MACPHAIL - Key Persons
Anna Hashizume is a Japanese-American singer-actor based in the Twin Cities. She has performed with Artistry Theater, Theatre Elision, Lyric Arts, Collective Unconscious Performance, Mixed Precipitation, Philemon and Baucis. Her previous opera performances include La Traviata and Thaïs with the Minnesota Opera, Speed Dating, Tonight! with Fargo-Moorhead Opera, and Rigoletto with the Lyric Opera of the North. Her work on screen includes Target, Founders Brewing Co., and Best Buy. Anna was a Schubert Club Competition Winner in 2017. She has a MM from the University of Minnesota and her undergraduate degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Anna also teaches voice in the Twin Cities and hosts a podcast called Thank You Places which can be found on most streaming platforms.
Fun fact, Anna is an alumna of MacPhail's Prelude Singer-Actor Performance Lab.
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- Director
- Senior Director of Communications, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
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- Suzuki Department Accompanist
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- Partnership Development Representative
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- Director of Suzuki Talent Education
- Director of Suzuki Talent Education, Piano
Beth Turco joined MacPhail's Suzuki piano faculty in 1984, and has more than 30 years' experience teaching students ages 3 to 18 of all levels and abilities. Her individualized approach to teaching piano allows her to develop close connections with students so she can discover the teaching style that works best. Beth maintains a high musical standard in a supportive learning environment.
She has Suzuki training in all of the piano book levels, and her students have won a variety of competitions at MacPhail including Junior Honors, Honors, Concerto and Aria and Crescendo certificates, and are state piano contest winners. Beth is a member of the Music Teachers National Association, the Minnesota Music Teachers Association, the Suzuki Association of the Americas, the Suzuki Association of Minnesota, and the Suzuki Piano Teachers Guild. She has served as Director of the Suzuki program at MacPhail since 2011.
She holds a Bachelors of Music in Piano Performance from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, and a Masters of Music in Piano Performance from University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a fellowship in accompanying.
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- Student Services Receptionist
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- SPL Supply and Events Coordinator
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- Treasurer and Audit & Finance Committee Chair
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- Director of Global Music Initiative / Jazz Coordinator
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- Suzuki Department Coordinator
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- Coordinator of Ensembles and Certificate Program Coordinator
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- Global Music Initiative Coordinator
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- Director of Sing Play Learn With MacPhail® & Instructor
- Director of SPL
Dianna Babcock, Director of Sing Play Learn with MacPhail® & Instructor has worked in the Sing Play Learn with MacPhail® department since 1990. For 25 plus years, she has been an early childhood educator and teacher in the Twin Cities area in various settings, including preschools, daycare centers and of course at MacPhail.
Dianna has a Bachelor of Arts in music and psychology from Monmouth College and the University of Minnesota, with an emphasis in child psychology, and a Masters of Education in Early Childhood Education with a Pre-K licensure from the University of Minnesota. She frequently conducts early childhood music workshops at conferences and early learning programs throughout the Midwest.
As a teacher, Dianna's goal is to make sure each individual child is engaged and learning. Providing learning through the media of music, Dianna says, enhances brain development, promoting social, emotional, cognitive, language, creative and physical development.
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- Chairman of the Human Resources Committee
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- Director of School Partnerships
- School Partnership Director
Originally from Denver, Colorado, Elizabeth Winslow moved to Minnesota to earn her degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in Instrumental Music Education with honors in composition, magna cum laude. After graduation, Elizabeth served as assistant director at Brooklyn Center High School and then moved on as director of band and choir at Marshall County Central High School. Before coming to MacPhail, she worked with the Richfield Marching Spartans from 2012-2021 and was the Richfield High School band director from 2016-2021.
Most recently, she founded the band program at Hiawatha Academies in South Minneapolis through extensive fundraising and community involvement so that all band students could participate regardless of their family's financial situation. Recently featured on Classical MPR's Teacher Feature segment, Elizabeth is a recipient of Hiawatha Academies' first Exceptional Contribution Award, is a College Band Directors National Association Conducting Study Grant recipient, and holds a 2015 DeLucia Award for Innovation in Music Education for her contribution to music education in the Minneapolis area. She has served as a judge for MBDA, MSHSL, and MMEA All-State.
In addition to her work at MacPhail, she is working on her master's in educational leadership and K-12 principal license. Learn more about K-12 School Partnerships.
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- Director
- President, Minnesota Women 's Economic Roundtable past President and CEO, Hazelden Foundation
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- Student Services Representative - White Bear Lake
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- Director
- Senior Vice President - Financial Advisor, RBC Wealth Management
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- Student Services Representative
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- Facilities Set - Up Assistant
Spending her early years acing competitions at MacPhail, Gretchen Carlson's performance of Pablo de Sarasate's "Zigeunerweisen" helped win her the 1989 Miss America crown.
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- Facilities Set - Up Assistant
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- Student Services Receptionists
- Student Services Representative
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- School Partnerships Budget & Payroll Coordinator
- String Group and Department Coordinator
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- Director
- Retired, Communications Consultant
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- Co - Founder, Senior Teaching Artist MacPhail Music for Life™, Giving Voice Artistic Director
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- Student Services Receptionist
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- Director of Group Instruction
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- Artistic Director
- Artistic Director for Madeline Island Chamber Music, a Program
Praised by The Strad for his "impeccable playing" and "gorgeously viola-like tone," violinist Jonathan Swartz enjoys a multi-faceted career. His solo CD, Suite Inspiration (Soundset Recordings), received much critical acclaim. John Terauds of Musical Toronto comments, "Swartz sounds as if his bow were strung with threads of silk rather than horsehair," and calls his performance of Bach's Chaconne "something to treasure."
A devoted pedagogue, Swartz serves on the faculties of Arizona State University and Madeline Island Chamber Music. He has previously taught at the University of Texas at El Paso, Domaine Forget Academy, Round Top Festival, Interlochen Arts Camp, Innsbrook Institute, and the Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory. Sought after as a master clinician, and frequent presenter at the American String Teachers Association National Conferences, his approach to bow technique was featured in a STRINGS magazine article in 2006.
Swartz is the founder and Artistic Director of the Visiting Quartet Residency Program at Arizona State University, a chamber music program that integrates visiting resident artists with a comprehensive chamber music curriculum. He has also been instrumental in shaping the curriculum for the violin program at the Domaine Forget Academy. He presently serves as Artistic Director for Madeline Island Chamber Music, a program of MacPhail.
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- Chairman of the Development Committee
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- Student Services Placement and Data Administrator
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- Director
- Chief Operating Officer, Northside Achievement Zone
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- Executive Assistant and Board Liaison
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- Vice President of Human Resources
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- CEO
- Chief Executive Officer / MacPhail Center for Music
Among the graduates of MacPhail's class of 1927 was a young man with a musical dream that soon became part of American culture-Lawrence Welk.
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- Director
- Partner, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
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- Director
- Retired, Star Tribune Architecture Critic
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- Metro Partnerships Program Coordinator
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- Director
- President & CEO, Thrivent Charitable Impact & Investing
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- Prelude Director Emeritus and Advisor
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- Director
- Arts Education Advocate
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- Secretary and Governance Committee Chair
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- Director of Program Operations
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- Co - Founder and Senior Music Therapist
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- Student Services Representativ
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- EMRA Program Director
- EMRA Program Director, Piano, Jazz
- Professor at the Eastman School of Music
After moving to New York in 1990, Cain became a first call pianist, working with drum legend Jack DeJohnette for nine years, as well as Dave Holland, Steps Ahead, Ravi Coltrane, Bobby McFerrin, Stanley Turrentine, Lauren Hill, Joshua Redman, Pat Metheny, Charles Neville, Christian McBride, John Scofield, Robin Eubanks, and Meshell N'degeocello, among others.
His numerous awards include a 2006 Grammy nomination for Dance of the Infidel, Meshell N'degeocello's release on which Michael is pianist and co-arranger. He has recorded several records as a leader including Circa, a 1996 ECM release which featured Ralph Alessi and Peter Epstein, and served as producer for several recordings including Ron Blake's Shariya, and Brian Landrus' Traverse and Capsule.
Other Notable projects include serving as musical director for the Jose Limon Dance Company, scoring the films Maybe and Real With Me, by director Carl Ford for Black Nexxus Films, and composing the music for the Broadway play View from 151 st Street, which ran at the George Papp Public Theater in New York in the fall of 2007. Most recent, Michael produced the Western Canadian recording "Rebirth of the Cool" for Cellar Live Records. During the summer of 2018 Michael toured with legendary trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard.
As an educator Michael has been a Professor at the Eastman School of Music, the New England Conservatory of Music, the University of Minnesota, and Brandon University in Brandon, MB, Canada.
Michael's latest release is entitled Hoo Doo and is available on iTunes and other platforms.
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- Individual Placement Coordinator
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- Student Services Representativ
- Student Services Representative
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- School Partnerships Coordinator
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- Director
- Head of School, Breck School
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- Facilities Set - Up Assistant
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- Director
- Partner, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
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- Facilities Set - Up Assistant
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- Community Volunteer
- Director
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- Director
- Chairman, Friends of the Falls
Former MacPhail student, Pete Docter, the self-proclaimed "geeky kid from Minnesota who likes to draw cartoons" is best known for directing Monsters, Inc., Up, Inside Out, and Soul. Pete is the chief creative officer of Pixar.
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- Director
- Retired, Wells Fargo Corporation Vice President Community Volunteer
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- Online School Partnerships Manager
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- Student Services Representative - Apple Valley
Robin Eubanks is the premier jazz trombonist of his generation. Whether performing with his groups, Mental Images or EB3 or with The SF Jazz Collective, Dave Holland Quintet / Big Band, …
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- Culture Consultant
- Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ( DEI )
A first-generation Puerto Rican college graduate, Dr. Diaz has shaped his career goals and qualifications by combining leadership, administration, scholarship, teaching, and performance through nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions, and K-12 school teaching in multiple countries. Dr. Diaz joined MacPhail Center for Music as the Director of School Partnerships in 2018, and currently guides the Center's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as the Senior Director of DEI. Dr. Diaz's journey as a historically excluded person of color in predominantly white spaces underlies his commitment to assuring more inclusive, culturally diverse, and relevant experiences through the lens of DEI. As a trumpeter, Dr. Diaz has performed with major international orchestras and continues to perform orchestral, chamber, contemporary, Latin, jazz and other music.
As a DEI Arts and Culture Consultant, Dr. Diaz guides the work and direction of decentering and dismantling white prominence for a formative period as arts organizations develop systematic structures. Dr. Diaz is responsible for leading a transitional process to help determine the infrastructure and supports necessary for DEI policies, practices, resources, curriculum development, intercultural competence, and convening, engaging, and collaborating with multiple stakeholders.
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- Lesson Placement Assistant
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- Payroll and Benefits Administrator
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- Student Performance Coordinator
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- Vice President of Development
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- Teacher Training: Piano Unit 1
Learn the foundations of teaching the Suzuki Method through the first Unit Course. This class includes 28 hours of instruction plus 15 hours of lesson observations. Prerequisites include having completed …
Learn the foundations of teaching the Suzuki Method through the first Unit Course. This class includes 28 hours of instruction plus 15 hours of lesson observations. Prerequisites include having completed …
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- Director
- President & CEO, Twin Cities PBS
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- Director of Individual Instruction and Piano Instructor at MacPhail Center for Music
- Director of Individual Instruction, Piano
Timothy De Prey is the Director of Individual Instruction and Piano Instructor at MacPhail Center for Music since 1997. Timothy is often referred to as a "fixture" at MacPhail as he has recently celebrated his 20th year at MacPhail. But his association with MacPhail began much earlier - in 1981 - when he began studying piano with the esteemed MacPhail piano instructor Gary Sipes. Timothy continued to study with Mr. Sipes for another 28 years until Mr. Sipes' death in 2009.
Timothy's younger students participate in MacPhail's Crescendo for Piano Program and throughout his teaching career his students have won many competitions including the Junior Honor's Competition, the Honor's Competition and the prestigious Concerto and Aria Competition. Timothy enjoys working with students of all ages and levels, but specifically enjoys students who are interested in a variety of repertoire and technical challenges. Although he teaches through traditional methods, Timothy incorporates pop and jazz genres if the students are interested. Nearly half of his students are beginning adults or adults who have returned to music. He incorporates technology into his teaching with video tutorials, YouTube examples and he also has students who take lessons exclusively Online.
Timothy is an active performer in the Twin Cities and has performed on five MacPhail Spotlight Performances including "By George" - the music of George Gershwin and most recently as the pianist for "Flirting with Sondheim". In addition to his work at MacPhail, Timothy has been the principal accompanist for the well-respected Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus since 1991. As pianist for the chorus Timothy has had the opportunity to work with Michael Feinstein, Ann Hampton Callaway, Holly Near and Harvey Fierstein. Timothy can be heard on all 16 of TCGMC's CD's, on "Proud and Peaceful"- a CD of solo piano music from the pianists within GALA (Gay and Lesbian Choruses of America) and on his own CD's, "in the evening air" - a collection of nocturnes, lullabies and night songs and "I Love a Piano" - a recording commemorating his 20th year accompanying the Twin Cities' Gay Men's Chorus and "this is the wonder" a holiday CD celebrating his 25th anniversary with the chorus.
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges proclaimed December 5, 2015 as Timothy De Prey Day in the City of Minneapolis honoring his work with MacPhail Center for Music and the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus. Timothy has a Bachelor of Arts degree in music therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and a Masters of Music degree in piano performance from the University of Minnesota.
Timothy De Prey, Director of Individual Instruction, is the recipient of a Community Pride Award from Lavender Magazine. Timothy believes that "through music, one can create change, justice, tolerance and …
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- Director
- Retired, Strategic Management Resources, Inc. Founder
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- Member of the Minnesota Orchestra
William S. MacPhail, an original member of the Minnesota Orchestra, founded the MacPhail School of Violin in 1907. It didn't take long before community interest drove expansion. The newly named MacPhail School of Music and Dramatic Art moved to a four-story facility at 1128 LaSalle Avenue in Minneapolis. Soon, the school expanded again, now offering college degrees.