As our faculty provide biographical information we will post it here.
CHILDREN'S CLASSES LAURIE DEHMLOW Laurie has been teaching at St. Joseph's School of Music since 1989.She has a B.S. in Music Education grades K-12, a M.M. in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy, and many specialty classes in Early Childhood, Dalcroze Eurhythmics, and Kodaly Certification Level I. Laurie has performed in musical theater, dinner theatre, oratorio, chamber opera and recital in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.Here at St. Joseph's School of Music she teaches the FIRST STEPS program, voice classes for children and private voice for all ages. In addition to teaching here, Laurie teaches for Steppingstone Theatre, Children's Theatre, Blessed Trinity Catholic School and Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd.In her free time she and her husband enjoy ice dancing, horses and dogs.
PAM GRANO Pam has taught early childhood music classes at SJSM for twenty years.She received Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Applied Arts, Music Education K-12, degrees from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and taught elementary band and vocal music before coming to SJSM.She is a certified Musikgarten instructor, has Kodaly Level I and II Certifications, and finds great delight in nurturing a love of music in young children.Pam also enjoys teaching private clarinet lessons, participating in community music ensembles, and playing clarinet, piano and guitar. She and her husband have two children.
FLUTE BARBARA HOLM Barbara Anne Koenen Holm received a MM in flute performance from The Boston Conservatory in 1990. While at the Conservatory, she studied with Robert Stallman, and she has also studied with Adele Lorraine and Emil Opava of the Minnesota Orchestra, and Irene Pruzan. She is the founder and performing member of The Legacy Ensemble of Minneapolis, and has also played in many other groups including The Highland Park Trio (St. Paul) and L'Ensemble Caprice (Denver). A member of The St. Paul Civic Symphony for over 15 years, she has also served as Associate Principal Flute of The Metropolitan Wind Symphony of Boston. Besides teaching and performing, Barbara is also an arranger and composer and has founded Holm Legacy Publishing.
JENNIFER KENNARD An avid educator and performer, Dr. Jennifer Kennard has developed a broad musical career that combines her interest in both performance and education. Dr. Kennard has performed with the Minnesota, Chautauqua, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and West Shore symphony orchestras. She has performed as a solo and chamber musician throughout the United States and in Australia and has worked with such reputable flutists as Paula Robison, Mathieu Dufour, Emmanuel Pahud, Walfrid Kujala, Jeffery Zook, and others.
Dr. Kennard completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Flute Performance at Michigan State University in 2006, where she served as a Teaching Assistant in inter-arts and humanities and was also a concerto soloist with the Michigan State University Philharmonic Orchestra. Dr. Kennard received her Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from Michigan State and her Bachelor of Music degree from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam in Education and Performance. Her teachers have included Richard Sherman, Ervin Monroe, Randy Bowman, and Kenneth Andrews. She has also served as the Assistant Principal Librarian of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
SUSIE KUNIYOSHI Susie Kuniyoshi received her B.M. degree from Ithaca College and M.M. degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. Her principal teachers have been William Hebert (Cleveland Orchestra), Lois Schaefer (Boston Symphony), and Julia Bogorad (St. Paul Chamber Orchestra). She has studied Baroque Performance practice with John Gibbons, Shelley Gruskin, and John Tyson; and was a Baroque Concerto Competition winner at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Ms. Kuniyoshi served as Acting Principal Piccoloist for the Minnesota Orchestra under Edo DeWaart, and has since performed/recorded with them as a substitute/extra piccoloist. Additional performance experience includes the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, Plymouth Music Series, Minnesota Composers Forum, Zeitgeist, Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, and Breckenridge Music Festival Orchestra. In 1990 she was a soloist in the Opening Recital of the National Flute Association’s convention in Minneapolis.
Ms. Kuniyoshi has taught at the University of WI-Superior, College of St. Scholastica, University of MN-Duluth, and in the Boston area and upstate New York public schools. She has presented piccolo master classes at Oberlin Conservatory, University of MN-Twin Cities, and served as a guest clinician in Hawaii and Minnesota schools. Ms. Kuniyoshi is a Certified Suzuki Instructor.
EMILY SAPA Flutist Emily Sapa, a native of Bismarck, ND, is an active freelance musician and teacher in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. She received her Master of Music degree from the University of Minnesota, studying with Immanuel Davis, and her Bachelor degrees in music and English from Drake University. Ms. Sapa is a founding member of Pavia Winds, an increasingly sought-after woodwind quintet, and principal flutist with the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra. In addition, she performs with a variety of chamber groups and orchestras in the region, including concerto appearances with the Mt Olive Lutheran Church Bach Tage (Minneapolis, MN), the Minnesota Bach Festival Orchestra, the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra and the Drake University Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Sapa is devoted to teaching a wide range of students and is a flute instructor at Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota State University, Mankato, and Anoka-Ramsey Community College; she also directs the Gustavus Adolphus Flute Choir and maintains an active private studio in Minneapolis and at St. Joseph’s School of Music, St. Paul, MN. In the summers she is a faculty member at International Music Camp, located at the border between North Dakota and Manitoba. She has enjoyed continuing her own studies by working with a variety of prominent musicians, including Keith Underwood, Pedro de Alcantara and Bart Kuijken; work with the Alexander Technique has also proved to be an invaluable resource and she has studied with Lisa First since 2005.
FRENCH HORN THOMAS GULLICKSON Master of Music Performance: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 1991 Bachelor of Science, Music Eucation: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 1983 Licensure: K-12 Classroom and Instrumental Music Member: Minneapolis Pops Orchestra, Minnesota Brassworks Quintet
Performed with Iron Mountain Music Festival, Rochester Symphony Orchestra, Grand Teton Music Festival. American Wind Symphony Freelance Engagements: Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; Minnesota Orchestra Children’s Theater Company, Minnesota Opera Company, Guthrie Lab North Star Opera Company, Minnetonka Choral Society, Como Park Pops, Aurora Brass
Adjunct Faculty:-Instructor of Horn Northwestern College, St. Paul, Minnesota 1984-Present, University of Wisconsin, River Falls 1992-93
TRUMPET DEAN HELLER received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Trumpet Performance from the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam and his M.M. in Trumpet Performance from the University of Minnesota. He is principal trumpet of the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis as well as being a member of the Lyndale Brass. Mr. Heller has taught at St. Joseph's School of Music since 1994.
TROMBONE AND LOW BRASS BENJAMIN SKROCH Benjamin Skroch is a member of the Duluth Superior Symphony, a substitute for the Minnesota Orchestra, and an active free-lance musician in the twin cities. He holds a Master of Music in trombone from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Illinois. Currently, he is enrolled at the University of Minnesota completing an additional Master's degree in Music Theory. Benjamin is accomplished on tenor, bass and alto trombone as well as euphonium. He has extensive experience teaching and conducting. Previously he was the orchestra director at Osseo Senior High School, and also served as the music director for the Woodbury Youth Orchestra. He has worked throughout the twin cities with community bands, orchestras and musical theater as a conductor and trombonist.
CLARINET AND SAXOPHONE PAUL SCHIMMING Paul Schimming received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2008, studying with Burt Hara and John Anderson. He previously received a M.M. from Arizona State University and B.M. from Kansas State University. He is an active performer and teacher in the Twin Cities area, and has performed with groups such as the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Green Bay Symphony Orchestra, St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra, Eau Claire Chamber Symphony, Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra, and with members of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He has performed throughout the United States and Ireland in solo and chamber music concerts, and is a member of RenegadeEnsemble, a Twin Cities-based new music ensemble dedicated to promoting the works of living composers. Paul has previously taught at the University of North Dakota and the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and currently teaches at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN, at St. Joseph’s School of Music in St. Paul, and during the summer is a faculty member at the International Music Camp in North Dakota.
STRINGS
ZACH ARMSTRONG, violin, viola ZACH ARMSTRONG grew up in the La Crosse, Wisconsin area where he started violin at the age of 10. A graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, he studied violin with Peter McGuire and viola with Warren Friesen.He has performed at the Aspen Music Festival and Brevard Music Center. Zach completed his Master of Music degree at the University of Minnesota , and has been freelancing and teaching around the region since then. He is currently a violist in the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, and is the principal second violinist of the Buffalo Community Orchestra.
EWA BUJAK, Violin, Viola Born in Krakow, Poland, Ewa began playing the violin at age seven, continuing a long family tradition and surrounded by centuries-old European culture. She received her Master’s Degree, magna cum laude, from Wyzsza Szkola Muzyczna in Warsaw. Following a 2-year engagement with the Orchestra of the Lyric Opera of Warsaw, she joined the Veracruz Symphony and later Mexico City Philharmonic.In Mexico City, Ewa was also engaged as a soloist with Sinfonia Varsovia. Ewa later joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute Orchestra where she enjoyed working with such conductors as Michael Tilson–Thomas, Kurt Masur, Klaus Tennstedt, and Leonard Bernstein. Her musical journeys also took her to Ann Arbor, where she studied with the legendary violinist Camilla Wicks, and finally to the Twin Cities, where she graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Master’s of Music Degree under the guidance of Roland Vamos, and where she has received extensive Suzuki Pedagogy Training. In the Twin Cities she has performed with Minnesota Opera, Vocal Essence and is an active freelance musician. Ewa is on the faculties of St. Joseph’s School of Music, the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music, Concordia University and the College of St. Catherine, where she is also the director of the String Chamber Orchestra. Ewa maintains a full teaching studio at St. Joseph’s School of Music, where she has taught for nineteen years.Her students have won school–wide competitions and have been members of MYS and GTCYS youth orchestras. Ewa’s hobby and other passion is playing and dancing the Argentinean Tango.
SHANE KIM, Violin Canadian-born violinist SHANE KIM has been freelancing in the Twin Cities since 2005, playing regularly with the Minnesota and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestras. From 2000 to 2006, Shane held the position of Principal Violinist of the IRIS Chamber Orchestra in Germantown, Tennessee; and was also a performer at the Taos Chamber Music Festival in New Mexico, Ravinia, the Encuentro de Musica y Academia en Santander (Spain) and the Aspen Music Festival, where he performed as concertmaster for two years as an Aspen Violin Fellowship winner.Shane has also made concertmaster appearances with the Tucson Symphony, Spoleto-Charleston Festival Orchestra, Domaine Forget Festival Orchestra and Colorado Springs Festival Orchestra.In the spring of 2003, Shane completed his M.M. and Artist Diploma at the Yale School of Music as a student of Peter Oundjian, Ani Kavafian and the Tokyo String Quartet.In 2000, Shane completed his undergraduate degree at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, as a student of noted pedagogue David Zafer.
MAUREEN NILSEN, Violin Violinist Maureen Nilsen is an active freelance musician in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Ms. Nilsen studied at the University of Minnesota and Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX for her Bachelors and Masters degrees, respectively. Her musical career has taken her to concert halls throughout the US, Europe and China. Ms. Nilsen has performed in symphony orchestras such as the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Abilene Philharmonic, and the South Arkansas Symphony. Since moving back to Minneapolis, she has been performing regularly with the South Dakota Symphony and the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra. She also has a passion for other musical styles such as jazz, big band, musicals, and popular music; and has performed as a background musician with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Amy Grant and Michael Bolton. Ms. Nilsen is a dedicated teacher and coach, and works closely with the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies in addition to teaching her private studio.
HEATHER OLIVIER, Violin, Chamber Strings Heather began playing violin at age 10 in the Moorhead, MN Public Schools. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education (summa cum laude) in 2004 from Concordia College in Moorhead. While earning a Master of Music degree in Music Education in 2006 from Michigan State University, Heather studied violin with I-Fu Wang, and completed music education research under thedirection of Dr. Judy Palac. Her graduate thesis is titled: The Relationship Between Singing Intonation and String Playing Intonation in Beginning Violin and Viola Students. Heather is interested in the benefits of incorporating singing into an instrumental classroom. Heather holds a K-12 Instrumental (Band/Orchestra) and Classroom Music teaching license and is a member of the American String Teachers Association, Minnesota String & Orchestra Teachers Association, and MENC: The National Association for Music Education. Heather has been a member of the St. Joseph’s School of Music faculty since 2007. She is currently the high school and middle school orchestra director for the Northfield Public Schools.
KIRSTI PETRABORG, Viola, Violin Kirsti is currently the principal violist of Exultate and co-principal violist of the University of Minnesota Symphony. She has also played professionally with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra and the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her interest in orchestral music, Kirsti is an avid chamber musician and has performed in many small ensembles including her string quartet, the Trillium String Quartet. She is pursuing her Doctoral Degree in Viola Performance at the University of Minnesota where she also earned her Master's Degree and her Bachelor of Music Degree. Kirsti is a student of Korey Konkol and has previously studied with Sabina Thatcher, Susan Janda and Dr. Andrea Een.
TERESA RICHARDSON, Cello, cello group Cellist Teresa Richardson is a freelance musician and cello instructor and resides in St. Paul. As a performer, she substitutes with the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, and Duluth Superior Symphony. Her solo appearances include concerto performances with the Century Chamber Orchestra and with the Metropolitan Symphony, of which she is principal cellist. Ms. Richardson is on faculty at St. Joseph's School of Music, Saint Paul Conservatory, and MacPhail Center for Music and was appointed to teach for a semester at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. Ms. Richardson earned M.M. and B.M. degrees in cello performance from Indiana University in Bloomington, where she graduated with high distinction. Her previous instructors include Emilio Colon, Helga Winold, Janos Starker, and Loran Stephenson. Ms. Richardson has performed in many orchestras, including the Minnesota Orchestra, Evansville Philharmonic, Owensboro Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, and Duluth Superior Symphony. She served as principal cellist of the National Orchestral Institute. In her spare time, she enjoys biking, cooking, and board games.
WILL RICHARDSON, Cello Will Richardson began his study of the cello in Rochester, Minnesota with Kristi Knecht.He later studied at Macphail Center for Music in Minneapolis with Brenda Villard and David Carter at Saint Olaf College. Will received a grant from the Schubert Club to study cello performance at Indiana University where he also received the Eva Heinitz Scholarship, Dean's Award, Merit Scholarship, and the Faculty Music Award.He completed his Bachelor of Music and Performer Diploma studying with Helga Winold and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi.Mr. Richardson has performed with the Duluth-Superior Symphony, Evansville Philharmonic, Marion Philharmonic, and the Richmond Symphony. He has attended the National Orchestral Institute in addition to the Indiana University Summer Music Festival. Mr. Richardson currently performs with the Metropolitan Symphony, teaches at Saint Joseph’s School of Music, and freelances in the Twin Cities. Aside from performance and teaching, he is interested in the history of the cello including its performers, instrument makers, and composers.He is currently studying Violin repair and construction in Red Wing, Minnesota.
YUKA ROTH, Violin, string groups Yuka Roth joined St. Joseph's School of Music in June 2007 as a Chamber Strings instructor. She has been teaching private and group lessons since 1995. In addition to her background in the Suzuki method, she also recognizes the importance of traditional pedagogical methods. A native of Japan, she began taking violin lessons at the age of five and continued studying throughout her childhood. She received a bachelor's degree from Nagoya College of Music, Nagoya, Japan, and a Master's degree from the University of Minnesota, where she studied performance and pedagogy under Sally O'Reilly . She is committed to training her students properly and aims to provide a rewarding experience that encourages life-long independent learning.
WEINI TEKESTE, Violin/Viola, string groups Multi-instrumentalist Weini Tekeste received her Bachelor of Music in violin from the University of Oklahoma under the instruction of Felicia Moye, Diane Pascal, Dr. Peter Rovit, and Dr. Matthew Dane on viola. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007 receiving the M.M. degree, studying under Jorja Fleezanis.During her recent visit to Eritrea, East Africa, Weini performed live at a concert commemorating the nation's independence, taught masterclasses, and was a featured solo artist on the TV program Mosaics. Weini began her violin training at age five under Beverly de la Bretonne with the Suzuki Program of Amarillo, Texas.By eight, she started piano lessons with Dr. James Rauscher, participating in various regional festivals and guilds with both instruments. In her late teens Weini studied with violinist Annie Chalex, formerly of the Harrington Quartet, acting as her assistant for a Pre-Twinkle violin Suzuki group class.After graduating from Amarillo High School, Weini started viola lessons with Joanna Mendoza and continued piano lessons at West Texas A&M University. Throughout her musical career, she has played with the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra, the Lawton Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra, in addition to the University of Oklahoma and University of Minnesota Symphonies. Beyond classical music, she has also performed with jazz and hip-hop artists in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. As a teacher, Weini has led violin studios in Dalhart, Texas and Norman, Oklahoma. In addition to her recent Master's Degree, Weini received her Suzuki training certificate from the University of Minnesota and is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
HONG WANG, Cello Dr. Wang earned his Cello Performance Diploma from Fujian Province Arts School, Graduation Diploma in Cello Performance from Shanghai Conservatory, Master of Music in Cello Performance fron the University of Kansas, and Doctor of Musical Arts in Cello Performance form the University of Minnesota. Recognized as an outstanding performer, recitalist, soloist, cello teacher and chanber music coach, he has performed extensively and presented master classes throughout the US and abroad. He was the assistant to Jeffrey Solow, president of the American Strings Teachers Association, during a performing and teaching tour in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China during the summer of 2007. As well as teaching at St. Joseph's, Hong teaches at Bethel University and Concordia University and has received prestigious awards both here and abroad.
CARA WILSON, violin, string groups Cara grew up in Albuquerque, NM, where she began her violin study at age five.She studied music education and violin with Charles Gray at St. Olaf College, where she was honored to serve as concert master and solo with the college orchestra.Cara studied with Sally O’Reilly at the University of Minnesota and is influenced by Ms. O’Reilly’s high standards and clear methodology.Cara began teaching at St. Joseph’s in 2000, taking a hiatus in 2006 to grow her family.She is happy to be back. Although she freelances in the Twin Cities, her primary interest is in teaching. She uses the Suzuki method with supplements from more traditional sources.Her goal is to make violin playing a life-long activity for her students and to instill in them a love of music and an appreciation of skill mastery.
GUITAR BEN ABRAHAMSON is an active composer and improviser who has performed extensively as a guitarist in Minnesota, New York, and Pennsylvania. In 2010 he served as guest artist with the Muhlenberg College Theatre & Dance Department, composing an original score for Federico García Lorca’s Blood Wedding in collaboration with renowned flamenco dancer La Conja. Ben studied flamenco guitar under Juan Ramón Caro at Taller de Músics School of Music in Barcelona and has shared the stage with such mentors as flamenco guitarists Pedro Cortés, Jr. and Michael Hauser, jazz educator Joan Griffith, and music iconoclast Gary Lee Joyner. Ben was named outstanding soloist at the 2006 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Jazz Festival and was a favorite at the Minnesota Guitar Society 2009 Flamenco Guitarathon. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Music from Macalester College.
BRAD HORRAS is a well-rounded classical musician who constantly strives to add to his skills and knowledge. An accomplished guitarist, he has appeared in master classes across the country and his local credits include studio work with the James Sewell Ballet and as a guest artist with Chamber Music Midwest in New Richmond, WI. Brad’s further experience includes arranging music for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, working for Minnesota Public Radio, and he enjoys maintaining an extensive record collection. Mr. Horras earned his Bachelor of Music at the University of Minnesota in his native Minneapolis, and his M.M. in guitar performance at Northwestern University in Chicago.
STEVE NEWBROUGH has performed across the country, on television, and on radio. An eclectic musician, he has payed the electric guitar with gospel choirs, abstract twentieth century music to accompany dance performances, and performed classical guitar music on the concert stage. While in North Carolina, Steve appeared with the Illuminations Series in Manteo, the 2003 NCSA Flute Tour, and as a guest soloist with the Wake Forest University Choir. Mr. Newbrough received his Bachelor of Music degree from the North Carolina School for the Arts and his M.M. in guitar performance from the University of Minnesota.
PERSUSSION PAUL HILL graduated from the University of MN - Twin Cities in 2000 with a Masters Degree in Percussion Performance, as a student of Fernando Meza. Since then he has become an active freelance percussionist and teacher in the Twin Cities, and Twin Ports areas. He is the former Principal Percussionist & Assistant Principal Timpanist of the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, as well as having played with the Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, WinnipegSymphony, and many local theaters including the Guthrie, Children's Theater, and Chanhassen Dinner Theater. Paul teaches at Gustavus Adolphus College and St. Joseph's School of Music, as well as privately. Paul has recorded with Michael Colgrass, and Gunther Schuller, and is currently starting up a custom drum, and mallet making business - PaulHillPercussion.com.
VOICE MADELINE CIESLAK Soprano Madeline Cieslak has performed across the country in opera and chamber music. She has performed with Bay Area Summer Opera Theater, The Minnesota Opera, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, American Repertory Theater, Opera for the Young, Dorian Opera Theater, and Opera in the Ozarks. She also performed as the featured soprano in Schoenberg's Second String Quartet at the San Fransico Conservatory of Music. Madeline earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Vocal Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Wellesley College. A native of St. Paul, she served on our faculty from 1999-2005, and now enjoys working with students of all ages in addition to serving as director of St. Joseph's School of Music.
LAURIE DEHMLOW Laurie has been teaching at St. Joseph's School of Music since 1989.She has a B.S. in Music Education grades K-12, a M.M. in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy, and many specialty classes in Early Childhood, Dalcroze Eurhythmics, and Kodaly Certification Level I. Laurie has performed in musical theater, dinner theatre, oratorio, chamber opera and recital in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.Here at St. Joseph's School of Music she teaches the FIRST STEPS program, voice classes for children and private voice for all ages. In addition to teaching here, Laurie teaches for Steppingstone Theatre, Children's Theatre, Blessed Trinity Catholic School and Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd.In her free time she and her husband enjoy ice dancing, horses and dogs.
SAHAR HASSAN Mezzo-Soprano Sahar Hassan is a gifted and exciting singer whose talents have taken her to various operatic stages, concert and recital venues. She has been heard throughout the New England area as well as the West Coast. Ms. Hassan had her operatic debut with Fresno Lyric Opera as Barbarina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and she has been a soloist with the Sixteen Singers, Spectrum Singers, the Andover Choral Society and in 1998 she founded the successful Ensemble Rossignol for soprano, clarinet/flute and piano. Ms. Hassan’s oratorio performances have included Mozart’s Requiem, Mass in G by Schubert, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. In addition, Ms. Hassan is a member of the Handel and Haydn Society vocal ensemble. Miss Hassan’s students have been accepted into the undergraduate and graduate programs at New England Conservatory, Boston University, Cleveland Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music, New York University, Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, Ithaca College and Smith College. In addition, several of them have spent summers with the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Others have participated in the summer apprentice opera programs in Santa Fe, Portland and Salzburg. Ms. Hassan earned her Master of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music, with additional studies at the Hochschule für Musik in München, Germany and the Conservatoire de Versailles in France. She has been a voice teacher at Wellesley College and Phillips Exeter Academy. In addition, she was most recently on faculty at Salve Regina University and the New England Conservatory Division of Preparatory and Continuing Education.
LINH KAUFFMAN Connecticut native Linh Kauffman has performed throughout the United States in oratorio, opera, new music, and theater. Recent appearances include The Governess (Turn of the Screw) and the Countess (Le nozze di Figaro) with the University of Minnesota Opera Theatre, the title role in Handel's Acis and Galatea with Berkeley Opera and Maria in West Side Story at Sierra Repertory Theatre. An active oratorio soloist, Ms. Kauffman has recently sung: The Bach St. Matthew Passion for the University of Minnesota Bach Festival; The Bach Magnificat, Haydn's Nelson Mass and Buxtehude's Membra Jesu nostri with the Bach Chamber Players of St. Paul; Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Ascension Oratorio and Cantata 197 with the Bach Society of Minnesota; Handel's Judas Maccabaeus, Vivaldi's Gloria and Orff's Carmina Burana with the California Chamber Symphony and San Francisco City Chorus. Ms. Kauffman gave a reading of Hector Armienta's new opera River of Women/Rio de Mujeres for San Francisco Opera's Opera Viva! residency program,and went on to create the role of Elisa in the world premiere. Other roles include Pamina and Papagena (Die Zauberfl'te), and Elvira (Italian Girl in Algiers) for companies such as West Bay Opera, Pocket Opera, and Bay Area Summer Opera Theatre.
Ms. Kauffman holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Maryland, and is a doctoral candidate and Berneking Scholar at the University of Minnesota studying with Lawrence Weller. She also holds the Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from the Schuessler Vocal Arts Center of the University of Minnesota. As the winner of the 2007 Voices of Vienna Vocal Prize Competition, she studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg in the summer of 2007. Learn more about Ms. Kauffman at linhkauffman.com
KRISTA PALMQUIST Soprano Krista Palmquist has been teaching at St. Joseph’s for 16 years. She also teaches voice lessons, Class Voice, and Choral and Vocal Pedagogy at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. She earned the Bachelor of Arts degree from Bethel College in Saint Paul, MN; the Master of Arts degree from Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI; and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota. As a professional choral singer she enjoyed a busy life of performing, touring and recording with the Dale Warland Singers up through the organization's final season in 2004. Through that group, she met, sang for and worked with many of the great choral composers of our day. She had the pleasure and honor of singing under major conductors, sing with world-class orchestras, and perform in some of our nation’s wonderful concert venues. She also sang on Warland’s Grammy-nominated recording of Dominick Argento's Walden Pond.
Currently, she is a very active performer of choral and solo singing in the Twin Cities. Besides being a section leader at St. John-the-Evangelist Church in St. Paul, she also sings with Philip Brunelle's VocalEssence Ensemble Singers. Dr. Palmquist also does radio work with VocalEssence through commercials and Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion. Although she enjoys performing, recording, and touring with choral ensembles, she finds the most happiness in the simple art song recital. Together with pianist Thomas Bartsch, she performs a few recitals per year of classic songs from all musical periods and a wide variety of languages. She is equally enthusiastic about preparing her voice students for their art song recitals, too. Krista lives in St. Paul with her husband and three children.
MUSIC THEORY, COMPOSITION and MUSIC HISTORY JENNIFER KENNARD An avid educator and performer, DR. JENNIFER KENNARD has developed a broad musical career that combines her interest in both performance and education. Dr. Kennard has performed with the Minnesota, Chautauqua, Grand Rapids, Lansing, and West Shore symphony orchestras. She has performed as a solo and chamber musician throughout the United States and in Australia and has worked with such reputable flutists as Paula Robison, Mathieu Dufour, Emmanuel Pahud, Walfrid Kujala, Jeffery Zook, and others. Dr. Kennard completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Flute Performance at Michigan State University in 2006, where she has served as a Teaching Assistant in inter-arts and humanities and was also a concerto soloist with the Michigan State University Philharmonic Orchestra. Ms. Kennard received her Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from Michigan State and her Bachelor of Music degree from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam in Education and Performance. Her teachers have included Richard Sherman, Ervin Monroe, Randy Bowman, and Kenneth Andrews. She has also served as the Assistant Principal Librarian of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
BENJAMIN SKROCH Benjamin Skroch is a member of the Duluth Superior Symphony, a substitute for the Minnesota Orchestra, and an active free-lance musician in the Twin Cities. He holds a Masters of Music in trombone from the University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Illinois. Currently, he is enrolled at the University of Minnesota completing an additional Master's degree in Music Theory. Benjamin is accomplished on tenor, bass and alto trombone as well as euphonium. He has extensive experience teaching and conducting. Previously he was the orchestra director at Osseo Senior High School, and also served as the music director for the Woodbury Youth Orchestra. He has worked throughout the Twin Cities with community bands, orchestras and musical theater as a conductor and trombonist.
PIANO RACHEL BITTNER moved back to her native St. Paul after attending school and teaching in Wisconsin for a number of years. Before joining the St. Joseph's faculty, Rachel had a full piano studio for four years at the Arboretum Music School in Waunakee, WI, and also taught at the Madison Conservatory for the Arts. Rachel earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Lawrence University and a Master of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a first place winner of the 2000 and 2002 WMTA Collegiate Competition and the 2000 and 2003 Bay View Music Festival Concerto Competition. Rachel is very active as a freelance pianist and accompanist and currently serves as a music leader at Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in Inver Grove Heights, as well as staff accompanist at St. Joseph's School of Music. Pianist SOPHIE CHRISTIAN was born in Indonesia and began piano studies at the age of four under the tutelage of her mother. She completed her Performance Diploma with High Distinction at Lembaga Musik Murni, and continued her advanced studies in the United States. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and her Master of Music degree and Performer’s Diploma from Indiana University, Bloomington.At Indiana, she also served as a faculty/instructor for the Young Pianist Program. Sophie is currently pursuing the D.M.A. at the University of Minnesota, studying with Lydia Artymiw.Awarded a teaching assistantship, she serves as Graduate Instructor for undergraduate-level class piano. In addition to her solo recitals, Sophie performed the Liszt Second Piano Concerto with the Indiana University Orchestra in Bloomington as winner of the Concerto Competition, and was also a prize winner and finalist at the University of Michigan Concerto Competition, Jakarta Piano Competition, and North Sumatra Piano Competition. Sophie has received scholarships to study and perform at the Piano Texas International Academy and Festival as well as the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Maine. Sophie is pleased to join the faculty of St. Joseph’s School of Music in Fall 2009.
CHRISTINE DAHL is an active Twin Cities teacher and pianist. A member of the piano faculty at Macalester College since 1976, she has appeared as soloist with Macalester Symphony and has performed Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the Macalester Festival Chorale. She has recorded piano music by Carleton Macy on the American Composers Forum INNOVA label and on a private label, and has appeared in recital in St. Paul and Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Dahl served as pianist and harpsichordist for the Sylmar Chamber Ensemble and was a founding member of the Symphony Chamber Players piano trio. She has appeared on the Schubert Club’s Courtroom Concert series, and her performances have been broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio’s “Saint Paul Sunday” and “Live from Landmark” programs. A Minneapolis native, Dahl holds degrees from Bowling Green State University, Oberlin Conservatory and Oberlin College. She has taught on the faculties of Gustavus Adolphus College, the California Music Center and Temple University in Philadelphia. From 1984 to 2010 she served as editor of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra’s program magazine. Dahl maintains a private piano studio and also teaches at St. Joseph’s School of Music and the St. Paul Jewish Community Center.
MARY DEVRIES graduated from Central College in Pella, Iowa with a Bachelor's degree in piano performance. Her graduate studies were with John Simms at the University of Iowa and with Heinrich Fleischer on organ at the University of Minnesota. Mary maintains a teaching studio in her home and has taught at St. Joseph's School of Music for twenty-five years. She was a member of the Kenwood Trio for twenty-five years and played the organ at Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church for thirty-five years.
Pianist MARY DUNCAN has a B.A. in piano from the U of M where she also earned her master's degree in Musicology. An accomplished organist, Mary currently serves as music director/organist at White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church. Mary has been on the faculties of Bethel College and Northwestern College where she taught piano, organ, music history, and accompanied the choir. She has appeared as soloist and accompanist at many venues in the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota, including the Macalester Festival Chorale, the Dale Warland Singers, World Voices, and Sommerfest. She is a longtime member of the Minnesota Music Teachers Association, and serves regularly as an adjudicator, committee member, and presenter. In June 2007 she was awarded the Volunteer of the Year for MMTA.
SARAH DYE, NCTM, is a nationally certified teacher of music. A classical and jazz pianist, she has enjoyed a varied career. She grew up in St. Paul, MN where she studied classical piano with Christine Dahl, and continued studies in jazz in Washington DC with Robert Sykes.Sarah received her B.A. in Anthropology from Grinnell College and spent seven years as an elementary school librarian and teacher before becoming a full-time pianist and piano teacher.She has performed as a free-lance artist in both the DC area and the Twin Cities. She employs a diverse literature to encourage and inspire her students.
SARAH KANG Sarah graduated from the University of Minnesota and Indiana University, Bloomington where she earned a Master of Music degree in piano performance.She has studied with Rebecca Shockley, Paul Shaw, Stephanie Wendt, and Shigeo Neriki and was the recipient of numerous scholarships including Indiana University’s Emma C. Klaus Award.In 2001 she received second prize in the Thursday Musical Young Artist Competition (St. Paul MN) and was a finalist in the Schubert Club Scholarship Competition (St. Paul MN).In 2004 she was chosen as a semi-finalist in the Beethoven International Sonata Competition.
Ms. Kang was adjunct piano instructor and staff accompanist at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago from 2004-2006 and Dickinson College in Harrisburg PA in 2007.She also participated in the annual NATS competition as an accompanist for the junior division and joined the Indiana University, Bloomington Summer Piano Academy faculty as a music/practice coach. Prior to coming to St. Joseph, Ms. Kang was on the faculty at the State Street Academy of Music (Harrisburg) where she taught piano and was accompanist for the women’s chorus.She was also accompanist with the Capital City Opera in Harrisburg for their 2006 performance of The Marriage of Figaro.
St. Paul native and St. Joseph’sSchool of Music alumnus TIMOTHY KRAACK earned his Bachelor of Music Degree from St. Olaf College in Piano Performance and his Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. His performance teachers include William Heiles, Christopher Atzinger, and St. Joseph’s teacher Mary DeVries. Pedagogy instructors and advisors have included composer Christos Tsitsaros and pedagogue Reid Alexander under whom Tim completed a research project titled “The Four Skills: Teaching Piano as a Foreign Language.” In addition to teaching private piano, Tim is a voice coach and accompanist at North St. Paul High School and is the Director of Music for children’s theater program Theater E3.
KRISTI KRUSE With a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree, KRISTI KRUSE divides her time between teaching and performing.As owner, manager, and musical director of Kristi Kruse Studios in Roseville, MN; a faculty music instructor at St. Joseph’s School of Music in St. Paul; and a former teaching assistant at the University of Minnesota’s School of Music, Kristi has worked with students of all ages and abilities.From the young pupil just learning to play, to the experienced pianist struggling with performance anxiety, Kristi’s calm sense of purpose and inspiring ability to motivate makes her one of the most in-demand teachers in the metro. In addition to running her own studio, teaching, publishing in national music journals, and self-producing recordings that include her own original compositions, Kristi still finds time for performing.Her vivid, unforgettable style makes her the “go-to” pianist for both solo performances and with groups and bands.Her start as a pianist for Dayton’s department stores launched her into a career at many up-scale local venues such as Maggiano’s Little Italy, Sophia’s, and the legendary jazz venue Rossi’s Blue Star Room.Her full calendar of events also includes touring, most recently with Five By Design and David Wells.She has also backed local celebrity impressionist Tom Hendricks, who says of her piano genius, “Kruse is one of a kind!She has an uncanny ability to copy a signature song style from Louis Armstrong to Billie Holiday, always inviting and cleverly delivered.She makes the song her own!”
EVELYN LEE Ms. Lee is a graduate of Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart and Yale University School of Music where she received scholarships to pursue a graduate degree in piano. In addition, she has attended summer workshops and/or summer classes at Catholic University, Indiana University and University of St. Thomas, as well as MMTA and MTNA conventions. Her graduate thesis on a piano pedagogy method which synthesizes and integrates various approaches to teaching reading, ear training, and piano skills, as well as her strong interest in injury-free playing, form the basis of her teaching from the very beginning student to the very advanced. Evelyn is an active and nationally certified member of Minnesota Music Teachers Association and is chair of the St. Paul chapter of the National Guild of Piano Teachers.
JOANNE MINNETTI received her B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees in piano performance from the University of Minnesota, and also received her Music Education License from the College of St. Catherine. Her collegiate teaching has included being on the faculties of Normandale Community College, the University of South Dakota (Vermilion) and Valdosta State University (Georgia), where she taught private piano, class piano, and was the faculty accompanist. Awarded the "Outstanding Young Suzuki Teacher of America" award, she has been on the teaching staffs at Suzuki Summer Institutes in the United tates and at "Suzuki Kingston" at Queens university in Kingston, Ontario. Receiving high critical acclaim, her accompanying and duo piano work has taken her across the United States, Canada and Europe. Joanne maintains a private teaching studio along with being an active member of the National Federation of Music Clubs and the Suzuki Association of the Americas. She appeared on the Twin Cities' KARE-11 Extra in 2003 with her student Alex Sweazy.
SUSAN SOPHOCLEUS brings many years of experience to her teaching. She taught private piano lessons for many years and oversaw the music program at City of Lakes Waldorf School where she taught choir. She serves as an accompanist for organizations around the Twin Cities. Susan has a BM in Piano Performance from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. She studied graduate level piano pedagogy at the University of Minnesota with Rebecca Shockley, has a Kodaly Masters Certificate from St. Thomas and a Masters in Business Administration from Indiana University. She recently completed Suzuki piano training (Book 1 with Caroline Fraser and Book 2 with Doris Koppelman).
KAY STUDER is devoted full-time to teaching Suzuki and traditional piano lessons at St. Joseph's School of Music, and has actively maintained a teaching studio for over twenty years. She received a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the University of Minnesota under Dr. Duncan McNab, completed post-graduate work at the University of St. Thomas, Suzuki training at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, and continued studies with Dr. Joseph Zins. In addition to her teaching, Kay was also employed in the music business industry for over fifteen years, where she developed broad expertise in print music editions and served as a direct link between the educational community, performers and the major publishing houses. Throughout this time she worked both to generate and participate in numerous workshops and clincs with sought-after teachers around the country. Kay is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, and is among the founding members of the National Music Certificate Program.
REBECCA THOENNES is an active piano instructor, soloist and collaborative pianist in the Twin Cities. She is currently on the faculties of St. Joseph's School of Muisc and the MacPhail Center, teaching both Suzuki and traditional lessons. Ms. Thoennes recieved her M.M. degree in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music at Northern Arizona University and her Bachelor of Music at the University of Minnesota, Morris, spending one summer at the Conservatorio de Tatui, in Tatui, Brazil. She currently serves as Vice President of the St. Paul Piano Teachers Association, and was a presenter at the 2008 MMTA convention giving a presentation on teaching reading through the Suzuki method. Rebecca enjoys an active performance and accompanying career in the Twin Cities, collaborating with vocalist and instrumentalists in many genres.
AUTUMN ZANDER earned her Master of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied with Catherine Kautsky. As a graduate student, she received the MTNA Student Achievement Recognition Award.She is also a graduate of Lawrence University where she received her Bachelors of Music degree under Kathy Murray. in 2007 she was the recipient of both the Minnesota Music Teachers Association (MMTA) Teacher Enrichment Grant and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Professional Development Grant.An involved member in the Minnesota Music Teacher’s Association, she is an active adjudicator, presently serves on the Theory Development Committee and has served as the State Honors Concert Chair. Ms. Zander is currently a faculty member at St. Joseph’s School of Music.Her students have won and participate in local and state competitions as well as in master classes.As a collaborative pianist, Ms. Zander can be heard performing as a freelance accompanist in the Twin Cities Metro and Mankato/St. Peter areas.