Alumni News…

Luciana Arraes (University of São Paulo BMus ‘05, University of Massachusetts Amherst MM ’10, Hartt School of Music GPD ‘13 DMA ‘17): member, Orquestra Sinfonica do Teatro Nacional Claudio Santoro; former Suzuki faculty Hartt School Community Division and the Kent School.

Eve Boltax (University of Massachusetts Amherst BM Violin Performance ‘10, Longy School of Music Bard College): freelance violist, Suzuki violin teacher, and Feldenkrais® practitioner; founding member of the Cardamom Quartet and Patchtax (saxophone and viola duo); performs with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra; Teaching Artistry faculty member at Longy School of Music Bard College; recipient of grants from the New England Foundation for the Arts and the Barr Foundation for creative pursuits and community engagement work.

Alicia Casey (Queensland Conservatorium BMus ‘07, University of Massachusetts Amherst MM ‘10) Suzuki Program Coordinator and faculty member at the Upper Valley Music Center; invited clinician at the Suzuki Institute of Indonesia, the Vermont Suzuki Violin Workshop and the Green Mountain Suzuki Summer Institute.; published in the American Suzuki Journal ; recipient of the Suzuki Association of America Certificate of Achievement in 2019.

Justin DeFilippis (School for Strings 2008-2009, Juilliard Pre-College 2009-2013, NEC BM ‘17, Rice MM ‘20): violinist in the Balourdet String Quartet (Bronze Medal, 2022 Banff Competition; Grand Prize, 2021 Concert Artists Guild; 2nd Prize, 2021 Paolo Borciani Competition; Gold Medal, Senior Strings, 2020 Fischoff Competition; 2nd-prize-winner in 2019 Nielsen International String Quartet Competition, in residence in the Professional String Quartet Program at New England Conservatory)

Kate Dreyfuss (School for Strings 1998-2003, Juilliard Pre-College 2003-2010, Princeton BA French Literature ‘14, Stony Brook University MM ‘17, DMA ‘20): founding member F-PLUS (commissioning grants from Chamber Music America and the Barlow Endowment fellowship with Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival Shouse Institute); core member Contemporaneous; guest violinist ETHEL 2018-2019.

Jennifer Gersten (School for Strings 2005-2008, Juilliard Pre-College 2008-2012, Yale University, BA English ‘16, Stony Brook University MM ‘18, DMA ‘21 expected): Double Standard (violin-piano duo with pianist Laura Davey) debut at Spectrum, Jan. 2019, Double Standard x hearsay at Arete Venue and Gallery, Feb. 2020; performances with Shattered Glass, residency at Kneisel Hall, Aug. 2019; winner 2018 Rubin Institute Prize in Music Criticism; essays, and reviews in The Washington Post, The Kenyon Review online, The Awl, Harvard Magazine, Guernica, San Francisco Classical Voice,WQXR, NPR Music, and The Toledo Blade. Fulbright recipient 2022.

Madeleine Jansen (Boston University BM ‘10, University of Massachusetts Amherst MM ‘14, University of Maryland DMA ‘22 expected): String coordinator Luzerne Music Center since 2014.; member Mount Vernon Virtuosi since 2019. Appointed to the faculty of Kansas State University, Fall 2022.

Youngbin Jo (Berklee College of Music BM, University of Massachusetts Amherst MM): Faculty, Westminster Conservatory. Best Teacher Awards from the NY International Music Competition and Music Fest in 2015 and 2018.

Celaya Kirchner (University of Maryland BM ‘16, University of Massachusetts Amherst ‘18): member, Milo Trio; principal second, Mid-Atlantic Symphony; frequent performer with the Washington Opera Society; developing a new chamber series Empath Concerts, which strives to create an open-minded dialogue about current and social affairs through music.  

Annierose Klingbeil (University of Massachusetts Amherst BM Violin Performance ‘19, MM Theory ‘21): General Manager, Lighthouse Chamber Players; General Manager, Long River Concerts; Concert Manager, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival; Lead violin teacher, Music Franklin; Faculty member, Northampton Community Music Center

Elliot Lee (University of Massachusetts Amherst BM ‘15, Yale MM ‘18): member, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Illinois Symphony Orchestra.

Jonathan Livioco (University of the Philippines, BMus Violin Performance ‘09, University of Massachusetts Amherst MM Violin Performance ‘17; Penn State MM Viola Performance ‘20): DMA candidate in Violin and Viola at University of Connecticut; former faculty Music Conservatory of Westchester and the Third Street Music School Settlement (NY); guest member of Montclair Orchestra and the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra; orchestra fellow with the Asian Youth Orchestra; featured soloist with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.

Greg Mascherino (University of Massachusetts Amherst BM Violin Performance/BA German ‘14, MM Violin Performance ‘17): tutti first violin in the Clara Schumann Philharmoniker Theater Plauen/Zwickau; guest tutti second violin in the Robert Schumann Philharmonikern Theater Chemnitz; regular guest with Theater Orchestras across eastern Germany including Magdeburg, Dessau, and Erfurt.; faculty at Bach Music School in Leipzig, Germany; active private studio with many University students.

Michelle Painter (University of South Florida BM ‘09, University of Massachusetts Amherst MM ‘12, University of South Florida MM chamber music ‘20): core member Homegrown New Music Series, Co-Artistic Director If Music Be the Food- Tampa Chapter; Prodigy Cultural Arts Manager/Community Engagement Coordinator, The Florida Orchestra; co-founding member Aurora Piano Trio; former Adjunct Assistant Professor- Columbia University.

Felipe Secamilli (University of São Paulo BMus ‘05, University of Massachusetts Amherst MM ‘11): member, Quarteto Jequitibá with concerts on SESC series and at the Austrian Embassy; solo appearances for the Royal Family of Brazil and collaborative works with a dance company as violinist and music director.

Kevin Sloan (Temple BM ‘14, University of Massachusetts Amherst MM ‘16, University of Maryland DMA candidate): faculty member, Music & Arts outside of Philadelphia; member, Allentown Symphony and New Jersey Capital Philharmonic.

Amanda Stenroos (Baldwin-Wallace BM ‘12, University of Massachusetts Amherst ‘15): General Manager, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival; co-Artist Director and General Manager, Norwottuck Concerts; co-founder and co-organizer UMass Bach Festival and Symposium; faculty member, Northampton Community Music Center.

Kokoe Tanaka-Suwan (School for Strings 1995-1998, NEC BM ‘03 , Rutgers MM ‘06, Rutgers DMA Performance ‘10, Columbia Teachers’ College MM Music Education ‘15): finalist for the 2020 Grammy Music Educator Award; featured in Joe’s Violin, Oscar-nominated documentary; orchestra teacher in Harrison Central School District since 2019; director of the Music Program Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls The Shirley Rodriguez-Remeneski School, 2008-2019

Ruth Tumpalam  (University of the Philippines, BMus ‘09, University of Massachusetts Amherst MM ‘17): former assistant concertmaster of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra; former member, Asian Youth Orchestra; in January 2020, featured with percussionist husband Cyd on Makilala TV, the first Filipino-American talk show in the NY metropolitan area; former faculty, Lindeblad School of Music and InTune Maplewood Music School (NJ); founder Play It Forward School of Music.

Benjamin Van Vliet (Vassar BA‘06, University of Massachusetts Amherst MM ‘09): Executive Director and faculty member, Upper Valley Music Center (Lebanon, NH) since 2011, board member Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, former general manager Lighthouse Chamber Players (2008-2016). Published in the American Suzuki Journal.

Christina Volz-Stomackin (Kennesaw State University BM, University of Massachusetts Amherst MM): full-time lecturer, University of North Alabama; concertmaster of the Shoals Symphony at UNA; Master Teacher of the UNA String Project; member, Huntsville Symphony Orchestra; has served as a judge for MTNA chamber music and solo competitions in Alabama and as a coach and judge for Alabama All State Orchestras.

Jiuri Yu (Boston Conservatory BM, University of Massachusetts Amherst MM ‘19): faculty, Key Notes School of Music, and the Maestro Musicians Academy; section violinist, Allentown Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, York Symphony Orchestra South Carolina Philharmonic, Cape Ann Symphony, Glens Falls Symphony.