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Guest Artists

Emily Pulley, soprano (USA)
 

Acclaimed soprano Emily Pulley’s radiant voice and electrifying acting have won her both national and international acclaim on the operatic stages. With Glimmerglass Opera, “she shone as Minnie, the pistol-packing, soft-hearted heroine of La fanciulla del West, capturing the crowd with burnished sound and straightforward, unaffected acting.”  New York Magazine proclaimed, “Emily Pulley explores most every facet of this volatile character with a useful soprano that can deliver a power punch as well as a caressing phrase, and she gives a compelling performance.”  As the Governess in The Turn of the Screw with Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Newsexclaimed, “Emily Pulley was outstanding as the embattled Governess. The role fits Pulley’s voice like a glove, and she captured the psychological complexity and heartbroken innocence of one of Britten’s great tragic characters.”

 

A native of Texas, Ms. Pulley received the Richard F. Gold Career Grant from Central City Opera and the Jacobson Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation. She is the 2006 recipient of New York City Opera’s Christopher Keene Award, recognizing an artist’s performance in new or unusual repertoire.

 

More info

 

Velvet Caravan, jazz quintet (Venezuela, Slovenia, USA)
 

Velvet Caravan is one of the most unusual ensembles in the music business. Combining Gypsy, Honky-Tonk, Swing and Latin, this band plays upbeat tunes from all over the world with thunderous virtuosity and relentless sense of humor.

Bringing together the eclectic sounds are a motley crew of super talented musicians that draw their roots from Venezuela, Serbia, Austin TX, Boston MA, and Southern Georgia.   

 

www.velvetcaravan.com/

John Laughton, clarinetist (USA)

 

John Laughton, clarinetist, is a soloist and chamber musician whose career has taken him around the world performing in major concert halls, teaching in major conservatories and universities, and developing arts programs and festivals focusing on the arts and community development. He is passionate about the need for the integration of the arts disciplines into the fabric of the democracy, using innovation, creativity, and research to address economic, social, and health related issues.  

As a performer he has been featured in major concert halls throughout the United States, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Brazil, New Zealand, the People's Republic of China, and the Republic of China.  He holds advanced degrees in performance from The University of Iowa (DMA) and The Catholic University of America (MM) and has done post-graduate work at the University of Texas, Boston College, Harvard University, and the Banff Center in Canada.  He is a two-time winner of a Fulbright Fellowship and twice the recipient of National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar/Institute Grants, and a recipient of grants from the United States Information Agency for his concert/teaching tours of Brazil.

Dr. Laughton has developed arts programs in the United States and Brazil, served as an advisor to the Institute for International Education, and served as an officer on the boards of the Fulbright Association and the Fulbright Center in Washington, D.C.  He is the Dean of the School of the Arts and Communication at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), a highly selective institution that is rated the No. 1 public institution in the northern region of the country by U.S. News & World Report.  The programs in his School are nationally known for their excellence in artistic and communication education.  

 

Dr. Laughton's YouTube channel

Joel Hastings, piano (Canada)

 

Canadian-born Joel Hastings was the winner of the 8th International Web Concert Hall Competition and the International Bach Competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. After his performance at the 10th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas, one reporter designated Hastings the "audience favorite" while another declared, "the kinetic fingers of this Canadian reminded me strongly of his late countryman, Glenn Gould." He was mentioned in Newsweek magazine for having "pulled the audience to their feet after a wild performance of Franz Liszt's Totentanz." Critics have described his playing as passionate, mesmerizing, hypnotic, and transcendental.

A Steinway Artist, Hastings has performed solo recitals across Canada, the United States, and Europe, while his orchestral engagements have included the Toronto Philharmonic; the Detroit, Ann Arbor, Oakville, Okanagan, Windsor, Kamloops, Niagara, Racine, Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie Symphonies; the Kitchener-Waterloo and Michigan Chamber Orchestras; the University of Michigan Symphony Band, the Ann Arbor Concert Band, and the Florida State University Orchestra.

His discography includes live recordings of Franz Liszt's song and operatic transcriptions and Frederic Chopin's 24 Etudes. His recordings have been selected for Canadian critic's awards, praised in publications such as American Record Guide and Musicweb International, and featured on CBC national radio as well numerous stations throughout the United States. In August 2014, the Naxos American Classics label released his recording of solo piano music by American composer Carter Pann.

In the summer months, he serves as a faculty member of the InterHarmony International Music Festival in Arcidosso, Tuscany, Italy, and Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Bavaria, Germany. He has also been a guest professor at the Sichuan Conservatory in Chengdu, China and has performed and taught in Naleczow, Poland, as part of the Poland International Piano Festival.

Currently he is an assistant professor of piano at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.  

 

http://joelhastings.com/

Micah Gangwer, violin (USA)

 

Violinist Micah Gangwer joined the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Concertmaster in the fall of 2012. Before moving to Charleston to join the symphony, Micah lived in Columbia SC where he was the Principal Second Violinist of the South Carolina Philharmonic, and has also previously held positions as Associate Concertmaster of Symphony Orchestra Augusta and in the violin section of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Micah received his undergraduate degree from Miami University, and went to graduate school at the University of Oklahoma and the University of South Carolina.

 

As a chamber musician, Mr. Gangwer has played in concerts across America and Europe including performances for ambassadors, royalty, and several heads of state. In 2003, Micah was a finalist in the Coleman International Chamber Music Competition as a member of the Lennox Trio. Micah has participated and performed in many festivals and institutes including the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music, Salzburg Chamber Music Institute, and has performed, toured, and recorded for three summers as a member of the Echternach Festival Orchestra of Luxembourg.

 

http://www.micahgangwer.com/

FMU Faculty 

Dusan Vukajlovic, cello (Serbia)
 

Dusan Vukajlovic is the principal cellist of the South Carolina Philharmonic, acting principal cellist of Symphony Orchestra Augusta, and cellist of the Upton Trio. He also performs regularly with the Savannah Symphony and with the Sterling Chamber Players. He obtained his undergraduate degree from the Belgrade Music Academy and went on to study with Martha Gerscefski at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia where he completed his Masters degree in 2003. Following that he spent a year studying with Johanne Perron at Lynn University in Florida. Currently, Dusan is a doctoral candidate in cello performance studying under Dr. Robert Jesselson at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

 

Dusan was born into a musical family in Belgrade, Serbia and began to play the cello at the early age of five. As a soloist he has had a successful career which began with winning the first prize at the Yugoslavian National Cello Competition in Sarajevo in 1987. Two years later he was a member of the piano trio (Do-mi-sol) that won the first prize in the National Chamber Competition in Dubrovnik. In 1991, he won the first prize at a chamber competition in Stresa, Italy. In addition he regularly performed on national radio and television. Dusan has participated in master-classes with Tim Eddy, Bonnie Hampton, Kiril Rodin and Ksenija Jankovic.  Recent solo engagements include a performance of the Friedrich Gulda Cello Concerto with the South Carolina Philharmonic.

Oral Moses, bass-baritone (USA)

 

Oral Moses, bass-baritone performs regularly throughout the United States and Europe singing Oratorio and recitals with special emphasis on a wide variety of Negro Spirituals and Art Song repertoire by African-American composers.

 

Born in South Carolina he began his singing career as a member of the United States Seventh Army soldiers Chorus in Heidelberg, Germany and as a member of the famed Fisk Jubilee singers while attending Fisk University following his military career. As a T.J. Watson Fellow he studied in Germany and Austria and upon his return to the United States he earned a Masters of Music and a Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree in Vocal Performance and Opera from the University of Michigan. In 1986 as a recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant he co-authored a book entitled, Feel The Spirit-Studies in Nineteenth Century Afro-American Music published by Greenwood Press. He is a contributing author in both the third edition of, Notable Black American Women, and the second edition of, Notable Black American Men, published by Gale Press. He is a frequent guest lecturer and clinician for Gospel and Spiritual music workshops and conferences.

 

Still a very active and exciting performer Dr. Moses is a retired Professor Emeritus of Kennesaw State University.

 

http://www.oralmoses.com/

 

Sumire Worman, piano (Japan)

 

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Sumire Worman started playing piano at the age of 3 and continued her studies in Switzerland and Canada from age 14.  She later obtained her Bachelor of Music degree in piano from The University of British Columbia, and her Master of Music degree in piano performance and literature from The University of Western Ontario, Canada.  Her principal teachers are Barrie Barrington, Sara Davis Buechner, Henri-Paul Sicsic, the Canadian duo pianists James Anagnoson & Leslie Kinton, and Takahiro Hoshino.
 

After graduating, she has performed solo and collaborative recitals in Japan.  In addition, she taught piano lessons privately and translated masterclasses given by foreign pianists.  She also was a faculty member of Francis Marion University and a member of the Florence Symphony Orchestra in South Carolina.  Sumire has recently moved to North Carolina and is starting to teach and perform in the Charlotte area.

Paolo André Gualdi, piano (Italy/USA)
 

Italian pianist Paolo André Gualdi has played recitals in Italy, Brazil and the United States, both as a soloist and chamber musician.  He has appeared with numerous orchestras including the Atlanta Philharmonic, Georgia Philharmonic, DeKalb Symphony, Wilmington Symphony, Florence Symphony, and the Universidade de Caxias do Sul Symphony Orchestra.

 

He has won the top prize in several piano competitions, including the “De Martino Award” at the Ibla International Piano Competition and the First Prize in the 15th Bartók-Kabalevsky International Competition in Virginia.

 

Gualdi regularly gives master classes and lectures nationally and internationally at universities, conservatories and other music institutes.  He is currently Associate Professor of Music at Francis Marion University and founder and artistic director of the South Carolina Chamber Music Festival.

 

www.pagualdi.com

Brandon Goff, composer (USA)
 

Brandon Goff (b.1973) is a composer with an often dramatic and always distinctive voice. Goff has been the recipient of numerous awards and commissions including the Arnold Sallop Prize for Composition, the Smit Award, the ASU Graduate Composer Award, as well as being named a finalist in the BMG Young Composers Competition and the ASCAP Morton Gould competition. Goff's music has been widely performed with numerous premiers in the United States as well as Europe and Asia. Holding both a B.M. and M.M. from Arkansas State University, Goff earned his D.M.A. from the University of Memphis where his principle instructors have included Kamran Ince, John Baur, Jared Spears, and Tom O'Connor

 

Along with his accomplishments as a composer, Goff is also a prolific performer and producer. As the owner of Poppsycho Studios he has innumerable production credits to his name. Recent projects have included Kyle Thomas/ Not Alone and Doug Pierce/ This Time of Year, both on Loop Road Records. Goff has performed and toured world-wide with the pop group Pierce, with whom he produced and released numerous albums. Goff is also the co-founder and co-owner of Poppsycho Records, a Memphis-based independent record label.


Goff is currently on faculty at Francis Marion University where he serves as Assistant Professor of Music Industry.

 

 

Terry Roberts, horn (USA)
 

Dr. Terry Roberts began his musical studies at the age of five, first with piano, then horn and cello. Dr. Roberts completed his Bachelor of Music at Florida State University in 1976 after which he went to Cologne, Germany to study with Erich Penzel. While in Germany, he was appointed Solo Horn with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, where he performed for 8 years. He was then appointed Solo Horn of the MonteCarlo Philharmonic Orchestra where he stayed for an additional eight years. While in Europe, Dr. Roberts performed in all the major theaters and symphony halls as a soloist and chamber and orchestral musician. He has performed most of the major horn repertoire, and has made recordings with many esteemed orchestras and artists both in Europe and in the United States. It was while he was performing in Europe that Roberts developed an interest in conducting. Dr. Roberts studied in Cologne, Germany and at the Conservatoire du Nice, France. He was also able to work with many well known conductors from all over the world such as Lorin Maazel, Daniel Barenboim and Sir Neville Mariner. 

In 1993, Roberts moved back to the United States and started a freelance career as soloist, chamber and orchestra musician. In 1994, he was a prizewinner in the Professional Division of the American Horn Competition.     

While at Florida State University as a candidate for the D.M. degree, Dr. Roberts served as Music Director/ Conductor of the Chipola Regional Symphony Orchestra in Florida through 1998. Currently, Dr. Roberts is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of music at Francis Marion University. He maintains an active performing and conducting schedule throughout the Southeast. Dr. Roberts is Music Director/Conductor of the Florence Symphony Orchestra and the Florence Symphony Youth Orchestra in Florence, South Carolina.

 

 

Shane Reeves, percussion (USA)
 

Shane Reeves, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, has performed with the Central Florida Symphony, Fayetteville Symphony, Gainesville Chamber Orchestra, Palmetto Opera, South Carolina Philharmonic, Wilmington Symphony, J’Ouvert Steel Band, Pantasia Steel Band, Sunshine Steelers, Jacare Brazil, Woyate West African Drum and Dance Ensemble, as well as various rock and pop groups. As a member of the USC wind ensemble, Shane participated in a recording of the music of Leonard Bernstein for the Naxos label and was the principal percussionist during the ensemble’s concert tour of China in 2012. Shane was featured as a marimba soloist with both the University of Florida percussion ensemble and the UAB percussion ensemble. In addition, Shane is active as a freelance performer in various settings including musicals, operas, performances with various rock/pop groups and church concerts.

 

As an educator, Shane has taught percussion at various middle and high schools in Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina. He has directed outdoor and indoor marching percussion lines, concert percussion ensembles, steel bands and has written and arranged music for all of these mediums. For three years he was the Director of Percussion at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Alabama where he oversaw all aspects of the percussion curriculum. Shane also served as the front ensemble tech for the UAB Marching Blazers in 2002 and 2003. As a graduate assistant at the University of Florida he taught applied percussion, percussion methods and the beginner steel band. Shane currently teaches applied percussion and percussion ensemble at Francis Marion University and academic music courses at Midlands Technical College. Shane is endorsed by Innovative Percussion and is a member of the Percussive Arts Society.

 

www.shanereevespercussion.com/

 

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