University of Kentucky ISC Students Work With Local Orchestra to Plan Student Night Concert

UK Dept of ISC Event Planning Class Photo
Fall 2019 Integrated Strategic Communication Event Planning class.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 11, 2019) — Integrated strategic communication (ISC) students in the College of Communication and Information at the University of Kentucky have been working with the Lexington Philharmonic to plan and host the orchestra's second annual college Student Night concert event. The concert will take place 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22, at the Singletary Center for the Arts on UK’s campus. 

This November marks the fourth year ISC students have been in partnership with the Lexington Philharmonic. The event is organized by students from Marc Whitt’s  ISC 471: Event Planning course, giving students real-world experience planning and executing an event for the community in partnership with the Lexington Philharmonic. 

“The opportunity for ISC event planning students to work with an actual client such as the Lexington Philharmonic is significant. From event conception and planning to execution and evaluation, these students benefit from challenging, real-world experiences throughout the semester,” Whitt said.

Student Night events include their Season Series concert, Wind Power, featuring works by African-American composer Jessie Montgomery, Richard Strauss’ Horn Concerto featuring soloist Richard Deane, and Johannes Brahms’ Second Symphony. Student Night features engaging and fun activities designed for students before and after the concert. Before the concert, activities in the lobby include a photo booth with props and special swag bags for college and university students. 

"This is our fourth season partnering with students from the Event Planning course, and we have been thrilled with the partnership," says Lexington Philharmonic Executive Director Allison Kaiser. "The perspective they bring as students is invaluable to us as we seek to make the concert experience an inviting one for young people and students throughout the region. We couldn't present Student Night without these talented and passionate young people."

The 2019-2020 season is particularly exciting, as the Lexington Philharmonic embarks on a music director and conductor search. Three of the six candidates for the position are women, and each Season Series concert opens with a work by a female composer. Each concert is led by a candidate for the position, and following each concert, the audience submits their feedback to help inform the search committee’s decision. The music director and conductor candidate leading Wind Power is Kelly Corcoran, music director and conductor of Intersection Contemporary Music Ensemble of Nashville, Tennessee.                        

Preconcert activities will take place in the lobby of the Singletary Center for the Arts, and all attendees are encouraged to join in the fun. Student tickets for this event will be $11 and are available on the Lexington Philharmonic website. Students must have a valid student ID to qualify for the $11 student ticket rate. For those who attend the concert, Bear & The Butcher will offer a dinner special. 

For more information on this event, visit www.lexphil.org

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.