Distinguished Visiting Artists & Speakers

Nicole Avant and Reginald Hudlin

Producer, activist, author, and CSUN alum Nicole Avant ’90 (Journalism), who served as ambassador to the Bahamas under President Barack Obama, visited CSUN in February 2024 to present a screening of The Black Godfather, a documentary she produced chronicling the extraordinary life of her father, Clarence Avant, chairman of Motown Records and widely recognized force in Black entertainment industries and politics. Participating with Avant in a panel discussion after the film screening was Black Godfather director Reginald Hudlin, himself an inspiring force in Black media ranging from film (House Party, Boomerang, Marshall) to comic books (Milestone Media).

Regina Carter

Violinist and 2006 MacArthur Fellow Regina Carter blends jazz, R&B, classical, blues, country, and African influences with inimitable improvisational flair. The multiple Grammy Award winner inspires the next generation of jazz artists as a faculty member of the Manhattan School of Music and director of the New Jersey Performing Arts All-Female Jazz Residency. As a visiting artist to CSUN in Fall 2023 she offered masterclasses to undergraduate and graduate students and joined Jazz A and Jazz B bands for rehearsals and an unforgettable culminating concert.

 Photo by Ernest Gregory

Donald Petrie

Director of comedy hits including Grumpy Old Men and Miss Congeniality, CSUN alum Donald Petrie ’76 (Theatre) is a board member of the Directors Guild of America and a proud mentor to senior film production students at CSUN as they complete their capstone projects. Petrie generously shares his industry experience and visual storytelling chops while inspiring students to take chances and think big in the safe space of the university, assuring them that mistakes and successes factor equally in professional development.

Photo courtesy of Donald Petrie

Helen Sung

Classically trained jazz pianist and composer and 2021 Guggenheim Fellow Helen Sung has served on the jazz faculties at the Berklee College of Music, the Juilliard School, and Columbia University. The New York–based artist came to campus in Spring 2024 for a residency with CSUN’s Jazz Studies program, interacting with undergraduate and graduate students in masterclasses and rehearsals that culminated in dazzling concert performances with the Jazz A and Jazz B ensembles.

Photo by Joseph Boggess