Project 21 and OCU’s lighting and design students will work together in a biennial lighting event at the Bank of Oklahoma building.
This event will be open to the public viewing on the evening of October 26 in downtown Oklahoma City.
Dr. Edward Knight, professor of music and composer in residence, said this event will be a collaboration between six lighting and design students and six composers from Oklahoma City University.
“This event happens every two years because this particular lighting and design class are only taught every two years by Professor Aaron Mooney,” he said.
Knight says that Professor Mooney puts this event together and chooses the composers that are paired with each lighting and design student. He also said this is the most lighting and design students they have had in recent years. This allows more composers the chance to do this particular collaboration.
Knight said “each team will choose a theme and be telling a different story through their three to four-and-one-half minute piece.”
This collaborative work will allow students in both departments to grow in their respective fields, but the composers, specifically, will learn about and understand the process of composing and collaborating with others.
Knight said, “a successful composer is being able to work with another person.”
This biennial event is in its third cycle, and in the past two cycles this event was at the Skydance Bridge. However, due to construction at Scissortail Park, there is no access to the south side of the Skydance Bridge. This event was almost at the Devon Tower, but due to some damage of this building from a storm, this was not an option for this collaboration.
Knight said he is glad this event is happening.
“A couple of weeks ago Professor Mooney was a little concerned if they were going to get permission to do this,” Knight said. “It will be very interesting to do it at a different site.”
The viewing site for this presentation is still being determined.
However, Knight said to check the website because they’ll have an updated calendar of all of the Project 21 events and where the viewing area will be once that information is available.
Lily Parker, musical theatre/vocal performance freshman, said she has heard a little bit about it but is ready to see and experience the show herself.
“It is a really cool program that Oklahoma City University offers an opportunity like this to their students,” she said.
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