Faculty

Jeffrey Richard Carter, Chair of the Department of Music and Associate Professor of Music.  A native of Lee's Summit, Missouri, Dr. Carter is a versatile conductor and teacher whose performance experience and training ranges through nearly 1,000 years of Western musical tradition, and who has gained success with university ensembles, amateur choral groups, show choirs, volunteer church choirs, and festival choruses. His performing and educational endeavors have taken him to the continents of Asia, South America, and Europe, in addition to the continental United States. Dr. Carter led the Ball State University Singers for eight years, touring with that group to both North American coasts and throughout the People's Republic of China in May 2005. He is national chairman of the Youth and Student Activities Repertoire and Standards Committee for the American Choral Directors Association. Recent engagements include all-state and other festival choruses in Alabama, Missouri, Alaska, and Indiana. In previous years, Dr. Carter led three different ensembles in performance at state and regional music conventions, at the White House, and in tours to 10 different states. He was the North American jurist at the 21 Century International Choral Festival in Malaysia. Dr. Carter participated in a month-long cultural exchange program to Brazil in 2001. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Kansas, and the Master of Arts degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Central Missouri.  In addition to his duties at Webster University, he is Artistic Director of the Gateway Men's Chorus of Saint Louis. www.jeffreycarter.us

Glen Bauer, Director of Graduate Studies in Music and Music History/Literature and Associate Professor of Music. Dr. Bauer holds the Bachelor of Music degree in Music History from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and the Ph.D. in Musicology from Washington University in St. Louis. His dissertation is titled A Contextual Approach to Schoenberg’s Atonal Works: Self-Expression, Religion and Music Theory. In addition to the music of Schoenberg, his specialties included twentieth century music and the history of opera. In 1988, he was conference coordinator of the International Janacek Conference and Festival held at Washington University. He is an editor of Janacek and Czech Music Proceedings of the International Conference, published by Pendragon Press. Dr. Bauer has written programs notes and given lectures for several series of concerts of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. He is the program annotator for the Webster University Symphony Orchestra. He is active in educational programs for the Opera Theatre Saint Louis, and gives lectures for the Union Avenue Opera Theatre of St. Louis. He is a member of the American Musicological Society and the Society for Music Theory.

Kathryn Smith Bowers, Director of Choral Activities, Church Music, and Music Education and Professor of Music. Dr. Bowers directs the Webster Chorale and Choral Society, in addition to the highly regarded St. Louis Summer Sings series. She is also director of the OAKE-endorsed Kodály Certification teacher training program held each June at Webster. Dr. Bowers has published articles and presented papers and workshops in Finland, Hungary, England, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and the United States. She has also directed choral festivals in Washington, DC and the St. Louis area. Her research interests cover a broad range of historical and contemporary topics, including commissioned works for children’s choirs, the American shaped-note tradition, Jacobean verse anthems, and the sacred vocal music of John Jenkins. Other musical activities include transcribing, editing, and composing choral music. Dr. Bowers received degrees in music education and choral music from Northwestern University (BME), the University of Oregon (MA), and the University of Illinois (DMA). Her conducting teachers have included Margaret Hillis, Helmuth Rilling, and Milko Kolarov.

Robert Chamberlin, Director of Music Theory, Coordinator of Community College Relations for the Music Department, and Associate Professor of Music Theory and Composition.  A member of the Webster University faculty since 1973, he has also served as the Director of Academic Advising, Director of the London campus, and as Acting Dean of Students.  In 1974 he coordinated a festival of microtonal music, held at Webster University.  Professor Chamberlin earned degrees in theory and composition from St. Olaf College and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and completed additional studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  His principal composition instructors include Arthur Campbell, W. Alan Oldfield, Ben Johnston, and Salvatore Martirano.  He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in composition and music theory.  His compositions include works for orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber ensembles, organ, chorus, dance, and incidental music for theatrical productions.  He has received commissions from the Webster University Symphony Orchestra, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Mid America Dance Company, Tapsichore, Metro Theatre Company and the Band of Mid-America at Scott Air Force Base.  In 1991, he was awarded a Creative Artists Project Grant from the Missouri Arts Council.  Professor Chamberlin has collaborated with artists including the University of Illinois Contemporary Chamber Players, Jerry Young, John McClellan, Jaroslav Vajda, Peter Mayer, and Charles Glenn.  His compositions have been performed throughout the United States and Canada, as well as in the Netherlands and Poland.  An active member of the American Guild of Organists, he is organist for Webster Groves Christian Church. A sample of his own compositions can be heard here, performed by the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America.

Paul DeMarinis, Director of Jazz Studies and Associate Professor of Music. Professor DeMarinis studied at Indiana University with David Baker before receiving the Bachelor’s and Masters degrees in Jazz Studies from Webster University in 1982 and 1987. At Webster, he teaches woodwinds, jazz history, and improvisation, oversees the ensemble and academic jazz program, and coordinates the faculty jazz ensemble. He is well known as a performer, adjudicator, and clinician through appearances across the United States, the Far East, and Europe. He directs the Webster Summer Jazz Camp and has been on the faculty of the International Summer Jazz Academy in Poland, and the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Camps. He has a long association as a saxophonist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, including the ensemble’s 1999 appearance at Carnegie Hall. He has performed with numerous jazz artists including Louie Bellson, Gary Foster, Dave Liebman and Bobby Shew, and has performed in ensembles accompanying Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Doc Severinson, and Nancy Wilson. Professor DeMarinis is actively involved in two original music ensembles, the Paul DeMarinis Quartet and “Brilliant Corners.” He is an artist-clinician for Keilwurth Saxophones.

Carole Gaspar, Director of Vocal Studies and Professor of Music. Professor Gaspar is a graduate of Baylor University and Washington University. Her principal teachers were Leslie Chabay and Jennie Tourel. Throughout her career, she has won many awards including the G.B. Dealy competition, the Irene Jordan scholarship, the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra competition, the Southwest and Midwest Regional Metropolitan Opera auditions, the St. Louis Artist Presentation award, the St. Louis Philharmonic competition, and the National Society of Arts and Letters award in Chicago. Following six months of study at the International Opera Studio in Zurich, Switzerland, she performed with the Essen (Germany) Opera Company, making her professional debut as Marcellina in Fidelio. Since joining the Webster faculty in 1975, Professor Gaspar has earned seven diplomas from conservatories in Salzburg, Nice, and Geneva for studies in the poetry and music of the German lied and the French melodie. Her teachers have included Erik Werba, Kim Borg, Dalton Baldwin, and Gerard Souzay. Professor Gaspar has given numerous, highly acclaimed concerts in the St. Louis area and frequently collaborates with composers in premiering new works for solo voice. With a broad repertoire of 19th and 20th century songs, she has made an intensive study of the works of Brahms, Schoenberg, and other Viennese composers. She has collaborated with Allen Carl Larson in many performances of works for voice and orchestra, and has enjoyed an extensive career as a recitalist with pianist Daniel Schene. In 1990, she founded the Institute for Advanced Vocal Studies in Paris, a summer program for professional level singers and pianists dedicated to studies of French vocal chamber music. In the fall of 2002, she organized a weeklong workshop devoted to French vocal literature and the writings of Victor Hugo, bringing an international faculty of specialists to St. Louis.

Allen Carl Larson, Director of Instrumental Studies and the BA program in Music, Conductor of the Webster University Symphony Orchestra and Professor of Music.  Dr. Larson is conducting his final season with the Webster University Symphony Orchestra during 2008-09.  He received his undergraduate degree at Park University in Kansas City, with his masters and doctoral degrees from Indiana University.  His doctoral mentor was the renowned Bach scholar and score studies expert, Dr. Julius Herford.  Dr. Larson has held posts with the St. Joseph Symphony, the St. Joseph Youth Symphony and Nova Choralis, the Indiana University Choral Union and Chamber Singers, the Northland Symphony, and the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus.  Dr. Larson for nine years was director of the choir at the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis.  As a guest conductor, he has led performances with the Saint Louis Symphony, the Webster Chamber Winds, the Saint Louis Symphony chamber Ensemble, the Washington University Wind Ensemble, and the Kansas City (KS) Civic Symphony.  He has conducted performances with the Webster Opera Studio and Conservatory Theatre of The Magic Flute, Dido and Aeneas, The Marriage of Figaro, Fiddler on the Roof, Brigadoon, Carousel, and others.  In 1996 he conducted the world premiere of Andrew York's concerto for two classical guitars and chamber orchestra, Word, at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Dr. Larson has conducted instrumental and vocal ensemble performances for the KFUO "Live from the Garden" series.  he has presented clinics and workshops for high schools, colleges, and churches, and has served as the pre-concert lecturer for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.  Twice during his tenure at Webster, he has served as chair of the Department of Music. Dr. Larson recently founded a new chorus in Saint Louis, the Sheldon Chorale.

Kim Portnoy, Director of Composition and Associate Professor of Music. Professor Portnoy received the Bachelor’s and Masters degrees in Composition from Washington University. Professor Portnoy teaches classes in jazz theory, composition, and orchestration. He performs with the Webster Faculty Jazz Ensemble and frequently as a pianist with his own trio and big band. He is recognized as a versatile composer in classical and jazz idioms. He has received commissions from numerous institutions, including the Arts & Education Council, the McDonnell Planetarium, Temple Emanuel, the Parkway School District, Trinity Episcopal Church, and the Missouri Arts Council. The St. Louis Children’s Choirs, The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, the Florida Space Coast Philharmonic, and others have performed his compositions and arrangements. His composition, “most this amazing day,” ten songs on texts by e. e. cummings was performed by the Webster Jazz Singers at the 2000 International Association of Jazz Educators Convention in New Orleans. The Webster University Symphony Orchestra recently premiered Bluework, a concerto for piano and orchestra with pianist Carolbeth True as soloist. Professor Portnoy has also appeared on recordings including “The Keys to the City” by Jay Hungerford and “All in Good Time” with Asa Harris. One of Portnoy’s songs, sitting in a tree, can be heard on singer Christine Hitt’s album “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To.” The album, “Wash Away the Dust of Everyday Life,” released in 1998 features the Kim Portnoy Jazz Orchestra performing his works. A compact disc recorded by Portnoy’s trio, “Brand New Day,” was issued in 2004.

Daniel Schene, Director of Keyboard Studies and Professor of Music. A native of New York, Professor Schene has performed as a recitalist, chamber musician, concert soloist, and accompanist across the United States and Canada, as well as France, Italy, Turkey, Chile, Brazil, Greece, and Asia. Professor Schene is the duo partner of Eva Szekely, first violinist of the Esterhazy Quartet, and of soprano Carole Gaspar. He is a frequent guest artist with the Saint Louis Symphony’s Chamber Music St. Louis concerts and the Prelude series at Powell Hall. He has collaborated with renowned cellist Zara Nelsova and Denes Kovacs, director of the Liszt Academy in Budapest. After his debut with the Charlotte Symphony at fifteen, he attended the North Carolina School of the Arts. He received the BM and MM in Piano Performance from Indiana University, studying with Gyorgy Sebok and Enrica Cavallo-Gulli. At Indiana, he was the recipient of the prestigious Joseph Battista Memorial Award. Professor Schene has been Artist-in-Residence and Director of Keyboard Studies at Webster University since 1983. He is a founding faculty member of the Indiana University Summer Academy and the Institute for Advanced Vocal Studies in Paris. Mr. Schene records for the CRI label.

Steve Schenkel, Professor of Music (jazz studies, media). A native of St. Louis, Steve Schenkel has been the "first call" guitarist in St. Louis for over 20 years. He performs regularly with the St. Louis Symphony, The Fox Theater Orchestra, the MUNY Orchestra, and the Repertory Theater of St. Louis. Steve is a graduate of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He received the PhD from Washington University, 1980 and the MA in Religion from Webster University.   Dr. Schenkel founded the Jazz Studies program and the Jazz Concert Series at Webster University, where he has taught music, media, and religion since 1980. His music is heard nationally on the PBS program "Breaking Bread," as well as by millions of visitors each year in the multimedia show under the Gateway Arch. Dr. Schenkel has scored many PBS programs, including "KATY: Stories From the Trail," "Homefront," and "American Tower." Steve also wrote the theme music for the programs "In the Loop" and "StL Biz," as well as the logo music for KETC. Dr. Schenkel orchestrated the Ken Hensley CD, "Running Wild," and the children's musical "A Modern Day Prodigal Son." He appears on the CD "1-2-3" with pianist Dave Venn, as well as collaborations with Dan Rubright, "The Lone Wild Bird," "What Wondrous Love," and "Whole New Light." His latest album was released in 2008, a sample of which can be heard here.  Visit his website.

Karen Trinkle, Visiting Assistant Professor of Music History and Theory. Dr. Trinkle earned her Ph.D. in musicology from Washington University in St. Louis, and her Bachelor of Music in Music History and Literature from Roosevelt University in Chicago.  Her doctoral dissertation, Telemann’s Concertouverturen, centers on the orchestral music of Georg Philipp Telemann.  In 1994, she was named an American Fellow by the American Association of University Women and developed an interdisciplinary course centered on women in music, which she has taught at Webster since 1995.  She is the recipient of a grant from The College Music Society Community Engagement Program to develop professional relationships between academe and local institutions.  In 2008 she was selected to participate in the National Gallery of Art Teacher Institute on Dutch Art in the Golden Age.   Her research interests focus on Baroque music, gender studies, and interdisciplinary relationships between art and music.  Dr. Trinkle has presented papers in the United States and Germany on national styles and performance practices in Baroque orchestral music, and music in the paintings of seventeenth-century Dutch artists.  At Webster, she teaches courses in music theory and history, musicianship, women’s studies and interdisciplinary studies. 

Adjunct Faculty

Melissa Bishop, Adjunct Professor of Music Theory. Professor Bishop received the Bachelor of Music in Composition from Webster University where she studied with Bob Chamberlin and Kim Portnoy.  She received her Master of Music in Theory and Composition at Kansas State University where she studied with Hanley Jackson. Since 2002, her duties at Webster have included teaching varying levels of Theory as well as songwriting.  She currently serves as musical director for some of COCA’s off-site classes, as well as pursuing songwriting in the Nashville market. 

Dave Black, Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies. Professor Black teaches guitar and courses in popular music and jazz studies at Webster and is a modern dance accompanist at Washington University and the Center of Contemporary Arts. He received the Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Webster and was voted “Best Acoustic Guitarist” (1996, 1997) and “Best Solo Artist (1996) in the St. Louis Music Awards. Professor Black is a very active free-lance performer, teacher, and arranger. He regularly performs as a solo artist and with Dangerous Kitchen and Brilliant Corners in St. Louis. He has also performed with artists including Fareed Haque, Richard “Groove” Holmes, and Bucky Pizzarelli. He has two compact discs,  “Alone & Together” and “Spirals,” both features Paul DeMarinis on saxophones. Professor Black has also written works for several Mel Bay Publications.

Tom Byrne, Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies. Professor Byrne teaches guitar, jazz theory, improvisation, and ensembles. He received both his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies and Master of Music in Jazz Studies from Webster University. He has performed professionally in the St. Louis area for over twenty years leading his own ensembles as well as accompanying numerous local jazz artists including Willie Akins, Paul DeMarinis, Kim Portnoy, Tom Kennedy, Reggie Thomas, and Ptah Williams. He has also performed in numerous productions at and with the following organizations: the MUNY, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, the Sheldon Concert Hall and Webster University. Mr. Byrne can be heard on Kim Portnoy's Jazz Orchestra cd "Wash Away the Dust of Everyday Life," Mardra and Reggie Thomas's CD "Fade to Blue," and the two "Jazz Spoken Here" CDs, which feature the Webster jazz faculty. He recently released his own CD, "Beyond Tomorrow," a trio recording of mostly original compositions.

Victoria Carmichael, Adjunct Professor of Voice. Professor Carmichael completed her BM in vocal performance at Illinois Wesleyan University and MM at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.  She taught voice, diction, ear training, and music appreciation courses for 5 years at St. Charles County Community College and was a section leader for the St. Louis Symphony Chorus for 5 seasons, a highlight of which was singing the role of "Ida" in the Symphony's Millennium Gala performance of Die Fledermaus.  She lived in Wilmington, NC for 2 years where she taught at the Cape Fear Community College as well as singing with St. Andrew's-on-the-Sound Episcopal church and directing a local women's choir.  Now back in her hometown of St. Louis, she enjoys singing with the Union Avenue Opera during their summer seasons. Favorite roles she has sung with this company and other regional opera companies include Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief, Phoebe in Gilbert and Sullivan's Yeoman of the Guard, and Mrs. Gobineau in Menotti's The Medium.  Professor Carmichael also enjoys performing in recital and is ready for an art song "jam session" any time of day.

Robert Carter, Adjunct Professor of Bassoon and Chamber Music.  Joining the Webster faculty in 2006, Dr. Carter directs the Webster Faculty Wind Quintet, the Webster Chamber Winds, and teaches courses in music theory and entrepreneurship. He has performed throughout the United States and overseas, and has more than twenty years of experience as an educator at the elementary through university levels. He received the B.M. Music Education from Eastern Illinois University, the M.M. in Saxophone from Lewis and Clark College and the Graduate Diploma Bassoon Performance from the St. Louis Conservatory of Music. He has performed with The Four Tops, The Temptations, Martha Reeves, the Moody Blues, and was Alto Saxophone Soloist with pianist and film score composer Marvin Hamlisch. He recently performed wit contemporary Christian pianist-composer Mark Hayes. He has also performed with jazz artists, Clark Terry, Randy Brecker, Steve Swallow, and Jamey Aebersold. He has also been principal bassoon with the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra for 15 years. He has been the featured bassoon clinician and performer at the annual double reed workshop at Southeastern Louisiana State University in Hammond, LA for the past nine years.

Sheila Clagg Cathey, Adjunct Professor of Music Theory.  Sheila Clagg Cathey holds and M.M. in Music Theory from Texas Christian University, an M.M. in Composition from Webster University, and a bachelor's degree in Church Music with a concentration in Piano Performance.  she has completed the coursework for a D.M.A. in Music Education, and is working on a dissertation proposal in Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) in Aural Skills.  Additional research areas include music for the left hand (Clavier magazine, 2000) and Ravelian transitions.  She is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music in piano, teaching since 1985.  Prof. Cathey has served ont he music theory faculties of Texas Christian University and Dallas Baptist University, in addition to Jefferson College.

Rosemarie Cereghino, Adjunct Professor of Voice.  Soprano Rosemarie Cereghino is a 15-year adjunct member of the voice faculty.  She has devoted her career to music and education.  Ms. Cereghino earned the B.A. in Music (piano performance) from Washington University, where she also took the M.A. Ed.  She received her M.M. in Vocal Performance in 1995 from Webster University.  A lifelong learner, she has continued her education, studying vocal pedagogy methods with Richard Miller and Oren Brown, the McClosky method, and popular style with Lisa Popeil.  Most recently she received certification in Somatic Voicework (TM)--The LoVetri Method, a highly-recognized method of teaching contemporary commercial music vocal technique.  Ms. Cereghino has accumulated more than 40 hours in speech and language pathology and spent a year in the clinical doctoral program in audiology at Washington University School of Medicine, thereby garnering a solid understanding of anatomy and physiology of the speech and hearing mechanisms.

Henry Claude, Adjunct Professor of Percussion. Joining the faculty in the Fall of 2004, Professor Claude serves as instructor of percussion and director of the Webster University Percussion Ensemble. He is an acknowledged master performer and teacher in keyboard mallets, timpani, drum set, and hand drums. He is one of the top “first call” freelance percussionists in the Midwest, performing with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and as director of the critically acclaimed NUCLEAR PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE, which is devoted to the performance of original compositions and arrangements of percussion music from around the world.

Brian Crisp, Adjunct Professor and Orff-Schulwerk coordinator. Brian Crisp is the Music Atelierista and specialist at The College School, an independent school for students ages 3-14 in St. Louis, Missouri. Brian is a native of North Carolina and holds degrees in English and music from Wake Forest University, Furman and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His master certificate in Orff-Schulwerk is from the University of St. Thomas. He has worked in public and private schools in North Carolina and Kentucky as well as Minnesota, where he was one of the founding members of Schulfunk, an adult Orff-Schulwerk based performance group. In addition to being the course director of Orff-Schulwerk Teacher Training at Webster University, Brian teaches the University of Kentucky Orff-Schulwerk Course. Besides a strong background in Orff-Schulwerk, Brian also has studied the Reggio Emilia approach in the Infant-Toddler Centers and Preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Brian presents workshops and conference sessions throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. He recently published an article with his colleague, Dr. Louise Cadwell, titled "Weaving the Theories: Orff-Schulwerk and the Reggio Approach." Brian is the educational consultant for MMB Music.

Zac Danner, Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies. Professor Danner received the M.M. and B.M. in Jazz Performance (trombone) from Webster University. He performs with the Webster Traditional Jazz Ensemble and teaches courses in Jazz History. He is also a member of the brass and jazz faculty for the Community Music School of Webster University where is also Associate Director of the CMS Jazz Ensemble. He has served on the faculty of the International Summer Jazz Academy in Krakow, Poland and the Webster University Summer Jazz Camp. He is an active free-lance trombonist and teacher in the St. Louis area. His special interest area is the music of Charles Mingus, of which he has done several transcriptions and arrangements.

Patricia Eastman, Adjunct Professor of Piano & Musicianship.  Patricia Weeks Eastman has been a member of the Webster University music faculty since 1997. Her interest in piano ensemble playing led to the formation in 2002 of ‘Duo Albireo’ with piano colleague Donna Bowen Vince. They have performed regularly on the Webster Concert Series and made their debut with the Webster Symphony in 2004. She is also founder and co-director with Ms. Vince of the Winter Piano Ensemble Festival and the Summer Piano Camps for intermediate and advanced students. As an active collaborative pianist she has performed with the Winston-Salem Symphony, the Brevard Festival Orchestra, the Webster Symphony and on the stages of Powell Hall, the Sheldon Concert Hall and ‘At the Garden Live’. She received the B.M. in Piano Performance from the North Carolina School of the Arts and the M.M. in Performance and Pedagogy from Webster University, with additional graduate studies at the St. Louis Conservatory of Music with Joseph Kalichstein. Her interest in the French School of piano playing led to her work with Philipe Drevet, a protégé of Cortot. She is a highly regarded piano instructor and adjudicator whose students go on to attend some of the top music schools and festivals in the country. A long time member of MTNA, MMTA, SLAMTA and NFMC, she hopes to never be president of any of them. Ms. Eastman grew up on New York’s Long Island where, at the age of six, she began her music studies on the accordion.

Tim Garcia, Adjunct Professor of Music Software Applications. A native of St. Louis, Tim Garcia has been a Webster University faculty member since 1996 teaching music notation classes. He received the BM in Theory/Composition and the MM in Jazz Studies- Theory/Composition from Webster. He is an active free-lance performer, educator, clinician and arranger, with works performed and recorded for radio, TV and concert halls.  He has performed in the St. Louis area for twenty-five years as a soloist and with groups such as the Genesis Jazz Project, an 18-piece big band. Currently, he leads the Tim Garcia Trio, a group that performs frequently in region and he operates a piano studio in Kirkwood.  Tim is also on the faculty at Maryville University and St. Louis Community College-Forest Park. Visit his website: http://www.timgarcia.net.

Jeanine York-Garesche, Adjunct Professor of Clarinet. Professor Garesche holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the Master of Music from the St. Louis Conservatory of Music. Her major teaches include George Silfies and Robert Coleman. Professor Garesche has performed with Quintessence-St. Louis, Opera Theatre Saint Louis, the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Synchronia New Music Ensemble, and the Webster University Symphony Orchestra. She has served on the staff and faculty of the Tidewater Music Festival in Maryland, attended the Johanneson International School of the Arts in Canada, and served as clarinetist-in-residence for the Kneisal Hall Chamber Music Festival in Blue Hill, Maine. Professor Garesche is a member of the Webster Wind Quintet, and a replacement player with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and is a faculty member at the Community Music School of Webster University.

Kevin Gianino, Adjunct Professor of Jazz Percussion. A native of St. Louis, Professor Gianino attended St. Louis Community College-Meramec, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and Webster University. He has served as a faculty member for the International Summer Jazz Academy in Poland and for the Webster Summer Jazz Combo Camp, and the Jim Widner Summer Jazz Camps. He is in demand as a clinician, adjudicator, and performer on a national basis. He is a member of the Webster Faculty Jazz Ensemble, Brilliant Corners, the Sessions Big Band, and the Hard Bop Heritage Quintet. Among the numerous artists with whom he has performed are Toshiko Akiyoshi, Nick Brignola, Richie Cole, Buddy De Franco, Jon Faddis, Terry Gibbs, Al Grey, Rob McConnell, Bobby Shew, Marvin Stamm, Clark Terry, and Nancy Wilson. He is an artist endorser for the Pearl Drum Company. He has toured the U.S., Canada, and Mexico with the Ice Follies and Holiday on Ice Shows 1979-1983 featuring Peggy Fleming. He appeared on the NBC Television special: Highlights of Ice Follies and Holiday on Ice starring Tony Randall. He is the leader of the St. Louis Jazz Orchestra and has made numerous appearances at jazz festivals as adjudicator, guest artist and clinician. Gianino is an instructor at Fred Pierce’s Drum Shop & Studio, and Greenville College in Illinois.

Jan Gippo, Adjunct Professor of Flute. Professor Gippo earned the BM in Flute and a double MM degree in Flute Performance and Wind Conducting and Literature at the New England Conservatory of Music. He has played piccolo and flute with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra since 1972. He is also principal flute of the Bach Society of St. Louis, and founder and flutist of the Webster Wind Quintet and Webster Chamber Players. He is the Artistic Director of “From the Garden,” the live radio broadcast chamber music series on KFUO FM and is a Contributing Editor to “Flute Talk” magazine, and writes the monthly column “Let’s Talk Picc.” He is former director of the National Flute Association (NFA) and the first chairperson of the Piccolo Committee of the NFA. He is the woodwind coach for the Saint Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra and is a board member of the Cathedral Concert Series.

Henry Glass, Adjunct Professor of Organ. Professor Glass joined the Webster University faculty in 2004. He is a graduate of Harris-Stowe University (BA) and Washington University (MA). He is organist and music director at University City United Methodist Church and organ instructor for the Community Music School of Webster University. He also serves as organ instructor for Lindenwood University and as choral/organ consultant for Mel Bay Publications. He has enjoyed a long and very successful career as a church musician, conductor, and educator. Ensembles under his direction have received numerous awards for their outstanding performances. He has served as Dean of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He was named “Teacher of the Year” by the faculty of Parkway West Middle School and received the “Merit Award” from the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association. He is a 2004 recipient of the “National Award of Distinction” for outstanding church music programs.

Deberah Haferkamp, Adjunct Professor of Strings & Chamber Music. Professor Haferkamp received the Masters of Music/Music Education from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and the Bachelor/Music Education from the University of Evansville.  She studied with Paul Rolland and Gerald Fischbach. Awards and honors have included the Merit Award for Outstanding Music Educator from the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association and the Kiwanis Award for Leadership. She is a Past-President of the American String Teachers Association-Missouri Chapter (ASTA-NSOA), and a past board member of the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association. She conducts the Lionsgate String Ensemble and is the violist in the Landolfi Quartet. She authored “Developing the Active Listener,” for outreach concerts to children and is active in bringing alternative styles of string playing to school orchestras throughout the region. She serves as concertmaster, Alton Symphony & Florissant Valley Community orchestra, principal violinist, St. Louis Philharmonic & Gateway Festival Orchestra, and as a freelance musician, she performs with the Bach Society, Masterworks Chorale, MUNY Orchestra and Dance St. Louis.

David Halen, Adjunct Professor of Violin. Professor Halen is the Concertmaster of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. He received the Master of Music from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and the Bachelor of Music from Central Missouri State University; He has also been a Fulbright Scholar at the Freiburg Hochschule, Germany; Soloist Diploma, Freiburg, Germany. He appears regularly as a soloist and chamber musician and is first violin with the St. Louis String Quartet. Professor Halen is the former Associate Concertmaster, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, 1991-95; former Assistant Concertmaster, 1986-1990, and first violin, 1983-86, Houston Symphony; former first violin, Harrington String Quartet, 1983. Professor Halen is a faculty member of the Community Music School of Webster University.

Willem von Hombracht, Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies.  Willem von Hombracht teaches bass, directs combos and a bass ensemble, and performs with the faculty jazz ensemble. He studied at the Arnhem Conservatory of Music in the Netherlands, and privately with Buell Neidlinger and Charlie Haden. He has performed in orchestras, chamber groups, jazz, rock and blues bands. Willem has over 30 years of experience in all jazz styles, and is in great demand as a bassist with groups ranging from traditional, to bebop, to free form improvisation. His performing credits include Billy Higgins, Andrew Hill, John Hicks, Howard Johnson, Herb Jeffries, Richie Cole, Bobby Shew, and Don Preston. He is an inventive composer, drawing on a variety of elements in his works. He directs bass master classes and jazz/improvisation workshops in the USA and in Europe, and has been on the faculty of the International Summer Jazz Academy in Poland since 2001, where he was named Artistic Director in 2008.

Robert Charles Howard, Adjunct Professor of Music.  Robert Charles Howard is a composer and conductor.  He has served as the conductor of the Belleville Philharmonic Orchestra in Belleville IL since 1995 and of the Belleville Philharmonic Chorale since 2001. He also conducts the Webster University Concert Choir. Howard's compositions have been been performed by many professional, community, college and high school ensembles in Missouri, Illinois and other parts of the country. Prisms for unaccompanied alto flute is included in the anthology New Music for Alto Flute and Bass Flute.   Asian Sketches for Unaccompanied Chorus is included on a St. Louis Chamber Choir CD called St. Louis Sings.  The most current composition project is a Christmas cantata entitled Radiance of the Light which was premiered on December 16.2007 by the Belleville Philharmonic Chorale and Orchestra.  Poetry and story writing is a relatively new activity in his life.  Many of the poems posted relate directly to musical compositions. Two of the poems posted on this site, Eagles on the Mississippi and Ice Storm 2006  have been published by Straight Up magazine. For a comprehensive listing of Mr. Howard's activities, please visit his web site at http: //www.peaknet.net/%7Erandrhoward/

Jay Hungerford, Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies. Professor Hungerford is the “top call” freelance bassist in the St. Louis region. He tours regularly with numerous artists, performing at festivals and for clinics across the country and internationally. He has served for more than twenty years as a member of the Webster jazz faculty and teaches for the Community Music School of Webster University. He received the Bachelor of Music Education from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Professor Hungerford has been acknowledged as “Best Local Bassist” by Riverfront Times. His compact disc, “Keys to the City,” features the outstanding jazz pianists of the St. Louis region, including several Webster University colleagues and alumni. Visit Jay’s website: http://www.jayhungerford.com

Joseph Kaminsky, Adjunct Professor of Violin. Professor Kaminsky is a former member of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and currently on the adjunct music faculty of UMSL, Maryville University, and Webster University. He performs with the St. Louis Chamber Orchestra, St. Louis Ballet Orchestra, and the Landolfi String Quartet.  Professor Kaminsky is also one of only two certified Suzuki violin teacher trainers in Missouri and has been to Japan to study with Shinichi Suzuki and to teach at the world conference there in 2000. He has taught as a guest violin clinician in 29 states and was selected the ASTA Missouri Private String Teacher of the Year in 2000. His students have performed have won competitions and performed as soloists with the Belleville Philharmonic, Southern Illinois University Orchestra, Alton Symphony, University City Symphony, Gateway Festival Orchestra, Chicago Youth Symphony, University City Symphony, and Kammerguild Chamber Orchestra. Many have gone on to careers in music performance.

Michael Karpowicz, Adjunct Professor of Woodwinds & Chamber Music. Professor Karpowicz, Saxophone and Woodwinds, received the Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music Performance from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, where he received a Downbeat Award as Outstanding Jazz Soloist. He has performed with the Sessions Big Band, Kim Portnoy Big Band, St. Louis Jazz Orchestra, Jim Widner Big Band, and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He has been a member of the Fox Theatre Orchestra and the MUNY Opera Orchestra for more than twenty years, and for the St. Louis Repertory Theatre at Webster University. He has performed with Louie Bellson, Jon Faddis, Rob McConnell, Clark Terry, Lew Tabackin, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Nick Brignola, Bobby Shew, Mel Torme, Michel LeGrand, Dave Pietro, and Conrad Herwig. He has also performed with artists such as Henry Mancini, Johnny Mathis, Lou Rawls, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Manhattan Transfer, Sammy Davis Jr., Natalie Cole, Barry Manilow, Bernadette Peters, Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett and Aretha Franklin. He has served as a faculty member for the International Summer Jazz Academy in Poland, the Webster Summer Jazz Camp, the Southern Illinois University Summer Jazz Camp, and the Musicians Association of St. Louis Summer Music Workshop. He has appeared on many commercial recordings and two nationally televised ABC Television Specials. He is Director of Bands at DeSmet Jesuit High School.

Paula Kasica, Adjunct Professor of Flute. Professor Kasica received her Bachelor of Music from the Saint Louis Conservatory of Music. Her teachers have included Jacob Berg, Julius Baker, and Gerald Carey. Paula plays as an extra with the Saint Louis Symphony and has performed with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Ballet Orchestra of St. Louis, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Bach at the Seminary Series. Since 1997, Ms Kasica has been on the faculty of the Christian Performing Arts Festival. In addition to teaching flute at Webster University, she teaches at Missouri Baptist University. She is a member of the Equinox Chamber Players and the Webster Symphony Orchestra. Paula, along with her husband John, acting Principal percussionist with the Saint Louis Symphony, perform around the country as WINDFIRE: Flute and Percussion Spectacular. In August of 2006, WINDFIRE won the National Flute Association Chamber Music Competition in Pittsburgh. She and John have three children.

Karl Koesterer, Adjunct Professor of Piano. Professor Koesterer received the Bachelor of Music in Piano from Southern Illinois University/Carbondale, and the Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Webster University. His major professors included Dr. Gail Delente and as a scholarship student of Dr. W. Kent Werner. Professor Koesterer is the piano department faculty coordinator for the Community Music School of Webster University and is a member of the Music Teachers National Association.

Debby Lennon, Adjunct Professor of Voice & Director of the Webster Jazz Singers. Professor Lennon is a native of St. Louis. She attended Fontbonne University and studied voice at Washington University, and at the L’Ecole Hindemith in Vevey, Switzerland. A member of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus for eleven seasons, she made her solo debut with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in the 1992 Carnegie Hall premiere of William Bolcom’s “Songs of Innocence and Experience.” She is a frequent soloist at the SLSO Queeny Pops and Powell Hall with Bob Coleman’s Legacy Big Band and is an active free-lance artist in the St. Louis area. From 1992-1999, she recorded and performed with the nationally known a cappella octet, Pieces of 8, of which she is a founding member. In addition to serving on the voice and jazz faculty at Webster University, Professor Lennon serves at St. Joseph’s Academy as vocal instructor, and she maintains a private voice studio. She recently issued her first compact disc, “I’m All Smiles,” to rave reviews throughout the Midwest.

James A. Martin, Adjunct Professor of Low Brass, Ensembles and Literature. Professor Martin received undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Music Education from St. Louis University and the Master of Music in Trombone Performance from the Eastman School of Music, with additional study at the doctoral level. His major professors include John Marcellus, Edward Kleinhammer, Arnold Jacobs, and Jeffrey Reynolds. Professor Martin is the Director of the Webster Wind Ensemble and Big Band and is a member of the Webster Brass Quintet. He teaches tuba and trombone and courses in brass methods and music literature. He was the bass trombonist with the Buddy Rich Big Band between 1985-87 and with the Orchestra del Maggio Musical of Florence, Italy under Zubin Mehta in 1989 and 1990. Professor Martin has played bass and contrabass trombone as an extra performer with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, including several performances at Carnegie Hall and the 1995 tour of Japan. He has also performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the Saint Louis Pops Orchestra. He performs regularly at the Fox Theater and the MUNY, and is a member of the St. Louis Brass Ensemble.

Susan Ryan Martin, Adjunct Professor of Piano. Professor Martin joined the piano faculty of Webster University in 1990. As an undergraduate, she studied piano with Professor Mary Mottl at St. Louis University, earning the Bachelor of Arts in Music. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Master of Music in Piano Performance. Her teachers there included Kenneth Drake and Ian Hobson. In addition to her teaching, she is the Director of Music at St. Francis Xavier College Church.

John McClellan, Adjunct Professor of Guitar. Professor McClellan is director of the classical guitar program at Webster University and Coordinator of Guitar Studies for the Community Music School of Webster University. In addition, he serves on the boards of Mel Bay Publications and the St. Louis Symphony, and is executive director of the St. Louis guitar Consortium, Inc. He recently published a volume on the guitar technique of Chet Atkins, published by Mel Bay, Inc, with a DVD/CD on Atkins to be issued in 2005. Professor McClellan received the Master of Music degree at the St. Louis Conservatory of Music. Further studies followed at Yale University with guitarist Benjamin Verdery, Brazilian cellist Aldo Parisot, and with Bach scholar and harpsichordist Anthony Newman. Professor McClellan performed with Luciana Pavarotti during his 1999 World Tour, and has done major tours of the United States and Australia. He has issued several discs as a soloist and as a duo performer with Kirt Hanser.

Malcolm McDuffee, Adjunct Professor of Trumpet & Director of the Webster Brass Quintet. Professor McDuffee received the Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Ithaca College and the Master of Music in Trumpet Performance from Indiana University. He served as Assistant Principal Trumpet for the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra for five years. In 1973, Professor McDuffee joined the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra where he was Assistant Principal Trumpet for thirteen years. He has also performed with the Masterworks Chorale, the Saint Louis Bach Society, the St. Louis Brass Quintet, Dance St. Louis, and the Fox Theater Orchestra. He has been a soloist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Mighty Mississippi Concert Band, the Gateway Festival Orchestra, the Webster University Symphony Orchestra, and the Kammergild Orchestra. He is a member of the Arch Brass and Principal Trumpet with the Webster University Symphony Orchestra. He was founding director of the Saint Louis Brass Band. Recently he, with Robert Souza, performed a new edition of the Manfredini Two Trumpet Concerto in D with the Webster University Orchestra.

Alice Montgomery, Adjunct Professor of Voice. Professor Montgomery studied under Adele Addison, Richard Hughes, Henry Lewis, Clarice Carson, and Dickson Titus. A scholarship recipient for the Tanglewood Festival, Mannes Workshop, and Aspen Music Festival, she was also a finalist in the Lyric Opera of Chicago Competition. She has given oratorio and concert performances with ensembles including the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, New York Choral Society, Bach at the Sem, and the Bronx Symphony. She has appeared in opera productions of St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Opera Ensemble of New York, Pennsylvania Opera Festival, Bronx Opera, and Brooklyn Lyric Opera. Professor Montgomery also holds a master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology, and works as a voice and singing specialist at the Center for Voice in Saint Louis.

Robert Mottl, Adjunct Professor of Bassoon. A native of Chicago, Professor Mottl received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University at Bloomington. His principal teachers were Leonard Sharrow, Simon Kovar, Roy Houser, and Herman Beilfus. Professor Mottl is the assistant principal bassoonist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 1968. He was formerly principal bassoonist of the Birmingham and Memphis Symphony Orchestras and was in residence in Brazil with the Quintet of the Americas at the University of Brasilia. Professor Mottl is a founding member of the Webster Wind Quintet and the Baroque Ensemble of Saint Louis, and is bassoonist for the American Kantorei.

Earl Naylor, Adjunct Professor of Music Theory. Professor Naylor received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music from Drake University, where he was a graduate teaching assistant in the theory department. He has done further studies at the Eastman School of Music. Professor Naylor is the Organist/Choirmaster at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Webster Groves. He is a past dean of the St. Louis chapter of the American Guild of Organists and was chair of the 1979 national convention of the Organ Historical Society.

Alice Nelson, Adjunct Professor of Music, Director of the Webster Opera Studio. Professor Nelson received the Bachelor of Music degree from Mississippi University for Women, and the Master's Degree from the University of Memphis.  She has also participated in the Wesley Balk Opera/Music-Theater Institute in Minneapolis and the Institute for Advanced Vocal Studies in Paris.  In addition to her work at Webster, she is a member of the music staff for Opera Theatre of St. Louis, where she is a vocal coach for the nationally recognized Artists-in-Training program, and has been Associate Music Director for eight operas for young people, including three world premieres.  She has also prepared children's choruses for OTSL's productions of Tosca, Street Scene, Carmen, and Gloriana.  She is in demand in the St. Louis area as a vocal coach/accompanist, and has prepared singers for performances with the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera at Covent Garden (London), Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, the Chatelet (France), Lyon Opera (France), the Los Angeles Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Berlin Symphony, and the Concertgebouw Orchestra (Amsterdam), among others.  Before coming to Webster, she was vocal coach/accompanist for seven years at the St. Louis Conservatory of Music, and for twelve years at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.     

Joseph Neske, Adjunct Professor of Piano and Ensembles.  Professor Neske received the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California where he studied composition with Morton Lauridsen and Frederick Lesemann.  Since 1999, his duties at Webster University have included teaching 18th century counterpoint, choral arranging, and piano.  He also serves as an accompanist for vocal and instrumental students and the Webster Choral Ensembles.  He is the director of the Webster New Music Ensemble.  Prof. Neske is also a rehearsal pianist for the St. Louis Municipal Opera Company (MUNY).

Carl Pandolfi, Adjunct Professor of Musicianship. Professor Pandolfi teaches courses in Musicianship and Music Appreciation, and is a composer and multi-instrumentalist.  The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, The Webster Symphony Orchestra, Equinox Chamber Players Plus, Synchronia, Festive Muse/Shama Trio, and other professional ensembles have performed his compositions. He also is a General Music teacher (K-8) at a local Parochial school where he teaches recorder, guitar, and Orff instruments. Prof. Pandolfi comes from a family of professional musicians, many of whom have been members of major US orchestras. He was the Composer-in-Residence for the St. Louis Public Schools (1992-1996), and holds Master’s degrees from both Webster University and the Indiana University School of Music.

Vera Parkin, Adjunct Professor of Piano. Joining the Webster music faculty in Fall 2004, Professor Parkin is the director of the Pre-College Preparatory Program at the Community Music School of Webster University. She received the BM and MM in Piano Performance from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville; undergraduate studies at Northwestern University; doctoral work at Washington University. Her teachers have included Gui Mombaerts, Ruth Slenczynska, and Seth & Maryse Carlin. She also serves as staff accompanist for the Community Music School of Webster University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and keyboardist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. She is a former Artist Presentations Society winner, former Principal Keyboardist with the Illinois Symphony, and extra keyboardist with the Memphis Symphony.

William Partridge, Adjunct Professor of Organ.  Professor William Partridge, M.M., F.C.C.M., is the Canon Precentor Organist and Choirmaster of Christ Church Cathedral, University Organist at Washington University and a member of the faculties at Webster University and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.  In addition to teaching at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Mr. Partridge has served on the faculties of American University, Washington, D.C., the School of Music at Converse College, Spartanburg, S.C., and the Catholic University of Puerto Rico on a U.S. State Department project.  Prof. Partridge is a Fellow of the College of Church Musicians at the Washington National Cathedral, where he also received his Master’s in Church Music under Leo Sowerby and Paul Callaway.  Additional studies were with George Thalben-Ball at the Temple Church, London, Sir William McKie of Westminster Abbey, and Dr. Gerald Knight at the Royal School of Church Music in England. For the past ten years, Mr. Partridge has served on the Board of Directors for the Hesse Scholarship Foundation.  From 1996-1998 he served as Dean of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

Dee Pavelka, Adjunct Professor of Voice. Professor Pavelka completed the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance Pedagogy at Webster University, with additional study at the St. Louis Conservatory of Music. Active as a soloist, she has appeared with the St. Louis Philharmonic, Webster Choral Union, St. Louis Conservatory Chorus, Gateway Festival Orchestral, Camerata Singers, Musica Nova, Music for Diverse Voices, Saint Louis Chamber Chorus, the Alton Civic Orchestra, and the American Kantorei. She has participated in the Art Song Festival at Westminster Choir College, in the Lieder Master Classes conducted by John Wustman at the University of Texas, and has attended vocal performance and pedagogy workshops and festivals across the country. At Webster University, Professor Pavelka teaches voice, pedagogy, and history of art song. She has also performed music for voice and guitar on the Music from Christ Church concert series.

Linda H. Phipps, Adjunct Professor of Woodwinds. A member of the music faculty since 2004, Professor Phipps is a Webster graduate (BA/Management & BM/Music). She received the MM, and is a candidate for the DMA in clarinet performance from the University of Cincinnati. She is an active performer and educator in the metropolitan St. Louis area, serving as woodwind instructor for St. Charles Community College and several high schools. She performs frequently with the St. Louis Symphony and Webster Symphony Orchestra as a bass clarinetist. Among her professors are Ronald de Kant, George Sillies, Ronald Kaufmann, and Tina Ward.

Amy Jo Rhine, Adjunct Professor of Horn. Amy Jo Rhine enjoys a diverse freelance career, which includes playing with the Iris Chamber Orchestra in Memphis, TN and is substitute horn with the Saint Louis Symphony.  From 1996-2001 Rhine was the Professor of Horn at Wichita State University, a member of the Lieurance Wind Quintet and the Wichita Brass Quintet.  A chamber music enthusiast, she has performed throughout the United States, Europe, Japan and Panama most notably with the faculty quintets of WSU and the Wilson Wind Quintet.  She is a charter member of the Painted Sky Music Festival, in Flagstaff, AZ and has performed with the Bach, Dancing and Dynamite Society in Madison Wisconsin.  Rhine received her training with Verne Reynolds at the Eastman School of Music (BM and Performer’s Certificate) and James Decker at the University of Southern California (MM).  She has held the Principal Horn positions with the Wichita Symphony and the Louisiana Philharmonic.  Her summers are spent in Boulder, CO performing Associate Principal Horn with the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, where she met her husband and fellow hornist, Greg Roosa. Together they have two sons Norty and Eliot. Rhine joined the faculty of Webster University in 2006.

Natasha Rubinstein, Adjunct Professor of Cello. Professor Rubinstein joined the Webster music faculty in August 2005. In addition, she is the principal cellist of the Webster Symphony Orchestra. For many years, cellist Natasha Rubinstein performed in New York with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the New Jersey Symphony, (Assistant Principal), and with New York Philharmonic Chamber Series. Ms. Rubinstein was principal with the Connecticut Grand Opera and performed the "Rococo Variations" and "Schelomo" on New York cable TV. In St. Louis, she has recently played the Victor Herbert Cello Concerto #2, “Kol Nidre,” and "Schelomo." She is the founder of Elegant Ensembles and the Eden Trio, and can be heard frequently in chamber music recitals. She maintains a private studio in St. Louis, and performs with the MUNY Orchestra and the Fox Theater Orchestra. Her teachers included Janos Starker, John Sant’Ambrogio, and Jerry Grossman.

Dan Rubright, Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies, Guitar, and Media. Professor Rubright recently scored the music for the Emmy award winning PBS documentary "Oh Freedom After While." He is active as a composer for film, television and video, and recently completed the music score for the nationally produced "Dilbert" web and software game. He has performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theater of St. Louis, and the MUNY Opera. Professor Rubright has been a faculty member at Webster University for over 15 years. With his wife Melissa Brooks of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Rubright co-founded Crossings, an arts organization that programs multi-genre and multi-media concerts throughout St. Louis. He is currently working on collaboration with performance and video artist Carol Hodson entitled “Home and Away.” He is co-leader of the Schenkel-Rubright Guitar Duo with Webster colleague Steve Schenkel. The duo has recorded three discs, including "The Lone Wild Bird," "What Wondrous Love," and "Whole New Light." Visit http://www.crossingsconcerts.org

Ruth Saunders, Adjunct Professor of Piano Accompanying. Professor Saunders received the Master of Music in Piano and Harpsichord, and the Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance, Washington University. Her piano teachers included Jules Gentil, Robert Wallenborn, and William Schatzkamer; harpsichord teachers included Fernando Valenti and Rosalyn Turek; teachers also included Leigh Gerdine, Robert Wykes, Lincoln Spiess and Paul Pisk. She is the former staff accompanist, St. Louis Conservatory and Schools for the Arts. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor for St. Louis University, church organist, and maintains a private piano studio. She is a founding member of the chamber music group, Arch Ensemble.

Carol Schmidt, Adjunct Professor of Piano. Professor Schmidt is a graduate of Webster University, having completed the MM in Jazz Studies/Piano Performance and the BM in Theory/Composition. At Webster University, she teaches jazz and classical piano and other music related courses, and maintains a very active life as a professional performer and educator in St. Louis. Professor Schmidt has served as director of the Webster Jazz Singers and as a faculty member for the International Summer Jazz Academy in Krakow, Poland. She is particularly interested in the music of Thelonious Monk and has transcribed many of Monk’s compositions and solos. For many years, she was a performer/composer and co-leader of the award winning nationally touring jazz group, “Jasmine.” In St. Louis, she performs with her group and with Webster Faculty Jazz Ensemble.

Gary Sims, Adjunct Professor of Voice. Professor Sims received the BM from William Jewell College and MM in Vocal performance from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before joining the Webster voice faculty in 1980, he was instructor of voice and piano at Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia. He is well known in the St. Louis area as a professional voice teacher, singer, actor, and composer. Professor Sims’ extensive performance experience includes concerts with the Bach Society of Saint Louis, Fort Worth Oratorio Orchestra, Savannah Symphony, Georgia Chamber Orchestra, Christ Church Cathedral, Saint Louis Chamber Chorus and Orchestra, and the Jerusalem Symphony. In recent years, Professor Sims has expanded his repertoire to include Musical Theatre.

James Staley, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Music. Dr. Staley holds a Ph.D. in Historical Musicology from the Catholic University of America, a master’s degree in Wind Performance (flute) from the University of Michigan, a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from St. Ambrose University. His teaching responsibilities are in music history. Dr. Staley is a flutist, and performs with the Webster Symphony and other ensembles in the St. Louis metropolitan area on both modern and historical instruments. He has edited various collections of renaissance instrumental music, and presents lectures and workshops on music literature.

Kendall Stallings, Professor of Music-Emeritus. Dr. Stallings received a doctorate in Musical Composition and Theory from Washington University in St. Louis and has been a member of the faculty at Webster University since 1967. He has taught courses in analysis, theory, musicianship, literature and composition, and served as Director of Theory and Musicianship, and Music Department chair. Employing vocal, instrumental, and tape media, he has composed concert, film, and theater music ranging from brief pieces for a single performer to much longer works for relatively large forces. His music has been heard in the concert hall, the theater, on radio and television, and at Dressel’s in St. Louis’s Central West End.

John Thomas, Adjunct Professor of Horn & Music Theory. Professor Thomas received the Master of Music in Horn and Music Theory from the University of Missouri-Columbia and the Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. He is principal horn of the St. Louis Philharmonic; solo tenor horn, St. Louis Brass Band; and a member of the Clarion Brass Quintet, Webster University, and Gateway Festival Orchestra. He has served as a soloist with the Kirkwood Symphony and Musical Diversion Society. His published works include pieces for horn octet, woodwind quintet, brass quintet, and wind ensemble. His Symphony No. 1 was premiered in April 2000 by University City Symphony, with a number of his orchestrations and arrangements also performed by St. Louis Philharmonic and St. Louis Brass Band.

Becky Thorn, Adjunct Professor of Music.  Professor Thorn graduated Summa cum laude with the BA in Music Education and Vocal Performance from Missouri Baptist University, where she worked with Dr. Ladd Faszold as the Student-Fellow in Music History.  Mrs. Thorn performed several leading stage roles, including Fiona in Brigadoon, Maria in West Side Story, and Laetitia in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief.  While pursuing the MA in Vocal Pedagogy at Webster University, Mrs. Thorn’s performances include Massenet’s Manon as Manon under the direction of Alice Nelson.  Her primary voice instructors were Carole Gaspar and Alice Montgomery.  As the recipient of the Graduate Assistantship in Music Theory, she began teaching Music Fundamentals and Music Appreciation at Webster in 2001.   An instructor at St. Charles Community College since 2000, Mrs. Thorn maintains a private voice studio.  She directs the middle school musical program at First Baptist Church of Harvester, where is she is regularly on stage in musical and dramatic performances.  A core member of St. Louis Songwriters, Mrs. Thorn has collaborates with professional songwriters and pursues her own compositional work in current musical trends and musical theatre.  She is also the proud mother of Isaac and Grace Thorn.

Carolbeth True, Adjunct Professor of Piano. Professor True is a very active member of the St. Louis Musical community. A pianist equally talented in jazz and classical music, she performs regularly in clubs and concerts. Her group, The Carolbeth Trio, performed at the Adam’s Mark for three and one half years, followed by two and one half years at Jazz at the Bistro. Her piano studies began with her mother, the late Carole Miles. She studied with Evelyn Mitchell at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.  A long time Webster faculty member, she has also built an extensive private teaching practice.  She has served on the International Summer Jazz Academy faculty in Krakow, Poland and is a cast member for The Jazz Story, a history--performance presentation at the Sheldon Concert Hall. She has performed with numerous artists including Harry Allen, Buddy DeFranco, Gary Foster, Terry Gibbs, Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Roseanne Vitro, and Bill Watrous. She has served as rehearsal pianist and assistant musical director with The MUNY for twenty years and has performed repeatedly with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. She has served as musical coordinator for the Buckeye Harmonica Festival and the International Harmonica Festival. She has been a soloist with the Webster University Symphony, Washington University Symphony, St. Louis Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, and Florida Spacecoast Philharmonic. In 2001, she was the soloist for the premiere performance of Bluework, a concerto by Webster faculty composer Kim Portnoy with the Webster Symphony. In addition to her trio, she performs with The Hard Bop Heritage Quintet, the Sessions Big Band, the Webster Jazz Repertory Ensemble and Traditional Jazz Band. She is heard on compact discs including The Carolbeth Trio, New World Harmonica Jazz and Klezmer Nuthouse with Sandy Weltman, and two discs with the Sessions Big Band, Softly As In A Morning Sunrise and Tribute.  She was the 2004 recipient of the St. Louis Magazine “Musician of the Year” award and the “Owen Miller Award for service and dedication from the St. Louis Musicians Association, Local 2-197.

Alla Voskoboynikova, Adjunct Professor of Piano & Accompanying. Before moving to the United States in 1996, Alla Voskoboynikova was a pianist and vocal coach at the Kiev Opera in Russia. She received her Bachelors Degree in Piano Performance from the Music College in Voronezh, Russia and her Masters Degree in Piano Performance from the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow, Russia. Her teachers were Oleg Milman and Lina Bulatova (student of Elena Gnessina and Henry Neihaus). She was an accompanist in the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1996 and has performed several piano solo recitals along with chamber music in many European countries. Since moving to the United States, she has collaborated with members of St. Louis Symphony Orchestra performing chamber music. In 1998, she performed in Carnegie Recital Hall with flautist Brenda Hagni. In 2000, She performed piano solo recital in the St. Louis Ethical Society, and in 2002, she performed the Rachmaninoff second concerto with the Webster University Symphony Orchestra. Besides that, she regularly accompanies and coaches for the Union Avenue Opera Company. In 2003 she organized and presented “From St. Louis to Russia With Love,” a visual and musical celebration of St. Petersburg, Russia.

Donna Bowen Vince, Adjunct Professor of Piano & Accompanying.  Donna Bowen Vince joined the piano faculty at Webster University in 1981 after her return from a year of study at L’ecole Normale de Musique in Paris, France. Her love for French music was shaped by former teachers Dr. Gail Delente and Mr. Jules Gentil. Through the Institute for Advanced Vocal Studies in Paris, France, Ms. Vince has also coached with renowned vocal accompanists Noel Lee, Irene Aitoff, and Dalton Baldwin.  Ms. Vince currently teaches Piano, Class Piano, Piano Pedagogy, and accompanies for the vocal and instrumental programs at Webster. She is also an active accompanist outside the Webster community. Her many collaborative performances have included concerts at The Sheldon,  KFUO Radio Broadcasts “Live From The Garden”, Midwest Lyric Opera, The Webster University Symphony, and performances in Salle Cortot in Paris, France. Her students are often recipients of prestigious awards and many have continued their piano studies in top universities across the country.  Donna is the other half of Duo Albireo with colleague Patricia Weeks Eastman.  They perform regularly in and around the St. Louis area. Together they direct the Webster University Summer Piano Camps, and Winter Piano Ensemble  Festival.  Her professional affiliations include The National Federation of Music Clubs, Music Teacher’s National Association, Missouri Music Teacher’s Association, and the St. Louis Area Music Teacher’s Association.  Ms. Vince obtained both a Bachelor and Master of Music from Webster University, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Piano Performance at the University of Kansas.  She hopes someday to learn to play the accordion.

Robert Waggoner, Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies & Music Education. Professor Waggoner teaches courses in jazz education methods at Webster University and serves as jazz ensemble director for the Community Music School of Webster University. He received the Bachelor of Music Education from the St. Louis Institute of Music, attended University of North Texas State University, and completed graduate work, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. He studied bass with Henry Lowe; He is a former faculty member of the Parkway School District and St. Louis Community College-Meramec. He serves on the faculty for the Jim Widner Summer Jazz Camps, and St. Louis University High School Jazz Camp. Professor Waggoner is an active jazz clinician, adjudicator, and conductor through out the Midwest; He has received the St. Louis Suburban District Music Certificate of Merit, Hall of Fame, the National Band Association Outstanding Jazz Educator, and the Jess Cole Jazz Educator Award for outstanding service to jazz education from the Missouri Unit of the International Association of Jazz Educators.