Milestones Archive — Fall 2007
2000s
MATTHEW BROWN, MM ’04, COMPOSITION
Matthew Brown was a winner of the 2007 Vocal Essence Welcome Christmas! Carol Contest. His new carols was premiered in Minneapolis in December and recorded by Minnesota Public Radio for future regional and national broadcast.
JASON LEE BRUNS, MM ’05, JAZZ STUDIES
Jason Lee Bruns was recently published by the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) and is in his third year as Director of World Music at the Campbell Hall School in North Hollywood.
TYLER HOKANSON, MM ’06, STRINGS
Tyler Hokanson recently won a Section Viola position with the
Alabama Symphony.
WOJCIECH KOCYAN, DMA ’00, KEYBOARD STUDIES
A recording by pianist Wojciech Kocyan, a former student of John Perry, was recently chosen by Gramophone magazine as one of 50 greatest classical music recordings ever made.
GREGORY MILLIREN, MM ’07, WINDS & PERCUSSION
Flutist Gregory Milliren won a $2500 second prize in the National Flute Association Young Artist Competition. The National Flute Association's Young Artist Competition, which is open to flutists worldwide who are age 30 or younger, was held at the NFA convention in Albuquerque. The new work commissioned for this year's competition was by Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa.
SHANNON ORME, MM ’04, WINDS & PERCUSSION
Clarinet grad Shannon Orme was recently appointed bass clarinetist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
1990s
JOE ANDOLINO, BM ’95, COMPOSITION (FILM SCORING)Film Scoring grad Joe Andolino is the music director at New Milford High School, where music students were the subject of a planned prank featured on the CW network's reality televison show "Schooled". Andolino was featured in the show.
CHRISTINA (“SUNSHINE” SCHNAUBER) LINHARDT, BM ’97, VOCAL ARTS
Singer Christina Linhardt recently released her second solo CD Voodoo Princess, co-produced with alumnus Dr. Bruce Eskovitz (MM `93, DMA `06) and featuring guitarist Dino Meneghen (BM `00), as well as Thornton faculty percussionist Angel Luis Figueroa. Inspired by Disney's Little Mermaid, the album features woodwind soloists from the Hollywood soundtrack, Dave Shostac, flute and Tom Boyd, oboe. Linhardt's holiday tune "Bring A Torch" from Voodoo Princess is already receiving considerable commercial airplay nationwide in the adult contemporary market.
Ms. Linhardt was recently flown by secret military plane to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to perform operatic arias with the first Circus to enter the area. She also starred on the mainstage of the World Famous Hollywood Magic Castle, singing an operetta aria "On My Lips Every Kiss is Like Wine.” With her solo act "Classics to Cabaret," Ms. Linhardt was contracted to open both the Palace Ligner and the Grand Parksale concert hall in Dresden, Germany.
KATHLEEN ROLAND-SILVERSTEIN, DMA ’97, VOCAL ARTS
Dr. Roland-Silverstein spent the spring of 2007 in Stockholm, Sweden as a Fulbright Senior fellow. The Fullbright award supported her research in the field of Swedish art song, and in the creation of a Swedish art song anthology. During her time in Sweden, Dr. Roland performed in concerts featuring American art song and taught a series of master classes as part of her fellowship.
1980s
LORENZO SÁNCHEZ, BM ’86, DMA ’92, KEYBOARD STUDIES
Dr. Sanchez and violinist Konstantin Ziumbilov released a recording entitled Sonatas para violín y piano, which was recorded in Guadalajara, Mexico with Domingo Lobato, Alfred Schnittke, and George Enescu.
1960s
RALPH GRIERSON, BM ’66, MM ’68, KEYBOARD STUDIES
Pianist and composer Ralph Grierson’s company Music & Health recently produced Amia Dane’s debut album Have Mercy, which is available on Amazon and iTunes. Mr. Grierson also performed on the album.
DOUG LAWRENCE, BM ’66, MM ’73, MUSIC EDUCATION
Doug Lawrence has served at San Francisco Bay Area's Menlo Park Presbyterian Church for the past 21 years where he was recently given the title of Minister of Worship Emeritus.
Mr. Lawrence was mentored by former USC faculty member Dr. Charles C. Hirt and studied under William Vennard and Gwen Koldofsky. He has had a 40-year career as one of America's leading baritone soloists and has performed with virtually every American symphony orchestra and with prominent conductors including Robert Shaw, Lukas Foss, Sir Georg Solti, James Levine, Michael Tilson Thomas, Aaron Copland, and Akira Endo to name a few.
ELIZABETH MATESKY, MM ’64, STRINGS
In December, violinist Elizabeth Matesky’s 1993 radio interview about her late violin mentor and great friend, Nathan Milstein, was broadcast again on WFMT Classical Fine Arts Radio Chicago. The recent broadcast was a shortened "feature" of a long conversation, which is titled, "Nathan Milstein: A Remembrance: Elisabeth Matesky and Scott Thomas Discuss the Life, Times and Artistry of one of the Great Violinists of All Time."
