An alumnus who is a multifaceted instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and composer will address more than 500 graduates and their families at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s winter commencement ceremony Saturday, Dec. 14.
Stevens Point native Danny Mitchell, a 2006 graduate of UW-Stevens Point, currently lends his talents as keyboardist, bandleader and vocalist with multiplatinum recording artist Miranda Lambert. He will speak to graduates from campuses in Stevens Point, Marshfield and Wausau who are earning doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees. The ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. in Skyward Fieldhouse inside Marshfield Clinic Health System Champions Hall, 2050 Fourth Ave., Stevens Point. The event will also be livestreamed at www.uwsp.edu/commencement.
Chancellor Thomas Gibson will lead the ceremony with the assistance of Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs La Vonne Cornell-Swanson. Deans of each college will preside over presentation of degrees. Music education and music performance major Karina Verdette, Green Bay, will perform the national anthem. Music education major Briannah Wanca, Antigo, will join Verdette in performing the Alma Mater accompanied by the UW-Stevens Point Symphony Orchestra under the direction Andy Moran, director of orchestras.
The student speaker is Sequoyah Byas, a sociology and social work major from Milwaukee. Alumni Greg, ’76, and Mari Regnier, ’85, will lead the alumni pinning ceremonies.
Guests may park in any campus lot for free, except Lot F East, which will be used for accessible parking.
Mitchell is well-versed in a variety of musical genres including pop, jazz, country and classical. He has made a name for himself within the industry as a go-to solo and collaborative performer and writer. Mitchell moved to Nashville shortly after his graduation from UW-Stevens Point. Since then, he has worked steadily as a freelance musician in and around Nashville and across the country.
As a sideman, Mitchell has performed on records and stages with the likes of Anderson East, Kim Richey and Mindy Smith among others. As a composer and arranger, his work ranges from small chamber pieces to full symphonic works, having been performed by groups such as the National Wind Ensemble and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Wind Ensemble. The Stevens Point native returns annually to host Music on a Mission, a holiday concert that raises funds for charities in the local community. The twelfth-annual event will be held on Friday, Dec. 13.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in jazz piano and composition at UW-Stevens Point.
