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Faculty & Staff
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Brass
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Department Chairs
Dr. Elena Doubovitskaya
Department Chair: Piano; Faculty: Piano
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Steven Gooden
Ensemble Director: Symphonic Band, Beginning Band and Advanced Band; Department Chair: Woodwind; Faculty: Clarinet
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Paul Lowry
Department Chair: Trumpet; Faculty: Trumpet
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Monica Lugo
Interim Department Chair: Strings; Head of Alegre Strings; Faculty: Violin
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Jade J. Maze
Department Chair: Voice; Faculty: Voice
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Michael Nearpass
Department Chair: Theory & Composition; Faculty: Theory
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Bob Sherman
Ensemble Director: Guitar; Department Chair: Guitar; Faculty: Guitar
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Iris Wei
Department Chair: Strings; Faculty: Violin
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Brass
Paul Lowry
Department Chair: Trumpet; Faculty: Trumpet
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David Allie
Ensemble Director: Concert Band, Merit Music in Communities, Faculty: Trumpet
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Monica Benson
Faculty: Trumpet
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John Grodrian
Faculty: Trombone
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Akshat Jain
Faculty: Tuba & Euphonium
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Katherine Lucena
Faculty: Horn and Band
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Timothy Riordan
Director of Chamber Music; Ensemble Director: Merit Brass Ensemble & Merit Trombone Choir; Faculty: Trombone
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Early Childhood/General Music
Sally Blandon
Early Childhood & General Music Program Manager
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Janet Janz
Ensemble Director: Stradivarius Strings; Faculty: Cello, Early Childhood
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Annaeka Johnson
Librarian; Faculty: Early Childhood Music
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Avo Randruut
Faculty: Early Childhood & General Music
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Kristen Regester
Faculty: Early Childhood
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Ensembles
Francy Acosta
Choir Director: Merit Music in Communities; Faculty: Voice
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David Allie
Ensemble Director: Concert Band, Merit Music in Communities, Faculty: Trumpet
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Bonnie-Heather Campbell
Ensemble Director: Clarinet Ensemble; Faculty: Clarinet
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Carling FitzSimmons
Director of Choirs: Merit Conservatory
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Taichi Fukumura
Director of Orchestras: Merit Conservatory
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Steven Gooden
Ensemble Director: Symphonic Band, Beginning Band and Advanced Band; Department Chair: Woodwind; Faculty: Clarinet
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Janet Janz
Ensemble Director: Stradivarius Strings; Faculty: Cello, Early Childhood
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Brandon Podjasek
Ensemble Director: Percussion; Faculty: Percussion
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Timothy Riordan
Director of Chamber Music; Ensemble Director: Merit Brass Ensemble & Merit Trombone Choir; Faculty: Trombone
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Bob Sherman
Ensemble Director: Guitar; Department Chair: Guitar; Faculty: Guitar
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Christian Smith
Ensemble Director: Encore Orchestra; Faculty: Violin & Viola
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Charles “Chip” Staley
Ensemble Director: Wind Symphony
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Ashley Summers-Baker
Ensemble Director: Merit Jazz Ensemble; Staff: Jazz Studies Program Manager; Faculty: Jazz
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Arturs Weible
Orchestra Director: Merit Music in Communities; Faculty: Viola
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Johanna Yeager
Ensemble Director: Cherub Orchestra; Faculty: Violin & Viola
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Guitar
Bob Sherman
Ensemble Director: Guitar; Department Chair: Guitar; Faculty: Guitar
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Timothy Stine
Faculty: Guitar
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Jazz
David Allie
Ensemble Director: Concert Band, Merit Music in Communities, Faculty: Trumpet
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Aaron McEvers
Faculty: Music Theory, Jazz, Saxophone and Combos
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Steve Million
Faculty: Jazz Piano; Jazz Combo Director
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Fred Simon
Faculty: Jazz Theory and Improvisation
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Ashley Summers-Baker
Ensemble Director: Merit Jazz Ensemble; Staff: Jazz Studies Program Manager; Faculty: Jazz
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Percussion
Vance Okraszewski
Faculty: Jazz
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Brandon Podjasek
Ensemble Director: Percussion; Faculty: Percussion
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Avo Randruut
Faculty: Early Childhood & General Music
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John Ringor
Faculty: Percussion
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Piano
Dr. Elena Doubovitskaya
Department Chair: Piano; Faculty: Piano
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Dr. Aaron Albin
Faculty: Piano & Voice
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Ann Birman
Faculty: Piano
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Maya Galperin
Faculty: Piano
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Paula Grzebien-Ciezobka
Faculty: Piano
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Mio Isoda-Hagle
Faculty: Piano
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Anna Kovalevska
Faculty: Piano
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Weiwen Ma
Faculty: Piano
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Alessandra Odazaki-Rodriguez
Faculty: Piano
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Tina Qi
Faculty: Piano
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Toshiko Suzuki
Faculty: Piano
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Ligia Takei
Faculty: Piano
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Pedro Uceda
Faculty: Piano
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Ethan Valentin
Faculty: Piano
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Grace Wong
Faculty: Piano
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Dr. Ann Yi
Faculty: Piano
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Strings
Monica Lugo
Interim Department Chair: Strings; Head of Alegre Strings; Faculty: Violin
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Iris Wei
Department Chair: Strings; Faculty: Violin
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Claire Bachman
Faculty: Cello
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Brian Beach
Program Director: Strings & Orchestra; Faculty: Violin
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Doug Bistrow
Faculty: Bass, Jazz Bass, Music History
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Lizbeth Bistrow
Faculty: Violin and Theory
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Chuck Bontrager
Faculty: Violin and Viola
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Erica Carpenedo
Faculty: Violin
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Melanie Clevert-Sarapa
Faculty: Violin
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Rebekah Dotzel
Faculty: Cello
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Christine Fliginger
Faculty: Violin
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Matt Gold
Faculty: Theory, Bass
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Carolina Gomez
Faculty: Cello
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Rebecca Gu
Faculty: Violin & Viola
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Kristin Hedlund
Faculty: Violin
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Janet Janz
Ensemble Director: Stradivarius Strings; Faculty: Cello, Early Childhood
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Ayako Kikuchi
Faculty: Violin & Viola
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Daniel Klingler
Faculty: Cello
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Sara Neilson
Faculty: Double Bass
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Kelly Quesada
Faculty: Cello
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Molly Rife
Faculty: Cello
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Patrick Rustandi
Faculty: Violin and Viola
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Anna Sanders
Faculty: Cello
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Julie Schreiner
Faculty: Violin & Viola
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Hope Shepherd
Faculty: Cello
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Christian Smith
Ensemble Director: Encore Orchestra; Faculty: Violin & Viola
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Benjamin Weber
Faculty: Violin and Viola
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Arturs Weible
Orchestra Director: Merit Music in Communities; Faculty: Viola
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John Xia
Faculty: Violin
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Johanna Yeager
Ensemble Director: Cherub Orchestra; Faculty: Violin & Viola
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Theory & Composition
Michael Nearpass
Department Chair: Theory & Composition; Faculty: Theory
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Matt Gold
Faculty: Theory, Bass
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Aaron McEvers
Faculty: Music Theory, Jazz, Saxophone and Combos
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Shirley Mosteller
Faculty: Voice and Theory
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Voice/Choir
Jade J. Maze
Department Chair: Voice; Faculty: Voice
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Francy Acosta
Choir Director: Merit Music in Communities; Faculty: Voice
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Dr. Aaron Albin
Faculty: Piano & Voice
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Alyssa Allgood
Faculty: Voice & Choir
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Carling FitzSimmons
Director of Choirs: Merit Conservatory
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Kimberly Eileen Jones
Faculty: Voice
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Shirley Mosteller
Faculty: Voice and Theory
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Charles Taylor
Faculty: Voice & Choral
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Woodwind
Steven Gooden
Ensemble Director: Symphonic Band, Beginning Band and Advanced Band; Department Chair: Woodwind; Faculty: Clarinet
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Bonnie-Heather Campbell
Ensemble Director: Clarinet Ensemble; Faculty: Clarinet
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Jalene Huang
Faculty: Woodwind
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Betsy Ko
Faculty: Flute
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Susan Crandall
Faculty: Flute
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Anna Najoom
Faculty: Clarinet
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Christine Janzow Phillips
Faculty: Oboe
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Ben Roidl-Ward
Faculty: Bassoon
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Thomas Snydacker
Faculty: Saxophone
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Claire Werling
Faculty: Clarinet
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Please select a department from the dropdown above to view faculty listings.
Staff
President's Office
Charles Grode
President & Executive Director
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Auriel Jones
Chief of Staff
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Programs
Kurtis Gildow
Dean & Vice President for Educational Affairs
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Amy Riske
Associate Dean of Programs & The Marlene M. Bowen Piano Program Director
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Brian Beach
Program Director: Strings & Orchestra; Faculty: Violin
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Melanie Lunardi
Voice & Guitar Program Director
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Timothy Riordan
Director of Chamber Music; Ensemble Director: Merit Brass Ensemble & Merit Trombone Choir; Faculty: Trombone
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Adrienne Thompson
Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative Project Director
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Andrew Zweibel
Band Program Director
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Sally Blandon
Early Childhood & General Music Program Manager
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Gordon Daole-Wellman
Band Program Manager
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Denise Mol
String Program Manager
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Ashley Summers-Baker
Ensemble Director: Merit Jazz Ensemble; Staff: Jazz Studies Program Manager; Faculty: Jazz
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Kat Hudson Best
Private Lesson Coordinator
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Amy Bischoff
Program Coordinator
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Student Services
Taylor Manrique
Director of Student Services
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Lily Floeter
Student Data & Registration Manager
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Esperanza Salgado
Student Accounts Manager & Elective Faculty
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Annaeka Johnson
Librarian; Faculty: Early Childhood Music
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Maggie Lin
Student Services Associate
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Karen Lopez
Student Services Associate
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Alma Mol
Receptionist
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Barbara Talarico
Receptionist
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Development & Marketing
Meredith Barber
Vice President for Development & Marketing
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Laura Stillman
Director of Marketing & Communications
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Cathy Wloch
Director of Donor Engagement
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Mark Richard
Institutional Gifts Manager
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Meredith Richard
Individual Giving Manager
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Finance & Administration
Amy Johnson
Vice President for Finance & Administration
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Andrew Bedessem
Director of Finance
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Emmy Colón
Director of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Antiracism (IDEA) and Human Resources
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Andrew Levine
Associate Director of Human Resources and Finance
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Facilities & Technology
Rogelio “Roger” Esparza
Facilities Manager
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John K Johnson
Operations & Rentals Manager
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