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The Series
Ears Wide Open presents four concerts per school year with the interests of university students and campus community members in mind through the use of non-traditional venues, thoughtful programming, and compelling interdisciplinary collaborations. The EWO team proudly combines a variety of majors and minors in Music Performance, Music Industry Studies, Jazz Studies, Finance, Marketing, Entertainment, Film, and Media Arts, all from undergraduate through DMA students. The team consists of an Artistic Director, Operations and House Manager, Financial Officer and Assistant Stage Manager, Marketing and Social Media Director and House Manager, Technical Director, and a Logistics Director and Stage Manager. The EWO team works closely with two faculty advisors, Dr. Jennifer-Parker Harley and Dr. Mike Harley, and the School of Music Dean Harding.
The series strives to promote the importance of live music and models innovation, empathy, inclusivity, and curiosity through the arts.
Leadership
Artistic Director
Originally from Fresno, California, Alyssa Santiváñez is a current Master of Music Flute Performance student at the University of South
Carolina with a Bachelor's Degree in Flute Performance and Certificate in Music Entrepreneurship
from Ball State University. Past musical projects Santiváñez has completed are Mental
Harmony, a musician’s mental health resource in the form of a podcast, website, and
social media outlet at Ball State, Safety Through Sounds, a virtual flute music video
fundraising collaboration with Doctors Without Borders and the Ball State Flute Studio
for COVID-19 relief, and The Lullaby Project, a Carnegie Hall collaboration dedicated
to pairing new and expecting mothers with songwriters inside correctional facilities
in Columbia, SC. The current project Santiváñez is completing is a USC Spark Music
Leadership Community Impact Grant titled, “Melodic Mindsets” which serves to provide
musician-focused mental health resources to the University of South Carolina School
of Music. Santiváñez is currently the Ears Wide Open, a concert series dedicated to
adventurous listeners, Artistic Director and has performed as a flutist with the USC
Wind Ensemble and USC Symphonic Winds. She is the 2021 Presser Scholar and 2021 Aria
Concerto Competition Winner from Ball State University, the past President of the
Ball State Flute Guild from 2019-2022, and the 2021-2022 student representative of
the Ball State Diversity Committee. Santiváñez has completed summer camps such as
the Fresno Opera Orchestra Academy, Aria International Summer Academy, Interlochen
Summer Arts Camp, Manhattan School of Music Summer Camp, and Domaine Forget.
Operations and House Manager
Operations and House Manager Ed Senn (they/them) is a first year Doctor of Musical Arts student in bassoon performance— holding degrees from both the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Arizona. They’ve worked in house management teams in New England and the Southwest prior to beginning this position here at Ears Wide Open. Making an event an experience for the audience is key to them, novel and immersive experiences are what students are seeking out now more than ever. When not practicing or making reeds, they can be found hanging out with their wife, Krista, and cat, Spammy.
Technical Director
Andrew W. Kevic is a Master of Music Performance student and the Graduate Teaching Assistant for the clarinet studio at the University of South Carolina. He currently is the Technical Director for Ears Wide Open, a concert series with the mission to provide accessible live music to the student community. Andrew is also a member of the FUSE Ensemble, a graduate-level woodwind quintet dedicated to community engagement and outreach to underprivileged communities in South Carolina. Andrew is a graduate of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, a nationally recognized residential high school focused on pre-professional development within the fine arts. From there, he pursued a B.M. in Music Performance at the University of Michigan, graduating summa cum laude in 2023. Andrew’s past teachers include Dan Gilbert, Chad Burrow, Dr. Kyra Zhang, and Dr. Robert Chesebro.
Working as an electrician and lighting designer throughout his undergraduate career, Andrew is passionate about the implementation of theatrical lighting into live classical and contemporary music. He has worked as a production assistant at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance, collaborating frequently with student, faculty, and guest performers alike. He also worked as a technician at the Keene Theater, a university performance hall in the School of Literature, Science, and Art. Andrew has also worked as a Head Electrician for the Spoleto Festival USA and electrician for the Bay View Music Festival.
Marketing
As a senior in the University of South Carolina's Music Industry Studies Program,
Maddy LaFontan is thrilled to be joining the Ears Wide Open team. Originally from
rural Connecticut, she began her musical journey at the age of five. At USC, Maddy
has immersed herself in various ensembles and projects, including the Concert Choir
and the Commercial Music Ensemble, where she led her band, Noise Complaint during
the Spring 2024 semester. Their performances have included school fundraisers, banquets,
and paid gigs, including a notable Ears Wide Open concert at 1801 Grille! Maddy’s
hands-on experience in the music industry extends beyond performance. She has interned
at two Danny Wimmer Presents music festivals—Welcome to Rockville and Bourbon & Beyond.
During these internships, she gained valuable skills in marketing, ticketing, and
credentials, further enhancing her expertise in the field. Maddy is also the head
of the MIS vocal masterclass series, a project she created out of her passion for
vocal health in contemporary music. Outside of music, Maddy manages a restaurant in
Columbia, enjoys taking photographs, hanging out with friends, and spending time with
her cat, Stormi!
Production Manager
Christian Moreno Cova (he/him) is a Master of Music in Jazz Composition student and
the Graduate Assistant for Jazz Studies and the Center of Southern African-American
Music at the University of South Carolina. In addition to serving as the Production
Manager for Ears Wide Open, Christian serves on the executive board of the USC Jazz
Society and is a board member of the Minnesota-based JAM Concert Series, and previously
held roles with MN’s Big Time Jazz Orchestra and Tweed Museum of Art. Christian holds
a BM in Jazz Piano Performance from the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he served
as Senator for the School of Fine Arts and President of UMD’s chapter of Jazz Education
Network.
