T
ake advantage of every opportunity you are given.
Nathan Lambert received his Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting this past summer. Shortly after completing his coursework in 2011, he accepted a fulltime visiting faculty position at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, where he has been instructor of orchestras and upper strings for the past three years. He is also the assistant conductor and concertmaster of the San Juan Symphony, the music director of the San Juan Symphony Youth Orchestra, and artistic director of the San Juan Symphony Youth Orchestra program. Additionally, Lambert has been a violin, viola, and chamber music instructor for Conservatory Music in the Mountains and the violinist for the Red Shoe Trio. This spring Lambert won an international search for a tenure-track music faculty position at Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia. He will serve as director of orchestral activities and assistant professor of violin and viola beginning in August 2014. “Tenure-track faculty positions are exceedingly more difficult to come by these days,” Lambert states. “I feel very blessed to have won this fine position in my field. I credit my education and the many professional opportunities I had at Southern Miss as being greatly influential in the upward trajectory of my career.” While a graduate student at Southern Miss, Lambert served as assistant conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and also aided director, Dr. Jay Dean, in educational outreach and domestic recruiting. He was also the violin teaching assistant for Dr. Stephen Redfield. “The faculty’s dedication to fostering the success of each student is among the greatest attributes of the School of Music,” Lambert says. “My advice to prior, current or prospective Southern Miss music students is to take advantage of every opportunity you are given. Prepare yourself for and invest yourself into those opportunities that come your way. Mimic the experts around you, and never stop learning.”
Emily Herring was most recently seen in the title role of Always...Patsy Cline at the Virginia Samford Theatre in Birmingham. She has appeared in the national tours of Ragtime (Mother), Kiss Me, Kate (Kate), and The Sound of Music (Mother Abbess), for which she was nominated for Best Actress by the National Broadway Theatre Awards in 2001. Regional theatre credits include the following: Paper Mill Playhouse (Ragtime), California Musical Theatre (A Little Night Music), Brooklyn Gallery Players (Into the Woods), Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre and Totem Pole Playhouse (Smoke on the Mountain) and Alabama Shakespeare Festival (Honky Tonk Angels). She has been a voice instructor at Birmingham Southern College, “Rosie’s Broadway Kids”and AMDA in New York City, and at her private studio. She is a student of the legendary, Marni Nixon. A member of Actor’s Equity, MTEA and NATS. Herring currently serves as assistant professor in musical theatre voice in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Alabama. Since studying at Southern Miss in the early 90s, Emily acquired not only her skills as a musician, but her versatility as a singer and teacher, performing in opera, oratorio chorus, Southern Chorale, jazz singers, and with her sorority, Tri Delta. She credits Dr. Jay Dean for his continual support and encouragement throughout her career. “He truly has a vision for the arts within each community he’s involved and an innate sense of artistic development, creating ongoing opportunities for artists.” She encourages all young artists to only compete with themselves on a daily basis and to enjoy each performance - leave the analytical aspect in the practice room. It is crucial in this business to have a clear focus, a passionate drive, incredible discipline, and to learn how to utilize their resources.
H
ave a clear focus, a passionate drive, incredible discipline and to learn how to utilize their resources.