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Yunn-Shan Ma

Five months before the first audience is expected in RIT’s new Music Performance Theater, a string quartet from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and students from the RIT Philharmonic Orchestra were the first to take the stage to help conduct acoustic testing.

Hundreds of people attended a performance by an RIT-related act during the first week of the 12-day Rochester Fringe Festival, with students, faculty, and staff contributing music, dance, comedy, poetry, photojournalism, in downtown Rochester. And nearly 20 other RIT-related performances are scheduled later this week.

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 59: In July 2022, RIT opens a new School of Performing Arts to offer additional creative opportunities for thousands of students who wish to pursue their passions in performance while majoring in a range of other fields. College of Liberal Arts Dean Anna Stenport talks with Thomas Warfield, director of dance at NTID, and Assistant Professor Yunn-Shan Ma, director of the RIT Philharmonic Orchestra, on ways RIT is making dreams come true for students interested in performing arts.

As RIT prepares to open a School of Performing Arts, the new instructors that will come with the school will join an already talented pool of faculty and staff members who have been helping students eager to pursue their passions of music, dance, and acting, for years.