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distinguished members LAUREATE continued from page 39 in Professional Studies from Juilliard School, and her Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Manhattan School of Music. She also received a Recital Diploma First Class, Meaker Fellowship, and Hodgson Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Music, and an Opera Coaching Fellowship and a Teaching Fellowship from Juilliard. Her latest recording, The White Peacock: American Collection, Vol. I, was released by Arabesque Records in 2011. NATIONAL ARTS ASSOCIATE a man or woman who is nationally recognized for distinguished contribution to the arts Michael Skipper Michael Skipper was initiated as a National Arts Associate by the New York Alumnae Chapter in June. Mr. Skipper has been working in various aspects of show business virtually his entire life. He earned a Bachelor's Degree of Arts in Speech & Drama from Texas Wesleyan College. He began an acting career immediately after graduating with road shows including Fiddler on The Roof, South Pacific, and Wait Until Dark. His subsequent move to California jumpstarted his television career with stints on General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, and the prime-time dramas Hart To Hart and Falcon Crest. He returned to Texas to pursue a more focused career in producing and directing. Skipper has spent the better part of the last 15 years producing in New York City. His Broadway credits include: Avenue Q (2004 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical, Besy Score and Best Book); In The Heights (2008 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography, and Best Orchestrations); The Crucible (2002 Tony Nomination, Drama League Award for a Distinguished Production of a Revival), On The Waterfront, Play On!, Damn Yankees (with Jerry Lewis), and The Civil War. He has also produced several award winning off-Broadway shows including: The Vagina Monologues, Cobb (Co-Produced with Kevin Spacey, Drama Desk Award winner for Best Ensemble), Bay Boy (Drama Desk Best Musical off-Broadway Award winner), Shockheaded Peter, Jam on the Groove, and Moscow Stations. He is a member of American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the League of American Theatres and Producers (Tony Awards), and the Board of Directors of the Rattlestick Playwright's Theater, an organization in the heart of the West Village committed to the creation, development and production of new plays. He continues to direct, act, and produce in NYC, Las Vegas, Texas, and London, England.." friend of the arts a man or woman who is supportive of and actively involved in the arts at a local or regional level Edward S. Dumit Edward S. Dumit was initiated by the Tulsa Alumnae Chapter in May. The Associate Professor Emeritus of communications at the University of Tulsa, Dumit served Dumit the university for 38 years as teacher of broadcasting courses and as manager, program director, and arts producer of public radio station KWGS. After his retirement from teaching in 1993, he continued until 2001 as producer and host of public radio broadcasts of concerts from the Oklahoma Mozart International Festival in Bartlesville, OK, and the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra. He has performed in numerous productions in the Tulsa area, and for more than two decades coached each Miss Oklahoma, including Miss America 1996 Shawntel Smith, in voice and diction and interview technique. Among the awards he has received is the 1990 Harwelden–Kathleen P. Westby Lifetime Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts. 40 PAN PIPES FALL 2011 sai-national.org Earl Dunn Earl Dunn was initiated by the Iota Chi Chapter in May. Dunn is Director of Bands Emeritus at Ball State University. He served as Director from 1957-1969 and christened the university marching band as "The Pride of Mid-America." He also briefly served as Acting Director of the School of Music. A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, he served as president of the National Band Association and received The Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts Award in 2004. A member of Phi Beta Mu, the national honorary band fraternity, he was awarded the organization's Outstanding Bandmaster Award and, in October 1987, was elected to the fraternity's prestigious "Hall of Fame." Dr. Gordon James Dr. Gordon James was initiated by the Theta Mu Chapter in April. Dr. James, Principal Horn of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, has been playing and teaching horn for 25 years, and presently teaches at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), Southern Adventist University, Lee University, and Covenant College. He also performs with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and the Huntsville Symphony. He received his a Bachelor's of Music in Horn Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, and his Master's in Horn Performance from the University of North James Texas. He has served on the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Board of Directors since 2002 and in the offices of the Chattanooga Musicians Union since 2007. Dr. Richard Mercier Dr. Richard Mercier was initiated by the Gamma Theta Chapter in April. With specialty areas in piano, accompanying, vocal coaching, and opera, Dr. Mercier is frequently called upon to adjudicate for competitions and festivals, give master classes, and present at professional meetings and conferences. He is the author of several articles and two books, The Songs of Max Reger and The Songs of Hans Pfitzner and has performed extensively as collaborative