Columbia to Confer Degrees on Theatre Critic, Jazz Artist at Commencement 2023

Campus Communications Staff / Apr 18, 2023

PhotoChris Jones (left) and Bobbi Wilsyn (right) will be honored at Columbia College Chicago's 2023 Commencement ceremonies
Long-time "Chicago Tribune" theatre critic Chris Jones and jazz legend and former Columbia faculty member Bobbi Wilsyn will be honored at the college’s 2023 Commencement ceremonies.

At its upcoming 2023 Commencement exercises, Columbia College Chicago will confer honorary degrees on long-time Chicago Tribune theatre critic Chris Jones and former faculty member and decorated jazz artist Bobbi Wilsyn. The honorary degree recipients will address graduates and their families at the college’s four Commencement ceremonies, with Chris Jones speaking at two ceremonies on Saturday, May 13, and Bobbi Wilsyn at two ceremonies on Sunday, May 14.

“Chris Jones and Bobbi Wilsyn are integral parts of Chicago’s arts and entertainment landscape, and their work has enriched and enlightened audiences for decades,” said President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim. “In their distinct ways, both have helped elevate Chicago’s reputation as a cultural hub and given back to our community by sharing their talents with others.”

Jones is a long-time Chicago-based theatre critic and author. He has published thousands of pieces in the Chicago Tribune over the last 20 years and is now the Tribune’s editorial page editor, overseeing the editorial page and opinions sections. His work has also appeared in newspapers and magazines nationwide and he has authored two books. Jones has chaired and served on selection committees for the Pulitzer Prize and regional Tony Awards.

Wilsyn is a jazz and blues vocalist who retired from the Columbia faculty in 2020 after nearly 40 years of service. Over the course of an accomplished performing career in jazz clubs, festivals, musicals, cabarets, and recording studios, Wilsyn has appeared with some of the biggest names in jazz and blues of the past 50 years. As the college’s Coordinator of Voice Studies and Choral Ensembles from 2006 to 2020, she was instrumental in the development of elements of the vocal music curriculum that remain in place to this day.

Columbia’s in-person Commencement ceremonies will be held at the Arie Crown Theatre, where the college will confer undergraduate and graduate degrees on more than 1,400 students.

Chris Jones will be honored at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 13, and will address graduates at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Chris Jones is an author and theater critic who has published thousands of reviews of Chicago and Broadway shows and other articles about American theatre in the Chicago Tribune over the past 20 years. Jones is also the Tribune’s editorial page editor, overseeing the editorial page and opinions sections. Prior to starting work at the Tribune, Jones served as a traveling theatre critic for Variety, and his work has appeared in prestigious publications across the country. He is the author of two books: Bigger, Brighter, Louder, a history of Chicago theater criticism, and Rise Up!: Broadway and American Society from 'Angels in America' to ‘Hamilton’, a well-reviewed exploration of how theater reflects the world at large.  Jones has twice served on the drama committee of the Pulitzer Prize and for 25 years has chaired the committee that annually recommends a theater to receive the Tony Award for outstanding regional theatre.

Bobbi Wilsyn will be honored at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 14, and will address graduates at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m

Bobbi Wilsyn is a jazz and blues artist, gospel singer, and former Columbia faculty member who taught at the college for nearly 40 years. Wilsyn came to Chicago in the 1970’s and soon found herself performing in jazz clubs, festivals, and cabarets, as well as singing jingles and recording voiceovers. She is a seasoned musical theatre professional, having appeared in shows such as Sophisticated Ladies, Beehive, and It Ain’t Nothin’ but the Blues, and has worked alongside jazz and blues giants such as Kurt Elling, Corkey Siegel, and Ramsey Lewis. In the early 1980’s, Wilsyn started as an adjunct instructor in the Music department, eventually becoming a full-time faculty member and the Coordinator of Voice Studies and Choral Ensembles, a position she held from 2006 until her retirement in 2020. In that capacity, she helped to develop the contemporary voice curriculum that remains an integral part of the college’s music program. Wilsyn is the 2018 recipient of the Black Excellence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Jazz from the African American Arts Alliance of Chicago.

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