Berklee Today

Faculty Notes

 
Brass Department Chair Tom Plsek was invited by trombonist Abbie Conant to be a guest performer, composer, and teacher at the Staatliche Hockschule für Music in Trossingen, Germany. Plsek also composed a work in five-channel surround sound for the 151st Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America. The piece was recorded by five moving microphone stands.

MP&E Professor Stephen Webber designed and oversaw the installation of Steelgrass Ranch, a new professional recording studio in Kauai, Hawaii. He test-drove the new studio by recording tracks there for the Maeve Gilchrist Trio's debut CD, Reaching Me. Webber also recorded the scratch DJ tracks for the Acid Jazz and Hip Hop City sample libraries from Big Fish Audio.

Associate Professor of Guitar Julien Kasper performed and gave clinics at the International Guitar Festival in London and released the CD The New Imperial on Nugene Records. Visit www.julienkasper.com.

Faculty keyboardist T. Lavitz recorded the CD Boston T Party featuring Dennis Chambers, faculty guitarist Dave Fiuczynski, and bassist Jeff Berlin '74. Lavitz is also recording an instructional CD-ROM for Thames Thompson Publishing and writing a jazz-rock keyboard book for Hal Leonard Publishing.

Vibraphonist and Professor Ed Saindon performed and gave clinics in Tokyo and at the Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance in Berkeley, California. He also presented a clinic at the Percussive Arts Society Day of Percussion in Arizona.

Professor and flutist Wendy Rolfe played J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and with the Handel and Haydn Society at Boston's Symphony Hall. Rolfe recently performed and taught a master class at the XVI International Flute Festival in Quito, Ecuador.

Al Kooper and the Funky Faculty featuring Berklee members Bob Doezema (guitar), Jeff Stout (trumpet), Daryl Lowery (saxophone), Larry Finn (drums), and Jesse Williams (bass) completed a tour that included festival dates in Italy, Norway, Denmark, Sardinia, and California.

Associate Professor of Harmony Kristine Adams performed with vocalist Carolyn Leonhart at the Cornelia Street Café in New York City and completed a workshop at the Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah University.

Associate Professor of Guitar Craig Hlady traveled to New Zealand where he performed and conducted jazz improvisation clinics at the Whitireia Community Polytechic and New Zealand School of Music.

Associate Professor of Percussion Jamey Haddad performed with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and alumnus Michael Ward Bergman at the Tanglewood Festival, in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Professor of Voice Mili Bermejo completed a residency at Roxbury Community College as part of Celebración 2006, a series of events to showcase unique aspects of Hispanic language, arts, and culture.

Drum instructor Sergio Bellotti performed and taught master classes at Accademia Musica Moderna 2006 in Italy.

Professor of Composition Marti Epstein launched a new website at www.martiepstein.com.

Piano Professor Laszlo Gardony's CD Natural Instinct reached number 25 on the JazzWeek national radio play chart. Gardony also headlined the Bar Harbor Jazz Festival in Maine and played at the W.C. Handy Music Festival in Alabama.

Associate Professor of Strings John McGann performed at the National Folk Festival with Boston Edge, a group that includes National Heritage Fellowship award-winner Joe Derrane (accordion) and All-Ireland Champion fiddler Seamus Connolly. McGann is making two instructional DVDs to be released later this year.

Music Business/Management Department Assistant Chair John Kellogg was awarded a research grant by the Music & Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA) for his proposal "Freeing the Music: An Examination of Proposed Methods of Streamlining the Process of Licensing of Music for Sale on the Internet."

Assistant Professor of Ensemble Fernando Brandao released the instructional book Brazilian and Afro-Cuban Jazz Conception, published by Advance Music. He also launched his new website, www.fernandobrandao.com.

Bass Instructor Esperanza Spalding released her debut CD Junjo on Ayva Music. The album features assistant professor and drummer Francisco Mela and alumnus Aru?n Ortiz.

Brass Professor Phil Wilson released a new CD titled, Phil Wilson's Panamerican All-Stars Celebrate the Music of Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim. Featured on the CD are fellow faculty members Larry Baione (guitar), Mark Walker (drums), Matt Marvuglio (bass flute), and Oscar Stagnaro (bass), as well as pianist Dario Eskenazi '88.

Associate Professor of General Education Fred Bouchard penned a script for the nature video Looking Skyward: A Passion for Hawk Watching. It was named Best Cape Cod Entry at the 2006 Woods Hole Film Festival.

Professor of Composition Julius Williams released an orchestral CD, Midnight Tolls, which features his own music and that of associate professors Armand Qualliotine and Thomas Hojnacki.

Assistant Professor of Guitar Tomo Fujita produced and played on instructional DVDs for Rittor Music with faculty members Larry Finn and Anthony Vitti. Fujita's music will be spotlighted on the upcoming Takanori Niida CD Life in the Big City.

Fire Mountain Intermezzo, a work by Associate Professor of Composition Beth Denisch, will be performed by the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on November 20.

The a cappella quintet Vox One, featuring Berklee faculty Paul Pampinella, Paul Stiller, Jodi Jenkins, and Yumiko Matsuoka toured Japan and were invited to sing in a Japanese TV commercial.

An article and lesson by Associate Professor of Guitar Jane Miller will appear in the November issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.

Professor of Guitar Jack Pezanelli released a new CD titled Songs and Dedications. Visit www.jackpezanelli.com.

Assistant Professor of Guitar Ben Sher performed with the production Herakles via Phaedra at the La Mama Experimental Club in New York City. His composition Danse de Sol was premiered by the Staten Island Ballet at the International Choreographer's Festival.