2025.01.25 | Shunta Morimoto & Kayleigh Decker

Presented by Parnassus Society

Scott Dunn

The Four Seasons Orchestra Mahler, Brahms & Bennett with

Kayleigh Decker & Shunta Morimoto

Saturday, January 25, 2025 | 3PM Soka Performing Arts Center at Soka University of America

Kayleigh Decker & Shunta Morimoto

Featured Performers Shunta Morimoto piano Kayleigh Decker mezzo-soprano with The Four Seasons Orchestra Scott Dunn conductor Flute James Hilsabeck Kara Machos

Trumpet Jon Kang Michael Kallin

Piccolo Kara Machos

Timpani Sho Fujieda

Oboe Eric Smith Maralynne Mann

Harp Caroline Reyes

English Horn Maralynne Mann Clarinet Monica Whang Hee Jeong Przytulski Bassoon Alex Chay Jorge Ruvalcaba Horn Ben Randall Warren Gref Tim Moy Josiah Wallace

Violin 1 Zun-Hin Woo * Kirika Suzuki Walter Park Noriko Yamaga Seungjai Chung Patricia McCormick Cole Perez Sinmyung Min Violin 2 Ji Yeon Shin + Lucy Lu Renaudo Robinson Aaron Tam Bridget Dolkas Luis Guerrero Morgan Burntner Hiro Goto

Viola Dae Kwon + Shiika Suzuki Kyle Bague Sharon Ray Janine Lai Dani Tam Cello Nathan Le + Henry Chen Ashley Ng Conner Shengyu Meng Crystal Park SungEun Lee Bass Chien Chien Lee + Susan Thiroux Alan Wang Celeste Cheryl Lin Fielding ^ * Concertmaster + Principal ^ Guest Artist

PROGRAM

PROGRAM RICHARD RODNEY BENNETT Partita I. Intrada II. Lullaby III. Finale

GUSTAV MAHLER Three Rückert-Lieder with Kayleigh Decker, mezzo-soprano Ich atmet’ einen linden Duft Liebst du um Schönheit Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen

INTERMISSION JOHANNES BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 83 with Shunta Morimoto, piano I. Allegro non troppo II. Allegro Appassionato III. Andante IV. Allegro grazioso

Kayleigh Decker & Shunta Morimoto

Program Notes: Our program, which examines over a century of musical romanticism, opens with the lively and dazzling 1995 Partita by my friend and mentor, the late Sir Richard Rodney Bennett.

One of Britain’s greatest post-war musical talents, Bennett has been described as the 20th century’s “most complete musician”. He studied with Pierre Boulez; wrote symphonies, ballets and operas; and was the leading British concert composer of 1960-70’s. For most musicians that would be enough, but since his student days he also was playing jazz clubs on weekends and scoring films between concert commissions. Eventually he scored nearly fifty films which most notably included Far From the Madding Crowd (1967), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Enchanted April (1992), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) among others. Simultaneously he became one of London and New York’s most successful jazz performers - appearing regularly at The Algonquin Room, Cafe Carlyle, Pizza on the Park and The Proms. Partita was commissioned by the Association of British Orchestras and British Telecom to be performed by seventeen different British ensembles in 1995 and 1996. Though suffering through just having given up smoking, Sir Richard managed to write a bright and uplifting piece for a Mozartsized orchestra. He said that the work was inspired by the memory

of his quirky and hilarious friend, the late music publisher, Sheila MacCrinkle, who had died in 1993. The beautiful and brisk first movement leads to a touching Lullaby featuring solo viola and on to the soaring finale.

We next present three of the five gorgeous orchestral songs that Mahler wrote setting poems of Frederick Rückert (1788-1866); the so-called Rückert Lieder. They were not written as a cycle, but initially as separate songs during the summers of 1901 and 1902, for voice and piano only. Mahler loved the intricacy of Rückert’s poetry and this is reflected in the settings they inspired. The first phrase of “Ich Atmet’ Einen Linden Duft” (I breathed a gentle fragrance) is brought to life through a luxuriant melodic setting with woodwinds, celesta and harp by which the composer hints at the lovely fragrance of flowers given by the beloved. “Liebst du um Schönheit” (If You Love for Beauty) was written as a present to his wife Alma. In this lied, the poet begs his lover to love him not for beauty, youth or money but only love him for the sake of love.

Our third song, “Ich Bin der Welt Abhaden Gekommen” (I am lost to the world) in ways foreshadows Mahler’s masterful “Abschied” from Das Lied von der Erde. The text captures the spirit of the romantic artist (and Mahler himself) who is a solitary figure, withdrawn from the world and its distractions, and is focused solely on his loves, his life

Kayleigh Decker & Shunta Morimoto and his art.

We end with Brahms’ Piano Concerto No.2 in B-flat. It was completed in 1881, more than twenty years after the poor reception given to his First Piano Concerto in D minor. The second concerto is a massive and heroic work, nearly an hour long, which Brahms himself performed repeatedly at the piano and later conducted. Unlike the first concerto, the second met with rather instant success - though some questioned its unusual structure (four movements instead of the usual three) and its epic length. Given its massive dimensions, Brahms himself often referred to it as “a great symphony

with piano obligato”. The concerto opens with a marvelous horn call to the orchestra and to which the piano responds with graceful arpeggios and a thorny cadenza which then introduces a glorious orchestral exposition. The second movement is labeled Scherzo but it is in fact the most dramatic and tempestuous movement of the concerto. The third movement grows from a glorious cello solo based on Brahms’ own Lied “Immer Leiser wird Mein Schlummer” (My sleep grows ever quieter). The final movement, a Rondo, begins in gracious relaxation and builds to some notable climaxes before returning to opening themes and a huge final crescendo.

Program Notes © Scott Dunn, 2024

ABOUT THE ARTISTS SHUNTA MORIMOTO PIANO Shunta Morimoto was born in Kyoto, Japan in December 2004.

At the age of twelve, he won the prestigious First Prize of the Piano Teachers Association of Japan, as well as the Fukuda Scholarship Award, one of the most important prizes for a Japanese musician today. This Scholarship allowed him to study with some of the leading pianists and pedagogues in the world. He took part in the Van Cliburn Junior Competition in Dallas, Texas in May 2019.

In February 2022, at the age of 17, from over 300 competitors, he was awarded unanimously the First Prize in the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition, playing the Schumann Piano Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has given concerts in England, Germany, Austria, Spain, Czech Republic, Italy, USA, and Japan, performing solo repertoire, chamber music and piano concertos.

He had performed 4 concerts in 2023 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in England, including his debut in London with this orchestra playing 4th piano concerto of Beethoven. In October 2023, He performed the Rhapsody by the theme of Paganini with Tokyo philharmonic orchestra. In 2024, He received the Parnassus Society Award from Dr. & Mrs. Tokita performing the Beethoven 5th piano concerto at the Soka Performing Arts Center. He won the first prize at the Alicante International Piano

Competition. He performed the Tchaikovsky’s 1st piano concerto with Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra in Japan in August 2024, and the Grieg piano concerto with Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra in England in October 2024.

He currently studies with Maestro William Grant Naboré at the International Piano Academy in Lake Como, Italy, and participates in the Masterclasses of the Academy.

He also a student at Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, where he studied Piano Accompaniment with Giovanni Velluti. He has studied with Prof. Shōhei Sekimoto in Japan since he had 8 years old. He often takes lessons of Prof. Markus Schirmer in Austria.

Kayleigh Decker & Shunta Morimoto KAYLEIGH DECKER MEZZO-SOPRANO Praised for her ‘shimmering mezzosoprano’ and a voice of ‘pure vocal gold’, American mezzo-soprano Kayleigh Decker is quickly garnering an international reputation for her artistry and versatility in opera and on the concert platform.

In the 2024/25 season, Decker will make a series of debuts including her role debut as Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at Chicago Lyric Opera, a house and role debut as Wellgunde in Wagner’s Das Rheingold, and a house debut as cover Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at The Metropolitan Opera. On the concert platform, Decker will return to Chicago to perform Handel’s Messiah with The Chicago Apollo Chorus and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in Copenhagen, will sing Ethel Smyth Mass in D at Washington National Cathedral and Mahler’s No. 2 with the Cincinnati College Music. In recital, Kayleigh returns to Soka Performing Arts Center for Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder and takes part in the ‘Beyond the Aria’ recital series at the Harris Theater, Chicago.

Last season Decker made a house debut for Welsh National Opera as Dorabella in a new production of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, conducted by Tomáš Hanus, & returned to Cincinnati Opera for staged performances of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio and covered Angelina in Rossini’s La Cenerentola for Boston Lyric

Opera. On the concert platform Kayleigh made debuts with the San Francisco Symphony and Orchestre de Paris for Stravinsky’s Les Noces, conducted by Esa Pekka Salonen; Mozart’s Requiem with the orchestra of Welsh National Opera conducted by Tomáš Hanus; Handel’s Messiah with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conducted by Mogens Dahl; and her debut with the Grant Park Music Festival for Mahler’s No. 8. A keen recitalist, Kayleigh performed with Soka Performing Arts Center, the Cincinnati Song Initiative and the Pacific Vocal Series.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Recent highlights have included her house and role debut as Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte for Dallas Opera; Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina with Les Violons du Roy, conducted

by Jonathan Cohen; her role debut as Isolier in Rossini’s Le Comte Ory for Lyric Opera Chicago, described as “The finest overall performance of the afternoon” by the Chicago Classical Review, as well returning to Cincinnati Opera in her role debut as Alisa in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Kate Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

As an ensemble member of The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Kayleigh’s roles included her debut as Second Cretan Woman in Mozart’s Idomeneo, Kate Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and a number of notable cover roles, including Le Prince Charmant in Massenet’s Cendrillon, Rosina in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Laura in Verdi’s Luisa Miller and Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, conducted by James Gaffigan.

A passionate song interpreter, she was named one of Caramoor’s 2018 Schwab Vocal Rising Stars and was a participant in the inaugural season of Renée Fleming’s ‘SongStudio’ at Carnegie Hall. She has given recitals produced by the Cincinnati Song Initiative, Pelican Hill recital series and recently performed a solo recital at Carnegie Hall and the Chicago Cultural Center.

In 2019, Kayleigh was the recipient of three prestigious scholarships: the Luminarts Fellowship, first place in the Musicians Club of Women Scholarship Competition, and a Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation.

Further accolades include first place in the Three Arts Scholarship Fund Competition and The Macdowell Society Scholarship Award in Cincinnati, second place in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions-Great Lakes Region, first place in the CCM Corbett Competition, and the Encouragement award in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions-Cincinnati District in 2016.

Kayleigh was a young artist at the Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the Utah Festival Opera. Other training programs include the Houston Grand Opera Young Artists Vocal Academy, and Oberlin in Italy. She graduated with honors from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music.

She also participated in the first of Joyce DiDonato’s Masterclass Series at Carnegie Hall, streamed live on Medici.tv. Kayleigh began her musical studies at the age of four in Suzuki violin lessons, and continued her instrumental studies later with the bassoon. She currently resides in California.

Scott Dunn & The Four Seasons Orchestra SCOTT DUNN CONDUCTOR, FOUR SEASONS ORCHESTRA A noted advocate for American contemporary and film music, Scott Dunn has had a remarkable career as pianist, conductor and orchestrator. As conductor he regularly appears with major orchestras and headliners throughout the US, UK and Europe and is the Associate Conductor of the LA Phil’s Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the founding director of the SDO and the Principal Conductor of the Parnassus Society.

His newly formed Scott Dunn Orchestra (SDO) is borne from Dunn’s passion for film music, which can be traced back to his friends, and mentors, Leonard Rosenman and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett as well as his work over the years at the Hollywood Bowl. In partnership with The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, the SDO, comprised of the worlds greatest studio musicians, celebrates Hollywood’s great music legacy and presents concerts dedicated exclusively to film music as firstrate concert fare. They will start their inaugural season at The Wallis this January with a concert of Dunn’s arrangements of iconic scores of the fifties and sixties, including a new suite from Rosenman’s Rebel Without a Cause, which Dunn premiered for live performance with film with the LA Philharmonic at Disney Hall in 2016.

A one-time student of Byron Janis and former assistant to Lukas Foss, Dunn toured eastern Europe early in his career as solo pianist for the USIA presenting Ives’ Concord Sonata and other American masterworks.

He made his Carnegie Hall debut as pianist and orchestrator premiering his own reconstruction of Vernon Duke’s ‘lost’ Piano Concerto in C. His 2023 release, I Watch You Sleep - Scott Dunn Celebrates Richard Rodney Bennett with Claire Martin and the Royal Philharmonic, available everywhere, earned universal praise for his arrangements, conducting and playing and was awarded the UK Arts Desk Album of the Year award.

Scott Dunn & The Four Seasons Orchestra

[cont.] His newest recording in Dolby Atmos with the Britten Sinfonia, Scott Dunn Celebrates the Hollywood Modernists, features Dunn’s arrangements from such films as To Kill a Mockingbird, East of Eden, Streetcar Names Desire, Rebel Without a Cause and others and is due to be released early in 2025.

Scott Dunn is a Steinway Artist.

FOUR SEASONS ORCHESTRA The Four Seasons Orchestra is sponsored in part by: - Atlas Modern Technology, Inc.

- Kiss Prom

PARNASSUS SOCIETY

The Parnassus Society’s mission is to enrich the cultural landscape of Orange County by offering the timeless beauty of classical artistry in combination with powerful storytelling through diverse forms of music and art. We provide artists with a dynamic platform to showcase their talents, working together to cultivate deeper human connections.

Through its concerts, the Parnassus Society is dedicated to bringing performances that inspire and enrich the community featuring internationally-acclaimed artists, while also nurturing and empowering young artists through mentorship and performance opportunities. Our concerts are proudly held at Soka Performing Arts Center, a stunning venue with world-class acoustics and timeless elegance, allowing our audience to fully immerse in the sound world with all its grandeur and intimacy.

If you would like to help spread the joy of music and art, please consider supporting Parnassus Society, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Your generosity is deeply appreciated!

Founder and President: Kenneth Tokita, M.D.

Orchestra Contractor: Zun-Hin Woo

Advisory Board: Peter Atherton Pamela Carlton Patricia Houston John Meindl Susie Meindl

Orchestrator: David Carp

Head of Administration: Diane Oshiro Artistic Director: Cheryl Lin Fielding Stage Director: Peter Atherton Resident Conductor: Scott Dunn

Technical Advisor: Miles Shishido Parnassus Student Interns: Lal Besir Henry Courtney Website www.parnassussociety.org/ Facebook ParnassusSociety Contact 949-417-1100, opt 1

NO PHOTOGRAPHY OR VIDEO RECORDING PERMITTED DURING PERFORMANCES

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SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER TICKETS & INFORMATION HERE

Presented by Parnassus Society

soka.edu/pac tickets@soka.edu 949-480-4278

Concessions A wide variety of wine, beer, soft drinks and freshly prepared snacks will be available before the concert.

Artist Drink Pick Champagne Cocktail We asked the artist for their favorite drink pick to feature at concessions!

Champagne Cocktail was selected by Scott Dunn and will be available for purchase before the performance & during intermission.

“Whenever we visit the Met or the Paris Opera, it’s certainly my go-to cocktail: the perfect way to enjoy an afternoon at the concert, adding a touch of elegance” - Scott Dunn

Click here for menu and to order Pre-order your concessions and skip the line!

Concessions provided by FPG Events

Soka Performing Arts Center Mission Statement

Our mission is to Engage, Educate, and Elevate the Human Spirit Soka Performing Arts Center strives to elevate humanity through transcendent experiences. Come experience our exquisite acoustics. Come to expand your understanding and appreciation of music. Come to forge community and emotional connections through the shared experience of live music.

Listen.

Feel.

Transform.

ABOUT SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Soka Performing Arts Center is located on the beautiful hilltop campus of Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo. Our facility includes the 1,042seat Concert Hall featuring world-class acoustics designed by master acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, designer of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, among many others. We also have an intimate 350-seat Black Box Theatre that allows for multiple seating configurations including club seating with bistro tables.

More than 750 performances have taken place since the center’s dedication on May 27, 2011. The 2024-25 season marks our thirteenth season presenting first-class programming in our world-class concert hall. We are continuing to expand our programming and outreach with the addition of a Children’s Concert Series and the only Great Pianists Series on the West Coast. From classical and jazz to world and contemporary music, the Soka Performing Arts Center has become a prized space for artists and audiences alike.

We are proud to be the home of the Pacific Symphony Chamber Orchestra.

Our Sundays @ Soka Series with Pacific Symphony continues to be one of our most popular series year after year. Our presentations with other Orange County arts organizations have enabled us to reach further into our community to offer arts education and programming. Our partnership with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County includes our PSOC Series, which brings superlative artists to our stage. We also partner with PSOC for our Outreach Program, bringing over 7,000 school children to Soka Performing Arts Center to experience live performances with outstanding musicians.

With its world-class acoustics and first-class performances, Soka Performing Arts Center is quickly becoming one of the cultural jewels of Orange County.

SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER DONORS

OUR SUPPORTERS

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE ($75,000+) Dr. Kenneth & Sandra Tokita Sam* & Lyndie Ersan CONCERTMASTER ($10,000+) Ms. Emi Maeda STAGE CHAMPION ($5000+) Yoshitomo & Takemi Daido STAGE BENEFACTOR ($1000+) Anonymous OC Chinese Cultural Club John and Sue Prange Terumi Saito Jochen Schumacher Alex & Sandy Scott Scott A Shuping Anson and Marilyn Wong PLATINUM CLEF ($500+) Anonymous Jeffrey Hendrix Edward D. Jones Jane A. Lynch GOLD CLEF ($200+) Judy Kaufman Lorraine Leiser Naomi Uchiyama SILVER CLEF ($100+) Renée Bodie Sam Chang Masako Inage Debrah Jiang Chiharu Nagai Paul Porto Thomas Prigorac Jonia Suri Joseph Whittaker BRONZE CLEF ($25+) Raquel Bruno Kenneth Hanawa Ryosuke Iga Jeannette Pease Joyce M Wrice Taro Yamanashi

* Deceased List current as of 09/26/2024 The Soka Performing Arts Center deeply appreciates the support of its sponsors and donors, and makes every effort to ensure accurate and appropriate recognition. Contact Renée Bodie, General Manager at (949) 480-4821 to make us aware of any error or omission in the foregoing list.

SUPPORT SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

DONATE TO SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Your support helps ensure Soka Performing Arts Center fulfills its purpose: to engage, educate, and elevate the human spirit. Your gift supports the programming of world-class performances, provides transformative educational outreach experiences, and opens the opportunity to build engagement with our community by sharing the joy of live music.

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CREATE YOUR OWN SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE

Our subscription and renewal program provides you with even more flexibility in our season packages*. With our enhanced program, you now have the power to curate your very own unique experience.

• 15% Discount for a 3 performance package • 18% Discount for a 4 performance package • 20% Discount for a 5+ performance package *full details online at soka.edu/pac

OUR PARTNERS • Blueport Jazz • Philharmonic Society of Orange County • Pacific Symphony • Parnassus Society SOKA PAC MANAGEMENT TEAM Renée Bodie General Manager & Artistic Director John Morgan Box Office Manager Antoinette Rossman House Manager/Assistant to the General Manager Jaime Spataro Marketing & Communications Manager Joe Nicholls Marketing & Communications Assistant Steve Baker Production Manager Aadya Agrawal Stage Manager Jarmil Maupin Internal Events Manager

Piano Tuners Kathy Smith Lead Tuner Ron Elliott David Stoneman David Vanderlip

@SokaPAC @SokaPAC SokaPerformingArtsCenter @SokaPAC Website soka.edu/pac

SOKA UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA BOARD OF TRUSTEES Soka Performing Arts Center resides on the beautiful campus of Soka University of America.

We thank the SUA Board of Trustees and the SUA Leadership Council for all of their support.

SUA BOARD OF TRUSTEES Stephen S. Dunham, JD | CHAIR Vice President and General Counsel Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University | Baltimore, Maryland Tariq Hasan, PhD | VICE CHAIR Chief Executive Officer, SGI-USA | New York, New York Andrea Bartoli, PhD President, Sant’Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue | New York, New York Matilda Buck Benefactor | Los Angeles, California Lawrence E. Carter, Sr, PhD, DD, DH, DRS Dean, Professor of Religion, College Archivist and Curator, Morehouse College | Atlanta, Georgia Andy Firoved CEO, HOTB Software | Irvine, California Jason Goulah, PhD Professor of Bilingual-Bicultural Education and Director, Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education, Director of Programs in Bilingual-Bicultural Education, World Language Education, and Value-Creating Education for Global Citizenship, College of Education, DePaul University | Chicago, Illinois Clothilde V. Hewlett, JD Commissioner of Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, State of California | San Francisco, California

Karen Lewis, PhD Sondheimer Professor of International Finance and Co-Director, Weiss Center for International Financial Research, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Luis Nieves Founder, Chairman Emeritus AUL Corp, Benefactor | Napa, California Isabel Nuñez, PhD, MPhil, JD Professor of Educational Studies, Dean of School of Education, Purdue University Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, Indiana Gene Marie O’Connell, RN, MS Health Care Consultant, Associate Clinical Professor, University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing | Corte Madera, California Adin Strauss General Director, Soka Gakkai International-USA | Santa Monica, California Yoshiki Tanigawa Benefactor, Soka Gakkai | Tokyo, Japan Gregg S. Wolpert Co-president, The Stahl Organization | New York, New York Edward M. Feasel, PhD President, Soka University of America (ex-officio member) | Aliso Viejo, California

SUA LEADERSHIP COUNCIL Edward M. Feasel, PhD President Chief Academic Officer Professor of Economics

M. Robert Hamersley, PhD Dean of Faculty Professor of Environmental Biogeochemistry

Archibald E. Asawa Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Chief Financial Officer Chief Investment Officer

Hyon J. Moon, EdD Dean of Students Title IX and Section 504 Deputy Coordinator for Students

Katherine M. King, PHR Executive Vice President of University Community Chief Human Resources Officer Title IX and Section 504 Coordinator for Faculty, Staff and Others Michael Weiner, PhD Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Professor of East Asian History & International Studies Bryan E. Penprase, PhD Vice President for Sponsored Research and External Academic Relations Professor of Physics and Astronomy Tomoko Takahashi, PhD, EdD, LHD Vice President for Institutional Research and Assessment Dean of the Graduate School Professor of Linguistics and Education David Welch, JD Vice President University Counsel

Michelle Hobby-Mears, MBA Associate Dean of Students Director of Student Activities Andrew Woolsey, EdD Dean of Enrollment Services Martin Beck, MA Executive Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications