Below you'll find the MSM Summer faculty organized by instrument.
Derek Cooper, Classical Composition
Derek Cooper’s music has been performed worldwide by groups including Contemporaneous, Sonic Apricity, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania wind ensemble, Jenny Lin, Yarn/Wire, Ekmeles, the Iridium Saxophone Quartet, and Blueshift Ensemble. His piece, Kill James, was recently awarded an honorable mention for the New York Composers Circle’s 2019 John Eaton Memorial Composition Competition. In 2016, Derek joined the ICEBERG collective, a select and diverse group of emerging New York composers.
Derek currently teaches music theory at Ramapo College of New Jersey’s School of Contemporary Arts as well as teaching composition and musicianship courses at the Hoff-Barthelson Music School where he also directs the Compose Yourself Festival in collaboration with The Copland House. He also teaches composition, theory, and ear training at Manhattan School of Music and during the summer, he oversees the composition program for MSM Summer.
www.DerekCooperComposer.com
Kris Monson, Composer
Kris Monson is a bassist and composer based in New York City. Kris has had the honor of performing in ensembles led by many of the top musicians in the international jazz and contemporary music scenes, including Marc Cary, Vince Mendoza, Lalah Hathaway, Jim McNeely, Tyshawn Sorey and Ari Hoenig, and at venues including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Smalls Jazz Club, and Blues Alley.
As a composer, Kris has premiered works at the Banff International Workshop in Jazz & Creative Music, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, the 2021 International Conference on the Blues (hosted by Delta State University), as well as various jazz clubs and live music venues around the country. As a researcher he has presented at the 2022 Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference in Dallas, TX and the College Music Society (CMS) International Conference in Bogotá Colmbia.
A passionate music educator, Kris has taught at the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Division, Rutgers University Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and has given guest lessons and lectures at schools and universities around the country. Kris maintains an active studio of private students in bass, piano, composition, music theory, and improvisation.
Kris completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia with a double major in systems engineering and music, and in 2019 earned a Master’s in Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music.
www.krismonson.com
Sean Richey, Electric Guitar
Sean Richey is a performance artist, composer, arranger, & music educator currently living in Brooklyn, NY. Sean completed his BM in Jazz Arts from Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of guitarist Chris Rosenberg & drummer Justin DiCioccio. Sean has received awards from the New York Foundation for the Arts, Downbeat Magazine, the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Gerald Wilson Big Band Composition Award, and the 2012 Manhattan School of Music Outreach Award.
In 2013, Sean became a founding member of the True School of Music, in Mumbai, India, where he served as a Program Director and guitar instructor until 2015. While in Mumbai, he had the opportunity to perform alongside notable figures such as Ranjit Barot, Louis Banks, & Loy Mendoza.
Sean has performed alongside notable figures including John Hodgeman, Jean Grey, Joshua Henry, Leo Pelligrino, Norman Edwards Jr., Patrick Bartley, Alison Shearer, Angelo Di Loreto, Linda Oh, Sam Harris, Christian Sands, Pawan Benjamin, Javier Santiago, Conun Pappas, Adam Neely, & Bailen at venues including Carnegie Hall, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Symphony Space, & Central Park Summerstage.
Sean has taught music for the Spence School, the Diller-Quaile School of Music, Brooklyn Music Factory, Larchmont Music Academy, and Camp Encore/CODA.
Rocco Dapice, Jazz Piano
Rocco Dapice is a pianist, teacher, writer, recent graduate of the Manhattan School of Music (M.M., Jazz Arts), and a YAMAHA Performing Artist. He is on the faculty of the Manhattan School’s summer program (MSM Summer) and New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math & Science. Rocco is a teaching artist for MSM’s Distance Learning center, and teaches privately. He has performed in over 375 cities – in 45 of the 50 states, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Rocco has studied privately with GRAMMY-winning pianist and composer Taylor Eigsti; with vibraphonist and percussionist Mark Sherman; at The Juilliard School for six semesters with pianists Reuben Allen and Dave Meder; and at the Manhattan School with jazz master, Phil Markowitz.
While a student at the Crane School of Music, Disney Entertainment selected Rocco to spend the summer performing daily in front of the iconic castle with the All-American College Show Band. The eight-piece ensemble also worked weekly with guest musicians Bob Mintzer, Jim Snidero, Matt Harris, Jiggs Whigham, and Allen Vizzutti, among others; and attended exclusive Epcot master classes led by Billy Taylor, Diane Schuur, Mercer Ellington, Maynard Ferguson, Rosemary Clooney, and others.
In recent years Rocco has recorded numerous backing tracks for vocalists; served as band leader and keyboardist at People’s Church; performed “Peanuts Christmas” shows at Westchester County libraries; taught multiple times on the topic of jazz history at the Greenburgh Library; played keyboards in a Billy Joel tribute band; and played background roles in a few blockbuster movies.
www.roccodapice.com
Norman Paul Edwards Jr., Jazz Percussion, Jazz Band Conductor
Originally from Queens, New York, Norman received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in jazz performance from Manhattan School of Music. Norman is a two-time Grammy nominated artist with Manhattan School of Music’s Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra (Kenya Revisited: Live and Tito Puente Masterworks: Live). Norman is an educator with Jazz @ Lincoln Center and Arts Connection in New York. SpinKick, his original band, showcases his composition skills and blends dance, funk, hip hop and jazz into feel-good melodies and slamming grooves. His other band, Fighting In The Streets (co-led with saxophonist Alex Lopez) is a video game remix band breaking new ground with nostalgia and feel-good grooves. Norman has shared the stage with George Benson, John Scofield, Joe Lovano, John Faddis, Candido Romero, Stefon Harris, Rudy Linka, Stevie Wonder, Pharoah Monche and Bobby Sanabria. Norman Edwards Jr. plays Vic Firth Sticks, Zildjian Cymbals, and Gon Bops Percussion.
www.normanedwardsjr.com
Isaac Kaplan, Jazz Trombone
Originally from Long Beach, California, Isaac’s love of music ultimately brought him to New York City for studies at Manhattan School of Music. As a freelance musician, Isaac has performed at Central Park Summerstage, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Segerstrom Hall, and Carnegie Hall and he has performed with artists including George Porter Jr, Los Amigos Invisibles, Patrizio Buanne, and Michael McDonald. Isaac also leads a jazz trio that performs frequently around the New York area. He holds Bachelor (’11) and Master (’13) degrees from Manhattan School of Music. Isaac has a private teaching studio in New York and has been on the Manhattan School of Music Precollege jazz faculty since 2012.
Sean Richey, R & B Ensemble, Jazz Guitar
In 2013, Sean became a founding member of the True School of Music, in Mumbai, India, where he served as a Program Director and guitar instructor until 2015. While in Mumbai, he had the opportunity to perform alongside notable figures such as Ranjit Barot, Louis Banks, & Loy Mendoza. Sean has performed alongside notable figures including John Hodgeman, Jean Grey, Joshua Henry, Leo Pelligrino, Norman Edwards Jr., Patrick Bartley, Alison Shearer, Angelo Di Loreto, Linda Oh, Sam Harris, Christian Sands, Pawan Benjamin, Javier Santiago, Conun Pappas, Adam Neely, & Bailen at venues including Carnegie Hall, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Symphony Space, & Central Park Summerstage.
Juan Diego Villalobos, Vibraphone/Jazz Percussion
Latin Grammy Award-winner Juan Diego Villalobos; is a versatile vibraphone/ percussion player and producer, who has excelled in different styles of music like jazz, classical and Afro-Venezuelan music; making him one of the most sought-after musicians in New York.
His musical journey started at a young age, performing with his family in different festivals around Mexico and Venezuela, which initiated him in the Afro-Venezuelan culture. Later on, he studied at the Simon Bolivar Music Conservatory in Caracas and became part of “El Sistema” by joining the Teresa Carreño Youth Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela; where he performed across Europe, Asia and the US as a classical percussionist, sharing the stage with Christian Vazquez, Makoto Ozone and the acclaimed conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
During 2014, Villalobos got selected among fourteen Venezuelan musicians to participate at “Lang Lang & Friends,” a concert held at the United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan, in celebration of the 69th anniversary of its founding with special guests such as Sting, Alec Baldwin and Lang Lang himself. In addition to his classical training, Villalobos developed a passion for jazz, which allowed him to present his compositions and perform with several jazz artists from and across Venezuela and the United States.
Villalobos continued his jazz studies under the tutelage of Stefon Harris and Joe Locke, obtaining a full scholarship to study jazz vibraphone at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music (2018 – 2022). During this time, he appeared at distinguished venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Harlem Stage, Smalls Jazz Club and Birdland; as a bandleader and sideman, performing alongside Paquito D’Rivera, Ben Wendel, Arturo O’Farrill, Dayna Stephens, Jeremy Pelt, Peter Erskine, Jon Faddis, Andy Narell, John Beasley, among others.
Villalobos has also been recognized for his contributions to the music industry by winning a Latin Grammy for his participation on the album “Identidad” by Venezuelan cuatro player Miguel Siso. Also, his album “Perspectiva” (2017) showcases his unique new sonority, reimagining jazz and Afro-Venezuelan music to create a sound based on their common roots.
Norman Paul Edwards Jr., Jazz Percussion
Mina Kusumoto, Piano
Mina Kusumoto has performed as a soloist and collaborative pianist in many world-renowned venues such as The Kennedy Center (under conductor Leonard Slatkin), Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center, Steinway Hall, DiMenna Center, Yamaha Salon in NY, Tokyo Metropolitan Arts Hall, Minatomirai Hall in Japan, Oxford Town Hall, and Jacqueline De Prez Memorial Hall in the United Kingdom. In 2007, Mina gave a NY debut recital at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall as a winner of the Artist International Competition. She was also a prize winner in the International Arts Federation Competition and the All Japan Soloists Competition. She is a founder and artistic director of International Music Organization New York which gives opportunities to perform for young musicians. Currently, Mina is a piano faculty at Horace Mann School and Riverdale Country School. A native of Japan, Mina earned her Bachelor of Music Degree at Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo. She received her Master of Music Degree from Manhattan School of Music.
Pianist Diana Lin believes that everyone has the gift of music. She strives to help students discover the music within them, increase their love for music, and cultivate their unique, individual voices as artists. Ms. Lin’s students are annual winners of the NJMTA Spring Recital Auditions, Golden Key Festival, Crescendo International Competition, and the Little Mozarts Competition. Her students perform annually at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, The German Society of Pennsylvania, Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall of Carnegie Hall, as well as the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center.
Julie Mech, Piano
In 2003, Julie Mech played her debut recital at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, having won a Special Presentation Award from Artists International and was invited to perform on the “Concerts at One” series at St Paul’s Chapel (Wall Street). She has given numerous solo recitals in the New York area, including at Weill Hall, Steinway Hall, and the Goethe-Institut New York as well as in Europe, where she received enthusiastic critical acclaim. As a collaborative artist, Ms. Mech has appeared at Columbia University, SUNY Purchase, the Metropolitan Museum, Alice Tully Hall, Rose Theater, and Carnegie Hall. As a choral accompanist she has traveled to England, The Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, and Italy. She was awarded scholarships to the Queensland Conservatorium of Music (Brisbane, Australia), the University of Illinois, and Manhattan School of Music, where she received a Master of Music degree. Ms. Mech released two CDs, featuring Three Partitas by J.S. Bach and works by Ravel, Ginastera, and Schumann.
Mari Hwang
More information coming soon!
WeiWei Zhai
Rafael Betancourt, Violin
Rafael Betancourt is a frequent guest on concert stages around the world. Born in Venezuela, he earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees with full scholarships at Florida International University (with Robert Davidovici) and Lynn University (with Elmar Oliveira and Stephen Majeske) respectively. In Germany he worked intensely with Professor Ida Bieler (Robert Schumann Hochschule Duesseldorf). He has performed in orchestras such as the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchestra, the New World Symphony, and Florida Grand Opera among others. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with artists from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra, and other major ensembles. He has given master classes in Europe and North and South America, and his students have won prizes in numerous competitions.
www.betancourtviolin.com/rafael/
Elad Kabilio, Cello
Praised by The New York Times for his playing “vibrantly”, “full of texture and nuance”, and with “marvelous imagination”, Israeli cellist Elad Kabilio is an active soloist, chamber musician and teaching artist. Among his recent performances are Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Morgan Library and the Joyce Theater in New York City. He has also performed at the Aspen Music Festival, Young Artist Festival in Bayreuth – Germany and was featured on WQXR Radio. Mr. Kabilio collaborates frequently with dancers from top ballet companies such as New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theater, and served as the music director of Ballet Next (2011-2014). Mr. Kabilio is committed to bringing music to new audiences and is the founder of MusicTalks, a chamber music series devoted to breaking down the barriers between musicians and audience.
www.eladkabilio.com
E.J. Lee, Violin
E.J. Lee began playing the violin in Seoul, Korea at the age of four and made her solo debut three years later playing the Vivaldi Violin Concerto with full orchestra. As a teenager she won a national violin competition in Korea and performed with the Seoul Symphony. In 2004, E.J. earned her master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music. She has performed in various prestigious concert venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. She has toured with Clay Aiken, performed at the Kenzo x H&M fashion show, and is regularly featured in “Mozart in the Jungle,” an Amazon Original Series.For over twenty years she has taught both privately and in schools. Currently, she teaches at Convent of the Sacred Heart, Geneva Conservatory of Music, and Riverdale Country School. E.J. is committed to service, which she demonstrates through her role as a board member at The Chelsea Symphony. As an advocate for musical outreach, she actively seeks to address a larger philanthropic goal of bringing music to audiences for whom access to music and concerts is challenging.
Samuel Marchan, Violin, Viola Faculty
Samuel Marchan holds his Bachelor’s Degree in Viola Performance from the Juilliard School and his Master’s Degree in Music Performance from New York University. Sam is the founder and Viola member of the Carpentier String Quartet, AXIS Guitar Quintet and Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas in NY.
He is a member of the Brooklyn Metro Chamber Orchestra and the Camerata Washington Heights is one the main Latin-American music ensembles in New York City and the MostArts Festival Orchestra.
Artistic Director for the Union City Music Project, the premier el SISTEMA modeled program in New Jersey and recently nationally featured on a PBS/Annenberg Foundation Documentary, The Power of Music: teaching inspired by El SISTEMA and recently was honored by the Heroes of the Community Foundation for their work in the Latino community using music as a social integrator by the Office of the New Jersey’s First Lady.
Five years Sam, his wife and his daughter has founded the East River Children and Youth Orchestras, in Chinatown NY, I with the purpose of preparing children and youth talent for the Performing Arts Schools at Middle School and High School level.
Samuel is a Viola, Violin Faculty for the Kaufman Center/Lucy Moses School and Guest Teacher at La Guardia High School for Performing Arts.
Samuel, is an active Teacher trainer for important El Sistema inspired program such as UpBeat NY, El Sistema Lehigh Valley,PA, EL Sistema in Merida, Venezuela among others.
Mister Marchan’s work has been featured in very important TV networks and media such as UNIVISION, 41 Channel, TELEMUNDO,EL Pitazo, and The Voice of America. He has been awarded the King/Chavez/Parks Professorship Award from the University of Michigan and the El Sistema Founding member Medal.
Everhard Paredes, Violin
Everhard Paredes has appeared as soloist with the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, Venezuelan Chamber Orchestra, Chacao Symphony, Pan American Symphony, Orchestra Celebrate and others. Mr. Paredes is one of the products of the famous music program “El Sistema” in Venezuela. In November 2008, he was one of the two performers representing “El Sistema” to perform for the Quincy Jones Prize. He has also been featured multiple times at the “Strad for Lunch” concert series at WMP concert hall, playing on a three-million-dollar Stradivarius. Mr. Paredes has been on faculty at many music schools including the Youth Orchestra of Simon Bolivar Conservatory in Venezuela, Philadelphia International Music Festival, Noel Pointer Foundation in Brooklyn; he currently teaches at The Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood, New Jersey. Mr. Paredes plays on a 1797 Jean Francois Aldric violin loaned to him since 2005.
Sara Dudley
Nancy Chamberlain, Assistant Music Director
Nancy Chamberlain is a collaborative pianist at Manhattan School of Music, William Paterson University, and Caldwell University. She won the Premier Prix in Piano from the Conservatoire National in Nice, France, where she studied as a Rotary Foundation Scholar. While in Europe, Nancy performed with the Aspremont Quartet, winning First Prize in the International Chamber Music Competition in Tradate, Italy. She has taught K-12 vocal/choral/theatrical music in New York City and New Jersey and has worked as a Broadway audition pianist for Telsey and Co. Other work has included Musical Director at The Duplex Sessions cabaret in Greenwich Village, The Actor’s Project NYC at the Triad, and Barefoot Shakespeare at Alchemical Theater on 14th Street. Nancy holds an M.M. in Piano Performance from Manhattan School of Music.
Sarah Childers, Voice Faculty, Chorus
Sarah Childers (mezzo-soprano) is a New York City based opera singer and music educator. Some of Sarah’s performance credits include Rusalka, The Mikado with the Tupelo Symphony Orchestra, Pirates of Penzance, and Die Zauberflöte with Festival South. As an educator, Sarah worked closely with Mississippi Opera and The University of Southern Mississippi’s Linkup programs. She is an associate conductor and voice technician with the National Children’s Chorus (Manhattan division). Sarah received her BM in vocal performance from The University of Southern Mississippi and Masters of Music in vocal performance from Manhattan School of Music.
Noel Patterson Jr, Musical Theatre Assistant
Noel Patterson Jr is currently a teaching assistant and residential intern at Saint Thomas Choir School after graduating in 2013. During those nine years after Saint Thomas, he continued his education at Saint James Highschool (MD) and Saint Olaf College (MN). Noel sang in numerous choirs at Saint Olaf college from Viking Chorus, Cantorei, and the Saint Olaf Choir directed by Dr. Anton Armstrong. He graduated from Saint Olaf in the spring of 2021 with a B.M Vocal Performance degree. Noel Patterson is a proud first-generation graduate and is so grateful for everyone who guided him along the way.
Giuseppe Spoletini, Musical Theatre Faculty
Canadian baritone Giuseppe Spoletini, has performed widely throughout Canada and the United States. Some of his previous roles include the title role in Gianni Schicchi, Il Conte in Le nozze di Figaro, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Escamillo in Carmen, Sulpice in The Daughter of the Regiment, and Papageno in The Magic Flute, to name a few. Mr. Spoletini is equally at home on the oratorio stage, where he has been the soloist in such works as Elijah, Messiah, The Creation, and Brahms’s Requiem.
A member of the Manhattan School of Music Precollege vocal faculty, Mr. Spoletini is also co-director of the musical theatre ensembles of both the Precollege division and MSM Summer. Mr. Spoletini’s private students have gone on to study in such prestigious conservatories and summer programs as the Manhattan School of Music College division, New England Conservatory, Mannes, Eastman, Oberlin, NYU, Tanglewood Institute, and WNO Opera Institute. He is also the vocal instructor at the Saint Thomas Choir School, whose students sing in the services and world-renowned concerts at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Mr. Spoletini was a founding member of the acclaimed classical crossover ensemble O Sole Trio, which performed sold-out concerts at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Redlands Bowl, and Ronnie Scott’s in London, in addition to numerous tour venues across the United States and Canada. He is also a frequently sought-after clinician for vocal master classes and choral workshops when he is not teaching in NYC.
Corinn Springer, Voice Faculty
Corinn Springer is a NYC/NJ-based mezzo-soprano who has been teaching and performing for almost two decades. Since 2018 she has been the lead singer for The Silver Starlite Orchestra, a NJ-based big band. She has also performed in numerous operas and recitals throughout the US, Europe and Asia. Her roles include Dorabella from Così fan tutte, Ivanovna Saburova from The Tsar’s Bride (the Brooklyn premiere), Larina from Eugene Onegin, Mercédès from Carmen, L’étudiant in Leçons de Français aux étudiants Américains (the premiere by Isabelle Aboulker), Perichole in La Perichole, Zenobia in Radamisto, L’Opinion Publique from Orphée aux enfers, La Zelatrice from Suor Angelica, La Ciesca from Gianni Schicchi, Third Lady and Papagena both from Die Zauberflöte, as well as her favored role, Cherubino, from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.
Some of Corinn’s most notable accomplishments include multiple solo appearances at Carnegie Hall and David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, the Miller Outdoor Theater, Walt Whitman Theater and the historic Loew’s Jersey Theatre, amongst others. In addition to singing, Corinn has experience acting in both commercials as well as two independent films: Cardio with Ian Todary Productions (NYC), which premiered on Amazon Prime in 2021, and Balls with Parallaxe Films (London, UK; Zurich, SUI). Balls, a film loosely based on Corinn’s experiences as teacher/performer, uses the power of music to help a man struggling with Tourette’s Syndrome. It was met with great acclaim at the Geneva International Film Festival in 2019 as well as winning Best Romance for the New York International Film Awards in 2020.
Corinn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from The College of NJ as well as a Master of Music in Music Performance from Brooklyn College Conservatory. She maintains a studio in Jersey City, NJ, where her students have gone on to study singing at Berklee College of Music, Wellesley College, LaGuardia High School, Interlochen Arts Camp, Queens Summer Vocal Institute as well as many other prestigious institutes.
James Noble
Ser Konvalin, French Horn
Ser Konvalin is most passionate about exploring distinctive, quirky pieces written for horn in a chamber, orchestral, and teaching setting. In 2020, they commissioned and performed the solo work Seeking Every Resolution by Nikea Randolph at Opus 40 in Saugerties, NY. They currently play in The Orchestra Now program at Bard College, under the baton of Leon Botstein. As a member of Metropolitan Horn Authority, he was added to the Chamber Music of America’s Ensemble Forward program to receive coaching and guidance from Jeff Scott. Ser has played with such orchestras as the Montclair Orchestra and the Brooklyn Symphony. They earned their Master of Music in Orchestral Performance in May of 2019 from Manhattan School of Music where they studied with the phenomenal Michelle Baker. They received their undergrad at the University of North Texas, where they first discovered their love for recording new music with the UNT Wind Ensemble under Eugene Corporon. At UNT, Ser was a recipient of the Clyde Miller Horn Solo Scholarship Competition. During his time with the Manhattan Five Wind Quintet, Ser was a winner of the Lillian Fuchs Chamber Competition. When he was a member of subtle cheetah brass, he was added to the Chamber Music Mentorship Program with Orchestra of St. Luke’s. They had the opportunity to perform the obbligato horn part to Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 with the MSM Chamber Sinfonia under George Manahan. In 2018 they played at the Imani Winds Chamber Festival, and in 2019 he played at the Round Top Festival Institute. Ser’s other interests include sewing, running, yoga, and drag performance. They have a cat named Punchy.
Alejandro López-Samamé, Classical Trumpet
Alejandro López-Samamé is a Peruvian classical trumpet player based in New York City. He has performed with numerous ensembles around the world including the New York City Ballet, the New York Philharmonic, the New World Symphony, the Virginia Symphony, and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, and has appeared as a soloist with the Peru National Symphony Orchestra. He has performed under the baton of Christoph Eschenbach, Iván Fischer, Jaap van Zweden, Gustavo Dudamel, Krzysztof Penderecki, John Adams, and Kurt Masur, and has played in some of the world’s most prestigious concert venues including Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Sala São Paulo and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Also a dedicated educator, he was the primary trumpet professor at the Peru National University of Music and is an honorary professor at the Peruvian Trumpet Academy, in addition to being a sought-after master class artist in Latin America. Mr. López-Samamé holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, as well as a Master of Music degree and a Professional Studies certificate in orchestral performance from the Manhattan School of Music. His former teachers include James Thompson and Thomas Smith.
John Verkuilen, World Music John Verkuilen is a first year Doctor of Musical Arts student in Choral Conducting at Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Ronald Oliver and Kent Tritle. Prior to the program, John served for two years as the Artistic Director of Sine Nomine, a select 24-voice ensemble in Fall River, Massachusetts, two concert cycles as a guest conductor of the 85-voice Falmouth Chorale and 16-voice FC Chamber Choir, and a year as Interim Artistic Director of Calliope, a collaborative chorus and orchestra in Boston. John earned a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from The Boston Conservatory and received a B.A. in International Studies, Economics, and Music from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. Before coming to Boston, he was appointed Macalester’s Assistant Choral Conductor, completed a yearlong music liturgy internship at St. Olaf Catholic Church in Minneapolis, and performed two seasons as a member of the Minnesota Opera. John has served as Assistant Conductor of the Newburyport Choral Society and Berkshire Choral International and has been on faculty of The Boston Conservatory Vocal/Choral Intensive.
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