PR2010 Sep 27

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 27, 2010

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Craig Threlkeld 205.391.5838

cthrelkeld@sheltonstate.edu

CONCERT TO CELEBRATE INSTRUCTOR’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY AT SHELTON STATE

TUSCALOOSA – Current and former students will join Shelton State Community College music instructor

Glinda Blackshear in a performance on Sept. 28 to celebrate her 25th anniversary at the College.

The performance, scheduled for 1:15 p.m. in the Alabama Power Recital Hall, is part of the “Terrific Tuesday”

series hosted by the Fine Arts division of the College.

Glinda Blackshear has been a vocal and choral instructor at Shelton State Community College since 1985. In

2000 she was selected Outstanding College Faculty Person for the state Two-Year College system, and in 2008

she received the Todd Award for Excellence in Teaching at Shelton State. She is past president of the Alabama

Choral Directors Association (AL-ACDA) and has recently served as the Southern Division Chair for Two-Year

Colleges in ACDA. She has also been the recipient of two Druid Arts Awards from the Arts Council of

Tuscaloosa. She has performed locally with the Tuscaloosa Community Singers (now Prentice Concert Chorale),

the ensemble Chanson, and Theatre Tuscaloosa. Last year she fulfilled a life-long a dream by playing the role of

the Mother Abbess in “The Sound of Music” on the stage of the Bean-Brown Theatre. She has also been the

Choir Director at Covenant Presbyterian Church since 1994.

Blackshear conducts the award-winning concert choir, the Shelton Singers, which has performed from New

York to Hawaii, including six performances in Carnegie Hall. The “Bach to Rock” Ensemble, which she

originated and still directs, performs before hundreds of school children each year under the umbrella of the

Arts Council of Tuscaloosa. In 2007, Bach to Rock was given the NCIA national award for Innovations in

Education. Blackshear’s voice students compete and gain top honors in the annual National Association of

Teachers of Singing (NATS) State Auditions, even though Shelton State is the only two-year institution

participating alongside the state’s four-year colleges.

“Simply said, Glinda Blackshear is the complete college professor,” said Shelton State President Dr. Mark

Heinrich. “She is a gifted musician, has remarkable credentials, possesses a terrific work ethic, and has a

tremendous heart for students. On her 25th anniversary with the College, it is truly an honor and privilege to

have Glinda Blackshear as a member of Shelton State’s faculty.”

Blackshear’s students regularly receive transfer scholarships, and many have gone on to become leaders in the

arts in their schools, churches, and communities. Blackshear also plays a vital role in continually seeking to

improve upon Shelton State’s distinction of being the Alabama Community College of the Fine Arts, a

designation bestowed upon the College by legislation in 1997.

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