Panion Selected The David B. Williams Creative Technologies Distinguished Visiting Artist

April 8, 2023

by Rose Marshack - rmarsha@illinoisState.edu

Dr. Henry Panion, noted conductor, composer, arranger, producer, and recent inductee into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, will be a distinguished visiting artist of The David B. Williams Creative Technologies Visiting Artist Series on the Illinois State University campus April 18-20. During his visit, Dr. Panion will work with students in the Creative Technologies and Music Business programs and give a free public presentation titled “So You Want to Be in the Entertainment Industry.” His public presentation will draw from his extensive experience in the industry, including his 30-year association with music icon Stevie Wonder as conductor and arranger among other internationally known artists.

An Emmy, Grammy, and Telly-winning producer, Dr. Panion is passionate about sharing the keys to his success and what he believes are the essential ingredients for anyone wanting to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, from writing beats to composing full orchestral film scores, from distributing your own music on the internet to signing that major record-label deal, from writing songs for your kid’s ensemble to signing a full catalog publishing deal. This is a wonderful opportunity for members of both the ISU campus and the greater Bloomington community to glean from an individual such as Dr. Panion, who has had a remarkable career as a professional musician and a distinguished university professor. Dr. Panion will share examples of his work on film, recordings, and television, and interact with audience participants in a Q & A session during the public talk.

Dr. Panion's wealth of experiences spans the musical spectrum, from Gospel to Classical, Pop to Rock, Country to R&B, Hip-Hop to Be-Bop and everything in between, from the likes of superstars Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan; jazz luminaries Ellis Marsalis, Jonathan Butler and the Lionel Hampton Orchestra; Gospel legends the Winans, Tramaine Hawkins, Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin and The Clark Sisters; Country artists Randy Owen, LeAnn Rimes, Sara Evans and ALABAMA; R&B songstresses Kelly Price and India Arie; American Idol winners Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard; Hip-Hop artists Coolio and Nelly; and more than 50 different symphony orchestras all across the globe, from the Tokyo (Japan) Philharmonic, Royal (London) Philharmonic, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Philharmonic, and Gothenburg (Sweden) Symphony, to the Atlanta Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony, New York Philharmonic and the National Symphony Orchestra.

The Creative Technologies Program is an interdisciplinary degree program in the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts where students combine technology with the fine arts. Students learn game design, music production, character animation, web design, sound design, virtual and extended reality, human-computer interaction, user interface and experience design and much more.

Please contact rmarsha@illinoisState.edu or call (309)438-7749 if you need to arrange an accommodation to participate in this event.