Cali School Faculty, Student and Alumni News

Faculty

Heather Buchanan (Associate Professor, Director of Choral Studies) was in residence at Berklee College of Music in Boston in April, 2012. She presented a variety of Body Mapping workshops and lectures as part of their Performance Wellness Institute. Dr. Buchanan has accepted an invitation to write a chapter on Body Mapping for a new text book Perspectives on Teaching Singing: A celebration of Voice Pedagogy in the 21st Century.

Robert Butts (Adjunct Professor, Introduction to Music) conducted a reading of his opera Mark Twain and the General with the Baroque Orchestra of New Jersey and guest soloists in May.

Cali School Director Robert Cart’s new edition of Richard Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder and Trois Mélodies, accompanied by his compact disc these songs, was published in March 2012 by Music Minus One. Last October, Robert appeared as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana in Auburn, Alabama, and as solo recitalist he performed at Mansfield University, Rohrer Concert Series, and Wesley College.

Dean Drummond (Associate Professor, Theory/Composition) directed and played harmonic canons in a performance of Harry Partch’s Daphne of the Dunes at Zankel Hall in New York City. The concert was part of the American Mavericks Festival sponsored by the San Francisco Symphony.

Lisa DeLorenzo (Professor, Music Education) published her book, Sketches In Democracy: Notes From An Urban Classroom (Rowman & Littlefield) in February. The book is based on her work with urban students in Paterson. Her article, “Missing Faces in the Orchestra: An Issue of Social Justice?” appears in Music Educators Journal (June 2012). During the 2011-2012 academic year, Dr. DeLorenzo presented at the National Network for Educational Renewal conference and the New Jersey Music Educators Association conference. She was also an invited clinician for the Westwood and Glen Rock school districts. Her ongoing research addresses the question: “Why are so few students of color entering undergraduate programs in music education?” Dr. DeLorenzo, along with Dr. Marissa Silverman (Assistant Professor, Music Education), visited and interviewed students at a number of New Jersey universities for this project. In addition to her responsibilities at the university, Dr. DeLorenzo taught 8th grade general music weekly at the Cicely Tyson School of Performing and Fine Arts in East Orange.

Karen Goodman (Professor, Music Therapy) presented two invitational addresses this Spring: 1) “Inaugural Lecture: Processes in Music Therapy,” Haredi College of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel; 2) “Internalization of Theory to Practice,” Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel. As a recipient of a Global Education Award, she also interviewed and observed multicultural music therapy clinical projects throughout Israel. Prof. Goodman is a contributor to Bio-Guided Music Therapy (Miller, 2011) and the forthcoming Dictionary of Music Therapy (Kirkland, 2012). She continues her consulting work with Creative Arts Healthcare at UMDNJ.

Marsha Heller (Adjunct Professor, Oboe) participated in many performances with the Queen’s Chamber Band, including world premieres of several pieces commissioned by the group. She had several Carnegie Hall concerts with the New York Pops, many performances with the Bronx Arts Ensemble, another world premiere with the Queens Symphony (not related to the Queen’s Chamber Band) and was a soloist in Bach’s B Minor Mass in Avery Fisher Hall.

Yikyung Diana Hughes (Adjunct Professor, Piano) performed as soloist in the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 with the Rockland Symphony Orchestra (NY) in February 2012. In April, she was one of the pianists for the 3rd Annual Social Networking Concert in Saint Peter’s Church, NYC. Her trio premiered an American composer, Emma Diemer’s Trio for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano.

Ken Lam (Associate Professor, Director of Orchestral Studies) gave clinics and masterclasses for the Hong Kong Scout Orchestra (Hong Kong), Clayton Valley High School (CA), Hereford High School (MD), John P Stevens High School (NJ) and music teachers of Howard Country Public Schools (MD), judged competitions at Towson University (MD), New Jersey Youth Symphony, Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra and guest conducted the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and the Kentucky Music Educators Association’s Inter-Collegiate Orchestra.

Eric Miller (Adjunct Professor, Music Therapy) delivered the keynote address on April 28, 2012 at the 5th International Conference on Music and Psychotherapy in Bangalore India. The address related the development of psychological theory with bio-guided music therapy (Miller’s 2011 book of the same title). Dr. Miller also instructed a seminar in bio-guided music therapy at Vimhans Hospital in New Delhi for doctors, nurses and healthcare practitioners. He also presented at the Southeastern region of AMTA music therapy conference in Charlotte, NC in March. This spring, Dr. Miller received a grant from David’s Fund to conduct a series of seminars across the US in bio-guided music therapy. He will be bringing a “mini-Ott lab” on the road to facilitate student experiences with music and physiological measurement and intervention.

Mark Pakman (Adjunct Professor, Piano) was an adjudicator for the National Young Musicians Showcase Competition, Professional Music Teachers Guild Competition, Joseph Israel Bookstaber Competition, New York Regionals of the International Chinese Competition and the Princeton Festival Piano Competition. In January he served as translator for Moscow Conservatory’s Vice-President Dr. Larissa Slutskaya in her lecture on the History of the Moscow Conservatory Piano Department, given to our students, faculty and Montclair State University community.

Susan Palma (Adjunct Professor, Flute) released her solo CD Elegante in May 2012. Joining her for this New South American Flute Music album are many wonderful musicians including Borromeo Quartet, Branford Marsalis, Ivan Lins, Edward Arron, Cyro Baptista with music by Paquito D’Rivera, Pablo Ziegler, Ivan Lins, Heitor Villa Lobos.

Jan Prokop (Adjunct Professor, Voice) published an article “Quality of Life Issues in Singers with Voice Disorders” in The Voice (Member Newsletter of The Voice Foundation, Winter-Spring 2012)

Margaret Zufall Roberts (Adjunct Professor, String Techniques) organized the ASTA/NJ Shanghai Quartet Festival (January 29, 2012) at the Cali School. Shanghai Quartet members Weigang Li, Yi-Wen Jiang, Honggang Li and Nick Tzavaras coached chamber groups including middle school and high school students.

Julia Rolwing (Adjunct Professor, Voice) was a semi-finalist in the Baltimore Liszt Society’s Competition, and in March sang the lead role in Puccini’s Tosca with the Abilene Opera, in Texas.

Marissa Silverman (Assistant Professor, Music Education) was awarded a Fulbright Specialists Grant, Sibelius Academy, Helsinki Finland. In 2012 she published and article, Music and homeschooled youth: A case study. Research Studies in Music Education. 33(2): 179-195, and two book chapters written with David J. Elliott: Why music matters: Philosophical and cultural foundations. In Raymond MacDonald, Gunter Kreutz & Laura Mitchell (Eds.), Music, Health and Wellbeing (Oxford: Oxford University Press) and Rethinking philosophy, re-viewing musical experience. In Wayne Bowman & Ana Lucia Frega (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Music Education Philosophy. (New York: Oxford University Press.)

Brian Holman (Adjunct Professor, Voice) gave recitals with internationally acclaimed tenor Francisco Casanova this spring in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Teatro Nacional) and Sharpsville, PA. He collaborated with Metropolitan Opera Radio host Ira Siff and soprano Sabrina Palladino in a series of lecture recitals in New York City. Brian also conducted two performances of Verdi’s Aida with Vera Musica Productions at Columbia University Teachers College.

George Spitzer (Adjunct Professor, Voice) sang a recital in February of Kurt Weil Three Penny Opera selections at the Anne Goodman Recital Hall in the Kaufmann Center of the Arts in NYC. In March he sang a recital of Charles Ives art songs at the Church of the Epiphany concert series with his chamber group Melodeon.

Anastasia Swope (Adjunct Professor, Voice) sang as the soprano soloist for the New Jersey premiere of Requiem by British composer Bob Chilcott in March, and the Rutter Requiem in May.

Tanya Witek (Adjunct Professor, Flute) performed this year with the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the American Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, the Lenape Chamber Ensemble and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. She appeared on a panel entitled “Meet the Moment: Preparing for College Auditions” at the New York Flute Fair in March and also served on the New York Flute Club’s nominating committee this spring.

David Witten (Professor, Piano) was an adjudicator at the Mieczysław Munz Piano Competition at Juilliard School of Music. His concerts this spring included recitals in Leshowitz Recital Hall (March 25), and Middle Tennessee State University (March 27), followed by a Piano Master Class for the local piano students.

Meg Zervoulis (Adjunct Professor, Accompanist) made her commercial Off-Broadway musical direction debut on Rated P…for Parenthood, a new sketch comedy musical that was originally developed at SOPAC (South Orange Performing Arts Center). As a conductor, Meg also helmed the inaugural NYC concert of a new music ensemble, Hotel Elefant.

George Spitzer’s voice student, soprano Katie Carey (‘15, Music Therapy) won the gold medal in the Golden Key International Music Festival and sang in the winners’ recital at Weil Recital Hall in May.

James Owen (BMus ’12, Music Education) took part of the Student Research Symposium: Interdisciplinary Issues in Teaching and Teacher Education. Title of paper: “Teaching musicianship through discourse.”

Rachel Friedberger (BMus ’14, Performance/Music Education), Stefanie Santoro (BMus ’13, Performance) and Marissa Wright (BMus ’16, Music Education), members of the Montclair State University Flute Ensemble, performed at the New York Flute Fair at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in New York City in March.

Will Hess’s euphonium student Daniel Kerstetter (MA ’13, Performance) was a finalist for Music Teachers National Association’s Young Artist Competition and was named as a Semi-Finalist for both the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium Competition and ITEC’s Artist Euphonium Competition, in Linz, Austria. Montclair State’s Tuba Euphonium Ensemble has also been invited to perform a recital at the 2013 NERTEC conference.

Alumni

Lesley Friend (BM ‘06, Voice Performance) was an Apprentice Artist with the Sarasota Opera in the winter of 2012. She will be the Soprano Artist in Residence at Opera Memphis for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 seasons. Winter Lights (2008), a composition by Michael Mahadeen (BMus ’10, Music Education), was performed by the NJ Region I High School Orchestra, conducted by Patrick Burns (Adjunct Professor, Theory/Composition).

Off-campus performances

Cali at Carnegie – In January, 2012, students and alumni of the Montclair State flute studio joined Susan Palma-Nidel, Tanya Ducevic-Witek, Marissa Silverman and Robert Cart in the inaugural performance of Cali at Carnegie, the first in a series of concerts to be presented at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Concert Hall.

On April 24, David Witten presented Cali School piano students in an evening concert at Steinway Hall in New York City.