OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.: Oklahoma City University (OCU) has announced that alumn Kristin Chenoweth has accepted an appointment as artist in residence of the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University.
The Tony- and Emmy-winning performer will be in residence at least once every semester, starting in April. Chenoweth will teach master classes and workshops, in addition to leading conversations about the business of Broadway and Hollywood with OCU students.
“The transition from school to professional career is made smoother when you know what to expect, what’s needed, and what is current in the business of arts and entertainment,” said Mark Parker, dean of the Bass School of Music, in a statement. “Kristin, like many of our successful alumni, has been so generous in returning to campus to share knowledge and insights. What makes this formal arrangement as artist in residence so exciting is her commitment to the school and our students in a regular, recurring teaching role. Her effect on our next generation of performers will resonate for years to come.”
Chenoweth earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in vocal performance at OCU and made her Broadway debut in 1997. She won her Tony Award for You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, was nominated for originating the role of Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked, and for her starring role as Lily Garland in the revival of On the Twentieth Century. Chenoweth was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2010 and into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2013, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Oklahoma City University. In 2016, she invited 16 music theatre students from the Bass School to perform with her in My Love Letter to Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. She is a longtime champion of arts education, founder of the annual Kristin Chenoweth Broadway Bootcamp, and namesake of the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center’s Kristin Chenoweth Theatre and the Kristin Chenoweth Arts & Education Fund. At OCU, she has been a member of the Bass School of Music’s Executive Advisory Board since 2000.
