CONNECTICUT MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION

Hartt and SUNY Fredonia Arrangers and Professors

Student Arrangers

June Violet Aino is a composer, trombonist, and performer based in Cummington, MA. For the Virtual Ensemble Project, June arranged Amy Beach’s Far Awa’ for elementary strings and A. Brand’s Firelight for high school band. They recently completed their Master of Music in composition at the Hartt School of Music. There June was the teaching assistant for the Hartt Composers Ensemble and the first-year composition class. Their music interests focus mostly on contemporary and electroacoustic music, but also include modern pop, hip-hop, and experimental metal. Some of their favorite composers include: John Cage, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Luciano Berio, and Carl Stone. Apart from composition, June plays piano and trombone with an incredibly active punk duo called Space Camp that has toured the continental US and released four studio albums.

Contact info: junevioletaino@gmail.com          Website info: junevioletaino.bandcamp.com

In 2021, Dawson Atkin, arranger of Forsaken, was in their final year of study at The Hartt School, majoring in Composition.  They are a multi-genre artist whose works span from Musical Theatre to Singer-Songwriter to Contemporary Concert Music.  Atkin’s work across all genres holds emotional authenticity and vulnerability as its highest standard, and often uses American folk music as a source of inspiration.  Recently, Atkin premiered several large-scale works, including a one-man musical, Notes on Me and You with the Hartford Fringe Festival, and a puppet opera, The Sun and The Moon, featuring 10-foot tall puppets crafted by Atkin.  In 2021, Atkin was also premiered by the Hartt School’s Foot in the Door chamber orchestra and bassist Robert Black.  To contact Dawson, email them at dawsonatkin@gmail.com.

Arranger of Amy Beach’s “My Star” and Chopin’s Mazurka op. 33 no. 3, Jenny Citarelli is a composer specializing in musical theatre and other stage music, as well as a music scholar, music director, and collaborator with a passion for queer representation in composition and music leadership. Jenny is a doctoral candidate in Composition at the Hartt School of Music, where she serves as teaching assistant for the course “Composing for the Theatre.” Her most notable major work to date is “Trebles in Paradise,” an original musical highlighting struggles of queer college students with inclusion, self-discovery, and self-acceptance. To email Jenny, contact her at Jennifer.a.citarelli@gmail.com or via her LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/jennifer-citarelli-65b59669

In 2021, Rj Dion arranged “Reminisce about the union” as a sophomore at The Hartt School, where he majored in Composition and minored in Music History. While studying at The Hartt School, Rj performed on many instruments, including Jazz Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Guitar, and Piano.  Rj’s composing style has been influenced by works from Beethoven, Debussy, Cage, Monk, and Higdon. In his spare time, he enjoys building electronics and reading literature. To contact Rj, email him at: rjdionjr@rjdion.com, with Virtual Ensemble in the heading. 

Christie Echols is a double bassist, electric bassist, composer, and singer specializing in contemporary music and extended technique while active in the worlds of orchestral, chamber, musical theater, and jazz performance. Christie has premiered and written new works for double bass and voice and is passionate about new music; her performance of Caroline Louise Miller’s “Hydra Nightingale” for solo bass was featured at the 2019 International Society of Bassists Convention. Appearing regularly as bassist with ensembles, bands, and jazz combos, Christie has performed with the Amarillo Symphony, Missouri Symphony Orchestra, and The Hartt School’s Foot in the Door Ensemble. In 2016, Echols won the Ernst Bacon Memorial Prize performing Libby Larson’s “Four on the Floor” for piano quartet. As composer she has attended Wintergreen Summer Music Festival. She received her Master of Music from The Hartt School in May of 2020 and is pursuing her Artist Diploma in composition.

Sam Giacoia, who arranged Septimus Winner’s The Spelling Bee for treble choir, is a 2021 graduate of SUNY Fredonia where she majored in Music Composition and minored in Creative Writing. She plays clarinet, piano, and can occasionally make noise that sounds like music on the hurdy-gurdy. Sam considers her compositional influences to be a real hodge-podge, but her favorite genres to listen to are film scores, show tunes, and Swedish folk metal. In her free time, Sam enjoys hiking, painting rocks, and writing middle-grade fantasy novels. As of summer 2021, Sam is working in the Adirondack Mountains where she enjoys a limited internet connection and unlimited natural inspiration. You can reach Sam at giac6914@fredonia.edu.

In 2021, Alexander Gustavo arranged Ah! love, but a day! by Amy Beach for Elementary and High School band and Nocturne in E flat, Op. 9 No. 2 by Frédéric Chopin for high school choir, and was a 2nd year double master’s student in saxophone performance and music composition at the Hartt School where he studied with Nathalie Joachim, Carrie Koffman, Rob Wilkerson and Robert Karl. In 2015, Alexander was a featured soloist at Carnegie Hall with the Youngstown State University Wind Ensemble and has had compositions performed throughout the United States and France. Alexander’s composing style has been influenced by John Coltrane, Igor Stravinsky, John Mackey, Pink Floyd and Danny Elfman. In his spare time, Alexander enjoys playing, guitar, bass, piano, flute and working on commissions for future works. To contact Alexander, email him at: alexandergustavocomposer@gmail.com with Virtual Ensemble in the heading.

Joseph Hayes is a composer and musician from CT. In 2021, he was a senior studying for a dual degree in Composition and Music Production & Technology at the Hartt School at the University of Hartford. He arranged Beautiful Songs from the Sea, originally by James A. Butterfield. That year, he also wrote a piece for the Foot in the Door ensemble, the Hartt School’s contemporary chamber orchestra. Along with writing both live and electronic music, Hayes plays french horn and guitar. His compositional style is an amalgam of varied classical and non-classical styles. To contact Joseph, email him at johayes205@gmail.com.

In 2021, Jon F. Howe, who arranged both William S. Hayes’s “Get Up and Shut the Door” for brass quartet as well as Frederic Ayres’s “Sea Dirge” for sax quartet was a first-year masters student for music composition. Jon was a 2019 recipient of the Arts and Sciences fellowship at his undergrad university where he composed a short tone poem for orchestra, titled “Dullahan’s Ride.” Jon’s compositional style has been influenced by the works of composers such as Joe Hisaishi, Karen Tanaka, Claude Debussy, alongside traditional motifs drawn from his Irish heritage, and other folk music idioms. More information about Jon can be found on his personal website, www.jonfrancishowe.com. To contact Jon, email him at: jon@jonfrancishowe.com with Virtual Ensemble in the heading.

Qianni Lin (born in 1993 Oct 13th) is a rising Chinese young composer pursuing a Doctoral Degree in composition at The Hartt School, University of Hartford. She earned her Master’s Degrees in both composition and music theory at the Mannes School. Qianni began studying piano at the age of 4 and began studying composition at the age of 13. Currently, she studies with Dr. Robert Carl.

Her string quartet Rebound, commissioned by the Beo String Quartet, was performed at the Charlotte New Music Festival in 2018. Her chamber music piece, Diamond Unicorn Horn which was commissioned by coMUSICation program, was performed at Mannes School of Music in June 2019. Her violin solo Sobremesa was performed at the PRISM 20/20 concert for The University of Hartford’s 100 years anniversary in 2020. Her aria I Will Taste Salt to See You Again, commissioned by Boston Singer Resources, was performed at First Parish Dorchester in Boston in 2021. 

John Mange, arranger of /Barb’ry Allen Variations/ (based on a traditional folk song) for middle school band and /A Song of Solomon/ (from a choral anthem by William Billings) for high school band, completed his coursework at Hartt in the summer of 2021 and will graduate with a Master of Music Education and Composition Minor in the fall. He is currently the K-12 Director of Fine Arts in Stoughton, MA. In 2019 he commissioned and premiered James Stephenson’s /Old Modern Musick/ with the Stoughton High School Symphonic Band. He also directs the Marching Black Knights and one of the school jazz bands. His interpretive analysis of Stravinsky’s /Symphonies of Wind Instruments/ will be published in the /Journal of Band Research/ in Fall 2022. Mr. Mange can be reached at j_mange@stoughtonschools.org.

Daniel Powers was a Freshman at the Hartt School in 2021 studying Composition and Tuba performance when he arranged Regrets, by Ernest Bloch, for Orchestra. Before coming to Harrt he was able to study Composition at the Manchester Community Music School In New Hampshire where he started having his pieces performed and critiqued in a showcase for composition students. At Hartt, he had a string trio performed as a part of the Uncertainty of Fate festival and had other pieces performed in concerts put on by the freshman composition class. Daniel’s music is greatly influenced by the works of Charles Ives, Gustav Mahler and Carl Ruggles to name some of his favorites. To contact Daniel, email him at Danielpowers344@gmail.com, with Virtual Ensemble in the heading. 

Dylan Reyes is an Audio Engineer, Composer, and active Performer in both the jazz and classical traditions. Born and Raised in Virginia Beach, he labors to merge his folk roots with his equal love for the jazz and classical traditions, with a particular interest in ethnomusicology, non-ethnocentric thinking, and existentialism due to his IB education. He finds interest in gathering a myriad of perspectives from those around him to create his vision and inform his artistic decisions. He works tirelessly to cultivate a live performance career, directing a big band, funk group, combo, and multiple recording groups. He is always working on something or another, so the only way to know what’s happening is to ask him, he loves to strike up a conversation. Dylan knows not what the future holds, but finds it odd to refer to himself in the third person.

In 2021, Nick Ruel was a Graduate student at the Hartt School, where he majored in Composition and played French Horn. Nick earned his B.S. in Music Education at Western Connecticut State University. Currently, he is a Special Education and Music Teacher at the FOCUS Center for Autism’s Fresh Start School in Northern Connecticut. He currently serves as the Assistant Director for the Windham Concert Band, and has taught marching band programs in Northern Connecticut and Southeastern Massachusetts.
Nick has expertise in arranging/composing music for marching band, wind ensemble, concert band, brass ensemble, brass quintet, and other chamber ensembles. He draws his compositional inspiration from varying sources, such as British Brass Band music and musicians such as Beck, Imogen Heap, Steve Reich, and Brian Eno.  Some of his most recent projects include the Uncertainty of Fate Festival at the Hartt School and releasing an album of electroacoustic music titled “The Future is Now” on BandCamp.
To contact Nick, email him at Nickrulie@gmail.com and also check out his album “The Future is Now” on BandCamp at http://nicholasruel.bandcamp.com.

 

In 2021, Nathan Scalise, who arranged “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” and “The Entertainer” for Jazz Ensemble, was a first-year DMA student at the Hartt School. Significant musical influences include Nina Simone, Schubert, Duke Ellington, Leonard Bernstein, and U2. His works have won competitions hosted by groups such as Dolce Suono Ensemble (chamber music), Sparks and Wiry Cries (art song), and Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame, and have been performed nationally and internationally by a range of professional chamber ensembles and vocalists including the Momenta Quartet, Contemporaneous, Orchestra 2001, soprano Jordan Bowman, and Opera Elect. A native of Brewster, MA, on Cape Cod, Nathan holds bachelor’s degrees in Music and Economics from Swarthmore College, and an M.M. in Composition from Binghamton University, where he subsequently served on the faculty. 

For more, visit https://nathanscalise.squarespace.com/ or contact him at nathan.scalise@gmail.com

Wolfgang Scheitinger, arranger of “Ecstasy” by Amy Beach, completed his arrangement in the Spring of 2021 during his sophomore year at the State University of New York at Fredonia. At SUNY Fredonia, he is a double major in Music Composition and Bassoon Performance. In the Spring of 2021, Scheitinger’s work “flutters and murmurs of an irregular heart and curious mind” was selected to be performed at the 2021 Society of Composers Inc. National Conference by the profound duo, Transient Canvas, who were given the world premiere. Scheitinger currently studies with Dr. Rob Deemer, but has studied with Jamie Leigh Sampson, Dr. Andrew Martin Smith, and Paul Coleman previously. While choosing not to confine himself to any one particular style, Scheitinger pulls inspiration from many composers, both in and out of the classical world. To contact Wolfgang, email him at: wolfgangsch2001@gmail.com, with Virtual Ensemble in the heading.

Edward Spear (he/him) – Edward Spear is a composer from Wurtsboro, New York. He was a sophomore composition student at the State University of New York at Fredonia when he arranged Ethel Smyth’s “March of the Women.” Edward also composed a string quartet using melodic fragments from the same piece. Aside from composition, Edward is also a vocalist with additional experience in violin and piano. To contact Edward, email him at spea4368@fredonia.edu

Giovanna Spiotti was a Freshman at The Hartt School when she wrote Two Appalachian Folk Songs for Concert Band. Spiotti’s work is influenced by American classic and Romantic composers like Bernstien, Berlin, Barber, Copland, and Chopin. Along with her studies as a music composition major, Spiotti studies Mezzo Soprano under Cherie Caluda and explores the voice by composing art songs for her favorite poems. Aside from Romantic, American classic, and art song, Spiotti enjoys listening to Pop, RnB, Hip Hop, Dance, and Folk from varying cultures. Outside of music, Spiotti enjoys reading, writing, cooking, historical costuming, reenactments, and learning Romanian. To contact Giovanna, email her at spiotti@hartford.edu with “Virtual Ensemble” in the heading.

In 2021, Connor Swaenepoel, who arranged James R. Europe Castle House Rag, was a senior at SUNY Fredonia, where he had a double major in Music Composition and Tuba Performance. Before finishing the Virtual Ensemble Project, he completed his semester having both a senior tuba performance recital and a composition recital. 

Connor is influenced by composers such as Stravinski, Copland, Daugherty, and film composers such as John Williams and Howard Shore. He enjoys experimenting with tuba multiphonics and playing with melodies from songs and movies on the piano. He also enjoys improvisation on the tuba. To contact Connor for more arrangements and/or commissions, email him at: cds7598@me.com

Ryan Terry, who arranged Ada R. Habershon’s piece “Will The Circle Be Unbroken?” for high school choir, is a Sophomore at the State University of New York at Fredonia, where he majors in Music Composition. Terry’s debut piece was a guitar and cello duet titled “Fog” which was performed on April 19th, 2021 in Rosch Recital Hall, Fredonia NY for the Chamber Made Guitar concert. Terry’s composition style has been influenced by the works of Steve Reich, Jonny Greenwood, and traditional American and Irish folk settings. Terry is also a guitarist who plays and writes for local ensembles such as Beach Tower and Violent Graffiti. To contact Terry, email him at: terr0662@fredonia.edu, with Virtual Ensemble in the heading.

Julienne K. Tsang (b. 2000) is a student at the Fredonia School of Music. They currently major in Music Composition and Music Entrepreneurship with a minor in Accounting. In the Spring of 2021, Julienne was selected to arrange a piece for the Virtual Ensemble Project. They were a sophomore when they arranged the parlor tune “The Maid and The Sparrow” for SA choir. Their style is described as “chameleon-like”, as they use the many musical influences in their life to drive their craft. The depth of their style ranges from cute singer-songwriter tunes to lush neo-classical pieces to ear ringing EDM. To learn more information about Julienne, visit their website at jktsang.weebly.com or find them on LinkedIn or Twitter. You can also directly email them at tsang.julienne@gmail.com.

Mickie Wadsworth is a soprano and composer based in Upstate New York. For the Library of Congress project, Mickie arranged the Peace on Earth Christmas Anthem by Amy Beach. Most recently their work Lake Song was published in NewMusicShelf Anthology of New Music: Trans & Non-binary Voices, Vol. 1. They have participated in several workshops and festivals including N.E.O. Voice Festival (2021), Art Song Lab (2020), and Electronic Music Midwest (2019). 

Mickie is currently pursuing their master’s in Music Composition at Ohio University where they are studying with Dr. Robert McClure. They graduated from The State University of New York at Fredonia with their B.M. in Music Composition in 2021. At Fredonia they studied with Dr. Andrew Martin Smith and Jamie Leigh Sampson. For more information please visit https://mickiewadsworth.weebly.com

Wen Wen Van Der Wende, who arranged Gena Branscombe’s “I Bring You Heartsease” for SAB choir, is a composition major, class of 2023 at The Hartt School, University of Hartford. As a person with both an instrumental and choral singing background, they have been influenced by many different kinds of music, from global folk music to standard classical repertoire, to more modern, experimental work.

Wen Wen has been most influenced by the composing styles of Ralph Vaughan Williams and Modest Mussorgsky but is also inspired by many others, including film and video game composers. Additionally, they partake in analyzing K-pop and J-rock songs. In their free time, Wen Wen knits plushies of celebrities and fictional characters. To contact Wen Wen, email them at Cjwvanderwende@gmail.com with Virtual Ensemble in the heading.

Sierra Wojtczack, who arranged “Crescent City Waltzes” by O.F. Berdan, was a senior at SUNY Fredonia studying music composition. She has studied with composers Jamie Leigh Sampson, Andrew Martin Smith, and Paul Coleman. She is an active member of the new music community, serving as President of Ethos New Music Society at Fredonia. In 2019, a movement of her “String Quartet No. 1” was featured on a reading session with the Mivos Quartet. She was also awarded 2nd place winner in the 2nd Annual New Voices Essay Contest by I Care If You Listen.com.  In 2020, she was selected to participate in Art Song Lab to create a new art song and was a semifinalist for the SUNY PACC Prize for a proposed outreach concert. She will be pursuing her master’s in music composition at Bowling Green State University. Sierra can be contacted at sewojmusic@gmail.com. For more information visit sierrawojtczack.weebly.com. 

 

Professors

https://www.hartford.edu/academics/schools-colleges/hartt/academics/music/music-composition.aspx

https://www.fredonia.edu/academics/colleges-schools/school-music/music/faculty/composition

Paul Coleman enjoys a multi-faceted career as a composer, sound engineer, and teacher of composition, theory, and electronic music.

As Sound Director for Ensemble Signal, Paul has appeared at venues including NPR Tiny Desk, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and the Ojai Music Festival, working alongside Steve Reich, Julia Wolfe, Helmut Lachenmann, Kaija Saariaho, and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood.

Paul’s compositions have been performed at festivals and venues around the world, including two featured shows at John Zorn’s venue, The Stone NYC, and multiple tours of historic carillons throughout Europe. His commissions include Eastman’s Musica Nova with Conductor Brad Lubman and Soprano Soloist Tony Arnold.

Paul is on faculty at SUNY Fredonia teaching Composition, Electronic Music, and Theory, and at the Eastman School of Music’s Community Music School teaching Composition, Advanced Keyboard Theory for Pianists, and Instrumentation and Orchestration.

http://www.paulcolemanmusic.com/

http://www.signalensemble.org/

Dr. Rob Deemer is a composer, conductor, educator, author, and advocate. His work as an advocate for underrepresented composers led him to create the Institute for Composer Diversity and the Composer Diversity Database. Deemer is a Professor and Head of Composition at the State University of New York at Fredonia, the State Chair of the NYSSMA Composition/Improvisation Committee, and the National Chair of the NAfME Composition Council.

Adam Lenz is a composer, multidisciplinary artist, producer, and educator based in Windsor, Connecticut. His work spans music composition, multimedia art, installation, visual art, and performance. A frequent collaborator, Adam has developed projects with internationally recognized artists including director Robert Wilson, composer-performer Meredith Monk, director Dr. GoraParasit, director Dimitris Papaioannou, director Baboo Liao, bassist Robert Black, multi-instrumentalist Zach Rowden, violinist Abderrahman Anzaldua, and violinist Geirþrúður Ása Guðjónsdóttir, among others. These projects have been presented at venues including Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie (ZKM), Teatrul Naţional “Marin Sorescu,” Festivalul Naţional de Teatru, Berliner Festspiele, Cankar Center, Platonov Arts Festival, Boston University Art Galleries, Abrons Art Center, NYCEMF, SEAMUS, Goldsmiths, The Watermill Center, and many more. Adam is also the founder and creative producer at Sleeping Gnome Arts, a production company focusing on special projects in contemporary sound and movement.

Gilda Lyons: ​​www.gildalyons.com

Davis Martin (b. 1996) is a composer, conductor, vocalist, and pianist based in Hartford, CT. He is currently pursuing a DMA in Music Composition at The Hartt School, where he is a Teaching Fellow, providing private composition lessons to undergraduate students. He completed a BM in Music Composition and MM degrees in Choral Conducting and Vocal Pedagogy at East Carolina University. At ECU, he was an active force in the voice department as a conductor and performer in numerous vocal settings in addition to extracurricular engagements. He also maintained an active role in the composition program, serving as the organizer of the new music concert series, Frequencies.

Presently, Davis performs in Hartt’s Composers’ Ensemble and Opera Theater. His ongoing projects include a song cycle for baritone and chamber orchestra and various solo works.

Outside of music, Davis enjoys writing poetry, photography, collecting vinyl records, and playing video games.

Andrew Martin Smith (b. 1984, Sharon, CT) is a composer, clarinetist, entrepreneur, and educator, having taught at the State University of New York at Fredonia, Interlochen Arts Camp, Bowling Green State University (BGSU), and Owens Community College. He is a founding member of the ADJ•ective Composers’ Collective and an active performer of contemporary music.

Smith has written a variety of compositions for solo instruments, voice, choir, mixed chamber ensembles, wind ensemble, orchestra, and electronic media. Through his music he explores the sonic ramifications of interdisciplinary influence and inspiration, highlighting the similarities shared between several seemingly disparate disciplines, artistic endeavors, and stylistic trends. His compositions have been performed at contemporary music festivals and conferences throughout the United States and Europe, including Electronic Music Midwest, SEAMUS National Conference, the International Computer Music Conference, the SCI National Conference, and the MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music’s Annual New Music Festival.

https://www.andrewmartinsmith.com/