Congratulations to UNLV’s Alex Stopa, who teaches History of Rock and Roll, and Sam Friend, audio engineer for the School of Music, on their Emmy Award-winning collaboration on Pale Blue Dot.

Stopa’s original composition received four Emmy nominations and earned two awards: Outstanding Music Composition and Outstanding Audio Recording, Mixing and Design. The latter honor recognized the collaborative work of Stopa and Friend, who recorded and mixed the piece together.

Reflecting on the achievement, Stopa shared, “Still on a high from last night after winning two Emmy Awards! I won for ‘Music Composition’ and ‘Audio Recording, Mixing and Design’ with Samuel Friend. In all, my piece Pale Blue Dot received four nominations!”

Friend also reflected on the project, writing, “This wasn’t just another project; it was one of the most challenging and beautiful journeys of my career. I put every ounce of musical intuition, technical ability, and empathy into this mix, with no thought of receiving an award. But here it is… an Emmy for Sound!”

Congratulations to Alex, Sam, and everyone involved in this remarkable achievement. Their partnership is a testament to the exceptional talent and collaboration found within the UNLV School of Music.