2014 Spring Newsletter - The Music Academy of North Carolina

SPRING NEWSLETTER 2014
The Academy
Accent
Table of Contents
2
3
4
5
6
8
10
11
String Festival
Vocal Festival
Guitar Festival
Finding My Voice
This Summer at MANC
Lessons for Life Lunch
Merit Scholarship Winners
Student News
Upcoming Events
5/18
5/18
5/24-25
6/9
6/13
6/20
7/4
7/18
8/15
8/17
8/17
8/22
8/23
Student Showcase Recitals,
12:30 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:30 pm
Merit Scholarship Winners’
Recital, 5:00 pm
Holiday: studios and offices
closed
Last Day of Spring Trimester
First Day of Summer
Trimester (10-week session)
Artist Faculty Concert Series
#1: Stephanie Foley Davis,
mezzo-soprano and
Susannah Steele, piano
Independence Day: studios
and offices closed
Artist Faculty Concert Series
#2, 7:30 pm: Samee Griffith
and Aaron Mood, piano
Artist Faculty Concert Series
#3, 7:30 pm: Colleen Chenail,
Heather Lofdahl, Ruth
Metheny, and Karl Ronnevik,
string quartet
Student Showcase Recitals,
12:30 pm, 2:00 pm
Adult Student Recital and
Reception, 4:00 pm
Last Day of Summer
Trimester
First Day of Fall Trimester
(18-week session)
Introducing the Volunteer
Committee
Hi All,
I wanted to let everyone know a little about
me as volunteer coordinator for The Music
Academy. My name is Debbie Little and my
daughter, Alex, takes voice lessons from
Stephanie Foley Davis. Right now I am a
stay at home mom which is a job in and of
itself. Our family has been with The Music
Academy for two years now and it has truly
been the best decision my husband, Tad and
I could have made for our daughter. Alex has excelled under
Stephanie, and we could not have found a more positive
experience. Two years ago my husband and I were searching for
a voice teacher for our then eleven year old daughter. Little did I
know just what a wonderful place The Music Academy would be
for us.
Over the last two years, I have come to love The Music Academy
and its mission. Music in any form is so very important as I am
sure all of you already know. I decided that I wanted to do more
than just bring Alex to lessons. I wanted to help such an
important place help others learn music. Currently, I am
coordinating volunteers via Sign Up Genius for events at The
Music Academy. I hope that others here at The Music Academy
can sign up to volunteer whenever they are able. My goal is to
have enough volunteers at each event so that our wonderful
teachers can spend more time with the students. Please if you
are able, donate just a little or a lot of your time to help make
every event at The Music Academy a success.
The Music Academy is happy to have volunteers that only give
us one hour of their time a year if that's what their schedule
allows.
I personally look forward to working with all the wonderful
volunteers at The Music Academy!
-Debbie Little
MANC parent and Volunteer Committee Coordinator
2
The Fifteenth Annual String Festival
and Competition
This year’s String Festival offered playing for comments and a rating, a
performance competition, masterclasses in violin and cello, a guest artist
recital. We welcomed Janet Orenstein, Simon Ertz, and Emanuel Gruber,
guest artist performers and competition judges. Students competed for
prizes in four divisions, from Primary to the Young Artist performance level.
AND THE WINNERS ARE…
Primary
1st- Honour Ann Carter - Greensboro
2nd - Hope Carter - Greensboro
Honorable Mention - Zoe Zhang - Greensboro
Honorable Mention - Grace Sowder - Greensboro
Elementary
1st - Leo Zhang - Greensboro
2nd - Ada Walker - Greensboro
Middle School
1st - Kevin Agner - Salisbury, NC
2nd - Bailey Yang - Bluffton, SC
High School
1st - Eva Wetzel - Winston-Salem (Germany)
2nd - Emilia Sharpe - Winston-Salem
Honorable Mention - Daniel Malawsky
Young Artist
1st - Lucia Kobza - Winston-Salem (Switzerland)
Congratulations to all the students who participated for
all of their hard work and preparation!
Fall 2013 • The Music Academy of North Carolina • Greensboro, NC
3
I Shoulda! 72 Years
Young
January 5, 2013 is a date I will remember
for a long time. My singing fire was
rekindled. Judy and I went to hear the
Cornell Men’s Glee Club sing in
Greensboro. It seems like only a short time
ago I was a member of the Glee Club.
Truth be known, that was from the fall of
1959 as a freshman at Cornell through the
fall of 1960. Mono struck and singing
ceased and was not resumed until January
15, 2013 - only ten days after hearing the
performance.
The concert provoked a
terrible guilt trip while enjoying the music. I
kept thinking “I shoulda” kept singing and
tried to stay in the club. “I shoulda” quickly
became “I’m gonna” and I did have my first
ever voice lesson on January 15, 2013 at
MANC with Charlene Marchant.
My wife Judy is an artist. I have watched
her encourage our grandchildren to
develop their artistic talents. Our oldest
granddaughter is about to enter design
school at NCSU. Another granddaughter
takes piano and loves to sing. I have been
to her recitals and she came to one of
mine. At Christmas last year Meredith
asked if we could sing a carol together at
our family gathering. She played her
keyboard and we sang. Can life be better
than that?
Music has many rewards. Want to get away
from it all? Get into music. You can’t sing or
play an instrument and think about much
else. In retirement music has sure kept me
stimulated and mentally active. I have
learned a lot in a short time and have been
challenged to memorize and perform. I
stand in awe of the talented faculty at
MANC and wowed by the young students
of all ages. Opportunities to advance and
improve abound at MANC. The recent
Vocal Festival was a prime example: small
seminars, a professional performance, a
masterclass, and feedback on my own
progression.
Fifth Annual Vocal Festival
March 21-22
Once again, the Vocal Festival was a success! 26 singers participated
in the adjudication portion where they sang two pieces from memory for
three voice teachers. They all received comments, a certificate and a
ribbon if they received a rating. The Voice Faculty welcomed guest
judge, Bridget Moriarty who is currently working toward her Doctorate
in Voice at UNCG. Dr. Julie Celona-VanGorden, faculty at Elon
University, was our guest artist this year! She and our own Christy
Wisuthseriwong gave a beautiful and diverse recital on Friday night.
Julie also gave a masterclass to four Music Academy singers and one
student from the studio of local teacher, Amberly Foulkrod. All the
masterclass participants showed great improvement after working with
Julie in this "public voice lesson." To close out the wonderful day, 14
Music Academy voice students performed in the Vocal Festival
Celebration Recital! The audience was treated to classical, musical
theater and pop songs from our talented students.
Thank you to the amazing Voice Faculty, Christy Wisuthseriwong and
Susannah Steele who were here all weekend working the Music
Academy's mission to make this years Vocal Festival a success and
celebration! See you next year!
-Stephanie Foley Davis, Chair of the Voice Faculty
Alexander Technique Workshop
March 29, 2014
Certified Alexander instructor Ashley Hyers (Greensboro College) led an
interactive workshop exploring movement and breath. Students learned
about integrating breath with movement to help remove unnecessary
tension so that they can perform more freely and easily.
I shoulda. Now I did – it’s never too late!
Thank you Charlene Marchant. Thank you
MANC.
-Art Harron, MANC voice student
Fall 2013 • The Music Academy of North Carolina • Greensboro, NC
4
Ninth Annual Guitar Festival: March 8, 2014
This
year’s
Guitar
Festival was a big
success! Thanks to all
the students, guest
artists, and clinicians
who
participated.
Despite a late start due
to snow, the festival
began with a Music
Academy Student Concert with Keagan Burgess, who
performed a transcription of Isaac Albeniz's famous piano
work Asturias (Leyenda) and Waltz Espanol by Jose Ferrar.
Keagan was followed by Carl Humphreys who played
Ferdinando Carulli's Allegretto, and Elijah Buist, who played
Paul McCartney's Blackbird. We at The Music Academy are
extremely proud of all three
students and thank them for
sharing their talent. After the
concert, all festival participants
were given insight into the
world of songwriting with
festival clinician and MANC
faculty
member
Brad
Dickerson.
This year’s festival also
included a very special Celtic
harp concert by Mike Conners. Mike is the head of the Guitar
Program and founder of the Harp Program at Penn Griffin, a
performing arts high
school
in
Guilford
County.
His
performance
and
demonstration added a
lot to the festival and
audience members were
treated to a beautiful
performance and an
informative harp demonstration.
After lunch, the festival continued with a MANC guitar
Faculty concert including Mark Mazzatenta on jazz
guitar, guitarist Brad Dickerson performing his own
compositions with violinist Colleen Chenail, and Ken
Brown performing on sitar and baglama saz with violinist
Ruth Metheny. After the concert attendees enjoyed
getting creative with Robin Hrdlicka's “Rock Star
Photobooth” workshop.
We wrapped things up with a wonderful concert of South
American guitar music from guitar duo Patrick Lui and
Jason Rogers. Their performance of guitar works by
Maximo Diego Pujol kept the audience on the edge of
their seats. We would like to thank all the artists,
attendees, and organizers for making this ninth annual
festival a year to remember!
-Ken Brown, Artistic Co-Director
Faculty and Friends
Showcase Concert
Faculty and friends of MANC performed in a showcase
recital to raise money for student scholarships on
Friday, April 26th. With performances on marimba,
piano, voice, guitar, viola, sitar, violin, flute, and
saxophone, we raised
over $500 in ticket sales
to benefit our student
scholarship fund!
Students and Faculty of The Music
Academy performed the National
Anthem
at
a
Greensboro
Grasshoppers Baseball game this
May. Go MANC!
Fall 2013 • The Music Academy of North Carolina • Greensboro, NC
5
Finding My Voice
I found my voice at the Music Academy of North Carolina.
The story of how I lost my voice is a little like the lyrics of
a country song, “bad man done me wrong.” After 36 years
of marriage, my husband decided he wanted to grow old
with someone else, and my life was shattered. After living
in Kentucky and raising two children with him during that
time, I decided after an absence of 40 years to return in
July 2011 to my hometown of Greensboro, North
Carolina, to be with my 93 year-old father and my
extended family.
After I was settled, I decided that I wanted voice
lessons—not because I am any great singer—but
because my voice had been choked by the divorce. I
didn’t know who I was or what I thought, independent of
my husband.
So I asked around and eventually found that the best
resource in Greensboro was the Music Academy of North
Carolina. I went online and looked at the photos of all the
voice teachers, and I decided to contact Charlene
Marchant based on the friendliness of her photo and the
description of her accomplishments. I signed up for
lessons beginning August 2, 2012.
For me, the advantage of taking lessons at the age of 66
is that I am not training to be on American Idol; I am doing
it for myself. I cringe at what Charlene had to listen to in
the beginning—if you sing from your throat and not your
inner core, then it’s probably like a scratchy record. But
the faculty at the Music Academy are magnificent
teachers, and they understand the learning process. And
there is no embarrassment because it’s just the two of
you. I look forward to my lesson each week and try not to
miss if I can help it.
When I sang in high school and college choirs, I was
classified as an alto. The first lesson I learned from
Charlene was that I was a soprano! As I listened to
sopranos that she recommended, I imagined that I could
never reach those high notes.
After six weeks of lessons, Charlene provided a written
review of my progress. She recommended that I stand
nobly in my voice, shoulders back, and let the sound
emerge from my core. I sobbed as I read her words. Here
was someone who believed that I could stand nobly, that I
deserved to honor my voice. Having been beaten so low,
this was indeed a message of hope.
audience were other adult students and faculty plus my
dad, brother, sister-in-law, and a friend who were very
gracious with their applause after my performance.
However, when I listened to the recording later, I wanted
to send them all a sympathy note for having had to listen
to my singing. I was pleased that I had sung in the
recital; it was a big step for me, but I knew that I still had
work to do to really sing from my core.
My second challenge came with the Vocal Festival in
March 2014. I had to memorize two pieces (also
lullabies), wear a dress (having retired, I had to search
the closets for something presentable), and sing before
three of the Academy’s teachers. Those twelve minutes
were so special: I reached the high notes in my songs
without a problem, felt confident in my ability to sing, and
received some positive and helpful feedback. Most
importantly, Charlene said, it’s all starting to work.
I owe a debt of gratitude to the Music Academy for so
much and to Charlene Marchant in particular for her
patience and for her gift of recognizing that everyone has
the potential to sing, and believing that people want to
hear me sing is the key. My grandson, Asa, particularly
enjoys my voice as I croon him to sleep, and though he
might not be the most discerning audience, he is the
best to me.
After nearly two years of lessons, I am walking more
nobly, shoulders back, breathing a little better, and the
songbird in my soul and my voice is resounding. And I
plan to keep on learning and improving at the Music
Academy.
-Katherine Kelleher Sohn, MANC voice student
Thank You
Playbill Advertisers!
A Cleaner World
Carolina Bank
Hicks, McDonald,
Noecker, LLP
Kisco Senior Living
Knit Bin
Living History Kids
Pam Murphy
Music For A Great Space
Noble Academy
Designature
Greensboro Day School
Quaintance Weaver
The Painted Plate
Eastern Music Festival
Piedmont Music Center
The Greensboro
Montessori School
Well•Spring
Living History Kids
Lincoln Financial
Foundation
Isaacson, Isaacson,
Sheridan, & Fountain,
LLP
Chapman Law
MANC playbill provided
with the generous
sponsorship of
Quality Printing.
The first challenge, one year into my weekly lessons was
my first recital in August 2013. I sang an Italian lullaby,
Mille Cherubini in Coro, one of my favorites. With my first
grandson due in mid-December, I wanted to learn as
Interested in a tuition credit? Talk to us about
many lullabies as I could. Although I had sung that song
advertising your own company in our playbill! Contact
along2013
with my
Andrea
Bocelli
CD in the
shower,Carolina
singing • Greensboro,
NCFoley Davis (336.379.8748 x109 or
Fall
• The
Music
Academy
of North
Stephanie
the high notes in front of a group was a challenge. In the
[email protected])
6
SUMMER MUSIC CAMPS,
MINI-CAMPS, &
CLASSES
Registration for all camps and classes may be found on our website (www.MusicAcademyNC.org)
Musical Medley Camp: June 23-27, 9 am- 12 pm
Explore the world of music by experiencing a
variety of instruments and musical styles! No
experience necessary. Recommended for ages
6-10. $135
Musical Theater Camp: July 7-11, 9 am – 12 pm
Campers will put together a mini-musical with
songs, dialogue and movement to be
presented on Friday for family and friends. No
experience necessary! Just lots of energy and
fun! Ages 6-12. $135
Fiddle Camp: July 28-Aug 1, 1-4 pm
We will learn the basics of playing harmonies
together. The camp ends with an informal
performance for parents and friends. All ages;
students must have experience at the level of
Suzuki Bk. 1 Perpetual Motion and above.
$135
Guitar Camp: Play & Record:
June 16-20, 9am – 12pm
Expand your guitar skills with other guitarists
of all skill levels. Explore different styles of
music and record a song of your choosing with
guidance from instructors in a professional
setting. Grades 3-8. $135
Suzuki Violin Camp: July 28-Aug 1, 9 am – 12 pm
Suzuki camp will include general music as well
as daily masterclass and group lessons. There
will be a concert on Friday for parents.
Students must be Book 1 Perpetual Motion and
above. All ages. $135
Band Prep Camp: June 23-27, 1 -4 pm
Pre-Band Camp provides an opportunity for
rising 5th- 7th graders to get a head start on
their music reading and playing skills.
Students should bring their own instrument.
Open to all beginning wind and brass players.
$135
String Chamber Music Camp: Aug 4-8, 9 am – 12 pm
The Chamber Music Camp is a chance for
string students to enjoy making music in small
groups. Open to all string instrumentalists
with one year of lessons, grades 3 and above.
$135
Choral Camp: July 14-18, 1-4 pm
Ensembles will sing choral music of varied
styles and in at least one foreign language. No
prior voice training required but choral
experience and ability to follow a voice part in
choral music is desirable. Rising 7th-12th
grades. $135
Audition Prep Camp: July 7-11, 1-4 pm
Campers will be practicing a kid-friendly
dialogue and song suitable for children’s
theater or musical theater auditions. They will
have a “mock audition”on Friday, with family
and friends being their auditioners! This gives
children an idea of what to expect at an
audition, and gives them tools to take with
them to be ultimately prepared! Ages 8-12.
$135
Garage Band Camp: Aug 4-8, 1-4 pm
Students will gain experience playing in a
group, song writing, recording, and more!!!
Students must own and bring their own
instrument. Students must have at least a year
experience at their instrument (or voice).
Rising 7th-12th grades. $135
Jazz Mini-Camp: June 23-29, 10 am – 12:30 pm
Students will learn tunes by jazz masters Duke
Ellington and Miles Davis among others and
develop improvisational skills in the jazz genre.
No previous experience necessary. Students
meet daily from 10am-12:30pm, excluding
Sunday when students will perform for their
families in the afternoon. $145
Fall 2013 • The Music Academy of North Carolina • Greensboro, NC
Rhythm Mini-Camp: June 23-27, 1:00-2:00 pm
Feel the beat and improve your rhythm while
you make music, socialize, learn and grow!
This camp will include activities to challenge
and engage campers with structured
instrument play, ensemble participation and
rhythm games. Campers should have at least
one year of experience on an instrument/voice.
Rising 3rd-8th Grades. $75
Violin Twinkle Mini-Camp: August 4-8, 5:30-6:30 pm
The Violin Twinkle Class is an opportunity for
beginning violin students to enjoy learning
together. They will learn about position and
making music as well as develop music
reading skills. Ages 4-10, no experience or
currently studying up to Go Tell Aunt Rhody.
$75
Flute Choir Mini-Camp: June 23-27, 2:30-3:30 pm
7
Challenge yourself in a fun and instructional
week for flute players of all levels. Students will
strengthen their flute technique, learn new
repertoire, gain performing experience, and
make new friends! Students will also be able
to try out the piccolo, alto flute, and bass flute!
Rising 6th-12th Grades. $75
Adult Chamber Music: July 1 – August 24.
Rehearsals TBD: chamber groups will be
assigned upon registration (by June 13), after
which they will meet weekly at a day/time to be
determined by the group and teacher. This
class is for adults with all levels of experience,
MANC and non-MANC students welcome.
In 2012, I toured mainland China as a jazz pianist and gave masterclasses on improvisation at a number of universities.
There is one particular experience I remember very well. A handful of very talented university students played pieces by
Chopin and Beethoven and Bach for me. When they finished, I asked the class, through a translator: “Have any of you
ever improvised at the piano?” I first received a blank stare from the translator who did not understand what the word
‘improvise’ meant. I explained that it means to make up music on
your own, something that is not written on the page. When he
translated this, I then received a class full of blank stares, followed
by the question: “What do you mean?” I further explained: “Have
you ever played music that is not written down?” All of them not only
replied no, but were baffled by the concept.
JAZZ CAMP
As a jazz educator, I run into these sorts of situations too
often, where extremely talented, educated, and experienced
players are completely oblivious to the concept of creating
your own music. Improvisation is not limited to the jazz genre.
J.S. Bach was an improviser, Liszt was an improviser, Chopin
was an improviser, and Rachmaninoff was an improviser.
Somewhere along the road, improvisation has been lost in the
education of classical music, perhaps due to the
understandable focus on teaching children how to read music
properly. I however, am of the opinion that improvisation
should not be learned only after we are semi-professional players, but during the process of learning to read music.
The other skill that is too often neglected is listening. It is important to be reminded that music is an aural art form and
that the two odd looking things on the side of our heads are our best friends when it comes to learning and playing
music. We have become a very non-listening culture with a focus on visual acrobatics. When one is planning to attend a
concert, they say: “I am going to see Tony Bennett.” Not “I am going to hear Tony Bennett.” Today’s pop concerts are
over saturated with pyrotechnics, laser light shows, jumbotron presentations, anything to distract you from listening. A
firm foundation in improvisation and listening is the core of my educational philosophy.
This summer the Music Academy will be offering a one-week intensive look into jazz, led by yours truly. The jazz camp
will meet every day from June 23-29 with a performance on Sunday evening the 29th. We will meet from 10am12:30pm daily excluding Sunday. Students will learn tunes by jazz masters Duke Ellington and Miles Davis among
others and develop improvisational skills in the jazz genre. No previous experience necessary. Allow me to say that
again: No previous experience necessary. The cost of the camp is $145 and registration can be completed online.
Please contact me, Antonio Truyols, with questions: 240.372.1535. Thank you for reading and keep listening.
-Antonio Truyols, MANC Piano Faculty
Fall 2013 • The Music Academy of North Carolina • Greensboro, NC
8
th
6 Annual Lessons for Life
Fundraising Lunch
On March 26, a little over 180 people gathered at The Empire Room downtown to support The Music Academy at its
6th Annual Lessons for Life Fundraising Lunch. The event featured testimonies from MANC parent Amanda Ismail,
Head of School at The Piedmont School Tim Montgomery and MANC alumnus Kevin McDonald.
Artist Faculty Jorge Rodriguez Ochoa and Antonio Truyols gave inspiring performances throughout the program and
Accelerated Program student Elijah Buist played guitar as guests arrived.
The Music Academy would like to extend our gratitude to the faculty, staff, board, students, volunteers, and members
of our community who made the Lessons for Life Lunch a success. To date, $58,118 in gifts and pledges were raised
in support of our mission.
Thank you also goes to Chris Fulk of Piedmont Music Center for generously donating the use of their Seiler grand
piano, Evelyn Smith of Noteworthy Piano Service, for donating her time and expertise to tune the piano for our event,
and Music Academy parent Jacqui Van Lier for donating her time and expertise to photograph our event.
If you were unable to attend the Lessons for Life Fundraiser, please join us next year on March 25th 2015! See you
there!
-Stephanie Foley Davis, Special Events Coordinator
All photos by Jacqui Van Lier, MANC parent. Thank you, Jacqui!
Fall 2013 • The Music Academy of North Carolina • Greensboro, NC
9
The mission of The Music Academy is to enable students of all ages,
interests, abilities, and backgrounds to discover, develop, realize,
and express their inherent talents.
Fall 2013 • The Music Academy of North Carolina • Greensboro, NC
10
One Voice from the Music Academy of North Carolina
Let me take you back in time with me. Together we see
a young child living quietly in a small town. She loves to
sing. Yet she abandons her voice because it squeaks
on the high notes and causes her great embarrassment.
In time she discovers that if she holds her breath on the
high notes, she can carefully maneuver her lips into a
large O-shaped ring, avoid the squeak, and make
everyone watching her face think she sings with such
angelic joy in front of family and church friends. Later,
during her teen years, she hears Jackie Kennedy’s
whispering voice luring the audience during that
infamous televised tour of the White House. She thinks
that breathless tone to her voice will serve her well as
she finesses through life’s many social challenges. Little
does she notice as her voice grew fainter from these
childhood habits. She guesses she just wasn’t one of
the lucky ones who were born to be a singer.
Fast forward to 2012. This former cherubic-looking little
angel is now sixty two years young and walking through
the door of the Music Academy of North Carolina for her
first voice lesson. Her heart feels as though it is beating
close to the back of her tongue. How will she ever get a
sound to come out on the easiest of those low notes
that she had managed throughout her childhood? She
wants to turn around and run when she sees two high
school girls in the hallway who appear to have just
finished a lesson. What was she thinking when she put
voice lessons on her bucket list? She manages to flash
a smile the girls’ way, but she what she really wants to
do is tell them how smart and lucky they are to know at
an early age that they can take voice lessons and learn
to hit those elusive high notes.
With heart beating fast and feeling her voice shriveling
by the second, she approaches that purple door she
was told to look for with Charlene Marchant’s name to
the left side of it. She holds her breath and enters,
knowing there will be no long church pew filled with
voices to hide behind.
The life-changing moment comes then and there. She
sees that warm, welcoming smile coming from behind
that shiny black grand piano, inside a cozy quiet room.
That delightful private space becomes a secret place
where her little voice no longer feels invisible, but is
acknowledged in a way that gives it a sense of being
special and, more importantly, being filled with potential.
That voice! Yes, it was a tender voice, but it now reflects
on how it proved to have the potential to sing duets with
two caring high-school girls, and to sing solo at the
Music Festival. That voice no longer hides behind the
voices of others. That voice says “Thank you” to the
MANC and Charlene Marchant for giving it a safe and
nurturing place to go and find its sound that had been
hidden so long
-Jackie Tanseer, MANC voice student
Congratulations to this year’s merit scholarship
award winners!
Kevin Agner, cello; student of Diane Bonds
Molly Auten, voice; student of Mittie Douglass
Elijah Buist, guitar; student of Ken Brown
Jonah Chiu, violin; student of Colleen Chenail
Rachel Cline, voice; student of Mittie Douglass
Harmony Dalton, flute; student of Peter Shanahan
Kathryn Evans, violin; student of Colleen Chenail
Ben Frens, percussion; student of Andrew Dancy
Arwen He, piano; student of Christy Wisuthseriwong
Jasmine Ismail, voice; student of Stephanie Foley Davis
Caitlin Lamb, clarinet; student of Cat Keen Hock & Trevor
Davis
Alex Little, voice; student of Stephanie Foley Davis
Claire McDowell, piano; student of Susannah Steele
Shashwat Prabhakar, piano; student of Janice Wells
Rohini Rajarayanan, piano; student of Janice Wells
Karissa Sitepu, piano; student of Susannah Steele
Will Soler, guitar; student of Brad Dickerson
Bryan Wang, violin; student of Colleen Chenail
Eric Wang, piano; student of Christy Wisuthseriwong
Noah Woods, piano; student of Amy Zigler
Fall 2013 • The Music Academy of North Carolina • Greensboro, NC
11
Student News
From the voice studio of Stephanie Foley
Davis:
 Alex Little will perform the role of Ariel in Kiser
Middle School’s The Little Mermaid.
 Chakra Cook was chosen to sing in Lincoln
Academy’s talent show on February 21st.
 MANC alumnus, Jahbril Cook, played Jesus
in Columbia University’s Godspell.
 Jasmine Ismail placed second in the
Advanced Women High School category at
NATS on February 22nd held at UNCG. She
is also a finalist in the Classical Singer
Competition in San Antonio, Texas.
 Josh Holley received an Excellent solo rating
at the Southeast Association of Christian
Schools International Music Festival.
 Alex Little and Chakra Cook auditioned and
will attend Weaver Academy of the
Performing and Visual Arts as Vocal students
next fall.
From the voice studio of Kristen Blumenfeld:
 Taylor Belk will be attending James Madison
University for Voice in the fall! She is a senior
at Caldwell.
From the piano studio of Amy Zigler:
 Noah Woods recently won an audition to
attend the International Institute for Young
Musician's Summer Music Academy at
Kansas University this summer.
From the violin studio of Jorge Rodiguez
Ochoa:
 Congratulations to Charlotte Crater on making
it to all-state orchestra this year!
From the clarinet studio of Cat Keen Hock
 Denina Valletta was selected for Central
District Middle School Band.
 James Hong was selected for Central District
High School Band.
 Caitlin Lamb was selected for Randolph AllCounty High School Band.
From the piano studio of Susannah Steele
 Erin Humphreys will perform the role of
Snoopy in Brightest Star School of Performing
Arts’ You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.
Lessons for Life Society
Thank you for your support! Your contribution helps us
reach our goal of long term sustainability.
Abbotswood at Irving Park
Richard R. Allen
David and Lori Belk
The Boles Family
Noah and Kellie Burgess
Holly Chambers and Rick
Steedle
Susan and Rasmus Fenger
Sabine and Robert Ford
Bob Gingher and Susan
McMullen
Heritage Green
Dr. and Mrs. James Hochrein
David and Laura Holley
Kisco Senior Living
Connie Kotis
Kenton and Page Kreager
Dr. and Mrs. Michael Leddy
Bill and Ellen Linton
Avery Lloyd
Virginia and Michael Lombardo
Mother Murphy's Laboratories
Pamela Murphy
Bill and Patty McIvor
Robin Morgan
Marvin and Watty Pinson
Mittie Kay Smith
B.J. Williams
Jane and Ernest Whichard
Earle and Lynette Wrenn
Doug and Kelly Wright
Interested in joining? Contact Stephanie Foley Davis at 379.8748, x109.
Fall 2013 • The Music Academy of North Carolina • Greensboro, NC