Sigma Alpha Iota

PAN PIPES Fall 2018 47 Dr. Rachel Carlson Dr. Rachel Carlson was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Eta Tau Chapter at West Virginia's Shepherd University in March. Dr. Carlson is the Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities at Shepherd University, where she conducts the Shepherd University Chamber Singers, Women's Camerata, and Masterworks Chorale and teaches choral methods, conducting, and voice. She presents workshops and masterclasses in local area schools and is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the region. Dr. Carlson founded and serves as Artistic Director of Six Degree Singers, a community choir based in Silver Spring, MD, and serves as Assistant Conductor of the Washington Master Chorale. In 2014, she was nominated for a Washington Area Music Award for best Classical Conductor/ Director. Dr. Carlson has toured the country and the world as a freelance professional choral singer and soprano soloist with many of the nation's top professional ensembles. She holds Bachelor's degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education from the University of Maryland, a Master's in Choral Conducting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Doctorate in Choral Conducting at the University of Maryland. Brandon Coleman Brandon Coleman was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Cincinnati Alumnae Chapter in April. As a professional jazz guitarist, Coleman regularly performs some of his over 800 original compositions across the east coast and Midwest with the Brandon Coleman Quartet. In 2017, Mr. Coleman was nominated for a Cincinnati CityBeat Award for best Jazz Album for his release Infinite Loop. As a clinician, he has performed masterclasses for universities throughout the Americas while maintaining both piano and guitar studios. As part of his commitment to develop Cincinnati's music community, Coleman has co-founded two notable jazz series: Golden Mean Arts and the Liberty Jazz Lab. He earned his Bachelor's in Music Performance from Morehead State University and his Master's in Jazz Guitar Performance from the University of Louisville. Matthew Evavold Matthew Evavold was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Moscow-Pullman Alumnae Chapter in September at their Fall Dinner with the members of the Sigma Zeta collegiate chapter. Matt is an excellent crasman in woodwind and brass repair. Employed by Keeney Brothers Music Center in Moscow, ID, since 2005, his creative and artistic skills along with his generous spirit have served Palouse Area teachers and instrumentalists for over a decade. Matt grew up in Odessa, WA, attended Washington State University as a psychology major, and then pursued training in band instrument repair at Renton Technical College. He is now a resident of Troy, ID, and can be heard playing saxophone with the blues band Smokin Mojo. Matt has worked enthusiastically with Moscow-Pullman Alumnae Chapter members, assisting with their School Band Instrument Drive service project since its beginnings in 2012. As chief consultant and repair technician, Matt assessed and accomplished necessary repairs as quickly as possible, so that instruments could be distributed to District II schools which needed them. Oen Matt would donate a little extra time fixing a dent or finding a better case for the instrument at no extra cost – saying this was "his contribution to the project." Dr. Olga Perez Flora Dr. Olda Perez Flora was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Eta Omicron Chapter at e University of Nevada, Reno in May. Dr. Flora is a Cuban- American mezzo-sopran.o Dr. Flora has performed with opera companies and symphonies across the country and internationally. Some of her recent engagements include performances with the Akron Symphony in deFalla's El amor brujo, Opera Columbus as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, ird Lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte with the Erie Chamber Orchestra, and the Duraflé Requiem, Bach's Cantata 147, and Respighi's Il Tramonto with the St. Vincent Cammerata. Dr. Flora has also performed Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro with Operafestival di Roma, Zerlina in Don Giovanni with Opera in the Heights, and the role of Olga in Eugene Onegin with Opera Company Middlebury to wide acclaim. Known for her Carmen, Dr. Flora has performed this signature role numerous times, including her debut with Amarillo Opera. She has enjoyed being a recitalist for both Pittsburgh Opera and the Pittsburgh Song Collaborative, and performed a Cuban song recital series for Otterbein and Muskingum Universities as a community outreach event this spring. Dr. Flora is involved in several young artist programs, including the Idyllwild Festival of the Arts where she has served as a vocal coach and opera scenes director for 12 years and the Flora Italian Summer Studio which she and her husband, Dr. James Flora, launched in the summer of 2016 in Rome with the Tito Gobbi Association, where she serves as the artistic director. Competition wins include being a finalist at the American-Berlin Competition at e Metropolitan Opera and a National Association of Teachers of Singing regional winner. She earned her Bachelor's in Vocal Performance from Northern Arizona University, a Master Master's in Opera eater from Arizona State University, and her Doctorate of Musical Arts from e Ohio State University. Amy Gordon Amy Gordon was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Long Beach Alumnae Chapter in April. She has established her career in Los Angeles as composer, arranger, and singer-songwriter. She is also on faculty at Musicians Institute in Hollywood and has written curriculum for the developing Bachelor's and Master's composition program. She holds a thriving piano studio in the South Bay area as well. She is oen commissioned to compose for film, video games, commercials, and high school choirs. She wrote and produced her 2013 album Waiting On Go. Several songs on that album DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS FRIEND OF THE ARTS a man or woman who is supportive of and actively involved in the arts at a local or regional level Evavold Flora Gordon Carlson Coleman

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