Alumni News — February
Feb. 9, 2010
Adam Baritot (M.Mus., voice, 2009) put on Polly Princess and the Penniless Fry Cook, a timely tale for all ages, for Tuckaberry Productions in fall 2007 at the Impact Theater in Brooklyn. He also composed music and directed Peter Piper Picks a New Profession for Tuckaberry Productions earlier in the year.
Daniel Blake (M.Mus., composition, 2008) currently an adjunct composition and theory lecturer at the conservatory, won the grand prize in the John Lennon Songwriting contest in 2006. Blake won in the jazz category for his upbeat composition The Morning Shuffle, which appears on his album The Party Suite (Dabla Music, 2005). The 27-year-old saxophonist said winning this prestigious award "gives me the means to record my next project and take my band on the road." He currently resides in Brooklyn and is an active member of the New York City jazz community.
Victor Bobestsky (B.A., Mus., 1977), current director of music education studies at Hunter College (CUNY), had his new book, Planning and Producing Musicals in the Middle School, published in 2008 by Rowman and Littlefield for MENC. Bobestsky holds his M.A. from Hunter College and his DMA in piano performance from the University of Miami. His postgraduate studies were at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Elizabeth Brown (M.Mus., soprano, 2006) sang the part of Beth in Aaron Copland's The Tender Land in January 2007 with the Bronx Opera Company and the part of Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni in the spring of the same year.
Todd Brunel (M.Mus., clarinet, 2007) and Kalin Ivanov (M.Mus., cello, 1999) performed with the Bulgarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra in April 2007 at Carnegie Hall. This performance marked the premiers of the Karastoyanova-Hermentin 3 Pieces for Strings and the Sowash: Concerto for Cello and Clarinet. To learn more about Todd and Kalin's upcoming performances, visit the Bulgarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra website.
Carlos Conde (B.A., 2004; M.Mus., voice, 2005) performed the part of Dr. Dulcamara in Donizetti's The Elixir of Love for the Birmingham Opera in 2005. Michael Huebner, of the Birmingham News, wrote, "Stealing the show was bass-baritone Carlos Conde as the love-potion-peddling quack, Dulcamara. Conde was hilarious in the tongue-twisting patter songs and his bargaining with Nemorino over bottles of potion."
Galit Dadoun (M.Mus., Performance, 2002) gave birth to Danielle Eden Simone Cohen on June 20, 2007. Congratulations to Galit and her husband, Joe, who now reside in Philadelphia.
Angelica de la Riva (M. Mus., soprano, 2007) reprised the role of Zulma in the production of L'Italiana in Algieri at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in December 2007. She previously performed in the same production in November 2007 in Paris, representing Brazil at the annual UNESCO concert.
While continuing his career in arts management, Ian Derrer (M.Mus., baritone, 2003; M.F.A., 2005) became the rehearsal and music coordinator for New York City Opera, a position he maintained through their 2005–06 season. In summer 2006 he accepted the position of rehearsal administrator with Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he currently works with some of the finest singers, conductors and directors in the opera world today.
Since his return to Europe, Laszlo Gereb (M.Mus., piano, 1992) has been teaching piano and chamber music at the Vienna Conservatory while also regularly playing recitals and teaching classes in China.
Bob Goldberg (Advanced Certificate, music education, 2006) had his music included in the film The Bentfootes, which premiered at Lincoln Center's Dance on the Camera Festival in January 2008. The film, according to Goldberg, is a "mockumentary mélange of Spinal Tap and Ken Burns" and tells the story of a fictional family of American dancers who managed to keep their demented muse alive through two centuries of American history.
Kalin Ivanov (M.Mus., cello, 1999) the artistic director for the Bulgarian Virtuosi, released a CD in 2006 entitled Enchanted Rhythms on the MSR Classic Label. The CD is available for purchase at Bulgarian Virtuosi and Barnes & Noble. Ivanov is currently professor of cello and chamber music at Adelphi University, Long Island Conservatory, SUNY, and on the faculty at the Conservatory of Music and the Brooklyn College Prep Center.
David Leibowitz (B.Mus., '80; M.Mus., oboe) continues to conduct his New York Repertory Orchestra, a fine ensemble of talented amateurs and semi-professional musicians, in challenging concerts several times a year. Brooklyn College's music library cataloguer Marguerite Iskenderian continues to play cello in this ensemble, to which many Brooklyn College alumni have contributed their talents.
Paul Licciardi (B.Mus., tuba, 2003; Advanced Certificate, music education, 2007), after two years of teaching English in Japan, returned to Brooklyn and enrolled in our advanced certificate program in 2005. In fall 2007, he began teaching middle and high school music students at the Brooklyn Studio School in Bensonhurst. Licciardi is currently working on his M.A. in performance practice at the conservatory.
Joseph Loposky (M.Mus., trumpet, 1989) continues to be the choir director at Xaverian High School in Brooklyn, where he has taught since 1994. In December 2007, for the second time since 2001, his 73-voice choir was one of 60 groups selected to perform at the White House winter festivities to sing a mix of sacred and secular music.
Katie Mark (M.A., musicology, 2006) had her debut performance with the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony at the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in October 2006.
In September 2006, David Miller (M.A., music education, 2001), after teaching music for five years in New York City schools, became the music therapy coordinator for LifeSpire, Inc., which offers services to consumers with mental retardation. Following his father's passing in 2007 he moved to Stone Mountain, Ga., where he has worked with disabled adults, using music therapy when possible. In February 2008, Miller also began his own online business that sells low-priced musical instruments.
Alina Mocanu (M.Mus., violin, 2001) continues to teach music in Monaco as well as perform in the Monaco Philharmonic Orchestra and the Cannes Philharmonic Orchestra. Mocanu is also an active soloist on the French Riviera.
Jeni (Blyth) Montrosesoprano, 2004) has released two CDs: Scottish Songs (recorded in the United States in 2003), featuring many traditional airs and works by Haydn and Beethoven, and Aimons-Nous (recorded in France in 2007), a collection of popular classical love songs by Schumann, Schubert, Debussy and others. These recordings are now available for purchase from major online music distributors such as itunes.com, MTV, Sony, Napster, HMV and Virgin.
In 2006 Thomas Nazziola (M.Mus., composition, 2006), contributing composer to the Baby Einstein product line, released a new CD of music to soothe pets and had arrangements of some Edward MacDowell piano pieces premiered by the New York Philharmonic for the annual Garrison Keillor's holiday concert. In December 2007, the Film Society of Lincoln Center presented Nazziola and his BQE Project to play his score for Buster Keaton's Battling Butlers. On March 9, 2008, he led the ensemble at Whitman Hall in the world premiere of his new score to Paul Wegener's 1920 film The Golem, a score commissioned for the event by the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts.
Richard O'Donnell (M.Mus., percussion, 1980) performed in a joint concert with the Brooklyn College and Lehman College percussion ensembles on April 23, 2007, at Brooklyn College. O'Donnell is the principal percussion of the National Symphony of Ireland as well as an associate professor of music and percussion ensemble director at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin.
Having taught music at various community colleges in Connecticut, Mark Priest (M.A., musicology, 2003) hopes to begin his doctorate in music composition in the near future.
Matthew Reichert (M.Mus., violin, 1997) won the 2007 prize for the best graduate student paper presented before the Greater New York Chapter of the American Musicological Society. His paper, Carl Bergmann the Pioneer: The Introduction of Zukunftsmusik to the New York Concert Repertory, was presented at the society's January 2007 meeting at Rutgers University. Reichert is currently a candidate for the DMA in performance from the CUNY Graduate Center.
Cesar Reyes (M.Mus., piano, 2005; candidate, M.A., performance practice) presented a paper on Mexican piano music at the annual Society for American Music conference in San Antonio in February 2008.
Lenny Maurice Robertson (B.S., baritone, 1996; M.A., music teaching, 2000; Advanced Certificate, music education, 2003) continues to teach general music and instrumental instruction, recorder, beginning band and choir within the New York City public school system.
Sandro Russo (M.Mus., piano, 2003) performed in February 2007 at Carnegie Hall for the Italian ambassador to the United Nations. During March 2007, Russo performed at the American Liszt Society conference, Liszt in Paris, at the San Francisco Conservatory.
Joachim Schamberger (M.Mus., voice, 2004) made his debut at Coburg Opera in Germany directing a new production of Martha. In 2007, he directed a new production of Sweeney Todd featuring Mark Schnaible as the Barber and Dan Gettinger conducting at the Shreveport Opera. Most recently, he returned to Coburg to direct a new and exciting rendition of The Wizard of Oz, utilizing his virtual theater design technology.
In August 2007 Michele Scher (B.Mus., voice, 2004; Advanced Certificate, music education, 2005) accepted a position with the Choir Academy of Harlem, an affiliate of the Boys Choir of Harlem, to teach voice-lesson classes.
Elizabeth Snyder (M.Mus., voice, 2006) currently teaches music at P.S. 170 in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where she is a colleague of current M.A. student Sarah Corman. In November 2007, Snyder acted as music director for a production of a new musical, Everyman: A Whimsical Look at the Serious Business of Dying (a recasting of John Scott's medieval play), at the Church of the Epiphany in Manhattan.
Yukiko Tanaka (M.Mus., piano, 2005) won the Special presentation Award from the Artist International annual competition and gave a New York solo debut recital at the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in December 2005 to a sold-out audience. She recently accepted a teaching position at the pre-college program of Long Island University, C.W. Post College. In addition to teaching, Tanaka is busy performing in concert as a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist as well as attending music festivals in Quebec and Burgos, Spain.
Athanassia "Lina" Tsaklanganos (B.Mus., viola, 2003) has been living in Athens, Greece, since 2006. She is teaching music full-time at a private school where she is a "pioneer" for the Suzuki method of string teaching.
Founder of The Drama Loft, Dirk Weiler (M.Mus., voice, 2002) co-starred in the cabaret show Right Key…Wrong Keyhole, performing the songs of Gigolos and Gigolettes in June 2007.
Matthew Weissman (M.Mus., musicology, 2007) was awarded the Liszt Award and honorable mention at the 2006 William Garrison Memorial Competition. The Liszt Award is given to the best interpretation of a piece by Franz Liszt. More recently, Weissman performed in free concerts featuring the music of Beethoven, Mozart, Ravel and others at the Nassau Public Library on Long Island.
Ashley Wine (Advanced Certificate, music education, 2007) was hired to teach elementary school music in Kings Park, N.Y., in fall 2007. Congratulations, Ashley, and good luck!
Hilary Gardner (B.Mus., voice, 2008) has an active career in New York as a jazz vocalist and recently was chosen to be the "girl singer" in Twyla Tharp's new Broadway show, Come Fly Away. The show, which opens at the Marquis Theater on March 1, 2010, blends the creative vision of the Tony Award–winning choreographer/director with the rich musical legacy of Frank Sinatra.
Back to Fermata — Spring 2010
