FACULTY BIOS
JOHN ANDERSON, accompanist, earned his B.A. in Organ and Church Music and Vocal Music Education from Gustavus Adolphus College and his Master’s Degree in Organ and Church Music from Valparaiso University. He serves as a substitute organist and an accompanist for Novi Cantori; performs as a solo organist, and plays bassoon in The Old Post Road Orchestra and the Zephyr Wind Quintet.
JAMES “SCORPIO” ANDREWS, lyrics, Hip Hop, is well known to local audiences and has toured extensively with a number of notable artists. He began Stinger Style Productions in 1998, and Indies Music Service. He teaches Hip Hop in the CMSS “Renaissance” Program as well as community based programs in Springfield and Holyoke. He is also featured on a number of contemporary recordings.
JAMES ARGIRO, jazz piano, keyboard, composition and songwriting, orchestration and arranging, received his training at The Hartford Conservatory of Music and The Institute of Audio Research in New York. Jim brings more than 50 years of experience in all phases and aspects of music creation, production, and performing arts to his teaching. A member of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, he has been associated with many international stars in every conceivable musical setting. Jim is also on the music faculty of Westfield State College.
JASON ARNOLD, drums, Hip Hop, has played since he was 6 years old, having studied with his father, CMSS faculty member Billy Arnold. Jason performs with rhythm and blues and rock groups throughout the northeast. He teaches Hip Hop in the CMSS “Renaissance” Program, in community Hip Hop programs, and performs regularly as the house drummer at the Hartford blues club Black Eyed Sally’s.
WILLIAM ARNOLD, drums, brings extensive experience playing for the Motown record label with Junior Walker and the All Stars and other rhythm and blues groups. He has also worked as a studio musician for Rainbow Records. Billy has performed with Charlie Ventura, Dave Liebman, Kenny Burrell, Teddy Wilson, Zoot Sims, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, and the Fifth Division Army Band. He also performed for President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
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ASHLEY AVERIN BUTLER Choral Director, Elementary Honors Chorus, voice, piano,, is a graduate of both the University of Connecticut, with a Bachelor of Music Degree, and of Pennsylvania State University with a Master of Arts in Music Theory. Prior to relocating to Western Massachusetts, Ashley taught voice and piano at the Arts Conservatory of Central Pennsylvania, and has widely performed as a soloist and with choral ensembles. She has also taught early childhood music education.
MARK BASZAK, jazz piano, returns to the CMSS faculty this year. He obtained both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from UMass/Amherst, where he also directs the Jazz in July Summer Music Program. He has written and lectured extensively on jazz and Hip Hop.
GREG BROWN, deejaying, is a native of Western Massachusetts who mastered the trombone as a young man. After high school, Greg began working as a DJ and has been working at his craft for more than ten years.
SUE BURKHART, guitar, Sue’s diverse career includes everything from guest performances with the Hartford Symphony to concerts at Northampton’s Iron Horse and Connecticut’s Bushnell. She has appeared with artists ranging from Adrian Legg and Ani DiFranco to Howard Levy and Trio Globo. She is a founding member of the Connecticut Classical Guitar Society and has numerous television and radio appearance credits. Sue is also on the music faculty at Wesleyan University and has released four CD recordings.
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RAY CHAPUT, guitar, also owns a recording studio in Holyoke and works as a sound technician. He is the founding guitar player for the band, Janet Ryan and Straight Up, and has written and produced many songs for the band’s CDs. Ray has played and toured with bands for more than 20 years.
RAYMOND DANDURAND, percussion, holds a Master of Music Degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Illinois and a Bachelor’s from UMass/Amherst. He teaches music at Central High School in Springfield. He frequently performs with a variety of orchestras and ensembles.
REBECCA ELDREDGE, bassoon, piano, Children’s Chorus Manager, Ensemble Coordinator, received her B.M. from the University of Lowell and her Master of Music Degree from the University of New Hampshire. She is a former member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and currently performs with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and Opera North. She freelances with the Portland Symphony and the Hanover Chamber Orchestra and currently teaches at Deerfield Academy and Amherst College.
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KRZYSZTOF GADAWSKI, violin, viola, gradated from the Frederic Chopin Academy in Krakow, Poland, and later was a student of famed violin professor Tibor Varga. He performed extensively throughout Europe before immigrating to the United States where he received an Artist Diploma from the Hartt School of Music. He is an active member of both the Hartford and Springfield Symphony Orchestras.
JEANETTE GHAREEB, piano, has more than 30 years’ teaching experience including the Juilliard School Preparatory Division and the Preparatory Division of Manhattan School of Music. She holds a B.S. Degree from the Juilliard School, where she was the recipient of a teaching fellowship, and an M.A. from Columbia University. Mrs. Ghareeb chaired the Junior Extension of the Tuesday Morning Music Club and has performed throughout the region as a soloist and accompanist.
ALLA GOLDMAN, piano, received her B.A. from Baku Music College, USSR. Alla has more than 25 years’ experience teaching theory and piano in elementary and high school in Russia and the U.S. She moved to this country in 1990, and serves as the Organist and Choir Director for the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, Enfield, CT. She also teaches music at the Yeshiva Academy, Longmeadow.
JAMES GUSTAFSON, viola, violin, holds a B.M. from Northwestern University and a Master of Music Degree from Ball State University. He studied with Robert Slaughter, Harold Klatz, Adia Ghertovici, and Charles Treger. Jim performed as a member of the Charlotte Symphony and the Grand Rapids Symphony from 1977-1980. He is currently a member of both the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
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EMILY HARNISH, voice, received her B.A. in Vocal Performance from Westfield State College. She is a member of Novi Cantori and is the soprano soloist at First Congregational Church of Westfield.
CAROL HUTTER, viola, violin, piano, studied at the New England Conservatory of Music and has been a member of the CMSS faculty since its opening. She holds a Master of Music Degree from UMass/Amherst and a B.A. in Music from SUNY/Binghamton. She received two fellowships for study at the Tanglewood Music Center and pursued Suzuki training at the Ithaca Suzuki Institute and Hartt School of Music. She studied violin and viola with Toby Appel, Burton Fine, Fredy Ostrovsky, Janet Lyman Hill, and also studied with Kato Havas in the New Approach to string playing. She has performed with the Hartford Symphony, the Sacramento Symphony, and the Mohawk Trails Chamber Orchestra, and currently performs with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and the Bel Canto Chamber Players.
BRUCE JOHNSON, voice, guitar, piano, folk group, received his B.A. in Music Degree from Oberlin College, and a M.Ed. from Springfield College. He has been a professional singer, guitarist, and songwriter for more than 30 years. Bruce is the music director of the folk singing quartet, Rising Tide. Each year he plays King Balthazar in the Trinity United Methodist Church’s Boar’s Head Festival. Bruce studied voice with Helen Blague, Olive Thompson and Herbert Burtus.
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JENNIFER KASS, music therapy, graduated from Clark University with a B.A. in Music and earned a M.A. in Music Therapy at Lesley University. She is certified by the Board of Music Therapists. In addition to her work as a music therapist, Jen is also a visual artist and photographer.
MARTHA KNIERIEM, violin, viola, Director, “Presto” Program, received her B.M. from the University of North Carolina, attended the Eastman School of Music and completed her Master’s Degree in Viola Performance at Ithaca College. Her teachers included Heidi Castleman, Darrel Barnes, Pamela Gearhart, and Scott Nickrenz. Since 1981 Marty has been an instructor of Suzuki and traditional violin and viola. She is a member of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
BORIS KOGAN, cello, arrived in Springfield from Lenigrad, Russia in 1992. He has made an impact on the music scene in the Pioneer Valley and beyond with recitals at Springfield’s Christ Church Cathedral, Yale University, and Carnegie Hall. Boris was the assistant principal cellist with the famed Lenigrad Symphony, and a respected teacher and solo performer in the former Soviet Union. Boris is a member of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra.
SUE KURIAN, flute, is a graduate of the Juilliard School where she received her Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees, and is certified as a Suzuki flute teacher, as well as a trained “Music Together” leader. She has appeared in New York’s Carnegie and Avery Fisher Halls; as a member of the Dal Segno Players, and recorded for the Critics Choice label. As an orchestral musician, Sue has appeared with the Oulo Symphony in Finland, with the American Festival Orchestra of Salerno in Italy, and the Bach Aria Festival Orchestra. Locally, Sue has appeared with the Commonwealth Opera and has been a recitalist and lecturer at many area colleges. She is also a flute repair technician. Her teachers have included Julius Baker, Samuel Baron, Thomas Nyfenger, and Jean-Pierre Rampal. She is a member of the Kurian-Nix flute guitar duo and the Founder-Director of Northampton Flutes, an adult flute ensemble.
PATRICK LENNON, trumpet, is a graduate of Westfield State College with a B.A. in Music Education. He is the Easthampton High School Band Director and frequently performs with area jazz ensembles.
JOAN MARCIL, voice, received her B.M. in Performance from Lowell State College and her Master of Music from the Boston Conservatory of Music. She was a voice therapist with the McClosky Voice Therapy Clinic and is currently Choir Director at St. George Cathedral, Springfield. Joan was a founding member of Opera Works, a non-profit organization that brought opera to schools and the general public. She has performed with the New England Opera, Commonwealth Opera, Project Opera, and Opera con Brio in Brookline. Joan studied opera with Boris Goldovsky and voice with David Blair McClosky, Donna Roll, D’Anna Fortunato and Dorothea Brinkman.
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RICK MARSHALL, drums, has been a force on the Springfield music scene for more than 30 years. He has toured the country with Matt “Guitar” Murphy of the Blues Brothers fame, and played and recorded internationally with numerous renowned musical groups. Rick teaches drumming and drumming history, leads drumming workshops throughout New England.
RICHARD MATTESON, Choral Director, Middle School Honors Chorus, is a graduate of the Hartt School of Music with a major in organ and liturgical music and a minor in voice and vocal conducting. He served as organist/choir director at a number of Hartford, CT, churches for 39 years. Richard has taught music at St. Thomas the Apostle School, West Hartford, the Grace Webb School in Bloomfield, CT, and Berkshire Hills Academy in South Hadley. He has accompanied many choral groups in the area. He also serves as Director of Music and Organist at Old First Church, Springfield, and as the accompanist at Western New England College.
JIM MATUS, guitar, is a composer, experimental musician and performer. His 2001 release Paranoise/ISHQ was nominated for a Grammy award in the World Music category. An alumnus of the Berklee College of Music, Jim also operates a recording studio in Hartford.
ANN MARIE MESSBAUER, violin, viola, has been playing violin for more than 30 years. She has a B.A. in Music from Boston University, and performs widely with the group Three of Cups, a duo specializing in music from the British Isles and the United States.
LAVERNE MICKENS, dance, is a graduate of American International College with both a B.A. and a Master’s Degree in Education. She created and teaches the dance program at the Rebecca M. Johnson Visual Performing Arts Magnet School in Springfield. She has a history of working with youth emphasizing multi-cultural dance and fitness.
MARY ELLEN MILLER, clarinet, shakuhachi, CMSS Director of Faculty and Students, studied clarinet with William Wrzesien, Paulette Bowes and Michael Sussman. She received her B.S from Boston University, B.A from the University of Massachusetts, and her M.A from Harvard University. Mary Ellen studied shakuhachi with Seizan Nakajima of the Tozan School in Sapporo, Japan. She performs regularly throughout New England and Japan on both the clarinet and shakuhachi and teaches at the Smith College Campus School.
MEAGAN MONTMENY, clarinet, recorder, graduated from UConn with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music, with an emphasis on clarinet. Meagan was a student at CMSS for nine years herself before entering college. She also teaches band in South Deerfield, Whately, Conway and Sutherland and is completing a graduate degree at Westfield State College.
STEVE MOSER, piano, has studied classical piano, theory and composition privately for 15 years. He also studied at the Eastman School of Music and majored in music at the African American and Jazz Department at the UMass/Amherst. Steve has performed his compositions on such notable television shows as NBC’s “Today Show” and ABC’s “Home Show”, and sells recordings of his music nationally and internationally. Steve continues to perform jazz and pop music in various live venues throughout the Connecticut Valley.
HANNAH MURRAY, voice, is a graduate of Connecticut College with a B.A. in Voice Performance, and holds a Master of Music Degree in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance from Westminster Choir College. She received additional training at the Royal Academy of Music, London and at Deutsche Schule at Middlebury College. Hannah has performed as a soloist throughout New England and beyond.
HANEEF NELSON, trumpet, Coach, Charles Majid Greenlee Scholarship Jazz Ensemble, received a B.M. from the Hartt School of Music, specializing in African-American Music. He has worked with Cecil Bridgewater, Raymond Williams, Jackie McLean and Dr. Donald Byrd and at the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the University of Hartford. He performs extensively throughout greater Hartford, Western Massachusetts and Vermont, as well as for his church.
JOANNE NELSON, oboe, received her B.M. in Music Education from Ithaca College and her Master of Music in Performance from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. She currently plays English horn in the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the Oblong Woodwind Quintet. Joanne is the Instrumental Music Director at Lee Middle and High School.
ROSS NOVGRAD, saxophone, clarinet, flute, attended the Eastman School of Music, and graduated from the Manhattan School of Music. Ross studied primarily with Joseph Allard in New York and plays a wide array of musical styles that includes jazz, Latin, klezmer, and classical music. He is currently a Conn-Selmer performing artist and clinician.
MARCUS PITTS, gospel piano, conga drums, studied extensively with two local piano teachers and learned a great deal by performing in area churches. He is the Minister of Music at St. John’s Congregational Church, Springfield, as well as a visual artist.
KAVAN RAMBUKWELLE, violin, viola, piano, received his B.F.A. in Music from SUNY/Purchase and his Master in Music from the University of Notre Dame. He studied with Amadeo Liva, Carolyn Plummer, Daniel Phillips, Theres-Roy Byers, Yehudi Wyner and Maria Sileska. Kavan has extensive performance experience in solo and chamber music in Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York and his native country, Sri Lanka.
JANA ROS , piano, accompanist , graduated from the National Music College of the Ukraine and studied classical piano with Alexandr Michailov, winner of the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, and teaching methods with Tatiana Nickolaeva. She has performed as soloist and accompanist for the State Music Theatre and Philharmonic Society and has more than 25 years of teaching experience. She currently serves as organist and Minister of Music for the Asbury United Methodist Church, Bristol, CT, and as accompanist for the Gerena School in Springfield.
JANET RYAN, voice, piano, songwriting, received her B.S. Degree in Speech Education from Northwestern University and has taught young people for many years. She is currently a music teacher at the Rebecca M. Johnson Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School in Springfield. She is an actively performing musician/songwriter, is a member of ACDA, MENC and ASCAP, and has produced three CDs. Janet is also a member of Just Plain Folks Songwriting and is the Faculty Representative to the CMSS Board of Directors.
SCOTT SASANECKI, guitar, Coach, Jr. Jazz Ensemble, coordinator, Berklee City Music@CMSS, received his B.M. from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He also studied at Rutgers University under the tutelage of Ted Dunbar, Kenny Barron, Larry Ridley, Ralph Bowen, Bobby Thomas and William Fielder. He teaches music at the Sabis International Charter School.
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SOFYA SHAINSKAYA, piano, earned her M.M. at Tashkent Conservatory, Russia. Sofya was an accompanist for the Olympic gymnastics team and for theater, opera, and ballet performances in Russia. She also accompanied the famed Glinka Vocal Competition, and taught at the Leningrad College of Music before immigrating to the United States. She is currently the organist and Minister of Music at St. Barnabus Church, Springfield.
MONTENIA SHIDER, vocal coach, Director, “Gifted” Children’s Gospel Choir, is one of the area’s leading jazz vocalists. She has performed in jazz clubs and concert halls across the United States and Europe, and is the proprietor of Montenia’s, a restaurant featuring comfort food and jazz in downtown Springfield.
MICHÈLE SMITH, piano, sight singing, received her music degrees from Smith College and the Eastman School of Music, focusing on piano and organ. She teaches and plays piano, organ and directs the Paradise City Singers in Northampton.
FELICE SWADOS, harp, piano, received her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and her Master of Music Degree from the Manhattan School of Music. She studied harp with Marcel Grandjany, Gloria Agostini, Lily Laskine and Jane Wedensaul. Her piano teachers included Donald Waxman and Carlo Bussotti. She is also on the faculty of Smith College.
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JOE VELEZ, Latin piano, is considered one of the primary exponents of Latin Jazz in Western Massachusetts. Mr. Velez is a gifted pianist, composer, and arranger and has played extensively throughout New England with many major Latin ensembles.
JAMES VOGEL, saxophone, flute, is a graduate of Bard College and The Eastern School of Musical Instrument Repair where he received extensive training in the repair and restoration of woodwind and brass instruments. He currently leads his own jazz quartet and is a featured soloist for The Berkshire Bateria Escola de Samba and a member of The Pangeans World Beat Ensemble. He also teaches jazz improvisation and applied music theory for improvisation.
SHARON WAYNE, guitar, is an active soloist, chamber musician and teacher of classical guitar. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California with both Bachelor and Master’s Degrees in Classical Guitar Performance, and is certified as a Suzuki teacher. She has taught extensively both in California and Massachusetts.
MARGO WHITT, early childhood music, Director, “Prelude” Program, studied classical piano with Adolf Baller at Stanford University, with Dr. Janice K. Hodges at the University of Texas/San Antonio, and privately with Myrna Von Nimitz. Margo received her formal education and academic degrees from Stanford University and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
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LAURA WILLIAMS, Choral Director, Upper Level Honors Chorus, hold B.S. and B.A. Degrees in Music from UConn. She received her Master of Music Degree from UConn and her Kodaly certification from the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford.
LYNN WINSOR, flute, received her B.M. from the Boston Conservatory. She has played with the Pioneer Valley Symphony, Hampshire Choral Society, and Back Bay Chorale in Cambridge. Ms. Winsor freelances in Western Massachusetts and teaches students in the Gateway Regional School District.
ED WISE, piano, music theory, brings considerable life and academic experience to his teachings. A graduate of Brown University, he began playing piano as a very young child and the study of music theory in Cleveland, Ohio. By the end of eighth grade, he was performing with all kinds of groups, including dance bands, jazz and doo-wop groups, a practice that has continued throughout adulthood. He has studied the techniques of many jazz legends, worked as a pianist/conductor in musical theater, and collaborated with author David McCullough to adapt several of the author’s books to music.
DAVID ZIEMNICKI, percussion, studied percussion at Eastern Connecticut State University, UConn, and at the Hartford Conservatory of Music. He has been a percussion teacher for more than 20 years and plays with several local bands both in performance and studio sessions.
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