Biographies

Tiffany Conn , Soprano, is a recent alumna of the Crane School of Music where she earned her Master of Music in Music Education in 2009 and her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Music Business in 2006. After a period of working in classical music management and business in New York City she has recently returned to the North Country . As a student Tiffany performed as a member of the Crane Opera Ensemble and as a soloist with Concert Choir, Crane Chorus, and the Crane Symphony Orchestra. She also performed with the Rome Opera Festival in Italy in the role of Carmen's Frasquita. While living in Manhattan she was an active member of the New York City Master Chorale and currently serves as the music director for the First Presbyterian Church in Canton , NY .

John Ellis, Trumpet, has performed as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Canada ,and Europe. Dr. Ellis has appeared with a variety of musical organizations and artists including the Canadian Brass, the US Army Brass Band, Calgary Philharmonic, the Moody Blues, as well as Grammy Award winners Diana Krall, Tony Bennett, and Anne Murray. He is currently Principal Trumpet of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of Northern New York. Dr. Ellis' website .

Anna Hendrickson, Oboist, joined the Crane School of Music faculty as Assistant Professor of Oboe. She holds the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music where she studied with Richard Killmer, and the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as a student of Marc Fink. Dr. Hendrickson held teaching positions at SUNY Geneseo, the Community Music School of the Eastman School of Music, and the Hochstein Music School, where she performed on the live radio broadcast recital series and other faculty recital series. She has been a member of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (Ontario) and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and is currently a member of the summer Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, Oregon. Spending a year in France as a Fulbright scholar, Dr. Hendrickson performed at the US Embassy in Paris, the American Church in Paris, and the Château de Champs with pianist Mieko Hironaka Bergt. She performs now with the Potsdam Wind Quintet, the Orchestra of Northern New York, and the Northern Symphonic Winds.

Harold Levin, Viola, has led a varied career as violist, conductor, composer and teacher. He holds a high school diploma from the Interlochen Arts Academy, BM from Ball State University, MM from the University of Cincinnati, and DMA from Rutgers University. After performing in the viola section of the Louisville Orchestra for four seasons, Dr. Levin began a career of college teaching and conducting that has involved positions at the University of Nebraska, University of Memphis, Western Illinois University, and Ball State University. An active performer, Dr. Levin has played viola with the orchestras of Cincinnati, Omaha, Memphis, Long Island, Orlando, and Jacksonville, and has performed and conducted at summer festivals in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Michigan, Colorado, and Vermont. He has served as instructor of Viola and Chamber Music at the Interlochen Center for the Arts from 2000-2007. He currently conducts the Marywood University Orchestra in Pennsylvania.

Nicole Moody, 18-year-old Cellist, began playing the violin at age eight after being inspired by ONNY's production of BABAR the Little Elephant and the Instrument Petting Zoo. At 14, she explored the cello as a summer project and it turned into her primary instrument. As a member of various ensembles and community orchestras, she has enjoyed playing and sharing music with friends on her violin, recorders, and cello. She was a 2008 member of the Burlington Vermont Youth Orchestra. In 2009 she won "Best Chamber Music Award" at the Lake Placid String Festival. Nicole homeschools in Lake Clear , NY . She is a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Tang Soo Do and an ADK 46r. Her future plans include college where she will major in cello performance. She began her cello studies with Angelo LaMariana and currently studies under Ann Alton.

Jill Pearon, Soprano, holds degrees from the University of Evansville (BMMT, Music Therapy), Southern Methodist University (MM, Voice and MMT, Music Therapy) and the University of Michigan (DMA, Voice and Graduate Certificate in Music Theory Pedagogy) having studied with professionals such as Shirley Verrett, Martin Katz, Lorna Haywood, and Robin Rice. She has performed in opera, recital, and concert venues across the United States and in Europe. She specializes in creating unique themed recital programs often incorporating staged, costumed, and visual components. Additionally, she has a particular interest in 20th century and chamber music and has premiered several new works with one currently under commission. Dr. Pearon is currently on the faculty of the Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam) and has previously held faculty positions at Capital University, Kenyon College, and was also a Graduate Instructor at the University of Michigan and Southern Methodist University. She was selected to participate in the 2000 National Association of Teachers of Singing Internship Program where she studied with Shirlee Emmons and has been honored to present Master Classes from Massachusetts to California.

Dr. John F. Schwaller, Narrator, became the fifteenth President of SUNY Potsdam in May 2006, capping a career in higher education spanning more than 30 years. He began his academic life as a faculty member at Florida Atlantic University, where he eventually became Associate Dean of the Schmidt College of Arts and Humanities. He then was appointed the Director of the Academy of American Franciscan history in Berkeley, California; followed by service as Associate Provost of The University of Montana; and then Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean of the University of Minnesota, Morris. An internationally known scholar of early colonial Latin America and of Nahuatl (the Aztec language), Dr. Schwaller is the author of eight books, over 50 articles, and more than 100 professional papers and presentations. Since his arrival in Potsdam, Dr. Schwaller has been a frequent performer on the various stages at SUNY Potsdam. Dr. Schwaller is passionate about the fine and performing arts, especially music, and is pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the many phenomenal productions at SUNY Potsdam.

Kirk Severtson, Pianist, has been on the faculty at The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam since 2001, where he is musical director for the Crane Opera Ensemble, coaches singers and pianists, and teaches classes in art song repertoire and accompanying. During the summer, he coaches for Lake George Opera (NY) and has previously coached at Opera North (NH), the Opera Theater of Lucca (Italy), the Cincinnati Opera outreach program, the Rising Star Singers festival, and Dorian Opera Theater, and held a fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival in vocal chamber music. He holds a B.A. from Luther College with majors in music, math, and computer science, and M.M. and D.M.A. degrees in piano performance from the University of Cincinnati , College-Conservatory of Music. He appears frequently in recital with both singers and instrumentalists. One ongoing performance project is a choreographed version of Hindemith's Das Marienleben with soprano Judith Kellock and dancer Risa Fujita, which has been given numerous performances from New York City to Hawaii .

Shelly Tramposh, Viola, is the viola professor at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, where she performs in the Potsdam Piano Quartet and other ensembles. As a member of the Ariel Chamber Players, Dr. Tramposh recently completed a music residency in Tullamore and Dublin, Ireland. She has performed recitals abroad in Europe and Central America, and in the United States in Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, and New York. The Irish Times said of her recent performance of the Enesco Concertpiece, "Tramposh reveled in its technicalities ... her tone production had a distinctive complexity." She is in demand as a clinician, and will return to Costa Rica this winter for a residency at the music school of the Sinfonica Nacional de Costa Rica. Dr. Tramposh holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Eugenia Tsarov is a renowned Russian-born pianist, earned her Diploma with Distriction from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory of Music and previously taught piano and chamber music at the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow for 18 years. In 1968 she won the prestigious Soviet National Piano Competition and was appointed pianist of the Moscow State Philharmonic Society, the most pretigious concert management organization in Russia. Since immigrating to the US in 1991, Ms. Tsarov has continued her perforning careeer with three tours of Spain, performances at the United Nations and the Merkin Concert Hall (NYC) along with performances throughout the Northeast, Texas, Vermont and Canada. Since 1994 Ms. Tsarov has been teaching studio piano, "The Art of Accompanying" Seminar and chamber music at Crane while maintaining a busy schedule of workshops and masterclasses.

Paul Wyse. As the First Prize Winner at the 2001 Simone Belsky International Piano Competition, Paul Wyse's performances have garnered remarkable praise from the Miami Herald hailing him as "...a musician of uncommon perception, possessing lots of facility and fire." His recording of Debussy Preludes captured the attention of CD Baby with the following remarks: "Wyse delivers Debussy Preludes with a touch beyond the exquisite, with such subtlety and nuance dripping with color, introspection and understanding that a listener sits down to take in this music as they would a twelve course meal, a carefully planned feast. In his interpretations and delicious recreations of these lush and intricate piano works, Wyse captivates and enchants all the way through twelve stunning tracks, very much like a painter in sound or poet in pure emotion. Bravo!"
Mr. Wyse's conert appearances have spanned the United States, Canada, Central America, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand. Highlights include premiere performances for the Royal Family of Monaco, concertos with the New World Symphony, the Gettysburg Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of Northern New York, the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, and the Peabody Chamber Orchestra. He has made radio appearances on WGBH Boston, the Australian Broadcasting Company, the New Zealand Broadcasting Company, and has collaborated in performance with such greats as Michael Tilson Thomas, Vladimir Feltsman, Leon Fleisher, Carter Brey, José-Luiz Garcia, and Paula Robison. Mr. Wise' website.

PAUL WYSE IS A STEINWAY ARTIST