2021-2022 Pi Kappa Lambda Inductees

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Charles Berofsky

Equally at home as a solo pianist, collaborator, and composer, Charles Berofsky seeks to engage audiences through a myriad of styles and genres of music. Charles studied at the Eastman School of Music for the past four years as a double major in composition and piano performance. This fall he will begin a master’s degree in piano performance at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Born in South Bend, Indiana, Charles grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan and began piano lessons when he was six years old. At Eastman, he studied piano with Alan Chow; composition with Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Robert Morris, David Liptak, and Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez; and harpsichord with Lisa Goode Crawford and William Porter.

Charles was recently named as a finalist for the upcoming 10th New York International Piano Competition, which will take place in June in New York City. Recent awards include First Prize at the Thousand Islands International Piano Competition in Cape Vincent, New York; second prize at the Chautauqua piano competition; and runner-up in the New York State MTNA piano competition. In 2020, Charles became one of the youngest students to win a concerto competition at Eastman, performing Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto during his sophomore year. He has received three prizes from the Eastman composition department for his work, as well as a commission from the American Guild of Organists. Charles especially enjoys playing with his father, violinist Aaron Berofsky; his mother, violinist/violist Kathryn Votapek; and his brother, cellist Sebastian Berofsky as the pianist of the Berofsky Piano Quartet.

Trevor Chu

Trevor Chu, a senior from Winter Park, Florida, will graduate this May with a Bachelor of Music in Saxophone Performance from the studio of Dr. Chien-Kwan Lin, as well as a Performer’s Certificate, and a Certificate of Achievement in Chamber Music. In addition to his studies at Eastman, Trevor will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Rochester.

During his time at Eastman, Trevor was a member of the Eastman Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Mark Scatterday and the Eastman Saxophone Project under the direction of Dr. Chien-Kwan Lin. Trevor has also appeared as a rare orchestral saxophonist in the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra’s 2020 performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.

In addition to these ensembles, Trevor is the saxophonist of the Sequoia Reed Quintet, which was coached by Dr. Chien-Kwan Lin. Sequoia performed frequently around Rochester in libraries, hospitals, galas, and the 2022 Rochester Fringe Fest. Sequoia holds many accolades including 1st Prize at the 2021 American Prize Competition in Chamber Music, National 2nd Prize winner of the 2020 and 2022 MTNA Chamber Music Competition. Sequoia was also a semi-finalist in the 2021 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and will be competing once again this May. As a capstone project for Sequoia’s Certificate in Chamber Music, the quintet commissioned and premiered a new work by composer Ben West at Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery. Following graduation, Trevor plans on gaining patient care experience by working as a medical assistant before applying to Physician Assistant School.

Phoebe Chu

Cellist Phoebe Chu will graduate from the Eastman School of Music in May with a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance and Musical Arts under the tutelage of Guy Johnston. She began her musical studies at the age of seven at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, where she was a recipient of the Herbert Zipper Scholarship. A student of Dr. Richard Naill, she was winner of the 2017 Colburn School of Performing Arts Concerto Competition and appeared with the Colburn Youth Orchestra at LACMA’s Bing Theatre, in a concert that was broadcast on national radio. She has also appeared as soloist with the Los Angeles Dream Orchestra in Herbert Zipper Hall.

As a student of political theory through the Musical Arts major at Eastman, Phoebe is writing her senior thesis (advised by Glenn Mackin) on the relationship between philosophy and politics in the work of Plato. She is the grateful recipient of the Anne T. Cummins Award for Excellence in the Humanities, as well as the Russell Mumford Tuttle Prize in Classical Greek from the University of Rochester. Next year, she will study the reception history of Greek political thought, as it appears during the early modern period and in the 20th century, through the University’s Take Five Scholarship Program.

Steven Dong

Steven Dong will graduate from the Eastman School of Music in May with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. He started piano lessons at the age of six and currently studies with Professor Alan Chow.

Steven’s notable achievements include 1st Prize at the Kuleshov International Piano Competition, and prizes in the Thousand Islands International Piano Competition, Marian Garcia International Piano Competition, and Texas MTNA State Piano Competition. While growing up in Texas, Steven also won First and Grand prizes at the Juanita Miller Concerto Competition and Houston Symphony League Concerto Competition and made his debut with the Houston Symphony at the age of 16. As a guest pianist, Steven has also performed piano concertos with the Marshall, Big Spring, Clear Lake, and Conroe Symphonies. He has also performed in masterclasses for esteemed teachers such as John Perry, Roberto Plano, and Antonio Pompa-Baldi. Steven has participated in several piano festivals such as Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival and looks to continue that this summer by attending PianoTexas International Festival and Chautauqua Institution.

In his free time, Steven enjoys playing the piano at senior homes to share his music and help spread joy to people around him. He also enjoys playing chess and basketball with his friends and watching football. Steven will be happily returning to Eastman next year to pursue his Master of Music degree under the guidance of Professor Chow.

McKenzie Garey

McKenzie Garey is a soprano from Franklin, TN. Her recent engagements include Rapunzel in Eastman Opera Theatre’s production of Into the Woods, a soprano soloist in Mozart’s C Minor Mass with the Eastman Rochester Chorus, a soprano soloist in Bach’s B Minor Mass with Voices directed by William Weinert, and the cover for Jeannette in EOT’s production of L’amant Anonyme. Her other EOT credits include Eternità in La Calisto and Papagena in Die Zauberflöte (scenes). Recently, she won first prize in the National Orpheus Vocal Competition and was a finalist in the Friends of Eastman Opera competition. In May, she will perform a program of German Lieder with her collaborator, Ava Linvog, for the finals of the Kneisel Lieder Competition. During her time at Eastman, she has been an integral member of the Sigma Theta Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity as the Vice President of Membership and Vice President of Rituals. Her other extracurricular positions include founding member of the Campus Activities Board, Eastman Orientation Leader, and head of the senior week committee. She was recently awarded the Linda Muise Award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Life and the Scholastic Achievement award for Sigma Alpha Iota.

Richard Kim

Richard Kim hails from San Diego, California, and will graduate with a Bachelor of Music degree in Saxophone Performance from the Eastman School of Music. Richard first discovered the saxophone in the fifth grade and has continued to enjoy playing the instrument. He has experience in both the jazz and classical worlds of the saxophone and participated in ensembles of various musical genres during his high school years. Richard has played in all-county band and honor bands in California, playing first alto for two years in the SCSBOA All-Southern Honor Band. He has held leading positions in his school’s Wind Ensemble and top jazz ensembles and has received the Louis Armstrong Award for his interscholastic achievement in music. Richard has also attended music camps such as the MPulse Saxophone Institute and the UCSD Jazz Camp and studied and performed in masterclasses under notable virtuosic saxophonists such as Timothy McAllister and jazz saxophonist Charles McPherson. His private teachers prior to studying under Dr. Chien-Kwan Lin include Professor of Saxophone at The University of Southern California Dr. Jessica Maxfield, and Bradley Nash (San Diego State University).

Richard is currently a member of the Eastman Saxophone Project under Dr. Chien-Kwan Lin and the Eastman Wind Ensemble under Dr. Mark Scatterday. With the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Richard was a featured soloist in Eastman’s Centennial Celebration, performing new works by distinguished trumpetist Allen Vizzutti. Richard is the alto saxophonist of the Xeno Saxophone Quartet and plays with the Eastman Jazz Ensembles on tenor saxophone.

Nathan McKinstry

Nathan McKinstry, a native of central Pennsylvania, grew up surrounded by music. From the brass quintet that his parents ran, to the local symphony they played in, he was an avid concert goer almost as soon as he could talk. After playing in every kind of ensemble his hometown had to offer, he came to the Eastman School of Music to pursue a Bachelor of Music degree in Trumpet Performance, in which he was awarded a performance certificate, and music theory. He has done so through participation in both classical and jazz ensembles, as well as the brass quintet he co-founded and has premiered many pieces with, Phat Brass. He holds a 4.0 for the seven currently reported semesters. Nathan will continue his studies at the Manhattan School of Music, pursuing a master’s degree in classical trumpet performance.

Alexander Nick

Alexander Nick will graduate from the Eastman School of Music with majors in Vocal Performance and Music Education (Vocal Track). During his time at Eastman, he has been fortunate to have been in several operas (Mysterious Man/Narrator in Into the Woods, Miles Zegner in Proving Up, Mr. Owen in Postcard from Morocco), as well as a soloist as part of three Bach cantatas and several other choral works. Alex also works as the student choral intern at the Hochstein School of Music and is the choir director for the Catholic Newman Community at the University of Rochester. He will be returning to Rochester in the fall to student teach and is excited for what the future holds!

William Sands

William Sands, a native of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, will graduate this May from the Eastman School of Music with a Bachelor of Music from the studio of Peter Kurau, as well as from the University of Rochester with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. During his time at Eastman, he has performed with the Eastman School Symphony, the Eastman Wind Orchestra, the Eastman Philharmonia, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Eastman Horn Choir, and the Phat Brass Quintet. In addition, Will is an active freelance musician in the Rochester area, performing regularly with the Buffalo Philharmonic, and Symphoria (formerly the Syracuse Symphony).

Will began studying horn at the age of eight, inspired by the fantastic horn section of the Pittsburgh Symphony. While in high school, Will toured Spain with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, and conducted the orchestra in an encore of Les Toreadors. His notable teachers include David Lintz, Robert Lauver, Maura McCune Corvington, Jacek Muzyk, and Peter Kurau. Will has performed in masterclasses for Stefan de Leval Jezierski, and William VerMeulen.

Outside of music, Will has cultivated a successful career as a computer scientist, working as a lead app developer for Globally Unified Air Quality, as well as a full-stack software engineer for Deeplocal. This fall, Will plans to continue his horn studies, pursuing a Master of Music at the Yale School of Music in the studio of William Purvis.

Jazmine Saunders

Soprano Jazmine Saunders graduates with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance under the tutelage of Professor Robert Swensen. Jazmine is the recipient of the William Warfield Scholarship for both the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 academic years. She is a recipient of Eastman’s Ornest Award, a first-place winner of the 2021 NATS competition and was awarded the honorable mention prize in the annual Friends of Eastman Opera competition. Jazmine is the Vice President of the Black Students’ Union at Eastman, and a prayer leader and small group leader in Eastman’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. She is also on the Executive Board of Representation Matters, founded by Travon Walker (‘21E). Jazmine’s recent Eastman Opera Theatre roles include The Witch in Into the Woods, and the title role of La Calisto.

Jazmine’s past Eastman productions include the virtual productions of Postcard from Morocco (The Lady with the Hand Mirror), and Our Voices. Additionally, with Eastman Opera Theatre, Jazmine was involved in Sweeney Todd (Chorus), which was canceled due to COVID, and Prima la Musica e poi le Parole (Tonina). Jazmine sang the role of Adele in Die Fledermaus with Rochester Summer Opera 2021 and is an alumna of Houston Grand Opera’s Young Artists’ Vocal Academy (YAVA) 2021. This summer, Jazmine will be participating in the Seagle Festival as an Emerging Artist. In the fall of 2022, she will be attending the Juilliard School to pursue a Master of Music in Vocal Arts.

Ella Torres

From Wilmette, Illinois, Colombian-American soprano Ella Torres is committed to singing diverse repertoire. She particularly enjoys interpreting early music, off-the-beaten-path art songs, and compositions by American composers. Ella studied with Professor Katherine Ciesinski and will graduate with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and an Arts Leadership Program certificate from the Institute for Music Leadership.

With Eastman Opera Theatre, Ella performed Polyxo in Kate Soper’s Here Be Sirens (Suite), Despina in Così fan tutte scenes, art songs by Ricky Ian Gordon, and in the ensemble of Joseph Bologne’s L’amant anonyme. She frequently participated as a vocal ensemble member of Collegium Musicum. In addition to voice, Ella has a great passion for performing arts leadership, interning with both Fifth House Ensemble and The Hochstein School. Ella is a proud alumna of Eastman’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota.

Ella is an advocate for Latinx excellence in classical music. One of her interests is learning more about art song repertoire from Latin and South America. Through the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), she was an HSF Scholar during the 2021-22 academic year and had the privilege of attending the 2021 HSF Media and Entertainment Summit.

This summer, Ella will perform Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte with Chicago Summer Opera and Princess Dora in Lori Laitman’s The Three Feathers with Opera Steamboat’s Opera Artist Institute. In the fall, she will begin pursuing a Master of Music in Voice at the Jacobs School of Music studying with Carol Vaness.

Raffi Wright

Raffi Wright is a senior studying Vocal Performance, Arts Leadership, Secondary Piano, English Literature, and the selective honors degree, the Musical Arts Major (MUA). His MUA work raises awareness of the Armenian Genocide by original compositions that incorporate his great-grandmother’s unpublished memoir recalling her survival of the genocide.

While a student, Mr. Wright worked as a Resident Advisor, Program Assistant for the Office of Advancement & Alumni Relations, Assistant Archivist in the Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections, Office Assistant for Residential Life & Student Activities, Eastman Orientation Committee Leader, Eastman Theatre Usher and Head Usher, and an Experience Coordinator at Vault Cycle + Fitness. As a byproduct of his time with the IML, he interned with Gateways Music Festival, Summer @ Eastman, and Ear Taxi Music Festival. Mr. Wright has participated in student-initiatives such as What is Opera, Anyway? and Representation Matters. He is the current Vice-President of InterVarsity and President of the Eastman Students’ Association.

Mr. Wright was a nominee for the University of Rochester’s 2022 Student Employee of the Year. Additionally, he won the 2021 Linda Muise Award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Life and the 2022 Ornest Award. He was also appointed to the 2021-2022 Keidaeans Honor Society along with 14 other seniors University-wide. He owes tremendous thanks to his family and friends. He would like to publicly thank his God by Whom all things are possible. Upon graduation, Mr. Wright will be freelancing, privately teaching voice and piano, and fulfilling a pastoral internship with Dr. Daniel R. Berger II in Buffalo, NY.

Carina Yee

Carina Yee graduates with a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance under the tutelage of Oleh Krysa. Her past teachers include Igor Kalnin, Tarn Travers, Joseph Kromholz, and Hirono Borter. During previous summers, Carina has attended the International Music Festival of the Adriatic and Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival Online. This summer, Carina will be attending Mostly Modern Festival and the Castleman Quartet Program. During her time at Eastman, Carina premiered pieces by Nicholas Chuaqui and Keane Southard, performed chamber pieces for the College Music Society’s 64th National Conference, and played in the Empire Film and Media Ensemble conducted by Jeff Beal. Carina also performed with Eastman’s Philharmonia, Symphony Orchestra, Studio Orchestra, Opera Orchestra, and OSSIA. In addition to her musical career, Carina has earned a Bachelor of Arts in Language, Media, and Communication at the University of Rochester. Carina’s written work has been published in Our Iowa magazine and on DecorahNews.com. After graduation, Carina will attend the Cleveland Institute of Music to pursue graduate studies in violin performance in the joint studio of Jessica Lee and Philip Setzer.

Justin Zeitlinger

Justin Zeitlinger (b. 2000) graduates with a Bachelor of Music degree in Composition from the Eastman School of Music under the direction of Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon. Recently, his work has focused on reconciling diverse interests (sonic and otherwise) through extended performance practice, physical gesture, electronic sounds, and the reconstruction of found samples. Justin’s first musical passion was the violin, and he maintains an active life as a performer, especially of new music. He has studied violin under Oleh Krysa at Eastman since 2018.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Sarah Bertrand

Sarah Bertrand is a versatile young leader, with professional credits as an artist, teacher, administrator, and behavioral technician. Ms. Bertrand has performed in the United States and Italy, specializing in Baroque and New Music, as well as serving as Cantor for Our Lady of Victory in Rochester, NY, where they specialize in a full Latin Mass. Due to her keen musicianship, lyric voice, and passion for New Music, Ms. Bertrand was asked to premiere Louis Karchin’s Two Songs on Poems of Seamus Heaney, a revised edition for Soprano and Piano in 2013. Additionally, she has had leading roles in Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Ned Rorem’s Our Town, Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, and was lauded for her comedic timing as Miss Pinkerton, in Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief. A versatile artist, Ms. Bertrand also performed the evil stepsister, “Maguelonne”, in the premiere of a newly orchestrated Cendrillon by Pauline Viardot. She has led young artist programs such as Sì Parla, Sì Canta as their Administrative Coordinator, as well as organized professional events for Italian bass and diction coach, Federico Sacchi, coach, conductor, and author, Ksenia Lelëtkina. In March of 2020, she helped to organize the first Gender Equity in Music Conference at the Eastman School of Music. Outside of her numerous musical contributions, Ms. Bertrand has also worked as a behavioral technician, specializing in behavior-analytic services, primarily with children diagnosed on the Autism spectrum.

Originally from Louisiana, Ms. Bertrand holds a Bachelor of Music from Southeastern Louisiana University and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music. She is currently the Administrative Assistant for the Office of Academic Affairs at Eastman, while also pursuing her second graduate degree, a Master of Arts in Music Leadership, from the institution. She also serves as a Board Member for the Kenosha Opera Festival and is an intern with the development and community engagement departments at Pittsburgh Opera.

Andrew Bockman

Andrew Bockman is an active performer, educator, and composer from Tampa, Florida. He is a Doctoral candidate in Percussion Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music where he received the prestigious Performer’s Certificate in 2018. Andrew received a Master of Music degree in Performance and Literature – Percussion from Eastman in 2019 and a bachelor’s degree in percussion from Florida State University in 2017 where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.

With a passion for both orchestral and chamber music, Andrew has performed with a variety of ensembles including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Eastman Wind Ensemble and Philharmonia, Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, Eastman Percussion Ensemble, and Eastman’s Musica Nova. Most recently, he performed as timpanist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra during their 2021 summer season. Andrew has performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) with the Eastman Percussion Ensemble in 2017, premiering works by John Psathas and Michael Burritt, as Principal Timpanist with the Eastman Wind Ensemble on their 2019 tour to Severance Hall, and as a soloist at the 2016 McCormick Marimba Festival. He can be heard with the National Orchestral Institute in their 2020 album Bernstein, Gershwin & Copland: Works released on NAXOS, and with the acclaimed FSU Percussion Ensemble in their Volume Three: Ten Windows on Garnet House Productions.

Andrew is an alumnus of the Arts Leadership Certificate Program at Eastman and is dedicated to forging new pathways for the future of concert music. Through the Institute for Music Leadership, he has held administrative positions with the Grammy award-winning Third Coast Percussion and with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s Development team. Andrew has attended workshops and taken courses on leadership issues in music, teaching artistry, and entrepreneurial thinking. He currently works as a Student Blogger for the Eastman Journal.

Lauren Irschick

Lauren Irschick is a fourth-year PhD student in Music Theory at the Eastman School of Music. Originally from North Vancouver, Canada, she earned her Bachelor of Music in Music Theory from McGill University (2018) and her Master of Arts in Music Theory at Eastman (2020).

Lauren is currently working on her dissertation, which examines musical analyses in works of fiction. Her other research interests include rhythm and meter in eighteenth-century instrumental music and the intersections between music and disability studies. At Eastman, Lauren has taught a variety of written music theory and aural skills courses and was a 2020 recipient of the TA Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Outside of Eastman, she has taught a popular music-themed course for the Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program at the University of Rochester, as well as theory and aural skills courses at the Eastman Community Music School and at the Hochstein School. In addition, Lauren has served on the Intégral staff since 2018, and has served as Editorial Assistant for Music Theory Online since 2019.

When not theorizing, Lauren can be found climbing rocks, managing a delightfully terrible softball team, or training for her first triathlon.

YoungKyoung Lee

YoungKyoung Lee is a percussionist who specializes in solo and chamber music performance. She has performed in various countries such as Japan, Korea, United States of America, Canada, and Spain as a soloist and chamber musician.

With the love of chamber music, YoungKyoung has been performing as a member of Korean Traditional Percussion Ensemble, Peabody Percussion Group (performed at Kennedy center), Yale Percussion Group, and Eastman Percussion Ensemble. She has participated in numerous Music Festivals such as Sō Percussion Summer Institute, Cloyd Duff Timpani Seminar, Brevard Music Center, Norfolk New Music Workshop, and performed at Ciclo de Música Contemporánea de Oviedo as a member of Norfolk New Music Workshop team (artistic director Martin Bresnick).

YoungKyoung completed the Bachelor of Music studying with Tom Freer, assistant principal timpanist and percussionist of Cleveland Orchestra, and the world-renowned contemporary musician Robert van Sice at the Peabody Conservatory. While at Peabody, YoungKyoung was the recipient of the Zildjian Scholarship. She continued her studies with Robert van Sice at the Yale School of Music and pursued Master of Music and Master of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance as a recipient of the Stephen and Denise Adams, and the Henry and Lucy Moses Scholarships. YoungKyoung is currently based in Rochester, NY, pursuing Doctor of Musical Arts at Eastman School of music with internationally renowned soloist, pedagogue, and composer Michael Burritt. YoungKyoung is an endorser of Vic Firth, Inc.

Anna Lenti

Anna Lenti is an active choral conductor, music educator, and soprano who specializes in early music and the works of JS Bach. She was recently appointed as the new Artist in Residence and Director of Choral Activities at Williams College in Massachusetts. This past year, Anna served as Visiting Professor of Music at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY, where she directed the HWS Colleges Chorale and taught courses in music theory. Anna also served on the conducting faculty at Nazareth College, where she taught courses in choral conducting and choral literature.

In addition to her work as a conductor, Anna is sought-after for her work as a soloist and professional choral singer. She has performed with professional choral and early music ensembles across the country, including Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity, The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, The Choir of St. Luke in the Fields, Clarion Music Ensemble, Manhattan Chorale, Great Music in a Great Space, and Apollo’s Fire.

A native of Rochester, Anna received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance Eastman in 2011, completed a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College in 2013, and graduates from Eastman this year with her Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting. When she’s not making music, she can be found baking elaborate cakes for her two children, running long distances, and knitting scarves for her friends.

Ka-Ming Leung

Samuel Ka-Ming Leung is a budding saxophonist and versatile collaborative pianist from Hong Kong.

Leung began his saxophone training at the age of six. Currently a second-year master’s degree student studying saxophone performance at the Eastman School of Music fully funded by the Hong Kong Government Scholarship for Excellence Scheme, he works with Professor Chien-Kwan Lin weekly. At the same time, he was selected to be a recipient of a graduate award as a studio accompanist under the direction of Dr. Andrew Harley. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree with First-class honors and a minor in French from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He was trained in international saxophone academies including the American Saxophone Academy and the Asia Pacific Saxophone Academy. He also worked with Vincent David, Claude Delangle, Jean-Yves Fourmeau, Pieter Pellens, Timothy McAllister, and Dale Underwood in masterclasses. In 2019, he was selected as one of the 14 finalists of the 2nd Asia Pacific Solo Saxophone Competition.

Leung strives to become a multi-faceted artist. Besides the saxophone, he is equally accomplished as a pianist. He was selected as a choir accompanist in the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival at the Vienna Musikverein in 2016. He has been accepted into the Collaborative Piano Institute in June. This fall, he will continue his studies at Eastman and pursue a Master of Music in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music under the tutelage of Dr. Harley.

Ava Linvog

Pianist Ava Linvog is a recent graduate of the Master of Music program in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music at the Eastman School of Music, in the studio of Andrew Harley. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in music from Vassar College, where she studied with Todd Crow and Thomas Sauer. During her undergraduate studies Ava was active in the jazz and classical departments, performing as part of a jazz combo and appearing as a soloist with the Vassar Orchestra and the Vassar Wind Ensemble. A committed scholar, she assisted Dr. Kathryn Libin in her studies at the Lobkowicz Archives in the Czech Republic. At Eastman, Ava held graduate assistantships in studio accompanying and opera, and participated as a finalist in the Kneisel Lieder Competition. She has also been active in her hometown of Seattle, working with the Seattle Girls’ Choir, NOISE (Northwest Opera in Schools, Etc.), and Lowbrow Opera Collective to share music in the community. Ava has attended numerous summer festivals including the Collaborative Piano Institute and the European American Musical Alliance Summer Institute. This summer she will participate in SongFest in San Francisco and the Trentino Music Festival in Italy as a collaborative pianist in the opera studio. Ava is honored to join the community of scholars in the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.

Erik Piazza

Erik Piazza is a secondary instrumental music teacher in the Webster Central School District. Prior to teaching in Webster, he taught in Palmyra-Macedon CSD and served as adjunct faculty at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Erik holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (BM, MM) and is now a Ph.D. candidate (ABD) in the Department of Music Teaching and Learning.

Erik’s current research examines school music teachers’ beliefs regarding creative musical activities and their inclusion in practice, and he is published in School Music News and Journal of Music Teacher Education. He has presented research at NAfME, NYSSMA, and PMEA conferences. Additionally, Erik has shared his research at the Eastman School of Music, Gettysburg College, and SUNY Fredonia.

Erik is a founding member and senior editor at Low Down Publishing, a company dedicated to developing books specifically for music teachers and self-guided learners. He has performed with the Eastman Community Music School Music Educators’ Wind Ensemble, the Penfield Symphony Orchestra, and the Finger Lakes Saxophone Quartet, and was a guest conductor for the Orleans County All-County Senior High Band. Erik is a NYSSMA certified woodwind adjudicator whose students have been selected to perform with county, state, and national level honors ensembles.

Can Yang Zi Quan

Chinese Canadian harpist Sunshine Quan started her musical studies on the Chinese zither before investing in her harp studies. An avid orchestral harpist, she regularly played with orchestras such as Sinfonia Ancaster (Ancaster, ON) and CAST Philomusica (Toronto, ON), and has been extensively involved in the various ensembles after arriving at Eastman. In summer 2022, Sunshine will perform with the National Orchestral Institute in Maryland. Her musical journey has brought her across the world, where she played solo and chamber recitals in North America and China, and toured Spain with the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra. A passionate advocate for new music, Sunshine has composed and arranged for solo harp and harp ensemble and has worked diligently with composers on new works for harp. Sunshine was a 1st Prize winner of the scholarship audition at the Toronto Harp Society in 2015.

Sunshine graduated from McMaster University (Hamilton, ON) with an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences degree and Provost’s Honour Roll Medal, specializing in Biomedical Sciences. For nearly 2 years, she worked as a laboratory researcher in the oncology departments at McMaster Children’s Hospital and Juravinski Cancer Center. She completed an ARCT Diploma in Harp Performance with First Class Honours and a National Gold Medal from the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto, ON) and is completing a Master of Music in Performance and Literature – Harp degree at the Eastman School of Music. In fall 2022, she will pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Harp Performance at Eastman under the generous sponsorship of the Eileen Malone Scholarship. She is forever thankful to her past scientific supervisor Dr. Theodoros Tsakiridis, and her former and current harp teachers Andrew Chan and Kathleen Bride.

S Joshua Sheppard

S Joshua Sheppard is an American operatic baritone. After graduating as valedictorian of his high school class, S Joshua went on to study voice with Amy K Jarman at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music. In 2020, S Joshua graduated with honors from Vanderbilt with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. He went on to pursue a Master of Music degree in voice performance and literature at the Eastman School of Music where he currently studies with world renowned tenor, Anthony Dean Griffey. S Joshua will graduate with a Master of Music degree from Eastman in May of 2022 before continuing his studies at Eastman as a doctoral student in the fall.

Over the past 2 years, S Joshua has been privileged to perform a number of roles with the Eastman Opera Theatre including the Narrator/Mysterious Man in Sondheim’s Into the Woods, Giove in Cavalli’s La Calisto, The Sodbuster in Missy Mazolli’s Proving Up, Mr. Greatorex/Gissing/Etcher/Off-Gerard in Kevin Putt’s Elizabeth Cree, and Herman from Enemies, a Love Story in Our Voices — Ben Moore, A Journey Towards Freedom. S Joshua was a finalist in this year’s Friends of Eastman Opera Voice Competition, and he is inspired by the memory of the overwhelming support and encouragement of his colleagues at this event. S Joshua teaches voice both at the Eastman School of Music and the Eastman Community Music School where he strives to cultivate a creative, cooperative space that encourages musical excellence. In addition, S Joshua performs regularly as a choral scholar at Rochester’s own Third Presbyterian Church. S Joshua would like to thank his parents, family, friends, teachers, coaches, and mentors for all supporting him on his journey. He could not have gotten this far without their unending love and support.

Madeleine Snow

Madeleine Snow is a director and creative collaborator whose work spans opera, theatre, and film. She graduates from the Eastman School of Music with a Master of Music in Opera Stage Directing. With Eastman Opera Theatre, Madeleine stage directed Cavalli’s La Calisto, and site-specific performances of selections from Le nozze di Figaro, Così fan tutte, and Die Zauberflöte as a part of Mozart Mayhem. She has collaborated with composer Ricky Ian Gordon to stage his art songs as a part of Eastman Opera Theatre’s Our Voices, as well as Ben Moore to direct selections from the composer’s stage works, including the world premiere of scenes from Gene and Tate. Also with Eastman Opera Theatre, Madeleine assistant directed Postcard from Morocco, Elizabeth Cree, Proving Up, Into the Woods, and L’Amant Anonyme. She served as the Assistant Director for Hansel and Gretel with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. A co-founder of Rochester Summer Opera, Madeleine stage directed the inaugural production of Die Fledermaus at the Memorial Art Gallery. This summer, she will be staging The Pirates of Penzance with Rochester Summer Opera as well as directing the world premiere of Rise: A New Musical with JCC Summer Stage.

Madeleine completed her undergraduate studies at Harvard University, where she directed Harvard College Opera’s productions of Cendrillon and Die Zauberflöte. With Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, she assistant directed productions of La Traviata, The Magic Flute, and Carmen. She was a national finalist for the American Prize in Directing, and she is an alumna of the Kennedy Center Directing Intensive, SongFest Summer Institute, and Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Madeleine was the Pechet Opera Fellow with Lowell House Opera and has held administrative positions with the American Repertory Theater, Boston Lyric Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. As an educator, she has taught at the Eastman School of Music and the Harvard Summit for Young Leaders in China. A singer, actor, and dancer, Madeleine has performed in regional and educational productions throughout New England and New York.

FACULTY

Russell Miller

Pianist Russell Miller has been a coach and teacher of vocal repertoire at Eastman since 1995. He has performed throughout the United States and abroad as soloist and chamber musician. Notable collaborations with vocalists include recitals with Jan Opalach, Anthony Dean Griffey, Jonathan Retzlaff, Frederica von Stade, Julia Broxholm, Robert Swensen, and Marilyn Horne. In October 2012, he was privileged to give the first North American performances of four newly discovered songs of Claude Debussy with soprano Elizabeth Calleo as part of Eastman’s “Prismatic Debussy” festival organized by Eastman’s Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, Marie Rolf. For twelve years he was the musical director for the vocal quartet “SATB”, which performed a wide variety of repertoire from classical chamber pieces to Broadway.

A native of Los Angeles, Dr. Miller studied at the University of Southern California, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Juilliard School, and holds a doctorate from the University of Michigan. For twelve years he was a staff pianist and faculty member at the summer Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. He also served as pianist and harpsichordist for several professional opera companies, including the Florentine Opera of Milwaukee (Rossini’s La Cenerentola and Verdi’s Aïda), Mercury Opera of Rochester (Mozart’s Don Giovanni) and several productions for Eastman Opera Theatre.

Besides his current appointment at Eastman, Dr. Miller has also held faculty positions at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Bowling Green State University, The Ohio State University, and Oberlin College Conservatory, and has given master classes at Ithaca College, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and the University of Missouri. Thanks to the generosity of ReachOut Kansas, Inc., he enjoys an ongoing relationship with the School of Music of the University of Kansas in Lawrence as a visiting vocal coach and teacher of collaborative piano. In recent summers, he has taught and performed at the Pine Mountain Music Festival in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Vancouver International Song Institute (VISI) in British Columbia, and at the International Conducting Workshop and Festival (ICWF) in the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Ukraine.

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