APSU students study in Italy, perform off-Broadway, and more through CECA grants
By: Dr. Andrea Spofford October 2, 2026
APSU music student Kiley Atkins at the Accademia Vocale Lorenzo Malfatti in Italy, one of the learning opportunities funded by CECA’s Transformative Student Experience Grants. | Contributed photo
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA) awarded several Transformative Student Experience Grants this summer to support practical learning opportunities within Austin Peay State University’s College of Arts and Letters.
Recipients included Erica Moore and Coffee Sain-McCoy (Department of Art + Design); Kiley Atkins and Yuri Lopez Ochoa (Department of Music); and Presley Boyne and Alessandra Torres (Department of Theatre & Dance).
Students completed a variety of projects using the grants, from attending art workshops and creating large-scale paintings to performing off-Broadway and attending musicianship and vocal residencies.
Atkins studied at the Accademia Vocale Lorenzo Malfatti in Italy for three weeks, attending daily Italian classes and receiving coaching/lessons from established conductors and instructors.
“This grant aided my professional development by improving my Italian language skills,” Atkins said. “Being immersed in the Italian dialect while also taking daily language classes helped my singing diction and comfortability in speaking in Italian. Now at school, I can translate my music and correct my diction because of my experience at AVLM.”
APSU music student Yuri Lopez Ochoa attends a Heretic’s Guide to Musicianship, a score study retreat with Kevin Noe, Lindsay Kesselman, and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble . | Contributed photo
Ochoa had a similar experience, using the grant to attend a retreat hosted by a Heretic’s Guide to Musicianship. Renowned orchestra director Kevin Noe and Grammy-nominated soprano Lindsay Kesselman led the program.
“This grant allowed me to attend [a] weeklong music seminar in which I learned multiple techniques that would help me improve not only professionally but also as a person [in] the workplace, in this case, the APSU Orchestra,” Ochoa said.
The experience was also professionally valuable for Torres, an acting and dance major who made her off-Broadway debut this summer performing in We’re Okay, We’re Okay, We’re All Gonna be Okay with the Farm Lab Theater.
“The highlight was being on stage for the showing and feeling all this adrenaline rush and the lights shining down at us,” Torres said. “I will never forget that moment and how unreal it all was. Knowing my name will be credited in the official play is such an honor."
APSU students Presley Boyne and Alessandra Torres were among those who performed off-Broadway with the Farm Lab Theater over the summer. | Contributed photo
Boyne, a musical theatre major, also performed with the Farm Lab Theater and appreciated the opportunity to rehearse in a professional setting and perform for the first time in New York.
“Not only that, I was also able to attend shows and further build my expertise in my craft,” Boyne said. “Lastly, with this grant, I was also able to make connections with people in my field.”
APSU art student Erica Moore creates a large-scale painting using techniques learned through workshops. | Contributed photo
Moore used the grant to attend painting workshops and take the time to work on larger paintings.
“Not only was I able to learn alla prima painting with oil, I was also able to learn how to layer oils over acrylics,” Moore said. “I paint with confidence while choosing color schemes, shape, and form. I feel far more comfortable painting the human form.”
Sain-McCoy had a similar experience and said the grant opened opportunities to experiment and create new, innovative work.
“I created a 3-D painting using canvases, mesh, Styrofoam, and paint,” Sain-McCoy said. “I used the wire mesh to create a raised background. I also incorporated Styrofoam within the mesh and other materials. After I was somewhat satisfied with the results, I decided on the color of the painting.”
Through the CECA Transformative Student Experience Grants, each of these students expanded their education and returned to APSU with newfound knowledge and skills.
About CECA’s Transformative Student Experience Grants
CECA-funded Transformative Student Experience Grants are available for students in the areas of Art + Design, Creative Writing, Music, and Theatre & Dance. These grants are intended to fund projects, travel, residencies, workshops, and other opportunities that might otherwise be unattainable for students, creating an environment in which they can pursue creative endeavors and transform their lives.
About the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts
Since 1985, the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA, or "seek-ah") has been providing students, the Clarksville community, and the Middle Tennessee region with engaging experiences through the Art + Design, Creative Writing, Music, and Theatre & Dance programs at APSU. CECA brings as many as 85 guest artists to Clarksville each year and presents up to 100 public arts and culture events annually, including concerts, exhibitions, artist lectures, master classes, artist residencies, and more. In addition, CECA provides the arts faculty at APSU with research opportunities to enhance their professional growth as well as numerous student scholarships each year to support APSU's own emerging artists. To learn more about the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts at APSU, contact Dr. Andrea Spofford at spofforda@apsu.edu.