Faculty Biographies
Music School faculty members are deeply engaged and recognized educators. They have held offices in state, regional, and national music education organizations, including the Massachusetts and New Hampshire Music Teachers Associations, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the International Association of Jazz Educators, and the American String Teachers Association.
Click on a department to view faculty and biographies. After viewing a department, click its title to close.
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Audio Production
Matt Marcil - audio production
Matt Marcil holds a B.A. from Boston University’s Audio Production program. He works out of Tweek Sound and Mastering (http://tweeksound.com) in Concord NH. He is the staff recording engineer and instructor for the audio production class at the Concord Community Music School, instructor at Audio Tools digital audio production course, field recording engineer for WKXL 1450AM and FM, owner and engineer for Mahogany Audio dialog recording (http://mahoganyaudio.com), head of the sound team and post production engineer on the feature film “The Kingsmen’s Redeemer”. Mr. Marcil's projects also include commercial production, PBS and local broadcast TV documentaries.
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Classical Guitar
Frank Wallace - classical guitar
Mr. Wallace received his B.M. in classical guitar performance from San Francisco Conservatory of Music with further studies in early music performance. He has studied voice with Marleen Montgomery, Marcy Lindheimer, and most recently, with Roland Seiler of Würzburg, Germany. He is the recipient of two Artist Fellowship Awards from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts for composition and performance, in 2001 and 2006, and with Duo LiveOak partner, and wife, Nancy Knowles, has performed in over 500 concerts throughout Europe, and North and South America.
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Composition
William A. Fletcher - composition
William A. Fletcher earned a bachelor's degree in choral music education and a master's degree in music theory and composition from the University of New Hampshire. He is a frequent adjudicator and guest conductor at music festivals and former music director of the Concord Chorale. He is a faculty member and choirmaster at St. Paul ’s School. Fletcher's compositions include commissioned works for the Christa MacAuliffe Planetarium, the Music School, the Concord Chorale, and St. Paul ’s School. He has produced recordings for Steve Schuch & The Night Heron Consort, Wellspring, femme m’amie, Peggo & Paul, and Holly Outwin-Tepe.
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Folk
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David Surette, folk coordinator - folk guitar, banjo, mandolin, folk ensembles
David Surette holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of New Hampshire. He plays throughout New England with Susie Burke, Rodney Miller, Airdance, and as a soloist and is known for his work on the mandolin, guitar (both flatpick and fingerstyle), and bouzouki. His repertoire includes traditional American roots music, Celtic and contra tunes, original compositions, bluegrass, blues and ragtime, and folk music from a variety of traditions. He has written a book of Celtic guitar arrangements and has received a NH State Council on the Arts fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts grant to study traditional Breton music in France. Surette was a New Hampshire representative at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. in 1999.
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Carolyn Parrott - Songweavers, banjo, fiddle, voice
Carolyn Parrott earned a bachelor's degree in voice from Lake Erie College and a master's in Italian literature from the University of California-Berkeley, as well as a degree in storytelling and music therapy from Lesley College. She is a member of the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts Touring Roster and the award-winning Blackwater Band. Parrott is known regionally for calling traditional country dances.
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Jazz
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David Tonkin, faculty chair - jazz guitar, jazz ensembles, Scholarship Jazz Ensemble
David Tonkin studied jazz guitar with Ed Cory, Jay Azzolina, and Randy Roos. He has worked with the New Hampshire Artists in the Schools Program, led workshops at Dartmouth College, and taught at UNH- Manchester. He performs throughout New England, and is founder of the David Tonkin Group and Tonkin Toys. Tonkin performed in two sold-out performances with Straight No Chaser at the well-known New York City jazz club, The Blue Note, and at the Saratoga Jazz Festival. An active composer, his work has been heard on radio and television throughout the area.
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Brendan Dowd - electric/double bass
Brendan Dowd received his B.A. from Plymouth State University, studied with Don Williams, John Hunter; master classes with Todd Coolman, Rufus Reid, and David Dempsey. Teaches general music, band, and chorus at Ashland Elementary School, in Ashland, NH. Performs regularly with the Jared Steer Quartet, Scott Solsky Group, The ftet, and High Range.
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Richard Gardzina - saxophone, jazz ensembles, improvisation, composition
Richard Gardzina received his bachelor's degree in music composition from North Texas State University and his master's in music composition from the University of New Hampshire, with further study at the Berklee College of Music. He is a producer, recording engineer, and owner of Sound Experience recording studio. and has composed works for various film companies in Los Angeles and New York, as well as for New York City choreographer Dianne Eno, the New Hampshire Theater Project, the Pontine Movement Theatre, Arthur Hall Dance Company, and the New Hampshire Dance Alliance. Gardzina has composed and produced more than 125 songs for children, and composed and produced 50 Songs for Social Dance. He has recorded three CDs of original jazz compositions. He has more than 40 years of performing experience in New Hampshire, Texas, and Los Angeles.
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Matt Langley - saxophone, jazz ensembles
Matt Langley has studied with Lou Marini of Saturday Night Live, David Baker, Ted Dunbar, and Stan Strickland. Since 1988 he has been a member of the Charlie Kohlhase Quintet (CKQ), recording three CDs, touring the United States, and performing in jazz festivals from the Boston Globe Festival to the Rutabega Jazz Jam. CKQ’s fourth CD, Dancing on My Bedpost, made the top-10 lists of many jazz critics in 1999. Langley has recorded with Ron Carter, John Medeski, Billy Martin, Chris Wood, Roswell Rudd, and others. He performs regularly with Tonkin Toys.
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Tom Robinson - jazz piano, saxophone
Tom Robinson received a bachelor of music in jazz studies from Capital University, Columbus, Ohio. He has studied saxophone with Michael Cox, and piano with Mark Flugge and Joe Hunter. He was selected for Ohio Music Educator's All-State College Jazz Ensemble in 1992-1993. Robinson, who also teaches at Plymouth State University, performs throughout New England as a sideman with several jazz groups as well as leading and writing for his own trio. He has recorded five CDs.
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Don Williams - bass, jazz ensembles
Don Williams received a bachelor of science degree in music education at Plymouth State University, with further study in the master of fine arts program in music at the University of New Hampshire. He performs often with Raccoon Beach, Tonkin Toys, Plymouth State University FacultyQuartet,and the Loli Sterling Group. He has appeared at The Blue Note, Rainbow Room, and Saratoga Jazz Festival, and has performed with the Platters, Randy Brecker, Jack Wilkins, and Bob Guilotti. He is also on the faculty of Plymouth State University.
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Music and Movement
Heather Oberheim - Music & Movement
Heather Oberheim holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in dance from Colby-Sawyer College and a graduate degree in dance movement therapy from Antioch New England. She leads music & movement classes, including many around the state through the Music School’s Music in the Community Initiative (MICI), partnerships with a range of community agencies that benefit children with disabilities, including economic. Oberheim is active in the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association, attending its annual conferences. She also offers professional development workshops for early childcare teachers as part of a MICI project.
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Music Therapy
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Krisi Geary, program director
Krisi Geary, music therapy, holds an M.A., Expressive Therapies from Lesley University. A board-certified music therapist specializing in music therapy and mental health counseling for preschool-aged children through geriatric adults, she has practiced individual and group music therapy for clients with mental health issues, behavioral issues, individuals diagnosed on the autism spectrum, special needs/education, and Alzheimer’s disease. Ms. Geary counsels at New Hampshire Hospital providing both individual and group music therapy services.
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Lynn Reimer
Lynn Reimer holds a B.S. and B.M. from State University of New York, Fredonia. She is a Board-Certified Music Therapist providing music therapy services to clients ranging from early childhood through older-adult. The scope of her practice includes individual and group music therapy services for clients diagnosed with significant to moderate special needs, mental health issues, cognitive impairments, behavioral issues, Alzheimer’s disease/dementia, autism, as well as clients within hospice and palliative care, grief and loss. Ms. Reimer currently provides services within public schools, nursing/assisted living homes, and rehabilitation centers.
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Suzuki Violin Program
Lissa Thomas - Violin
Lissa Thomas holds a B.A. in Violin Performance and Music Education from Northern Arizona University. She studied with Dr. Louise Scott and completed Long Term Suzuki Teacher Training for Violin Books 1-8. Ms. Thomas created and ran Dolce Studios, a successful Suzuki program in Minneapolis, MN before relocating to New Hampshire. She has played an active role in the community as an adjudicator for various festivals and served as a board member for the Suzuki Association of Minnesota. She performed with Flagstaff Symphony, Arizona Opera Company, and Bloomington Symphony in Minnesota.
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Percussion
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John Faggiano, department chair - percussion, drum set, percussion ensembles
John Faggiano trained at Acadia University and Berklee College of Music and has studied privately with Ed Nicholas, Gary Chaffee, Alan Dawson, and Nuru. He teaches extensively in the Music School ’s Music in the Community Initiative (MICI) and he has developed and facilitated seminars for community building through drumming. An adjudicator for the New Hampshire Jazz All- State, Faggiano is also a member of the Vic Firth Educational team. He teaches at St. Paul ’s School and has performed at the Blue Note in New York City and the Saratoga and White Mountain jazz festivals. Faggiano is a founding member of the performance group Applehead. As a 20-year veteran of the band, The Knights, he has performed with The Drifters, Gary Chaffee, and Pat Metheny. He also has recorded extensively, including CDs with the Dave Tonkin Group, Steve Schuch, and Peggo & Paul.
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Tim Gilmore - percussion, drum set
Tim Gilmore received a bachelor’s of science degree in elementary education and music from Salem State College with further studies in composition and performance programs at Berklee College of Music. He is a member of the Harry Skoler Jazz Quartet with Brownstone Recording Artists and has performed with such groups as the Cape Ann Symphony, the Symphony by the Sea, the Paul Madore Chorale, the Boston Percussion Ensemble, and the Cambridge Harmonic Orchestra. He has also performed with Lester Bowie, Marion McPartland, Tower of Power, Tiger Okoshi, and Warren Vache. Some of his recordings include “A Work of Heart,” “Reflections on the Art of Swing,” and “Conversations in the Language of Jazz” on Brownstone Records.
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Grace Schust - African drumming, Songweavers Drumming Ensemble
Grace Schust earned a bachelor's of fine arts degree from Colby-Sawyer College and has studied with Babatunde Olatunji, Abdoul Doumbia, Mohammed Joh Camara, Papus Diabate, Moussa Traore, and Issa Coulibaly. She teaches at Proctor Academy, New Hampshire Association for the Blind, VSA Arts programs, Arts in Education Institute at Plymouth State University, and Colby-Sawyer College. Schust leads rhythm, movement, and song workshops for building team spirit in the workplace and increasing self-esteem among at-risk children. She is founder and director of Arts Bridge the World which produces workshops and performances for drummers and dancers.
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Lindsey Schust - percussion/composition
Lindsey Schust holds a B.A. in music, cum laude, from Brandeis University and an M.A. Composition from Tufts University African and Afro-Caribbean master drummers from Mali, Nigeria, Guinea, Senegal, Ghana, Trinidad, Haiti and Cuba. She studied Afro-Cuban percussion in Cuba with Jacinto Herrera and classical new music composition with composers David Rakowski, Yehudi Wyner, and John McDonald. Ms. Schust team-teaches drum, dance and song workshops, residencies, and classes with Grace Schust throughout New England. She won the Global Rhythm songwriting competition in December 2006.
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Piano
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Kathryn Southworth, department chair - piano
Kathryn Southworth earned a B.M. from the Oberlin Conservatory, and a M.M. in vocal accompanying and coaching from the University of Illinois. She has studied with Francis Mann, Robert Shannon, Marvin Blickenstaff, Eric Stumacher, and John Wustman, and has taught at St. Paul ’s School. Southworth was New Hampshire Music Teachers Association Teacher of the Year in 2002. She has been a collaborative pianist for Boston Ballet, Dartmouth College, Plymouth State College, Opera North, and Belle Voci. She is organist and choir director for the United Church of Penacook and pianist and organist for the Concord Community Chorus' annual “Messiah.” In 1984 she was a collaborative pianist/musical ambassador for the United States in Costa Rica.
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Rebecca Herst, assistant chair - piano, performance classes
Rebecca Herst earned a bachelor’s of music degree in piano performance at the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford. She studied with Leonard Seeber and Paul Rutman, with a concentration in collaborative piano. Herst formerly was a faculty member at the Fairfield County School of Music and the Community Music Center of Boston. A teacher for more than 20 years, she has worked extensively with young children.
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Abigail Charbeneau - piano
Abigail Charbeneau earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Skidmore College, and a master’s degree in piano performance and piano pedagogy from the University of Illinois. She has studied with Pola Baytelman, William Heiles, Arkady Aronov, Adaleina Krivosheina, Kenneth Drake, and Reid Alexander, and has been on the faculty of Millikin University and the University of Illinois. Charbeneau also teaches at St. Paul’s School.
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Nancy Colter - piano
Nancy Colter holds a M.F.A., chamber music performance, from Bennington College and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Sonoma State College. She studies in solo piano performance, New England Conservatory, and solo and chamber music performance, Mills College. Ms. Colter studied with Bernhard Abramowitsch, Katja Andy, and Norma Brown. She is the director of Arthur Russell Strings, a chamber music summer camp. Has taught at Bennington, Williams, and Mills Colleges. She has performed extensively on both coasts.
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Catharine Dornin - piano
Catharine Dornin studied with John Perry at Oberlin Conservatory, where she earned a bachelor of music degree. She has taught at Hochstein and Pittsfield community music schools and Notre Dame College and currently teaches at St. Paul’s School. Dornin is a former president of the New Hampshire Music Teachers Association and recipient of its teacher of the year award in 1996. She debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1990 and has performed with the New Hampshire Music Festival, Louisville Symphony, New Hampshire Philharmonic, and Lakes Region Symphony. She annually serves as pianist for the Concord Covenant Church and Concord Community Chorus’ production of “Messiah.”
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Paul Dykstra - piano
Paul Dykstra earned a bachelor’s of music degree from the University of Alberta and holds associate degrees in piano performance and piano pedagogy. He studied with Lillian Upright, Helmut Brauss, Anton Kuerti, Gyorgy Sebok, and Abbey Simon, and has toured Western Canada in solo, duo, chamber, and orchestra performances. Dykstra has served as an examiner of piano and pedagogy for Conservatory Canada and as an adjudicator for the New Hampshire Music Teachers Association.
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Calvin Herst - piano, performance workshops
Calvin Herst, director of education and community partnerships, earned a bachelor’s of music degree, magna cum laude, and a master’s of music degree in piano performance, from Ithaca College. He also holds a Dalcroze Eurhythmics teaching license. He studied conducting extensively at Ithaca and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria and toured China with tenor Michael Calmes. Herst performs frequently as a collaborative pianist. In addition to his favorite pastime of accompanying students and faculty on stage at the Music School, he has appeared in concert at the Kennedy Center and the Philadelphia Academy of Music. His most recent recording is with Peggo Horstmann Hodes on her Summer Nights CD. He has been a member of the faculty of the Ithaca College School of Music, the CommunityMusic Center of Boston, and Buckingham Browne & Nichols School. Herst regularly serves as a guest panelist, speaker, adjudicator, and clinician for state and national arts organizations.
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Jacqueline Morin - piano
Jacqueline Morin holds a M.M. in Piano Pedagogy from West Chester University and a B.A. in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Plymouth State University. She taught at Plymouth State and the West Chester Community Music School. She worked at Plymouth State Piano Monster Camps, participated in the 2008 Oxford Summer Program in-residence at Lincoln College of Oxford University, and was the 1st place winner of the West Chester Sight-reading Competition. Ms. Morin is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association, serving four years as local collegiate chapter officer including two consecutive years as president.
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Angela Olszta - piano
Angela Olszta holds a B.M. in piano performance and pedagogy from Plymouth State University. Her further studies were in opera, primarily German Lieder. She teaches at Nashua Community Music School, and P.A.L. Youth Safe Haven, Nashua. Ms. Olszta is choir director and organist, First Baptist Church of Nashua. She performs with instrumentalists and singers in New England and Europe. Her teachers include Jack L’Ecuyer, Carleen Graff, George Lopez, Maria Clodes Jaguaribe, Claude LaBelle, Jean Barr, and Christopher Kies. Ms. Olszta is the winner of the 2004 New Hampshire Music Teachers Association Fall Competition and participant in the 2005 Music Teachers National Association Eastern Division Competition.
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Gregg Pauley - piano
Gregg Pauley earned his bachelor of music degree from the University of Southern California, where he studied with James Bonn. He earned a master’s degree at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, studying with Ilana Vered. In addition to many appearances at the Rutgers Summerfest, Pauley has performed in the Alice Tully Hall in New York City and at the Steinway Hall in Los Angeles. He has been presented in recital by the Steinway Society of Princeton, the University of Southern California, the Southwestern Youth Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and the Music Teachers’ National Association Convention, among others. Pauley has performed on WQXR radio in New York and on WKPM in Portland, Maine, where he was the featured soloist in a live broadcast of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto. He also has been a top prizewinner at many competitions, including the Johanna Hodges International Piano Competition, the Portland Symphony-Priscilla Morneault Piano Competition, and the Hampton Summerfest Competition. He teaches at St. Paul’s School.
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Peggy Senter - piano
Peggy Senter, founder and president of the Music School, is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina in music education. She also holds a master's of music degree in piano performance from the University of Wisconsin. She has received the New Hampshire Governor's Award for Arts Education, the University of North Carolina Distinguished Alumna Award, and other honors. Senter serves frequently as a guest panelist, speaker, and evaluator for state and national arts organizations, government agencies, and foundations. Her teachers include Michael Zenge, Howard Karp, and Victor Rosenbaum, and her previous faculty positions include the Rivers Music School, North Shore Community College , and St. Paul ’s School. She has performed in recital and as concerto soloist and chamber musician in North Carolina, Wisconsin, and New England, including many premieres of new works with Composers in Red Sneakers, Nuclassix, and the Musicians of Wall Street.
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Anita Yu - piano
Anita Yu earned a bachelor of music degree at the University of British Columbia and a master of music degree in piano pedagogy and performance at Westminster Choir College. She studied with Louise Goss, Phyllis Lehrer, and Ena Barton, and currently studies with Michael Lewin of the Boston Conservatory. Yu also teaches at the Community Music Center of Boston and St. Paul’s School and is a former faculty member of the New School for Music Study. She has had solo performances in Boston, Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Vancouver, and is a former assistant musical director and accompanist for the Papermill Theatre in Lincoln, NH.
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Strings
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Bozena O'Brien, department chair - violin, string ensembles
Bozena O'Brien received her training at Boston University where she was a student of Marylou Speaker Churchill of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She holds a certificate for Suzuki Book 1 and teaches at Plymouth State University, St. Paul's School, and the Holderness Preparatory School . O’Brien performs regularly with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the NH Music Festival, and the Hanover Chamber Orchestra, and is a freelance artist throughout New England.
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Rodger Ellsworth - violin, viola, String Chamber Orchestra, Scholarship String Quartet
Rodger Ellsworth graduated from the New School of Music and the North Carolina School of the Arts. He has studied with Max Aronoff, Gerald Horner, Alan de Veritch, Joseph Gingold, Jascha Brodsky, and the Curtis Quartet. His credits include performances with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, San Francisco Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, and the Wolf Trap Summer Festival. Ellsworth has been teaching and performing for more than 25 years.
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Jessica Helie - violin, viola, ensembles
Jessica Helie holds a bachelor of music degree from Syracuse University and a master of music degree from the Longy Conservatory. She studied with Laura Bossert-King at the Longy Conservatory; Muneko Otani of the Cassatt String Quartet; and James Dickenson of the Degas String Quartet. Helie has performed with the Granite State and Nashua symphonies, Granite State Opera, and Lyrica Chamber Music in Chatham, NJ.
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Matthew Laughlin - cello
Matthew Laughlin, cello, holds a B.M. in cello performance from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, M.A. Music, UNH. He has studied with Emilio Colon, Emmanuel Feldman, Larry Veal and Terry King and has played in Master Classes with Yo-Yo Ma, Janos Starker and Paul Katz. His performance credits include the Vermont Symphony, Granite State Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Evansville Symphony, Camerata Symphony, Concord Chorale, Boston College Opera Theatre, Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra and New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra. Matthew has taught at the Manchester Community Music School, Portsmouth Music and Arts center and currently teaches at the Concord Community Music School while working on a Graduate Performance Diploma with Terry King at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA.
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Dr. Martin LeBeau - violin, viola, chamber ensembles
Dr. Martin LeBeau (violin, viola, chamber music) received his B.Mus.Ed. degree from the School of Music, Northwestern University, his M.Mus. from the University of Virginia and his Doc.Mus..Arts. from the College of Music at Temple University (Philadelphia, PA). While a senior at NU he played with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and after graduation taught strings and orchestra in the Arlington Schools (VA) and later was on the music staffs of American University (Washington,D.C.), Carnegie-Mellon University Orchestra and Coordinator of Music for the Pittsburgh Public High Schools (PA). Following many years teaching viola and violin and coordinating music education in the Department of Music at The College of New Jersey, Dr. LeBeau was awarded the title Emeritus Professor of Music by TCNJ. Since moving to New Hampshire, he has continued to teach, conduct youth workshops and festivals and play viola with several orchestras. Examples of these activities include teaching at CCMS, conducting the strings of the New Hampshire All-State Orchestra at several NHMEA Chamber Music Festivals and playing with the Granite State Symphony and Great Waters Music Festival Orchestra.
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Laurie Meeder - cello, string ensembles
Laurie Meeder received her B.S. in music education from Towson University and a master’s in music education from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. She has studied with Cecilia Barczyk and Evelyn Elsing. She developed string programs and conducted orchestras for the public schools of Howard County, Md., and taught at Peabody Institute. Meeder’s performances include the Western Maryland Symphony, Gettysburgh Symphony, Maryland Women’s Symphony, and Johns Hopkins Symphony. She founded the Eastern Lakes String Ensemble and an independent string program for New Hampshire’s Gov. Wentworth Regional School District. Meeder is a frequent guest conductor for the New Hampshire chapter of the American String Teachers Association’s annual Stringfest. She was that organization’s Teacher of the Year in 2003-04 and has served as NH ASTA president.
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Lissa Thomas - violin
Lissa Thomas holds a B.A. in Violin Performance and Music Education from Northern Arizona University. She studied with Dr. Louise Scott and completed Long Term Suzuki Teacher Training for Violin Books 1-8. Ms. Thomas created and ran Dolce Studios, a successful Suzuki program in Minneapolis, MN before relocating to New Hampshire. She has played an active role in the community as an adjudicator for various festivals and served as a board member for the Suzuki Association of Minnesota. She performed with Flagstaff Symphony, Arizona Opera Company, and Bloomington Symphony in Minnesota.
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Voice and Choral Ensembles
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Ellen Nordstrom Baer, department chair- voice
Ellen Nordstrom Baer earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She served as an intern for two years with the Lake George Opera and studied voice therapy through the Harvard Medical School. She also has studied with Richard Hughes, Sandra Sliker, Louis Burkot, and Stafford Wing and been coached by Kathleen Arecchi, John Balme, Steve Steiner, and John Wustman. Nordstrom Baer has performed both operatic and Broadway roles with the Rome Opera Festival, Liederkranz Society of Manhattan with the Brandenberg Opera, Lake George Opera, Granite State Opera, Northern Stage Operafest of NH!, Opera Burlington, Opera North, Vermont Opera Theatre, and the Dartmouth Repertory Co. She has taught at Colby-Sawyer, Dartmouth, Phillips Exeter Academy, Plymouth State, the Opera Academy through Rome's Opera festival di Roma, and at UNH. She is a frequent lecturer on vocal health and on Italian diction.
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Jane Berlin Pauley- voice
Jane Berlin Pauley received a bachelor of music degree in performance from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts and a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. She pursued further studies at Westminster Choir College, Manhattan School of Music, Aspen Opera Theater Center and the Tanglewood Music Center. Her opera and concert engagements include Rutgers Summerfest, New England Lyric Operetta, Dartmouth Handel Society, Longwood Opera, and Opera D’amore. Her teachers include Susan Clickner, Bruce Kolb, Cynthia Hoffman and William Sharp.
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Mark Andrew Cleveland - voice (sabbatical 09-10)
Mark Andrew Cleveland, bass, has performed extensively throughout the Northeast. His credits include performances with Boston Baroque and Cantata Singers in Boston to performances with the Bethlehem Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the Southwest Symphony, Florida. He has performed at Tanglewood, Ravinia, and at the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California. In addition to his frequent appearances as an oratorio soloist, Mr. Cleveland has appeared on the operatic stage in Spoleto, Italy and Charleston, S.C. with the Festivale dei Due Mondi, the June Opera Festival of New Jersey, Granite State Opera and Monadnock Festival. A respected collaborative musician, Mr. Cleveland has performed in recitals and chamber music concerts throughout New England. Recently, he toured Europe with La Donna Musicale, a Boston based chamber ensemble which specializes in the historically informed performances of women composers from the Baroque era. In addition, he has recorded with New World Records and Telarc in repertoire ranging from the Baroque to the 20th century. In addition to his frequent solo performances, Mr. Cleveland maintains an active vocal studio. His students have received top scores in NH All State auditions, been judged competition winners, and represented New Hampshire as winners of the National Music Teachers Association at District and National competitions. His students have matriculated at many prestigious colleges and conservatories including Boston Conservatory, Cincinnati Conservatory, Ithaca College, New England Conservatory, and Westminster Choir College. Mr. Cleveland teaches voice at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Phillips Exeter Academy, St. Paul’s School, and at the Concord Community Music School. A magna cum laude graduate of Westminster Choir College, Mr. Cleveland is the Director of Music at Grace Episcopal Church in Manchester, NH.
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Katy Gibney - Sunflower Singers
Katy Gibney is happy to be leading the Sunflower Singers for the 3rd year. Active in the New Hampshire homeschooling community and a teacher of piano and recorder for all ages, Katy is a founder of CWOW (Community Without Walls), a network for mindful living. She is currently directing and developing several community-based music, theater and early childhood music/movement programs. She earned a BSN in Nursing from Adelphi University (New York).
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Peggo Horstmann Hodes - voice, Karitas
Peggo Horstmann Hodes holds master’s degrees in elementary education from Lesley College and in vocal pedagogy from the New England Conservatory. She has been a soloist with the New Hampshire Symphony, the Granite State Symphony, the Concord Chorale, and the Musicians of Wall Street. She has premiered works written for her by William Fletcher and Thomas Oboe Lee. Horstmann Hodes is a founding member of femme m’amie, an a cappella ensemble, which made two highly acclaimed CDs. She is also half of Peggo & Paul, the New Hampshire recording duo with an international reputation for their original family recordings and received two Parents’ Choice Awards. Horstmann Hodes developed Vibrant Voice workshops to combine creative singing and writing to free the voice and soul. She has led workshops in Hawaii, California, New York, Maine, and New Hampshire.
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Maria Isaak - Purple Finches (children's chorus)
Maria Isaak received a master of music degree and bachelor of fine arts degree in bassoon performance from the New England Conservatory. She also is certified as a Kodály Specialist and has studied at the International School for Kodály Studies in Hungary. She has taught in the San Francisco public schools and supervised music education interns/student teachers at the University of New Hampshire. Isaak has performed with the Boston Philharmonic and the symphonies of Central Massachusetts, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Sacramento. She has been a concerto soloist with orchestras in San Francisco, Chile, and China and has attended Tanglewood, Banff, Chautauqua, and Sarasota festivals.
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Emily Jaworski - Scholarship Vocal Ensemble, voice
Emily Jaworski holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Susquehanna University and a Master of Music degree in voice performance from Boston University; earned in 2005. In October 2006, she made her professional role debut with Granite State Opera as Mercedes in Bizet’s Carmen. Other recent engagements include appearances with Longwood Opera in their Summer Concert Series, with the Manchester-based vocal ensemble Belle Voci, and with Boston Opera Project in their productions of Little Women and Regina. At Susquehanna, she performed as The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, as well as performing the soprano solos in Brückner’s Te Deum and Vaughan Williams’ Mass in G Minor. While at Boston University, Emily was featured in scenes from Handel’s Alcina, Blitzstein’s Regina, and Haydn’s Il Mondo Della Luna. In addition to teaching at the Music School, Miss Jaworski teaches music at John Stark Regional High School in Weare, and is the musical director for Hillcat Summer Theatre in Hillsborough.
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Carolyn Parrott - Songweavers, banjo, fiddle, voice
Carolyn Parrott earned a bachelor's degree in voice from Lake Erie College and a master's in Italian literature from the University of California-Berkeley, as well as a degree in storytelling and music therapy from Lesley College. She is a member of the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts Touring Roster and the award-winning Blackwater Band. Parrott is known regionally for calling traditional country dances.
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Hannah Schramm Murray - voice
Hannah Schramm Murray holds a B.A. from Connecticut College and a M. M. from Westminster Choir College. Additional studies include the Royal Academy of Music in London, and Middlebury College’s Deutsch fur Sängerin program. She is a faculty member at St. Paul’s School and taught at Endicott College, Boston Conservatory outreach program, and the Community Music School of Springfield. She has performed throughout the Northeastern United States, soloist for the Nashua Symphony, Paul Madore Chorale, Trinity United Methodist Church in Springfield, and The Opera Circle. Active member of NATS.
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Andrea Veal - voice
Andrea Veal (soprano) holds a Master of Arts degree in music history and a Bachelor of Arts in vocal performance from the University of New Hampshire. Equally at home singing oratorio, opera, or recital repertoire, Ms. Veal is noted for her purity of tone and emotional performances. She is a member of the Handel and Haydn Society chorus and appears regularly on the Musicians of Wall Street concert series at the Concord Community Music School. She recently recorded Rameau’s “Rossignols amoureux” on the Dünya label’s CD “The Language of Birds.” She is the soloist at the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Portsmouth, NH. In addition to her performance activities, Ms. Veal maintains a rewarding career teaching voice. She is the director of the Andrea Veal Voice Studio in Rochester, New Hampshire, and is on the faculties of the Concord Community Music School and UNH’s Summer Youth Music School. She is the president of the Granite State Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Her students have played major roles in musical theater productions, participated in All-State chorus, and gone on to major in voice at respected universities.
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Woodwinds and Brass
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Stefani Burk, department chair - oboe, wind ensembles, Scholarship Woodwind Quintet
Stefani Burk earaned a bachelor of music degree in music education and a master’s degree in oboe performance from the University of Iowa. She also studied with Fred Cohen. Burk has taught at Bowdoin College, Indian Hill Arts, Bates College, and the University of New Hampshire’s Summer Youth Music School. She is on the faculty of St. Paul’s School and has been a member of the Portland Symphony since 1982. She also has performed with most of the orchestras of northern New England, including Portland 's PORT Opera, the White Mountain Bach Festival, the NH Music Festival, the Hanover Chamber Orchestra, Kalistos Chamber Orchestra, and the Atlantic Chamber Orchestra. She has been a frequent participant in chamber music concerts, including those of the Musicians of Wall Street, the NH Music Festival, Yellow Barn, Sebago-Long Lake, and Classicopia. Her freelance playing has included everything from Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) and Anne Murray concerts to performing the Brahms Requiem with the Dartmouth Glee Club Alumni at Carnegie Hall.
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Jean Benson - flute
Jean Benson began her study of the flute at the Eastman School of Music with John Thomas. After her family moved to New Hampshire, she traveled to Vermont and New York to study with Louis Moyse and Julius Baker. She received a bachelor of music degree from Keene State College, studying with Bonnie Insull and other members of the Apple Hill Chamber Players. A frequent soloist in the New England area, Benson has participated in recital series at King’s College Chapel, the Blacksmith’s House, the Longy School, and St. Paul’s School. Formerly principal flute with the Nashua Symphony, she has also soloed with the New Hampshire Philharmonic and the Vermont Symphony. Benson plays with the Granite State Symphony Orchestra and Granite State Opera and also teaches at St. Paul’s School.
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Robert Couturier - trumpet
Robert Couturier studied composition and music theory at the Boston Conservatory with John Adams, Cris Rose, and Larry Bell. He studied trumpet with Dan Nolan, Steve Emery, and Jay Daly; as well as David Hickman and Allen Vizzutti. Couturier was a participant in the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute and teaches in the Nashua public schools. He has performed with the Four Tops and is founder and business manager of Granite State Brass, and founder of the New Hampshire Wind Ensemble.
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Brian Gardell - french horn
Brian Gardell received a bachelor of music degree from Boston Conservatory of Music. He also has studied with Charles Kavalovski, former principal horn of the Boston Symphony. Gardell has been principal horn with Merrimack Valley Philharmonic since 1998 and is a member of the Lakes Region Woodwind Quintet.
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Maria Isaak - bassoon, chamber ensembles
Maria Isaak received a master of music degree and bachelor of fine arts degree in bassoon performance from the New England Conservatory. She also is certified as a Kodály Specialist and has studied at the International School for Kodály Studies in Hungary. She has taught in the San Francisco public schools and supervised music education interns/student teachers at the University of New Hampshire. Isaak has performed with the Boston Philharmonic and the symphonies of Central Massachusetts, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Sacramento. She has been a concerto soloist with orchestras in San Francisco, Chile, and China and has attended Tanglewood, Banff, Chautauqua, and Sarasota festivals.
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Robert Kruskol - trombone, euphonium
Robert Kruskol earned bachelor's and master's degrees in music from the Juilliard School. He studied trombone with Edward Herman, Jr. and chamber music with Gerard Schwarz. He is a former faculty member of Notre Dame Community Music School in Manchester, NH, and the 92nd Street Y School of Music in New York. Kruskol performs with the Nashua Symphony and the New Hampshire Philharmonic. He also has performed with the Boston Lyric Opera, Granite State Opera, Granite State Symphony, New England Brass Quintet, Boston Brass, the Monadnock Chorus Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the New Jersey Chamber Symphony.
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Steven Lundahl - recorder, trombone, tuba
Steven Lundahl received a bachelor's degree in music education from the College of St. Scholastica. He taught music in Belmont and Brookline public schools and in the Dedham Country Day School in Massachusetts. Lundahl performs with the Boston Camerata, Calliope, Waverly Consort, Boston Baroque, Boston Shawm and Sackbut Ensemble, Ensemble Project Arts Nova, Tafelmusik, Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, and the Boston Handel and Haydn Society. He has more than 20 recordings.
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Stephanie Ratté - clarinet, wind ensembles
Stephanie Ratté received a bachelor of music degree from the Crane School of Music and a master of music degree from Michigan State University where she studied with Elsa Verdehr. She performs with Infinities Chamber Ensemble and is a member of the Granite State Symphony and the Great Waters Music Festival Orchestra. Ratté also has performed with the Hanover Chamber Orchestra and Nashua Symphony and maintains an active solo recital schedule. She also is on the faculties of the Manchester Community Music School, and the SYMS program of the University of New Hampshire.
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Nancy Shillaber - flute, woodwind ensembles
Nancy Shillaber received a bachelor of music degree in flute and music education from the University of New Hampshire, where she studied with Peggy Vagts. She has taught choral and instrumental music in Maine public schools and directed flute ensembles and supervised the flute program at Summer Youth Music School at the University of New Hampshire.
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George Stevens - trumpet
George Stevens, of Alton, is a classically trained musician who participated in various musical competitions during his early years, including NH All-State, All-Eastern, and McDonalds' All-American Band. As a freelance classical/jazz musician, he has performed and recorded with such groups as The NE Wind Symphony, The Belknap Brass Quintet, Carter Mountain Brass, Ted Herbert Big Band, Seacoast Big Band, Northeast Big Band, Dave Rasmussen Jazz Orchestra, The Movers, The State Street Rhythm and Blues Band, New Hampshire Jazz Orchestra, and The Charles Jennison Jazz Quintet. Mr. Stevens has performed with such jazz artists as Clark Terry, Eddie Daniels, Peter Erskin, and Phil Wilson. He recently retired his military career as soloist and Trumpet Section Leader with the NH National Guard 39th Army Band.
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Jennifer Yeaton-Parris - flute, wind ensembles
Jennifer Yeaton-Parris received a B.A. in music history and a B.M. in flute from the University of New Hampshire, summa cum laude. She received her master's in music in performance from Boston University and has been a member of the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi since 1988. Yeaton-Parris has performed with the New Hampshire Music Festival, Granite State Orchestra, the Concord and Manchester choral societies, the Cornell Festival Orchestra, the Bach Festival, and the Tamworth Arts Council. In addition to orchestral playing, Yeaton-Parris has performed numerous solo recitals, including on the Vaughn Recital Series at Dartmouth College, the Cornell University Summer Series, and other venues throughout New England. She is also an active freelance flutist in the New Hampshire area. She has been a flute instructor at Cornell and the Summer Youth Music School at the University of New Hampshire.
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