Winter CHFA Faculty Research and Creative Activity

Faculty across our seven departments are active scholars and leaders in their fields. Here's what some of them have created, presented on, and published over the winter of 2023-2024. Adjunct Professors Adjunct Professor in English Constance Alexander had her spoken opera "The Way Home," performed as a fundraiser for the Anna Mae Owen Residential Hospice …

Featured Scholar: Chloe Perry

Student Name: Chloe Perry Year in school: Senior Major/Area: Music Education- Instrumental Hometown: Evansville, IN Fun fact about yourself: I am very interested in traveling, and I am always fascinated by how different the wildlife is in each place I go. What drew you to Murray State? The committed faculty and overall welcoming atmosphere. Two …

Featured CHFA Student: Alchemy Mullen

Student Name: Alchemy Mullen Year in School: Junior Major/Area: Vocal Music Education Hometown: Russellville, KY Fun fact about yourself: I know too much about tea and coffee for my own good What drew you to Murray State? What drew me to Murray State was the amazing music program I had heard so much about. Both …

CHFA Featured Student: Jake Davis

Student Name: Jake Davis Year in school (junior, senior, etc.): Junior Major/Area: Instrumental Music Education Hometown: Boonville, Indiana Fun fact about yourself: I have a pet axolotl! What drew you to Murray State? I chose to attend Murray State University for a variety of reasons. The classes were small, there is a strong sense of …

CHFA Featured Student: Quinn Litchfield

Student Name: Quinn Litchfield Year in school (junior, senior, etc.): Junior Major/Area: History Minor (if you have one): Political Science Hometown: Terre Haute, Indiana Fun fact about yourself: I once bought every bottle of Captain Crunch Blue Maple Syrup at Walmart.  What drew you to Murray State? My Dad came to school at Murray State …

Compositions by Murray State Music Professor Are Performed in New York City and Beyond

The Riverside Symphony, based in New York City, recently performed Over the Wing, a piece for string orchestra composed by Dr. Ash Stemke, assistant professor of music at Murray State University, as part of an afternoon concert on February 5. Stemke’s piece was performed alongside works by Igor Stravinsky, Antonio Vivaldi, and Gustav Holst. Stemke …

People and Places: The Clara Eagle Art Gallery

Featuring one of the largest gallery spaces in Kentucky, the Clara M. Eagle Art Gallery provides members of the Murray State community and the greater region an opportunity to engage with meaningful, innovative visual art exhibits free of charge. Located on the 6th floor of the Price Doyle Fine Arts Building, the multi-level hall features …

CHFA Newsletter Feature: the Recording Studio

Murray State has several undiscovered gems tucked among its buildings and halls, and unless you are a Music major, the MSU Recording Studio, located on the second floor of the Fine Arts building, might be one of them. The studio boasts great sonic isolation due to the double block walls, which keep the drum kit, …

CHFA Feature: Johnson Theatre

The Robert E. Johnson Theatre has been a cultural hub on Murray State's campus for many years -- half a century, to be exact, as this year marks its 50th anniversary. The theatre boasts seating for 323, an orchestra pit, and a proscenium stage, as well as a full fly house, which is a rigging …

People and Places: Kiersten Holland (English Education Major)

Kiersten Holland loves her poodle named Percy Jackson, the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew from Starbucks, and books -- lots of books. Her current favorite is Book Lovers by Emily Henry, though she's quick to note, "My favorite book changes all the time." She loves to write, too, and one of her short stories, "A God …