Class Notes

1949 Roy Johnson ’51 (MM), ’61 (DMA), a native of Fayetteville, West Virginia, was inducted into the Fayette County Wall of Honor in May. Roy is a retired professor and composer and an expert on the carillon. He was a Fulbright Scholar in France in the 1950s and taught at the University of Kansas and the University of Maryland. Among his compositions is a seven-volume series of hymn preludes for the liturgical year.

1957 Sydney Hodkinson ’58 (MM) (see ’ 06).

1961 Roy Johnson (DMA) (see ’49).

1968 Bill Cahn writes that he and Bob Becker ’69 are contributors to The Cambridge Companion to Percussion (Cambridge University Press), edited by Russell Hartenberger. Bill’s article is titled “Orchestral Percussion in the 21st Century: Concerns and Solutions,” and Bob’s is titled “Finding a Voice.”

1969 Bob Becker (see ’68).

1970 Geary Larrick (MM) writes that he presented an exhibit of his recent articles at a scholarly research symposium at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. He’s a retired professor of music at the university.

1972 Stephanie (Eden) Vaning (MM) was recognized by the Pinellas County (Florida) Sheriff’s Department for her Musical Strings Alternatives program, which she created nearly 20 years ago and oversees in the High Point YMCA in Clearwater. The department honored Eden with the Community Leadership Award for the impact of her program on youth in the community, which suffers from a high rate of crime and drug abuse. Eden founded the program as a response to the elimination of music education in the public school system. A violinist, she was first chair in the Florida Orchestra at the time.

1976 Mary Helen Weinstein ’77 (MM) writes: “As a classical violinist, I’ve been learning jazz for about 10 years. I recently joined a group performing choros and Brazilian jazz as panderista, playing pandeiro (Brazilian tambourine) and violin. We’ll play First Fridays in Los Altos, California. Another project is arranging classical standards (slow movements of Beethoven and Brahms concerti) so an ensemble of my students can accompany me at recitals. They get to experience pieces from the inside while improving ensemble skills.”

1977 Neil Rutman (MM) writes that he’s published a book, Stories, Images, and Magic from the Piano Literature (Torchflame Books). He’s artist-in-residence at the University of Central Arkansas. . . . Mary Helen Weinstein (MM) (see ’76).

1983 William Eddins ’86 (MM) hosted “This Is My Music,” a weekly Saturday morning radio program of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, in April. The program invites internationally recognized classical artists to share their favorite selections. A conductor and pianist, William is music director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

1990 Seunghee Lee has released her fourth CD, Solace (Musica Solis).

1994 Zeneba Bowers ’96 (MM), assistant principal second violin in the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, has released her third CD with the Alias Chamber Ensemble, Amorisms: Music of Paul Moravec (Delos Productions). In addition, she and her husband, cellist Matt Walker, have founded a travel consulting business, Little Roads Europe. They have published two travel guidebooks under their imprint, Little Roads Publishing: Tuscany, Italy: Small Town Itineraries for the Foodie Traveler and Emilia-Romagna, Italy: A Personal Guide to Little-Known Places Foodies Will Love. She and Matt also offer travel tips, articles, and recipes for favorite Italian dishes at LittleRoadsEurope.com. . . . Trombonist Matthew Wozniak ’97 (MA), ’97 (MM) and his wife, saxophonist Lois Hicks-Wozniak, have released a CD, Playback (Self-published). Matthew and Lois are both members of the West Point Band.

1999 Ayden Adler ’99 (DMA), ’07 (PhD) has been named dean of the DePauw University School of Music. Previously the senior vice president and dean of the New World Symphony, Ayden is also working on a book based on her dissertation at Eastman, “Classical Music for People Who Hate Classical Music: Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, 1930–1950.”

2003 Adam Roberts is one of 12 winners of the 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship for music composition. He’s composed multiple works for individuals and ensembles and plans to use his fellowship to create a multimovement orchestral work. Currently, he’s completing a commission for an oboe quartet for the 40th anniversary of Rochester’s Society for Chamber Music.

2006 Martin Seggelke (DMA) is conductor of the Illinois State University Wind Symphony. They have recorded a CD, Monuments (Naxos), consisting of world premiere recordings of music by Roy Magnuson, Sydney Hodkinson ’57, ’58 (MM), Jayce John Ogren, and Francesco José Martinez Gallego. The CD features soprano Allyss Haecker, and it won the American Prize in Band/Ensemble Performance in December 2015.

2007 Ayden Adler (PhD) (see ’99).

2014 Percussionist Ariel Jackson Gammons is the new director of the Creekwood Middle School band in Kingwood, Texas. Composer Brad Sayles, a Kingwood native, welcomed Ariel as director with a commissioned piece consisting of alternating parts for her and her students. The piece, Das Verschreckte Kind im Wasserpark, or “The Frightened Child at the Water Park,” is a German polka concerto for marimba and concert band.

2016 Bassoonist Ivy Ringel was among nine winners in the 2016 Yamaha Young Performing Artist program. A native of Hillsborough, North Carolina, Ivy performs as a soloist and in chamber, orchestral, and contemporary ensembles, and leads the wind quintet, the Eclectet.