Community

This May, Pitt’s Comparative Sign Language global experience took off to Edinburgh, Scotland, with 15 students and two faculty members.

The two-week program was “voice-off” — no spoken English — creating a rare opportunity for students to expand their linguistic and cultural fluency in a multilingual signed environment. Students relied instead on their background of American Sign Language (ASL) and engaging deeply with British Sign Language (BSL), the primary language of the host country.

It’s a typical rainy day in Pennsylvania, but that hasn’t deterred any of the students in the Experiencing Architecture: Fallingwater Summer Design Studio. In fact, the rain has let up enough that one of the students, Claudia Engfer, has suggested walking to Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece, Fallingwater, from their current residence.

The Old Time Fiddlers Association in Dunbar, Pennsylvania, recently hosted The Department of Music’s Bluegrass Ensemble for a concert. The concert took place on March 16 at the Fayette County Fairgrounds.

You can see some photos and a video of the show below!

The Ukrainian bandura is a stringed instrument combining elements of the lute and harp, creating a unique, resonant sound linked to oral history and storytelling.