Alumni Spotlights

B. Suzanne Hassler (M.A., ’91) received a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship to attend the NEA Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in fall 2010. The institute, co-directed by András Szántó and Anya Grundmann, included study with noted artistic director and author Joseph Horowitz. In addition to daily sessions taught by Columbia University faculty and invited experts, the institute included performances by Joshua Bell, Jeremy Denk, René Pape, Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, and the New York Philharmonic.

For more information on the NEA Arts Journalism Institute visit http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/page/217-nea-arts-journalism-institute-in-classical-music-and-opera/218.

Cherise Lukow (B.M., Music Performance, 2009) moved to Paris after graduation, and has performed as a FAVA guest artist for the city of Paris at both the l’Hôtel de Ville de Paris and la Residence de l’Ambassadeur des Etats-Unis. She was awarded the top prize for female voice in FAVA’s Grands Concours de Chant, and signed with the Added-Lewis International Artists Agency. She also received the first prize mention marked “à l’unanimité avec les félicitations du jury” at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris.

Quinton Morris (D.M.A., Music, ‘08) will be making his New York City debut in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, January 15, 2011. Student and senior discount tickets are available. For ticket information, call 212/247-7800 or go online at www.carnegiehall.org

Hank Hehmsoth (M.M., ’76) won first place in the 2010 NACUSA Texas Composition Competition. Hehmsoth is a jazz performing artist and National Endowment for the Arts fellow. He teaches Jazz Piano/Improvisation, Composition/Arranging, Film Scoring, and Music Technology at Undergraduate and Graduate levels at Texas State University; he is also the Director of Computer Applications and is WebMaster for the School of Music.

Eric Neuville (M.M., School of Music ’08) will be performing in Seattle Opera’s Young Artists Program’s upcoming production of Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos in April.

lives in Marlton, NJ, with his wife Diane. He is organist-choirmaster at Kemble Memorial UMC, Woodbury, NJ, and serves as Music in Worship R&S Chair for the Eastern Division of the American Choral Directors Association. Ken remains active as a choral clinician and adjudicator. He and Diane have six grandchildren, three in NJ and three in Texas.

has been invited to an 11-week residency at the Banff Centre in January through March 2010. During that time, he will compose, collaborate, rehearse and perform with other residency artists. Large scale compositional projects supported by this process will include a concerto for electric guitar and orchestra and two song cycles based on the poetry of Stephen Crane.

has recently completed the inaugural US Courts, Federal Judiciary IT Fellowship in Washington, D.C. He has also been accepted into the CIO Certificate Program at the National Defense University, and is co-chair of the Attracting Talent National CIO IT Workforce sub-committee for the Federal IT 2009 Summit. This fall, he will pursue full-time Entertainment Law and Mediation Services in Nashville, TN. Currently, Bruce represents several national jazz and country music artists and bands, and plans to expand his artist list to symphonic performers and violin artists.

has received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching for the College of Fine Arts and Communications at Texas State University, San Marcos. Dr. Cavitt also earned tenure this spring at Texas State University and serves as an Associate Professor of Music Education.