faculty highlights

Temple Music Prep's own Jason O'Mara made his Carnegie Hall debut as a member of the New Jersey Saxophone Quartet on January 6, 2008. Mr. O'Mara is on faculty at Temple Music Prep as saxophone teacher and founder/director of the CMSP Jazz Orchestra.

A Music Prep Suzuki Piano Faculty member, Caroline Goberman, furthered her Suzuki training by attending a Suzuki Piano Basics Workshop with Dr. Karen Hagberg, a Master Teacher from Rochester, NY, in October, 2006. She also participated in a Suzuki Piano Basics Teacher Research Workshop during the first week of March 2007.

Grace Botelho, a member of Temple Music Prep's Suzuki Piano Faculty, attended the workshop Body Mapping and the Alexander Technique in Making Music at Westminster Choir College this year.

Renowned violin soloist, Soovin Kim, a member of Temple Music Prep's violin faculty, recently released his latest album, Niccolò Paganini: 24 Caprices on the Azica label.

Sandrine Erdely-Sayo, a member of Prep's piano faculty, served on the Maryland State Arts Council Solo Classical Music Performance Panel in November 2005.

Faculty member, Thomas Meany, flute, and Michael Simmons, guitar, appeared on a WRTI's Crossover interview with host, Jill Pasternack on Saturday, March 12, 2005 at 11:30 AM on Temple's radio station, WRTI-90.1 FM. Upcoming concerts for the duo will include performances at Trinity Center for Urban Life on Wednesday, March 16, 2005 at 2 PM and Friday, May 20, 2005 at 6:00 PM, also at the Sedgwick Cultural Center on Sunday, April 3, 2005 at 2:00 PM.

A member of the Music Prep voice faculty, Penny Shumate, received kudos for her performance as Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata in a concert version with the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra in October 2004. "Her pure voice soared with strength on top." The Post-Star, Glens Falls, NY. 

Sylvia Ahramjian, a member of the violin and coaching faculty, will release a new CD in Fall 2004 including Saint-Saens' Sonata No. 1 and Beethoven's Sonata No. 6 with pianist, Carl Cranmek. Also included on this recording are Romanian Duos with her husband, Ovidiu Marinescu, cellist.

Dr. Beth Bolton , curriculum director of the early childhood music program at Music Prep, will give seminars in early childhood music in Assisi , Rome and Florence , Italy and in Para , Brazil this fall. In April 2005, Dr. Bolton will be the key speaker at the 3rd Annual International Early Childhood Music Conference, Vilnius , Lithuania.

Principal violist with the Opera Company of Philadelphia and Bethlehem Bach Festival, and former, longtime member of the Amedo quartet, viola teacher, Evelyn Luise, will be guest violist with the Philadelphia Trio in February 2005. The following month, Ms. Luise will do a week of residency at Appalachia College, NC, on viola and viola d'amore.

In April 2004, Joan Krzywicki, Suzuki Piano Instructor, was a guest clinician at a Suzuki Piano Workshop in South Devon, England. As clinician, Ms. Krzywicki led piano master classes, group classes and coached piano duets and trios.

Tom Meany , flute instructor, with guitarist Michael Simmons has been added to the 2004 Roster of the Pennsylvania Performing Artist on Tour (PennPAT).  PennPAT sponsors artists in recitals throughout the Mid Atlantic States. The Meany/Simmons Flute and Classical Guitar Duo have performed recently in recital for the Lansdowne Folk Club, composer Andrea Clearfiled's Salon and the PennPAT Artist Showcase in Harrisburg . Future performances include recitals for the Classical Guitar Society and the Bucks County Performing Arts Center.

Following his appearance at the Brevard Music Center 's 2004 Festival as a featured performer, Prep saxophone teacher, Jason O'Mara will conduct workshops and private lessons at Bucks County Comm. College 's first annual Saxophone Workshop.  As a member of the N.J. Saxophone Quartet, Jason can be heard on Introducing the New Jersey Saxophone Quartet , the quartet's second recording, due to be released in late August.  The Quartet will be the featured performers at the Cape May Jazz Festival in November.  Jason is also a member of the Lars Halle Jazz Orchestra which can be heard monthly at Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia.

Violin instructor , Jason DePue, will be performing in recital on Sunday, March 14 at 2:30 pm at the Ethical Society. He will be joined by pianist, Ieva Jokubaviciute in works by Schoenberg, Bach, Paganini, Wallace DePue, Brahms and Ravel.

Music prep voice teacher, Connie Koppe, will be stage directing Delaware Valley Opera Company's July production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. Performances at the outdoor theater at the Hermitage Mansion on Hermit Lane in the Wissahicken section of Fairmount Park are on July 17, 22, 24 at 8 pm. (The Marriage of Figaro is the fourth opera that Connie has directed for Delaware Valley Opera in as many years.)

Ross Mann, guitar instructor at Music Prep, was a guest artist at Mansfield University (PA) where he presented a  recital and held a master class.

Victoria McGuigan, coordinator and primary teacher of Music Prep's dance program, presented a series of choreography workshops at the Dance and the Child International Festival in Bahia, Brazil, during the 2003 summer season.

Joan Krzywicki, Suzuki piano teacher and instructor for the Suzuki Piano Teacher Training course at Music Prep, was a featured guest clinician at the February Suzuki workshop sponsored by the Cincinnati Public Schools.

Maestro Luis Biava was invited once again by Artistic Director, Charles Dutoit, to be on the conducting staff for the famous Sapporo Pacific Music Festival, Japan, in summer 2002.

Holly Phares has been named Music Director of the Temple Music Prep Children's Choir. She is a member of the 24-voice core ensemble of the Philadelphia Singers, as well as, Director of Education and Outreach and the "Voice Builder" of the Philadelphia Singers Chorale. At the Academy of Vocal Arts, Ms. Phares is coordinator of the Opera Outreach program and an instructor of music theory. She is also the Music Director and organist at Tabernacle United Church.

Estelle Kerner, violin faculty, is the author of the soon-to-be published book, "A History of the East European Violinist."

Violinist, Soovin Kim, was guest soloist at the Gala Concert of the Anniversary Festival of Young Musicians, May 1, 2002 in the Perelman Theater of the Kimmel Regional Performing Arts Center. Mr. Kim performed Mozart's Concerto No. 5 in A Major for Violin and Orchestra, with the Youth Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Luis Biava.

In recognition of her 20 years of excellence as Director of Temple Music Prep, Nancy W. Hess was honored with the establishment of an endowment. The Nancy W. Hess Tribute Fund will help to provide scholarship funds for students in the Center for Gifted Young Musicians.

Clinton Williams, a member of our voice faculty, recently won second place in the Regional Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

 

Faculty on Compact Disk

Davyd Booth with "1807 & Friends"	- The Philadelphia Connection (Direct-to-Tape Recording Company©)
Orlando Cole	- The Curtis String Quartet (Weston Sound©) (re-release)
Jason DePue	- J.S. Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for Unaccompanied Violin (2004 Jason DePue©)
Soovin Kim	- Niccolò Paganini: 24 Caprices (Azica ©)
Allen Krantz	- The Romantic Guitar (Direct-to-Tape Recording Company©)
	- The Philadelphia Connection (Direct-to-Tape Recording Company©)
Tom Meany	-The Meany/Simmons Flute and Classical Guitar Duo