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Guest Artists
The NSU Department of Music hosted several guest artists this 2020-2021 academic year. These artists are experts in their respective fields and instruments and collaborated with music faculty to bring their talents and expertise to our students and the community. While most were virtual offerings, the benefit to our students and community were immesaurable.
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Dr. Christopher Wilson joined the NSU trumpet studio for a virtual masterclass on September 23rd. Dr. Wilson is principal trumpet for the Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet. As an educator, Wilson was formerly Artist/Full Professor of Trumpet at Arkansas State University for 11 years where he built a nationally competitive trumpet studio.
Mr. Roger Hoverson joined all music majors to lead a virtual session on Musician’s Health and Wellness on September 28th as a part of Recital Lab course. Mr. Hoverson is an avid practitioner of Pilates and became a Balanced Body Pilates instructor in 2017. He is keenly interested in how the Pilates method can assist musicians in both preventing and recovering from injuries. Hoverson is pursuing a Master’s Degree at the University of North Texas and is involved in the Texas Center for Performing Arts Health at UNT. Mr. Hoverson is an alumnus of NSU, holding the Bachelor of Arts in Flute Performance.
Dr. Everett McCorvey is Professor of Voice and Director of Opera at the University of Kentucky. His many accolades include founding and acting as Music Director of the acclaimed American Spiritual Ensemble, a group of 24 professional singers performing spirituals and other compositions of AfricanAmerican composers dedicated to keeping the American Negro Spiritual alive. Dr. McCorvey is also in his sixth season as the Artistic Director of the National Chorale of New York City. Celebrating over 50 years of great choral singing, the National Chorale is a symphonic choir which performs at Lincoln Center in New York City. He joined the Joint Voice Studios of Dr. Myers and Dr. Bester as guest speaker for their recital on the American Negro Spiritual on October 8th.
Dr. Sarah Herbert presented a virtual session to the NSU Trumpet Studio on Alexander Technique and Performance Anxiety on November 12th. Dr. Herbert joined the faculty at Western Kentucky University in 2020 as the Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Jazz. Other appointments include University of Wyoming, the University of Cincinnati College - Conservatory of Music, and Miami University Regionals in Hamilton, OH. As a K-12 music educator, Dr. Herbert spent four years as the Director of Instrumental Music for The Menaul School, an Independent School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Two virtual masterclasses were held via Zoom for the voice studios, led by Dr. Linda Di Fiore, Professor of Voice and Opera at DePaul University, and Dr. Jeffrey Williams, Associate Professor of Voice at Austin Peay State University. Di Fiore, a mezzo-soprano and Regents Professor Emeritus from the University of North Texas, recently retired from the University of California-Santa Barbara where she served as Area Head of Voice. Williams joined the Voice Faculty at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee as Assistant Professor of Voice in the Fall of 2014. He maintains an active performance schedule including with the Nashville Opera, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Public Radio – Live in Studio C, Gateway Chamber Orchestra, and in other featured concert and recital performances throughout the country.
The trumpet studio of Dr. Hay was pleased to welcome, Mr. Rob Waugh for a virtual masterclass on February 10th. Mr. Waugh is the Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Austin Peay State University where he provides private studio instruction and conducts the university’s big band the Jazz Collegians. Prior to his appointment to APSU, Mr. Waugh was the trumpet and jazz ensemble director at Indiana State University for eight years.
Bassist, Mr. Jon Hamar, was the featured guest artist for the 54th annual Green Country Jazz Festival. In 2012 Jon joined the faculty at the Centrum Jazz Workshop under the Artistic Direction of John Clayton. While living in Seattle Jon taught at Central Washington University, Northwest University and Edmonds Community College as well as maintaining a private studio. In Fall of 2015 Hamar joined the faculty of Natalie Haslam School of Music at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN, where he is the Assistant Professor of Jazz & Classical Double Bass.
