Department News

Check this page often for news about Music, Theatre, Dance alumni, faculty, staff and students.

Elizabeth Cox was named Plymouth State University's 2008 Distinguished Teacher of the Year. She recently performed in summer stock in Advice to the Players' production of The Taming of the Shrew and will play the role of Gertrude in Plymouth State Theatre's October production of Hamlet. Prof. Cox was recently elected the Secretary/Treasurer of the Acting Focus Group of the Association of Theatre in Higher Education.

Dr. Gary Corcoran recently appeared as guest conductor of the United States Navy Band at a concert that was presented in Virginia. The invitation was extended by Ensign Patrick K. Sweeten, Associate Conductor of the Washington-based Navy Band. Ensign Sweeten, one of Corcoran's former graduate assistants at Pittsburg State University in Kansas, has been assigned to the band since October. The United States Navy Band has been the Navy's premier musical organization since 1925. More information...

Dr. Robert Swift's article "Your Attention, Please" has been accepted for publication in four of the New England state music education periodicals: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The article was inspired by violinist Joshua Bell's performance in a Washington DC Metro station last January, where he was virtually ignored.

This summer Dr. Rik Penninger licensed 3 more smooth jazz tracks to the Weather Channel for airplay. Rik also has a new CD out titled That's Kool featuring tracks from the Weather Channel. The CD is available on Apple iTunes and Walmart downloads.

The MTNA Collegiate Chapter hosted sessions on Nov. 10 in master classes and a "Music and Movement" class. Cassie (Chamberlain) Reed (B.S., Music Education '96) gave two master classes for the students of PSU student teachers, and also talked with the organization about studio policies and record keeping. Brenna (Brown) Cockerham (B.A., Music '96) gave a session on Music and Movement with 13 toddlers and their parents. The entire day was made possible through the Chapter's second Alumni Student Connections Grant.

Kenda Corcoran, adjunct oboe instructor, performed as a featured soloist with the Lakes Region Orchestra at Interlakes High School. She performed the Oboe Concerto in C Minor by the 18th century composer, Alessando Marcello. Kenda has been a member of the LRSO for 16 years.

Alumni

Katie Curran (Silvia) was married in 2005. She and her husband and are expecting their first child in November. Katie is in her 7th year of teaching general music and chorus at Peter Woodbury Elementary School and has a private piano studio.

Jessica Seifel (Gerlowski) is teaching piano in her home studio in Hartford, CT, and has a young daughter Meredith.

Angela Olszta is teaching piano at both the Nashua Community Music School and the Concord Community Music School. She also teaches Music Pups (birth-5 year olds) as part of the Early Childhood program at the NCMS.

Cassandra Reed (Chamberlain) is teaching piano in her home studio in Deerfield. She and her husband have 2 young children.

Jessica, Angela and Cassie joined current student, Ashley Rose, and Dr. Graff at a Piano Workshop with Randy Faber at Darrell's Music Hall in Nashua in late August.

Dan Formidoni will complete his master's degree in composition at the University of Oklahoma in June.

Jacqueline Morin will complete her master's program in Piano Pedagogy at West Chester University in June. Jackie won the WCU keyboard sight reading competition in the spring at 2008.

Jessica Janaitis is in her first year at Illinois State University where she's enrolled in the Master of Music Therapy program. She received a full assistantship in class piano teaching and is singing in the University Choir which will tour Italy in the winter.

Carl Wishneusky is working with the Princess Cruise Lines and playing piano on the ships. He has traveled numerous times to Central America, Alaska, to England on the Queen Mary, and will be traveling to Australia, New Zealand and the islands of Fiji beginning in October 2008.

Hannah Hammond ('06) is currently performing at the Thunder Bay Theatre in Michigan for the first four shows of their 2008-2009 season. She can be seen in the musical The Ark, The Kitchen Witches in which she plays a Ukrainian Cooking show host, A Christmas Carol, and a children's theatre production.

Christopher Lukos ('07) is currently playing the rogue Bill Sykes in a national tour of Oliver!, which was directed by Clayton Phillips. The production is currently touring the U.S. through the spring of 2009.

Tyler Rich ('07) is working as an assistant fight choreographer with the education department at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. He will also be performing in The BenchMark at Pierce Hall at The Historic Chicago Temple Building in Nov/Dec 2008.

Kevin Asselin ('97) is up for a "JEFF" award for his fight choreography in the Chicago production of As You Like It. The Jeff Awards are Chicago's "Tony." Kevin also continues to spend summers at Notre Dame University directing, acting and doing fight choreography. He also is involved in Montana's educational outreach programming through Montana Shakespeare in the Parks/Schools. He was most recently seen as Hamlet in Plymouth State Theatre's recent production of Hamlet in October, 2008.

Christopher Robin Marcotte ('00) recently received an award within the Philadelphia theatre community for choreography of the Hotel Obligado's production of an original work Beauty Is, a stunning evening of theatre. Robin will be returning to PSU in 2009 to provide a Winterim course in mask work.

Esther Hammond ('06) is attending the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, pursuing her MFA in Costume Design.

Victoria Miller ('05) recently received her MFA in lighting design from Rutgers University in New Jersey and is residing in New York City. She will be returning to PSU to act as lighting designer for the Fall '08 musical, The Robber Bridegroom.

Michael Stoddard ('01) received his M.Ed. from PSU in Spring of '08. He is currently working as chair of theatre arts at DSHA high school, a private Catholic school in Milwaukee, WI.

Graham MacDonald ('08) and Pam Heinztelman ('08) are working as a team for Children's Stage Adventures as Actor/Educators and traveling throughout the U.S. to provide educational theatre to school children.
 

Fall 2008 Student Teachers:

Emily Brennan
Broad St. Elementary School
Nashua South High School
Nashua, NH

Erin Deady
Northwest Elementary School
Manchester, NH
Goffstown High School
Goffstown, NH

Tracey Gousie
Southwick Elementary & Union Sanborn Elementary
Northfield, NH
Prospect Mountain High School
Alton, NH

Dave Saunders
Ledge Street Elementary School
Nashua South High School
Nashua, NH