Faculty Biographies

The Faculty of the Conservatory is comprised of performing musicians who possess a wide range of talents and teaching styles, and who are dedicated to providing their students with a varied, unique, and ultimately rewarding learning environment.

Kevin Arndt – Music Industry, Pro Tools
WCM faculty member since 2004. Mr. Arndt is a professional recording engineer with The Exchange Recording Studios in Milwaukee, WI. He has served on the sound engineering team as producer, mixer and recording professional with a variety of regional studios and with Hyde Studios in San Francisco, CA.

Steven Ayers – Piano
WCM faculty member since 2005. Mr. Ayers has a Bachelor and Master of Music degrees as well as a Performer’s Certificate from Indiana University. He attended the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria and began work on his doctoral degree at UW-Madison. Steven has taught at Lawrence Academy of Music in Appleton and Indiana University. He currently serves as accompanist for the String Academy of Wisconsin.

John Babbitt – Bass, Theory, Music History
WCM faculty member since 1994. Mr. Babbitt graduated in 1985 from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Masters degree in performance on double bass. He has worked extensively throughout the Midwest as a professional bassist and educator both in classical and jazz formats. Mr. Babbitt served as WCM faculty chair of the String Department from 1996 to 1999, and has also served as adjunct faculty at UW-Milwaukee, UW-Stevens Point, Concordia University, Carroll College, Alverno College Community Arts Department, The String Academy at UW-Milwaukee and the Oshkosh Summer String Program.

Peter Baime – Flamenco and Classical Guitar
WCM faculty member since 1969. Mr. Baime began his studies with Nino Bernardo in the U.S. and in Spain with the legendary gypsy guitarists Diego Gastor and Paco Gastor. He began his performance career in 1965. In 1996 Mr. Baime joined the faculty at Cardinal Stritch University. In addition to teaching he has performed more than 2,500 concerts in public schools. He has scored, performed, and recorded six documentary films airing on PBS. Mr. Baime performs extensively in the U.S. and Puerto Rico as well as in Spain, Canada, Italy and Mexico. He has recordings on the Dr. Black and Narada labels. He has commissioned several contemporary and now-published works for classical guitar. In October 2000 he won an Emmy Award from the National Academy for Television Arts & Sciences for his original score in Indigenous Always.

J. Mark Baker – Voice
WCM faculty member since 2006. DMA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; MM, Illinois State University; BM, University of Montevallo (AL). J. Mark Baker is an experienced singer, choral conductor, church musician, and music educator. As a professional member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus he sang under the direction of today’s leading conductors and was a recipient of the CSC’s Margaret Hillis Foundation scholarship for continuing vocal studies. Locally, he has been the baritone soloist in performances of Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Solemn Vespers, Fauré’s Requiem, and Ariel Ramirez’s Misa Criolla, among others. As a music editor, Dr. Baker has prepared a five-volume Anthology of Italian Opera, a four-volume set of Mozart opera arias, and the collected songs of Maurice Ravel.

Bonnie Jean Barczak – Music Therapy Department Chair
WCM faculty member since 1998. MT-BC, WMTR, Music Therapy. B.A., Trinity College (Deerfield, IL); Equivalency, Music Therapy, Alverno College. Ms. Barczak, a board-certified music therapist, served as Vice President for the Great Lakes Region of the American Music Therapy Association, and Vice President, Continuing Education Chair, and 2005 Great Lakes Regional Conference (Milwaukee) co-chair for the Wisconsin Chapter for Music Therapy.  Ms. Barczak directed the Greater Milwaukee Chorale (2000-2007) and Alverno College Choir (2000-2005). Currently she is one of the choir directors at Mt. Hope Lutheran Church in West Allis, WI.

David Bayles – Percussion
WCM faculty member since 1997. B.F.A. Music Education UW-Milwaukee. A member of the Conservatory’s We Six, Mr. Bayles has worked with such jazz artists as Slide Hampton, Barry Harris, David Hazeltine, Vincent Herring, Brian Lynch, Jack McDuff, Bob Mintzer, Frank Morgan, James Moody, Jim Pugh, Melvin Rhyne, and Ernie Watts. Dave performs at jazz clubs and music festivals throughout the Midwest. Recording credits include the Luis Diaz Quintet (On the Edge), the Curt Hanrahan Quintet (Hang Time), the Juli Wood Quintet (Movin' and Groovin'), We Six (Bird Say), Steve Wiest (Excalibur), Doug Lawrence (Kid's Are Pretty People). Dave’s orchestral credits include timpani with the Rome Festival Orchestra and percussion with the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra. As a clinician for Yamaha Music Corporation and Zildjian Cymbals, he travels and teaches widely throughout the U.S. and Canada. Dave also teaches percussion at UW-Parkside in Kenosha, WI., UW-Milwaukee, and Concordia University (Milwaukee).

Jason Behr – Classical Guitar
WCM faculty member since 2009. M.M. in classical guitar performance, Peck School of the Arts, UW-Milwaukee; B.F.A., UW-Milwaukee in collaboration with the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Since the age of 18, Mr. Behr has been an active teacher and performer in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. While studying under Professor Rene Izquierdo, Mr. Behr was afforded the opportunity to participate in master classes by guitarists including The Assad Brothers, Jorge Caballero, Jerome Ducharme, Marcin Dylla, Evgenij Gridiushko, William Kanengiser, The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Lorenzo Micheli, Jorge Morel, and Michael Partington, among others.  In addition to teaching, Mr Behr is a member of the Milwaukee Guitar Quartet and maintains an active performance schedule around Milwaukee and abroad. In 2008, Mr. Behr was asked by composer Carlos Rivera to record Cancion, his acclaimed solo work for classical guitar. In 2009, composer and guitarist Štepán Rak requested Mr. Behr to perform the American premiere of his new work titled Royal Suite. Mr. Behr was a recipient of the Dr. Shinichi Suzuki scholar award in 2010. For more information, please visit his website.

Jan Brandes – Music Therapy
WCM faculty member February 2008.  MT-BC, WMTR. BFA in Music therapy, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Ms. Brandes is a member of the American Music Therapy Association as well as the Wisconsin Chapter for Music Therapy. She has worked as a Music Therapy Clinician and Clinical Training Director in Southeastern Wisconsin.  Ms. Brandes provides services for individual and group settings for the elderly and children with special needs and autism in the Lake County, Illinois school district. She is a member of the adult choir, adult hand bell choir and directs the youth chime choir at First Presbyterian Church. 

Jamie Breiwick – Trumpet
WCM faculty member since 2005. Jamie Breiwick has been a mainstay on the Milwaukee jazz scene for over a decade. He has shared the stage with many nationally recognized musicians including Dan Nimmer, Joe Sanders, Willie Pickens, Jim Pugh, Steve Houghton, Brian Lynch, Pete Zimmer, Rob Wilkerson, Rick Germanson, Jon Faddis, Dan Kinzelman, and Carl Allen. Jamie has performed with Grammy nominated R & B artist Eric Benet and was featured live in performance for the taping of his recent music videos, The Hunger and You're the Only One. Jamie has also performed with the band Brazzaville led by David Brown (of Beck fame), and comedian Bob Newhart. In 2005, Jamie was the featured artist on the nationally syndicated NPR show Says You. Jamie is a regular member of the following Milwaukee-based groups: Clamnation, De La Buena and Choir Fight. As an educator, Jamie has been the Director of Bands at Maple Dale School in Fox Point, WI since 2002. In addition to being a full-time band director, he is on the faculty at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Cardinal Stritch University, and has recently been added as an adjunct instructor of Jazz Trumpet at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In 2010 he became one of the co-founders of the Milwaukee Jazz Vision, an organization guided by the purpose of advancing jazz music in the greater Milwaukee area.

Jamey Buencamino – Guitar
WCM Conservatory Connections faculty member since 2008.  Attendened Berklee College of Music, B.A. in Music concentrated in Classical Guitar Performance from UW-Parkside, M.M. in Classical Guitar Performance from Northwestern University.   Mr. Buencamino studied classical guitar with George Lindquist and Anne Waller. He has performed in master classes for prestigious classical guitarists such as Oscar Ghiglia, Sharon Isbin, Robert Guthrie, and Andrew York, among others.  Mr. Buencamino has been actively teaching and performing in the Milwaukee area since 1995.  He has also taught beginning guitar courses at Northwestern University and served as a guitar teaching assistant at the National High School Music Institute (NHSMI).  Aside his classical guitar credits, Jamey is an experienced rock guitarist and has been involved in local studio projects and live performances opening for renowned rock artists such as Michael Angelo Batio and Sebastian Bach.


Nancy Cline – French Horn 
WCM faculty member since 2008.  Nancy Cline is an accomplished musician, performer and instructor, bringing over 30 years of teaching experience to the Conservatory. She is currently in her 5th year as an adjudicator for the Wisconsin School Music Association and has successfully prepared her students for participation in WSMA Festivals all throughout her teaching years. Her students perform with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra and have attended Music Camps throughout the State, with some students continuing to pursue careers in music. As a performer, Ms. Cline has been a member of the Waukesha Symphony Orchestra for over 28 years. She is also a member of the Festival City Symphony horn section and performs regularly with many orchestras, ensembles and national touring acts throughout Wisconsin.

Thomas Clippert – Guitar
WCM faculty member since 2004. Mr. Clippert is also currently a faculty member of the Merit School of Music in Chicago. He received his Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music where he studied with Benjamin Verdery. Mr. Clippert was the recipient of Yale University’s Eliot Fisk Guitar Prize. Mr. Clippert is an active performer both as a soloist and as a chamber musician, and his repertoire reflects his wide ranging musical interests.

Kristin Collom – Piano
WCM faculty member since 2011. MM in Collaborative Piano, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; BM magna cum laude in Music Education, Ithaca College. Member, Phi Kappa Pi, Pi Kappa Lambda. Ms. Collom is the accompanist for two churches in the Milwaukee area, the Lakeshore Chorale in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin and the Milwaukee-based Kalliope Vocal Arts. She is a founding member of the East Side Chamber Players.  Ms. Collom teaches elementary school music at the Milwaukee Math and Science Academy and middle school choir at St. Robert School in Shorewood.  At Ithaca College, she took first place in the Mary Hayes North Competition for Senior Piano Majors.  She is an active freelance accompanist and teacher.

Maurice Cotton – Contemporary and Gospel Piano, Voice
WCM faculty member since 2006. Maurice has performed at churches all across the country and has worked extensively with churches in the Milwaukee area. He has served as music director for national gospel recording artist Phoebe Hines as well as music director at Christ the King Church. He has worked with Hansberry-Sands Theatre as music director for the hit play “Mahalia,” and has composed and produced several CD projects for various artists and churches including his own Just Keep On Smilin’. Maurice is also founder and CEO of Cotton Gin Music

LaRita Craft – Piano
WCM faculty member since 2009. LaRita holds a Bachelor's degree in music from Goshen College and a Master's degree in Piano Performance from the Kansas City Conservatory where she studied with Dr. Robert Weirich.  Having also completed a minor in Piano Pedagogy from Goshen College, LaRita has been teaching piano lessons and classes for five years in different places, including the Goshen Community School of the Arts, the Kansas City Conservatory as a graduate teaching assistant, as well as many private students in both Kansas City and Goshen. LaRita enjoys collaborating with other musicians formally and informally on both piano and accordion.

Kate Craney-Welch – Music Therapy
WCM faculty member since 1999. B.M.M.T., University of Evansville (Indiana). In addition to her Conservatory clients, Ms. Craney-Welch is active in promoting music with senior citizens in Southeastern Wisconsin. She has started local music appreciation classes and has done music therapy and music relaxation informational presentations for local senior groups. She also has led specialty programs for cardiac rehabilitation and breast cancer support groups.

Marcya Daneille – Jazz Voice
WCM faculty member in the Jazz Institute beginning the summer of 2012. B.A. in Philosophy/Voice Performance from Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL; Patricia Roberts Harris Graduate Fellow in Voice Performance at the University of Iowa. Marcya is a cross-genre performer/educator who has worked in Jazz, Classical, Gospel and R&B. Marcya's first voice teacher, Mrs. Barbara Herron of Olympia Fields, IL was highly influential in the early stages of her career. Her undergraduate voice studies were with Dr. Roger Scanlan and Mrs. Maria Lagios, both of Roosevelt University and graduate level studies at the University of Iowa were with Dr. Katherine Eberle and Dr. Rachael Joselson. Marcya's voice coaches include Carlos Montane (Indiana University), Dr. George Shirley (University of Michigan), as well as Jazz pianist Burt Eckoff (Dakota Staton and Eddie Jefferson). Marcya completed private voice studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England as well as the Centro di Studi Italiani in Urbania, Italy. She performed principle and understudy roles with Lincoln Opera Chicago and Lyric Theater of Illinois and is the recipient of numerous awards, including Young Artist of the Year with the Lakeview Music Society in Chicago, the Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee as well as an Honorable Mention with N.A.T.S. (National Association of Teachers of Singing). Marcya maintained a popular voice studio in the New York City's Times Square/Theater District for more than a decade and has performed on the stages of many New York venues such as Rose Theater (Jazz at Lincoln Center) and Alice Tully Hall, Miller Theater (Columbia University), the Apollo Theater, Ashford and Simpson's Sugar Bar, Crash Mansion and a host of other popular Manhattan night spots. Marcya was a guest vocalist in the Mary Lou Williams Centennial Concert in New York City, which featured Laurel Masse (Manhattan Transfer), Victor Goines (Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra), Aaron Diehl (2011 Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz of the American Pianists Association). She was a headlining artist on the Freedom Hall Main Series  (2010 w/Wycliffe Gordon and 2011 w/Chris Greene) and in 2011 headlined at the Historic Third Ward's Summer Sizzle Jazz Festival in Milwaukee, an honor she will have again in 2012. Marcya is the featured vocalist on various Dance Music and R&B tracks distributed in the U.S. and abroad. Her current solo CD Keeping it Simple was co-produced by Wycliffe Gordon. In addition to teaching, Marcya performs regularly for private events, benefits, club dates and is a sought after session singer.

Karen Darga – Music Therapy, Early Childhood
WCM faculty member since 2000. MT-BC, WMTR, B.M. in Music Therapy, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. A member of the American Music Therapy Association, Ms. Darga is a past vice-president and past secretary of the Wisconsin Chapter for Music Therapy. She also served as co-chair for the 2011 Great Lakes Region of the American Music Therapy Association conference.  She provides services in both individual and group settings for populations ranging from very young children to the elderly. In the summer of 2010, she received training in Neurologic Music Therapy. She has also received training in early childhood music through Music Together in Princeton, NJ. Ms. Darga regularly appears throughout the community presenting informational programs on music therapy to the public. She also directs two children’s choirs and youth and adult bell choirs at Holy Cross Lutheran Church.

Mark Davis – Jazz Piano and Theory, Jazz Institute Chair
WCM faculty member since 1992. B.S., with honors, Skidmore College. Mr. Davis is Jazz Institute Chair and a member of the Conservatory’s We Six. His WCM instructors included Adelaide Banaszynski and David Hazeltine. Later studies included work with jazz legend Barry Harris. He has performed with many jazz luminaries, including Jimmy Heath, Charles McPherson, Slide Hampton, Brian Lynch, and Frank Morgan. He is also on the faculty of Wisconsin Lutheran College, Cardinal Stritch University and Alverno College. Mr. Davis can be heard on the We Six CD Bird Say.

Maxon Day – Trombone, Connections Program Director
WCM faculty member since 2002. MM and BFA from UW-Milwaukee. Mr. Day is an active trombonist, conductor and composer, and currently serves as Director of the Conservatory Connections program. A committed and experienced private instructor, he formerly taught at the Waukesha County Conservatory of Music and served as Music Director for SafeZone Community Art Center, Director of Jazz at Wauwatosa West High School, Associate Conductor for the UWM Youth Wind Ensembles and UWM Bands, Interim Director for Music From Almost Yesterday, Director of the UWM Panther Band, and taught theory and general music for UWM.

Andrea DeGreiff-Beisser – Piano
WCM faculty member since 2002. M.M, UW-Milwaukee; B.A. in Music, University of Nebraska-Kearney. Mrs. DeGreiff-Beisser’s broad training includes studies in accompanying for instrumental and vocal ensembles and soloists. At age 13 she was chosen to participate in a solo concert with the Orchestra of the Conservatory of Music in Bogota, Colombia to play the Haydn Concerto in F. As a recitalist, she has appeared at the University of Nebraska and at the Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango Concert Hall and Olav Roots Auditorium in Bogota, Colombia, several opera productions with the UWM voice students, as well as several voice faculty recitals here at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. She has studied under Harold Martina, Blanca Uribe, James Cook, Jeffrey Peterson, Katjia Phillambaum and Judit Jaimes.

Teresa Drews – Piano, Department Chair
WCM faculty member since 2003. MM in piano performance, Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University; BM cum laude in piano performance, Northwestern University. Member, Pi Kappa Lambda. At the Conservatory, Ms. Drews maintains a large private piano studio and also teaches group piano classes for children through adult. Through Conservatory Connections, she has taught general music and piano to K4-12th grade students at Holy Redeemer Christian Academy and the Daniels-Mardak Boys and Girls Club, as well as serving as the piano teacher for the “Mature Musicians” program at Alexian Village. An active performer in the Milwaukee area, she often collaborates with WCM faculty and other area musicians and is the staff accompanist at Alverno College. She has studied with Sylvia Wang, Ann Schein, and Seth Knopp, and performed in master classes by David Burge and Menahem Pressler. Prior to moving to Milwaukee, Ms. Drews taught piano in Baltimore, Maryland at the Friends School and The Music Workshop.

Joy Elowsky – Piano 
WCM member since 2010. B.M. in Piano Performance from UMKC Conservatory, M.M. in Piano Performance from SUNY Buffalo where she was a graduate assistant. Joy recently moved to Milwaukee after living 20 years in New Jersey. While in southern New Jersey, she was the accompanist/associate conductor of the Masterworks Chorus, accompanist for the Festival Chorus and maintained a private piano studio. Several of her students were chosen to play on the MTNA honors recital in Princeton, N.J.  While living in northern New Jersey, Joy worked as an accompanist for the New Jersey Ballet. She also accompanied the New Jersey Youth Chorus, and worked in the Millburn, NJ middle school and high school as an accompanist for musicals, concerts and the Accelerated Music Program. She was musical director for a production of "The Sound of Music" at the Ridgedale Middle School in Florham Park, NJ. Joy also works as music director at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in downtown Milwaukee.


Robert Figueroa – Percussion
WCM faculty member since 2006. Mr. Figueroa maintains a busy performance schedule as a percussionist. He has appeared with, among others, the Jeno Somlai Sextet, the Eddie Butts Band, the Afro Drum Ensemble, Nick Collione, Bennett Carl, Lake Effekt, the Luis Diaz Quintet, Bu Khara Bu, Lori Smith & Dazzle, and Christopher’s Project. The Jazz Fusion movement of the late 70’s and early 80’s fueled Robert’s pursuit of the integration of traditional Afro Caribbean rhythms to popular music genres such as Jazz and R&B. Robert currently appears as lead vocalist and composer for Nabori.

Jahmés Finlayson – Percussion
WCM faculty member since 1998. Jahmés Anthony Finlayson is an accomplished musician, performing artist, storyteller, composer and workshop facilitator. His interactive and engaging presentations include music, songs, stories and movement of Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas and beyond. His concerts and assemblies for school groups, colleges and universities across the country are enthusiastically received by young and old alike. He is the Musical Director of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing drum ensemble Children of the Sun. He has been affiliated with the world renowned Ko-Thi African Dance Company as poet, musician and prop designer for more than two decades and is a founding member of the popular world music ensemble One Drum.

John Foshager – Piano
WCM faculty member since 1987. B.M. Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Mr. Foshager has studied with Tony King and David Hazeltine as well as jazz legend Barry Harris. He has performed with a host of local jazz artists such as Hattush Alexander, Berkeley Fudge and Manty Ellis. He has also performed with internationally known artists Spike Robinson, Scott Hamilton, George Braith, Frank Morgan and Richie Cole. A WAMI award winner for his work with the Juli Wood Quartet, Mr. Foshager has performed at the Playboy Club in Chicago and venues throughout the Midwest. His recordings include a CD with his John Foshager Trio/Quartet, featuring Dennis Irwin and George Fludas; work for the Hal Leonard Company; and an appearance on the WYMS Jazz Sampler.

Rachel Fritz – Piano
WCM faculty member since 2007. B.M. from the University of Central Missouri, magna cum laude, M.M. from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Certified by the International Piano Teaching Foundation through Level 3. Suzuki Certified through Book 1. Prior to moving to Milwaukee Ms. Fritz taught group piano at Des Moines Symphony Academy and maintained a private studios in Lincoln, Nebraska and Warrensburg, Missouri. Throughout her teaching career she has been an active member of Music Teacher National Association and currently serves as the Wisconsin Music Teachers Association Treasurer. Ms. Fritz also serves as pianist/organist at Redemption Lutheran Church.

Greg Garcia – Trumpet
WCM Conservatory Connections faculty since 2005. Greg attended UWM, where he studied with Wayne Cook and Dennis Najoom and was a member of the Symphony Band, Wind Ensemble, and lead trumpet in the Jazz Ensemble. Greg is a member of the bands Hot Sauce (Rock, Funk, R&B) D'Calleson (Salsa) and The Groove Hogs, a blues band with whom he has performed all across the US and recorded the CD Blue Rhythms, White Lies. Greg enjoys performing all types of music and has played with groups such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the ska band The Invaders, the salsa/merengue group Veneno, and has been the featured soloist with several local youth orchestras and bands. In addition, Greg has written and performed music for a number of television and radio commercials. He works with students of all ages and abilities and places particular emphasis on appropriate warm-up techniques, good practice habits, and making music fun.

Aaron Gardner – Saxophone, Flute 
WCM faculty member since 2005. Aaron Gardner is a graduate of Berklee College of Music. After 10 years living in New York touring and recording with the band ulu, Aaron moved back to his roots in Milwaukee. Since then he has played and recorded with many bands and artists including De La Buena, Choir Fight, Jamie Breiwick, Steve Peplin, The Static Chicken, Tristan Royalty Squad, The Extra Crispy Brass Band, The Soul Trio, The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Eric Bennet.

Jenny Gettel – Voice
WCM faculty member since 2002. M.M. Vocal Performance, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana; B.M. Choral Education, Lawrence University. Ms. Gettel is soprano soloist with the chamber group Great Lakes Baroque. She also served as principal soprano soloist with Ensemble Musical Offering, where she worked with Stanley Ritchie, Marion Verbruggen, Joshua Rifkin, and other Baroque specialists. Ms. Gettel has appeared as soloist with Present Music, Bach Chamber Choir, Racine Symphony, and Skylight Opera, where she performed in a cycle of Monteverdi operas under the direction of Stephen Wadsworth. Ms. Gettel taught voice at Alverno College, general music at New World Montessori, 81st Street School, and in the Whitefish Bay Public Schools. She is a founding member of the a cappella group Polyhymnia and is director of contemporary music at St. Boniface Episcopal Church in Mequon.

Steve Grimm – Rock Guitar, Songwriting
WCM faculty member since 1993. Mr. Grimm has been an award-winning songwriter and guitarist in the Milwaukee music scene for 20 years. As former leader of Bad Boy and the Steve Grimm Band, he has performed extensively throughout the United States, released several albums/CDs, and played on Midwest television and radio stations. Already the recipient of multiple WAMI awards, he continues to receive nominations from this organization for his contributions to Wisconsin’s musical life.

Phillip Grossman – Violin
WCM faculty member since 1971. Phillip Grossman is a retired music veteran of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s first violin section, of which he was a member since 1970. He has been a member of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music faculty since 1971. His B.M. Violin Performance degree is from Indiana University. Mr. Grossman’s teachers at the University were Josef Gingold, Daniel Guilet and William Primrose.

Chloe Helene Groth - Violin, Preschool, Suzuki Coordinator
WCM faculty member since 2012. Master of Music Teaching and B.M. in Violin Performance from Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Violin teachers include Marilyn McDonald and Gregory Fulkerson. A member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, Chloe has completed her training with Ronda Cole. She has performed with the Silver Bay String Quartet and Isis String Quartet in New York, and was concertmaster of the Oberlin Orchestra. Other performing venues include the National Repertory Orchestra and Eastern Music Festival as Orchestral Violin Intern. Chloe's teaching experiences include directing the orchestra program in the Weston Public Schools (CT), as well as teaching Suzuki violin and coaching chamber music at community music schools in Ohio and Connecticut.

Jeff Hamann – Jazz Bass
WCM faculty member since 1998. A member of the Conservatory’s We Six jazz sextet, Mr. Hamann attended the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, winning first place in the Jazz Studies Scholarship competition four years in a row. He has worked as a clinician and jazz festival judge in the Milwaukee, Kenosha and Waukesha public schools as well as at UW-Milwaukee, UW-Madison and UW-Green Bay. Performing with such well-known artists as Frank Morgan, Marlena Shaw, Steve Allen, and Eric Alexander, he has toured throughout the Midwest and has appeared at Jazz Yantra in Bombay, India. Jeff is also the bassist on Michael Feldman’s Whad’Ya Know show, airing Saturdays on Wisconsin Public Radio and broadcast nationally on NPR stations. He can be heard on the 2005 We Six CD Bird Say.

Kayme Henkel – Piano
WCM faculty member 2006-2009; returning in the fall of 2012. DMA in piano performance and pedagogy from University of Wisconsin-Madison, MM in piano performance from Kent State University, BM in piano performance and pedagogy from University of Central Missouri. Kayme has experience teaching students of all ages and all levels of ability. Her students have achieved high rankings in WSMA festivals, WMTA auditions and college scholarships in music. In addition to teaching at WCM, she has had teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Alverno College and the International School of Music (Bethesda, MD). As a soloist, she has been a winner of the Neale Silva Young Artist Competition, Wisconsin MTNA Young Artist Competition and the University of Wisconsin Beethoven Competition. Most recently her performing has focused on opera, which has given her the opportunity to work with Opera for the Young (Madison), Bel Cantanti (Washington DC), Crested Butte Opera (Colorado), Repertory Opera Theater of Washington (DC), and a world premiere in the Capital Fringe Festival.

Barbara Henry – Piano, Director of Education
WCM faculty member 1986-89, 1998-present. M.M., UW-Madison; B.M., State University of New York/Fredonia. Ms. Henry is the Director of Education and coordinator of the Piano and Instrument Exploration Camps for the Conservatory. Previously, she chaired the Keyboard Department at the Conservatory and at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she was also the creator and coordinator of the Music and More Program. She has presented several pedagogy workshops and judged numerous competitions. Ms. Henry studied pedagogy with Guy Duckworth and piano with Howard Karp and Ellsworth Snyder. She has performed in master classes by Misha Dichter and Joseph Block.

Leslie Henry – Music Therapy, Early Childhood
WCM faculty member since 1998. MT-BC, Music Therapy. B.M., Music Therapy, Alverno College. Ms. Henry has developed music therapy programs in geriatrics, community based music therapy, and intergenerational facilities. In addition to her work at the Conservatory, she works at the St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care and frequently attends regional and national music therapy conferences. She recently finished her second term as President for the Wisconsin Chapter of Music Therapy, and has undertaken masters level studies in Biomedical Applications of Music Therapy. She is a registered “Music Together” early childhood music teacher.

Andrew Jackson - Bassoon
WCM faculty member beginning in the fall of 2011.  M.M. Performance UW- Milwaukee, B.M. Performance-Florida State University. Andrew Jackson currently performs with the Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Racine symphonies and has performed with orchestras throughout Wisconsin, Iowa, Florida, and Georgia. In 2007 he performed with the Orquesta Sinfonica UANL in Monterrey, Mexico and later with the Nebraska Theatre Caravan on their Midwest tour. A long time member of the Tallahassee Winds, he joined them on their 2004 tour to Australia. Mr. Jackson studied with Jeffrey Keesecker and Theodore Soluri.

Stefanie Jacob – Piano
WCM faculty member since 1987. M.M. with highest distinction in Piano Performance, Indiana University; A.B., magna cum laude, Harvard University. Stefanie Jacob made her solo debut with the Boston Pops at age 17 and her Carnegie Recital Hall debut in 1984. She was twice awarded Second Prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and received Indiana University's Leo Weiner Prize for Chamber Music. Ms. Jacob has soloed with both the Milwaukee Symphony and the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra and recorded for the Arundax, CRI, Fleur de Son, Equilibrium, and the Wisconsin Conservatory labels. A recipient of the Civic Music Association's award for Excellence in Studio Teaching, she is a founding member of the Conservatory's Prometheus Trio.

Eric Jacobson – Trumpet, Woodwinds/Brass/Percussion Department Chair
WCM faculty member since 2008. Eric Jacobson is a professional trumpet player, clinician, composer and private instructor residing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Eric freelances in the Milwaukee and Chicago area playing in groups such as Luis Diaz Quintet, D'CalleSon, De La Buena, Kings Go Forth, Tristan Royalty Squad, Orquesta Tumbao, We Six and leading his own jazz Quintet. Eric has been fortunate to experience performances and lessons with well-known artists, such as Maynard Ferguson, Slide Hampton, Brian Lynch, Jim Rotondi, Tim Hagans,Tito Puente Jr., Joan Rivers, Eric Benet, Mayer Hawthorne, Robert Randolph and Wynton Marsalis. Eric was recently recognized in Jazzscope magazine By David Hoffman as having “[a] gorgeous round sound on both the trumpet and flugelhorn” and being “on his way to being a jazz giant." In 2001 Eric released his debut jazz CD entitled Inspiration which features some of Milwaukee's best jazz musicians as well as New York trumpet sensation Brian Lynch. Eric released his second album in 2011 called Two A.M. Live at the Jazz Estate and his third album will be released in Fall 2012, featuring Brian lynch and piano legend Barry Velleman. Eric has been busy performing and touring around the world the past two years with Soul band Kings Go Forth featured in "Time" as being 2011's best Soul band.

Erin Dupree Jakubowski - Violin
WCM member since April 2010. Erin has studied the violin since the age of 6 years old, learning in the Suzuki method. In 2004, Erin won Honorable Mention in the Toledo Symphony Young Artist’s competition. Erin's first orchestral involvement was with the Ann Arbor School for Performing Arts, the first of ten different orchestras, including University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra and many regional orchestras in Iowa. She has served principle roles in five of the ten orchestras, including principle second violinist, and concertmaster. In both 2004 and 2005, Erin performed a complete orchestral program in Avery Fisher Hall in New York City with the New Conservatory of Dallas. She attended University of Iowa on numerous scholarships and holds a Bachelor's in Violin Performance. Aside from orchestra, she was a member of the Shirotan quartet, she has participated in both chamber and orchestral workshops. During her undergraduate studies at the University of Iowa, Erin began her teaching career, maintaining a studio of over 15 students while in Iowa. She completed certification for Suzuki Books 1 and 2 under Christie Felsing at the Preucil School of Music. She has also completed teacher training for books 3 and 4 under Kathy Wood, and Ann Montzka-Smelser. Her primary violin teachers have been Jillienne Bowers of the Toledo Symphony, Arkady Fomin of the Dallas Symphony, and Scott Conklin of the University of Iowa.

Kari Johnson – Piano
WCM faculty member since 2010. M.M. in Piano Performance/Pedagogy, University of Wisconsin-Madison; B.M. in Piano Performance, St. Olaf College. Piano study with Catherine Kautsky and Kenneth Graber, pedagogy study with Jessica Johnson.  Previously, Kari taught in the Boston area at the Yamaha Music School of Boston and Winchester Community Music School, and at Beloit College and Arboretum Music School in Wisconsin. Her performing experience includes performances at the Music at Castle Franc summer program in Castres, France, and performances at prisons, homeless shelters, hospitals, and schools as part of a grant to bring classical music to underserved audiences in Wisconsin.

Linda Jones – Clarinet
WCM faculty member since 1994. B.A. and M.M. Colorado State University in Clarinet Performance. As a post-graduate student, Ms. Jones did summer study with Leon Russianoff and Stanley Hasty, and also studied with Peter Hadcock of the Boston Symphony. In addition to giving individual instruction at the Conservatory, Ms. Jones coaches woodwind chamber ensembles, teaches in schools and senior centers as part of the Conservatory Connections program, and serves on the faculty of WCM summer music camps. A member of the WCM Faculty Woodwind Quintet, she also plays clarinet and bass clarinet in area orchestras and is clarinetist and manager for Milwaukee’s Festival City Symphony.

Pat Kaiser – Music Therapy
WCM faculty member since 2003. MT-BC, WMTR, Music Therapy. B.F.A. in Music Education-Instrumental Certification, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Special Education Music Certification, General Music and Vocal Music Certification, and Music Therapy Equivalency, Alverno College, Milwaukee. Ms. Kaiser brings her expertise to children and adults through music therapy contract work at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music as well as Music Therapy Services of Waukesha County. Ms. Kaiser is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, Wisconsin Music Educators Association, American Music Therapy Association, and the Wisconsin Chapter for Music Therapy.

Stefan Kartman – Cello
New to WCM in 2012, Stefan Kartman brings 20 years of teaching and performing experience to the faculty. B.M. from Northwestern University, M.M. and Professional Studies Certificate from the Juilliard School of Music, and D.M.A. from Rutgers University. Dr. Kartman's cello teachers included some of the most famous pedagogues and performers of the 20th Century, including Harvey Shapiro, Zara Nelsova and Bernard Greenhouse. During his formal training as a chamber musician, he studied with members of the Guarneri and Juilliard String Quartets and the Beaux Arts Trio among many others. He is currently on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and records and performs primarily with Jeannie Yu and Felicia Moye as a member of the Florestan Duo and the Trio Antigo.

Joseph Ketchum – Violin, Viola, String Department Chair
WCM Faculty since 2007. Joseph Ketchum was born and raised in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin and began studying violin at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music at age 4 with Ronald Melby. He continued his studies with Mimi Zweig, winning the Conservatory’s Merit Scholarship Competition for eight consecutive years from 1982 to 1989. While a Junior at The University School of Milwaukee, Mr. Ketchum performed as a featured soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. In 1987, he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Violin Performance from Northwestern University under the tutelage of Dr. Myron Kartman. While at Northwestern, Mr. Ketchum also studied pedagogy with Betty Haig and served as Assistant Concertmaster of the Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra. Upon graduation, Mr. Ketchum returned to Milwaukee and founded ViolinoGram, offering unique serenade services in Milwaukee and Chicago. Currently, Mr. Ketchum is active as a soloist, chamber musician, pedagogue, and entrepreneur. He has performed as Concertmaster of the Skylight Opera Theatre Orchestra and the Beloit Janesville Symphony. Mr. Ketchum has been featured on the UWM concert series “Music from Almost Yesterday” and is also active in the performance of various styles of music, from Jazz to Bluegrass to Rock n Roll. He is the founder of the band Joe 2.0, a rock sextet composed of an electric string quartet, vocalist and drummer. The band performs rock music in the form of covers and originals. He has recorded for the Hal Leonard Corporation and is an arranger and principal string player for Banshee Music, a worldwide provider of radio, tv and film soundtracks. His Mr. Ketchum performs on a 1927 Carl Becker violin, which he has played since 1985. Mr. Ketchum resides in Milwaukee with his wife, Betsy, and their son Joe, Jr.

Timothy Klabunde – Violin
WCM faculty member since 2005.  Mr. Klabunde is the Assistant Principal Second Violin of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and has been an orchestra member since 1980.  He was a violin and chamber music student of Leonard Sorkin, Abram Loft, Bernard Zaslav and George Sopkin (the Fine Arts Quartet) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.    Mr. Klabunde has served as Concertmaster for the Milwaukee Ballet and Milwaukee Civic Orchestras and has appeared as violin soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra and the Manitowoc Symphony.  Chamber music appearances have included the Festival de Belles Artes in San Miguel, Mexico, live on WFMT Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Series,  WPR broadcasts from Madison’s Elvejem and Chazen Art Museum and the Fourth Annual International String Quartet Competition in Evian, France. This year includes concerts at the Washington Island Music Festival and as a member of the Prometheus Trio at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.  Mr. Klabunde is an adjunct instructor of violin and a member of the Clarus piano trio at Cardinal Stritch University.

Korinthia Klein – Violin, Viola
WCM faculty member since 1996. B.A., with honors and with distinction in Music Cognition, Ohio State University. Before moving to Milwaukee and joining the Conservatory faculty, Ms. Klein taught violin and viola at the Cumberland Valley School of Music in Pennsylvania. At Ohio State University, she worked with musicians, psychologists, and computer programmers to study the cognitive processes of music performance and perception. She has performed with the York Symphony Orchestra in York, Pennsylvania, and the West Shore Symphony Orchestra in Harrisburg. She completed an apprenticeship program in violin making in 2000 and owns and operates Korinthian Violins in the Bay View area of Milwaukee. She currently plays viola in the Festival City Symphony and is a founding member of the Cream City String Quartet.

Janina Knechtges – Piano
WCM Faculty since 2008. M.M. in Piano Performance and Pedagogy, Northwestern University; B.M., magna cum laude in Piano Performance, certificate in Music Business, Northwestern University. Most recently, she was the Dean of Programs and a piano faculty member at the Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts (AASPA). Through her affiliation with AASPA, she taught private and group lessons, performed in faculty recitals and chamber music concerts, and accompanied both students and faculty members. She also taught at the University of Michigan’s Piano Pedagogy Laboratory Program from 2001-2004. In August 2005, she was on the piano faculty at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

Sunkyung Lee – Piano
WCM faculty member since 2010. MM in Piano Performance from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in progress and B.A. in Piano Performance from Dongduk Women's University. Ms. Lee has performed with various choirs including the Madrigal Singers at Mt. Mary College in Milwaukee. Previously, she maintained piano studios and taught at several music schools. She is currently the music director at the Koean Baptist Church. An active member of Milwaukee Music Teacher's Association(MMTA). Ms.Lee has performed in numerous recitals, accompanied a wide variety of vocalists and instrumentalists.

Matt Liban – Percussion
WCM Conservatory Connections faculty since 2005. BA in Education from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Matt is a very accomplished drummer, having performed and recorded for decades with many notable locally and nationally recognized musicians. He is a much sought after music teacher and session player and continues to perform upwards of one hundred fifty shows per year with his numerous musical affiliations.

George Lindquist – Classical and Baroque Guitar, Lute
WCM faculty member since 1972. B.A. Carthage College with a Diploma in Classical Guitar Performance; M.M. Musicology University of Wisconsin-Madison. Studied classical guitar with James Yoghourtjian and lute/early guitar in master classes. George Lindquist has been one of the foremost teachers of classical guitar in southern Wisconsin for more than 35 years. He has been on the faculty of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music since 1972, where he teaches classical guitar and related subjects. He also teaches classical guitar and directs guitar ensembles at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and at the U.W. Parkside in Kenosha. As a performing classical guitarist, he has been a member of several ensembles, including a classical guitar trio, a flute and guitar duo, and a guitar and harpsichord duo. He also has a degree in musicology and occasionally performs on the lute and baroque guitar. He has performed at universities, colleges, music societies, public libraries, recital halls and private venues throughout Wisconsin and Illinois and on Wisconsin Public Radio. He has also given many performances in the public schools sponsored by Young Audiences of Wisconsin. He is one of the guitarists featured on the CD Milwaukee Guitar: Strictly Solo and can be heard on recordings with the Master Singers of Milwaukee and the Festival Choir of Madison. Mr. Lindquist is a former board member of the Milwaukee Classical Guitar Society and is past Associate Archivist of the Guitar Foundation of America.

Mikhail Litvin – Mandolin
WCM faculty member since 2001. M.M. in Pedagogy and Performance, Donetsk State Musical-Pedagogical University. A master mandolinist, Mr. Litvin has performed as a solo recitalist and as a soloist with chamber orchestras in Russia, Germany, The Netherlands, France and the United States. He is also an experienced conductor and music teacher. After graduating with a degree in orchestral conducting, music, and string pedagogy, he taught guitar and mandolin and led many student musical groups at the municipal music school in Minsk, Belarus. Mr. Litvin currently performs in duos with piano, accordion and guitar. He participates in educational programs with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra with accordionist Stas Venglevski and is a member of the Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra.

Alexander Mandl – Violin
WCM faculty member since 2003. D.M.A., UW-Madison; M.M., Yale University; B.F.A., Carnegie Mellon University. Brazilian violinist and conductor, Alexander "Sascha" Mandl has appeared worldwide in renowned venues such as Weill at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Memorial Hall of Latin America with conductors such as Gunther Herbig, Krystof Penderecki and Eleazar de Carvalho. He is the Concertmaster of the Kenosha Symphony, the Beloit-Janesville Symphony and Assistant Concertmaster of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra. An avid chamber musician and teacher, Mandl holds faculty positions at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, UW-Parkside, the Wisconsin Lutheran College, Elm City ChamberFest, the MIMU Festival, and the Eleazar de Carvalho Festival in Brazil. A recipient of the prestigious Ivan Galamian Award, Mandl holds a doctorate degree from UW-Madison, and degrees from Yale, and Carnegie-Mellon universities. His major teachers include Vartan Manoogian, Sidney Harth, Erick Friedman, and Robert McDuffie.

Kathleen Matts – Voice
WCM faculty member since 1993. M.M., Wisconsin Conservatory of Music; B.M., UW-Madison. Soprano and choral conductor. Soloed with most Milwaukee choruses and orchestras throughout Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and has performed many leading opera and musical theatre roles. Among her Skylight Opera Theatre roles are Eurydice/Musica roles in Wadsworth’s original "Orfeo," "The Stronger" by H. Weisgall—an opera for solo soprano—and the title role in Tchaikovsky’s "Iolanta." Credits include: co-founder, Circlestage Musical Theatre Academy; Theatre Arts coordinator, Congregation Emanuel B’nai Jeshurun; Cardinal Stritch University Choir Director and voice instructor; and many years of directing music for area Lutheran Churches. Currently, she is Founder and Artistic Director of the Ad Hoc Vocal Ensemble.

Sue Medford – Piano
WCM faculty member since 2005. Graduate of the Piano Pedagogy Professional Training Program of the New School for Music Study in Princeton, NJ and Western Carolina University, Sue Medford studied at the New School with its founder, Frances Clark; and co-founder, Louise Goss; as well as renowned pedagogue, Richard Chronister; composer David Kraehenbuehl; and Elvina Pearce, author, composer and clinician. After graduating, Ms. Medford became a supervisor in the professional department and served as a clinician in teacher workshops across the US. She was also the National Representative for Summy-Birchard Music Publishing Company. She taught piano at the New School for Music Study, in Chicago and at an American school in Germany. Following her move to Milwaukee, Ms. Medford was appointed by the Milwaukee Symphony as the Director of Education and Education Concert Manager, positions she held for 23 years. She is the founder of Piano Arts, a National Concerto and Solo Competition.

Carol Meves – Flute
WCM faculty member since 1989. B.M., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Carol Meves has recorded for the Koss and Northwoods labels, toured Europe and the U. S., and performed in a variety of venues including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, Bel Canto Orchestra, and Kenosha and Green Bay Symphonies. She has been heard on National and Wisconsin Public Radio. Ms. Meves has commissioned works for flute choir, flute and cello, and flute and voice. In 1995, Ms. Meves was selected as one of the winners of the National Flute Association’s Performer’s Competition. Along with an active solo and orchestral career, she received an award for excellence in studio instruction in 1998 from the Milwaukee Civic Music Association.

Tatiana Migliaccio – Violin
WCM faculty member since 2005. Violinist Tatiana Migliaccio was born in the Ukraine and graduated from the Musical College of Ternopil. She later completed study at the Lviv Conservatory with degrees in Master of Chamber Music Performance and Pedagogy. Tatiana began her music career playing in the Lviv Symphony and toured with the orchestra to Poland, Russia, Germany, Bulgaria, and Estonia. After coming to the United States in 1994 and initially settling in Illinois, she became a member of numerous orchestras, including the Rockford Symphony, Milwaukee Ballet and the University of Chicago Orchestras. She also taught Suzuki violin at the Rockford College Music Academy. In 2005 Tatiana became a member of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music faculty, successively teaching violin, music theory and chamber music to WCM students. Along with her teaching, Tatiana currently plays in the Wisconsin Philharmonic, Green Bay, Kenosha and Festival City Symphony Orchestras. Her musical career was inspired by her wonderful teachers Alexander Tatarinzev, Eleanor Stanlis and Mr. Mark Zinger.

Rita Mitchell – Oboe
WCM faculty member beginning spring of 2012. M.M., Chamber Music Performance U-W Milwaukee; M.L.I.S., Master of Library and Information Science, U-W Milwaukee; B.M., Music Performance, Northern Illinois University. At Northern Illinois University Ms. Mitchell studied with Judith Zunamon Lewis (Lyric Opera Chicago) and J. Ricardo Castañeda (Chicago Sinfonietta). At University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, she was a member of the Leonard Sorkin International Institute of Chamber Music and studied with Stephen Colburn, former principal oboist of Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Mitchell was the 2002 winner of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition. Ms. Mitchell is currently principal oboist of the Concord Chamber Orchestra. She is also a member of the Wisconsin Philharmonic.  Previous positions include oboe/English horn with the Racine Symphony. In addition to giving individual instruction at the Conservatory, Ms. Mitchell is an adjunct faculty member teaching oboe, and the Information Literacy Librarian at Cardinal Stritch University.

Kelsey Molinari - Harp
WCM faculty since 2012. Kelsey Molinari completed her bachelors and masters of music at the Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University. She has participated in numerous music festivals through the world and has performed in famed concert halls throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. She has worked with some of today’s leading conductors, including Gustavo Dudamel, James Levine, Paavo Järvi, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, Pierre Boulez, Bernard Haitink, Charles Dutoit, Esa Peka Salonen, Michael Tilson Thomas, James Conlon, Christoph Eschenbach, among others. During the 2008-2009 season, Kelsey performed as acting substitute principal harpist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  Kelsey has performed as guest principal harpist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic on its tour to Europe in 2011 and tour to Caracas, Venezuela in 2012. Kelsey’s solo performances have drawn critical acclaim. The Chicago Tribune described her as “a splendid harpist.” The Chicago Sun-Times dubbed her an “outstanding soloist.” Kelsey is the principal harpist of several orchestra throughout the Midwest and is an active chamber, orchestral and solo performer and teacher.

Raymond Mueller – Classical Guitar, Music Librarian
WCM faculty member since 1977. B.M, M.M. with high honors, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Mr. Mueller’s principal teachers were James Yoghourtjian, John Holmquist and Gilbert Biberian. Mr. Mueller specializes in teaching students at all levels who seek to establish a sound technical and musical foundation. In addition to his private teaching Mr. Mueller coaches the Telemann Classical Guitar Quartet and conducts a highly successful series of performance classes for students enrolled in his studio. Mr. Mueller is a former member of the WCM Classical Guitar Quartet and the Viennese Guitar Duo. He currently performs as a soloist playing on historic instruments.

Cecilio Negron, Jr – Afro-Cuban Drumming
WCM Conservatory Connections faculty since 2005. Cecilio “Ceeloe” Negron, Jr., born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, comes from a family of musicians and performers whose lineage can be traced to Puerto Rico and further back to Africa and Spain. During his childhood both his father and uncle played major roles in the Midwest music scene as musicians, promoters and bandleaders, and Cecilio started his music studies at the age of five at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. While in high school, he studied in the school music program and learned to read music, music theory, play drum-set and concert percussion, earning him top honors in solo and state competitions. Cecilio began playing professionally by the age of 16 and at 21 embarked on his solo career, working to develope himself as an artist and teacher. In 2000, Cecilio started working with Milwaukee Public Theatre, teaching arts residencies, drumming and touring in several theatre productions. Now Cecilio can be found performing with many successful local and national acts, and he has an extensive resume of performances at numerous local and national community centers, schools, business, arenas, clubs, music venues and private events. Working with several art organizations Cecilio currently designs, manages, and facilitates his own musical ensembles, drumming workshops, drum circles, drum and dance residencies, drum making workshops, educational presentations, and musical performances.

Linda O’Brien – Piano
WMC faculty member since 2008.  MA in music and BA with honors in piano performance and choral/general music from Ball State University. Piano study with Pia Sebastiani. A Nationally Certified Teacher of Music, and member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers Hall of Fame, Ms. O’Brien has been teaching piano to students of all ages for over 25 years. Active as a performer, accompanist, and adjudicator, she also teaches general music for the WCM Connections Program. Prior to moving to Milwaukee, Ms. O’Brien taught piano and served as college choir accompanist at UW-Sheboygan.  She was also active in the SSO organization, playing piano and harpsichord in the orchestra and serving as accompanist for the Symphony Singers.

Julio Pabon – Early Childhood, Connections Program Coordinator
WCM faculty member since 2010. Julio graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a BFA of Inter-Arts in Fall 2011 and is trained in Orff Schulwerk music education. He has been performing and teaching General Music, Latin and African percussion, and drum making through the Conservatory Connections Program since February 2008 for K5 through 8th grade. Julio has been an active performer, teacher, and workshop facilitator at Milwaukee Public Theater since 1998.  While there he also created an innovative program using recycled material to design age appropriate percussion instruments for early childhood ages through adults. He taught African and Latin percussion, General Music, and Spanish at Milwaukee Montessori School, K3 – 8th grades, for seven years. Julio was a teacher’s assistant for ages 3-5, and taught Music and Drum Carving/Woodworking, grades 4 – 8, at Tamarack Community School for five years. Julio received the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Teacher Fellowship Award in 2007 and the Artist and Community Collaborations Grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board in 2004.

Jim Paolo – Upright and Electric Bass
WCM faculty member since 1981. Bachelor of Music Degree in Jazz Performance. Regional Freelance performer and teacher as well as leader of his own small ensembles. Has performed with top jazz artists in the United States, including Buddy Montgomery, Melvin Rhyne, Frank Morgan, Berkeley Fudge, David Hazeltine, Brian Lynch, Manty Ellis, Wille Pickens, Ali Ryerson, Greg Abate, Von Freeman, and Henry Johnson. Mr. Paolo can be heard on the CD On the Edge with The Luis Diaz Quintet, WYMS radio sampler CD with Berkeley Fudge on "On a Misty Night" and Jeanne Woodall’s It’s Never too Late. He is currently on faculty teaching Jazz Bass, Theory and Performance at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, private teaching, clinician for the Jazz Experience for Milwaukee Public Schools, and at various colleges.

Phillip Pearl – Voice
WCM faculty member since 1994. M.M. Opera, University of Wisconsin; B.F.A. Music and Theatre, UW-Milwaukee. Mr. Pearl has studied with Karlos Moser, Kammersanger Jean Cox, Anna Reynolds, Mimmi Fulmer, Lenore Lynde Horsman and Richard Winter. He was one of eleven people chosen nationwide to participate in “Masterclasses in the Art of Singing Wagner,” has sung major operatic and oratorio roles throughout Wisconsin and has recorded for Wisconsin Public Radio and The Symposium for Church Composers. His directing credits include extensive work with children’s theatre and many opera company productions.

Elise Pennington – Early Childhood Chair
WCM faculty member since 2005. B.M. with a minor in psychology, from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. While attending DePauw University she taught preschoolers at the Tutor Time Child Care/Learning Center. Elise has also worked as a music teacher for Little People’s Music, Inc. Elise has received training in the Kodaly Concept, completed coursework at the Community Coordinated Child Care Center and is certified as a lead Early Childhood Teacher. Elise has worked at the Academy of Learning and Leadership for three years as a preschool teacher of two to four year olds. In addition to teaching in the Early Childhood Program at the school she also taught music to children in grades K4-8.

Bony Plog-Benavides – Percussion
WCM faculty member since 2008. Bony Plog-Benavides is a native of Bogotá, Colombia, where she studied with Cuban percussionist Frank Calzadilla. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music with a concentration on Percussion Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, where she studied with David Bayles. In May 2008, she finished her Master’s Degree in Ethnomusicology at Arizona State University. Her thesis research focused on the popularization of Gaita Music, a musical tradition of Northern Colombia. While at ASU, Mrs. Plog-Benavides studied with African music scholar Mark Sunkett and renowned drummer Dom Moio. At ASU she performed with the ASU Latin Jazz Band, Brazilian Bateria, Javanese Gamelan, Latin Marimba Band, and African Drum Ensemble. Locally she has appeared with the Racine Concert Band, Kenosha Pops Concert Band, and local musicians, such as Mike Plog, David Bayles, Luis Diaz, Dan Trudell, Bill Bonifas, and Jeno Somlai.

Robin Pluer – Voice
WCM faculty member since 2004. Ms. Pluer is a perennial WAMI Award winner as well as the Shepherd Express’ Best Female Vocalist. She has composed and performed music with Paul Cebar and John Sieger. With Juli Wood, Connie Grauer and Kim Zick (Mrs. Fun) she created The Rhythm Club to perform an eclectic array of jazz, pop, R&B and French songs. Robin collaborated with Peter Buffett, recording a song for his album, Songs from an East Side Attic. Robin combines vintage French chansons from the 20s, 30s and 40s with contemporary songs which she performs each year at Bastille Days in Milwaukee. Robin studied with Martha Artis (at WCM), Jessie Hauck, and Sylvie Frere. She has also studied at L’Alliance Francaise of Manhattan and at UWM.

Anthony Ramirez – Percussion
WCM faculty since 2005. Anthony is a Milwaukee-based musician specializing in hand drumming and world percussion. He has accompanied African dance classes at the YMCA, modern dance classes at UWM, and flamenco dance classes at Danceworks.  He provides instructional workshops to elementary and middle school children on the history and tradition of Afro-Caribbean drumming. Anthony has worked as an Artist in Residence at Milwaukee’s John C. Cudahy YMCA and as a guest artist for the Milwaukee Art Museum in their Art Works program.  Anthony earned his Associate degree in Music Occupations at Milwaukee Area Technical College in 2007.

Kerry Ramthun – Music Therapy, Piano
WCM faculty member since 2003. MT-BC, NCTM, Music Therapy, Piano. M.A. from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Indiana.  B.M. with honors and certificate in Piano Pedagogy, Alverno College, Milwaukee. Certified in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music Level I: The Use of Supportive Music & Imagery. Ms. Ramthun has worked in psycho-oncology and oncology at St. Luke's Medical Center, as well as having worked with clients with developmental and physical disabilities in private sessions. Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) by Music Teachers National Association. Member of Music Teachers National Association and Wisconsin Music Teachers Association. Ms. Ramthun specializes in teaching students with special needs and in early childhood music.

Kristian Ring - Cello
WCM faculty member since the fall of 2011. BM in Cello Performance from the University of South Carolina. MM in Cello Pedagogy anticipated from UW Milwaukee in the Spring of 2012.  Kristian is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina. He has performed in orchestral, chamber and recital settings across the United States. Notable venues include the Piccolo Spoleto (Charleston, SC) and Aspen (CO) music festivals, among others. Outside of his classical career, Mr. Ring has also appeared on several occasions in productions of folk and contemporary popular music. He performed with an ensemble at the 2008 Ola Belle Reed Bluegrass Festival in Notrh Carolina, and can be heard on various tracks by several artists and young film composers from the Southeast. His former students have won principal positions in the Youth Philharmonic, Tri-dac and All-state orchestras of South Carolina.

Lynn Roginske – Contemporary Piano, Voice, Theory
WCM faculty member since 1975. B.M. Wisconsin College-Conservatory; M. M. Wisconsin Conservatory of Music; D.P.I. Certification in Music and Choral Education, Alverno College. Jazz piano and composition studies under Tony King, Martha Artis, Eddie Baker and David Hazeltine. Ms. Roginske is in demand throughout Wisconsin as a piano soloist and with her jazz trio. She regularly performs on the Family Concert series at the Conservatory. In addition to her work at the Conservatory, Ms. Roginske works as a Music/Adaptive Music Specialist for the Milwaukee Public Schools and has taught at Alverno College.

Laura Rooney – Violin, Viola
WCM faculty since 2006. B.M. Music Education, M.M. in Performance, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Laura received her degrees while teaching strings in the Madison public schools. She has performed professionally as a violist and violinist in the United States and Europe, and taught elementary and middle school strings in Oshkosh, Wisconsin for nine years. She directed the orchestra program at Pius XI High School for four year before deciding to devote more time to studio teaching. She also freelances in the Milwaukee area. She is ABD towards a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music, and has been published in American String Teacher.

Julie Bamberger Roubik – Violin, Viola
WCM faculty member since 2009. B.M. summa cum laude, from the University of Minnesota and M.M. from the HARTT School of Music, both in viola performance and Suzuki pedagogy. Viola teachers include Roland Vamos, Korey Konkol, Victoria Chiang, and Lawrence Dutton of the Emerson String Quartet. A member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, she has studied Suzuki pedagogy training, in both violin and viola, with Teri and David Einfeldt, Nancy Lokken, Mark Bjork, Carrie Reuning, Susan Kempter, and Betsy Stuen-Walker. Ms. Bamberger Roubik currently performs with Kenosha, Racine and Festival City Symphonies. Prior to moving back to Milwaukee, she was on the faculty of the Pasadena Suzuki Music Program in Pasadena, California, and was a member of the San Bernadino and Redlands, California Symphony orchestras. Ms. Bamberger Roubik was also the violinist for Jane Seymour's Hollywood Star party and a back up musician for artists such as Brad Little, Lorna Luft, Rita Coolidge, and Keiko Matsui.

Marlee Sabo – Soprano, Voice Department Chair
WCM faculty member since 1967. M.M with honors, Indiana University; B.M. Oberlin Conservatory; Mozarteum, Salzburg; Fulbright Scholar Stuttgart, Germany; German Government grant for further operatic study. Marlee Sabo came to the Conservatory as a member of the College faculty and Performing Artist. She has performed as a recitalist and chamber musician, as well as participating as a founding member of the Pro Musica Nova, a group premiering and performing contemporary music. In Milwaukee, she has been soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in Mahler's 4th Symphony; Samuel Barber's Knoxville, Summer, 1915; Handel's Messiah; and Greig's Peer Gynt Suite. She has sung the role of Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni with the Florentine Opera and John Harbison's Mirabai Songs, Aaron Copland's Emily Dickenson Songs, and Shostokovich's Romance Suite, Lukas Foss' Time Cyle, and numerous Haydn Masses with the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Sabo has performed and recorded in Europe, including appearances in the Salzburg Festival, Mozart's Wohnhaus, on German television, and at the Stuttgart Staatstheater. She has sung and recorded with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, appeared at the Grant Park Concerts in Chicago; the Aspen Festival; Tanglewood; the Atlanta Lyric Opera; and is co-founder and chamber musician at the Washington Island Music Festival. At the Conservatory, Ms. Sabo has taught repertoire courses in the German Lied, French Melodie, Oratorio, Contemporary Music and Opera. She has taught Phonetics and Chamber Music for Voice and Guitar. She has been the Director of the Opera Workshop and produced performances of Aaron Copland's The Second Hurricane and Menotti's The Egg for the Milwaukee Symphony's Contemporary Music Festivals as well as a production of Mozart's first opera, Apollo and Hyacinth, for the Conservatory. She has served as Chairperson of the Voice Department and has recently had a Scholarship Fund at the Conservatory established in her honor.

María Valentina Schlei – Piano
WCM faculty member since 2010. She received her piano performance degree from the Escuela de Música Manuel A. Lopez in Venezuela, and her B.F.A and M.M. from UWM under the guidance of Prof. Judit Jaimes. She debuted as a soloist at 11 years old with the Caracas Municipal Symphony Orchestra, and performed with multiple symphony orchestras in Venezuela. She won first prize in the Harriet Serr Competition (1994), the Moisés Moleiro Venezuelan National Competition (1996) and McDowell Club of Milwaukee (2005). In 1997, the President of Venezuela awarded her the Medal of the Third Grade Order “Jose Felix Rivas Prize” --the highest honor given to young Venezuelan artists. In addition to her private studio instruction, she has taught in UWM both as a Masters student and instructor.

Eric Schoor - Saxophone
WCM faculty member since 2012. B.F.A. summa cum laude in Jazz Studies and Multiple Woodwinds from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Eric performs and teaches extensively throughout the Midwest, giving clinics and lessons, as well as playing clubs and festivals. He has had the good fortune of performing and recording with nationally recognized jazz artists such as Brian Lynch, Dan Trudell, Francois Moutin, Tom Garling, Mark Johnson, John Fedchock, David Hazeltine, and Manty Ellis. Eric is also a member of the Conservatory's jazz sextet We Six. His debut CD, Combinations-Live at the Jazz Estate, was released in 2013 on the Hollistic MusicWorks record label. www.ericschoor.com

Jeanette Seitz - Music Therapy
WCM faculty member since 2001. MT-BC, BM with honors, Alverno College. A certified music educator in addition to a music therapist, Ms. Seitz has assisted students and clients in environments that range from elementary schools to acute care facilities. She led music therapy sessions for Very Special Arts Festivals. She is active in several music therapy associations and a member of the Music Educators National Conference.

Matthew Schroeder – Fingerstyle and Rock Guitar, Department Chair
WCM Faculty member since 1992, B.F.A. with honors in Guitar Performance, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Matthew Schroeder is a Milwaukee based WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) winning guitarist who is equally at home on acoustic or electric guitar. Matt is one of a handful of players to graduate, with honors, from the short lived cooperative program between The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and The University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee with a performance degree in American fingerstyle guitar. As a fingerstyle guitarist, Mr. Schroeder studied under John Stropes. He has performed in America and Canada, been featured on local television and radio, and can be heard on the CD compilation American Finger-Style Guitar circa 1999. His debut CD Signal was released April 2006. Matt is the Artistic Director for the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music's annual Guitar Weekend Workshop and Interlochen College of Creative Arts' Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop. Matt currently performs acoustically as a soloist, in a duo with vocalist Lynda Lee and with the trio La Guitarra. As a rock guitarist, Mr. Schroeder has performed extensively throughout the midwest and beyond. Past Bands include Blackfish, Pet Engine, Steve Grimm and the Thrill Cats, and Jamie Jess, and the WAMI-award winning Barbeez. Matt is also a featured instructor on the Hal Leonard DVDs Acoustic Guitar Licks Goldmine and Rock Guitar Licks Goldmine, which were released in Spring 2011. www.matthewschroeder.net

Diana Shapiro – Piano
New WCM faculty member September 2008. DMA in progress, University of Wisconsin-Madison; GPD, Longy School of Music; MM and BM, Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Ms. Shapiro enjoys a successful performance career, mainly as a part of the Varshavski-Shapiro Piano Duo (www.piano-4-hands.com), a professional piano duo which has won numerous major competitions, and has appeared in solo recitals and festivals worldwide. A number of the duo's performances have been recorded for radio and TV in the US, Israel, Hong Kong and Germany. Ms. Shapiro has a broad experience teaching students at several music schools in the US and in Israel.

Joshua Sherman – Percussion
WCM faculty member since 2008. Joshua Sherman graduated from the University of Wisconsin Parkside in 2006 having completed a Bachelors of Arts with a Major in Music and a concentration in Percussion Performance. Upon graduation Joshua returned to UW-Parkside to complete his certification in Instrumental K-12 Music Education and an additional concentration in Jazz Studies, which he completed in 2007. Joshua currently is Director of Instrumental Music at Gilmore Middle School in Racine, Wisconsin and an adjunct instructor of percussion for Carroll University. He also has performed with the Wisconsin Philharmonic, Festival City Symphony Orchestra, Racine Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Wind Orchestra, and the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra.

Paul Silbergleit – Jazz Guitar
WCM faculty member since 1996 and a member of the Conservatory’s We Six jazz sextet. B.A., Oberlin College. An accomplished jazz composer as well as performer, Mr. Silbergleit has played clubs, concert halls, and festivals throughout the area as both a leader and a sideman. He has appeared with Jack McDuff, Jon Faddis, Richie Cole, Tierney Sutton, Melvin Rhyne, Brian Lynch, David Hazeltine, and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, among others. Both his 1996 debut CD Silberglicity (on which other Conservatory faculty members are featured) and his 2003 release, My New Attitude, have made it onto the jazz charts with nationwide airplay, and he can also be heard on the 2005 We Six CD Bird Say. Mr. Silbergleit also teaches at Cardinal Stritch University, and is a featured instructor in Hal Leonard's Guitar Licks Goldmine DVD series.

Terry Smirl – Percussion
WCM faculty member since 2009. Terry Smirl is percussionist with Present Music, one of the nation’s foremost New Music groups, and he is Principal Timpanist with both the Milwaukee Ballet and the Waukesha Symphony Orchestras. As a jazz drummer he has performed with the area’s greatest artists including Chuck Hedges, Berkley Fudge, Hattush Alexander, Melvin Rhyne, and others, as well as national artists Bobby Shew, Anne Calloway, and Jim Pugh. He’s performed at venues throughout the world, and he’s recorded with Present Music, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and others on Koss Classics, innova, Aoede, Albany Records, Changing Tone Records, Chameleon Records, and more.

Kathleen Sonnentag – Voice
WCM faculty member 1990-1999; 2006. “Rich,” “Glorious,” “Enveloping,” are just a few adjectives that critics have used to describe Kathleen’s mezzo-soprano voice. She was awarded the prestigious Eleanor Steber Award for Excellence in the Concert Field and has made her career singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and abroad. She has soloed in Handel’s Messiah in over seventy-five performances from Chicago’s Orchestra Hall to Tokyo’s Hitomi Memorial Hall. Opera News praised her as “vocally commanding” for her role of Maddalena in Rigoletto. She was the First Place winner of the district Metropolitan Opera Auditions and a finalist in the International Belvedere Competition in Vienna. Ms. Sonnentag records for Hal Leonard Publishing.

Curtis Stotlar – Piano
WCM faculty member since 1999. M.S., Juilliard School; B.M., Eastman School of Music; Doctoral Program, Peabody Conservatory. Curtis has performed in more than 30 countries, and appeared on national radio and television networks on four continents. He was a featured guest on NBC's Today where he performed part of an original piano concerto and was interviewed by Hugh Downs. As winner of the Harriet Hale Woolley Prize for two consecutive years, he studied piano in Europe with Wilhelm Kempff, Robert Casadesus and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and composition with Nadia Boulanger and Olivier Messaien. He has taught at Vassar College, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and the Juilliard School. He also taught in the French conservatory system at the Conservatoire de Neuilly and the Rencontres Musicales de la Plaine de Versailles, where he chaired the piano department. In addition to his musical studies he earned a second Master's Degree in cinema from the University of Paris (Sorbonne).


Elizabeth Teal – Violin, Theory
WCM faculty member since 2010.  M.M. in String Pedagogy from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, B.M.E in Music Education and Certificate in Violin Performance from The Florida State University. Elizabeth studied violin with Karen Clarke, Eliot Chapo, and Bernard Zinck.  Elizabeth’s teaching experience began with the Tallahassee Symphony Youth Orchestras while in Florida.  At the Masters level she received an assistantship to teach violin with the Inner City Music Program, a String Academy of Wisconsin outreach program. An active performer, Elizabeth freelanced for numerous ensembles including the Racine Symphony Orchestra. She sat Concertmaster and Associate Concertmaster of the UWM Symphony.  She attended the National Orchestral Institute and Festival in 2009 and 2010, and continues to perform regularly in the Milwaukee area.   

Michael Thiele – Piano
WCM faculty member since 1993. D.M.A. University of Iowa; M.M. Northwestern University; B.M. UW-Oshkosh. A frequent performer as both soloist and ensemble pianist, Dr. Thiele has taught piano at Iowa State University, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, University of Nebraska, Cornell College in Iowa, Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin Center-Fox Valley, University of Wisconsin Center-Fond du Lac, and Concordia University. He is a member of the Music Teachers National Association, Milwaukee Music Teachers Association, and Pi Kappa Lambda.

Joshua Tice – Early Childhood
Josh graduated from Marian College with a BS in Vocal Music Performance.  This will be his first year with the Conservatory.  Previously, he was the music teacher at La Causa Charter School for over nine years.  There he developed the music curricula for K5-8th grades and worked in the daycare setting.  He also initiated and directed the middle school swing choir program.  Josh coordinated the after school Youth Orchestra in conjunction with Waukesha Symphony Orchestra.

Scott Tisdel – Cello
WCM faculty member since 2000. M.M., Cello Performance, Indiana University; B.M., Cello Performance, San Francisco State University. Scott Tisdel has served as Associate Principal Cellist of the Milwaukee Symphony and Principal Cellist of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra since 1987, and has appeared as soloist with both ensembles. Prior to his arrival in Milwaukee, Mr. Tisdel was Principal Cellist of the Florida Orchestra (Tampa), and a member of both the Oakland and San Jose Symphonies. Mr. Tisdel is a founding member of the Conservatory's resident Prometheus Trio. He performs annually at the Washington Island Music Festival.

Jake Tomasicyk - Trombone
WCM faculty member beginning in the fall of 2011.  BM in Trombone Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Jake has performed in venues across the country and on cruise ships. He performs frequently with symphony orchestras, Rock/Salsa/Jazz groups, and musical theatre groups. Jake has performed in over twenty five premieres of new compositions, and has worked with composers on how to better incorporate trombone into their works. He not only plays tenor trombone, but also doubles on Alto/Bass Trombones, Bass Trumpet, Euphonium, and Tuba. When he is not performing or teaching Jake is composing new works for chamber groups including brass quintets, trombone choirs, and jazz combos.

David Wake – Piano, Percussion
WCM Conservatory Connections faculty since 2009. David Wake is a musician, composer, arranger, educator, and band leader from Milwaukee, WI. He plays piano, Hammond B3 organ, various other vintage keyboards, percussion & cowbell. David has toured extensively in the United States, Europe & Canada with a variety of reggae, jazz and soul groups. He is the leader of WAMI winning Latin Jazz Ensemble, De La Buena, and also plays currently with international touring acts Kings Go Forth and David Hillyard & the Rocksteady 7. In 20 years of performing music professionally, David has had the pleasure of working and touring with the likes of Lee "Scratch" Perry, Howard Levy, Amlak Tafari, Jan Sebon, Chris Dowd, Larry MacDonald, Dub Is A Weapon, Nomadic Wax, Paul Cebar, One Drum, and many more. David enjoys educating children of all ages on cultural music from around the globe through the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, and Express Yourself Milwaukee. He has been an accompanist for the UWM Dance Department since 2000. David studied music at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Milwaukee Area Technical College and the school of the touring musician--he has never been a contestant on the Price Is Right.

Nathan Wesselowski – Early Childhood, Voice
WCM faculty member since 2010. Nathan received his Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas and his Master of Music in Voice Performance from The Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, Ohio. Since moving to Milwaukee in 2002 Nathan has been writing operas with 6th graders at Tippecanoe School through Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's ACE program. Nathan has been performing opera and music theatre professionally for 16 years. Some of his credits include singing with Lyric Opera Cleveland, Cleveland Opera, Skylight Opera Theatre, Florentine Opera, The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, Ash Lawn Highland Summer Festival, Mill Mountain Theatre, The Fireside, In Tandem Theatre, First Stage Children's Theatre, Bialystock and Bloom, and Sunset Playhouse. Nathan currently serves as Vice President to the Board of Directors at Milwaukee Opera Theatre, where he is seen regularly onstage as well. 

Christine Wiggin-Bergey – Music Therapy
WCM faculty member since 2007. MT-BC, BM in Music Therapy, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. Ms. Wiggin, a certified music therapist, specializes in providing music therapy services to children on the pervasive developmental disorder spectrum. She received extensive training in Applied Behavior Analysis treatment through Wisconsin Early Autism Project. Ms. Wiggin also supplies sensory and cognitive stimulation therapy to senior citizens in the mid/late stages of Alzheimer's disease.