a tempo summer2007
Alumni News
60s
Carol Jeffrey Todd ’63 retired from public teaching in 1998 after 25 years of teaching vocal music K-12. She is currently working for the music education program of Cedarville University and is teaching voice and directing the Women’s Choir at Wittenberg University. In addition, she has been included the 2006 and 2007 editions of Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Education and Who’s Who of American Women.
Richard Alleshouse ’63 is principal double bass in the Toledo Symphony Orchestra.
Connie Worrall Alleshouse ’66 retired after 30 years as a music specialist in the Toledo Public Schools in 2006. She continues to play flute in the Perrysburg Symphony Orchestra, the Lakeside Summer Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the Moody Flutes, a flute choir in Toledo.
Ann Spinner Pizer ’68 is an elementary music teacher in Plymouth, Mass. She has been a violist in the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra since 1978 and a member of the Mayflower String Quartet since 1979. Pizer was elected the 1999–2000 Inclusion Teacher of the Year by the ARC of Southeastern Massachusetts.
70s
Paul Deal ’75 recently retired from the Oregon City Schools after teaching instrumental music for 31 years.
Douglas Wolf ’75 with painting of Leonard Wolf
Douglas Wolf ’75 was featured soloist for the grand opening and dedication of the Leonard Wolf Instrumental Music Room in Van Wert, Ohio. His grandfather, Leonard, served 25 years as the founding director of the Van Wert High School (VWHS) Band. An alumnus of the VWHS Band, Wolf is currently professor of percussion at the University of Utah and performs with the Utah Symphony Orchestra. On his return to Van Wert, he performed Ney Rosauro’s Concerto for Vibraphone and Wind Ensemble with the VWHS Band under the direction of Robert Sloan.
Linda Wakefield Gartner ’79 recently returned from her third European tour with the Sycamore Community Summer Singers, an auditioned group of 49 high school students from the suburban Cincinnati area. This year’s tour included performances in Prague, Rothenburg, Heidelburg, Lucerne and Innsbruck. On teaching 25 years at Sycamore Junior High School, Gartner said she “has loved every minute!”
B.J. Whitehouse ’79 has been teaching K-8 music at Little Compton Schools in Rhode Island for 17 years and has served as the music director for the Jamestown Community Chorus since 1989. The founder and chairperson of the RI Festival Chorus, a consortium of five community choruses, the first concert, RISings was produced in 2005 and featured BGSU professor emeritus Richard Mathey as guest director. He and his wife Christine Ariel, a solo practicing attorney, live in Jamestown, R.I.
John Deliman ’79, ’83 and Edward Zunic ’89, ’95, serve as directors of the Upper Arlington High School Symphony Strings. One of 18 ensembles selected to perform at the 2007 National Orchestra Festival in Detroit this spring, the ensemble took home the top prize and trophy. Deliman also presented sessions on how to build a successful instrumental string program at the college for music education majors in March.
80s
Cynthia Michalik Goldhaber ’80 is the assistant principal at Hilliard Davidson High School and owner of Big Daddy’s Bike Shop. She is the accompanist for the adult choir and contemporary ensemble at St. Brendan Catholic Church in Hilliard, Ohio. She is also the treasurer of the O.C.C. Academic League and was the chair of the O.C.C. Academic League Honors Choir.
James L. Zychowicz ’81 presented “They Only Give Rise to Misunderstandings, Mahler’s Sketches in Context” at an international conference on genetic criticism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in March. He also serves as editor of Naturlaut, a quarterly journal on Mahler research.
Madeline M. (Sawmiller) Frankenhauser ’83, ’05 is the director of bands at Tarboro High School in Tarboro, N.C.
William Newnham ’83 has remained a singer, actor and entertainer under the name “William Garon.” Currently he is the featured star on tour with a recreation of Liberace’s stage show with bookings until December 2008. He continues to work in musical theatre, theme parks and cruise ships and has toured over 45 countries. In his “spare” time, he runs a studio of close to 30 vocal and acting students of all ages, as well as mentoring students interested in performing arts careers.
Chris Garrett ’84 founded and is the director of the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Campus Band in Michigan. He also guest conducted the Elkhart County Symphony in two concerts this past year and is active in arranging music for the Sturgis High School Marching Band, the Kalamazoo Ringers Handbell Choir and his own ensembles.
Greg Benson ’85 has been named dean of arts & science at the College of Eastern Utah.
Denise Grupp-Verbon ’85 was awarded College’s “Adjunct Instructor of the Year” award for 2005–2006 by the Ohio Association of Two Year Colleges. She is currently serving as an adjunct instructor at Owens Community College in Toledo.
Jennifer Higdon’s ’86 Soprano Sax Concerto was premiered by the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Orchestra, conducted by Marin Alsop, in Santa Cruz, Calif., in August. Soprano saxophonist Tim McAllister was the soloist. Hidgon was also a featured composer on NPR’s “Performance Today” in January.
Gregory Ruffer ’87, ’95 celebrated his fifth year anniversary as the music director of The Orlando Chorale, which he founded in 2002. The celebration concert included a commissioned work by Jennifer Higdon ’86 titled somewhere I have never traveled, gladly beyond. He also serves as director of choral activities at Central Florida Community College. Recently, he was accepted into the doctoral program in Collegiate Music Pedagogy at Columbia University in New York City.
Katie (Gorman) Jones ’88 is as an instructor of flute at the University of Toledo. She played with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra in October and November 2006 and was selected to be a judge at the Central Ohio Flute Association’s Annual Competitions Flute Festival in April 2007. She and her husband Mike have three children William, Carmen and Samuel.
90s
Benjamin Brecher ’91 is an assistant professor of music at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay, where he is also the director of opera theater.
Daniel Doty ’91 sang the role of Gastone in Verdi’s La Traviata with the Akron Symphony Orchestra in February. Amy S. (Dean) Doty ’90,’96, has been the editor of the TRIAD, the state journal of the Ohio Music Education Association, for the past two years.
Lori Elias ’91 served as the music director of the Ohio premiere of the musical I Sing! and was the assistant music director for the Cleveland premiere of Disney’s High School Musical. This summer, she was the music director for Seussical the Musical for the Mercury Summer Stock theatre company and the keyboardist for the Fine Arts Association’s production of Guys and Dolls. She continues to teach at Willoughby Middle School in Willoughby, Ohio.
Theresa Severin ’91, ’97 recently presented a recital at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. sponsored by the Choral Arts Society of Washington. This past April, she was the soprano soloist in the Verdi Requiem with the Mercersburg Area Community Chorus and Orchestra in Mercersburg, Pa. Severin serves as the choral director at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Va.
T. Patrick Billig ’93 (second from left) with members of The Windiana Concert Band at the Zhejiang Grand Opera House in Hangzhou, China, in June.
T. Patrick Billig ’93 toured China in June with The Windiana Concert Band and Australia and New Zealand with The Indiana Honor Band in July. He plays euphonium in both groups.
Craig Porter ’93 is in his fifth year as director of bands at Big Walnut High School in Sunbury, Ohio, where he is also the JV Boys Tennis coach. His band program has grown from 43 members to 125 members. Previously he served as the assistant director of bands at Philo High School in Philo, Ohio.
Glen Tuomaala ’93 is the director of the Husky Sports band at St. Cloud State University and the director of the St. Cloud Municipal Band. He also presented “Marketing for Musicians” at the 2007 Minnesota Music Educators Association conference in Minneapolis.
Graham Geisler ’95 received his master’s degree in music education from the University of Akron. He has been the band director and instrumental music teacher at Mansfield Christian School for 12 years. Geisler has spent part of the last three summers in Cambodia working with a Christian missions organization.
D.J. Hoek ’96 has his book Analyses of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Music: 1940-2000 published by Scarecrow Press and the Music Library Association. This new edition of Arthur Wenk’s well-known biobliography includes more than 9,000 entries to scholarly music analyses.
Betsy Sutton ’96 teaches voice at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N.J. She also recently sang the role of Gretel in Skylight Opera Theater’s production of Hansel and Gretel in Milwaukee.
Glen Holcomb ’97 is coordinator of the Flint Institute of Music’s Saturday school called “Super Saturdays.” The institute is the fifth largest performing arts school in the nation. He also teaches private voice at 16 sites around Genesee County as well as teaching early childhood music.
Rick George ’99 received his master of arts in Christian education from Dallas Theological Seminary. He serves as the pastor of worship ministries at Cary-Grove Evangelical Free Church in Cary, Ill.
Paul Geraci ’99 is an assistant professor of music at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind.
Matthew D. Harder ’99 is an assistant professor of music technology and percussion at West Liberty State College near Wheeling, W.Va.
Michael Vercelli ’99 received his doctorate in percussion performance from the University of Arizona and has been appointed an adjunct faculty member at UA, where he teaches applied percussion and directs the World Music Gang.
2000s
Ryan Nowlin ’00, ’04 guest conducted his work Synergy Rising with the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony at Severance Hall in May. Nowlin is also an alumnus of the group.
Tracy Wolztoncroft Sturgis ’00
Tracy Wolstoncroft Sturgis ’00 was the soprano soloist in the Schubert Mass in G in April and is currently preparing the role of Olympia for the Tales of Hoffman with the Delaware Valley Opera Company in Philadelphia.
Kari Johnston-Clevidence ’01 is currently working as a K-4 music teacher at Darby Woods Elementary School in Galloway, Ohio.
Amy Sample-Probst ’01 graduated in May 2006 from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. After graduating, she accepted a position with Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides free legal assistance to low-income individuals throughout Southern Illinois. She and her husband Luke live in Belleville, Ill.
Crystal (Hendricks) Kretzer ’03 will begin work on her master’s degree in arts, entertainment and music management at Columbia College in Chicago this fall. Her plans after graduating include working for independent record labels as well as concert promotions.
Jason Sivill ’04 has accepted a position at the Punahou School in Hawaii.
Elijah Vazquez ’04 is currently the director of instrumental music at T.W. Harvey High School in Painesville, Ohio.
Jason Dovel ’05 has been appointed assistant professor of trumpet at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla.
Laura Smith ’05 is a member of the Columbus Symphony Chorus. She resides in Bexley, Ohio.
Karliss Chappel ’06 has been appointed the director of choral activities at Philander Smith College.
Sharon Wilkins ’06 is currently teaching 8th and 9th grade band at Gallup Junior High in Gallup, New Mexico.