School of Music Faculty and Staff
Mark Avery, Adjunct Associate Professor of Bassoon, teaches studio bassoon, serves as principal bassoon with the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, and plays with the Millikin Faculty Woodwind Quintet. Dr. Avery received his D.M.A. in Bassoon Performance from the University of Michigan. He studied bassoon with L. Hugh Cooper, John Miller, Wendal Jones, and Bernard Garfield. Prior to moving to Decatur, he taught at Western Illinois University, the University of Mississippi, and Northern Arizona University. Dr. Avery has performed and presented papers at International Double Reed Society Conferences, and has published articles in the International Double Reed Society Journal and the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors Journal.
e-mail: mavery@mail.millikin.edu
Solomon Baer is Adjunct Associate Professor of Clarinet. Mr. Baer is principal clarinet in the Millikin Decatur Symphony, Opera Illinois, and the Prairie Ensemble in which he was soloist in Finzi's "Five Bagatelles." He is also a member of Sinfonia da Camera which was on tour recently in China, and London. He is alsoprincipal clarinet at the Sugar Creek Music Festival. Mr Baer has also been soloist at Krannert Performing Arts Center, and Smith Hall. Prior to coming to Illinois he was principal clarinet in the Philharmonic Orchestra of Santiago, Chile. Mr. Baer also was principal clarinet in the National Symphonies of Costa Rica and Chile. While in Chile Mr. Baer was soloist on Mozart's Concerto for Clarinet, And Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante. Mr. Baer also was member of the Grand Rapids Symphony. He has toured throughout the United States with various ensembles, performing in such venues as the Kennedy Center, The Museum for Contemporary Art in Chicago, The Grand Rapids Museum of Art, Race Street Gallery, Krannert Art Museum, Interlochen, and the Cabrillo Music Festival in Santa Cruz California. His clarinet teachers include James Livingston, Larry Combs, Clark Brody, Robert Marcellus, and David Harris. He can be heard on recordings with the Louisville Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony and the Sinfonia da Camera. He is a certified Alexander Technique teacher and has presented master classes at various universities in the U.S. and abroad.
email: sbaer@mail.millikin.edu
Soprano Ann Borders performed a recital at Alice Tully Hall as the Liederkranz Foundation Winner in 1988; that same year she also won the American Opera Auditions. Her theatrical experience encompasses roles with the Reimann Opera Theatre, the Illinois Opera Theatre, Springfield Opera Theatre, Little Theatre on the Square (Sullivan, Illinois), and Theatre 7 (Decatur).
email: amorrow@mail.millikin.edu
Jeremy Brunk teaches applied percussion, music theory and ear training, composition and 20th century music history. A proponent of new music performance, he also directs the Experimental Music Percussion Ensemble and frequently presents faculty recitals premiering new works. In addition to serving as principal timpani for the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, he is also a section percussionist with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. Prof. Brunk is also currently ABD in percussion performance and literature at the University of Illinois, studying with William Moersch. He will soon complete his dissertation comparing the aspects of Debussy’s influence on two works for solo marimba by Jacob Druckman and Richard Rodney Bennett. He holds an M.M. in percussion from the University of Oklahoma where he studied with Richard Gipson.
e-mail: jbrunk@millikin.edu
David Burdick (DMA, University of Texas at Austin) has taught commercial music, composition, and guitar at Millikin since 1989, and is faculty adviser for the Millikin Songwriters Guild. Dr. Burdick has recently installed and wired his own recording studio, which during its first seven months of operation released fourteen CDs. He continues to perform professionally on guitar and acoustic bass in the Central Illinois region. His last two compositions have enjoyed a number of performances around the country and his most recent piece has been performed at two festivals.
e-mail: dburdick@mail.millikin.edu
Dr. Daniel Carberg, tenor, has recently performed with Sting, Piffaro, The Catacoustic Consort, Baroque Artists of Champaign (BACH), and has been featured on National Public Radio's Performance Today . Dan is also a founding and current member of the internationally acclaimed Concord Ensemble as well as the Millikin University faculty ensemble for early music, Gravitación. Other credits include performances with Theatre of Voices, The Pro Arte Singers, and at The Madison Early Music Festival, The Bloomington Early Music Festival, The Berkeley Early Music Festival, The Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Disney Hall, Weil Recital Hall, and recording credits include such labels as Dorian Records, Gothic Records, Harmonia Mundi, and First Step Records. At Millikin University Dan teaches applied voice, vocal pedagogy, vocal performance seminar, and Medieval/Renaissance music history. Dan directs a prestigious small vocal ensemble, Tudor Voices, and is also a music director, conductor, and continuo player for the Millikin Opera Theatre. Past and current projects include Purcell's Dido and Aeneas , Mozart's Bastien and Bastienne , and Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea . Dan also serves as voice faculty at Bella Musica, Millikin's summer immersion program in Urbania, Italy. Dan holds a doctorate in music from Indiana University, Bloomington.
e-mail: dcarberg@mail.millikin.edu
website: http://faculty.millikin.edu/~dcarberg
John Cardoni is an adjunct guitar instructor and director of Guitar Ensemble II. He graduated summa cum laude from Millikin with a Bachelor of Music degree in 2004. It was under the Commercial Music program that he studied jazz and classical guitar styles, music theory and studio engineering. He currently resides with his wife in Springfield, IL, where he also works as a private guitar instructor and substitute teacher. John is a member of a touring alternative country-rock group called The Micah Walk Band. They have recorded two independent albums: Change (2006) and Bright Side Fantasy (2008).
email: jcardoni@mail.millikin.edu
Charles R. Ciorba, Assistant Professor, teaches courses in music education, coordinates the general music practicum, and supervises student teachers. Dr. Ciorba received a B.M in Music Education from Wayne State University, a M.M. in Music Education from Bowling Green State University, and a Ph.D. in Music Education from The University of Miami (FL). Prior to joining the faculty at Millikin University, Dr. Ciorba taught instrumental and general music for the Ann Arbor Public Schools. His research interests include jazz improvisation achievement, self-perception, and the use of technology in the elementary music classroom. Dr. Ciorba has presented research and participated in workshops at the North Texas Symposium for Music Education, Illinois Music Educator's Association, National MENC, and the Society for Research in Music Education's Research Symposium I.
e-mail: cciorba@mail.millikin.edu
Dr. Susan Schroeder Cobb teaches class piano, studio piano, and piano pedagogy at Millikin University. Professor Cobb received her DMA degree from University of Oklahoma and her MM and BM degrees in piano performance from the University of Illinois. An active solo and collaborative recitalist, she gave her first solo recital at the age of 12; at age 13 she was concerto soloist with the Tri-City Symphony Orchestra of Rock Island, Moline, and Davenport. In 1999 Dr. Cobb performed a solo recital at the Instituto Cultural Dominicano-Americano in Santo Domingo in conjunction with a fine arts exchange program with Millikin University. She performs regularly with violinist Thomas LeVeck and most recently presented a duo piano recital with Millikin faculty Bruce Gibbons. She is past director of the Millikin Preparatory Department, a non-credit division of over 600 students and served as coordinator of class piano. Dr. Cobb is currently Director of Bella Musica – Millikin in Italy, a program which she established in 2006 in Urbania, Italy that combines intensive music and Italian study with cultural excursions. In the summers of 2003 and 2004 Dr. Cobb was on the faculty of La Musica Lirica, an international music festival in Urbania, Italy. As coordinator of the chamber music division she coached student ensembles; as pianist for faculty chamber ensembles she presented recitals in Urbania, Pergola, Urbino, and Piobbico. Dr. Cobb appears in the 2002 edition of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. She has been on the faculty of the Summer Sonatina International Piano Camp in Bennington, Vermont and the Illinois Summer Youth Music Camp at University of Illinois, most recently in 2005.
e-mail: susancobb@aol.com
Soprano Frances Daniels is an active recitalist, oratorio soloist, and director. Over the past few years she has been the musical director and coach for Music Man, Sound of Music, She Loves Me, and Oklahoma in various regional theater companies. She is the Director of Music for the First Christian Church in Charleston, IL., directing the Chancel, High School, and Handbell choirs. Prior to Millikin she taught at Indiana State University, Penn State University, and Loras College. Since 1980, Professor Daniels has been a frequent contributor to the National Association of Teachers of Singing, adjudicating the NATS Artist Award Competition at both District and Regional levels. This past summer, Professor Daniels participated in an intensive Italian language and conversation study in Urbania, Italy at the Centro Studi Italiani. Daniels holds a B.M.E. in voice from Drake University, an M.A. in voice performance from the University of Iowa, and has completed coursework and required recitals toward a D.M.A. in voice performance from the University of Illinois. Currently, she teaches diction for singers and private voice.
E-mail: fdaniels@mail.millikin.edu
Assistant Professor of Music Ronnie Dean is in charge of the technical component of our program, and has managed our 24-track recording studio since 1985. His experience includes several years of technical and production work in radio, television, and the music industry, most notably in Nashville. Currently a member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), and the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), he holds a valid Federal Communications License. He continues his activity in the industry as a freelance designer, installer, and television audio engineer. Professor Dean's most recent accomplishment is the design and installation of our new recording studio and video editing facility, Millitrax .
e-mail: rdean@mail.millikin.edu
Michael Engelhardt is an active choral conductor, singer, and composer. He currently conducts the University Women's Choir, the men's vocal jazz group Cobalt, teaches music theory, and serves as the opera music director. Additionally, he is involved in the Decatur community as the director of the Greater Decatur Chorale and the Decatur Park Singers. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Millikin University and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. From college choirs to church music, from acapella groups to his funk band in St Louis, Michael brings a wide variety of professional musical experiences with him. Michael has had several songs and arrangements published and performed by churches around the world though the Willow Creek Association. In addition, choral compositions of his have recently been performed at the 2008 WVMEA Convention and the 2008 National MENC Convention.
email: mengelhardt@mail.millikin.edu
Amy Catron Flores is active as a cellist in the central Illinois area, playing as principal in the Illinois Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, principal and with the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, and principal with Sinfonia da Camera. She is the cellist with the Kirkland Piano Trio. She has been on faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Bands of America Camp, and Illinois Summer Youth Music Programs. Solo appearances have been with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (Florida), the Illinois Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, and the Illini Symphony at the University of Illinois. Prior to moving to Illinois, she held a position with the Naples (Florida) Philharmonic. Mrs. Flores has performed with many orchestras including the Florida Philharmonic, the Akron and Canton (Ohio) Symphony Orchestras and the Richmond Symphony. Festival participation includes the Colorado Music Festival, the Brandeis Summer Institute, the National Orchestral Institute, the Leonard Rose Cello Competition Masterclasses, the Eastern Music Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival. She received her B.M. from Eastman School and M.M. from University of Akron. Mrs. Flores teaches applied cello, lower string methods, and chamber music at Millikin University.
e-mail: aflores@mail.millikin.edu
Dr. Guy Forbes holds a PhD in music education from the University of Florida and a Master of Music in choral conducting from Florida State University. He currently serves as Coordinator of Music Education and Associate Conductor of Choirs. Dr. Forbes teaches senior-level music education classes and conducting; he also directs the Freshman Women's Ensemble and the Chamber Chorale. He is on the Executive Board for the Illinois Chapter of the American Choral Directors Assn. (IL-ACDA) and serves as Editor for the "Conductors' Podium," a publication of IL-ACDA. In March of 2001, he presented a research paper on "Repertoire Selection Practices of High School Choral Directors" at the national ACDA convention in San Antonio. Dr. Forbes has served as a clinician and conductor for IMEA District Choral Festivals across the midwest and Florida.
Dr. Bruce Gibbons performs as a collaborative pianist in approximately thirty student recitals and ten faculty recitals per year at Millikin University, and has played for numerous NATS events throughout Illinois. He regularly assists with graduate recitals at the University of Illinois, Illinois State University, and Western Illinois University, and has toured the southeastern United States and Canada. Adjunct Professor of Piano since 1985, he holds the DMA from Louisiana State University.
e-mail: bgibbons@mail.millikin.edu
Associate Professor Helen M “Hadi” Gibbons has been a member of the Millikin School of Music faculty since 1985. She currently serves as coordinator of the vocal area and teaches studio voice. She has served two terms as Illinois State Governor of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and continues to judge in state and regional auditions. Dr. Gibbons holds a DMA from Louisiana Sate University, an MM from Colorado State University, and a BA in Music Education from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN.
e-mail: hgibbons@mail.millikin.edu
Associate Professor Laurie Glencross teaches flute, music theory and aural skills and coaches chamber ensembles including flute choir. She is Principal Flute of the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra and the Faculty Woodwind Quintet. She completed a Doctor of Music from Florida State University in 2000. In 2002 Dr. Glencross and the Faculty Woodwind Quintet toured to the International Double Reed Society conference in Banff, Alberta where they presented a lecture-recital of Canadian music. As well that year she was a winner of the National Flute Association's Convention Performers Competition, appearing in recital at the NFA's Washington convention and in subsequent conventions as a panel member. She has performed as a chamber musician, soloist, and flute choir director in Canada and the United States, and as an orchestra member of the Orquestra del Festival de Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, the Palm Beach Opera, Valdosta Symphony, and Southwest Florida Symphony orchestras. At Millikin University Dr. Glencross has established the Millikin University Flute Society in an effort to foster a deeper interest in flute playing at the school and in the local community. Dr. Glencross, as Co-Artistic Director of the St Andrews Arts Festival in New Brunswick, Canada established an immersion residency there in 2007 and expanded it this summer. Plans for more courses and performances during Summer 2009 are currently in progress. For further information and to apply, see the Millikin International Studies and St Andrews Arts Council webpages or contact Dr. Glencross directly at:
e mail: lglencross@mail.millikin.edu
http://www.standrewsartscouncil.nb.ca/
Ted Hesse is a Lecturer of Music at Millikin University. He conducts the University Women’s Choir, Concert Choir and has conducted several of Millikin’s opera theatre productions. He also teaches voice, music theory and conducting. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Millikin University and his Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Northern Iowa. He also attended the University of Minnesota where he studied music education.
e-mail: thesse@mail.millikin.edu
Beth Holmes currently conducts the Millikin Women, a choir comprised primarily of freshmen students, and teaches private voice at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. In addition she is the Artistic and Musical Director of the Millikin University Children & Youth Choir Program, and conducts its premiere ensemble, the Concert Youth Chorale, featuring singers in grades 6-12. This program, an extension of Millikin’s Music Preparatory Department, includes a full year complement of programming, touring, multiple staff, and Millikin student internships for each of its 4 choirs. A graduate of Kansas State University, Beth subsequently completed a Masters in Choral Conducting at Arizona State University. She has directed university choirs for more than 10 years, first at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and then at Millikin University. When she took a leave from college teaching to home educate her three children in 1995, Beth became an advocate of excellence in vocal music education among Illinois home educators. She and her husband Brad wrote curriculum and were invited to teach and perform with their three children at both of Illinois’ state home educator conventions.
Beth is an active guest conductor, directing festival choirs on District and All-State levels as well as church music clinics throughout the Midwest. She has conducted Honor Choirs and led workshops on rehearsal and vocal techniques for choral directors at several state music conventions, and is frequently called upon to adjudicate in both solo and ensemble settings. Beth has had an influential role in the area of Repertoire and Standards for Women’s Choir, serving on state boards in both Iowa and Illinois for the American Choral Director’s Association.
email: eholmes@mail.millikin.edu
Brad Holmes holds the DMA in choral conducting from Arizona State University. Director of Choral Activities at Millikin since 1991, Dr. Holmes oversees a program involving 300 singers and five conductors. In addition to directing the school's flagship choral ensemble, University Choir, he teaches conducting and choral methods. His extensive guest-conducting schedule includes engagements throughout the United States in district festivals, ACDA honor choirs, church music clinics and All-State choirs.
Internationally, he served a term as a Visiting Fellow at Wolfson College in Cambridge, England. While there he worked extensively with the Choir of Clare College, leading them for Evensong services and consulting on recording projects. He has conducted choirs in 33 countries in Europe, South America, East Asia, the South Pacific and Australia. In 2009 he has been invited for a return engagement with the Royal Free Singers of Winsor, England to conduct a program of American music.
The Millikin University Choir has toured internationally to Norway, Russia, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, China, Taiwan and England. In the past decade, the choir has performed for three regional conventions of the American Choral Director's Association (ACDA). Their recent performance before the National Convention of ACDA in Miami garnered new attention on the choir’s approach to tonal variety. Under Holmes' direction, the choir has produced four CDs on Millikin's First Step label. Holmes' choral arrangements are available both through First Step Records and his website.
e-mail: bholmes@mail.millikin.edu
Since 1986, Associate Professor Georgia Hornbacker (MM Indiana University) has taught violin, upper string pedagogy and methods, and coached chamber music at Millikin. She is Concertmaster of the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra and Associate Concertmaster of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. As violinist with the Kirkland Trio she has performed recitals in Taiwan at the National Taiwan University, on WILL radio’s Second Sunday Concert Series, and at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. Concerto appearances have been with the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Chamber Orchestra, and the Illini Symphony at the University of Illinois. From 1999 – 2006 she was on the faculty of Illinois Summer Youth Music’s Senior Orchestra camp at the University of Illinois. Professor Hornbacker is a contributing author to Teaching Music through Performance in Orchestra (2008) and The String Teacher’s Cookbook (2008) and a regular reviewer of music, books, and CD’s for American String Teacher, journal of the American String Teachers Association. She was named Outstanding Studio Teacher in 2000 by the Illinois chapter of the American String Teachers Association.
e-mail: ghornbacker@mail.millikin.edu
Grace Huang is currently Adjunct Associate Professor of PIano at Millikin, as well as East District Chair for the Illinois State Music Teachers
Association and president of the Decatur Area Music Teachers Association. She performs throughout the U.S. as soloist, collaborative pianist, and chamber musician. Festival appearances include Aspen, Eastern, Madeline Island, and Hampden-Sydney, where she was an Artist Fellow. Dr. Huang is also active as an adjudicator and clinician and has published articles in Piano Pedagogy Forum and Georgia Music News. She graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.M. in Piano Performance and earned her M.M. and D.M.A. in Piano Performance from the University of Minnesota, studying piano with Lydia Artymiw and pedagogy with Rebecca Shockley. Previous teaching positions include the University of Georgia, St. Cloud State University (MN), and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (MI).
email: ghuang@millikin.edu
Dr. Sharon Huff teaches Applied Tuba and Euphonium, Brass Methods, and Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble. She also supervises music education student teachers. Dr. Huff holds degrees from Illinois State University (BME) and the University of Illinois (MM and DMA). Before coming to Millikin, Dr. Huff was responsible for low brass, conducting, music education, band, music literature, humanities, and many other courses at Illinois State University and St. Norbert College (WI). She is an experienced public school teacher and much in demand as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator. Author of numerous review articles for the International Tuba Euphonium Association Journal (formerly known as the Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association Journal), she has also served ITEA on its Executive Committee as Conferences Coordinator. Dr. Huff is currently president of the International Women's Brass Conference, and she was host of the 2003 and 2006 conferences which were held at Illinois State University. Dr. Huff is Music Director of the Brass Band of Central Illinois and she performs
with the Monarch Brass Ensemble.
email: shuff@mail.millikin.edu
Brian Justison is Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of Percussion Studies at Millikin University. His responsibilities include directing the chamber and world percussion ensembles and teaching courses in percussion pedagogy and drum set styles. His students include recent winners of the MTNA National Solo Percussion Competition and the Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition. His performance credits include the: Illinois Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, Canadian Brass, and the Brass of Illinois. He has also performed with a variety of leading jazz, Latin, and pop artists including: Gene Bertoncini, Brian Bromberg, Warren Chiasson, Jeremy Davenport, Dardanelle, Cathy Garcia, John McNeil, and Marcus Roberts. He is currently the drummer for the Jane Hartman trio. Mr. Justison is active as an adjudicator and clinician throughout the region with recent appearances at the United States Percussion Camp, the Midwest Percussion Camp, the IMEA/MENC All State Festival, and the Percussive Arts Society Illinois Day of Percussion (1998, 2000, 2006, 2008).
e-mail: bjustison@mail.millikin.edu
Sonja Kassal teaches horn, serves as principal horn of the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of the Faculty Woodwind Quintet. She holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Eli Epstein, and from the University of Illinois, where she studied with Kazimierz Machala. She plays third horn in the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra and regularly performs with the Illinois Symphony, the Peoria Symphony, and the Prairie Ensemble. During the summers, Prof. Kassal has performed as part of the National Orchestral Institute in Maryland, the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, and Sugar Creek Symphony and Song in Watseka, Illinois. In the summer of 2007 she toured the Gulf and Atlantic coasts with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her teaching duties at Millikin, Prof. Kassal teaches privately and has taught at St. Matthew School in Champaign.
email: skassal@millikin.edu
Jody Kienzler, lyric soprano, teaches both private and class voice. Ms. Kienzler graduated from Illinois Wesleyan with a degree in organ performance and holds the MA in vocal performance from Eastern Illinois University. In addition, she has completed course work, recitals, and exams for the DMA from the University of Illinois in vocal performance. Previously, Jody was a full-time staff musician at St. Joseph Parish in Vacaville, California, where she founded the St. Joseph Boys’ Choir, as well as seven other performing groups. The Boys’ Choir was invited to Canterbury, England, to participate in the International Children’s Choir Festival under the direction of David Flood and Henry Leck. In 2005 the choirs of St. Joseph toured Italy, culminating in a liturgy at the Papal altar of the Vatican.
Ms. Kienzler has made recent vocal performances in Sacramento, California, as the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, soloist for California regional Messiah, soloist for the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, Israel, and soprano soloist with Westminster Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Illinois. Since her return to Springfield, Ms. Kienzler started SERAPHIM, a treble quintet. She is the featured conductor for Illinois Music Educators Association (IMEA) Children’s Festival chorus November 2007 in Macomb, Illinois.
Kristine (Kjeldsen) Lecocq has been an adjunct instructor of Commercial Vocal Styles at Millikin University since 2005. She received her Bachelors of Music in Commercial Music, vocal emphasis, from Millikin University. Kristi spent four-years on the Nashville scene working the “writers-in-the-round” showcases and open-mic circuits (including several performances at the infamous Bluebird Café) and returned to central IL in 2001. Since 2002, she has performed across the Midwest with several central IL jazz, funk and rock bands including Blue Bus, Equinox, and Pancake Supper, and is co-founder (with Dr. Dave Burdick) of the Alpha Brats (original, acoustic pop/rock). Kristi is currently the female lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist for One-Eyed Red (alternative country/blues, based out of Decatur, IL) as well as for Sojourn (classic Top 40 hits, based out of Mattoon, IL) where she entertains audiences at festivals, weddings and corporate events. She can occasionally be seen with the Brad Davis Quartet and has also appeared as a guest artist with the Eastern IL Percussion Ensemble. Kristi continues to record studio projects of her own as well as session work where she is hired as a background vocalist. In addition to her extensive performing and recording schedule, she has served as a judge for the Millikin Songwriters’ Guild’s annual songwriting competition. Her “day gig” is as AVP, Branch Manager and Loan Officer for First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust in Taylorville, IL.
email: klecocq@mail.millikin.edu
Soprano Nicole Leupp has performed as a soloist with the Jussi Björling Festival in Sweden, the Maggio Musicale Festival in Italy and the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. She has performed a solo recital at St. Martin’s in the Field in London, Berg’s Sieben Frühe Lieder at Durham Cathedral in Durham, England and was a soloist in Opera Galas for Amnesty International at St. James’ Picadilly in London and for the Cairo Opera in Egypt which was recorded for Egyptian television. Opera roles include The Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw, and the role of Sian in development workshops of James McMillan’s new opera The Sacrifice for Welsh National Opera. Nicole is currently finishing a Doctoral Degree in Performance at the University of Illinois where she taught studio voice for two years and currently serves on the faculty of Parkland College and Millikin University. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from Concordia College, a Master of Music Degree from The University of Colorado, and a Post Graduate Diploma from The Royal Academy of Music in London.
email: nleupp@millikin.edu
Kevin Long has been Artist-In-Residence for Music Theatre at Millikin University since 2003. His duties include teaching Music Theory and Ear Training in the School of Music and Musical Theatre History and Repertoire for the Department of Theatre and Dance. Kevin came to MU from an adjunct position at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia where he taught various music courses and served as the Director of the Community Music Academy. He holds two Master's degrees in Music (Piano Performance, Instrumental Accompanying) from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas after receiving a Bachelor's degree in Piano from Elon University in North Carolina. Kevin has worked with many regional theatre companies and serves as the Musical Director / Conductor for the many musicals produced by the Department of Theatre and Dance at Millikin. Kevin is an active member in the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and has a strong interest in the production of new musicals.
e-mail: kwlong@mail.millikin.edu
Michael Luxner, Professor of Music, has been at Millikin since 1996. Music Director and Conductor of the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Luxner also conducts the String Arts Ensemble and teaches theory, in which he holds a PhD from the Eastman School of Music. Formerly conductor of the Owensboro (KY) Symphony and the Savannah (GA) Symphony, he has been a frequent guest on podiums around the United States and throughout the world. He is a trustee of the Pierre Monteux Memorial Foundation, sponsors of the Domaine School for Conductors and Orchestral Training, a board member of the Illinois Council of Orchestras, and a former director of the Conductors Guild, an international music service organization devoted exclusively to the advancement of the highest standards of the art and profession of conducting.
e-mail: mluxner@mail.millikin.edu
Manley Mallard received the Master of Music Education degree from Kent State University and the Master of Music in Jazz Studies from Webster University in St. Louis. Since 1987 he has taught classical and jazz guitar, guitar ensembles, combos, and music theory at Millikin. Professor Mallard has published numerous arrangements with Plucked String, Inc., Guitar Chamber Music Press, and Mel Bay. He recently gave a presentation on arranging for guitar ensemble at the 1999 Guitar Foundation of America Conference. As a soloist and chamber musician, Mr. Mallard has performed on two National Public Radio broadcasts on WILL-FM. He recently completed a recording with colleague Joseph Mayes (Rowan University) of Johan Kaspar Mertz's Duetten for two guitars. That CD was also released in the spring of 2000.
e-mail: mmallard@mail.millikin.edu
Judith Mancinelli (MM, University of Tulsa) has taught piano at Millikin since 1980 and is also supervisor of accompanying. Professor Mancinelli performs as pianist with the Kirkland Trio, and serves as a frequent adjudicator, notably for the National Guild of Piano Teachers. She has appeared as soloist in recent years with area orchestras, performing Beethoven's Triple Concerto, Mendelssohn's Double Concerto, and Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals. The Kirkland Trio toured Taiwan in 1996 and have recently produced their first CD.
e-mail: jmancinelli@mail.millikin.edu
Tina Nicholson is an Associate Professor of Oboe at Millikin University, Decatur, IL She has been principal oboist with the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra since 1987, principal oboist with the Danville Symphony Orchestra since 1992, and performs with the Millikin Faculty Woodwind Quintet. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin- Madison and taught oboe at Beloit College before coming to Millikin in 1987. She has performed with The Illinois Symphony, the Dubuque Symphony, the Elgin Symphony, the Beloit-Janesville Symphony, the Madison Symphony, the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, finished the 2001 tour (11 concerts) with the Moscow State Orchestra, and is a frequent soloist in the central Illinois area. She lives in Decatur with her daughter Claire, and twins Si and Kyle. When Tina isn't making reeds, you might find her waterskiing or watching football. During her sabbatical in fall of 1999, she wrote a piece: Moments from Women which was premiered by Nancy Ambrose- King at the International Double Reed Society Convention in Buenos Aires in August of 2000. In April of 2007 she was invited to perform a recital on the Society of Russian Oboists Series in Moscow, Russia. She won the Alpha Lambda Delta Outstanding Teaching Award in 2007, and was a recipient of a Teaching Excellence Award, 2008.
e-mail: tnicholson@mail.millikin.edu
Chris Nolte teaches jazz and commercial bass at Millikin. He has been busy as a freelance bassist and educator in the Central Illinois area close to ten years. He is adept at playing jazz, but is at home in many other styles. A graduate of Millikin University with a degree in Commercial Music, Chris recently finished his Master's degree in Jazz at the University of Illinois and is currently working on his Doctorate at that institution. While studying at Illinois, Chris has become a staple of the Champaign-Urbana music scene. He also regularly performs throughout Illinois and the Midwest, including Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Louisville and Cincinnati, as well as New York and Toronto.
email: chris.nolte@gmail.com
Cynthia Oeck, soprano, has taught Voice and Diction at Millikin University since 1994. Ms. Oeck has performed throughout the country on the opera, oratorio and recital stage. Operatic roles include Vanessa, Fiordiligi, the Countess and Violetta. She has appeared in concert with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra and Rainier Symphony in Washington State; the University of Missouri at Kansas City Symphony and Chorus, the Illinois State Symphony and the Decatur/Millikin Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Oeck has presented sacred and secular recital programs throughout the country from Seattle, Washington to College Station, Texas. Recitals have included all Bach and all Russian programs. In July, 2001 Ms. Oeck performed Nicolas Flagello’s Contemplazioni di Michelangelo at the University of Illinois. Ms. Oeck received a Master of Music from the University of Washington. Past teachers include Augusto Paglialunga, Mary Curtis-Verna and Margaret Harshaw.
e-mail: coeck@mail.millikin.edu
Praised by critics as having lyrical and brilliant coloratura "star quality," soprano Sherezade Panthaki is in constant demand as an opera and oratorio soloist. She has appeared in multiple leading/ title roles with the American Opera Theater (Washington D.C), the Bloomington Early Music Festival (Indiana), and was the winner of the Adams fellowship (soprano soloist) competition for the 2006 Carmel Bach Festival, California. She was a recent finalist in the Le Jardin des Voix international vocal competition sponsored by William Christie and Les Arts Florissants, and has been a featured soloist at the Tafelmusik Baroque Institute (Toronto). In addition to performances at various international music festivals in France, Holland, Switzerland, Germany and Colombia, Ms. Panthaki's recent and upcoming engagements include a variety of repertoire with the Portland Baroque Orchestra (Oregon), the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, the Boston Early Music Festival, Ensemble Voltaire (Indianapolis), the Catacoustic Consort (Cincinnati), the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, La Donna Musicale (Boston), Ars Musica (Chicago), the Amherst Early Music Festival (Vermont), the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana (Illinois), and the Bach Society of Saint Louis. She is a founding member of the Baroque trio Arte Bella, as well the Medieval Renaissance quartet, Gravitación, both of which perform frequently throughout the United States. In the summer of 2007, Ms. Panthaki accompanied a group of students to Urbania, Italy as a member of Bella Musica Baroque faculty. Ms. Panthaki's discography includes two recordings of 17th and 18th century music by women composers with La Donna Musicale, as well as ‘Elements’—a captivating collection of Medieval and Renaissance repertory with Gravitación. In addition to her performing and recording schedule, Ms. Panthaki serves as Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church of Urbana. She holds degrees from the University of Illinois, Trinity College of London, and West Virginia Wesleyan College.
email: spanthaki@mail.millikin.edu
website: www.sherezadepanthaki.com
Douglas Phillips, Professor Emeritus of Millikin University School of Music and presently adjunct Professor of Music at Millikin, holds degrees in music from Northwestern University. He has been principal clarinetist of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra and has played as an extra clarinetist with the Chicago Symphony in concerts and recordings. He was Chair of the Music Theory Department at Millikin and coordinator of woodwinds. Before coming to Decatur, he was a member of the faculty at Luther College in Iowa.
Adjunct Assistant Professor Diana Rai holds the Master of Music degree from the University of Illinois, U-C. She teaches double bass to students of all levels, and cello through the Preperatory Department. She is also active teaching string classes in the Decatur Public Schools.
Professor Rai has performed in many regional orchestras and chamber groups. She has also performed in masterclasses throughout the USA, Canada, France, Scotland, Norway and Australia.
e-mail: drai@mail.millikin.edu
Perry Rask is Associate Professor of Music at Millikin, teaching saxophone and improvisation, coaching commercial ensembles and saxophone quartets, and directing Jazz Lab Band II. Professor Rask completed his Doctor of Arts at the University of Northern Colorado. Recording projects include: Hard at It with Randall Reyman and Faculty Jazz; a multimedia CD for Japanese software firm (Linguamaster); and as the featured soloist on Millikin's Vocal Jazz I and Jazz Lab Band I CD projects. Dr. Rask studied privately with Fred Hemke at Northwestern University in 1998-99. As a member of the Springfield Jazz All-stars, he traveled to Ashikaga, Japan in August 1999, performing at various venues in Japan as part of the Springfield Sister Cities delegation.
e-mail: prask@mail.millikin.edu
Chris Reyman teaches jazz improvisational styles, small jazz ensembles and applied jazz piano. He received his Bachelor of Music in Commercial Music from Millikin University in 2003 and earned his Master of Music in Jazz Performance from the University of Illinois in 2006. He is currently working toward a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance at the University of Illinois. He has composed music for jazz ensembles, orchestra and composed an original score for Lucas Martell’s animated short film “Pigeon Impossible,” which will be completed in the Fall of 2008. His recent premiered “Gershwin Fantasy,” featuring trumpeter Randall Reyman, at Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra’s Labor Day Pops Concert and “Gamelan Reng-Jazz” (for Gamelan and jazz quartet) at the Bali Arts Festival in Denpesar, Bali (2008). He performs regularly throughout Central Illinois with ensembles such as Chip McNeill Quartet, Glenn Wilson’s Jazz Maniacs, Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project, Morgan Powell’s Boneyard Jazz Quintet, Jeff Helgesen Quintet, Holly Holmes Quartet, C-U Jazz Crusaders (tribute band), Beat Kitchen, Alma Afro-beat Ensemble, Jacid, Weapons of Mass Dysfunktion, MRS Trio, Yang Ying and the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
email: creyman@mail.millikin.edu
Randall Reyman is Director of Jazz Activities at Millikin University and Coordinator of Brass. He serves as principal trumpet with the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra and member of the Millikin Faculty Brass Quintet. His teaching duties include directing Millikin University's Jazz Band I, studio trumpet instruction, brass ensembles, jazz combos, and improvisation. Mr. Reyman holds degrees from the University of Northern Iowa, University of Illinois, and Illinois State University. His teachers have included Keith Johnson, Vincent Cichowicz, John Haynie, and Bill Adam.
An active composer, arranger, and trumpeter, he performs frequently in jazz venues throughout Central Illinois with his West End Trio and other groups such as the Millikin Faculty Jazz Sextet and the Decatur Big Band. Professor Reyman has published educational materials with Mel Bay Publications and Kendor Music, and his CD , Hard at It , is available from First Step Records.
e-mail: rreyman@mail.millikin.edu
Trumpet Studio Website
Ryan Ross serves as adjunct instructor of music history at Millikin University. He is beginning work on a PhD dissertation in musicology at the University of Illinois that will examine the pastoral aspect in the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams. His education includes a Master of Arts degree in musicology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Ryan's research interests include English music of the 19th and 20th centuries, late Romanticism, and the symphonic music of Jean Sibelius and Carl Nielsen.
email: rross@millikin.edu
Leann Schuering is an Adjunct Lecturer of Voice at Millikin. Ms. Schuering has appeared in concert with the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, the Springfield Municipal Opera, the Decatur Municipal Band, the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana, and the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra. She has been a Semi-Finalist in the Chicago Bel Canto Foundation's annual competition, and was a winner of Concerto Competitions at the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois. Ms. Schuering received her B.A. from the University of Chicago, where she sang with the nationally respected Motet Choir. Her M.M. comes from the University of Illinois, where she received the Grace E. Wilson Award for Excellence in Singing, the highest honor bestowed annually upon a graduate student in Voice.
e-mail: lschuering@mail.millikin.edu
Gary R. Shaw, Professor of Music and Director of Bands, has taught trombone, wind ensemble, and conducting at Millikin since 1982. He currently performs on trombone with the Millikin Faculty Brass Quintet, the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra, the Decatur Municipal Band, and the Sinfonia da Camera. Dr. Shaw's groups have toured and performed extensively in Germany, Austria and The Netherlands. In March 1998, the Wind Ensemble traveled to the Dominican Republic where they taught beginning band students at the Instituto Cultural Domenico Americano. Last spring, Dr. Shaw worked with adult municipal bands in the Dominican Republic through a program sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo. Dr. Shaw is resident conductor of both the Decatur Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Greater Decatur Youth Band. He holds the DMA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
e-mail: gshaw@mail.millikin.edu
Millikin University Bands
Dr. Neal Smith teaches instrumental music education courses, directs the University Concert Band, and supervises teaching internships. He received both a PhD and a Master of Music Education at The Hartt School of Music and previously taught music in schools in Illinois and Connecticut. Dr. Smith has guest conducted numerous regional, county, and district music festivals as well as the Hartford Chamber Players, Kenosha Symphony Orchestra and Manchester (CT) Symphony. As an administrator he served as the Executive Director of the Hartt Summer Young Music Festival, the Roberts Center for Young Leadership in the Arts, and the Paranov Arts Partnerships. He is well known as a presenter on issues related to the use of technology in music education and in the application of assessment in music. Currently Dr. Smith serves as the special area chair in technology for IMEA, as a certified instructor for the Technology Institute for Music Educators, and as an ambassador for Sibelius Software Inc.
Websites:
http://faculty.millikin.edu/~nsmith
e-mail: nsmith@mail.millikin.edu
John Stafford II, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music, teaches music theory, composition, and directs the vocal jazz ensemble, "Rebirth of Cool". His music has been performed throughout North America and Europe. The University of Oregons Waging Peace Through Singing, an international competition for choral music on the theme of peace sponsored by the Carlton Savage Endowment for International Relations and Peace, has recognized his work. He has also received recognition from other organizations such as American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, the Society of Composers Inc. (both national and regional conferences), the National Federation of Music Clubs, the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs, the Sandusky New Music Festival, the North American Music Festival at Lynn University, the Otterbein Festival of Contemporary Music at Otterbein College and Primavera En La Habana 2004 (Spring in Havana 2004) International Electroacoustic Music Festival in Havana, Cuba. Also, he was recently selected as a finalist for the IV Edition of Pierre Schaeffer International Competition of Computer Music in Italy. In addition, such artists as Velvet Brown, Marilyn Shrude, members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the New York New Music Ensemble, the Hradec Kralove Men's Chorus, the Gregg Smith Singers, Chicago A cappella, the New York Treble Singers, and the Anti-Social Music Ensemble (based out of NYC) have performed his music. He holds degrees from Millikin University (B.M.) and Bowling Green State University (M.M.) and currently attend the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (D.M.A in choral conducting).
e-mail: jstafford@millikin.edu
www.johnstaffordii.com
www.myspace.com/johnstaffordii
Travis D. Stimeling, assistant professor of music, teaches courses in music history and ethnomusicology at Millikin University. He holds the Ph.D. in musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the M.M. in music history from West Virginia University, and the B.A. in music from West Virginia Wesleyan College. Dr. Stimeling has presented his research at annual meetings of the Society for Ethnomusicology, the Society for American Music, and the International Country Music Conference. His research interests include country music, the history and practices of the American music industry, and the Federal Music Project.
email: tstimeling@millikin.edu
Terry Stone (MM, University of Illinois-Urbana) has been Adjunct Assistant Professor of Voice at Millikin since 1993, teaching studio voice, Opera Workshop, and song literature. He has sung in recent performances of Dialogues of the Carmelites with the Muddy River Opera Company, and of Schubert song cycles Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise.
e-mail: tstone@mail.millikin.edu
Matt Talbott earned his BS and MS in education from the University of Illinois, and he brings to Millikin a wealth of real world experience that informs his teaching in commercial music and music business. Matt has worked as a recording artist and touring musician for RCA Records as well as several independent labels, and his band Hum sold over 400,000 albums for RCA. In addition to running his own record label, Matt currently owns and operates a professional analog recording studio in the Champaign area and stays active as a songwriter, singer, and guitarist.
e-mail: mtalbott@millikin.edu
website: http://www.gwrecordrecorders.com/index.php
Marion van der Loo holds the B. Mus. Degree in Opera Performance and the M. Mus. Degree in Choral Conducting from Temple University's Esther Boyer College of Music in Philadelphia. She also completed a doctoral residency in Choral Conducting at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Ms. van der Loo enjoyed a long singing career on the east coast as a mezzo-soprano with consistently enthusiastic reviews for her interpretation of opera, oratorio and the lied. She has sung with orchestras throughout the east coast, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, and the Baltimore Symphony, as well as in Europe and in the Midwest. Since moving into the area of conducting, while still maintaining a private voice studio, Ms. van der Loo has, for 20 years, conducted choruses and orchestras in both professional and non-professional venues. During her 12 seasons as Director and Conductor of the Illinois Symphony Chorus in Springfield, she frequently conducted the Chorus with the Illinois Chamber and the Illinois Symphony Orchestras. She has since become Music Director and Conductor of the 70-voice Springfield Choral Society and is the founding Artistic Director and Conductor of Prairieland Voices, a chamber chorus based in Springfield.
e-mail: mvanderloo@millikin.edu
Stephen Widenhofer has been on the faculty of Millikin University since 1983, serving as Chair of Music Industry Studies before his appointment as Director of the School of Music in 2003. He has been responsible for a variety of curricular changes over his career, including the founding of First Step Records [www.firststeprecords.com], Millikin's own record label and publishing company which is run by students as a hands-on learning experience. Widenhofer has served on the Board of Directors of MEIEA [Music and Entertainment Industry Educator’s Association] and is currently the Central Division Jazz Choir Repertory and Standards Chair for ACDA [American Choral Director's Association]. He is active as a guest clinician/conductor throughout the Midwest, directing numerous district and state honor jazz choirs. He directs Millikin's award winning vocal jazz ensemble, OneVoice. Professor Widenhofer holds undergraduate and masters degrees from Ball State University and the Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Northern Colorado. He also serves on the music staff at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Decatur, IL and performs regularly as pianist with the Millikin Faculty Jazz Quintet.
e-mail: swidenhofer@millikin.edu
Lois J. YaDeau (BM, Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory, MM University of Illinois) teaches studio voice, vocal pedagogy, and class voice at Millikin. She has performed in various venues and given workshops throughout the Midwest. Adjunct Associate Professor YaDeau serves as a Singing Voice Specialist for Decatur Memorial Hospital. She lectured at the Belarus Academy of Music in Minsk, Belarus in 1998, also performing recitals in Bratislava, Bardejov, and Presov, Slovakia. Two of her former students are Metropolitan Opera national winners.
e-mail: lyadeau@mail.millikin.edu
Associate Professor W. Ronald YaDeau has taught piano, music theory, and class piano at Millikin since 1978. Through First Step Records, he has released a CD recording of 24 Preludes and Sonatina Iumoreska by Belarusian composer Petr Podkovyrov, and of Metamorfózy by Slovakian composer Eugen Suchon. A student of Marian Filar since 1990, Dr. YaDeau gave a lecture-recital on the Podkovyrov Preludes at the Illinois State Music Teachers Association Convention in 1999. His article "Thoughts on Medical Problems of Performing Artists" appeared in a 1995 issue of The American Music Teacher. An active member of the Music Teachers National Association, he has served on its Board of Directors and as East Central Division President.
e-mail: ryadeau@mail.millikin.edu
Dr. Soohyun Yun, Adjunct Assistant Professor, teaches class piano as well as studio piano in the Preparatory Department.
As an active soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Yun has performed Baroque to Contemporary repertoires throughout Germany, Korea and the US. She was awarded prizes of the 21Century Piano Commission Award(2004), Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition(2007&2008) and Dorothy McKenzie Award in New York(2008). Upon Artists International’s Special Presentation Award(2008), Dr. Yun presented a New York debut solo recital in Weill Hall, Carnegie Hall in June, 2008. She received degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (DMA in Piano Performance, MMs in Piano Performance and Pedagogy) and Yonsei University in Korea (BM in Piano Performance). Dr. Yun has taught in Illinois Summer Youth Music (2007&2008) and is coordinating Piano Laboratory Program in University of Illinois.
email: syun@millikin.edu
Coordinator for Outreach and Community Relations
e-mail: tcunningham@millikin.edu
Audition Coordinator
e-mail: AuditionCoordinator@millikin.edu
Secretary
e-mail: cgreenleaf@millikin.edu
Financial Coordinator
e-mail: ryoung@millikin.edu