The Department of Music is proud to congratulate Bel Montemore ('26), who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a minor in Art Studio, on receiving the 2026 Baker-Nord Institute for the Humanities Prize for Excellence in a SAGES Capstone Project. The prestigious university-wide award recognizes outstanding undergraduate scholarship in the humanities and includes a $500 cash prize.
Presented for work completed during Bel's senior year at Case Western Reserve University, the award honors the capstone project, Synaesthesia Symposium, an innovative exploration of music, visual art, and sensory perception through an immersive, participatory experience.
Drawing on Bel's interdisciplinary background in music and visual art, the project brought together a multisensory art exhibition, chamber music performance, supporting written documentation, and a documentary film that captured the event's inclusive spirit. Designed to challenge traditional concert conventions, Synaesthesia Symposium invited participants to experience music through multiple artistic and sensory perspectives while encouraging them to become active creators rather than passive observers.
Watch the documentary below to experience Synaesthesia Symposium and its collaborative, multisensory approach to music and art.
In recognizing the project, the Baker-Nord award committee praised both its creativity and its broader humanistic impact:
"The committee thought your project stood out because it does not merely argue that the arts could be more inclusive; it creates a concrete example of what that inclusivity might look like in practice. By combining visual art, chamber music and your own experience of synesthesia, you designed an event that challenged the conventions of classical performance spaces."
The committee also highlighted the project's emphasis on collaboration and community:
"One of the strongest aspects of your project is that it reflects a broader humanistic goal: not simply analyzing the world, but changing it. The event encouraged participants to build connections across artistic forms and sensory experiences, while also inviting them to become active creators rather than passive observers. That emphasis on collaboration and community-building gives the project a sense of purpose that feels especially meaningful."
Although Bel graduated from CWRU in Spring 2026, this award recognizes work completed as an undergraduate and reflects the lasting impact of interdisciplinary scholarship in the arts and humanities. Synaesthesia Symposium exemplifies how music and visual art can come together to foster inclusion, spark dialogue, and inspire new ways of experiencing creative expression.
Congratulations to Bel on this outstanding and well-deserved achievement.