Reynolds College Blog

World renowned pianist Charl du Plessis to perform Oct. 20

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Internationally acclaimed pianist Charl du Plessis will present a solo concert at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20 in C. Minor Recital Hall on Missouri State University’s Springfield campus. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The concert is part of the William T. White recital series and sponsored by the Department of Music and the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. It is free and open to the public.

Du Plessis is a Steinway Artist and piano lecturer at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

“Charl du Plessis is a one-of-a-kind musician and performer,” said Dr. Cameron LaBarr, Clif and Gail Smart professor of music and director of Missouri State’s choral studies. “This performance on Oct. 20 is not to be missed, especially considering the wide variety of musical genres that will be explored.”

Performance mixes classical and jazz

During his solo concert, du Plessis will perform a mixture of classical and jazz-inspired compositions. Featured music includes selections from Bach, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington and Astor Piazzolla. Afterward, du Plessis will invite audience members to suggest any piece of music. He will then improvise a performance of that piece.

“Personally, I’m hoping right after some Rachmaninoff and Chopin, he can throw in the theme song from ‘Murder, She Wrote’!” LaBarr laughed.

Du Plessis visited the Springfield campus in March 2025 when the University of Pretoria Camerata toured here.

“I have known Charl for some years now, but we only recently had the opportunity to work together during our March 2025 tour and recording project,” LaBarr said. “Having him play alongside Parker Payne, MSU artist-in-residence and collaborative pianist with the MSU Chorale and the University of Pretoria Tuks Camerata, was an absolute dream for everyone involved.”

Du Plessis will be featured on the next album to be released by Missouri State’s Chorale. The album is a collaboration with the University of Pretoria Camerata from South Africa.

Weeklong activities include performances and masterclasses

In addition to his solo concert, du Plessis will also join Missouri State’s Men’s Chorus and Women’s Chorus at their concert at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 14 in the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts. It is free and open to the public.

On Oct. 17, du Plessis will engage with the music department’s jazz and piano students in masterclasses. He will also play piano for the Choral Gala at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Old Glass Place.

Get tickets for Choral Gala

About Charl du Plessis

Charl du Plessis rose to fame when he was the youngest pianist in Africa to be named a Steinway Artist in 2010. He studied with master piano teacher Joseph Stanford at the University of Pretoria and was the first student to complete a doctoral performance degree specializing in classical and jazz piano.

Du Plessis has won numerous awards and has collaborated with several preeminent musicians and orchestras. He lives in Pretoria, South Africa.

 

Photo provide by Charl du Plessis.

Nancy Allen Writing II award winners announced

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Missouri State University’s Department of English has announced the winners and finalists of the first annual Nancy Allen Research Writing Awards competition.

Winning entries represented a variety of writings, according to Lori Rogers, Writing II coordinator. Paper topics included discipline-specific, source-informed arguments as well as source-informed texts for digital platforms, the workplace and creative audiences.

Currently, the competition features two categories, “Entering the Conversation” and “Expanding the Conversation.” The selection committee, comprised of Writing II faculty members, chose three winners for each category along with several finalists.

Submission quality reveals student effort

Rogers said the quality of student writing reminded the committee “how hard our students work to excel at one of the most difficult tasks we have as human beings: conveying our ideas, questions and conclusions on paper or on screen. That’s a challenging endeavor for any of us.”

The committee was also impressed with the level of faculty engagement, Rogers noted. Writing II instructors nominated student entries through an anonymous submission and awards selection process.

“Given this was our first year offering the awards, we were all very surprised and happy to discover we had faculty submissions for 28 students,” she said. “That number really indicates how many of our teachers were willing to make the effort to give their students a chance at recognition for their hard work.”

The competition recognizes exemplary student research and writing from any Writing II course. Eligible courses include AGR 320; ENG 210, 221, 310, and 321; GLG 358; and HST 210.

Winners featured on department website

The English Department is featuring the selected entries on its website, Rogers said. She hopes this heightened online presence will allow future Writing II students to learn from their peers.

“Most texts that students read are written by highly qualified and established writers, so we are so grateful to have a way to demonstrate student writing that’s coming from a closer level of possibility and inspiration,” she noted.

[Read more…] about Nancy Allen Writing II award winners announced

Department of English receives Show Me Multiliteracy grant renewal

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The Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH) and the Department of English are pleased to announce that the Show Me Multiliteracy project is being fully funded for its fifth year.

This year’s funding ($599,875) brings the total funding to nearly $3 million over the last five years.

Two little girls sitting on the floor reading
Photo credit: Meghan Cheely.

For the five-year grant, Dr. Andrea Hellman and her team partnered with school districts in Kansas City, North Kansas City, Springfield, Branson, Monett and Neosho.

“Leading the Show Me Multiliteracy project over the past four years has reinforced what instruction for multilingual learners requires,” said Hellman, professor of English at Missouri State and Show Me Multiliteracy project coordinator.

This comprehensive grant covers the full cost of participation, including tuition, fees and books for 52 graduate students. These students are all practicing teachers working to complete the Missouri K-12 ELL endorsement.

It funds an additional 100 community learning projects and professional development for 110 teachers.

[Read more…] about Department of English receives Show Me Multiliteracy grant renewal

Digital Humanities Lab accepting project proposals for 2026-2027

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Missouri State University’s Digital Humanities Lab (DHL) is now accepting project proposals to be funded during the 2026-27 fiscal year. Financial and technical support is available for innovative research projects that will be showcased through the DHL website and in annual events hosted by the lab.

Those interested in applying or wanting more information can visit the DHL website. The website provides information about the proposal process, the project proposal form and other FAQs.

DHL is accepting proposal applications through Nov. 16, 2025.

About the DHL

The DHL, which opened in Fall 2024, is a collaborative effort between the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH) and the Missouri State University Libraries.

Headquartered in the lower level of the Duane G. Meyer Library, the DHL provides resources and guidance for faculty and students to create digital scholarship projects.

The DHL offers multiple hardware and software resources commonly used in the humanities. These include computer workstations, photography and video equipment, scanners, drones and image editing, data analysis and design software packages.

Contact information

For questions related to the lab, contact DHL Faculty Advisory Committee co-chairs RCASH Associate Dean Dr. Jason Jolley and Library Associate Dean Rachel Besara.

Visit DHL

 

Photo by Kevin White/Missouri State University.

School of Defense and Strategic Studies celebrates 20 years in D.C.

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Missouri State University’s School of Defense and Strategic Studies (DSS) is celebrating a landmark moment in its history.

In 2005, the school relocated its facilities from the Springfield campus to the Washington, D.C., area. The DSS program moved from California to then Southwest Missouri State University in 1987.

Now, the school is celebrating 20 years in D.C. with a special issue of its online journal, Defense & Strategic Studies Online (DASSO). The issue focuses on DSS—its history, founder, programs and trajectory—in five short articles:

  • Christopher Ford offers an overview of DSS with a special emphasis upon DSS’ unique “flavor” and focus, from its origins at the University of Southern California (USC) in 1971 to the present day.
  • DSS Director John Rose provides an essay on his personal journey with DSS and his reflections about the School’s growing roster of programming.
  • Former DSS Director Keith Payne, the man who brought DSS to Washington, D.C. two decades ago, looks back across the program’s history.
  • J.D. Crouch, both a former DSS student and a professor with the program at MSU, provides his reflections on the program and, in particular, founder William Van Cleave.
  • Christopher Ford provides an account of the unique background in national security affairs of DSS’ current faculty.

In addition, DSS will hold an open house on Oct. 3 in its new office suite in Arlington, Virginia.

“DSS is delighted with its new facilities,” said Dr. Christopher Ford, DSS faculty member and editor of DASSO. “[We are] much closer to the Pentagon, the State Department, the White House and Congress.”

Read DASSO