Penn State School of Music Alumni Magazine

College of Arts College of Arts and Architectureand Architecture

Fall 2014

2 Laura Brown: How to Do It All

3 News of Note

6 Reaching Out

7 In Theory...

9 Music Education

13 Performance

19 On Campus

21 New Faculty/Staff

22 Transitions

23 Ovations

24 Reunion

25 Alumni News

Inside

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This publication is available in alternative media on request.

Published by the Penn State School of MusicSue Haug, director ~ [email protected] Drafall, assistant director for outreachRussell Bloom, designerPhotos: Cody Goddard, Michael Palmer, Jana Bontrager, Russell Bloom, Annemarie Mountz, faculty, alumni, and friends

The For the Future campaign closing events were held April 11–13, 2014, celebrating the impact of philanthropy to Penn State (2.158 billion in private support). As for all such celebrations, students from the performing arts were front and center, and their smiling faces and talents helped to make the campaign closing finale in Eisenhower Auditorium a smashing success. Later, in June, students and graduates of our program joined their talents with faculty and other professionals in the annual Music at Penn’s Woods (MPW) festival, a wonderful community-university partnership made possible by private philanthropy.

This newsletter celebrates accomplishments of students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the School of Music – and much of that success is enhanced by your support. A new school year has just begun, and we hope you will join us for events, tune in to livestreaming or radio broadcasts, and keep in touch. It has been a great year and many good things are in store for 2015. Onward State!

Welcome

Right: Over 800 people enjoyed Music in the Gardens: Healing the Soul at The

Arboretum at Penn State, part of Music at Penn’s Woods

Sue Haug, directorSchool of Music

Above: For the Future campaign closing in Eisehhower Auditorium.

On the CoverPutting together a PowerPoint presentation is not typically a highlight of a student’s academic career, but for 2014 School of Music alumna Laura Brown, one particular presentation was really special. In spring 2014, she presented some of her music research at the Window to the World International Symposium in St. Petersburg, Russia.

“I had written ‘The Pennsylvania State University’ on the title slide underneath my name. It sounds sentimental, but that was really the culmination of my time at Penn State, and I never would have made it all the way there without a lot of support in the last five years from this University.”

Much of that support came from her professors in the School of Music. A student in the Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate Program, Brown earned dual B.A. degrees in music and Russian and an M.A. in musicology. She credits Charles Youmans (her thesis advisor) and Marica Tacconi for supporting her “unfailingly” since she told them she wanted to be a musicologist, and says she is also grateful

to Dan Armstrong, who mentored her in her percussion studies. This fall, Brown begins doctoral studies in music history at Yale.

Brown’s presentation in Russia was one of many accomplishments during her Penn State career, where she excelled both inside and outside the classroom. She was student marshal for both the College of Arts and Architecture and the College of the Liberal Arts, and served in an additional important role for Liberal Arts—commencement speaker.

A native of Waterford, Pennsylvania, Brown was a Schreyer Honors College Scholar whose many awards included the Evan Pugh Senior Scholar Award, a Creative Achievement Award from the College of Arts and Architecture, and the Brewster Memorial and Presser Foundation scholarships from the School of Music. A percussionist and timpanist, she was the 2012 winner of the School of Music’s Concerto Competition and received Jury Honors Recognition in fall 2011 and spring 2012.

Brown says her participation in extracurricular activities was one of the most valuable aspects of her Penn State experience. “It is virtually impossible to attend this university without interacting with the people around you in some constructive way. … Penn State is not just a sea of individuals; it’s a sea of individual talents working collaboratively to achieve really incredible things.”

With so many honors and activities on her résumé, it’s easy to wonder how Brown can “do it all.” Her answer is simple: plan ahead. “Of course, these plans will almost definitely change, but it’s better to have them laid out first than realize at the last minute that the ship has sailed for what you really want to do.”

How to Do It All

It’s safe to say Laura Brown will be at the helm of whatever ship she chooses. We wish her the best of luck in her future studies and career!

Left: With Professor Charles Youmans Right: With Professor Dan Armstrong

Penn State School of Music • 2


Emeritus Professor Donates CollectionD. Douglas Miller envisions a center for choral music excellence at Penn State that would become a significant depository for researchers of historic choral music—a place where other collectors who share his passion can add their collections for the benefit of future students and conductors.

In December 2013, Miller donated scholarly music books, more than 13,500 choral scores, and more than 300 CDs to the more than 1,200 books and musical scores that he had previously given to the University Libraries in 1999, 2006, and 2007. Over the next year, these materials will be cataloged and become the Miller Choral Scores Research Collection. Miller’s scores include his analytical notations identifying overall structure, form, and phrase groupings—all of which

allowed him to commit the scores to memory. These personal notes on the music will aid future conductors and scholars in their understanding of the historically informed performance of the compositions.

“We’re doing a rare thing with this choral collection, a unique resource for the choral side of it. Online doesn’t do it; it’s not the same as having a score in your hand,” confided Miller. Music librarian Amanda Maple and cataloger Robert Freeborn will work with Miller over the next few months to organize the collection. He has great expectations that it will continue to grow as his colleagues downsize their

collections and offer them to Penn State or individuals are moved to support the project financially. Although he and his wife Grace now live in southern York County, Miller hopes to remain active in helping to develop this collection for many years to come.

News of Note

AND - “We’re Live!”The 2013–14 school year heralded a new initiative for the school’s outreach efforts—the capability to livestream selected performances and post them afterwards on our official YouTube channel. Livestreaming is the live video and audio transmission of events over the internet, meaning it’s accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Video and audio are seen and heard in real time so that viewers at home can experience our concerts as if they were actually seated in the concert hall. Livestreaming is synonymous with the terms “webcast” and “simulcast.”

The School of Music’s inaugural livestreaming program was successful beyond our wildest expectations. More than 4,700 viewers watched the 25 events that the School of Music supported in 2013–14. This is an average of 188 additional audience members per concert, representing 50 states and 50 countries. An additional 1,400 viewers “attended” 15 School of Music events (faculty recitals and faculty-led ensembles) that were livestreamed by CW Studios, Chris Wahlmark (’11 M.M., ’13 M. A.), as an independent contractor. CW Studios also offers livestream, audio, and video production to the general public.

As of spring 2014, we also began integrating the livestream content with YouTube content on both the College of Arts and Architecture and the School of Music channels. This medium allows our most prestigious concerts to be archived, professionally edited, and made available for public consumption at any time. We have received funding for a second year of livestreamed performances in 2014–15, and we will continue to edit selected concerts for YouTube. Digital Media Coordinator Chris Wahlmark hopes to expand the livestreaming initiative beyond the concert halls to include selected masterclasses and guest lectures. For a full schedule of future events, please access music.psu.edu/livestream.

A Standing OvationCongratulations to Information Technology Consultant Robert Klotz, who received the 2014 College of Arts and Architecture Staff Award for Outstanding Service. Bob has numerous roles in the School of Music, serving as the technology consultant during the day, and as a professional audio engineer during evenings and weekends, recording student and faculty concerts and engineering CD recordings. Bob is a standing member of the school’s Technology Committee. He lent his expertise as a professional audio engineer to the recent re-purposing of a computer lab into a professional recording studio. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Lafayette College.


They’re called The Plastic Dirty Macs, and they like to jam at Esber Recital Hall. Rockin’ Beatles covers and other tunes, the band includes School of Music faculty Vincent Benitez, Tom Cody, and John Packard; Penn State alum Christopher Wahlmark; music student Trevor Rosten; and musical theatre students Rob Montgomery and Kevin Clay. Like many performers, they shed their everyday personas when they take the stage, morphing into Paul Ramon, George Parasol, Ron Nasty, Howie Casey, Ringo Stone, Johnny Gentle, and Paul McCharmley. And yes, their stage names have an obvious Beatle connection.

So do The Plastic Dirty Macs—whose name was inspired by Paul McCartney’s short-lived group The Plastic Macs and John Lennon’s

Beatlemania Hits Penn State Via Online Course

Faculty / Alumni Contribute to Award-Winning TextA reference book including chapters written by four faculty members and one alumnus was named to the “2014 Outstanding Reference Sources” list by the American Library Association. Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories That Shaped Our Culture includes chapters by School of Music faculty members Mark Ballora, Robert Gardner, Stephen Hopkins, and Anthony Leach. Alumni Peter Buckland (’01, ’03g) and Caleb Rebarchak (’09, ’12g), as well as School of Theatre faculty member Kikora Franklin, also contributed to the text. The volume was edited by Jacqueline Edmondson, Penn State associate vice president and associate dean for undergraduate education.

The Dirty Mac—ever perform off-campus? Where can local Beatles-lovers get their fix?

You don’t have to be local—audiences around the globe can catch The Plastic Dirty Macs in The Music of the Beatles, an online course available to University Park and World Campus students. Benitez formed The Plastic Dirty Macs to record complete Beatles songs for his course. As of spring 2014, about 700 students had enrolled.

Much more than a passionate fan, Benitez is the author of The Words and Music of Paul McCartney: The Solo Years (covering 1970–2007), and book chapters on McCartney’s solo albums Ram and Band on the Run in the four-volume series, The Album, both published by Praeger Publishers.

While it was fun for Benitez to develop a course on a topic he loves—as both a music theorist and Beatles fan—he says the goal is about much more than introducing today’s students to the Beatles. “There is a need for diversity in music theory—more women, more African Americans, more pop music,” he explains. “I can introduce students to more advanced theoretical concepts using the Beatles.”


Center for the Performing Arts Receives Grant Renewal for Classical Music Project The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State a $400,000 grant to support the continuation of the Classical Music Project through June 2017.

The goals of the Classical Music Project—entering its fourth season—are to raise the profile of Center for the Performing Arts classical music presentations and to engage Penn State

In partnership with WPSU-FM, the School of Music is now featured in a monthly one-hour radio program titled “In Performance at Penn State.” Using a similar format to the popular radio show “Performance Today” produced by American Public Media, each program includes a potpourri of solo, chamber music, and ensemble performances by Penn State faculty and students.

WPSU’s Kristine Allen serves as producer, programmer, and host for the monthly feature, airing the last Friday of each month at 11:00 a.m. EST. The show is repeated the following Monday night at 8:00 p.m. Each program is streamed live on WPSU’s website at www.wpsu.org and is archived for on-demand listening following the initial airing.

The inaugural airing of “In Performance at Penn State” occurred in June 2014 and featured faculty oboist Tim Hurtz, the Oriana Singers, and the Philharmonic Orchestra. Stay tuned to 91.5 FM on the last Friday of each month to hear wonderful performances offered by the school’s greatest performers!

students, faculty, and the community with classical music programs. The aim is to provide opportunities for students to gain an understanding and appreciation of classical music that will last throughout their lives.

“We are extremely grateful to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for their continuing support,” said George Trudeau, director of the Center for the Performing Arts. “We look forward to engaging students and the community with the multidimensional Classical Music Project artists and programs we’ve envisioned for the coming three years.”

The Center for the Performing Arts, along with its Penn State partners, will organize a multifaceted program with the following key elements: performances by guest ensembles, composer residencies, student life engagement programs, curricular relationships across campus, and a partnership with Penn State Altoona. School of Music students will continue to benefit from the intensive multi-day residency and performance activities, including numerous master classes and, beginning in 2015-16, a partnership with Sphinx, an organization that supports classical music of color.

Several music students, under the guidance of faculty member Robyn Costa, have been invited to provide leadership for an exciting new initiative, the Classical Music Student Ambassador Program. Student Ambassadors—selected for their musicianship, leadership, and commitment to music advocacy—will be provided with residency training and will create and implement student-centered engagement and advocacy programs.

Faculty and curricular relationships will continue, including the innovative online course “Under the Hood: How Classical Music Works,” written and taught by School of Music online course developer, Stephen Hopkins. Marica Tacconi, professor of musicology, will continue her involvement as faculty liaison for the School of Music. “The Classical Music Project has already had a strong impact at Penn State and in our community. We’re excited by the opportunity to reach even more students over the next three years and to engage them with classical music in new and innovative ways. Close interaction with world-renowned musicians and composers, as well as multidisciplinary curricular connections, will provide students with novel and enriching experiences.” For complete information on 2014–2015 performances and engagement activities connected to the Classical Music Project, please visit the website at www.cmp.psu.edu.

WPSU Premieres Monthly School of Music Showcase


In July 2013, the inaugural Honors Music Institute convened with great success. Auditioned high school students in piano, wind ensemble, and chamber choir programs participated in daily masterclasses, chamber music, student recitals, rehearsals, and private lessons taught by our renowned faculty members. HMI 2014

built on that success with talented students from 14 states, China, and Guam. “There have been many occasions where I have been tremendously proud of the work of the School of Music, “ wrote Daryl Durran. “However, never more so than I was with this summer’s highly successful Honors Music Institute. Building on last year’s change to an all-audition format, this year’s HMI saw an even higher level of performance by high school students who returned home having had a great week of music making.” HMI coordinator Jayne Glocke was rightly exuberant. “Students who knew about Penn State before attending HMI were only more thrilled about it after being with us for the week, and students who knew nothing about the School of Music left with very positive experiences that have definitely put us on their radar for the future.”

On October 19, Christopher Kiver hosted the second annual Men of Song Festival, a program designed for young men with changing or changed voices. More than 100 men from schools across Pennsylvania and Maryland joined with the Glee Club and the Hi-Los for a day of voice clinics, rehearsals, and brotherhood, culminating in a performance on the stage of Esber Recital Hall. The concert also featured a performance by voice faculty member Ted Christopher.

Flute professor Naomi Seidman gathered high school flute players on campus on October 20 for the second annual Flute Day, sponsored by the Penn State Flute Club. Intended to motivate flutists of all ages and abilities and to create a stronger flute community in Pennsylvania, the day was filled with masterclasses, lectures, exhibits, and recitals. The flute studio hosted guest artist Bart Feller, flute professor at Rutgers University and the pre-Juilliard program, for a full recital and masterclass during the event.

The Marian Garcia Piano Masterclass Competition and Teachers’ Workshop was held October 25–26. Hosted by the piano faculty, the event included guest artists Alvin Chow (Oberlin Conservatory) and Robert McDonald (The Juilliard School and Curtis Institute). Masterclasses were offered for high school juniors and seniors, and prizes were awarded for overall outstanding performance, outstanding performance of a work by J. S. Bach, and outstanding performance of a sonata movement.

The first annual Invitational Orchestra Festival was held on October 26. Open to high school string players recommended by their teachers, the day included masterclasses with Penn State string faculty members, rehearsals, and a concert at Eisenhower Auditorium with the Philharmonic Orchestra wind section, performing Astor Piazzolla’s Tango and the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s fifth

symphony, conducted by Gerardo Edelstein.

These formal programs help spread the news about the great opportunities that await high school music students when they choose to attend Penn State. Please send interested students our way at any time—the door is always open!

The 2013–14 school year was filled with a multitude of outreach initiatives—programs that brought over 500 high school students to the University Park campus to interact with our faculty and students.

School of Music Reaches Out

Honors Music The

Institute


Faculty Members Author Sight Singing TextThe eighth edition of Sight Singing Complete was released by McGraw-Hill Higher Ed. in spring 2014. Distinguished Professor Maureen Carr collaborated with faculty colleagues Taylor Greer, Eric McKee, and Phillip Torbert to publish this edition in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the first edition by the late Bruce Benward.

Designed for the sight singing component of the freshman and sophomore music major curriculum, Sight Singing Complete presents the essential components of sight singing in a practical and effective manner. “Hearing music with one’s eyes” has served as the theme of Sight Singing Complete since the first edition. The sequence of instructional material is designed to help students develop aural skills that enable them to reverse the compositional process from “sound into symbol” to “symbol into sound.” The comprehensive and systematic approach employs literature, drawing most of the examples from actual pieces instead of devising contrived melodies.

The cover image is Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Fuga” from Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major (BWV 1005), notated by Joseph Joachim and reproduced from the collections of the Library of Congress. The release of the book was timed with Bach’s 329th birthday in March 2014.

Carr Pens New Stravinsky BookDistinguished Professor Maureen Carr has written her fourth book on the work of Igor Stravinsky. Published on July 10, 2014, by Oxford Press, After the Rite: Stravinsky’s Path to Neoclassicism (1914–25) traces the evolution of Stravinsky’s compositional style as he responded to the harsh criticism levied during the riotous debut of The Rite of Spring in 1913. Throughout the book, new transcriptions and analyses of selected musical sketches are presented to show the genesis of Stravinsky’s musical ideas as he experimented with surrealism, classicism, and abstraction, all leading to the development of his signature Neoclassical style. Exploring these annotated compositional experiments—such as the earliest evidence of Stravinsky’s appropriation of the “rag idiom” and the development of his so-called “sound blocks”—After the Rite provides new insight into how Stravinsky challenged and guided the musical developments of the decade after that legendary Paris premiere.

Russian music scholar Richard Taruskin reviewed After the Rite prior to its publication and stated, “Maureen Carr’s fourth book on Stravinsky confirms her unique place in the scholarly firmament as the music analyst best versed in history and the music historian best versed in analysis.”

Carr’s previous writings on Stravinsky include Multiple Masks: Neoclassicism in Stravinsky’s Works on Greek Subjects and Stravinsky’s Histoire du soldat: A Facsimile of the Sketches. Her most recent publication, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella: A Facsimile of the Sources and Sketches, received a Citation of Special Merit from the Society for Music Theory (SMT).

The volume is published with the generous support of the Otto Kinkeldey Endowment of the American Musicological Society, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

In Theory...

Music Th

eory, History, C

omposition, and Technology

Faculty Accomplishments

Mark Ballora contributed to the DVD project Rhythms of the Universe, authored by Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart and 2006 Nobel Laureate George Smoot. The premiere occurred in the Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. In addition, he co-authored an article discussing sonification that appeared in the Huffington Post. In spring 2014, Ballora participated in Penn State Polar Day, presenting sonifications of Antarctic ice measurements.

Vincent Benitez presented his research on Dietrich Buxtehude at the 16th Biennial International Conference on Baroque Music in Salzburg, Austria. He shared his knowledge of the works of Olivier Messiaen with the American Guild of Organists at their annual conference in Boston, Massachusetts. In November, he spoke about Messiaen at the annual meeting of the Society for Music Theory. Traveling to Liverpool, England, in summer 2013, Benitez presented information about Messiaen and Stravinsky at the eighth international Conference on Music Since 1900. While in Liverpool, he also presented “Persona and Protagonist in the Songs of Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello” at the International Conference on Analyzing Popular Music (PopMAC). In addition, he was a featured speaker as part of the Classical Music Project Lecture Series during the fall 2013 semester.

Maureen Carr received an award from the Otto Kinkeldey Endowment of the American Musicological Society in support of her recent book from Oxford

University Press titled After the Rite: Stravinsky’s Path to Neoclassicism. The award was announced at the American Musicological Society’s annual conference. She also traveled to Trinity College in Dublin (Ireland), where she served as a member of an external evaluation committee to recruit and select a faculty member for the Professor of Music position. In February 2014, she presented a pre-concert session to alumni prior to the Philadelphia Orchestra’s concert at the Kimmel Center as part of the Alumni Association’s City Lights series.

Tom Cody performed as a classical guitarist with Penn State alumna Sarah Schouten at the Southeast Horn Workshop held at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. The duo also performed at the 2013 International Horn Symposium in Memphis, Tennessee.

Mark Ferraguto traveled to Lucca, Italy, to present a paper on Beethoven’s late string quartets at a conference titled “The String Quartet from 1750 to 1870.” He also presented a paper at the annual meeting of the American Musicological Society in Pittsburgh. In addition, Ferraguto appeared as part of the Classical Music Project Lecture Series on campus, presenting “Music and Diplomacy in the Age of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.”

Taylor Greer presented a paper on Charles Griffes at the 2014 Conference on Music Literature, Historiography and Aesthetics in London, England. He also presented his research on Griffes at the Semiotic Society of America’s conference in Dayton, Ohio. Greer’s essay, “As Forte Goes By,” was published in a festschrift issue of the online music theory

journal Gamut 6/2: A Music-Theoretical Matrix: Essays in Honor of Allen Forte, Part V (2013). He was also invited by the Journal of Music Theory to serve on the Kraehenbuehl Prize Committee, selecting the best essay out of nine nominations from volumes 54-55 of that journal.

Stephen Hopkins developed and published an online jazz music course through Connect for Education, the award-winning publishers and distributors of accredited courses used in over 1,500 colleges in the United States. Steve and Lisa Hopkins donate 20 percent of the royalties earned from the course to a School of Music scholarship fund.

Marica Tacconi was the featured speaker at a conference hosted by the University of Sheffield (England) titled “Sources of Identity: Makers, Owners and Users of Music Sources Before 1600.” In addition, she presented a paper titled “In Honor of the Florentine Cathedral and the Medici: The 1526 Office of St. Zenobius” at the annual meeting of the Renaissance Society of America in New York City.

Charles Youmans was the author of multiple chapters on the tone poems of Richard Strauss published in The Richard Strauss Handbuch, edited by Walter Werbeck (Metzler/Bärenreiter, 2014). He also presented a lecture at a symposium sponsored by the German Musicological Society in Greifswald, Germany to honor of the 150th birthday of Richard Strauss.


Music EducationStudents Create Lessons for Rwanda Orphanage

Carol Falke, a State College community member, needed some help. Falke was planning her fourth mission trip to Rwanda, where she works with the Urunkundo Learning Center, a non-profit organization focused on providing education for orphaned and poor children. The center includes a preschool, kindergarten, and instruction for students in grades 1-2. During a 2013 expansion project, a music and art room had been added, but they had neither a music curriculum nor equipment. That’s when she turned to music education faculty member Darrin Thornton for assistance and advice.

Thornton was intrigued by the idea of creating learning materials for the school, and saw it as a perfect project for his junior-year music education students. “It was an opportunity to flex our music education methods and materials muscles and apply them to a real-life situation that music teachers often find themselves in—consultants about music curriculum.”

Thus, Thornton initiated the “Great Lesson Plan Commission Project.” During the last two weeks of the fall 2013 semester, after his music education students had cycled through a rotation of instructional materials units, they began working on creating lesson plans for Falke’s mission team to share with the Urunkundo Learning Center teachers.

Thornton and 25 music education majors planned five 20-minute activities for each

of the Rwanda school’s grade levels, and each activity included a clearly detailed sequence of instruction. The activities were based on themes common to both the United States and Rwanda (i.e. seasons, holidays, weather/climate, colors, animals, etc.). Each activity was written in language that a non-music teacher would understand.

The same students gathered at the start of the spring 2014 semester to practice implementing their Rwanda plans and to discuss how they could be made more effective. The State College-based Rwanda mission team was invited to a class where the Penn State students described their lessons and then taught them to the entire group. These lessons were videotaped so that the mission team would have examples of the songs and materials to use as a reference while in Rwanda. The teaching videos, sound recordings, and other sound materials were loaded onto an iPod that the mission team carried with them, along with the printed material.


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Music Education

Falke and her colleagues visited Rwanda in March 2014, where they shared the Penn State lesson plans with the teacher responsible for music instruction at the Urunkundo Learning Center. Falke reported that while the teacher seemed “a bit overwhelmed” (she is also responsible for teaching Kinyarwanda and French), the director of the neighboring Kigali School of Music was greatly impressed with the lesson, and he intends to assist the Urunkundo teaching staff.

Thornton believes that this project was incredibly worthwhile and eye-opening for the Penn State music education students who participated. “This project is a great example of service learning through community service, and it gave our students a wonderful opportunity to see the connections between what they will do in music education and the world around them, outside of their school walls.”

Envisioning the Future: An All-Big Ten Music Education FacultyFaculty members Ann Clements and Darrin Thornton were awarded a $40,000 grant from Penn State’s Center for Innovation in Online Learning to create a Distributed Open Collaborative Course (DOCC). The DOCC is a series of learning modules created in collaboration with faculty members from the Committee for Institutional Collaboration (CIC), the academic arm of the Big 10 Conference. The goal of their project is to unite faculty knowledge from across the conference to benefit music education students at all participating institutions.

“No one has attempted collaboration at this level,” explained Clements. “We have been able to bring the expertise of faculty members from the Big Ten to students at Penn State and beyond. The project emphasizes social media, allowing students enrolled in introductory music education courses in the Big Ten schools to collaborate across institutional boundaries.”

Thirty-two professors from the 12 institutions offering music education degrees are participating in the project. During the spring 2014 semester, they shared their expertise through TED talk-style video presentations. These talks will become shared content used in introductory music education courses throughout the conference.

The project is the result of Clements’ desire to take advantage of her Big Ten colleagues’ diverse capabilities. “I thought a blended (online and in-person) course would be a good idea as it allows us to engage with those who have expertise in other areas via video,” she said. “I realized if we needed something like this at Penn State, other music education professors probably needed it as well.” It is hoped that the module will be used as part of a required course for teacher certification. It will only be available to students enrolled in introductory courses within the participating institutions.

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Pictured are Penn State videographer Cody Goddard recoding content for the DOCC with faculty members at the University of Nebraska, University of Iowa, and University of Illinois.

O. Richard Bundy (’70 B.S., ’87 D.Ed.) was named a 2013 Penn State Alumni Fellow during a ceremony in October 2013, hosted by Alumni Association Executive Director Roger L. Williams and then- President Rodney Erickson. He was joined by his wife, Chris, and his children and their families for the event.

The program is administered by the Alumni Association in cooperation with the University’s academic programs and the Office of the President. Celebrating outstanding professional accomplishment, the lifelong title is the highest award given by the Penn State Alumni Association. Each fellow received a commemorative award designed and hand-cast by Jeanne Stevens-Sollman (’72g), an acclaimed sculptor and also an Alumni Fellow.

“The Alumni Fellow program showcases the significant contributions Penn Staters make to our nation and the world every day,” said Roger Williams. “Even more importantly, it provides our fellows the opportunity to share their experience and wisdom with students, faculty, and staff, thus adding an extra dimension to Penn State’s academic programs.”

Bundy joined the University Park faculty in 1983. He is the director of the Penn State Marching Blue Band and teaches courses in conducting, marching band techniques, instrumental music education, and band literature. When asked to reflect on the meaning of the award, Bundy said that it has always been about the students. “When I consider the diverse and exceptional accomplishments of Penn State Alumni Fellows past and present, I still find it hard to believe I was fortunate enough to have been thought worthy of inclusion. I’m extremely grateful to the thousands of extraordinary young men and women I’ve had the opportunity to be associated with in the Blue Band program. It is their talents, commitment, and enthusiasm that have brought some level of attention to my efforts at Penn State.” Dr. Bundy will retire in June 2015. #thanksDrBundy

Matthew B. Swope (’04, ’06, ’07) was the recipient of the 2013–14 Outstanding Alumni Music Educator Award. The award recognizes alumni who are making a positive difference in the lives of their students through music education, and allows current students to learn from the expertise and experience of successful alumni-teachers. He returned to campus in November 2013, when he spoke

with music education students, as well as undergraduate and graduate students in voice pedagogy.

Swope said he was honored and humbled to receive this award. “I owe this recognition to many people: my incredible professors at Penn State, many of whom continue to play an active and vibrant creative role in my life; my colleagues and mentors who always seem to see more in me than I do in myself; and my amazing students who inspire me to be a better musician, teacher, and person every day.”

Swope grew up in a family of Penn State alumni, but said he had no idea how large a role the University would play in his

life. “After three degrees, a certification program, two theses, three recitals, and countless concerts, Penn State truly became a part of me in ways that I could not have imagined. One of the greatest gifts of this award was the opportunity to return and meet with current students, answering questions and sharing our mutual passion for music and music education. It is good to know that the future of our profession is in good hands. Raise the song!”

Matthew is the director of choral activities and performing arts department chair at Winter Park High School in Winter Park, Florida. He oversees the music department and a choral program consisting of eight choirs, while conducting six choirs and teaching Advanced Placement music theory. Choirs from Winter Park High School have performed for the Florida chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and have participated in the International Championship of High School a Cappella finals in New York, New York. His choirs have also performed concerts at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., and participated in a masterclass with the professional vocal ensemble Chanticleer. As a scholar, Matthew has presented his work at conferences of the American Choral Directors Association, Florida Music Educators Association, and the Classical Association of the Middle West and South.

Outstanding Alumni Music Educator Award

Bundy Named Alumni Fellow


Music Education

Faculty AccomplishmentsRobert Gardner served as one of three adjudicators for the 2014 Florida Orchestra Association State Performance Assessment. The adjudication team, based in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, evaluated 31 high school orchestras.

Anthony Leach and Darrin Thornton moderated a panel discussion titled “Mentoring Relationships That Work” at the Pennsylvania Music Education Association’s conference in Hershey. Panelists included cooperating teachers involved in Penn State’s student teaching program.

Joanne Rutkowski, along with Penn State doctoral students, presented a session at the Society for Music Teacher Education Symposium in

Greensboro, North Carolina. She also was a presenter at the International Symposium on Singing in Music Education held in Seattle, Washington, in addition to giving two presentations for students at Eastern Washington University. As a planner for the conference of the International Society of Music Education’s Early Childhood Commission, she traveled to Brasilia, Brazil, during summer 2014, and presented a research poster during that event.

Linda Thornton gave two presentations during the Music Teacher Education Symposium in Greensboro, North Carolina, with doctoral students. She also presented joint research with colleagues from Boston University and William Paterson University at the symposium. While she was on sabbatical during the spring 2014 semester, she presented research at the Pennsylvania Music Education Association conference in Hershey.

Darrin Thornton presented research at the National Association for Music Education’s conference in St. Louis and at the conference of the Pennsylvania Music Education Association in Hershey. As a co-presenter with Penn State doctoral students, he appeared at a conference hosted by Montclair State University titled “Giving Voice to Democracy in Music Education,” and at the Society for Music Teacher Education Symposium in Greensboro, North Carolina. In addition, Thornton served as the instrumental adjudicator and clinician for the 76th Annual New Glasgow Music Festival in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Making a Splash at NAf ME ConferencePenn State was well-represented at the April 2014 Music Research and Teacher Education National Conference, hosted by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) in St. Louis, Missouri. The conference included open forums, presentations by national music education scholars, research poster sessions, and planning meetings. Three Penn State faculty members and three graduate or postdoc students presented sessions, including:

• Ann Clements (faculty) – “Fun Failure”: What Video Games Can Teach Us about Providing Feedback to Music Students

• Jason Gossett (Ph.D. Candidate) – Rethinking the Undergraduate Personal Philosophy: Writing a Personal Values Statement

• Lauren Kooistra (postdoc, Institute for the Arts and Humanities) – The Experiences of Two Young Children in Informal Piano Settings: Expressions of Meaning and Value

• Joanne Rutkowski (faculty) – invited discussant for papers presented at the Early Childhood Special Research Interest Group session

• Linda Thornton (faculty) and Jason Gossett (Ph.D. candidate) – Sharpening Their Reflection: Video-coding Teaching Progress in Field Experiences

• Daniel Shevock (Ph.D. Candidate) – Fighting Institutional Marginalization in Music Education; – “I Was the Only Black Guy in the Class”: An African American Undergraduate’s Experience Navigating Music Education at a Predominantly White Institution; – Simulation in Practicing Music Improvisation: Improvisers, Technology, and Hyper-Reality


In addition, Penn State faculty and Ph.D. students were represented on six panels and presented ten posters on topics as diverse as apps used by Pennsylvania music teachers, musical improvisation in childhood, creating a cross-university collaborative MOOC, and the role of the high school music teacher in music education career choices.

An important goal of the Ph.D. program has been to more fully prepare students for their chosen careers – including an expectation of research that results in publications and presentations at professional meetings as well as opportunities to work with faculty on research projects. This has meant changes in the second year review, the comprehensive exam, and the dissertation, and the above record demonstrates the impact of these changes. Congratulations students and faculty!

Performance Ted Christopher Receives Endowed Professorship

Ted Christopher has been named the first recipient of the College of Arts and Architecture’s Agnes Scollins Carey Memorial Early Career Professorship in the Arts. Recipients of the endowment receive up to $20,000 per year for three years to support innovative, groundbreaking research and creative activity. Christopher’s proposal was for the production of a new opera based on the life of Mozart’s librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, who lived for a time in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

The idea for an opera on Da Ponte’s life originated with Italian composer Roberto Andreoni, who later met with Penn State faculty members proposing an opera/performance art piece that would include digital, graphic, and virtual elements. “Da Ponte is a figure I feel close to, having participated in productions of all three of his Mozart operas,” Christopher wrote. “The possibility of immersing myself in them, from this highly original angle, was too good to pass up.”

Christopher plans a performance tour and symposia related to the opera during the spring 2017 semester. The opera will be scored for a chamber ensemble and small cast of Penn State student singers. It is hoped that performances will occur at Penn State; Columbia University, where Da Ponte taught Italian; La Fenice in Venice; and Vienna, the city of Da Ponte’s greatest artistic triumphs.

Christopher Guzman Tours EuropeWhen Christopher Guzman won the 10th Concours International de Piano d’Orléans in 2012, he won more than international recognition for himself as a pianist. He gained international visibility for the School of Music, thanks to a November 2013 tour of France and a CD—released in April 2014—produced as part of his prize.

The Concours International de Piano d’Orléans, held every two years and one of the most prestigious music competitions in Europe, emphasizes the performance of modern music. “My CD project was to cover German and Austrian composers from the Second Viennese School through today,” Guzman explains.

He selected works by Jörg Widmann, Peter Ablinger, Arnulf Herrmann, Wolfgang Rihm, Hans Werner Henze, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Anton Webern. Thanks to a grant from Penn State’s Institute for the Arts and Humanities, he was able to meet with three of the composers—Widmann, Ablinger and Herrmann—in Germany before recording their pieces.

“I would not normally have the chance to play for these composers, and I am extremely grateful to the Institute for the grant that allowed me to go play for them before my recording,” he says. “Since these works were going to be on record, I wanted to make sure that I was coming as close to the composers’ intentions as possible.”

Guzman performed the works on the CD when he toured Paris and the Loire Valley in late 2013, giving masterclasses and recitals in ten cities. “In total, I performed for about 1,300 people, and taught about 70 students, a huge promotional tour for me and great international publicity for Penn State.”


music.psu.edu

Performance

On May 2, 2014, Mark Lusk, Dan Yoder, and six students embarked on a trip that changed their lives and their music-making forever: a musical and cultural exploration of Cuba, where they performed and experienced a rich Cuban musical culture long veiled by politics to the outside world. They were joined by faculty and students from the University of Richmond (Virginia) for the 10-day “Cuba Spectacular” excursion.

The combined Cuban trip was the brainchild of Lusk and Professor Michael Davison of the University of Richmond, friends who work together at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp. Davison, an expert in

Cuban music and culture, led the American jazz ambassadors throughout their itinerary, which began in Santiago de Cuba and ended in Havana.

The highlight of the tour was a cultural and musical exchange between the American jazz musicians and students and faculty

members of the Conservatorio Esteban Salas in Santiago de Cuba. The exchange culminated in a joint concert combining faculty and students from all three institutions into one big band. This concert, including both American and Cuban student musicians, was the first of its kind since the United States imposed its embargo on Cuba in 1962, and was filmed and audio-recorded by a documentary team housed at the University of Richmond.

Other performances by the Penn State delegation included a concert at the ornate Sala de Conciertos Dolores, as well as a late-night performance at the Iris Jazz Club. After a stop at historic Trinidad de Cuba and a day at the beach in Ancón, the students and faculty ended their trip with a visit to the famed Tropicana Club in Havana.

Lusk is excited about the possibilities for future cultural exchanges as a result of this inaugural trip and is grateful for the support the “Cuba Spectacular ” trip received. “The arts, m u s i c — a n d e s p e c i a l l y jazz music—have always e x e m p l i f i e d the notion of international collegiality. This is the first time that the School of Music and the College of Arts and Architecture have investigated the possibility of making a connection with the Cuban artistic community. The school, college, and Penn State Global Programs have offered financial support, and the positive spirit and well-wishes from our colleagues has been tremendously encouraging.”

Lusk, Yoder, and Penn State Jazz Students Travel to Cuba


Sounds of the Earth:Lisa Bontrager Travels to Paraguay

From the streets of the Paraguayan capital of Asuncíon came the tentative sound of the horn, played by underprivileged teens who likely had never seen or touched an instrument before. Faculty member Lisa Bontrager instructed the young brass players, whose foray into music education was made possible

by Sonidos de la Tierra (Sounds of the Earth), an outreach project started by Paraguayan composer Luis Szarán.

In October 2013, Bontrager and Michelle Stebleton, horn professor at Florida State University, spent two weeks in Paraguay, teaching through Sonidos de la Tierra and performing in Asuncíon. The trip resulted from a commissioning grant they received from the International Horn Society, which allowed Szarán to write a new piece for their horn duo, MirrorImage.

A prolific composer, Szarán is also committed to educating young people from poor and underdeveloped regions of Paraguay through the shared experience of creating music. Sonidos de la Tierra has reached more than 3,000 children from 72 of the nation’s poorest communities.

“It broke my heart to see how much the teenagers loved music making. And, they played well!” says Bontrager. “But the living conditions there were very poor... It was amazing to be a tiny part of this important movement for positive change. I know this sounds trite, but it was just humbling in every way.”

Bontrager and Stebleton spent their time in Paraguay teaching horn in Spanish and performing with two youth orchestras. They also premiered Szarán’s “Rastros” (“Faces”) with the professional Symphonic Orchestra of Asuncíon and performed the Hubler “Concerto for Four Horns” with the orchestra’s horn section. Bontrager says she left Paraguay inspired by the students’ enthusiasm. “I loved the eager, musical, wide-eyed, intelligent students. They were grateful for every second of my time and expertise.”


“It broke my heart to see how much

the teenagers loved music making.

And, they played well!”

Faculty AccomplishmentsBrass and Percussion

Dan C. Armstrong performed with the Academy Chamber Orchestra in Pittsburgh and the Altoona Symphony, and served as timpanist for the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra in Boulder, Colorado.

The Tuba Euphonium Ensemble, under the direction of Velvet Brown, was invited to perform at the International Tuba Euphonium Association conference held at Indiana University in Bloomington. In addition, the ensemble participated in a clinic and performance at Loyalsock Township High School, hosted by

Penn State alum Ryan Bulgarelli. Brown also presented masterclasses at West Virginia University, Muskegon College (Ohio), Youngstown State University (Ohio), and the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

In August 2014, Lisa Bontrager performed at the International Horn Society conference in London, England, and four of her undergraduate horn students also attended. As part of the duo MirrorImage, she presented masterclasses and performed at Central Michigan University, Western Michigan University, Michigan State, University of Michigan, and Florida State University. The tour provided an opportunity to perform works commissioned for the duo’s upcoming CD, including

a composition by Michael Daugherty that was premiered in honor of H. Robert Reynolds at his 80th birthday celebration concert in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In addition, Bontrager performed two concerts with the Brass Band of Battle Creek. As a member of Millennium Brass, she performed with the Spartanburg Philharmonic in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Trumpet professor Langston J. Fitzgerald III played concerts at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Arts (Virginia) in August 2013. He also performed on the nationally televised broadcast of “Christmas in Washington,” for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, and served as principal trumpet for the 2013 Christmas concert of the Concert Artists of Baltimore.

Under the direction of Mark Lusk, the Trombone Choir performed at the conference of the International Trombone Association in Rochester, New York. They also participated in the annual gathering of trombone choirs, Frühling Posaunen, at Nazareth College (New York). Lusk presented a masterclass and played a recital at Rice University in Houston, Texas. As a Valade Scholar, he taught at the Interlochen Arts Camp and also served as a clinician at the Cleveland Trombone Seminar.

Voice

Opera director Ted Christopher traveled to Japan, where he presented a series of masterclasses and a recital for the musical theatre department of Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, Tokyo. The title of his masterclass was “The Crossover Artist: Theater to Music and Back Again.”

Kim Cook Premieres Concerto by Venezuelan ComposerThe State College Summer Orchestra presented the world premiere of a cello concerto by Efrain Amaya in August 2013. The concerto was commissioned by faculty member Kim Cook with a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

“It’s an exciting piece!” says Cook. “There are jazzy rhythmic sections reminiscent of Bernstein’s West Side Story, and Amaya has also incorporated a Venezuelan lullaby and bits of the Venezuelan national anthem. One passage calls for the cellist to play the same note on two strings, creating an eerie sound.”

The collaboration between Cook and Amaya began in summer 2012. “After hearing two of his shorter pieces, I contacted him to see if he would be interested in writing a cello concerto. I was thrilled when we were awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. It has been inspiring to be a part of the creation of a new piece.”

Amaya was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and holds degrees in piano and composition from Indiana University. “At the time Kim contacted me, I was concerned with the socio-political turmoil that surrounds Venezuela. Its fate and the fight of the people were in the forefront of my thoughts. I saw this piece as a wonderful opportunity to give voice to this historical struggle.”

Amaya titled the piece Un Camino (A Path), in reference to the catchphrase of the Venezuelan opposition. “Hay un camino” (“There is a path”) served as the rallying cry for Venezuelans to unite as a nation and create their own way to heal their country.

Performance


Richard Kennedy appeared as tenor soloist in the Bach Magnificat in Baltimore, Maryland. He also traveled to Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio to present a session on entrepreneurship for the Credo Oberlin Chamber Music Program.

Musical theatre voice professor Mary Saunders’ voice pedagogy program “Bel Canto Can Belto” was featured in an article in the March 2014 issue of Classical Singer magazine. Along with colleagues on the Penn State voice faculty, she provides workshops throughout the country regarding the similarities and differences between classical and music theatre voice pedagogy. Saunders served as master teacher of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) intern program at Ohio State University, and presented masterclasses at Montclair State University (New Jersey), the University of Utah, and Brigham Young University. She also served as an adjudicator and masterclass presenter for the Wisconsin chapter of NATS.

Norman Spivey served as adjudicator and presented masterclasses at the University of Alaska in Anchorage, Alaska. As part of “The Three Baritones” (with Ted Christopher, Raymond Sage, and pianist Anthony Leach), he performed a concert at Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory in Berea, Ohio. Spivey was inducted as president of the National Association of Teachers of Singing in summer 2014.

Jennifer Trost presented a masterclass and performed at Albion College in Albion, Michigan. In addition, with collaborator Martina Kolb of the Penn State Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, she presented a session titled “The Mignon-Complex: Variations on a Lyrical Theme” at a conference of the Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) held in Harrisburg.

Strings and Piano

Violist Timothy Deighton presented the William Primrose Memorial Concert at Brigham Young University in January 2014, home of the Primrose International Viola Archive. This prestigious solo recital honors the legendary violist William Primrose and has featured many of the most famous violists in the world. He also performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in concerts at Carnegie Hall and at Western Michigan University.

Pianist Christopher Guzman performed at Lincoln Center as orchestral pianist with the New York Philharmonic during the summer 2014 season. He also participated in guest artist residencies in Texas and Maryland.

Violinist James Lyon served as a teacher and performed at the Wintergreen Festival and Academy in Wintergreen, Virginia. With collaborator Clara Lyon, he presented “Mindful Repetitions: Balancing the Need for Stimulation and Reiteration in Practice and Rehearsal” at the American String Teachers Association national convention in Louisville, Kentucky.

Double bass professor Robert Nairn presented a solo recital and masterclass at the International Society of Bassists convention in the Netherlands. In addition, he performed in Texas, Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia. His performances included the world or national premieres of five new works. Nairn’s CD of contemporary American viola/bass duos was released in March 2014, and his CD of Australian works for double bass was released in summer 2014. In addition, Nairn is a member of the Australian World Orchestra, whose Deutsche Grammaphone recording of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Mahler’s First Symphony, conducted by Zubin Mehta, was released in

September 2013. Nairn continues his busy performance schedule with the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston and with the National Cathedral Baroque Orchestra at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

Timothy Shafer performed and presented piano masterclasses at the Gilmore Festival Keysfest in Kalamazoo, Michigan; at the Philadelphia Area Piano Teachers in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania; and at Albion College (Michigan).

Recently retired piano professor Steven Smith presented a full recital in Fort Worth, Texas, at the national meeting of the American Matthay Association for Pianists. He serves as president of the Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association.

Violinist Max Zorin performed as a soloist with the Saint Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra and performed a solo recital at Saint Petersburg Conservatory as part of the Silver Lyre Music Festival in Saint Petersburg, Russia. With faculty collaborator Christopher Guzman, he also played a recital at the Wildflower Music Festival in White Mills, Pennsylvania.

Woodwinds

Clarinet professor Anthony J. Costa and saxophone professor David Stambler played a half-recital at the 2013 International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest, occurring in Assisi, Italy. The recital included a new composition for the duo written by David Stambler. In addition, Costa performed with the Prestige Clarinet Quartet at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, and at the 2014 International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Daryl Durran presented bassoon masterclasses at Lawrence Conservatory (Wisconsin), the


University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ball State University, Ohio State University, Capital University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Flutist Naomi Seidman was named the winner of the 2013 National Flute Association’s “Convention Performers Competition.” She performed in a concert of newly published music at the association’s annual convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. In addition to her solo performance, the Flute Choir under her direction also performed at the convention, featuring a composition by music technology professor Mark Ballora. Seidman presented masterclasses at Ball State University, Kutztown University, and at the MidSouth Flute Society Festival in Tennessee. She performed in Chicago at the 2014 National Flute Association conference, and at the Santa Barbara Flute Summit (California).

David Stambler was an invited soloist at the North American Saxophone Alliance biennial conference at the University of Illinois. His saxophone ensemble, Capitol Quartet, was a guest ensemble at the conference. The ensemble also performed at the Yamaha Prestige Concert at the Festival des Harmonies et Orchestres Symphoniques du Quebec, the University of Memphis, University of Arizona, Michigan State University, Brevard Music Center, the Musical Instrument Museum in Tucson, Arizona, and with the Rockford, Illinois Symphony Orchestra.

The Pennsylvania Quintet (with Robyn Dixon Costa, English horn) performed by invitation for the International Double Reed Society’s conference at New York University’s Steinhardt School. In addition, the quintet

presented clinics and performed in Johnstown and Meyersdale, and in the Pittsburgh area at Quaker Valley High School, Plum Area High School, and Bethel Park High School.

Conducting

Lynn Drafall was named the 2013 recipient of the American Choral Directors Association’s Elaine Brown Award. It was presented to her by Penn State Professor Emeritus D. Douglas Miller during the organization’s annual fall conference at Millersville University. The award honors individuals for outstanding lifelong work in the choral arts. In addition, the Oriana Singers, conducted by Drafall, performed a concert in Bedford, Pennsylvania, sponsored by the Bedford Consort.

Gerardo Edelstein was guest conductor and gave masterclasses at the Conservatory of Music of the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul. In spring 2014, he conducted the Philharmonic Orchestra in Hershey, Pennsylvania, during a day of clinics followed by an evening concert. He continues as the artistic director and conductor of the Williamsport Symphony.

Dennis Glocke conducted the Wisconsin School Music Association All-State Honors Band in Madison, Wisconsin, and the Susequehanna Valley Honor Band in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. In addition, he presented a session at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association conference.

Jayne Glocke presented “It’s About the Music: Literature, Literacy, Lighting the Fire” with collaborators Dennis Glocke and Christopher Kiver at the Pennsylvania Music Educators

Association conference in spring 2014.

Christopher Kiver was appointed the national Repertoire and Standards Chair for Men’s Choirs by the American Choral Directors Association. He conducted the Glee Club in invited performances at the Intercollegiate Men’s Choruses, Inc. national conference at Rutgers University and the American Choral Directors Association’s Eastern Division conference in Baltimore, Maryland. Kiver conducted the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association’s Region 6 high school choir and served as an adjudicator at Seneca Valley High School in New Harmony, Pennsylvania. He also presented a conducting masterclass at the fall conference of the American Choral Directors Association’s Pennsylvania Chapter, held at Millersville University, and a session at the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association conference.

Anthony Leach presented two sessions at the International Federation of Choral Music’s biennial conference in Seoul, South Korea. The sessions, “The African American Spiritual: Alive and Well at Penn State,” included members of the Essence of Joy Alumni Singers and Essence2. He was a featured headliner at the American Choral Directors Association North Central Division conference in Des Moines, Iowa, and Essence of Joy performed at the American Choral Directors Association Eastern Division conference in Baltimore, Maryland. Guest conducting engagements included the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District IV high school chorus and a residency at Rhode Island College in Providence, Rhode Island.

Performance



John Carpenter (B.A. Piano) was chosen as one of eight singers to join the young artist program at the Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera) in Munich, Germany, in fall 2014. Called the Opera Studio, the Bavarian State Opera young artist program prepares highly talented young singers for international careers.

Euphonium major Luke Gall competed in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artist Competition held in Chicago, Illinois. Luke earned this honor after winning both the state and eastern division MTNA competitions.

Pianist John Livingston represented the school as the 2014 commencement marshal. He was accompanied by faculty marshal Christopher Kiver.

Voice student Jamie Rapaport won the preliminary round (University Division - Classical) of the Classical Singer Vocal Competition, and went

On CampusUndergraduateStudent Accomplishments

Penn State Opera Theatre, in collaboration with the State Theatre, presented The

Pirates of Penzance on April 4–5. Casting a fun-filled lot of multigenerational pirates and damsels, which included

Penn State students, faculty, and members of the community.

The Symphonic Wind Ensemble hosted the Michigan State University Wind Symphony on February 19 in an evening of American music written for wind instruments. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble performed a program of music inspired by Manhattan, repertoire that it presented at the President’s Concert at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center. The MSU Wind Symphony presented John Corigliano’s Circus Maximus in honor of the composition’s tenth anniversary. Top: Penn State / Bottom: Michigan State

on to compete at the national round held in San Antonio, Texas. Jamie also received a fellowship with the Ohio Light Opera’s Young Artist Program for the summer 2014 season.

Soprano Lisa Rogali appeared as a choir member and soprano soloist in Eric Whitacre’s virtual choir project, “Virtual Choir 4: Fly to Paradise.” She was chosen from 8,409 video

submissions representing 101 countries.

Clarinetist Eddie Sundra participated in the Aspen Music Festival during the summer 2014 season. He performed in orchestra concerts, played in chamber ensembles, and studied clarinet with Los Angeles Philharmonic clarinetist Burt Hara and Toronto Symphony member Joaquin Valdepenas.

Big Ten Band Collaboration

Pirates of Penzance

The Philharmonic Orchestra performed Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 on April 28. Complete

with Mahler’s “hammer of fate” specially constructed for this concert, the performance

was held in Eisenhower Auditorium. Pictured is graduate percussionist Jaren Angud.

GraduateStudent Accomplishments

The annual showcase concert, “Mosaic,” took place on December 8, featuring large and small ensembles as well as the school’s most outstanding soloists. The Marching Blue Band concluded the 2013 performance.

On April 4–5, the Penn State Jazz Festival hosted legendary trombonist Slide Hampton, saxophonist Antonio Hart, pianist Jeff Kunkel, and drummer Marko Marcinko in aseries of masterclasses and two all-star big band performances.

Mezzo-soprano Corie Auger participated in a livestream with Grammy Award-winning composer William Bolcom and singer Joan Morris. Bolcom and Morris provided feedback to three singers (chosen from a national pool) who had previously submitted videos of themselves performing Bolcom compositions.

Flutist Laura Clapper (”12) was named the winner of the National Flute Association’s masterclass competition. She performed at the association’s annual conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Orchestral conducting student Benjamin Firer served as the assistant conductor of the Orchestre de la Francophonie in Montreal, Canada, during its summer 2014 season.

Ph.D. candidate Lindsay Fulcher served as guest conductor of the 2014 Keystone Strings Fest. Middle school string players from several local counties participated.

Anne-Marie Hildebrandt, a Ph.D. candidate, was named the collegiate

winner of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association’s 2014 Composition Program. Her winning composition was premiered at the organization’s annual in-service conference.

Trumpet student John Maurer was named a semi-finalist in the 2014 National Trumpet Competition.

Lindsay McGinnis was one of six singers selected from five universities to sing at a

masterclass presented by Wagnerian tenor Robert Brubaker. Sponsored by OperaLancaster, the masterclass took place on the campus of Millersville University in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Daniel J. Shevock, a Ph.D. candidate in music education, presented his research at the conference of the Society for Music Education in Ireland in Dublin, Ireland. His research explores the perceptions of successful improvisation teachers and how those perceptions influence their teaching.


MOSAIC DECEMBER 9, 20144:00 p.m. Eisenhower Auditorium • 1-800-ARTS-TIX


New Faculty & Staff

Stephen Bumbarger joined the School of Music family in March 2014, serving as staff assistant to the director. Steve started at Penn State in fall 1990, and began full-time employment in November 1997, working in the College of Agricultural Sciences’ Department of Agronomy. When not busy with his numerous tasks at work, he enjoys landscaping, hiking, and vacationing at the beach.

The School of Music is pleased to welcome two new faculty members, José Ramón Méndez and Jonathan Gangi, and two new staff members, Stephen Bumbarger and Christopher Wahlmark, to our ranks.

José Ramón Méndez joined the piano faculty in fall 2014. Méndez received his first music instruction from his father, and by the age of 7 was performing on Spanish television and radio stations. He first gained international recognition when he performed Liszt’s first piano concerto under the direction of Sergiu Commissiona at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Since then, he has concertized extensively

in his native Spain, the United States, Italy, England, Portugal, Holland, and Japan.

Méndez came to the United States at age 18, where he began his studies with Solomon Mikowsky at the Manhattan School of Music. He completed his D.M.A. degree there under the tutelage of legendary pianist Byron Janis. While a student, he won top prizes in the Pilar Bayona International Piano Competition, the Hilton Head Island International Piano Competition, the Frederick Chopin Competition in New York, and the Hermanos Guerrero International Piano Competition.

As a chamber musician, Méndez has collaborated with such distinguished artists as Karl Leister, Itzhak Perlman, Michael Tree, and Pinchas Zukerman. He previously held faculty positions at the University of Texas at Austin and at New York University’s Steinhardt School. During the summers, Méndez serves as executive director of the Stony Brook International Piano Festival and co-director of the Gijon International Piano Festival in Gijon, Spain.

Jonathan J. Gangi was appointed the College of Arts and Architecture’s inaugural Professor in Arts Entrepreneurship with rank of assistant professor, effective August 2014. He works with academic faculty across the college to develop new courses and programs that focus on the business of the arts, arts entrepreneurship, and innovation. He also teaches courses and provides guidance and assistance to academic units in developing, implementing, and coordinating college-wide internship and mentoring programs. An affiliate faculty member in the School of Music, he offers instruction in classical guitar.

Gangi holds bachelor and master of music degrees in classical guitar performance from the University of Akron, and a D.M.A. degree in classical guitar from the University of South Carolina (2014). He previously served as a lecturer in arts entrepreneurship at North Carolina State University. He is a founding member of the Arts Entrepreneurship Academic Society, and is also a member of the College Music Society’s Committee on Music Entrepreneurship Education. He has performed on South Carolina public radio and on National Public Radio’s The Front Row, among other performances.

Gangi is a member of the Association of Arts Administration Educators, United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, International Council for Small Business, College Music Society, and Guitar Foundation of America.

Chris Wahlmark joined the School of Music staff in August 2013 in a new position titled Digital Media Coordinator. His primary responsibilities include livestreaming major ensemble performances and administering and editing the video content posted on the school’s YouTube channel. Chris is a graduate of Allegheny College and Penn State.


Long time staff assistant Kathy Walker retired from the school in March 2014. She was a staff member in the School of Music for 26 years (and 34 years at Penn State). Kathy served as assistant to the director, handling all budget and scholarship paperwork, maintaining the director’s schedule, coordinating all financial and human resource transactions, and overseeing the administrative workflow for the

school. She provided administrative assistance for promotion and tenure files and assisted with development activities and all faculty searches in the school. Previously, she served the school as the scheduling and program staff assistant.

She was a two-time recipient of the College of Arts and Architecture’s Staff Award for Outstanding Service. Anyone who received a scholarship, graduate assistantship, reimbursement for professional expenses, or honoraria from the school knew Kathy and admired her for her easy-going manner and her attention to the myriad of details that her work entailed.

“The ‘other duties as assigned’ part of her job was what made her so amazing,” said Sue Haug. “One of the realities of current University life is that new responsibilities are frequently passed down to the units. I was constantly impressed with how Kathy seamlessly added each new duty into her workload.”

When Kathy made the decision to retire, Haug laughingly (and nervously) recalled a faculty comment submitted for a staff review. “Quite simply, I think Kathy is irreplaceable and I wonder how the School of Music would function if she should decide to leave!” Other faculty members have said equally positive things about her. “She is a saint!” “Her job knowledge is exemplary.” “She appears unflappable; is always calm, patient, and thorough; and has great integrity.”

We are learning to carry on without Kathy, but miss her and are grateful for her years of exemplary service. Although she admitted that she will miss the daily interaction with administrators, staff, faculty, and students, she looks forward to spending more time on her crafting projects and being with her family. “I can’t wait to spend more time with my grandson—and I’ll get to spend more time at the beach!”

TransitionsIn April, the school bid farewell to piano faculty member Steven Smith, who retired at the end of the 2013–14 school year. Smith’s distinguished 42-year career as a faculty member and performer was capped off during his final year with a solo recital in September featuring

the Schubert A Major Sonata, D.959; a performance of the Brahms second piano concerto with the Philharmonic Orchestra in October; and a chamber music recital in February with faculty collaborators James Lyon, Kim Cook, and Anthony Costa. The recital featured the Beethoven “Ghost Trio” and Olivier Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time.”

Smith was honored in 2005 with the College of Arts and Architecture’s Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching. His students have won significant national awards, including the Fulbright Scholarship and the Clara Wells Competition of the Matthay Association. In competitions of the Music Teachers National Association, four of his Penn State piano students were national semifinalists. He was also the driving force behind the addition of the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance to the school’s graduate programs. Smith’s performance cycle of all the Beethoven piano solo masterworks was a remarkable climax of a long and distinguished career. “His Beethoven series was a tour de force and a great gift to the community,” said Sue Haug at his retirement reception.

Although Smith has retired from Penn State, he will continue to lead an active professional life. In June 2014, he presented a full recital at the national meeting of the American Matthay Association for Pianists. He will remain busy as president of the Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association, and he also plans to finish editing and to release his recordings of the Beethoven cycle. When his wife, Teri, was asked what her husband planned to do in his retirement, she shook her head and said with a smile, “all he wants to do is practice!”


Joanne E. AllerChristina E. AndraeLeonard W. and Mary Ella AndrukonisDan C. and Eleanor D. ArmstrongShannon J. ArnoldJanet AtwoodChristine W. AyoubMary-Ellen BakerMark BalloraAlexis and Martha B. BarronKeith E. BarryClifford P. BastuscheckEdna M. BeachShirley BerlindLeonid and Diana BerlyandDavid E. and Susan C. BeyerleDennis L. and Jean K. BloomSusan D. BoardmanFredric M. and Judy S. BombackCheryl BongivengoGary A. and Lisa J. BontragerRuth Silberkraus BrodyPhilip C. BugaiskiO. Richard and Christine Lee BundyJohn G. and Jane T. BuzzellJerry R. and Roberta Bronder CampbellCentral PA Convention & Visitors BureauDavid E. Chavez and Melissa J. Baker ChavezHelen Baily CochraneJohn C. Collins and Mary BrownCommunity Foundation for the AllegheniesCommunity Foundation of Frederick County, MD, Inc.Peter J. Heaney and Kim D. CookMarian U. Barash CoppersmithDavid F. and Debra CreeRobert A. CutiettaPaul H. and Irene Lipschitz CutlerPeter and Barbara R. D’AmicoLonny and Michele L. DashDonald R. DavisHoward B. Palmer and Charlotte B. de LissovoyElvin D. and Lois Geist DeppWilliam M. and Bette L. DettererJohn and Connie B. DiNunzioEbenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, GADavid M. and Shannon M. EngleRichard F. and Nancy L. ErdleyElizabeth C. EsberMichelle Denise EvansEugene W. FeldmanRobert E. and Marcy G. FenzaWilliam Ferguson and Jill Iannuzzi FergusonEmily H. FillingBarry W. and Patti FisherHeather F. FleckF. Glenn FlemingGregory and Julie Anne FlorinAlesia S. FordRaymond T. FortunatoFoxdale Residents AssociationRobert J. and Mary Kyle FranceschiniEstelle FranklRosalinda C. FranzuelaRonald H. Frear

OvationsDonors to the School of Music from July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014

Peg and Joe FrenchRichard L. FrerichsBlake D. and Linda J. GallNancy Saylor GambleDoris J. GazdaAlison M. GeeseyMichael R. and Meghan E. GillespieJohn and Allis D. GillmorMatthew C. and Meghan Preston GlennRichard A. and Donna S. GoodlingGrace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Camp Hill, PAEarl K. and Susan S. GrahamRoy J. GreenfieldCatherine Park GreenhamAnthony L. and Carol M. GrilloJoachim and Lisa Stuckey GrimmDonald L. and Barbara Kulp GrossJohn B. and Victoria Ann HaberlenNathaniel S. Hafer and Michelle MondouxMichael B. and Elizabeth I. HallGordon A. and Falene E. HamiltonPatrick Kolivoski and Elizabeth HanleyEugene S. and Lois E. HarshSue HaugFred R. and Margaret HauptmanWilliam G. and Margaret Shobert HayesPeter T. and Laura S. HenningsTom and Ann HettmanspergerCarl E. HillMarcus L. and Ruth E. HodgeClarence C. Hodges, Jr.Hollidaysburg Area Music Parents AssociationHoly Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Pittsburgh, PADonald E. and Mildred B. HopkinsStephen and Lisa HopkinsRobert A. and Diane Walmer HorlacherJulie HorneyRichard A. and Eleanor K. HorstCurtis E. and Emma J. HortonJames T. and Jamie M. HunkeleKent S. HuntzingerTimothy and Leigh HurtzCarla K. HuttonHymowitz Family FoundationCraig A. and Cynthia S. JackmanAustin J. and Lynn L. JaffeBill and Honey JaffeJohn D. and M. Antoinette JanetkaJames R. and Anne JennessRobert Arthur and Carol Jean JohnsonJ. Alfred and Avis G. JonesMalcolm C. and Carol E. JusticeCharles J. and Janet KacsurJovonna KegleyJames J. and Judith P. KellyPeter T. and Julia M. KieferTodd and Liz KingJames R. and Barbara O. KornerJohn A. and Nancy KoshakPaul and Joy E. LairdR. Nathan and Iris Boyer LandefeldEdwin E. and Jo E. Lash

Anthony T. LeachBarbara Marvin LeeEileen W. LeibowitzJanet E. LerewMichael A. and Priscilla B. LeshnerBarbara E. LewisElinor C. LewisClara L. LiGlenn S. and Elizabeth Kuehnle LinskyJane M. LinskyHerbert H. and Trudy E. LipowskyNelson S. and Brenda Ward LoftusJoseph L. and Lucy C. LoomisSean A. LorsonHelen B. LoveLuzerne County BandSally Shank LyonsGerald D. and Sally S. MahanHelen A. ManfullMargot Music Fund Inc.Ernestine S. MartinJames S. and Cynthia Palladino MaundSheryl J. MayJohn W. McCarthyMark D. and Mary Gitschier McCarthyRichard A. and Sally F. McDonaldJudith McDade McDuffRebecca A. McKeeLyle MerrimanD. Douglas and Grace A. MillerP. June MillerMichele L. MorrealeRalph R. MorrisMount Holiness Temple of the Pentacostal Faith, Inc.Mount Nittany Medical CenterHarry W. and Julia F. MumfordEdward MurrayCharles H. and Constance C. NagineyMatthew J. NeffVincent J. and Janet Pello NelsonMatthew D. O’BrienDorothy B. O’ConnorHarold C. and Nancy M. O’ConnorHiroshi and Yasuko Koya OhmotoR. Lee and Grace OrmstonOtterbein United Methodist Church, Carlisle, PAPieter W. and Lida OuwehandH. Raymond and Joan McKinley PageShirley J. PalermoBarbara R. PalmerRobert and Ruth PalmerRobert L. PassowPeak Performance Services, Inc.Jorge A. PenaPennsylvania Music Educators AssociationStephen R. PhelpsPresser FoundationWilliam RabinowitzElwood C. and Anne B. ReedJohn W. Reitmeyer and Carol J. FoggRonald R. and Coleen G. RenshawDavid N. and Mary S. RichardsPaul H. and Dorothy Sall Rigby*Mary Jean RimbachKaren A. RineardBarbara A. RobertsChristopher H. and Dorothea P. RobertsWilliam A. and Cynthia A. RussellArthur S. Dervaes and Joanne RutkowskiShirley SacksDaniel D. and Ludmila Khalatian SahakianMadineh SarvestaniCynthia S. Schein

Gary F. and Christina SchellSteven and Eleanor SchiffTheron A. and Andrea N. SchnureKenneth E. SchoenerBill ScottSecond Presbyterian Church, Carlisle, PAJes-James SellersMarjorie D. SewardMichael C. and Janice Krauss ShapiroJack W. and Shirley D. SharerScott R. and Amy SheehanRobert R. and Emma Boyer ShockTobin L. and Pamela F. ShortJames P. and Anne Adams ShuteMatthew P. and Nicolle SisiaDaniel L. and Margaret P. SmithDebora Malsatzki SmithErin C. SmithJames L. and Janet Devine SmithJosephine SmithSteven H. and Theresa Vincent SmithChristen L. SnyderAllan K. SpearEugene W. SpragueSt. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Charleston, SCSt. Paul’s United Methodist Church, State College, PASt. Stephen Lutheran Church, Longwood, FLMartin S. and Gloria StabbJohn H. and Carol Wood StansfieldPamela Vancko StenDavid P. StoneRonald C. and Leslie F. StottAmy StrouseJohn T. Struck and Thomas A. WhitleyEdith Jean SuloffFrederick C. SurrMatthew B. SwopeViola Lindsey SwopeThomas and ThomasJane Monroe ThomasDouglas Meyer and Patricia T. ThorntonTrinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Delray Beach, FLTrinity School of Durham & Chapel HillAlfred A. TrioloGeorge and Debra K. TrudeauSusan C. TurnerKevin J. and Alicia M. TuttPaul C. and Laurie Stoner VarleyJames A. and Katherine Harris VillaniRay S. WalkerGlenn E. and Lynda K. WarnakaHelen Billett WarrenMark A. WeaverSteven M. and Nancy E. WeinrebWestminster CollegeKerry A. WhitelockKent L. and Cami S. WibleDorothy Blanchard WigginsRichard K. and Kathleen M. WilhelmMark L. and Pamela J. WilliamsWindworksRobert C. and Jean C. WirthRobert and Judith R. WiserBrent S. and Ruth WissickJacob S. WomackGeorge V. and Nina WoskobEileen YarrisonRonald C. and Dorothy Hughes YoungArian and Patricia Ann ZarkowerMary Ann Zook

*deceased


Cook and Alumni Reunite in CroatiaOn the shores of the Adriatic Sea, the Croatian city of Split is an ancient port in the Dalmatia region. The second-largest city in Croatia and a popular tourist destination, Split is home to the University of Split (established 1974), as well as the birthplace of Croatia’s most famous composer, Josip Hatze. It is also the hometown of School of Music alumnus Mihovil Karuza.

Cellist Kim Cook embarked on a ten-day trip to Split in May 2014, where she was hosted by Karuza (‘05 M.M. cello) and Hillary Vaden Karuza (‘05 M.M. cello) for a series of performances and masterclasses in the cities of Split and Omis. Mihovil and Hillary met during their master’s degree programs at Penn State. After graduation, they married before returning to Split, where Mihovil serves as professor of cello at the university and Hillary teaches cello at the Josip Hatze School of

Music. Both alums are active performers as soloists and ensemble members.

During her visit, Cook performed Haydn’s C Major Cello Concerto with the Split Virtuosi, a professional chamber orchestra, at a church in Omis and at the Croatian National Theater in Split. “It was a thrill to play in the beautiful setting and acoustics of the concert hall of the National Theater.”

Cook was thrilled to see her former students and to witness first-hand the successes they are experiencing in Croatia. “I was so impressed by the high level of Miho’s students and by their passionate commitment to studying cello. Penn State music alums are all over the world and doing wonderful things!”

Reunion

The 2013–14 Penn State Glee Club was joined by over 100 alumni singers in a rousing celebration of the Glee Club’s glorious 125-year history on April 26. The program featured Randall Thompson’s The Testament of Freedom with the Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Former Glee Club conductors Bruce Trinkley and D. Douglas Miller joined current conductor Christopher Kiver on the stage.

251 Anniversaryth


AlumniJeffrey Kunkel (‘82 B.S., ‘95 D.Ed.) has released a CD titled Meu Coração Brasileiro. Jeff serves as the coordinator

of jazz studies at Montclair State University (New Jersey). He is the School of Music’s representative on the College of Arts and Architecture Alumni Society Board.

Catherine Laverick DeFelice (‘90 B.S.) received her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Delaware in May 2014. She is employed as a reading specialist in Wilmington, Delaware.

Conducted by Larry Doran (‘90 B.S.), the Symphonic Band of Midlothian High School (Texas) has been accepted as a performing ensemble at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Conference in December 2014.

Kevin Tutt (‘93 B.S., ‘99 M.M. Conducting, ‘02 Ph.D.) was promoted to full professor at Grand Valley State University

(Allendale, Michigan). He serves as the assistant chair of the Department of Music and Dance, and conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble.

Don Cramer (‘95 B.S.) has been named executive director of the Susquehanna Chorale, a 35-voice auditioned choir in central Pennsylvania. He has also accepted a lecturer position with the Penn State School of Labor and Employment Relations, where he will teach a course in human resource ethics through the World Campus. He currently resides in Mechanicsburg.

Alex E. Hill (‘97 M.M. Conducting) conducted the world premiere of his original choral motet Notas mihi fecisti vias vitae at a principal Mass in the Papal Basilica of St. Peter in Rome in November 2013. Alex is the director of music and liturgy at St. Mark Catholic Church in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Ivan Hodge (‘98 B.M.) was a featured violinist on the PBS special, A Capitol Fourth, performing with recent American Idol winner, Phillip Phillips. Hodge is an elementary string teacher in Prince William County, Virginia, and a freelance violinist in the Washington, D.C. area. As a resident of the Washington D.C. area, Ivan performs with the Washington Concert Opera, the Cathedral Choral Society, the City Choir of Washington, Choralis, and the Heritage Signature Chorale. He resides in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife, Julia.

Andrew Loftus (‘97 B.S.) serves as assistant principal of Hunters Woods Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences in Reston, Virginia.

Eric Sanders (‘95 B.S.) and his percussion student, Jason Barnes, were featured at the Atlanta Science Festival, in the New York Times, and on NBC News for the development of a prosthetic drumming arm for Jason. The prosthesis was designed by Eric and Gil Weinberg (Georgia Tech). Eric teaches Jason at the Atlanta Institute of Music and Media.

Matthew Bramucci (‘00 B.S.) received his D.Ed. in Educational Administration-School System Administration from Widener University. He serves the Cheltenham Township School District (Pennsylvania) as director of continuous improvement processes.

Matthew Russell (‘01 B.S., ‘05 M.M. Conducting) received his D.M.A. in choral conducting from Ohio State University in May 2013. He currently resides in Columbus, Ohio.

Zachary Cairns (‘00 B.S., ‘03 M.A. Theory) conducted the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) Wind Ensemble in the world premiere of his composition Refracted Moonlight in March 2014. Zach is an assistant professor of music theory. He is married to fellow Penn State School of Musc alum Whitney Simpson Cairns (‘02 B.S.), who also teaches at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Kimberly Burkhard Doucette (‘01 B.S., B.M. Voice) is the artistic director of the Wilmington Children’s Chorus, and Philip Doucette (‘99 M.M. Voice) serves as manager of operations and associate director. The Wilmington Children’s Chorus celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2012.

Brian Fronzaglia (‘02 B.S.) has been named music department chair at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri. He is currently pursuing a D.M.A. degree in percussion at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Brian J. Winnie (‘04 B.S.) has been named director of choral activities at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas. In February 2014, he received his D.M.A. degree in choral conducting from the University of Washington.

1980s

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Dionne Smith (‘05 M.M. Cello) received a National Artist Teacher Fellowship to enrich and expand the chamber orchestra offerings at the Governor’s School of the Arts in Norfolk, Virginia. The fellowship included opportunities to observe the non-conducted Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in rehearsal and to bring members of the orchestra to work with the school’s students. Dionne has taught at Governor’s School for eight years.

Aaron Tindall (‘06 B.M.) released his second solo CD in January 2014. Titled This is My House, the CD received two

Global Music Awards for “ i n s t r u m e n t a l soloist” and “ c r e a t i v i t y /originality.” He is an assistant professor of tuba and euphonium at Ithaca College.

Nathan Reed (’07 B.S.) serves as the director of Christian education and curriculum at McLean Bible Church (MBC), a multi-campus megachurch in the Washington, D.C. metro area. He and his wife live in Arlington, Virginia.

Erik Jester (‘05 B.M., ’08 M.M. Trombone, ‘08 M.M. Conducting) is the director of bands at California State University-San Bernardino. He also serves as the low brass instructor. Erik is completing doctoral studies in wind conducting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jacob Womack (’09 M.M. Piano Pedagogy and Performance) received his D.M.A. degree in piano performance from West Virginia University. He serves as director of music at the School of Harmony in Beaver, West Virginia.

Danielle Gaudry (‘09 M.M. Conducting) is the director of bands at California State University-East Bay. She received her D.M.A. degree in wind

conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 2013.

Chanell Crichlow (‘10 M.M. Tuba) and her ensemble, PitchBlak Brass Band, were featured in the February 2014 issue of Downbeat magazine in an article titled “Getting Deep and Breaking Rules” by Jennifer O’Dell.

Caroline Harris Steiger (‘12 M.M. Horn) has completed a full-time sabbatical replacement teaching position in horn at the State University of New York-Potsdam. She returned to the University of Michigan in fall 2014 to complete her D.M.A. in horn performance.

Lauren Kooistra (‘13 Ph.D.) is the assistant director of the Penn State Institute for the Arts and Humanities.

Julia Wolcott (‘13 B.M.) was named a finalist in the National Opera A s soc i at i o n’s Caroline and Dominick Argento Vocal Competition held in January 2014 in New York City.

Maria Arrua (‘13 M.M. Violin) participated in Project Inclusion during the summer 2014 season of the Grant Park Orchestra (Chicago). Project Inclusion is a partnership with the Chicago Sinfonietta that aims to increase diversity among orchestra ensembles.

2010s

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ALUMNI PROGRAM GROUP BOARD OF DIRECTORS

C. Jay Hertzog ’68Jamey Kelley ’06

Michael Ketner ’93William Neil ’66

Carol Nelson ’08 (president)Molly Weaver ’80

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Brent Wissick (‘78 M.M.) received the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture Alumni Award in April 2014. Wissick studied with former cello faculty member Leonard Feldman while earning his master’s degree.

As part of his visit to campus, Wissick gave a presentation to students and faculty titled “Death in Moscow: Britten’s Third Cello Suite, Rostropovich, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky and the opera ‘Death in Venice.’” In addition, he reconnected with former teachers who returned to campus and joined him for the award ceremony. He was also interviewed for the college video archive regarding his Penn State experiences.

When asked to reflect about his time at Penn State, Wissick responded: “It was a chance to keep growing and have professional opportunities that I had a sense would make a difference in my career. My career has gone in all the directions I had wildly hoped it would, and I credit Penn State with a lot of that. The two years that I was here let me explore the kinds of things that I was interested in, and that I still use all the time in my professional life. The people here encouraged

me to do that and gave me lots of opportunities. So many things I did here became the tools that gave me my professional life—things that I’m using 30-something years later all the time.”

Wissick is professor of music at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where he has taught cello, viola da gamba, and chamber music since 1982 and chair of the string area. In addition to his studio teaching, he conducts the Cello Choir, Viol Consort, and Baroque Ensemble. He also teaches classes in historical performance practice and string methods for music education students, as well as a first-year seminar in the physics of music. Wissick is a member of Ensemble Chanterelle and principal cellist of the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra.

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