LITTLE THEATRE OF THE ROCKIES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Music
Job Titles:
- Professor of Saxophone / School of Music / College of Performing and Visual Arts
Job Titles:
- Digital Media / Professor of Art
Job Titles:
- Director
- Associate Director / School of Theatre Arts and Dance
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Academic Jazz
Brian Casey is a jazz bassist, educator and researcher based in Boulder, CO. Brian earned a DMA in Jazz Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder where he subsequently served as Lecturer in Humanities and Instructor of Jazz Studies and American Music. Prior to moving to Colorado, Brian earned a MM in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas where he played with the Grammy-nominated One O'Clock Lab Band and served as a Teaching Fellow in Jazz Bass under the direction of Professor Lynn Seaton. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Brian has performed and/or recorded with Eric Skye, Pink Martini, Weber Iago, Henry Butler, Robert Johnson, MaryLynn Gillaspie and many others. Dr. Casey has presented original research in jazz-related fields at many national and international conferences including those of the College Music Society, the Jazz Education Network and the International Society of Bassists. Brian's research interests include the intersection of jazz and American literature, politics and society and the role of jazz in the civil rights struggle in America as well as jazz as a cultural phenomenon in New Orleans.
Award-winning drummer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Brian Claxton is known for his electrifying groove and rhythmic mastery. His diverse background includes touring internationally with jazz piano legend Monty Alexander and performing alongside Donny McCaslin, Chris Potter, Christian McBride, Dave Douglas, Randy Brecker, Nicholas Payton, and many others.
An old soul and passionate student of the history of American music, Claxton has navigated a career with one foot in the past and one foot in the future, and has a musical voice that is as diverse as his performance experience. He has released three records as a co-leader and has appeared on over thirty others.
Through the production of professional-quality productions and complementary curricular content UNC Opera Theatre trains singers and directors, prepares educators and brings the most collaborative of art forms to public and educational audiences. Each season we present two fully-staged operas with orchestra, a program of opera scenes and a chamber opera festival, in addition to master classes and special events. Alumni of Opera Theatre perform regularly on stages around the globe; recent alumni have enjoyed placement in some of the finest Young Artist programs in the country, such as San Francisco's Merola Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Central City Opera. Guest artists have included international artists such as conductors Stephen Lord, Dean Williamson and Anthony Barrese; soprani Erie Mills, Lauren Flanigan and Christine Brewer; tenors Vale Rideout and Arturo Chacón-Cruz; baritone Morgan Smith and basses Richard Sutliff and Derrick Ballard.
Students are eligible to participate in the exclusive Apprentice Artist (graduate) and Studio Artist (undergraduate) programs of Opera Fort Collins, a professional regional opera company now in its 36th season, performing comprimari roles, covering principal roles and participating in the chorus, as well as singing in many outreach programs.
Job Titles:
- Director of Opera Theatre / Professor of Music
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director / School of Music / Music
- Director, School of Music Associate Professor of Music Theory / School of Music / College of Performing and Visual Arts
Carissa Reddick joined the faculty of the University of Northern Colorado in 2010 and currently serves as the Graduate Coordinator, the Interim Associate Director, and Associate Professor of Music, Theory. Her research interests include sonata form in the late nineteenth century (especially in the music of Brahms, Dvořák, and Franck) and music theory pedagogy. Publications include articles in Music Theory Online, Music Theory Pedagogy Online, Journal of the American Liszt Society, and College Music Symposium. She has presented several papers on the topic of sonata form at various conferences throughout the U.S. and Europe, including the European Music Analysis Conference (EuroMAC), the Society for Music Theory, Brahms in the New Century (sponsored by the American Brahms Society), and various regional music theory societies including Rocky Mountain, Texas, and New England. Dr. Reddick has taught music theory at The Hartt School, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Oklahoma. She earned her Ph.D. in music theory and history from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Music degree in music theory and cello performance from The Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Texas Christian University.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director
- Director
- Interim Director of the School of Music / School of Music / College of Performing and Visual Arts
- Interim Director of the University of Northern Colorado School of Music
Charles Hansen is Professor of Music and Interim Director of the University of Northern Colorado School of Music. Dr. Hansen is currently principal bassoonist of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, and he is assistant principal bassoonist of the Colorado Music Festival. He has also performed as principal bassoonist with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. Hansen has participated in the Utah Music Festival in Park City, Utah, the Cabrillo Music Festival, the Strings in the Mountains Festival and the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. He studied bassoon with Crawford Best, K. David VanHoesen and John Hunt. He received the Bachelor of Science degree from Hofstra University, and the Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts degrees and the Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Music
Job Titles:
- Art Education / Professor of Art
Job Titles:
- Dean / College of Performing & Visual
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Voice
Derek Chester, DMA, has quickly established himself as a preeminent interpreter of oratorio repertoire and a teacher of the vocal arts. Chester received his bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Georgia and his Master's Degree in Vocal Performance of Oratorio, Early Music, Song, and Chamber Music on full scholarship from the Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music. As a Fulbright Scholar, he spent a year in Germany working as a freelance musician and furthering his training. While maintaining an active performing career, Chester received his DMA in Voice Performance and Opera Studies from the University of North Texas, with a dissertation on the juvenile song compositions of Samuel Barber.
Recent concert appearances include Bach's St. John Passion at Chicago's Beethoven Festival; a reconstruction of Bach's St. Markus Passion with Barokksolistene of Norway; Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 with Boston Baroque; Beethoven's Missa Solemnis at the Berkshire Choral Festival; Britten's War Requiem with the Korean Broadcasting System Symphony Orchestra; Mendelssohn's Symphony No.2 the "Lobgesang" with the Buffalo Philharmonic; and all of the major works of Bach with American Bach Soloists. Though his career is concentrated primarily in concert work, Chester is also passionate about opera and opera history, with theater credits including Nemorino in L'Elisir d'Amore, Peter Quint in Turn of the Screw, Oronte in Alcina, and Acis in Acis and Galatea.
He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Northern Colorado and is also on the faculty of the Lutheran Summer Music Festival and is a featured soloist at the Staunton Music Festival and the Colorado Bach Festival. He continues his worldwide career as a sought after interpreter of concert and recital repertoire.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director / School of Art and Design / Associate Professor
- Director, School of Art and Design & Associate Professor of Art Education / School of Art and Design / College of Performing and Visual Arts
- Director, School of Art and Design / Associate Professor, Art Education
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Bands / School of Music / College of Performing and Visual Arts
- Associate Director of Bands at the University of Northern Colorado
Dr. Daniel Farr, Assistant Professor of Music and Associate Director of Bands at the University of Northern Colorado, received his Bachelor's and Master of Music Education degrees from Florida State University and a DMA in Conducting from The Ohio State University. His teaching responsibilities at UNC include conducting the Symphonic Band, the undergraduate instrumental conducting track, and directing the acclaimed "Pride of the Rockies" Marching Band. He studied conducting with Russel Mikkelson, Patrick Dunnigan, Richard Clary, and Alex Jimenez, and clarinet with Deborah Bish. Dr. Farr served as a band director in the public schools of Florida for 10 years before pursuing his doctorate. Ensembles under Dr. Farr's direction consistently earned Superior ratings at Marching Music Performance Assessment, District and State Solo and Ensemble, as well as District and State Concert MPA.
Research interests for Dr. Farr include commissioning new music for the wind band medium, best practices for middle and high school bands, and mental health awareness for music educators. He is actively sought after as a concert clinician and clarinet pedagogue. Daniel Farr's professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association, the Florida Music Educators Association, Colorado Music Educators Association, Colorado Bandmasters Association, and NAfME: the National Association for Music Education.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Art
- Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Studio Faculty
Dr. Hye Jeong Park is a scholar, educator, and graphic designer. Her interdisciplinary research and design projects, integration of Graphic Design and Human-Computer Interaction, focus on the development of individuals' creative ability and user experience (UX). She participates in international conferences, publishes research articles and design work, and collaborates with diverse organizations.
Job Titles:
- Director of Choral Activities
- Professor of Music, Director of Choral Music Education, Director of Choral Studies / School of Music / College of Performing and Visual Arts
Dr. Jill Burgett is the Director of Choral Activities/Director of Choral Music Education at University of Northern Colorado, conducting the UNC Concert Choir and Chamber Choir and teaching graduate choral methods and conducting coursework at UNC. Her doctorate is from Ball State University, where she was the Don Neuen fellowship recipient and subsequently served as Associate Director of Choral Activities. She holds an MM degree (choral conducting) from Ball State and a BM degree (magna cum laude) from Heidelberg University. For over a decade, Burgett conducted choirs in the Indiana public schools. She has served on the Indiana and Colorado ACDA boards and Central Division ACDA board as College and University R&S Chair. She has also served on the NCCO board, and as President, and now Past President, of Colorado ACDA. Burgett is an active festival clinician and conference speaker, and All State Choir Conductor. She is published in Choral Journal and New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Conducting venues include Varna (Bulgaria), Barcelona, Montserrat, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, London, Paris, and Rome. She has also taught conducting choral masterclasses in Rome, Bangkok and Barcelona. Her recent sabbatical research on Catalan Choral Music has been presented nationally at SWACDA .
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of String Music Education at the University of Northern Colorado
- Music Education
- Music Education Area Head / Associate Professor of Music
Dr. Lindsay J. Fulcher is Assistant Professor of String Music Education at the University of Northern Colorado. In addition to teaching music education courses, she conducts the Campus String Orchestra and serves as Director and Master Teacher of the UNC String Project. She earned her Bachelor of Music Education from Baldwin Wallace University and her Master's and Ph.D. in Music Education from Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Fulcher taught high school orchestra in North Carolina where her students earned high ratings at local, national, and international festivals. She is a frequent guest conductor and clinician and has worked with festivals in Colorado, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. She has presented sessions for teachers at the National ASTA Conference, the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Conference, and the Colorado Music Educators Association Conference, in addition to a variety of national research presentations.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Interim Associate Director / Professor of Jazz Bass
- Interim Associate Director, School of Music Professor of Jazz Bass / School of Music / College of Performing and Visual Arts
A man of many passions, Erik Applegate is a bassist, composer, and songwriter. His latest album, Two's Company, was featured in Jazziz Magazine. Current projects include touring and recording with the Dana Landry Quartet and Born To Wander (an indie jazz & Americana trio), creating a jazz "concept" album, and contributing to an upcoming Julia Dollison big band project.
Called "a top-notch acoustic bass performer" by JazzReview.com, Applegate has performed with the Bob Mintzer Big Band, Nnenna Freelon, Milt Jackson, Louis Hayes, Jeff Coffin, Mulgrew Miller, Eddie Daniels, Dick Oatts, James Williams, Harold Mabern, Ed Thigpen, and others, and has appeared throughout the U.S. and in Europe, Australia, and China.
Red Skies, Applegate's debut CD, reached #2 on the Roots Music Report, and he is heard on albums including Steve Owen's Stand Up Eight, Dana Landry's Grammy-nominated Journey Home, and 7ON7's Back When It Was Fun.
Stephen Foster's profile appears in the gallery wall at the opera house in Oldenburg, Germany.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Music History
- Music History / Associate Professor of Music
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Music
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Music
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Music
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Music
Job Titles:
- Business Operations Manager / College of Performing & Visual
Job Titles:
- Professor of Music / School of Music / College of Performing and Visual Arts
A native of Reno, Nevada, John Adler joined the faculty at the University of Northern Colorado in 2010, coming from Virginia Tech where he taught trumpet and jazz studies for four years. Dr. Adler's D.M.A. in trumpet performance was completed at the University of Miami, where he studied with former principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Craig Morris.
Dr. Adler has a diverse performance resume and is in demand as a soloist/educator all across the country. In the spring of 2010, John was featured soloist with the New River Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Manchester Symphony Orchestra, and performed guest recitals at the Ohio State University, Western Michigan University, Bowling Green State University, and Grand Valley State University. His first solo CD "Confronting Inertia" was released on Origin Classical in October 2009. The CD includes six new classical works by jazz composers commissioned for the project.
Dr. Adler has performed with the Reno Philharmonic, the symphony orchestras of Eugene, Miami, and Roanoke, the Kandinsky Trio, the Palm Beach Pops, and many other classical ensembles. He has shared the stage with numerous jazz greats including John Hollenbeck, Maria Schneider, Bobby Shew, and Conrad Herwig, and has played lead trumpet in the Jaco Pastorius Big Band, the Denis Noday Big Band, the Reno Jazz Orchestra, and the Grammy Award Winning University of Miami Concert Jazz Band. He is a founding member of the jazz chamber group Seven Minus.
Dr. Adler completed a double-major undergraduate degree in classical and jazz performance at the University of Nevada-Reno, and a Master of Music degree at the University of Oregon.
Job Titles:
- Area Head of Academic Studies
- Head, Academic Studies Area / Professor of Music
- Professor of Music History and Literature, Head of Academic Studies / School of Music / College of Performing and Visual Arts
Jonathan Bellman is the Area Head of Academic Studies in Music, and Professor of Music History and Literature. He earned piano performance degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Illinois, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance Practices at Stanford University in 1990. He joined the UNC faculty in 1993.
His most recent book, Chopin's Polish Ballade: Op. 38 as Narrative of National Martyrdom, was published by Oxford University Press in fall 2009. His first two books, The Style Hongrois in the Music of Western Europe (1993), and The Exotic in Western Music (1998; a collection of essays by himself and others), were published by Northeastern University Press; his third book, A Short Guide to Writing about Music (2000; 2nd Ed. 2007) is a textbook published by Longman. His articles and reviews have appeared in, among other publications, the Journal of the American Musicological Society,Musical Quarterly,Nineteenth-Century Music, Early Music, Historical Performance, and The Journal of Musicology. His research interests include musical exoticism, the music and performance practices of Frederic Chopin, and the concert music of George Gershwin.
He also still performs occasionally; in spring 2009, he premiered (with Prof. Lei Weng at UNC and Prof. Kiyoshi Tamagawa at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX) the reconstruction of a piece jointly composed in 1833 by Felix Mendelssohn and Ignaz Moscheles, the Fantasy and Variations for Two Pianos and Orchestra on the Gypsy March from Weber's "Preziosa." Spring 2010 saw a performance of Beethoven's Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 ("Emperor") with the Greeley Chamber Orchestra.
Prof. Bellman was the recipient of UNC's A.M. and Jo Winchester Distinguished Scholar Award for the year 2011.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Music
Job Titles:
- Director of PVA Advising / Advising Center / College of Performing and Visual Arts
- Professional Advisor
Within the School of Music, Katie serves as the professional advisor for all undergraduate students. In addition, she has been responsible for managing course enrollment, course offerings, and the adjunct budget. In the past, Katie has also been responsible for professional advising of graduate students and for tracking and reporting faculty workload. In her time at UNC, Katie's work has been fundamental to helping the SOM achieve retention and time-to-graduation rates that are the best across the institution. We are excited for her to bring her student-centered, discipline-conscious, data-driven practices to the advising network across PVA to guarantee degree completion for each student.
Katie has a Master's degree in Vocal Performance from the Peabody Institute at John's Hopkins University and a Bachelor's in Vocal Performance from Chapman University. She is a professional musician and lives in Thornton, CO, with her son, husband, and pup.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Art
Job Titles:
- Professor of Painting / School of Art and Design / College of Performing and Visual Arts
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Music
Job Titles:
- Digital Media Composition and Music Theory
An award-winning composer, conductor and music producer, Ludek Drizhal has received international acclaim for his wide-ranging scores and arrangements. Born in Prague, Czech Republic, Drizhal started studying violin at age five. Shortly before turning twenty Drizhal relocated to the United States where he immediately began performing as a concert violinist with a number of symphony orchestras, working with the likes of Marvin Hamlisch, Bobby McFerrin and Lynn Harrell. His virtuosic violin performances, as well as his piano and guitar accompaniments can be heard in numerous recordings and in works of other composers, and he has conducted for and recorded with many orchestras including the Slovak Radio Symphony, The Golden Hornet Project of the Austin Symphony, USC Symphony Orchestra and the Hungarian National Symphony. Today he frequently records and guest-conducts with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and the Prague Metropolitan Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2007, the comedy/drama Rounding First won Drizhal an award at the Park City Film Music Festival. After scoring the Lions Gate film Simon Says with director William Dear (Angels in the Outfield), Drizhal went on to work with director Francesco Lucente on the drama Badland which was nominated for best score and best picture at the Milan International Film Festival. Drizhal's song "Nothing's There" written for the film was considered in the original song category for the 80th Annual Academy Awards. In 2010 Drizhal worked with BAFTA award-winning writer/director Tim McCanlies (Iron Giant, Secondhand Lions), scoring his film Alabama Moon which opened in April 2011 in selected theaters. He has currently re-teamed with Tim McCanlies on his new Christmas film When Angels Sing and with Francesco Lucente on a fairytale/fantasy entitled, Starbright.
Drizhal has worked over the past several years with highly acclaimed Polish writer/director and President of the World Cinema Alliance Jacek Bromski. Drizhal's score for Bromski's U Pana Bogaza Miedza (God's Little Village) was the No. 1 selling soundtrack in Poland in the summer of 2009, and he recently completed the score for Bromski's new high-profile thriller Uwiklanie (Entanglement) that opened in Europe in July of 2011.
In addition to his film scores, Drizhal has written and produced many original compositions and arrangements for recording artists, including Valencia Vas' debut album Reflections, which was praised by Billboard magazine. The single "When The Sun Comes Up" which Drizhal wrote and arranged, reached Top 10 on Adult Contemporary Radio ahead of such established artists as Rascal Flatts, Paul McCartney and John Mayer. Drizhal also recently arranged and produced a debut album of Italian folk-songs for Olimpia Lucente titled Desiderata which will soon be released in Italy, Germany and Spain, and collaborated as a producer with Spencer Gibb and Aaron Frescas on Gibb's first and second solo albums. These three albums were arranged and recently recorded in Prague with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra.
Marion Powers is a six-time DownBeat Award-winning jazz vocalist whose dynamic improvisation skills, fresh and modern arranging style, and sensitive approach to songwriting keep her in high demand from coast to coast not only as a performer, but also as an educator. While heavily influenced by classic jazz singers like Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae, and Sarah Vaughan, her experiences performing with or being mentored by Christian McBride, Dianne Reeves, Marshall Gilkes, Johnaye Kendrick, and Melissa Aldana have been some of the most instrumental to her artistic development.
Marion earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees in Jazz Performance from the University of North Texas (UNT) where she studied under renowned vocalists and educators, Rosana Eckert and Jennifer Barnes, and spent time as lead vocalist for the Grammy-nominated One O'Clock Lab Band. In 2018, Marion was the selected vocalist for The Jazz Aspen Snowmass Academy Big Band, where she was mentored by Christian McBride and Dianne Reeves; and, the following year, was selected as a member of the Jazz Education Network's Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Quintet under the mentorship of educator and pianist, Ellen Rowe, and world renowned baritone sax player, Claire Daley. Among her DownBeat Awards are Outstanding Vocalist for her performance on the UNT Jazz Singers recording of "Groovin' Hard," and for her direction of UNT's vocal jazz ensemble, Avenue C.
An equally gifted teacher and performer, she served as a full-time UNT Vocal Jazz teaching fellow and, after completing her graduate coursework in 2019, was promptly hired as an adjunct voice instructor. Marion maintains a worldwide voice and piano studio and recently relocated from the Dallas/Fort Worth area to begin in-person teaching at the University of Northern Colorado. Marion is in demand as a live and studio vocalist, performing with her band regularly and recording on various projects with musicians in the area.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Graphic Design
Mark has over twenty years experience in Graphic Design, Art Direction and Marketing and has worked in agencies and clients in the U.S. and abroad. He has won regional and national awards for his work.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Music
- Assistant Professor of Voice
Mary Kathryn Brewer received her Doctor of Arts degree in Voice Performance with a secondary emphasis in Speech-Language Pathology from Ball State University in 2016. She completed a Masters at Bowling Green State University and a Bachelors at Anderson University, both in voice performance. She currently teaches voice and related subjects at the University of Northern Colorado. She previously taught at the University of Missouri, Anderson University, Taylor University, and Ball State University. Dr. Brewer's opera roles include Felice in Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's School for Fathers, Greta Fiorentino in Kurt Weill's Street Scene, and Mrs. Ford in Otto Nicolai's Merry Wives of Windsor. She also premiered the roles of The Messenger in Rick Vale's opera The Vagrant and Yasuko Shimazaki in Herman Whitfield III's Midsummer. She has performed with the Indianapolis Opera, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Anderson Symphony Orchestra, Anderson Symphonic Choir, and the Muncie Masterworks Chorale. She is an active soloist in the Midwest and Southeast and has placed in several state, regional and national vocal competitions. Dr. Brewer is currently publishing her book, The Art Songs of Giuseppe Verdi: A Catalog of Texts and a Musicological Analysis with Edwin Mellen Press. In her spare time, she loves to travel and spend time with her two dogs, Poochini and Moose.
Violist Matthew Dane enjoys a career of both teaching and playing. Living in Boulder, Colorado, he is Principal Violist of both the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (TX) and Opera Colorado as well as a member of the Boulder Piano Quartet.
A passionate chamber collaborator, Matt has performed with the Dorian Wind Quintet, Houston-based CONTEXT, Athelas Ensemble (Denmark), the Fischer Duo, and members of the Brentano Quartet, among others. Chamber music festival appearances include OK Mozart, Portland (Maine), Chamber Music Quad Cities (Iowa), Ruby Mountains (Nevada), Land's End (Calgary), and Tanglewood. With Orchestra 2001 in Philadelphia he performed Boulez' monumental Le Marteau Sans Maitre. He and his wife Christina Jennings founded Brightmusic, a chamber music ensemble in Oklahoma City. As a featured soloist, Dane has appeared with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, Ars Nova Singers, St. Martin's Chamber Choir, and ROCO performing repertoire from Bach's 6 th Brandenburg Concerto to Morton Feldman's Rothko Chapel. With the Boulder Piano Quartet and Jon Manasse he recorded quintets of Lowell Liebermann for Koch. His chamber performances have been broadcast on NPR's Performance Today and BBC's Channel 3.
Teaching has long been a great interest and mission. Matt earned tenure as Associate Professor of Viola at the University of Oklahoma and served on the faculties of both the University of Colorado and Metropolitan State. His former students have been accepted for further study at major US string programs and are employed as players and teachers around the country. He actively maintains a private teaching studio in Boulder and is the Chamber Music Director for the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra. In summers Matt teaches his own Boulder Violist Session and at Greenwood Music Camp, having previously been on the faculties of Texas Music Festival and Musicorda among others. He is inspired to teach by his own principal teachers: Philipp Naegele, Hatto Beyerle, Wayne Brooks, Karen Ritscher, and Martha Katz.
Among violists nationally and internationally, Matt is proud to be a community organizer. He served the American Viola Society as both a Board member and the Editor of its peer-reviewed Journal, and is currently on the Board of the Rocky Mtn Viola Society. His Doctoral Document, which examines the teaching influence of Karen Tuttle, circulates among amateur and professional violists nationwide.
Recently Matt has become fascinated by the viola d'amore. He plays two instruments: one built for him by renowned luthier Martin Biller in 2013, the other a J. U. Eberle from 1731. Various universities around the US have hosted his recitals and lectures on the viola d'amore's history and repertoire. Matt enjoys exploring repertoire from the Baroque and has also premiered a dozen new works for the instrument, including a double concerto by Marcus Maroney.
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean / Professor of Music
- Associate Dean / School of Music / College of Performing and Visual Arts
Job Titles:
- Professor of Art
- Professor of Ceramics / School of Art and Design / College of Performing and Visual Arts
Mike Lemke lives in Greeley and runs the ceramics department at the University of Northern Colorado. He has owned and operated Lemke Ceramic Design studio since 1999 and has managed several pottery facilities for production potters and schools. His work has been exhibited all over the world, including Taiwan and Japan and has gallery representation all over the country.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Music
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Music Composition
The music of Paul Elwood often incorporates his background as a folk musician and experimentalist on the five-string banjo with that of his voice as a composer who loves the processes and syntax of contemporary writing. Residencies he has received include the American Academy in Rome as Southern Regional Visiting Composer, the Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico, MacDowell Colony, Djerassi Artists Residence Program, Ucross Foundation, Camargo Foundation (France), Fundacion Valparaiso (Spain), and the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos. In 2000 he was awarded the Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies Inter-American Music Award for Vigils for solo piano, and was featured as a composer and performer in Moscow, Mexico City, Marseille (France), Wollongong (Australia), Edinburgh (Scotland), Darmstadt (Germany), and all over the U.S. As a composer his music has been performed by the symphonies of North Carolina, Charleston, and Wichita, by the Callithumpian Consort of the New England Conservatory, Zeitgeist, pianist Stephen Drury, Tambuco (the Mexican Percussion Quartet), and pipa players Min Xiao-Fen and Gao Hong, among others.
As a performer he won the Kansas State Banjo Championship, worked with guitarist Eugene Chadbourne, cellist Hank Roberts, French saxophonist Raphael Imbert, Andrew Bishop's Hank Williams Project, Electric Cowboy Cacophony, and bluegrass legend John Hartford, performed live on MTV Europe, and played percussion in a number of orchestras. His music is published by C.F. Peters and Smith Publications. Elwood's teachers were J.C. Combs (percussion), and composers Donald Erb, David Felder, Walter Mays, Arthur S. Wolff, and Charles Wuorinen.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Art
- Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Studio & Foundations Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Communications Specialist / College of Performing & Visual
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director / School of Theatre Arts and Dance
- Director, School of Theatre Arts and Dance Executive Director, Little Theatre of the Rockies / School of Theatre Arts and Dance / College of Performing and Visual Arts
Job Titles:
- Director of Music Technology
- Director of Music Technology / Associate Professor of Music
Socrates Garcia is a composer, arranger, producer, recording engineer, guitarist, and educator from the Dominican Republic. At UNC he teaches courses in music technology such as Introduction to Music Technology, Digital Composition, Recording Techniques, and Music Production.
As an arranger/producer and recording engineer his work is found on numerous albums and a myriad of side-projects. Garcia's recording and performing credits include the album Yo Por Ti by Puerto Rican artist Olga Tañon, Grammy Award winner as Merengue Album of the Year 2001; Milly Quezada's Tesoros de mi Tierra, which reached number 14 on Billboard's Tropical Song charts; and national and international performances with the Socrates Garcia Latin Jazz Orchestra, among others.
As a touring musician, guitarist or keyboardist, he has performed in many Latin-American countries, including Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Aruba, and throughout the Dominican Republic. He has presented clinics and workshops on music technology and/or jazz composition/arranging, nationally and internationally, and actively performs with his Socrates Garcia Latin Jazz Orchestra.
Previous to his current position at UNC, he served as Adjunct Professor of Music at Middle Tennessee State University and, from 2000 to 2005, taught Jazz Harmony and Theory at The National Conservatory of Music of Santo Domingo.
Dr. Garcia holds degrees from Luther College (Theory and Composition), Middle Tennessee State University (Masters in Jazz Studies, Composition), and University of Northern Colorado (Doctorate in Jazz Studies, Composition).
He endorses Strandberg Guitars and is a featured artist for Warm Audio.
His latest album, Back Home (MAMA Records), performed by the Socrates Garcia Latin Jazz Orchestra, is a symbiotic combination of Afro-Dominican and Afro-Caribbean genres within the aesthetic of contemporary orchestral jazz. An award winning album, it has received numerous accolades by critics and jazz fans alike, both nationally and internationally.
Stephen Foster's profile appears in the gallery wall at the opera house in Oldenburg, Germany.
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Professor of Jazz Piano at the University of Northern Colorado
- Organist
Tom Amend is an organist, pianist, composer, and arranger from Denver, Colorado. Tom Amend performs throughout the Rocky Mountain Region in various settings as both a leader and a sideman. He has performed and recorded extensively with Colorado based Soul/Blues artists: The Burroughs and the Taylor Scott Band. Tom was selected as a semifinalist for the American Jazz Pianist Competition in 2014 and 2015, and was a finalist in concert in 2017. He also received third place at the 2015 Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition.
Tom is currently an Adjunct Professor of Jazz Piano at the University of Northern Colorado and performs extensively as both a leader and a sideman.
Job Titles:
- Director of Bands
- Director of Bands / Associate Professor of Music
Wesley J. Broadnax is in his first year as Associate Professor of Music/Director of Bands at the University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, CO), where he conducts the Wind Ensemble, Chamber Winds, and guides all aspects of the wind band and graduate wind conducting programs. Prior to his appoint at UNC, he held similar appointments at Drexel University, University of Delaware, California State University-East Bay, and Michigan State University. He is also Assistant Conductor of the Newark Symphony Orchestra (Delaware).
A native of Texas, Dr. Broadnax received his bachelor's degree in music education from Stephen F. Austin State University and taught for several years in the Texas Public Schools. He received both the master's and doctoral degrees in Wind Conducting from Michigan State University. While at Michigan State University, he was a regular performer on bass trombone and euphonium, where he was a member of the West Shore Symphony, Greater Lansing Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Jackson Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony, and Midland Symphony, in addition to various chamber ensembles that included both the West Shore Symphony Brass Trio and Capitol Brass Quartet in Lansing. In California, he performed as bass trombonist with the Silicon Valley Symphony and Mission Chamber Orchestra. His conducting teachers include John L. Whitwell and Frank L. Battisti; his bass trombone/euphonium teachers have included Nathaniel Brickens, Curtis R. Olson, Philip Sinder, J. Mark Thompson, and William Young.
Dr. Broadnax maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator. He has conducted several All-State and honor bands both nationally and internationally, and has presented resident conducting seminars at Michigan State University, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Indiana State University, Bemidji State University, St. Ambrose University, and Mansfield University. Guest conducting engagements include the 56th Annual Stanislaus County Junior High School Music Festival in Modesto, Calif., and the Fresno-Madera Counties Music Educators Association in Reedley, Calif. As adjudicator, he has adjudicated the Central Jersey Concert Band Festival (CJMEA)--South Brunswick, NJ, Western Band Association Concert Band Festival in Atherton, Calif., and conducted the Rocky Mountain Honour Band in Calgary, Alberta (Canada), 2nd Honor Band Invitational (Savannah State University), All-South Honor Band (University of Southern Mississippi), and the Michigan Intercollegiate Honor Band (Grand Rapids, MI). Most recently, he served as guest conductor for the Temple Wind Symphony (Temple University), Philadelphia All City Concert Band, and is a frequent guest conductor of the Philadelphia Wind Symphony. He is a strong advocate of new music and has won the praises of several composers, including Joseph Schwantner, David Maslanka, Michael Weinstein, Dana Wilson, Jere Hutcheson, Paul Barsom, Davide Zannoni, Lawrence Singer, Joel Puckett, Nicholas Vasallo, Stephen Rush, Marko Bajzer, Angelo Sormani, Raphael Fusco, Drew Michael McWeeney, and Eric Sessler. He participated in the Pierre Boulez Symposium on 20th Century Contemporary Music at Carnegie Hall in New York City, the focal work being the composer's Le Marteau Sans Matre, with members of Ensemble Intercontemporain. In the summer of 2002, Dr. Broadnax completed a four-week residency as a conducting fellow at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, where he co-conducted the Young Artists Wind Ensemble and Chamber Music Program with master teacher Frank L. Battisti. In addition, Dr. Broadnax served as guest conductor for the Greater Lansing Symphony Orchestra Children's concert series in Spring 2005 titled The Circle of Life, as part of its Black History Celebration. He also served for three years as music director/conductor for the Lansing Concert Band, and two seasons for the Oakland Municipal Band (California). Scholarship & Research activities include presentations at the Conductors Guild National Conference (Chicago), Delaware Music Educators Association (Smyrna, DE), Schwantner Music Festival (Newark, DE), and published articles on a variety of topics related to music education-including a recent article titled Ensemble Intonation: Five Strategies for Long-Term Improvement for the School Band & Orchestra Magazine (SBO). He continues guest conducting engagements throughout Italy each summer, as part of the International Music Project (IMP), and has recently presented concerts in both Italy and Spain during Winter 2019.
Dr. Broadnax holds professional membership with the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), International Music Project (IMP), Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA), International Trombone Association (ITA), Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, and he is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma, Phi Mu Alpha and Pi Kappa Lambda organizations.
Job Titles:
- Professor
- Professor of Music
Each summer professor William Wilson brings students to Germany to perform in a Summer European Opera Theatre in collaboration with Opera Classica Europa, a professional touring opera company. Performances of fully produced operas and gala concerts occur throughout Germany, France, Italy and Spain with our students performing comprimari and chorus roles, and covering principal roles. Three recent alumni of this program are currently in full-time principal contracts with opera houses in Germany.
Baritone Zach Wilson and Professor William Wilson in front of the opera house in Hildesheim, Germany. Zach is singing Germont in Verdi's La Traviata, a lead role in Medea by Giovanni Paccini and Escamilio in Carmen.