The MTSU community came together last fall to host the “The Judds: Love is Alive – The Final Concert” featuring Wynonna Judd, and now the Blue Raider community can watch the finished product of their hard work and collaboration with the release of the concert TV special at 7 p.m. Central on Saturday, April 29, on CMT. 

The Nov. 3 live made-for-TV concert event at MTSU’s historic Murphy Center involved faculty, alumni and over 50 student workers from the College of Media and Entertainment, as well as a group of 45 choral students from the College of Liberal Arts who accompanied Wynonna for the concert finale. 

Media and entertainment students worked on everything from production and preparation to media coverage and performance for the live red-carpet broadcast, concert and CMT TV special. 

“I am so excited for the premiere of The Judds’ concert special on CMT!” said Beverly Keel, dean of the college. “It was a magical night in our Murphy Center, and I can’t wait for the world to share in the emotion, talent, passion and beauty. CMT, Sandbox Entertainment and Wynonna Judd were all so generous with our students, who set up the red carpet and conducted a live red-carpet show.”

Wynonna Judd headlined the star-studded night commemorating the 1991 farewell concert with her late mother, Naomi Judd, who died a year ago in her home near Franklin, Tennessee. The show also featured country music talents and Wynonna’s current tourmates Ashley McBryde, Brandi Carlile, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town and Martina McBride. 

Aside from watching the special live on local CMT channels, CMT streams live via Philo, Sling TV and Sling TV Freestream, Fubo TV and Fubo TV Elite, Hulu with Live TV, DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV, and Vidgo. Viewers can also catch the special at their convenience through video-on-demand platforms Paramount+, Spectrum on Demand, and Hulu. 

Special student-produced commercial

Even after the final curtain call, MTSU students continued their work on the project, most recently producing a 60-second commercial that will air nationally during the upcoming special. 

“How fitting it is that our critically acclaimed programs will be featured nationally on this broadcast, which originated on our very campus,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. “I continue to be amazed at the talents of our students and the amazing faculty who lead them toward successful professional careers after they graduate.”

The spot showcases the multiple fields of study within the College of Media and Entertainment. It was made possible by a huge collaboration between faculty and students across departments in the college and started with a concept from Marie Barnas, chair of the Department of Media Arts, said Allie Sultan, an associate professor in the Video and Film Production Program who directed and produced the project.

You can watch it below:

“It’s been a thrill,” Sultan said. “Freshmen filmmaking students in my class worked for two days filming their first commercial — a national TV spot! Then, Emily Rink, animation student, worked with Paul Griswold, professor and campus visual effect guru, to create the featured anime character. Finally, the onscreen talent — all students — come from the recording industry and media arts departments and the School of Journalism and Strategic Media.”

Featured prominently in the spot is overall narration and onscreen appearance from recording industry student Liliana Manyara.

Bess Rogers, an assistant professor in the Department of Recording Industry, worked with students in her Songwriting for Film, TV and Gaming course to create the music for the commercial.

“This commercial was a fantastic opportunity for the students,” Rogers said. “It was our first project of the semester, and the students had no prior experience with this!”

Kelty Greye, a Commercial Songwriting Program major, and Peter Van Wyk and Philip Beima, Audio Production Program majors, wrote and recorded the selected song submission, titled “We Do It All,” Rogers said. 

“We brought in Legendary Nedge, a talented rapper on the student-run record label Match Records, to perform on the song,” said Rogers, referring to the stage name of recording industry major Nick Edgerson from Griffin, Georgia. “With the help of Bill Crabtree, professor, we recorded the song in Studio D, one of our newest recording studio facilities.”

Students then completed the audio mix of the commercial in professor Matt Foglia’s Advanced Sound for Picture course. 

“Almost everything you hear on the track was written, recorded, played and produced by students,” Rogers said. “I’m incredibly proud of them and of everyone who lent their talents to make this happen.”

Students working with alumni industry professionals

Bob Gordon, a media arts professor who directed the red-carpet coverage, said the production was unique because students worked alongside industry professionals. 

“It gave the students a close view of the complexity and the involvement of a concert at that level,” Gordon said. “It was particularly impressive the number of professionals working the concert who were former MTSU media arts and audio production students, including the executive producer of the program Margaret Comeaux, vice president of production, music and events for CMT.”

Christine Eschenfelder, an associate professor in the journalism school, manages the student-fronted Middle TN News and supervised her students who produced and hosted the live red-carpet show. 

“It was such a wonderful experience for me and my students to work together on the Judds’ final concert with many other College of Media and Entertainment students and faculty as well as the CMT team,” Eschenfelder said.

“My team of students spent a lot of time together preparing for the red-carpet interviews by doing background research on the performers and the Murphy Center. … I was delighted to be able to work side by side with my students on the red carpet and to see them in action.”

Eschenfelder emphasized that the university is dedicated to providing students with hands-on experience.

“My students told me what a great experience it was for them, how much they learned and how grateful they are for the opportunity,” she said.

Liberal Arts Dean Leah Tolbert Lyons said the opportunity was great exposure for the MTSU choral students’ from the college who accompanied Judd on a four-part choral arrangement of “Love Can Build a Bridge” created by MTSU chorale conductor Angela Tipps. 

“Our talented School of Music students had an opportunity to perform alongside accomplished country music stars and showcase the skills they have been fine tuning with our dedicated faculty,” Lyons said. “Being able to perform for both a live audience and the television viewers demonstrates the versatility and adaptability of our students.” 

Jasmine January, a junior in the School of Music and one of the choral students who performed with Judd, called the overall experience “an incredible day.” 

“Being able to perform at that level with award-winning, incredible artists and producers was just next level,” January said. “It felt very professional and gave a good glimpse to all of the students into what it’s like being a professional musician.”

Keel said The Judds concert makes her look forward to all the Murphy Center concerts and events to come. 

“I can’t wait for everyone to see the kinds of concerts we can host in Murphy Center,” she said. 

For those who missed MTSU’s live red-carpet coverage, a replay of the event will air on the True Blue TV channel at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 25; 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 26; 8:30 a.m. Thursday, April 27; 2:30 p.m. Friday, April 28; and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29.

The show also is available to watch anytime on the university’s YouTube channel at https://tinyurl.com/k6z66c2v. 

To learn more about the opportunities at MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, visit its website at www.mtsu.edu/media. To find out more about the College of Liberal Arts, visit its website at www.mtsu.edu/liberalarts. 

— Stephanie Wagner (Stephanie.Wagner@mtsu.edu)