New faculty announced for Fall 2007

June 2007

Catherine Walker Adams received a bachelor of music education from Capital University Conservatory of Music, and a master of music in choral conducting from Western Michigan University School of Music. Ms. Adams has worked on professional, community, and high school productions at The Red Barn, The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, Island Center Productions, Three-D Productions, and Portage Northern High School. She joins us from Portage Northern High School where she held the position of director of choral activities. This summer she is working as Music Director on a production of Peter Pan at the Derby Dinner Playhouse in Louisville, Kentucky. She will be a welcome addition in the Department of Musical Theatre as Accompanist/Vocal Coach and Musical Director.

Scott Boerma holds a bachelor of music from Western Michigan University, and a master of music from the University of Michigan. He was the director of bands at the Lamphere School District in Madison Heights, Michigan, and the director of bands at Novi High School in Novi, Michigan. In 2000, Scott was a graduate assistant in Michigan State University Band Department. From 2001 through 2003, he was associate director of bands at Eastern Michigan University, and since 2003, has been the director of bands, assistant professor, at Eastern Michigan University. Scott is an guest conductor and composer and is increasingly active in conducting clinics locally and nationally. Scott has been recognized by the Presidential Scholar Award for Western Michigan University, School of Music; Honorary Lifetime Membership in the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association; and Outstanding Faculty in Classroom Instruction in EMU Holman Learning Center. He has received numerous honors, including first and second place honors at state marching band championships, and a first place award in brass performance at the Drum Corps International World Championships. Scott will join the faculty as associate professor of music in the Department of Conducting, and the Donald R. Shepherd Chair of Conducting.

Jane Fulcher - Professor Fulcher received a bachelor of music in composition and theory from Philadelphia College of Performing Arts. She later earned a master of arts and PhD in musicology from Columbia University in musicology. Professor Fulcher joins us from the faculty at Indiana University where she has served as associate professor and professor. She has received numerous awards including the ASCAP Deems Taylor Special Recognition Award, a visiting professorship at the Echole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, and a fellowship from the National Humanities Center. Professor Fulcher has written widely and extensively on the complex relationships between music and French culture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She is a pioneer in the area of contextual studies in musicology. She is a successful writer of grants and editor of a book series for Oxford University Press on the cultural history of music. She has produced an impressive body of published research and an exemplary record of contributions at conferences, both national and international. In her years of teaching she has taught a particularly wide range of courses and has worked closely with students at all stages of their academic careers. Professor Fulcher's record of excellence as a leading scholar of late-nineteenth and 20th century music history, and her profile as an excellent and interdisciplinary teacher make her an ideal addition to our faculty in the Department of Musicology.

Daniel Gilbert comes to us from his position as the second clarinetist in the Cleveland Orchestra. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Yale University. He also has a master of music and a professional studies certificate from The Juilliard School, and was granted a DMA teaching fellowship from the University of Minnesota. He further developed his experience and skills at the Aspen Music Festival receiving the Aspen Music Festival Orchestral and Chamber Fellowships for three years, as well as a Tanglewood Music Festival Orchestral Fellowship. Evidence of Professor Gilbert's outstanding reputation as a teacher lie in the numerous master classes that he has been invited to conduct at the country's most prestigious music schools and conservatories. He has served on the faculties of institutions including SUNY at Stony Brook, Blossom Music Center, Brooklyn Conservatory, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Institute of Music, New World Symphony, Oberlin Conversatory of Music, and the Horace Mann School. As a performer Professor Gilbert is among the leading clarinetists in the field, performing actively as a chamber musician, soloist and recording artist. We warmly welcome Daniel as associate professor of music in the Department of Winds and Percussion.

Joseph Gramley received a Young Artist Diploma (highest honor) from Interlochen Arts Academy and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts in 1988. He earned a bachelor of music from the University of Michigan in 1992, where he was awarded the Albert Stanley Medal, and a master of music from the Juilliard School. He made his concerto debut with the Houston Symphony Orchestra and his solo debut, in 1994, at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall. He has worked as director of the Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar and been on the faculty of Queens College in New York City and the Idyllwild Arts Festival in California. He has performed extensively as a soloist and with artists ranging from Dawn Upshaw to Pierre-Laurent Aimard. In addition to his engagements with the Metropolitan Opera, the Chicago Symphony and at the world's leading classical music festivals, Mr. Gramley, since 2000, has been a member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, collaborating with internationally-renowned musicians from India, Iran, China Japan, Korea and Central Asia. Mr. Gramley has recorded two solo CDs (AMERICAN DECONSTRUCTION and GLOBAL PERCUSSION) and performs on several recordings with the Silk Road Ensemble on the SonyBMG label. We enthusiastically welcome this talented artist as an assistant professor of music in the Department of Winds and Percussion.

Angela Kane received a Certificate in Education from the University of Hull, UK. She also received an Elementary Laban Certificate, and a MA in Dance from the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance/University of Kent, UK. She holds a PhD from the University of Kent (London Contemporary Dance School). Since 2000, Professor Kane has held several positions at the University of Surrey, UK., including Programme Director, Head of Department of Dance Studies, MPhil/PhD supervisor and examiner, MA dissertation tutor, and most recently, Head of the Division of Arts, Departments of Dance Studies, Music and Sound Recordings. Prior to her appointment at the University of Surrey, Professor Kane held several positions at Roehampton University. She also provided external examining/supervision at Middlesex University, UK, and the University of Durham, UK. Her research interests are in 19th and 21st century dance history, analysis and criticism, drawing upon many years of training in classical ballet and modern dance. Her monograph on the legendary American choreographer, Paul Taylor is due to be published by the University of Michigan Press. She has published extensively in the leading journals in the dance field, and has contributed numerous articles on British and American ballet, modern and post modern dance. We look forward to Professor Kane's joining us as professor of dance and chair of the Department of Dance.

Adam Unsworth holds a bachelor of music in horn performance and music theory from Northwestern University. He also received a master of music in horn performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2000, the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music named Adam their Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. Adam studied with some of the best teachers in the field, including former Chicago Symphony members Norman Schweikert and Gail Williams at Northwestern, and Douglas Hill at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Following graduation, he won a position in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and in 1998, he joined the horn section of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He has also served as a guest principal horn with the St. Louis Symphony and as principal horn of the Colorado Music Festival. Adam has appeared at universities throughout the U.S. as a recitalist and clinician. He has made several solo and chamber appearances at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall. He has recorded a number of jazz CDs featuring his original compositions for jazz sextet and three significant unaccompanied works for French horn. Adam's outstanding performance history, teaching, service and collegiality will make him an exemplary addition to our faculty as associate professor in the Department of Winds and Percussion.

Stephen West earned two Opera Performance Certificates from the Curtis Institute of Music. In five years of study, Mr. West learned and performed 25 operatic roles. Prior to his studies at Curtis, his bachelor of music in vocal performance was earned at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he began his studies with a major in drama, then changed to vocal performance after becoming interested in musical theatre. Mr. West made his operatic debut at the highest professional level: the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Nello Santi in a performance of Madame Butterfly with Renata Scotto and Carlo Bergonzi. Throughout his professional career, Mr. West has sung at some of the most prestigious opera houses and festivals around the world including Bayreuther Festspiel (Germany), International Bach-Akademie (Germany), Salzburger Festspiel (Austria), Staatsoper unter den Linden (Germany), Opéra National de Paris (France), Teatro Carlo Felice (Italy), and Teatro Regio (Italy) . He has made appearances in New York that have included live television broadcasts from both New York City Opera and the Met. In addition, Mr. West has performed over 30 leading roles in music theatre throughout his career. His teaching experience includes master classes presented at such music schools as Oberlin and the University of Indiana. He also maintains a private vocal studio in New Jersey. Mr. West's experience in both opera and musical theatre will assist the Department in serving the diverse needs of its students. His talents as an actor and director will also be valuable assets. His appointment as professor of music is a welcome addition to our faculty in the Department of Voice.