• "Alumni of Note" is a select list of those who have distinguished themselves in their career, providing a glimpse into where a Fredonia degree ultimately can lead.
• "Recent graduates" are alumni who have, in the past three years or so, entered the field or went on to graduate school. The list is intended only as a brief sampling, revised annually.
• The "Alumni News" page is a reprint of the information in our last alumni newsletter. You can also read past issues of Notes from Mason at www.fredonia.edu/music/news.
• "Send us your news" is an online tool for you to submit your latest information.
1950s
Richard Stephan, ’52, (music ed.) is still composing/arranging for orchestra and choir, fishing and keeping in touch with old friends.
1960s
Jacquelynn (Geiffert) Maye, ’69, (music ed.) recently performed “Mozart and Me,” a one-woman musical show she wrote.
1970s
Kathryn (Jarvis) White, ’70, (music ed.) is the music director for Batavia Players, Inc. Harvester 56 Theater since her retirement in 2011.
Paula Brinkman, ‘71, (music ed.) Retired from Niskayuna Central Schools, she has moved to Wallace, NC where she is conductor of the Wilmington (NC) Choral Society.
Gerald Grahame, ’72, (music ed.) retired from his position as Professor of Music at Broome Community College.
Joan Estrup Troyer, ’73, (music ed.) is a charter member of Indiana Opera North, South Bend, IN and has led the Elkhart County Symphony Chorus for five years and the Elkhart Alumni/Community Chorus from 2010- 2013. She has taught in the Concord Public Schools and at several area colleges and universities.
Nancy Schult Driver, ’74, (music-applied) was given the Austin District Music Teachers Association “Teacher of the Year” award for 2011-12.
Gary Keller, ’75, (music ed.) was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame. He is a nationally known saxophone player and a teacher at the University of Miami.
Robin (Mason) Horne, ’76, (music perf.) retired from 26 years as Principal Flute with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and 8 years with the Sinfonia Gulf Coast.
Daniel Bromsted, ’77, (music ed.) retired from teaching music in the Silver Creek Central School District and was honored to be invited to conduct the All-County choruses at the Chautauqua Institution in Spring 2014. Mr. Bromsted continues to be an active accompanist, guest conductor, and NYSSMA adjudicator.
Kathy (Kate) Caton, ’79, (music ed.) has been teaching music and theatre education for over 20 years. Now in Williamstown, MA, she is choral director for Mt. Greylock Regional High School and theatre instructor at Drury High School. She has implemented a preschool music program for Williams College, founded a choral festival, and authored a book on reflective practice entitled, “Da Capo from the Beginning.”
Howard Potter, ’79, (music perf.) is currently the Associate Dean for Community and Continuing Education at the Eastman School of Music and Director of the Eastman Community Music School.
1980s
Joseph Borrelli, ’81, (music ed.) has been teaching secondary vocal music for over 30 years. He currently teaches for the Greece Central School District at the Greece Odyssey Academy.
Sandra (Maile) Dudley, ’83, (music perf.) has been Assistant Professor of Commercial Voice at Belmont University since 1995 and Coordinator of Undergraduate and Graduate Commercial Voice Degrees. In 2014, she celebrated the release of a new jazz CD “All Of My Life” with pianist Lori Mechem.
Jay (Wieloszynski) Willis, ’84, (sound rec. tech./music perf.) has enjoyed an audio engineering career working with Pink Floyd, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder, Talking Heads, Tom Petty, The Eurythmics, Cyndi Lauper, George Benson, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and more. In 2014, he was awarded his third Emmy award. Willis performs with his band Rush Hour in the Buffalo area.
Michelle Lindsley, ’85, (music-applied) was awarded the Most Distinguished Teacher Award from Harvard University. She has worked as Director of Choral Activities and Vocal Performance at Farmingdale High School for the past 23 years.
Jeff Nelson, ’85, (music perf., sound rec. tech.) played on “Late Night with David Letterman,” with the CBS Orchestra for its annual Christmas show with Darlene Love. He finished the Broadway revival of Annie, in January, and started the new Broadway revival of Les Miserables, in February. He also recorded a new CD with Dave Liebman featuring the music of Wayne Shorter.
Mike Kaupa, ’86, (music-applied) is enjoying teaching Jazz Ensembles, Jazz Theory and Jazz History at The Harley School, Eastman Community Music School and The Institute for Creative Music in Rochester, NY. He was the interim instructor of Jazz Trumpet at the Eastman School of Music for the spring semester, 2010. In March, 2014, he appeared with pianist Bill Dobbins at the “Remembering Marian McPartland” concert at The 92nd St. Y, New York City.
Michael Hake, ’87, (music theory) served as musical director at the 24th Annual Artie Awards at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY.
David Heid, ’87, (music-applied) is in demand in North Carolina as one of the top vocal accompanists, including playing for two Metropolitan Opera Young Artists during their NC appearance in the summer of 2014. Heid is on the music faculty at Duke University.
1990s
Kevin Kruger, ’94, ‘99, (BM, MM music ed.) taught General Music and Chorus in West Seneca Central Schools from 1994 to 2006, was Assistant Principal of Kenmore West High School from 2006 to 2010, and is currently Principal of Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Kenmore.
Marie (Koester) Persch, ’96, (elem. ed.) and Philip Aguglia, ’98, (music ed.) were two of five finalists for the fifth annual M&T Bank Touchdown for Teachers Program co- sponsored by the Buffalo Bills. Marie is a teacher at Brocton Central School and Philip teaches at Kenmore East.
Benjamin Berghorn, ’99, (music ed./music perf.) completed his D.M.A. studies at Michigan State University in December 2014.
2000s
Robert McIntyre, ’04, (music perf.) is a 2015 recipient of two Daytime Emmy Awards for Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness. Previous awards include a 2014 Daytime Emmy and three nominations for the Golden Reel Award (2015, 2014, 2013) in Sound Editing.
Maria Fasciano, ’05, (music perf.) recently completed San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Merola Opera Program where she covered Blanche DuBois in Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire and Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. She also performed Cio-Cio San Act II of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly in the Schwabacher Memorial Concert Series. She is also a three-time Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition regional finalist.
Raymond Chenez, ’06, (music perf.) won a George London Foundation award for professional classical singers.
Nicole (Nirchi) Mushalla, ’07, (music ed.) has completed her fifth year as elementary band director at Chenango Valley Central School District in Binghamton, NY. She is a member of Southern Tier Concert Band which was the featured ensemble at the 2014 New York State Band Directors Association Symposium in Syracuse, NY.
Andrew Martin Smith, ’07, (music comp.) earned a DMA from Bowling Green State University in 2014 in Contemporary Music with specializations in Music Composition and Cognition. He is the co-founder of ADJ•ective New Music, LLC, which strives to introduce contemporary music to new audiences.
Susan Weinman, ’07, (music perf.) took part in a short performance at the United Nations that was streamed worldwide, with multiple heads of state, ambassadors and dignitaries in attendance. It marked the opening of the UN General Assembly. The link to the performance is: http://webtv.un.org/.
Mitchell J. Greco, ’08, (music perf.) earned a Master of Music in Ethnomusicology from Kent State University and a Master of Music in Performance from Appalachian State University. He is currently a Doctoral Fellow at West Virginia University.
Alicia Louttit, ’08, ’11 (BM music ed., MM music. perf.) is currently the director of the Lake Shore Middle School Orchestras, which encompasses 120 students and three ensembles.
Steve Hoagland, ’09, (music-applied) traveled to San Diego, CA, to sing as a chorister for San Diego Opera’s 2014 spring season.
2010s
Jay Mobley, ’10, (music comp.) was music director and guitarist at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in July of 2013 with Liars & Believers (Cambridge, MA), an experimental theater company. Mobley returned as music director in May 2014 when the company became Artists in Residence at American Repertory Theater. He also served as musical consultant for OperaHub’s adaptation of Marschner’s Der Vampyr.
Sarah Ellis, ’11, (music ed.) received a Master of Music from Ithaca College in 2013. She currently teaches middle school music in the Bronx and performs on flute.
Cáitlín O’Reilly, ’10,’13, (BS, MM music therapy) earned her New York State license as a Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT).
Dennis Bergevin, ’12, (music ed.) serves as Assistant Director of Orchestras for Jenison Public Schools and is a section bass performer for the West Michigan Symphony. Additionally, he is a substitute bass for the Grand Rapids Symphony.
Kathy Haynes, ’12, (music ed.) is a graduate assistant for the Sandia Brass Quintet at the University of New Mexico, and is pursuing a M.M. in music performance for trumpet.
Kerry O’Mara, ’12, (music ed.) is a music teacher at School of the Arts in Rochester, NY and a graduate student at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY.
Torrell Moss, ’12, (music perf.) was selected as the next EQT Orchestra Training Program for African American Musicians Fellow by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to begin in September. He will spend two years studying with orchestra members to train and prepare for professional opportunities and auditions.
Stephanie Patterson, ’12, (music ed.) received an M.M. in Oboe Performance from Stony Brook in 2014. She now lives in Fort Wayne, IN, where she works as an oboe specialist at Fox Products. She is also the principal oboist of the Symphony of the Lakes in Warsaw, IN.
Greg Wakeman, ’12, (music ed.) was hired as a band teacher for grades five through 12 at Holyoke School District in Colorado.
David Chatterton, ’13, (music ed.) was hired as an instructor for Infinity Visual and Performing Arts.
Carl Lam, ’14, (music-applied) received his M.M. in Performance at the University at Buffalo.