Thursday, September 11, 2025

By Jodie Nicotra

Musicians and singers prepare to record “Nuclear Dreams” in the Hanford B reactor hall. (Photo by Michael Simon ’02.) 

When he was about 10, Senior Lecturer of Music Michael Simon ’02 made his first recording, a saxophone concert for his grandmother, recorded on a cassette player tied with dental floss to the bottom of his music stand. 

“That’s when I realized that music can be portable and that a fixed thing can be a piece of art that might be different from the performance itself,” he says. 

In addition to playing bass and guitar in a popular Boston-based band, Simon has worked for almost two decades as a music producer and recording engineer. He brings all that practical experience to the newest track in Whitman’s Music program: Music Technology and Production.

“The idea of music production is akin to the idea of photography as a fine art,” Simon says. “It’s the idea that there is artistic intent in how you put together a recording. It’s not just the music that underlies it, but the actual sonics are a component of the art.”

Place is an integral part of Simon’s latest project, a new recording of the musical composition “Nuclear Dreams.” Composed by Reginald Unterseher with lyrics by Nancy Welliver, the piece is an oral history of the Hanford Site, where for more than 40 years, the U.S. produced plutonium for the nation’s defense program, including the fissile material for the first nuclear bomb.  

Simon, who grew up in Walla Walla without access to recording studios, became interested in artists who recorded in spaces that meant something to them—like Emmylou Harris, who recorded the album “Wrecking Ball” in a living room, or Willie Nelson, whose “Teatro” was recorded in an old movie theater.

Today’s sophisticated recording technologies can open up worlds of sound previously unavailable to human ears, preserve cultural histories that might otherwise be lost and give people new ways of interacting with the soundscapes of their daily lives. 

Across Whitman College’s campus, professors and students in diverse fields are exploring how experiences of sound transform our understanding of the world and our place in it.

Read the full story and listen to audio clips in the Fall 2025 issue of Whitman Magazine.

Chef Nimal Amarasinghe joined Bon Appétit at Whitman College in 2012 and currently leads in the role of Residential Executive Chef. This week, Bon Appétit named Chef Nimal its 2025 Chef of the Year. Bon Appétit is a national restaurant company with more than 1,000 cafés in 33 states, including those operated here on the Whitman College campus. Chef Nimal has gained recognition for his dedication to creating a college dining program that is scratch made, culturally rooted and sustainable.

The Interest House Community (IHC) and the Whitman Events Board will sponsor the annual IHC Block Party on Saturday, Sept. 13, from noon–3 p.m. on Boyer Avenue, between Maxey Hall and the interest house neighborhood. This fun event is open to the entire Whitman community and is a great opportunity to learn more about all of the unique interest houses. Boyer Avenue will be closed from Otis Street to Merriam Street to make room for bouncy obstacle courses, a dunk tank, music, food and more. (Flyer attached.)

A new session of Whitman’s employee wellness program Movement That Matters (MTM) begins on Monday, Sept. 15. This program offers five different classes each week during the noon hour: Pilates, MELT, Strength and Stretch, Step Aerobics, and Yoga. For a $45 enrollment fee per semester, participants can attend as many classes as they like. Register prior to attending your first class. Subscribe to the MTM Google Calendar to track any changes to the schedule. Questions? Email Laura L. Cummings at cumminll@whitman.edu.

Each year, the Pete and Hedda Reid Award recognizes one Whitman faculty or staff member for their exceptional volunteer work within the community. The nomination form is now available, and nominations will be accepted through Thursday, Oct. 2. The award recipient will be honored during a Chamber of Commerce Awards Ceremony to be held in December and will receive $1,000. Candidates must have worked at Whitman for at least three years. Visit the Campus Awards page to read more about the award and view past recipients.

On Tuesday, the Walla Walla Fire Department brought 17 staff to the Whitman Climbing Center for vertical rope work training. Whitman climbing staff had the opportunity to work with the firefighters as they practiced climbing and rope rescue skills. See more photos on Instagram. (Photo by Wes Granath.) 

4–5 p.m.

Information Session: Whitman Internship Grants

Reid Campus Center, Room G02

6–7 p.m.

Introductory Meeting: Dracula Club

Hunter Conservatory, Room 107

Would you like to share an event with campus? Submit the information to the Events Calendar.

Whitman Today is emailed to Whitman College staff, faculty and students each weekday during the academic year and twice a week during breaks. An archive of previous issues is available online.

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