Immanuel Mellis (left) with Doug Osborne-Coy of the Rockefeller Arts Center staff.
Immanuel Mellis, a senior Music major from Central Islip, has been selected as the Honors Student of the Month for March.
Mr. Mellis has minors in Arts Administration, Interdisciplinary Studies and Music Industry.
As part of his Arts Administration Practicum, Mellis served as an administrative intern at the Michael C. Rockefeller Arts Center, assisting RAC director Jefferson Westwood, during the Fall 2021 semester. His main duties were assisting with data entry for the Friends of Rockefeller Arts Center annual fund drive and generating personalized solicitation and thank you letters for the same.
Mellis also served as librarian of Rockefeller's extensive 500-piece collection of big band sheet music, cataloging the archives and locating specific pieces for use in May's commencement eve pops concert, "Salute to the Big Apple," with School of Music Assistant Professor Nick Weiser and the Fredonia Jazz Orchestra.
While providing some assistance to Mellis during his internship, Doug Osborne-Coy, a marketing/public relations assistant at Rockefeller Arts Center, learned that they share a common interest – creating and recording their own music.
“It turned out Immanuel and I are both musicians we create and record our own music, so we began having discussions on topics related to music and he invited me to the live streams of his February and March performances in Rosch Recital Hall,” said Mr. Osborne-Coy, who nominated Mellis for the Honors award.
“Immanuel's music carries a message that people can relate to regardless of age, race, religion, etc. He strikes on common themes that unite people. The positive and honest nature of his songs dealing with topics like anxiety helps those who may find themselves in similar circumstances, promoting music as the best medicine for the spirit,” Osborne-Coy explained.
“His efforts to promote both his music and his performances, as well as his poise as a performer, show he is on a path that could certainly lead to a successful career in music,” Osborne-Coy said.
