Faculty and Staff

Dr. Christopher Scott, chairperson
Devonne Delach, secretary
724.738.2406
music@sru.edu
225 Swope Music Hall

Music Education Faculty
Music Therapy Faculty
Brass Performance Faculty
Wind Performance Faculty
Strings & Guitar Faculty
Piano & Percussion Faculty
Voice & Opera Faculty
Music Academics & BA Faculty
Music Ensembles Faculty

Music Education

Dr. Kathleen Melago
Program Coordinator

Kathy Melago (Music Education)

Dr. Kathleen Melago
Music Education Program Coordinator
Student Teacher Supervisor
Music Education
Swope 220 📧

Dr. Kathleen Melago, a proud graduate of the SRU music education program, serves as Professor of Music Education at Slippery Rock University and has been program coordinator for the music education program since she joined the faculty at SRU in August 2009. In addition to teaching numerous courses in music education, she supervises music student teachers and field students and teaches Exploring Music, a large lecture class in the university’s general education program. Kathy holds degrees from Slippery Rock University, University of Northern Iowa, Loras College, Eastern Illinois University, and The Ohio State University. She has taught music in Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Ohio, both in schools and as a private teacher.

As an author, Kathy has been published in journals including PMEA News, the NACWPI Journal, Journal of Research in Music Education, Flute Talk, The Instrumentalist, Teaching Music, The Flutist Quarterly, Canadian Music Educator, Triad: Official Publication of the Ohio Music Education Association, and Music Educators Journal. She has several publications for flute available through ALRY Publications. She is co-editor (with Dr. Scott Edgar) and a chapter author in the book, Portraits of Social Emotional Learning in Music Teacher Education Teaching Music with Heart, published by GIA Publications in February 2024. Her book, Field Experience Immersion in Music: A Planning Guide, was published by Fflat Books in January 2025.

Kathy is an active member of professional associations in music education and as a flutist. She is a frequent presenter at conferences including the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association spring and summer conferences, National Association for Music Education regional and national conferences, European Music Educators Association Conference, and The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference. She is serving a term as the Masterclass Performers Competition Chair for the National Flute Association and previously was the NFA’s Exhibitor Showcase and Concert Coordinator. Kathy is the Society for Music Education Higher Education Chair for PMEA and previously served as the PMEA state collegiate advisor. She served on the Advisory Board for the Music Educators Journal from 2016-2024.

Before coming to SRU, Kathy worked as the graduate assistant for The Ohio State University P-12 Project, a university-wide initiative created to assist in improving Ohio's schools, with a special focus on the education of Ohio's underserved children and youth through the development of strong partnerships and the fostering of effective research and practice in P-12 education. Other past appointments in higher education include teaching flute and establishing and directing the flute choir at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, where she taught from 2001-2006, and serving as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Northern Iowa from 1999-2001, teaching the Flute Techniques class for music education majors and applied flute lessons.

Kathy and her four younger brothers were born and raised in western Pennsylvania, graduating from the North Allegheny School District. She enjoys serving her home region through her position here at The Rock. Outside of music, she enjoys reading (ideally in a hammock), writing, exercising, and traveling with her husband Tim.

Brent Echols (Band Music Education)

Brent Echols
Interim Director of Bands
Band Music Education
Swope G11 📧

Brent Echols is a dynamic music educator, conductor, and leader currently serving as Interim Director of Bands at Slippery Rock University. In this role, he provides artistic and administrative leadership for the university’s band program, conducts the Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, and directs the renowned Slippery Rock University Marching Pride. In addition, he teaches undergraduate courses in conducting and music education.

Professor Echols brings to SRU a wide-ranging background in collegiate and secondary music education. Most recently, he held the position of Interim Director of Bands at Loyola University New Orleans, where he led the university’s wind ensembles and contributed significantly to the development of the band curriculum. His work at Loyola followed his doctoral studies at Ball State University, where he is earning a Doctor of Arts degree in Wind Conducting under Dr. Thomas Caneva. At Ball State, he played an integral role in the operations of the University Bands and served as a guest conductor for the Trumpet Ensemble and New Music Ensemble.

A proud alumnus of Michigan State University, Mr. Echols holds both the Bachelor of Music Education and the Master of Music in Wind Conducting degrees. During his time at MSU, he worked closely with Dr. Kevin Sedatole, guest conducting the Wind Symphony, Symphony Band, and Concert Band, and assisting with the nationally recognized Spartan Marching Band and Spartan Brass.

Prior to his graduate studies, Mr. Echols was an accomplished public school educator. He served as Director of Bands at Plantation High School in Florida, where he revitalized the band program and led both concert and marching ensembles. He also served as Percussion Director and Assistant Band Director at Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler, Texas, contributing to a thriving and competitive band culture.

Professor Echols is deeply committed to fostering musical excellence, student leadership, and inclusive, innovative pedagogy in the band classroom and on the concert stage.

Cindy Candelaria (Vocal Music Education)

Dr. Cindy Candelaria
Voice
Music Education
Swope 236 📧

Dr. Cindy Candelaria-Pieve, mezzo-soprano, joins Slippery Rock University as Assistant Professor to teach applied voice and related courses, beginning Fall 2022. Dr. Candelaria holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Voice with a Cognate in Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she served as applied voice teacher to Musical Theatre major and non-major students and assisted the Chair of the Voice Department, as part of her Teaching Assistantship. Also in Cincinnati, she taught a voice studio of Theatre, Musical Theatre, Music Education, and Voice majors at Xavier University.

Dr. Candelaria holds a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Music Education from the University of Puerto Rico and studied voice at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music, where she formally trained as classical singer. Between degrees, she taught general music from pre-k through high school levels in Puerto Rico and New York City, while completing her Master of Arts in Vocal Performance at the CUNY Hunter College.

Her operatic roles include Mrs. Coyle in Owen Wingrave, Mrs. Grose in The Turn of the Screw, Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Cathleen in Riders to the Sea, Gertrude in Hansel Und Gretel, and premiered the role of Argos in Argos. She has collaborated in opera chorus, performed secondary roles with Ópera de Puerto Rico, and performed as soloist in a great number of recitals with baroque chamber orchestra Mezza Di Voce, Music for all Seasons series, and the Museum of the City of New York.

Dr. Candelaria has extensive experience conducting choir and performing in a variety of musical genres, including gospel, classical, musical theatre, jazz, various Latin-American music genres, and contemporary commercial music.

Cassandra Eisenreich (General Music Education)

Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich
Flute
General Music Education
Modern Band
Swope 204 📧

Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich is Associate Professor of Flute and Music Education at Slippery Rock University. She is the principal flutist with the Butler Symphony Orchestra (Butler, PA) and has performed with the Florida Grand Opera, Florida Sunshine Pops, and New World Symphony. She has also performed and recorded with top artists including George Benson, Michael Feinstein, Dave Grusin, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Mark O’Connor, Terence Blanchard, Jon Secada, Patti Austin, Arturo Sandoval, Nestor Torres, Sammy Figueroa, Pharrell Williams, Josh Groban, Lou Gramm and groups including The Jacksons, Evanescence, Take 6, and Tiempo Libre.

As a chamber music artist and an advocate of new music, she enjoys working with emerging composers, commissioning, and premiering new works. She has performed locally and abroad at numerous conferences and events including a recent world premiere at the beautiful Ghent Opera House in Belgium. Dr. Eisenreich has won National and International competitions through the National Flute Association and International Low Flute Festival and is a Trevor James Alto Flute Artist.

As a private teacher, Dr. Eisenreich’s flute students have won national competitions through the Marcel Moyse Society and the National Flute Association and have been admitted into prestigious music programs and ensemble festivals around the world. She has served as the chair of the National Flute Association Pedagogy Committee, a group that recently published a diverse list of graded repertoire and studies to assist flute teachers of all levels in selecting diverse literature for their students.

With the belief that every child should have the opportunity to experience music, she has implemented outreach initiatives locally and abroad, giving children the opportunity to explore their creativity through music. She founded and currently directs the SRU Early Childhood and Elementary Music Community Engagement Initiative, which has ongoing collaborations with Early Learning Connections, the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Fiddlesticks Concerts for Children. She is also a Music Education Specialist for Nuvo Instrumental, where she helped design and develop the WindStars Curriculum (Winner of NAMM: "Best Tools for Schools" and "Best in Show").

Drawing upon Dalcroze Eurhythmics to create connections within all areas of music, Dr. Eisenreich serves on the board of the Dalcroze Society of America and has given Eurhythmics workshops for elementary, secondary, and collegiate students, and professional groups ranging from chamber music ensembles to general classroom teachers. She also has extensive training and teaching experience in Orff Schulwerk, Suzuki Flute, Conversational Solfege, World Music Drumming, Kindermusik, Musikgarten, Modern Band, and Zumbini.

Her current research interests in early childhood and elementary music include music, movement, and creativity; interdisciplinary and multicultural approaches; and incorporating popular music that engages and inspires students. She has taught and presented at conferences throughout the United States and internationally, and through her mentorship, many of her students have also been accepted to present their work. She recently co-authored a chapter on Assessment in the Dalcroze Classroom that was published in the Oxford Handbook of Assessment Policy and Practice in Music Education.

Prior to Slippery Rock University, she served on the faculty at Barry University, Towson University, the Frost Preparatory Program, and was the former Outreach and Program Coordinator at the University of Miami, Frost School of Music. Dr. Eisenreich completed her D.M.A. and M.M. in Flute Performance with an emphasis in Music Education at the University of Miami, Frost School of Music, studying with Trudy Kane.

www.CassandraEisenreich.com

Timothy Little Trần (Choral Music Education)

Dr. Timothy Little Trần
Music Ensembles & Performances Chair
Director of Choral Studies
Music Education
Swope 131 📧

Louisiana native, Timothy Little Trần is a conductor, church music minister, educator, and singer/songwriter. Currently, Dr. Little Trần is the Director of Choral Studies and Associate Professor of Music at Slippery Rock University where he conducts choral Chamber Singers and Concert Choir. In addition, Dr. Little Trần teaches education and academic courses within the music curricula.

Prior to Slippery Rock, Timothy was Executive Director of Performing Arts and Professor of Choral Music at Notre Dame College, where he shaped the department into dynamic performing divisions of music, theatre, and dance, as well as created majors in music and theatre entrepreneurship. Timothy also served as the Coordinator of Arts in Residences and Area Coordinator for the Senior Experience at Oberlin Conservatory and the Resident Director at the School of Creative and Performing Arts-Manhattan [SOCAPA], where he was one of the founding members of the Music Program. Dr. Little Trần has also held positions in Student Life & Development and Arts Marketing & Communication at Interlochen Arts Academy, the Shenandoah Conservatory, Columbia Choirs of Metropolitan Seattle, and Louisiana State University, where he also was a photographer for LSU Football and the LSU Tiger Marching Band.

Timothy holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington, a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting & Literature from Louisiana State University, and a Bachelor of Music degree with Vocal and Music Education studies from the Shenandoah Conservatory.

Timothy is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity and is passionate about LSU Football; his nephews and nieces; and using the arts as a medium to support students academically, artistically, and socially.

Timothy Little Trần: Artist Statement:I believe music is central to the human experience. As a music educator, choral conductor, and researcher, I aim to connect the learning of music from song literature to a deep immersion of artistic literacy and individualized expression. My educational and artistic approach to music is not sustained by the assessment of ability and talent alone. If this were true, my own musicianship may never have come to fruition. As a multicultural person, I focus on how practical learning techniques in rehearsal and on-stage help develop emotional intelligence and relationship building for students with multiple identities. The collaborative process of establishing common terminology and gestural meaning is the culmination of my creative process; here I find that pitch, rhythm, and text are analyzed and applied literally, internally, and interpersonally. The relationship between instructor and student, conductor and singer, or peer and peer are equally as important as the common language used to understand, apply, and interpret music.

Music Therapy

Dr. Susan Hadley
Graduate Program Coordinator

Dr. Nicole Hahna
Undergraduate Program Coordinator

Susan Hadley

Dr. Susan Hadley
Music Therapy Graduate Program Coordinator
📧

Professor Susan Hadley, Ph.D., MT-BC, is director of the music therapy program and a board certified music therapist. She received her B.A. degree in music therapy and cello performance from the University of Melbourne, Australia. She also holds a post baccalaureate degree in special education from the University of Western Australia in Perth, Australia. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in music therapy and psycho-educational processes from Temple University, Pennsylvania.

As a music therapy clinician, Dr. Hadley has worked with a wide variety of clients including children, adolescents and adults with medical conditions, developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, sensory impairments, psychiatric disorders, a history of substance abuse, and older adults.

As a music therapy educator, Dr. Hadley's goal is not only to teach students about a variety of health conditions and music therapy approaches, but to help them to learn more about themselves in order to be more effective therapists. Her philosophy of education is that people learn by doing and that it has a longer lasting impact if people enjoy it and it is meaningful. Therefore in her classes she integrates theory, practice, and personal experiences. She also challenges students to look at the various ways that gender, race, class, age, religion, sexuality, ability, and culture impact the therapeutic relationship.

Dr. Hadley is the author of Exploring Race as a Music Therapist: Personal Narratives (Barcelona Publishers, 2013) and editor of Qualitative Inquiries in Music Therapy, Vol. 5 (Barcelona Publishers, 2010), Qualitative Inquiries in Music Therapy, Vol. 4 (Barcelona Publishers, 2008), Feminist Perspectives in Music Therapy (Barcelona Publishers, 2006), and Psychodynamic Music Therapy: Case Studies (Barcelona Publishers, 2003). She is co-editor (with George Yancy) of Therapeutic Uses of Rap and Hip-Hop (Routledge, 2011) and Narrative Identities: Psychologists Engaged in Self-Construction (Jessica Kingsley Press, 2005). Her published articles, chapters, and reviews appear in the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, The Australian Journal of Music Therapy, Music Therapy Perspectives, The Arts in Psychotherapy, Popular Music and Society, The Dynamics of Music Psychotherapy (Barcelona Publishers), Analytical Music Therapy (Jessica Kingsley Publishers), Critical Perspectives on bell hooks (Routledge), Readings in Music Therapy Theory (Barcelona Publishers), Music Technology in Therapeutic and Health Settings (Jessica Kingsley Press), The Oxford Handbook of Music Therapy (Oxford University Press), Music Therapy Handbook (Guildford Press), Blending Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Techniques: A Guidebook for Child and Adolescent Clinicians and Educators (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), and Music Therapy Research (Third Edition) (Barcelona Publishers).

Dr. Hadley is Co-editor (with B. Stige and K. McFerran) of Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy: www.voices.no. She has served on the editorial review board of the Australian Journal of Music Therapy and is on the editorial board of Barcelona Publishers' Monograph Series Qualitative Inquiries in Music Therapy. She is also a language consultant for the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy.

Dr. Hadley belongs to several professional organizations including the American Music Therapy Association and the Australian Music Therapy Association. She was nominated to represent the College of Humanities, Fine, and Performing Arts for the 2011-2012 President's Excellence in Teaching Award as one of four finalists at Slippery Rock University. In 2014 she was presented with one of SRU's Women of Distinction Awards. She was nominated as "a cornerstone of the music department and an accomplished scholar who challenges and supports students simultaneously. As a music therapy clinician and professor, she compassionately inspires growth and insight within the people around her. Her work in critical race studies, disability studies and feminist studies reflect her commitment to diversity and her stand against discrimination at every level. Indefatigable, she makes students' concerns and well-being a top priority and has changed their lives in often profound ways."

Nicole Hahna

Dr. Nicole Hahna
Music Therapy Undergraduate Program Coordinator
Swope 222 📧

Nicole Hahna, Ph.D., MT-BC is an Associate Professor in the Music Department at Slippery Rock University. She teaches in the music therapy program and serves as the Coordinator for Undergraduate Music Therapy Program. Nicole received her Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Therapy from Appalachian State University and her Master of Science Degree in Music Therapy from Radford University. She received her Ph.D. in Expressive Therapies from Lesley University. Her dissertation topic was the use of feminist pedagogy in music therapy education. Her current research interests include music therapy pedagogy as well as the use of technology in music therapy. Nicole's professional service within the field includes serving as the Chair of the Student Affairs Advisory Board for the American Music Therapy Association as well as serving as Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania State Task Force on Occupational Regulation.

Nicole's clinical experience includes work with children with special needs, older adults, adults with mental illness, children and adults in the medical setting, children and adult survivors of domestic violence, and healthy adults seeking personal growth. Nicole is a Fellow of the Association for Music and Imagery (FAMI), graduating from the Mid-Atlantic Training Institute. She studied Guided Imagery & Music (GIM) with Jim Borling, Carol Bush, and Sierra Stokes-Sterns. In addition to teaching at SRU, Nicole provides music therapy and GIM through Music Journey, LLC.

Nicole has presented, researched, and published on a variety of topics, including music therapy with survivors of intimate partner violence as well as the use of Guided Imagery & Music (GIM) with survivors of intimate partner violence. Additionally, she has presented on the role of empowerment in clinical practice, feminist perspectives in music therapy, feminist pedagogy in music therapy, and the use of music technology in clinical practice. Additionally, she received the Changemaker Award from the American Music Therapy Association in 2015.

Vern Miller

Vern Miller
Music Therapy Post-Bacc Coordinator
Swope 223 📧

Vern Miller, MMT, MT-BC is the Coordinator of the Equivalency Music Therapy Program as well as the Coordinator for Clincial Integration at Slippery Rock University. Vern received his undergraduate degree in music therapy from Slippery Rock University and his master's degree in music therapy from Temple University. He joined the Slippery Rock University Music Therapy Faculty in Fall 2016. His music therapy clinical experience includes working with adults with behavioral health needs at the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute as well with children and adults with developmental disabilities at Living Unlimited. He has published and presented on the music of technology in music therapy both regionally and nationally.

Freddy Perkins

Freddy Perkins
Music Therapy
📧

Freddy Perkins, MMT, MT-BC is an adjunct faculty member within the Slippery Rock University Music Therapy department. He received his undergraduate degree in music therapy from Appalachian State University and his master’s degree in music therapy, with an endorsement in clinical mental health counseling, from Slippery Rock University. Additionally, he is currently an advanced trainee in Analytical Music Therapy, a level 2 trainee in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music, and a trainee in narrative therapy. Freddy has clinical experience working in community mental health, LGBTQ+ trauma and identity work, and school settings. In the context of music therapy, he has published and presented on sociocultural issues. He strives to work as a social justice-orientated supervisor and clinician in the context of music therapy and clinical mental health counseling with LGBTQ+ folx, particularly queer and trans African, Asian, Indigenous, and Latin American people. Freddy joined the Slippery Rock University Faculty in Fall 2022.

Brass Performance

Dr. Jason Kush
Performance Program Coordinator

Heather Johnson (Horn)

Heather Johnson
Horn
Swope 205 📧

Heather Johnson attended The Curtis Institute of Music at age seventeen. Her major teachers include Myron Bloom, Dr. Fred Ehnes, Mason Jones, William Purvis, and Frøydis Wekre. In addition to studying extensively with teachers from the Norwegian Academy of Music, she holds degrees in horn performance from The Curtis Institute of Music and Stony Brook University, and a masters in conducting from The Dana School of Music.

A native of Muncie, Indiana, she has attended several music festivals, including Tanglewood BUTI, Interlochen Arts Camp, Eastern Music Festival, Rencontres Musicales d'Évian, Le Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, Ashlawn-Highland Opera Festival, HfM Franz Liszt Weimarer Meisterkurse, and the Banff Centre. Her past ensemble experiences include The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, Philadelphia Ballet, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia; and the Columbus, Charleston, Syracuse, and Jupiter Symphonies. Current positions include the Youngstown Symphony, Cleveland Pops, Opera Western Reserve, Warren Philharmonic, and the Pittsburgh Academy Chamber Orchestra.

Heather performs extensively in Pennsylvania and Ohio. She is on the faculty of Slippery Rock University, the Luzerne Music Center summer festival, and maintains two private studios. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, a luthier and Juilliard-trained double bassist.

Gabriel Colby (Trombone)

Gabriel Colby
Trombone
Swope 205 📧

Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Gabriel is in-demand as both a recording and performing trombonist. He is principal trombone for the Nu Deco Ensemble, a cutting-edge chamber orchestra operating out of Miami, Florida and co-principal trombone of the River City Brass Band, the only ensemble of its kind in America.

Outside of these large ensembles, Gabriel plays in and manages two other groups. His brass quintet, C Street Brass performs classical, and pop favorites in recital halls and performing arts centers across the country. Beauty Slap, a genre-bending electronic funk band, comprised of a DJ, keyboards, and horns, tours nationally, and plays sold-out shows in and around Pittsburgh. Both groups are focused on education and given workshops at: Carnegie Mellon University, University of South Carolina, San Francisco State University, California State University Stanislaus, and others. Gabriel earned a B.M. and G.P.D. from Peabody Conservatory, and a M.M. from Carnegie Mellon University.

In addition to performing and recording, Gabriel is a certified trainer. He utilizes his personal experience recovering from injury and studying a variety of movement disciplines to help musicians and non-musicians alike become pain free and feel more confident, playful, and powerful in their bodies. As a speaker, he has given workshops and seminars at West Virginia University, Third Coast Trombone Retreat, Carnegie Mellon University on both the business of music as well as movement, fitness, and pain solutions as a musician. In his free time, Gabriel enjoys all kinds of fitness training, golf, rock climbing, and eating ice cream.

Micah Holt (Trumpet)

Dr. Micah Holt
Trumpet
Musicianship Skills
Brass Ensemble
Swope 117 📧

Dr. Micah Holt is a dynamic performer and educator based in Pittsburgh, PA. In addition to his role as Principal Trumpet with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, he is a tenured member of the Erie Philharmonic and West Virginia Symphony trumpet sections. Dr. Holt is also a member of C Street Brass, an internationally acclaimed brass quintet known for their soulful and entertaining performances. In addition to his permanent positions, he has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Hawaii Symphony, Pittsburgh Opera, Harrisburg Symphony, Charleston (SC) Symphony, Akron Symphony, Canton Symphony, Wheeling Symphony, CityMusic Cleveland and with the New World Symphony.

Dr. Holt is a dedicated educator. He has presented masterclasses at numerous universities including The Juilliard School, Michigan State University, and Duquesne University. At SRU, Dr. Holt strives to create a welcoming and inspiring environment within the trumpet studio. Under his direction, the SRU Trumpet Ensemble has advanced to perform at the live rounds of the National Trumpet Competition.

Dr. Holt received his BA at the University of Northern Colorado, MM at the University of Louisville, DMA at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and an Advanced Musical Studies Certificate at Carnegie Mellon University.

If you are a prospective student, contact Dr. Holt micah.holt@sru.edu for a free lesson!

Philip Vanouse (Tuba, Euphonium)

Philip Vanouse
Tuba/Euphonium
Swope 205 📧

Philip VanOuse - Principal Tuba for the Pittsburgh Opera and Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestras. Active freelance musician, having performed with numerous regional and national orchestras, bands and productions, including the River City Brass Band, the Pittsburgh Symphony, Civic Light Opera, and is a frequent soloist and advocate of contemporary music for tuba. He currently also serves on the faculties of Duquesne University and for the Carnegie Mellon Pre-College program.

Wind Performance

Dr. Jason Kush
Performance Program Coordinator

Amy Baker (Bassoon)

Amy Baker
Bassoon
Musicians Health
Swope 235 📧

Western Pennsylvania native Amy Baker began her study on the bassoon while in high school under the tutelage of Mark Pancerev. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying with David McGill, Ronald Phillips, and John Clouser. She continued her musical education at Cleveland State University and studied with Jonathan Sherwin. Ms. Baker graduated with her Master of Music degree with a concentration in music education from Eastern Kentucky University.

Ms. Baker is an active chamber music performer in the tri-state area. She is a member of the woodwind quintet Cincopation which has performed in various venues in the Pittsburgh area including the Westmoreland Symphony Chamber Music Series and the Bach, Beethoven, and Brunch series. She appeared as a guest artist with the Academy Chamber Ensemble in 2019, performing Mozart's Sonata for Bassoon and Cello, Franz Krommer's Quartet for Bassoon and Strings and Willy Hess' Quintet for Contrabassoon and Strings. That series was featured on WQED-FM's Performance in Pittsburgh.

Also active as an orchestral musician, Ms. Baker is the second bassoonist with the Westmoreland Symphony and principal bassoonist with the Butler County Symphony Orchestra and the Academy Chamber Orchestra. She serves as principal contrabassoonist with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and has performed with many other orchestras and ensembles in the area. Ms. Baker is passionate about teaching and has served as the bassoon instructor at Slippery Rock University since 2010. In addition to maintaining a private studio, she has also served on the faculty of Seton Hill University and the Cleveland Music School Settlement Summer Music Camp.

Ms. Baker is also a registered nurse and is an advocate for musician health and wellness. She received her nursing diploma from UPMC St. Margaret School of Nursing, her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Chatham University, and her Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Nursing Education from Capella University. Ms. Baker’s areas of study include musicians’ health and performance anxiety management. She is a member of the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) where she serves as a PAMA Ambassador, and she has earned her PAMA Certification in the Essentials of Performing Arts Medicine.

Amanda Morrison (Clarinet)

Dr. Amanda Morrison
Clarinet
Swope 221 📧

Amanda Morrison is on faculty at Slippery Rock University where she teaches Applied Clarinet and is the Director of Clarinet Choir. She has served on the staff of Fairmont State University, West Liberty University, Florida State University, and Gulf Coast Community College and is a private clarinet instructor in Pittsburgh, PA. Morrison spends her summers performing and teaching at both the French Woods Performing Arts Festival in NY and Band Camp for Adult Musicians in PA. She is also on faculty of ECpBA (Ensamble de clarinetes de la provincia de Buenos Aires) in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she performs, conducts the clarinet choir, and leads masterclasses alongside noted artist-educators in Argentina. Morrison is a Vandoren Artist-Clinician, Rice Clarinet Works Performing Artist, and Event Director of Steel City Clarinet Day, a community event of music making and clarinet learning for clarinet students, professionals, and enthusiasts.

As a performer, Dr. Morrison has given performances and lectures at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest, the NACWPI National Convention, the Music by Women Festival, The Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Conference, the Maryland Music Educators Association Conference, the West Virginia Music Educators Association Conference, the American Musicological Society’s National Conference, and numerous colleges and universities throughout the United States. She is a founding member of the Milano Duo clarinet ensemble, Grant Avenue Clarinet Duo, and the PM Woodwind Project flute and clarinet duo. Morrison has been a clarinetist with the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, Butler Symphony Orchestra, and the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival.

As a fierce new music advocate, Dr. Morrison has commissioned and premiered clarinet works by Eric Mandat, Scott McAllister, Jenni Brandon, James David, Daniel Dorff, Theresa Martin, Lynda Dembowski, Karen Amrhein, Tara Islas, Nicole Chamberlain, Matthew Harder, Gay Kahkonen, Kurt Knecht, David Martynuik, Elaine Ross, Nadine Silverman, Alan Tormey, Robert Traugh, and Roger Zare. Having a strong interest in extended techniques for clarinet, Morrison’s research focuses on the music of clarinetist/composer Eric Mandat, recording his music and publishing numerous articles on his life and works in the Clarinet Journal, NACWPI Journal, and Vandoren Newsletter. Her latest explorations involve EFX Clarinet (amplified clarinet enhanced with guitar pedal effects). Awarded an artist residency at Avaloch Farm Music Institute in 2024, Morrison, along with Dr. Rosemary Engelstad, established the Grant Avenue Clarinet Duo; an EFX Clarinet duo dedicated to sharing and expanding the repertoire for two amplified clarinets.

In October of 2023, Morrison, along with co-host Dr. Amy Guffey, launched the “Hidden Cues” podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The podcast series was created to build community and awareness around pregnancy and post-pregnancy life in musical settings. As co-hosts, Morrison and Guffey interview guests about their personal and professional experiences navigating physical, mental, and emotional obstacles during and after pregnancy. The podcast has grown a wide-age range of followers in its first year of production.

Dr. Morrison earned a BM degree from Duquesne University and MM and DM degrees from Florida State University with her principal teachers being Mark Nuccio, Dr. Deborah Bish, and Dr. Frank Kowalsky with additional studies with Eric Mandat, Michael Rusinek, Mary Beth Malek, and D Ray McClellan. When not playing and teaching the clarinet, she enjoys reading, traveling, yoga, vegan chocolate and tea, and most of all; being “mom” to her two children.

Cassandra Eisenreich (Flute)

Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich
Flute
Early Childhood Music
Swope 204 📧

www.CassandraEisenreich.com

Renate Sakins (Oboe)

Renate Sakins
Oboe
Swope 221 📧

Renate Sakins is currently Instructor of Oboe at Slippery Rock University. An active freelance oboist, she is a member of the Renaissance City Winds, principal oboist with the Westmoreland Symphony, and 2nd oboist with the Akron Symphony. She has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Columbus Symphony and many other regional ensembles. As a soloist, Ms. Sakins has been featured on WQED's "Performance in Pittsburgh". She has performed at the Blossom and Cape May music festivals, and has toured in Canada, Japan, and throughout Europe. She teaches at Pittsburgh's Center for the Musically Talented and maintains a private teaching studio.

Ms. Sakins holds a B.M. degree from Temple University and attended Carnegie Mellon University in the M.M. degree program. Her principal teachers were Louis Rosenblatt and Cynthia DeAlmeida.

Jason Kush (Saxophone)

Dr. Jason Kush
Performance Program Coordinator
Director of Jazz
Saxophone
Swope 219 📧

Dr. Jason Kush is an active saxophonist, educator, and scholar. Kush earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance from the University of Miami after obtaining his Master of Music degree in Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Miami and his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education, magna cum laude, from Slippery Rock University.

Kush has performed as a soloist and ensemble member in wide variety of genres in the United States and Europe. As a free-lance jazz/commercial saxophonist, Kush has performed with the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra, the Woody Herman Orchestra, the MCG Big Band, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the South Florida Jazz Orchestra, Paquito D'Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, Eddie Daniels, Christian McBride, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Benny Golson, Sean Jones, Freddy Cole, Kevin Mahogany, Wayne Bergeron, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Dave Koz, Andrea Bocelli, Barry Manilow, Megan Hilty, Patti LuPone, Michael Feinstein, Johnny Mathis, Freddy Cole, Bernie Dresel, Michael Bolton, the Temptations, the Supremes, the O'Jays, and the Four Tops, among many others. Additionally, Kush has extensive experience as an orchestral musician, performing many concerts with the New World Symphony, the Russian National Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (including a 2013 European tour). Kush's Carnegie Hall debut occurred in 1998 with a performance by the All-Eastern U.S. High School Honors Band, with a return visit in 2008 to premier Christopher Rouse's "Wolf Rounds" for wind ensemble. In addition to live performances, Kush recorded with the South Florida Jazz Orchestra, Hector el Father, the South 9 Ensemble, the Nathan Douds Ensemble, as well as Eddie Daniels, Tom Scott, and the Henri Mancini Institute Big Band, a project that received a two Grammy Nominations in 2006. In January 2014, the Jason Kush/Billy Test duo released Intersecting Lines on New Focus Recordings (Naxos).

Kush's scholarly work includes a dissertation on the life and innovations of Belgian inventor François Louis, as well as feature articles and interviews in various magazines and journals pertaining to saxophone performance and pedagogy, including in Saxophone Journal, Polyphonic.org, The Instrumentalist, and PMEA News. In addition to extensive performance and scholarly activity, Dr. Kush held positions at Barry University and the New World School of the Arts, in Miami, Florida. Currently, Dr. Kush is an Assistant Professor at Slippery Rock University where he teaches Applied Saxophone, Improvisation, Computer Technology in Music, and directs the SRU Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combos, Saxophone Quartets, and Saxophone Ensemble.

In 2013, Kush established the Three Rivers New Music Consortium, an internationally reaching non-profit organization whose goal is to unite musicians, arts enthusiasts, and musical composers in a common quest for newly composed music. The first commission by this organization premiered in 2014 - a trio for alto saxophone, cello, and piano.

Kush proudly endorses the Selmer (France) and Conn-Selmer (USA) instrument companies, as well as the fine mouthpieces, reeds, and ligatures of François Louis.

Strings & Guitar

Dr. Jason Kush
Performance Program Coordinator

Yoona Jeong (Violin/Viola)

Dr. Yoona Jeong
FALL 2025 LEAVE
Director of Orchestra
Violin/Viola
Swope 203 📧

Dr. Yoona Jeong is a conductor, violinist, and musicologist. She serves as Director of Orchestra and Assistant Professor of Music at Slippery Rock University where she teaches violin, viola, and other courses. After receiving her Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Texas at Austin, she won First Prize at the Denver Philharmonic Conducting Competition. She also won the Best Interpretation Prize at the 17th Khachaturian International Competition and was a finalist at the Arthur Nikisch Competition. Dr. Jeong has worked with professional orchestras including the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, Austin Symphony Orchestra, and Korean Symphony Orchestra.

She was a music director of the University of Texas University Orchestra and an assistant conductor of the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra. In addition, she actively worked with the Sarah and Ernest Butler Opera Center, where she conducted Jonathan Dove’s contemporary opera Mansfield Park, as well as the world premiere of Audition Fever. She assisted several operas, including Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, of which she took lead in preparing the musicians for James Conlon, the music director of the Los Angeles Opera. She also worked as an assistant conductor of the Austin Symphony under Peter Bay.

Dr. Jeong is a well-rounded musician with a diverse musical background. She graduated with honors from Busan Arts School as a violin performance major. She performed E. Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole with the Czech Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and has continued to play the violin in ensembles such as the American Prize-winning Baylor Symphony Orchestra and the Monteux Festival Orchestra. She has had unique experiences teaching violin for a disabled orchestra in South Korea. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Musicology at Seoul National University in South Korea where she graduated summa cum laude and received the Chancellor’s Award. In 2014, she matriculated at the University of Southern California and earned a Master’s Degree in Choral Music at the Thornton School of Music. In 2018, she earned a second Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting at Baylor University.

Adding to her international experience, Dr. Jeong has been invited to the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, the Princeton Festival, Medomak Music Festival, and the Pierre Monteux School and Music Festival. She was also invited to participate in the 1st Korean Symphony Orchestra International Conducting Competition and the 11th International Conducting Competition Jeunesses Musicales Bucharest.

Nicole Brockmann (Violin/Viola)

Dr. Nicole Brockmann
Violin/Viola
Music History
Swope 203 📧

Dr. Nicole Brockmann earned her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in viola performance and her MM, AD, and DMA from Yale University. She holds the Dalcroze Eurhythmics Certificate and License from the Marta Sanchez Dalcroze Training Center at CMU, where she teaches every summer. She has been a faculty member at institutions including DePauw University and West Virginia University and has performed and taught internationally. She is the author of From Sight to Sound: Improvisational Games for Classical Musicians (Indiana University Press, 2009).

Nicole is looking forward to diving into the misty recesses of music history this semester and is always hoping to find some students or faculty she can talk with about video games!

Piage Riggs (Cello)

Dr. Paige Riggs
Cello
Aural Skills
Swope P33 📧

Cellist, Dr. Paige Riggs grew up in the Boston area and moved in Pittsburgh in 2002. She holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Indiana University (Bloomington), and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she was awarded a doctorate of musical arts in 2000. Recently appointed to teach at the music department at Slippery Rock University, she has also served on the music faculties at the University of Virginia and Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Her major teachers include Paul Katz, Janos Starker, and Timothy Eddy.

Dr. Riggs has been principal cellist and soloist at the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival since 1999, and performed and taught for many years at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina. She has been a guest artist at numerous music festivals and concert series including the Music on the Edge Series in Pittsburgh, the Foothills Music Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the Garth Newel Music Festival in Warm Springs, Virginia, the June in Buffalo Festival in Buffalo, New York, and the Embassy Concert Series in Washington, D.C. While a student she received fellowships from the Spoleto Music Festival, the Bach Aria Festival, and the Tanglewood Music Center, which awarded her the C. D. Jackson memorial prize in 1997. She has performed as principal cellist of the Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestra and currently holds that position in the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra and the McKeesport Symphony. Dr. Riggs lives with her husband and two daughters in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

Brian Stahurski (Bass)

Brian Stahurski
Double Bass
Electric Bass
Swope P33 📧

Brian Stahurski received his formal education at Duquesne University, earning a Bachelor's degree in Jazz Performance in 1989 while studying with Jeffrey Mangone, and a Master's degree in Performance in 1992 while studying with Anthony Bianco. Since then he has performed with the Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestra, Major Broadway touring productions, the Wheeling Symphony, WQED's "Live from Studio A" on PBS television and various Jazz, Blues, Salsa, Pop and Rock artists around Pittsburgh. Brian toured with jazz trumpet legend Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau band around the world from 1999 - 2001 playing jazz festivals, clubs and universities in the United States, Europe, and Asia. In that time he also performed on two notable recordings during that time; vocalist Michael Feinstein on "Big City Rhythms" with Maynard Ferguson, and with renowned vocalist Diane Schuur on "Swingin for Schuur", also featuring Mr. Ferguson. Both albums are on the Concord Jazz label. He is currently Professor of Bass Studies at Slippery Rock University, California University of Pennsylvania, Duquesne University, and bass guitar instructor at the Winchester Thurston School.

John Francis Bagnato (Guitar)

John Francis Bagnato
Guitar
Swope Hall 📧

John Francis Bagnato is a seasoned jazz guitarist and ethnomusicologist with a rich background in both performance and academic research. He earned his Bachelor of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied guitar under Rodney Jones, and later pursued advanced studies in jazz improvisation with esteemed musicians such as Don Cherry at the Naropa Institute, Terence Blanchard at the University of New Orleans (MM 2003), and Geri Allen during his doctoral studies at the University of Pittsburgh (PhD 2018).

Before Hurricane Katrina, Bagnato spent a decade in New Orleans, performing and touring globally with notable artists like Big Chief Donald Harrison, Jr., and recording with musicians such as Mario Adnet, Bill Summers, and Trombone Shorty. His experiences in New Orleans deeply influence his ongoing interest in the musical and cultural intersections between Brazil, Latin America, and the region.

As the Coordinator of Jazz Programming at the Center of Life in Pittsburgh, Bagnato mentors young musicians, contributing to the city's vibrant jazz heritage. His academic work includes a 2022-23 Fulbright Fellowship in Bahia, Brazil, where he explored decolonial strategies in Afrodiasporic musical praxis. This project, based at the Universidade Estadual de Feira Santana (UEFS), built on collaborations he began during a 2014 Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship. His ongoing recording project, supported by a research grant from the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Latin American Studies, features collaborations with musicians from Bahia.

Bagnato's doctoral research focused on the experiences of blind African American blues and gospel musicians in the early segregated recording industry, exploring their roles in the Great Migration and their impact on collective memory within African American communities. His research extends to the study of blindness in musical communities from the sixteenth-century Iberian Peninsula and nineteenth-century Latin America. His work has been supported by a Mellon Fellowship and presented at prestigious conferences, including those of the American Musicological Society, the Society for Ethnomusicology, the Modern Language Association, and the International Conference of the Blues, where he received the Luther Brown Prize.

John Anthony (Guitar)

John Anthony
Jazz Studies
Guitar
Swope Hall 📧

Described for his “lead guitar dazzlement” in Music Connection Magazine and “guitar virtuosity” in The Repository, John Anthony is a freelance guitarist playing with regional and national touring acts including The Vindys and Saved by the 90s. He studied at Slippery Rock University receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education. He further pursued his studies by attending Youngstown State University earning a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies where he led a 13-piece Frank Zappa Ensemble which gained recognition from Dweezil Zappa and Zappa alumni, Napoleon Murphy Brock. In and outside of the classroom, John has studied with various guitarists including Adam Rogers, Jim Campilongo, Daniel Donato, Eric Susoeff, and Ken Karsh.

Recently, John has contributed cross-curricular lessons focused on The Grateful Dead to the national curriculum TeachRock.org and has served recently as a consultant for the curriculum for scaffolding lessons targeted towards elementary students. Additionally, John is an active educator in the Northeast Ohio area where he teaches rock ensemble, orchestra and general music at Austintown Local Schools in Austintown, Ohio. He has presented lectures and recently contributed an article to the TRIAD entitled “Using Popular Music in the Classroom: A User’s Guide On How Not To Look Awkward Teaching It.” John is proudly endorsed by EarthQuaker Devices and Ultimate Ears Pro.

Piano & Percussion Performance

Dr. Jason Kush
Performance Program Coordinator

David Glover (Percussion)

Dr. David Glover
Percussion
Swope 202 📧

Dr. David Glover is Associate Professor of Percussion at Slippery Rock University, where he teaches Applied Percussion, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Lab Band, Percussion Methods, Music History, and the World Percussion Ensemble. He received music degrees from The University of North Florida (B.A.E), The Florida State University (M.M. and M.M.E.), and the University of Texas at Austin (D.M.A.).

A drummer and percussionist since he was ten, Glover has garnered a wide range of musical influences from jazz and classical music, to rock and Afro-Caribbean styles. Dr. Glover has performed with a variety of talented artists including, Arturo Sandoval, Joe Williams, Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Tamara Tunie, The Mason Brothers, The Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey Orchestras, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Peabo Bryson, Bill Watrous, Joel Frahm, Antonio Hart, Regis Philbin, Rick Margitza, Nancy Wilson, Grady Tate, Conrad Herwig, Tim Hagans, Indian tabla virtuoso Sandip Burman, and Japanese Taiko drummer Kenny Endo. He can be heard on recordings from, The Wash, Latin Attitude, Azucar, The University of Texas Jazz Orchestra, the acoustic jazz quartet Odd Man Out (Viewpoint Records), The Balcony Big Band, The Three Rivers Jazz Orchestra (SeaBreeze Records), Sheryl Bailey and the Three Rivers Jazz Orchestra (MCG Jazz), and Tamara Tunie’s “Dreamsville”, among others. Dr. Glover performs exclusively with SABIAN cymbals, Pearl/Adams drums and percussion, REMO drumheads, and Innovative Percussion drumsticks and mallets.

As an educator Dr. Glover has given clinics, masterclasses, lectures, adjudications and performances at numerous regional, state, national and international conferences and conventions. He received the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District V Citation of Excellence in 2015. Dr. Glover’s students have gone on to District, Region and All-State honors, college and conservatory music programs, graduate music schools, performing and touring groups, as well as many becoming successful music educators and music therapists throughout the country.

Dr. Glover belongs to several professional organizations including, The Percussive Arts Society, Pi Kappa Lambda (National Music Honor Society), ASCAP, The Pennsylvania Music Educators Association and The College Music Society. He has published articles in Modern Drummer Magazine and was the President of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society from 2008-2015.

Glenn Utsch (Piano)

Dr. Glenn Utsch
Piano
Aural Skills
Swope 101 📧

Dr. Glenn Utsch has been a member of the piano faculty at Slippery Rock University since 1996. His graduate degrees are from the Manhattan School of Music and Teachers College, Columbia University. His piano instructors have included Dr. Robert Pace (Teachers College, Columbia University), Constance Keene (Manhattan School of Music), Jascha Zayde (New York University), and Earl Wild.

Dr. Utsch's teaching responsibilities include private piano (classical and jazz), class piano, keyboard improvisation and music skills.

In addition to his teaching and committee work, he performs regularly in the Pittsburgh area as a classical/jazz pianist. Dr. Utsch has also performed in various New York City clubs, at St. Peters Church and Calvary Baptist Church in New York City, and for Nancy Reagan at her book release party in Lincoln Center.

His international travel experiences include performances in Vienna, Austria, where he performed as accompanist for professional choirs performing at the Advent fest International Choral Festival; London, England, where he teaches an SRU course on Musical Theater; China, where he researched piano music of indigenous composers; and Tokyo, Japan, where he taught piano to area piano teachers. He has also presented with Professor Nola Nolen Holland, Dance Department, at the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Dr. Utsch is a member of numerous professional musical organizations including the College Music Society, Society for American Music, Federation of Music Clubs, Music Teachers National Association, and the American Federation of Musicians. He is also an adjudicator for the Federation of Music Clubs and MTNA. Dr. Utsch frequently gives piano master classes for pianists in the greater Western Pennsylvania region.

Nicole Cochran (Piano)

Nicole Cochran
Piano
Swope 117 📧

Nicole Cochran has recently been appointed to the music faculty at Slippery Rock University where she is Music Accompanist for the Choral and Opera programs. Nicole also holds the position of Organist at First Presbyterian Church, Sharon, PA.

Nicole is a graduate of The Juilliard School in New York City where she studied with Grammy-Award-winning artist, Paul Jacobs. While living in New York, Nicole was featured in the soundtrack to the film Lost Bohemia, a documentary of the significant history of the studios above Carnegie Hall and the artists who worked there.

She then earned her master's degree from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ where she studied with concert artist Alan Morrison and was the first prize recipient of the 2011 Joan Lippincott Competition for Excellence in Organ Performance. As a concertizing artist, Nicole has performed at various music venues from New York to California.

Voice & Opera Performance

Dr. Jason Kush
Performance Program Coordinator

Christopher Scott (Voice)

Dr. Christopher Scott
Department Chair
Voice
Swope 201 📧

Christopher Scott, baritone, serves as Associate Professor of Music at Slippery Rock University, where he teaches a voice studio as well as other music classes. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music where he studied voice with Tom Baresel and taught a voice studio of Music Theater majors. He completed a Masters Degree at the same institution, singing the roles of Tarquinius in Lucrezia and André Thorel in Thérèse. Between degree programs, Chris served Augustana College in Rock Island, IL as Artist in Residence, teaching applied voice and various departmental courses. At Augustana he sang an orchestral concert of Mahler songs and performed the roles of Lieutenant Worthing in Truce of Carols and Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden.

Professionally, Chris sang in Microscopic Opera's productions of Michael Ching's Speed Dating, Tonight! and Robert Xavier Rodríguez's Frida, both in 2014. Chris sang as an apprentice with Des Moines Metro Opera in 2013, debuting as Paris in Romeo et Juliette. In 2008, he sang the role of Giuseppe in Cincinnati Opera's production of La Traviata. His debut with the same company was as a Foundry Worker in the world premiere of Rise For Freedom: The John P. Parker Story. With Opera Quad Cities, Chris sang the roles of Marcello (La Bohème) and Guglielmo (Così fan tutte).

Cindy Candelaria (Voice)

Dr. Cindy Candelaria
Voice
Music Education
Swope 236 📧

Timothi Williams (Voice, Opera)

Timothi Williams
Voice/Opera
Swope 201 📧

Timothi Williams, mezzo-soprano, is a West Virginia native, and is currently based in Pittsburgh, PA. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from West Liberty University, and holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the Pennsylvania State University. Upon completion of her graduate studies, she obtained a Professional Performance Certificate from the Penn State School of Music.

Ms. Williams has had the pleasure of performing several operatic roles on stage such as Jo March in
Mark Adamo’s Little Women, Rosina in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina, Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, Mélisande in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and most recently, Donna Curson in Mozart/Guerreiro's Figaro 90210.

Quickly gaining popularity as a soloist, Timothi performs regularly with many orchestral, vocal, and chamber ensembles throughout the East Coast. She has been making her debuts in opera programs around the country, most recently as a Studio Artist with Chautauqua Opera for their 2019 season. Among her most notable credits, she was named a Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition District Winner (Pittsburgh) in 2018.

Ms. Williams has a passion for education and enjoys sharing the gift of voice with others through her private voice studio, offering masterclasses and teaching at the university level. She is currently a member of the voice faculty at Slippery Rock University.

Timothi Williams can be reached at timothi.williams@sru.edu.

Timothy Little Trần (Director of Choral Studies)

Dr. Timothy Little Trần
Music Ensembles & Performances Chair
Director of Choral Studies
Music Education
Swope 131 📧

Music Academics & Bachelor of Arts

Dr. Timothy Little Trần
Music Academics Contact

Dr. Glenn Utsch
Bachelor of Arts Program Coordinator

Timothy Little Trần (Music Theory)

Dr. Timothy Little Trần
Music Ensembles & Performances Chair
Director of Choral Studies
Music Education
Swope 131 📧

Lincoln Sandham (Music Theory)

Dr. Lincoln Sandham
Music Theory
Stoner 132 📧

Dr. Lincoln Sandham is the Music Director and Staff Accompanist for the SRU Theater Department, and teaches Music Theory courses in the school of music. Lincoln is an award-winning composer of choral, chamber, orchestral, and film music. His music has been performed in the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Australia, China, South Korea, Japan, Spain, Russia, Greece, Mexico, Finland, Canada, and across the U.S.

At SRU Lincoln accompanies MT classes, the MT studio, masterclasses and workshops, and is Music Director for all musical productions. Equally at home with the music of Mozart and Maroon 5, Lincoln loves exploring all kinds of repertoire with students.

Lincoln received his B.M. from Baldwin Wallace University, his M.M. from the University of Louisville, and the D.M. from Florida State University.

Yoona Jeong (Music History)

Dr. Yoona Jeong
FALL 2025 LEAVE
Director of Orchestra
Violin/Viola
Swope 203 📧

Nicole Brockmann (Music History)

Dr. Nicole Brockmann
Violin/Viola
Music History
Swope 203 📧

Nicole is looking forward to diving into the misty recesses of music history this semester and is always hoping to find some students or faculty she can talk with about video games!

Vern Miller (Music History)

Vern Miller
Music Therapy Post-Bacc Coordinator
Swope 223 📧

Micah Holt (Musicianship Skills)

Dr. Micah Holt
Trumpet
Musicianship Skills
Brass Ensemble
Swope 117 📧

If you are a prospective student, contact Dr. Holt micah.holt@sru.edu for a free lesson!

Paige Riggs (Musicianship Skills)

Dr. Paige Riggs
Cello
Musicianship Skills
Swope P33 📧

Glenn Utsch (Musicianship Skills)

Dr. Glenn Utsch
Piano
Musicianship Skills
BA Program Coordinator
Swope 101 📧

Dr. Utsch's teaching responsibilities include private piano (classical and jazz), class piano, keyboard improvisation and music skills.

Music Enesembles

Dr. Timothy Little Trần
Music Ensembles & Performances Chair

Timothy Little Trần (Director of Choral Studies)

Dr. Timothy Little Trần
Music Ensembles & Performances Chair
Director of Choral Studies
Music Education
Swope 131 📧

Brent Echols (Director of Bands)

Brent Echols
Interim Director of Bands
Swope G11 📧

Professor Echols is deeply committed to fostering musical excellence, student leadership, and inclusive, innovative pedagogy in the band classroom and on the concert stage.

Yoona Jeong (Director of Orchestral Studies)

Dr. Yoona Jeong
FALL 2025 LEAVE
Director of Orchestra
Violin/Viola
Swope 203 📧

Sean Radermacher (Acting Director of Orchestral Studies)

Dr. Sean Radermacher
Director of Orchestral Studies
Swope 203 📧

Sean Radermacher is an accomplished conductor and violinist with extensive experience across professional, youth, and university orchestras. He currently serves as Assistant Conductor for the Erie Philharmonic and Lakeside Symphony Orchestra, and has held similar positions with the Sault Ste. Marie Opera and Sunflower Music Festival Chamber Orchestra. Sean earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Kentucky, a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and both a Master and Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from Duquesne University. He has also been a guest clinician and conductor for various youth orchestras and has taught conducting and violin at the university level. Sean’s diverse background includes performances and teaching roles at prestigious festivals, with a particular focus on championing underrepresented composers. His passion for music is complemented by his multilingual skills, which include proficiency in Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Latin.

Jason Kush (Director of Jazz)

Dr. Jason Kush
Performance Program Coordinator
Director of Jazz
Saxophone
Swope 219 📧

Kush proudly endorses the Selmer (France) and Conn-Selmer (USA) instrument companies, as well as the fine mouthpieces, reeds, and ligatures of François Louis.

Music

Faculty and Staff

Music

Contact Information