"Hey everybody,

I'm a junior piano major at Westminster, and grew up in Brooks, Alberta, Canada. I first met Mrs. Clarfield at the Calgary Piano Camp in 2004. I've had a few busy years here in Princeton, and some incredible opportunities, including performing Beethoven's Emperor Concerto at the MTNA conference in Toronto in 2007, performing the Schumann Concerto in a-minor with the Princeton Community Orchestra this past April, and playing in Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall in May '08. I also gave my junior piano recital in February.

This past summer I was given the opportunity to give a joint lecture with Victoria Chow in Calgary, Alberta, and spoke about expanding students' musical expression. I also worked as a teaching assistant at the CASSA Piano Camp, which I enjoyed immensely!

I'm looking forward to another fantastic year here at WCC with Mrs. Clarfield."               

"Seth Slaymaker is a second year Graduate Piano Performance and Pedagogy at Westminster from Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania.  He is currently preparing for a recital in April of 2008 and graduation this coming May! Outside of being a full-time student, Seth also maintains a private piano studio at the Westminster Conservatory of Music as well as at Jacobs Music in Lawrenceville.  He also is actively involved in various music camps at Westminster during the summer months.  This past summer he was able to be involved with Mrs. Clarfield's infamous Piano Camp, which is the same camp he attended many years ago that brought him to Westminster to study with Mrs. Clarfield!"               

"Rose McCathran, a native of Washington Grove, Maryland is currently earning her Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy which she earned in May of 2007. Rose teaches piano at the Westminster Conservatory in addition to holding a private studio in Princeton.

Over the past two summers, Rose has taught and been a counselor for James Goldsworthy’s High School Solo Piano Camp, Lillian Livingston’s Middle School Piano Camp, and Ingrid Clarfield’s High School Piano Camp. Last year, she served as a teaching assistant for the Piano Plus Class at the Westminster Conservatory; a beginner piano class for children ages 7-8. As part of her internship this semester, she has the great opportunity of teaching Class Piano at Westminster Choir College.

In addition to her piano endeavors, Rose actively participates in many choral activities. For the past four years, she was a member of both the Westminster Symphonic Choir under the direction of Dr. Joseph Miller and the Westminster Williamson voices under the direction of Dr. James Jordan. Having been a part of both prestigious choirs, Rose has had the wonderful opportunities of performing in Carnegie Hall, Avery Fischer Hall at the Lincoln Center and at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center with a number of world-class orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic from Germany, and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra from Switzerland. In March of this year, she performed Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Westminster Choir, the American Boychoir, and the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Kurt Masur."               

"Victoria Shuk Yan Chow, B. Mus, is working on her Master's degree with Professor Ingrid Clarfield at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. She has the honor of being the graduate assistant for the piano department. Victoria began studying piano at the age of seven and met Professor Clarfield at the age of ten while attending Calgary Arts Summer School Piano Camp.

After moving to Princeton, New Jersey from Calgary, Alberta, Miss Chow has worked hard to maintain a high standard. Since her freshman year, Miss Chow has won First Prize every year at the Annual Westminster Choir College Piano Competition. Miss Chow is also a sought-after vocal accompanist for opera singers and musical theater vocalists alike. Her latest production includes "Man of La Mancha" with the renowned Princeton Festival and her most recent solo performances include a Scholarship Recital in Fort Myers, Florida and a Scholarship Recital at Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania. This past summer, Miss Chow had the opportunity to give a lecture recital at a Pedagogy Workshop for Calgary Arts Summer School on learning modalities. Aside from being a full-time student and performer, Miss Chow maintains an active private studio and also works with “Musicians in the Making” as a private piano teacher. She is also the hired full-time Church Musician of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Princeton, New Jersey.

Victoria’s outstanding academic standings have placed her on the Dean's List throughout her undergraduate career; she was also recognized as a Rider Scholar in both her freshman and sophomore year (an award that acknowledges students with the highest GPA's). Miss Chow graduated in May 2008 with a Bachelor's of Music in Piano Pedagogy and Performance with Summa Cum Laude."               

"Kathryn Whitaker, a native of Scranton Pennsylvania, is currently a senior music education major in the BM/MAT 5-year master’s program. This semester, Kathryn is preparing for her senior recital which will include works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Gershwin. During her time at Westminster, Kathryn has been a member of several choirs, including the 40-voice Westminster Choir, where she also served as an accompanist. In addition, Kathryn was a recipient of the esteemed Damien Dixon Memorial Scholarship during her sophomore year."               

"Anthony Baron is a sophomore Piano Major in Mrs. Clarfield's Westminster studio. In addition to his piano studies, he enjoys being an active member of the Westminster Student Government Association, and playing for the Westminster Musical Theatre Ensemble as well as being the Assistant Musical Director of this fall's Musical, "The Glorious Ones". He also is a vocalist and studies in the voice studio of Professor Nova Thomas."               

"Richard is from Piscataway, New Jersey, and he is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance at Westminster.  He is currently preparing works by J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Prokofiev.  He enjoys studying with Mrs. Clarfield and the other outstanding piano faculty very much.  He plans to pursue a Doctoral program and aspires to teach music in a university or conservatory setting in the future."               

"Hi, I am Lynn. I am a first year graduate student in the Piano performance and pedagogy.

I met Mrs. Clarefield back in early 90’s when I played a Rachmaninoff etude for her at a master class. Her comments and advice made profound differences on the piece.   And here I am finally to study with her. I grew up in Korea and partly here in Princeton, New Jersey before I went to University of Michigan to pursue my undergraduate degree.  I enjoy practicing my repertoire, accompanying local students, and especially teaching my students."               

"Hi, I am Ji Hye Choi. I lived in the Philippines for more than 10 years and graduated from the University of the Philippines with BM in piano. I am currently taking Piano Pedagogy and Performance as a first year graduate student here at Westminster Choir College."               

"Hi! I am a Junior Piano and Music Theater Major at Westminster Choir College. I was attracted to Westminster because of an extraordinary lesson I had with Mrs. Clarfield in 2006. I began taking lessons at the age of six with Jane Benson and began studying with Mrs. Clarfield my freshman year at Westminster. I won the Richmond Symphony Concerto Competition in 2005, and was a finalist in the Young Musicians Concert, granting me the opportunity to make my Carnegie Hall debut this past May. Being a singer as well, I enjoy using my piano skills as an accompanist and coach for Westminster students, an accompanist for school productions, and as music director for a student run production. This past spring, I was honored at my Junior Piano Recital with the Damien Dixon Memorial Scholarship. Not having known Damien, I decided to do some reading about him to see why I, of all people, deserve his award. I found myself laughing at loud while  reading his eulogy as I slowly realized through the anecdotes what a remarkable gift AND personality he had. His incredible talent, strength, bravery, and mission to make more than music with the piano inspire me to live up to this award."               

"Hello, fellow Clarfield alums! I just completed my MM degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance at WCC, under the tutelage of Ingrid Clarfield, among other wonderful faculty members of WCC of Rider University. This fall 2008, I started my doctoral studies at University of Michigan. (As I once said to Ryan and Rose, among others: "I'm goin' straight through!") Right from the first week of classes, I started teaching group piano...and now I am loving it! Besides the class I am teaching, the coursework is intense, but the knowledge I am gaining makes it all worthwhile. I am currently studying piano and piano pedagogy with Dr. John Ellis, a truly brilliant scholar in the field of piano pedagogy. Although I am working on building up a private studio, I must wait and see how big the work load will be before I seriously start seeking out new students! I think that's all for now, but I will keep everyone updated. Cheers :-) "               

"After graduating from Westminster Choir College of Rider University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree, Joseph Woodhull worked for 2 years as the Coordinator of Internet Projects for Rider University where he was instrumental in the design and maintenance of the Rider and Westminster website. He recently moved to the New York City area and took a position at Carnegie Hall as Associate Web Producer in the Marketing Department. Music will always be his true love and in his free time he composes music and performs in a band.

I had the privilege of studying with Mrs. Clarfield as a high school student, piano camper, and college student at Westminster Choir College. She inspired me to develop my musicianship, my understanding of performance and teaching, and my love of music. I learned to become more confident not only as a pianist, but as a teacher and person. This confidence helped me tremendously as I completed my Ph.D. in Musicology at the University of Michigan. Currently, I love working as a piano teacher and visual artist, and will have my second art exhibit in New York City in October 2008, as my artwork was selected to represent the Estrogenius Festival at the Manhattan Theatre Source (for more details, please see http://www.theatresource.org/estro/estro.html, and my website, www.sabinapieslak.com). My husband, Jonathan, is a professor of music at The City College (CUNY) and talented composer of pieces for piano, chamber ensembles, and symphony orchestras. He received a prestigious award for his compositions from the Academy of Arts and Letters. If you would like to hear his music, please visit www.myspace.com/jpieslak. Jonathan has written a fascinating book on the music of soldiers serving in the Iraq war, which will be published soon by the University of Indiana Press.

"Hello, my name is Audrey Peterbark Ross. Most know me as Audrey Peterbark however I recently got married. I am a graduate of Westminster where I received a BM (2001) and an MM (2003) in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. I now live in Burke, VA and have established myself as a new independent piano teacher in the Northern Virginia area. I have a private studio in my home where I teach 27 students. I am happy to report that my students are doing well. Not only are they playing great but I have had a few of them place in local NVMTA and WMTA competitions. In addition to teaching I am very active with our local Northern Virginia Music Teacher’s Association and am on the executive board of the Washington Music Teacher’s Association. This October I will be going to the World Piano Pedagogy Conference and participating as the chairman of a panel discussion on elementary practice tips. In March 2006 I will be playing with three other teachers as part of a special program for the Springfield Music Club."               

"Hi, my name is Alicia and I am a 2003 graduate of WCC, where I received a Piano Performance & Pedagogy degree while studying with Mrs. C. Originally from Gettysburg, PA, I now live in Astoria, Queens with my fiancé and work at Carnegie Hall in their Artistic Programming department. "               

" Radek Materka is a Doctoral candidate in Piano Performance at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, studying under the guidance of John Perry. He holds degrees from Westminster Choir College (B.M.), and the University of Southern California (M.M.). His teachers include John Perry, Daniel Pollack, and Ingrid Clarfield. "               

"It never occured to me that my undergrad senior recital with Ingrid Clarfield and conducting teacher Frank Abrahams on either side of me on the piano bench playing some pretty crappy six hand Rachmaninoff would be the symbolic of my future career... Ming Luke currently serves as Conductor and Director of the Berkeley Symphony's Education Programs under Music Director Kent Nagano, Asst. Conductor of the Sacramento Philharmonic under Music Director Michael Morgan, General Director and Conductor of the Napa Valley Youth Symphony, and Chorus Master of the Sacramento Opera. Recognized nationally (MENC, Barbara Boxer) for his work in education, Luke serves as on the Grants and the Arts Committee of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission and is a panel member for the National Endowment of the Arts' Music and Opera Grants Panel...."               

"I began at WCC with Mrs. Clarfield in 2001 and graduated in 2005 with a degree in music education. After receiving a Masters Degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Arizona i am now the teaching choral music at Sahuaro High School in Tucson AZ where i conduct five different ensembles. In addition I maintain a position as associate director of music at St. Francis De Sales Catholic church as a pianist and conductor."               

My name is Heather Atagan Thorarinson. Most of you know me as Heather Atagan, but I finally got married in Calgary, Alberta to Joel Thorarinson. The wedding was wonderful and we were even more blessed to have Mrs. Clarfield stand for us as our godmother. I am a graduate of Westminster and received a Bachelor of Music (2004) and a Masters of Music (2006) in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. I now live in Plainsboro, NJ where I teach at the Westminster Conservatory and I also have a successful private studio of my own. Also, this year I will begin teaching beginning pedagogy for the Westminster Professional Development Certificate Program. Aside from teaching, I am the Assistant Director of Music at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Hamilton. In the summers I continue to teach for Mrs. Clarfield's High School Piano Camp and am also the Co-Director of Mrs. Livingston's Middle School Piano Camp.

"Ryan Brechmacher was a senior piano and composition double major at Westminster Choir College. He is a native of Bowling Green, Ohio, which is home to Bowling Green State University, where Brechmacher has been involved in many projects. He has recently taught theory classes and been a counselor at both the BGSU Piano Camp, and been a counselor, vocal coach, and accompanist for the BGSU Musical Theater Camp. He has also been involved in the university's Opera for Youth program, singing the role Defense Lawyer in "The Trial of Goldilocks".
At Westminster, Brechmacher is active in the WCC Christian Fellowship and in Rider's Protestant Campus Ministries, acting as worship leader for both groups. He is also currently music director for the Princeton University/WCC Christian a cappella group, Kindred Spirit. As a pianist, he has given a junior recital and is planning on giving his senior recital in the spring of 2006. As a composer, Ryan's works have been premiered by WCC's Schola Cantorum as well as The Westminster Community Orchestra. In his spare time, Ryan is a singer and songwriter. He plans to record in January with a group of friends from home."               

" Dr. Shannon Hesse, pianist, has performed both nationally and internationally as a collaborative and solo pianist including a concerto premiere at the Curtis Institute of Music, a solo appearance at Weill Recital Hall, and as a choral accompanist at Carnegie Hall. Formerly on the faculty of Valdosta State University, she currently teaches piano, theory, song literature and opera workshop at Texas Southern University and is a vocal coach at Houston Baptist University. 

" Shannon completed her doctoral studies in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music from the Eastman School of Music where she studied with Dr. Jean Barr. She also holds degrees from Westminster Choir College (B.M) and The Catholic University of America (M.M.) where she studied with Ingrid Clarfield and Marilyn Neeley respectively. Additionally, she spent two summers in the collaborative artists program at the Aspen Music Festival. Shannon lives in Houston with her husband, Houston Symphony cellist Anthony Kitai, and their two adorable cats.

" Hyojung Huh graduated Westminster Choir College in May, 2007. She studied the piano performance and the sacred music there. She studied the aesthetics, the philosophy of art and beauty- and piano performance double major as bachelor¡¯s degrees at Seoul National University in Korea. She was the chief editor of the university magazine in her junior year. After graduating the university, she studied the biblical theology the Torah Academy with studying piano performance in the master¡¯s program at Seoul National University. Then, she came to USA to study the church music and piano performance. She got a lot of opportunity to perform in the Westminster and eventually became to enjoy performing through supporting from Mrs. Clarfield. She wrote a thesis on relationship between Messiaen's music and Christian heritage last May, and supposed to accomplish master's degree in Seould National Univeristy in February, 2008. Now she is in Indiana University Bloomington, pursuing performer diploma. "               

Grace Yang is a second year graduate student in the Piano Pedagogy and Performance major of Westminster Choir College. She holds a Master Degree of Music in Organ Performance from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea.

Prior to joining Westminster Choir College, Grace had 14 years experience working as Church Pianist and Organist in many churches including the largest Methodist church in the world. Grace also won the 1st Prize in Organ Performance Competition in Westminster Choir College in 1998. In summer 1995, Grace was selected as Concert Finalist Solo Performance in two international musical festivals in Geneva, Swiss and Stuttgart, Germany.

Grace currently actively involves in teaching piano in Westminster Conservatory and maintains an independent studio in Princeton, New Jersey. She is also working as part-time Church Pianist and Organist in two local churches.

Hi Everyone!  After graduating from WCC in ‘06, I moved back to the Boston area.  Since then, I’ve been happily dividing my time between teaching and accompanying.  I currently have around 40 students (ages 4 – 17), so that keeps me quite busy.  I’m enjoying both the freedom of running an independent studio out of my house and also the camaraderie of teaching at a couple community music schools.  As far as accompanying, I work with the Treble Chorus of New England, a great youth choir in my area.  I’ve also done some free-lance work with a couple singers; performing Dichterliebe last year was a highlight for me.  I’m currently collaborating with a wonderful soprano (Alison Trick), and we’re hoping to make a CD in the near future.  Long term, I’m hoping to return to school in the fall of 2009 (to study church history).  In other news, my first niece was born on August 24, 2008!  I’m loving being an aunt!

"After a few years teaching at Messiah College, I've moved on to work on a Ph. D. at Penn State.  The degree is in Music Education, and I'm specializing in Learning Theory: How do we appropriately design instruction based on how children develop and best learn?  I have only two piano students at the moment, a brother and sister, 7 & 5.  They are fun to work with, and my little guinea pigs.  I'm especially interested in designing a developmentally appropriate piano curriculum for the 5 year old, and am working on a project with a friend about this topic.  I'm also developing some ideas for an adult curriculum, as I've had quite a few students in my college classes here ask me for lessons.  To keep playing the piano, I accompany the University Choir since I don't have time to take lessons at the moment.  All in all, life is interesting! I can be contacted at laurenkooistra@gmail.com.

Amy Hughley has been teaching choral music, Advanced Placement Music Theory and International Baccalaureate Music at Riverwood High School in Atlanta, Georgia since 2002. Prior to this, she served as director of high school choirs for three years at The Wesleyan School in Norcross, Georgia. Mrs. Hughley received her Masters of Music Education from The University of Georgia and her Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education and Piano Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. She was a member of the Westminster Choir under the direction of Joseph Flummerfelt for three years, where she toured to Korea, Taiwan, and France, and sang in many of the operas performed at the Spoleto USA Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. She studied piano with Ingrid Jacobson Clarfield, voice with Laura Brooks Rice, and conducting with James Jordan, Andrew Megill, Melanie Jacobson, and Allen Crowell. Mrs. Hughley also founded the Lamington Presbyterian Church children’s choir in Bedminster, New Jersey, She has led seminars on the piano music of Claude Debussy at Westminster Choir College and at the Georgia Independent Schools Association Conference. She taught High School Piano Camp at Westminster Choir College for eight summers. In the winter of 2008, her women’s ensemble at Riverwood High School was selected to perform at the Georgia Music Educator’s state convention in Savannah, Georgia.
 
Mrs. Hughley has sung and toured with the early music group Atlanta Camerata, the Atlanta Choral Artists, and the Canterbury and Compline Choirs of Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta. She served as organizer for the GMEA District 5 Honor Chorus in 2004 and 2005. She currently serves as the Georgia ACDA Repertoire and Standards Chair for Men’s Choirs. In addition to her music interests, Mrs. Hughley is an avid marathon runner, and she has placed in many distance races throughout Atlanta. Mrs. Hughley lives in Decatur, Georgia with her husband Brad and her nine-month old daughter, Katharine Eve.