12 minute read
NOTEWORTHY
Noteworthy FACULTY/STAFF CURRENT STUDENTS
Paul Daigneault (theater) directed SpeakEasy Stage Company’s New England premiere of The View UpStairs in June 2019, and directed the company’s production of Admissions in October 2019.
Scott Edmiston (theater) directed Lyric Stage Company’s production of The Thanksgiving Play, with a cast featuring Jesse Hinson (theater), October–November 2019. Paul Daigneault
Marianne Harkless Diabate (dance) was a featured performer at the 23rd annual Women Musicians Network concert at the Berklee Performance Center, November 2019.
Jonathan Bailey Holland’s (composition) newly commissioned work for alto flute and cello, Alchemy, was debuted by members of Radius Ensemble, which includes faculty member Sarah Brady (flute), May 2019.
Jennie Israel (theater) made her Lyric Stage Company debut as Maria in Twelfth Night, April 2019.
Jennie Israel
Ruka Hatua-Saar White (dance) cochoreographed SpeakEasy Stage Company’s production of Choir Boy, September–October 2019.
28 | STAGES DANCE
Avery Gerhardt (B.F.A. '20, contemporary dance) attended the ImPulsTanz International Dance Festival in Vienna, Austria, July 2019.
Paul Liu (B.F.A. '20, contemporary dance) will perform with the dance company Pilobolus, December 2019.
THEATER
Rashed al-Nuaimi (M.F.A. '20, musical theater) made his New Repertory Theatre debut as Bill in their production of Oliver!, November 2019.
MUSIC Students Fran Daniel Laucerica (M.M. '20, opera), Jennifer Muñoz (M.M. '20, vocal pedagogy), Laura Nevitt (M.M. '20, choral conducting), and Benjamin Perry (M.M. '20, choral conducting), along with alumnus Kelvyn Koning (M.M. '19, composition), formed Nightingale Vocal Ensemble, focused on original compositions and choral chamber works from the last century, January 2019. Dwayne Mitchell (M.F.A. '20, musical theater) played Cagelle-Chantal in Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston’s production of La Cage aux Folles, August 2019. Additionally, he and Aaron Patterson (B.F.A. '21, musical theater), Thomas Purvis (B.F.A. '21, musical theater), and Nigel Richards (B.F.A. '21, musical theater) performed in SpeakEasy Stage Company’s production of Choir Boy, September–October 2019. Nightingale Vocal Ensemble Rashed al-Nuaimi
Andrew Maxfield (M.M. '20, composition) was selected as one of two National Collegiate Choral Organization 2019 composer fellows, October 2019. Antonina Styczeń (A.D. '20, flute) won the National Flute Association’s 2019 Young Artist Competition, August 2019. Filda Salim (B.M. '21, piano) received first prize in the Salzburg Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition and performed at the Mozarteum’s Wiener Saal, July 2019. Alexander Tan (B.F.A. '21, musical theater) performed in Weston Playhouse Theater Young Company’s production of The Phantom Tollbooth, June 2019. Dwayne Mitchell
ALUMNI
1970s Catherine Gallant (B.F.A. '78, dance) performed R.B. Jérôme Bel’s solo “Isadora Duncan” as part of the 2019 Crossing the Line Festival hosted by the French Institute Alliance Française, September 2019.
1990s Adam Dannheisser (B.F.A. '92, musical theater) originated the role of Charles in Beetlejuice on Broadway, April 2019.
Tracy Kash (M.M. '94, flute) released her fourth studio album, Fierce, June 2019. She is also composing a musical theater work with author and poet Diane DeCillis, set to premiere in 2020.
Richard D. Johnson (M.M. '97, jazz pedagogy) joined the Jazz Studies faculty at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, March 2019. Tracy Kash
2000s Alison Cook-Beatty (B.F.A. '01, contemporary dance) and her company Alison Cook Beatty Dance joined forces with Infinity Dance Theater for Ghosts in the Machine at the Riverside Theatre, a performance featuring dancers with and without disabilities, June 2019.
Adam Olenn (M.M. '01, composition) launched Rustle & Spark, a strategic marketing and communications firm in Rhode Island and Massachusetts that applies compositional principles to corporate and nonprofit marketing, July 2019.
Jeremy Beck (B.M. '03, theory and composition) and his band Rise Twain were signed to Inside Out Music, Sony Music’s premier progressive music label, and released their debut album on September 6, 2019.
Sangeeta Kaur (M.M. '08, voice) released her fourth new age/classical crossover album Compassion, August 2019.
Amanda Robie (M.M. '08, voice), formerly Boston Conservatory’s assistant registrar, was appointed managing director of Opera Saratoga, February 2019.
Jared Troilo (B.F.A. '08, musical theater) returned to SpeakEasy Stage Company as Dale in their production of The View UpStairs, June 2019.
Adam Souza (B.F.A. '04, musical theater) was named the new musical director of Goodspeed Musicals, October 2019.
Javier Caballero (M.M. '05, G.P.D. '07, cello) performed with faculty member Rhonda Rider in a series of cello quartet performances with Shelter Music Boston, a local nonprofit, November 2019.
Mitzi Smith (B.F.A. '05, musical theater) started in a tenure-track position as an assistant professor of theater at North Central College, September 2019.
Stacey Cabaj (B.F.A. '09, musical theater) was appointed program director for Loyola Marymount University’s Master of Fine Arts in Performance Pedagogy, June 2019.
De’Lon Grant (B.F.A. '09, musical theater) was featured in a New Yorker article about his travels to Gander, Newfoundland, the setting of his Broadway debut musical Come From Away, July 2019.
Ebony Williams (B.F.A. '05, contemporary dance) made her Broadway debut in the ensemble of Jagged Little Pill, December 2019. Dan’yelle Williamson (B.F.A. '06, musical theater) joined the national touring production of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical as Diva Donna, October 2019. Will Blum (B.F.A. '07, musical theater) joined the original cast ensemble of Beetlejuice on Broadway, as the understudy for Beetlejuice, Adam, and Otho, April 2019. Kendal Hartse (B.F.A. '07, musical theater) joined the national touring production of The Band’s Visit as Isis, June 2019. Alison YuChia Chang (B.M. '08, percussion) was appointed principal timpanist with the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, November 2019. 2010s Laura Dreyfuss (B.F.A. '10, musical theater) starred alongside Ben Platt in the Netflix series The Politician, which premiered in September 2019. Carolyn Miller (B.F.A. '11, musical theater) was featured on the country music news website The Boot for her new single “Summer Time,” August 2019. Keith Potts (B.F.A. '12, musical theater) was elected to the Indianapolis City Council, November 2019. De'Lon Grant
Bradley Gibson (B.F.A. '13, musical theater) released his first single, an R&B track titled “What if We,” October 2019. Celia Hottenstein (B.F.A. '13, musical theater) made her Broadway debut as an ensemble member and Glinda understudy in Wicked, July 2019. Alessandra Valea (B.F.A. '13, musical theater) returned to SpeakEasy Stage Company to choreograph their production of The View UpStairs, June 2019. Frankie Axam-Hocker (B.F.A. '14, contemporary dance) was featured in a DanceSpirit magazine article entitled “Two Dancers on How to Get Past the Postgrad Blues,” May 2019. Allison Bailey (B.F.A. '14, musical theater) joined the North American touring production of Wicked as Glinda, September 2019. Britt Brown (M.M. '14, opera) and her fiancé, Ryne Cherry (M.M. '14, P.S.C. '15, opera) performed an evening of operatic arias and duets with Symphony by the Sea in Beverly, Massachusetts, November 2019. Jasmine Chiu (B.F.A. '14, contemporary dance) performed in the world premiere of the Shed’s kung fu musical Dragon Spring Phoenix Rise, July 2019. Eric Mrugala (B.M. '15, violin) celebrated the 25th episode of his Everyday Musician Podcast, in which he interviews everyday musicians doing amazing things, July 2019. Laura E. Pawel (B.F.A. '15, contemporary dance) choreographed and danced in the music video for artist Ayokay’s “Things Fall Apart,” June 2019. Holly Wilder (B.F.A. '15, contemporary dance) collaborated with Berklee College of Music songwriting alumnus Luis Gamarra (B.M. '16) to create the film The BreakUp, featuring Shelby Claire (B.F.A. '17, contemporary dance) and Tanner Huseman (B.F.A. '17, contemporary dance), September 2019. Adam Bokunewicz (B.F.A. '16, musical theater) made his SpeakEasy Stage Company debut as music director for The View UpStairs, June 2019. Zeniba Britt (B.F.A. '16, musical theater) cowrote The Loophole, a folk/rap retelling of the American Civil War, which premiered at the Public Theater’s Public Studio, February 2019. Wei-Chen Lin (A.D. '16, marimba) joined the music faculty at YuLin Normal University in Guangxi, China, July 2019. Ayami Okamura (M.M. '16, P.S.C. '17, marimba) was one of 34 percussionists selected to participate in the 74th Concours de Genève International Music Competition, June 2019. Gabriella Reyes (B.M. '16, voice) performed the role of Liù in Puccini’s Turandot at the Metropolitan Opera, October 2019. Reyes made her debut at the Santa Fe Opera as Musetta in La Bohème, June 2019. Bizhou Chang (M.M. '17, G.P.D. '19, opera) was selected as a 2019–2020 artist in residence with Pensacola Opera, where she will perform as Zerlina in Don Giovanni in January 2020. Rebecca Strong (M.F.A. '17, musical theater), known by her artist name BEX, was featured on the “Kruser’s Local Catch” radio show on Country 102.5, July 2019. Wei-Chen Lin Tanner Huseman and Shelby Claire
Jonathon Heyward (M.M. '14, cello) was announced as the next chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche-Philharmonie, an appointment beginning in January 2021. Jasmine Chiu
Saki Kurata (G.P.D. '14, P.S.C. '15, marimba) released her debut album, Solano, of English and Japanese songs arranged for solo singing marimba player, September 2019.
Alexis Scheer (B.F.A. '14, musical theater) was reviewed in the New York Times for her play Our Dear Dead Drug Lord, September 2019.
Katrina Aguilar (B.M. '15, voice) premiered Part of Your World, a cabaret exploration of her life’s journey with autism, September 2019.
Demetrius Burns (B.F.A. '16, contemporary dance) was featured in the New York Times for his performance in a Lincoln Center tribute to the late choreographer Donald McKayle, November, 2019. John Cardoza (B.F.A. '16, musical theater) made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of Jagged Little Pill, December 2019. Eric Ferring (M.M. '16, opera) returned for the second year to the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center Ensemble to perform as Older Brother in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking and Tchaplitsky in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades, fall 2019. Nathan Fosbinder (B.F.A. '16, musical theater) had his original musical Hephaestus workshopped and produced by Music Theatre of Madison, August 2019. John Verkuilen (M.M. '17, choral conducting) led the Falmouth Chorale as a guest conductor in their October 2019 concert, Sing Me the Universal, and will return to conduct their concert The Day Is Far Behind You in March 2020. Gabrielle Carrubba (B.F.A. '18, musical theater) took over the role of Zoe Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, which was originated by alumna Laura Dreyfuss, July 2019. Rebecca Strong
Evan Kinnane (B.F.A. '18, musical theater) made his Broadway debut as a swing in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, July 2019.
Michael Miller (M.M. '18, opera) was selected as a 2019–2020 Florida Grand Opera Studio Emerging Artist, June 2019. Evan Kinnane
Yewande Odetoyinbo (M.F.A. '18, musical theater) made her SpeakEasy Stage Company debut as Henri in The View
LEADERSHIP
UpStairs, June 2019, and cochoreographed their production of Choir Boy, September–October 2019. Taylor Okey (M.F.A. '18, musical theater), Jennifer Elizabeth Smith (B.F.A. '14, musical theater), and Roxy York (B.F.A. '13, musical theater) performed in the national tour of Bandstand, which opened in October 2019. Isaiah Reynolds (B.F.A. '18, musical theater) performed the role of Pharus Jonathan Young in SpeakEasy Stage Company’s production of Choir Boy, September–October 2019. Benz Atthakarunpan (M.F.A. '19, musical theater) played Jacob in Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston’s production of La Cage aux Folles, August 2019. Alexandra Illescas (B.F.A. '19, musical theater) made her Huntington Theatre Company debut as Veronica/Rosa Maria in Yerma, June 2019. Benz Atthakarunpan Credit: Nile Scott Studios
Choir Boy rehearsal
Edward L. Simon (B.F.A. '18, musical theater) performed as Prince Topher in Virginia Repertory Theatre’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, November–December 2019.
Tim Kwasny (B.M. '19, composition) won the collegiate division of the 2019 NAfME Electronic Music Composition Competition, May 2019.
Katrina Z. Pavao (M.F.A. '19, musical theater) performed as Audrey in Lyric Stage Company’s production of Little Shop of Horrors, September 2019.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Susan Whitehead, Chair Jeff Shames, Chair Emeritus Michael R. Eisenson, Vice Cochair Martin J. Mannion, Vice Cochair Roger H. Brown, President David Abrams G. Leonard Baker, Jr. Michael A. Brown David Clem John Connaughton Cynthia K. Curme^ Emilio Estefan Gloria Estefan David Gross-Loh Joshua Gruss Thomas M. Hagerty Charles Hirschhorn Steven Holtzman Bill Kaiser Joel Katz B. J. Krintzman^ Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot Miky (Mie Kyung) Lee Demond Martin Carla Martinez Marc Mayer Jane L. Mendillo Frederick T. Miller^ Peter Muller Robert S. Murley Anthony Pangaro^ Snow Qin^ Alex Rigopulos Steve Ruchefsky Darius Sidebotham^ David Scott Sloan^ Susan Solomont Tarik Ward Marillyn Zacharis^ Barry Zubrow
BOSTON CONSERVATORY AT BERKLEE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S ADVISORY COUNCIL Teresa Koster, Chair Elizabeth S. Boveroux Gregory E. Bulger Davi-Ellen Chabner Caroline McMillan Collings Diana Dohrmann '71 Kate Sides Flather Karen F. Green Mimi Hewlett Laura D. Kunkemueller Lyle J. Micheli Christopher D. Perry Wanda Reindorf Geraldine R. Ricci Jan Steenbrugge '99 Peter J. Wender Edward G. Wertheim Tania Zouikin
BOSTON CONSERVATORY AT BERKLEE LEADERSHIP CIRCLE Anne N. Cuervo, Chair Brendan Murphy, Vice Chair Howard H. Bengele Frederic D. Carter, III Miles A. Fish, III '63 John S. Foster Remmi Franklin Jennifer A. Fraser Ricardo Lewitus Michele Manganaro Sean M. Murphy '94, '96 Barbara G. Papesch Philip J. Poinelli Anthony Richardson Warren A. Seamans Tricia Swift Ann Connolly Tolkoff Rosamond B. Vaule Amy K. Wertheim
BOSTON CONSERVATORY AT BERKLEE LEADERSHIP Cathy Young, Senior Vice President and Executive Director Kimberly Haack, Chief of Staff Andy Vores, Vice President of Academic Affairs/Chief Academic Officer Scott Edmiston, Dean of Theater Tommy Neblett, Dean of Dance Michael Shinn, Dean of Music
^Legacy Conservatory Trustees
List as of October 1, 2019
8 Fenway Boston, MA 02215
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