A letter of thanks from our community.
Dear Friends,
Friends of the Humanities had an active year of learning, touring and socializing, and, most importantly, supporting Interdisciplinary Humanities at ULL. Grants awarded for Spring 2023 totaled $20,468.00 and those for Fall 2023 totaled $15,960.00 for a grand total of $36,428.00.
To continue this vital support, please complete the 2023-2024 membership form and interest survey and return both with your dues payment. Credit cards are now accepted along with checks. Kindly consider increasing your membership level as financial cutbacks continue to impact higher education.
The annual Spring Luncheon and Meeting will be held on May 5, 2023. Invitation and reservation form are enclosed. Guest speaker will be Dean Daryl Moore, new dean of the College of the Arts.
Grants awarded have a much wider impact beyond ULL. Please read the correspondence on the back for an example of the difference Friends of the Humanities makes to our community.
I look forward to seeing you at the Spring Luncheon and other events planned for 2023-2024.
Sandra Friedberg
President
Friends of the Humanities
This note was received from Tim Gaffga who teaches music in the Lafayette Parish school system. He and some of his students were able to attend a multi-day series of events this spring at the School of Music and Performing Arts. Benjamin Yates was the faculty member who put the artist’s visit together, with help of funding from Friends of the Humanities.
“I am sorry that it took me as much time as it did to reach out to you to thank you for the role you played in supporting this composer to participate in the Strings Day event at ULL. It was really a blessing for us all!
I am a violist and a music educator with the LPSS Talented program. I had the opportunity to participate in this event put on by Mike Blaney from ULL who worked with Dr. Yates to program a large orchestral work by composer Katherine Bergman. For all of us in the orchestra, it is a rare and special opportunity to work with a living composer who is actually present for the rehearsals and performances. What an education for the students and even myself.
Further, I have one student who plays violin in the orchestra who is actually a composer. Because her stay included two open seminars, my student was able to catch a glimpse of the life and composition process of a working composer. He was even able to ask some questions of his own compositional process, and I was able to ask about how to best foster his composition talents.
I wanted to say thank you for supporting this amazing exchange that took place in our community. I look forward to more enriching opportunities for our students!”
-Tim Gaffga
We also received a note from one of Tim Gaffga’s students:
“I am a ninth grader at David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy. I just want to thank you for sponsoring Dr Yates project for the trombone concerto. As a result, I got to hear something I would’ve never heard without it. I also got to take a class under Ms. Bergman on her story on the composition of the piece. It really helped me on my composition journey. I learned things I couldn’t have done without her guidance, and so once again I thank you for it.”
