project. This unique program places a faculty mentor to oversee each project and ensure that students enjoy the best possible experience and achieve an excellent outcome. These projects further their research, add to their portfolios, and bolster graduate dissertations.
Scholarships are generously sponsored by Medici Circle Patrons, who open doors for a specific talented student and their project and will help them reach their creative professional goals.
Congratulations to the Summer 2023 Medici Circle Scholar awardees:
- Jiryis Ballan, Ph.D., Music ’24, “Music for Cultural Exchange: The Virtual Buzuq in an Intercultural Ensemble.” Faculty Mentor: Professor Mari Kimura, Music.
- An-Ru Chu, Ph.D., Drama ’27, “Whispers in Midsummer Nights: Fieldwork and Archival Research on Midsummer Ghost Festival-Related Performances in Taiwan.” Faculty Mentor: Assistant Professor Tara Rodman, Drama.
- Anastasia Denos, M.F.A., Art ’25, “Poetics of the Body.” Faculty Mentor: Professor Amanda Ross-Ho, Art.
- Yvonne DiGirolamo, B.A., Drama ’24, “Trentino Musical Theatre Festival.” Faculty Mentor: Dr. Myrona L. DeLaney, Drama.
- Natalie Houle, M.F.A., Drama ’24, “Explorations in Advanced Immersive Sound Design.” Faculty Mentor: Professor Michael Hooker, Drama.
- Steven Lewis, Ph.D., Music ’24, “The Cybernetic ‘Trap’ Kit.” Faculty Mentor: Professor Michael Dessen, Music.
- Laura (Jingyi) Li, M.F.A., Art ’25, “Strings of Touch.” Faculty Mentor: Professor Bruce Yonemoto, Art.
- Vivianna McCormick, M.F.A., Drama ’24, “DAI Summer Theatrical Combat Workshop.” Faculty Mentor: Professor & Co-Head of MFA Acting Annie Loui, Drama.
- Andy Montiel-Phillips, M.F.A., Art ’25, “Memory Scripts Project.” Faculty Mentor: Professor Jennifer Pastor, Art.
- Lucas James Nelson, M.F.A., Drama ’24, “don't feed the bear.” Faculty Mentor: Associate Professor Juliette Carrillo, Drama.
- Gintaute Skvernyte, M.F.A., Art ’24, “Developing Printmaking Method.” Faculty Mentor: Professor Jennifer Pastor, Art.
- Risa Yoshida, Ph.D., Music ’26, “Darmstadt Summer Courses Violin Studio Festival.” Faculty Mentor: Professor Mari Kimura, Music.
The Claire Trevor School of the Arts gratefully acknowledges our 2023 Medici Circle Scholar Patrons: Rachel Fine, Valerie Glass, Tinnie and Shiv Grewal, Susan Hori, Dean Tiffany Ana López, Stacey Nicholas, Sheila and Jimmy Peterson, Rick and Alison Stein, and Mary Watson-Bruce.
Learn more about how you can become a Medici Circle Patron and open doors that would otherwise be out of reach for remarkable Claire Trevor School of the Arts students at www.arts.uci.edu/medici-circle.