Alumni, Faculty, and Staff News

June 29, 2018

ALUMNI NEWS

Kate Steiner (Kennedy) (M.A.R. ’07) accepted a position as assistant professor of musicology at Conrad Grebel University College in the University of Waterloo, beginning in the Fall of 2018.

In December of 2017, Andrew Schaeffer (M.M. organ ’18), was appointed editor-at-large of The Diapason, one of the oldest and largest international journals dedicated to the organ, the harpsichord, the carillon, and church music. 

The February 2017 issue of The Diapason was Stephen Schnurr’s (M.M. organ ‘89, M.M.A. ‘90, D.M.A. ‘95) first as editorial director and publisher. 

Kristian Kohler (M.Div. ’16) was ordained on February 3 at his home congregation of Reformation Evangelical Lutheran Church in Reading, PA. Kristian will serve as pastor at the congregation of Faith Lutheran Church in East Hartford, Connecticut He looks forward to partnering in ministry with faith and the Greater Hartford Conference of the New England Synod.

In January 2018, Nate Widelitz (M.M. choral conducting ’14) joined the adjunct faculty at California State University, Los Angeles.

Paul Jacobs (M.M. organ ’02; A.D. ’03) was the soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra in the east coast premiere performances of Sir James MacMillan’s A Scotch Bestiary in January (2018). The Philadelphia Inquirer reviewed Jacob’s performance.

Tyler David Ray (M.M. voice ‘16) and Edmund J. Milly (M.M. voice ‘15) shared the stage with Madonna during her surprise performance at the 2018 Met Gala, “Heavenly Bodies.”

Composer Michael Gilbertson (D.M.A. composition ’17) was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Music. His work “Quartet” gained him the nomination. 

Emily Floyd (M.A.R. ’12) was appointed lecturer (equivalent to assistant professor) in visual culture and art before 1700 at University College, London.

Nicholas Quardokus (M.M. organ ’18) will join St. Paul’s Parish, K Street (Washington, D.C.) as organ scholar for 2018–2019. Read about Quardokus’ appointment at St. Paul’s K Street on page 7 of their newsletter.

FACULTY NEWS

Markus Rathey, president of the American Bach Society, hosted its biennial conference, held this year at Yale. During the conference, he presented Masaaki Suzuki with an honorary membership.

Melanie Ross has been promoted to associate professor of liturgical studies, effective July 1. In announcing the appointment, Martin Jean wrote, “Prof. Ross’ work on worship in American Protestant and Evangelical churches is considered by many to be path-breaking. One reviewer listed her book Evangelical versus Liturgical as one of the top ten most important books in liturgical studies in the last ten years. Another reviewer writes that Melanie is ‘one of the best liturgical scholars of her generation’ and yet another that she ‘has the potential to offer the most significant long-term contributions to the field’ among scholars in her immediate cohort. Finally, all you need to do is talk to students who have studied with her to know how positively she has contributed to and helped to shape their thinking and their lives. She is a beloved and skilled teacher.”

In January 2018, Krista Tippett inteviewed Christian Wiman for On Being. 

STUDENT NEWS

Students Joseph Kemper (M.M. choral conducting ’18) and James Reese (M.M. voice ’18) coordinated a concert on May 1, 2018 in Marquand Chapel to benefit Everytown for Gun Safety.

FELLOWS NEWS

Hugo Mendez (ISM fellow in 2014–2015) has joined the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill as a tenure-track assistant professor of Religion.

STAFF NEWS

Assistant for Publications and Communications Stephen Gamboa-Diaz was recently appointed Director of Music at Bethesda Lutheran Church in New Haven. This spring he was also busy performing as harpsichord soloist in J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. In February he played Brandenburg 5 with Chamber Music Silicon Valley in San Jose, CA, and in May he performed the same in four concerts in and around Denver, CO as part of the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado’s “Young Artist Spotlight.”