Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • WINTER 2016 • PAN PIPES 31 DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS K E L LY C O R C O R A N Kelly Corcoran was initiated as a Member Laureate by the Nashville Alumnae Chapter in October. Corcoran has served as the Associate Con- ductor of the Nashville Symphony for 7 seasons and was recently named Director of the Nashville Symphony Chorus. She has led an effort to bring contemporary musical compositions to Nashville as Artistic Director and Conductor of Intersec- tion, a modern music ensemble, and founded the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra in 2003. Corcoran has worked tirelessly to make music more accessible in Music City. She is a member of the Advisory Council for Nashville's Music Makes Us initiative, a Metro Public Schools initiative that focuses on making children musically literate by connecting them with highly qualified educators and the professional musicians of the Nashville Symphony. is allows students and their families — many of who have never experienced classi- cal performances — to have high caliber musical experiences. She has conducted high-level orchestras such as e Cleveland Orchestra, as well as the Atlanta, Colorado, Charleston, Charlotte, Detroit, Hous- ton, Knoxville, Memphis, Milwaukee, National and Utah Symphonies, the Naples Philharmonic, and Louisville Orchestra. She has conducted professional and interna- tional orchestras, including multiple appearances with Orquesta Sinfónica UNCuyo in Mendoza, Argentina, the Bournemouth (UK) Symphony, and competed in the VIII Cadaqués Orchestra In- ternational Conducting Competition in Spain, yet still takes the time to promote music education by sharing these skills with student and community orchestras. She was originally initiated as a member of Epsilon Zeta Chapter at the Boston Conserva- tory where she received her Bachelor's in Vocal Performance. She earned her Master's in Instru- mental Conducting from Indiana University, and has been a member of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus for more than 10 years. C I N DY R I P L E Y Cindy Ripley was initiated as a Member Laureate by the Buffalo Alumnae Chapter in November. Cynthia (Cindy) Ripley's dedication to making a difference at a remote school in the rural school district of Gowanda, New York, has led her to become a nationally recognized educational consultant in music and theatre arts. During her 33 years as a vocal educator and music department chair of the Gowanda, NY, Central School District, Ripley initiated Gowanda's musical theatre program. She produced and directed over 60 productions. By the end of her tenure, the talent of the students was the talk of the town and many community members lent a hand in contributing their resources and/or expertise to productions. Her commitment and spirit caught the attention of leading theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI) and, in 1995, Gowanda was selected to pilot a production of Annie Junior, the first-ever title for MTI's new theater for schools division. Gowanda's cast went on to perform the show's national premiere at the 1996 MENC Convention in Kansas City. She also worked with MTI Education to create the Annie Junior Teachers Production Guide. This book outlined everything educators needed to know to put on a successful Annie Junior show in their community. As MTI's Educational Division expanded to include shows for elementary, middle, and high school students, Ripley continued to play a role in the development of corresponding show-specific resources for teachers. Gowanda's students also continued to pilot new shows, including Dear Edwina Junior and Disney's The Jungle Book Kids. She is a contributing author of the musical theatre curriculum for grades one through eight for the MacMillan/ McGraw-Hill "Spotlight on Music" textbook, which repositions the study of American musical theatre from being an extracurricular activity to a part of the core curriculum. She serves as a collaborative author on the Disney Theatrical Productions and MTI partnership, which adapts classic animation titles such as Disney's 101 Dalmatians, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Aristocats, Alice in Wonderland, Mulan, and Aladdin into stage versions for children to perform. Her achievements received national attention when she was selected as one of 39 educators nationwide on USA Today's 2005 All Star Teacher Team. She has served for 25 years on the Board of Directors of the Erie County Music Educators Association. She is a member of The American Choral Directors Association and is listed in the Who's Who of American Educators and American Women. She was the 1999 recipient of the Erie County Council of Music Administrators and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Award for Excellence in Classroom Music. She serves on the education committees of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Shea's Performing Arts Center, and the Arts in Education Institute of Western New York. She directs and develops new educational musicals with iTheatrics in New York City. Her work as an educational consultant and workshop presenter for the "Discover Theater" national tours empowers teachers and school districts across the country to create more arts opportunities for their students. She also spearheaded BPS Goes Broadway, a yearlong collaborative program promoting youth and musical theatre with Buffalo Public Schools, iTheatrics, Shea's Performing Arts Center, and MTI. Ripley earned a Bachelor's of Music degree from The Crane School of Music, State University College at Potsdam, and completed her graduate work at The Crane School, SUC at Fredonia, and The Eastman School of Music. She originally was initiated as a collegiate member of Gamma Delta at SUNY Potsdam. MEMBER LAUREATE an initiated member of the Fraternity who has achieved international distinction in the music profession DISTINGUISHED continued on page 32

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