Updated 5/7/2008
Jessie Reagen (’97 Alum, cello) recently wrote a very inspiring article for "BIMA in the News" on Brandeis University’s website. Read the article here: http://www.brandeis.edu/bima/about/jessie.htm.
Nicholas Hersh (’06 Alum, cello) just had his conducting debut at Stanford University’s Viennese Ball! He was also recently 1 of 4 to win the Stanford annual undergrad performance award and will perform in an awards concert on May 9th!
Updated 1/29/2008
Christina Thompson (’02 Alum, voice/violin) made it to the Final Eight in the Miss America Pageant! Congratulations, Christina!
Updated 1/7/2008
Marissa LeFevre (’04 Alum, oboe) and Josh Fleming (’04 Alum, bassoon) are engaged to get married in May of 2009! She is grateful to MYA for bringing them together!
Updated 12/28/2007
Shawn Moore (’06 Alum, violin) will be performing with Shaun-Yeng Lee for the Fazoli Salon Series broadcast live on WFMT 98.7 at 12:15 p.m. on Janauary 4, 2008. Tune in!
Updated 10/19/2007
Carl Jasieniecki (’02 Alum, horn) is in Grand Rapids Michigan attending the Thomas M. Cooley Law School with an honors scholarship.
Updated 10/18/2007
Shawn Moore (’06 Alum, violin) will be performing this year with the American Symphony Orchestra as a winner of the Bard College Conservatory Concerto Competition.
Nicholas Hersh (’06 Alum, cello) is a sophomore at Stanford University studying with Steve Harrison. He will be performing Shostakovich Sonata and Bach Cello Suite #5 this Saturday!
Updated 10/10/2007
Michael Kaplan (’00 Alum, viola) just got a position at MIT in their Athletics and Recreation department to start on November 12th.
Updated 10/5/2007
Agnes Milewski-Savich (’99 Alum, oboe/flute) about to give birth her second child, a boy, in November. For the past year, Agnes has also been in a band called The Noise Revival Orchestra Experience, and they are releasing their first EP in November. Check them out at http://www.myspace.com/thenoiserevival.
Nicholas Naegele (’03 Alum, violin) graduated from University of Cincinnatti - Cincinnati Conservatory of Music with a degree in Music Performance and Math. He is now pursuing his Masters in Performance there, and is concertmaster of the CCM Philharmonia. Over the last two summers, Nicholas was a street musician in Chicago, playing mostly on the steps of the Art Institute of Chicago. He was featured on WGN News and a documentary on PBS for his work.
Updated 9/16/2007
Sara Matayoshi (’02 Alum, violin) is studying at Longy Conservatory with Laura Bossert pursuing her Masters.
Updated 8/30/2007
Shaun Lowecki (’05 Alum, drums) was invited to perform with a quarted representing the US to the second "Rencontres Internationales des jeaunes musiciens" in Grenoble, France in June 2007. Musicians representing 9 countries collaborated, rehearsed and performed there. He was featured in the Grenoble newspaper June 24, 2007 as well as a television press conference about the event. Rehearsals were at La Bobine studio in Grenoble with Artistic Director, Pierre Feugier. The trip is sponsored by city of Grenoble, the Phoenix Sister Cities office and US Airways.
Michael Kaplan (’00 Alum, viola) will be finishing his Masters degree in Recreation, Sport Management and Tourism this coming December. He is currently in the job market, sending resumes to colleges and universities across the nation hoping to develop a career in Recreational Sports.
Updated 8/21/2007
Elizabeth Peters (’06 Alum, clarinet) is going to be a sophomore at Cornell University, and is a member of the Cornell University Wind Ensemble. She is taking part in an outreach program they are undergoing. They need your help! Here is a message from Elizabeth to you all:
As a member of MYA, you know how important music has been in your life. Why not help bring music to students in Costa Rica, too? I am a member of the Cornell University Wind Ensemble and in this group, we are not only proud of our music but also on our service to the community. In 2006, CUWinds took a trip to Costa Rica bringing instruments to students there with great success. We are returning there again and need more instruments! If you can contribute woodwind and/or brass instruments in any condition, mallet percussion instruments, accessories (neck straps, swabs, tuners, metronomes) or cash for the purchase and repair of instruments, please contact me at ehp25@cornell.edu. Any contribution would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Elizabeth
Updated 8/15/2007
Sam Schmetterer (’03 Alum, percussion) received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Illinois, and is about to begin a semester of student-teaching at Glenbrook North HS and Northbrook Junior High.
Kelly (Schaar) Horton (’99 Alum, clarinet) got married in June of 2005, and bought her first house in the spring of 2006. She is a chemist at Abbott Laboratories, and is continuing her education at UW Parkside pursuing a degree in Business Management.
Updated 7/2/2007
Rhiannon Jerch (’05 Alum, flute) is in Cairo, Egypt doing an internship at PricewaterhouseCoopers for the summer. She has enjoyed her time in the U of I flute studio and orchestra, but will be concentrating her studies on economics in the fall. Rhiannon misses all the lovely faces at MYA and hope to catch up in December!
Updated 6/20/2007
George Ferguson (’03 Alum, cello) just arrived in Spain for a 2-month eurotrip. He is a senior at Northern Illinois University and is playing in the Kishwaukee Symphony. George is studying abroad in Rome for six weeks, but seeing Spain beforehand and planning a few weekend trips all over europe.
Updated 6/14/2007
Amy Plazek (’02 Alum, bassoon) graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2006 with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. Since August of ’06, she has been working as a High School Band Director at Freeport HS in Freeport, IL. Amy currently plays with the Rockford Wind Ensemble and other community groups/ensembles. She still has opportunites to play on both bassoon and saxohpone.
Updated 6/13/2007
Ellen Duncan (’03 Alum, horn) graduated from Princeton this June with a degree in Chemistry. She is continuing her education, pursuing her MD/PhD at Columbia, and hopes to continue playing.
Updated 6/12/2007
Skander Spies (’03 Alum, bass/cello) graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. In September, he will start working for a company in Portland, Oregon that designs environmentally friendly buildings.
Katie Hoffman-Mark (’97 Alum, viola) started her own business as a landscape architect. She specializes in therapeutic/healing gardens and is a consultant for the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Katie is also married and has a beautiful girl.
Updated 6/6/2007
Cara Sawyer (’99 Alum, horn) has been globetrotting since graduating from UW-Madison. She received a Performance Certificate from the Superior Music School (ESMUC) in Barcelona, Spain, in both Modern and Natural horn. Along the way, Cara performed with the Tenerife Symphony in the Canary Islands and playing the Konzertstuck by Shumann with my horn quartet from the ESMUC in Galicia (Northern Spain). She recently went on tour with the World Orchestra of Jeunesses Musicales. Now living in Seattle, Cara is taking auditions and freelancing. She just returned to the country, after playing Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1 with an orchestra in St. Petersburg, Russia and recording a new work for Horn and Orchestra by Daniel Black!
Updated 6/1/2007
Jonathan Gatto (’03 Alum, percussion) will be graduating from Harvard this June with a BA in Government. He played with the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra for 4 years. In the fall of 2007, Jonathan is going to be working on a Master’s at Stanford University in International Policy Studies.
Updated 5/31/2007
Laura Meyer (’05 Alum, bass) won first chair in the Baldwin-Wallace Orchestra as a sophomore. She will be attending Eastern Music Festival from June 23-July 29 in Greensboro, NC, and will be a returning Residant Advisor for Baldwin Wallace College next year as well as an Orientation Leader for the incoming conservatory students.
Jessica Ziegler (’96 Alum, violin/viola) is currently teaching fiddle for the Irish Music School of Chicago and the Old Town School of Folk Music. Her IMSC ensembles recently won all first place awards at the Midwest Fleadh Cheoil (Irish Music competition) and qualified to compete in Ireland in August. Jessica also plays clawhammer banjo and old-time fiddle for local square dances and is learning how to play the Irish button accordion.
Joanna Henderson (’98 Alum, violin) is an Event Consultant in Chicago working with many not-for-profit group, planning fundraising galas, corporate and private events as well. Some would say she is a "Good Time Guru."
Courtney Sharp (’04 Alum, cello) has been invited to perform in the Texas Music Festival in Houston, where she will be from June 1-24. After TMF is over, Courtney will be going to the Chautauqua Institution on a full ride for 7 weeks from June 24-August 14. After the summer, she will be starting her senior year at the Cleveland Institute of Music by being a Student Orientation Leader and helping the new CIM freshmen get used to their new surroundings!
Updated 5/30/2007
Jennifer Wright (’98 Alum, violin) has spent the last 3 years working for General Electric in Erie, Pennsylvania and Kansas City, Missouri. Now she is back in the Chicago area working for Dade Behring in Deerfield, Illinois, working as a Supply Chain Planner. She is thrilled to be back and looks forward to catching up with MYA alumni!
Douglas Rosenthal (’04 Alum, trombone) will be a senior at Northwestern University in the fall. He is now playing with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and is also attending National Orchestral Institute.
Alyssa Yokota-Lewis (’04 Alum, violin) been studying in Japan for 2 months. She has been playing in a community orchestra as the only foreign student, playing such pieces as Shostakovich 5, Nutracker Suite and Beethoven’s Corollian.
Ben Lipson (’95 Alum, violin) is still in New York City, but contemplating a move back out to the San Francisco Bay. He is really enjoying working with his software company, TradeOMS, and playing some violin and ukulele at weddings all summer!
Anna Burden (’02 Alum, cello) is working on my masters at Juilliard. She won the Juilliard Concerto Competition and soloed with the Juilliard Orchestra this year.
Gabrielle Allen (’97 Alum, viola/violin) is currently working for W.W. Grainger, Inc. in the Risk Management Department. She continues to play viola in the Lake Shore Quartet and violin in a church-based string trio.
Sarah Borucki (’02 Alum, mezzo-soprano) will be singing the role of Lepido in the U.S. premiere of Handel’s "Silla" this summer in San Francisco with the BASOTI program. She received the highest level of scholarship and will also be performing in their scenes program in Mozart’s Die Zauberflote and Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Allen Chen (’05 Alum, trumpet) is going to be a junior in Instrumental Music Education and Trumpet Performance at the University of Illinois. This summer, he will be attending Bar Harbor Brass Week and the Burgos Chamber Music Festival in Spain.
Helen Chou (’04 Alum, violin) is on an internship in the Chicagoland area this summer, and will be starting her senior year in computer science at MIT in the fall. She plans on playing in the Alumni Concert this December and can’t wait to see everyone!
Mark Hlavacik (’02 Alum, bassoon) finished his undergrad in History with a certificate in Secondary Education at WIU this past Spring. He spent the past year student-teaching and coaching Policy Debate in the CPS. He has accepted a teaching assistantship and will begin work on his Master’s in Rhetoric at Penn State University this fall. Mark will always treasure performing Mahler’s Fifth with the MYA Symphony and thanks MYA for everything.
Stephanie Syc (’04 Alum, horn) will be a senior next year at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She is majoring in Neuroscience. After taking a year off from playing, she hopes to rejoin the Brown Orchestra!
Kiersten Hoiland (’06 Alum, violin) is currently attending St. Olaf College and pursuing a double major in Music and Studio Art.
Samantha Pollack (’98 Alum, trumpet) is the Assistant Director of Programming at the Washington Performing Arts Society in Washington D.C. Moving behind the scenes of the music biz, she now books artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis and Itzhak Perlman to perform in the D.C. area!
Will Levine (’06 Alum, trombone) is finishing off his first year at Carleton College and will probably be a Computer Science major by the fall.
Gwendolyn Fisher (’01 Alum, viola) moved to Europe! She is in the Master’s program at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, studying with Thomas Riebl. She is enjoying the Wienerschnitzel, Sound-of-Music Hills, and trying to learn German...
Erica Egli (’97 Alum, clarinet) is the General Manager for Civic Youth Ensembles at Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and loving it!
Jack Scheff (’04 Alum, piano) has been getting a degree in Math at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, but he still plays in school jazz ensembles and a couple of local rock bands. This fall, he’s going to Hong Kong for a semester abroad. He still misses MYA Jazz!
Rachel Weiss (’02 Alum, saxophone) is in Berlin, Germany on a 2006-2007 Fulbright research grant and researching, among other things, the development of ethnic minority music in contemporary Germany. Next year I begin my studies at the University of Minnesota’s Doctoral Program in Comparative Literature. In the meantime, anyone passing through Berlin should drop her a line!
Dylan Hicks (’98 Alum, drums) just received his Master’s degree in Music from the University of New Olreans. While attending graduate school, he was a member of the Louis Armstrong Quintet which is a community outreach program supported by the Louis Armstrong Foundation, as well as the University of New Orleans. The quintet was the first outreach program of its kind after hurricane Katrina, as they went to public schools in New Orleans teaching children about Jazz. The group performed with many great talents over the last year and a half at the University’s Jazz at the Sandbar series. Some of the perfomers include: Badal Roy, Ravi Coltrane, the late Alvin Batiste, Victor Goines, and many more. The group has been invited, and will perform this summer at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam this July.
Jara Kern (’97 Alum, flute) just finished the first year of her MBA in Arts Administration at UW-Madison. She is working for the Madison Symphony in the Marketing Dept., and as the Artistic Director for the Sitka Fine Arts Camp in Sitka, Alaska. Jara also plays with Con Vivo, a group of Madison-area chamber musicians.
Charles Lane (’05 Alum, tenor sax) is currently entering his junior year as a Jazz Performance major with a minor in Anthropology. This summer, he will be playing in the band on a cruise ship. Charles has also currently written music for a documentary about the Bike Across America for Cancer.
Updated 5/23/2007
Gina DiBello (’00 Alum, violin) is now playing in the Detroit Symphony. Congratulations, Gina!
Updated 5/3/2007
Janai Brugger (’01 Alum, voice) was 1st Place in the 2007 American Opera Society Competition. Janai also graduated from DePaul recently. She will attend University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for graduate school in the fall of 2007. Janai is currently a member of the Chicago Opera Theater Young Artist Program.
Updated 4/20/2007
David Halperin (’03 Alum, clarinet) will be graduating from the University of Illinois with a BM in Clarinet Performance in May! He is attending Brevard Music Center this summer and will begin his MM in the fall at Northwestern University.
Updated 4/18/2007
Eitan Naftali (’00 Alum, bass (voice)) will be participating in the 2007 Gulf Coast Triathlon raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This half-iron man distance triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13 mile run) will be held on May 12, 2007.
Updated 4/6/2007
Marissa LeFevre (’04 Alum, oboe/english horn) is playing in the Michigan State Wind Symphony with Josh Fleming (’04 Alum, bassoon) at Michigan State University. They have been invited to play in the International Band Festival in Chicago on December 22nd, having the huge honor of playing as the grand finale! She invites everyone to come and see them in action!
Kate Miller (’96 Alum, cello) finished her PhD and postdoc fellowship in neuroscience a while back, but has returned to her first love, the cello, and now plays in the New England Philharmonic (Boston), the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, and maintains a quartet. She thanks MYA for a fantastic start. You are most welcome, Kate!
Updated 3/20/2007
Becky Bell (’99 Alum, french horn) is almost a year into her new job as Education & Community Engagement Manager with the Phoenix Symphony. She still continues to play her horn, too!
Updated 1/7/2007
Carl Jasieniecki (’02 Alum, french horn) graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a degree in Political Science. He plans on attending law school in the fall.
Daniel Harlow (’02 Alum, piano) is now a PhD student in Theoretical Physics at Stanford University. He is doing his absolute best to keep playing.
Updated 12/22/2006
Samantha O’Connell (’06 Alum, violin) is a first year student at Northwestern University beginning to pursue a dual degree in Violin Performance and Biological Science with a Pre-Medical concentration. She is studying under Blair Milton and currently is a member of the NU Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Music Program.
Marissa LeFevre (’04 Alum, oboe) is currently attending Michigan State University as an Oboe Performance major.
Updated 12/20/2006
Rebecca Mazur (’00 Alum, trumpet) completed her Master’s Program in Meteorology at Colorado State University. She is loving Fort Collins and would like to find a permanent job there.
Updated 12/13/2006
Jack Lape (’04 Alum, trumpet) has been studying archaeology in Italy for the past 7 months and will be returning to the States in January. He is upset that he cannot play in the Alumni Concert but sends his regards to his fellow alumni.
Updated 12/5/2006
Melida Sanderson-Heien (’96 Alum, bassoon) graduated from law school in North Carolina in 2005 and moved to Champaign, IL. She is now working at Singleton Law Firm P.C. in Champaign.
Alex Banzhaf(’06 Alum, alto/soprano sax) is a first-year student at Duke University. He was selected as second alto saxophone, doubling on soprano saxophone, in the Duke Jazz Ensemble directed by Professor John Brown.
Updated 11/16/06
Johnathan McNurlen (’99 Alum, violin/viola) is considering going back to school again or possibly starting his own lawn and landscaping company.
Nathan Mayland (’95 Alum, trombone) has been working with Frankie Valli, playing a scattering of bass trombone, playing with The Big Apple Circus, and has played a bit with the very talented Josh Groban! He sends his greetings to all of his MYA friends.
Updated 11/1/2006
George Ferguson (’03 Alum, cello) is now attending Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois.
Updated 10/26/2006
Shaun Lowecki (’05 Alum, drums) transferred from The New School in New York to Arizona State University this year, where he received a Jazz Bird Scholarship. He is a jazz performance major studying under Mike Kokour, Director of Jazz Studies at ASU.
Sarah E. Young (’01 Alum, flute) is finishing up her Masters in Social Work at the University of Michigan and is working as a therapist at the UM Psychological Clinic, counseling adult individuals and couples. She misses orchestra very much.
John Holland (’00 Alum, violin) began working at GTCR, a Chicago-based private equity firm, in July 2006. Unfortunately he hasn’t been able to play nearly as much as he used to, but still picks up the fiddle once in a while and is always looking for quartet-mates.
Michael Kaplan (’00 Alum, viola) has been busy in the last year, working as a tour guide at Disney MGM Studios in Orlando, and interning at GTMO Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was recently admitted to University of Illinois for graduate school, and currently is working at Apple Computers in Northbrook, Illinois.
David Moss (’04 Alum, viola) had a great experience over the summer in Aspen. He was assistant principal in the top orchestra there and had the oppurtunity to play with Yo-Yo Ma!
Nick Hersh (’06 Alum, cello) is in his first year at Stanford University. He is studying with Stephen Harrison, and is receiving chamber music coaching from Chris Costanza and the St. Lawerence String Quartet. Nick is also assistant principal in the Stanford Orchestra.
Adrianne Miller (’04 Alum, violin) sends her greetings from Sao Paulo, Brasil! She is currently interning with a local foundation there, and helped organize a music, arts and culture festival for Sao Paulo.
Ethan Bensdorf (’03 Alum, trumpet) is a senior at Northwestern University and recently won first prize in the inaugural Armando Ghitalla Trumpet Competition!
Andrew Senn (’97 Alum, bass) was recently appointed Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, which houses one of the largest pipe organs in the city.
Kate Lewis (’97 Alum, viola) was recently appointed to the string faculty at Illinois State University. In addtion, she has also won the Peoria Symphony Orchestra principal viola audition and is finishing her DMA at Rice University.
Sarah Olsen (’06 Alum, soprano) has begun studying with Dr. Ollie Watts Davis, the new head of the voice department at the University of Illinois. She deeply cherishes her time at MYA.
Derek Handley (’00 Alum, cello) graduated from University of Southern California this past summer with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance and is now part of the MYA staff.
Updated 6/14/2006
Doyle Armbrust (’96 Alum, viola) will be playing viola for the Chamber Blues, led by famed bluesman Corky Siegel. They’ll be performing around Chicago, so go check it out and say hi!
Updated 6/2/2006
Teresa Talens (’00 Alum, violin) is in her second year at the URMC medical school, and has decoded to add a master’s degree in public health to her studies. She still picks up her violin for relaxation, and while it seems to surprise her (though certainly not us!) she’s still making music.
Deanna Talens (’02 Alum, cello) is finishing her bachelor’s degree in Berlin, Germany while studying with Professor David Geringas. In her effort to communicate through music, she has been involved in the Berlin orchestra, chamber groups, jazz groups, and even opera, in addition to soloing in concerts and competitions. She loves Europe, especially the food and the cafes, though she still misses the U.S. – especially being close to her family! If anyone else from MYA stops by Berlin, she invites them to give her a visit.
Douglas Rosenthal (’04 Alum, trombone) held a sophomore trombone recital in the Alice Millar Chapel on April 19th ’06. The program included celtic folk songs done with fellow MYA Alum Ben Melsky (’04, harp).
Soren Spies (’93 Alum, violin) is working for Apple after her college graduation, but more importantly has been learning to play both viola and piano.
Shaun Lowecki (’05 Alum, percussion) enjoys college but misses MYA. He’s excited for the alumni concert and hopes to see everybody soon!
Anna Burden (’02 Alum, cello) performed the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the Oak Park Symphony on May 21st, and was lauded by critics for her “strength, skill, talent, and stage presence belying her years”. Last week she also performed the Prokofiev Concerto with the NUSO at Pick-Staiger.
Sarah McKenna (’00 Alum, violin) graduated from Vassar College last May and is now working on her PhD in Microbiology at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Allen Chen (’05 Alum, trumpet) is studying Instrumental Music Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He’s still an active musician, playing in the university’s Symphonic Band, Philharmonia, and the Freshman Brass Quintet, while studying with Professor Michael Ewald and former Canadian Brass Member Professor Ronald Romm.
Greg Lindgren (’05 Alum, alto sax) is pursuing a dual degree in Music Performance and Liberal Arts at the University of Michigan. In addition to being in the Honors College, this fall Greg was awarded the John Coltrane Scholarship, one of seven national awards given by The John Coltrane Foundation, and he has been invited to join the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
Updated 10/16/2005
David Moss (’04 Alum, viola) will perform a recital on Friday, October 28, 2005, at 7:30 p.m. at Advent Christian Church, 950 North Edgelawn Drive, Aurora. The recital is open to the public and we’re sure he’d love to see you there! David is a sophomore at Oberlin Conservatory.
Karen Kim (’01 Alum, violin) has been a founding member of the Parker String Quartet for three years now. The quartet was formed at the New England Conservatory, and this past year won First Prize and the Mozart Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, and the Concert Artists Guild International Auditions, which gives them management services and numerous concert appearances. Karen invites everyone to see them perform on Friday, November 4, 2005, at Ravinia’s Rising Stars Concert series!
Neal Patel (’98 Alum, cello) just finished up 2 ½ years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Madagascar doing some HIV work and teaching English. He’s back in the US and can’t wait to play his cello again!
Alysha Summers (’05 Alum, trumpet) was one of only four freshmen to make the top band at Valparaiso University this fall. She’ll be back to play the Alumni Concert in December!
Marshall Brune (’02 Alum, violin) is still at UIUC, but is developing a reputation for his knowledge and skill in French polishing and working on classical guitars. His article James Ashborn: Innovative Entrepreneur appeared in the April 2005 issue of Vintage Guitar magazine in the Guitars with Guts column.
Jessie Reagan (’97 Alum, cello) appeared on Saturday Night Live on October 1 performing with hip hop artist Kanye West.
Ashley Korak (’06 Alum, violin) is spending her senior year at Interlochen where she is fifth chair in the orchestra! She loves Interlochen even with the difficult academic classes!
Elisa Winter (’02 Alum, voice and cello) has been cast in the Broadway Production of Sweeney Todd. She will understudy Joanna and Pirelli. In the production, all characters play instruments and Joanna plays CELLO! MYA was good training for this New York college student!
Ben Lipson (’95 Alum, violin) graduated from Stanford and after a stint in Salt Lake City has moved to New York City, where he is working in his family’s finance company doing computer programming, playing ukulele, some violin in a mariachi group, some bluegrass, and teaching himself to play piano (with both hands!)
Updated 06/17/2005
David Moss (’04 Alum, viola) has been very actively performing at Oberlin Conservatory. In April, his quintet performed on a "Music from Oberlin at Oakton" concert series outside of Washington, D.C.
Jeremy Black (’96 Alum, violin) will spend the summer in Chicago as the new Concertmaster of Grant Park Symphony.
Mandy Dennis (’98 Alum, cello), Kyle Armbrust (98, Viola), and Julie Fischer (98, Violin) were soloists at a recent performance of Strauss’s Don Quixote at Ravinia Festival. The largest audience Ravinia had seen in years for this Kraft Kids Concert experienced the passion of this piece with an outstanding performance by MYA’s Symphony Orchestra and soloists. Narrators, Fred Koch and Hector Rasgado-Flores, told the story behind the music which brought the music to life for a rapt audience.
Updated 03/19/2005
Kelly Jackson (’00 Alum, violin) graduated last May from the University of Miami with a B.S. in Marine Science & Geology and a B.A. in Music with honors. I am now working on my Ph.D. in Marine Geology & Geophysics at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science in Miami, FL.
Katherine Miller (’96 Alum, cello) has just earned a doctorate in neuroscience!
Agnes Milewski Savich (’95 Alum, flute/oboe) moved from Chicago to Austin with her husband, and had a baby girl in October, 2004! She has also enjoyed a great debut as a haiku writer, getting published in the four major haiku journals for over a year now.
Stuart Bogie (’93 Alum, clarinet) will be touring Europe, Japan, US, and Canada this year with Antibalas. He is also working with TV on the Radio and related brooklyn bands. In addition, he is producing/arranging/and recording original music all year long and working with "Dora the Explorer" composer Josh Sitron on funky new music for children. He would love to be in touch with alumni around the globe!
David Hunsberger (’97 Alum, violin) was recently hired as the Audio Technician at the College of Lake County. He works in the performing arts building and just bought his first townhome in Hainesville! He hopes to have more space to build my own home recording studio!
Jessica Ziegler (’96 Alum, viola/violin) is currently playing viola in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and teaching classical violin and Irish fiddle for the Old Town School of Folk Music. She received her B.M. in viola from Indiana University in 2000 and her M.M. in viola from Northwestern in 2003. She participated in the NRO and Spoleto Italy summer festivals. (Let her know if you want to play chamber music or send her students!)
Colleen Moss Lawrence (’94 Alum, violin) has a private studio of 25 families that take Suzuki Violin Lessons. She also instructs music classes for children from birth through five years of age. Begining in March of 2005, she will be the director/founder of the Grundy County Youth Orchestra. Colleen is happily married and they have two girls.
Elizabeth Douglass (’97 Alum, violin) finished her MA in Music Therapy in 2003 and is currently working as a music therapist for Kangaroo Kids, the pediatric palliative care program of Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care in Chicago.
Kris Shaffer (’98 Alum, horn) received her Master of Music in Orchestral Studies from the Chicago College of Performing Arts (Roosevelt Univ.) last May. He was married in July to Colleen Perry, a horn player he met at Lawrence who also did her Master’s degree at CCPA. This coming fall, he begins his PhD studies in Music Theory at Yale University.
Updated 01/10/2005
Alicia Henderson (’01 Alum, viola) is graduating this year from the U of I with a degree in Psychology.
Rachel Levin (’03 Alum, trombone) is a sophomore at Oberlin. She will be playing in Severence Hall next semester.
Jennifer Silverstone (’99 Alum, violin) graduated from NU in 2003 with a degree in Music Ed.. She is now teaching orchestra in Naperville.
Katherine Linsenmeier (’96 Alum, violin) is on leave from teaching and working on my master’s at NU.
Ethan Bensdorf (’03 Alum, trumpet) played in the Pacific Music Festival in Japan last summer and will be going back this summer. He is currently playing with the Chicago Civic Orchestra.
Allison Kaplan (’04 Alum, voice) is performing with Ursus Verses, one of Bowdoin College’s a capella groups.
Ben Hoyt Drayer (’99 Alum, cello/voice) is a Project Functionality Technician for Best Buy stores all over Northern Chicagoland.
Derek Handley (’00 Alum, cello) is in his 5th year at USC.
Francesca Duncan-Williams (’01Alum, voice) is graduating in 05, and plans to move back to the North Shore area.
Laura Smith (’00 Alum, french horn) is at Western Illinois University, majoring in Music Therapy.
Catherine Gatewood (’00 Alum, clarinet) graduated from University of Michigan and is working on her masters at University of Southern California.
Katie Quinn (’04 Alum, french horn) is at Williams College and playing in the Berkshire Symphony and the Symphonic Winds wind ensemble.
Eitan Naftali (’00 Alum, voice) graduated in May from American University with a degree in Business and working for Unisys Corporation as a consultant in the DC area.
Brendhan Sears (’97 Alum, horn) is a member of the Ricky Dillard & New G choir. Their latest CD has been nominated for 9 (Gospel Music Awards) and have been nominated for a 2005 Grammy!!
Jeremy Fisher (’03 Alum, tenor) is in his second year at Illinois Wesleyan.Next spring and will be studying abroad in Vienna.
Garrett Johannsen (’01 Alum, voice) is a vocal performance major at Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. He will be joining the cast of La Boheme with Highland Park Opera in their upcoming opera which runs from January 23-29th. He will also be a soloist on a February 15 concert in Ganz Hall at Roosevelt and at Governors State University performing Handel’s Comfort Ye Every Valley with teh Roosevelt Chamber Orchestra.
