• Andrew KreckmancompletedhisMMdegreeinspring
2010.Hehasenteredthedoctoralprograminchoral
conductingatTexasTechUniversity.
• Steven Lorenz,MM’02(musiceducation),hasbeen
appointeddirectorofchoirsatPioneerHighSchoolin
AnnArbor.
• Tim McMillincompletedhisDMAdegreeinspring2010.
HecontinuesasdirectorofchoralactivitiesatSimpson
CollegeinIndianola,Iowa,andartisticdirectoroftheDes
MoinesVocalArtsEnsemble.Hisdoctoraldocumentwas
astudyofagroupofchoralworkscommissionedbythe
DaleWarlandSingers.
• Kelly MillercompletedherDMAdegreeinsummer
2010.ShehasjoinedthefacultyofWesternIllinois
Universityasassistantprofessorofchoralmusicand
musiceducation.Herdoctoraldocumentwasastudyof
themusicforwomen’schoirsbyDavidBrunner.
• Jeremy NaborscompletedhisMMdegreeinsummer
2010.Hehasreturnedtohispositionasdirectorofchoirs
atChapelHill(N.C.)HighSchool.
• Trent PattersonwillcompletehisDMAinthefallof
2010.Hehasbeenappointeddirectorofchoralactivities
atWebsterUniversityinsuburbanSt.Louis.Hisdoctoral
documentisastudyofthecareerofCharleneArchibeque.
• Matt Olson,MM’09,hasbegundoctoralworkinchoral
conductingattheUniversityofMinnesota.
• Bonnie Borshay Sneed,DMA’90,hasjoinedthefaculty
ofSouthwesternOklahomaStateUniversityasdirector
ofchoralactivities.Shewillpresentaninterestsession
attheACDANationalConventioninChicago,entitled
“NationalGuidelinesforPromotionandTenurefor
CollegiateChoralConductors.”
• Sarah StocktoncompletedherMMdegreeinsummer
2010.ShecontinuesasdirectorofvocalmusicatGrand
Blanc(Mich.)HighSchool.
•Wes StonercompletedhisMMdegreeinsummer2010.
HecontinuesasdirectorofvocalmusicatHillgroveHigh
SchoolinsuburbanAtlanta.
• Jason Thoms,DMA’05willsingwiththeSantaFe
DesertChoralefortheirwinterseasoninDecember2010.
HewillalsobethebasssoloistwiththeCalvinCollege
OratorioSociety’sDecemberperformancesofMessiah.He
continuesasdirectorofchoralactivitiesandmusicarea
chairatConcordiaCollegeinNewYork.
• Kate Wolfe Tiefel,MM’08,willserveasguest
conductorfortheWisconsinEvangelicalLutheranSynod
NationalWorshipConferenceandtheWELSHigh
SchoolChoralFestivalin2011.Sheisnowlivinginthe
Houston,Texasarea.
• Robert Ward,DMA’86,hasbeenappointeddirectorof
choralactivitiesatOhioStateUniversity.
• Gary Weidenaar,MM’88,ledtheChamberChoirof
CentralWashingtonUniversityinperformancesatboth
theWashingtonMusicEducatorsAssociationconvention
andtheACDANorthwestDivisionconvention.He
currentlyservesasPresident-ElectoftheDivision.
• Marcia WielandcompletedherMMdegreeinsummer
2010.Shehastakenapositionasdirectorofchoirsat
GrandJunction(Colo.)HighSchool.
music.msu.edu
DearMSUChoralAlum,
Welcometoourannualchoralnewsletter—ouryearly
reminderthatyouarestillapartoftheMSUchoralfamily.
We’reofftoagoodstartthisyearandhopeyouareas
well.Wehaveanexcellentgroupofnewandcontinuing
graduatestudentsinchoralconducting.OurnewDMA
studentsareDerrick Fox,whoreceiveddegreesfrom
ArkansasStateUniversityandtheUniversityofMissouri
andhastaughtforanumberofyearsinthepublicschools
ofArkansasandMissouri;Damon Dandridge,aDetroit
nativewhoholdsdegreesfromSouthCarolinaState
UniversityandFloridaStateUniversityandmostrecently
taughtatCheneyUniversitynearPhiladelphia;andRyan Beeken,whoreceivedhisundergraduatedegreefromDrake
University,thentaughtforanumberofyearsinsuburban
DesMoines,andrecentlycompletedhisMMinchoral
conductinghereatMSUinour“summersonly”program.
Allthreeofthesegentlemenaretherecipientsofsignificant
Universityawards.Derrickwonahighlycompetitive
UniversityEnrichmentFellowship,Damonreceivedan
AcademicAchievementGraduateAssistantship,andRyan
wasawardedaRasmussenFellowship.Megan Boydisour
newMMstudent.AgraduateofBostonUniversity,shehas
taughtforseveralyearsinDurham,NorthCarolina.Our
summermaster’sprogramwelcomedthreenewstudents:
Choral Activities at MSU ~ Winter 2010Jeff Faux,agraduateofWestminsterChoirCollege,who
servesasDirectorofSacredArtsatFirstPresbyterian
ChurchinBonitaSprings,Florida,andArtisticDirectorand
ConductoroftheFortMyersSymphonicMastersingers;
David Hood,afreelanceconductorinAustraliawho
holdsanundergraduatedegreeinmusicandaPhD(in
Australianhistory!)fromtheUniversityofAdelaide;and
Eric Rubinstein,whoearnedanundergraduatedegreefrom
SUNY-FredoniaandcurrentlyteachesatMonticelloHigh
SchoolinNewYork.
Inourcontinuingefforttosavepaperandminimizeprinting
costs,wearenotincludingascheduleofvocal-choralevents
forthe2010-11seasonwiththismailing.Youcanfindthose
performancesontheCollegeofMusicwebsite(music.
msu.edu)inthe“Ensembles”sectionunder“Choral.”Or,
uponrequest([email protected])IwillmailyouaPDFofthe
schedule.It’sanamazinglistandservesasareminderofthe
manyfantasticperformanceopportunitiesthatareavailable
attheMSUCollegeofMusic.
Performance HighlightsOnSaturday,December4,theMSUChoralUnionand
ChoralejoinedtheLansingSymphonyOrchestra,underthe
batonofDavid Rayl,foraprogramthatincludedBloch’s
Sacred Service,Rutters’sWhen Icicles Hang,andVivaldi’s
“Winter”fromThe Four Seasons.OnSaturday,December
11,theMSUMen’sandWomen’sGleeClubsandState
Singers,conductedbyJonathan ReedandDMAstudent
Ryan Beeken,andtheMSUChildren’sChoir,conductedby
artisticdirectorKristin Zaryski,willjoinforceswithLeon GregorianandtheMSUSymphonyOrchestraforMSU’s
HomefortheHolidays,aconcertofseasonalmusicforthe
entirefamily.OnSunday,April10,theUniversityChorale
willjoinmembersoftheLansingSymphonyOrchestraatSt.
MaryCathedralindowntownLansingtoperformJoseph
Haydn’sLord Nelson Mass alongwithworksbyMichael
HaydnandW.A.Mozart.Theacademicyearconcludes
onSaturday,April30,whenthecombinedforcesofthe
ChoralUnion,Chorale,andStateSingersjointheMSU
SymphonyOrchestraandfacultysoloistsMelanie Helton,
Molly Fillmore,Richard Fracker,andRod Nelmanfora
performanceoftheVerdiRequiem.
Michigan State University | College of Music
TheMSUOperaTheatrewillagainpresenttwofullystaged
productionswithorchestrathisyear:Mozart’sLa Finta GiardinierawasperformedonNovember19,20,and21,
andRickyIanGordon’sepicsettingofThe Grapes of WrathwillbepresentedonApril1,2,and3.Bothproductionsare
doublecastandincludemanyundergraduates,atributeto
thecontinuingqualityofourvocalprogram.
ACDA National Convention Makeplansnowtojoinusforouralumnireceptionatthe
ACDANationalConventioninChicago,March9-12,2011.
Timeandlocationhaven’tbeendeterminedyetbutwewill
beintouchwithdetailsassoonastheyareavailable.AND...
plantoattendDr.Sandra Snow’sinterestsession:“Singing
withIntention:BringingVitalityandBeautytoChoralTone”
onFriday,March11.
Armstrong Wins Alumni AwardAnton Armstrong(DMA’87)receivedtheOutstanding
AlumniAwardfromtheCollegeofMusicAlumni
AssociationattheCollegecommencementonSaturday,
May8.Hewasalsotheofficialcommencementspeaker.
Congratulations,Anton,andthankyouforsharingyour
wordsofwisdomwithourgrads!
Helen Bartlett Fellowship in Choral MusicDr.Dale Bartlett,retiredCollegeofMusicfacultymember,
MSUalum(BM’55;MM’56)andcurrentconductorofthe
LansingArtsChorale,hasendowedascholarshipinmemory
ofhislatewife,Helen,whowasalong-timememberof
theChoralUnion.Thisyear’srecipientismaster’sstudent
DannySinger.Thankyou,Dale!
Robert Harris FellowshipDr.Robert Harris,directorofchoralorganizationsatNorthwesternUniversity,aMichiganStatealumnus(PhD
’71),andformerMSUdirectorofchoralactivities,continues
tofundtheRobertA.HarrisAwardforExcellenceinChoral
Performancetobegivenannuallytoanoutstandingchoral
musician.Thisyear’srecipientismaster’sstudentMegan Boyd.Thankyou,Bob!
Smith Fellowship RecipientTheCharlesK.SmithEndowedFellowshipinChoral
Conducting,createduponSmith’sretirementin2002by
membersoftheMSUChoralSociety,isnowfullyendowed
andprovidesimportantfinancialhelptograduatestudents
inchoralconducting.Thisyear,Zeb Highbenispartially
fundedbyascholarshipfromthisendowment.Thankyou
tothemanydonorswhosegenerositymadethisendowment
possible.Althoughthescholarshipisfullyfunded,
additionalgiftsareneededtoincreasetheprincipal,thus
providingadditionalscholarshipdollarstoourgraduate
students.Ifyouwouldliketomakeacontribution,please
contactRebecca Surian,directorofdevelopmentinthe
CollegeofMusic,[email protected].
J. Loren JonesFormerMSUmusicfacultymemberandconductorofthe
Men’sGleeClub,J. Loren Jones,diedAugust8,2009in
Texas.Hewas87.
Guest CliniciansCharlene Archibeque,directorofchoralactivitiesemeritusatSanJoseStateUniversity,wasourguestforthe
ChoralInvitationalonNovember3-4,wheresheworked
witheighthighschoolchoirsfromaroundthestate.She
spentthefollowingdayworkingwithourensemblesand
graduateconductingstudents.Herfocuswasonrehearsing
Renaissancemusicwithparticularattentiontoappropriate
editions.
Kirk Aamot,directorofchoralactivitiesatMontanaState
University,lecturedtoourgraduatechoralconducting
studentsonthetopicofornamentationinRenaissance
music.
TheappearancesofbothDr.ArchibequeandDr.Aamot
werepartiallypaidforwithfundsfromthePaulandMartha
NilandEndowedLectureshipinChoralMusictoHonor
CharlesK.Smith.
Choral Society NewsTheChoralSocietywillagainsponsora“singalong”Messiah
onSunday,December12,atEdgewoodUnitedChurchin
EastLansingfeaturingstudentandalumnisoloists.This
annualeventhasbeenwellattendedandenthusiastically
receivedinrecentyearsandtypicallyraisesabout$1,500.
ThroughitsduesandfundraisingactivitiestheChoral
Societyprovidesscholarshipassistancetograduatestudents
inchoralconducting.Thisyear,thesocietyprovides
assistanceforDMAstudentZeb HighbenandMM
studentsMegan BoydandDanny Singer.
Keeping Up with MSU AlumniThissectionofthenewsletterisintendedtohelpyoukeep
uptodateonthecareersofourMSUchoralalumni.Ifyou’ve
recentlychangedjobsorwanttosharesomeaspectofyour
professionallifewithyourfellowalumni,pleasesubmit
informationonlineatmy.music.msu.edu.
• Aaron Bouwman,MM’08,teaches6-12musicat
FreedomChristianSchoolinHudsonville.Hecontinues
asAssociateDirectorofChoirsatCornerstoneUniversity
andasArtisticDirectoroftheGreatLakesMen’sChorus.
• Ted BrimeyercompletedhisMMdegreeinthesummer
of2010.Hehastakenanewpositionasdirectorofvocal
musicatUrbandaleHighSchoolinsuburbanDesMoines.
• Jeff Buettner,DMA’05,wasacceptedasoneofthe
conductorsforthePhiladelphiaBachInstituteworkshop
withHelmutRillingattheEasternDivisionACDA
convention.
• Andrew Crane,DMA’05,willappearasheadlinerforthe
SouthernCaliforniaVocalAssociationFallConference.
• Clint Desmond,DMA’09,hasbeenappointeddirector
ofchoralactivitiesandchairofthemusicdepartmentat
DakotaWesleyanUniversityinMitchell,SouthDakota.
• Zach DurlamcompletedhisDMAdegreeinthespringof
2010.Hehasbeenappointeddirectorofchoralactivities
atFresnoPacificUniversity.Hisdoctoraldocumentwas
astudyoftheinfluenceofHandelonMendelssohn’s
choralmusic.
• Meghan Vollbach Eldred,acurrentstudentinour
summermaster’sprogram,willleadtheChamberChoir
ofDeWittHighSchoolinaperformancefortheMichigan
MusicConferenceinJanuary2011.
• Tom FitzStephens completedhisMMdegreeinthe
springof2010.Hehastakenapositionasdirectorofvocal
musicatWoodlandHighSchoolinsuburbanAtlanta.
• Trey Jacobs,DMAABD,willleadchoirsfromEastern
MichiganUniversityintwoconventionperformancesthis
year.InOctobertheEMUUniversityChoirwillperform
fortheMichigan-ACDAfallconvention,andinJanuary
theEMUChamberChoirwillpresenta45-minute
concertasafeaturedensemblefortheMichiganMusic
ConferenceinGrandRapids.
• Tom Hart,DMA’89,hasbeenappointedtothechoral
musicfacultyatOhioStateUniversity.
• Jeff Kitson,BM’03,MM’05(composition),hasbeen
appointedRepertoireandStandardsChairforTwo-
YearCollegesfortheNorthCentralDivisionofACDA.
HecontinuesasamusicfacultymemberatCentral
CommunityCollegeinColumbus,Nebraska.
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