Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • Fall 2023 59 the Hawaii Symphony, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, and the Famous Jazz Orchestra. A former member of the Honolulu Symphony, the Austin Symphony, and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Jelle was also a member of the Breckenridge Music Festival Chamber Orchestra in her native Colorado for 20 summers. In addition to her position as a professor , she is Director of the 501(c)3 nonprofit Mark Flugge Memorial Fund, which commissions new arrangements of Flugge's compositions, sponsors the Capital University Mark Flugge Jazz Award, and coordinates the Annual Mark Flugge Tribute Jazz Concert. Jelle's latest CD is Bolling & Beyond: Lisa Jelle, Jazz-Inspired Flute. Mark Flugge Remembered, was released in February 2019. Other releases are A Chamber Jazz Christmas (2016); Mark Flugge Remembered: Jazz Originals & Standards (2015); and Waltz into Madness (2012). ese CDs feature compositions and arrangements by and with her late husband, jazz pianist/composer Mark Flugge, as well as the Inspirare Duo, Capital's QuintEssential Winds, and the PANdemonium4 Flute Quartet. Recently,J Dr. Jelle performed the Mariano Morales Concerto for Flute and Orchestra with the Central Ohio Symphony in October of 2022. is is a new work that pushes the boundaries of the traditional "orchestral" style by using aspects of jazz and Puerto Rican music. In August of 2022, she organized a ninety- minute concert in honor of her teacher, Fritz Kraber, for the National Flute Association Annual Convention and performed with PANdemonium4 in a chamber concert at the same convention. Finally, she gave a presentation with PANdemonium4 at the Ohio Music Educators Association Conference on flute choir repertoire in the spring of 2023, showcasing her activism at the local level. Her website is: www.lisajelle.com ANTHONY LAGRUTH Anthony LaGruth was initiated as a National Arts Associate by the Northern New Jersey Alumnae Chapter in May. American conductor Anthony LaGruth has delighted audiences and critics alike with many exciting performances recognized for their innovative presentation of orchestral music. Michael Greenberg of the San Antonio Express- News said, "Maestro LaGruth brought crisp definition, dramatic sensitivity, and stylishly flexible tempos to the score." Mr. LaGrugth has worked with some of the greatest composers of our age, including Hans Wermer Henze, John Corigliano, and Pulitzer Prize winner Karel Husa. He has collaborated with soloists Frederica von Stade, Judith Ingolfsson, Phillip Smith as well as pop-star Neil Sedaka and Craig Schulman, of Broadway. An honors graduate of Ithaca College, Mr. LaGruth earned a master's degree in orchestral conducting and a bachelor degree in composition. He also attended the world- renowned Pierre Monteux School for Conductors, where he was a conducting fellow under the tutelage of Charles Bruck and Michael Jinbo. Mr. LaGruth currently serves as the Music Director/Conductor of the Livingston Symphony (NJ), e Glen Rock Pops (NJ), and the North Shore Festival (NY). He is the Associate Director of the North Shore Symphony (NY). For 17 seasons, he served as the Artistic Director of the Garden State Philharmonic and served as Music director of the Lyric Opera of San Antonio (TX) for 6 seasons. A proponent of American music, Mr. LaGruth is a co-founder of the League of American Orchestras' commissioning project, Made in America. is program offers regional orchestras throughout the country the opportunity to commission works by major American composers. is project made its debut in 2005 to national acclaim with a work by Joan Tower, with 65 orchestras representing all 50 states. Mr. LaGruth recently made his European debut in Romania leading concerts with several orchestras including the state philharmonics of Satu Mare, Botosani, and Raumnica Valcea. He also made his Lincoln Center debut leading a young artists concerto concert at Alice Tully Hall. During the pandemic, Mr. LaGruth ran weekly "Listening with LaGruth" classes on Zoom for his orchestral members, to teach them music theory and to assist them to become more adept at actually listening to music and its nuances. ese classes improved skills and fostered camaraderie amongst everyone who attended. Mr. LaGruth is a member of the Board Directors of the Conductors Guild, a national service organization for conductors. ROBERT MEUNIER Robert Meunier was initiated as a National Arts Associate by the Pi Chapter at Drake University in April. Robert Meunier is Director of Bands and Professor of Percussion at Drake University where he is the conductor of the wind symphony and director of percussion studies. He is in demand as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States. Meunier has appeared in thirty-one states, China, Sweden, Canada, and in Mexico, where he has been an artist/conductor in residence at the Conservatorio Nacional de Musica, and at the Academia de Musica Escuela de Musica Ollin Yoliztli in Mexico City. He is a contributing author to eleven volumes of Teaching Music rough Performance in Band, Teaching Music rough Performing Marches, and Teaching Music rough Jazz Performance. In addition to his duties at Drake, Meunier is affiliated with the Des Moines Symphony Academy as the conductor of the Des Distinguished Members

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