Faculty and Staff
Robert Alexander
Adjunct Instructor of Music- Bassoon
ralexander201776@troy.edu
Robert Alexander is the Adjunct Instructor of Bassoon at the John M. Long School of Music. His duties include teaching applied lessons and weekly studio/reed making classes. Mr. Alexander is also the Adjunct Instructor of Bassoon at Chipola College in Marianna, FL, where he teaches applied lessons. Robert currently serves on faculty at Florida State University’s Summer Band Camps, where he teaches applied lessons and daily double reed masterclasses.
Mr. Alexander currently resides in Tallahassee, FL, where he holds the 3rd/Contrabassoon position with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. Prior to TSO, he held positions with Camerata South, Northwest Florida Symphony, Loveland Symphony Orchestra, and was a Bassoon Fellow with the Denver Young Artists Orchestra.
Robert is the newest member and secretary of the Civitasolis Reed Quintet, an award-winning ensemble and non-profit organization. Civitasolis was named the first prize winner of the Senior Mixed Instrumental Division in the 2021 Coltman Chamber Music Competition. The group recently toured the Northeast, giving performances and masterclasses at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Ithaca College, and the world premiere of Elliott Grabill’s Heroes and Villains in Baltimore, MD.
Before moving to Florida, Robert received his Bachelor of Music – Bassoon Performance from the University of Northern Colorado, where he studied with Tristan Rennie of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Alexander received his Master of Music – Bassoon Performance from Florida State University, where he studied with Jeff Keesecker. Robert is currently working on his Doctor of Music – Bassoon Performance at Florida State University.
Kenneth Beck
Lecturer of Music- Music Industry
110 Smith Hall
beck@troy.edu
Mr. Kenneth Beck is a Lecturer of Music Industry at Troy University where he teaches music technology courses in the John M. Long School of Music. He serves as the Technical Director and co-produces the Music Industry ensemble “POPulus” and works with the “Sound of the South” Marching Band. Mr. Beck earned his Bachelor and Master of Music Education degrees from Troy University and is currently enrolled in Troy’s new Master of Business Administration degree with a focus in Music Industry.
Prior to his appointment to the faculty, Mr. Beck served as a Graduate Assistant for the Troy University Band program coordinating the logistical and operational aspects of the program. He worked with the Symphony Band, Concert Bands, and “Sound of the South” marching band as a conductor, contributor, and audio engineer. He also assisted in the production and management of many university-sponsored events, including the 80th Annual Convention of the American Bandmasters Association held in March 2014 and SEUS Honor Bands, Honor Choirs, and Summer Leadership Camps held annually.
Since his appointment to the faculty, Mr. Beck’s students have excelled and created opportunities to represent Troy University across the state as well as overseas. As part of the 2019 Summer Arts Academy, Troy University’s POPulus performed a series of events in Pietrasanta, Italy. POPulus also performed for the Bicentennial at the request of the Governor of Alabama. Most recently, Mr. Beck’s students fully produced and engineered the inaugural Battle of the Bands hosted by AMIEA in Muscle Shoals, AL. Mr. Beck continues to prepare students to work in the music industry as technical engineers by providing authentic experiences to grow and network.
As an industry professional, Mr. Beck has worked as a notation engraver and recording engineer for several music publisher companies, including RWS Music Company and Excelcia Music Publishing. He currently serves as the Technical Director for the Alabama State Games Opening Ceremony, an annual, televised event that brings together the state’s Olympic-bound athletes. Mr. Beck also works closely with Troy University’s Department of Theatre and Dance as a sound designer, engineer, and technical consultant.
As a small business owner, Mr. Beck provides concert production and recording services across the region. Additionally, his work with local concert production companies as an engineer, stagehand, and technician has led to work with a variety of artists, including Trace Adkins, Teddy Gentry, Linda Davis, and Shane Owen to name a few.
Mr. Beck is a founding member of the Alabama Music Industry Educators Association and maintains his membership with Alabama Music Educators Association, Music Entertainment and Industry Educators Association, Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Kappa Kappa Psi, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Mr. Beck lives in Dothan, AL with his wife, Kelli, and daughter, Finley.
T. Adam Blackstock, DMA
Professor of Music- Percussion
123 Long Hall
tblackstock@troy.edu
(334) 670-3986
Nationally and internationally recognized soloist, recitalist, and clinician, Dr. T. Adam Blackstock currently serves as Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at Troy University, and as Principal Timpanist with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra. His duties at Troy University include: teaching private lessons and he leads the award-winning Troy University Percussion Ensemble, winners of the 2012 and 2015 Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition and presenters of the PASIC 2019 “New Music Literature Session.” He earned a Doctoral of Musical Arts degree from the University of Kansas, a Master of Arts degree from Tennessee Technological University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Newberry College. Blackstock has studied percussion with Joseph Rasmussen and Kevin Bobo, and has studied conducting with Joseph Hermann.
In addition to performing recitals and administering clinics throughout the United States, Blackstock has performed internationally as a guest soloist in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Vilnius and Kaunas, Lithuania; Wroclaw, Warsaw, and Kolbuszowa, Poland; Prague, Czech Republic; Manchester, England; and, most recently, in Odessa, Ukraine. Blackstock has been featured as a soloist at four Percussive Arts Society International Conventions (2008, 2010, 2011 and 2017); the most recent of these being a keyboard showcase concert – Marimba and…. He currently serves the Percussive Arts Society as Chair of the Keyboard Committee, and is a former member of the Percussion Ensemble Committee. Blackstock is a former Vice-President and President of the Alabama Chapter of PAS, and has reviewed more than 150 new works and recordings for Percussive Notes.
Dr. Blackstock is a Black Swamp Percussion Artist Endorser, and an artist/clinician for Innovative Percussion Inc., Remo Inc., SABIAN Cymbals, Ludwig Drums, and Musser mallet instruments
Larry Blocher, Ph.D.
Professor of Graduate Education
Retired Dean- CCFA
Retired Director- John M. Long School of Music
Dr. Blocher received his BME and MM degrees from Morehead State University in Kentucky and his Ph.D. in Music Education from The Florida State University.
Dr. Blocher is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Band Research and a Project and Committee Chair for the National Band Association. He has served on the editorial board of the Music Educators Journal and the Advisory Board to the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic and has presented clinic sessions at the Midwest on 4 separate occasions. He is a past president of the Kansas Bandmasters Association and received both the Outstanding Bandmaster and Outstanding Contributor to Music Awards from the Kansas Bandmasters Association. He is a past recipient of the Mortar Board Outstanding Educator Award and the University Leadership in the Advancement of Teaching Award (Wichita State). He is recipient of the of the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Commissioning Award and was named a Lowell Mason Fellow by The National Association for Music Education (NAfME).
Dr. Blocher has been a guest clinician/conductor/adjudicator in 33 states and 11 countries. He is a co-principal author of the Teaching Music through Performance in Band series (GIA).
Dr. Dave Camwell
Associate Professor of Music- Saxophone
109D Smith Hall
dcamwell@troy.edu
(334) 670-3282
Saxophonist Dr. Dave Camwell has received wide acclaim for his technique, expression and programming in both classical and jazz styles. Recently, he has collaborated extensively with Czech saxophonist Kateřina Pavlíková on a series of new works for their group, Covert Ensemble. These arrangements focus on creating virtuosic and compelling music for two saxes.
He is Director of Jazz Studies and Associate Professor of Music at Troy University in Alabama, and is a Yamaha, D'Addario, Beechler and Key Leaves Performing Artist with over thirty publications available through Jeanne, Dorn and UNC Jazz Press.
Camwell studied at the universities of Calgary, Jacksonville State, Northern Colorado and Oregon. He is an active performer and clinician, having been guest artist at over forty universities throughout North America, as well as winning numerous awards, including 2nd-place in the 2000 North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Jazz competition. He has performed with Norwegian Cruise Lines, at a variety of Jazz festivals, including Montreux and Brienz, Switzerland, and has also toured Taiwan with the Xplorium! Ensemble. Camwell has also performed with the orchestras of Iowa, Minnesota, Pensacola, Des Moines and NW Florida, as well as being a featured soloist with the New York Central City Chorus.
His extensive discography covers a wide repertoire and range of styles and includes releases on the Parma, Innova, Enharmonic, Centaur, Teal Creek, and Mark labels. His latest release, “Second Wind” (Navona, 2019) features a wide range of works for saxophone with a variety of accompaniment, with works from the Baroque to the Contemporary.
He has been a member of a variety of commissioning projects, as well as personally leading consortiums that have resulted in new works by Marc Mellits, Robert W. Smith, Martin Hybler and David Deboor Canfield.
Camwell was recently chosen be a featured artist on the 2023 NASA Biennial Conference.
Dr. Jillian Camwell
Assistant Professor Music- Oboe
210 Smith Hall
jcamwell@troy.edu
(334) 670-3500
Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Dr. Jillian Camwell is the Assistant Professor of Oboe at Troy University, where she also teaches Class Piano. She holds degrees from the Universities of Oregon, Northern Colorado, and Calgary, and she has performed throughout North America, Asia, and Europe with a variety of theatrical, orchestral, and chamber music ensembles.
Dr. Camwell can be heard on two recordings (Timescape, and Sonoroso) with her saxophonist husband, Dave Camwell. She recently released a recording of the complete 40 Progressive Melodies by A.M.R. Barret with Peter Cooper on the Teal Creek Music label. Each melody is played first in duet form with Mr. Cooper, then as a bassline only, where students can play along with Dr. Camwell.
In addition to teaching at Troy, she holds the position of English horn and third oboe with Orchestra Iowa, English horn with Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, and substitute oboe and English horn for several regional orchestras. She resides in Troy with her husband and three children.
Visit her website at www.jilliancamwell.com
Nicholas Ciulla
Adjunct Instructor of Music- Trumpet
Nicholas Ciulla is currently Assistant Principal Trumpet of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, having joined the orchestra in 2015. Prior to his appointment in the ASO, Nicholas played Second Trumpet in the Wichita Symphony Orchestra from 2012-2014.
An avid educator, Nicholas serves as trumpet instructor for Mountain Brook City Schools, Trussville City Schools, and Hoover City Schools as well as an adjunct trumpet instructor at Troy University, Talladega College and the Alabama School of Fine Arts. Additionally, he has served semester appointments at Auburn University and the University of Montevallo.
Nicholas has a Bachelors of Music in Performance from Baldwin-Wallace University and a Masters of Music in Performance from Wichita State University and is currently pursuing his DMA at the University of Alabama. His principal teachers include Michael Sachs, Geoff Hardcastle, Mario Guarneri, Jack Sutte, David Hunsicker and Chris Moore.
Nicholas is an Endorsing Artist of Bach Trumpets.
Dr. Alan Clark
Adjunct Professor- Music Industry
102 HAL Hall
Dr. Alan Clark has taught and conducted at all levels, from middle school to professional military bands. He received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Florida in 1976 and accepted the Director of Bands position at Crystal Lake Junior High in Lakeland, Fla., where he also studied under William C. Miller and Tom Bishop.
Mr. Clark returned to the University of Florida in 1979 to serve as Gator Band graduate assistant. He was awarded a Master’s Degree in Saxophone Performance in June of 1981. That same year he was invited to join the saxophone studio of Jean Marie Londeix in Bordeaux, France, and was also offered a teaching assistantship at Louisiana State University. He accepted the LSU offer and served as a Tiger Band graduate assistant, directed the LSU jazz band, and studied arranging with John Edmunds.
In 1984 Mr. Clark returned to Lakeland, FL to become director of bands at Kathleen High School. While there he received the ASBDA Stanbury Award as the outstanding young band director in the State of Florida, and served as an adjunct music faculty member at Florida Southern College. In 1985 he joined the staff of the Suncoast Sound Drum and Bugle Corps, and for the next two years worked with Robert W. Smith, Frank Williams, Allan Murray, Mark Sylvester, Karl Lowe, Larry Clark, Kevin Ford, and others.
In 1987 Mr. Clark entered the U. S. Air Force, and served as saxophone section leader, Assistant Drum Major, and enlisted conductor of the Air Force Band of the West in San Antonio, Texas. In 1990 he was selected to become an Air Force Band Officer, and upon completion of Officer Training School moved to Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, where he served as Deputy Commander of the Band of the United States Air Forces in Europe. While in Europe, he conducted concert tours, ceremonies, and special marching performances in seventeen countries across Eastern and Western Europe, and studied conducting with Burt Corderman, associate conductor of the Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra.
In October of 1993, he returned to the United States to become the Deputy Commander of the Air Force Band of Flight in Dayton, Ohio, as well as the rehearsal conductor of the Miami Valley Symphony Orchestra. In 1995 Major Clark was selected to be the Commander and Conductor of The Band of the United States Air Force Reserve, Robins AFB, Georgia, a position he assumed in January of 1996. In 1997 he edited and co-wrote “Band Director Secrets of Success” with William C. Miller. He was selected in 2001 to design, teach, and direct the Air Force marching show for the prestigious Budokan International Tattoo in Tokyo, Japan. Major Clark accepted the appointment as AFROTC Commandant of Cadets at Louisiana State University in April 2004 where he served until his retirement from the Air Force in 2007.
While an Air Force music director Major Clark worked with such notable artists as Celine Dion, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Lee Greenwood, Wynonna Judd, Crystal Gayle, Ernie Watts, Clint Black, and others. He is a member of Phi Beta Mu, the National Association for Music Education, National Band Association, Pi Kappa Lambda, Kappa Kappa Psi, and Phi Mu Alpha. He received his Ph.D. in Music Education with a minor in composition from LSU in 2012 and has since co-authored two texts; "Band Director Foundations for Success” (2013) and "Music: Past and Present” (2016).
Robert Clayson
Lecturer of Music- Marching Band and Drumline
109E Smith Hall
rclayson@troy.edu
(334) 670-3232
Robert Clayson currently serves as a Lecturer of Music for the Troy University John M. Long School of Music. His duties at Troy University include teaching private lessons, teaching music theory and aural skills classes, and providing instruction for the “Sound of the South” Marching Percussion Section. Mr. Clayson earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Troy University in 2015 and his Master’s Degree in Percussion Performance from Indiana University in 2017.
As a performer, Mr. Clayson is an active member of several regional orchestras across the Southeastern United States, including the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra and the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra. In 2012, Mr. Clayson performed with the Troy University Percussion Ensemble at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention as a member of the winning ensemble in the International Percussion Ensemble Competition. Mr. Clayson is an award-winning percussionist whose solo performances have been recognized and across the nation. In 2013, he received first place in the Percussive Arts Society Marching Festival Individual Collegiate Keyboard Competition, and he received first place in the 2017 Indiana Day of Percussion Collegiate Solo Marimba Competition. In addition to these honors, he was selected as a semi-finalist in the Great Plains International Marimba Competition in both 2014 and 2017.
Mr. Clayson is a member of the Blackswamp Percussion Educator Network, an Innovative Percussion Artist, and a Remo Artist. His compositions are available through C-Alan Publications, Excelcia Music Publishing, Row-Loff Productions, Studio 4 Music, Tapspace Publications, and Wildlight Publications.
Carlton Copeland
Lecturer of Music- Music Education, Gospel Singers
104 Smith Hall
ckcopeland@troy.edu
(334) 670-3502
Carlton Copeland is a lecturer of Music at the John M. Long School of Music. His duties include teaching music education courses, teaching applied voice lessons, and directing the Troy University Gospel Singers (TUGS). He holds degrees from Florida State University and Troy University.
Mr. Copeland has taught grades seven through twelve in the Alabama public school system. In addition to his public school teaching experience, Mr. Copeland has served in church music for over a decade.
Mr. Copeland’s professional affiliations include the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), American Music Educators Association (AMEA), Alabama Vocal Association (AVA), Jazz Educators Association (JEN), and National Association for Music Educators (NAfME)
Samuel Fredrick
Assistant Professor of Music- Music Appreciation
fredrick@troy.edu
Carla Gallahan, Ph.D.
Retired Associate Dean-CCFA
cgallahan@troy.edu
(334) 670-3502
Dr. Carla A. Gallahan is a member of the faculty at Troy University. She serves as the Executive Director for the Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic and Honor Bands held at Troy University.
Dr. Gallahan received the Bachelor of Music Education Degree, Master of Education in Music, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education from Auburn University. Her teaching background includes eighteen years experience as a band director in Alabama public schools.
Dr. Gallahan is the Recording Secretary for the Alabama Music Educators Association and former chairman of District VI of the Alabama Bandmasters Association. She was selected to Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers and Outstanding Young Women of America, has been chosen as Auburn Junior High School Teacher of the Year, Auburn City Schools Secondary Teacher of the Year, and has served as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the Southeast.
Her professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Educators, Alabama Music Educators Association, Alabama Bandmasters Association, and Phi Beta Mu.
Robert Gibson, D.M.A.
Lecturer of Music- Guitar
115 Long Hall
rgibson82106@troy.edu
(334) 670-3501
Dr. Robert Gibson is Lecturer of Guitar and has been a faculty member of the John M. Long School of Music since 2008. In addition to teaching guitar, Dr. Gibson also teaches courses in music theory, string pedagogy, and conducts the guitar ensemble.
As a performer, Gibson has been a featured artist with several orchestras including the San Antonio Symphony, and toured as both a soloist and chamber musician around the United States, Mexico, Spain, and Italy. Robert has performed chamber concerts at major national/international music conferences, including the 2016 National Flute Association annual conference in San Diego, and the 2017 Percussive Arts Society International Conference (PASIC) in Indianapolis. As a promoter of new music, Gibson has collaborated with several composers on the creation of new works for the guitar and has performed world premieres of new works by composers Donald Grantham, James Norman, Traci Mendel and Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Robert is also well versed in other styles of music beyond the classical realm. He studied jazz guitar with Mitch Watkins and has performed extensively in multiple genres including, Jazz, Rock, Country, Contemporary Christian, Broadway, and Folk. Robert Gibson continues to perform regularly as a solo guitarist and with his colleague Rachel Nozny in a flute/guitar duo.
Gibson has won prizes in several competitions including the Appalachian Guitar Festival Competition, the U.T.S.A Concerto Competition, and the M.T.N.A. National Competition. Robert received the Alumni of the Year Award in 2014 from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Gibson began studying classical guitar in high school with Jennifer Whatley, continuing on to earn a Bachelor of Music in guitar performance under the direction of Dr. Matthew Dunne at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and both Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degrees at the University of Texas at Austin with Adam Holzman. During this time, Gibson also pursued composition and arranging, studying with notable composers such as Donald Grantham, David Heuser, and James Balentine. In the summer of 2006, Gibson completed his fourth year of studies with the legendary guitarist and teacher Oscar Ghiglia at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy.
Students of Dr. Gibson have also won numerous top prizes in significant competitions around the country. Before teaching full time at Troy University, Dr. Gibson was on faculty at Faulkner University and also taught award winning high school and middle school programs for a combined six years. Many of his students have been accepted and have received impressive scholarships to some of the most elite and competitive university music programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. While in graduate school, Robert held teaching assistantships in both music theory and guitar.
Robert currently lives with his wife and four young daughters in Montgomery, Alabama.
Brenda Hamilton
Lecturer of Music- Voice
114 Long Hall
bhamilton194052@troy.edu
(334) 808-6358
Brenda Jean Hamilton is a Lecturer of Voice at Troy University where she teaches cross-departmental applied voice and is a co-director of the Music Industry ensemble, POPulus. Brenda possesses over 15 years of professional performance experience, including performing on Broadway with the musical Wicked. Other performance credits include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (first national tour), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat starring Patrick Cassidy (national tour), Some Like It Hot starring Tony Curtis (national tour), and most recently starred as Margaret in The Light in the Piazza (Schwob Opera, River Center for Performing Arts, GA). Concert and recital performances include Friday Fling with the Fitz-Geralds, an evening of musical theatre favorites, Liaisons of Love, an afternoon of musical affairs, as well as The Wicked Rocky Horror Show, a benefit concert raising over $200,000 for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS. Brenda is the 2021 Adult Popular Voice winner of the Music International Grand Prix.
Brenda holds a Master’s of Music in Vocal Performance from Columbus State University’s Schwob School of Music. With a unique degree focus on Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM), Brenda’s research topics included the pedagogy of the high belt, as well as the authentic communication and storytelling of Rodgers and Hammerstein repertoire. Brenda has attended levels I, II, and III of Jeanie LoVetri’s Somatic VoiceworkTM Institute at Baldwin Wallace University, as well as participated in the pop/R&B/Gospel methodology course, Soul Ingredients®. In applied lessons, Brenda utilizes her expertise in commercial singing as well as classical singing to train all functions, colors, and registers of the voice, creating unique and individual artistry for each student.
Michael Huff, D.M.A
Professor of Music- Trumpet
109B Smith Hall
mhuff110591@troy.edu
(334) 670-3323
Dr. Michael Huff serves as Professor of Music at Troy University where he teaches trumpet, brass methods and works with the band program.
Dr. Huff has earned degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, the Eastman School of Music and the Catholic University of America. He has studied trumpet with Charles Daval, Langston Fitzgerald, Barbara Butler, Charles Geyer and Walter Chesnut.
Prior to his appointment at Troy University, he taught in a similar capacity at Mississippi State University.
Dr. Huff performs as second trumpet with the Mobile Symphony, fourth trumpet with the Pensacola Symphony and third trumpet with the Meridian Symphony. He is a former member of the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C. and has performed additionally with the Mississippi Symphony, the Starkville Symphony, the Annapolis Symphony, the Maryland Symphony, the Virginia Symphony and the Rochester Philharmonic.
As a soloist, he has performed with the Troy University Symphony Band, East Hall (Georgia) and Enterprise (Alabama) High School Bands, Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra (Jackson, Mississippi), the Starkville Symphony, the Mississippi State University Wind Ensemble, the Tidewater Winds (Norfolk, Virginia), the University of Northern Colorado Summer Wind Ensemble, the Bishop Ireton Wind Ensemble (Alexandria, Virginia) and the Franklin-Pierce Festival Orchestra.
Past performing projects have included collaborations with artists such as Olga Kern, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Allen Vizzutti, Chuck Mangione, the Eroica Trio, Wycliffe Gordon, Lari White, BeBe Winans, Michael McGuire and the New York Voices. Recording projects have included performances with various Air Force ensembles, the Golden Triangle Brass Quintet, the Massachusetts Wind Orchestra, the Tidewater Winds and the University of Massachusetts Wind Ensemble on Albany and Centaur labels.
Dr. Huff is an endorsing artist for Bach Trumpets and is a member of the International Trumpet Guild and the College Music Society.
Nicholas Lewis
Staff Accompanist
nicholasslewis@gmail.com
Mr. Nicholas Lewis is a faculty pianist and accompanist for the John M. Long School of Music at Troy University.
Receiving his Bachelor of Music in Music Performance from Belmont University in Nashville, TN, Nicholas Lewis has studied under Nashville Symphony Orchestra pianist, Dr. Robert Marler.
Throughout his professional career, Nicholas Lewis has collaborated and accompanied various vocalists, instrumentalists, and ensembles. He currently serves as the Church Pianist at First Baptist Church of Troy.
Mike Mason
Adjunct Instructor- Tuba
mmason21638@troy.edu
Traci Mendel, D.M.
Lecturer of Music- Music Theory /Aural Skills and Composition
109G Smith Hall
tmendel@troy.edu
(334) 808-6402
Dr. Traci Mendel holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Theory and Composition from Centenary College of Louisiana, and a Master of Music degree in Music Composition, and Doctor of Music degree in Music degree in Music Composition from The Florida State University.
With twelve years of experience, Dr. Mendel has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in music composition, as well as undergraduate courses in music theory for majors and for non-majors, aural skills, applied composition and voice, orchestration, music appreciation, and directed a new music ensemble. She is the recipient of multiple teaching awards and grants, and has co-authored or edited one textbook and two workbooks. Dr. Mendel’s compositions have been heard in the U.S. and abroad in recitals, concerts, festivals, and at conferences, and she has been the recipient of multiple composition contest awards.
Barry E. Morgan. JD, B.M.
Adjunct Professor- Music Industry
133 Lewis Hall
bmorgan213214@troy.edu
770-316-1676
Barry E. Morgan has served as Solicitor General of the Cobb State Court since March 3rd, 1998. Prior to that he served as Chief Assistant Solicitor General, in 1988 he began as an Assistant District Attorney for Cobb County. From 1976 to 1988 he served as a high school band director for the Cobb County Georgia School District. Since 1992, SG Morgan has presented legal clinics for music teachers across the country. He currently serves on the Board of Music for All/Bands of America, and United Sound.
Diane D. Orlofsky, Ph.D.
Professor of Music- Music Education
Graduate Music Education Advisor
106 Smith Hall
dorlof@troy.edu
(334) 670-3381
Dr. Diane Orlofsky began teaching music and music education courses (both undergraduate and graduate) at TROY in 1986. She served as the Director of Choirs from 2006-2022 and was the Conductor of the Concert Chorale and Director of the vocal jazz ensemble, frequency. Orlofsky earned the Ph.D. in music education from Florida State University, the Masters of Music from Wright State University and Bachelors of Music Education from Cedarville University (both in Ohio). Orlofsky currently teaches undergraduate and graduate music education classes and is the Graduate Music Education Advisor for the Long School of Music.
Dr. Orlofsky is an active clinician, conductor, adjudicator and researcher and received the Lacey Powell Outstanding Music Educator award from the Alabama Music Education Association in 2016. She is also the recipient of the Wallace D. Malone Distinguished Faculty award which recognizes outstanding scholarship, teaching, leadership, and service, the Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching, the Phi Kappa Phi Distinguished Scholar award, the A.A.T.E. Outstanding Teacher Educator Award, and the Wright State University Music Alumni of the Year award. Orlofsky was also a recipient of an American Fellow award from the American Association of University Women. Orlofsky is best known nationally for her research on learning theorist Jerome S. Bruner (Redefining Teacher Education: The Theories of Jerome Bruner and the Practice of Training Teachers, 2002) and for her articles on teaching preparation, music education methods, learning theory, piano pedagogy, choral leadership, and interdisciplinary collaboration as seen in The Joyous Exchange: The Art of Collaboration, co-written with Professor Jerry Johnson (2018). She is currently writing a second book on Bruner which focuses on his archival collection at Harvard University and also serves as the Chair of the Mid-Career Teacher Development Taskforce for the Alabama Music Education Association.
Adam Pandolfi
Adjunct Instructor of Music- Horn
apandolfi@troy.edu
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Adam Pandolfi holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Auburn University. While attending college he was named the Principal Horn of the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra as well as the fourth horn of the Columbus (GA) Symphony Orchestra. Since completing his degree he has performed regularly with both the Alabama and Atlanta Symphonies in a wide variety of roles. These performances have included tours and recordings of major works. After a twenty year freelance career, he won a full-time position with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra in 2021. From 2008 to 2010 Adam was the Acting Principal Horn of the Atlanta Opera and, in 2009, he won the position of Principal Horn with the Columbus (GA) Symphony, a position he still holds. In the summer of 2012 he traveled to Romania where he, alongside his father, David, was featured as a soloist with the Filarmonica De Stat Sibiu. Adam has performed with a number of other ensembles, including the Florida Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, the Chattanooga Symphony, and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. In addition to performing, he holds adjunct positions as the horn instructor at Troy University and at the University of Montevallo. Adam has studied the horn with his grandfather Nedo Pandolfi, as well as Richard Sebring, Brice Andrus, Kevin Kozak, and William VerMeulen, but his primary teacher and principal influence has always been his father, David Pandolfi. He is currently pursuing an MBA from the Collat School of Business at UAB, a degree which will allow him to work as a business and finance consultant. Adam resides in Birmingham with his wife Mary, a cellist in the ASO, and their son.
Robert Pendergast, D.M
Adjunct Instructor of Music- Euphonium
228 Smith Hall
rpendergast@troy.edu
Dr. Robert Pendergast is an adjunct instructor at the John M. Long School of Music at Troy University in Troy, Alabama. He teaches applied lessons and studio classes for euphonium as well as an eTroy course, Listening To Jazz. Dr. Pendergast received music performance degrees in euphonium from the University of North Texas and Florida State University and a Post-Graduate Diploma from the Royal Northern College of Music.
Prior to his work at Troy University, Dr. Pendergast taught low brass at the Bethune-Cookman College Department of Music from 2004 to 2006. From 2009 to 2015, he was an adjunct instructor of low brass at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee. Dr. Pendergast co-authored A Practical Guide to Wind Band Excerpts for the Euphonium with Ryan McGeorge, published by Potenza Music.
Timothy Phillips, D.M.A.
Professor of Music- Clarinet
212 Smith Hall
tphillips16791@troy.edu
(334) 670-3190
Timothy Phillips is Professor of Clarinet at the John M. Long School of Music at Troy University in Troy, Alabama. Since joining the Troy University faculty in 2006, he founded Troy University Clarinet Day, which brings high school, college, and professional clarinetists together each spring at the John M. Long School of Music for performances and master classes. Timothy is also creator and host of a weekly program on Troy Public Radio WTSU called “Clarinet Corner,” and a Buffet Crampon, BG, and Vandoren Performing Artist. His teaching is featured on the PlayWind “app” developed by Buffet Crampon.
Timothy has served as President of the Higher Education Division of the Alabama Music Educators Association and he has performed at previous AMEA Conferences. He has served as Social Media Editor of the International Clarinet Association and has performed at numerous ICA ClarinetFest® conferences including those in: Lawrence, KS (2016), Baton Rouge, LA (2014), Assisi, Italy (2013), Los Angeles, CA (2011), Austin, TX, (2010), and Kansas City, MO (2008). He presented clarinet pedagogy sessions at ClarinetFest® 2021 (Virtual) and presented his paper, “The Longing Voice: Schubert’s Der Hirt auf dem Felsen” at ClarinetFest® 2004 in College Park, Maryland. He also performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana in 2017, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors National Conference in Gainesville, Florida in 2011 and the College Music Society National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in 2008.
As soloist, he has performed with Concerto Avenna in Warsaw, Poland, University of Illinois Symphonic Band, University of Illinois Summer Band, and with the Troy University Symphony Band, Troy University Concert Chorale, Troy University Percussion Ensemble, and various high school bands in the Southeastern United States. In 2011, he premiered works as soloist with the International Clarinet Choir, organized by the Träumerei Clarinet Ensemble in New York City and with the Troy University Symphony Band in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada on their first-ever international tour. Timothy has performed as principal clarinetist of the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and he has performed with Sinfonia da Camera in Illinois.
An active proponent of music by living composers, he has commissioned works from Lane Harder, Noah D. Taylor, David Maslanka, Jeff Brooks, Gary Schocker, Jorge Montilla, James M. Stephenson, James David, Scott McAllister, and Bill Douglas, and he has premiered works by Alain Mayrand, Jorge Montilla, Traci Mendel, Don Bowyer, and Carl Vollrath.
In 2013, 2011, and 2009, Timothy performed and taught at Clarimania, a bi-annual event held at the Karol Lipinski Academy of Music in Wrocław, Poland. In 2013, he taught master classes at the Prague Conservatory of Music, the Prague Academy of Music, and the Royal Northern College of Music. He also performed recitals of “American Music for Clarinet and Marimba” with his colleague T. Adam Blackstock on this tour. In 2010, Timothy served on the jury for the International Woodwind Instruments Clarinet Competition in Warsaw, Poland with clarinetists Florent Héau, Ludmila Peterkova, and Nicolas Fargeix. Timothy has also served as a judge for the International Clarinet Association High School Competitions in 2017, 2016, and 2015, the Young Artists Woodwind Competition for the Mississippi chapter of the Music Teachers National Association in 2015, the University of Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium Young Artists Competition in 2010, and the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra Guild Concerto Competition in 2008 and 2006.
Timothy completed the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in clarinet performance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds the Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His principal teachers included: J. David Harris, Daniel Silver, Bil Jackson, and Philip Aaholm. Timothy received the Phi Kappa Phi Artist Award from the Troy University chapter of Phi Kappa Phi and the Albert Austin Harding Award from the University of Illinois Bands.
Timothy lives in Montgomery, Alabama with his wife Katrina, daughter Violet, son Evan, and two giant dogs.
Scott Sexton, Ph.D.
Lecturer of Music- Choral Music Education
114 Smith Hall
rsexton@troy.edu
(334) 808-6679
Dr. Scott Sexton is a Lecturer of Choral Music at Troy University, where he conducts several choral ensembles and teaches courses in music education. He earned degrees from Troy University (Bachelor of Music Education), the University of Mississippi (Master of Music in Music Education), and Auburn University (Ph.D. in Music Education). Additionally, he has completed all levels of Kodály certification from the University of Oklahoma. A recipient of the Organization of American Kodály Educators Denise Bacon national scholarship award, he was able to study at the summer school of the Kodály Institute in Kecskemét, Hungary. As a member of OAKE, Scott serves on two national committees.
Before returning to Troy, Scott spent almost a decade teaching in the public and private schools of Mississippi. Most recently, he was Fine Arts Chair and Director of Choral Music at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Jackson, MS. He was also active in community music and served as Artistic Director of The Mississippi Girlchoir, prepared the children’s chorus for Mississippi Opera on two occasions, and founded Mississippi Harmony, a multigenerational community choir. His professional involvement included leadership positions in the Mississippi Choral Directors Association, Kodály Mississippi, and Mississippi Music Educators Association.
Scott is passionate about connecting people through song. He is known for his work in bringing global singing cultures to the music classroom. His experiences include immersive, teaching, and performance opportunities in over 30 countries throughout North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Scott is affiliated with Village Harmony, a Vermont-based organization that promotes the pedagogy and performance of world choral music, where he has participated in its programming as a chorister participant and a teaching faculty member.
Heather Small
Assistant Professor of Music- Flute
109F Smith Hall
hsmall@troy.edu
(334) 670-3284
Dr. Heather Small is Assistant Professor of Flute at Troy University’s John M. Long School of Music. She teaches music theory courses, class woodwinds, applied flute, and directs the flute ensemble. Dr. Small received a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Oberlin Conservatory, a Masters Degree in Flute Performance from the University of North Texas and a Doctorate of Music Performance from Florida State University, where she won the University Doctoral Concerto Competition. Her principal teachers are Michel Debost, Mary Karen Clardy and Eva Amsler.
Dr. Small frequently performs as a soloist and in chamber ensembles at venues throughout the United States. She performed at National Flute Association Conferences in Las Vegas, NV and Charlotte, NC. With her longtime recital partner, Dr. Hui-Ting Yang, she has performed at College Music Society Conferences and the Steinway Gallery in Birmingham, AL. The Small-Yang Duo frequently presents new music by living composers and in March 2017 premiered Paul Osterfield’s Zipline at Florida State University. She has performed with the Midland-Odessa, Tallahassee, Chattanooga, Huntington, and Cave Run Symphonies and was a finalist in the Myrna Brown Young Artist Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
Prior to her appointment at Troy University, Dr. Small was a faculty member at Morehead State University, the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, Southern Adventist University, and Messiah College. She was recognized as the 2015 Outstanding Part-Time Teacher by the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and has been published in Flute Talk magazine. Additionally she has five years of teaching experience in public schools in Pennsylvania.
Dr. Small is active as a clinician and adjudicator in the Southeast. She is a Board Member and the Competition Coordinator for the Kentucky Flute Society. As a member of the National Flute Association, she has served on the Pedagogy Committee and been a coordinating judge for the 2016 and 2017 NFA Newly Published Music Competition.
Raymond H Smith
Professor Emeritus
102 Smith Hall
rsmith@troy.edu
Raymond Smith joined the Troy University faculty in 1990 and retired from full time teaching if 2017. During his tenure, he served as Professor of Saxophone and Clarinet, Assistant Band Director, Director of Jazz Studies, Conductor of the University Concert Band, Conductor of the Music Theater Orchestra, and a member of the Graduate Teaching Faculty. Raymond Smith is a graduate of Troy University and the University of South Florida with degrees in Music Education and Performance.
Mr. Smith began his professional performance career at the age of 15. His professional credits include appearances with universities, schools, civic, and professional groups across the South. Professor Smith has recorded, performed with, and accompanied many of the legends of jazz and commercial music including: the Florida Orchestra, Tampa Bay Symphony, Gulf Coast Symphony, Sarasota Opera, Tampa Ballet, Moscow Ballet, Geoffrey Ballet, Barnum and Bailey Circus, and numerous Broadway musicals. Mr. Smith has appeared with Sammy Davis, Jr., Al Hirt, Lionel Hampton, Burt Bacharach, Julie Andrews, Ella Fitzgerald, Eddie Arnold, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Gladys Knight, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Platters, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Steve Allen, Shirley Jones and many, many others.
Raymond Smith continues to serve Troy University as Professor Emeritus. Professor Smith teaches general studies music, directs the Southeast Alabama Community Band, and is an active clinician, adjudicator, recitalist, conductor, and educator.
Robert W. Smith
Professor of Music
Coordinator of Music Industry
101 HAL Hall
rwsmith@troy.edu
(334) 670-3138
Robert W. Smith is Coordinator of the Music Industry program at Troy University in Troy, AL. His teaching responsibilities are focused in music composition, production and publishing. Mr. Smith is one of the most popular and prolific composers of concert band and orchestral literature in America today. He has over 600 publications in print with the majority composed and arranged through his long association with Warner Bros. Publications.
His credits include many compositions and productions in all areas of the music field. His original works for winds and percussion have been programmed by countless military, university, high school, and middle school bands throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, South America and Asia. His Symphony #1 (The Divine Comedy), Symphony #2 (The Odyssey) and Africa: Ceremony, Song and Ritual have received worldwide critical acclaim. His educational compositions such as The Tempest, Encanto, and The Great Locomotive Chase have become standards for developing bands throughout the world. His numerous works for orchestras of all levels are currently some of the most popular repertoire available today. His music has received extensive airplay on major network television. From professional ensembles such as the United States Navy Band and the Atlanta Symphony to school bands and orchestras throughout the world, his music speaks to audiences in any concert setting.
As a conductor and clinician, Mr. Smith has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe and Australia. In addition, he has been awarded numerous commissions from professional and school ensembles throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Korea. He has recently released “Symphony #2 (The Odyssey): The Symphonic Music of Robert W. Smith Volume 3”, the third in a series of compact disc recordings of his best-known works for concert band. In addition, he is co-creator of the Expressions Music Curriculum. This comprehensive Pre-K through 12 music program includes Band Expressions, an innovative new approach to teaching music through the band.
Susan Smith
Assistant Professor of Music- Instrumental Music Education
113 Long Hall
ssmith26024@troy.edu
(334) 670-5865
Susan L. Smith has taught general, choral, and instrumental music at the elementary through collegiate level in Florida, Virginia and Alabama and has served as an author, clinician, conductor, and adjudicator across the United States. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Music Education at Troy University, serving as the faculty advisor for the Troy NAfME Collegiate Chapter and conductor the Troy Symphonic Band. She is the Southern Division President Elect of the National Association of Music Education, Chair of the NAfME Collegiate Advisory Council and Past President of the Alabama Music Educators Association. Susan serves as an Educational Consultant for Music for All. She is responsible for the Chamber Music portion of the Music for All National Concert Band Festival and is a Co-Executive Producer for the Mind the Gap series of webinars and podcasts developed to support the young and developing music educator during the pandemic. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Music Education at Auburn University and holds degrees from James Madison University and Troy State University.
Susan’s previous appointment was as Director of Bands at the Saint James School in Montgomery AL. Mrs. Smith was responsible for teaching the Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Bands as well as Guitar, Jazz Band, and Music Technology. The Saint James Band consistently received Superior ratings in Concert, Jazz and Marching Band events including the Alabama Music Performance Assessment, Smokey Mountain Music Festival and Bands of America Super Regionals and Grand National Championships. She served as the Alabama Bandmasters Association District VI Vice Chairman for 1 year and Chairman for 2 years.
Smith has presented clinics at many state conventions including AMEA, TMEA, FMEA, IMEA, VMEA, GMEA and National and Regional NAfME conferences. Smith has presented at the Midwest Clinic three times and performed as a member of the Alabama Winds, an adult community band comprised of Alabama music educators. The Alabama Winds performed most recently at the Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, Washington and Susan has recently been named Assistant Conductor of the Alabama Winds.
Her professional affiliations include Phi Beta Mu, National Association for Music Education, Alabama Music Educators Association, Alabama Bandmasters Association, Sigma Alpha Iota, Phi Beta Kappa and the National Band Association. She is also an honorary member of Tau Beta Sigma. Smith is in demand as a clinician, conductor and adjudicator throughout the country. She has evaluated and conducted University Honor Bands and District Honor Bands in Australia, Alabama, Virginia, Georgia, Florida and Kentucky and West Virginia.
Dr. Jason Sulliman
Assistant Professor of Music- Trombone
115 Long Hall
sulliman@troy.edu
(334) 670-3283
Dr. Jason Sulliman is an innovative brass teacher who combines principles from kinesiology and cognitive science to rethink pedagogy in the 21st-century. He is one of the world’s leading experts on facial stability and embouchure rehabilitation and is in constant demand as a clinician and consultant with professional woodwind and brass musicians all over the world. Recent presentations and guest appearances include the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, The Juilliard School, the Eastman School of Music, TMEA, The International Trumpet Guild, and the International Trombone Festival. Currently, Jason is Assistant Professor of Trombone at Troy University, Trombone Tutor for the North American Brass Band Summer School in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Brass Pedagogy Specialist for the Alpha Institute in Kingston, Jamaica. Previous teaching positions include the University of North Alabama and Vincennes University.
Jason earned his DM in Brass Pedagogy from Indiana University where he also studied kinesiology and cognitive science. Dr. Sulliman also holds master’s degrees in conducting and performance from the University of New Mexico and a Bachelor’s degree in performance from the University of Massachusetts.
As a performer, Jason is the current bass trombonist for the Meridian Symphony and is an active freelancer with several orchestras throughout the Southern region of the United States including the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, The Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, and the Shoals Symphony Orchestra. His performance experience includes ensembles such as the Indianapolis Symphony, the New Mexico Symphony, the Alabama Symphony, and the Dallas Brass Quintet. Jason was a soloist, conductor, and music manager with the Tony and Emmy Award-winning Broadway show, “Blast!” and over a 15-year period performed or conducted over two thousand shows with the company.
Jason is one of the founders and organizers of the International Trombone Hang, which is an online collaborative offering of clinics and master classes from the world’s leading teachers and performers of trombone. He is passionate about providing resources to developing players of all ages and maintains Youtube and Instagram channels with hundreds of videos, thousands of subscribers, and over one million views.
Jason is proud to be an M & W Custom Trombone artist and performs on a custom AR resonance mouthpiece.
Mark. J Walker, Ed.D
Professor of Music
Director of Bands
102 Long Hall
mjwalker@troy.edu
334-670-3281
Dr. Mark J. Walker serves as Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Troy University where he conducts the Troy University Symphony Band, the nationally renowned “Sound of the South” Marching Band, teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in conducting, marching band techniques, measurement and evaluation, and wind literature
In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Walker serves as Chairman of the Southeastern United States Clinic and Honor Bands, Executive Director of the Middle School Southeastern United States Band Clinic and Honor Bands, and is the Director of the “Sound of the South” Summer Music Camp and Director’s Clinic. He also serves as Co-Chair of the National Band Association’s Hall of Fame of Distinguished Band Directors. Dr. Walker is a published author, whose articles appears various music education publications and is the editor of the book The Art of Interpretation of Band Music published by GIA. He is a contributor to The Euphonium Source Book, published by Indiana University Press. Additionally, Dr. Walker is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Band Research.
Bands and students under Dr. Walker’s direction have received many honors at the regional and state level in Texas, where he taught middle school and high school band. In addition, Dr. Walker keeps an active guest conducting and clinic schedule, and has appeared as conductor, clinician, and adjudicator in Canada and throughout the United States. Recently, Dr. Walker was a guest conductor with the United States Air Force Band and the United States Navy Band. He conducted the Troy University Symphony Band in the opening concert of the 80th Annual Convention of the American Bandmasters Association. Dr. Walker received the honor of conducting both the Royal Hawaiian Band and the Marine Forces Pacific Band, located in Honolulu, Hawaii. Dr. Walker conducted the Desert Winds at the 2016 Midwest International Band and Orchestra Conference. In addition to these guest appearances, Dr. Walker has conducted the Troy University Symphony at the 2011 and 2020 AMEA Conference, the 2017 Alabama Bandmasters Association Conference, and the 2018 CBDNA Southern Division Conference in Tampa, Florida.
Dr. Walker is an elected member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association. His past and present professional affiliations include Phi Beta Mu, CBDNA, National Band Association, NAfME, Alabama Music Education Association, Alabama Bandmasters Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Mu Alpha, Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Delta Kappa, Tau Beta Sigma, Sigma Alpha Iota, Texas Bandmasters Association, and World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles.
Dr. Walker is married to Jessica Walker, who teaches sixth grade at Goshen Elementary, and resides in Troy with their daughter, Emily.
Eric Ward
Associate Professor of Music- Music Industry
125 Smith Hall
elward@troy.edu
(334) 670-6312
Mr. Ward is currently serving as Assistant Professor of Music/Audio Engineer at Troy University in Troy, Alabama. His duties include: teaching Advanced Music Technology, Audio Principles and Technique I and II, Studio Production Techniques, Live Sound Reinforcement, the Jazz II Ensemble, and Private Percussion. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Mr. Ward also manages the audio production facilities, the J.M. Long School of Music concert/recital archives and is the coordinator of the Studio Rhythm Section.
Mr. Ward has been a working musician for well over fifteen years. He earned his B.U.S. from Morehead State University and his M.S. in Education from Troy University. His work as a percussionist, arranger, consultant, clinician, guest artist, adjudicator and teacher have allowed him to work with numerous groups, artists, and schools around the world including: Glen Velez, Unio Musical de Lliria, Shelia Jackson, Jim Bell, Raymond Smith, The Living Jazz Duo, The Christopher Hodges Band, True Jazz, The EA Quintet, Gifford Howarth, The Morehead Guild Theater, The Central Ohio Brass Band, The Brass Band of Columbus, Morehead State University, Ohio University, Miami University, The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, Trinity Indoor Percussion Ensemble, Rhythm X Indoor Percussion Ensemble, The Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, and The Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps.
Mr. Ward recently served as the percussion arranger for the 2009 Outback Bowl and is currently a writer for Bands In Motion.
Sara Wee, D.M.A.
Assistant Professor of Music- Voice
202 Smith Hall
swee@troy.edu
(334) 670-3503
Soprano Sarah Wee is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Troy University where she teaches private lessons, vocal pedagogy, diction, and directs the Opera Workshop. Dr. Wee also enjoys a career singing recital, concert, and operatic literature. Known for her performance of sacred works, she has performed with orchestras and choirs ranging from the Sheldon Chorale to the Miami Collegium Musicum. Dr. Wee has performed the Poulenc Gloria , Handel’s Messiah, John Rutter’s Mass of the Children and many other masses and requiems. Sarah Wee has performed operatic roles with Union Avenue Opera, Frost Opera Theatre, Miami Music Festival, and St. Louis City Opera. With St. Louis City Opera, she debuted a role in the world premiere of “Family Dynamics: the Funeral.”
Dr. Wee received her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where she later served as a lecturer in the voice department. She graduated from Webster University with a Bachelor’s Degree in classical voice performance and earned a Master’s Degree in vocal performance from Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Wee is also an active lecture recitalist. She regularly presents lecture recitals at music conferences and is the co-founder of a lecture recital series based on the Music of the Liturgy. Her professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Educators, College Music Society, Alabama Music Educators Association, and the National Association of Teaching of Singing. Sarah Wee currently resides in Montgomery, AL, where she lives with her husband and two children.
Ruadhán Woods Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Music- Ethnomusicology,
Traditional Music
223 Smith Hall
rowoods@troy.edu
334-808-6178
Ruadhán Woods is the Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at Troy University and the Coordinator of the Musicology/Traditional Music department for the School of Music. They teach world music culture studies, Western music history, and histories of traditional and popular music, as well as traditional music workshop. Ruadhán also oversees the School of Music’s traditional music ensembles, which currently include two performance ensembles (Celtic Ensemble and Sangeet Ensemble) and two additional folk music offerings (Chinese Folk Ensemble and Folk Music of the Americas Ensemble). Ruadhán received their B.M. degree from Nazareth College of Rochester (NY), and both the M.M. and Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Florida State University (FL).
Ruadhán is an ethnographer, critical theorist, author, and filmmaker whose work has been published in Ethnomusicology, Fight On!, Foundation for Endangered Languages, International Journal of Anthropological Studies, Interventions, and MUSICultures, and Oxford University Press. Their documentary film work has been featured around the country at festivals such as Queens World Film Festival and the Chicago International Movies and Music Festival (CIMM Fest). They also host an academic podcast, The Ethnomedialogue, which explores power and representation in media. Ruadhán is an active member of the American Anthropological Association (AAA) and the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM) and has served as a consulting editor for the British Journal of Culture, Health, and Sexuality. Their research interests include genre theory, queer theory, media studies, documentary film, outsider musicianship, folklore and traditional music, decolonization, indigeneity, repatriation, and archival theory.
An active music performer and multi-instrumentalist, Ruadhán has served as drummer, music arranger, and programmer for the Washington-based punk band “Human Skab,” where they worked extensively with outsider musician Travis Roberts (the band's front man) since the 2009 revival tour that brought back the band. This performance and research culminated in the award-winning documentary film Human Skab (2012) created and directed with co-director Frank Gunderson. Ruadhán also served as the drummer for the zilipendwa group “Rhumba Kali,” and recorded the award-winning album Sasa Nifanye Nini? with Mlimani Park Orchestra stars Hassan Rehani Bitchuka and Ali Jamwaka (Tanzania), and Frank Gunderson (Florida State) and Damascus Kafumbe (Middlebury). Ruadhán played button accordion, whistle, and bodhrán in the Irish traditional band "Hearthstone" (2012-2016). In 2017, along with their partner Jaime Hammack, Ruadhán formed the duo "hun har heste", through which they perform their own arrangements of traditional tunes and songs. Ruadhán is regularly active in traditional Irish music sessions locally and regionally and participates in regional quarterly festivals and traditional music gatherings throughout the United States.
Hui-Ting Yang, D.M.
Interim Director of the School of Music
Associate Professor of Music- Piano
112 Long Hall
hyang42134@troy.edu
334-808-6644
As an active performer, Dr. Hui-Ting Yang has performed throughout the Czech Republic, China, Korea, Taiwan, and the United States. Her extensive repertoire includes an increasing focus on American living composers, including Augusta Read Thomas, Laura Schwendinger, Matthew Burtner, Ladislav Kubík, Chen-Yi, Paul West-Osterfield, and Clifton Callender. In summers 2015 and 2016 she was invited to give recitals, master classes, and to teach applied pianos in several schools in China, including at the Nanjing University of Arts, Sichuan Normal University, Sichuan University and Science and Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Shandong University at Weihai, and Guangzhou University. She also performed Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Symphony Band as the first concert of the Steinway Artist Concert Series at Troy University in April 2015. In September 2012 she recorded three chamber works by Ladislav Kubík with mezzo-soprano Phyllis Pancella and violinist Karen Bentley Pollick. In November 2016 Dr. Yang and Ms. Pancella performed a recital in celebration of Kubik’s seventieth birthday in Prague and recorded his three newly composed works. In June 2010 she performed seven solo recitals throughout the Czech Republic, including performances at the highly acclaimed Cesky Krumlov International Music Festival and the Artist Concert Series in Děčín. Her upcoming events will include: A piano duet recital tour with Dr. Kuo-Liang Li; A performance with percussionist Dr. Adam Blackstock at the Percussion Arts Society International Convention; A concert with mezzo-soprano Phyllis Pancella and flutist Eva Amsler at Florida State University in November; A recital with trumpeter Dr. Michael Huff; And a concert with the Troy University Symphony Band performing Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 2 in Spring 2018.
Previously she was invited as a guest pianist to perform at “The Days of Contemporary Music” festival in Prague, organized by the Society of Czech Composers, which has been broadcast on Czech Radio. In February 2007 she gave the premiere of Callender’s Point and Line to Plane for piano solo, which was composed for her, in the Thirteenth Biennial Festival of New Music at the Florida State University. She has also performed this piano piece in the 2011 International Conference of College Music Society in Seoul, Korea, the 2008 SCI National Conference at Georgia State University, the National Conference of the College of Music Society in Atlanta, and the 2008 CMS Southern/South Central SuperRegional Conference at Louisiana State University. In 2009 she gave the premiere of Callender’s Metamorphoses II for violin and piano, commissioned by the Florida State Music Teachers Association, at the FSMTA Annual Conference and a lecture recital on this piece at CMS National Conference in 2010. She also performed this piece at the Parma New Music Festival as part of the celebration of Pendulum CD release in August 2014.
In 2006 Hui-Ting gave the Asian premiere of Korean composer Ju-hwan Yu’s Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1, which was dedicated to her. Her recordings are available through Kum Seoung Records, Parma, Arco Diva, and Neos.
She has also lectured on the music of Hsiao Tyzen at numerous national conferences, including the National Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University, the National Conference of the College of Music Society in Atlanta, and the 2008 Southern/South Central SuperRegional Conference at Louisiana State University. Her book, Composing Taiwan: Selected Taiwanese Art Songs of Hsiao Tyzen, is published by VDM Publishing House Ltd.
Hui-Ting received the Doctor of Music in Collaborative/Chamber Music and the Master of Music in Accompanying from Florida State University, the Master of Music in Piano Performance from Ohio University, and the Bachelor of Music Education from Taipei Municipal University of Education. Dr. Yang is currently an Associate Professor of Piano at John M. Long School of Music, where she serves as the Coordinator of Piano Studies and received the Troy University 2009 Faculty Senate Excellence Award.
Hui-Ting Yang is a Steinway Artist. To visit the Steinway & Sons Artist roster go to: http://www.steinway.com/artists/hui-ting-yang
Ook-Jin You, D.M.A.
Lecturer of Music- Collaborative Piano
204 Smith Hall
(334) 670-3593
oyou@troy.edu
Ook-Jin You is lecturer in music in collaborative piano at the Troy University John M. Long School of Music. As a versatile musician, she has appeared as a featured soloist and collaborative artist in venues throughout the Austria, Canada, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, Spain, and throughout the United States. Her performances and recordings have been broadcast on Yedang TV in Korea and Classical KUSC, the only classical radio station in the greater Los Angeles Area.
A graduate of the Universitäet Mozarteum Salzburg, where she was accepted as the first Korean pianist in the studio's history, Ook-Jin studied with distinguished professors Rolf Plagge and Simone Fontanelli. After Salzburg, she went on to study in Los Angeles at the USC Thornton School of Music, under the tutelage of Norman Krieger in 2012.
Ook-Jin You has a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University Southern California in Piano Performance. Her minor fields are Music Education, Keyboard Collaborative Arts and Sacred Music. After graduating Yewon Conservatory and Seoul Arts High School with honors, she received her Bachelor's degree from Ewha Women's Universtiy. Her principal teachers are Kyoung Mi Lee, Norman Krieger, Jefferey Kahane, and Rolf Plagge. She also had the privilege to study with Olivier Gardon, Alan Feinberg, Gerda Guttenberg, Cecilio Tieles, Solomon Mikowsky, Jerome Rose, Mark L. Weiser, Beatrice Ilari, Alan Smith and Einer-Steen Nøkleberg.
She has partnered such artist as cellists Mike Kaufmann, Un Mi Han, Benjamin Lash, flutist Yoon-Hee Jung, baritones Anthony Moreno, David Castillo, and violinists Han Byul Chang, and Marnia Lenau. Ook-Jin regularly shares the stage with her esteemed colleagues at the John M. School of Music at Troy University.
Dr. You is active as an adjudicator as well. While she has been an adjudicator for the 2019-2022 ACES Competition, 2022 Birmingham Music Guild Scholarship Audition and as a board member of local AMTA, she was serving as an adjudicator at Georgia Music Teachers Association Auditions in 2020.
As a scholar, Ook-Jin's main research is in J.S. Bach studies. She is also an avid learner for new music and has been actively involved in presentations, performances and facilitating numerous events with the repertoires by Alan Smith, Carl Vollrath, Jake Heggie, Jennifer Higdon, Luciano Berio, Mauricio Kagel, Marie-Luise Hinrichs, and Mark Lanz Weiser's solo and chamber music repertoires.
Jennifer McLoud
Administrative Assistant, School of Music
334-670-3322
music@troy.edu
jmcloud@troy.edu
Jacob Paruka
University Choir Graduate Assistant
(334) 670-6298
troychoral@troy.edu
Joseph Romo
Music Industry Graduate Assistant
(334) 808-6281
musicindustry@troy.edu
Kayla Lemak
University Band Graduate Assistant
(334) 670-3242
troyband@troy.edu
Dallas Hammond
University Band Graduate Assistant
(334) 670-3242
troyband@troy.edu
De'shun Iverson
University Band Graduate Assistant
(334) 670-3242
troyband@troy.edu