Come meet our faculty: take lessons, join an ensemble, take a music course!
Adam Jonathan Conmusic education, choral conducting, choral methods; Wittenberg Choir and Witt Singers
Adam Jonathan Con is the fifth conductor of the Wittenberg Choir, and he directs the advanced women’s chorus, the Wittenberg Singers. Prior to his appointment at Wittenberg, Dr. Con taught at Georgia Southern University where he served in a similar capacity for eight years. He is widely recognized as an exceptional choral conductor, a visionary, a respected teacher of conducting and Tai Chi Chuan, and a leader in the advocacy of music education. He is in high demand in the United States and Canada both as a guest conductor and choral conducting teacher. A native of Vancouver and a third-generation Chinese Canadian, his holistic approach to choral music through a blend of kinesthetic whole body movement and the Eastern philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan inspires singers of all ages in mind, body and spirit. His motto is “Music is more than notes in motion; music is notes in Emotion.”
Dr. Con’s talent and ability to work with all levels of musical experience is grounded in 15 years of diverse K-12 public school music teaching which includes Orff, Kodály, and Dalcroze-based general music, French immersion music, middle and secondary school choral, vocal jazz, concert band, and jazz band. His professional conducting experiences include civic orchestras, professional musical theatre, community choirs, concert bands, and 32 years as a church choir director and organist. Dr. Con joined the Wittenberg faculty in 2010. acon@wittenberg.edu
Christopher Durrenbergerpiano, music fundamentals, music appreciation, and twentieth-century music
Christopher Durrenberger has received top prizes at major national and international competitions, including the Coleman and Carmel Chamber Music Competitions, the Los Angeles Etude Musical Club Piano Competition, the Young Keyboard Artists Association International Piano Competition, and the National Music Teachers Association National Piano Competition. He was selected to pilot a National Endowment for the Arts residency, “Chamber Music in Rural America,” which led to hundreds of performances, live broadcasts on National Public Radio, a featured spot on ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, and a performance for the National Council in Washington, D.C.
Solo, concerto, and collaborative engagements have taken Dr. Durrenberger throughout the world, including the Sarasota and Aspen Music Festivals, the Cairo Opera House, and the Taipei National Hall. His teachers and mentors have included Denise Restout, Julian Martin, Leon Fleisher, Yoheved Kaplinsky, John Perry, Robert Levin, and James Bonn. A frequent contributor to Piano & Keyboard magazine, his publications include reviews of hybrid electronic keyboards and articles on piano technology and repertoire. Durrenberger has been a frequent presenter for the World Piano Pedagogy Conferences (Orlando, Las Vegas, and Anaheim), and the Music Teachers National Association. Dr. Durrenberger has held teaching positions in the U.S. and abroad, including at Colorado Mountain College, Irvine Valley College, and Taipei City Municipal Teachers College. Durrenberger has served as Christ Episcopal Church, Springfield’s music director since 2000 and joined the cello section of the New Albany Symphony for their 2012-13 season. He also coaches young musicians at Columbus’s Chamber Music Connection in Worthington, Ohio. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree at Oberlin College and a masters and D.M.A. with honors (Pi Kappa Lambda) from the University of Southern California School of Music. Dr. Durrenberger joined the Wittenberg faculty in 1999. Other than music, his passions include playing golf and tennis. cdurrenberger@wittenberg.edu
Corwin GeorgesChairperson of the Music Department
Corwin George is chairperson of the Music Department and the Department of Theatre and Dance. He has served as chair of the Ohio Arts Education Advisory Committee, national chair of the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network, and as president of the Ohio Theatre Alliance and the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education. He served on the steering committee of the Ohio Arts Education Assessment Project, designed Ohio’s teacher licensure protocol for university and college arts programs, evaluated college theatre programs, and worked as an arts education consultant for several school districts in Ohio. He has served as a panelist for Dayton’s Culture Works, Cleveland’s ICARE Project, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and the Ohio Arts Council. He served as a steering committee member and artist in Project Start ID, a state-wide effort to develop methods for identifying children gifted in the arts. He has reviewed teacher licensure programs for the Ohio Department of Education, was a member of the writing teams for Comprehensive Arts Education: Ohio’s Model Competency-Based Program and Common Expectations for Ohio’s Schools, a member of the Arts Academic Content Standards Advisory Committee and a member of the Advisory Committee for the Model Curricula. He has conducted two Arts Education research projects with the Tri-County Educational Service Center and Wayne Center for the Arts under the auspices of the Kennedy Center Partners in Education Program. During the past five years he has provided program assessment for youth theatre and afterschool youth arts programs. He served as project director and editor for the 1996, 2000, and 2005 editions of Status of Arts Education in Ohio’s School Districts and is currently working on the 2011 edition of the survey. He received the Ohio Theatre Alliance’s Outstanding Achievement Award for founding the Ohio Playwrights’ Workshop, and was inducted into the Ohio Educational Theatre Hall of Fame in 2003. He received the Wittenberg University Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Award and in 2009 received the Governor’s Award in Arts Education. He has also been recognized for his work as a director by the Miami Valley Press. Dr. Georges received his B.A. from Morehead State University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. He teaches directing, improvisation, history of the theatre, and child drama. His recent directorial work includes: The Laramie Project, Major Barbara, Becky’s New Car, and The Women of Lockerbie. His publications include works in theatre history, integrating drama in education, and arts education assessment. Dr. Georges joined the Wittenberg faculty in 1972. cgeorges@wittenberg.edu
Brandon Jonesconducting, instrumental methods, technology for music educators, music appreciation, and music history; Symphonic Band and Chamber Orchestra; Coordinator of Instrumental Music
Before Wittenberg, Dr. Jones held the position of Conductor and Music Director of the Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble and has appeared as guest conductor with the Miami University Wind Ensemble, Xavier University Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and Messiah College Symphony Orchestra. As a graduate conducting associate at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, he regularly conducted the CCM Wind Symphony, Symphony Band, Chamber Winds, Chamber Players, and Brass Choir. Dr. Jones taught band at the junior high school and high school levels in the Princeton City School District and continues to be an active clinician and guest conductor for area schools. He holds professional memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Ohio Private College Instrumental Conductors Association, Music Educators National Conference, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity. He was Co-Chair of the 2008 Ohio Music Educators Association State Professional Development Conference in Cincinnati, the third largest conference of its kind in the nation. Dr. Jones received a Bachelor of Music Education at Miami University, where he studied conducting with Gary Speck. He received Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Wind Conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as a student of Rodney Winther. Jones came to Wittenberg in 2006. In his free time, he enjoys bicycling, home brewing, playing acoustic guitar, and playing strategy board games. bjones@wittenberg.edu
Daniel Kazezmusic theory, world music, cello, and bass; Music Admissions Coordinator
Daniel Kazez has performed recitals throughout Europe, including London (the Manor House and Sternberg Centre), Paris (Temple Victoire), Brussels (Cercle Ben Gurion), Salzburg (Chabad House), and Cardiff, Wales. His Paris and Florence debuts earned him standing ovations and he performed to a standing-room-only audience at Rome’s Il Pitigliani. He has performed at international music festivals in Berlin, Prague, and India and presented a concert tour in Eastern Europe with performances in the Czech Republic (Congress Hall, Prague; Jesuit Hall, Český Krumlov), Poland (Herbst Palace, Łódź; Ośrodek Promocji Kultury, Częstochowa; Centrum Kultury Żydowskiej, Cracow), and Hungary (Bálint Zsidó Közösségi Ház, Budapest). Kazez’s first performances in Africa were in Casablanca (Abbon al Abdullah) and in Morocco’s three “imperial cities”: Royal University Moulay Ismaïl in Meknes, National Conservatory of Music in Marrakesh, and Centre Maïmonides in Fez (as part of Morocco’s thirty-seventh national Fête du Trône celebration). Kazez has performed and lectured in Bangkok and northern Thailand and has recorded with the Bombay Film Orchestra (Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye, 2006).
Dr. Kazez is the author of more than a dozen scholarly articles on music theory, pedagogy, and performance, a dozen editions of music (published by Alfred, Presser, Southern, Ludwig, and MMB), and two books. Rhythm Reading: Elementary Through Advanced Training (W.W. Norton) is the most widely used rhythm textbook in the U.S. Kazez has given talks at twenty-five leading U.S. music schools, including the Manhattan School of Music and the University of Texas. He conducted research in India and gave a series of 14 lectures and performances, including appearances in Bombay (Indian Institute of Technology and Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research), Madras (one-week residency at the School of the Krishnamurti Foundation in Madras), and Pune (Kala Chhaya Festival). Kazez was editor and principal contributor for Imprints of India: A Brief Guide to Indian Music, Dance, and the Visual Arts. Kazez has conducted research in Java and Bali (gamelan music, dance, and shadow puppet theater) and in Turkey and Greece (urban folk music). His activities have been supported by grants from the Lilly Foundation, Wray Foundation, and Ohio Arts Council. He was the recipient of the 1996 Matthies Award and a 1996-1997 University of Chicago/Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship. Kazez earned a Bachelor of Music degree at Oberlin Conservatory, Master of Music at Peabody Conservatory (Johns Hopkins), and D.M.A. at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. He joined the Wittenberg faculty in 1986. In addition to music, Dan enjoys endurance bicycling and genealogy (tracing his family tree back to pre-surname records). dkazez@wittenberg.edu
David Schubertvoice, lyric diction, vocal pedagogy, and music appreciation
Baritone David Schubert holds degrees from Baldwin-Wallace College and Boston University and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma. As a soloist, he has performed in oratorios and has sung major roles in several operas, including Faust, Don Giovanni, The Mikado, Street Scenes, and Amahl and the Night Visitors. Most recently, he sang the role of Coll in the premier of David Caudill’s opera The Shepherd’s Story. David Schubert is an active recitalist, specializing in English art song (particularly the music of Gerald Finzi) and German Lieder. As a member of the Doscher Vocal Quartet, Schubert presented a series of recitals of the music of Johannes Brahms and Franz Schubert. He recently collaborated with performers from England and Ireland to present several concerts focusing on the music of the United Kingdom. In 1994, Dr. Schubert was one of twelve vocalists nationwide selected for the fourth annual National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Internship Program. In 1995, he performed during the NATS national convention and in 1997 presented a lecture recital for the College Music Society’s Southern Chapter Convention. He has coached with Arlene Auger, Richard Conrad, Barbara Honn, Jack Lee, George Shirley, and John Wustman. Dr. Schubert joined the Wittenberg faculty in 2007. dschubert@wittenberg.edu
Lori Akinsflute; Flute Choir
Lori Akins has been a member of the Springfield Symphony since 1983, and was appointed principal flute at the beginning of the 2007-2008 season. She also performs regularly with the Columbus Symphony and Ohio Valley Symphony. Ms. Akins performs frequently as a recitalist and freelance flutist in the central Ohio area. She is past president of the Central Ohio Flute Association and was for many years chairperson of their Young Artist Flute Competition. She is an active flute clinician and adjudicator and maintains an extensive flute studio. Lori has performed at the National Flute Association convention and held the positions of Secretary and General Competitions Coordinator. She received a Bachelor of Music Education degree and a Master of Music degree in flute performance from Ohio State. Ms. Akins joined the Wittenberg faculty in 1982. lakins@wittenberg.edu
Colvin Bearhorn
Colvin Bear has been a member of the Springfield Symphony since 1973 and has performed with the Lima Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Springfield Concert Band, and many other ensembles. He is a founding member of, and arranger for, The Valley Horns, a horn quartet that performs widely in the Miami Valley area. By competitive audition, the group was selected to perform the “Star-Spangled Banner” at a Dayton (Ohio) Dragons baseball game. Colvin’s horn teachers have included Charles Waddell, Herbert Spencer, Robert Bayless, Mason Jones, Herbert Pierson, and Ward Fearn. Colvin holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the College of Wooster, where he graduated with honors, and a Master of Music in Education from Bowling Green State University, where he was a member of Pi Kappa Lambda. Colvin began teaching at Wittenberg in 1983. He and his wife, Carol, live in a geodesic dome house of his own design. cbear@wittenberg.edu
Trudy Faberorgan; Handbell Choir
Trudy Faber received Wittenberg’s 1998 Distinguished Teaching Award. She has performed on organ and harpsichord throughout the U.S. and Europe, including the All Saints Day recital at the Lutheran Theological Seminary (Columbia, South Carolina), the Distinguished Organists Recital Series at the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), at the United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs), with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, as a recitalist for the national convention of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (Minneapolis), on the Carl Barckhoff organ at First Congregational Church of Deer Isle (Stonington, Maine), and organ recitals at Abbey Church (Mt. Angel Abbey, Oregon) for the annual Mt. Angel Abbey Bach Festival. She has performed at women’s music conferences in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, and California, including a harpsichord lecture-recital entitled “Five Centuries of Keyboard Music by Women Composers” at the Fifth International Festival of Women Composers at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She has presented organ recitals in the Netherlands, music worship services in Germany (including the Nicolaikirche, Leipzig, where J.S. Bach was cantor), and recitals at Coventry Cathedral and St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. For many years she has given pre-concert lectures for the Springfield Symphony Orchestra concerts; and she has taught in England at Exeter University. Faber has presented papers and lectures on Bach and Baroque dance for the international conference of the 18th-Century Historical Society (Charleston, South Carolina), national convention of American Lutheran Church Musicians (Minneapolis), American Guild of Organists Convention (Chicago), and international conference on J.S. Bach (Hofstra University). She presented two lecture/demonstrations on “Bach and the Dance” at a conference of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. On April 9 Prof. Emerita Trudy Faber gave two presentations of her lecture/recital Bach and the Dance for the national convention at Valparaiso University of the Institute of Liturgical Studies, April 8-10.
A Certified Church Musician, serving as organist at Covenant Presbyterian Church, Springfield, she has presented numerous recitals to dedicate church organs, has accompanied the Wittenberg Choir and other large choral groups in oratorio concerts, has accompanied sacred operas and other musical productions throughout the area, and has made a recording of organ music. After graduating from Calvin College, she received a Fulbright scholarship to study organ and harpsichord at the Amsterdam Conservatory with Gustav Leonardt. She did graduate work at the University of Toronto and studied harpsichord at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, under Greta Kraus. She received an MA degree from Smith College. She also attended the international Organ Concours in Haarlem (in the Netherlands), studying organ under Anton Heiller and harpsichord under Kenneth Gilbert. Faber came to Wittenberg as a part-time instructor in 1966 and joined the faculty in 1970, serving as Department Chair from 1995 to 2004. tfaber@wittenberg.edu
Basil Fettvoice
Basil Fett is widely recognized for his role in the musical arts in the Miami Valley. Mr. Fett is Director of Music at Covenant Presbyterian Church, a position he has held since 1999. He recently retired as Director of Choral Music at Wayne High School. Basil is former President, Vice President, and Treasurer of District XII of the OMEA as well as former chairman of the Ohio All State Choir for OMEA and Southwest region chair for the American Choral Directors Association. In 2004, he was instrumental in the formation of Choralarts Springfield, a professional choir, and the Springfield Symphony Chorale. As a soloist Mr. Fett can be heard often in the Miami Valley and has worked in England, Italy, Germany, and Russia. He has worked as a church soloist and performed in numerous cantatas, oratorios, and musicals throughout Ohio. For many years, he was involved as both conductor and performer in Coventry Green, an eight-voice vocal ensemble that recorded several CDs. Basil earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Miami University and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Bowling Green State University. He studied voice with Fred Gerston, Orcenith Smith, and Andreas Poulemenos, conducting with Terry Eder and Richard Mathey, and score reading with Robert Spano. Fett came to Wittenberg in 1996. bfett@wittenberg.edu
Lisa Groveoboe
Lisa Grove has been a member of the Springfield Symphony since 1997, and was appointed principal oboe at the beginning of the 2005-2006 season. Shortly after joining the orchestra, she began performing with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra Woodwind Quintet. She holds a Master of Music degree from Carnegie Mellon University, where she studied with Cynthia DeAlmeida, principal oboist with the Pittsburgh Symphony. And she has a Bachelor of Music degree and Bachelor of Music Education degree from the Ohio State University, where she studied with Robert Sorton, former assistant principal oboist with the Detroit Symphony. Lisa has served as Double Reed Specialist for the Columbus School District. She has performed with the Columbus Symphony, Ohio Valley Symphony, Pro Musica, Canton Symphony, and Lima Symphony. And has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall and Symphony Hall in Boston, with Carnegie Mellon’s Philharmonic. Lisa began teaching at Wittenberg in 2006. lgrove@wittenberg.edu
Joseph Hessemanbassoon
Joseph Hesseman has performed in professional orchestras and bands for over 30 years (Cleveland Pops, Cincinnati Pops, Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Bach Society, Whitewater Opera, Dayton Philharmonic Concert Band, Springfield Concert Band, and Springfield Symphony) and with such chamber groups as the Springfield Symphony Woodwind Quintet, Wright State University Faculty Woodwind Quintet and Trio, and Festive Musique. Hesseman has performed with numerous jazz, country, and pop artists, including Doc Severinsen, Lionel Hampton, Johnny Lytle, Anacani, Crystal Gayle, Steve Allen, Glen Campbell, “The Miracles,” and the USO Show Troupe. A distinguished retired military band veteran, Mr. Hesseman performed thousands of concerts to millions of audience members throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe with various wind ensembles. He presented numerous world premieres and recorded 13 compositions on seven CD recordings. Hesseman was honored for his musical achievements as a two-time recipient of the George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands by the John Philip Sousa Foundation as a member of the United States Air Force Band of Flight Concert Band.
Joe Hesseman’s record as a music educator includes fourteen consecutive years having all of his young bassoonists win superior ratings at OMEA Solo and Ensemble Adjudicated Events. In 2001, two of his college bassoonists were honored by being selected for the Ohio Private College Instrumental Conductors Honor Band, which performed at the Ohio Music Educators Conference. Mr. Hesseman has served as a Kaleidoscope Orchestra Camp faculty member and coached at the Springfield Youth Symphony Retreats. He is a graduate of the U.S. Armed Forces School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia and received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Wright State University, where he was a music scholarship recipient and a concerto competition winner. In 2006, Joe was honored as one of Wright State University’s outstanding music alumni. Joe’s primary bassoon instructors/mentors include Mike Suman, Mike Scarini, Bert Corderman, Gunter Piesk, Bobby C. Hawkins, Theodore Atsalis, Richard Carnright, William Jobert, and Christopher Weait. A former general music teacher at St. Theresa Local School in Springfield, Ohio, he currently serves as a music instructor in the Centerville, Ohio School District. Joseph Hesseman joined the Wittenberg University faculty in 1997. jhesseman@wittenberg.edu
Betsey Hofeldtviolin and viola
Betsey Hofeldt conducts the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Strings and is a member of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Prior to joining the Orchestra, she performed with the Virginia Symphony, the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, the Toledo Symphony, and the Omaha Symphony. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from St. Olaf College, Master of Music in violin from University of Illinois, and D.M.A. in violin performance from the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Hofeldt’s doctoral dissertation dissected the Suzuki’s violin method books and analyzed its technical elements. Chamber music is a vital part of Dr. Hofeldt’s musical life, and she has performed for the last 18 years with her husband, cellist Mark Hofeldt, in the Hofeldt-Phillips Piano Trio, playing throughout the region—at Earlham College, Miami University, the University of Dayton, the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Dayton Art Institute. Hofeldt’s teachers have included Paul Rolland, Sergiu Luca, Naoko Tanaka, and Won Bin Yim. She has attended the Aspen Music Festival, the Blossom Music Festival, and the Colorado Music Festival, and has coached with the LaSalle and Tokyo String Quartets. Betsey began teaching at Wittenberg in 2011.
David Leapleytrumpet
David Leapley taught instrumental music for 30 years in public schools in Ohio and has taught trumpet to students at all levels for over 35 years. A former member of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, he has performed with the Columbus Symphony and various dance bands and combos in the Dayton-Springfield area. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Capital University and a Masters degree from The Ohio State University. Dave has studied with Ray Eubanks, Richard Suddendorf, Carmine Caruso, and Lowell “Bud” Arthur. He is a member of the National Association for Music Education and the International Trumpet Guild, and has served as a district president and contest chairperson for the Ohio Music Education Association. Dave joined the Wittenberg faculty in 2012. leapleyd@wittenberg.edu
Adam McCordsaxophone; Jazz Ensemble
Before joining the Wittenberg faculty, Adam McCord served as Instructor of Saxophone at Miami University for two years and Associate Instructor of Saxophone at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music for five years. At IU, he has completed coursework for a Doctor of Music degree in saxophone performance, studying with Otis Murphy. He received a Master of Music degree in saxophone performance (also at Indiana University) in 2004, earning the prestigious Performer’s Certificate (IU’s highest performance honor) and winning the IU Woodwind Concerto Competition (he performed Roger Muczynski’s saxophone concerto with the Indiana University Orchestra). Mr. McCord received a Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude, in saxophone and music education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2002, where his primary teachers were Steven Stusek and Craig Whittaker. While at UNCG, McCord won the yearly concerto competition, performing Roger Boutry’s Divertimento. He has won state and regional honors in both the Music Teacher’s National Association collegiate chamber music and solo woodwind competitions.
Adam performed at the XIV World Saxophone Congress in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and the 2006 North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Biennial Conference in Iowa City. Other performances include the 2004 NASA Biennial Conference in Greensboro, North Carolina, the XIII World Saxophone Congress in Minneapolis, a featured recital at the inaugural Carolina Saxophone Symposium, regional NASA conferences, and participation as a scholarship recipient in the 2003 International Saxophone Chamber Music Festival held annually in Faenza, Italy. Mr. McCord has performed with the Winston-Salem Symphony, the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, the UNCG Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, the Indiana University Philharmonic, the Bloomington Camerata Orchestra, and the Bloomington Pops Orchestra. He joined the Wittenberg music faculty in 2009. amccord@wittenberg.edu
Susan Musselman-Longvoice; Opera Studio
Susan Musselman holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Western Michigan University and a masters and D.M.A. from Ohio State. She has performed as soloist in such major works as Handel’s Messiah, Poulenc’s Gloria, Beethoven’s Mass in C, and Mozart’s Requiem. Musselman has performed the title role in Floyd’s Susannah, Leila in Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers), Lady with a Cake Box in Argento’s Postcard from Morocco, Mrs. Nordstrom in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, and Laurey in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma. With Opera Columbus, she has performed in the chorus for Die Fledermaus, Die Zauberflöte, Camelot, and H.M.S. Pinafore. She was a member of Opera Columbus’s Education and Outreach program in 2003 and 2004, performing the role of Despina Pig in The Three Little Pigs (a touring children’s opera). smusselman@wittenberg.edu
Timothy Olttuba
Tim Olt earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree at Wright State in 1996 and a masters degree in tuba performance at Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) in 2002, studying with Michael Thornton. Olt was Visiting Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Bowling Green State University from 2003 to May of 2007, and he has also taught in the Versailles Exempted Schools (Versailles, Ohio), at Adrian College (Michigan), and at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (Twin Lake, Michigan), where he continues to teach tuba and perform in the faculty brass quintet and serve as principal tubist for the Festival Band and Orchestra. Tim regularly performs with the professional tuba quartet All the King’s Tubas, with the Glass City Brass Quintet and Queen City Brass Quintet, and as principal tubist of the Lima Symphony Orchestra. He serves as personnel manager for the Springfield Symphony. Tim has performed with the Cincinnati Opera Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Toledo Symphony, and Tallahassee Symphony, as well as orchestras throughout Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky. Mr. Olt is active as a composer and arranger for groups such as the Encore Brass, All the King’s Tubas, Miami University Brass Choir, Florida State Tuba Ensemble, and the Lima Symphony. His arrangements are available through Cimarron Music Press and Tuba-Euphonium Press. Tim joined the Wittenberg music faculty in 2007.
Lawrence (Skip) Pitzerclassical guitar
Lawrence Pitzer has studied guitar with Ramon Estrada, Miguel Alboniz, and Jeffery Van, and has attended lute master classes with Paul O’Dette and Ronn McFarlane. He has also studied recorder and early music with Shelly Gruskin and Scott Reis. Pitzer performed with the Hyland Ensemble from 1985 to 1993 and currently performs with Wind in the Woods, an early music ensemble. He holds a BFA degree from Miami University. From 1972 to 1985 he taught guitar at Wright State University and since 1985 has served on the faculty of Cedarville University. Lawrence Pitzer began teaching guitar at Wittenberg in 1971. lpitzer@wittenberg.edu
Denver Seifriedtrombone
Denver Seifried retired from Greenon High School in 1995 after 28 years as a band and instrumental educator. Since 1965 he has been bass trombonist with the Springfield Symphony and he is a member of the Symphony’s Brass Quartet and Quintet. Seifried has frequently appeared with the Dayton Jazz Orchestra, the Johnny Mack Super Big Band, and the Wright State University/Community Trombone Ensemble. He has toured with musicals such as Damn Yankees and A Chorus Line and is a member of the International Trombone Association. Seifried holds a BS in music education from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Music in trombone performance from the University of North Texas. He has studied with Betty Glover, formerly of the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He taught at Wittenberg from 1967-1969 and re-joined the Music faculty in 2000. dseifried@wittenberg.edu
Mark Smarellipercussion
Mark Smarelli holds a Bachelor of Music degree and Master of Music degree, both in applied percussion, from Ohio University in Athens. And he has studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Marks is President of the Springfield Musician’s Association and has performed percussion with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra since 1991. He plays vibraphone with the jazz group Good Vibes. The group, which also includes guitarist Chuck Young, drummer John Dessinger, and bassist Jim Bonecutter, has been together for more than a decade, performing jazz standards, pop tunes, and Latin-style selections. For many years, Mark’s late father, John Smarelli, taught violin, performed in a faculty trio, and conducted the String Ensemble at Wittenberg, as well as teaching strings and directing orchestra in Springfield city schools. Mark is been a music teacher in the Springfield city schools since 1999, teaching at Roosevelt, Hayward, and Schaefer middle schools. He has been teaching at Wittenberg since 1993.
Audrey WalstromVoice
Audrey Walstrom, described as “up-and-coming” by the Cincinnati Enquirer, hails originally from Los Alamos, New Mexico. She earned a B.M. in voice and a B.A. in history cum laude from Rice University, where she sang Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and Endimione in Cavalli’s La Calisto. Ms. Walstrom earned a masters degree at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, where she is currently a doctoral candidate in the studio of William McGraw. At CCM, she has performed Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte (2007), Meg Page in Verdi’s Falstaff (2009), Lucretia in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia (2010), and Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (2011). Ms. Walstrom has participated in summer festivals at Aspen and the Music Academy of the West, where she performed Maddalena in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims (2006) and studied with Marilyn Horne. She made her Cincinnati Opera debut as Kate Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (2008), returned for Second Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (2011), and has been regularly engaged between mainstage seasons as a member of their Resident Artist Program. She has also collaborated with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Bach Society of Dayton, and Dayton Opera, where she performed Siébel in Verdi’s Faust (2010). Walstrom was an Apprentice Singer at the Santa Fe Opera in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, she covered the role of Flora in Verdi’s La traviata and performed scenes from Britten’s A Midsummer Night's Dream and Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. In 2010, she sang Second Lady in Mozart’s The Magic Flute and covered Nancy in Britten’s Albert Herring, in addition to performing scenes as Meg from Adamo’s Little Women and Erika in Barber’s Vanessa. She was featured in a sacred concert at the historic St. Francis Cathedral and received the Albuquerque Guild Award for Apprentice Singers. Ms. Walstrom was a National Semi-Finalist in the 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions after winning the Ohio District and Central Region rounds of the competition. She joined the Wittenberg faculty in 2012.
Richard Yorkclarinet, chamber music
Richard York is a native of the Buffalo (New York) area, where he studied with Allen Siegel and James Pyne of the Buffalo Philharmonic. While an undergraduate at Oberlin Conservatory, he studied with George Wain and appeared as soloist with the Oberlin Orchestra. He has also studied with Stanley Hasty at the Eastman School of Music, Thomas Peterson of the Cleveland Orchestra, and Achille Rossi of the Indianapolis Symphony. 
He has performed with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra and the Oberlin Opera Theater during their summer seasons and has been principal clarinetist of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra for over 20 years. York is a frequent performer of chamber music and has presented concerts at area museums and colleges. He has appeared as soloist with the Springfield Symphony, the Clarence (New York) Summer Orchestra, the Springfield Concert Band, and bands at Yellow Springs and Fairborn high schools. Mr. York joined the Wittenberg faculty in 1977. ryork@wittenberg.edu
Melanie KernMelanie Kern was born in Nelsonville, Ohio but has lived in Springfield for most of her life. She graduated from Springfield North High School and in 1995 earned a bachelors degree as a dual major (accounting and business management) at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base campus of Park University. Ms. Kern worked at the corporate office of Speedway for 20 years as an accountant, before coming to Wittenberg. She loves music, enjoys listening to a wide variety of music, plays piano, clarinet, acoustic guitar, and loves to sing. Melanie played clarinet in band through junior high and high school (under the direction of Lowell “Bud” Arthur) and sang in symphonic choir during high school (under the direction of Ben Cox). She is a member of High St. Nazarene Church, where she teaches a “Praise & Play” class of pre-school age children. Melanie came to Wittenberg in 2005. She also enjoys roller skating, dancing, watching movies, traveling, and spending quality time with family and friends. She has two daughters and three grandchildren. kernm1@wittenberg.edu
Diane SlagleDiane Slagle performs concerts and recitals with Wittenberg students and faculty, with guest artists, and as accompanist of Wittenberg Singers. For several years, she has performed as accompanist for Wittenberg opera performances. She has taught elementary music and has directed several adult and children’s choruses. Diane maintains a private piano studio from her home in London, Ohio. She served as Children’s Choir Director, Christmas play director, and substitute organist for the First United Methodist Church in London for many years and is now accompanist for Columbus Chamber Singers. Diane graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and she earned Orff-Schulwerk Certification from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. Slagle came to Wittenberg in 2002.
