text:
Dean, Frost School of Music
Patricia L. Frost Professor of Music
Shelton G. Berg is Dean and Patricia L. Frost Professor of Music at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he leads a dynamic faculty and teaches outstanding students. He was previously the McCoy/Sample Professor of Jazz Studies at USC Thornton School of Music and a past president of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE). In 2000, the Los Angeles Times named him one of three "Educators for the Millennium." He is widely acclaimed for his energetic and innovative approaches to performance, composition, and pedagogy. He has performed and recorded with top music industry professionals and has orchestrated music for television, motion pictures and major orchestras. Berg has performed and lectured throughout the world and has numerous arrangements, compositions and texts in publication. The All Music Guide says "Shelly Berg is one of the finest pianists around in the early 21st century playing modern mainstream jazz." His CD, Blackbird (Concord) reached #1 in US jazz radio (Jazzweek, 2005). Recent recording and arranging projects include a solo CD The Nearness of You (Arbors), Arturo Sandoval's Latin Grammy winning A Time for Love (Concord) and several NPR radio broadcasts for Jim Cullum's Riverwalk Jazz series. He recorded "Rhapsody in Blue" and other Gershwin selections with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London which will be released soon. He was nominated for a 2015 Grammy Award in the "Best Arrangement Instrumental and Vocals" for his arrangement of "Be My Muse" on the Lorraine Feather album Flirting with Disaster; a 2014 Grammy Award in the category "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for his arrangement of "What a Wonderful World" on Gloria Estefan: The Standards (Sony Masterworks) and was also nominated for a Grammy as co-producer of Gloria Estefan: The Standards in the Best Traditional Pop Album category. He was a 2013 Grammy nominee in the category "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)" for his arrangement of "Out There" on Lorraine Feather's CD Tales of the Unusual.
Associate Dean, Administration, Professor of Professional Practice
Miami-born composer/pianist, Raul Murciano, Jr. is Associate Dean for Administration and Professor of Professional Practice at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He was formerly Media Writing and Production (MWP) program director where his leadership led to the development and implementation of the Commercial Music track in Composition. He also works closely with the Department of Musicology, through which he created and teaches courses that extol the rich diversity of Cuban music. Murciano earned Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Composition, all from the University of Miami. An award-winning writer and producer of music for television and film, Murciano's earliest successes came as a founding member and performer with Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine. During his 35-year professional career, he's created more than 700 commercial music cues for over 100 clients, served as musical director and performer throughout the United States, Europe, and Latin America, composed works for the concert stage, held interests in and managed three local recording studios, and enjoyed a four-year stint as radio host on WTMI's Music of the Americas. Murciano states, "The writing and production of commercial music merits the same level of rigor and craftsmanship afforded any other kind of music. The fact that the Media Writing and Production program resides under the umbrella of the Composition Department is a clear testament to the latter's inclusive philosophy and its unbiased embracing of this shared aesthetic notion."
Associate Dean, Graduate Studies, Professor, Music Therapy
Shannon de l'Etoile, Ph.D., is associate dean, Graduate Studies, and professor for the Music Therapy program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Dr. de l'Etoile is a board-certified music therapist and current member of both the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), and the Southeastern Region of the AMTA. She is recognized as a Fellow of the Robert F. Unkefer Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy, has served on the editorial review board for the Journal of Music Therapy and is currently on the editorial review board for Music Therapy Perspectives. Widely published, she earned both her bachelor and master's degrees in music therapy from Colorado State University. She received her doctorate in music education with an emphasis on music therapy from the University of Kansas and joined the Frost School of Music faculty in fall 2001. Prior to her current appointment, Dr. de l'Etoile taught music therapy at the University of Iowa and at Colorado State University. Her clinical background includes working with adults with mental illness, children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders, adults and children with developmental disabilities, and adults and children with neurologic disorders. She was previously a research associate for the internationally-recognized Center for Biomedical Research in Music in Fort Collins, Colorado where her research focused on exploring the ways that infants respond to infant-directed singing, and using infant-directed singing as a therapeutic intervention for at-risk mother-infant pairs.
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies, Professor of Practice
Steven Moore is the associate dean, Undergraduate Studies, and Professor of Practice at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He served previously as Chair of the Department of Music at the University of Central Missouri where he taught conducting, music education, and conducted the Symphonic Band. Moore is a strong advocate for music literacy and has developed nationally recognized programs of excellence at the secondary and collegiate level. He has served as Director of Bands at Colorado State University, Lafayette High School and Jessie Clark Middle School in Lexington, Kentucky, and Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Kentucky. Additionally he has served as the interim Director of Orchestras at UK, Conductor for the Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras, and Conductor for the CSU Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Moore is a member of the American Bandmasters Association. Under his direction, the Lafayette Band performed at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, received the Sudler Shield, appeared in the Macy's Parade, and was awarded 6 State Marching Band Championships. The Department of Education selected him as the Kentucky High School Teacher of the Year. Dr. Moore has a B.M.E. from the University of South Carolina and M.M. and D.M.A. in instrumental conducting from the University of Kentucky. The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) published his book, Play It From the Heart: What you learn from music about success in life.
Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, Associate Professor, Program Director, Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program
Rey Sanchez is associate dean for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, where he is an associate professor of music and also serves as the program director for the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program. He is the immediate past chair of the Department of Music Media & Industry at Frost. Rey Sanchez holds degrees in Composition and Studio Writing/Production from the University of Miami. Sanchez is a professional guitarist with an extensive list of credits and was the long-time musical director for Latin superstar Chayanne. He is a voting member of National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Rey Sanchez is actively involved in songwriting and record production, working with EMI Music Publishing, Sony BMG, Universal and others. He also authors educational guitar books for FJH Music Publishing.
Executive Director, Advancement; Associate Dean of Development
Holly Freyre is Executive Director for Advancement and Associate Dean for Development of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. She has been working with Shelly Berg, Dean of the Frost School, for the past four years to help further his vision for the School. Other positions held at the University of Miami include Director of Development for the Office of Estate and Gift Planning, Director of Development for Anesthesiology, Pain Management & Perioperative Medicine, and Co-Chair of University of Miami's United Way Campaign. Prior to her work at the University of Miami, Holly was a Vice President and Relationship Manager at major banking institutions where she specialized in corporate and international lending. She also has her real estate broker's license and experience in the insurance adjuster business. She is a very active volunteer in the South Florida community and has been a member of many state and local boards, including Beaux Arts. Currently, she is on the board of Young Patronesses of the Opera, a group dedicated to promoting opera education in South Florida and to supporting the Florida Grand Opera's educational programs. Holly earned her Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami and her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics from Boston College.
Director, Admissions and Recruitment
Karen Kerr is director of admission and recruitment at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Her office is responsible for graduate and undergraduate recruitment, admissions, and auditions for over 800 applicants annually to the Frost School. Kerr was named Director of Admission for the UM Frost School of Music in 2006. Since taking over the position she has streamlined several areas by moving to online reports and was a co-developer of an online database to track audition information. A strong supporter of academic standards, she has been instrumental in the significant increase of the academic profile for admitted undergraduate students since being appointed director. Karen serves on the Executive Committee of the Frost School and the UM unit Liaison Committee and is a current member of ICCAM, the Independent Consortium on College Admissions in Music, The College Music Society and the National Music Roundtable. Originally from Indiana, Kerr earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University Southeast where her principal instrument was piano. She has over 18 years of college admission experience. Prior to joining the Frost School she served on the admissions staff at The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance, and the admissions staff at Indiana University Southeast.
Director of Outreach, The Donna E. Shalala MusicReach Program
Dr. Melissa Lesniak received her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance and Business minor from Indiana University in Bloomington where she studied with Mimi Zweig. In 2005, she received her PhD in Music Education from the University of Miami, where she was a teaching assistant. Dr. Lesniak has presented sessions on string pedagogy at ASTA National Conferences and FMEA Conferences and has also had articles published in Florida Music Director, American String Teacher, Music Educator's Journal, and the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education. She has also participated in numerous music festivals, including the Henri Mancini Institute in Los Angeles, CA. She is a regular performer and studio violin/viola teacher in South Florida and is currently Past President of Florida American String Teachers Association. Dr. Lesniak has also served on cultural grant panels for the county and state cultural affairs departments, as well as The Children's Trust. In 2004, Dr. Lesniak joined the Greater Miami Youth Symphony (GMYS) as the Concert Orchestra conductor. In August 2005, she became the first Executive Director for GMYS after writing a successful grant for The Children's Trust to create free beginner instrument classes in different Miami-Dade locations. Under her artistic and administrative leadership, the organization grew from serving 100 students to 900 students, adding ensembles, summer camps, and a variety of other educational opportunities. During this time, the organization was recognized by county, state, and national cultural institutions for excellence in music education and the budget increased by 800% primarily due to successful grant writing by Dr. Lesniak. In August 2014, Dr. Lesniak become the Director of Outreach at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where she supervises The Donna E. Shalala MusicReach Program, The Community Education and Engagement Program at the Frost School of Music, which provides musical experiences for students throughout Miami–Dade. In her first five months of employment, the program received a one million dollar endowment from Phillip and Patricia Frost, enabling the expansion and development of the outreach program which serves underserved youth. Weekly mentoring, a diverse array of afterschool group music instruction, in-school support, sectionals, workshops, private lessons, and outreach performances at schools, hospitals, parks, and other community venues are provided free of charge to the community, serving hundreds of youth each week. Dr. Lesniak also provides grant, artistic, and other programmatic support and consulting to several non-profits in the Miami-Dade community, and recently completed Level 1 ORFF training.
Professor, Chair, Music Composition and Theory
Charles Mason, composer, is professor of music and chair of the Department of Theory and Composition at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He has received many awards for his compositions including the American Composers Orchestra "Playing it Unsafe" prize, the 2005 Rome Prize, the Premi Internacional de Composició Musical Ciutat de Tarragona Orchestra Music prize, and a National Endowment of the Arts Individual Artist Award. He was named 2009 Distinguished Alumnus by the Frost School of Music. His music has been performed worldwide including the FORO INTERNACIONAL DE MUSICA NUEVA in Mexico City, the Quirinale in Rome, the Aspen Summer Music Festival, and the Nuova Musica Consonante in Romani and broadcast over RAI radio throughout Italy and on NPR's "Performance Today." Dr. Mason has received commissions from many top ranked ensembles including American Composers Orchestra, DUO 46, Miami String Quartet, Gregg Smith Singers, Dale Warland Singers, Corona Guitar Kvartet, ONIX (Mexico), Luna Nova, bassist Robert Black, violinist Karen Bentley Pollick, New York Golliard Ensemble, and cellists Madeleine Shapiro, Craig Hultgren, and Jeffrey Solow to name a few. He completed his DMA and MM in composition at the University of Illinois and BM with honors from the University of Miami. In 2005 he was a composer in residence at the International Centre for Composers in Visby, Sweden and twice sponsored by the Seaside Institute as an "Escape To Create" composer-in-residence.
Program Director, Media Writing and Production; Assistant Professor of Professional Practice
Chris Boardman is the director of the Media Writing and Production Program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music and teaches Film Scoring and Advanced Music Editing. Beginning his career in the film, television and recording industries in 1974, Boardman has consistently worked at the top echelon of the entertainment industry receiving an Academy Award nomination for "The Color Purple", 6 Emmy Awards, 13 Emmy nominations, ASCAP and BMI awards and multiple platinum records for work with such iconic artists as Quincy Jones, David Foster, Steven Speilberg, Julie Andrews, Shirley MacLaine, Barbara Streisand, Marvin Hamlisch and Josh Groban. Well known in Hollywood circles a one of a handful of musicians who can literally write anything, Boardman's credits span both industry and genre. Whether it be conducting David Foster's "World Children's Day" for television, composing the 70's inspired score for Mel Gibson's Payback, arranging period dance music for Swing Kids and Meet Joe Black,orchestrating Chaplin for Broadway or releasing and producing solo recordings as an artist, Boardman embraces these challenges with characteristic integrity and passion making him one of the most uniquely versatile and highly respected musicians in the industry. He attended Weber State University and continued on to California State University Northridge, working simultaneously in Los Angeles recording studios. Always looking for new challenges, Boardman is the founder of a successful social media content strategy consulting business and is at the forefront of the fast moving online media space.
Assistant Professor, Theory and Composition
Juan Chattah is assistant professor of theory and composition at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He holds a M.M. and a Ph.D. in Music Theory and Composition from Florida State University, a B.M. in Piano Performance from the Utrecht Conservatorium (The Netherlands), and a Certificate of Music Education from the Conservatorio de Musica in Cordoba (Argentina). As theorist, his primary research interest concerns the application of models drawn from linguistics and critical theory to the analysis of film music. Recent research has been presented at the Music and the Moving Image (New York 2009), College Music Society (Portland 2009 / Salt Lake City 2007) and at other noted conferences. As composer, his music ranges from tangos to interactive electroacoustic music, to children songs for the radio drama series Stories in the Air broadcast internationally through Public Radio International. His concert music is highly influenced by archetypical gestures and moods of film music. As a pianist, he studied in The Netherlands under Herman Uhlhorn and David Kuyken, and participated in master classes with Michel Beroff, Ivan Moravec, and Paul Badura-Skoda. He performed extensively in Europe and Latin America, and his students have won numerous national and international competitions.
Associate Professor, Theory and Composition
Dorothy Hindman is an associate professor of composition in the Department of Theory and Composition at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Dr. Hindman's work is performed extensively in the U.S., and throughout Eastern and Western Europe. Critics have called her music "intense, gripping, and frenetic," "sonorous and affirmative," and "music of terrific romantic gesture." Awards and recognition include the 2005 Almquist Choral Composition Award, a 2004 Nancy Van de Vate International Composition Prize for Opera, a 2004 Winner of the International Society of Bassists Solo Composition Competition, an Alabama State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship, and the NACUSA Young Composers Competition. Commissions for 2010 include Prothalamia for the Empire City Men's Chorus (NYC), and The Road to Damascus for the Caraval Quartet (NYC). Other recent commissions include Sursum Corda for the a cappella choir of the same name, The Wall Calls to Me to accompany a visual installation by artist Sally Johnson, Nine Churches for the Corona Guitar Kvartet and Lithuanian Sinfonia, Tapping the Furnace for Evelyn Glennie, Stuart Gerber and Scott Deal, and The Pillow Book for the Goliard Ensemble (NYC). Her residencies include a Seaside Escape to Create Residency in 2009; Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome, Italy in Fall 2005; resident composer at the Visby International Centre for Composers, Sweden in 2005; and Composer-in-Residence for the Goliard Ensemble in 2009. A native of Miami and a graduate of the Frost School of Music, she is also a writer for the Miami Herald and South Florida Classical Review.
Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Theory and Composition
Juraj Kojs is assistant professor of professional practice in the Department of Music Theory and Composition at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. A Slovakian composer, performer, multimedia artist, producer, researcher and educator permanently residing in the United States, his compositions have received international awards and acclaim from the Goethe Institute's A Sound Panorama (Germany), Eastman's International Electroacoustic Music Competition (2006), the Digital Art Award (Japan), Miami New Times' Best Art Performance Award (2010) and more. His muscle-powered multimedia Neraissance is described as "striking and unforgettable," and his interactive work Signals is called "enthralling and immersive." Kojs has received commissions from Meet the Composer, Harvestworks, Miami Light Project, and others. His research articles have been published in journals such as Organised Sound, Digital Creativity, Leonardo Music Journal, Journal of New Music Research and International Journal of Arts and Technology. Kojs is the director of the Foundation for Emerging Technologies and Arts (FETA). He holds a Ph.D. in Composition and Computer Technologies from University of Virginia. Kojs has previously taught in the Medialogy Department at Aalborg University (Copenhagen, Denmark), as well as at Yale University, University of Virginia and Miami International University of Art and Design.
Lecturer, Media Writing and Production
Devin Marsh is a lecturer in the Media Writing and Production program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Marsh is an accomplished performer, writer, arranger and instrumentalist. He has toured internationally with his band Nori Nori promoting three self-produced and critically acclaimed CDs. He has composed, recorded and produced music for various films, commercials, ballets, dance groups and other artists, all while managing his Miami-based commercial recording facility, The Chill Lodge. On a Gary Burton Scholarship, Marsh studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, later continuing his studies at the University of Miami where he received a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education, Master of Music in Media Writing and Production, and Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition. He concurrently serves as the director of broadcasting, sound and recording and the Mighty Mighty RamTones at A.P. Mays Conservatory of the Arts.
Professor, Music Composition
Lansing McLoskey, composer, is professor of music in the Department of Music Theory and Composition at the Frost School of Music. Described as "one of the best composers of [his] generation," Lansing McLoskey's music has been performed across the U.S. and in eleven other countries on five continents. Dr. McLoskey has received dozens of commissions and grants, including the National Endowment of the Arts, Meet the Composer, ASCAP, and Barlow Endowment, to name a few. He has been awarded "first prize" in numerous composition competitions including Omaha Symphony Orchestra International New Music Competition, Kenneth Davenport National Competition for Orchestral Works and a Meet The Composer commission for Triton Brass which was premiered at Tanglewood. McLoskey completed his Ph.D. at Harvard University, and holds degrees with honors from U.C. Santa Barbara and the U.S.C. Thornton School of Music, with additional studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music.
Lecturer, Music Theory
Raina Murnak is a lecturer in music theory at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where she also teaches in the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music program. She is a New York-born composer and vocalist and received both her Bachelors in Voice and her Master's in Composition from the State University of New York at Stony Brook where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She went on to receive her Doctorate in Composition and Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Miami Frost School of Music. where she is currently teaching in both the Music Theory and Voice departments and is working on a music theory textbook. Murnak has enjoyed many performances of her works both in concert and on recordings. Her trio "Lagathia" written for the Ibis Trio was released on Albany Records. She is an active Miami performer in varied venues and genres, ranging from the avant-garde to the commercial. She has been featured as a background vocalist and keyboardist in several national television appearances, sings jazz and popular music with her band Van Gogh Listens, and will release her first album as lead singer and writer for the original rock band The Pure Pinks. Recent work includes a short opera collaboration with author Jane Alison, a second solo album, and the score to a full-length musical "Ruthenia" written by New York playwright, director and father Richard Murnak.
Lecturer, Theory and Composition
Scott Stinson is a lecturer in theory and composition in the Department of Music Theory and Composition at the Frost School of Music. A graduate of Indiana University, Scott Stinson studied composition with electronic music pioneer and micro-tonalist John Eaton, before completing his Doctorate at the University of Miami under the tutelage of Dennis Kam. An early performance (at age 24) of his opera Tutankhamen by the Indiana University opera studio led to increased compositional exploration of microtonal and extended instrumental techniques combined with electronics. Research interests include contemporary composers Mathias Pintscher, Andrew Toovey and Donnacha Dennehey, as well as contemporary opera and the piano music of Gyorgy Ligeti. Dr. Stinson also coordinates the activities of the Frost School of Music's on-line Basic Music Theory course.
Professor, Cello; Program Director, Strings; Chair, Department of Instrumental Performance
Ross Harbaugh (violoncello) is professor of instrumental performance and chair of the Department of Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, where, in addition to teaching cello, he is the faculty mentor for the undergraduate Stamps String Quartet and works with graduate string quartets. Ross Harbaugh is cellist of the well-known American Bergonzi String Quartet. His distinguished teachers include Janos Starker, Leonard Rose, and Peter Howard in the United States and Andre Navarra at the Paris Conservatory, and chamber music study with the Juilliard Quartet. As a founding member of the New World Quartet he won the Naumburg Prize, a Prix du Disque, and recorded 14 records and CDs for Vox, MCI Classic and IMP Masters, CRI, Centaur, Fleur de Son, and Musical Heritage labels. Performing throughout Europe and the United States, he has appeared in concerts at the Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, and Wigmore Hall in London, and has concertized with such artists as Leonard Rose, Bill Preucil, Richard Goode, Jeffrey Kahane, Raphael Hillyer, Joel Krosnick, Jerome Rose, Gil Kalish, and the Guarneri Quartet. Mr. Harbaugh served as a judge for the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and the Stulberg Competition, and the Fulbright Competition for Graduate Music Study Abroad.
Associate Professor, Trumpet
Craig Morris is associate professor of trumpet at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he devotes himself to his teaching and his career as a soloist and chamber musician. Morris emerged onto the international orchestra scene by winning the prestigious position of principal trumpet in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, assuming that post from the legendary Adolph "Bud" Herseth. Morris was previously the associate principal trumpet of the San Francisco Symphony under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas. He recorded extensively as principal trumpet with both orchestras, including the Grammy nominated recording of Furtwangler's Symphony No. 2 with the CSO and Daniel Barenboim. In 2003 Morris left his position in the CSO to pursue a burgeoning solo career. With the Chicago Symphony he was featured as soloist on Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 and Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat with Pinchas Zukerman in Chicago's Orchestra Hall. In 2009, Craig Morris gave the U.S. premiere of Desolation Wilderness, a trumpet concerto by British composer Joby Talbot, at the Cabrillo Festival for Contemporary Music under the baton of Marin Alsop. His debut solo CD Permit Me Voyage features the music of Debussy, Schumann, Brahms and Barber, following the acclaimed Naxos release, Reflections, where Morris was soloist on Thomas Sleeper's Concerto for Trumpet. A Texas native, Morris grew up in a musical family. He attended the University of Texas and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Associate Professor, French Horn
Richard Todd is associate professor, French horn at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. From Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl, Richard Todd has earned international acclaim as one of the finest horn soloists today. Gold medal winner of the 1980 Concours Internationale Toulon, he is a Pro Musicis International Foundation Award winner and is continually expanding the boundaries of the horn world. Renowned for his performances that "are simply startling in their dexterity" with "a heart-clutching sound" he breaks down the barriers of music, being equally at home in all areas including classical and jazz. Now residing in Miami, he maintains a rigorous coast-to-coast concert schedule including performances as principal horn with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Todd has recorded on over 1,000 motion picture soundtracks, appeared and recorded with such great performers as Sinatra, Streisand, and Madonna, and as a jazz artist with Clark Terry, Ray Brown and Woody Herman. He recorded two CD's with Andre Previn, one jazz: What Headphones, the other classical: French Chamber Music and was personally selected by Gunther Schuller to record his Concerto No.1. He has also recorded solo albums. Previously on the faculty at USC Thornton School of Music, and the Henry Mancini Institute, Richard Todd is in constant demand as a lecturer, clinician and festival artist, and is a consultant for Hans Hoyer Horns, where he assists in the development of horn and mouthpiece designs.
Associate Professor of Practice, Trombone
Timothy Conner (trombone) is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Tim Conner held the position of principal trombone with the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra for 18 years. During his orchestral career he performed with the Spoleto, Chautauqua, Heidelberg, and Bedford Springs Festival orchestras, the National Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. He was featured several times as a concerto soloist with the Florida Philharmonic, and has performed as a soloist in Milwaukee, Washington, D.C., Rochester, Pittsburgh, Santa Fe, New York City, and in countless venues in the South Florida area. He studied with Milt Stevens of the National Symphony Orchestra and received his formal musical education at the Eastman School of Music with John Marcellus. He joined the faculty of the University of Miami in 1995. In addition to teaching individual studio lessons, he conducts the Frost Trombone Choir, coaches chamber music, and teaches courses in trombone pedagogy and literature. He maintains a busy professional performing schedule and is a member of the South Florida Musician's Association, the International Trombone Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Associate Professor, Experiential Music Curriculum
John Olah (tuba, euphonium) is associate professor in the Department of Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music and teaches classes in the Experiential Music Curriculum. He received a B.M. degree from the Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory, an M.M. degree from the University of New Mexico, and has pursued advanced studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music. A student of Ronald Bishop, Olah has performed with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Ballet Orchestra, the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Fe Chamber Orchestra, the New Mexico Brass Quintet, the Cleveland Brass Quintet, the Cleveland Brass Consort, American Ballet Theater, Bolshoi Ballet, and the Blossom Festival Band. He has recorded with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Symphonic Winds. In addition he has performed with such notable artists as Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, James Gallway, Lena Horne, James Taylor and Mel Torme.
Renowned tuba artist Sam Pilafian, B.M. '72, joined the Frost School of Music faculty at the start of the 2012-2013 academic year. Currently involved in the development of new academic-business partnerships, he previously taught private lessons and served as a faculty mentor to the Stamps Brass Quintet. Pilafian was named Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Miami Frost School of Music in 1996 and is perhaps best known as a founding member of the internationally renowned Empire Brass Quintet. Versatile in both classical and jazz realms, Pilafian has recorded and performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Lionel Hampton, and Pink Floyd. As a solo jazz artist, Pilafian has recorded fifteen CDs. He was also a member of the large brass ensemble Summit Brass. He is an arranger, composer and recording producer and is the coauthor of the best selling pedagogy texts "Breathing Gym" and "Brass Gym." Sam Pilafian was formerly professor of music in the ASU Herberger College School of Music, having previously served for 20 years on the faculties of Boston University and their summer Tanglewood Institute. As a past president and chairman of the board of the International Tuba Euphonium Association, Pilafian now serves on its board of directors.
Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium
Aaron Tindall is assistant professor of tuba and euphonium at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. His solo playing is described as "remarkable for both its solid power and its delicacy," his orchestral playing praised as "a rock-solid foundation." With his soothing tone and excellent control of flexibility and articulation, he is a prizewinner of many international solo and chamber music competitions and was a two-time finalist in the prestigious Concert Artist Guild Competition. Tindall studied under Velvet Brown, Mel Culbertson, Warren Deck, Mike Dunn, Steven Mead, and Daniel Perantoni. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Tuba Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado at Boulder, a Master's of Music degree in Euphonium Performance with Distinction from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester (England), and a Bachelor of Music Performance degree on both the Euphonium and Tuba from Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Tindall collaborates with prestigious orchestras worldwide and appears as a solo artist throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. His two solo albums were released to critical acclaim: Songs of Ascent and This is My House. He can be heard on other recordings such as Simply Velvet and the Eufonix quartet albums End Game, Brink, and Nuclear Breakfast. Dr. Tindall served previously on the faculty of Ithaca College - School of Music, and Eastern Michigan University, and was also a visiting professor at Penn State University and a visiting tutor for tuba and euphonium at the Conservatoire National de Region in Perpignan, France. Aaron Tindall is a Denis Wick-London artist and design specialist and a Buffet Group tuba/euphonium artist and clinician.
Professor of Music, Director of Orchestral Activities
Thomas Sleeper is professor of music and director of orchestral activities at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He is the conductor of the Frost Symphony Orchestra and also teaches instrumental conducting. Maestro Sleeper began his professional career as a member of Fermata, a group of composer-performers who presented an annual series of concerts throughout Texas. At age 22, he was appointed Associate Conductor of the Dallas Civic Symphony and the Southern Methodist University Chamber Orchestra and Opera Theatre. Today Thomas Sleeper resides in Miami, Florida, where he enjoys a busy dual career as a composer. He is the conductor of the Frost Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theater, and Music Director for the Florida Youth Orchestra. A strong advocate for new music, Sleeper has conducted the premieres of numerous works by American composers, including Henry Brant, Carlos Surinach, Robert Xavier Rodriguez, and Roberto Sierra. Thomas Sleeper's original compositions have been performed worldwide by orchestras such as the Baltimore Symphony, Russian National Orchestra and the Shanghai Philharmonic. His Symphony No. 4 and 5 were recently premiered here in the United States.
Professor of Music, Director of Wind Ensemble Activities
Robert M. Carnochan (Car-na-han) is director of wind ensemble activities, conductor of the Frost Wind Ensemble, and professor of music at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Carnochan holds degrees from Towson University (B.S. Music Education), the University of Colorado at Boulder (M.M. conducting) and The University of Texas at Austin (D.M.A. conducting). A Maryland native, Carnochan's career began as director of bands at Dundalk High School and has since held appointments at Stephen F. Austin State University, Northeastern Oklahoma State University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and, most recently, The University of Texas at Austin. Throughout his career, Dr. Carnochan has collaborated with and received praise from a number of leading composers including; Steven Bryant, John Corigliano, Michael Daugherty, Donald Grantham, Daniel Kellogg, David T. Little, John Mackey, David Maslanka, James Mobberly, Carter Pann, Joel Puckett, Kevin Puts, Gunther Schuller, Frank Ticheli, and Dan Welcher. He also invests much time commissioning and performing works of the next generation of talented composers such David Biedenbender, Viet Cuong, Paul Dooley, Ian Dicke, Aaron Perrine, and Zack Stanton. Dr. Carnochan is active as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the United States, and has conducted concerts in London, Spain, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Singapore. His recording of Donald Grantham's Tuba Concerto, with soloist Charles Villarrubia, was recently released and is available for download from iTunes.
Professor of Music, Director of Athletic Bands
Jay C. Rees is professor of music and director of athletic bands at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. His responsibilities include leading the Frost Band of the Hour, the marching and pep bands of the University of Miami, at UM sporting events such as nationally televised Miami Hurricanes football and basketball games, and expanding the band's reach and reputation throughout the region. He also conducts the Frost Symphonic Winds. Rees was previously professor of music and director of athletic bands at The University of Arizona in Tucson, where his bands released CD recordings, appeared on NBC-TV's Today Show and Fox Sports, and were named top in the country by the prestigious CBDNA. Rees' contemporary arrangements and inventive drill design have gained national presence and he is referenced extensively in the book "Marching Bands and Drumlines: Secrets of Success from the Best of the Best." An alumnus of the University of Miami Frost School of Music (B.M. '84, jazz performance and music education), Jay Rees is an accomplished jazz bassist with international touring credits and still actively performs. He has a large catalog of published original music for jazz, wind ensemble, concert bands, and athletic bands, commissioned and performed by major universities and high schools nationwide. He also travels as a clinician, guest speaker, adjudicator, and conductor for band programs across the country. Rees is listed in Who's Who In America for the 21st Century as well as Who's Who Among America's Teachers. He is a member of ASCAP, The Recording Academy, and CBDNA.
Assistant Director of Athletic Bands, Director of Marching Percussion
Doug McCullough is Assistant Director of Athletic Bands and Director of Marching Percussion at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He joined the "Band of the Hour" staff in 2014 under the direction of Professor of Music and Director of Athletic Bands, Jay C. Rees. With thirty-five years of teaching experience, McCullough most recently concluded a twenty-seven year tenure at Beavercreek High School in Beavercreek Ohio. As Music Department Chair of the 330-member program, he directed the Beavercreek Marching Band & Color Guard, four concert bands, jazz big band, pep band, and several miscellaneous small ensembles. The Beavercreek Marching Band earned the highest rating at State Finals for twenty-six consecutive years, making it one of OMEA's longest-standing "Superior" earning bands. McCullough also served as artistic director of the annual Beavercreek High School Weekend of Jazz, featuring such artists as The Count Basie, Woody Herman, and Duke Ellington Orchestras, The Buddy Rich Big Band, Spyro Gyra, Sylvan Street, Jeff Coffin and Mu'tet, Stanley Clark, Ramsey Lewis, Maynard Ferguson, Jon Secada, and The Jeff Hamilton Trio. A clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States, McCullough has been a percussion arranger for Warner Bros. Marching Band Publications, as well as numerous bands around the country. Formerly, he was percussion staff member of The Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps, and assistant staff member for Yamaha Sounds of Summer Clinics. McCullough is a graduate of The Ohio University School of Music in Athens Ohio. He is married with two daughters.
Classical Guitar Program Director; Lecturer, Instrumental Performance
Cuban born guitarist, Rafael Padrón, is director of the Guitar Program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he is also a lecturer in the Department of Instrumental Performance. Padrón has won top prizes in many national and international competitions and has been featured in many international guitar festivals throughout the world. He has also performed both solo and with orchestras in various cities in Cuba, Chile, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Japan, Spain and in the United States of America. He is the artistic director of the Florida Guitar Foundation. Padrón began studying the guitar at the age of eleven. In 1986, he was awarded a scholarship to study at the Advanced Institute of Art in Havana where he received the "High Achieving Student" award. He then graduated from the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, where he completed his Graduate Performance diploma on a full scholarship, under the tutelage of world-renowned guitarist Manuel Barrueco. Padrón attained his Master's Degree diploma at the University of Miami in December 2005. Rafael Padrón has been part of the faculty in music schools and universities such as the University of Costa Rica and National University of Heredia (Costa Rica), and the Calcaño Foundation (Venezuela), Gulf Coast University (Fort Myers, Florida) and Florida International University (Miami, Florida). In addition to his teaching at the Frost School of Music, he is on faculty at Miami Conservatory of Music.
Associate Professor and Program Director, Percussion
Svet Stoyanov (percussion) is the Director and Associate Professor of Percussion Studies at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami, where he has collaboratively built a most unique and innovative modern percussion program. Praised by the New York Times for his "understated but unmistakable virtuosity" along with a "winning combination of gentleness and fluidity," Svet Stoyanov is a driving force in modern percussion. Winner of the prestigious Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Mr. Stoyanov was most recently presented with the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Award. His career highlights feature solo concerto appearances with the Chicago, Seattle, and the American Symphony Orchestras, as well as solo performances in Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center and Taiwan National Concert Hall amongst many others worldwide. Some of the conductors he has performed with include James Conlon, Gerard Schwarz, Oliver Knussen, Marin Alsop and Pierre Boulez.
Visiting Lecturer, Percussion
In addition to his position as Percussionist with the Houston Symphony, Matthew Strauss is currently a visiting lecturer in timpani and percussion at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music. Prior to his posts in Houston and as former timpanist with the American Symphony Orchestra at the Bard Music Festival, he performed as a member of the percussion section in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra throughout the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons. He has performed regularly with the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, and Harrisburg Symphony.
Professor, Violin
Charles Castleman is the newly appointed professor of violin at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. He will teach as a visiting professor during the 2014-2015 academic year, then exclusively and full time at Frost beginning Fall 2015. He was professor of violin at the Eastman School of Music for four decades and department chair for eight years. He is perhaps the world's most active performer and pedagogue on the violin today. He is also the founder and director of the prestigious Castleman Quartet Program, an intensive and extensive summer workshop in solo and chamber performance, now in its 46th year. A medalist at both the International "Tchaikovsky" and "Brussels" competitions, he has appeared as a featured soloist with the orchestras of Philadelphia, Boston, Brisbane, Chicago, Hong Kong, Moscow, Mexico City, New York, San Francisco, Seoul and Shanghai, to name a few. A beloved artist-teacher with thousands of former students around the world, he has conducted master classes in all major cities of Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada, China and more. As one of 16 Ford Foundation Concert Artists, he commissioned David Amram's Violin Concerto and premiered it with Leonard Slatkin and the St. Louis Symphony. His discography includes some of the most difficult works ever written for violin such as six Solo Sonatas by Ysaÿe, eight Csardases for Violin and Orchestra by Jenő Hubay and ten virtuoso cameos by Pablo de Sarasate, plus chamber music with acclaimed ensembles including the Raphael Trio. Charles Castleman earned degrees from Harvard University, Curtis Institute of Music, and the University of Pennsylvania. His teachers were Emanuel Ondricek and Ivan Galamian, his most influential coaches David Oistrakh, Henryk Szeryng, and Josef Gingold. He plays the "Marquis de Champeaux" Stradivarius and "Sammons" Goffriller from 1708, and chooses from over 80 bows.
Lecturer, Violin, Instrumental Performance
Glenn Basham (violin) is on the faculty of the Department of Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he served as a full time professor of music from 1992 to 2014. He maintains a full performance schedule as concertmaster of the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra and performs internationally as a violin soloist. He is also the first violinist in the Bergonzi String Quartet, the quartet-in-residence at the Frost School of Music. Glenn Basham has a B.M. degree from the North Carolina School of the Arts and an M.M. degree from Indiana University. Previously, he played with the Detroit Symphony under Antal Dorati and was a member of the Chester String Quartet. He has served as concertmaster at music festivals nationwide, including the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Colorado Music Festival, the Hot Springs Music Festival, and the Pine Mountain Music Festival. He has appeared as a soloist with the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic, the Lansing Symphony, the Plymouth Symphony, the Oak Park Symphony, the North Carolina School of the Arts Festival Orchestra, the Blue Lake Festival Orchestra, the Manchester Symphony, the Marion Philharmonic, the Palm Beach Symphony, the Miami City Ballet, the Pine Mountain Music Festival Symphony Orchestra and the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra. As a jazz musician, Glenn has performed with Ira Sullivan, Simon Salz, and John Blake, and is featured on recordings with the Miami Saxophone Quartet and Skitch Henderson.
Lecturer, Violin; Artistic Coordinator & Resident Conductor, Mancini Institute Orchestra
Scott Flavin (violin and conductor) is a lecturer in the Frost School of Music's Department of Instrumental Performance and also serves as artistic coordinator and resident conductor for the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra. In addition, Flavin is a member of the Bergonzi String Quartet, and a director of the Frost Chamber Orchestra. He is concertmaster of the Florida Grand Opera and Miami Bach Society, and founder and music director of the Miami Mozarteum. He regularly performs across the globe, and is a member of the newly-formed chamber ensemble, Pulse. As a composer and arranger, his works have been heard on American Public Media's radio program "Performance Today" and have been recorded by the Bergonzi Quartet. His recordings include chamber music on the Naxos, M&W, and Centaur labels, and commercial recordings on Sony, EMI, and Warner Brothers, including appearances on over a dozen Grammy Award-winning albums. He has recorded two solo CD's, "Great Violin Solos of the Opera and Ballet" and "the Complete Brahms Violin Sonatas". Flavin performs on a rare Italian violin made in 1780 by Tomaso Eberle.
Visiting Professor of Viola, Instrumental Performance
Jodi Levitz is a Visiting Professor of Viola in the Instrumental Performance Department at the Frost School of Music. She is an active performer of international reputation and a passionate advocate of new music for viola. She was principal viola and soloist with the Italian chamber group I Solisti Veneti for 12 years, a position she won while still a student at The Juilliard School.
Faculty String Quartet in Residence
The Bergonzi String Quartet, named for the famous violin maker, Carlo Bergonzi, has been Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Miami Frost School of Music since 1992, where all four performers are faculty members: Glenn Basham (violin), Scott Flavin (violin), Pamela McConnell (viola) and Ross Harbaugh (cello). In their first three years they performed the Beethoven Quartet cycle in a series of six concerts at the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach. Since then, they have developed a repertoire that includes many Latin works and a large number of original arrangements created by the members of the quartet, including Neil Hefti's What is this thing called Love?, Schubert's Erlkonig and Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals for String Quartet and 12 Instruments. Prior to joining the Bergonzi Quartet, the four members were part of the New World, Rowe, Chester, and Ellis String Quartets, and have extensive collective experience, performing in virtually every major center in the world, with concerts throughout Europe, U.K., North and South America, New Zealand, and Asia. Touring the U.S yearly, the Bergonzi Quartet performs in Miami, Boston, New York City, Michigan, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Colorado, and have been invited to perform in Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea. They have released seven recordings including Bergonzi: By Arrangement Only, For Bergonzi Four, Mendelssohn Quartets, Bergonzi Live, Debussy and Ginastera, Cadman Quintet and Trio, for the Naxos and Bergonzi Records labels. In the summer, they are in in residence at the Pine Mountain Music Festival and the Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory.
Associate Professor, Bassoon
Gabriel Beavers is the newly appointed associate professor of bassoon in the Department of Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Prior to joining the faculty at Frost, he served on the faculty of Louisiana State University School of Music for six years. Formerly a fellow with the New World Symphony, he has also served as principal bassoon with the Virginia Symphony, acting principal bassoon with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Jacksonville Symphony and as acting second bassoon with the Milwaukee Symphony for one season. Gabriel Beavers has also previously held the position of visiting assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Music. In addition to his orchestral activities, he has an active schedule of solo and chamber performances. He has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Virginia Symphony, Baton Rouge Symphony and Louisiana Sinfonietta and has given recitals throughout the United States and at international festivals in Brazil. His solo CD Gordon Jacob: Music for Bassoon has been released to critical acclaim on the Mark Masters Label. His recording of the Dinos Constantinides Bassoon Concerto is also available on I-tunes. He attended both Boston University and Southern Methodist University where he studied with Matthew Ruggiero and Wilfred Roberts.
Associate Professor & Program Director, Woodwinds
Margaret Donaghue Flavin (clarinet) is associate professor of instrumental performance and program director of Woodwinds at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. She has performed in some of the worlds' major concert halls, including Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, the Zurich Tonhalle, La Scala, and for the Maggio Musicale in Florence. She has performed at international conferences in Oslo, Norway, Manchester, England, Chicago, and New Orleans, among others. Chamber music recitals include Honolulu, Grand Cayman, London and Paris, as well other venues across Europe and Japan. Dr. Donaghue has appeared as soloist with the Shanghai Broadcast Symphony and the Shen Zhen Symphony, Shen Zhen, China, as well as the Russe State Philharmonic, Russe, Bulgaria. Dr. Donaghue gives master classes and recitals across the United States and performs with her trio, Miami Chamber Ensemble and newly formed ensemble, MiamiClarinet. She performed the sextet L'Heure du Berger, in London and Paris with composer Jean Françaix at the piano. Dr. Donaghue has recently served a three-year term as a member of the Fulbright National Screening Committee, and appears frequently as clinician and adjudicator. She can be heard often on public radio across the country. She received the Doctor or Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois, the Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, and holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of New Hampshire. Prior to coming to Miami Dr. Donaghue served on the faculties of Central Michigan University and the University of Connecticut. She can be heard on Centaur, Albany, and Altarus labels.
Associate Professor, Flute
Trudy Kane, associate professor of Flute, joined the faculty of the University of Miami Frost School of Music in 2008 after 32 seasons as principal flutist of the Metropolitan Opera. She received both a BM and MM from the Juilliard School of Music. Upon graduation she freelanced and spent two years as a regular extra with the New York Philharmonic. Ms. Kane is active in the commercial recording field and can be heard on the soundtracks of many film scores (trudykane.com). She can be heard and seen on many Met videos including Il Trittico, Manon Lescaut, Peter Grimes and three different La Bohemes. Trudy Kane has given master classes at noted universities including Manhattan and Mannes Schools of Music, Penn State, and University of North Texas. Her CD, In the French Style, includes works by Fauré, Frank, and Gieseking. A number of her transcriptions for Flute Quartet have been published, plus her transcription of the Fauré Sonata and cadenzas for Mozart's Concerto in D Major. She has been privileged to work with many great conductors, including Carlos Kleiber, Karl Bőhm, Erich Leinsdorf, James Levine, Pierre Boulez, and Valery Gergiev and great singers such as Leontyne Price, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Renee Fleming, and Joan Sutherland.
Lecturer, Saxophone
Dale Underwood (saxophone) is a lecturer in the Department of Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Acclaimed by the Washington Post as "the Heifetz of the alto saxophone," Dale Underwood is internationally recognized as one of the today's foremost classical saxophonists. Mr. Underwood has toured extensively throughout the world as a featured soloist, performing in every state in the continental United States and Alaska, as well as in England, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Italy, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico and Canada. A frequent guest soloist with leading orchestras, Dale Underwood has performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, Australian Wind Orchestra and the National Conservatory Orchestra in Sao Paolo, Brazil, among others. In 1993, Mr. Underwood made his Carnegie Hall debut in a program featuring Claude T. Smith's Fantasy (written especially for Mr. Underwood), and A Gershwin Fantasy.
Lecturer, Oboe
Robert Weiner (oboe) is a lecturer in the Department of Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, and is principal oboist with the Florida Grand Opera. He has also served as principal oboist with the Miami Symphony Orchestra, Mexico City Philharmonic, Miami City Ballet Orchestra, Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, and others, and has been guest principal oboist with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the Florida Philharmonic. Robert Weiner was also director and oboist of the Oklahoma City Chamber Players and has performed with New York City area orchestras, including the American Symphony Orchestra, New York City Ballet and Long Island Philharmonic. Weiner has recorded on major labels and is active in the recording studios of Miami. He previously taught oboe at Conjunto Cultural Ollin Yoliztli in Mexico, Oklahoma City University, University of Oklahoma, and Cornell University. Acknowledged for his work on gouging machines and reed-making, he is in demand by professionals for advice and work in those areas. He has a B.M. degree from Eastman School of Music, and a M.M. degree from State University of New York at Stony Brook. He studied oboe with Robert Sprenkle, Ronald Roseman, Harold Gomberg, John Mack, and Joseph Robinson.
Assistant Professor of Music, Chair, Department of Studio Music and Jazz
John Daversa is Chair of Studio Music and Jazz at the Frost of Music as well as an internationally respected performer, composer, arranger, producer, bandleader, educator, and Schilke and BFM Jazz recording artist. In December 2016, John Daversa's Kaleidoscope Eyes: Music of The Beatles, was nominated for three GRAMMY® awards: Best Large Jazz Ensemble, Best Arrangement, Instrument or A Capella (Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds), and Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals (Do You Want To Know A Secret). Daversa's celebrated career has included appearances on "The Today Show," "Late Night with David Letterman," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," as well as such gatherings as Live 8 in Berlin, the Hamburg Music Festival, the Java Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Montreux Festival, and the Playboy Jazz Festival. He has recorded with such notable and distinguished artists as Herbie Hancock, Fiona Apple, Michael Bublé, Sheryl Crow, Caymi, Andraé Crouch, the Bob Mintzer Big Band, and The Yellowjackets.
Assistant Professor, Jazz Piano
Martin Bejerano is assistant professor of jazz piano at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. A native of Miami, Florida, Bejerano is a graduate of the New World School of the Arts, Florida State University, and the University of Miami (M.M., Jazz Piano Performance). After winning third place in the prestigious 1999 Great American Jazz Piano Competition, he moved to New York City and joined the quartet of legendary jazz drummer Roy Haynes. In 2004, their recording Fountain of Youth was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Instrumental Jazz Album. In 2002, Martin Bejerano also joined guitarist Russell Malone's quartet, and continues to tour and record with both groups. He has performed with such jazz luminaries as the Christian McBride Band, Kenny Garrett, Roy Hargrove, Adam Nussbaum, James Moody, Jimmy Heath, Lonnie Plaxico Group and Marcus Printup at major jazz festivals, clubs and venues around the world. He has presented numerous clinics and toured with "Jazz Reach," a non-profit organization that presents multimedia concerts for school children. In 2007, his debut CD as a leader, Evolution/Revolution (Reservoir) rose to number nine on the Jazz Week Jazz Album Chart. He was recently awarded the New Jazz Works composer/ensemble grant from Chamber Music of America. Bejerano maintains a busy teaching studio at the Frost School and also performs, arranges, records and tours the U.S. and abroad.
Assistant Professor, Jazz Bass
Chuck Bergeron (jazz bass) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Studio Music & Jazz at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he also is the faculty mentor for the Stamps Jazz Quintet. Bergeron teaches jazz history, conducts big bands and small jazz ensembles and is an active clinician at schools throughout the country. He is one of the most active and innovative musicians working in the field of jazz. Equally versatile on the acoustic and electric bass, his unique compositional style and approach to improvisation reflect a wide variety of musical influences. Chuck's newest CD, My Take – A Collection of Friends and Standards, is his fifth as a leader, and for the last five years he has been bassist and co-arranger for Kevin Mahogany. Born and raised in New Orleans, he earned a B.M. from Loyola University and a M.M. in Jazz Studies from the University of Miami. He then moved to New York, where he resided for 12 years while touring, performing, and recording with such jazz luminaries as Joe Williams, Stan Getz, Randy Brecker, Steve Gadd, Larry Coryell, John Fedchock, Dave Weckland many others— plus the big bands of Woody Herman and Buddy Rich. Never relinquishing his focus on performing, Chuck balances his educational endeavors with a continual schedule of touring, performing, and recording that keep him active year 'round.
Professor and Assistant Chair, Studio Music & Jazz
Don Coffman (jazz bass) is professor and associate chair of the Department of Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he also serves as program director of Jazz Pedagogy. He earned his B.M. and M.M. degrees from the University of Miami. He has performed with Sonny Stitt, Jerry Coker, Chet Baker, Ira Sullivan, Pat Metheny, Bill Watrous, Joe Pass, Mike and Randy Brecker, Lee Konitz, Dave Liebman, Red Rodney, Bill Evans, Larry Coryell, Dick Hyman, and many other jazz greats. Coffman also is the artistic director of the Hollywood Jazz Festival. He performs regularly throughout South Florida, and appears regularly on the Gold Coast Jazz Society's annual subscription series.
Director, Frost Salsa Orchestra
Alberto De La Reguera is the director, composer, and arranger for the University of Miami Frost Salsa Orchestra. He has worked in the musical theater, where he received numerous awards, including Musical Director of the Year in San Juan Puerto Rico. He has also worked in commercial music production. De La Reguera has written for various artists including world-class percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo, Tony- nominated actress Josie De Guzman, and has collaborated with Grammy award-winning producer Lucco Pena. He currently serves as vice-president of the Board of Directors of WDNA-Community Public Radio where he is also co-host of the University of Miami Jazz Bandstand, a weekly radio show. Alberto De La Reguera published his music through the University of Northern Colorado Jazz-Press.
Associate Professor Emeritus, Studio Music and Jazz
Randall Dollahon is associate professor emeritus (jazz guitar) at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He retired in 2011. He received a B.A. degree from the University of Houston and a B.M. degree from the University of Miami. In addition to directing the University of Miami's Jazz Guitar Program from 1977 to 2011, he has played concerts, toured, and/or recorded with Burt Bacharach, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Placido Domingo, Bob James, Dave Liebman, Steve Morse, Jaco Pastorius, Ira Sullivan, Toots Thielemans, Stanley Turrentine, Edgar Winter, and many other jazz, country, rock, and Latin artists and groups. He performed for more than five years with Edgar Winters, and played in the award-winning instrumental group The Dixie Dregs. In 2006 he was featured as a soloist in a week's worth of concerts with the Jaco Pastorius Big Band at the Blue Note in Tokyo, Japan. He has played in concert with Hammond B-3 organists Dr. Lonnie Smith, Larry Goldings, Joey de Francesca, and Tony Monaco. He also performs at notable music festivals.
Lecturer, Jazz; Director of Community Outreach; HMI Coordinator
Stephen Guerra, Jr., is a jazz composition lecturer in the department of Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He is also the conductor of the Frost Studio Jazz Band, winning DownBeat student awards in both 2010 and 2011. In addition he is the Director of Community Outreach for the Frost School and Coordinator of the Henry Mancini Institute. Stephen earned a B.A. from the University of New Hampshire in Saxophone Performance, an M.M. from the Eastman School of Music, and is currently pursuing a D.M.A in Jazz Composition from UM Frost School of Music. In high demand as a composer and arranger, Guerra was commissioned to write music for Dave Koz, Jorge Villamizar, Carmen Bradford, the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, the Greater Manchester Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, and the Air Force Band of the West, and served as a composer‐in‐residence throughout the U.S. through the Commission Project and the National Endowment for the Arts. Guerra has performed alongside many jazz greats including Phil Woods, Al Grey, Snooky Young, Marshall Royal, John Faddis, and Jeff "Tain" Watts. He was a featured soloist on the Clark Terry Young Titan's of Jazz 2003 release Live at Marihan's and the Louie Bellson Big Band release, Louie and Clark Expedition 2. The Stephen Guerra Big Band released a critically acclaimed first album in 2009 entitled Namesake.
Lecturer, Jazz Guitar
Jazz guitarist John Hart is a lecturer at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. A New York fixture for 29 years, he is one of the most prolific and versatile guitarists on the jazz scene today. He released eight CDs as bandleader on such prestigious labels as Blue Note and Concord and has appeared on over 100 CDs as a sideman, including a 16-year stint with organist Jack McDuff. JazzTimes wrote, "An alum of the Brother Jack McDuff University of Jazz Guitar, John Hart can burn his way through blues changes on a level that's right up there with fellow graduates George Benson and Pat Martino." John Hart has also worked with Jimmy Smith, James Moody, Jon Hendricks, Brian Blade, Chris Potter, Larry Goldings, Bob Belden, Javon Jackson and vocalists Lizz Wright and Hilary Kole. He has played with the Maria Schneider Orchestra for the last 20 years. John Hart has headlined at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Nairn Jazz Festival, Victoria Jazz Festival and many of the premier jazz clubs in the USA. He is featured on soundtracks including HBO's Sex in the City and appeared on the Garrison Keillor Show with the popular band Pink Martini. In 1992 he formed the John Hart Quartet featuring young star Chris Potter. The band toured extensively for seven years, was featured on NPR's Jazzset and recorded one album for Concord Records. In 2001 he formed the John Hart Trio and recorded three CDs for Hep Records. Recent recordings include a jazz organ trio CD on the Index Jazz label.
Professor of Professional Practice, Jazz Saxophone
Gary Keller (jazz saxophone) is professor of professional practice in the Department of Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. A versatile saxophonist, Gary Keller has toured with the Woody Herman Thundering Herd and performed and/or recorded with such prominent jazz artists as Kenny Werner, Billy Hart, Maria Schneider, Jim McNeely, Ira Sullivan, and the late Jaco Pastorius. In the classical realm, Keller has performed and/or recorded with the Florida Philharmonic, New World Symphony, and others. His debut solo CD, Blues For An Old New Age, garnered widespread critical acclaim. He has appeared in clubs, jazz festivals, and presented guest lectures at universities throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. Keller is the founder of the Miami Saxophone Quartet and authored the The Jazz Chord/Scale Handbook (Advance Music). A long-time Miami freelance musician, Keller has played on numerous recordings, television shows, in Broadway pit orchestras, and backed scores of prominent entertainers including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Natalie Cole, Lou Rawls, and Mel Torme. Prof. Keller earned a B.M. from the State University of New York at Fredonia and a M.M. from the University of Miami.
Professor, Jazz Vocal Performance
Rachel Lebon is professor of jazz vocal performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where she also coaches musical theatre students and advises students on vocal health concerns. She received B.M. and M.M.E. degrees from North Texas State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Miami. Lebon previously was on the faculty of Belmont College, Nashville, Tennessee, and has toured worldwide with the U.S. Air Force Tops in Blue. She has participated in a U.S. State Department Tour of Russia and Portugal with North Texas University's One O'Clock Jazz Band. Her professional activities include jingles and back-up vocals in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, Nashville, and Miami, and network television specials. Lebon has appeared with the Nashville Opera Quartet and as soloist in various oratorios. She also performs contemporary music in the South Florida area. An active clinician and a member of the Professional Voice Institute, an interdisciplinary team devoted to the treatment of vocal disorders, Lebon's articles have been published in the Journal of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. She is the author of the book, The Professional Vocalist: A Handbook for Commercial Singers and Teachers, published by Scarecrow Press.
Professor and Program Director, Studio Jazz Writing
Grammy-nominated Gary Lindsay is professor and program director, Studio Jazz Writing, at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Lindsay is an arranger, composer, performer, educator and author. He holds degrees in music from the University of Rhode Island and the University of Miami. As an arranger/composer, Gary has worked with Maynard Ferguson, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Jose Feliciano, Gloria Estefan, Arturo Sandoval, The Florida Philharmonic, and The Airmen of Note, to name a few. In performances, Gary has appeared as a soloist with the Florida Philharmonic, Naples Philharmonic, and in pit orchestras for performances of "West Side Story," "Porgy and Bess," "The Music Man," "The King and I," "Fiddler on the Roof," and more. He composes, arranges and performs with the Miami Saxophone Quartet. Gary has performed on woodwinds with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Mike and Randy Brecker, Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Turrentine and many others. Gary Lindsay is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts award and received a Grammy nomination in arranging for "Cherokee" from Arturo Sandoval's "I Remember Clifford" CD. Professor Lindsay has been teaching at the Frost School of Music since 1980.
Lecturer, Jazz Trombone
Dante Luciani is a lecturer in jazz trombone in the Department of Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where is coordinator of the Jazz Brass program, and conducts the award-winning Frost Concert Jazz Band (CJB). Dante Luciani earned B.M. and M.M. degrees from the University of Miami. Formerly the lead trombonist and soloist with the Woody Herman and Maynard Ferguson Orchestras, Luciani has performed with various artists, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Ben Vereen, Burt Bacharach, Natalie Cole, Anthony Newley, Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker, and Paquito D'Rivera. Under his leadership, the Frost Concert Jazz Band won the Downbeat Magazine 2010 award for "Large Jazz Ensemble, Graduate College Winner." As a trombone soloist, Dante toured Eastern Europe with his Jazz Quintet and also performed in Istanbul, Turkey at the Nardis Jazz Club for the Istanbul Jazz Festival. He was twice featured as a soloist for the "Salsa Meets Jazz" series at the Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club and in 2005 was featured as an All-Star on The Jazz Cruise.
Associate Professor, Jazz Trumpet
Grammy Award winner Brian Lynch is associate professor of music at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he teaches jazz trumpet. Brian Lynch's Madera Latino has been nominated for Best Latin Jazz Album. Released earlier this September through Hollistic MusicWorks, this project takes on the exploration of the late Woody Shaw, a legendary trumpeter who elevated the jazz scene. In Madera Latino, Lynch reveals an album four years in the making and envelops Shaw's work with his own award-winning Latin Jazz style, including pieces such as Zoltan, Song of Songs, and Sweet Love of Mine. His band features percussionists Pedrito Martinez, Little Johnny Rivero and Anthony Carrillo, bassist Luques Curtis, drummer Obed Calvaire, and pianist Zaccai Curtis.Lynch is a GRAMMY® Award winning trumpeter (Simpático, 2006), composer, arranger, and educator. His record label Hollistic MusicWorks serves as a platform to not only launch his own work, but to also develop new artists and house legendary artists such as Killer Ray Appleton. Lynch is a Jazz Trumpet Associate Professor for the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.
Lecturer, Jazz Bass
Nicky Orta is a lecturer in the Department of Studio Music & Jazz at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he teaches jazz bass and coaches various small groups. A highly sought after electric bassist from the South Florida area, Nicky's knowledge of many musical styles has landed him world tours, gigs, and recordings with a diverse array of artists such as Sammy Figueroa (with whom Nicky received a Grammy nomination), Arturo Sandoval, Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Paquito D'Rivera, Julio Iglesias, Cristian Castro, and Gloria Estefan, to name but a few. Aside from being an active performer on the Florida jazz scene, Nicky has given master classes and lectures in the U.S., Africa, Brazil, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Panama; organized and presented three Jazz Bass Conferences in Miami; taught at the University of Miami Young Musicians Camp; is a Founder of the Miami Jazz Cooperative; and has appeared in various journals and resource sites such as Bass Player, BDGuide, Músico Pro and Forbassplayersonly.com. Nicky contributed a chapter on the electric bass for the book/DVD, Jazz Pedagogy: The Jazz Educator's Handbook and Resource Guide (Warner Bros. 2002).
Lecturer, Drum Set
Dafnis Prieto, drummer/composer, joined the jazz faculty of the University of Miami Frost School of Music in 2015. Originally from Cuba, Prieto's revolutionary drumming techniques and compositions have had a powerful impact on the Latin and jazz music scenes, nationally and internationally. Prieto was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship Award in 2011. He received a Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 2007, and was named Up & Coming Musician of the Year in 2006 by the Jazz Journalists Association. His album Absolute Quintet earned a Grammy nomination in 2006 for Best Latin Jazz Album. He has worked in bands led by Henry Threadgill, Steve Coleman, Eddie Palmieri, Chico and Arturo O'Farrill, Dave Samuels, Jane Bunnett, D.D. Jackson, Edward Simon, Michel Camilo, Chucho Valdez, Bebo Valdez, Roy Hargrove, Don Byron and Andrew Hill. Prieto has conducted master classes, clinics, and workshops worldwide and served on NYU's jazz faculty from 2005 to 2014. As a composer, Dafnis Prieto has created music for dance, film, chamber ensembles, most notably for his own bands including six acclaimed recordings as a leader. He has received commissions, grants, and fellowships from Chamber Music America, Jazz at Lincoln Center, East Carolina University, and Meet the Composer. He is the founder of Dafnison Music.
Associate Professor and Program Director, Jazz Vocal Performance
Kate Reid is associate professor of jazz voice and program director for Jazz Vocal Performance in the Department of Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. An acclaimed jazz singer and pianist, Reid joined the Frost faculty in 2013 after serving as chair of the music department and head of the applied music and jazz programs at Cypress College in California. She is in demand as a guest artist, clinician and adjudicator at jazz and choral festivals through the United States and Canada. Reid earned M.M. and D.M.A. degrees in Jazz Vocal Performance from UM Frost School of Music and a B.M. in Jazz Studies from Western Michigan University. She has sung and appeared with such notables as Jon Hendricks, Grady Tate, Don Shelton, Mark Murphy, Kevin Mahogany, Paul Anka, Liza Minnelli, Tito Puente, and more. Her latest CD The Love I'm In features saxophonist Ernie Watts and pianist Otmaro Ruis and like her 2008 release Sentimental Mood, it received extensive airplay on jazz radio stations throughout the U.S, Canada, and Europe. Reid also works regularly as a studio/session singer. Recent film credits include Star Trek Into Darkness; Oz, The Great and Powerful; Epic and Men In Black III, singing the music of Danny Elfman, Michael Giacchino and John Powell. She recently lent her voice to a jazz singing character on CBS's hit show Vegas. Other session work includes commercial spots for T-Mobile and Suntory Whiskey and backing vocals for artists MUSE, X Japan and Josh Groban. She is co-author of the GLEE Vocal Method with producer/author Andy Waterman (Hal Leonard Publishing).
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, lecturer in the Department of Studio Music and Jazz, is a multi- Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award-winning Cuban jazz pianist and composer who began studying classical piano, and drums, at age eight. He earned a degree in music composition from Havana's Institute of Fine Arts in l983 and played in clubs and music halls in Havana. One of the most important and virtuosic Afro-Cuban jazz pianists on the scene today, he first garnered international jazz attention when Dizzy Gillespie discovered him in 1985. Soon after he began appearing regularly at major jazz festivals like Montreux and Montreal. He emigrated to the USA in 1993, and settled in South Florida in 1996. Today he enjoys a balance of touring, recording and teaching. His illustrious career has included recording with his own groups for several major labels including 11 albums for Blue Note, and also with jazz luminaries Ignacio Berroa, Ron Carter, Chick Corea, Al Di Meola, Charlie Haden, David Sanchez, and many more. He has been nominated twice for Billboard's Latin Jazz Album of the Year.
Lecturer, Jazz Percussion
Stephen Rucker (drumset, jazz percussion) is a lecturer and instructor in the Department of Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He directs the Funk/Fusion Ensemble, which has won six Downbeat Student Awards; his Drumset Improvisation class is one of the most unique programs in the country. Stephen Rucker has twice been voted "Best Jazz Performer" and "Most Versatile Artist" in South Florida polls. He recorded Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me with Gloria Estefan and performed for many years with Ben Vereen, including appearances with Atlanta Symphony and Dallas Symphony. Stephen Rucker was a member of the Bee Gees for more than ten years, and appeared with the band on the Tonight Show, Oprah Winfrey Show, Today Show, David Letterman, Rosie O'Donnell, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, and a Command Performance for the Queen of England. In 1997 he performed on a Bee Gees concert at the MGM Grand Las Vegas that was mastered as a live CD that sold more than 5 million copies, and led to an extended world tour. Rucker was a member of the Ross-Levine band, a ground-breaking jazz-fusion group, and Randy Bernsen's Ocean Sound Band, and performed or recorded with Jaco Pastorius, Joe Sample, Paquito D'Rivera, David Liebman, Jon Secada, and the Woody Herman Big Band.
Lecturer, Music Media & Industry
Daniel Strange is a lecturer in Music Media & Industry at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Additionally, Daniel maintains his own piano studio in Miami, is the director of the Young Musicians All-Star Jazz Ensemble, and performs frequently with his wife, violinist, Ashley Liberty. He is also a faculty member of an outreach conservatory program through the Coral Gables Congregational Church, teaching solo and group piano classes. Since moving to Miami, he has played in orchestra pits for the national touring companies of A Chorus Line and Jersey Boys and with the Stephen Guerra Big Band. Daniel earned his B.M. at the University of Southern Maine, where he was awarded the Excellence in Music award. He completed his Master of Music at the Frost School of Music, where he served as the jazz piano teaching assistant and performed with three of its premiere jazz ensembles including the Jazz Vocal 1 Ensemble, the Frost Sextet and the Grammy nominated Concert Jazz Band. Along his scholastic journey he completed a year of studies at Berklee College of Music.
Lecturer, Jazz Percussion
John Yarling (drumset, jazz percussion) is a lecturer in the Department of Studio Music and Jazz at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. His flawless musicianship and commitment to his art make him the drummer of choice for many South Florida performers such as Ira Sullivan & the Inter-Outer Continental Quintet, The Shack Daddys, South Florida Jazz Orchestra, Brian Murphy Trio, The Nicole Yarling 4-Tet, and the Jeff Taylor Band. John Yarling is at ease playing in many styles including Modern Jazz, Blues, Funk and Rock. In past years he has performed with jazz luminaries Mose Allison, Sonny Stitt, Nat Adderley, Lou Donaldson, Jaki Byard, Jimmy Forrest, Mark Murphy, Mike Stern, Pete Minger, Larry Coryell and Dave Liebman as well as rockers Mick Taylor, Nicky Hopkins and Bobby Keys (The Rolling Stones). He has recorded with Ira Sullivan, Curtis Fuller, Pepper Adams, Joe Williams, Ernest Ranglin, Kevin Mahogany, and most recently, Pink. Yarling attended Florida State University (classical percussion) as well as the University of Miami (jazz performance, drum-set). Earlier in his career he taught general music and percussion at North Broward Preparatory Schools, and established a percussion program at the Florida Youth Conservatory.
Lecturer, Jazz Vocal Performance
Nicole Yarling (jazz vocalist) is a lecturer in jazz vocal performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where she also teaches in the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music program. Nicole Yarling is a rising star in the jazz community. For more than a decade, she has been a part of South Florida's musical world as a singer and violinist working in most musical genres. Her rich voice and musical prowess has made her a local favorite. Yarling has worked with music legends Dizzy Gillespie and Joe Williams as well as touring as a featured soloist with Jimmy Buffett for over two years. She has been a featured guest artist for Jazz on the Green at UM, and for the Gold Coast Jazz Society and is a favorite at such jazz hot spots as Van Dyke Cafe on Miami Beach and Cactus Cantina in South Beach. Her rock band, Little Nicky and the Slicks, also performs regularly.
Associate Professor and Chair, Music Media & Industry
Serona Elton is associate professor and chair of the Department of Music Media & Industry at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. She served previously as program director of music business and entertainment industries at UM Frost. Elton holds a BS in Business Administration, Major in Finance from the University of Florida (1993), a MM in Music Media and Industry from the University of Miami (1995) and a JD from Brooklyn Law School (2000). She is a member of the New York Bar (2001) and Florida Bar (2002). Serona Elton has broad experience in the music industry. From 1995 to 2003 she worked for EMI Recorded Music, North America. She held a number of key positions and was promoted to vice president, mechanical licensing and repertoire data services, playing an integral role in the successful implementation of a custom designed artist royalty system, design and launch of a global repertoire and rights project, and development of new processes to support the digital distribution of recordings. Ms. Elton left EMI in 2003 and since joining the faculty of the Frost School of Music, has continued consulting for music industry clients such as Sony Music Entertainment. Along with program director Rey Sanchez, she helped design the curriculum for the University of Miami's new Master's in Music Business and Juris Doctor degree.
Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Music Business & Entertainment Industries
John Redmond is an assistant professor of professional practice in the Music Business & Entertainment Industries program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He is a 30-year veteran of the international music industry and has held executive positions in a number of multi-national music companies including: Vice President, Universal Music Publishing (Canada), Vice President, PolyGram Music Publishing (Canada) and Managing Director, Rondor Music (Canada). John Redmond has served on boards of Canadian music trade organizations and has excellent working relationships with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, PRS, The Harry Fox Agency and virtually all of the major music publishers. He has been published in the music trades and is a frequent speaker at music trade organizations, universities and colleges. John Redmond is a former songwriter, recording artist and performer with numerous albums to his credit. Consequently, he has a great affinity with songwriters and artists. In 1994 he coupled that creative affinity with his skills, expertise and experience in the music business to form Publish This, Inc., a Miami-based company that specializes in music publishing, copyright management issues and royalty recovery.
Director, Arts Presenting and Live Entertainment Management; Assistant Professor of Professional Practice
Gary Wood is Director of Arts Presenting and Live Entertainment programs and Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami. A Minnesota native, Wood has been active in arts education and administration for over 30 years. He has served as Executive Director of Da Camera of Houston, and Director of the Regina A. Quick Center of the Arts, Fairfield University. He recently took over as Executive Director of the Pentangle Arts Council (PAC) in Woodstock, Vermont. Wood holds degrees from the University of Minnesota, a B.S. in Music Education, and a M.M. in Woodwind Performance, with a focus on clarinet; and also attended the Peabody Conservatory of Music. His published work includes articles for Scholastic's 2004 New Book of Knowledge, and several music activity booklets, including The Planets: An Out-of-this-world View of Classical Music, and Imagination: Music & Art. Wood is a frequent guest speaker, lecturer and clarinetist in schools, educational symposiums, and arts conferences.
Lecturer, Music Media & Industry
Chris Palmer is lecturer for Music Media & Industry at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Chris Palmer holds a B.B.A and an M.B.A. from Belmont University. He currently serves as the Managing Partner for the jazz/gospel a cappella group Take 6, overseeing their worldwide recording and touring affairs. Prior to his career in artist management, Chris worked with Warner Bros. Records for over 20 years. As Vice President of Progressive Mu-sic from 1990-2000, Chris was responsible for introducing and marketing artist such as Mark O'Connor, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Beth Nielsen Chapman and Jeff Foxworthy. Later, as General Manager and Sr. VP of Marketing, he would oversee releases such as "Breathe" by Faith Hill and introduce new artists such as Blake Shelton, Trick Pony and Big & Rich. Palmer was the Director of Music Business at Murray State University before coming to Miami.
Lecturer, Creative American Music
Carlos Rafael Rivera is a lecturer in the Department of Music Theory and Composition and the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Rivera is a composer that incorporates a large diversity of musical influences in his work, which reflect his multi-cultural upbringing in Washington, DC, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Miami, and Los Angeles. His music has been performed by such prominent ensembles as Chanticleer, the American Composers Orchestra (ACO), the New England Philharmonic, and the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet; recorded by Warner, Sony and Naxos labels; published by C.F. Peters, Mel-Bay, and Doberman Editions; and awarded by the ACO, the Herb Alpert Foundation, the Guitar Foundation of America, BMI and ASCAP. He is a sought out resident composer and guest lecturer, covering topics ranging from his own music, to the work of Gershwin, Rodrigo, and Radiohead. A DMA graduate in music composition at USC's Thornton School of Music, he studied with Donald Crockett, Stephen Hartke, Orlando Garcia, and mentored with Randy Newman. Equally comfortable in the popular music world, his guitar work includes performances on feature soundtracks (Crash, Dragonfly); studio sessions for Island/Def Jam, and Universal Records; as well as ABC's Scrubs, MTV, and VH-1. He has performed as opening act for The Who at the Hollywood Bowl, and with jazz trumpet icon Arturo Sandoval. Carlos Rivera is a voting member of the Recording Academy (Grammy awards) and was recently invited into the Miami Symphony Orchestra's Strategic Alliances program for their 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.
Lecturer, Creative American Music
Brian E. Russell is a lecturer in the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Dr. Russell is a dedicated music educator who has served South Florida for fifteen years. His experience includes teaching instrumental music at the elementary, middle school, senior high school, and college levels. In addition to serving as a lecturer for the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, Dr. Russell also teaches jazz and contemporary guitar at both Barry University and Miami-Dade College. Russell received his Ph.D. in music education from the University of Miami with a cognate in jazz studies. His research focuses on music assessment and guitar methodology and has been published in the refereed journal: Bulletin for the Council of Research in Music Education. He has presented research at professional conferences in Germany, Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, and Ohio, and has collaborated in research that has been presented in Sweden and China. As a professional guitar player and dedicated musician, Brian performs regularly in the Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach areas in various live and studio music venues.
Associate Professor and Program Director, Music Engineering Technology
Colby Leider is associate professor and program director of the Music Engineering Technology Program (MuE), in the Department of Music Business & Entertainment Industries at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He is associate editor of Computer Music Journal and works as a consultant in patent-infringement cases involving audio and new media technologies. He holds degrees from Princeton, Dartmouth, and the University of Texas. His research interests include digital audio signal processing, sound synthesis and spatialization, tuning systems, and alternate controllers for music-making, and he has received grants from the National Science Foundation, the NVIDIA Corporation, and the University of Miami. Leider also chaired the 30th Annual International Computer Music Conference. He composes music, builds musical instruments and teaches courses in music technology. He is president-founder of everglade records, a non-profit record label devoted to experimental music and acoustic documentary, and has received prizes and honors from the American Composers Forum, the Institut International de Musique Electroacoustique de Bourges, Princeton University, and the International Computer Music Association. He has composed music for Nash Ensemble of London, Paul Hillier and the Theatre of Voices, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Bertram Turetzky, Gregory Beyer and William Schimmel. His book Digital Audio Workstation was published by McGraw-Hill.
Lecturer, Music Engineering Technology
Joe Abbati is a lecturer in the Department of Music Engineering Technology at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where he also teaches in the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music program. He is an artist/engineer with extensive experience in audio production, media technologies and interactivity. An alumnus of the Music Engineering program, Joe worked full-time as audio programmer, sound designer and composer before returning to join the faculty. Abbati has particular expertise in the development of video games. He is an expert in sound design, multimedia audio, entertainment software, MIDI sequencing and synthesis. Since leaving the full-time software industry, he has continued consulting on dozens of published game titles for the likes of THQ, Mattel, Activision and GameMill. Recently acquiring an MFA in Sculpture, Joe is currently creating interactive installations that explore the relationship between object, motion, light and sound.
Research Assistant Professor
Christopher L. Bennett is a research assistant professor in the Music Engineering Technology program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Currently, he teaches classes in Psychoacoustics, and is working with faculty and students on a new inter-disciplinary research project in collaboration with the UM Department of Physical Therapy, investigating the impact of auditory biofeedback on rehabilitation. He has most recently completed postdoctoral research at the UM Miller School of Medicine investigating audible medical alarms utilizing psychoacoustics and human factors in simulated clinical settings to improve patient outcomes. During his post-doc, he was also a lecturer on Bio-signal Processing, covering the discrete-time processing of physiologically related signals. An entrepreneur, he is a founding partner of Oygo Sound LLC, an audio development and consulting company with prominent clients in both music and medical fields. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Audio Engineering Society, IEEE and other notable associations and is published in such journals as the J. Acoustical Society of America, Anesthesia & Analgesia, and the J. Audio Engineering Society. Before his professional appointments he earned a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, with a concentration in hearing science, a M.S. in Music Engineering Technology, and a B.S.E.E. in Audio Engineering.
Associate Professor, Music Engineering Technology
William Pirkle is an associate professor of music engineering technology at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He was previously a senior digital audio consultant for Tritone Systems, Inc., XM Satellite Radio division, providing architecture and algorithm design for dynamic processors, mixed signal hardware design, product audio specification limits, software for automated analog and digital testing, headphone power analysis and frequency response, loudspeaker enclosure design and testing, and software test engineering for a patented asynchronous digital audio transmission link with automatic sample rate conversion. He has also consulted with other leading firms including Diamond Multimedia, Zarg Software Synthesizers, Gibson Musical Instruments, Korg Research and Development, K & S Associates, M-Audio, Stick Enterprises, EX2 Mobile Audio, and As Is Entertainment. As a composer, Pirkle has written the soundtracks for SpongeBob Square Pants and Square Pants II; Jimmy Neutron computer games; SpeigelMeyer, as well as several independent films. A guitarist, Pirkle earned a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, a Bachelor of Music in Music Engineering Technology, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering.
Lecturer, Music Engineering Technology
Dana Salminen is a lecturer for the Music Engineering Technology Program (MuE) at the University of Miami Frost School of Music.
Professor of Music Education, Chair, Department of Music Education and Music Therapy
Don D. Coffman, Professor of Music Education, chairs the Department of Music Education and Music Therapy at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music at and is Professor Emeritus at the University of Iowa. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Society for Research in Music Education and chaired MENC's Adult and Community Music Education SRIG and ISME's Community Music Activity Commission. He currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Research in Music Education and the International Journal of Community Music. His passion is making music with "chronologically gifted" adults in wind bands. He is the founding director of the Iowa City, Iowa New Horizons Band, which has provided an opportunity for senior adults to learn or reacquaint themselves with wind and percussion instrumental music since 1995. In 2006 he was honored for his work with this New Horizons Band with three awards: The University of Iowa President's Award for State Outreach and Public Engagement, the State of Iowa Governor's Volunteer Award, and the Outstanding Continuing Educator Award from the Johnson County chapter of AARP. Coffman received a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas, a M.M.E. from Wichita State University and a B.M.E. from the University of Kansas.
Professor, Director of Undergraduate Music Education
Dr. Carlos Abril is professor of music and director of undergraduate music education at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Abril's research focuses on sociocultural issues in music education, music education policy, and music perception. He has published numerous articles and chapters in research journals, professional magazines, and books, including Journal of Research in Music Education, Music Educators Journal, Oxford Handbook of Research in Music Learning, Oxford Handbook of Social Justice in Music Education, and Promising Practices in 21st Century Music Teacher Education. He co-edited the books, Teaching General Music: Approaches, Issues, & Viewpoints (Oxford U Press) and Musical Experience in Our Lives (Rowman & Littlefield), and he serves on editorial boards in the North America, South America, and Europe. His music arrangements and instructional materials are published by World Music Press and in the Macmillan/McGraw-Hill textbook series, Spotlight on Music. Abril received a Ph.D. in music education at Ohio State University, M.M. in performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and a B.M. in music education at the University of Miami. He is fully certified in Orff Schulwerk and has received extensive training in Dalcroze Eurhythmics. He is a former general music and choral educator in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where he was honored as Region V Teacher of the Year and with the Cervantes Outstanding Educator Award.
Lecturer, Music Education
Joy A. Galliford is a lecturer and researcher in the Music Education Program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. She received the prestigious 2010 Florida College Music Educator of the Year Award from the Florida Music Educators Association and has presented at such conferences as the International Early Childhood Music and Movement Association Conference, the FMEA Conference, and Colloquium for Teachers of General Music Methods (Mountain Lake, VA). Dr. Galliford recently attended an early childhood pedagogy conference in Greensboro (NC) and the Arts Conference in Chicago. She hosted a concert called "Mozart for Children," as part of the Mainly Mozart Festival XIII. Along with Dr. Joyce Jordan and the South Dade Childcare Center of the Archdiocese of Miami, Galliford received one of the four 2006 Awards of Excellence given by the Children's Trust of Miami-Dade County. She and Dr. Jordan are the co-writers of Experience the Music, a literacy-based music curriculum for children ages 3 to 5. Dr. Galliford is an active member of the Music Educators National Conference, Florida Music Educators Association and Florida Elementary Music Educators Association, Early Childhood Music and Movement Association, National Federation of Music Clubs, Phi Kappa Lambda, Sigma Alpha Iota, and National Guild of Piano Teachers.
Lecturer, Music Education
Gene Grego is a lecturer in the Department of Music Education at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Grego began his teaching career as a public school chorus teacher at Steinmetz Junior High School in Schenectady, NY and then at Wilbur H. Lynch Middle School in his hometown of Amsterdam, NY. He earned a Master of Music Education Degree in Choral Music Education from Ithaca College, and a second Master's Degree from the State University of New York at Albany in Educational Administration. His early musical training included private music education with organist Augusta Canale, and voice with Margaret Lazarou. When he was 12 he began to play the organ at his church and was also director of the junior choir; by age 15 he directed the senior choir. He attended Union College in Schenectady, NY and graduated with departmental distinction as a Humanities Major, concentrating in Music and Art History. He played organ and harpsichord, was a member of the Glee Club and Madrigal Singers,and served as choir director and organist at various churches.
Assistant Professor, Instrumental Performance (Double Bass) & Music Education
Brian Powell is assistant professor of Double Bass and String Music Pedagogy at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He has a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance and a Masters degree in Teaching both from Indiana University, and he completed his doctoral studies at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He is a former member of The New World Symphony, under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. Powell has also performed with the Louisville Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Florida Philharmonic, and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Powell has received recognition in several solo competitions, including winning the Aspen Music Festival Double Bass Solo Competition. As an educator, he is the former director of orchestras at Eastern High School in Louisville, KY, and was on the string faculty at Bellarmine University as their double bass instructor. He taught hundreds of string students every year from elementary to collegiate levels. His high school orchestra was selected to perform at state conventions on multiple occasions and has performed twice at the United Nations in New York City. He has received recognition as a distinguished music teacher and advocate of string music education. Dr. Powell has presided as President of the Kentucky chapter of the American String Teachers Association, and is currently President of the Florida chapter. He has also served in the mentor program of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Dr. Powell remains an active performer and clinician throughout the United States.
Professor, Music Education
Stephen F. Zdzinski is professor of Music Education at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. He teaches graduate courses, directs research, and coordinates the graduate program in music education, and supervises associate teachers. He received a B.M. in French Horn Performance and Music Education from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the M.M.E. & Ph.D. in Music Education from Indiana University. His research is centered on parental involvement in music, musical performance measurement, and research methodology. He has authored more than 30 articles in various professional journals. A recent recipient of a research grant from the NAMM Foundation's Sounds of Learning Project, Dr. Zdzinski has made presentations at international, national and state music education conferences. He serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Research in Music Education, Research Perspectives in Music Education, and Psychology of Music. Dr. Zdzinski is also a contributor to the National Assessment of Education Progress Music Test. He is a member of MENC: The National Association for Music Education, Society for Research in Music Education, Society for Music Teacher Education, International Society for Music Education, and the College Music Society. Dr. Zdzinski also established the New Horizons Band at the Frost School of Music, a dynamic community outreach program for seniors.
Professor and Chair, Musicology
David Ake, professor and chair of the Department of Musicology, is an award-winning scholar and educator in the fields of jazz and popular music. His publications include the books Jazz Cultures; Jazz Matters:Sound, Place, and Time since Bebop; and the collection Jazz/Not Jazz: The Music and Its Boundaries (co-edited with Charles Hiroshi Garrett and Daniel Goldmark), all for the University of California Press, as well as chapters or articles in the Cambridge Companion to Jazz, American Music, Jazz Perspectives, and other publications. Also active as a jazz pianist and composer, his most recent recordings as a leader are Bridges, which appeared on multiple Best-of-2013 lists, and Lake Effect (2015), both for the Posi-Tone label. Prior to joining the Frost School, Ake chaired the Department of Music at Case Western Reserve University, and was a longtime faculty member at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he served as Director of the School of the Arts, among other leadership positions. Ake's honors include the Nevada Regents' Teaching Award, the F. Donald Tibbitts Teaching Award, and the Society for American Music's Housewright Dissertation Award. He holds a Ph.D. in musicology and M.A. in ethnomusicology from UCLA, along with degrees in jazz performance from the California Institute of the Arts and the University of Miami.
Associate Professor, Musicology
Deborah Schwartz-Kates is associate professor in the Department of Musicology at the University of Miami Frost School of Music where she also served an eight-year term as department chair. Her research focuses on contemporary Latin American music, ethnomusicology, national identity, and film music. Professor Schwartz-Kates has recently been awarded fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel, Switzerland. Professor Schwartz-Kates is under contract for two books—Revealing Screens: The Film Music of Alberto Ginastera (Oxford University Press) and Alberto Ginastera: A Guide to Research (Routledge Press). She authored the article on Alberto Ginastera for the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and contributed the chapter on Argentina for a textbook on Latin American music published by W. W. Norton. Her work has appeared in the Musical Quarterly, Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Yearbook for Traditional Music, Latin American Music Review and ECHO: A Music-Centered Journal.
Associate Professor, Musicology
Melvin L. Butler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Musicology at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. A scholar-performer with broad interests in music and religion of the African diaspora, he has conducted field research on popular music making in relation to charismatic Christianity in Haitian, Jamaican, and African American communities. In these transnational contexts, he interrogates the cultural politics of musical style and religious expression while attending to the role of musical performance in constructing individual and collective identities. These interests fuel his ongoing concern with ethnographic representation and the ways in which scholars negotiate their identities in relation to various fields of supernatural encounter. His awards include a Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship and a Fulbright IIE field research grant, and a Thurgood Marshall Dissertation Fellowship at Dartmouth College. From 2008 to 2010, he served as Secretary of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (U.S. Branch), and in 2012-13, he was a fellow-in-residence at Yale University's Institute of Sacred Music. His published articles and reviews have appeared in Ethnomusicology, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Black Music Research Journal, Journal of Popular Music Studies, and Current Musicology. As a saxophonist, he has worked professionally with numerous jazz artists, including Betty Carter, Joey DeFrancesco, Christian McBride, Jimmy McGriff, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Reuben Wilson. He has also toured throughout the Francophone Caribbean. His work with celebrated Haitian band, Tabou Combo, includes a performance in Dominica's World Creole Music Festival and three recordings, Why Not? (1997), 360 Degrees (1997), and Sans Limites (2000). He now performs mostly with Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band, with whom he is featured on several albums, including Brian Blade Fellowship (Blue Note 1998), Perceptual (Blue Note 2000), Season of Changes (Verve 2008), and the Grammy-nominated Landmarks (Verve 2014). He earned his Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from New York University, in addition to master's degrees in music and jazz studies (also from NYU) and a bachelor's degree in performance from Berklee College of Music.
Associate Professor, Musicology
Karen Henson is associate professor of Musicology at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami. Her research focuses on nineteenth-century opera, singers and opera performance, and opera and technology. Professor Henson trained at the University of Oxford and in Paris, and her work has been supported by fellowships and awards from The British Academy, the Stanford Humanities Center, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University. Her writing has appeared in the Cambridge Opera Journal, 19th-Century Music, the Journal of the American Musicological Society, and in the edited volumes L'Opéra en France et en Italie and Le Spectaculaire dans les arts de la scène. She has also contributed articles to the The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and The Cambridge Verdi Encyclopedia. Henson recently completed her first book, Opera Acts: Singers and Performance in the Late Nineteenth Century, which will be published by Cambridge University Press in 2014. She is now finishing an edited volume on sopranos and technology, which will also be appearing with Cambridge, and working on a new book, on opera and early sound recording. She has been a regular guest speaker for the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, and the BBC.
Lecturer, Musicology
Brent Swanson is a lecturer in the Department of Musicology at the University of Miami and advises students in the Bachelor of Arts in Music Program. He holds a B.F.A and M.M. in musicology from the University of Florida, and a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of Maryland. His research interests include various African music's, Latin America, the United States, and the Caribbean. Mr. Swanson's dissertation, "Rwanda's Voice: An Ethnomusicological Biography of Jean-Paul Samputu," is a multi-sited ethnographic study of Rwandan musical identity through the lens of international star Jean-Paul Samputu. Through biographical research and musical transcription and analysis, he demonstrates how Samputu's use of four distinct vocal timbres and incorporation of various musics from East and Central Africa, Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean challenges nationalist discourse about Rwandan identity, and promotes reconciliation in post-genocide Rwanda. He is currently preparing a chapter on Mr. Samputu's music for the book Arts, Music, and Social Healing: Experiences from the African Great Lakes Region and Beyond, edited by Helen Hintjens and Rafiki Ubaldo, forthcoming, 2017. Mr. Swanson is also a professional performer and songwriter, and he has performed with various artists including Bo Diddley, Marco Pereira, Hamilton de Hollanda, and Jean-Paul Samputu. Additionally, he served as President of the non-profit Mizero Children of Rwanda, which raises awareness about how traditional music and dance can facilitate peace and reconciliation in Rwanda.
Music Librarian, Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library
Nancy C. Zavac is the music librarian at the Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library, University of Miami Libraries. She teaches Music Bibliography and regularly serves on theses committees for graduate students. She is an active member of the Music Library Association, Southeast Chapter of the Music Library Association, and the Music OCLC Users Group. As a member of the MLA Education Committee she has planned several "Continuing Education Forums" for national meetings. Nancy Zavac has a Master's of Music degree in Musicology from the University of Miami (May 1979) and a Master's of Science degree in Library Science from Florida State University (December 1980). From 1979 to 1982 she worked as Music Cataloger at the U. of Miami Music Library and as Music Librarian from June 1982 to the present. As Music Librarian, Ms. Zavac is responsible for selecting music materials and electronic resources, providing reference assistance and bibliographic instruction, overseeing cataloging, and supervising staff and performing administrative duties.
Professor, and Chair, Keyboard Performance
Santiago Rodriguez is professor of keyboard performance and chair of the Department of Keyboard Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Mr. Rodriguez made his Carnegie Hall debut under the baton of Dennis Russell Davis. His international career was launched in 1981 when he won the Silver Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition; he also received a special prize for the best performance of Leonard Bernstein's Touches, a work commissioned for the competition. Mr. Rodriguez' unique life and artistry were profiled on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Kurault in 1993. One of today's foremost interpreters of the music of Sergei Rachmaninov, Santiago Rodriguez has performed all of the composer's major piano works in concert. He is currently recording The Rachmaninov Edition, which, when completed, will encompass the entire catalog of Rachmaninov's original solo piano compositions. Mr. Rodriguez has recorded numerous world premieres, including Piano Concerto No. 1 by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco; the Concertino for piano, strings, and cymbals of Carlos Surinach; and the Piano Sonata No. 2 of Alberto Ginastera, which was premiered by Mr. Rodriguez at Alice Tully Hall in New York. Santiago Rodriguez also enjoys a distinguished reputation as a teacher and master-clinician. Since 1980, he was a member of the Piano Division at the University of Maryland where he held the rank of professor and artist-in-residence. Mr. Rodriguez holds a masters degree from the Juilliard School, where he studied on full scholarship as a pupil of Adele Marcus, and he completed his undergraduate studies magna cum laude with William Race at the University of Texas.
Assistant Professor, Keyboard Performance
Winner of the 1990 Chopin Competition in Warsaw as well as bronze medalist at the 1990 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Kevin Kenner is now recognized as "one of the finest American pianists to come along in years" (Chicago Tribune), as a "player of grace, subtle variety and strength, with a mature grasp of dramatic structure and proportion (The Financial Times) and as "an artist whose intellect, imagination and pianism speak powerfully and eloquently" (The Washington Post). He has established himself as a world class soloist, chamber musician (e.g. Kyung-Wha Chung, Matt Haimovitz), recording artist, teacher and juror. His recordings have been singled out by Gramophone magazine in the UK, International Classical Music Awards in France, and the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry, which awarded him twice for the best recording of the year. Having trained as a teenager under the guidance of Polish pianist Krzysztof Brzuza in California, Kenner furthered his studies in Poland with Ludwik Stefanski, who in turn prepared him for the 1980 Chopin Competition in Warsaw, where as a seventeen-year-old he received the jury discretionary award. He then spent the next five years with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory and concluded his studies in Hannover with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. He later made his home for two decades in London where he taught at the Royal College of Music.
Professor Emeritus, Piano, Accompanying and Chamber Music
Professor Emeritus Paul Posnak's international career as a concert pianist, recording artist, transcriber and teacher began as a child prodigy with a full scholarship to the Juilliard Preparatory School at age eight. He won First Prizes in the International J.S. Bach Competition as well as the Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York. Now professor and program director in accompanying and chamber music for the University of Miami Frost School of Music, he has performed at such venues as the White House, the Supreme Court, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Carnegie Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall in New York and throughout Europe, South America, and Asia to critical acclaim. A highly regarded collaborative artist, Dr. Posnak has worked with many world-renowned vocalists, including Luciano Pavarotti and Jennie Tourel, and performed and recorded with many of the world's leading chamber ensembles. He has fourteen recordings of solo and chamber works for labels such as EMI, Naxos, Vox, Arabesque, Centaur, Yamaha Disklavier Artist Series and Cambria including his latest CD recording, The Tangos of Ernesto Nazareth, released in 2006. Dr. Posnak's reconstructions of the brilliant solo improvisations of George Gershwin and Thomas "Fats" Waller from the old recordings and radio broadcasts have established him as a world authority and his recent film on Chopin, directed by documentary film maker Anthony Allegro, has attracted international attention.
Professor Emeritus, Piano
Rosalina Sackstein, Professor Emeritus (Piano), retired from the Frost School of Music in 2012. She received B.S. and B.A degrees and a Performer's Certificate in piano, violin, theory, and solfege from the Conservatory of Music, Camaguey, Cuba. She earned her M.Ed. degree from the University of Miami and a doctorate in pedagogy from the University of Havana, Cuba. Sackstein was a student of Claudio Arrau, Isabelle Vengerova, and Rafael DeSilva. She appears as a soloist with orchestras in the United States and abroad, conducts master classes and piano workshops, and serves as an adjudicator in competitions.
Associate Professor, Keyboard Performance and Pedagogy
Naoko Takao is Program Director of Keyboard Performance and Pedagogy and Associate Professor at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. A prizewinner of numerous competitions including the gold medal at the San Antonio International Piano Competition, Takao enjoys a multi-faceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, and a researcher. Recent performances include an all-Beethoven solo recital under the auspices of the SAIPC and San Antonio Symphony, a concerto appearance on Mozart's K. 503, and recordings with the Smithsonian Chamber Ensemble, a long-time affiliation including a GRAMMY nominated album. She has appeared at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress, Lensic Performing Arts Center (Santa Fe), Caramoor, Le Domaine Forget (Canada), and Taipei National Concert Hall. While known for her affinity to works by Beethoven, Chopin, and Rachmaninov, Takao is equally sought after as an enthusiastic advocate of newly composed music. She has premiered many works to high acclaim at organizations such as the Society of Composers and International Alliance for Women in Music. Her 2015 release of the complete 12 piano sonatas by Vincent Persichetti is followed by another album of his chamber music. She can be heard on Capstone, Centaur, Dorian, Elan, and Friends of Smithsonian labels. She was also a member of the Post Classical Ensemble and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra as an orchestral pianist. Combining her unique performance background with research, her research interest is on cognitive neuroscience and its application to piano performance and learning efficiency, which resulted in a winning grant proposal.
Associate Professor, Keyboard Performance
Tian Ying is associate professor of keyboard performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, where he has also served as department chair. Winner of many prestigious awards, including high honors at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1989, Tian Ying enjoys a worldwide reputation as a pianist of taste, dexterity and artistry. Professor Ying has performed in many prestigious concert halls, including Jordan Hall in Boston, Mondavi Center in Davis, California, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Woodruff Art Center in Atlanta and Shanghai Grand Opera Theater in Shanghai. Tian Ying's 1993 Bank of Boston Celebrity Series concert was chosen as one of the Top Ten in classical music events by the Boston Globe. In addition, Professor Ying has been profiled in such publications as the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor and People Magazine. Ying has also appeared with numerous renowned orchestras all over the world and records for Centaur Records.
Lecturer, Organ
Dr. Robert Remek is a lecturer in organ performance for the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Dr. Remek has been a church musician in South Florida for 29 years, serving as Director of Music and Organist for both Roman Catholic and Protestant congregations. He is currently the Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. His organ teachers have included Dr. Arden Whitacre, Dr. Warren Canfield, and Dr. Kenon Renfrow. He has previously served as Dean of the Fort Lauderdale chapter of the American Guild of Organists and has passed the Colleague, Associateship, and ChoirMaster professional certification examinations of the Guild. Dr. Remek was nominated for a 2005 Excellence in Teaching Award at the University of Miami, and is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Education. In addition to his teaching in the Frost School of Music, Dr. Remek is also Assistant Professor of Humanities at the North Campus of Miami Dade College.
Associate Professor , Program Director, Music Therapy
Teresa Lesiuk, Ph.D., is associate professor and program director for the Music Therapy program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Lesiuk's research is published in Psychology of Music, Arts in Psychotherapy, Canadian Journal of Music Therapy, and Journal of Computer Information Systems. She presents regularly at regional, national and international conferences including the American Music Therapy Association, Canadian Association for Music Therapy, Society for Music Perception and Cognition, Research Alliance for Institutes of Music Education (RAIME) and International Society for Philosophy of Music Education. Her latest philosophical writing addresses the development of presence in the music therapy clinician. Dr. Lesiuk's research interests include investigating the role of music and music therapy in high stress occupations (e.g., air traffic control and computer information systems development). Dr. Lesiuk has ten years experience of university teaching and program administration, collectively, from the University of the Incarnate Word and the University of Western Ontario. She has worked contractually as a music therapy clinician serving several client populations including elderly with dementia, elderly with psychiatric diagnosis, children with developmental delays, and adolescents with emotional-behavioral delays.
Instructor, Music Therapy
Kimberly Sena Moore, MM, MT-BC is a board certified music therapist who joins the University of Miami's Frost School of Music in 2014. Ms. Sena Moore's clinical background includes work with children with a history of complex trauma as well as children, adults, and older adults with medical or neurorehabilitation needs. Her current clinical and research interests center on music therapy and emotion regulation development in neurodevelopmentally at-risk children. Ms. Sena Moore has presented extensively at regional, national, and international conferences, her research has been published in the Journal of Music Therapy, Music Therapy Perspective, and Imagine, and her work has been featured in several media outlets, including Psychology Today, Redbook, and CURE. Ms. Sena Moore currently serves as Regulatory Affairs Associate for the Certification Board for Music Therapists, where she is involved in state-level advocacy, legislative, and policy issues that impact music therapy practice. Online, she co-hosts the Music Therapy Round Table podcast, and blogs at "Your Musical Self" for Psychology Today and Music Therapy Maven. Prior to pursuing a career in academia, she founded and directed Neurosong Music Therapy Services, Inc., a private practice that provided music therapy and music instruction services in northern Colorado. Ms. Sena Moore has a B.M. in Music Therapy from the University of Iowa, an M.M. in Music Therapy from Colorado State University, and is a Candidate in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Associate Professor, Vocal Performance and Chair, Department of Vocal Performance
Esther Jane Hardenbergh (soprano), is associate professor and department chair of the Department of Vocal Performance, and former director of the Salzburg program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Dr. Hardenbergh has toured professionally in the United States and Europe in opera, oratorio and recital. She regularly performs as a soloist with orchestras, conducts master classes and adjudicates. Her students perform on both classical and music theatre stages and have won competitions. Dr. Hardenbergh made her Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall debut as winner of the 1999 International Opera Singer Competition and is a respected interpreter of 19th century German Lieder and 20th century American Art Songs. Her operatic roles include Countess Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Micaela (Carmen), Donna Elvira and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Marguerite (Faust) and Pamina (Die Zauberflöte). Hardenbergh holds degrees from the University of Richmond (BM, Education), Boston University (MM, Voice-Opera Performance) and a Doctorate in Music and Music Education (Ed.D), specializing in Vocal Pedagogy from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Lecturer, Department of Vocal Performance
Coreen Duffy is a lecturer in the Department of Vocal Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, where she teaches choral literature, choral arranging, and music history, and supervises graduate student conductors in the Chamber Singers. She is Founding Music Director of the Second Avenue Jewish Chorale, South Florida's concert choir dedicated to the performance of Jewish choral music. Duffy serves as Repertoire & Standards Chair for Ethnic and Multicultural Perspectives for the Florida American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). At the National ACDA Conference in Dallas in 2013, Duffy presented a Music & Worship Interest and Performance session on Jewish choral repertoire. A composer-conductor, Duffy's choral works are published by Walton Music and ECS Publishing. Her compositions have been featured as recommended choral literature at ACDA conferences throughout the United States and have been reviewed in Creator Magazine, Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians and The American Organist. Duffy's scholarly writings have been published by the American Choral Review and Choral Journal. Duffy completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral music from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, and earned a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Miami Frost School of Music. She received the Juris Doctor, Bachelor of Musical Arts, and Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Professor, Vocal Performance and Program Director, Frost Opera Theater
Alan Johnson is associate professor of vocal performance, and program director of the Frost Opera Theater at the University of Miami Frost School of Music and is the recipient of the 2012 Phillip Frost Award for Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship. Johnson has led numerous opera, music theater, concert, and dance works by today's most innovative composers, including Nicholas Brooke, Douglas Cuomo, Tina Davidson, Anthony Davis, Phillip Glass and Michael Torke. His work has garnered awards such as Drama Desk, Obie, and Joseph Jefferson Award for Outstanding Music Direction. He is the music director of the John Duffy Composers Institute at the Virginia Arts Festival. Performances at venues across the USA include American Repertory Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, City Center NY, Lincoln Center, New York Shakespeare Festival, Long Wharf Theater, and Spoleto Festival USA and Italy. Active in New York City since 1986 as a vocal coach and pianist, Johnson has prepared and collaborated with singers holding international engagements. As a soloist and collaborative pianist, he has performed at such venues as Alice Tully Hall and The Walker Art Center. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Music in piano performance from the University of Miami and a Master of Music in vocal coaching / accompanying from the University of Illinois.
Associate Professor, Director of Choral Studies
Praised by the San Francisco Classical Voice for her "wizardry with voices" and named by the Honolulu Star Bulletin as " . . . a popular and charismatic leader," Karen Kennedy is currently the Director of Choral Studies at the University of Miami where she oversees a vibrant DMA and MM program in choral conducting. Previous to her appointment in Miami, she held positions as the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa, Artistic Director of the Honolulu Symphony Chorus, and Director of Choral Studies at Towson University. In addition to her work in academics, Dr. Kennedy regularly enjoys leading festival performances, recently in notable venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Mormon Tabernacle, the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, Sweden, St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Canterbury Cathedral in England, and multiple venues in Austria. Upcoming engagements include a return to Carnegie Hall, a musical tour of Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague, and high school and collegiate all-state choirs throughout the country. Off the podium, Dr. Kennedy is passionate about leading workshops on innovative rehearsal technique, vocal pedagogy and the choral classroom, and music literacy, garnering invitations nationally and internationally for teaching residencies at established festivals and retreats. Equally at home working with orchestra, Dr. Kennedy has conducted fine ensembles including the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, the New England Chamber Orchestra, the Miami Symphony, the Boca Raton Philharmonic, and the Symphony of the Americas. She has prepared choruses for a wide range of events, from performances on MTV to collaborations with the Cleveland Orchestra. NAXOS will release 2 recordings with her ensembles in spring of 2017, joining her featured choir performance on the Latin Grammy-winning album Loco de Amor. Dr. Kennedy has received numerous awards for teaching, including the University of Hawai`i Chancellor's Citation for Meritorious Teaching, Arizona State University's Manzanita "Top Prof" Award, Butler University's Faculty Distinction Award, and is a two-time recipient of the Lawrence Township Schools Superintendent's Award. She is a past-president of the Hawai'i Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), founding member of the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO), a past Repertoire and Standards Chair for Collegiate Choirs in ACDA's Eastern Division, and maintains an active student ACDA chapter at the University of Miami.
Lecturer, Vocal Performance
Judy Marchman is a Lecturer in the Department of Vocal Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. She completed her D.M.A in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance at the University of Miami, her M.M. at Florida State University and B.M. at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Dr. Marchman has been accepted to present state, regional, national and international conferences including: Symposium on Singing and Song in Newfoundland, Canada; the FMEA State Conference; NAfME National Conference; the CMS National Conference; and the CMS Pacific Northwest, Southern, Southeastern, Great Lakes and Mountain Regional Conferences. She has been accepted to perform at the OperaWorks Summer and Winter Workshops, the Atlantic Music Festival, the NATS National Conference in Boston, and the NOA National Conference in Indianapolis. Performance awards include the Milton Cross Award and the Friedrich and Virginia Schorr Memorial Award. She has performed the roles of Miss Wordsworth (Albert Herring) and Eurydice (Les Malheurs d'Orfée). As a soloist, she has performed in several large oratorio works, such as Mozart's Requiem, Faure's Requiem, Rutter's Magnificat and Gloria, Bach's Magnificat, and Vivaldi's Gloria, among others.
Vocal Coach
Pianist Alexandra Naumenko is a faculty vocal coach in the Department of Vocal Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. She served previously as an assistant conductor and staff coach for the Young Artist Program at Florida Grand Opera during their 2013-2014 season. She is a 2013 graduate of The Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development program where she worked under the baton of Maestro James Levine and also accompanied for master classes and workshops led by artists such as Maestro Fabio Luisi, Sir Thomas Allen, Ramon Vargas, Gerald Finley, Carol Vaness, Renata Scotto, Eric Owens, Luca Pisaroni and many others. In 2012-2013 Ms. Naumenko served as an assistant conductor for the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel, and for the Met+Juilliard co-production of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte, conducted by Alan Gilbert. Alexandra Naumenko graduated from Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory where she studied piano with Lev Naumov and opera coaching with Irina Kirillova. She worked for six seasons as an assistant conductor/vocal coach at the Bolshoi Theater of Russia, Moscow. In 2008 Naumenko was the head coach for the Bolshoi's production of Eugene Onegin that opened the season at the Opera Garnier de Paris. Widely acclaimed as a recitalist she participates in concerts and music events, performs in chamber ensembles and has solo programs.
Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, Music Education
Corin Overland is assistant professor of professional practice in Music Education at the University of Miami Frost School of Music, where he teaches courses in choral conducting, choral literature and secondary choral methods. Overland received a Ph.D. in Music Education from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he held teaching and research assistantship positions. Overland holds an M.M. in Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri at Kansas City, and a B.A. in Music Education from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. Dr. Overland has taught choral music at the secondary level for 14 years in Minnesota, Maryland, and Missouri, and holds multiple teaching certifications in choral, instrumental and general music. Prior to beginning his doctoral work, he was the Director of Choral Music at Punahou Academy in Honolulu, Hawaii: the nation's largest private school. He frequently appears as guest conductor and clinician for local and national events, serving most recently as the conductor of All-State Jr. Honor Choirs in Oregon and Delaware. His research interests include the history of music education organizations; integrated-arts school reform models; and the effects of musical training on physical coordination and timing. He has presented research nationally and internationally, and is published in the Journal of Research in Historical Music Education and the Music Educator's Journal.
Lecturer, Vocal Performance
Nobleza Pilar holds two B.M. degrees from Philippine Women's University, and M.M. and D.M. degrees from Indiana University. She studied with Martha Lipton, and was coached by Eileen Farrell and Zinka Milanov. She has taught at colleges and universities in Singapore and Mexico, as well as the United States. A recipient of scholarships from Fulbright Hays and the London Opera Centre, Pilar has performed in solo recitals in Los Angeles, Chicago, Kalamazoo (Michigan), Hickory (North Carolina), the Hawaiian Islands, the Philippines, Singapore, the Bahamas, and Mexico. She is a long standing member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and Pi Kappa Lambda. In past years Dr. Pilar directed opera scenes and conducted workshops at Miami-Dade schools and also taught Diction, Vocal Pedagogy and Music Fundamentals. She is currently an active judge for District and State Competitions for NATS and Florida Vocal Association, and has served as Preliminary Judge for the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts (YoungArts) for the past 15 years.
Associate Professor, Vocal Performance
Frank Wayne Ragsdale is a Visiting Professor of Vocal Performance at the Frost School of Music, and has earned degrees from Atlantic Union College, The Longy School of Music, and the University of Miami. He has performed in opera, oratorio, musical theatre, and recitals throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, and Central America where, for three consecutive years, he was invited by the U.S. Embassies of Costa Rica and Honduras to give recital tours and master classes. He has performed in such notable venues as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Cairo Opera House, Mechanics Hall, Notre Dame, San Marco di Venizia, and St. Martin-in-the-fields. Dr. Ragsdale's students have sung with Houston Grand Opera, Tri-Cities Opera, Opera Omaha, Glimmerglass, Florida Grand Opera, and Utah Festival Opera. They have been signed by agents and been hired by some of the top theaters in the country like Lincoln Center (Broadway), Longacre Theater (Broadway) Goodspeed Opera House, Paper Mill Playhouse, Forestburgh Playhouse, Casa Mañana, Dallas Theater Center, Clinton Area Showboat Theater, and have been a part of national tours, cruise ships, and theme park entertainment. They have won competitions all across the country with NATS, Classical Singer, Lotte Lenya, Crescendo, Utah Festival International Opera Competition, and the districts and regions of the MET Council Auditions. Dr. Ragsdale is on the voice faculties of Oklahoma City University and the University of Miami Frost School of Music at Salzburg, and visiting Professor of Voice at the University of Miami.
Assistant Professor, Vocal Performance
Robynne Redmon (mezzo soprano) is an assistant professor in the Department of Vocal Performance at the University of Miami Frost School of Music and program director for the Frost School of Music at Salzburg. Critics have hailed her "glorious singing, intense acting, excellent phrasing, ardent tone, splendid shading and solid coloratura and excellent artistic sense" (Das Opernglas) and for her "exactitude of pitch, her luxuriance of tone, her abundant animal spirit and unerring dramatic intelligence" (Newsday). She has performed leading roles with the major opera houses of the world including The Metropolitan Opera (Maddalena in Rigoletto, Marina in Boris Godunov, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and Fenena in Nabucco); Lyric Opera of Chicago (Adalgisa in Norma, Fenena in Nabucco, Laura in La Gioconda), and with San Francisco Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Berlin State Opera and Opera de Marseilles. She added the role of Amneris in Aida in her South American debut at the Teatro Municipal in Santiago, sang Eboli in Don Carlos with Boston Lyric Opera and Minnesota Opera, and as Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica and Frugola in Il Tabarro for Montreal Opera. A respected interpreter of modern music and creator of new roles, Ms. Redmon performed in world premieres of Madame Mao for Santa Fe Opera, and Harvey Milk and Esther for New York City Opera. Equally at home in recital and concert she has appeared with the Israel Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and Nashville Symphony with whom she recorded a critically acclaimed Beethoven Missa Solemnis (Naxos). She also sang a special Chinese language version of Das Lied von der Erde at the British Library as part of the Silk Road Exhibition.
Lecturer and Interim Director, Dance Program
Carol Kaminsky, MA, BC-DMT, NCC is a lecturer and interim director of the Dance Program at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. She is board-certified dance movement therapist and nationally certified counselor who joined the Frost School of Music dance program in 1986. Over the last 29 years she has taught modern dance, dance therapy, dance methodology, creative dance for children, improvisation, composition and stretching and body work. Her performing career includes dancing with Miami based dance company Karen Peterson and Dancers Inc., a mixed ability dance company featuring disabled and able-bodied dancers. Specializing in dance education in preschool and early elementary ages, Ms. Kaminsky's teaching career concurrent to the University of Miami has focused on creative dance and modern dance for children in public and private schools. She taught in the University of Miami Children's preparatory dance program and summer dance camp for children. Ms. Kaminsky's clinical background includes dance therapy with hospitalized patients in acute psychiatric care, children with special needs in schools, women in eating disorders treatment, and mindfulness meditation programs in hospital settings and private practice. In 2014-15 she received a grant from the National Parkinson Foundation for teaching classes in dance and theater for people with Parkinson's disease and currently continues dance classes for people with Parkinson's disease. Ms. Carol Kaminsky has a B.A. in Dance from the University of South Florida and an M.A. in Dance/Movement Therapy from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland.
Lecturer, Dance and Vocal Performance
Anne Kuite teaches movement for undergraduates in the Opera Theater curriculum within the Department of Vocal Performance. As a faculty member in the UM Dance Program, she teaches modern dance technique, improvisation and classes in stretching and bodywork for students across the university. A former resident of Illinois, her performing career has included appearances with the American Heritage Dancers folk dance company and the Peoria Civic Ballet, and throughout the Chicago area with Akasha, Lynda Martha, and Robin Lakes Rough Dance companies. New York performances have included appearances at the Merce Cunningham Studio and the Gang Gallery/SoHo. Her choreography has been performed at MoMing Dance and Arts Center (Chicago), the Southern Theater (Minneapolis), Gusman Hall (Coral Gables) and most recently, Bearnstow Dance Center (Parker Pond, ME). Her teaching career in Illinois has included dance for high school students at New Trier, Mather, and Lyons Township High Schools, and faculty positions at Millikin University and Harper College. In addition to her dance career, Anne has served in executive arts and events management positions at The Joyce Theater, Wave Hill, and The Graduate Center/CUNY in New York City. She holds a B.S. in Dance Education from Illinois State University and an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She is a nationally Certified Pilates Teacher through the Pilates Method Alliance as well as a faculty instructor and teacher trainer at Polestar Pilates Miami.
Director of Development, Major Gifts
Lynne Gibson is the Director of Development, Major Gifts at the Frost School of Music and works closely with Holly Freyre, Assistant Dean for Development, to raise funds for the School's campaign priorities. Gibson is responsible for the implementation of the broad-based fundraising program at Frost, cultivating individual and philanthropic support, including grants, major gifts, corporate and foundation giving, annual and planned giving, endowments, donor relations and special events. Gibson comes to Frost with a wealth of development experience, most recently working as a Development Consultant for the Coral Gables Community Arts Program, Major Gifts Officer for the Miami City Ballet, and the Director of Development and Regional Development Officer for both The Kampong of the National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade. She earned her MBA from University of Miami, a Master of Science Degree from Colorado State University, and as an undergraduate, she majored in Speech Science at the University of Wyoming. She served for two years as Co-Ambassador for the Frost School's United Way Campaign, and has served as an executive board member for several community organizations. Most recently she was President of the Hearing and Speech Center of Florida, a United Way agency. She is a member of MBA Women International.
Lecturer, Harp
Kay Kemper, harp, is a lecturer at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. A classically trained harpist and musician, Kay Kemper has had over 40 years professional playing and teaching experience. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, her teachers include Joan Harrison Ceo, Lucile Lawrence and Alice Chalifoux. Kay has appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops, the Milwaukee Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, and Orquesta Filarmonica de Caracas in Venezuela. She has also participated in the summer music festivals at the Interlochen National Music Camp, Tanglewood Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, and the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival. A versatile performer, Kay enjoys giving lecture recitals, playing chamber music, or providing ambience with background music. She has performed on 3 cruise ships and seen many different ports around the world. As an active freelance musician in South Florida since 1990, Kay performs regularly with the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra and Palm Beach Symphony, the Palm Beach Pops, Florida Grand Opera Orchestra, and the Southwest Florida Symphony in Ft. Myers, as well as various private functions in the area. She maintains a private teaching studio and has recently completed a 4 year term as President of the South Florida Chapter of the American Harp Society.