Office: Music Building, Room.25
Phone: 509-313-4308
Email: stohlmann@gonzaga.edu
Dr. Meg Stohlmann is the director of choral and vocal studies at Gonzaga University where she conducts the Glee Club, Concert Choir and Chamber Singers. In addition, Meg also serves as the director of the Spokane Symphony Chorale. Most recently, she served as assistant professor of choral music education in the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. There she conducted the Appalachian Glee Club, Appalachian Chorale, Appalachian Youth Chorale, and mentored many pre-service music educators. Dr. Stohlmann is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association and serves on the Northwest region’s board. She was also selected as one of six conductors to participate in the ACDA International Conductor’s Exchange program. She will host a conductor from Germany and travel to Germany in the summer of 2023 to represent the United States. Originally from Santa Rosa, California, Meg taught choir and guitar at the middle and high school level in Lexington, KY for six years and conducted the Danville Children's Choir. Her children's choir and high school advanced women's choirs performed at the Kentucky Music Educators State Conference in 2014 and 2015, respectively. She earned her Doctoral of Musical Arts Degree at the University of Washington and Masters degree in Voice Performance and Choral Conducting from the University of Kentucky. A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Meg also served on active duty in the Air Force for 5 years in Arizona, Korea and Germany. She separated from the military in 2004 to pursue a second bachelor's degree in Music Education at Sonoma State University. Meg's lifelong love of choral music began as a charter member of the Santa Rosa Children's Chorus where she sang for over 10 years and credits with her decision to make music education her career.
Office: Music Building, Room 22
Phone: 509-313-3093
Email: tarver@gonzaga.edu
Jadrian Tarver, a native of Haines City, Florida, has maintained an active roster as a conductor, clinician, composer, and recitalist and has soloed and conducted in many performances. He has performed with Atlanta Opera, Peach State Opera, Capitol City Opera Company, and Michigan State University Opera and Opera Grand Rapids. Operatic roles include Germont in La Traviata, the title role of Gianni Schicchi, Dr. Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro, King Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Bonze in Madama Butterfly, and Marcello in La Boheme. Musical Theater roles include Mr. Lindquist in Little Night Music and the Duke/Dr. Carrasco/Night of Mirrors in Man of La Mancha.
In addition to performing, he is an advocate for musicians of color. He established an independent publishing company, Indigo Press LLP, which focuses on publishing the works of underrepresented composers of color. In a similar vein, he curated the Sankofa Recital Series, a vocal artist collaborative that brings awareness to the music of African diasporic composers. While as a doctoral candidate a Michigan State University, he was appointed project manager of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) for the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts and the College of Music. In this joint position as a student leader and project manager, he developed relationships across campus, cultivated programming, and activities important to Michigan State University's community while advancing progress in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Mr. Tarver holds the Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Bethune-Cookman University, the Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Georgia State University, and a Doctoral Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance from Michigan State University.
Office:
Phone: 313-6733
Email: metro@gonzaga.edu
Malinda Wagstaff has been hailed as “a voice to keep listening for” (Spokesman-Review). Currently based in the Pacific Northwest, she recently completed her position as a studio artist with Puget Sound Concert Opera. Last season, she performed with PSCO as Medora in “Il Corsaro” and in the season preview with scenes from “Il Corsaro” and “Fidelio.”
Also in the 2023-2024 season, Malinda was a featured soloist with the Spokane Symphony for their performances of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “A Sea Symphony.” Of her performance of the Vaughan Williams, the Spokesman-Review said Malinda “took on the challenges of Vaughan Williams’ writing for the solo soprano and vanquished every one.”
Ms. Wagstaff earned her master of music degree from Indiana University while studying with Carol Vaness and her bachelor of music from the Eastman School of Music. While at Indiana University, she performed as Mutter in “Hänsel und Gretel” and First Lady in “Die Zauberflöte.” During Heidi Grant Murphy’s Opera Workshop, she performed as Tosca. For Carol Vaness’s Opera Workshop, she performed as Manon Lescaut.
No stranger to the competition circuit, Malinda holds multiple encouragement awards from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont competition, as well as first prize awards in the Seattle Opera Guild (2024), Coeur d’Alene Symphony Young Artist (2020), and Musicfest Northwest Competitions (2023). Additionally, Malinda was awarded the Bel Canto prize at the Oprheus Vocal Competition (2024) and 3rd place in the Seattle Opera Guild competition (2023). ;
Office: St. Gregory Choral Hall, Rm. 103
Phone: 313-6889
Email: prestond@gonzaga.edu
Darnelle Scarbrough Preston graduated from San Francisco State University, Magna Cum Laude, with her B.M. in Music Education, and received her M.M. in Vocal Performance from Boston University. Ms. Preston has appeared with the Utah, Carmel, Washington D.C. Masterworks, Handel & Haydn Society, Muncie, Nashville, and Billings symphonies. Her solo appearances throughout the Northeast have included performances of Bach’s “b minor Mass” and “St. John Passion”, Handel’s “Messiah”, Haydn’s “Creation” and Poulenc’s “Gloria”. In opera, her performances have included the Countess in “Le Nozze di Figaro”, the Cake Box Lady in Argento’s “Postcard from Morocco”, Mimi in “La Boheme”, and Lady Billows in Britten’s “Albert Herring”. Her musical theatre roles have included Madame Thenardier (Les Miserable), Ruth (Pirates of Penzance), Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd), Jack’s Mother (Into the Woods), Mrs. Sowerberry (Oliver), and Mrs. Fairfax (Jane Eyre). She has performed throughout southern France and recorded with the Robert Shaw Choeur d’Atlanta. Locally, Ms. Preston has performed with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, Allegro: Baroque and Beyond, Zephyr, Spokane Opera, Connoisseur Concert’s Northwest Bach Festival and Mozart in Manito, Spokane Choral Artists, Coeur d’Alene Summer Theater, and Spokane Valley Summer Theatre. She is currently a member of the Vocal Faculty at Gonzaga University, and teaches Applied Voice, Lyric Diction, and Class Voice.
Office:
Phone:
Email: wolski@gonzaga.edu
Dawn Wolski was a finalist of the 2010 Liederkranz Opera Competition (New York) and a winner in the 2008 Zara Dolukhanova International Art Song Competition (Russia). Her clear, effortless soprano has been delighting audiences throughout the opera, operetta, and concert worlds alike.
Ms. Wolski also served in the U.S. Army where she performed with the London Symphony, Boston Symphony, National Symphony, and Cincinnati Symphony, as well as shared the stage with such names as Julie Andrews, Wayne Brady, Wynonna Judd, Michael Peterson, Aaron Tippin, Pam Tillis, and Chris Isaak, not to mention several U.S. presidents. She has recorded for Albany Records.
Office: Music Building, Room 26
Phone: (509) 313-6792
Email: hamlin@gonzaga.edu
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Dr. Peter J. Hamlin is Associate Professor of Music at Gonzaga University, Chair of the Music Department, Director of Bands, and oversees the Music Education degree program. At Gonzaga, Dr. Hamlin directs the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds as well as teaches coursework in music education and ethnomusicology. He is also the faculty advisor to the Gonzaga University Collegiate Chapter of the National Association for Music Education.
Dr. Hamlin is in frequent demand as a conductor, lecturer, and music performance adjudicator. He has given presentations at conferences both nationally and internationally and is published in numerous journals. His research areas explore the constructs of deliberate practice and the development of expertise in addition to music assessment, psychometrics, and quantitative research methodology.
Dr. Hamlin taught high school band in the state of Florida for nine years where he led a very successful program that included multiple concert bands, marching band, jazz ensemble, indoor color guard and percussion, and multiple chamber ensembles. Dr. Hamlin received his Ph.D. and Bachelors degrees in Music Education from the University of Miami in Florida and was awarded a Master of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Connecticut. While there he was the Graduate Assistant Director of the marching band, women’s varsity basketball pep band, and the concert band.
Dr. Hamlin holds memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education, International Society for Music Education, Washington Music Educators Association, College Music Society, Society for Ethnomusicology, Society for Music Perception and Cognition, and the International Clarinet Association.
Office: Music Hall
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email:
Jennifer Brummett received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Juilliard School and a Master of Music degree at Southern Methodist University. She has been Principal Horn of the Spokane Symphony from 2002-14 and a member of the Solstice Quintet 2004-2009. Prior to joining the Spokane Symphony, Jennifer played Assistant Horn in the Fort Worth Symphony 1996-2002 and subbed in the Dallas Symphony, including recordings of Prokofiev's Scythian Suite, Shostakovich's 7th Symphony and Mahler Symphonies 2, 3, and 6.
Jennifer has performed at the Tanglewood Institute, the Chautauqua Festival, the Waterloo Festival, the Spoleto USA Festival, the Music in the Mountains Festival (Durango,CO), and as Principal Horn of the Utah Festival Opera. She performed with the Solstice Quintet at the Orcas Center in June of 2007. Jennifer is on faculty at Gonzaga University and Whitworth University. As a soloist, she has performed the Schumann Konzertstück with the Florida West Coast Symphony, the Mozart Concerto No. 2 with the Spokane Symphony, the Saint-Saens Morceau de Concert with the Spokane Falls Concert Band, the Britten Serenade with the Texas Chamber Orchestra, and many others. Ms. Brummett also played Principal Horn on Frank Sinatra’s Diamond Jubilee International Tour.
Office: Music Hall
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: churchj@gonzaga.edu
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John, a native of the northwest, began his trombone and musical career in the sixth grade, then a year later began taking private lessons with Michael Oft. Once in high school, John joined the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and subsequently joined the Portland Youth Philharmonic. After graduating high school in 2011, he began his undergraduate studies at the University of Oregon, studying with Henry Henniger, where he graduated in 2015. John would then start his professional work as an orchestral trombonist, subbing with multiple orchestras in Oregon, including: Oregon Symphony, Eugene Symphony, Portland Opera, Astoria Music Festival, Newport Symphony, Mozart Players, and Salem Chamber Orchestra.
After his time as an undergraduate, John decided to further his studies as a Master’s student at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, studying with Allen Barnhill. Within his first year, he performed with the Shepherd Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and won his first professional job with the Portland Opera as their principal trombonist. In his second year, John went on to win the Shepherd School of Music concerto competition in the winds/brass/percussion/harp division with the Nino Rota trombone concerto. He will perform the Rota sometime during the 2018-2019 school year.
At the end of Portland Opera’s 2018 season John won the Spokane Symphony one year principal trombone audition. He will start with the symphony in September 2018 and will begin teaching low brass at Gonzaga University.
Office: Music Hall, Room 108
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: cookc@gonzaga.edu
Chris Cook received his Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music and is a longtime member of the Spokane Symphony. Additionally, he is the trumpet soloist at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes. Chris is also Spokane's former poet laureate and has authored two poetry collections. He regularly hosts live spoken-word events.
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: fostere@gonzaga.edu
Office: Music Hall, Room 107
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: laplante@gonzaga.edu
Cameron La Plante is an accomplished and versatile multi-instrumentalist with more than a decade of experience in the music industry. He performs regularly in a wide variety of local ensembles including The Bob Curnow Big Band, The Spokane Jazz Orchestra, Son Dulce, and Flying Spiders. Numerous arrangements of his have been performed by many local bands including Son Dulce, The Spokane Jazz Orchestra and The Spokane Symphony. In addition to being an avid performer, Cameron is also frequently involved in recording sessions where he has extensive experience recording, tracking, editing, and mixing in the studio setting.
Office: Music Annex, Room 106
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: McElroy@gonzaga.edu
Colleen McElroy is the Piccolo and Second Flute with the Spokane Symphony and Second Flute for the Boise Philharmonic in Idaho. She is also a member of Emissary Quartet, an ensemble of four flutes that performs and teaches across the US. She has been teaching flute privately to students of all ages for over ten years. Colleen holds a Master of Music in Flute Performance from Boston University and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Washington. Her primary teachers are Linda Toote, Donna Shin, Iris Ingram, and Zart Eby. For the past several years, Colleen has specialized in piccolo performance and orchestral playing. She also enjoys playing chamber music and contemporary flute repertoire whenever the opportunity arises. Outside of her career as a flutist, Colleen is an avid runner, backpacker, and skier. She loves to cook and bake for friends and family and enjoys knitting.
Office: Music Annex, Room 105 or 106
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: phillipsc@gonzaga.edu
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: repsold@gonzaga.edu
Andrew Repsold earned a Bachelor of Arts from Whitworth University in 2013 and a Masters in Music from Eastern Washington University in 2016. His awards include Spokane’s Scholar of Fine Arts (2009), Whitworth’s Presser Scholar (2013), Elmhurst Jazz Festival “Outstanding Soloist” (2013) and two-time concerto co-winner (Whitworth, 2013. EWU, 2016). In addition to teaching at Gonzaga, he performs locally in musicals, is a substitute with the Spokane Symphony, teaches a private studio of over twenty students, and is a percussion clinician for local high schools.
Office: Music Building, Room 21
Phone: 509-313-6734
Email: hekmatpanah@gonzaga.edu
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A native of Chicago, cellist Kevin Hekmatpanah has presented hundreds of solo and chamber performances throughout the country. He has made over one hundred and twenty solo concerto appearances with various ensembles. Mr. Hekmatpanah has released a compact disc recording containing cello sonatas by Franck, Debussy, and Chopin. Deeply committed to teaching, Mr. Hekmatpanah is a Professor of Music at Gonzaga University, where he has taught since 1994. He recently received an Exemplary Faculty Award for his Academic Citizenship. He is currently a member of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. He has previously served on the faculty of Middle Tennessee State University and has taught cello at the Governor’s School for the Arts. He has served on competition juries, and he has presented master classes and clinics throughout the country. In addition to being the first cellist to earn a DMA from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, he also holds a MM from Indiana University and a BM from the University of Southern California. His teachers have included such nationally renowned pedagogues as Stephen Kates, Fritz Magg, and Gabor Rejto, and he has received coaching from such internationally celebrated artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrell, and Janos Starker.
As a conductor Kevin Hekmatpanah begins his twenty-fourth year as Music Director of the Gonzaga Symphony Orchestra. In this capacity he has performed a large portion of the standard repertoire for orchestra, as well as premieres of new music. He has also organized and presided over the Young Artists’ Concerto/Aria Competition, which gives the opportunity for young musicians to present a concerto with the ensemble.
Jeanne Bourgeois is the Assistant Concertmaster with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. She has a doctorate in violin performance from the Eastman School of Music, a masters from Northwestern University and an undergraduate degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Jeanne has held orchestral positions with the Syracuse Symphony, Sarasota Opera, Utah Festival Opera, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. In her freetime, Jeanne enjoys exploring the Inland Northwest, cooking and traveling with her husband, Stephen Swanson and their daughter, Roslyn.
Phone: (509) 313-5911Nick Carper graduated from Columbus State and Butler Universities. Nick has performed throughout the U.S. in various capacities, as principal, chamber musician, and soloist. He is currently an instructor at Gonzaga University.
Jason Moody is an active violinist, conductor, and teacher based in the Pacific Northwest. He is currently Associate Concertmaster of the Spokane Symphony and has performed regularly as a substitute with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Houston Symphony. He is the Director of Orchestra at Spokane Falls Community College, teaches violin and String Techniques at Gonzaga University, and serves as an orchestra clinician at schools and festivals around the region. He has appeared as concerto soloist with the Spokane Symphony, Thalia Symphony, Coeur d'Alene Symphony, Idaho State Symphony, Helena Symphony, Port Angeles Symphony, the Seattle Chamber Orchestra, and was featured as soloist at the Northwest Bach Festival, the Festival at Sandpoint, and Sacred Sounds at McCaw Hall. As a chamber musician he performs with the Selway Trio, the Cascade Duo with his wife, harpist Earecka Tregenza, and has performed with Chamber Music San Juans, Inverted Space Modern Ensemble in Seattle, the Spokane String Quartet, Musiqa New Music Ensemble in Houston, and faculty ensembles at Gonzaga, Whitworth, and University of Idaho.
Jason has performed as a studio musician on hundreds of movie, TV, and videogame soundtracks and backed popular artists such as Andrea Bocelli, the Irish Tenors, Mannheim Steamroller, and Queensrÿche. In 2019 he and Earecka Tregenza composed and recorded the soundtrack for the award-winning film “Gavagai.” He has appeared on public radio several times with performances on “A Prairie Home Companion” and “From the Top” and his summer festival credits include the McCall Summer Festival, Lancaster Festival (OH), Spoleto USA Festival, and a Britten-Pears Fellowship at the Aldeburgh Festival (UK).
Jason is on the music faculty at Gonzaga University and Spokane Falls Community College and has previously taught at the University of Idaho, University of Washington, Edmonds Community College, and Whitworth University. Jason has studied conducting at the Pierre Monteux School as a conducting fellow and holds music degrees from the University of Washington (D.M.A), Rice University (M.M.), and Seattle Pacific University (B.A.).
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: plewniak@gonzaga.edu
Kim Plewniak holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music. Kim instructs at Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, and Whitman College and maintains a private studio.
Office: Music Mansion, Room 25
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: moody@gonzaga.edu
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Earecka Tregenza earned a Master of Music from Rice University, Shepherd School of Music and a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She attended the Royal Conservatory of Music, Glenn Gould School. Earecka is an instructor at Gonzaga University, Eastern Washington University and Whitworth University.
Office: Music Annex, Room 004
Phone: (509) 313-6754
Email: ahrend@gonzaga.edu
Office: Music Annex, Room 006A
Phone: (509) 313-4339
Email: hunterc@gonzaga.edu
Colleen Hunter, DMA, NCTM, teaches applied and class piano at Gonzaga University, Spokane. She maintains a private piano studio in her home in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, teaching a wide range of ages and levels from children to adults.
Nationally and state certified with MTNA, Dr. Hunter is an active member of the Spokane Chapter and the North Idaho Chapter and their respective state associations. She is president of SMTA, District VII Vice-President for WSMTA and Immediate Past President of the North Idaho Music Teachers. She has served as chair of the College Faculty Forum and as Adjudicator Chair while on the WSMTA Board of Education. She has served as chair of the Independent Music Teachers Forum (IMTF), and as chair of Adjudications and Musicianship Exams at the local level and assisted in developing the annual Musicianship and Performance Festivals of the NIMTA chapter. Active as an adjudicator, Dr. Hunter also shares her passion for music as a workshop clinician, performer, collaborative artist, church musician, and choir director.
Her interest in providing arts to the community led Dr. Hunter to co-chair the entertainment committee the past several years for Art on the Green, an annual summer arts festival put on by Citizen’s Council for the Arts in Coeur d’Alene where more than thirty groups are scheduled over three days in August. She has co-hosted a winter Music Lecture Series supported by the CCA organization and coordinates home concerts in the Coeur d’Alene area. Additionally, encouraging younger artists by collaborating with them at solo and ensemble and other school events has become a rewarding endeavor. Her own students have been successful in many areas, including honors in the Carol Klotz Composition Competition, WSMTA's Young Composer Project, the Coeur d'Alene Symphony's melody contest, the Royal Conservatory of Music Certificate Program, the Spokane Piano Competition, and MusicFest Northwest.
Dr. Hunter holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and a Master of Music in piano performance from the University of Missouri at Kansas City where she studied with Richard Cass. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Seattle Pacific University where she studied with Marcile Mack. She studied with Margaret Saunders Ott, Spokane, for several years and worked with Dr. Bela Nagy of Boston University while in Sion, Switzerland.
Dr. Colleen Hunter and her husband, Sam Hunter, Ph.D., have two children, Scott, a college graduate, and Abby, a college student. Their home is filled with much music, conversation, laughter, and creative activity.
Office: Music Hall, Room 108
Phone: (509) 313-5910
Email: presley@gonzaga.edu
Mr. Presley was a winner of the William Petschek scholarship as well as the competitive piano minor teaching fellowship at Juilliard. He has appeared as soloist with the Spokane Symphony, the Washington-Idaho Symphony, and the Yale Symphony and has performed many concertos with the Spokane Opera Orchestra.
He made a career of working with modern dancers after graduation, first with the Martha Graham Company in New York, and then on the dance faculty of Florida State University. He has premiered a number of composers’ works written especially for dance, revived a great deal of 20th century music used for modern dance and was invited to showcase the piano works of Robert Muczynski at the Music Teacher National Convention in Miami in 1990.
As a composer himself, he has written many works for dance and solo piano. Since his return to Spokane, he has been active as a soloist and accompanist including work for several productions of the Spokane Opera and as part of a duo-piano team with Kendall Feeney.
He served as a member of the piano faculty in the Music department of Eastern Washington University in the spring of 2001 and has been a member of the piano faculty at Gonzaga University since the Fall of 2001. Some of his students have been prize winners in state and local competitions and a number have gone on to have careers in music.
He performs regularly as the principal keyboard player for the Spokane Symphony, as a chamber musician and as part of two-piano duos. He was selected by Gunther Schuller to play Beethoven's own arrangement of the Grosse Fuga for 4 hands with Christopher O'Reilly in 2010, and recently accompanied Thomas Hampson for the 10th Anniversary Gala of the Fox Theater in Spokane. He accompanied Zuill Bailey in Michael Daugherty's Grammy Award winning new piece, Tales of Hemingway, in December, 2017 and also in the two Haydn cello concertos in the Spokane Bach Festival March 2018.
He has presented many workshops and sessions for WSMTA at state conferences and districts conferences and is a frequent adjudicator and competition judge in Washington, Idaho and Montana.
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: loefflere@gonzaga.edu
Emily Loeffler holds a PhD in Musicology from the University of Oregon. Her research centers on the intersections of Swiss Alpine music with the history of science. She has presented new research both regionally and internationally, including at the American Musicological Society national meeting, the International Association for the Study of Popular Music, and the Gregorian Institute of Canada. She has worked as an accompanist, piano teacher, for The Journal of Musicological Research, and for a database of medieval chant, the Beneventan Hypertext Project. She holds an M.M. in Collaborative Piano, and M.M. in Music History at the University of Northern Colorado, and a B.A. in Piano Performance from Humboldt State University.
Office: Music Building, Room 22
Phone: (509) 313-6735
Email: fague@gonzaga.edu
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David Fague is an enthusiastic teacher in his academic courses, ensemble courses, and as director of the Bulldog Band. He is an active performer in several professional music groups in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area including The Spokane Jazz Orchestra (Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Acoustic Bass), The Justin James Band (Tenor Saxophone, Electric Bass, Vocals), Funky Uncle (Electric Bass), as well as various smaller jazz ensembles that play around the area. David is a devoted husband and father of three children. When not in a classroom, in a rehearsal hall, on a stage, or in The Kennel, you will find him with his family on a ski hill, in a lake, on a hike, on a beach, in the ocean, on a baseball field, in church, or in the back yard barbecuing a pork shoulder or brisket.
Office: Music Hall, Room 103
Phone: 509-313-5943
Email: abeid@gonzaga.edu
Mellad graduated from Gonzaga University with a BA in Music Composition in 2002. Since then, he has worked as an adjunct guitar instructor at Gonzaga University and private guitar instructor at St. George's School and Colville High School. Mellad is a patient, yet highly skilled, instructor who is well versed in a variety of musical genres, including Classical, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Commercial, Country, Celtic and Broadway. As an international guitar performer, songwriter and record producer, Mellad is a dynamic instructor who brings a wealth of real-world expertise to the classroom.
For the past several years, Mellad has been fortunate to write and arrange songs for several independent vocal artists. Most recently, Mellad has been writing and performing with Country artist Nicole Lewis and is currently working on her upcoming Nashville-based full-length album. When not on tour or teaching, Mellad enjoys playing guitar for local Jazz ensembles and the live theatre circuit. Mellad has worked as a guitarist at Spokane Civic Theatre for the past 4 seasons and Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre for the past 5 seasons.
Office: Music Hall, Room 108
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: grayr@gonzaga.edu
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Riley Gray is a sought-after jazz pianist in the Spokane area and has played with the Bob Curnow Big Band and Son Dulce Live Salsa among other ensembles.
He has been featured on Spokane, WA based KPBX radio program Piano Bench.
Office: Music Hall, Room 107
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: laplante@gonzaga.edu
Cameron La Plante is an accomplished and versatile multi-instrumentalist with more than a decade of experience in the music industry. He performs regularly in a wide variety of local ensembles including The Bob Curnow Big Band, The Spokane Jazz Orchestra, Son Dulce, and Flying Spiders. Numerous arrangements of his have been performed by many local bands including Son Dulce, The Spokane Jazz Orchestra and The Spokane Symphony. In addition to being an avid performer, Cameron is also frequently involved in recording sessions where he has extensive experience recording, tracking, editing, and mixing in the studio setting.
Office:
Phone: 509-313-6733
Email: dicken@gonzaga.edu
Cindy Dicken received a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas, is an internationally renowned performer, educator and director, and is Assistant Professor of Music and the Director of Choirs at North Idaho College. Cindy has served as an adjunct faculty member at Santa Monica College, Mt. San Antonio College, Fullerton College, CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach, El Camino College, Glendale Community College, and Concordia University Irvine, and was a full-time instructor of music at Western Oregon University.
Cindy was blessed to have a career as a full-time musician and educator in Los Angeles, CA, for 25 years. She has worked as a session singer on over 50 films such as Spider-Man 1-3, Armageddon, Star Trek, Wall-E, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Ice Age, and was one of five featured a cappella singers on the score of the TV show, Glee. She has also been featured onscreen and on the score of TV shows such as WandaVision, Nip/Tuck, The Drew Carey Show, How I Met Your Mother, The Simpsons and Ally McBeal. Cindy also had the opportunity to sing on albums and projects for artists such as Barbra Streisand, Linkin Park, Michael Buble and Richard Carpenter. She has sung on commercials for Visa, True Value Hardware, Burger King and The Walt Disney Company, as well as a multitude of publishing demos for The Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation. Some other career highlights were singing for Danny Elfman’s wedding at the Los Angeles Cathedral, performing on stage with Patti Austin, serving as assistant director of a children’s choir for Linkin Park’s concert in Los Angeles, and singing on the Oscars broadcast hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, which included singing backup vocals for Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson, as well as being a part of the Sound Effects Choir. Cindy was a founding member of the award-winning a cappella vocal group, Sixth Wave. When she’s not singing or teaching, Cindy loves to spend time with her husband and son.
Office: Music Annex, Room 107
Phone: 509-313-6733
Email: petersonc4@gonzaga.edu
Cole Peterson teaches jazz and electric bass at Gonzaga. A graduate of Whitworth University ('15), Cole has a broad scope of musical experiences and interests. He studied jazz bass and voice while at Whitworth; and got his degree in music composition. He plays with numerous bands in the Spokane area, including national act The Justin James Band (bass, keyboards, guitar), Funky Unkle (keyboards), Kaitlyn Wiens (bass, keyboards, occasional guitar), and Brook Gannon Trio+/Sugar Bear (keyboards). In addition, he also records and releases his own music in his free time. He is also an in-demand session musician for various artists around the country. Cole currently teaches choir and guitar at Gonzaga Preparatory School and is also the Director of Worship at Audubon Park United Methodist Church in Spokane.
Office: Music Annex, Room 107
Phone: 509-313-6733
Email: millhamk@gonzaga.edu
Keleren is a life-long student of vocal pedagogy across multiple genres and maintains a private studio, as well as balances both an ensemble and solo performing schedule. Her songwriting, arranging, touring and recording career
began as a founding member of the a cappella trio Lotus. Since 1996, Keleren has been writing, touring and performing as a duo with her husband Michael. A veteran of over 10 recording projects, her voice has been heard by
millions in ad campaigns for FOX and NBC.
Office: Music Mansion
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: sagerk@gonzaga.edu
An active member of Spokane’s music scene, Kenny Sager performs all over the area. He has a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Eastern Washington University and did 1 year at University of Montana as a graduate assistant teaching drum set and jazz ensembles. Kenny also teaches at EWU and Mead High School coaching their drum line in the fall as well as teaching at Music Plus year round.
Office: Music Hall, Room 103
Phone: 509-313-5943
Email: abeid@gonzaga.edu
Mellad graduated from Gonzaga University with a BA in Music Composition in 2002. Since then, he has worked as an adjunct guitar instructor at Gonzaga University and private guitar instructor at St. George's School and Colville High School. Mellad is a patient, yet highly skilled, instructor who is well versed in a variety of musical genres, including Classical, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Commercial, Country, Celtic and Broadway. As an international guitar performer, songwriter and record producer, Mellad is a dynamic instructor who brings a wealth of real-world expertise to the classroom.
For the past several years, Mellad has been fortunate to write and arrange songs for several independent vocal artists. Most recently, Mellad has been writing and performing with Country artist Nicole Lewis and is currently working on her upcoming Nashville-based full-length album. When not on tour or teaching, Mellad enjoys playing guitar for local Jazz ensembles and the live theatre circuit. Mellad has worked as a guitarist at Spokane Civic Theatre for the past 4 seasons and Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre for the past 5 seasons.
Dr. Paul Grove joined the inland northwest music community in 1995 while completing a doctorate degree in Russian music theory and guitar performance at the University of Arizona. He was invited by his colleague Leon Atkinson to live and work in Spokane, the place where Paul’s teacher Aaron Shearer began his career. Though he was only going to stay for one year, he has remained and has contributed in the following ways:
He completed a Ph.D. dissertation on the contrapuntal theories of Sergei Ivanovich Taneev while receiving a Jacob Javits research grant. In addition, he received awards and distinctions in several national and international guitar competitions including the Guitar Foundation of America Competition, the Stotsenberg International Competition, The Great Lakes Guitar Competition, and the Norman Sholin Memorial Competition.
As a teacher he has mentored students who have received distinctions in several competitions including Guitar Northwest, the Wolff and Shaeffer Competitions at the University of Arizona, and Musicfest Northwest. Most recently, he was invited to teach 18th-century counterpoint at Gonzaga University, and he teaches at Whitworth University.
As a performer, he has been a featured soloist with the Spokane Symphony, the Couer d’Alene Symphony, the Gonzaga Symphony, the Northwest Bach Festival, the Northwest Sacred Music Chorale, and other regional ensembles. He has toured throughout the United States, and has performed internationally in Russia, Brazil, India, and Canada.
Paul’s primary guitar instructor was Aaron Shearer; and he studied composition with Jean Eichelberger-Ivey at the Peabody Conservatory where he joined Manuel Barueco as one of the first two guitarists to win the Peabody Conservatory Competition.
His current interest is to promote a dialogue that questions concepts pertaining to the nature, and societal role of Western “classical music.”
Office: Music Hall, Room 104
Phone: (509) 313-5919
Email: millham@gonzaga.edu
A veteran multi-genre performer, and an in-demand teacher and clinician, Michael maintains studios at Gonzaga and Eastern Washington Universities, as well as nurturing a private studio. He is a regular host/director of the Northwest Guitar Festival, and has been a featured performer for numerous regional festivals including the Northwest Guitar Festival, the Northwest Bach Festival, the Festival at Sandpoint (in concerto work with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra), and Northwest Folklife's guitar showcase in McCaw hall, among others.
Michael has been profiled in the magazine Acoustic Guitar and is a past regular contributor to the same. He has also written for Guitar Teacher and Play Guitar! magazines. Michael has worked as either an alpha/beta testing endorser or performing artist for Elixir strings, Lowden Guitars, Schoenberg Guitars, Hill Guitars, L.R. Baggs electronics and AER amps among other companies. His duo (with his wife, vocalist Keleren Millham) regularly performs at venues ranging from wine bars and house concerts to radio shows, theaters, universities and festivals: over 2,000 performances to date. They have released 3 CDs featuring their own compositions, completed a documentary film soundtrack, and scored the promotional reel soundtrack for author (and GU professor) Shann Ray's American Copper (2016 recording). Michael was recently featured in performance and on record with the Montana choir Dolce Canto (2011 recording) and with Spokane Symphony Cello and Bassoon 1st chairs John and Lynn Marshall (2015 recording). He is a graduate of the Lionel Hampton School of Music-University of Idaho.
Michael's students have won numerous gold and silver medals at Musicfest Northwest, including multiple winners in the young artist concerto division. His students have gone on assistantship to top schools for bachelors and masters degrees, and his former students have themselves been hired to teach at the college level, including Gonzaga and SFCC.
Both an acoustic guitar amplifier (L.R. Baggs A-Ref) and an acoustic guitar pickup (L.R. Baggs M1) designed with/around Michael's input have won MIPA awards (Musikmesse International Press Award; the "Grammy" of the Musical Instrument/ProAudio industry). The M1 pickup, in particular, has been adopted by many players at the pinnacle of the pop/acoustic music industry, including Tom Petty, David Gilmore (Pink Floyd) Cold Play, Jakob Dylan, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Oasis, among others.
In 1999, Michael was one of eight recipients selected nationally for Jim Beam Brand Worldwide's Benefiting Emerging Artists in Music grant.
Office: Music Building, Room 26
Phone: (509) 313-6792
Email: hamlin@gonzaga.edu
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Dr. Peter J. Hamlin is Associate Professor of Music at Gonzaga University, Chair of the Music Department, Director of Bands, and oversees the Music Education degree program. At Gonzaga, Dr. Hamlin directs the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds as well as teaches coursework in music education and ethnomusicology. He is also the faculty advisor to the Gonzaga University Collegiate Chapter of the National Association for Music Education.
Dr. Hamlin is in frequent demand as a conductor, lecturer, and music performance adjudicator. He has given presentations at conferences both nationally and internationally and is published in numerous journals. His research areas explore the constructs of deliberate practice and the development of expertise in addition to music assessment, psychometrics, and quantitative research methodology.
Dr. Hamlin taught high school band in the state of Florida for nine years where he led a very successful program that included multiple concert bands, marching band, jazz ensemble, indoor color guard and percussion, and multiple chamber ensembles. Dr. Hamlin received his Ph.D. and Bachelors degrees in Music Education from the University of Miami in Florida and was awarded a Master of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Connecticut. While there he was the Graduate Assistant Director of the marching band, women’s varsity basketball pep band, and the concert band.
Dr. Hamlin holds memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education, International Society for Music Education, Washington Music Educators Association, College Music Society, Society for Ethnomusicology, Society for Music Perception and Cognition, and the International Clarinet Association.
Office: Music Building
Phone: (509) 313-6733
Email: mileski@gonzaga.edu
Anne Mileski is an early childhood and elementary music educator and clinician based in Eastern Washington. She is certified in Orff-Schulwerk, Kodály, Smithsonian Folkways World Music Pedagogy, Music Learning Theory Elementary General Level I, and has completed advanced coursework in Dalcroze Eurhythmics. She is a regular clinician at local workshops, state music conferences, and has presented at both the American Orff-Schulwerk Association and Organization of American Kodály Educators national conferences. She has served on faculty for Kodály teacher education programs at both the American Kodály Institute at Loyola Maryland and the Plano ISD/SMU Kodaly Certification Program in Dallas, Texas.
Anne holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from Southern Methodist University. She has performed on trumpet with prestigious groups such as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Wind Symphony.
In addition to her applied music studies, Anne holds a Master of Music in Music Education from Southern Methodist University. Prior to relocating to the pacific northwest, she completed coursework toward a doctorate in music education at Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music. While attending IU, she served as an associate instructor for the music education department, both as a supervisor for student teachers and as a teaching assistant for choral and elementary music methods courses. Also while at IU, she conducted second and third grade singers in the IU Children’s Choir.
Anne has served as a conductor for the Spokane Area Youth Choirs, where she helped to establish ABC early childhood program for young singers through SAYC. She presents regularly at local, state, and national workshops and conferences, on various topics including purposeful movement and curricular sequencing in the elementary classroom. She is the founder of Anacrusic, working with early childhood and elementary music educators to refine their practice through specialized trainings and custom curriculum.
Daniel Dangca is the Senior Coordinator for Liturgical Life in the Office of Mission & Ministry at Gonzaga University. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Loyola Marymount University, a Master of Music degree with a Choral Conducting emphasis from Western Oregon University (2013) and holds an M.A. in Theology and Leadership from Gonzaga University (2021). Daniel is currently a doctoral student in the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University studying Pastoral Music.
Daniel has been a liturgical music minister for the last 15 years since he was seventeen and full-time for the last eight years. He has worked in parishes as well as schools up and down the West Coast serving in his home Diocese of San Jose, Archdiocese of San Francisco, Archdiocese of Los Angeles and most recently, the Archdiocese of Portland. His last posting before moving to Spokane was as Director of Music Ministry and Sacred Liturgy at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Portland, OR where he served for four years.
Proud son of a registered nurse and naval officer, he never forgets his Filipino-American roots that have brought him to where he is today. A classically trained baritone, Daniel has sung for the Operafestival di Roma company as well as a chorister at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy. He has also had the opportunity to record for GIA Publications and Oregon Catholic Press.
As of this post, in his spare time, Daniel enjoys: reading up on current events/politics, being an amateur polygot, watching sporting events, being the occasional foodie, being active through health/fitness and is currently working on his Pilates certification. Daniel also volunteers and has been a two-time donor for the Be the Match – Bone Marrow Registry Program.
Michael Kropf is a composer whose music engages with evocative places, personalities, and histories. He has collaborated with Marin Alsop and the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, the Ann Arbor Symphony, the Apple Hill String Quartet, and the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble. His music has been described as "a brilliant, rapid fire stretch of perpetual motion," by the SF Chronicle's Joshua Kosman. Recent projects include Moses in Nederland, a violin concerto for Sabrina Tabby and Contemporaneous based on yiddish melodies written by his great-grandfather, Moses Schenkein. In 2022, he collaborated with librettist Patrick Smith to create an orchestrated song-cycle for soprano Erin O’Meally and The San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Current projects include a collaboration with New Music Detroit, as well as a solo violin work for The Atlanta Symphony’s Justin Bruns.
Michael is also an active music teacher, pianist, violinist, and conductor. He has taught classes at the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College. He has also served as academic dean and faculty member at the Walden School Young Musicians Young Musician's Program in New Hampshire. He is currently on faculty at Gonzaga University as Assistant Professor of Theory and Composition.
He earned his doctoral degree in composition at The University of Michigan in 2022, where he studied with Kristin Kuster and Evan Chambers. He received his Master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory in 2016, where he studied with David Conte. He has also received private study in composition from John Adams.
His work has received recognition from institutions including ASCAP, The San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and The Music Teachers National Association.
Conductor and award-winning composer Robert Spittal is the director of the Creative Music Lab Ensemble and teaches courses in conducting. Dr. Spittal was Director of Bands from 1992-2019, when he led the Gonzaga Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds, and he directed the Jazz Ensemble from 1992-1998. He maintains an active schedule of composing commissioned works and conducting ensembles regionally and nationally. Dr. Spittal’s compositions are performed and recorded worldwide by ensembles such as The Bay Brass, Borealis Wind Quintet, Atlanta Chamber Winds, and North Texas Wind Symphony, and they are published by Boosey & Hawkes Co., Maestro and Fox Music. See full bio at www.robertspittal.com
Dr. Spittal’s research on the wind music of Stravinsky and American Pulitzer-winner John Harbision has been published and presented at conducting symposia. Spittal and Harbison collaborated on a well-received session at the national College Band Directors Association conference at the University of Colorado in 1997. Dr. Spittal contributed several research articles for publication in the “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band” series (GIA Publishing) which has reached musicians and music educators throughout the US and Canada.
Dr. Spittal received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and has also studied at Baylor University, The Ohio State University, The University of Michigan, Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory, the Cleveland Institute of Music and University of Colorado. His conducting teachers include Craig Kirchhoff, Michael Haithcock, and Eugene Corporon.