Music Department Head - Mellasenah Indira Edwards
Mellasenah Indira Edwards received undergraduate and graduate degrees in performance from the Eastman School of Music, the Yale School of Music, and the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University. Her teachers have included Isidor Saslav, Peter Salaff, Syoko Aki, Sylvia Rosenberg, and Shirley Givens. She served as a teaching assistant in the string department while studying at Yale and as teaching assistant to Shirley Givens at the Peabody Conservatory. Dr. Edwards has appeared nationally as soloist and recitalist, and has been a member of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra, and the Spartanburg Philharmonic. She appeared with the Ritz Chamber Players in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and has performed with such festivals as the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, the Gateways Music Festival, the Contemporary Music Theatre Festival, the Spoleto Festival, and the Amelia Island Festival. Her performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio and on WNYC in New York City. She has served on the faculty at the Petrie School of Music of Converse College and as Music Department Chair and Violin Instructor at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. She has been an adjudicator at numerous pre-college and college level music competitions, a clinician at conferences sponsored by the South Carolina Music Teachers Association, and a panelist on forums on the arts. Currently Dr. Edwards is also an associate member of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra- Columbus, Ohio- a member of Ensemble Argos, performs regularly as a sub with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and serves on the faculty at the Peabody Preparatory and the Baltimore School for the Arts.
Instructor, French Horn - Karen Bakkegard
Karen Moats Bakkegard has been performing as a freelance hornist in the Baltimore-Washington area since moving here in 1978. She is a member of the Baltimore Opera Orchestra and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. In addition to many other organizations, she has performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Washington Opera, the Maryland Symphony and the Delaware Symphony. Karen graduated with a B.A. in French Horn Performance from California State University, Fresno, where she studied with James H. Winter. She also studied with Paul Anderson while attending the University of Iowa as a graduate student in Music Theory. Other studies include work with Sylvia Alimena, Barry Tuckwell, and Dale Clevenger. In the past, Karen has taught at St. Mary's College, Essex Community College, and Shepherd College. Currently, in addition to her work at Goucher, Karen teaches at the Baltimore School for the Arts.
Accompanist - Michael Sheppard
Michael Sheppard trained at the Peabody Conservatory studying with Leon Fleischer and Ann Schein. He is currently the pianist for the graduate conducting program at Peabody and maintains a busy concert schedule performing as a soloist and as an accompanist. Mr. Sheppard has been a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, the La Gesse Foundation, and a Classical Fellow of the American Pianists Association. His recently-released album of contemporary American music for the Harmonia Mundi label has been getting rave reviews.
Instructor - Ivan Stefanovic
Ivan Stefanovic, violin instructor and chamber music coach, is also the Assistant Principal Second Violin of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Principal Second Violin of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, a baroque violinist in Pro Music Rara, and a co-coordinator and co-founder of Chamber Music by Candlelight, a series featuring BSO musicians. He also teacher violin at the Peabody Preparatory and has conducted master classes throughout the United States and Japan.
Instructor, Voice - Robert Cantrell
Robert Cantrell, bass-baritone, has been described by the
Washington Post critic Joseph McLellan as “a warm supple voice that brought out the lyrical intentions of the composers making them treasured moments.” Cantrell’s 2008-2009 season highlights included the role of Gubetta in Donizetti’s
Lucrezia Borgia starring Renée Fleming at Washington National Opera; bass soloist in Handel’s
Israel in Egypt with Baltimore Choral Arts; role of the Bishop in Menotti’s
Death of the Bishop of Brindisi (reviewer from the Baltimore Sun, Arundel, wrote “Bass-baritone Robert Cantrell possesses a resonant , warm voice and strong acting skills to give a fully dimensional portrait of the Bishop”) and
Amahl and
the Night Visitors with Ann Arundel Community College; bass soloist in Duruflé’s
Requiem with the Handel Choir of Baltimore. He sang with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus in the Met’s 125th Opera Gala. Other solo appearances included Beethoven’s
9th Symphony with AACC, Vaughan William’s
Five Mystical Songs with the Johns Hopkins Choral Society, and Mendelssohn’s
Elijah with Columbia Presbyterian Church. The Reading Eagle wrote of The Reading Symphony Orchestra’s 4th of July Star Spangled Spectacular: “Extraordinary Bass-Baritone Robert Cantrell’s sumptuous voice, endless breath control and moving delivery swept everyone away.” His 2009-2010 season highlights include recitals on the CCBC Casual Concert Series,
Elijah with the Central Maryland Chorale, and the Opera Gala with the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra. He will appear in performances of
Porgy and Bess with Washington National Opera, singing the role of Jim. Mr. Cantrell is on the voice faculty at the Baltimore School for the Arts and is bass soloist at Grace United Methodist Church.
Instructor, Clarinet - David Drosinos
David Drosinos received his diploma from the Peabody Conservatory of Music. He studied clarinet with Loren Kitt, principal clarinetist with the National Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Drosinos won the Sidney Jensen Memorial Award for outstanding clarinet performance and has been guest artist at the Greek Embassy in Washington and the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. The Washington Post praised him as "playing with an unusually smooth and agile touch." On The Finzi Clarinet Concerto the Baltimore Sun noted “He played the idyllic score with technical security, tonal warmth and exceptionally eloquent phrasing.” David’s performance of the Copland Concerto was unmatched by any in Baltimore. The Baltimore Sun stated “Copland’s Clarinet Concerto had a confident and dynamic protagonist in David Drosinos. He spun the lyrical lines with considerable warmth.” Mr. Drosinos was the principal clarinetist and soloist with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra on their tour to Russia, and a featured soloist with the Concert Artist of Baltimore. He has performed in Greece, Ireland, Moscow, Finland, and Bahamas and all over the continental United States. His Greek Band Zephyros was a featured act at the International Clarinet Association in Washington, DC. David is a versatile and seasoned clarinetist who has enchanted audiences from 'Maryland to Moscow.' Mr. Drosinos resides in Cockeysville Maryland and is in much demand with performing groups in the greater Baltimore-Washington area. He teaches at Shepherd University, The Baltimore School for the Arts, and The Peabody Preparatory.
Instructor, Cello - Gretchen Gettes
Cellist Gretchen Gettes earned an undergraduate degree from Duke University and a Masters of Music degree in cello performance from USC where she studied with Lynn Harrell. She was a member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra for six years, and in addition to performing the Nutcracker over 130 times, played on numerous film soundtracks and commercials. Gretchen freelances in the Baltimore/Washington area and is a member of the Gliss ensemble and the band, Maycat. She teaches privately and is on the faculty at Goucher College, Peabody Preparatory, and Baltimore School for the Arts.
Instructor/Accompanist - Allen Good
Pianist Allen Good received his early musical training in Jacksonville, Florida where he studied with Natalie Szelwinska. He graduated from The Peabody Conservatory of Music in 1978 with the degree of master of music. Since 1979 he has been a member of the dance and music departments of The Baltimore School for the Arts. Mr. Good has served as company pianist for The Baltimore Ballet and has been master class pianist for such noted teachers as Violette Verdy, Jean-Pierre Bonnefous, Melissa Hayden, Edward Villella, and Michael Maul. He has been active in the Baltimore-Washington area as soloist, chamber musician, dance accompanist, and teacher. A number of his students have won prizes in local and regional competitions. Currently, he teaches piano, music theory, keyboard skills, and piano literature at The Baltimore School for the Arts. In addition to his musical activities, Mr. Good holds a certificate in accounting from The University of Baltimore.
Instructor, Saxophone - Rosemary Hammer-Burt
Born in North Dakota and raised in the western United States, Rose moved to the east coast in 2000 to pursue her Bachelors degree in classical saxophone at Peabody, where she also completed her Masters in Computer Music. She became increasingly involved with experimental improvised music in Baltimore, and became a member of the Red Room Collective and High Zero Foundation in 2005. Her playing encompasses Afrobeat, experimental improvisation, and highly complex composed music. Recently she has been exploring circuit-building and video manipulation, presenting a video work at the BMA in May of 2010 and collaborating on a handmade circuit installation for the 2010 Transmodern Festival. She currently teaches Audio at the Baltimore School for the Arts, at Goucher in the new MADArts program and is the Audio Specialist at the Johns Hopkins Digital Media Center.
Private Voice, Theory, English Diction, Keyboard/Twigs, Musicianship - Shalanda J. Bond-Hansboro
Ms. Bond-Hansboro is a graduate of the The Curtis Institute with an M.M in 2006, The Juilliard School with a B.M in 2003. She is also a 1998 graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts and participates in the Vocal Program of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women.
Instructor, Piano - Jolie Lin
Pianist Jolie Lin has been the recipient of numerous prizes and has performed in countless venues. As an alumna of the prestigious Young Artists’ Guild of the Music Teachers’ Association of California, Ms. Lin has been a soloist with such orchestras as the Lviv Chamber Orchestra, Ukraine, the University Symphony of Berkeley, California, the Crowden School Orchestra, the Conejo Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Los Angeles Bach Festival Orchestra. She is currently pursuing a doctorate at Peabody Conservatory and also holds degrees from the University of California and Indiana University, Bloomington. Her principal teachers include Rosemary Carswell, Sharon Mann, Evelyne Brancart and Boris Slutsky. Ms. Lin is also a dedicated music educator and recently returned from a trip to China where she conducted research on the music education systems of Shanghai and Beijing through a generous grant from the Theodor Presser Foundation. She was a presenter at the Performers’ Voice Symposium at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore in 2009 and continues to do research on her project concerning piano pedagogy in China and Russia. Ms. Lin currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland, and is on the music faculty at the Baltimore School for the Arts, a pre-professional training high school for young artists.
Instructor, Classical Guitar - Kathrin Murray
A seasoned performer and teacher, guitarist Kathrin Murray, is a passionately committed performer with the ability to transparently present music as having a "life of its own" with "beautiful tone" (The Washington Guitar Society). Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, at 9 years old she was invited to join a professional ukulele ensemble. Since beginning to play the guitar at age 15, she has become a dedicated performer and teacher based in Baltimore, MD. Ms. Murray has performed in the United States and Europe, and has been featured as a guest artist at the Bethlehem Guitar Festival, the Charlton Kings International Guitar Festival (England), on the BBC, and at the Dutch and Finish Embassies in Washington, DC. Recent performances have taken her to Mendocino, CA, Bethlehem, PA, Fairfax, Virginia, Washington, DC, Honolulu, Hawaii, Portland and Brunswick, Maine and the Shenandoah Conservatory in Virginia. She has won the Rising Stars Recital Competition and has received the Levine Faculty Development Grant, the Peabody Career Development Grant, the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival's Perfoming Associate Award, and has been a three-time recipient of the Levine Performance Grant. Recently, she received a 2008 Maryland State Arts Council Grant for her debut solo recording, “
Arabesques”, which was released in Spring of 2008 on the Centaur Record Label. Ms. Murray has served on the guitar faculties of Frederick Community College, Towson University, Mount Saint Mary’s College, and the Levine School of Music. Currently she heads the classical guitar studies at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD and teaches at Baltimore School for the Arts and the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore. Ms. Murray received a bachelor’s degree from the Lamont School of Music of the University of Denver, where she was a scholarship student of the renowned guitarist and pedagogue, Ricardo Iznaola, and a Master’s Degree from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with Julian Gray. She has also studied at the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival and privately with composer Gilbert Biberian in England.
Instructor, Flute - Sara Nichols
Ms. Nichols enjoys a diverse career as a teacher, soloist, chamber musician and orchestral musician. She performed as Principal Flute of the Baltimore Opera Orchestra for twenty two seasons, and has also appeared as a soloist and an orchestral musician with numerous ensembles including the National Gallery Orchestra, the Wolf Trap Orchestra, the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, Res Musica, Pro Musica Rara , the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. International appearances include the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival (Italy), the Miedzynarodowy Festival (Poland), the Mainly Mozart Music Festival (Mexico), and the St. Petersburg Conservatory (Russia). She can be heard in the Wolf Trap Opera Company’s recording of
Volpone by John Musto, which was recently nominated for a Grammy award. Ms. Nichols is a member of the faculties at the Baltimore School for the Arts and Towson University, where she was a recipient of the Dean’s Recognition Award for Excellence in Teaching. Her high school students have achieved numerous awards, including the National Flute Association High School Flute Choir Competitions; the Flute Society of Washington Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair Honors Competitions, Master Class and High School Flute Choir Competitions; Maryland Distinguished Scholars in the Arts; principal and section positions in All Eastern and All State Bands and Orchestras; and concerto competition winners who have performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, U.S. Navy Band, U.S. Naval Academy Band, and the Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestra.
Instructor, Harp - Jacqueline Pollauf
American harpist Jacqueline Pollauf is a dynamic young performer with musical sensitivity and maturity beyond her years. Praised for playing with “glittering beauty” (
Lawrence Budman, critic for the Miami Herald) and a “steady and most satisfying elegance” (
The Toledo Blade), Jacqueline made her solo debut at age sixteen with the Perrysburg Symphony Orchestra. She performs frequently as a soloist and released her first solo album,
Bouquet, in 2009. Jacqueline seeks to explore and expand not only the role of classical music in society, but also the perception and capabilities of the harp. As part of this mission, Jacqueline is a member of
Pictures on Silence, a duo with saxophonist Dr. Noah Getz. Dedicated to excellence in performance, the ensemble has an ever-increasing repertoire driven by commissions and transcriptions. Jacqueline is on the faculties of the University of Maryland at Baltimore County and the Baltimore School for the Arts. She holds Master and Bachelor of Music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory where she studied with Ruth K. Inglefield.
Instructor, Oboe - Leslie Starr
Oboist Leslie Starr received a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from St. John’s College before earning a Bachelor’s of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory, where she studied with Joseph Turner, longtime principal oboist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Starr is currently playing principal oboe with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, the Baltimore Bach Concert Series, and the Key West Symphony, and was principal oboe with the Delaware Symphony for ten years. She was professor of oboe at Towson University for thirteen years, where she played with Quintígre, the faculty wind quintet, and also appeared in other chamber music ensembles. Ms. Starr has been oboe instructor at the Baltimore School for the Arts since 1992.
Instructor - Rebecca Jones Trout
Rebecca Jones Trout began her musical studies under her mother’s tutelage at the age of three. Ms. Trout received her B.A. cum laude from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland and her M.M. from The Peabody Conservatory of Music of the Johns Hopkins University, where she was the recipient of a full graduate assistantship in accompanying. She has accompanied numerous art song and instrumental recitals in the Baltimore-Washington area. Ms. Trout has appeared as guest soloist with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, as a duo pianist with Mr. Jeffrey Winfield and as a guest accompanist with the U.S. Army Field Band Chamber Concert Series. She, for eleven years was one of the three resident accompanists of noted Explorations in Singing Workshop conducted by Thomas Houser and Ruth Drucker. She is also the resident accompanist for the Wunderlic Art Song Competition in Baltimore. Ms. Trout is presently on the faculty at The Baltimore School for the Arts, a by audition only public arts school in Baltimore City, where she has served as the assistant conductor of the choruses, and presently as a vocal and instrumental coach, and pianist/accompanist. In addition to her work at the school, Ms. Trout maintains a music studio at home where she teaches piano and voice and coaches professional singers. Ms. Trout has also sung in many choirs as a professional chorister and soloist in the Baltimore area. After studying voice seriously with Mary Ruzicka Crook for the past five years, she, with her teacher’s encouragement, has decided to embark on this new aspect of her musical career. In the summer of 2007, Ms. Trout performed with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society on their tour of France as the mezzo-soprano soloist in the Mozart Requiem. Ms. Trout is a chorister and soloist in The Christ Lutheran Church Choir at the Harbor.
Instructor - Kelli A Young
A native of Washington, D.C., Kelli A. Young graduated from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. She earned her undergraduate degree in vocal performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland. Following graduation from Peabody, Ms. Young was awarded the Syracuse University African-American Fellowship which enabled her to pursue graduate studies. Ms. Young has been a featured soloist and recitalist both in the United States and abroad, performing New York City, Syracuse New York, the Baltimore Washington, D.C. area, Augusta Georgia, Nice, France Cologne Germany, and Graz Austria where she also attended the American Institute of Musical Studies. She has collaborated with and sung for such greats as composer conductor Marvin Hamlisch, gospel recording artist, Richard Smallwood and Grammy award winning jazz vocalist, Bobby Mc Ferrin. Recently performed operatic roles include: Lauretta in
Gianni Schicchi, Pamina in
Die Zauberflote, Despina in
Cosi fan tutti and Valencienne in
The Merry Widow. In addition to performing, Ms. Young has expanded her creative talents to include directing musical theater productions of
Oklahoma,
The Pajama Game,
Little Shop of Horrors,
Smokey Joe’s Café,
Kiss Me Kate and
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Currently, Ms. Young is the Associate Choral Conductor and Theater Arts Instructor at St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, Md., the Assistant Director of Music at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church also in Laurel, and is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
