Graphic that says "Commencement" on the left and "#UConn 26" above the UConn School of Fine Arts wordmark. In the center very large is the number 26 surrounded by laurels to the left and right.

Main Commencement Booklet

View the main University of Connecticut Commencement Program via this link. 

Congratulations To Our Graduates From the School of Fine Arts

From Deanna Fitzgerald, Dean

Graduation Ceremony

Congratulations, graduating class of 2026! On behalf of the faculty and staff of the School of Fine Arts, let me express the happiness and pride we feel in your achievements as you graduate.

Today we reflect on the challenges and opportunities of your time here. It was a time marked by your creative, personal, and intellectual growth.

Each Department in the School of Fine Arts – Art + Art History, Digital Media & Design, Dramatic Arts, and Music – forms a close-knit intellectual and creative community. The students, faculty, and staff have worked long hours side-by-side as we have returned to our classrooms, studios, media labs, and rehearsal rooms. Through this experience, you have found lifelong mentors and friends.

I hope you take pride in the fact that, as students in the School of Fine Arts, you have shaped not only yourselves but the entire University community through your performances, exhibitions, scholarship, and service. Because of you, the arts have impacted every student across campus graduating with you.

Graduates, this is your day to celebrate – celebrate yourselves, your family and friends, and this great University that has helped form and guide you. As you embark on the next stage of your life, take forward the values you have learned here: a commitment to creativity, the desire to make a difference in the world, the ability to work hard, and the courage to take risks. As alumni, you will always be a part of the School of Fine Arts creative community, and we look forward to many years of celebrating your achievements in the arts.

I wish you the very best in the future!

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Banner Carrier | Ava Johnson

Ava Johnson is graduating from the School of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and from the Neag School of Education with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. She served as Secretary and Vice President of the UConn ACDA student chapter and participates in the St. Mark’s Choral Scholars Program. Ava is a 2024 New England Scholar as well as a 2025 and 2026 Babbidge Scholar. As a soprano vocalist, Ava has performed with UConn Choirs’ Chamber Singers and Concert Choir in addition to solo performances during each year's Songfest and Singer Showcase. As an education student, Ava completed her student teaching at East Hampton High School and will continue in the Neag School’s Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s program with plans to graduate in May 2027.

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National Anthem Singer | Gabriella Xavier

Gabriella Xavier, soprano, is a senior at the University of Connecticut graduating with a dual degree in Music and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. A student of Dr. Constance Rock, Gabriella is a prominent member of the university’s premier vocal ensembles: the UConn Chamber Singers and the Concert Choir. Her ensemble credits include masterworks such as Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana and Mozart’s Requiem, the latter of which she performed both at UConn and at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. A particular highlight of her choral career includes collaborating with multi-Grammy winner Jacob Collier at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts for his work, "World o World." On the operatic stage, she recently appeared as Venus in Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld under the direction of Spencer Reece and Dmitriy Glivinskiy. As a soloist, Gabriella has graced prestigious stages including Carnegie Hall, where she performed "Death Came a Knockin’" for National Concerts’ I Choose Love. Her notable solo appearances include Cecilia McDowall’s Standing as I Do Before God with Voices of Concinnity under the direction of Sarah Kaufold, and Handel’s "Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion" for UConn’s 2025 Messiah Sing. Additionally, she was a featured soloist for the 2023 Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice, hosted by the Dodd Center for Human Rights. Beyond her university commitments, she serves as a Choral Scholar for St. Mark’s Episcopal Chapel, where she has performed Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis and Fauré’s Requiem.

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Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient | Frank Filipetti

Frank Filipetti is a seven-time Grammy Award–winning record producer, audio engineer, and mixer whose work has shaped the sound of popular music, film, and Broadway for nearly five decades. A Bristol, Connecticut native and 1971 graduate of the University of Connecticut (B.A. in Psychology), he began his career as a songwriter and session musician before becoming chief engineer at Right Track Studios, helping build it into New York’s largest dedicated recording facility. A pioneer in fully digital recording and surround-sound mixing, he has earned more than 500 album credits and worked with artists including Billy Joel, Barbra Streisand, and Elton John. His Grammy-winning Broadway recordings include Wicked and The Book of Mormon. A founding member of METAlliance, he is also dedicated to mentoring the next generation of audio professionals.

UConn Chamber Singers - a group of roughly 20 students gathered close and smiling in concert black attire

UConn Chamber Singers

The UConn Chamber Singers is a choir comprised of 20-24  advanced vocal students. Chamber Singers performs primarily a cappella vocal music of all periods from renaissance classics to modern vocal jazz arrangements. This ensemble presents concerts and workshops on and off campus, often traveling to Connecticut’s high schools to collaborate and share their passion for choral singing. Singers are drawn primarily from UConn Concert Choir but membership is open by audition to those singers of outstanding talent who are dedicated to performing the best in choral music.

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Student Remarks | Mari Klein

Mari Klein is graduating with a BFA in Digital Media and Design, with a concentration in 3D Animation. She enjoys illustrating unique characters and creating animations that present her fondness for the horror genre. As a result of her appreciation for sign language and Deaf culture, she is also graduating with a minor in Interpreting Between American Sign Language and English. Mari’s inquisitive nature and dedication to her schoolwork allowed her to make the Dean's List every semester and complete her undergraduate degree with a 4.0 GPA. During the spring of 2026, she worked with a small group of talented DMD students and professors to create a virtual mentor for The Bushnell. After graduation, Mari plans to use her skills as an artist to assist small companies and creative individuals in achieving their visions.

Smiling young woman with shoulder length blonde hair and bangs, two nose rings, dark dusty rose shirt, indoors with out of focus shelves of framed art in background

2026 Class Print Artist | Katherine Westcott | ‘Shared Ground, Divergent Paths’

Katherine Westcott is graduating with a BFA concentrating in Printmaking. While primarily focusing on intaglio, she has gained experience across a wide range of printmaking techniques, including lithography, screenprint, and woodblock relief. After receiving the J&E Green Art Travel Scholarship, she studied in Florence, Italy during the fall 2025 semester. The work made during her time abroad composed her solo exhibition of March 2026 in the UConn VAIS Gallery. She is also graduating with a minor in psychology. After graduation, she plans to continue making work as she prepares to apply to an MFA program.

Often seen in woodblock relief prints, the heron is a prominent symbol across cultures. In Japanese culture, they can signify transition or changing of the seasons. In Greek mythology, they are associated with wisdom, sent by the gods to deliver guidance to mortals. In many Native American tribes, the heron signifies patience. As we close this chapter of our lives, embarking on our own journeys in different directions, it is important to take the time to reflect on the past four years, appreciating the transformations we’ve gone through as people and as artists. Through this exciting time of transition, it is my hope that we all move forward with wisdom and patience.

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UConn Alumni Singing the UConn Alma Mater

Acknowledgements & Special Thanks

President Radenka Maric, Rodney Rock, Gary Yakstis and the staff at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, Colleen Bridgeman, Ben Christensen, Emily Cole, Dylan DelMastro, Alain Frogley, Arielle Hill-Moses, Celeste Jacobs, Quoron Walker, Amanda Wilde, Kelly Crossen, Meredith Friedman, Jessye McShee, Ricardo Brown, Jamie Spillane, Heather Elliott-Famularo, Louis Hanzlik, Adrienne Macki, and John Richardson.

All musicians who participated in today’s ceremony.