National High School Music Institute Faculty

June 29 - August 1, 2008

| Composition | Guitar | Jazz Studies | Music Education | Piano | Strings |
| Voice | Winds and Percussion | Academic Faculty |

Composition Faculty

Marcos Balter (seminar)

Composer Marcos Balter was born in 1974 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Regarded by critics as “colorful, inventive (…) with vibrant sonics” (New Music Connoisseur, May 2005), his works have been performed and broadcasted in North and South America, Europe, and Asia in venues and festivals such as the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, E-Werk Freiburg, Teatro Colón, Seiji Osawa Hall, Paul Hall at Julliard, MusicX Festival, Festival Encuentros, June in Buffalo, and Panorama da Música Contemporânea, among others. Past awards and honors include the Leonard Bernstein Fellowship at the 2005 Tanglewood Music Center, a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship from Lawrence University (2005-2007), first prizes at the 2004 Douglas T. Faricy Composition Competition (co-winner), the 2002 Jonathan Durington Composition Competition, the 1997 Nordan Young Artists Competition, and being a regional winner and national finalist at the 2005 ASCAP/SCI Composition Competition.

Kirsten Broberg (seminar)

The music of Kirsten Broberg has been performed and commissioned by top ensembles and performers around the world such as the International Contemporary Ensemble, New York New Music Ensemble, JACK quartet, ensemble dal niente, Gareth Davis (Ensemble Modern), Matt Albert (Eighth Blackbird), Carmel Raz (Silk Road Ensemble), the Renegade Ensemble, Sonic Inertia Dance and Performance Group and the University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestra. Among her awards and grants are the Encore grant from the American Composers Forum, two William T. Faricy Awards from Northwestern University, first place in the Accent '04 International Call for String Quartets at Cincinnati Conservatory (2004), first place in the University of Minnesota Call for Orchestral Scores (2003), and
Piano Performance and Academic Excellence scholarships from Concordia College in Moorhead (1997-2001). She earned a Master of Arts in music composition from the University of Minnesota in 2003; Master of Music in music composition from Northwestern University in Chicago in 2004 and is a doctoral candidate in music composition at Northwestern University.Broberg's primary instructors include Augusta Read Thomas, Jason Eckardt, Jay Alan Yim and Judith Zaimont. Broberg is the founder and executive director of the Chicago-based not-for-profit new music organization, Dal Niente New Music, NFP/ensembledal niente. She also serves on the board of directors for New Music Chicago, the Steering Committee for the Chicago Composers Forum and as the president of the Northwestern University Graduate Music Organization. As an instructor, Broberg has taught music theory, music history and composition universities and colleges such as the University of Minnesota, Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, North Park and Roosevelt University in Chicago. She is currently faculty at Saint Xavier University in Chicago teaching music theory and composition and teaches music composition privately to her studio of award-winning students. For more information, please visit www.kirstenbroberg.info.

Ben Hjertmann (seminar)

Benjamin Hjertmann is a composer of concert music born in 1985. He graduated Magna cum Laude from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2007. At IWU, he studied composition with David Vayo, Mario Pelusi, and Garret Byrnes. He also studied at the Conservatorium Van Amsterdam with Fabio Nieders. He is currently pursuing his D.M. in composition at Northwestern University and studying with Lee Hyla. His compositional style is characterized by microtonal and jazz-influenced harmony and atypical instrumentation. Much of his music is the result of collaboration with other arts, such as film, theatre, visual art, and literature. Hjertmann is also poet and playwright. He has invented several original tuning systems. He is also performs as a tenor and ba_lama player for the Sissy-Eared Molly-Coddles, a Chicago-based new music trio as well as the Chicago Crystal Glass Ensemble.

Nomi Epstein (seminar)

Nomi Epstein is active as a composer, concert organizer, and music educator. She has earned degrees from Columbia University and New England Conservatory. Her principal teachers include Fred Lerdahl, Michael Gandolfi, Marti Epstein, Amy Williams, Jay Alan Yim, and Augusta Read Thomas. Epstein has attended such festivals as La Schola Cantorum‚s month-long institute in Paris, the Summer Institute for Contemporary Piano Performance under the direction of Steve Drury at New England Conservatory, Music05 Festival at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and Fontainebleau School for the Arts in France. Her Music for Orchestra won the inaugural Northwestern University Orchestra Composition Competition and was premiered by the Northwestern Chamber Orchestra in 2004. In November 2005, Epstein was invited to participate in the Young Composer Workshop under Jo Kondo at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in Huddersfield, UK. Most recently, Epstein attended the 2006 Bang on a Can Summer Institute where her Music for 7 Instruments and Voice was premiered under the direction of Brad Lubman. Past commissions have come from the New England Conservatory Percussion Ensemble (This Too Shall Pass premiered in April 2006 at Jordon Hall in Boston) and the internationally renowned guitarist Seth Josel (Blueprint premiered in June 2006 in Great Barrington, MA). Epstein‚s works have been performed at various venues in Boston, North Adams, New York, New Haven, Chicago, Cincinnati, Huddersfield, UK, and Paris, France. She is completing her doctoral work in Composition at Northwestern University where she co-founded the new music group, Exposure- Musicians for New Music. Epstein has taught as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Illinois at Chicago and at Northwestern University. She is a founding teaching of piano and theory at the British School of Performing Arts of Chicago.

Patrick Liddell (seminar)

Michael McBride (music composition coordinator, seminar)

Michael McBride is an active composer, performer, conductor, and educator. Having studied with Augusta Read Thomas, Jay Alan Yim, and Jason Eckardt, he earned his DM from Northwestern University, where he is also a lecturer in theory and aural skills. He has also taught at Elmhurst College and is on part-time faculty at NorthPark University in Chicago. The summer of 2007 marks the fourth year he will serve as thecoordinator of the composition program for the National High School Music Institute at NU. He received his Bachelor of Music from the Wheaton (Illinois) College Conservatory of Music, where he double-majored in composition and piano performance. At Wheaton, he seized a variety of honors and experiences such as the Halvorsen Composition Award, Conservatory Faculty Endowed Scholarship, Scholastic Honor Society membership and scholarship, three best soundtrack awards at the annual Film Festival, playing Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto (1st movt.) with the Wheaton College Symphony Orchestra, being the principal student conductor of the WCSO, and teaching aural skills in the classroom and privately. He has received awards/grants from the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation and the American Music Center.

Zvonimir Nagy (seminar)

Zvonimir Nagy is currently a doctor of music candidate at the Bienen School of Music in Evanston, Illinois where his interests are composition, organ improvisation and choral conducting. He also serves as the organist, composer-in-residence and artistic director of the Trinity Concert Series at Trinity Church in Wilmette, Illinois. He has studied at the "Franjo Kuha_" School of Music, the Academy of Music University of Zagreb, the "École Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot," and Texas Christian University. He has worked with composers Blaise Ferrandino, Gerald Gabel, Tristan Murail, Augusta Read Thomas, Jay Alan Yim, and Rev. Thomas G. Harris on organ improvisation. He has received many prizes, fellowships and scholarships, including the distinguished Croatian Music Institute Award "Juraj Haulik" and the "Darko Lukic" Young Artists Award; Lili Kraus Scholarship at Texas Christian University; 1st prize in "Concours National de Piano" in Paris, France; 3rd prize in the "Martin Memorial International Piano Competition" in Fort Worth, Texas, and 1st prize in "Chopin International Piano Competition" in Corpus Christi, Texas. His works have been performed by the Zagreb Piano Trio, String Quartet "Slavonsky," and by the composer himself. This year, his choral piece Pax aeterna will have its premiere at the 2008 College Music Society Conference. In March 2008, Jack quartet will perform his new string quartet Intimate Stream[s] at the Bienen School of Music.

Don Owens (seminar)

Robert Reinhart (seminar)

| Back to Top |

Guitar Faculty

Jesse Langen (guitar theory and history)

Mark Maxwell (guitar)

Faculty, DePaul University. MMus, Southern Methodist University. Soloist and member of Waller and Maxwell Duo in concerts and festivals throughout the United States. Performer in master classes with José Tomás. Studied with Robert Guthrie and lute with Paul O'Dette.

Anne Waller (guitar coordinator)

Lecturer, Northwestern University. MMus, Southern Methodist University. Soloist and member of Waller and Maxwell Duo in concerts and festivals throughout the United States. Live broadcasts on both commercial and public radio and television. Has conducted master classes at universities and festivals throughout North America. Performer in master classes with Andres Segovia, Oscar Ghiglia, and José Tomás. Studied with Robert Guthrie and Oscar Ghiglia.

| Back to Top |

Jazz Studies

Andrew Baker (trombone, master class)

Lecturer, Northwestern University. Former Archer Scholar at Trinity College of Music. Served as principal of the Covent Garden Festival Orchestra (London). Performed with thePhilharmonic of the Nations, Ray Gelato Giants, Chicago Jazz Ensemble, Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, the Hard Art Ensemble, Liquid Soul, and Broadway in Chicago. Appears on many recordings, including Porgy and Bess (with Clark Terry and the CJO), The Ted Hogarth Collective, and the Hard Art Ensemble.

Scott Burns (saxophone)

Saxophonist Scott Burns has degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and DePaul University. His performance credits in Cincinnati include the Blue Wisp Big Band, led by legendary drummer John von Ohlen, the PsychoAcoustic Orchestra, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and small group performances with pianists Steve Schmidt, Phil DeGreg, and drummer Art Gore. Scott also performed in a quintet with legendary jazz trumpeter Clark Terry. While playing with DePaul’s award-winning jazz ensemble, Scott was featured as soloist alongside legendary jazz performers Joe Lovano, Tom Harrell, Kenny Werner, Louis Bellson and Nicholas Payton. Scott was also awarded an outstanding soloist award from Down Beat magazine in 1999. He has performed frequently with top area musicians including Jodie Christian, Ron Perrillo, Bobby Broom, Jeff Parker, George Fludas, Dana Hall, Kelly Sill, Joan Hickey and Ryan Cohan. He has also performed with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble under the direction of the late William Russo, and the Chicago Jazz Orchestra with guest vocalist Kurt Elling. Member of the nationally known jazz/blues/soul band the Mighty Blue Kings. In recent years, Scott has performed with legendary singers Harry Connick Jr. and Lou Rawls, and internationally acclaimed jazz pianist David Hazeltine, and has been a clinician for Northwestern and Bowling Green State University.

Kirk Garrison (trumpet, master class)

Kirk Garrison is a veteran of the Chicago jazz scene, and also an instructor at DePaul and Concordia Universities, where he directs large and small jazz ensembles and teaches applied trumpet and jazz improvisation. Garrison's performance credits include engagements at the Chicago Jazz Festival and Chicago Blues Festival as well as appearances with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra Brass, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra and is a member of the Lt. Dan Band featuring actor Gary Sinise. He has also appeared with such jazz stalwarts as Louie Bellson, Kenny Burrell, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock and Frank Mantooth. As a writer and arranger, he has received commissions from DePaul University, Rob Parton's Jazz Tech Big Band, the Chicago String Ensemble, and the Millar Brass Ensemble at Northwestern University.

Joan Hickey (jazz piano, combos)

Lecturer in jazz studies program, Bienen School of Music. Educator and freelance artist throughout Chicago and the greater midwest. Artists she has performed or recorded with include Cab Calloway, Joe Williams, Milt Hinton, Nat Adderly, Von Freeman, and Buster Williams. Toured in Europe with the Jazz Members Big Band. Joan Hickey Quartet was a featured artist at the 2004 Chicago Jazz Festival. Awarded two National Endowment for the Arts grants and an Illinois Arts Council grant in music composition,. Her quintet was a finalist in the national Hennessy Jazz Search competition. Latest CD, Soulmates, nominated for Best Jazz CD by the Chicago Music Awards. Has taught at University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, Artist Jazz Camp; and University of Arkansas Jazz Seminars.

John Moulder (jazz guitar, master class)

John Moulder is a guitarist and composer whose music has evolved from an assimilation of various musical traditions. John’s compositions and playing are featured on his CDs entitled Awakening (Mo-Tonal Records 1993), Through the Open Door (Igmod/Mo-Tonal Records 1997), Spirit Talk (NAIM 2003), and his new release, Trinity (Origin 2006), which was named one of the ten best jazz CDs of 2006 by the Chicago Tribune. Televised feature stories on John and his work have aired on Artbeat (WTTW) and Chicago Tonight (WTTW). He also has played on recent recordings by vocalist Jackie Allen such as The Men in My Life (Blue Note 2003), Love is Blue (Blue Note 2004), and her most recent CD, Tangled (Blue Note 2006). John has been a member of the Paul Wertico Trio for twelve years. Recordings with Paul include Live in Warsaw (Igmod Records 1998), Don’t Be Scared Anymore (Premonition Records 2000), Stereonucleosis (A440 2004), and his new release, The Other Side (NAIM 2006). He has played nationally and internationally at numerous festivals, clubs and concert halls and has performed with artists such as Eddie Harris, Bob Mintzer, Kurt Elling, Paul McCandless, Lyle Mays, Paul Wertico, Gary Burton, Niels Orsted Pederson and Terry Callier.
John received his Masters degree in music from Northwestern University. As an educator, he is currently a faculty member at Benedictine University and Northwestern University. He has lectured, taught master classes and conducted clinics at universities, high schools, music institutes and other settings.

Kelly Sill (jazz double bass, combos)

Jazz Bass, Jazz Studies, and Jazz Combos at DePaul University. Performer, composer, recording musician, and clinician. Has performed with such artists as Hank Jones, Red Rodney, Eddie Harris, Dave Liebman, Mose Allison, and Joe Henderson. Appearances at Israel's Red Sea Jazz Festival, Ravinia, the Chicago Jazz Festival, and Orchestra Hall. Heard on CDs The Joel Spencer/Kelly Sill Quartet: The Brighter Side, Tim Coffman: Crossroads, Kelly Brand: Sister Luna, and The Band of Joes:  A Sense of Faairness.

Joel Spencer (jazz coordinator, jazz drums, combos)

Interim Coordinator, Jazz Studies, and Coordinator, Jazz Combo Program, Jazz History, and Studio Jazz Percussion at Northwestern University. Performer, recording musician, and clinician. Has performed with such artists as Wayne Shorter, Clark Terry, Michael Feinstein, Dorothy Donegan, Count Basie Band, Chet Baker, Wynton Marsalis, Daniel Barenboim, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Appearances at Italy's Umbria Jazz Festival, Holland's North Sea Jazz Festival, Israel's Red Sea Jazz Festival. Heard on motion picture soundtracks for A League of Their Own, Hoodlum, and Unconditional Love and on CDs The Joel Spencer/Kelly Sill Quartet: The Brighter Side, Joel Spencer & Mike Kocour: Interior Window, and Tribute to Ellington with Daniel Barenboim (Teldec).

| Back to Top |

Music Education and Conducting

Michael Kerschner (seminar)

Michael Kerschner is the Artistic director of the Young New Yorkers‚ Chorus and the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Chorale. He received a B.S. in Music Education from Duquesne University and his Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of North Texas. He teaches at North Shore High School, and his ensembles there have received gold with distinction honors at NYSSMA festivals, and completed a performance tour through Italy.

Rebecca MacLeod (seminar)

Rebecca MacLeod is assistant professor of music education, specializing in string education. She earned her degrees from Duquesne University (BSME) and Florida State University (MME and PhD). Prior to her position at UNCG, she taught elementary, middle school, and high school orchestra in the public schools of Pennsylvania . She has published in the Journal of Research in Music  Education and the Florida Music Educator's Journal  and her research on at-risk string programs, vibrato technique, instrument preference, and music perception has been presented at the Music Educator's National Conference, American String Teacher's National Conference and the Florida Music Educator's State Conference, respectively. She is a frequent guest conductor and clinician in various high schools and colleges in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, and Illinois

Ryan Nelson (music education coordinator, seminar)

Assistant Professor, Northwestern University. Associate director of bands and conductor, Northwestern University's Symphonic Band and Contemporary Music Ensemble. Teaches courses in music education and wind literature. Guest conductor, clinician, and arranger. Former director of bands and music department chair, Beaver Area School District (Pennsylvania) and assistant conductor, Bach Choir of Pittsburgh. Contributor, Teaching Music through Performance in Band (GIA Publications). Saxophonist and pianist, North Texas Klavier Wind Project and GIA TMPB recordings. Member, College Band Directors National Association, Music Educators National Conference.

| Back to Top |

Piano Faculty

Marcia Bosits (master class)

Associate professor, Northwestern University. Internationally recognized as a piano performance and pedagogy specialist. Master classes and seminars throughout the United States, the Far East, and Canada. Officer in the Music Teachers National Association and National Conference on Piano Pedagogy. Author of articles in national music journals.

Elizabeth Buccheri (master class)

Senior Lecturer, Northwestern University. Chamber musician and vocal coach. Assistant conductor, Lyric Opera of Chicago (1987-present). Founder and music director, Chamber Music at North Park concert series. Previously collaborative pianist, Ravinia Festival's Steans Institute for Young Artists, and pianist, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Performances with Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Vermeer and Shanghai String Quartets, Midori, Gil Shaham, Pawel Berman, Suzanne Mentzer, Samuel Ramey, and Sherrill Milnes. Solo and chamber music recordings on CRI, Spectrum, Sony, Cedille, Boston, and Albany. Musical preparation for numerous performances and recordings by Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Studied with Brooks Smith at the Eastman School of Music. First American musician to receive the Sir Georg Solti Foundation Award.

Alan Chow (master class)

Coordinator and associate professor, piano program, Bienen School of Music. First prize, Concert Artists Guild Competition; grand prize, Palm Beach International Piano Competition; silver medal and audience favorite prize, Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition. Soloist with Hong Kong Philharmonic, National Symphony, Utah Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Tulsa Philharmonic, and Kansas City Symphony Orchestras. Recitals in New York's Alice Tully Hall and throughout the United States; concert tours of Hong Kong, Japan, China, and Taiwan. Former artist-in-residence, University of Arkansas. Studied with Menahem Pressler at Indiana University, Sascha Gorodnitzki at the Juilliard School, and Nelita True at the University of Maryland.

Kuang-Hao Huang (piano coordinator)

Pianist Kuang-Hao Huang enjoys an active career of performing and teaching. He has performed throughout the United States as well as in England, France, China and South Korea. As a soloist, he has performed with the New World Symphony Orchestra, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra and has been heard on Chicago’s WFMT 98.7 FM. Mr. Huang is an active collaborator, performing concerts and radio broadcasts with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and as a regular guest of the Chicago Chamber Musicians. He has also performed with the Vermeer and Chicago String Quartets.Mr. Huang gave the world premiere performances of works by Louis Andriessen, Chen Yi, Stacy Garrop, John Harbison, Alexandra Karastoyanova-Hermentin, Daniel Kellogg, Rami Levin, James Matheson and Laura Schwendinger. He has been involved with the Chicago Chamber Musicians Composer Perspectives series and has had the opportunity to work with many of the world’s foremost composers, including Pierre Boulez and John Corigliano. Mr. Huang has also performed with Fulcrum Point and MusicNOW. He serves on the adjunct faculties of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, Concordia University-Chicago, and the Merit School of Music. As a member of the International Music Foundation’s Bootinsky Piano Trio, he presents educational outreach programs throughout the Chicago Public Schools. He has also served on the faculty of the Mimir Chamber Music Festival at TCU in Ft. Worth, Texas. Mr. Huang has degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Indiana University and Northwestern University. His principal teachers include Leonard Hokanson, Joseph Kalichstein, Howard Karp, Rita Sloan and Sylvia Wang.

Margaret Kemper (organ)

Fulbright scholar with André Marchal, Paris. Past national president, American Guild of Organists. Organist and director of music, Presbyterian Homes, Evanston. Organist, Kenilworth Union Church. Recitalist in the United States and abroad. Studied with Arthur Carkeek at DePauw University and Barrett Spach at Northwestern; additional study with Marie-Claire Alain and Anton Heiller, Academy for Organists, Haarlem, the Netherlands.

Sylvia Wang (piano master class)

Associate professor, Northwestern University. Solo and collaborative performances throughout North America, Europe, and the Far East. Member, Samaris Trio. Active as clinician, adjudicator, and panelist. Recordings on Cadenza Classics, Newport Classics, Boston Records, Northeastern, and CRI. Winner and finalist in national and international piano and chamber music competitions. Studies with David Burge, Hamish Milne, and Dennis Murdoch.

| Back to Top |

String Faculty

Crispin Campbell (cello, chamber music)

Cellist Crispin Campbell is a musician with wide musical interests, ranging from the classical cello repertoire to jazz, blues, tango and folk music. He is a member of the Michigan-based Neptune Quartet, and has performed extensively as a collaborative artist with musicians such as composer David Amram, jazz pianist Paul Sullivan, keyboard artist David Schrader, and songwriter Claudia Schmidt. In addition he has worked with Buglisi/Foreman Dance in Michigan and New York, and created original music for several film and stage productions. Crispin is a faculty member at Interlochen Arts Academy, and was Artistic Director of the Manitou Music Festival for ten years. He has appeared at music festivals in North and South America, and has been a faculty member at Madeline Island Music Camp.

Li-Kuo Chang (viola)

Assistant principal viola (1988-present), acting principal viola (1998-99), Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Former member, Denver Symphony Orchestra and orchestras in China, Europe, and the United States. Active soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. Soloist with Chicago, Phoenix, and Shanghai Symphony Orchestras and Chicago String Ensemble. Chamber appearances with such artists as Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, and Pinchas Zukerman. Former faculty member, Roosevelt University and Affinis Music Festival in Japan. Diploma, Music School of Shanghai Conservatory. Studied with Francis Tursi, Donald McInnes, Milton Thomas, Paul Doktor, and William Magers.

Hal Grossman (violin, chamber music)

Currently Instructor of Violin, Interlochen Arts Academy. M.M. (Performance and Literature), Eastman School of Music; B.M. with honors (Violin Performance), University of Michigan. Former associate professor of violin, Miami University. First violin, Oxford String Quartet. Winner, International Cleveland Quartet and National Fischoff Chamber Music Competitions. Carnegie Hall debut with Casella String Quartet. Soloist with American and Canadian orchestras, including Rochester Philharmonic, North Carolina Symphony. Recital tours throughout North America and Europe. Concertmaster, Estranach (Luxembourg) and several U.S. orchestras. Listed in Outstanding Young Men of America, 1994. Recording musician.

David Hays (violin, chamber music)

David Hays earned his Bachelor's degree at Indiana University and his MM and DM degrees at Northwestern University. A former concertmaster of the BUTI young artists' orchestra at Tanglewood, he has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, and others. As a chamber musician, he has performed live on WFMT Chicago with the Sheridan Chamber Players and was a finalist at the 1998 Banff International String Quartet Competition as co-principal violinist of the Fry Street Quartet. As a member of the Hawthorne Trio, he has performed throughout the US, in Poland, the Czech Republic and England. On baroque violin, David toured and recorded with Minneapolis-based Minstrelsy! for nine seasons and has appeared with Temple of Apollo, the Lyra Concert, the Newberry Consort, and the Chicago Baroque Ensemble. He has taught violin and chamber music at Northwestern's National High School Institute since 1996. He has recorded on the Lyrichord, Narada, and Musical Arts Society labels. Dr. Hays currently serves as Associate Professor of Music at Missouri State University in Springfield and concertmaster of the Springfield Symphony. In recent seasons, he has performed concertos by Sibelius, Lalo, Mozart and Beethoven. He has also appeared in solo and duo recitals in Springfield, Chicago and Bulgaria with his wife, violinist Svetla Kalcheva Hays.

Michael Hovnanian (double bass)

Member, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Midnight Consort, an early music ensemble. Active chamber musician, recitalist, and soloist. Former member, San Antonio, Seattle, and Victoria Symphony Orchestras. Studied with Ronald Simon, James Harnett, Jean Marc Rollez, Lawrence Wolfe, and Frederick Tinsley.

Peter Lloyd (double bass)

Lecturer, double bass, Bienen School of Music. Former principal bass of the Minnesota Orchestra (1986-2007) and section bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Chamber music performances with members of the Budapest, Guarneri, Emerson, Juilliard and Orion string quartets and guest artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, BargeMusic, and the Boston Chamber Music Society. Recordings on RCA, EMI, Sony, Telarc, Virgin Classical, BIS, and Reference Recordings. Has been a visiting teacher at the Marlboro School of Music and at virtually all of the leading music schools in the United States. Regularly serves as coach for the New York String Orchestra and as a visiting teacher for the New World Symphony.

Blair Milton (strings coordinator, violin, chamber music)

Assistant professor, Northwestern University. Member, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Evanston Chamber Ensemble. Soloist with Chicago Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Sir Georg Solti), Chicago String Ensemble, Kingston Symphony, Montreal Chamber Orchestra. Chamber performances with Ravinia Festival, Aspen Festival, Chicago Symphony Allied Arts Series at Orchestra Hall. Studied with Josef Gingold and Ivan Galamian.

Jonathan Pegis (cello)

Lecturer, Northwestern University. Member, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1986–present). Former member, Rochester Philharmonic. Solo appearances with Texas Chamber Orchestra and Highland Park Strings and in Chicago Cello Society concerts. Studied with Alan Harris, Lee Fiser, Paul Katz, and Lynn Harrell.

Philip Peters (orchestra conductor)

Phil Peters has been the director of the Valley High School orchestra program since August 1995 after teaching in Baltimore for ten years. Mr. Peters earned his Bachelor's degree in music education from Towson University in Maryland and a Master of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music. Mr. Peters has completed additional graduate courses at the University of North Texas, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Drake University. He performs as a double bassist with the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra and in many other local ensembles. Mr. Peters is the director of the orchestra program at the National High School Music Institute at Northwestern University for five weeks each summer. Ensembles directed by Mr. Peters have earned superior ratings at state contests in Maryland and Iowa and former students have been accepted into prestigious music schools around the country.

Gerardo Ribeiro (violin master class)

Professor, Northwestern University. Soloist diploma, Lucerne Music Conservatory. 2001 recipient, Presidential Excellence in Teaching Award. Distinguished solo and chamber music performer and winner of numerous worldwide prizes. Soloist with Philadelphia Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Radio-Télévision Français, Radio Orchestra Berlin. Solo recording artist for EMI and RCA. Artistic director, International Institute for Chamber Music, Munich. Former faculty member, Meadowmount School of Music and Eastman School of Music. Studied at the Juilliard School with Ivan Galamian, Felix Galimir, and Paul Makanowitzky.

Michele Senger (chamber music)

BM, Univ. of Arizona; MM, Ohio University. Michele Senger is in her ninth year teaching in West Des Moines at Westridge Elementary School and Valley Southwoods Freshman High School. Michele is a member of the Des Moines Symphony cello section and conducts the intermediate and advanced orchestras for the Des Moines Area Suzuki Institute (DASI). She was also a member of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and performed regularly with “Go for Baroque” and the Marelle String Quartet. Michele was instructor of cello and bass at Pima Community College. Her summers are currently spent performing with the Marelle Quartet and coaching chamber music at various festivals throughout the U.S including the Chamber Music in the Mountains at Echo Glen. Her major professors included Gordon Epperson, Leighton Conkling, and George Sopkin.

Stacia Spencer (violin and viola)

Stacia Spencer is a senior lecturer in string pedagogy at the Bienen School of Music and string coordinator for the Academy. She also teaches violin, viola and chamber music in Northwestern's National High School Music Institute. Prior to moving to the Chicago area, Spencer taught at Indiana University School of Music as an assistant professor of music, where she taught seminars in violin and viola pedagogy and was the assistant to Mimi Zweig for the Young Violinist Program. Spencer has played professionally in symphony orchestras and chamber music groups, and has a special interest in contemporary music, working with composers and performing their new pieces. Currently, Spencer is a violist and singer in Jon Eaton's Pocket Opera Company. She received her bachelors and masters degrees in viola from Indiana University School of Music, where she studied with Mimi Zweig, Kim Kashkashian, and George Janzer.

Clara Takarabe (viola)

An accomplished performer and teacher, Clara Takarabe has played with some of the world's leading orchestras and ensembles. Since 1999 Ms. Takarabe has played with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as a substitute. She has also performed with Chicago's Lyric Opera, Germany's Berlin Sinfonie Orchester, and Brazil's Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo, one of Latin America's leading orchestras. A busy chamber musician, Ms. Takarabe is a current member of Camerata Chicago and the Callisto Ensemble. She joined the MusicNow series of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 2000 until 2002. Ms. Takarabe has been fortunate to study under seminal violin teachers and violists, including Robert Lipsett, Sheryl Staples, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Li Kuo Chang, Yuri Gandelsman, Felix Schwartz, Emanuel Vardi and Rami Solomonow. As an educator herself, Ms. Takarabe assists Li Kuo Chang. She is a professor of violin and viola at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, and also teaches in her own Chicago studio. Ms. Takarabe takes a holistic approach to teaching which stresses matching instruction to personalities and strengths of individual students. She is particularly valued among her peers as a teacher of technique and is often asked by fellow professors to work with students to rebuild and reconstruct their technique.

| Back to Top |

Voice Faculty

Theresa Brancaccio (master class)

Mezzo-soprano. Lecturer, Northwestern University. MMus, Northwestern University. Solo performances with Grant Park Symphony, St. Louis Bach Society, Colorado Mahler Festival, New Oratorio Singers. Leading operatic roles with Central City Opera, Chattanooga Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, and Light Opera Works. Featured in recordings of Janowski, Giles, Mahler.

Karen Brunssen (master class)

Mezzo-soprano. Associate professor, Northwestern University. BA in Music, Luther College. Solo appearances with Chicago, Baltimore, Seattle, Houston, St. Louis, Mexico and Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestras. Other appearances with Buffalo Philharmonic, Cincinnati Opera, Music of the Baroque, and Grant Park Symphony Orchestra.

Elizabeth Fischer-Monastero (master class)

Professor, Northwestern University. Mezzo-soprano. Winner of Metropolitan Opera, WGN Illinois Opera Guild, National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artists, and American Opera Auditions. Michaels Award solo appearance at Ravinia. Solo appearance at the White House. Recipient, Rockefeller Foundation Grants. European operatic debut in Italy. Performances with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Cincinnati Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Santa Barbara Opera. Soloist with NBC-TV and Chicago, Grant Park, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Chautauqua Symphony Orchestras. Former faculty member, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, National Music Camp. Recitalist, master class teacher, and adjudicator for vocal competitions. Mercedes-Benz/Chicago Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award. Artistic adviser and seminar coordinator, Bel Canto Foundation.

Erin Freeman (choir director)

Kurt R. Hansen (voice coordinator)

Tenor. Senior lecturer, Northwestern University. MMus, Northwestern University. Solo appearances in Europe as well as the United States. Specialist in oratorio, especially the Johann Sebastian Bach Passions. Recitalist and frequent performer in opera roles. Appeared as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Sir Georg Solti and Claudio Abbado as well as with the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and Music of the Baroque.

Robert Heitzinger (voice)

Baritone. Lecturer, Northwestern University. Solo appearances with Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony, Des Moines Symphony, Rockford Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Symphonic Pops Orchestra of Chicago, Festival de Musica de Canarias, Chicago Opera Theater, Cincinnati Opera, Light Opera Works, Milwaukee Florentine Opera. Appearances on Broadway, Kennedy Center, and throughout the U.S. and Europe in numerous musicals. Recipient, Mason-Ragland Fellowship in Opera. Active studio singer. Recordings on Amadis and Centaur labels.

Karina Kontorovitch (vocal accompanist)

Karina Kontorovitch was born in St. Petersburg, Russia.  At the age of five, she started attending the Music School for Gifted Children, where she continued to study piano with Olga Manukyan until the family immigrated to the United States in 1991.  Ms. Kontorovitch earned both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from Northwestern University, taking a special interest in chamber music and accompanying; her teachers include Sylvia Wang, Alan Chow, Laurence Davis and Elizabeth Buccheri.  Ms. Kontorovitch has taught at the Music Arts School in Highland Park and has been on the faculty of the Merit School of Music in Chicago since 2001, teaching all ages and levels.  She also serves as an accompanist and vocal coach at Northwestern University, working primarily in the studio of Kurt R. Hansen.  In addition, she is active as a collaborative pianist in the Chicago area.  She just played a Dame Myra Hess Memorial Series piano duet concert with Ruth Lin at the Chicago Cultural Center in March of this year.

Christopher Lorimer (voice)

Tenor. BMus and MMus, Northwestern University. Solo appearances with Bach Aria Group in New York, Graz Festival Orchestra in Austria and Lake Forest, Waukegan, Fox Valley, and Chicago Symphony Orchestras. Other solo appearances with DuPage Chorale, Chicago Opera Theatre, DuPage Opera Theatre, Piccolo Productions, North Shore Choral Society and Bach Week Festival. Awards from Mozart Society of Chicago, Friends of Austria, Union League Club of Chicago. Faculty, College of DuPage and University of Illinois-Chicago.

James Morehead (vocal coach, accompanist)

James Morehead is an Adjunct Professor of Music Theory/History and German Diction at Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University and is staff accompanist for voice lessons and recitals. He is also the choir master/organist at St. Helena's Episcopal Church in Burr Ridge, IL. James received his M. M. in Piano Performance and Music Theory from CCPA and his B. M. in Piano Performance from Duquesne University. His teachers have included Klaus Ebling, Emma S. Rocco, Kenneth Burky and Dmitry Rachmanov. He has also appeared as a featured cabaret pianist at Gentry on Halsted, Spin Nightclub, Davenport's, the 410 Club and The Casino. Finally, James has participated in the Other Dance Festival and Around the Coyote Festival.

Tim Peter (choir director)

Tracy Watson (voice)

Voice faculty, Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University. M.M. Northwestern University, B.A. Mount Holyoke College. Lyric Opera Center for American Artists. Opera soloist with Portland, Hawaii, Madison, Staedtische Buehnen Dortmund, Theater Oberhausen and Chicago Opera Theater. Concert soloist Musica Sacra (Carnegie Hall), Music of the Baroque, St. Louis Bach Society, Princeton Pro Musica, Grant Park Music Festival, I Virtuosi Pragensis and the European Symphony Orchestra (Barcelona, Spain). Vice President of the Chicago Singing Teachers Guild.

Cory Wikan (conducting)

Managing Director, NHSMI. Associate Conductor, Alice Millar Chapel Choir, Northwestern University. Associate Director, Music Admission and Financial Aid, Bienen School of Music. M.M. Northwestern University, B.A. Luther College. Performances with Light Opera Works, Intimate Opera, Shoestring Opera, Savoy-Aires, Apollo Chorus, Alice Millar Chapel Choir, Dorian Opera Theater.

| Back to Top |

Winds and Percussion Faculty

Andrew Baker (trombone)

Lecturer, Northwestern University. Former Archer Scholar at Trinity College of Music. Served as principal of the Covent Garden Festival Orchestra (London). Performed with thePhilharmonic of the Nations, Ray Gelato Giants, Chicago Jazz Ensemble, Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, the Hard Art Ensemble, Liquid Soul, and Broadway in Chicago. Appears on many recordings, including Porgy and Bess (with Clark Terry and the CJO), The Ted Hogarth Collective, and the Hard Art Ensemble.

Jan Berry Baker (saxophone)

Saxophonist Jan Berry Baker is a native of Alberta, Canada. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed throughout North America, France, Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic. She has won top prizes in numerous competitions including the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the North American Saxophone Alliance Concerto Competition and the Johann Strauss Society competition. As an orchestral saxophonist, she regularly plays with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic and the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra. Her recent recording of Barbara Kolb's All in Good Time with the Grant Park Orchestra was released on the Cedille label in August 2006. Baker has been broadcast in recital on CBC radio and WFMT Chicago and has premiered works by numerous composers, including John A. Lennon, M. William Karlins, William Bolcom, Mischa Zupko, Mark Engebretson, James Mattheson, and André Ducret. As an educator, Dr. Baker has been an Artist-Affiliate at Emory University since 2006 and has been teaching saxophone at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University since 2002. She was a lecturer at Northwestern University from 1999 until 2007 and Visiting Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of Alberta from 1998-1999. Her principal teachers include Frederick L. Hemke, William H. Street, and Barbara Lorenz and she holds a Doctor of Music degree in saxophone performance from Northwestern University. Jan Baker is a Selmer performing artist and plays exclusively on Selmer Paris saxophones.

J. Lawrie Bloom (clarinet master class)

Lecturer, Northwestern University. Solo bass clarinet, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1980-present). Artistic co-director of Eastern Shore Chamber Music Festival in St. Michael’s, Maryland. Former member, Vancouver, Phoenix, Cincinnati Symphonies and Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra.

Melanie Cottle (horn)

Faculty, Wheaton College. Extra player, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Appearances with Lyric Opera of Chicago and Milwaukee Symphony. Numerous Broadway show orchestras and commercial recordings.

Chip DeStefano (brass choir, conducting)

BMus in trombone performance and MMus in music education, Northwestern University. Director of Bands, McCracken Middle School, Skokie, Illinois. Commissioned arrangements and compositions for Northwestern University, Samford University, and University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse. Compositons performed on ABC’s 1996 Rose Bowl Halftime Show, Live! With Regis and Kathy Lee, and WBBM News Radio 780. Three-time recipient of the National Band Association Citations of Excellence. Recipient, 2001 Chicagoland Outstanding Music Educator Award.

Daniel Farris (NHSMI director, wind and percussion coordinator, wind ensemble conductor)

Senior Lecturer, Northwestern University. Director of Athletic Bands. Director, National High School Music Institute. Conductor, "Wildcat" Marching Band, Concert Band, and Jazz Band. Teaches courses in conducting and marching band techniques. Former Assistant Director of Bands and Marching Band Director, Illinois State University and University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Former director and consultant, Walt Disney World Collegiate All-Star Band. Former teacher in Minnesota and Wisconsin public schools. Member, College Band Director National Association, National Band Association, International Association of Jazz Educators. Honorary member, Tau Beta Sigma/Kappa Kappa Psi.

John Gaudette (bassoon)

Former member of the Vancouver Symphony, CBC Radio Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony. Currently freelancing in Chicago as extra in Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera, Music of the Baroque, Fulcrum Point. Bassoonist in the Barossa Woodwind Quintet. Graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Sol Schoenbach.

Frederick Hemke (saxophone master class)

Professor, Northwestern University. Premier Prix du Saxophone, Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique, Paris, as student of Marcel Mule. Internationally recognized adjudicator, master teacher, and soloist. Recordings with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, Stockholm Philharmonic, Eastman Wind Ensemble, and Contemporary Chamber Players as well as solo albums. Editor of music for saxophone solo and ensembles; author of many articles and educational materials. Consultant to Selmer Corporation, La Voz Corporation, Southern Music Company. Listed in Who's Who, New Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Encyclopédie de la Musique.

Michael Henoch (oboe master class)

Associate Professor, Northwestern University. Assistant principal oboe, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1972–present). Artistic codirector and oboist, Chicago Chamber Musicians. Participant, Marlboro Music Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, Peninsula Music Festival. Soloist with conductors Daniel Barenboim, Sir Georg Solti, David Zinman, Alexander Schneider. Artistic collaborations with Pierre Boulez, Christoph Eschenbach, Claude Frank, Garrick Ohlsson, Arlene Auger, Maxim Vengerov. Numerous recordings, recitals, and international tours.

Walfrid Kujala (flute)

Professor, Northwestern University; Flutist and principal piccolo, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1954–2001). Contributing editor, Flute Talk. Former member, Rochester Philharmonic, and former principal flutist, Grant Park Symphony. Past president, National Flute Association. Recipient, NFA Lifetime Achievement Award and Bienen School of Music Exemplar in Teaching Award. Recitals and master classes throughout the United States and Canada.

Peter Martin (percussion, percussion ensemble)

First prize winner, Percussive Arts Society 2003 Solo Marimba Competition. Featured solo artist at the Jeju Summer Music Festival of Korea, Leigh Howard Stevens Summer Marimba Seminar, Percussive Arts Society International Convention, CJYPE Concert Series, Long Island Day of Percussion, Kansas Day of Percussion. Has performed with the Scandinavian Chamber Orchestra, Opera Moda, Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, Third Coast Percussion Quartet, Sonic Inertia Performance Group, Longmount Symphony Orchestra, Monmouth Symphony Orchestra, Summitt Theatre Group, Exit 9 percussion group. Recent appearances as clinician/performer at California Institute of the Arts, Chapman University, Seoul National University, Bryn Mawr University, St. Cloud State University, Colorado State University, and Iowa State University. Artist/Endorser for the Kp3/Malletech Co. and Malletech Mallets. M.M. and Current D.M. candidate at the Bienen School of Music.

Rex Martin (tuba/euphonium master class)

Professor, Northwestern University. Recitals and master classes throughout North America, Europe, and the Far East. Studio musician heard in 3,000 television and radio commercials. Performer on more than 70 recordings with Chicago and St. Louis Symphony Orchestras. Performances with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Symphony II, Ravinia Festival Orchestra, Fulcrum Point, Tower Brass, and such performers as Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles, Luciano Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, and Sarah Vaughan. Host of 1995 International Tuba-Euphonium Conference. Outstanding Alumni Award, Illinois State University. Studied with Arnold Jacobs, Edward Kleinhammer, and Edward Livingston.

Robert Morgan (oboe)

Robert Morgan is principal oboist and soloist with Music of the Baroque, Symphony II, and acting co-principal oboe with the Chicago Lyric Opera. He has made numerous solo appearances with Chicago area ensembles and has served as principal oboist with the Bach Festival Orchestra in Carmel (California). Mr. Morgan has been heard in many nationally syndicated broadcasts, and also on a CD with the Rembrandt Chamber Players, of which he is a founding member.

Michael Mulcahy (trombone master class)

Member, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Former principal trombone, Cologne Radio Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, and Tasmanian Symphony. Principal trombone, Grand Teton Music Festival. Member, Chicago Chamber Musicians and Summit Brass. Former head of brass, Canberra School of Music at Australian National University. Winner, international music competitions in Munich, Vercelli, and Markneukirchen. Accomplished conductor specializing in contemporary music. Music director, National Music Camp of Australia. Active as soloist, teacher, lecturer, and clinician in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Channing Philbrick (trumpet)

Co-Assistant Principal Trumpet with the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Second Trumpet with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. Also a member of the Chicago Philharmonic and Bach Week Festival Orchestras. Performed as an extra with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, Music of the Baroque, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Savannah Symphony Orchestra and as a member of the Tulsa Philharmonic and the Millar Brass Ensemble. He can be heard on numerous radio and TV commercials as well as compact disc recordings with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Grant Park Symphony, the Millar Brass Ensemble and others. Currently on the faculty of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

Sunshine Simmons (clarinet)

DMA Candidate, NU. Member of the Illinois Philharmonic and the Green Bay, Quad Cities, and Rockford Symphonies. Performed with Lyric Opera, Chicago Sinfonietta, and the Milwaukee, Grant Park, Fort Wayne, Elgin, South Bend, and Illinois Symphonies.

Mallory Thompson (master class)

Professor, Northwestern University. Director of Bands; conductor of Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the Waa-Mu Show, graduate and advanced undergraduate conducting, conducting program coordinator, Charles Deering McCormick Professor. Frequent guest conductor and conducting teacher including Aspen, Interlochen, Dallas Wind Symphony, United States Army Band. Recordings with Summit Records. Former faculty member, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of South Florida, Oberlin Conservatory.

She-e Wu (percussion master class)

| Back to Top |

Academic Faculty

John Henes (Alexander Technique)

Lecturer, Northwestern University. BMus, Indiana University. Graduate, Chicago Center for the Alexander Technique. Certified by the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique, London. Private teacher of the Alexander technique to members of major American and European orchestras as well as other performing artists from the United States and abroad. Frequently gives Alexander technique lectures and master classes at universities around the country and in Europe. Former member (trumpet), Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Army Field Band. Recorded Shostakovich Concerto no. 1 for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings with the Chicago Sinfonietta.

Jennifer Myers (music history)

Lecturer, Northwestern University. Doctoral Student, Northwestern University.  BA (Music and Elementary Education), Gettysburg College.  Specialist in early twentieth-century black popular music and African American musical theatre. Also interested in gender and music, race and music, as well as music for film. Active member of the American Musicological  Society (AMS) and Society for American Music (SAM). Recent conference papers given at Society for Ethnomusicology-Regional and the Ohio State University. Upcoming conference paper to be given at the National British Music Studies Association Conference in August 2008.

Susan Piagentini (music theory)

Senior Lecturer, Northwestern University. Coordinator, first-year theory and aural skills curriculum. Continued research in pedagogy with an emphasis on technology. Workshops and papers given at national and regional conferences, including the Society for Music Theory, Association for Technology in Music Instruction, Technological Directions in Music Learning, Indiana University at IUPUI Music Technology Conference and the College Music Society. Recipient, University Research Grants Committee and Searle Center for Teaching Excellence grants to develop web-based materials to supplement the undergraduate core curriculum.

| Back to Top |