Faculty
Robert
Behrman
Joelle
Bouchard How many
hidden musicians are there on Nantucket who studied music as children, in
high school, or even in college, but then dropped it from their schedules?
Clarinetist Joelle Hess Bouchard was one such "past-lifer" who
not only drew music back into her life, but also found that she could yet
fulfill her college plan of teaching music, despite having moved in a
different career direction. At school in East Aurora, NY, Joelle wanted to
play the flute because, she admits, she wanted to be with her friends in
the band. "Too many flutes!" said the conductor, prompting Joelle
to take up the clarinet. She felt an instant affinity for the instrument
that led her to try it out before her first lesson (something she does not
advocate with her students today, since her instructor had to replace her
reed before they could begin). By high school, most of her friends had
dropped music, but Joelle was truly hooked and, by her sophomore year, was
first clarinet in New York's All-State Band. At SUNY's Potsdam College,
Joelle double-majored in music performance and music education at the Crane
School of Music. There she studied under Dr. Allan Woy, who had earlier
taught Rocco Amuso, the high school conductor who had introduced Joelle to
the clarinet! Joelle's moment of Nantucket Fate came when she took a summer
job working with Lucille Jordan at the Maury People. Annual summer returns
led to her permanent move to the island in 1994 to work with Lucille Jordan
Associates as a real estate broker, a position she still holds. Music
gradually fell by the wayside, following a couple of years in the
mid-nineties in the NCMC Concert Band. In 2002 Gerry Mack approached Jordan
Real Estate to list his home for summer rental. Assigned to photograph the
house for the listing, Joelle noticed the plethora of music in the house. A
conversation with Gerry resulted in his finding in Joelle just the person
NCMC desperately needed -a clarinet teacher for several interested island
children. With a little Mack magic persuasion (and a little time to dust
off her clarinet) Joelle started with her first student 3 years ago. She
now instructs teens in grades 6th – 9th, supplementing her own
practice with performances on the alto sax in the NCMC Jazz Band and on her
first-love, the clarinet. Joelle enjoys the interaction with her students
and finding ways to motivate them to do better. The most difficult thing,
she has found, is helping the kids juggle their copious activities so that
music, often the first thing to go, doesn't have to. She looks to find in
her students that special connection with music. Some kids don’t
excel at everything, she says, and
to help them discover and area in which they can excel is very rewarding.
Andy
Bullington Andy
Bullington, guitar is an alumni of the Berklee College of Music and has
been a composer, guitarist and teacher for over twenty-five years. In 1998,
he composed and performed the score for the first full performance ever of
Percy Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound at the University of Texas. From 1983-2001,
he spent his winters in Austin, Texas performing, composing and teaching
music. In the 1997 Clarksville Jazz Festival, his trio performing his
original compositions won Best New Group. Andy is a founding member of The
Atlantics and works extensively with cellist and vocalist, Mollie Glazer.
He also performs solo. A year-round Nantucket resident, Andy lives with his
wife, photographer Cary Hazlegrove and daughter, Virginia Page.
Carolyn
Butler For the past
38 years, Carolyn has exhibited her love of music through her piano. After
raising her 5 children, she began to teach piano, offering private lessons
to children and adults in her home. For over 10 years, she has been
involved in small ensembles in churches off-island and on. Like all great
musicians, she considers herself a life-long learner and developer of her
craft. She first discovered NCMC/Nantucket School of Music 3 years ago
through a desire to hone her musical skills. Her involvement now continues
as she joins the teaching staff of NCMC/Nantucket School of Music, desiring
to transfer that same life-long love of music to others.
Laura
Gallagher Byrne Laura
Gallagher Byrne earned a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theater from
Shenandoah Conservatory of Music. She has worked as a performer at venues
across the country including Mill Mountain Playhouse, Dorset Theater
Festival and Troika Tours. She directed Nantucket Theater Workshop's
productions of Oliver!, I Hate Hamlet, and the Youth Theater productions of
Really Rosie and Don't Count Your Chickens until they Cry Wolf. She had
performed on stage in the Theatre Workshop Productions of Little Shop Of
Horrors and I do, I do and has appeared as soloist with The Nantucket Jazz
Band. Formerly the Nantucket Middle School Chorus and Drama teacher, Laura
now teaches voice and musical theater for NCMC. Laura is a member of NATS,
the National Association of Teachers Singing, and is a member of Alpha Si
Omega, the dramatic Fraternity.
Cherie Cseley Cherie Cseley is in her fourth year of
teaching private violin and ensembles for NCMC/Nantucket Music School.
Before living on Nantucket, Cherie was the director of orchestras for the
Marblehead Public Schools in Marblehead, MA. Also, she was the director of
the “Saturday morning orchestra program” in Belmont, MA. As a member of the
Music Educators National Conference, Cherie served as the assistant manager
for the All-State Orchestra in 2002, and as manager in 2003. While living
in the Boston area, Cherie played with Symphony by the Sea, and the Melrose
Symphony Orchestra as directed by Jonathan McPhee and Yoichi Udagawa. She
also served on the board of directors for Melrose Symphony Orchestra as
player representative. Cherie actively freelanced with several Boston based
orchestras as well as theater, opera , and studio recording. Cherie received
her degrees of Bachelor’s in Music Education and Bachelor’s in
Music with emphasis in Violin Performance from The Florida State
University, Tallahassee, FL in April of 1995, and Master’s in Music
Education and Master’s in Music with emphasis in Violin Performance
from The Boston Conservatory, Boston, MA in June of 1997. Cherie is
enjoying the good life on Nantucket with her husband Steve and her two
little boys Lukash and Garryn.
Barbara
Elder Barbara Elder
is a music educator with over twenty years of experience in Massachusetts
public schools. She lives on Nantucket Island where she is music
coordinator for the Nantucket Public Schools and teaches for Virtual High
School. Choral conducting, teaching music, directing musicals and
composition are her passions. She conducts the Nantucket High School Chorus
and Honors Chorus. The groups have performed on concert tours to NYC and
Europe over the past ten years. For twenty five years, Ms. Elder has also
conducted the Nantucket Community Music Center Chorus, a seasoned adult
chorus of thirty members. Supporting composers of new choral music, Elder
has commissioned two composers to write a masterworks for the Nantucket
High School Chorus. NYC-based composer Matthew Harris composed
"Innocence and Experience," an a cappella setting of three poems
by William Blake. Nantucket-based composer Mollie Glazer composed
"Beyond Measure," a choral setting of a text by for string
quartet and chorus. Barbara Elder has composed for chorus and written four
musicals. Barbara Elder received her Masters in Education from Cambridge
College and completed her undergraduate degree in music education from the
University of Rhode Island where she studied choral conducting with Ward
Abrusamra and piano with Henry Fuchs. Her mentors and inspirational guides
in music education include Dr. Gerry Mack, Dr. Tinka Knopf, David Bacon and
Dr. Geoffrey Gibbs.
Greta Feeney
Armen Ghazaryan Armen Ghazaryan was born in
Yerevan,Armenia. He received his PhD from Komitas State Conservatoire. He
studied with U.S.S.R honored teacher Karp Dombaev and People’s Artist of
Armenia, V. Khachaturian. He also took special violin classes at Moscow
Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Mr. Ghazaryan has been the Concertmaster of
Yerevan Opera Symphony Orchestra (2002-2004). 2005-present Mr. Ghazaryan
plays with Miami Symphony Orchestra, 2005-2006 was the Concertmaster of
Miami Lyric Opera Symphony. He captured two prizes at International Violin
Competitions in Belgium and Armenia. Mr. Ghazaryan has performed as a
soloist in Eastern Europe and in United States (over 20 solo programs).Armen
Ghazaryan was born in Yerevan,Armenia.
Mollie
Glazer Mollie
Glazer studied cello and viola da gamba at New England Conservatory and The
Royal Conservatory of The Netherlands. She performed as a soloist at the
Bethlehem and Rochester Bach Festivals. She has also performed throughout
the United States and Europe and recorded for five record labels. A
composer as well, Mollie has written scores for the Pennsylvania Ballet,
the National Dance Company of Wales and the Emmy award winning film for PBS
called “If the Walls Could Talk.” She was also the composer of Nantucket’s
musical “Faraway Land.” Mollie lives in Nantucket with her husband and son.
She teaches at Nantucket Lighthouse School, Nantucket New School, Nantucket
Community Music Center, as well as a music class for the children’s library
at Nantucket Atheneum. She also plays and sings jazz with guitarist, Andy
Bullington. A CD of music favorites of Mollie and harpist, Mary Keller will
be available in the Spring of 2007.
Marcia
Hempel Marcia
Hempel moved to Nantucket in 1984 from Providence RI. She was trained as an
organist at New England Conservatory and is certified to teach Level 1
Dalcroze Eurythmics by Longy School of Music. She is currently Music
Director and Organist at the Unitarian Church, where she also runs the
Noonday Concert Series and directs the chidren's and youth choirs. She has
been teaching piano for NCMC since about 1987, and accompanies the NCMC
Chorus. She has two chorus classes at the Nantucket Lighthouse School,
directs the Women's Chorus of Nantucket, and teaches singing games classes
and preschool music classes. She also accompanies the High School and
Middle School choruses, and accompanies the Cape and Islands High School
Music Festival. She lives in Dennis on the Cape with her husband on her
days off!
Matt Hutchinson
Tinka Knopf
Martha
Neuhauser-Grangrade
Todd Richard Todd the Rocket Richard is an
award-winning drummer, percussionist, DJ, producer, and educator living in
Portland, ME and Nantucket, MA. He is an internationally touring performer
who also keeps a full slate of studio engagements. He performs regularly
with Miss Fairchild (MTV "Real World: Hollywood,") the Sumner
McKane Group (NPR "Echoes") and is the resident percussionist for
the Milled Pavement/brick.city.media Label Family. He is a Private Instructor
and Hip Hop Program Administrator for the Maine Academy of Modern Music,
and a Private Instructor with the Nantucket Community Music
Center/Nantucket School of Music. the Rocket is also a co-founder of
wepushbuttons, an electronic music community organization, and a Trustee
for the Portland Music Foundation.
Melanie Richeson
Aiden Sherry
Tom Stoddard
Jason
Sullivan Jason
Sullivan has taught guitar for NCMC/Nantucket School of Music since 2004.
He is a Nantucket High School graduate and has worked on the island as a
landscaper for fourteen years. Jason is a member of Ecliff And The
Swingdogs and has played with other groups covering such genres as Jazz,
Folk, Rock, Blues and country music. During the winter of 1998, Jason moved
to Boston and worked with Dave Fabris, a Boston area guitar player,
studying Jazz. He also studied Jazz and ear training with Gil Aharon, a
piano player based in Charlsetown. After moving back to the island to
continue landscaping, Jason commuted to Boston every two weeks for one year
and accumulated tens of hours of ear training tapes. He uses some of the
concepts learned with Gil to help his students better understand what notes
sound like in addition to learning to play the guitar. The guitar is a
complex and extremely versatile and instrument and Jason really enjoys
learning from his students as well as being an educator.
Jonathan
Thayer Jonathan
Thayer, oboe The first time I passed out in the middle school bandroom
during a Bflat scale, I knew the oboe was for me. It's still a daily
physical challenge, but I can play things I never dreamed of playing before
I moved here 20 years ago. I started studying audio the same year with an
apprenticeship in a hi fi shop. After growing up in Oklahoma, I went to NYC
for school, graduated in Chinese and Govt from Columbia, went to work in recording
studios for 20 amazing years. After Vanguard Records closed their huge
multitrack studio and laid me off shortly before folding forever, I joined
my wife, Linda in Nantucket, where she had come for a summer job now thirty
years ago spring, because I loved the summer band on the pier and decided
it was time to dust off the neglected oboe. If I came here for anything, it
was to toot. Ann Maury led the founding of the Community Band in about 1989
under Don Soutar, and Kevin and Margorie later taught us to swing together.
A dozen of us have played together weekly for 18 years, from Holst,
Grainger, and Sousa, to Brubeck, Gershwin, and so on. In the spring of
2004, I had a personal musical revelation at a visit to Haydn’s tomb in
Eisenstadt with Barbara’s Elder’s choral students, and have determined to
spend the rest of my life professionallizing my lifelong devotion to
spreading the healing power of music.
Dottie
B. Thompson Dorothy B. Thompson, flute, clarinet and
saxophone teacher, received a B.S. in Elementary Education from the
University of Hartford as an English major with a music minor. She did
graduate studies at University of Hartford, Framingham State, Plymouth
State, Central Connecticut State and Cambridge College. She has taught band
and instrumental music in Nantucket Public Schools since 1987 and directs
NHS flute ensemble, NCMC Summer Band Camp and adult recorder ensembles. She
is a member of NCMC chorus, jazz band and woodwind quintet. Dottie serves
on NCMC/Nantucket School of Music Board of Trustees.
Erik
Wendelken Erik Wendelken began studying the Double
Bass at the age of 13 with the renowned Bass instructor Linda McKnight. He
continued his studies with Homer Mensch at Manhattan School of Music and
The Juilliard School. After several years of orchestral freelancing in New
Jersey and New York City, Mr. Wendelken relocated to Massachusetts with his
family where he began teaching music in the Nantucket Public School System.
Since moving to Massachusetts, Mr. Wendelken has been actively performing
and recording acoustic folk music with several groups including The Chili
Brothers, The Dave Poland Trio, The Shep Cats, The Chuck Colley Trio and
The Clancy’s. Mr. Wendelken has performed at several folk festivals
including The Kinsale Jazz Festival, The Newport Irish Festival and The
Thomas Point Bluegrass Festival.
Caleb Whelden Caleb Whelden is a native of Nantucket
and a graduate of Nantucket High School’s class of 1999. He studied
voice with Soprano Deborah Montgomery for four years at Ithaca College,
where he received a bachelor’s degree in vocal music education. Since
college, Caleb has spent six years as musical director of Nantucket’s
on-island a cappella group The Cobbletones, as well as performed with
Boston’s professional vocal rock bands Five O’Clock Shadow
(FOCS) and Slapdash Graduate. With these groups, he has opened for The
Counting Crows, been featured at the NFL Hall of Fame Halftime Show, and
been a finalist of NBC’s competition Star Tomorrow. Currently, both
FOCS and Slapdash Graduate spend much time travelling across the country to
high schools and colleges, teaching all-vocal music. Caleb writes and
arranges music, some of which can be heard on Boston’s radio station
WERS. In addition to performing, he has spent time conducting the NCMC
chorus and teaching private voice.
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