Sigma Alpha Iota

44 Fall 2021 • sai-national.org recording artist, performer, and teacher. He is the founder and artistic director of Kid Pan Alley, co-founder of Trapezoid, as well as his current bands: Paul Reisler & A ousand Questions featuring Howard Levy, and ree Good Reasons. Over the past 45 years, he has performed in over 3,000 concerts, recorded close to three-dozen albums, co-wrote Aesop's Fables for Orchestra and Narrator, as well as the script and songs for two musicals: Bouncin' and e Talented Clementine. Reisler has written more songs than the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Stephen Foster combined—somewhere north of 3,500 compositions. Certainly, his 65,000 short collaborators as well a handful of Grammy-winning co-writers have helped. Artists including Sissy Spacek, Raul Malo, Darrell Scott, Cracker, Corey Harris, Jesse Winchester, and many others have recorded his songs. He is one of the most popular songwriting teachers in the country and has taught at numerous workshops and songwriting schools, including Rocky Mountain Song School, Utah Song School, New Song Academy, Swannanoa Gathering, Augusta Workshop, Hollyhock, Kerrville, NSAI, Songcamp in the Mountains, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, Berklee College of Music, University of the Pacific, and Moulin a Nef (France). FÜREYA ÜNAL Füreya Ünal was initiated as a National Arts Associate by the Lambda Chi Chapter at California State University, Fullerton in May. Ms. Ünal was born in Istanbul where she started playing the piano at the age of three. Her formal music education began at Istanbul University State Conservatory when she was five years old. In 1995-1996 she studied in Monaco with State Artist Hüseyin Sermet at the Monaco Music Academy. Aer graduating with honors from the Istanbul University State Conservatory in 1996, she gave her recital at the 2nd International Piano Festival at Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall. Ünal received two Master's degrees: her first Master's degree from the Istanbul Conservatory and her second from the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main. During her education, Ünal studied with many renowned teachers such as Irina Zaritskaya, Mikhail Voskresenski, Anatol Ugorski, and Leontina Margulis. In 1998 she was admitted to the class of Arkady Aronov at the Manhattan School of Music. In 1999 she was granted a full scholarship by the Turkish Educational Foundation to study in Frankfurt, Germany with Catherine Vickers. Aer completing her studies in Germany, Ünal became a member of Faculty at Yildiz Technical University. Being an avid chamber musician, Ünal has collaborated with many musicians from around the globe. As a part of the Ünal Korkmaz flute-piano duo, she has given concerts and master classes in Istanbul as well as the United States, premiering works by contemporary composers. Ünal is a Faculty member at California State University Fullerton. She has been teaching for over 20 years at schools in Istanbul, Germany, and the United States. Her students have won numerous competitions and festivals. She was a recipient of a Cultural Exchange Fellowship in 2012 given by the Turkish Cultural Foundation to give concerts and master classes in e People's Republic of China. She has been awarded "the Woman of Distinction 2013 from 65th District of California" by the Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva. Ünal is the founder, co-artistic director and pianist of the new music ensemble Divan Consort. Her ensemble has given numerous concerts and master classes since its beginning in 2009. e group has released their first album "Refuge" (Albany Records), which has been awarded the Gold Medal in Album category and the Silver Medal in composition category by Global Music Awards. ALVIN WADDLES Alvin Waddles was initiated as a National Arts Associate by the Detroit Alumnae Chapter in June. Alvin Waddles is known as "e Detroit Original," a pianist, singer, composer, and director who began studying the piano at the age of eight in his hometown of Detroit. He continued his studies at the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University Of Michigan School Of Music. Aer returning home to Detroit he immediately immersed himself in the rich musical culture of the city. Waddles currently serves as Musical Consultant/Musical Director for the Mount Vernon Public Schools, Performing Arts Department in New York. He has been musical director and/or pianist for numerous theatrical productions including: e Wiz, e Color Purple, Dreamgirls, Chorus Line, West Side Story, and Sophisticated Ladies. He served for a decade as Musical Director for e ree Mo' Tenors—Cook, Dixon, and Young—and their related touring productions and recordings. Waddles received raves as a featured performer in the Detroit Music Hall's long running production of Ain't Misbehavin'. During the 2010-2011 season his diverse gis were on full display when, within a two week period, he sang the role of Crown for Bolling Green University's production of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. He played the composer's Rhapsody in Blue with the Michigan Opera eatre Orchestra. Mr. Waddles wowed Detroit music lovers with performances including the International Detroit Jazz Fest and the Detroit Festival of the Arts. He is the featured piano soloist in the oen-sold-out annual productions of the Jazz-Gospel Messiah Too Hot to Handel in both Detroit and Chicago. e Chicago Tribune raved about the performances, Distinguished Members

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