Class Notes
Eastman School of Music
1945
Edgar Kirk 鈥48 (MM), 鈥59 (PhD), a longtime professor of bassoon and music theory at Michigan State University, died in January, his son, Lee, writes. Lee adds that Edgar played with the Richards Quintet, the woodwind ensemble-in-residence at the university. 鈥淭hroughout its 25 years, the quintet included four Eastman grads: my dad, Elsa Luewig-Verdehr 鈥58 (MM), 鈥64 (DMA) on clarinet, Dan Stolper 鈥57, 鈥58 (MM) on oboe, and Douglas Campbell 鈥46 (MA), 鈥57 (PhD) on horn. Alas, the group was never able to land an Eastman flute player.鈥
1946
Douglas Campbell (MA), 鈥57 (PhD) (see 鈥45).
1948
Ann Field Bell and Dorothy (Dottie) Merriam Happel write that, after not having seen one another since their Eastman graduation, they鈥檝e reunited at the Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community (see sidebar, above). . . . Edgar Kirk 鈥59 (PhD) (see 鈥45).
1957
Douglas Campbell (PhD) (see 鈥45). . . . David Gilbert 鈥58 (MM) (see sidebar, above). . . . Dan Stolper 鈥58 (MM) (see 鈥45).
1958
David Gilbert (MM) (see sidebar, above). . . . Elsa Luewig-Verdehr (MM), 鈥64 (DMA) (see 鈥45). . . . Dan Stolper (MM) (see 鈥45).
1959
Edgar Kirk (PhD) (see 鈥45).
1964
Elsa Luewig-Verdehr (DMA) (see 鈥45).
1966
Joyce Malicky Castle (MM), University Distinguished Professor of Voice at the University of Kansas, has a new recording, The Hawthorn Tree (Americus Records). The music was composed by William Bolcom in honor of Joyce鈥檚 40th anniversary as a performing artist. . . . Chuck Daellenbach 鈥71 (PhD), cofounder of the Canadian Brass, has received the Canadian government鈥檚 highest civilian honor, Member of the Order of Canada.
1968
Bill Cahn writes that Nexus, which also includes Bob Becker 鈥69, has been performing with Persian classical vocalist Sepideh Raissadat. They performed together at the 2014 Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound last June and at the University of Toronto鈥檚 2014 Concert Series last October. In March, Nexus and Raissadat recorded a video program of five classical Persian songs. The video will be broadcast over Voice of America.
1969
Bob Becker (see 鈥68).
1970
Geary Larrick (MM) writes that he performed a program of music by George Gershwin in January on marimba in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. In February, he performed a program of music by African-American composers. He also reviewed the biography Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) by composer and author Jan Swafford in the winter 2014鈥15 issue of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors Journal.
1971
Chuck Daellenbach (PhD) (see 鈥66).
1979
Pianist Richard Steinbach (MM), professor of music at Briar Cliff University, will perform his solo debut at Carnegie Hall in June. He鈥檒l premiere his latest recording, Fusion: New Music for a New Age (Self-published).
1980
Dave Ratajczak (see 鈥85).
1982
Brett Blankenship (MM) has been elected president of the National Association of Wheat Growers. Brett, who studied piano performance and literature at Eastman, has been farming wheat full time since graduation.
1985
Trombonist John Fedchock (MM) writes that he鈥檚 released Fluidity (Summit Records), his seventh album as a band leader. Drummer Dave Ratajczak 鈥80, who died last October, performed on the recording.
1990
Linda Day writes: 鈥淎fter 22 years in the Austin Symphony, I have retired and moved to Monson, Massachusetts, with my husband, John. Since then, I have finished illustrating a children鈥檚 musical e-book with original songs, narrated story, and background music on harp, flute, and percussion. Love Your Enemies, Part One: A Musical Story of the Life of Jesus, is the story I wrote for my grandchildren, who sang my songs along with it.鈥 Linda has established a website, www.loveyourenemies.com. . . . Deborah Imiolo, a music teacher at Heritage Heights Elementary School in Amherst, New York, has published a book, We鈥檙e Gonna Play Today: Child-Centered Repertoire for Barred Percussion (Heritage Music Press). She writes: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a collection of original poems and songs for Orff instruments for young children to teach about the Orff instrumentarium and mallet technique.鈥 She adds that she was the classroom elementary music headliner presenter at the Texas Music Educators Association conference in February.
1996
Jeremy Gill received a New Music USA project grant along with the Parker Quintet. The grant funded a recording of Jeremy鈥檚 hour-long string quartet, Capriccio, by the Parker Quintet. The piece was commissioned by Chamber Music America.
1997
Robert Blaine (DMA) has been named dean of undergraduate studies and cyberlearning at Jackson State University.
2001
Mimi Furuya writes that the Furuya Sisters Trio released a DVD/CD, Furuya Sisters Live at Steinway Hall (Self-published), 鈥渁 live video recording of our concert at Steinway Hall in New York City in November 2014鈥攚hich marked the very last concert that took place in the historic building.鈥
2006
Kevin Ernste (PhD) (see 鈥08).
2008
Tiffany Ng (MM) will start this fall as assistant professor of music and university carillonneur at the University of Michigan. She鈥檚 been a visiting instructor of music history at St. Olaf College. Tiffany writes: 鈥淢y 2014 concerts at the International Carillon Festivals in Barcelona, Spain, and Bok Tower Gardens, Florida, included acoustic and electroacoustic works by Eastman doctoral students Paul Coleman and Matthew Barber 鈥09 (MA), as well as Jung Sun Kang 鈥13 (DMA), Andrew Allen 鈥09 (MA), and Kevin Ernste 鈥06 (PhD).
2009
Andrew Allen (MA) (see 鈥08). . . . Matthew Barber (MA) (see 鈥08).
2012
Catherine (CC) Claiborne Broyles has been named coprincipal flutist of the U.S. Coast Guard Band.
2013
Jung Sun Kang (DMA) (see 鈥08).