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, April 24 at the college’s annual Honors Day celebration.
The Honors Day Celebration will take place at 4:30 p.m. in Kimball Recital Hall with a reception to follow.
This year’s awardees include:
• Alumni Achievement Award in Art:
Valery Wachter (B.F.A. 1983)
Wachter earned her BFA in painting in 1983 and has made a distinguished career as a professional artist, most notably in Nebraska, working primarily in pastels and acrylics. She has exhibited widely and is represented by the Burkholder Gallery in Lincoln. She has served on the FPA Alumni Board, MEDICI, and the Mayor’s Arts Awards Selection Committee. She co-founded the Bryan Health Art Committee.
• Alumni Achievement Award in Music:
Karen Benson (B.M.E. 1987; M.M. 1995)
Benson serves as the professional development director for the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA), where she is also a past president and former national conference chair. Benson taught grades PreK-5 for 33 years, including 29 years in the Millard Public School District in Omaha, Nebraska, where she also directed the school’s choir and the district’s Orff Schulwerk Honors Ensemble.
She continues to teach AOSA Teacher Education Level Courses at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Alvin Independent School District. Additionally, she serves as an instructor for supplemental Orff Schulwerk seminars and AOSA chapter workshops, a guest lecturer for collegiate music education classes, and adjunct faculty for the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Ashland University.
As a performing musician, Benson plays saxophone, performs on recorder with the Renaissance Thyme Recorder Consort and violin with The Intergeneration Orchestra of Omaha, and sings in the Sing Omaha Master Chorale.
• Alumni Achievement Award in Theatre and Film:
Adam J. Jefferis (B.A. 2003)
Jefferis lives and works as an actor based in Los Angeles. His success spans all media with recent supporting roles on TV (“Matlock,” “Mr. Mayor”), an indie film (“I Love You Both”) and countless national and regional commercials.
Being A Huge Embarrassing Failure at UNL (iykyk) led to performing improv in Los Angeles at iO West, which led him to Tim Robbins’ theater company, The Actors’ Gang, his creative home since 2008. Jefferis has performed in over 30 productions and toured the world with four separate productions, three directed by Robbins. In 2019, he was nominated for his performance in “Accidental Death of an Anarchist” at the Los Angeles’ Stage Raw Theater Awards.
Jefferis’ favorite TAG tradition is Shakespeare-in-the-Park for Families, performing in 13 of the 18 adaptations, directing the last four, as well as this year’s upcoming production: “Two Gentlebots of Verona,” in collaboration with his wife, Rynn Vogel, who is the writer and costumer designer.
Jefferis is the Director of Education, infusing theatre arts programming into school classrooms, afterschool programs, camps and classes to the youth of Los Angeles. He is a lead teaching artist for the company’s adult training program.
• Award of Merit:
Lori Adams
Barb Schmit
Adams, who is an alumna, has supported students in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. She has returned to direct multiple shows for the Rep, including “POTUS” and this year’s “Tigers Be Still.” She has been supportive of both performers and designers throughout the productions. Adams retired last spring from Illinois State University, where she served as professor since 1998 and as head of the acting program since 2005.
Schmit earned Bachelor of Music Education (1993) and Master of Music (1997) degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Since then, she has been an active trumpet player in a variety of settings, including Lincoln Municipal Band, Nebraska Trumpet Ensemble, Monday Night Big Band, Floating Opera chamber pop group, the Shrine Circus band, and at a variety of area churches. She is an active volunteer, currently serving on the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts Alumni Board, as secretary/treasurer and founding member (2002) of the Nebraska Trumpet Ensemble, as vice president of the Lincoln Musicians Association, and assisting with the annual Trumpet Fest fundraiser since its inception in 23 years ago. She enjoys attending arts events at UNL and getting to know and encourage current students and recent graduates through community music activities.
• Student Leadership Award:
Sydney Kwasa, Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film
Kwasa was described by her nominator as "as a natural leader among her peers." She is a member of the UNL Student Senate and the UNL Speech & Debate Team. She is also president of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion RSO.
