Alumnotes
Class of 1968
Roger Aldridge of Olney, MD, hosts a monthly one-hour program on Rich Pulin’s Internet radio show. Each episode has a theme that features a selection of Aldridge’s original music. Visit rogeraldridge.com.
Gary Lochheimer of Oxford, MS, is a retired New Jersey public school fine arts supervisor, who completed a five-year term as the president of the Patrons of Music, a fundraising organization at the University of Mississippi (“Ole Miss”). Under Lockheimer’s leadership, they raised more than $20,000.
Class of 1971
Saxophonist Greg Abate of Coventry, RI, released the CD Road to Forever, which features 10 Abate original compositions. Abate is backed by the Tim Ray Trio featuring associate professors Tim Ray (piano) and John Lockwood (bass), and professor Mark Walker (drums). Visit gregabate.com.
Class of 1972
Joseph Guida of Islandia, NY, has written children songs that have been sung throughout the United States. His most notable tracks are “Number Songs,” “Kindergarten Graduation,” and “Moving Up.” Visit singingschoolbusdriver.com.
Class of 1976
Trumpeter Steven Gluzband of Albertson, NY, has produced his second recording of original compositions with his band Hot House, entitled Hot House @ Street Level. Hear the music at hothouse.hearnow.com.
Class of 1977
Tony Corman of Berkeley, CA, and his 17-piece jazz orchestra, the Morchestra, performed concerts featuring jazz singers Jackie Ryan and Nicolas Bearde. Corman, the band’s arranger, is married to pianist Laura Klein ’77. Visit facebook.com/morchestra.
Saxophonist Harrison Goldberg of Gualala, CA, is celebrating a debut release from the fusion band Stardust Messenger, titled The Infinite Now. The music melds electronic, hip-hop, jazz, rock, and dub. It is available on iTunes. Visit harrisongoldbergarts.com.
Class of 1979
Guitarist Kevin Eubanks of Los Angeles, CA, released the album East West Time Line featuring Bill Pierce ’72, chair of Woodwinds (saxophone), Marvin “Smitty” Smith ’81 (drums), Jeff “Tain” Watts ’81 (drums). Also heard are trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist Dave Holland, and pianist Orrin Evans. In April, Eubanks completed tour dates in New York and California to promote the album. Visit kevineubanks.com.
Class of 1981
Candace Avery of Nashville, TN, was a 2016 finalist for the International Songwriting Competition (ISC).
Kim MacRae of Winnipeg, Canada, is a “vocal protester” on bassist Steve Kirby’s Oceanic Jazz Orchestra CD, All Over the Map, which features alto saxophonist Jon Gordon, bassoonist Paul Hanson, and vibraphonist Warren Wolf ’01.
Saxophonist Scott Robinson of Teaneck, NJ, has released Luminations, an album of improvisations for bass saxophone and violin with violinist Asaka Kaneko. Visit sciensonic.net/Recordings_Detail.cfm?rid=10.
Class of 1983
Recording engineer Steve Thomas of Concord, MA, mixed the audio and soundtrack for the revised audio book edition of My Life with Chimpanzees, written and read by Dr. Jane Goodall. The project was produced by assistant professor Ruth Mendelson.
Class of 1984
Ray DiVirgilio of Newark, DE, works at St. John Middle School. The school’s advanced band earned superior ratings at the National Catholic Band Festival at Villanova University and performed at a Philadelphia Phillies game in April.
Class of 1986
James Callahan of Hillsborough, NJ, is a fine art and commercial photographer. Visit https://www.jamestcallahanphotographer.com/
Class of 1986
Kevin Kastning of Groton, MA, released the album A Connection of Secrets, featuring his solo work on an array of unusual guitars. Visit kevinkastning.com.
Composer Joel Goodman of Topanga, CA, penned the scores for the documentaries Shadowman and Hell on Earth, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April. He also scored Obit, which received theatrical debuts in Los Angeles and New York.
Class of 1987
Wendy Little of Los Angeles, CA, is a musician as well as a painter and photographer specializing in gothic art. Visit wendylittleart.com.
Jonathan Smith of New York City is the music director, conductor, and keyboard player for the Broadway musical A Bronx Tale. The show features songs penned by Alan Menken.
Class of 1987
Rob De Luca of New York City is in his 10th year of playing bass for the legendary British rock band, UFO. De Luca performed on the band’s two most recent albums, and also plays with the Sebastian Bach Band. De Luca has built the world’s largest vintage bass website listing of 10,000 instruments, amplifiers, and more. Visit VintageBassWorld.
Guitarist Michael DiPippo of West Warwick, RI, has played with Tiny Tim, the Drifters, and the Coasters, and he wrote a music theory book. He also produced three solo albums, all titled Zephyrus, and is presently is producing a jazz-fusion album. Visit rhodeislandmusicproduction.com.
Class of 1988
Anthony Schultz of Westwood, MA, is the owner and operator of Big T Productions, a full service production company offering audio recording and music production services for a range of clients. Visit bigtproductions.com.
Guitarist Torben Waldorff of Malmö, Sweden, released his fifth album on ArtistShare, entitled Holiday on Fire. It features trumpeter Ingrid Jensen ’89, pianist Maggi Olin ’88, bassist Drew Gress, and drummer Johnathan Blake. Visit waldorff.com.
Class of 1989
Trumpeter and composer Ingrid Jensen of Ossining, NY, released the album Infinitude featuring her sister Christine Jensen (saxophone), Ben Monder (guitar), Fraser Hollins (bass), and Jon Wikan (drums). The disc features original jazz compositions by Ingrid and Christine. Visit ingridjensen.com.
Class of 1989
Ted Armstrong of Northborough, MA, will handle the keyboard chores on a tour with Billy Gilman, the runner-up on season 11 of The Voice. The tour will crisscross the United States.
Rob Disner of Atlanta, GA, is a production sound mixer and boom operator for feature films and TV shows. Disner’s recent projects include Baywatch, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and An Actor Prepares.
Class of 1990
Laura Siersema of Greenfield, MA, released a trio album with Billy Klock and Wim Auer titled Live at 1794 Meetinghouse. It’s available at CDBaby, for digital only. Visit laurasiersema.com.
Class of 1991
Drummer Bryan Cabrera of Aliso Viejo, CA, performed on the track the “Stand Out” on the album Bass Ball, Bunny Brunel & Friends. The piece was composed by bassist Armand Sabal-Lecco and features bassists Bunny Brunel and Stanley Clarke, and percussionist Monette Marino. Visit facebook.com/bryancabreratrio.
Class of 1991
Rob Macomber of Carmel, NY, received Grammy nominations for two albums he recorded and mixed. Last year, Macomber won a Latin Grammy for engineering Paquito D’Rivera’s Jazz Meets the Classics.
Damon Stout of Los Angeles, CA, and Brian Stout formed the band Celtic Pink Floyd and released their second album titled Live In Studio. The group is prepping for a tour this year. Visit celticpinkfloyd.com.
Class of 1992
Bassist Hans Glawischnig of New York City appears on the double album Weather or Not by Gerry Gibbs & Thrasher people. Pianist and composer Gibbs, drummer Alex Collins, and Glawischnig offer a new take on music by Weather Report on the first disc and jazz originals penned by Gibbs on the second.
Music editor Sly West of Los Angeles, CA, is working on his second season of the Emmy-Award-winning television show Shark Tank. He has also worked as a music editor on such shows as Orange Is the New Black, BoJack Horseman, and The Mindy Project. For more information, visit slywest.com.
Ivan Bodley of New York City, purchased his first apartment in Forest Hills. A working bassist, Bodley has played with Sam Moore, Darlene Love, Little Anthony, the Shirelles, and others, and in Broadway pit orchestras. Visit funkyboy.net.
Joe Bush of Southington, CT, received two 2017 NY Emmy nominations for his role as audio technician for the New York Yankees’ pre-game and post-game shows.
Class of 1994
Joe Freel of Nashville, TN, released his debut album titled All This Love. The album features jazz versions of pop and jazz standards, and one original song titled “Good Things.” Visit cdbaby.com/cd/joefreel.
Class of 1995
Alfred Hochstrasser of Cos Cob, CT, is the executive producer and owner of Music Beast, a music production company in Manhattan specializing in original music for advertising. He has worked with such artists as Britney Spears, Smokey Robinson, Cyndi Lauper, and others. Visit musicbeast.com.
Dave Pelman of Los Angeles, CA, composed the score for Clash-A-Rama!, an original series based on characters from Clash of Clans and Clash Royale. Clash-A-Rama streams on iTunes, Google Play, and Clash YouTube channels.
Class of 1996
Beto Hale of Woodland Hills, CA, is recording a new full-length album at his studio Los Olivos in Los Angeles. Brent Fischer and Pablo Munguía ’97 are coproducing it and Sal Ojeda ’09 is engineering. Visit facebook.com/losolivosrecordingstudios.
Class of 1996
Julián Graciano of Buenos Aires, Argentina, has released his new CD with his quartet, Graciano 4 Quarteto. It’s original compositions are based on contemporary tango, jazz, and classical music. Visit graciano4quarteto.com.
Sam Hicks of Richmond, VA, recently played shows in Boston, Orleans, San Diego, Tallahassee and Orlando.
Ryan Shore of Burbank, CA, scored the new children’s TV series Julie’s Greenroom, which premiered in March on Netflix. Guest stars include Carol Burnett, Alec Baldwin, Idina Menzel, Josh Groban, Sara Bareilles, Joshua Bell, and others. Visit ryanshore.com.
Gilson Schachnik of Brookline, MA, just released a two-part video lesson in Portuguese about applying the Barry Harris harmonic concept to Brazilian Music. Visit mymusicmasterclass.com.
Class of 1997
Samantha Skripko of Manasquan, NJ, is the proud mother of 13-year-old twins and a 10-year-old son that are involved with songwriting, performing, and music technology. Skripko is also teaching and performing music. Visit soundcloud.com/samanthakane.
Sean-David McGoran of Lacey, WA, received his doctorate from Gateway Seminary in December 2016. He is currently a faculty member at the Tuned in Academy. Visit thetunedinacademy.org.
Class of 1998
Alon Farber of Kfar Saba, Israel, won the 2016 Israeli Prime Minister Award for jazz composers. Farber and Dani Benedikt ’98 also released New Directions with their group the Hagiga Sextet. Visit hagiga.com.
Class of 1998
Michael Moutsopoulos of London, England, is composing in various styles, and currently has a contract with the London-based publishing company Mustard Music.
Class of 1999
Ajda Snyder of Somerville, MA, has been performing, writing, recording, and teaching voice in Boston. Visit ajdatheturkishqueen.com.
Class of 2001
Elan Trotman of Mattapan, MA, released his seventh album, Electro Sax, for Island Muzik Productions. Trotman’s Never Lose Your Drive Foundation was acknowledged by the Boston Celtics for its work in Trotman’s homeland, Barbados, before he performed the National Anthem for a January game. Visit elantrotman.com.
Dan Belleville of Midland, MI, composed music for season four of the art show Your Brush with Nature, which can be streamed on Netflix. Mike Burke ’93 mastered the theme music used at the beginning and end of each episode. Visit danbellevillemusic.com.
Class of 2002
Jon De Lucia of Brooklyn, NY, released his third album, As the River Sings, on the Fresh Sound New Talent label in January. The album features Greg Ruggiero, Chris Tordini, and Tommy Crane. For more information, visit jondelucia.com.
Class of 2002
Megumi Yonezawa of Bronx, NY, released the album A Result of the Colors. JazzTimes critic Travis Rodger Jr. chose the album to be the Jazz Owl’s Favorite Debut Album of 2016. Visit megumiyonezawa.com.
Class of 2003
Songwriter Tiff Jimber of Los Angeles, CA, released an EP titled Little Bird in April. As well, her voice is heard in the theme for a Panda Express commercial. Visit tiffjimber.com.
Class of 2004
Kristin Bidwell of Baltimore, MD, has opened Fluency 34, a high-end guitar and bass shop. The store hosts jams, clinics, and other events throughout the year. Visit fluency34.com.
Rebecca Nyerges of Rochester, NY, is working as a vocalist with the Soul’d Out Band and Innervisions Band.
Class of 2004
Guitarist and composer Andy Bianco of Brooklyn, NY, performed in Greece in June at the Athens Jazz Festival with the Nickel and Dime OPS, a nine-piece jazz hip-hop group. The group is recording a new album featuring one of Bianco’s original compositions. Visit andybiancomusic.com.
Christopher Oquist of New York, NY, a member of rock band RIBS (ribstheband.com), married Ksenia Berestovskaya last March. Oquist founded and manages the digital experience agency, Dialogue Theory, providing branded interaction design, growth hacking, web design, and content management, and more.
Violinist Lydia Veilleux of Ambler, PA, has been named as the director of the Willow Grove Branch of the historic Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. The school is one of the largest and oldest community schools in the country. Visit lydiaveilleux.com.
Class of 2005
Songwriter Eve Fleishman of San Francisco, CA, released her second solo album, Atmospheric Epic. The backing musicians include Nomad Ovunc ’04 and Keith Cochrane ’82.
Composer Andy Gabrys recently relocated to Summerland, British Columbia, Canada. He creates music for television and film and has 10 placements in TV, independent films, and commercials. Visit andygabrys.com.
Asuka Kakitani of Northfield, MN, received a commission from the 2016 Jerome Fund for New Music to compose a 45-minute solo suite for percussion featuring Minnesota-based percussionist Dave Hagedorn. Visit asukakakitani.com.
Khari Allen Lee of New Orleans, LA, has released his third album, A New Earth. He is also featured on Delfeayo Marsalis’s newest release, Make America Great Again and on Bobby Rush’s Grammy-nominated album Porcupine Meat. Lee appears on Dee Dee Bridgewater’s album Dee Dee’s Feathers and on the soundtrack for the movie The Comedian, scored by Terence Blanchard.
Maggie Martin of Los Angeles, CA, was named the vice president of film and television at Sony/ATV Music Publishing in Los Angeles. She was previously a senior director at EMI Music Publishing where she was responsible for securing placements in film, television, and trailers.
Class of 2006
Dallas Aimer of Salem, OR, became the musical director of the Salem Symphony in 2016, which he is building into a major orchestra. Violinist Joshua Bell performed with the orchestra in May. The outfit has an outreach to high-school and middle-school students to pursue music by offering scholarships, workshops, and educational programs. Visit salemsymphony.org.
Class of 2006
Recording artist and composer Jacquelyn Schreiber of Glendale, CA, released her debut EP, Beautiful Love, featuring her original pop-jazz songs. Visit jstunes.com.
Guitarist Aurélien Budynek of New York City completed a European tour with Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg, and shows in South America opening for Guns N’ Roses. Budynek is also an active sub for Broadway pit orchestras. Visit aurelienbudynek.com.
Class of 2007
Carley Martin of Overland Park, KS, and her husband, Mark Verbeck released their second roots-blues album, Little Tortuga. The album is receiving airplay on radio stations nationwide. Visit scotchhollowmusic.com.
Patrick Jonsson of London, England, composed the score for Netflix documentary The White Helmets, which was nominated in the Best Short Documentary (Short Subject) category at this year’s Academy Awards. Jonsson also scored the film Virunga, directed by Orlando von Einsiedel and executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions. Visit patrickjonsson.com.
Allison Moore of Rocky Hill, NJ, was promoted to vice president of marketing at Stache Media, the marketing arm of RED Distribution. Moore has been a part of the success of marketing campaigns for Mumford & Sons, Bonnie Raitt, Phoenix, Cage the Elephant, the Lone Bellow, Alabama Shakes, Lecrae, Ingrid Michaelson, Santana, and Daya. Visit stachemedia.com.
Paul Nowell of Pasadena, CA, known as Paul the Trombonist, has released his first studio album titled Journey to the World. It is available on all major streaming services and at paulthetrombonist.com/new-album-journey-to-the-world.
Class of 2008
Tatsuya Yoshinaga of Boston, MA, leads the band, the XTY Jazz Group. As a piano instructor, he received the Best of Brighton Award for two consecutive years. Visit tatsuyayoshinaga.com.
Class of 2009
Yunjae Lee of Seoul, South Korea, is a sound designer for Samsung Electronics and worked on the Galaxy S8. To learn more, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuce2moGNcA.
Tidtaya Sinutoke of Rego Park, NY, and her collaborator Ty Defoe have been selected as the recipients of the 2017 Jonathan Larson Grant. Visit tidtayasinutoke.com.
Class of 2010
Keith Asack of Stoughton, MA, has released Shuffle, his first album in a decade. He is the owner of Keep the Edge Studios in Quincy, MA, a facility offering audio and video recording that just celebrated its fifth anniversary.
Julien Baraness of London, England, is the cofounder of the public relations company Lost in the Manor, which also books live music events in venues all across London. Baraness was the in-house engineer for the venues the Finsbury from 2012–2015 and the Victoria from 2015–2017.
Derek Bomback of Torrance, CA, recently became the first guitarist named as a music director and music manager for Princess Cruises in the cruise line’s 52-year history.
Yasmin Tayeby of Williston, VT, opened Meadowlark Studios, near Burlington, VT, designed to offer artists scenic views and to house visiting musicians on the property. Grace Potter, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield (Ben & Jerry’s), the Dover Quartet, and Ellis Paul have been to the studio. Visit meadowlarkstudiosvt.com.
Shamou Shamou of Tehran, Iran, is the music director for dance at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Shamou was recently commissioned to create a score for Fadi Khoury, an Iraqi-born choreographer, artistic director and founder of FJK Dance Company.
Yui Yamamoto of North Hills, CA, released the CD Sensationally Sensational featuring nine of his original songs. Visit yuisensational.com.
Class of 2011
Danielle Deckard of Sidney, Australia released This Is How I Dance, her third EP and her first to include studio recordings of cover songs. Visit http://www.danilelledeckard.com.
Gizem Gokoglu of New York City received a 2017 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award for her composition “Garden Of Onur.” Visit gizemgokoglu.com.
Class of 2011
Zoe Hillengas of Philadelphia, PA, cowrote the single “Livewire” with Australian singer/songwriter Anikiko. The song was produced by Keath Lowry and is available on all download and streaming sites. Hillengas is a signed as a writer to Groove Control Productions. Visit gcdigi.com.
Singer/songwriter and jazz pianist, Aris Valeris of Chalkida Evia, Greece, released the first music video for his single “American Wonderland.” His debut album will be released later this year. Visit arisvaleris.com.
Raul Vargas of Victoria, Mexico, is a full-time educator giving drum clinics, master class in various cities, and working with national youth symphonic orchestras and national music programs. He is also a contributor for Digital Drummer magazine. Visit raulvargasdrumeducator.com.
Evan Wanserski of Monona, WI, formed Modus Novus Music Inc., a nonprofit corporation to provide educational and career-development resources to low-income composers in Wisconsin. Wanserski is also finishing recording his debut album, titled M0N0ph0b1@, for release next year on modusnovusmusic.com.
Class of 2012
Since January 2016, Marcus Thorne Bagala of Astoria, NY, has been contributing original music for NPR’s acclaimed radio show and podcast This American Life. Bagala was the sole composer on two episodes entitled “Are We There Yet?” and “You Don’t Have to Live Like a Refugee,” which focused on Greece’s refugee camps. Visit marcusbagala.com.
Class of 2012
Maria Kowalski of Nashville, TN, traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, with the U.S. Department of State for a tour.
Amy Mantis of Brighton, MA, and her band Space Between released their first EP, Where the Mountain Should Be, in March. It was recorded, mixed, and produced by Brian Packer ’09, with drums and percussion played by Nate Laguzza, and bass, organ, and piano by Adam Popick ’07. Visit spacebetweenmusic.com
Class of 2013
Pianist Yakir Arbib and drummer Roberto Giaquinto ’13, both of Rome, Italy, released the duo album titled Sketches on the Radio, a collection of live, spontaneous improvisations. The duo toured the East Coast of the United States in March. Arbib also appeared as the soloist in his own piano concerto with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and was the subject of a documentary that aired several times on Italian television. He also recently won the Montreux International Piano Solo Competition and has released his first solo piano recording.
Francisco Vielma of Boston, MA, released his debut album, Tendencias, with the Venezuelan Jazz Collective. Michael Rodriguez, Miguel Zenón, Angel Subero, Luis Perdomo, Cesar Orozco, Roberto Koch, Pablo Bencid, Manolo Mairena and Jeremy Bosch participated in the project. Follow Vielma on Twitter: @franvielmaperc.
Class of 2014
Sara Rachele of New York City released a new EP titled Change Your Mind in May on Angrygal Records. The songs were mixed by Kristofer Sampson. Visit sararachele.com.
Class of 2015
Mariko Horikawa of Los Angeles, CA, is working as a pianist, composer, arranger, and music copyist.
Class of 2016
Seokyung Choi of Brooklyn, NY, was selected as a finalist for her song “How” in the electronic category of the 2016 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, session one. Visit suzannechoimusic.com.