ISM Alumni Activity

Stuart Forster (MM ‘98, AD ‘99) is excited to announce the publication of his book Hymn Playing: A Modern Colloquium. The book is based on research for his doctoral dissertation, and published by MorningStar Music Publishers. It is available at JWpepper.com.  The book includes interview transcripts from numerous members of the IsM community and others.

Stuart Forster is Director of Music Organist at the Episcopal Church in Harvard Square–Christ Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  His web site is www.StuartAForster.com

Rachel Heath MDiv ‘11 has been appointed as the Coordinaror for Spiritual Life at Rockefeller Chapel and the University of Chicago. Along with developing and implementing interreligious programs for the university community, Spiritual Life and Rockefeller Chapel seek to be a center for connecting spirituality and the arts in a variety of ways.

Michael Smith (MM ‘03, ‘05) has been appointed Organist and Choirmaster at Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont, PA. He leaves a similar post at Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge National Park to begin work at this historic Anglo-Catholic parish on the Main Line in Philadelphia. He will work with Fr. Richard Alton, rector, to rebuild the music program which will include choral masses and sung minor propers each week. Michael remains at The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, where his role has been expanded from Director of Music to Chair of Performing Arts. In his new capacity there, he oversees the music and theater programs for the entire PreK-12 curriculum. The school recently purchased nine new Steinway pianos and is developing plans for a new Arts building.

Kat Banakis (MDiv ‘09) has been appointed director of strategic implementation and analytics at Grenzebach, Glier & Associates, a full service philanthropic management consulting firm with national and international clientele.

Tuesday Rupp MDiv ‘13 has been appointed the Interim Director of Youth and Family Ministries at Church of the Heavenly Rest (on the corner of 90th and 5th Avenue) in New York City. In her role, whe will be responsible for coordinating a lively Church School Program, Pre-K through High School, leading Children’s Chapel, Directing the 8th grade confirmation class, coordinating the Acolytes, and assisting with the Annual Christmas Pageant, which is the largest Christmas Pageant in New York.

Russell Weismann (MM ‘07) has been appointed Director of Music and Liturgy at Saint Jane Frances de Chantal Parish in Bethesda, Maryland.  He leaves the post as Associate Director of Music at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  At St. Jane’s Russell will oversee the installation and tonal finishing of the church’s new Lively Fulcher pipe organ and direct a number of choral and instrumental ensembles.  This past year, Russell played numerous recitals, including one at the Kennedy Center, where he was the third organist to play the Center’s new Casavant pipe organ in public recital and received critical acclaim in the Washington Post. He continues his role as sub-dean of the Washington, DC chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

Lindsey Henricksen Rodgers (MM ‘05) received a Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of Oregon in June 2013. Her dissertation,en titled “The North German Chorale Fantasia: A Sermon Without Words,” explores the legacy of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck’s style in the works of Jacob Praetorius, Heinrich Scheidemann, and Johann Adam Reincken. Lindsey continues to serve as Assistant Organist at Central Lutheran Church in Eugene, Oregon, where she lives with her husband, Stephen Rodgers (PhD ‘05) and their son, Samuel.

Joseph Gregorio (MM ‘04, choral conducting) has accepted a one-year appointment as director of choirs at Swarthmore College.  He also continues his work toward a DMA in composition as a Presidential Fellow at Temple University, as the founder and director of chamber choir Ensemble Companio, and along with his wife (Ilene Wong, MD ‘04) eagerly awaits the arrival of his second child in October.

Christian Lane (MM ‘08) is entering his sixth year as Associate University Organist and Choirmaster at Harvard’s Memorial Church, where he arrived after graduating from Yale and where they have recently completed a project to install two new pipe organs. His first solo CD was released last year, and two further discs on Harvard’s new instruments are being prepared for release in the coming months. On campus, he has worked to develop a culture of organ study and performance that was non-existent before he arrived. He now has the pleasure to teach a studio of organists that rivals, in both number and quality, many of our country’s established organ departments (even though my students receive no academic credit for lessons)!

Carol Williams (A.D. ’97) is based in San Diego, and is the Seventh Civic Organist of the city. She has been the Civic Organist since 2001. She is the first woman to hold such a position in the USA. The organ has been operating since 1915 and there are major plans for the 100th Anniversary. Her duties as Civic Organist are to play weekly Sunday afternoon concerts. She is also the Artistic Director of the Spreckels Organ Society, which hosts an annual International Summer Organ Festival.  Dr. Williams’ concerts at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion have included many unusual projects - recently she performed a twelve hour marathon concert in aid of wounded war veterans and raised over $15,000. This December, she will perform a five hour benefit concert for the American Red Cross.  Carol is also the Organist in Residence of St. Paul’s Cathedral in San Diego. Her concerts have taken her all over the USA and Europe.  For the 100th Anniversary of the Spreckels Organ in Balboa Park, San Diego, Dr Williams will be, on behalf of the Spreckels Organ Society, commissioning works from leading composers to celebrate the historic occasion of the instrument.

Paul Jacobs(MM organ) has been appointed to lead the Organ Institute at the Oregon Bach Festival.  The newly created institute, scheduled for June 30-July 4, 2014, will be devoted exclusively to the performance and study of the organ, which figured prominently in Bach’s compositions and performance.  Attendees will participate in specialized seminars, perform in daily masterclasses under the direction of Paul Jacobs and the festival’s Artistic Director, Matthew Halls, and present a final public recital.  Paul Jacobs, chair of the organ department at the Juilliard School, performed at the Oregon Bach Festival in 2013, after which the creation of the Organ Institute began.  The winner of a Grammy Award, Jacobs is currently recording a new album with soprano Christine Brewer.  

Iain Quinn (MM ‘04) recently completed a reconstruction of Samuel Barber’s childhood cantata, Christmas Eve. The first performance took place as part of the 104th annual carol services at Harvard University (Edward Jones, director, Christian Lane MM ‘08, organist) with a subsequent performance at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York (Malcolm Merriweather, director). It was also featured on A.P.R.’s Performance Today and Pipedreams. An interview regarding the reconstruction with Michael Barone can be heard on the Pipedreams website. The score will be published by G. Schirmer in the Spring and an article on the reconstruction appears in Notes.  In other news, his chapter, Czerny and the organ: pragmatism, prestige and performance practice, was published in Interpreting Historical Keyboard Music (Ashgate). Dr. Quinn is Assistant Professor of Organ at Florida State University.

Organist Okula Owolabi (M.M. ‘03) has recently been appointed as Associate Professor of Organ at the University of Michigan.  Kola Owolabi, a native of Toronto, Canada, was previously the University Organist and Assistant Professor of Music at Syracuse University, where he taught courses in organ, improvisation, continuo playing and music theory, and played for weekly chapel services and special events. He is also currently the Sub Dean for the Syracuse Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and is responsible for planning chapter events.  He holds degrees in organ performance and choral conducting from McGill University, Montreal, Yale University and Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.  As a recitalist, he has performed across Canada and the United States, Mexico and Jamaica, appearing most recently at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in New York, Methuen Memorial Music Hall, in Massachusetts, Spelman College in Atlanta and Cornell University. 

Tuesday Rupp, M.Div. ‘13, is Director of Children and Family Ministries at the Church of the Heavenly Rest in NYC, and featured in their new video. The Confirmation Program at Heavenly Rest from Church of the Heavenly Rest on Vimeo.

John Taylor Ward (MMA ‘13) is the assistant artistic director of the Lakes Area Music Festival (LAMS) in Brainerd, Minnesota, which he co-founded in 2009. He was interviewed on Public Radio.

Andy Barnett (M.Div. ‘12) has been named to the Bishop’s Chair for Environmental Science & Food Justice at Campbell Hall Episcopal High School in North Hollywood, CA. 

Ian Tomesch (MM ‘12, MMA ‘13) has been appointed University Organist and Instructor in Organ at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA.  The organ at lehigh is a 1952 Austin (III/60) housed in a beautiful Gothic Revival chapel. 

Caleb Bennetch (M.M. ‘13) has been appointed Director of Music at St.John’s United Methodist Church in Austin, TX. 

Brian Bartoldus (M.M.A. ‘11) has been appointed Director of Music Ministry at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD. 

Stuart Forster is excited to announce the publication of his book Hymn Playing: A Modern Colloquium. The book is based on research for his doctoral dissertation, and published by MorningStar Music Publishers. It is available at JWpepper.com.  The book includes interview transcripts from numerous members of the IsM community and others.

Stuart Forster is Director of Music Organist at the Episcopal Church in Harvard Square–Christ Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  His web site is www.StuartAForster.com

August 5, 2013

Rachel Heath has been appointed as the Coordinaror for Spiritual Life at Rockefeller Chapel and the University of Chicago. Along with developing and implementing interreligious programs for the university community, Spiritual Life and Rockefeller Chapel seek to be a center for connecting spirituality and the arts in a variety of ways.

August 6, 2013

Michael Smith has been appointed Organist and Choirmaster at Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont, PA. He leaves a similar post at Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge National Park to begin work at this historic Anglo-Catholic parish on the Main Line in Philadelphia. He will work with Fr. Richard Alton, rector, to rebuild the music program which will include choral masses and sung minor propers each week. Michael remains at The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, where his role has been expanded from Director of Music to Chair of Performing Arts. In his new capacity there, he oversees the music and theater programs for the entire PreK-12 curriculum. The school recently purchased nine new Steinway pianos and is developing plans for a new Arts building.

August 6, 2013

Kat Banakis  has been appointed director of strategic implementation and analytics at Grenzebach, Glier & Associates, a full service philanthropic management consulting firm with national and international clientele.

August 9, 2013

Tuesday Rupp has been appointed the Interim Director of Youth and Family Ministries at Church of the Heavenly Rest (on the corner of 90th and 5th Avenue) in New York City. In her role, whe will be responsible for coordinating a lively Church School Program, Pre-K through High School, leading Children’s Chapel, Directing the 8th grade confirmation class, coordinating the Acolytes, and assisting with the Annual Christmas Pageant, which is the largest Christmas Pageant in New York.

August 26, 2013

Russell Weismann has been appointed Director of Music and Liturgy at Saint Jane Frances de Chantal Parish in Bethesda, Maryland.  He leaves the post as Associate Director of Music at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  At St. Jane’s Russell will oversee the installation and tonal finishing of the church’s new Lively Fulcher pipe organ and direct a number of choral and instrumental ensembles.  This past year, Russell played numerous recitals, including one at the Kennedy Center, where he was the third organist to play the Center’s new Casavant pipe organ in public recital and received critical acclaim in the Washington Post. He continues his role as sub-dean of the Washington, DC chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

August 26, 2013

Lindsey Henricksen Rodgers received a Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of Oregon in June 2013. Her dissertation,en titled “The North German Chorale Fantasia: A Sermon Without Words,” explores the legacy of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck’s style in the works of Jacob Praetorius, Heinrich Scheidemann, and Johann Adam Reincken. Lindsey continues to serve as Assistant Organist at Central Lutheran Church in Eugene, Oregon, where she lives with her husband, Stephen Rodgers (PhD ‘05) and their son, Samuel.

August 26, 2013

Lindsey Henricksen Rodgers received a Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of Oregon in June 2013. Her dissertation,en titled “The North German Chorale Fantasia: A Sermon Without Words,” explores the legacy of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck’s style in the works of Jacob Praetorius, Heinrich Scheidemann, and Johann Adam Reincken. Lindsey continues to serve as Assistant Organist at Central Lutheran Church in Eugene, Oregon, where she lives with her husband, Stephen Rodgers (PhD ‘05) and their son, Samuel.

August 26, 2013

Joseph Gregorio (MM ‘04, choral conducting) has accepted a one-year appointment as director of choirs at Swarthmore College.  He also continues his work toward a DMA in composition as a Presidential Fellow at Temple University, as the founder and director of chamber choir Ensemble Companio, and along with his wife (Ilene Wong, MD ‘04) eagerly awaits the arrival of his second child in October.

August 26, 2013

Christian Lane is entering his sixth year as Associate University Organist and Choirmaster at Harvard’s Memorial Church, where he arrived after graduating from Yale and where they have recently completed a project to install two new pipe organs. His first solo CD was released last year, and two further discs on Harvard’s new instruments are being prepared for release in the coming months. On campus, he has worked to develop a culture of organ study and performance that was non-existent before he arrived. He now has the pleasure to teach a studio of organists that rivals, in both number and quality, many of our country’s established organ departments (even though my students receive no academic credit for lessons)!

October 7, 2013

Carol Williams is based in San Diego, and is the Seventh Civic Organist of the city. She has been the Civic Organist since 2001. She is the first woman to hold such a position in the USA. The organ has been operating since 1915 and there are major plans for the 100th Anniversary. Her duties as Civic Organist are to play weekly Sunday afternoon concerts. She is also the Artistic Director of the Spreckels Organ Society, which hosts an annual International Summer Organ Festival.  Dr. Williams’ concerts at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion have included many unusual projects - recently she performed a twelve hour marathon concert in aid of wounded war veterans and raised over $15,000. This December, she will perform a five hour benefit concert for the American Red Cross.  Carol is also the Organist in Residence of St. Paul’s Cathedral in San Diego. Her concerts have taken her all over the USA and Europe.  For the 100th Anniversary of the Spreckels Organ in Balboa Park, San Diego, Dr Williams will be, on behalf of the Spreckels Organ Society, commissioning works from leading composers to celebrate the historic occasion of the instrument.