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RiverArts Music Program
Faculty Biographies
Strings | Winds | Brass | Percussion | Guitar
Piano | Harp | Voice | Private & Group Lessons
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DOUG MAROUK-COE - program director, voice, piano. Doug Marouk-Coe brings extensive experience in music, art, administration and education to his post as director of the RiverArts Music Program. As artistic director of the Vermont Opera Theater, Doug conducted and directed numerous productions. He has worked in various capacities at the New York City Opera, and has directed operatic and other musical productions throughout New England. A professional music educator, he directed the Middle and High School Choruses in Hanover, New Hampshire, and has instructed piano and voice for many years. In addition to his musical activities, Doug also works as a fiber artist, and conducts weaving residencies in the New York City schools, teaches weaving in RiverArts SummerArts Workshop for Kids, and runs a small business, Skein of Light, from his home studio in Hastings-on-Hudson. His experience as an administrator also includes six years as the executive director of a nursing facility in Riverdale. This is Doug?s third year on the RiverArts Board of Directors. Web Site: www.SkeinofLight.com
Strings & Harp
RACHEL ALEXANDER - violin. Rachel Alexander is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Program, where she studied with Stanley Bednar. She received her post-secondary education at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, where she studied with Laurie Smukler and Calvin Wiersma. Rachel holds her master of arts degree in music education from Hunter College as well as her New York State certification in music education (K-12). Her professional career includes performances throughout the tri-state area as well as participation in the "Wall to Wall: Stravinsky" concert held at Symphony Space in New York City. Rachel has also performed in venues including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, the Pepsico Performing Arts Center and the Eastman School of Music.As a passionate and dedicated musician and educator, it is Rachel's objective to introduce students to a diverse selection of musical styles, instruments, theories and experiences in order to make music an accessible, meaningful and enjoyable medium.
LARISSA BLITZ - violin, viola. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia Larissa Blitz received her BA from St. Petersburg's Conservatory. While in Russia she worked in the Opera House of St. Petersburg and was an assistant to her violin professor as well as having a private teaching studio of her own. In 1987 Larissa Blitz received her Masters degree in violin performance from Manhattan School of Music where she studied with the renowned professors Rafael Bronstein and Arianna Brone. Since then Ms. Blitz has had an extensive performing and teaching career playing in orchestras such as Brooklyn Philharmonic, North Eastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Springfield Symphony, Stamford Symphony, Savannah Symphony, Berkshire Opera, Manchester Music Festival Chamber Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Chamber Orchestra and many others. She also has worked on Broadway and in the recording studio. From 1994 to 1996 she was concertmaster for a touring production of "Fiddler on the Roof" starring Theodore Bikel. As a teacher Ms. Blitz is enjoying a big private studio in New Jersey and since January 2001 teaches violin for the Spring Creek Youth Orchestra in Brooklyn, NY. She also has been a violin coach in a special school program in Long Island. In 2004 she joined the faculty of the River Arts Music Program, where she gives private lessons on violin and viola. In February 2005 Ms. Blitz joined the part-time faculty of Franklin Pierce University, teaching viola
BOB LAWRENCE - violin. Bob Lawrence has had a varied performing career, ranging from Karl Munchinger's Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra to the acclaimed Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls starring Nathan Lane and Faith Prince. Bob studied at Yale University and the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Bob is currently the director of programming as well as violinist for the All Seasons Chamber Players, concertmaster of the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, and associate concertmaster of the Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra. He has frequently served as concertmaster at the Lake George Opera Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY. Bob has also appeared at the Grand Teton, Colorado, and Spoleto Festivals. As a member of the Long Island Philharmonic, Bob has frequently performed with string quartets in educational outreach programs in elementary and secondary schools all over Long Island. He has taught with us since 2005.
SERGEY NAZAROV - violin, viola. Sergey Nazarov has performed in Europe, the Ukraine, the United States, Brazil and Canada. His active career includes performances at Carnegie Hall, Barge Music, Trinity Church Concert Series, Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, and Alice Tully Hall. Sergey has appeared as a soloist with Ocean City POPS, St.Thomas Orchestra, Brooklyn Neighborhood Orchestra, Albert Einstein College Symphony Orchestra, and Lyric Mountain Festival. A member of Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and concertmaster of St. Thomas Orchestra, Sergey also played with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Pennsylvania Ballet Company,Greenwich Symphony,Festival dei due Mondi, Italy, and Classical Winter in Jerusalem. Sergey has received intensive training as a soloist, orchestra and chamber musician. He received his bachelor of arts and master's degrees in violin performance from Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Albert Markov and Ariana Bronne. In addition to his active performing schedule, Sergey is on the faculty of several private music schools in the New York area.
MARY THOMBS - violin, voice. Mary Thombs received a bachelor of arts degree in violin and voice from Bowdoin College, did graduate work in musicology at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, and studied Suzuki pedagogy with some of New York's most respected teachers. After serving as director of children's music for 11 years, in 2006 she was appointed minister of music for Asbury United Methodist Church in Tuckahoe, where she directs two choirs, plays the organ, and appears regularly as a soprano soloist. She is head of the voice faculty at The Dwight Conservatory in NYC; Mary has also served on the faculties of the Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood, NJ and the JCC Thurnauer School of Music in Tenafly, NJ. She is a former concertmaster of both the Sarah Lawrence Community Orchestra and the Sound Shore Orchestra in Mamaroneck, is a former member of the first violin section of the Rockland Symphony, and has appeared with Musica Sacra in Carnegie Hall. Mary has been teaching violin and voice with RiverArts since 1996.
LAKSHMI THORNE - viola, violin. Lakshmi Thorne, founder of The Devonshire Players, currently performs with the Ridgefield Symphony, Westchester Chamber Orchestra, Norwalk Symphony, Greater Bridgeport Symphony and Hudson Valley Philharmonic. She holds a master of music degree in viola performance from the State University of New York at Purchase, and a bachelor of music degree from the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. Lakshmi maintains an active studio at the Riverside Music School in Greenwich, CT as well as through the RiverArts Music Program, and is a Suzuki registered teacher. She has performed with the Greenwich Symphony, New Britain Symphony, Garden State Philharmonic, Bristol Symphony, and the Camerata Ensemble and has received chamber coaching from the Emerson String Quartet, the Adaskin String Trio, and the Lions Gate Trio. Lakshmi has studied with Lawrence Dutton, Steve Larson, Ira Weller and Joey Corpus.
ELIZABETH ANDERSON - cello. Elizabeth Anderson is currently performing with the New York City Opera and as cellist of the Carolina Piano Trio and the Hikari Trio. Formerly cellist of the Naumburg Award winning Meliora Quartet, she was also Associate Professor of Cello at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Elizabeth is dedicated to teaching cello and sharing her love of chamber music with students of all ages and has been a guest artist/teacher at Kent Music at Colgate. During the 2011-2012 season she was a guest performer at Monadnock Music in New Hampshire, and at Maine Mountain Chamber Music, and will perform with the Magdalene Ensemble in North Carolina. She has recorded for Nonesuch, Telarc and RCA, and is also a performer of North Indian classical music both as a cellist and vocalist. Her newest CD, "Latifa Noor" includes improvisations on Indian Raga for cello and voice.
TERESA KUBIAK - cello. Teresa Kubiak, an active soloist and chamber musician, is Principal Cellist of The Orchestra of The Bronx and Operatic Concert Artists Orchestra. She has performed with many orchestras, instrumental and vocal ensembles in the New York City region including The New York City Ballet, The Bronx Opera Company, New Music New York and New Rochelle Opera. Teresa received her bachelor's degree at Ithaca College, where she enrolled as a classical guitarist and graduated as a cellist. She is still active as a guitarist and recently performed on stage in the Bronx Opera Company's production of Don Pasquale. Upon moving to New York City in 1984, she studied the cello with many notable teachers including Frederick Zlotkin, Fritz Magg, Robert Gardner and Timothy Eddy. Teresa studied Suzuki instruction at The School for Strings, The Hartt College of Music and Ithaca College. She has headed the Suzuki cello departments at The Hudson River Music School in Dobbs Ferry and the Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, CT. Teresa is a guest faculty member with the London Suzuki Group at the Bryanston Summer Festival in Dorset, England. She has been teaching in the RiverArts Music Program since 1999. Website: www.teresacello.com
STEPHEN TJADEN - cello. Stephen Tjaden began the Suzuki Cello program as a small child. He studied Suzuki Cello with Tanya Carey through middle school and high school. During the summers he attended first the American Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, then the Interlochen Summer Arts Program in Michigan. Stephen has a BA in cello performance from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music where he studied with Andor Toth, Jr and Richard Kapuscinski. He has been involved in the music recording industry for more than 20 years as chief engineer and owner of several different recording studios. Stephen currently performs with the local band, Greetings From Anywhere, and enjoys his role as an actively participating parent in the Suzuki Cello instruction of his 2 young daughters.
GEOFF MORROW - double bass, electric bass. ?(Please see listing under guitar, below.)
MARGARET SNEDDON - harp. Margaret Sneddon studied harp with Ruth Negri Armato of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.She is a performing artist, a certified music practitioner through the Music for Healing and Transition Program, and teacher of harp. In addition to a busy schedule of weddings and special events, Margaret worked for a time as on-board harp soloist for Radisson Seven Seas and Celebrity Cruise Lines, and as a featured guest artist on the American Queen. Margaret was trained in the Grandjany or "French" method. However, she can also give guidance in the Salzedo method, and prides herself in tailoring her instruction to the individual student, working with their personal strengths and gently focusing on areas needing special attention. She also makes a point of working on ensemble playing and helping students overcome performance anxiety. Website: www.margaretsneddon.com
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Winds & Brass
BILL SNEDDON - saxophone, clarinet, flute, oboe. Bill Sneddon holds a bachelor of music education degree from Eastern Michigan University and a master's degree in woodwind performance from the University of Michigan. He teaches students of all age levels. Bill was a professor of oboe/saxophone at Western Kentucky University, and is currently the assistant band directer at the Ethical Culture Fieldston Middle School in Riverdale. Bill plays regularly in a number of shows on Broadway, in several freelance orchestras, and has recorded soundtracks for major film and television productions. Website: www.williamsneddon.webs.com
JANET GRICE - bassoon. Dr. Janet Grice, bassoonist, performed internationally with Karl Berger, Butch Morris, the STX Ensemble Xenakis, the Mingus Orchestra, and her groups. She plays in the Chappaqua Orchestra, freelances, and leads Vento Trio, a group that performs chamber music of the Americas. Her recordings include Music Minus One, 4 CDs of Brazilian jazz and chamber music; and she has played on CDs by Eve Beglarian, Leroy Jenkins, John Lurie and Bernie Worell, among others.She was the recipient of a Surdna Foundation grant, a Westchester Arts Council grant for her original work Hudson Views, a Fulbright Fellowship in Brazil, and grants from The National Endowment, Arts International, and Meet the Composer. As a bassoonist she performs a wide range of styles, focusing on Brazilian, jazz and contemporary music. Janet holds a doctor of musical arts degree in bassoon from Rutgers University, master of music degree in composition from New York University, and bachelor of music degree from the New England Conservatory. She is the band director at Fordham High School for the Arts in the Bronx and bassoon professor at the Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale. Janet taught at Rutgers University and St. Joseph's College of NY,Lincoln Center Institute, and at the Festival de Musica de Londrina, Brazil. Website: www.Gricemusic.com and www.myspace.com/ventotrio
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ARTHUR MURRAY - trumpet. Arthur Murray began his trumpet studies at the age of nine in Victoria, Canada.He earned a bachelor of music degree from the University of Victoria while studying with former New York Philharmonic co-principal trumpeter Louis Ranger. Arthur completed a two-year artist diploma at the Musikhochschuele in Freiburg, Germany, with Anthony Plog while on fellowship from the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). His studies concluded with a master of music from Rice University in Houston, Texas, under the guidance of Armando Ghitalla. Arthur performs regularly with Camerata NY, Westchester Chamber Orchestra, Collegium Westchester and Central Park Brass, as well as various theater orchestras and as soloist at several New York area churches. His trumpet sound has been heard on multiple recordings and on television. As a teacher, Arthur maintains a private studio in Manhattan, is on the faculty of RiverArts and is a teaching artist in Harlem, NY with the Midori and Friends organization.
JOHN REID - trumpet. John Reid has been a free-lance trumpeter in New York City for the past twelve years. John has played in numerous Broadway shows including "The Producers" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." He holds a master's degree in trumpet performance from George Peabody College and has taught at all levels, including college, at Belmont College in Nashville, and Middle Tennessee State University at Murfreesboro. John currently teaches at the Hackley School in Tarrytown, as well as for RiverArts.
WALTER BARRETT - trombone, euphonium, tuba. Walter Barrett attended Manhattan School of Music and is on the faculty of Concordia College. He is an active freelance musician and has performed with the Westchester Symphony, Yonkers Philharmonic, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, Frankie Valli and Julius LaRosa, to name a few. Walter is a Yamaha performing artist/clinician and is listed in Who?s Who in American Music.
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Guitar & Percussion
JAY AZZOLINA - guitar. Jay Azzolina received his master of fine arts degree from the Conservatory of Music at Purchase, NY. He studied classical guitar at the Hartt School of Music and then attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston. While in Boston, Jay studied with Mick Goodrick, Charlie Banacos and Pat Metheny. A jazz-fusion style guitarist, Jay earned a Grammy nomination for his work with the group Spyro Gyra. Jay has performed, recorded and toured with a host of artists including John Patitucci, Herbie Mann, Chuck Mangione, Fred Hirsch, Michael Franks, Spyro Gyra, Donna Summer, The Manhattan Transfer, Carly Simon and Rickie Lee Jones. He has recorded a number of original CDs, most recently Local Dialect on Garagista Records. Jay has taught at Purchase College and currently teaches at Manhattanville College.
BRIAN CONIGLIARO - guitar, fender bass, harmonica. Brian attended The Berklee College of Music in Boston and has worked extensively at A&R Recording Studios in NYC. He has performed or recorded with such artists as Jackie Paris, Ray Charles, Lou Rawls, Daniel Ponce, Ignaccio Boroa, Frank Gambale, Sue Raney, Ann Marie Moss, Barbara Mcnair, Eubie Blake, Gregory Hines, Dizzie Gillespie, Nancy Wilson, Leslie Gore, Chuck Negron Of Three Dog Night, Bobby Day, Mary Wells, Patti Lupone, Lionel Hampton, The Tokens, NY Soul Company, Mickey Dolenz, Al Wilson, Housewives On Prozac, The Drifters, and Snoop Dogg. Brian has also played in Broadway shows including “A Chorus Line,” “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris,” “The Eubie Blake Story,” “They’re Playing Our Song,” “Rent,” and “Avenue Q.” Website: www.brianconigliaro.com
JAMIE FOX - guitar. Jamie Fox, originally from California, has performed worldwide in concert and on television, including at the Montreaux Jazz Festival. A semifinalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz competition in 1995, he has worked with artists as diverse as Brother Jack Mc Duff, Dr. John, Ernie Watts, Gene Harris, Tiger Okoshi, Carla Thomas, Otis Clay and The Shirelles. He played lead guitar and served as musical director for the Joan Baez World Tour (1989-1991), filming a popular PBS television special with Baez and Jackson Browne. He was lead guitarist for Blood, Sweat & Tears (1998-2000), touring the United States and Canada. Jamie currently tours and records as a member of the Jen Chapin Trio and plays in Stephan Crump's Rosetta Trio, whose latest CD, "Reclamation," was released on Sunnyside Records. Jamie's most recent CD release as a leader is called "When I Get Home," a collection of all-original instrumental jazz. Website: jamiefoxguitar.com
GEOFF MORROW - double bass, electric bass. Geoff Morrow has an associate degree in music from Onondaga College and has received three National Endowment for the Arts grants. He has studied with noted jazz Bassist Michael Moore and Metropolitan Opera associate principal bassist Leigh Mesh. Geoff performs regularly on double bass and electric bass guitar throughout the area in a variety of musical styles, including jazz, classical, pop and musical theater, and also plays piano, guitar and drums. Website: wholetonemusic.net/home.html
BARBARA ALLEN - drums, percussion. Barbara Allen has been teaching through RiverArts since 1994. In addition to teaching many students standard drumset for both small and large bands, she offers instruction in a diverse array of other percussion instruments including timpani, mallets, and various world genres such as West African, Brazilian, and Middle Eastern. She is the timpanist for Bronx Opera, Taconic Opera, and Gateway Classical Music Society. She has toured internationally as a drumset player with numerous theater productions, and has composed and arranged music for jazz orchestras and small groups.Barbara's recording credits include Diane Moser's Composer's Big Band, Erick Storckman Septet, songwriter Jim Allen's Straight Time, and the score for the film Hotel Lobby. An ongoing student of West African and Middle Eastern percussion, Barbara received a master's degree in jazz studies from Manhattan School of Music. Website: aquarianmusic.com
RON VINCENT - percussion. Ron Vincent attended Berklee College of Music from 1969 to 1973. After touring the United States with a variety of jazz groups, and three years in Kansas City, Ron settled in New York in 1982. Since then, he has become a veteran of the New York City jazz scene. Working often as a sideman, he has been recorded on over 50 CDs. Ron was a member of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet and the Re-Birth of the Cool Tentet from 1989 until Mr. Mulligan's passing in 1996. He recorded four CDs with Mr. Mulligan and has also recorded with Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, Randy Brecker, Bob Brookmeyer, Bill Charlap, John Lewis and Slide Hampton, to name a few. Ron has appeared with such notables as Art Farmer, Rob McConnell, Rufus Reid and Dr. Billy Taylor. As a leader, his own trio and quartet are active in the NYC area and his quartet has toured the U.S. and Europe. As a jazz artist/educator for Sabian Cymbals, Ron has presented workshops at over 100 colleges and universities, and has been on the faculty of the Jamie Aebersold Jazz Camps and the Stanford Jazz Camp. In 1996 Ron received a National Endowment for the Arts grant for jazz performance. He has been a faculty member at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY since 2006. Ron has co-written, produced, and performed in two educational DVDs for the Masterjazz series, "Learn To Play Jazz" and "Becoming an Improviser." Website www.ronvincentmusic.com
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Piano & Voice
MARK BERTLES - popular piano. Mark Bertles has played with members of Vanilla Fudge and Merle Haggard's Strangers, and has shared the stage with REO Speedwagon, Herman's Hermits and the Casinos. He received a bachelor's degree from Monmouth College.Mark presents a beyond-the-book, creative approach to piano, offering a multi-faceted curriculum with emphasis on fun in fundamentals.
CAROL FLAMM - piano, voice. Carol Flamm holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY Binghamton and a Masters in Vocal Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College. Additional studies include Mannes College, NYC, and Westminster College of Rider University, Princeton, NJ, along with extensive private piano and vocal training. Carol has performed as a pianist and vocalist in the NYC area and throughout the U.S. and Europe. She is a founding member of the Salomone Trio, a vocal group specializing in Medieval, Renaissance and Sephardic music. Carol performed and recorded contemporary and traditional opera with Magic Circle Opera Repertory Ensemble, and as a vocalist and pianist in jazz clubs throughout the U.S. She has taught music to children at the Village Community School and the Hebrew Arts School, both in NYC. In addition to teaching for RiverArts, she teaches in Maplewood, NJ and in Manahattan. Carol?s piano teaching style incorporates improvisation, theory, and ear training, as well as traditional music notation. She uses a wide knowledge of bodywork and aspects of the Taubman technique for developing a strong and healthy piano technique particular for small hands. When teaching voice to younger children, she teaches ear training, pitch-voice coordination, rhythmic and melodic values, basic breath control, ease of tone and body alignment. With children 12 and older she works more with resonance, and with young adults, more with registration.
ALISON JONES - piano. ?Alison Jones graduated from the Mannes College of Music with a bachelor of science degree with distinction, where she studied piano with Richard Goode. She holds a master of arts in teaching degree from Lehman College. Alison has been teaching for many years and particularly enjoys teaching children, as well as teens and adults. Her lessons are fun, creative, and geared towards reading music and understanding rhythm and theory. While trained in the classical style, Alison includes different styles of music in the lessons and is open to what the students want to learn and achieve. Over the years, Alison has taught in several music schools in the tri-state area and held the position of director of the Henry Street Settlement Music School. She is the founder and artistic director of The Woodhill Players, a classical woodwind quintet and piano chamber music ensemble dedicated to performing works by multi-ethnic and women composers, in addition to the traditional classical repertoire. She currently teaches in Westchester and?Manhattan.
NANCY KENNEDY - piano. ?Native to the San Francisco Bay Area, jazz pianist/composer Nancy Kennedy has been a resident of the New York area for 19 years. She has won acclaim for her work both in the United States, at jazz clubs in Boston and New York, and abroad at key venues in Rome, Torino, Milan, Grenoble and Lyon, France. Her music is engaging, vibrant and energetic with a contemporary jazz flavor. ?She continues to appear in the greater New York area. Nancy has received the artists fellowship in music composition from New York Foundation for the Arts, the I. Austin Kelly Fund for the Arts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a ?Meet the Composer? sponsorship for her work with the Brooklyn Jazz Composer's Orchestra in New York. She received her master of music in jazz studies from the New England Conservatory of Music, and her bachelor of arts degree in music, piano performance, from Mills College, in Oakland, CA. Nancy currently serves on the faculty at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY and The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, NY.
DOUG MAROUK-COE ? voice, piano. (Please see bio at top of page.)
CATHY MOONEY - piano. Cathy Mooney graduated magna cum laude from Hobart and William Smith Colleges with a bachelor of arts degree in music, and earned her master of arts degree in music from Western Connecticut State College. Cathy worked as a public school music teacher and private piano teacher in Putnam County for 34 years. She wrote and directed annual musicals, conducted choruses and orchestras, and directed the Gifted and Talented Program for the Arts. She also served as a church organist, music director of summer theatres, and was Director of Cultural Events. Cathy is a certified NYSSMA piano adjudicator.
Taking a leave from her career in the United States to accompany her husband on a corporate relocation to Buenos Aires, Argentina, Cathy has recently relocated to Hastings-on-Hudson and is eager to resume her teaching career. Cathy also serves on the RiverArts Board of Directors
BARBARA PODGURSKI - piano. ?Barbara Podgurski holds a bachelor of music degree in piano performance and a master of music degree in both piano performance and theory from the Mannes College of Music. Barbara has performed as soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Canada, and Europe. She has been featured in numerous television and radio broadcasts, including WQXR?s ?Young Artists Showcase? and WNYC?s ?Soundcheck.? Barbara has worked with numerous artists including Byron Janis, Steven Isserlis, David Finckel, Joel Krosnick, Pamela Frank, and members of the Orion, Borromeo, and Brentano String Quartets. An active proponent of new music, Barbara has worked with composers Lukas Foss, Martin Bresnick, and Earle Brown. She made her Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Recital Hall in 2002 as a member of the Arabella Piano Trio. Her trio was the 2001 winner of the Artists International Competition special prize in the chamber music category. She has performed as soloist and collaborative pianist at Merkin Hall, The Liederkranz Foundation, Steinway Hall, Steinway Galleries, the Caramoor Center for the Arts, Donnell Library, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, among others. Barbara is currently on the faculty of the Mannes College of Music, Hunter College, and the Music Conservatory of Westchester in New York.
MARIANNA UDLER - piano. Marianna Udler is a professional pianist, music educator and organist. She has extensive performing and teaching experience. Marianna has performed in Europe, New York and Canada, including Chopin at Mannes Festival in Steinway Hall, NY, Suolachti Music Festival in Finland, Mount Orford Music Festival in Quebec, Canada, and the Shandelee Music Festival. She received her master?s degree in piano performance from Mannes College of Music and her bachelor?s degree from Manhattan School of Music.
PETER FISCHER - voice. is active throughout the New York City area as a singer, conductor, and music educator. He is a native of Georgia where his study and lifelong passion in music began at an early age as a member of the Atlanta Boy Choir. During his nine years with this group, he sang numerous performances on tours throughout many of Europe?s most distinguished concert venues and cathedrals and took part in the multi-Grammy winning album of Britten?s War Requiem under the direction of Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Peter received his Bachelor?s in Music Education from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, where he was a member of the Westminster Choir. With this group and various other professional choirs since, he has performed with many of the world?s leading orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony, the Kirov Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He has sung under the batons of some of the world?s most beloved conductors, among them Riccardo Muti, Michael Tilson Thomas, Kurt Masur, Valery Gergiev, Helmuth Rilling, Daniel Barenboim, Riccardo Chailly, and Esa Pekka Salonen. Peter has participated in several lauded recording projects and notably, as a singer with the New York Choral Artists, he can be heard on another Grammy Award album, On the Transmigration of Souls with the NY Philharmonic and Lorin Maazel. His extensive performing background also includes singing with smaller vocal ensembles and in a variety of styles. He was a bass vocalist and founding member of two a cappella groups, Voice Versa and Perfect In Between. As a choral teacher, he has taught in both New Jersey and New York at the middle and high school levels including a recent interim position as an instructor at The Masters School. He is currently beginning his seventh year as the Youth Choir Director at Irvington Presbyterian Church and has also initiated a singing camp there, now in its third year, which is open to all high school treble voices and takes place at the end of the summer.
MARY THOMBS - violin, voice. (Please see under strings, above.)
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Questions?
Call or email:
Doug Marouk-Coe, Director of Music Program
MusicProgram@riverarts.org
914-412-5103
