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Dr. Chris Krampe, Director of Fine Arts and Humanties at the College of Saint Mary, was recently named Cathedral Arts Project’s Executive Director and hopes to create some synergy between the two positions. “We are already seeing some of that, and we have plans to continue down that road in the immediate future. CSM has a fantastic mission in its own right, and brings a really fresh perspective that I think our community recognizes for its inherent value,” Krampe said. “These two organizations can bring their unique talents together, and everyone will benefit.” CAP is currently exhibiting Illumination of the Word: Icons from the Prosopon School through Sunday, March 28. A Bach Birthday concert will be held Sunday, March 21. Visit www.cathedralartsproject.org for more information. Krampe succeeds CAP founder Brother William Woeger, who has served in the position for 35 years. Krampe’s work with sacred music and collaborations with Dr. Martina Saltamacchia (Medieval and Renaissance Studies at UNO) put Krampe on CAP’s radar. “So many of my personal and research interests align with CAP,” Krampe said. “CAP has a very specific and unique mission - to promote Cathedral Culture through artistic events and programming. CAP is a continuation of a long, illustrious process of sharing the artistic, philosophical, and theological ideals most prized in our society. Sometimes those change from generation to generation, but the Cathedral has always played a prominent role in the discussion.” Krampe came to the College of Saint Mary in 2015 and has enjoyed the Omaha arts scene ever since. “Before I moved to Omaha I had heard that its art scene was nothing to scoff at - people in the city take it seriously,” Krampe said. “There are so many awesome opportunities. A few years ago UNO, CSM and Brigid St. Brigid Theater hosted legendary early musician Benjamin Bagby in a really unique performance of Beowulf. He performed it as epic poetry (how it originally was intended to be done), from memory in Anglo-Saxon. We had about 400 people attend the event. After the performance he was shocked so many people attended that event - he performs it all over the world, in major venues, and Omahans showed out in far larger numbers than he usually sees. He stressed how lucky we all were to be in a city that values culture so highly. We agreed!" Krampe is originally from rural Iowa and attended Drake University where he further developed his love of all types of art, graduating in 2004. “I’ve always loved imagining, stories, pictures, and sounds,” he said. “I started taking private organ and piano lessons at Drake in junior high, and by high school was attending college music classes there as well. I had a love for art, but my understanding and skill set really took off during the Drake years.” Krampe credited two of his Drake professors for further inspiring him -- Dr. Carl Staplin and Robert Lien, his organ and piano instructors. “Two people who are no longer with us, but will always be with me,” he said. “Dr. Staplin was the head of the Organ and Church Music department. He was one of kindest, most decent human beings I will ever encounter. I owe so much of my happiness and success to these two people - there is no way I could ever pay them back for their patience and outstanding guidance.” He went on to earn both his master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Kansas. Among the memories garnered as a Jayhawk is experiencing the 2008 Men’s Basketball National Championship celebration, while in Lawrence. “KU won, and my wife and I were watching it in Lawrence. The announcement came that school was cancelled in celebration for the win, and we headed down to Mass Street,” he said. “There were tens of thousands of people packed in the street, hanging from light posts, and on business rooftops. It was peaceful, fun, and one of my fantastic memories. Lawrence was just this really quirky, fun place.” His experience at KU helped lead him to the College of Saint Mary. “I was “discovering” in academia that I had an ability to administer fine arts programs,” Krampe said. “I realized I could help serve my institutions in this capacity. I’d never thought about that before - graduate study in the arts focuses solely on perfecting artistic skill and technique. I got to a point where I started looking for the right kind of job to take the next step in fine arts administration, and CSM was an absolutely perfect fit for what I think powerful learning looks like. I knew that I wanted to be a part of what CSM was doing.”
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April 2022
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