News
2023 is proving to be a busy year! Recently, I began a new role, serving as board chair of the Board of Directors for Journey North Opera Company's (JNOC). JNOC is an independent , women-led arts organization dedicated to evolving and modernizing the conventions of opera. My friend and colleague, Colleen Meier, founded JNOC with the support of our former teacher, the great Audrey Stottler (The Orchard Enterprises, 2016). I'm excited to support JNOC's mission to [tell] "stories that are meaningful to and representative of the community and the artists presenting them...to challenge perspectives and be a catalyst for positive societal change" (JNOC, 2023).
In April and May 2023, I jumped into the Theatre Elision's production of "First Ladies Suite" (LaChiusa), filling in for a sick colleague. I sang the role of African American contralto Marian Anderson. First Lady Suite is an enthralling look into the lives of some of history’s most neglected figures, the wives of U.S. presidents. The musical is presented in four vignettes about noted First Ladies Jackie Kennedy, Mamie Eisenhower, Bess Truman, and Eleanor Roosevelt. The show was well-received by audiences and we received a rave review from Chris Hewitt of the Star Tribune.
This past summer, I performed arias with Bloomington Symphony Orchestra and conductor, Manny Laureano and performed with Journey North Opera Company in their third-annual Changing the Narrative event.
This past summer, I performed arias with Bloomington Symphony Orchestra and conductor, Manny Laureano and performed with Journey North Opera Company in their third-annual Changing the Narrative event.
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I recently contributed a chapter to a book on innovative curricula, “Engaging Pedagogies for Diverse Learners: Tools for Discovery and Development." My chapter is entitled: "My American Story: A Storytelling and Songwriting Project for Social Change." It explores the music curriculum I designed which guides college students in telling their American story in song. The book is edited by Sarah Noonan, Professor Emerita at University of St. Thomas, and will be published by Rowman & Littlefield Education in October 2023. I am currently working on a new writing project about reggaetón.
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Biography
I am a passionate arts education leader with a demonstrated commitment to equity and accessibility. My broad experience as a leader, educator, scholar, and entrepreneur includes work in community education, K-12 education, and higher education.
I am currently the the Director of Visual and Performing Arts at the Blake School. I work with PK-12 faculty and administer the programming in the visual arts, music (choral, band, orchestra), theatre, and debate. The Blake School is a PK-12 independent school with a 122-year history and a long-established reputation for excellence in the Twin Cities. At Blake, "students not only become great scholars; they also become artists, athletes and citizens of the world" (The Blake School, 2022).
Prior to joining the faculty of The Blake School, I taught at the University of St. Thomas (UST) for three years as an adjunct faculty member. This included a music and culture course at the Dougherty Family College (DFC), elective voice lessons for undergraduate and graduate students in the Music Department of the College of Arts and Sciences, and a introductory course for first-year college students through the Office of Student Affairs. While at UST, I served on the DFC Dean Search Committee, University of St. Thomas Charter Accountability Board, the UST Adjunct Faculty Council where I was a member of the AFC Elections and Nominations Committee, and the DFC Strategic Planning Committee.
I graduated with honors from the University of St. Thomas, Department of Educational Leadership, earning an Ed.D. My dissertation, entitled "Mixed People, Mixed Music: Hybrid Contemporary Commercial Music Genres and the Multiethnic Artists Who Create Them," studied the experiences and contributions of multiethnic artists working in the contemporary commercial music industry. Click here to read the dissertation abstract about my research. In addition, I hold an M.Mus., Vocal Performance, from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins, and a B.A. in Italian Studies (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Minnesota.
I enjoy sharing my knowledge, experience, and love for music, cultural studies, performance, and pedagogy with students and fellow educators alike. Past guest lectures and professional development workshops included diverse topics ranging from reggaetón and race, realism and nationalism in 19th century opera, women opera composers in 17th century Italian city-states, anti-racist teaching practices, and addressing equity in the classroom with creativity.
In my teaching, I incorporate Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy and explore a diverse range of music traditions, from Contemporary Commercial Music to Western European Art Music, with emphasis on lyric theater and hybrid music genres within the African diaspora. I support vocal students in embracing their artistry and agency, whether they are exploring vocal technique, repertoire of the Western Art Music tradition, or developing their vocal, performance, composition and production skill sets as independent singer-songwriters.
As a performing artist, I believe it is time to tell new stories and expand the American operatic and art song canon. My performance credits include operatic productions with Washington National Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Orlando, and the Lakes Area Music Festival, and recitals and concerts with the Orlando Philharmonic, MacPhail Spotlight Series, Thursday Musical, and the An die Musik “Live! Concert Series.”
To learn about my professional work, or to contact me, please click the buttons below.
I am currently the the Director of Visual and Performing Arts at the Blake School. I work with PK-12 faculty and administer the programming in the visual arts, music (choral, band, orchestra), theatre, and debate. The Blake School is a PK-12 independent school with a 122-year history and a long-established reputation for excellence in the Twin Cities. At Blake, "students not only become great scholars; they also become artists, athletes and citizens of the world" (The Blake School, 2022).
Prior to joining the faculty of The Blake School, I taught at the University of St. Thomas (UST) for three years as an adjunct faculty member. This included a music and culture course at the Dougherty Family College (DFC), elective voice lessons for undergraduate and graduate students in the Music Department of the College of Arts and Sciences, and a introductory course for first-year college students through the Office of Student Affairs. While at UST, I served on the DFC Dean Search Committee, University of St. Thomas Charter Accountability Board, the UST Adjunct Faculty Council where I was a member of the AFC Elections and Nominations Committee, and the DFC Strategic Planning Committee.
I graduated with honors from the University of St. Thomas, Department of Educational Leadership, earning an Ed.D. My dissertation, entitled "Mixed People, Mixed Music: Hybrid Contemporary Commercial Music Genres and the Multiethnic Artists Who Create Them," studied the experiences and contributions of multiethnic artists working in the contemporary commercial music industry. Click here to read the dissertation abstract about my research. In addition, I hold an M.Mus., Vocal Performance, from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins, and a B.A. in Italian Studies (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Minnesota.
I enjoy sharing my knowledge, experience, and love for music, cultural studies, performance, and pedagogy with students and fellow educators alike. Past guest lectures and professional development workshops included diverse topics ranging from reggaetón and race, realism and nationalism in 19th century opera, women opera composers in 17th century Italian city-states, anti-racist teaching practices, and addressing equity in the classroom with creativity.
In my teaching, I incorporate Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy and explore a diverse range of music traditions, from Contemporary Commercial Music to Western European Art Music, with emphasis on lyric theater and hybrid music genres within the African diaspora. I support vocal students in embracing their artistry and agency, whether they are exploring vocal technique, repertoire of the Western Art Music tradition, or developing their vocal, performance, composition and production skill sets as independent singer-songwriters.
As a performing artist, I believe it is time to tell new stories and expand the American operatic and art song canon. My performance credits include operatic productions with Washington National Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Orlando, and the Lakes Area Music Festival, and recitals and concerts with the Orlando Philharmonic, MacPhail Spotlight Series, Thursday Musical, and the An die Musik “Live! Concert Series.”
To learn about my professional work, or to contact me, please click the buttons below.
Image: SCAD Hong Kong classroom.JPG. (2020, October 31). Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Retrieved 05:51, July 22, 2022 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:SCAD_Hong_Kong_classroom.JPG&oldid=508239474.
Image: Libri books2.jpg. (2022, May 29). Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Retrieved 03:56, July 31, 2022 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Libri_books2.jpg&oldid=659658064.
Image: Libri books2.jpg. (2022, May 29). Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Retrieved 03:56, July 31, 2022 from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Libri_books2.jpg&oldid=659658064.
