To honor the life and legacy of distinguished alum Jim Henson ’60, the UMD College of Arts and Humanities (ARHU) presents a special evening with “the world’s most famous amphibian,” Kermit the Frog. Created by Henson in 1955, Kermit is a global icon of kindness, positivity, humor and heart. As Henson’s signature Muppet, Kermit starred in "Sesame Street," "The Muppet Show" and numerous films and TV specials, always embodying his creator’s gentle wisdom and creativity. A signature event of ARHU, this Dean's Lecture Series event is co-sponsored by the Arts for All initiative with support from the American Banjo Museum. It was created in partnership with the UMD Schools of Music and Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies.
Event Program
Friday, September 27, 2024 - 6:00 p.m.
“The Muppet Show Tonight” - UMD Wind Orchestra & Members of the UMD Choral Program
“Happy Feet” - Kermit the Frog, UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies dance majors & UMD School of Music Graduate Jazz Quartet
“Mahna Mahna” - UMD School of Music Graduate Jazz Quartet & Members of the UMD Choral Program
Dean Stephanie Shonekan, Matt Vogel & Kermit the Frog in Conversation
“Bein' Green” - Kermit the Frog & Lucas Ross, banjo
Q&A with Kermit the Frog
“Rainbow Connection” - Kermit the Frog, Craig Kier, piano & Lucas Ross, banjo
Biographies
Stephanie Shonekan is professor of ethnomusicology and dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Maryland.
Previously she was a faculty member and administrator at the University of Missouri and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Shonekan earned a doctorate in ethnomusicology and folklore with a minor in African American studies in 2003 from Indiana University Bloomington. Her dual heritage combining West Africa with the West Indies allows her to straddle the Black world comfortably.
Her publications explore the nexus where identity, history, culture and music meet. She has published books, articles and chapters on Afrobeat, Fela Kuti, Nigerian and African American hip-hop, soul music, country music and race. Her books include "The Life of Camilla Williams: African American Classical Singer and Opera Diva" (2011), "Soul, Country, and the USA: Race and Identity in American Music Culture" (2015), "Black Lives Matter & Music" (2018), "Black Resistance in the Americas" (2018) and "Dear Department Chair: Letters from Black Women Leaders to the Next Generation" (2023). Her sixth book, which will be published in June 2025, will focus on Fela Kuti’s landmark album “Sorrow Tears and Blood.” She is also the host of the award-winning NPR podcast “Cover Story with Stephanie Shonekan.”
Matt Vogel is one of the core Disney Muppet performers and a principal "Sesame Street" Muppet performer.
For the Disney Muppets, Vogel plays Kermit the Frog, Sgt. Floyd Pepper, Uncle Deadly, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Camilla, Sweetums, Pops, '80s Robot and “The World’s Most Dangerous Frog” Constantine.
On the Emmy Award-winning "Sesame Street," Vogel plays Big Bird, The Count, Mr. Johnson, Biff, Herb the Dinosaur, Hansel, Forgetful Jones and is one of the Yip-Yip Martians. He is also the show’s puppet coordinator. As part of the directing team for "Sesame Street," he has earned seven Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Directing in a Children’s Series” and directed the Primetime Emmy Award-winning special “Once Upon A Sesame Street Christmas” for HBO.
Vogel is host of the podcast “Below the Frame,” where he interviews Muppet performers, writers, wranglers and others from "Sesame Street" and the Disney Muppets.
Vogel has a B.F.A. in theatre from The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University in St. Louis. He lives outside New York City with his wife and their five children.
You can learn more about his many television and film credits on his website.
Kermit the Frog is an international film and television star, a humanitarian, an amphibitarian and an educator. After his humble beginnings in the swamp, Kermit began his career on television in 1955. Since then, Kermit has starred in numerous shows and films, including the Emmy Award-winning "The Muppet Show," and has had a successful career as a recording artist, with hits like “Rainbow Connection.” Kermit the Frog splits his time between the swamp and a pad in Hollywood, which he shares with pigs, bears, chickens and various other weirdos.
The Muppets Studio continues to create family-friendly content with its hundreds of beloved characters including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the Great and many more. Notable projects include the feature film “The Muppets,” its follow-up “Muppets Most Wanted,” “The Muppets” television series for ABC, “Muppets Now” and the award-winning productions “Muppets Haunted Mansion” and “The Muppets Mayhem” for Disney+. The Muppets Studio, LLC, a subsidiary of Disney Enterprises, Inc., includes The Muppets, Bear in the Big Blue House and other properties acquired by The Walt Disney Company from The Jim Henson Company in 2004.
Arts for All is a University of Maryland presidential initiative and a proud co-sponsor of today’s special ARHU Dean's Lecture Series. Arts for All partners the arts with the sciences, technology and other disciplines to develop new and reimagined curricular and experiential offerings that nurture different ways of thinking to spark dialogue, understanding, problem-solving and action. It bolsters a campuswide culture of creativity and innovation, making Maryland a national leader in leveraging the combined power of the arts, technology and social justice to collaboratively address today’s grand challenges.
Arts for All’s mission is to humanize the world’s grand challenges and to center people-based artistic creativity as we work collectively to investigate and address the issues facing our region, nation and world. For more information, please visit arts.umd.edu or follow us on social media @UMDArtsforAll.
Musical Ensembles and Soloists
Led by Michael Votta, Jr., interim director of the UMD School of Music, the UMD Wind Orchestra (UMWO) is a leading voice among collegiate ensembles in premiering new works for winds. Often featuring faculty soloists and world premieres of new works and masterworks of the 20th and 21st centuries, UMWO has performed in side-by-side collaborations with major professional ensembles and has performed by invitation at international, national and regional conferences.
Under the direction of Jason Max Ferdinand, the UMD Choral Program encompasses eight choral ensembles with repertoire spanning the greatest music from the 21st century and five centuries prior. UMD choral students perform at the highest artistic level at venues throughout the country and around the world.
The UMD Graduate Jazz Quartet features Bryan Mills on tenor sax, Deante Willis on guitar, Rohan Gabay on bass and Katriyon McKie on drums. The group is led by Mark Williams, the director of jazz studies at the University of Maryland and a trombonist with The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra. Williams is a Grammy Award-winning trombonist, educator and producer.
Conductor and pianist Craig Kier, a member of the UMD School of Music faculty since 2014, has received high praise for his “Tesla-like intensity” and “impeccable orchestral support” while leading performances throughout the United States and on international stages. His conducting highlights include performances with Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, Wolf Trap Opera, Houston Ballet, Brevard Music Center, Glimmerglass Festival, Central City Opera, the Estates Theatre in Prague and the Royal Opera House in Oman. In 2023, Kier joined the ARHU Dean’s Office as director of the campuswide presidential initiative, Arts for All. In addition, he is artistic and music director of the Annapolis Opera, where he leads performances, programming and community engagement activities.
Lucas Ross is an actor/comedian and banjo musician from Minco, Oklahoma. He’s a seven-time Heartland Emmy winner as well as winner of a national Emmy for on-air performance. He currently appears as a comic relief on Oklahoma City’s NBC affiliate KFOR-TV. Ross has appeared in feature films, as well as nationally on "The Tonight Show," SyFy Network, Reelz, Nat Geo and Disney Channel. Ross currently appears alongside Kermit the Frog in the American Banjo Museum’s "Banjo Roots" program and since 2020, has provided the banjo track for Kermit as well as written original songs for Disney’s The Muppets.
Performers from the UMD School of Music and the UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
UMD Wind Orchestra
Michael Votta, Jr. – Music Director
Flute
Kennedy Wallace
Daniel Lopez
Larissa Hsu
Oboe
Jonathan Alonzo
Oscar Krug
Lauren Nelson
English Horn
Lauren Riley
Clarinet
Alexis Deifallah
Alexander Dudkin
Jackson Lasher
Lillian Smith
Bassoon
Alexander Wiedman
Saxophone
Colin Eng
Neelim Mollick
Horn
Gavin Gibson
Nicholas Gonzales
Trumpet
Theresa Bickler
Amber Bowen-Longino
Isai Hernandez
Alex Wu
Trombone
Connor Fallon (bass)
Katie Rose Hand
Tuba
Trey Pope
Percussion
Sam Goecke
Matteo Johnson
Trey Perry
Zach Wilson
UMD Tap Dancers
Alia Mondy
Bernadette "Bunny" Real
Jalen E. Rose
Sydney Mueller
UMD Graduate Jazz Quartet
Mark Williams – Director of UMD Jazz Studies
Tenor Sax
Bryan Mills
Guitar
Deante Willis
Bass
Rohan Gabay
Drums
Katriyon McKie
Members of the UMD Choral Program
Jason Max Ferdinand – Director of UMD Choral Activities
Erica Axtell
Sarah Borruso
Mykayla Brown
Juliet Drew
Om Duggineni
Megan Flynn
Magnolia Flynn-Lebischak
Isabella Genuardi
Matre Grant
Avi Gupta
Henry Horst
Jacqueline Hull
DeAndre Johnson
Eric Kim
Mary Shea Kustas
Isabel Marcus
Jason New
Grace Null
Maureen Roult
Samuel Shay
Matthew Podsednik
Mitchie Sigler
Trevor Tran
Madison Weil
Aidan Wilbur
Special Thanks to:
Arts for All
Karen Falk & Craig Shermin
Jim Henson Foundation
The Muppets Studio/Disney producer Michael Steinbach
American Banjo Association
UMD College of Arts & Humanities Dean’s Office staff
Terry Dwyer & The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center staff
UMD School of Music
UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
The Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library for the lobby display on Jim Henson and his time at UMD
All images of Kermit and Muppets ©Disney.