Berklee Today

Faculty Notes

 
  Associate Professor of Composition Beth Denisch and conductor Misha Rachlevsky after the Carnegie Hall premiere of her string orchestra piece Fire Mountain Intermezzo

Associate Professor of Percussion Tony "Thunder" Smith performed at the December 2006 world premiere of Lou Reed's 1973 song cycle Berlin at St. Ann's Warehouse in New York as well as in Sydney, Australia.

Associate Professor of Composition Beth Denisch attended the premiere of her string orchestra piece Fire Mountain Intermezzo at Carnegie Hall on November 20 in a performance by the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin. The piece was a finalist in the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin's International Blitz-Competition for Composers "Homage to Mozart."

Voice Instructor Jerome Kyles plays a lead role on the reality show Trial by Choir on the TLC network. Kyles was interviewed about the program on The Today Show in November.

Associate Professor of Percussion Mark Walker penned the tune "What about That?," which appears on the CD FunkTango by the Paquito D'Rivera Quintet. Walker also toured Europe with Oregon and recorded a CD titled A Thousand Kilometers. Visit www.walkermark.com.

Assistant Professors Rich Greenblatt (vibraphone) and John Funkhouser (bass) played on the new CD Spirits Passing Through by Steve Thomas and the Co-Conspirators.

Associate Professor of Composition Clyde Witmyer published two original classical guitar compositions, ZenScapes and Romanza Variations, as well as The Witmyer Anthology, a two-volume compilation of guitar works, on Clear Note Publications.

Voice Department Chair Jan Shapiro released a new CD of jazz standards, Back to Basics. Visit www.janshapiro.com.

Associate Professor of Harmony Wayne Naus performed the National Anthem and "God Bless America" on the trumpet on Veterans Day before a Boston Bruins hockey game at the Banknorth Garden.

Associate Professor of Strings John McGann released an instructional DVD titled Rhythm Mandolin: From Bluegrass to Celtic to Swing. Visit www.johnmcgann.com.

Associate Professor of Composition Apostolos Paraskevas released Night Wanderings, a CD featuring chamber and orchestral works written by Paraskevas, Associate Professor Alexandros Kalogeras, and Professor Vuk Kulenovic. Visit www.clearnote.net.

Associate Professor Prince Charles Alexander produced, recorded, and mixed the CD Introducing Gordon Chambers. Assistant Professor Ted Paduck and Professor Julius Williams were also involved in the production.

Professor of Music Production and Engineering Stephen Webber played guitar and turntables and served as the music director for the showcase "Milestones: A Celebration and Tribute to True Musical Innovation" at the Berklee Performance Center. Proceeds from the tribute to groundbreaking hip-hop artists went to scholarships for the Berklee City Music Program.

Assistant Professor of Guitar Sheryl Bailey released a CD titled Live @ the Fat Cat. She recently became an endorser for JazzKat amplifiers. Visit www.sherylbailey.com.

Percussion Professor Robert Kaufman performed and presented two clinics and master classes in S?o Paulo, Brazil.

Al Kooper and the Funky Faculty, featuring Berklee faculty members Bob Doezema (guitar), Jeff Stout (trumpet), Daryl Lowery (saxophone), Larry Finn (drums), and Jesse Williams (bass), performed with the Uptown Horns at a recent Bob Dylan tribute concert at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Piano Professor Laszlo Gardony released the CD Natural Instinct, which debuted at number seven on the JazzWeek College Jazz Radio chart. Eric Jackson's Eric in the Evening show on WGBH-FM presented a four-hour segment of Gardony's music. Visit www.lgjazz.com.

Associate Professor of Percussion Rod Morgenstein toured Europe playing drums with the rock band Winger during October. A five-week U.S. tour is scheduled for February and March. Morgenstein is currently mixing a studio album for his band Jazz Is Dead.

Percussion Instructor Sergio Bellotti has been hired by the Accademia di Musica Moderna in Italy to conduct master classes and teach weeklong intensive courses three times a year.

Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Jay Kennedy was a judge for the Bands of America Grand National Championships marching band competition in Indianapolis.

Composition Professor Marti Epstein attended the premiere of her brass quintet L'homme Armé by the Iowa Brass Quintet. Another of her works, American étude #3: Inside the Piano, was discussed in a recent issue of Clavier magazine.

Voice Professor Mili Bermejo released a new live CD, De Tierra, which was recorded at Scullers Jazz Club. Assistant Professor of Percussion Ernesto Diaz as well as Berklee alumni and students played on the recording.

The article "The Value of Music and the Trappings of the Marketplace, 1990-2005" by Professor of Music Business/Management Peter Alhadeff was published in the fall 2006 edition of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators' Association Journal. The article was also published in The Global Business & Economics Anthology.

Associate Professor of Guitar Jon Wheatley plays on the CD Guess Who's in Town? by the Daryl Sherman Trio. Wheatley also played on Star Dust and Beyond: A Tribute to Artie Shaw featuring Dick Johnson, faculty members Phil Person and Herb Pomeroy, and former faculty member Bob Freedman.

Assistant Professor David Thorne Scott presented a clinic titled "New Vocal Group Music from Old Sources" at the IAJE Annual International Conference in New York City.

 
Associate Professor Bruce Saunders  

Assistant Professor of Guitar Tomo Fujita released the CD Right Place, Right Time, which features Associate Professor of Percussion Kenwood Dennard.

Brass Instructor Robynn Amy and Professor Phil Wilson played on a CD with the student group Against the Grain that was reviewed in the International Trombone Association Journal.

Associate Professor of Guitar Bruce Saunders recorded the new CD 8 x 5 for Mel Bay Records. The disc features Adam Kolker (saxophones), Alan Ferber (trombone), Mark Ferber (drums), and Mike McGuirk (bass) backing Saunders on eight of his original compositions.