Zach Maxwell '07, composer and musician
is currently in the studio recording many of his original compositions.
Sally Swallow '07, soprano
Sally Swallow is performing in New York City this summer with the Potomac Theatre Project.
Daniel Donnelly '06, musicologist and Harpsichordist
Daniel Donnelly '06 is currently finishing an MA in Musicology at McGill University, where he also teaches undergraduate courses in music history and basic musicianship. At McGill he has become involved in the interdiscplinary, multi-university project entitled "Making Publics: Media, Markets, and Association in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1700," which is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, MCRI. In August of 2007 he was invited to present his paper "Musica, Mensa, Meraviglia: The Ferrarese Banquets of Cristofaro di Messisbugo," based on his senior undergraduate thesis at Middlebury, at the Intenational Medieval & Renaissance Music Conference at the University of Vienna. He is currently beginning preliminary research for a thesis on 16th century madrigal settings of texts from Ariosto's Orlando Furioso.
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Listening to this 25-year-old singer/songwriter perform her meticulously written songs, fervently singing them in a distinctive, almost childlike voice, you’d think it was her life mission to rouse the hearts and minds of her listeners with an acoustic guitar. But Mitchell wasn’t always committed to the idea. “I used to tell people I wanted to be a journalist. There is a lonely egotism and self-composure to journalists. Not unlike artists, they’re always traveling, always writing, loving their loneliness, feeling somehow that they have their finger on the pulse – worshipping the truth and trying to render it legible.”
Despite her journalistic leanings, Mitchell started writing songs at age 17 and eventually started performing them live during her school days, which were punctuated by a remarkable amount of traveling. In a short period of time, Anaïs made several trips to the Middle East, and also spent time in Europe and Latin America, studying languages and world politics. This stunning, troubadour-like experience seeped into her music, and she became adept at fusing her passion for literature and journalism in her lyrics.
With a clutch of quiet, ambitious songs in her arsenal, Mitchell recorded her now out-of-print debut, The Song They Sang When Rome Fell (2002), in a single afternoon in Austin, Texas. It was in Texas that Anais discovered the Kerrville Folk Festival, which honored her with the prestigious New Folk award in 2003. Soon thereafter, with the help of Michael Chorney and Chicago-based Waterbug Records, Anaïs released her second album, Hymns For The Exiled, in 2004. The stirring collection of guitar and voice cemented Mitchell’s status as a folksinger to watch, and the record eventually reached the ears of Ani DiFranco, a songwriter whose fusion of personal and political themes was a formative influence on a teenaged Mitchell. After seeing a few of Anaïs’ captivating concerts, DiFranco signed the artist to her label, Righteous Babe Records.
“If you knew what Ani DiFranco meant to me as a young woman and a young songwriter … well, I was simultaneously elated and in total disbelief,” Mitchell told a Vermont reporter after joining the RBRrrmy. “It seemed too good to be true.”
The same can be said about Mitchell’s Righteous Babe debut, "The Brightness," which hit stores February 13, 2007. During the recording process, Anaïs lived above the studio, which was built into an old Vermont gristmill. She could wake up, shake the sleep out of her eyes and record tracks in her pajamas, resulting in a decidedly intimate listening experience. Spilling over with worldly metaphors, intense emotions and unshakeable reverence to the art of song, The Brightness shimmers with creative spark.
Anais wrote and produced a folk-opera based on the myth of Hades and Eurydice: "Hadestown," which was enthusiastically received during the winter of 2006-07.
Devin Arrington’s music has been performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City and as far away as the Great Hall of the Composer’s in St. Petersburg, Russia. His music has been performed by violinist Daniela Shtereva (Indianapolis Violin Competition 2006 semi-finalist), clarinetist Alia Sabur, cellist Udi Bar-David (Philadelphia Orchestra), pianist Keiko Sato, the Grammy-nominated Cuarteto Latinoamericano, and the Carnegie Mellon Contemporary Ensemble, among others. The premiere performance of Jerusalem (2004) in Weill Recital Hall was recently broadcast on WQXR 96.3 as part of the McGraw Hill Young Artist Showcase, hosted by Robert Sherman. This year Devin Arrington received a 2006 fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Other awards include a First Music Prize (2004) from the New York Youth Symphony, a special distinction in ASCAP’s 25th Rudolf Nissim Prize for his orchestral work La Via Dolorosa (2004), 1st place in the Harry Archer String Quartet Competition (2003), the 2005 Westport Horizon Award, a grant from the Vermont Arts Council, and a 2004 CFAMC scholarship. He has been commissioned by the New York Youth Symphony, the Duquesne Contemporary Ensemble, and flautist Alberto Almarza, among others. Mr. Arrington is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University where he was a scholarship student of Leonardo Balada and completed his Master of Music in Composition in May 2004. He studied with Su Lian Tan at Middlebury College and received his Bachelor of Music degree with highest honors in 2001. As a professional violinist Mr. Arrington studied with Masao Kawasaki at the Aspen Music Festival (1999) and with Yehonatan Berick at the Bowdoin Music Festival (2000). He acted as assistant concertmaster of the Delhi Symphony and performed in St. Petersburg, Russia; Mumbai, India; and at Carnegie Hall in NY. He has also studied conducting with Dr. Robert Page and piano with Natalie Maynard, Cynthia Huard, and Natasha Paden. Mr. Arrington performs regularly with the Westmoreland Symphony and teaches violin, piano, and composition privately in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Cherine Anderson '05, vocalist and film actress
www.myspace.com/cherineanderson
From Chrine's web site:
She stands at five feet, three inches tall, soaking up the world with a voice reminiscent of pure and untainted soul. What kind of soul? According to songstress Cherine Anderson, this soul is unlike any other, for it is Dancehall Soul, “a mixture of reggae, dancehall, soul and R&B, truly incorporating the grittiness of my past with the sweetness of the things to which I have been exposed.” In this modern day parade of glamour, glitz, and unmerited superstardom, Cherine truly embodies star-like qualities. She is a triple threat: singer, songwriter and acclaimed Jamaican actress, having starred in two of Jamaica’s most successful films, Dancehall Queen (1997) and One Love (2003). Lately, Cherine has been focusing her attention on writing music and collaborating with industry giants like Sly & Robbie, David Norland (Madonna, Janet Jackson, Dallas Austin), JeekyMan (Lil Kim), as well as prominent Jamaican producers such as Steven “Lenky” Marsden (Sean Paul) and Christopher Birch (Shaggy). Reggae and urban radio stations in Jamaica, the US, Canada, several European countries, as well as internet radio have already fallen for the sweet voice spilling from their systems courtesy of her debut hit single “Good Love”. Cherine quickly followed “Good Love” with a lover’s rock duet with Chuck Fenda which quickly topped both the singles and the video charts in Jamaica. Cherine’s latest release, “Kingston State of Mind”, currently released to radio, provides Cherine’s perspective on the realities of the environment in Kingston. This song’s content illustrates the songwriting depth that lies in this young artist.
It is important to note that this profound talent did not emerge overnight. Born in Rockfort in East Kingston, Jamaica, her parents Derryck & Barbara Anderson kept Cherine and her two older sisters in Sunday school and any other church activity that would keep them off the unstable streets. It was in church that her musical talent was discovered. Cherine explains, “It wasn’t so much the message in the church songs that appealed to me at first…it was the passion and strength of peoples’ voices.” At the age of 12, she became a touring member of Ashe Performing Arts Ensemble, one of the Caribbean’s most successful performance companies, and received professional training in dance, music and theatre. In 2003, Cherine combined her two loves, singing and acting, starring in the film One Love. Her voice lent two heartfelt songs to the film’s soundtrack, and her acting talent earned her the MTV2/Urbanworld Film Festival Award for best actress in a feature film.
One would think that nothing else could possibly fit into this seemingly superstar equation, yet there is more. Not only does this young woman possess talent, beauty and class, but Cherine is also a highly educated, intelligent young woman as well. Having graduated with honors from the prestigious Middlebury College with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Music and a minor in Japanese Language and Literature, Cherine continuously raises the bar for herself in every aspect of her life. During her college career, her passion and dedication to her craft led her to acquire numerous internships at entertainment companies such as MTV Networks, Interscope Records and the Chris Blackwell owned Palm Pictures and Palm Records.
“The world needs to hear more reggae and dancehall from a female’s perspective.
I feel blessed to have such great legacy set by Bob Marley, Shabba, etc…
But I want to be a part of the female movement out of Jamaica
that makes a similar or even greater impression on the world.”
According to reggae legend Sly Dunbar, “Cherine is the real deal. A truly strong vocalist on hard core reggae riddims with the ability and potential to surpass Jamaican audiences to reach the masses.” With all the attention on reggae, reggaeton and dancehall on the international market, Cherine has all the right ingredients: vocal and acting talent, beauty, intellect and a solid understanding of the entertainment industry, to be more than just a successful artist – but a Caribbean brand.
In August, 2007, Cherine took to the road with Sly and Robbie & the Taxi Gang; not as an opening act, but as the featured vocalist on the 15 date tour. Cherine lit up the stage night after night with her remarkable vocals and commanding stage presence. Music critics and fans alike took fast notice of Cherine’s electrifying performances. Steven Mirken for Variety magazine wrote, “Cherine Anderson nearly stole the show. The Jamaican beauty is another in the long line of fine vocalists who have recorded for the Taxi label; her sweet yet authoritative voice lends a maternal comfort to Marley's "Redemption Song," her recently recorded "Kingston State of Mind" and the gospel standard "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." Audience member Martin Wong blogged, “Cherine Anderson had the full package, with an amazing voice and stage presence. She came out with "Redemption Song" and pretty much killed it through the remainder of the set. Is she a star yet?” Cherine feels blessed to have had the opportunity to tour with the Taxi Gang and looks forward to reaching countless additional audiences to share with them what is …DANCEHALL SOUL…
CHERINE ANDERSON ITEMS OF NOTE:
v Cherine co-starred in the film Dancehall Queen playing the sexually molested teen daughter Tanya in 1997
v Cherine’s first release was a cover of Gloria Estefan’s Party Time in 1998
v Cherine recorded with Wyclef Jean and Sting while she was still in high school
v Cherine studied Japanese Language and Literature at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan
v Cherine graduated with honors from prestigious Middlebury College
Kent Gustavson received his PhD in classical composition in the spring of 2007 at Stony Brook University in New York. He has a B.A. in Music and German from Middlebury College.
During college he began working with Seeds of Peace, an organization focused on the reconciliation of Israel and Palestine through simple co-existence in a summer camp in Maine. After college, he had the 'change the world' bug, and, as many young passionate folks tend to have, and decided to return to Jerusalem, where he had studied the conflict there for 6 months through Wesleyan University. He used his contacts, this time, to start an organization of his own, called 'Sound Peace'. Gustavson wrote the curriculum based on sound as the foundation for friendship between enemies. After initial success, the program faltered due to exacerbated violence in the region, and Gustavson decided to return home.
Kent retreated into the mountains, to a small retreat center called Holden Village, in the Cascade mountains of Washington state. He took his banjo with him into the wilderness, and made much use of it during his years there. It was also there he met his fiance, Katharina.
Mountain Vespers, the evening liturgy that Kent wrote during his time at Holden, is still played frequently at Holden Village, and across the country. His other worship resources have been similarly received by congregations around the country, and he is a frequent leader of workshops using his music.
Kent has released over a dozen recordings, and is actively engaged in his first major release, “Troublin' Mind.”
Chris Molina '99, pianist & composer
Chris is in graduate school at the University of Michigan, studying composition with William Bolcom.
A double major in Music & German, Chris studied primarily with composer Su Lian Tan and pianist Diana Fanning. His senior work included compositions for the Takacs Quartet and for the Three Musicians, as well as a set of Orchestra Variations premiered in April 1999 by the Middlebury College Orchestra and conductor Evan Bennett. A member of both college choirs and the Dissipated Eight, Chris also studied voice with mezzo-soprano Lia Kähler.
He has since returned to Middlebury as research assistant on Chinese opera, general assistant to the Middlebury College Chamber Choir, assistant producer of Sounds of War & Peace, and orchestrator for Su Lian Tan's Nocturne. As a pianist he has appeared twice with the Middlebury College Chamber Soloists and twice as accompanist in student recitals in addition to his performance as solo recitalist.
His composition, Fantasy for Flute and Piano, was premiered in March, 2002 by the Middlebury Chamber Soloists. Chris performed it will Su Lian Tan, flute. The piece is dedicated to Su and to Evan Bennett.
Pete Heimbold '99, Brad Corrigan '96 and Chad Urmston, musicians
all played in Dispatch, which has now disbanded, but is reuniting in July, 2007 for two shows at Madison Square Garden to benefit Zimbabwe relief.
Dispatch was an American indie/roots folk band formed here at Middlebury Collegeat. They were active from 1996 to 2007. Dispatch is known as a very difficult band to place a label on, as they incorporate many different styles into their music. These include reggae (Passerby, Ride a Tear), ska (Bats in the Belfry), folk (Craze, The General), rap (Just Like Larry, Here We Go) and rock (Even, Time Served). The band was also instrumental in the creation of the nonprofit organization The Elias Fund. Dispatch consisted of Brad Corrigan (vocals, drums, guitar, and percussion), Pete Heimbold (vocals, bass and guitar), and Chad Urmston (vocals, bass, guitar, and percussion).
Jeff Vallone '98 and Rian Alfiero '97, musicians
Play in a successful rock band called The Grift, which tours nationally.
Amy Wlodarski '97, music historian, choir director
Amy Wlodarski’s first experiences with a liberal arts approach to music history occurred at Middlebury College, where she pursued a double degree in music performance (voice) and modern history. There, she merged her interests in German history with her extensive performance background in a senior thesis that explored Jewish music-making during the Third Reich, for which she earned the annual history prize at Middlebury in 1997. After several years pursuing a performance career, Professor Wlodarski returned to her love of history and pursued a doctorate in musicology at the Eastman School of Music.
Prof. Wlodarski holds degrees in musicology from Eastman, where she continued her study of the problematic relationship between music and politics and authored a dissertation that explored the manner in which German composers musically represented the Holocaust in the post-WWII period. Her work tends to focus on the manner in which memory influences musical composition and reception, especially in musical memorials and political works.
As a musicologist, Prof. Wlodarski has presented several professional papers on the interaction of memory and music in the works of Arnold Schoenberg, Hanns Eisler, Paul Dessau, Karl Amadeus Hartmann, Hans Werner Henze, Rudolph Wagner-Regeny, Boris Blacher, Hans Krasa, and Viktor Ullmann. She has also published articles on the manner in which political memory influences contemporary performance practice, especially with regard to music from the Holocaust Ghetto Terezin (Theresienstadt) and postwar Holocaust memorial songs. She is also the recipient of several grants, including a Fulbright Scholarship, a Presser Music Foundation Award, and the Elsa T. Johnson Award.
Prof. Wlodarski also serves as the director of the College Choir, a 70-100 mixed-voice ensemble that performs significant choral repertory from the post-1750 era. In addition to her performance experience, Prof. Wlodarski has also served as a guest instructor at the Eton College Summer Choral Courses (United Kingdom) and as director of the Middlebury College Women’s Choir from 1997-99. During her tenure at Eastman, she studied conducting with James Ripley and sang in several professional choirs.
She is presenting a paper on Steve Reich's Different Trains this fall at the AMS national conference in Quebec City.
Michael Thomas Berkley '96, composer
has recently released a CD with Numinous Records in San Francisco. Called "Images from Earth: a history of the planet through music" it is a musical interpretation of the spiritual, geologic, biologic, and anthropologic evolution of Earth.
Ellen Lindquist '93
Composer Ellen Lindquist ('93) is working on a collaboratively-created chamber opera based on texts of contemporary Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer. The work features an international cast of two singers and 15 instrumentalists, and will be produced by Companion Star Productions. (The artists hail from Sweden, Norway, the United States, Canada, France, Spain, and Australia.) The premiere(s) will take place in Sweden and New York during the summer of 2010.
The piece is being developed in several stages using improvisational techniques to explore Tranströmer´s poetry while developing an organic group language. This language exists in dimensions of both sound and movement--members of the ensemble are `actors´, and the choreographer works with musicians and singers alike. There is a documentary film being made about the process.
Development workshops involving the entire ensemble have taken place in both New York and Sweden, accompanied by performances of the work in progress. National Swedish TV and radio have been following the piece´s progress, and the June 2007 performance at Engsö Castle in Sweden received glowing reviews. The next work-in-progress performance will take place June 14, 2008 at the Västerås Konserthus in Västerås, Sweden. For more information, see www.companionstar.org/fortheliving.html
Stephanie Houtzeel '87
Mezzo-soprano was born in Germany and grew up in Wayland Mass.In 1990 she began studies with Edward Zambara at the New England Conservatory and continued her studies with him at the Juilliard School, where she received a Masters of Music Degree in 1996. Upon completing her studies in New York, Stephanie moved to Europe and in August 1997 made her professional operatic debut as Dorabella in Cosi Fan Tutte at the Opera Festival in Bad Hersfeld, Germany. Since September 1997 Stephanie has been engaged at the Landestheater Linz in Linz, Austria. In October 1997 she made her New York recital debut in Alice Tully Hall as part of Juilliard's Vocal Arts Debut Award. Concert appearances include a critically acclaimed performance of the mezzo-soprano solo's in Mahler's Third Symphony at Avery Fisher Hall, Bach's oratorio works in the historic Bach-Thomaskirche in Leipzig, as well as guest soloist appearances with members of the Chamber Music society of Lincoln Center, the Amsterdam Chamber Music Society, Musicians from Marlboro and the Netherlands Wind Ensemble.
Juliet Lambert '86
Vocalist/actress: Since leaving college, she has entertained audiences around the world with her performances as a professional singer and actress, appearing in shows on and off Broadway, on tour and regionally. Most recently Ms. Lambert completed a year and a half in the role of Fantine in "Les Miserables" on Broadway. She also had roles in the Broadway productions of Stephen Sondheim's "Passion" in 1994 and "Meet Me in St. Louis" in 1989. On tour, she appeared for a year in 1995 in "Kiss of the Spider Woman" with Chita Rivera, and in 1992 in the "Music of Andrew Lloyd Weber" with Michael Crawford, which took her to Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom. Juliet has performed with Julie Andrews in "Putting It Together," an off-Broadway production at the Manhattan Theatre Club, and with Olympic gold medallist Greg Louganis in a regional production of the musical "Cinderella." Her recordings include "Passion," "Meet Me in St. Louis," "Strike Up the Band," and the soundtrack of "Baseball," Ken Burns' documentary.
Meredith Parsons McComb '75, soprano
Has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, the Boston Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, and in France, England, Holland, Germany, and Israel. Her long love-affair with the music of Gustav Mahler has included performances of Das Lied von der Erde at Lincoln Center and a national radio broadcast of Rückerlieder in Germany. She has been on the faculty of the National Music Camp, Interlochen, and gives Master Classes for young professional singers. Largely retired from the stage in favor of life on Lake George in the Adirondacks, she and Dr. Emory Fanning have begun giving recitals together. Meredith and her husband David are avid Tempest sailors, and three-time North American champions.
Andrew Wentzel '73, bass-baritone
Has made several trips to the Metropolitan Opera stage, and has built up a long list of credits around the country in roles like Papageno in Mozart's The Magic Flute, Mephistopheles in Gounod's Faust, and The Merchant, Beauty's father, in Stephen Oliver's Beauty and the Beast, with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis (Mo). His debut on the Metropolitan Opera stage in the role of Verona in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette was in 1986.