Sigma Alpha Iota

PAN PIPES Spring 2020 13 other mediums. Alex also helped to launch the Chicago Vocal Arts Consortium's sing–thru program, which functions to create an accessible space for young artists to experiment with musical styles and traditions following their education. You can also find Alex working with ResonaTe an all transgender choir with a mission to foster acceptance of all voices and identities. Melinda Fradley Melinda Fradley was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Volusia County (FL) Alumnae Chapter. Fradley had been a well-known music teacher in the DeLand schools for the past 25 years, teaching music at three DeLand elementary schools, then, for the past 12 years, directing the choral music program at DeLand High School. Fradley holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Stetson University. During her time at the high school, the choral music program grew from 50 students to 250 students in three years. Her choirs were frequently invited to perform at choral festivals and professional conferences. She was recognized for her successes by being named Teacher of the Year at McInnis Elementary School in 1999 and DHS in 2014. Besides conducting eight ensembles at the high school every day, she spent ten years conducting the Apprentice Choir with the Stetson University Children's Choir. Shortly aer her initiation, Fradley le her job at DeLand High School for a new musical adventure in China. As a result of her having traveled to China in 2017 as part of the Festival Singers of Florida, a professional choir that makes a singing trip abroad every year, and receiving a recommendation from the conductor of the choir, Fradley was offered a three-month assignment at the City of Beijing University with all expenses paid. Her assignment was to teach both American music and American teaching methods to Chinese teachers. Aer returning from China, a new opportunity arose and she is now the Jean Faircloth Principal Conductor of the Savannah Children's Choir. Fradley continues her connection with the Festival Singers of Florida, serving as president. She is a member of NAfME and ACDA. Dr. Gregory Knauf Dr. Gregory Knauf was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Baltimore Alumnae Chapter in February. Dr. Knauf is the director of Choral Activities at Reservoir High School in Fulton, MD, where he also teaches music technology, piano, and directs music for the eatre Arts program. He studied Music eory, Composition, and Conducting at the University of Miami and the Hochshule für Musik in Vienna, Austria. In 2010, he was the recipient of the Howard County Parents for School Music - Music Educator of the Year award. In addition to teaching, Dr. Knauf is the choir director at Catonsville Presbyterian Church in Catonsville, MD. He is also a composer whose pieces are published by Walton Music and Colla Voce Music. He is an active conductor, accompanist, and performer - in particular with Toby's Dinner eatre in Columbia, MD. Dr. Knauf has been on our staff at Catonsville Presbyterian Church since November 2000. As Director of Music, Greg leads the adult Chancel Choir and Bell Choir. He is an active conductor, accompanist, and performer in the Baltimore and Washington, DC area. Dr. Jonathan Murphy Dr. Jonathan Murphy was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Gamma eta Chapter at Georgia Southern University in February. Dr. Murphy is Lecturer of Opera and Collaborative Piano at Georgia Southern University—his undergraduate alma mater. He also holds degrees from the University of Tennessee and the University of Oklahoma, where he was a Weitzenhoffer Opera Fellow. As a coach and conductor, Dr. Murphy was most recently Principal Coach at Wichita Grand Opera, where he helped to produce operas including Turnadot, Don Carlo, and La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein. As a freelance coach, he has coached roles and operas for performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Dallas Opera, San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera, and Sante Fe, among others, including Tosca, Moby Dick, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Otello. Dr. Kathryn Nevin Dr. Kathryn Nevin was initiated as a Friend of the Arts by the Sigma Eta Chapter at the University of Redlands in February. Dr. Nevin earned her Masters and Doctoral degrees in Clarinet Performance from the University of Southern California. Originally from the Chicago area, she was a student of Melvin Warner at Northern Illinois University where she received a Bachelor of Music. In Southern California, Dr. Nevin has performed with the San Diego Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, New West Symphony, Long Beach Opera, Santa Barbara Symphony, Opera Santa Barbara, Monterey Symphony, and Fresno Philharmonic. She is a member of St. Matthew's Chamber Orchestra, Desert Symphony in Palm Desert, Redlands Symphony Orchestra, and Long Beach Municipal Band. Dr. Nevin is an active soloist and chamber musician, having been a founding member of several award-winning ensembles, including Triole. She is currently a member of Calico Winds, an award-winning internationally touring wind quintet, whose recordings and performances around the country have received critical acclaim. e ensemble's most recent commercial release, Vintage America, A Musical Meritage (Albany), features 19th and early 20th century American music. Her playing can also be heard on the CDs Hymns to Forgotten Moons (Centaur) and Tango Rojo (Red Tango) (Candlelight Music). Dr. Nevin has been featured on NPR's "Performance Today" and numerous times on local classical music radio live broadcasts. She has appeared in chamber music concerts with faculty at the University of Redlands, the Taylor String Quartet, the Shanghai Quartet, as well as with Los Angeles Philharmonic principal strings. Dr. Nevin is on the faculty of the Montecito International Music Festival, has produced instructional videos for MusicProfessor.com, and is currently Artist Teacher of Clarinet on the faculty of Redlands University School of Music. DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS Fradley Knauf Murphy Nevin

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