By Kellan Dunlap
Invited annually, graduate schools of music present the Presser Graduate Music Award to an outstanding graduate music student whom they select. The program is designed to encourage and support in a special way the advanced education and career of truly exceptional graduate music students who have the potential to make a distinguished contribution to the field of music. The Award is a cash stipend of up to $10,000, which is made available to a graduate student designated by the institution.
Kellan Dunlap received the Award in 2023-24 from Rice University. His project involved commissioning a new song cycle for solo tenor and piano that explored the issue of school shootings.
Background
During my undergraduate studies at Oakland University, I frequently visited local high schools as part of my Music Education training, including Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan. Tragically, on November 30, 2021, the school became the site of a mass shooting, resulting in the deaths of four students and injuries to seven others and a teacher. The tragedy sent shockwaves through the Detroit metro area and led to the emergence of the #OxfordStrong movement. Although I did not personally know the victims, I taught many of the students involved in the school’s January 2022 musical production of Disney NEWSIES. Their strength and resilience in the aftermath of such trauma deeply inspired me and affirmed my commitment to using music as a tool for healing and advocacy.
Project Overview
Together with pianist Lyndsi Maus and composer Victor Cui, I created and premiered a new song cycle for tenor and piano that addresses the emotional and societal impact of school shootings. Influenced by works like Songs for Murdered Sisters by Jake Heggie and Two Black Churches by Shawn Okpebholo, our goal was to contribute a powerful musical voice to ongoing conversations about gun violence in schools.
Objectives and Process
The project aimed to center the voices of students, teachers, and communities impacted by gun violence. We selected poetry that authentically captured their perspectives, including Even the Trees Weep by Emily Gibson (responding to the Uvalde shooting), The Bookshelf in My Room by Christian Curet (describing the fear of preparing for a tragedy), Just the Ones That Made the News by Rachel Mantos (discussing how some tragedies are publicized and others are not), among others. We obtained permission from the poets and collaborated closely with them during the composition process.
During this process, we sought to prioritize narratives that resonate with our community and contribute to a broader, yet more nuanced understanding of how school shootings and gun violence affect society. Through a carefully curated libretto, we explored student, teacher, and societal perspectives.
Outcomes
The completed song cycle premiered at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University on January 18, 2025. We then presented the work at academic institutions and festivals across the country, including the Lone Star Song Festival, Baylor University, Oakland University, University of Michigan, and the Santa Ynez in the Valley Concert Series for a total of five recitals given as a part of this project. The piece was also submitted and accepted to national art song platforms including the Cincinnati Song Initiative and Sparks and Wiry Cries. We were especially honored to bring performances to Oxford, Michigan where we held post-concert discussions with students, educators, and community members. These events fostered critical conversations around trauma, healing, and advocacy.
In addition, we reached out to and collaborated with organizations such as Moms Demand Action in our tour to the University of Michigan, Oakland University, and Santa Barbara. For the Oakland University performance, the department requested that Victor join us to present his piece to the students and audience before the performance. Through joint programming with music festivals, panel discussions, and educational resources shared at our concerts, we worked to ensure that the project extended beyond performance into meaningful community engagement.
Overall, we have hoped to share our art and perspective by standing in solidarity alongside them. We hope that our audiences contemplate, react and give voices to those who were silenced by recounting stories of school shootings.
Praised for his “impressive tenor with a flowing, bright delivery” and “commanding stage presence” (Opera Today), American tenor Kellan Dunlap is building a vibrant career in opera and song. A current member of the Internationales Opernstudio at the Staatstheater Nürnberg, his recent roles include Gastone (La Traviata), Monostatos (Die Zauberflöte), and Sellem (The Rake’s Progress) at The Glimmerglass Festival, where critics hailed his “harrowing, yet hilarious mix of professionalism and effrontery” (CounterPunch).
Currently a member of the Internationales Opernstudio at Staatstheater Nürnberg, Dunlap has performed with major U.S. companies including Des Moines Metro Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, and OPERA San Antonio, bringing powerful storytelling and vocal artistry to each role.
An acclaimed recitalist, Dunlap made his international recital debut at London’s renowned Wigmore Hall. He was later awarded a Presser Foundation grant to tour his original program Even the Trees Weep, exploring the emotional impact of school shootings in collaboration with pianist Lyndsi Maus.
Dunlap received his BM from Oakland University and his MM from Rice University.
