Sigma Alpha Iota

28 Winter 2025 • sai-national.org Distinguished Members DR. SPENCER BRAND Dr. Spencer Brand was initiated as a National Arts Associate by the Beta Chi Chapter at McNeese State University in September. Dr. Brand is an active trumpeter, composer, and educator based in Lake Charles, Louisiana. As Assistant Professor of Trumpet at McNeese State University, he teaches private lessons, directs brass choir, teaches Music History, and hosts musical events for both college and local high school students. Previously, Brand taught trumpet and music theory at Glendale Community College and coached brass at Mountain Ridge High School in Arizona. Professionally, Dr. Brand has received international recognition for his work. While in Arizona, he was a performer and staff arranger for the Phoenix Brass Collective and served as the coordinator for the Young Artist Competition. Brand has performed with regional ensembles as Principal Trumpet/ Cornet such as the MusicaNova Orchestra, Symphony of the Southwest, Chandler Symphony Orchestra, and the Salt River Brass. He is an active member of the International Trumpet Guild and the Society of Composers, Inc. While studying for his DMA, Dr. Brand researched Czech trumpet playing and repertoire. His work led to his tour in the Czech Republic with the Prague Summer Nights Festival Orchestra. In just a year of being chapter advisor, Dr. Brand committed to Beta Chi and the fraternity as a whole. He made it clear how vital he believes women are in the musical profession, and proves his dedication by his continual push to recruit women into his all-male Trumpet Studio. He assists the chapter in recruiting potential sisters and helps all women in the music department feel like they deserve a seat at the table—he shows compassion for their issues and offers solutions that are genuine and achievable. He consistently shows his wholeheartedness, commitment, and devotion to Beta Chi, shows kindness, and offers help to anyone in need. DR. JOSEPH WIGGETT Dr. Joseph Wiggett was initiated as a National Arts Associate by the Theta Epsilon Chapter at California State University, Stanislaus in June. Dr. Wiggett directs the Opera Workshop and maintains an active Applied Voice studio, in addition to his teaching duties in Vocal Pedagogy, Lyric Diction, and Vocal Literature. He is the former Director of the School of Fine and Performing Arts at Stanislaus State, as well as former Artistic Director and principal Stage Director for Townsend Opera of Modesto, where he directed productions at the Gallo Center for the Performing Arts. In 2012, he was awarded the Stanislaus Arts Council Excellence in Arts Award for Excellence in Music in recognition of his "outstanding contributions to the Arts and Culture." Dr. Wiggett has performed over three dozen operatic roles as a past member of the Julliard Opera Center, the Lyric Opera of Chicago Center for American Artists, and the Prague Mozart Academy. He has given recitals and made concert appearances throughout the United States, Europe, China, and the former Soviet Union. He is recipient of numerous awards and honors including three Birgit Nilsson prizes, as well as two grants from the Puccini Foundation. As a contest singer, Dr. Wiggett has taken first-place honors in the Metropolitan Opera New England Regional Auditions, the Chicago Union Civic and Arts Leagues Competition, and the Center for Contemporary Opera International Competition. He is the only three-time winner of the prestigious Lillian Nordica Prize. Among his major debuts are roles with the New York City Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, a solo recital in the Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Series, and his Lincoln Center debut at Alice Tully Hall as baritone soloist in Orff 's Carmina Burana. As a concert performer, Dr. Wiggett has appeared with numerous orchestras including the Modesto, Manhattan, Boulder, Bangor, Portland, Milwaukee, and Colorado Symphonies. He holds degrees in Music Education from the University of Maine, a Masters in Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, and a Doctorate in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Colorado Boulder. NATIONAL ARTS ASSOCIATE a person who is nationally recognized for distinguished contribution to the arts

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