Sigma Alpha Iota

PAN PIPES Winter 2019 29 DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS Debbie Fagnano e New Orleans Alumnae Chapter initiated Debbie Fagnano as a Friend of the Arts in September. Fagnano, a New Jersey native, has been an organist and pianist for nearly sixty years. She holds music education degrees from Jersey City State College and the University of Houston. She is an active musician in the New Orleans area as an accompanist for New Orleans Opera on Tap and serves as music minister at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church. She is an active member of the American Federation of Musicians, a charter member of the Houston Piano Entertainers Guild, and a member and officer of the New Orleans Women in Music. If you've ever been to the Riverwalk area of New Orleans, then it's likely you've heard Ms. Fagnano's work. For almost 30 years, she has been the steam calliope player on Louisiana's last steam powered boat, the Steamboat Natchez. is job has earned her the endearing nickname of "Miss Calliope. e Steam Calliope is a uniquely American instrument, a 32-note steam pipe organ. It has been identified with steamboats since 1865. Today, only four Steamboats operating on the Mississippi River have Steam Calliopes. e Steamboat Natchez, christened in 1975, has a Steam Calliope which is an exact copy of those original instruments built 100 years ago. Learn more from this WGNO news story here: https://tinyurl.com/y2wfz8bb Gary Gackstatter Gary Gackstatter was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter in November. He has been the Coordinator of Music at St. Louis Community College at Meramec and conductor of the Symphonic Band and Orchestra since 2007. He holds a Bachelor's in Music Education from Southwestern Oklahoma State, a Master's in Conducting from Wichita State University, is a two-time Kansas Governor's Arts Award Winner, and is the 2017 Missouri Humanities Council Excellence in Education winner. Gackstatter has won the Wichita State University Concerto-Aria competition and has toured and recorded as a soloist and member of the 5 Man Trio. His groups have been featured at Missouri Music Educators Association, Kansas Music Educators Association, and Kansas Bandmasters Association state conventions, and have won many regional and state awards. He has composed six symphonies, and has conducted premiere performances of Elmer Bernstein film scores To Kill a Mockingbird, e Great Escape, and two symphonies by cellist Eugene Friesen. Gackstatter has authored three books: Your Musical Journey, a music appreciation textbook; Pen and Ink, a book of his writings and drawings, and, most recently, e Spark: Notes from the Podium, a series of short meditations on teaching music. His most recent work was a commission piece for the St Louis Alumnae chapter's 75th Anniversary, is is to be Our Symphony. Matthew Gregg Matthew Gregg was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the eta Iota Chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in December. Gregg is the Associate Director of Bands at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. He conducts the Symphony Band and is the Director of the Marching Pioneers, in addition to teaching Music eory and Aural Skills. Prior to holding this position, he was a Band Director at Oconomowoc High School where he was listed twice in the Who's Who Among America's Teachers. He has conducted and performed at several music conventions including the National Band Association – Wisconsin Chapter, Wisconsin Music Educators Association and the College Band Directors National Association. Prior to his work in Oconomowoc, he earned a Bachelor's of Music from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Master's of Music from the University of Wisconsin. He has also served as the Director of Bands at Cambridge High School and Nikolay Middle School. His performance and instructional experience includes a long history in the drum & bugle corps circuit where he was a performer and soloist with the Madison Scouts from 1988- 1994 and a brass instructor and administrator from 1995-2003. In 2007, he served as the corps' Program Coordinator. He was also involved in the administrative, creative, educational, and performing elements of the Madison Scouts Alumni Reunion Project that performed in Camp Randall Stadium in August of 2006. Gregg was also a brass instructor and designer for Capital Sound Drum & Bugle Corps and served as the Corps Director from 2001-2002. In 2002, he won the Drum Corps International Division II Director of the Year award. His teaching experience has allowed him the opportunity to travel across the United States and abroad as an instructor, adjudicator, and clinician. He has a number of musical arrangements and compositions to his credit including works for orchestra, concert, marching, and jazz band, as well as various chamber ensembles. Gregg has also earned a number of credits as a horn player. He is currently a member of Ensemble Nouveau and Rountree Ensemble, professional chamber groups in residence at UW-Platteville. He has won several competitions, scholarships and awards for instrumental performance including six consecutive years as a Drum Corps International Solo & Ensemble Champion. Heather Huckleberry Heather Huckleberry was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the eta Iota Chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in December. Huckleberry, instructor of oboe, graduated from the University of Minnesota, where she earned her Bachelor's and Master's in Oboe Performance. Heather is currently the Co-founder and a member of e Dubuque Chamber Players, a professional chamber music group in Dubuque, Iowa. Additionally, she is on faculty at Clarke University and the University of Dubuque. Huckleberry was Principal Oboe of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra for nine seasons and was a featured soloist on several occasions. Former orchestral posts include Principal Oboe of the Duluth-Superior Symphony and the Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra. She furthered her oboe studies at the Aspen Music Festival, Pierre Monteux School, and at festivals in Quebec and Austria. She has also recorded a CD for Lifescapes Music featuring herself and members of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Dr. Gerald Kreitzer Dr. Gerald Kreitzer was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Iowa City Alumnae Chapter in October. He is a long-time arts icon in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area and has influenced the musical careers of thousands of young people Fagnano Gackstatter Gregg Huckleberry

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