Our listing of alumni successes is organized below by class graduation decade, and according to the most recent degree from MSM, for those alumni with more than one.
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Renowned studio drummer and percussionist Dr. Steve Gadd (’65) performed with his Band at the Smith Center in Las Vegas.
Susan Adragna, PhD (BM ’74) was inducted into Marquis Who’s Who for her extensive contributions and commitment to advancing educational excellence. She is currently a program reviewer for the National Council for Accreditation Teacher Education, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the Statement of National Education and Learning Priorities. She studied Theory at MSM.
Composer Elaine L. Bearer (BM ’70), MD-PhD, FAAAS, FCAP was promoted to the rank of Distinguished Professor within both the University of New Mexico’s (UNM) School of Medicine (Pathology) and Department of Music, respectively. Her composition L’alma Rapita for chorus and string quartet was recently performed by Meritage Vocal Arts in Anaheim, California, and she recorded her new multimovement work, Soliloquies in Norway.
Classical organist Laura Belanger (BM ’75) gave a recital at Sanbornton Congregational Church in New Hampshire. She is an executive board member of the American Guild of Organists New Hampshire Chapter.
Jazz flutist Andrea Brachfeld (BM ’78) gave a tribute performance to Duke Pearson at An die Musik LIVE in Baltimore, Maryland.
Percussionist Miguel Fuentes (BM ’70) performed with pianist Mark Baynes at the Ponsby Social in Auckland, New Zealand.
Jazz Pianist Tommy James (’72) performed the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn at Maui, Hawaii’s ProArts Playhouse, presented in part by Jazz Maui.
Classical voice alumna Marcia Menter (BM ’78) wrote a memoir about thelifelong influence of Scottish contralto Ann Drummond-Grant.
Composer and stage director Dr. Penny Prince (BM ’74, MM ’76) was honored as part of The American Prize annual Independence Day Honors announced on July 4, 2024. Honored Artists are individuals who have proven themselves to be of “sustained excellence” over a number of seasons as laureates of The American Prize competitions. Dr. Prince is Professor of Music at Lehman College.
Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Beyond the Horizon, in an operatic setting by composer Nicolas Flagello (BM ’49, MM ’50) and co-librettist Walter Simmons (BM ’72, MM ’74), received its World Premiere on September 17 by Teatro Grattacielo at LA MAMA Shares on East 4th Street. Mezzo-soprano Carla López-Speziale (DMA ’98) portrayed Mrs. Atkins. The Premiere took place 41 years after the late composer wrote the work.
Classical pianist Edward Cibener (MM ’85) made his Carnegie Weill Recital Hall debut. He performed as soloist and collaborative pianist with members of Veksler Academy of Music in Sunnyvale, CA.
Jim Griffith (BM ’85) became Executive Director of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival in New Mexico. He stepped down from his position as CEO (and founder) of the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in Fort Myers, Florida, a multimillion-dollar non-profit organization he raised from the ground up in 1997. An accomplished violist, Griffith continued to play professionally in Florida orchestras in addition to his work as an arts administrator.
Gerald J. Leonard (’87), CEO, author, growth strategies coach, strategic PMO advisor for government and Fortune 500, C-IQ coach, TEDx speaker, and keynoting double-bassist, was selected as Top Growth Strategist of the Year by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for his outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. He will be honored in December at IAOTP’s annual awards gala in Nashville.
Vincent “Ricky” Manalo (’87), priest, musician, author and composer, performed his programs Tune, Text and Theology: Encountering Christ through Music with the combined choirs of Saint Joseph Parish and the Holy Redeemer Church in Warren, Pennsylvania.
Pianist Anne-Marie McDermott (PC ’81, ’82, HonDMA ’24) performed Amy Beach’s Piano Concerto in c-sharp minor with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (Massachusetts).
Soprano Christine Moore Vassallo‘s (’86) recently released recording, From Al-Andalus to the Americas – An Odyssey of Spanish Song (Meridian 2024) has garnered critical acclaim. The album traces the evolution of Spanish song over 500 years from its Arabic and Sephardic roots in Al Andalus to its influence in the Americas.
The Allegheny Ensemble, including violinist Sachiho Murasugi (BM ’86), performed in Salibur University’s Holloway Hall (Maryland).
Soprano saxophone soloist and composer Anders Paulsson (MM ’86) as soloist with the MIAGI (Music Is A Great Investment) Orchestra, conducted by Chevonne Plaatjies at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and Konzerthaus Berlin. The concert series marked 30 years of Democracy in South Africa.
MSM College Jazz Piano faculty Ted Rosenthal (BM ’81, MM ’83) and his Trio performed at Boston University Tanglewood Institute’s West Street Theatre in Lenox, Massachusetts. At a later performance, a trio of saxophonists joined Rosenthal’s Trio in Studio E at the Linde Center to play a new program called “Bernstein & Bop: A Saxophone Colossus.” Alto saxophonist Erena Terakubo (MM ’23) was among the group’s performers.
Pianist Blake Rowe (BM ’82) retired from teaching elementary music in Riverdale, New York after nearly 40 years. During that time, he released two albums of original songs for kids, the first of which, “It’s a Lazy Day,” received a Silver Honor from the Parents Choice Award. He also released two separate solo piano albums. Rowe currently produces a podcast, Piano Meditations, in which he spontaneously composes at the piano, which has been downloaded approximately 280,000 times.
Robert Zubrycki (MM ’86) is the concertmaster for the recently-opened Broadway revival of Once Upon a Mattress.
Jazz Arts Flute faculty Jamie Baum (MM ’99) performed as part of a benefit concert for Jazz pianist Richie Beirach (BM ’72) at Café Ornithology in Brooklyn. The concert included fellow alumni violinist Gregor Huebner (MM ’96), pianist ELEW (BM ’97), and Precollege jazz piano alumna Rachel Z (PC ’80). Baum and her Septet+ also performed at Drom NYC in celebration of the release of their album What Times are These. The record has garnered substantial acclaim since its release, including a 5-star review from Downbeat. Personnel includes fellow MSM alumni Chris Komer (MM ’88) on French horn, John Escreet (MM ’08) on piano, and Zack Lober (MM ’07) on bass. Baum and her Quartet performed at Bar Bayeux as well.
Alumni Council Chair Dr. Justin Bischof (BM ’90, MM ’92, DMA ’98) was appointed Director of Music and Organist of Christ Church in Pelham, New York.
In Italy, MSM Classical Composition Faculty member and soprano Susan Botti (MM ’90) presented masterclasses and performances, as a part of Duo della Luna, at Conservatorio di Musica Giuseppe Verdi (Milan) and as a part of the Teatri del Suono festival (Trieste). Professor Botti also released a video of her composition Jabberwocky, which was shot in MSM’s Greenfield Hall.
Classical guitar alumnus Rupert Boyd (MM ’06) and cellist Laura Metcalf (spouse and duo partner) undertook a national performance tour of the United States and Australia.
The Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series at St. Mark’s in the Valley (Santa Barbara, California area) began its 2024-25 season with world-renowned harpsichordist, Paolo Bordignon. Classical piano alumnus Dr. Robert Cassidy (MM ’92) is the Series’s Artistic Director.
Operatic bass Won Cho (BM ’96) performed amongst Alabama’s other top operatic vocalists at Alabama School of Fine Arts’s program Opera Unveiled: A Concert of Greatest Hits.
Classical Piano alumna Leila Cobo (BM ’91), Billboard‘s chief content officer of its Latin/Español division, was honored with the Ícono Máximo Award at the Ícono & Ícono Influencer Awards in Medellín, Colombia. Cobo received the award in recognition of “her outstanding contribution to the Latin music industry, achievements and impeccable career” (Billboard).
Jazz vocalist Alison Crockett (MM ’97) presented her show “The Evolution of Jazz” at Harvest Festival in Derwood, Maryland. Her program traces the rich history and transformative journey of Jazz music.
Artistic and Music Director of Festival International de Musique Saint-Georges (Guadalupe), Maestro Marlon Daniel (BM ’93), was a featured guest on WDR (German national public radio), discussing Florence Price as well as other Black Classical composers.
Jazz drummer Aubrey Dayle‘s (’90) book Narada Michael Walden: Drumming, Spirit and Music, a biography of the heavyweight 1980s pop producer and jazz drummer, was published by Hudson Music.
Jazz saxophonist Dr. Rob Derke (BM ’94) was appointed Director of Education at Lakehouse Music Academy in New Jersey.
In May, Gila Goldstein (MM ’90) released her album Latin American Piano Gems (Centaur, 2024), a collection of classical piano works by prominent Argentinian, Brazilian, Cuban, and Mexican composers. She gave a solo recital later that month at West End Presbyterian Church in Manhattan through the New York Piano Academy.
Jazz trumpet alumnus Dave Guy (’98) released his debut album, Ruby via Big Crown Records (Brainstory, 2024).
Jazz trumpet alumnus Taylor Haskins (MM ’96) opened The Mill in Westport, New York, curating the venue’s inaugural Music at the Mill 2024 Summer Program.
As part of the Sirius Jam series, jazz violinist Gregor Huebner (MM ’96) presented his project El Violin Latino, Huebner’s arrangements of standards from Cuba, Brazil and Argentina at Restaurant Epikur in Munich, Germany. He and his group also performed the same project at Sonnenalp Resort in Ofterschwang, Germany. His quartet and trio were featured at Greenwich House’s (NYC) 2024 Progressive Chamber Music Festival.
Jazz pianist and composer D.D. Jackson (MM ’91) released his newest album, D.D. Jackson: Poetry Project, in which Jackson composed musical settings for poems by Canada’s former Poet Laureate George Elliott Clarke. The project was awarded its funding by a Canada Council Concept to Realization Grant.
The New York Tenors, including Christopher Macchio (’99), opened this year’s Greater Hazleton Concert Series in Pennsylvania.
As a part of earning her second PhD for Artistic Research at the Oslo National Academy of Arts, Academy of Opera, composer and soprano Dr. Kristin Norderval (DMA ’93) invented the Expanded Vocal Improvising Instrument (EVII). She has since used the EVII in concerts at Roulette (Brooklyn, New York), the REWIRE Festival (The Hague, Netherlands), and at GIBNEY (New York).
Richard Owen (MM ’98) was appointed CEO of Highbridge Voices, a choral ensemble for youth in Bronx neighborhood of Highbridge. The non-profit organization held its annual benefit concert at the Theatre at St. Jean, featuring saxophonist Ron Blake and members of the Camerata New York orchestra.
Vocalist N’Kenge Pacurar (BM ’96) returned for the 3rd year as Host and Performer for the Night of Broadway Gala for the Youth Foundation of Jersey City. Separately, she gave three featured performances at the Jazz Club at Aman Hotel (NYC) and released the music video for her recent world pop single “Goosebump Moment.” In the band at Aman Hotel was fellow alumna bassist Dr. Melissa Slocum (MM ’95, MM ’96). N’Kenge’s recent EDM collaboration with production duo Gentleman Brawlers, “Was That All It Was,” was met with critical acclaim.
Pianist Dr. Marc Peloquin (MM ’89, DMA ’95) performed a solo piano concert at Bargemusic in Brooklyn, New York. The program consisted of works by Rorem, Kernis, and Del Tredici.
Trumpeter Alex Sipiagin released album Horizons (Blue Room Music, 2024), supported by saxophonist Chris Potter (MM ’92), pianist John Escreet (MM ’08), drummer Eric Harland (’96), and bassist Matt Brewer.
Jazz bassist Melissa Slocum (MM ’96) performed with the Antoinette Montague Experience at the Rutgers Institute of Jazz studies.
MSM classical violin alumnus Alexander “Sasha” Velinzon (’93), longtime member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was promoted to First Associate Concertmaster as well as Concertmaster of the Boston Pops. Velinzon joined the Symphony in 2000 as a section violinist, becoming Assistant Concertmaster in 2005 and then Associate Concertmaster in 2015.
Melissa Westgate (MM ’98) is Principal Cello in the Broadway musical Hell’s Kitchen.
At the International Roma Music Festival, tenor Colin Yip (MM ’95) served as Artistic Director, and soprano Mary Liu (MM ’95) was a jury member for Roma as well as the Bellini Voice Competition.
Trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire (BM ’05) performed the music of his Owl Song album (2023, Nonesuch) with guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Herlin Riley at Stanford University.
Trombonist and composer Doug Beavers (MM ’02) performed with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra in their San José Jazz Festival set in California.
The Black Leadership Arts Collective (B.L.A.C.) was presented its inaugural Gala at Manhattan School of Music. The evening was hosted by Terrance McKnight and featured members of B.L.A.C. alongside pianist Kevin Miller (PC ’82). Among others, soloists included MSM alumni mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges (BM ’09) and soprano Laquita Mitchell (MM ’01).
Cellist Anna Burden (PS ’09) performed a concert in Montreal of two late Romantic works, Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night (in observance of the 150th anniversary of his birth), and Johanna Müller-Hermann’s Quintet.
Donato Cabrera (PD ’02), Artistic and Music Director (conductor) of the California Symphony, was interviewed by KQED, a California Bay Area NPR and PBS affiliate.
Classical composer Christopher Cerrone‘s (BM ’07) compositions “On Being Wrong” and “Exhalation” were performed by Leah Plave & Tiziano Teodori at AngelicA Festival Internationale di Musica in Bologna, Italy. Separately, Third Coast Percussion joined the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra to perform “Meander, Spiral, Explode” in Chautauqua’s 2024 season.
Jazz Pianist Gerald Clayton (’05) gave the U.S. premiere of luminary predecessor Oscar Peterson’s previously unperformed AFRICA suite at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. The performance featured the GRAMMY-nominated Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Oscar Peterson protégé Benny Green, 2010 NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron, and others. Clayton also performed with guitarist Bill Frisell at the 2024 Newport Jazz Festival. Barron was Clayton’s teacher at MSM.
Composer Anna Clyne‘s (BM ’05) saxophone concerto, Grasslands (2023) received its Canadian premiere in Ottawa with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and was conducted by Alexander Shelley. She also released her new album, SHORTHAND, on SONY Classical, which was comprised of her new works for Strings. Clyne shared her insights about writing the album’s music in an article for The Strad.
Pianist Alex Collins (MM ’09) performed with grammy-winning bassist John Lee and drummer Karl Latham at the Springfield Avenue Gazebo (New Jersey).
Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (MM ’08, HonDMA ’22) played the title role in the Metropolitan Opera’s Orfeo ed Euridice. Costanzo was recently appointed the new General Director and President of Opera Philadelphia and began his new roles shortly after Orfeo closed.
Jazz pianist and vocalist Brenda Earle Stokes (MM ’04) released her newest album, Motherhood, and embarked on a concert tour of Ontario (Canada) promoting it.
Pianist Melinda Faylor (MM ’05) performed with flutist Melanie Chirignan at Ten Broeck Mansion in Albany.
Jazz pianist Ted Firth (MM ’00) accompanied vocalists Melissa Errico and Marilyn Maye on their respective featured nights at Provincetown Town Hall in Massachusetts.
Pianist Kirill Gerstein (BM ’99, MM ’00, HonDMA ’21) released Music in the Time of War (Myrios, 2024) a 141-minute double album of works by Claude Debussy and the Armenian composer and ethnomusicologist Komitas Vardapet, accompanied by a 174-page book of conversations, essays and photographs that situate the music deep in its historical context.
Collaborative pianist Dr. Soyeon Kim (MM ’03, DMA ’11) was appointed Senior Lecturer in Vocal Music at Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University.
Classical pianist Dr. Yoojung Kim (MM ’01, PS ’02) performed in celebration of the release of her new album, Midnight Monologues at Steinway Gallery in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The album includes seven improvised compositions. Dr. Kim is a current piano faculty member at New York University.
Classical cello alumna Morgan Magionos (BM ’01) joined Charles River Associates (CRA), a Boston-based firm providing economic, financial, and management consulting services. She is serving as a vice president in the Risk Investigations & Analytics Practice in CRA’s Washington, D.C. office. Magionos is an expert in forensic accounting, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering expert who previously worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Performing Arts at Fawn Lake Artistic Director, violinist Michelle Kim, joined soloists Brett Deubner (viola), Wendy Sutter (cello), and Dr. Blair McMillen (DMA ’05) (piano) for a Piano Quartet performance at Fawn Lake featuring a program of Gershwin, de Falla, Chopin and Schumann.
Pianist Dr. Jennifer Muñiz (MM ’99, DMA ’04) performed a showcase of the works of Chicagoan composer Arne Oldberg, known at the turn of the 20th century as “Brahms in our own backyard” in collaboration with the Estes Park Museum in Colorado.
As a part of electronica group Violet Sands, composer Derek Muro (BM ’05) released new single “are you still watching?” in which a streaming service gains consciousness and hypnotizes viewers’ minds. Violet Sands’ other two collaborators are Deidre Muro and David Perlick-Molinari.
Violinist Yuko Naito-Gotay (PS ’01) is the Violin I chair of the recently-opened Broadway revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard at the St. James Theatre.
Jazz trumpeter Nadje Noordhuis (MM ’05) was appointed Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Lawrence University Conservatory of Music.
Guitarist Matt Panayides (BM ’00) released his latest CD with his trio, entitled With Eyes Closed (Pacific Coast Jazz, 2024).
Jazz Trumpeter Charlie Porter (MM ’08) performed with his Porter/[Nick] Biello quartet at Christo’s in Portland, Oregon, featuring pianist George Colligan.
Vocalist Daisy Press (MM ’05) released her arrangement of “Rubor Sanguinis” as a single. Originally a chant, written by the sainted polymath Hildegard of Bingen for St. Ursula, this modern adaptation features co-arranger Nick Hallett’s striking harmonic scheme and Wurlitzer. This past spring, Press made her major opera debut as the lead, “Susona” in the world premiere of Alberto Carretero’s La Bella Susona at Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, Spain.
Maestro Troy Quinn (MM ’07) will make his Boston Pops debut, guest-conducting the orchestra’s New Year’s Eve Celebration concert featuring Bernadette Peters at Symphony Hall. Quinn is concurrently the Music Director of the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra in Kentucky, Music Director of the Venice Symphony in Florida, and the Pops Conductor of the Santa Rosa Symphony in California. Quinn and the Owensboro Symphony were nominated this year for a regional EMMY Award for their special A Night at the Oscars.
Acclaimed Canadian-Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu (MM ’06) gave a solo concert, open to the public, in celebration of fellow pianist and Estonian expat Armas Maiste. Maiste attended and cake was served to all to mark his 95th birthday.
The GRAMMY Award-winning Villalobos Brothers are Artists In Residence at George Mason University’s Hylton Performing Arts Center. Each season, the Hylton PAC “invites artists and ensembles with distinctive and innovative artistic voices to make the Hylton their home for a residency.” This acclaimed Contemporary Mexican ensemble is comprised of brothers Ernesto, Alberto, and Luís Villalobos. Violinist Ernesto (MM ’02) is the alumnus.
Jazz vocalist Charenée Wade (BM ’04, MM ’06) was featured with the Dion Parson Quartet at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts (St. Croix), St. John School of the Arts, and St. Thomas Social for the Virgin Islands Performing Arts Cultural Connection.
Classical clarinet alumnus Tama Waipara (MM ’01) was appointed as CEO & Artistic Director of the Te Tairawhiti Arts Festival.
Pianist Dr. Weicong Zhang (DMA’ 07), violinist Ian Swensen, and cellist Steve Doane performed Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 1 in d minor at the 2024 Bowdoin International Music Festival (Maine).
College Jazz Arts saxophone and composition faculty Miguel Zenón (MM ’01) performed with his Quartet at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Group members include pianist Luís Perdomo (BM ’97), bassist Hans Glawischnig (MM ’94), and drummer Henry Cole. Professor Zenón released nonet album Golden City, including alumni Jacob Garchik on trombone and tuba (BM ’98), Miles Okazaki (MM ’99) on guitar, and Dan Weiss (BM ’99) on drum set.
MSM Vocal Arts alumnus Darnell Abraham (MM ’13) joined the North American tour of The Lion King (Equity), playing the role of “Mufasa.”
The San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra gave the world premiere of composer-in-residence Fernando Arroyo‘s (BM ’09, MM ’11) Al Pie de la Montaña. The piece was commissioned as a symphonic poem centered around San Bernardino and its history.
Baritone Justin Austin (BM ’14, MM ’17) won the “Rising Star” category at the 2024 International Opera Awards.
Jazz trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III (BM ’13, MM ’15) led his group at the Rochester Jazz Festival and at The Django NYC.
Pianist and organist Ryan Bridge (BM ’18) was selected as the new music director at Christ Episcopal Church in Belleville, New Jersey.
Jazz saxophonist Owen Broder (MM ’15) led his Quartet at Alberta Abbey in Portland, Oregon, and his quintet, named “Cowboys and Frenchmen,” at the Montavilla Jazz Festival, also in Portland.
The Ulysees Quartet, whose members include alumni Christina Bouey (MM ’11, PS ’12, PS ’13) on violin, and Dr. Grace Ho (MM ’12, DMA ’17), opened Princeton University’s Summer Chamber Concerts’ 57th Season, performing works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and Tower.
Siblings Silvie (BM ’13, MM ’15) and Bryan Cheng gave a featured piano and cello duo performance as a part of Ottawa ChamberFest’s Signature Series this summer. As children, the duo was the inaugural winner of ChamberFest’s Rising Stars showcase in 2007.
Jazz pianist Emmet Cohen (MM ’14) performed with his Trio at Birdland Jazz Club with special guest Ron Carter (’61, HonDMA ’98).
Classical guitar alumnus Steve Cowan (MM ’12) and CC Duo partner, fellow guitarist Adam Cicchillitti, toured British Columbia in anticipation of their upcoming album next spring. Cowan is also the newest member of the Canadian Guitar Quartet, who performed at the 2024 Guitar Foundation of American Convention.
MSM Jazz Arts alumna, singer Courtney Cutchins (MM ’16), will release her album Grunge to Grace (Laseryn Music, 2024) on October 18. The band includes consists of pianist-producer David Cook, guitarist Nir Felder, bassist Matt Clohesy, and new MSM Jazz Arts Faculty member and alumnus, drummer Obed Calvaire (BM ’03, MM ’05).
Jazz vocalist and Howard University professor Christie Dashiell (MM ’13) released her album Journey in Black.
Arts administrator and tenor Marc Day (MM ’11) began his new position as Development Director at the University of Utah’s Pioneer Theatre Company, a fully professional theatre in-residence that produces classic, contemporary, and world premiere theatre. Marc was a significant fixture of MSM’s administration, culture, and overall leadership for well over a decade.
Jazz trumpeter Jonathan Dely (MM ’17) led his namesake All-Star Ensemble at the Alberta Theatre in Billings, Montana.
Vocalist Jessica Fishenfeld (MM ’15) appeared in a commercial with Ken Jeong for finance management company Airalo in which she sang an excerpt from Orff’s Carmina Burana. Additionally, Fishenfeld and her husband, Dr. Scott Joiner (BM ’05, MM ’07, DMA ’20) released an art song album called EMILY, in which Fishenfeld sings Joiner’s settings of Emily Dickinson and Emily Brontë poems to the accompaniment of pianist Milena Gligić.
Jazz Pianist Sullivan Fortner (MM ’10) performed with vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. He also performed with the Peter Bernstein Quartet at Jazzclub Unterfahrt in Munich, Germany.
Azerbaijani pianist Humay Gasimzade (MM ’18) gave a concert with cellist Gleb Khokhlov at Baku Museum Centre as part of the Museum and the Baku Contemporary Music Society’s “Musical Evenings in the Museum” series.
In Paris’s beautiful Montmartre district, violinist Noémi Gasparini (BM ’17) and the Ostinato ensemble presented Les Arènes Lyriques under the direction of Pierre Mollaret. The program featured singers Cyrielle Ndjiki, Olivia Doutney, Clara Barbier Serrano and pianist Ionah Maiatsky. Gasparini played while conducting the Ostinato ensemble.
Pianist and composer Christopher Goddard (MM ’12) performed at the MusOrgue Festival at the St. James United Church in downtown Montreal.
Soprano Aine Hakamatsuka (MM ’14) was one of several Kansas Wesleyan University outstanding alumni performed at the “Come Home” concert for KWU’s Homecoming 2024. She and several others re-dedicated the school’s historical and newly-renovated Sams Chapel.
Jazz Guitarist Dr. Jake Hertzog (MM ’16) released his most recent album Longing to Meet You, recorded with fellow alumni Matt Woroshyl (MM ’15) on saxophone; Perrin Grace (MM ’16) on bass, and Joe Peri (BM ’13, MM ’15) on drums.
Classical pianist John Kamfonas (MM ’11) performed at the 2024 Greencastle Summer Music Festival in Indiana.
Operatic vocalist and actor Kurt Kanazawa (MM ’13) performed at the 11th annual Imagine Little Tokyo short story contest ceremony, performing dramatic readings of the winning stories alongside fellow actors Ayumi Ito and Chloe Madriaga.
Jazz vocalist Julia Keefe (MM ’19) and her Quartet performed selections from her Mildred Bailey Project at SFJAZZ’s Joe Henderson Lab as a part of SFJAZZ’s Indigenous Songbook series, paying tribute to this fellow female jazz vocalist with Indigenous ancestry who was an early legend of the genre. Keefe performed at the 2024 Monterey Jazz Festival with her Julia Keefe Indigenous Ensemble.
College and Precollege classical violin faculty Dr. Chloé Kiffer (MM ’14, PS ’15) was the subject of an article in The Strad‘s June edition. The article discussed her approach to and philosophy of teaching.
MSM Collaborative Piano alumna Dr. Soyeon Kim (MM ’03, DMA ’11) was appointed to the faculty of Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music as Senior Lecturer in Vocal Music.
Soprano and MSM Staff member Makila Kircher (BM ’18, MM ’21) performed the title role in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with Regina Opera in Brooklyn, NY.
Mary Dunleavy (voice faculty), Justin Austin (BM’14, MM’17), Tesia Kwarteng (MM ’13), and Isaiah Traylor (MM’24, student of Shirley Close) premiered Damian Geter and Lila Palmer’s American Apollo at Des Moine Metropolitan Opera.
Dr. Alexis Lee (MM ’11) was appointed to Georgia State University School of Music as an artist affiliate in cello.
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) concertmaster Dr. Jinwoo Lee (AD ’09, DMA ’16) was profiled by AOL.com in advance of his second season with MSO.
Jazz bassist Niklas Lukassen (MM ’19) led his group in a performance at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London.
MSM Choral Conducting alumnus Dr. Malcolm Merriweather (DMA ’15) has assumed the inaugural Tania León Chair of Music at Brooklyn College. This position is Brooklyn College’s first-ever endowed chair in honor of the College’s namesake professor emerita and renowned composer.
Georgian jazz pianist Giorgi Mikadze (MM ’16) was the subject of an article in Downbeat‘s June 2024 issue.
Dr. Nicholas Nicassio (MM ’10) was appointed Music Program Coordinator at Houghton Academy, in Houghton, New York.
Jazz drummer Curtis Nowosad (MM ’15) led his small group in a performance in Orlando at Judson’s Live in the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. He also performed as a part of the Brianna Thomas Band at the 2024 Montclair Jazz Festival in New Jersey.
Mezzo-soprano Gina Perregrino (BM ’14, MM ’16) will make her Metropolitan Opera debut as “una Niña” in Golijov’s Ainadamar about the life and work of poet-playwright Federico García Lorca.
Gotham Arts presented a chamber music performance by violinist Filip Pogády (MM ’11) and pianist Dr. Hayk Arsenyan (PS ’08), featuring works by Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, and Brahms. They also performed this program at St. John’s in the Village.
Countertenor Jordan Rutter-Covatto (MM ’15) was the subject of a New York City ABC Channel 7 news segment.
Jazz pianist Christian Sands (BM ’11, MM ’14) made his Hollywood Bowl debut with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Led by Principal Conductor Thomas Wilkins and Music Director Christian McBride, and co-hosted by Ben Vereen, the program, “Jazz on Tap at the Bowl,” included former MSM Jazz Guitar faculty member Rodney Jones, drummer Clayton Cameron, renowned tap dancer Savion Glover, and special guest MSM Trustee Terence Blanchard (HonDMA ’17).
Arts administrator and soprano Alexa Smith (MM ’10) was promoted to Associate Artistic Director/Director of Cultural Transformation at The Public Theater.
Pianist Harriet Stubbs (MM ’13) released her album Living on Mars. She performed a solo show at Joe’s Pub NYC in promotion of the record.
Three MSM alumni were nominated for the 2024 International Opera Awards: Tenor Jonathan Tetelman (BM ’11) in the “Male Singer” category, and baritone Justin Austin (BM ’14, MM ’17) along with bass William Guanbo Su (BM ’17) in the “Rising Star” category.
Tetelman made his Los Angeles Opera debut as “B.F. Pinkerton” in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. He was interviewed by San Francisco Classical Voice in anticipation of this performance.
Mezzo-soprano Xeni Tziouvaras (BM ’17, MM ’19) took second prize in the Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation’s annual contest supporting students of the performing arts in the Santa Barbara, California area.
Jazz entrepreneur, drummer, and educator Arthur Vint (MM ’13) was presented with a Jazz Hero Award by the Jazz Journalists Association for his work in conceptualizing, designing, and building the Century Room, now a notable jazz venue in Tucson, Arizona. Vint also curated its worldclass performance calendar. He is also an instructor at the University of Arizona School of Music and serves on the Tucson Jazz Music Foundation Board of Directors.
College Violin faculty Xiao Wang (BM ’13, MM ’15, AD ’16) won first prize and €20,000 ($21,790) at the inaugural Classic Violin Olympus International Competition this past May. 20 violinists competed in this live round hosted at Manhattan School of Music. Wang will advance to the Competition’s Grand Finale in April 2025.
SFC Christopher Watkins (MM ’10), Trumpeter in the U.S. Army Ceremonial Band, honored the “Harlem Hellfighters” of the 369th Infantry Regiment by playing “Taps” at the World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Juneteenth.
Tenor Samuel White (PS ’18) began his studies within The Wexford Factory, a two-year professional academy launched by Wexford Festival Opera in 2020 for young Irish and Ireland-based singers and repetiteurs.
MSM Trustee, Jazz Guitarist, and New York Yankees Baseball legend Bernie Williams (BM ’16) made his New York Philharmonic debut under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. Bernie was featured on his own composition Moving Forward (arranged by Jeff Tyzik) as part of the orchestra’s spring gala at David Geffen Hall. He also performed at the Savannah Jazz Festival earlier this month, and will perform at the Millbrook Winery next month, himself the winemaker of “Bernie’s Blend”.
Dr. Cong Wu (DMA ’18) was appointed to MSM’s College Classical Strings Viola faculty.
Several alumni performed in Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’s 2024 Summer season. Both Justin Austin (BM ’14, MM ’17), as “Figaro,” and Hongni Wu (MM ’17, PS ’18), as “Rosina,” starred in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. In La Bohème, Robert Mellon (MM ’11) appeared as “Benoit” and “Alcindoro”, and Benjamin Ruíz (MM ’23) appeared as the “Strolling Vendor.” In Galileo Galilei, Jouelle Roberson (PS ’22) sang in the ensemble, and Mellon returned in the “Cardinal 2/Oracle 2/Servant/Inquisitor 2” track. Pianist Eric Sedgwick (MM ’07) was a Repetiteur for the season.
The following MSM alumni participated in this year’s Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead Workshop at the Kennedy Center: trumpeter Evan Abounassar (BM ’21), drummer Domo Branch (BM ’22), trumpeter Joey Curreri (MM ’24), bassist Rafael Enciso (MM ’23), vocalist Larissa Jones (MM ’23), and saxophonist Adam Lamoureux (BM ’24). Alongside Artistic Director Jason Moran (BM ’97), fellow alumni saxophonist Dr. Jimmy Greene (DMA ’18), bassist Linda Mah Han Oh (MM ’08, HonDMA ’24), and MSM Dean of Jazz Arts, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, served on the program’s faculty.
Jazz vocalist Amanda Addleman (MM ’23) and her Band performed at Mr. Tipple’s in San Francisco.
Soprano Sarah Bacani (BM ’21) was named one of five new Toledo Opera Resident Artists for the 2024-2025 season.
MSM Musical Theatre alumnus Bobby Barksdale (BM ’23) is starring in a new off-off-Broadway musical-comedy, The Diamond as Big as the Ritz. Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s comic novella, the story is told through a young couple seeking to immigrate to the U.S. as they imagine Fitzgerald’s characters appearing before them on stage. Barksdale plays three roles, jumping back and forth in time, acting as the son of the Washington family, an aviator and a disgruntled man caught up in an immigration issue.
The Blackbox Ensemble, including co-founding member and cellist Jordan Bartow (MM ’21), debuted a new work by composer Baljinder Sekhon and commissioned by Southern Exposure for its New Music Series through the University of South Carolina School of Music.
Contemporary pianist and new Yamaha Artist Nicole Brancato (MM ’22) received awards from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Puffin Foundation, and Flushing Town Hall. In partnership with a team of Georgia Tech engineers, her recent interdisciplinary project bringing together music, STEM, and interactive creativity, received an IPaT Research and Engagement Grant award. Brancato currently serves as a 2024-25 Artist in Residence with the New York City Department of Education. She also served as an artist-in-residence for the Pure.Art Circle program in Italy, which commissioned her to compose a new chamber opera (titled Infinitesimal).
Vocalist Rosina Bullen (MM ’20) released EP Trip to Tikal with fellow MSM Jazz Arts alumni bassist Mathias Jensen (MM ’20), drummer Angus Mason (MM ’20), guitarist Nick Pennington (MM ’19), and Rasmus Sorensen (BM ’22).
Cellist John-Henry Crawford (AD ’20) released his fourth album, Dvořák & Tchaikovsky on Orchid Classics, an homage to his formative years as a cellist.
Violist Ramón Carrero-Martínez (BM ’19, MM ’21) began his second season with Ensemble Connect in the group’s October performance in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall.
Jazz small group Meridian Odyssey, including Jazz Arts alumni bassist Ben Feldman (BM ’21) and tenor saxophonist Santosh Sharma (BM ’20), toured West Coast destinations Washington, Vancouver, Oregon, and California.
Sophia Filippone (BM ’22) was appointed Second Horn of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Harpist Kathleen Loughnane and cellist Caitríona Finnegan (MM ’20) presented a lectur recital at the National Library of Ireland’s Joly Lecture Theatre in Dublin. The Duo performed arrangements of 17th century Irish repertoire, interweaving the political and social upheaval context of this period in Irish history.
Multi-genre composer and guitarist Jhoely Garay (MM ’23) received a 2024 recipient of the American Composers Forum Create Award for her multi-movement work Where is Jazz? for jazz orchestra and Son Jarocho trio.
Jazz Pianist Jack Gruber (MM ’21) was accepted to Strathmore’s Artist In Residence program, an artist development program for greater Washington D.C-area musicians.
Jazz trumpeter Kellin Hanas (BM ’24) performed with vocalist Michael Feinstein at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Mezzo-soprano Hannah Jones (MM ’24), coach and collaborative pianist Ye In Kwak (MM ’24), and baritone YeongTaek Yang (MM ’24) were all selected for the 2024-2025 Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.
Dr. James Kim (DMA ’23) was a finalist in the 2024 Naumburg International Cello Competition.
Zukerman program alumna Lisa Kim (MM ’23) was appointed to the Second Violin section of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Tenor Scott La Marca (MM ’24) began his Master’s degree in the Yale University School of Music Opera program.
The Expat Quartet, a string chamber ensemble founded by recent MSM alumni, participated and performed in the Centrum for its 2024 Chamber Music Intensive, led by the resident American String Quartet and Chamber Music Artistic Director Lucinda Carver. Expat includes violinists Gayeon Lee (MM ’24) and Nini Giorgadze (BM ’24), violist Jack Rittendale (BM ’23, MM ’25), and cellist Tom Readett (BM ’19).
Yoo Jin Lee (PD ’23, AD ’24) was appointed to the 1st Violin section of the St. Louis Symphony.
Classical guitarist Gabriele Leite (MM ’22) released her debut solo album, Territórios (Rocinante 2024). The recording features works by Assad, Krieger, Villa-Lobos and Walton. Gabriele was also honored as a Young Upcoming Artist at the 2024 Brazilian Music Awards. Last month, she joined the Pinuts Music Agency in Europe.
In collaboration with the Sunway Music Foundation, violinist Shiqi Luo (BM ’18, MM ’20) and pianist Nianyi Huang (BM ’20) presented their concert program Petrichor at Mary Flagler Cary Hall in New York.
Cellist Niles Luther (BM ’20) presented his first exhibition after becoming Brooklyn Museum’s first Composer-In-Residence. He composed Hiroshige in response to Utagawa Hiroshige’s 100 Famous Views of Edo.
Jazz bassist Will Lyle (MM ’22) reunited with Piedmont (California) High School bandmates guitarist Adam Moezinia and drummer Benjamin Ring for a performance at Piedmont Center for the Arts as Adam Moezinia’s Folk Element Trio.
Percussionist Dániel Matei (MM ’22) gave the video premiere of composer Molly Herron’s Compare the Way We Move, a work for solo percussionist. The video and piece received an article in the American Composers Forum’s I Care if You Listen.
In April 2023, drummer and composer Christian McGhee (BM ’21, MM ’23) was awarded BMI’s Future Jazz Master Award & Ahrold Family commission at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) annual celebration of the Jazz Masters Fellows in Washington D.C. He presented the world premiere of his commission/debut album A Winged Resilience at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club on May 20, 2024. In July, McGhee’s Xtet performed at Jazz St. Louis. That group included fellow alumni Jahari Stampley (BM ’21) on piano, Santosh Sharma (BM ’20) on saxophone, and Brad Kang (MM ’22) on guitar.
MSM Jazz voice alumna Motswedi Modiba (MM ’24) is on tour with Academy Award- and Grammy-winning composer Hans Zimmer during his Hans Zimmer Live tour across the United States and Canada.
Violinist Minjoo Moon (PS ’24) was appointed to the Harvey At-Large Violin Chair of the North Carolina Symphony.
Flutist Jonah Murphy (BM ’22) won the inaugural Mitchell-Hogg Competition as part of the Texas Music Festival Orchestral Institute. His win will result in a performance with the Houston Symphony next season.
Collaborative pianist Marco Rizzello (PD ’23) was appointed to the full-time staff of Staatsoper Stuttgart. Mr. Rizzello’s new post follows a year with Houston Grand Opera (HGO) as a Butler Studio artist, where he coached HGO singers for their mainstage productions and accompanied their recitals.
So-Chung Shinn (MM ’19, PS ’21, PPD ‘24), MSM alumna, soprano, and Chairman of the Patron Program at The Metropolitan Opera, received the Woman of Grace award from NYC Mayor Adams in recognition of AAPI Heritage Month in May, which acknowledges the unparalleled dignity, humility, influence, and inner strength of its recipient.
Tenor Hang Su (MM ’24) began his studies in the Graduate Certificate program at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California.
Jazz pianist Álvaro Torres (MM ’23) and his Trio, including bassist John Hébert and drummer Barry Altschul, presented their new album Iris (Sunnyside 2024) in a performance at Mezzrow NYC.
Megan Torti (MM ’23) was appointed Principal Flute of the North Carolina Symphony.
Orchestral Performance graduate Tsun Yin “Timothy” Tse (MM ’24) was appointed Second Clarinet of the London Symphonia in Ontario, Canada.
Lucas Zeiter (MM ’22) was appointed Co-Principal Bassoon of the Hyogo Performing Arts Center in Japan.
Mezzo-soprano Yuhao Zhang (MM ’24) began her studies in the University of Washington School of Music’s DMA program in voice.
Soprano Ziyi Zhang (MM ’24) began her doctoral studies at the University of Georgia Hodgson School of Music. She was awarded a full scholarship and Graduate Assistantship.
Yihan Zhu (BM ’21, MM ’23) was appointed to the Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra as Principal Associate Concertmaster.
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