Faculty, Student

Jacek Blaszkiewicz (BMus, Performance ’10) is completing his fourth year at the Eastman School of Music, where he is a Ph.D. candidate in musicology. His dissertation project (“City Myths: Music and Urbanism in Second-Empire Paris”) explores the effects of large-scale urbanization on musical life and thought in Paris between the years 1853 and 1870. His project examines how music played a twofold role in the social life of the city: it helped shape Parisians’ sense of place and belonging during the disorienting process of large-scale urbanization, and it helped articulate or undermine the myths and counter-myths associated with Paris as an emerging capital of the modern, industrialized world. He was awarded a Fulbright US student grant for the 2015-2016 academic year for archival research in Paris, France.

Robert Butts (Adjunct Professor, Introduction to Music) was named a 2015 Honored Artist by the American Prize. In February, he presented a paper "The Thousand Hurts of Fortunato: Transforming Gender Expectation in Adapting Edgar Allan Poe’s Short Stories into Chamber Operas" at the American Musicological Society – Greater New York Chapter at Columbia University.

George Curran (Adjunct Professor, Bass Trombone) spent a week in September in Shanghai teaching students of the Shanghai Orchestra Academy. In December, he performed Vital Signs of Planet Earth, a concerto written for him by David Gillingham at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago with the Central Michigan University Wind Ensemble.

Lisa DeLorenzo (Professor, Music Education) recently published her second book, Giving Voice to Democracy in Music Education: Diversity and Social Justice.  It is an edited collection of essays by national and international authors in the field. Published by Routledge Press, the book includes chapters from Dr. DeLorenzo, Dr. Adam Bell (Assistant Professor, Music Technology and Education), and Dr. Marissa Silverman (Associate Professor, Music Education). Dr. DeLorenzo also presented a paper at the National Network for Education Renewal conference and, in February, presented a session on improvisation for beginning band students at NJ Music Educators Association (NJMEA).

Ting Ho (Professor, Composition) has been approved for a second term on the Academic Council of Thomas Edison State University, the only accredited institution of higher learning in New Jersey who’s undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs are offered entirely online. A New Jersey chartered state institution, Thomas Edison recently received recognition as Thomas Edison State University from its previous position as a State College. His composition Warm and Tropic Locales for two pianos was performed at the Cali School "Composers In the House" concert in March by Cali School collaborative pianists Ron Levy and Michael Caldwell. They also performed Symmetries for Two Pianos by Adjunct Professor Joseph Turrin, Study for Two Pianos (or Piano 4-Hands) by Camila Agosto (BMus, Composition ’17) , and 49th Parallel (Patterns for Two Pianos) by Adam Kennaugh (BMus, Composition ’15).

This fall Soyeon Kim (Collaborative Pianist; Voice Coach) performed with many artists including: Julien Baudiment (Principal flute of the Lyon National Opera House and teacher at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Lyon); Christina Smith (Principal flute of Atlanta Symphony Orchestra); at the Harold Johns Tribute Concert with Mindy Kaufman (New York Philharmonic), Linda Chesis (flute faculty and chair of the Woodwind Department at the Manhattan School of Music) and Pamela Vliek Martchev (faculty at San Diego State University).

Mary Ann Mumm (Adjunct Professor, Violin) performed at Carnegie Hall in October with the Music 4 Life International, “Scheherazade Initiative” in partnership with the UN Council for Women. She is on the faculty of Youth Orchestras of the Americas, and was appointed to its Global Leaders Institute Advisory Board. She also served as a member of the Interschool Orchestras, (ISO) Advisory Council as well as being an ISO coach and concerto competition judge.

During the fall semester, guitar faculty from the Cali School of Music, Darren O’Neill (MA, Performance ’03), David Graessle (MA, Performance ’14), Sylwia Kloc, and James Smith performed as the Metropolitan Guitar Quartet at the Cali School and off-campus at the Montclair Public Library, New Jersey Guitar & Music Society, and Suffolk County Community College.

In October, Leah Oswanski (BA, Music Therapy ’01; Adjunct Professor, Music Therapy) was featured on ABC 7 TV (New York) discussing and educating the public about music therapy on a segment of a special program “Breast Cancer: Promising Research and Options.” Leah is the music therapy program coordinator at the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Medical Center, the Coordinator of a grant from the Livestrong Foundation that has established 13 music therapy programs in cancer treatment.

Holli Ross (Adjunct Professor, Jazz Voice) had a week long sold out appearance at Birdland for her recent CD release, The Royal Bopsters Project. This special recording gathered NY singers, Amy London, Darmon Meader and Dylan Pramuk in a quartet featuring Jazz Masters, Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Sheila Jordan, Bob Dorough and the late Mark Murphy. This recording made four Top CD Release lists for 2015 including Downbeat and Jazz Times. Holli has also been presenting her Vocal Health clinics across the country, most recently at the Jazz Educator’s Network conference, 2016.

David Sabella (Adjunct Professor, Voice) was Program Director of the Broadway Theatre Project on board the Norwegian Getaway last summer.

Chad Smith (Adjunct Professor, Saxophone) recently performed and recorded with the award winning contemporary ensemble Alarm Will Sound. The concert featured "Mind Out of Matter" by Scott Johnson at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Tufts University. He was featured on alto sax and clarinet. In January other recording projects included The Wiz on NBC and Grease on FOX where he performed on baritone sax, bass clarinet and bassoon and clarinet.

Sondra Tammam (Adjunct Professor, Piano) was nominated for NJMTA Teacher of the Year Award 2016. She presented a lecture/workshop on Memorization for the NYC Diller Quaille Opus 2 Keyboard Celebration. Also in the fall, she performed piano trios at Leshowitz Recital Hall and Steinway Hall in New York City.

Ross Wightman (BMus, Performance ’16) returned to the Cali School after completing a semester of study at the Milan Conservatory.

Michael Wittenburg (Collaborative Pianist) conducted Manhattan Opera Studio’s Magic Flute in Weill Hall at Carnegie, December 2015. In January he conducted the Hudson Valley Chorale in concert in a program including works by Vaughan Williams, Wagner and Puccini.