Woodland Street Housing Update

Construction Continues this Spring at the Site of Oberlin's Newest Residence Hall

Construction on the Woodland site, the home of Oberlin's newest residence hall, is well underway in the new year. This past fall, the primary focus of the project team was installing underground utilities in preparation for the laying of slab-on-grade concrete; installing the north slab-on-grade concrete; underground mechanical and electrical work for the south wing; and constructing the remaining stair and elevator cores. Upcoming activities include installing the remaining stairwell cores, laying south wing slab-on-grade concrete, and continued prefabricated panel installation. The project's estimated completion date is fall 2025. Once completed, the new dormitory will supply more than 400 beds for students.

Watch drone footage of the project site here.

Campus News

GoYeo Storytellers: How Heather Benway's Decision to Play Soccer at Oberlin Kept Her in the Game

Scholar-athlete Heather Benway is making a historic mark on the field and in the classroom. In December, she and four other Oberlin scholar-athletes were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team. During her Oberlin soccer career, Heather has produced 62 points on 23 goals and 14 assists. She also boasts a track and field record as a two-time all-conference performer in the long jump.

Read Heather's story as part of Oberlin College Athletic's GoYeo Storytellers series.

Denyce Graves '85 Guests on Latest Running to the Noise Podcast Episode

Emmy- and Grammy-winning opera singer Denyce Graves '85 is one of the greatest classical music stars of the 21st century. After studying at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, she went on to perform in the world’s most storied opera houses and concert halls. In this episode of Running to the Noise, Graves returns to campus and joins host and Oberlin College and Conservatory President Carmen Twillie Ambar to discuss the transformative power of mentorship and how the Denyce Graves Foundation is recognizing hidden voices and shaping the next generation of performers.

Listen to the conversation now on your favorite podcast platform.

4,790 Dime Novels and Story Papers Now Available Digitally Thanks to Collaboration with Oberlin Libraries

Northern Illinois University Libraries recently announced the completion of the Street & Smith Project, the digitization of 4,790 dime novels and story papers. Some of the novels added to this project are from the Terrell Special Collections (Walter F. Tunk's Collection of Dime Novels). Staff members of the OCL Digital Collaborative contributed by digitizing materials and providing metadata, helping make the novels accessible to researchers worldwide.

December's Conservatory Calendar of Events Upholds Oberlin's Commitment to Music to the Tune of 12 Performances

The month of December was packed with programming presenting the music of varying cultures and religions. In the midst of studying for exams, students could hear the pulsing beats of the Djembe Orchestra, a musical narration of Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times performed by the Oberlin Orchestra, Katherine Jolly's primed rendition of Honey and Rue, the immersive themes of six of Ludwig van Beethoven’s middle and late quartets performed by students in Oberlin's Advanced String Quartet Seminar, dueling piano duos, as well as a singalong of Handel's Messiah.

Catch our spring semester performances from anywhere in the world through the Conservatory's live webcast feature.

Alumni News

Brian Becker '13 Directs and Produces New Film, TIME BOMB Y2K

As the clock counts down to the dawn of the 21st century, the world faces the largest potential technological disaster to ever threaten humanity. TIME BOMB Y2K is a prescient and often humorous tale about the power and vulnerabilities of technology.

Directed by Brian Becker '13 and Marley McDonald, TIME BOMB Y2K won "Best Documentary Feature" at both the Nashville Film Festival and the Riverrun International Film Festival. Obie alum Kushagra Kar '23 worked on the film as a production assistant. The HBO Original documentary, made its debut December 30 on HBO and is now available to stream on Max.

Watch the trailer for the film here.

Tyreek McDole '23 Serenades to Success at Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition

Oberlin Conservatory graduate Tyreek McDole '23 has won the 2023 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize and a one-of-a-kind platform for embarking on a career in the music business. His performances included “September in the Rain” and two blues songs: “Lush Life” and “Every Day I Have the Blues.”

Learn how Tyreek's Oberlin experience helped him secure the win.

Netflix Premieres Leave the World Behind Based on Novel by Ruman Alam '99

Congrats to Rumaan Alam '99! In December, Netflix premiered the movie Leave the World Behind, which is based on Alam's 2020 novel and directed by Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail. The movie ended up at No. 1 on Netflix's English Films list with 41.7 million views (No. 2 that same week featured another Obie: Ed Helms '96, who starred in Family Switch.) Leave the World Behind stars Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, and Mahershala Ali and is executive produced by Alam as well as Barack and Michelle Obama.

Watch the trailer for the film here.

Faculty News

Jan Miyake '96 Named President of the Society for Music Theory

Jan Miyake '96 is an Oberlin graduate and current professor of Music Theory. As a professor, Jan serves on many committees, even spearheading the founding of the Composers of Color Resource Project, which uses Humanities Commons to store, organize, and publicize its resources. Prior to starting her two year term as president on November 11, Jan served in two other roles for the Society for Music Theory.