Faculty Bios

Patricia Alexander BS from University of Pennsylvania, graduate studies at Carnegie Mellon, MM from Eastman School of Music; postgraduate work at Eastman School of Music in German, French, and Italian diction; teaches privately as well as at Roberts Wesleyan College and the Rochester City School District.

Euridice Alvarez Born in Honduras, Central America, oboist Euridice Alvarez-Izcoa holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern Mississippi, a Master of Music from Baylor University, and is currently advancing her Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance at the Eastman School of Music.

Euridice began her musical education at the Victoriano López Music School in her native Honduras in 1989, and since then has specialized her studies with a variety of professional oboists, including: Patricia Malone, Mary Watt, Georg Meerwin, Humbert Lucarelli, Doris DeLoach, Nancy Ambrose King, Eric Ohlsson, Paige Morgan, Don Ross, and Richard Killmer.

Ms. Alvarez has been a member of several Symphony Orchestras, including Meridian, Gulf Port, Waco, Temple and San Angelo, and performed as a soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of Honduras.

She won the Golden Medal at the Tutto Diffent Competition in Honduras (1993), was a finalist at the Ducrest Young Artists International Competition (2000), toured the East Coast of the U.S. with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra (2000), won the MTNA Woodwind Concerto Competition (2000) and the MTNA Collegiate Artists State Competition (2000/2002), toured Italy with the USM Wind Ensemble (2001) and France and England with the USM Southern Chorale (2003), Presser Scholar (2002), Finalist of the Concerto Competition at Baylor University (2004), and Second Place of the Concerto Competition at Baylor University (2005).

Euridice has also participated in several summer camps: Young Artists Summer camp in Costa Rica (1993), Kinhaven Music School at Vermont (1993/1997), Hot Springs Music Festival (2002), Brevard Music Camp (2004), and Camp of the Woods (2006/2007).

Her teaching experience started in 1994 as an Oboe Instructor in Honduras, and has taught numerous students privately and through teaching assistantships at Baylor University and at the Eastman School of Music. She is currently an oboe professor at the Eastman Community School of Music and at Houghton College since fall 2006.

Jan Angus BA from UCLA; MM from Eastman School of Music; member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; member of Filigree flute and harp duo; artist in residence for Rochester City School District; coordinator of Eastman Pathways Scholarship Program.

Matthew Annin A member of the Eastman Community Music School faculty since 2005, Matthew Annin joined the Rochester Philharmonic in 2004. Prior to coming to Rochester, Matthew was a member of the Louisville Orchestra. In addition, he has performed with the St. Louis and Cincinnati Symphonies, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, and the Chautauqua Symphony. He was also a fellow in the New World Symphony in Miami, Florida.
Matthew has had fellowships at the Tanglewood Music Center and the Music Academy of the West, where he performed Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 2 as a winner of the festival's concerto competition. He has also participated in the Aspen Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, and the Henry Mancini Institute.

Matthew is also on faculty at the Hochstein Music School and Roberts Wesleyan College. Matthew received his Masters of Music at Northwestern University and a Bachelors of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His major teachers include Gail Williams, Douglas Hill, and David Krehbiel.

Nancy Boone BM, MM, and Performer’s Certificate from Eastman School of Music; winner of Phi Mu Alpha Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition; first place winner of 1992 North American Saxophone Alliance Young Artists Classical Competition; on faculty of Hochstein School, Roberts Wesleyan College, and Webster School District.

Jeanne Bourgeois is currently working towards a doctorate at the Eastman School of Music. She holds a Masters degree from Northwestern University in performance and pedagogy and a Bachelors degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in violin performance. Her teachers include Charles Castleman, Almita and Roland Vamos, Kurt Sassmannshaus, and Piotr Milewski.

Jeanne has held orchestral positions with the Syracuse Symphony, Sarasota Opera, Utah Festival Opera, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. She was associated concertmaster of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and has also served as concertmaster of the Spoleto USA Festival Orchestra in Charleston, S.C. She has attended festivals in Switzerland, Austria, Vermont, and the Aspen Music Festival, where she was a fellowship recipient. As a soloist, she has performed with the Starling Chamber Orchestra and the West Suburban Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed recitals across the Midwest.

Jeanne is Charles Castleman’s teaching assistant at Eastman. She was previously a teaching assistant at Northwestern University and a certified Suzuki instructor at the Western Springs School of Talent Education, in Illinois.

A devoted performer of new music, she has performed works for solo violin and orchestra by Augusta Read Thomas with the West Suburban Symphony in Chicago, and new chamber works at Cornell University and the University of Chicago. She has also studied and performed at the Lucerne Music Festival, in Lucerne, Switzerland, directed by Pierre Boulez.

Jeff Campbell BM in music education from Brigham Young University; MM in jazz performance from Eastman School of Music; currently completing doctorate in music education at Eastman; member of Eastman Jazz Trio; numerous performances with contemporary jazz musicians, European jazz festivals, and tours.

Catarina Domenici Brazilian pianist Catarina Domenici earned a MM and a DMA degree from the Eastman School of Music, where she was also awarded the prestigious Performer's Certificate and the Lizie Teege Mason Award for best graduate pianist. While at Eastman, she was a teaching assistant to Rebecca Penneys. Prior to her graduate studies, Catarina received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Universidade Estadual Paulista – UNESP, where she studied with Beatriz Balzi, a renowned interpreter of Latin American music. She also studied with pianists David Burge, Yara Bernette, and Maria José Carrasqueira. A prizewinner in competitions as a chamber musician and soloist, Catarina has also received prizes for her recordings. She has recorded for public radio and TV in Brazil and the US, and appeared in concerts in South, Central and North America. Catarina has received many grants, including full scholarships from the Brazilian National Council for Science and Research (CNPq) to pursue her graduate studies.

A dedicated and experienced teacher, Catarina has been working with a great diversity of students since 1991. She is currently on leave of her professorship at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul at Porto Alegre, Brazil. In the US, she served on the faculty at Finger Lakes Community College and Nazareth College, and is currently on the faculty at the University at Buffalo, the Chautauqua Festival, and the Eastman Community Music School. She is frequently invited to give master classes and lecture-recitals, and has served as an adjudicator in competitions in Brazil and in the US. Domenici is presently living in Western New York where she leads an active performing career.

For more information, please visit www.catarinadomenici.com.

Evan Drummond is currently a Doctoral candidate at the Eastman School of Music. To date Mr. Drummond has joined the faculty at the State University of New York, Fredonia School of Music as instructor of guitar. His educational credits also include graduation from Interlochen Arts Academy, Bachelor of Music from Eastman School of Music, and a Masters degree in Music from Yale. Most recently, Evan Drummond also earned his Professional Studies Certificate at the Manhattan School of Music. Mr. Drummond has participated in Master Classes with: Roland Dyens, Elliot Fisk, Sharon Isbin, David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, Raphaella Smits, Castellani Andriaccio Duo, and Pepe Romero. In addition to his emergent status as a performer, and himself as a mentor, he has also experienced some early success as an arranger. Guitarist Evan Drummond recently signed with Dunvagen Music Publications for an arrangement of a Phillip Glass composition. To date, artist Evan Drummond has performed at various venues throughout the United States, Europe, and Canada. Former faculty at The New York City Guitar School, Guitarist Evan Drummond has recently been awarded a Teaching Assistantship at Eastman School of Music. As well, Evan is now the guitar faculty for California State Summer School for the Arts held at the California Institute for the Arts. Mr. Drummond has also become a guest feature writer for Guitar Review Magazine. For more information about Evan Drummond please go to www.evandrummond.com

Evan Drummond's most recent projects include a collaboration with guitarist and programmer David Hindman in their pursuit of an interactive (visual/audio) guitar program presented as Modal Kombat. For more information about Modal Kombat please go to www.modalkombat.com

José Encarnacion José L. Encarnacion received his Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music. He studied saxophone, flute and clarinet at the Free School of Music in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He completed his Bachelor of Music degree at the Berklee College of Music in Boston where he graduated magna cum laude. His performing experience includes work with salsa, jazz, and latin music performers as Gilberto Santarosa, Roberto Rohena, Bobby Valentin, Domingo Quinones, Israel Lopez "Cachao", Tito Puente, Danilo Perez, Dave Valentin, Giovanni Hidalgo, Batacumbele, Humberto Ramirez, David Sanchez, Bob Mintzer's big band and Dave Rivello's ensemble. His recent performances include appearances with the Temptations, Natalie Cole, Doc Severinsen, Lou Ralls, New York Voices, Brasilia, and Ann Hampton Calloway, all with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Marina Puccicini with the Milwaukee Symphonic Orchestra and Dianne Reeves with the Green Bay Symphonic Orchestra. He worked at the Eastman School of Music as a teaching assistant for Jazz Theory and Improvisation as well as coaching small group performance in the Jazz and Contemporary Media Department. He also taught at Lawrence University in the Jazz and Improvisational Department. In 2002 Jose received the Schirmer Prize in Jazz Performance.

Adam Foley BM in Vocal Performance & Music Education, MM in Music Education and PhD candidate, Eastman School of Music; Kodaly Certification (three levels), Hartt School of Music; Level 3 Orff Certification, Eastman; Member of the Keideans of the University of Rochester; studied with John Feierabend and Jill Trinka; teaches kindergarten through fifth grade General Music in Gates Chili, and presents both locally and nationally on weaving Kodaly and Orff together in America.

Donna Brink Fox BA, Calvin College; MM, Ohio University; PhD, Ohio State University; international consultant on early childhood music; alumni achievement award, Ohio University, 1994; Eastman Eisenhart Award for Teaching Excellence, 1996; Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, 2002; Eastman School of Music faculty since 1984.

Diego Garcia Now in his fourth season as Music Director of the Eastman String Fellowship Orchestra, in Rochester New York, Diego Garcia has established the ensemble’s prestigious reputation for virtuostic string playing, artistic excellence, and consistently high caliber performances. Born in Cali Colombia, Mr. Garcia began his musical career at the age of five, studying piano, cello performance, and later conducting, at the Antonio Maria Valencia Conservatory, in Cali. By age fifteen, he had already won a cello position with the Orquestra Sinfonica del Valle, becoming the youngest member of one of Colombia’s premiere orchestras. At the same time, from age fourteen to eighteen, Mr. Garcia was already the conducting assistant to his teacher, Alexander Korjenko, and he routinely conducted the String Chamber Orchestra at the conservatory. In 1993 Mr.Garcia came to the United States to study cello performance with Alan Stepansky at the Manhattan School of Music. While pursuing his degree, he maintained an active professional life, touring Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and Central America as chamber musician, recording artist, orchestral player, and soloist. In 1996, Mr. Garcia traveled to his native country to win a prize in the Carolina Oramas Competition, and returned to New York City to give several solo and chamber music performances in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. In 1998, Mr. Garcia received his Bachelor’s Degree in performance from the Manhattan School of Music. In 2001 and 2003 he was invited by Phillipe Entremont to perform as Assistant Principal Cellist in the Santo Domingo Music Festival. He has continued to pursue his study of conducting with Bill Weinert, since 2003, at the Eastman School of Music. In 2005 and 2006, Mr. Garcia received a conducting fellowship to the Conductor’s Institute at Bard College, where his mentors included Harold Farberman, Leon Bolstein, Marin Alsop, and Raymond Harvey. In 2004 Mr. Garcia was appointed Music Director of the Eastman String Fellowship Orchestra, and subsequently created an exchange program with the Hampton Roads Chamber Players, in Virginia, where he is a frequent guest conductor. Mr. Garcia is also a Co-Director of the Eastman Kaleidoscope Community Orchestra with his wife Karine Stone, and a frequent guest conductor of the Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Garcia is currently on the cello faculty of the Eastman Community Music School as well as Principal Cellist of the Rochester Oratorio Society. He is an active composer and arranger, most recently composing original music for the film “Heart of Tango”.

Margaret Henry BA in psychology from University of Toronto; BM and MA in composition from University of Western Ontario; PhD from Eastman School of Music; recipient of the Edward Peck Curtis award for graduate student teaching and the Jack L. Frank award for excellence in teaching.

Matilda Hofman has worked regularly with youth orchestras and young chamber groups in the United Kingdom and the US and was a chamber music coach at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London for several years. She studied at Cambridge University and was a violinist at the Royal Academy of Music. She is currently a graduate student at the Eastman School of Music, where she is assistant conductor to the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra and director of the Eastman Community Music School Youth String Orchestra. She recently performed her debut with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Matilda is passionate about working with young musicians and teaching them the joy of making music together.

Paul Hofmann Undergraduate study at Eastman; active as a composer, teacher, recording artist, producer, and music columnist; numerous performances, recordings, television, and radio appearances with major American jazz artists; owner of MHR Records (www.mhrrecords.com).

Joseph Irrera earned his Bachelor’s degree with Distinction from the Eastman School of Music in 2005, and his Master’s Degree, just one year later, from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland in the studio of Alexander Shtarkman. He began his piano studies at the age of five and was accepted into the Community Education Division of the Eastman School of Music’s Preparatory Department in 1993. He has taken top prizes at numerous piano competitions including the Guthman International Piano Competition in Atlanta, Georgia, The Young Artist’s International Piano Competition in Washington, D.C., second prize at the International Piano Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, and most recently third prize at the International Piano Competition at The Moulin d’Ande, France. Joseph has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras including The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of maestro Christopher Seaman performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in c minor and has also performed at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. with Leonard Slatkin at the podium. This concert season he made his New York City debut as second prizewinner of the Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition.

In addition to studying in the states, Joseph also studied throughout Europe including such places as Germany, Italy, and France. In 2007 he joined the piano faculty at the Hochstein Music School and the Eastman School of Music’s Community Music School.

Sophia Gibbs Kim Sophia Gibbs Kim BA from University of Wisconsin-Madison; Performer’s Certificate, MM, and DMA from Eastman School of Music; has performed throughout the U.S., Russia, Europe, and Asia as solo, chamber, and orchestral flutist.

Petar Kodzas BM, University of Belgrade; MM, Ithaca College; DMA, Eastman School of Music. Has performed throughout Europe and the Eastern U.S. In addition to performing, Kodzas specializes in guitar pedagogy for pre-college age students. For more information visit www.petarkodzas.com.

Won Yong Lee Korean-born American pianist began her music studies at the age of 13 under the tutelage of pianists Inés Gomez Carrillo and Susana Kasakoff in the Juan José Castro Conservatory (Buenos Aires, Argentina), where she received her degree of Bachelors in Music. In the early years of her career, Ms. Lee received the First prize in the Armenian Cultural Association Competition, which resulted in many engagements in the surrounding cities, including her debut with Tres de Febrero Symphonic Orchestra.

Ms. Lee continued her study at the Eastman School of Music with Professor Thomas Schumacher, Anne Koscielny and Natalya Antonova. During her studies, she received numerous scholarships (Avis and Davis Vaughn, Edith Babcok, among others) and several nominations for piano teaching excellence.

Ms. Lee maintains an international performance and teaching career. She performed on several occasions in the Music Academy of Moulin D’Ande in France. In 2004, following a concert performance, she was interviewed by a French local news program in Normandy, which was broadcasted in French public channel (France 3). Ms. Lee also participates in many Master classes to continue her development as an artist including Wiener Musikseminar, Vienna, and Piano Texas International Academy.

Currently, Dr. Lee is a faculty member at the Hochstein School of Music and Eastman Community Music School in Rochester, NY.

Chien-Kwan Lin BM, MM, New England Conservatory; Performer’s Certificate, Eastman; soloist, U.S. Army Band, New England Conservatory Symphony, Eastman Wind Ensemble; performances with Fromm Players at Harvard University, Tanglewood, New World Symphony, and Boston Philharmonic orchestras; Eastman faculty member (2002-).

Brett Long BM in Music Education, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania; candidate for MM in Trumpet Performance, Eastman School of Music. Brett is a graduate teaching assistant for the Eastman School of Music and trumpet mentor for the Community Music School New Horizons Program. He has studied trumpet with Douglas Prosser, Judith Saxton, Dr. Michael Galloway, and currently studies with Jim Thompson. Brett has given recitals throughout New York and Pennsylvania and is a founding member of the Emerald Brass Quintet. His awards include semi-final appearances at the National Trumpet Competition in both the High School and Collegiate divisions, winner of the Mansfield University Concerto Competition,participation in the Eastern Music Festival, and acceptance to Chautauqua, Brevard, and Texas Music Festivals.

Irina Lupines received degrees from the Belarus National Conservatory in Minsk and the Lviv National Conservatory of Ukraine.She has worked as a teacher and accompanist in a Special Music School for Gifted Children in Lviv. Irina moved to Rochester in 1995 and is presently a piano instructor and staff accompanist at the Eastman Community Music School. She has collaborated with numerous professionals throughout the Rochester area, appearing on concert series around Western New York.

Joshua Massicot Pianist and educator Josh Massicot has made important contributions to advancing the understanding of developing musicianship at all levels of instrumental instruction. His research has helped shape standards at universities and community music schools across the country.

As a versatile performer, Mr. Massicot maintains an active concertizing career that has included engagements with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kingsville Symphony Orchestra. He has premiered works for solo piano by award-winning composers and has collaborated with musicians in both classical and jazz idioms. Most recently he paired works by Issac Albeniz and Francis Poulenc with his own arrangements and improvisations on standards by Harold Arlen, Frank Churchill, and Jimmy VanHeusen.

Josh Massicot is a native of New Orleans. He has received both the Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance and the Masters of Music Degree in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, NY. Mr. Massicot currently serves on the keyboard faculties of the Eastman Community Music School and Nazareth College, where he teaches private lessons, piano classes, score reading, and directs musicianship classes for young pianists.

Gaelen McCormick Ms. McCormick has been a member of the Rochester Philharmonic’s bass section since 1995. She is returning to the Rochester area after a two year sabbatical, during which she completed her Master’s Degree in Music (Performance) in Pittsburgh. Active as a teacher, she was appointed in 2003 to teach at Duquesne University’s City Music Center, a program for talented, pre-college students. She has been on the faculty of Roberts Wesleyan College and the Hochstein Music School, and currently teaches a private studio of all ages. Ms. McCormick is regularly invited to play with other major orchestras, including the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Syracuse Symphony. She holds degrees from the Eastman School and Carnegie Mellon University.

Jeff Ostroski is a Downbeat Award winning trumpet player & arranger currently residing in Rochester, NY. He earned his BM at Lawrence University where he studied with John Daniel & Fred Sturm. While there, Jeff played lead trumpet in and wrote for the Jazz Ensemble, which in 2007 won a Downbeat Award for "Best Jazz Performance." In 2005, Jeff had the honor of playing in lead trumpet the IAJE All-Star Jazz Ensemble in Chicago, IL. Jeff is currently pursuing a MM at the Eastman School of Music where he studies with Clay Jenkins. He is a co-director of the Jazz Lab Band and a TA in Jazz Pedagogy. He also plays lead trumpet in the award winning Eastman Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Bill Dobbins.

Marcia Bornhurst Parkes Marcia Bornhurst Parkes (New Horizons Band) B.M. Ithaca College School of Music, M.M. and Ph.D. Eastman School of Music. Member of MENC, NYSSMA, Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI) and the New York State Band Directors Association (NYSBDA). Taught instrumental music for 30 years in Rochester area schools. Creator of innovative programs including "Heart to Hearth" chamber music program, the SpenceRPOrt Concert Connection Series and the "Music for Manhattan" experience. Served as collaborating teacher for composer-in-residence programs sponsored by The Commission Project (TCP). Currently serves as consultant for TCP and is a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Education Committee. Performed as flutist with many Rochester area community orchestras and with SAIqwins woodwind quintet. Active guest conductor, clinician and certified NYSSMA All-State Woodwind and Major Organization Adjudicator. Founding member, officer and Executive Board member of NYSBDA. Creator and past administrator of the NYSBDA Regional Workshop Program, chairman of the first NYSBDA Band Commission Program. Married to Jonathan Parkes, oboist.

Sara Parulski from Dousman, Wisconsin, is currently completing her bachelor's degrees in music education and oboe performance at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where she studies with Richard Killmer. She is Vice President and Community Service Chair of the Catholic Newman Community of Eastman and St. Cecelia Socitety, as well as a member of Eastman's chapter of MENC (National Association for Music Education). She has also served as choir director for the University of Rochester's Catholic Newman Community, is a member of Sigma Alpha Iota- International Women's Music Fraternity- Sigma Theta Chapter, and a University of Rochester Take 5 Scholar.

In her free time (of which there is apparently a substantial amount) she tends to find her hands full of paint after attacking stretched canvases, or full of glue after binding books in the Sibley Music Library's Conservation Department.

Howard Potter Dr. Howard Potter has served as associate dean for community and continuing education since July 1, 2002. He holds degrees from: SUNY Fredonia, the Eastman School of Music, the Juilliard School, and the Manhattan School of Music. Besides being the director of the Eastman Community Music School, Potter conducts several jazz ensembles, teaches jazz theory, and is a teacher of percussion.

Potter taught elementary, middle, and high school band and orchestra for over 10 years in Syracuse, NY. With over 25 years' professional performing experience, Howard Potter has played with numerous orchestras and bands including the Rochester Philharmonic (extra), the Erie Philharmonic, the National Orchestral Association at Carnegie Hall, the West Point Band, and with several Off Broadway theater companies. While a professional musician in the West Point Band, Potter founded the West Point Youth Orchestra.

Howard Potter is also director of the Eastman Pathways program and served on the executive board of the Onondaga County Music Educator's Association, and is currently on the RPYO board. Potter has conducted numerous All County jazz ensembles including Monroe County, and he has been both conductor and on the board of advisors for the Society for New Music. Dr. Potter is married and the father of three children. Potter grew up in Tunisia, Ghana, Argentina, Brazil, and Washington, DC, and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. Next to being a husband and father, his greatest source of pride is being a teacher and sharing his love of music with his students.

Nan Gullo Richmond graduated from the Juilliard School of Music where she studied with Marcel Grandjany; the Penn State University where she received a M.Ed; and the Eastman School of Music where she earned a D.M.A., studying harp with Eileen Malone and Kathleen Bride. She has been a winner of Concert Artists Guild with a New York City Town Hall debut. As a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony for six years, she toured the U.S., Europe and the middle East. She has toured the U.S. as soloist with the
Chicago Little Symphony and has given numerous solo and chamber music recitals.

While at Juilliard she was the Founding Secretary of the American Harp Society and was the founder of the Central Pa. Chapter of the AHS. She has served as President of the Rochester Chapter. Her collection of 18th and 19th Century harp music is housed at the Eastman Sibley Music Library in Special Collections. Her publications from this Collection are published by the Historical Harp Society. She has written articles on teaching for” Music Journal”.

Nan Gullo Richmond has taught at Penn State, Houghton College, and Roberts Wesleyan College. Currently she teaches studio harp at the Eastman Community Music School and also directs two harp ensembles. She directs the annual ECMS Harp Workshop in July. In 2007 she received the Jack L. Frank Award for excellence in teaching.

Jeremy Siskind Pianist, composer, and educator Jeremy Siskind is "a rising star" of jazz according to legendary pianist Marian McPartland. The release of Prophecy is the first full collection of original music from Siskind, who - along with trio-mates Jesse Breheney and Dave Tedeschi - provides a compelling mix of introspection, exuberance, humor, and tradition.

Siskind, born in 1986, hails from Irvine, California, and began playing the piano at a very young age. When his parents noticed he had a knack for picking up tunes, they enrolled his brother and he in a Yamaha piano class; soon, Siskind surpassed his older brother and was soon welcomed into the Junior Special Advanced Course, under the guidance of Suzanne Wong-Abe.

Siskind thrived in the Yamaha system, especially in the creative aspects - improvisation and composition. These strengths led to his entry into many Junior Original Concert (JOC) competitions, Yamaha events designed to showcase students performing their own pieces. Through the JOC program, Siskind found himself playing all over the country: at the Yamaha piano manufacturer's in Thomaston Georgia, at the National Association of Music Merchants' convention in Los Angeles, and at the University of Madison in Wisconsin, among others. Twice, Siskind was flown to Tokyo, Japan to perform his jazz-influenced pieces for Japanese audiences.

As it became apparent that he was more interested in improvising than in playing Bach, Siskind was soon introduced to jazz. His first jazz teacher was Linda Martinez, a fantastic composer and pianist who quickly became his mentor. Both his playing and composing quickly thrived - he won first place in the soloist competition at the Fullerton College Jazz Festival, "Most Outstanding Rhythm Player" in the Reno Jazz Festival, and won scholarships from the Friends of Jazz, O.C. Community Foundation Centennial Arts, and the Vail Jazz Foundation; also, he became the youngest winner of the American Society of Composers, Authors, & Publishers' (ASCAP) Young Jazz Composer's Awards (he traveled to New York to accept the award where he met jazz legend Hank Jones).

Siskind then won a sizable scholarship to the famous Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York where he went to study with Harold Danko, Tony Caramia, and Bill Dobbins, among others. Siskind's excellence was quickly noticed at Eastman - he became pianist for the famed Eastman Jazz Ensemble in only his sophomore year (where he's performed with Dick Oatts, Peter Erskine, and Slide Hampton, among others), and was the only undergraduate in the award-winning group Saxology. Siskind also got his first important teaching opportunities - he has taught privately as an intern in the Community Education Division (CED), taught small groups through the CED, and taught an Eastman class, Jazz Piano for Keyboard Majors. Siskind also initiated an artist-in-residency program with his alma mater, Irvine High School, in which he brought a group of Eastman musicians back to Irvine to clinic the jazz bands; the program has met with overwhelming success.

In addition, Siskind began to attract notice outside of Eastman. He was the youngest finalist and took second place at the Kathleen T. and Philip B. Phillips Jazz Piano Competition, and joined a list including Bill Evans, Teddy Wilson, and Wynton Marsalis as a guest on the famed NPR show Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz. He also was gratified to begin studies with one of his musical heroes, pianist Fred Hersch in the spring of 2006. In January, 2007, the American Piano Association made Siskind one of only five finalists nationwide to compete for their Cole Porter Fellowship in Indianapolis, Indiana; the competition, to be held in April of 2007, will be judged by jazz luminaries Fred Hersch, Renee Rosnes, and Lynne Arriale.

The Jeremy Siskind Trio was formed for a month-long residency as house jazz-trio at Mackinac Island?s famed Grand Hotel. Here, the trio developed into a musical entity and began performing more original music. Soon, the trio was asked to back Broadway diva Lea DeLaria in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The West Palm Beach Jazz Society has invited the trio to perform in April in their monthly concert series.

To read more, or listen, go to www.myspace.com/jsiskind

Derrick Smith Baritone Derrick Smith has emerged as a rising vocal sensation, singing with distinction in theaters around the world. Mr. Smith sang the role of Joe in Showboat at its 50th Anniversary performance at the California Musical Theater in Sacramento. He was asked to repeat the same role at the Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre's summer performances in Chicago, receiving jubilant praise from critics and standing ovations from the audience. He has triumphed equally performing the dual roles of Porgy and Jake in Porgy and Bess with the Chicago Sinfonietta at Chicago's Symphony Hall, Crown in Porgy and Bess with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, and Leporello in Don Giovanni with the Malmo Symfoni Orkester in Sweden. Mr. Smith more recently appeared with Opera Ebony in the debut performance of original opera Harriet Tubman at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, performing the principal role of John Tubman. He was called on to repeat the same role of John Tubman both at the Arturo Schomberg Center in New York City and at the Metro Theater in Syracuse, N.Y.

A frequent oratorio and concert soloist, Derrick Smith has performed in recital with renowned soprano Renee Fleming, a Rochester, N.Y. native, as well as performing as a soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rochester Oratorio Society, the Long Island Symphony, and the Chamber Group of the Toronto Symphony among others. Mr. Smith has sung many classical and contemporary works, including performing as a soloist in Jessye Norman Sings for the Healing of AIDS held at the famous Riverside Church in New York City and telecast live on PBS, involving performances by Grammy Award winner Jessye Norman, Whoopi Goldberg, Elton John, Maya Angelou, and Toni Morrison. He has sung Handel's Messiah with the Rochester Oratorio Society, the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, and the Corning Philharmonic, and also the Mozart Requiem with the Geneseo Symphony and Chorus in Geneseo, N.Y. and with the Eastman Philharmonia in Eastman Theater in Rochester. His performance signing the Brahms German Requiem with the Virginia Consort in Charlottesville, Va. was highly praised.

Internationally, Derrick Smith performed roles in Porgy & Bess traveling with the Chicago Sinfonietta in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and Russia; repeating the same roles with the Norrkerping Symphony in Sweden; and in the dual roles of Crown and Jake again in Porgy and Bess as a part of the VI Festival De Artes De Itu in Brazil which was televised throughout he country. The following onth he performed again in Rusia in the title role of Eugene Onegin, as well as singing acclaimed performances in Gershwin concerts at televised music festivals in both Moscow and Estonia. Mr. Smith has also performed at the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Italy.

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Derrick Smith has trained and performed with the Glimmerglass Opera Young American Artist Program and the Brereton International Music Symposium in England under Thomas Hampson, Horst Gunter, and Brigitte Fassbaender. He has worked with coaches Angela Hawaleshka, Sherrill Milnes, and Thomas Paul, and continues to train under Benton Hess and Wayne Sanders. In addition, Mr. Smith was a semi-finalist of the American Traditions Competition, and a winner of the Outstanding Young Men of America Award. A winner of the New York Vocal Artist Competition and the William Warfield Scholarship, Mr. Smith and Mr. Warfield, both Rochester, N.Y. natives, performed and recorded together, and Mr. Smith always shines performing Mr. Warfield's feature, "Old Man River" from Showboat.

Future plans of Mr. Smith include training and performing in Songfest, held at Pepperdine University in California, running the summer vocal program at the Eastman School of Music's Music Horizons program for gifted teenage musicians, and continuing as a Senior Associate Instructor of Voice at the Eastman School of Music.-----------------
Instructor in the Community Music School at the Eastman School of Music.

Derrick Smith and his wife Merideth are the parents of four children and reside in Rochester, New York.

Bob Sneider Teaching at Eastman (Community Music School and collegiate) since 1997. Prior to Eastman, Sneider spent four years touring with Chuck Mangione. Bob has released two CDs to critical acclaim: Introducing Bob Sneider and Out of the Darkness. For more information visit www.bobsneider.com.

Howard Spindler is a Rochester NY native, and a graduate of the Eastman Preparatory Department. He earned the BA with majors in both Music and German from Oberlin College; he returned to Eastman and completed the MA degree in Musicology. He pursued postgraduate work at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, Germany and completed the Artist Diploma in Piano and Accompanying. He returned to Rochester and joined the faculty of the Eastman Preparatory Department, later named Community Education Division, later again renamed Eastman Community Music School.
His piano teachers include Paul Badura-Skoda, Cecile Genhart, Maria Luisa Faini; he studied chamber music with John Celentano.

Spindler’s performing career has been diverse; he is very active as a chamber musician and accompanist. His teaching career at Eastman has included piano teaching, chamber music coaching, and classroom teaching, both in the Community School and Collegiate Division. Through Eastman’s Institute for Music Leadership, Howard has directed a certificate program for graduate students interested in honing their studio teaching skills. He was awarded the Jack L. Frank Award for outstanding teaching in Eastman’s Community Music School (1988), and he served as Interim Director of the Community Education Division for 2½ years preceding the appointment of Associate Dean Howard Potter.

Howard has a special interest in the study of rhythmic movement: he was fortunate to study Dalcroze Eurythmics at Oberlin Conservatory with the eminent Professor Inda Howland, who herself had been a disciple of Emile Jaques-Dalcroze in Switzerland. At Eastman, Howard’s piano professor, Cecile Genhart had also been a Dalcroze protégé, having assisted the master in teaching improvisation at the Geneva Conservatory. Howard has taken Dalcroze teacher-training courses, and he incorporates Dalcroze practice in his teaching.

As Chairman of the Piano Department, Spindler managed an overhaul of the Piano Syllabus, leading an initiative to include improvisation and ear-playing. In connection with that initiative, he undertook a recording project with Eastman colleagues: the result was Eastman Folk Sing (2006), a CD folk song resource for the school and the entire community.

Spindler enjoys developing new audiences and new venues for concerts. He has performed through Young Audiences, as well as programs of the Rochester City School District. He initiated a weekly noontime concert series, Eastman at Washington Square, which is going strong more than a decade later. He worked with the administration of Elmira College to bring Eastman musicians to Elmira for a new arts and letters series, Encore! Their program is also thriving after many successful seasons. His music appreciation courses and mini-courses through Eastman and through the Monroe County OASIS program have won acclaim.

Karine Stone Karine Stone has played the violin since the age of two. She has a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in violin performance from the Eastman School of Music. In the summer of 1996 she played operas in the Schlossfestspiel Orchestra in Heidelberg, Germany. For three years, from 1998-2001 she was a member of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. She has performed frequently as Acting Concertmaster of the Erie Philharmonic. She has performed in the first violins of the Santo Domingo Music Festival (2003) under the direction of Philippe Entremonte, and in the first violins of the Skaneateles Festival (2002). Currently she performs in the second violin section of the RPO, in the first violins of the Rochester Oratorio Society, adnd is an active freelance and chamber musician. Through her freelance work, Karine has performed as a backup musician with artists such as Josh Groben, The TransSiberian Orchestra, Harry Connick Jr., Jonny Mathis, Wayne Newton, and the Capital Saxophone Quartet. Karine is the Director and Violin I of the Hastings Chamber Players, and the violinist of the Ethos Duo. From 2002 through 2005 Karine performed as the first violinist of the RPO Educational Quartet, a group dedicated to bringing classical music to children in the Rochester City Schools. Most recently, she is performing chamber music and lecture recitals as the first violinist of Quartsemble, a chamber music gruop she formed with her husband, Diego Garcia.

Karine has also worked extensively as a teacher, conductor and an administrator. In 1997 she was on the violin faculty of the Idaho State Civic Symphony String Festival and in 1998 she was the Dean of the Quartet Program at Bucknell University. Karine is committed to sharing music with children of all ages and for seven years has taught approximately 30 students in her private violin studio in Rochester, New York. For six seasons, she has conducted the Cobblestone Chamber Ensemble, a 30 piece intergenerational orchestra, also in Rochester, New York. In the fall of 2005 she will begin conducting the Eastman Kaleidoscope Community Orchestra with her husband, Diego Garcia. She loves most of all to create beautiful sounds on the violin and share her love of great music through teaching, conducting, and performing.

Nancy Strelau Before coming to Rochester in 1986, Nancy Pettersen Strelau was a violinist with the Florida Philharmonic and Assistant Conductor of the Miami Youth Orchestra. In addition to conducting the Nazareth College Symphony Orchestra Mrs. Strelau is currently Music Director and Conductor of the Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra, Hochstein Virtuosi Scholarship Chamber Orchestra and the Greater Rochester Women's Philharmonic and the New Horizons Orchestra . She was Director of Orchestras and String Coordinator for the Penfield Central School District (NY) from 1986 to 2000 and Conductor of the Finger Lakes Symphony Orchestra from 1994 to 2005. She is a frequent guest conductor of area high school orchestra festivals and All-State Orchestras, as well as guest conductor at local and national music conferences. Mrs. Strelau teaches music composition and conducting at the Hochstein School of Music and Dance.

Mrs. Strelau was the 1991 recipient of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Musicians Award for Outstanding Music Educator in String Education and the 2001 recipient of the Hochstein Music School Faculty Service Award.

Mrs. Strelau has received music degrees from Syracuse University and the University of Miami (Florida) and has taught in public, private and laboratory schools in Idaho, Utah, North Dakota and Florida.

Always interested in new music, Mrs. Strelau conducted the Juilliard School of Music Graduate Orchestra in the 1987 world premiere of 'Our Boys' by Cleophus Adderly, the first Bahamian Opera written. She has several orchestral and choral pieces published with Warner Brothers and Southern Music Company. Among noted works is a double bass concerto commissioned by RPO bassist Deborah Dunham. Her Fanfare entitled '325-7760' (melody based on the phone number and busy signal(!)for the ticket office) was featured at the opening ceremonies of the 1995 Ryder Cup International Golf Tournament by the Eastman Wind Ensemble under the baton of Donald Hunsberger. 'Four Miniatures,' a string orchestral suite by Mrs. Strelau is among her more popular works and has been performed by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. She has been the recipient of several 'Meet the Composer' grants. Mrs. Strelau made her third appearance at Carnegie Hall in 2002 conducting the premiere of her piece for full symphonic orchestra L'enfant du Soldat.

Mrs. Strelau lives in Penfield, New York with husband, luthier and double bassist Paul and their twelve year old daughter, Hadley.

Rich Thompson BME from University of Oklahoma; MM from Eastman. Various clinics, recordings, and performances in Europe, Japan, Newfoundland, Thailand, and the U.S. Drum set chairman, NYSSMA. Also toured with Count Basie Orchestra, Marion McPartland, James Williams and toured and recorded with Eastman Jazz Faculty. For more information visit www.RichThompson.net. -Faculty member at Eastman (1996-).

Bill Tiberio BM, Ithaca College; Masters in Music Ed, Fredonia; Concert Band and Jazz Program Director at Fairport High School, Instrumental Music Teacher, Fairport Schools, 1988 to present. Faculty, Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camp, and Hochstein School of Music Summer Staff. Recipient, RPO Music Educators Award, April, 2004.

Thomas Vendafreddo Originally from Chicago, Tom is currently in his senior year at the Eastman School of Music earning degrees in both Music Education and Vocal Performance studying with Karen Holvik. As an educator, the majority of Tom's experience lies within the musical theatre genre. He has been a workshop presenter for ArtReach Educational Theatre, Schaumburg on Stage, Show Choir Camps of America, and the Illinois High School Theatre Festival, the largest festival of its kind, serving over 10,000 students every year. This past summer, Tom was the music director for a program called "Hands Together, Heart to Art," through Chicago's Auditorium Theatre at Roosevelt University. This emotional camp brings music, theatre, and dance into the lives of children ages 7-14 who have all experienced the loss of one or both of their parents. In his spare time, Tom directs for countless theatres in the Chicagoland area. This is also his second year serving as music director for the Midlakes High School Theatre Experience in Clifton Springs, NY.

Lee Wilkins Jack L. Frank Professor of Violin, Eastman School of Music. DMA, SUNY Stonybrook, MM and BM, Indiana University. Chautauqua Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, national and international solo and chamber music appearances.

www.leewilkinsviolin.com

Lee Wilkins, born in Anchorage, Alaska, holds the position of Senior Instructor of Violin/ Associate Professor of Violin at the Eastman School of Music and performs regularly with the Rochester Philharmonic.

Concertmaster of the Erie Philharmonic for 13 years, Dr. Wilkins brings with him a vast and diverse performance background including national and international appearances.

While residing in New York City, he served as Concertmaster and soloist with many of the City’s finest orchestras, performing across the United States, Europe and the Far East.

A versatile and multi-genre performer, Wilkins has performed for such diverse events as the 350th Anniversary of Harvard University, the Montreal Comedy Festival, Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion”, the Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea and the PBS Film “Bach to the Future”. He has even been spotted performing with many orchestras on the Musical Saw and a fishing pole!

He has been a member of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra since 1982. In 1989, he was a co-founder of the Chautauqua Chamber Music Society.

As a violin soloist, Wilkins has performed solos with the Rochester Philharmonic, the Shumen, Bulgaria Phiharmonic, the Erie Philharmonic, the Anchorage Symphony, the Alaska Festival of Music, The Chautauqua Symphony, The Chautauqua Festival Orchestra, the Chautauqua Chamber Orchestra, the Fredonia Chamber Players, the Scranton Bach Festival, the June in Buffalo orchestra, the Fairfield Chamber Orchestra, the Erick Hawkins Dance Company orchestra and the EPOCH Ensemble.

Wilkins’ solo performances have been described by the New York Times as “magical” and “elevated to a level of enchantment.” His former teachers include Ivan Galamian, Dorothy DeLay and Josef Gingold. He holds a Bachelor and Master of Music Degree from Indiana University - Bloomington and a Doctorate from SUNY-Stony Brook. As a composer, he has written a full-length comic Ballet, “The Little Mermaid” which has been performed by three different Ballet companies since 1993. In addition, Wilkins composes educational and humorous pieces for symphonies, school orchestras and chamber groups.

Dr. Wilkins enjoys teaching students of all ages. He brings all of his technical training and experience to his teaching. Quality violin and viola instruction mixed with fun and humor is his teaching goal.

Alan Woy A recent addition to the Rochester community and the Eastman Community Music School, Alan Woy retired from full-time teaching at the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam in 2004. He has continued to lead an active musical life as a performer, teacher, and conductor. As an Emeritus Professor at Crane, he currently teaches adjunct clarinet. A faculty member at Crane since 1971, he taught studio clarinet, woodwind techniques, and conducting. He was also a chamber music coach and band director for many years, most recently conducting the Crane Wind Ensemble. Dr. Woy is currently principal clarinet and a charter member of the Potsdam Clarinet Quartet, the Orchestra of Northern New York, and Northern Symphonic Winds. He was a member of the Potsdam Woodwind Quintet for 33 years until his retirement. Since moving to this area he has joined music educator wind ensembles in Rochester and Syracuse. Active as guest soloist, clinician, and conductor, Dr. Woy is an All-State Adjudicator for the New York State School Music Association. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Performance from Illinois Wesleyan University (1967,) and his Master of Music in Performance (1969) and Doctor of Musical Arts (1979) from the University of Colorado.

Harriet Zimmerman BM and MM in piano performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music, Recipient of Jack L. Frank award for excellence in teaching.(1986) Solo and ensemble experiences and veteran adjudicator for local and state competitions