One faculty member and one alumnus from the Glenn Korff School of Music were among the nine winners of 2023 Individual Artist Fellowships from the Nebraska Arts Council.
Greg Simon, Associate Professor of Composition and Jazz Studies, received a $2,500 IAF grant. Gayle Rocz (B.A. 2020) received a $2,000 IAF grant.
Simon plays in the UNL Faculty Jazz Ensemble and directs the Flyover New Music Series and the UNL Jazz Orchestra. During the summer, he serves on the composition artist-faculty at the Brevard Music Center. He also currently serves as co-chair of Region VI for the Society of Composers, Inc.
His works have been performed by ensembles and performers around the world, including the Ju Percussion Group, Alarm Will Sound, the Moanin’ Frogs, and the Nu Deco Ensemble. He is the recipient of awards for achievement in composition from the Zodiac International Music Festival, the Moscow Conservatory, National Association of Composers/USA and the Esoterics.
“The Nebraska Arts Council does so much good for Nebraska, and so to be honored by them in this way is especially heartwarming,” Simon said. “The financial support of the grant will allow me to try some new things compositionally. My plan, at the moment, is to finally realize an idea I’ve had for years—write music for a jazz septet with electronics. The grant will help me pay my musicians and make initial plans to record a new album.”
Rocz is a dance artist, scholar and educator currently based in Omaha. She is an educator and choreographer at Dedication Dance Co. in Papillion, which is a local youth dance studio for emerging artists. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in dance and English from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She is currently a company member of tbd. dance collective and recently performed in two of their evening length works, “III” (2022) and “Affect” (2021). She regularly contributes choreography for tbd. dance collective and has a forthcoming piece for Vox Dance Collective in Omaha.
Her most recent choreography was shown at Danceworks Milwaukee’s Get It Out There Festival for emerging choreographers in July 2022. She reset her self-choregraphed solo, “Dolores,” which was originally performed in 2020 at UNL.
For a full listing of awardees, visit https://go.unl.edu/naciaf2023.