Mary Leglar, chair of the music education area and Associate Director for Academic Programs, was honored last week by her colleagues with the Distingushed Career Award, presented at the Georgia Music Educators Association In-Service Conference in Savannah. A longtime member of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music faculty, Leglar has been widely published in music education journals and currently serves as editor of Georgia Music News.

Monica Hargrave, instructor of Harp at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, has been chosen as a judge for the Peabody Awards, considered one of the most prestigious prizes in electronic media (radio,television, interactive and new media). The Peabodys annually receive over 1,000 entries judged by 30 committees made of UGA faculty, staff, and students. Hargrave will be part of a team judging documentaries.

Congratulations to  two students from UGA who placed in the MTNA Southern Division Competitions! Tubist David McLemore, a student of David Zerkel, was declared Winner in the MTNA Young Artist Brass Performance Competition. Martha Gardner, violin, a student of Levon Ambartsumian, was declared Alternate in the MTNA Young Artist String Performance Competition. The competitions were held at Mississippi College in Clinton, MS, on Jan. 13-16.

After a national election held in December, Mitos Andaya was elected to the office President-Elect of the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO). The organization serves approximately 800 members and addresses specific needs of university/collegiate choral conductors and other choral professionals through various forums and biennial national conferences.

Congratulations to musicology professor Stephen Valdez, who was named a recipient for this year’s Sandy Beaver Excellence in Teaching Award. The award honors outstanding faculty in the Franklin College who show a sustained commitment to high-quality instruction.

The Hugh Hodgson School of Music and the Musicology-Ethnomusicology Student Association co-sponsored a colloquium on one of the School of Music's most influential figures, Edwin Gerschefski (1909-1992). "(Re)introducing Edwin Gerschefski," presented by Dr. Craig Parker of Kansas State University and Dr. Franklin Greene, director of Georgia Singers, was a discussion of Gerschefski's life, works, and teaching. The colloquium was organized by Associate Professor of Music David Schiller. Gerschefski, a composer and pianist, graduated from Yale with degrees in music and philosophy.