Lincoln, Neb.--The Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts Alumni Board has selected the recipients of its annual alumni awards. The awards will be presented on Friday, May 2 at the college’s annual Honors Day celebration. The dinner is by invitation only.
This year’s awardees include:
• Alumni Achievement Award in Art:
Edward (Ted) Hunter (B.A. 1996)
Hunter is the Armorer and Conservator for the Department of Arms and Armor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he works primarily on firearms and Japanese and European armor. Hunter studied art history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he developed an interest in metals conservation while studying ancient bronzes. From 1997 to 1999 he studied conservation at the Institute of Archaeology, a part of University College London. While at UCL, he followed a personal passion and interned at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, working with the Kienbusch Collection of arms and armor to assess and conserve the collection for the first time since its installation in 1977. After graduation, Hunter went on to follow in his father’s footsteps and work with the National Park Service as a conservator before making the leap to move to New York City and join the staff of the Arms and Armor Department in 2001.
• Alumni Achievement Award in Music:
Captain Richard Viglucci (D.M.A. 2017)
Captain Richard Viglucci serves as the Commander of the United States Army School of Music in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where its mission is to train, educate and develop Army musicians who are capable of promoting the Army and national interests through musical performances that connect with American and international audiences. A native of Albany New York, Cpt. Viglucci earned his D.M.A from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln as a Hixson-Lied Fellow and graduate teaching assistant.
Cpt. Viglucci's military career began in 2013 as Principal Clarinetist in the US Army Ground Forces Band. In 2015 he earned his commission from Officer Candidate School, then served as Executive Officer and Associate Conductor of the TRADOC Band at Fort Eustis and later at the 1st Cavalry Division Band at Fort Cavazos. In 2020 he was selected as The United States Army Band "Pershing's Own" Associate Bandmaster and Associate Conductor of the Concert Band.
Some of his military achievements include conducting several performances at the White House, Pentagon, and Arlington National Cemetery for two U.S. Presidents, foreign Heads of State, and senior military leaders. He produced three albums, conducted and produced numerous national and international events, was Army Band content creation officer for 54 YouTube videos, conducted and produced seven annual chamber concert series, was featured on WETA Classical, and he conducted the U.S. Herald Trumpets at the 2022 Summit of the Americas where they provided all Heads of State introductory fanfares and opened the event's ceremony for President Biden.
• Alumni Achievement Award in Theatre and Film:
Kristin Hensley (B.A. 1998)
Hensley is the star and co-creator of the popular web series #IMOMSOHARD, which lives natively on Facebook, but has expanded to Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. The series focuses on the friendship between two women, who happen to be moms. After 15 million views, Hensley and co-creator Jen Smedley, decided to take their act on the road and have done several national tours of #IMOMSOHARD throughout the U.S. The videos have now received nearly 300 million views worldwide in just five years. In addition to videos and tours, the two have a podcast and have written two books.
After graduating from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a degree in theater and a minor in education, she went on to receive her Master’s degree in education while also appearing in TV shows like “Parks and Recreation” and “Brooklyn 99.” She has also appeared in more than 100 national commercials.
• Award of Merit:
Timothy W. Scholl
Scholl is a director, dramaturg and scholar by avocation and an academic administrator by vocation. As a theatre artist, he specializes in new play development, dramaturgy, directing, German theatre history and dense 18th Century German playwrights. He serves as the Executive Artistic Director for Angels Theatre Company in Lincoln where he also manages the Salon Reading Series. Faculty and students in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film have been integrally involved in every aspect of Angels Theatre programming, including the Playwriting Collective and First Flight Festival.
His selected directing credits include “Eminent Domain,” “A House Divided” (written by Professor of Theatre Christina Kirk), “I Carry Your Heart With Me,” “Predictor,” “This Mortal Life Also” (Mayor’s Arts Award Winner), “Losing the Ring in the River,” “Killing Crazy,” “Trailing Colors,” and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” for which he received a Santa Barbara Independent Award.
Scholl specializes in German Theatre and Drama with a particular emphasis on the production of the German Classics (“Deutches Klassiker”) in Berlin after 1945. He currently works as an academic administrator at Purdue University Global. He was trained at the University of Evansville, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the University of California Santa Barbara.
• Student Leadership Award:
Olivia Schmitz, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film
Schmitz graduated in December 2024 with a B.A. in Theatre-Leadership and Management. She staged managed for both the Nebraska Repertory Theatre and Theatrix. She was also a student ambassador for the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts.
