Summer Session Faculty
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Lisa Albrecht joined the San Antonio Symphony as Assistant Principal Trombonist in 1986. She has performed with orchestras across the US, Europe, and Asia, including the Honolulu Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, St. Louis Orchestra and the London Sinfonietta. Ms. Albrecht has served as Assistant Principal Trombonist with New York Philharmonic and regularly performs with the Metropolitan Opera, New York Chamber Symphony, New York City Ballet and American Symphony Orchestras. Ms. Albrecht has recorded for CBS Masterworks, RCA Red Seal and Teldec.
Jan Angus has a BA from UCLA and MM from Eastman. She is a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and of the Filigree flute and harp duo. She is an artist in residence for the Rochester City School District and coordinator of the Eastman Pathways Scholarship Program.
Christopher Azzara is associate professor of music education. He received a bachelor of music degree from George Mason University, and a master of music and PhD in music education from Eastman. He has made important contributions to advancing the understanding of improvisation in the music learning process. His research and publications are concerned with meaningful relationships among listening, creating, improvising, reading, composing, and analyzing music in general, vocal, and instrumental settings. Prior to joining the Eastman faculty, Azzara was associate professor of music education at The Hartt School of Music, Dance, and Theatre of the University of Hartford, CT.
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Jean Barr - Read Jean's full bio here.
Bob Becker Bob Becker's performing experience spans nearly all of the musical disciplines where percussion is found. He has been percussionist for the Marlboro Music Festival and timpanist with the Marlboro Festival Orchestra under Pablo Casals. He has also performed and toured as timpanist with the Kirov Ballet and the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. For several years he toured as drummer and percussionist with the Paul Winter Consort. He has performed and recorded with such diverse groups as the Ensemble Intercontemporaine under Pierre Boulez, the Ensemble of Modern Germany, the Schoenberg Ensemble of Amsterdam, and the Boston Chamber Players. In 2003 and 2004 he performed as percussionist with the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra. He has worked with today's most significant conductors including, among many others, Seija Ozawa, Zubin Mehta, Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Andrew Davis, and Michael Tilson Thomas. In 1988 he directed and performed in the show SuperPercussion at the Tokyo Music Joy Festival, which brought together NEXUS, the Korean percussion group Samul-Nori, drum set artist Steve Gadd, and the Ghanaian master drummer Abraham Adzenyah.
His work with African percussion traditions includes study and performance with master drummers Abraham Adzenyah, Gideon Alorwoye, and Freeman Donkor, as well as with mbira specialist Paul Berliner. In 1986 he traveled to Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, and Kenya as the representative of the World Drums Festival of Expo '86. He was the co-founder and the first director of the Flamingo Dono West African Dance and Drum Ensemble in Toronto, a group devoted to learning and performing the dance-drumming styles of the ethnic groups in present-day Ghana.
Gene Bertoncini, jazz guitarist, has performed with Buddy Rich, Clark Terry, Paul Winter, Nancy Wilson, Wayne Shorter, Charles McPherson, and Michael Moore. From 1965, he made frequent appearances on the Tonight Show. In addition to performing, Bertoncini has led workshops and taught in the summer.
Kathleen Bride, professor of harp, studied with Marcel Grandjany and is an international recitalist and master class teacher. She has held many leadership positions with the American Harp Society, including associate editor of the American Harp Journal from 1981 to 1993. from 1981 to 1993. Bride taught at William Patterson College and Manhattan School of Music before coming to Eastman in 1989.
Priscilla Todd Brown is currently the director of the instrumental program at East High School, and as a performer has appeared with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood. She is a graduate of the Eastman Preparatory Department with a double major in oboe and piano. She has a bachelor's degree from Oberlin Conservatory and a master of science in education degree from Nazareth College.
Truman Bullard is professor emeritus of music at Dickinson College, Carlisle Pennsylvania. His academic degrees include a BA in philosophy (Haverford College), MA in musicology (Harvard University), and PhD in musicology (Eastman School of Music). He is a scholar of Russian music with a specialty in the early works of Igor Stravinsky. Bullard is the recipient of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship, and is the winner of the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Ganoe Award for Inspirational Teaching. He has been an adjunct professor of musicology at the Eastman School of Music Summer Session for fourteen years.
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Ruth Cahn graduated from Eastman with a bachelor of music degree in applied and music education with academic distinction, and a performer's certificate in percussion. She is director of Eastman's Summer Session, Jack Frank Instructor of Percussion in the Eastman Community Music School, and director of ECMS's Music Horizons program. A professional percussionist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for 34 years, Cahn is a community leader in arts education, presenting numerous artist-in-residence programs for area schoolchildren. She is on the board of directors of the Percussive Arts Society.
William Cahn graduated from Eastman (BM 1968) with academic distinction and a performer's certificate in percussion. He has been a member of the Nexus percussion group since its formation in 1971, performing on concerts, films, recordings, and broadcasts all over the world. He was also principal percussionist of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 1968 to 1995, and performs as soloist with symphony orchestras and at music festivals throughout the world.
Jeffrey Campbell is associate professor of jazz studies and contemporary media at Eastman, where he teaches jazz bass, jazz improvisation, and jazz history courses. Campbell is widely recognized for his versatile skills as performer and teacher of double bass. He performs regularly with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Jeff Tyzik. Campbell has recorded with a number of legendary jazz artists, including Marian McPartland and Bill Dobbins. He also serves as the summer program director for the Birch Creek (WI) Music Performance Center.
Alice Carli is the conservator for the Sibley Music Library, where she is in charge of conservation and binding of the Library's resources. She holds a bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College and a master's degree from Eastman.
Susan Wharton Conkling is associate professor of music education at Eastman, where she also received a PhD. A Carnagie Scholar in the Pew National Fellowship Program and guest conductor for numerous regional and all-state choirs throughout the United States, she has presented nationally and internationally on choral conducting and rehearsal techniques, as well as the professional development of musicians and music educators. Her research has been presented to the American Association for Higher Education, the American Educational Research Association, the College Music Society, and the International Society for Music Education. In addition, Conkling has published articles in Arts Education Policy Review, Choral Journal, and Journal of Music Teacher Education.
Kathryn Cowdrick has been assistant professor of voice since 2002. She received a BE from Pennsylvania State University, an MS from Columbia, and is a graduate of Juilliard's Professional Studies Program. She has extensive background as a speech therapist and deaf educator, and frequently gives private and master classes on voice disorders and care of the professional voice. Her many operatic appearances includes performances with the San Francisco, Washington, and New York City Operas, as well as elsewhere in North America and Europe.
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Steven Daigle associate professor of opera and dramatic director of Eastman Opera Theatre, has served as part of the artistic staff for more than 200 lyric theater productions, along with calling over 400 professional operatic performances as a production stage manager. He received his bachelor's degree in vocal education and performance from Southeastern Louisiana University. He received his master of music degree in opera stage directing from Florida State University, where he studied with Lincoln Clark.
Harold Danko is professor of jazz studies and contemporary media, and chair of the department. In 2003 he was named "Jazz Educator of the Year" by Down Beat magazine. magazine. Danko has performed with Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Woody Herman, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, and Lee Konitz, and has appeared on television, radio, and at major jazz festivals and leading educational institutions worldwide. He is author of The Illustrated Keyboard Series (Warner Publications) and a columnist for Keyboard Magazine.
Jennifer Alhart Davis teaches general music at Bay Trail teaches general music at Bay Trail Middle School in Penfield, NY. She has a master of music degree from Eastman, where she completed three Orff Level classes. She also serves on the board for the Greater Rochester Chapter of the American Orff Schulwerk Association and is program administrator for the Eastman Orff Schulwerk Teacher Training Course.
Alexander Dean received a Master's degree in Classical Guitar Performance from The University of Akron in 2002, and a Master's degree in Musicology from the Eastman School of Music in 2004. He has studied with James Marron, Stephen Aron, Nicholas Goluses, and Paul O'Dette. Solo and chamber performances include the 1996 Mid-America Guitar Ensemble Festival in St, Louis, Missouri; the 1996 Weatherfield Music Festival in Ludlow, Vermont; a solo appearance with Choral Spectrum in Oberlin, Ohio; and First Night Akron. He presented a lecture on baroque guitar at the 2005 Guitar Foundation of America conference at Oberlin Conservatory. At Eastman Mr. Dean received the Graue Award for outstanding scholarship in the field of musicology. He is currently working on a Ph.D. in Musicology at Eastman, where he is studying seventeenth-century Italian harmonic practice. Mr. Dean spent a month studying flamenco guitar at Carmen de las Cuevas in Granada, Spain. In addition to his classical training, he has studied and performed blues, folk, rock, and flamenco music on guitar.
Katie Dey A graduate of the Eastman School of Music with a Master of Music in Viola Performance, Ms. Dey is the Principal Violist of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra. Active as a soloist and chamber musician, Ms. Dey has performed extensively throughout the United States, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland. For four years she was on the faculty of the School District of Pickens County and has served on the faculties of numerous string camps and clinics throughout the United States. Ms. Dey planned and implemented the Annual Upstate Viola Clinic, held for the past two years on the campus of the S.C. Governor?s School for the Arts and Humanities. MM (Viola Performance) ? Eastman School of Music, 1996 BM (Viola Performance) ? University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1994
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Rick Erickson has served as Cantor and Organist at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church since 1992. During his tenure, Bach Vespers has continued to bring Bach cantatas and other works to life in the context of worship. Erickson began organ study at the age of fourteen following in his mother's and grandmother's footsteps. He received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Wisconsin, Superior, and a Master's from the Eastman School of Music. He has performed as organist, conductor, and hymn-festival leader throughout the United States and Europe. Mr. Erickson has appeared at conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, Pastoral Musicians, and Hymn Society of America. In New York, Erickson founded BachWorks in 1994, leaving it to focus on Bach Vespers in 1998. Recently, he has conducted "Bach events" in Seattle, Tulsa, and Minneapolis. He served as co-editor for the new choral edition of Bach for All Seasons, and has recorded for Augsburg Fortress, Naxos and JAV, among others. His choral arrangements are published by Augsburg Fortress and Kjos Publishers. Recently, he led the Holy Trinity Parish Choir as it appeared in the critically hailed film 13 Conversations about One Thing. Prior to coming to New York, Erickson served at Incarnate Word Lutheran in Rochester, NY, and at the Eastman School of Music.
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Caterina Falli has 10 years of experience in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), a position that she fills at Eastman as assistant professor. Since 1992, Falli has taught at California's Chabot College, San Francisco State University, and at the Academy of Art College, teaching reading, writing, international business communication, and leading ESL study groups for art courses. Prior to these positions, she was the ESL program director for the American Language Academy in Berkeley. Her academic degrees are from San Francisco State University and McGill University (Montreal).
Donna Brink Fox is Eisenhart Professor of Music is Eisenhart Professor of Music Education. She is an international specialist in early childhood music education, and has given numerous presentations at the National AOSA (American Orff Schulwerk Association) conferences. A recipient of Eastman's Eisenhart Award for Excellence in Teaching, she has directed Eastman's summer Orff Schulwerk Teacher Training Course since its inception in 1992.
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Jody Graves maintains an exciting and diverse performing career and is recognized nationally as a distinguished teacher of piano. Her recital engagements as a soloist and collaborative pianist take her across the United States and abroad. She has performed concerts in Austria, Norway, France, Scotland, Germany, Japan, and most recently (May 2006) toured in the Middle East serving as a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. State Department. The Middle East tour, with the Sapphire Trio, included concerts in Bahrain, Autar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The press review from the Middle East called their performances "mesmerizing" and "emotional and imaginative" (The Peninsula/Quatar). Dr. Graves is Associate Professor of Piano at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington, and Director of Keyboard Studies. She is in great demand as an adjudicator for piano competitions and festivals. Each season takes her across the country as an MTA clinician, and she has an active schedule each year as a workshop presenter for teachers. Ms. Graves has been a session leader at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago, and a Presenter and Performer at several State and National MTNA conferences. She has also served as an ajudicator for the International Piano Competition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. For five years, Dr. Graves was a faculty member for the International Workshops summer festival, along with Nelita True, Jean Barr, Marvin Blickenstaff and Tony Caramia. She has also authored articles for AMT and Clavier magazine. Ms Graves is preparing her third recording project in 2007 which will feature music of Edward macDowell, Rachmaninoff, Liszt and others. She has performed solo and chamber recitals across the country at university guest artist series and community concert events and has been a featured performing artist several times on public radio. Jody is the pianist with "The Sapphire Trio," recently featured guest artists at the National MTNA Conference in Seattle and the International Clarinet Festival in Tokyo, Japan. national events, as well as several cities during their international concert tour in Germany and Austria. Ms Graves is especially interested in promoting concert art music, creating unique ways to foster a collaborative experience between artist and listener, and she is dedicated to maintaining the life of music in our schools and culture. Ms. Graves is recognized for her creative ability to engage the audience during her concerts with anecdotes, historical perspectives and humor. Jody Graves holds a Doctorate Degree in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where she was the recipient of the distinguished Teacher of the Year award for her excellence in teaching. She obtained her Masters degree from Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., and did her undergraduate work at Eastern Washington University. Her major performance teachers include: Fernando Laires, Jeffrey Kahane, Bela Nagy, Margaret Saunders Ott, and Marilyn Neeley.
Clay Greenberg A versatile musician, performer, and teacher, Clay Greenberg received a masters degree in orchestral conducting from the Eastman School of Music, and has studied and performed Indonesian music throughout the US and Indonesia. He has conducted the Eastman Philharmonia, Eastman Chamber Orchestra, Eastman Musica Nova, Ossia, Alarm Will Sound, The Amp Ensemble, and Anti-Social Music in dozens of concerts of music ranging from Richard Strauss to Ligeti to David Lang, and was recently conductor-in-residence at the International Festival of Contemporary Music in Morelia, Mexico and the Bang on a Can summer marathon. As a singer, he has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and Boston Symphony Hall with many of the world's major orchestras and conductors, and recently performed Luciano Berio's Sinfonia, Steve Reich's The Desert Music, and George Crumb's Songs, Drones, and Refrains of Death. Recent projects include an appearance as conductor of Pierrot Lunaire at the Heidelberg College New Music Festival, and solo vocal perfomances of Michael Gordon's Van Gogh at New York's Merkin Hall and John Zorn's Evocation of a Neophyte at the Miller Theatre. He has worked directly with such composers as Steve Reich, John Adams, Michael Gordon, George Crumb, Charles Wourinen, and John Zorn. Clay has recorded as a singer for Sony, Deutsche Grammophon, Philips, RCA, and nore recently as a singer, percussionist and producer on the Nonesuch and Cantaloupe labels. He has taught Balinese gamelan and courses on Indonesian Music History at the Eastman School of Music, Cornell University, Denison University, and the Bloomingdale School of Music.
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Gerre Hancock is Organist and Master of Choristers Emeritus at St. Thomas Church in New York City. A Fellow of the American Guild of Organists, he was a member of its National Council and is a founder and past President of the Association of Anglican Musicians. Hancock has performed in cities throughout the United States and abroad and has been a featured recitalist at regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists.
Paul Hofmann is a graduate of Eastman and instructor in the Community Education Division. He is active as a teacher, performer, composer, recording artist, freelance producer, and music columnist. In addition to performances and recordings with major American jazz artists, he has made numerous television and radio appearances.
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Mark Kellogg - Read Mark's full bio here.
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.
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Steven Laitz is associate professor of theory and chair of the theory department. He received bachelor's and master's degrees from University of California-Riverside, and the PhD from Eastman. He has given numerous lecture recitals and solo and chamber music recitals. Research interests in 19th-century music and pedagogy have resulted in articles in Theory and Practice and Integral, and in his book Developing the Complete Musician: An Integrated Approach to Theory, Analysis and Listening (Oxford University).
David Liptak - Read David's full bio here.
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John Marcellus - Read John's full bio here.
James Martin received undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Music Education from St. Louis University and the Master of Music in Trombone Performance from the Eastman School of Music, with additional study at the doctoral level. His major professors include John Marcellus, Edward Kleinhammer, Arnold Jacobs, and Jeffrey Reynolds. Professor Martin is the Director of the Webster Wind Ensemble and Big Band and is a member of the Webster Brass Quintet. He teaches tuba and trombone and courses in brass methods and music literature. He was the bass trombonist with the Buddy Rich Big Band between 1985-87 and with the Orchestra del Maggio Musical of Florence, Italy under Zubin Mehta in 1989 and 1990. Professor Martin has played bass and contrabass trombone as an extra performer with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, including several performances at Carnegie Hall and the 1995 tour of Japan. He has also performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the Saint Louis Pops Orchestra. He performs regularly at the Fox Theater and the MUNY, and is a member of the St. Louis Brass Ensemble.
Patricia Masri-Fletcher joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as Principal Harp in 1988. A graduate of the Juilliard School, she studied with Susanna McDonald (Artistic Director of the World Harp Congress). Prior to her DSP appointment, Masri-Fletcher was Principal Harp with the National Grand Opera in New York, as well as with the Monterey and Santa Cruz County symphony orchestras in California. She has also performed with the New York City Opera and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Masri-Fletcher has appeared with over thirty ensembles. Her performances include the Spoleto "Festival of Two Worlds," the American Institute of Musical Studies Orchestra (Austria), the San Jose Ballet Orchestra, and the Carmel Bach Festival Orchestra. She is also active as a solo recitlalist. Masri-Fletcher has received a number of awards and honors, including first place in the Ruth Lorraine Close Fellowship for Harp, and was a soloist on the Young Artists Roster of the American Harp Society (AHS). At AHS conferences, she has served as lecturer and guest performer, including participation in the world premiere of Fusion for Four by Dr. Sarah Voynow in 1986. During the 1993-94 season, Masri-Fletcher appeared as a soloist with the DSO performing Mozart's Concerto for Flute and Harp with Principal Flute Ervin Monroe. Masri-Fletcher and Monroe have released a compact disc entitled After a Dream... which features works for flute and harp arranged by the two artists. During the 1996-97 season, Masri-Fletcher appeared as a soloist with the DSO performing Ravel's Introduction and Allegro for harp, with strong quartet, flute and clarinet, Neeme Jarvi conducting. Masri-Fletcher is the Professor of Harp at Madonna University, teaches privately in the Detroit area, and has given harp master classes at Interlochen Center for the Arts, Michigan State University, and at the University of Michigan's School of Music. In her free time, she enjoys canoeing, mountain biking, bird watching and growing tulips.
Glenn McClure is a composer and Arts Integration Consultant. His compositions have enjoyed a wide audience in the US (St. Olaf College, Florida State University, Auburn University, San Diego State University, the American Choral Directors Association Conventions in San Antonio, Texas and Orlando, Florida, and the Nat'l Kodaly Conference in San Antonio). Some of America's finest conductors have championed his music (including Dr. Andre Thomas, Dr. Anton Armstrong, Dr. Paul Smith, Dr. Anthony Leach, Dr. Brady Allred, and Dr. Janet Galvan). Mr. McClure's acclaimed Kyrie from St. Francis in the Americas: A Caribbean Mass has enjoyed multiple performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City. His work has also gained audiences in Mexico, Italy, Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Mr. McClure's work was featured by the St. Olaf Choir at the culminating concert of the 2002 World Symposium of Choral Music. For three years, Mr. McClure was the Composer-in-Residence at Mt. Ireneaus Franciscan Retreat Center (affiliated with St. Bonaventure University). Mr. McClure's work is published by Earthsongs and Lorenz/Roger Dean Publishers.
Mr. McClure's main compositional interest lies in the mixing of classical music with ethnic music traditions. Many of his compositions have been born out of community initiatives and collaborations. He often works with a variety of community organizations to mold and shape his music into genuine expressions of the goals, interests and hopes of the communities from which they emerge. He was chosen for the prestigious "Continental Harmony" project. This NEA project (administered by the American Composers Forum) placed composers around the country in an effort to celebrate diverse cultures in small American communities.
Mr. McClure is a passionate advocate for the integration of the Arts into the education of children. He offers 500-600 concerts and workshops annually that animate a variety of areas of learning with hands-on musical activities. His award winning work in designing and implementing these programs in both mainstream and special education environments has gained the attention of numerous grants and foundations. He has presented his work at educational conferences at both the state and national level. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the New York State Alliance for the Arts.
Mr. McClure works extensively in professional development project for teachers and artists, including a long-term consultant position with the Bronx Arts Council (supported by the Ford Foundation). Mr. McClure helped design a groundbreaking Distance Learning Consortium that is bringing the Federal "Teaching American History" grant to rural school districts in New York, California, and Alaska. This project represents a new model for national expansion in teacher professional development, curriculum design, and in-school/after school distance learning programming. He has worked closely with Project View and curriculum initiative for video conferencing spearheaded by the New York Institute of Technology. Mr. McClure is a design consultant for the new Online Memorial to American Slaves. This digital museum will share cutting edge scholarship on American Slavery through interactive, arts-based activities. His current arts integration projects include Lewis and Clark (a middle school residency with the Sioux Falls, SD school district) and Galileo's Universe. The Galileo project will connect three US schools, two European schools, three US universities, and bestselling author, Dava Sobel (Galileo's Daughter) through web-based applications and video conferencing.
Mr. McClure's academic interests include American popular music. He worked closely in field research with ethnomusicologist, James Kimball of SUNY Geneseo in researching the influence of African music styles on rural music making in 19th century America. Mr. McClure is working closely with the Online Memorial Museum of American Slavery in its design and development.
Robert McIver joined Eastman in 1997 as professor of voice. A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and West Virginia University, McIver has taught at Westminster Choir College and Kentucky Wesleyan College. In addition to his specialization specialization as a voice teacher, he is active as a choral conductor in community, church, and festival settings, and has published choral compositions.
Karen Medley is an Orff music specialist in the is an Orff music specialist in the Pentucket Regional School District (MA). This year she will be a presenter at the national conference and give eight workshops throughout the United States. She is coordinating an Orff Camp, Preschool Orff Camp, and presenting a course in Music for Early Childhood Teachers, all in Anchorage, Alaska. She has served on the AOSA national board, and has co-chaired two national AOSA Conferences.
Russell Miller, Associate Professor of Vocal Coaching and Repertory, BM, University of Southern California; MM, Manhattan School of Music; doctoral studies, Juilliard; DMA, University of Michigan. Coaching/conducting fellowship, American Opera Center; Outstanding Graduate Award, USC; Gramma Fisher Fellowship, American Institute of Musical Studies, Graz, Austria. Studied accompanying with Brooks Smith, Gwendolyn Koldofsky, Martin Katz, Marshall Williamson, Margo Garrett, Samuel Sanders; opera coaching with Alberta Masiello and Nico Castel; piano with Edith Knox and Louis Nagel; song interpretation with Adele Addison. Concert performances with Marilyn Horne, Hakan Hagegard, Robert White, Stephen Kates, Glenn Dicterow, and Donald McInnes. Collaborative recital tours in Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and throughout the United States, including vocal quartet "SATB." Official accompanist, Walter W. Naumburg Foundation annual competition, American String Teachers Association national competition, D'Angelo International voice competition. Opera coach, Pine Mountain Music Festival (1997-2002). Faculty member, Music Academy of the West (1988-94, 1996-99); Peabody Conservatory (1990); Oberlin (1993-94); Cleveland Institute of Music (1999-2001); Bowling Green State University (2000-2001); Eastman (1995-99, 2001-).
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Wes Nance BM and MM from the Eastman School of Music. Member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; featured soloist and member of the RPO Brass Quintet; on summer faculty of the Music Horizons Festival and the Masterworks Festival.
Alexandra Nguyen - Read Alexandra's full bio here.
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Robert Page became music director of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh in 1979. At the end of the 1988-89 season, Page completed his 18 year tenure as director of choruses and assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. In September 1989 he joined the Pittsburgh Symphony as director of special projects and chorus activities. Regarded as one of the most distinguished choral conductors of this country, Page's choirs can be heard on 40 discs issued by major recording companies, including Columbia, London, RCA, Telarc, and Decca. Page has received eight Grammy nominations and has received Grammy awards for recordings of Catulli Carmina and Carmina Burana, a Grand Prix du Disque for Porgy and Bess and a Prix Mondial de Montreux for the world premiere recording of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13 (Babi Yar). Although the choral idiom has been his first love, Page also is in great demand as a conductor of symphony orchestras, opera, operetta, theater productions and workshops throughout the country.
Johnathon Pape - Read Johnathon's full bio here.
William Porter is professor of harpsichord and organ improvisation. Widely known as a performer and teacher in the United States and Europe, Porter is a leader among organists working toward a recovery of an historical approach to musical performance, and has achieved international recognition for his skill in improvisation in a wide variety of styles. He was professor of organ and harpsichord at Oberlin (1974-1986), and was a faculty member at the New England Conservatory (1985-2002). He is a co-founder of Affetti Musicali and Musica Poetica, Boston-based ensembles that have received critical acclaim for their performances of Baroque repertory. Porter also teaches organ improvisation at Yale University.
Howard Potter is associate dean for community and continuing education. After receiving a bachelor of music degree from SUNY Fredonia, a master's degree from Eastman, and a DMA from the Manhattan School of Music, he served as chair of performing arts and director of instrumental music at the Manlius Pebble Hill School in DeWitt, NY. He is the founder and former director of 315 Jazz Arts Cooperative in Syracuse, conductor of many bands, jazz, and chamber ensembles, percussionist with many orchestras and with Society for New Music in New York City, and a composer and arranger of music for vibraphone, marimba, percussion, and jazz ensemble.
Doug Prosser - Read Doug's full bio here.
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Nan Gullo Richmond received her DMA from Eastman in 1992, and is also a graduate of Juilliard, where she studied harp and composition. She made her New York City Town Hall debut as a winner of Concert Artists Guild, and was a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony for six years. Richmond has published articles in Music Journal and other periodicals, and currently teaches in the Eastman Community Music School, where she is also director of the harp choir.
Greg Ristow is director of choirs at Montgomery College in Conroe, TX and teaches and conducts on the choral faculty of the Interlochen Arts Camp. He holds master's degrees in choral conducting and music theory pedagogy from Eastman, a bachelor's of music education from Oberlin, Dalcroze Certification from Julliard, and the Dalcroze License from the Longy School. Prior to his appointment at Montgomery College, Ristow taught aural skills on the theory faculty of the Eastman School of Music. He is active as a clinician in Dalcroze Eurhythmics and its applications to conducting and the teaching of ear training.
Janet Robbins is associate professor of music and coordinator of the Music Student Teaching Program at West Virginia University. She cochaired the 1995 national AOSA conference celebrating the Carl Orff Centenary, chaired AOSA's Research Interest Group (1990-1994), and was a member of the editorial board of The Orff Echo (1994-2002). She is the original director of the OrffSPIEL.
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Mark Salatino - Read Mark's full bio here.
Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez - Read Carlos' full bio here.
Ciro Scotto received his DMA from the University of Washington, with additional study at the Schweitzer Training Institute. He joined the Eastman faculty in 1997 as assistant professor of theory, following teaching positions at University of Texas-Austin, University of California-Santa Barbara, and Cornish College of the Arts.
Herb Smith is the third trumpet with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. He is a graduate of The Eastman School of Music and began playing in the orchestra after he graduated in 1991. He works with students through the Young Audiences of America and Rochester City School District Artist in Residence program. He also travels all over the upstate NY area doing workshops and presentations for many Arts Organizations dealing with classical music, and the accessibility to this music for non musicians, traditional music, from many countries around the world, and jazz music, emphasizing it's importance as one of the only original American music forms.
Herb also plays many gigs with his jazz quartet, is a frequent substitute player for the Chautauqua, and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestras. Furthermore he is trumpet instructor for the Community Education Division of the Eastman School of Music, his alma mater, and has a trumpet studio that he teaches out of his home. He has played with many notable artists, including, Al Jareau, Natalie Cole, Doc Severenson, The Ojays and has played on many commercial jingles recorded in Rochester NY. Other ventures include composing music for silent films, and writing musical arrangements for local bands in the area.
Herb is also the cofounder of a new smooth jazz group named Thornwood. Thornwood is a collaboration between Herb and Marcus Robinson, a guitarist, playing original compositions and smooth jazz arrangements. Their first CD titled "Just A Little Sly" was greatly received and a new CD will be coming soon.
Jim Solomon is an author, national clinician, and National Board Certifi ed Teacher. He teaches at R.B. Hunt Elementary School in St. Augustine, FL. Each summer he teaches Orff Level I at various locations and works with K-high school students at Eagle Arts Camp. Jim was chosen "Teacher of the Year 1991" in St. John's County.
Mary Helen Solomon is chair of the Fine Arts Department at Episcopal High School in Jacksonville, FL where she teaches middle school Orff and high school choral. She has been involved with teacher training using the Orff approach throughout the US and in New Zealand for 20 years. She received the Gladys Prior Award for Career Teaching Excellence from the University of North Florida in 1998.
Ann Marie Stanley - Read Ann Marie's full bio here.
Robert Swensen Associate Professor of Voice, BM, University of Arizona; Professional Studies Diploma, Juilliard School of Music; MM cum laude, University of Southern California. Mentored with Nicolai Gedda and Luciano Pavarotti. First prize, Concert Artists Guild International New York Competition (1987); first prize, Premio Giuseppe Borgati Concorso, Italy (1987); Grammy Award, Best Classical Recording, Barber: Antony & Cleopatra. Study grants from the Puccini Foundation, NY, and NIMT George London Award, NY (1988). National operatic performances including Carnegie Hall debut as George Brown in Boildieu's La Dame Blanche with Opera Orchestra of New York, Ferrando in Cosi fan Tutte at Santa Fe Opera Festival and Opera Pacific, and other appearances with Arizona Opera, Kentucky Opera. International performances with Staatsoper Unter-den-Linden, Berlin; Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, Italy; Antwerp Opera, Belgium; Wexford Festival, Ireland; Teatro La Fenice, Venice; Vienna State Opera; Opera Comique, Paris.
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George Taylor - Read George's full bio here.
Karie Templeton received a bachelor's degree in choral music education from Wittenberg University and a master's of music education and voice from Ithaca College, with additional graduate studies at Eastman. In her 26th year of teaching vocal music in the Pittsford, NY schools, Ms. Templeton directs the middle school choral and musical theater programs. Her school choirs consistently receive superior ratings at a variety of music festivals throughout the United States and Canada. They have performed at MENC Eastern Division Conferences in Pittsburgh and Rochester, and at the 2001 NYSSMA State Conference. She is director of the Music Horizons High School Summer Choir at Eastman, and has conducted many All-County Festival Choruses in New York State.
Rich Thompson is associate professor of jazz studies and contemporary media. An accomplished drummer, he has performed and recorded with the Count Basie Band, Tito Puente, Benny Carter, Frank Foster, James Williams, Marian McPartland, the Eastman Jazz Trio, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. He is the author of Jazz Solos for Drumset, Vol. 1 (Kendor Press) and co-author of Billy Hart's Jazz Drumming (Advance Music). Thompson (Advance Music). Thompson has given various clinics and performances in Europe, Japan, Newfoundland, Thailand, and the United States and is the drum set chairman for the New York State School Music Association.
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.
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Neil Varon - Read Neil Varon's full bio.
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Robert Wason - Read Robert's full bio here.
Carol Webber is professor of voice at Eastman, is professor of voice at Eastman, where she has taught since 1991. Her performance career included contracts with Metropolitan Opera, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Miami, and numerous regional opera companies. Former artist-in-residence at University of Washington and State University of New York at Stony Brook, Webber has given master classes throughout the United States and abroad. She previously taught at Oberlin Conservatory.
William Weinert, director of choral activities at Eastman, is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied with Robert Fountain. Weinert has published articles and reviews in the Choral Journal. He previously taught at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Southern Mississippi.
Gretchen Wheelock BA, Wellesley; MA, MPhil, PhD, Yale. Piano study with Bruce Symonds and Donald Currier. Recipient, fellowships from Radcliffe Institute, Danforth Foundation, Mary Ingraham Bunting Institute, and National Endowment for the Humanities (University Fellowship; Summer Stipend; NEH Institute). Eisenhart Award for Excellence in Teaching (1991). Member, American Musicological Society (council member, 1987-90; program committee, 1992; board of directors, 1995-96; vice-president, 1999-2000; chair, New York State-St. Lawrence Chapter, 1995-97), American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, Early Music America, and Westfield Center for Early Keyboard Studies. Research interests include Haydn, Mozart, 18th-century aesthetics, reception history, and performance practice. Author, Haydn's Ingenious Jesting with Art: Contexts of Musical Wit and Humor. Articles and reviews in Early Music, The Musical Quarterly, Journal of the American Musicological Society, Journal of Musicology, Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Historical Performance, Eighteenth-Century Studies, Proceedings of the International Mozart Congress, Salzburg 1991, Musicology and Difference, Piano Roles, Siren Songs, Haydn-Fest 2002: Joseph Haydn und das Streichquartett, and The Great Tradition and its Legacy: Dramatic and Musical Theater in Austria and Central Europe. Invited guest speaker at Aston Magna, Chamber Music America, Focus on the Piano: Haydn. Advisory board, Eastman Studies in Music. Board of Directors, Mozart Society of America; Westfield Center for Early Keyboard Studies. Faculty member, Hampshire College (1976-77), Smith College (1977-83), Valentine Distinguished Visiting Professor, Amherst College (1995). Eastman (1984-).
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