Madeline Abel-Kerns
Instructor – Voice
AA, General Education, Sacramento City College; BA, Vocal Performance, Mary Baldwin University
Madeline Abel-Kerns is a classically trained singer, actor, and artist instructor of voice for the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University and a member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA. Her robust resumé includes oratorio and opera performances at Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Heidelberg Opera, Sacramento Opera and San Francisco Opera, as well as musicals, concert, and cabaret appearances in New York, California, Oregon and Germany. Ms. Abel-Kerns has taught voice, breath, acting and physical conditioning at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Hebrew Union College, Holy Names College, James Madison University, Mary Baldwin University and New York University, and has presented master classes and workshops throughout the country, in the Bahamas and abroad. As stage director and producer, she has presented over thirty musicals, operettas and operas in fully-staged productions, concerts, and dinner theatre. Madeline has a BA in Vocal Performance, summa cum laude, from Mary Baldwin University.
Office: Music Building, 213
Phone: 541.552.6546
E-Mail: abelkernm@sou.edu
Kim Andresen
OCA Marketing and Box Office Manager
BA English, Pacific University
Kim Andresen has a variety of talents and unique experience in higher education, corporations, and non-profit organizations. She has served in a variety of capacities at Pacific University, The Oregon Graduate Institute of Science & Technology (now part of OHSU), WebArtists.biz, Livestock of the World, Inc., The Andresen Group, and a variety of tech companies across Oregon. Kim is also the Southern Oregon Polar Plunge Coordinator for Special Olympics and she and her husband John have 4 children, and enjoy gardening, music (she plays cello), and raising alpacas.
Office: Theatre Building, 131
Phone: 541.552.8196
E-Mail: andresenk@sou.edu
Rhett Bender, DMusA
Professor of Music – Saxophone, Clarinet, Chamber Music
BM, Iowa State University; MM and DMusA, Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia
Dr. Bender teaches saxophone performance, music theory, graduate research and chamber music at SOU. He directs the Ashland Chamber Music Workshop and leads the Siskiyou Saxophone Orchestra and Cascade Clarinet Consort. Bender is soprano saxophonist with the Globe Saxophone Quartet, a member of the JitaZax Duo, a guest artist-teacher at the Sichuan Conservatory of Classical Music (China) and visiting professor at the College of Arts of Yantai University (China). Bender is the Region 1 (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming) Director of the Saxophone Alliance and a Selmer Artist-Clinician.
Office: Music Building, 207
Phone: 541.552.6534
E-Mail: bender@sou.edu
Reed Bentley
Instructor – Percussion, Director of the Maraval Road Steel Pan Ensemble
BA, Music Business, Southern Oregon University; MM, Percussion Performance, Southern Oregon University
Mr. Bentley is an active performer and educator in Southern Oregon. Performing regularly with the Rogue Valley Symphony and is musical theater percussionist at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He studies and performs the music of many cultures including Cuban, Brazilian, Hawaiian and Zimbabwean. Serving as percussion coach for the Ashland School District, Mr. Bentley directs the percussion ensembles and assists the wind and jazz ensembles. Under his direction the Maraval Road Steel Band brings high energy excitement to campus and community events.
Office: Music Building, 224
Phone: 541.552.6101
E-Mail: bentleyr@sou.edu
Karen Bolda
Student Success Coordinator
MA, Psychology, San Diego State University; BS, Psychology, University of Illinois
As the Student Success Coordinator for the Oregon Center for the Arts, Karen assists students with their transition to the university, advises on the general education courses needed, aligns student’s career goals with their academic majors, and helps create academic plans to plan for graduation. She can help navigate the general education requirements for SOU, answer general questions about the major, and guide students to resources to help them to be successful. Karen has lived in Ashland for over 20 years. She spends much of her free time with the Curtain Climbers, a local Aerial Dance Company.
Office: Art Building, 118
Phone: 541.552.6735
E-Mail: boldak@sou.edu
Margaret R. Evans, DMA
SOU Professor of Music Emerita, Instructor, Organ
DMA and Performer’s Certificate, The Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester; MM, The University of Michigan; BA, Chatham University
Dr. Evans has performed recitals throughout the United States. She served as national vice president of the American Guild of Organists for four years and as a director of music (organist/choir director) in churches for 50 years. She contributed over 15,000 titles to a database of organ literature based on hymn tunes for the Church Music Institute in Dallas. She is the author of a book on sacred cantatas, has published numerous articles and reviews, and has a CD of works performed at Balboa Park, San Diego. She teaches for OLLI at SOU and is Dean of the Southern Oregon Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
Office: Music Building, 213
Phone: 541.552.6101
E-Mail: mevans@sou.edu
Victoria Fields
Instructor – Violin
MM Violin Performance – University of Oregon; Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration; BM Violin Performance – University of Louisville
Ms. Fields is an administrator, teacher, and performer. She studied under Professor Hal Grossman and her teaching influences include Galamian, the Grossman Method®, and the Suzuki Method. She is also passionate about music theory and the preservation of symphony orchestras. Ms. Fields has performed with Orchestra NEXT, the Eugene Concert Choir, and the Rogue Valley Symphony.
Office: Music Building, 211
Phone: 541.552.6101
E-Mail: fieldsv@sou.edu
Jodi French
Instructor – Staff Pianist
BA, Southern Oregon University
Ms. French serves as staff accompanist and teacher of class piano at Southern Oregon University, maintains a private teaching studio, and holds a position as church organist. She has performed with nearly every musical organization in the region, including Rogue Valley Chorale, Siskiyou Singers, Rogue Music Theatre, Rogue Valley Symphony, Rogue Opera, and Southern Oregon Repertory Singers.
Office: Music Building, 212
Phone: 541.552.6101
E-Mail: frenchjod@sou.edu
Beth Glosner
OCA Division Manager/Music Program Asst.
BS in Therapeutic Recreation – Gannonville University, PA; BA in Art (Metalsmithing) – Millersville University, Millersville, PA.
Beth Glosner moved to Ashland from Pennsylvania, where she lived for over 30 years. She has a background in healthcare administration both in the hospital setting and the physician’s office. Beth has two degrees, the most notable one is in visual arts with a concentration in metalsmithing. She is the designer and creator behind the Etsy shop Arouxson. Beth is a Svaroopa Yogi, a volunteer reiki practitioner, enjoys traveling, herbal gardening, listening to music (she hasn’t played piano in 30 years), and anything to do with metalsmithing.
Office: Music Building, 142
Phone: 541.552.6347
E-Mail: glosnerb@sou.edu
Lorin Groshong
Instructor, Oboe
MA, University of Oregon; BA, Northwestern University
Lorin Groshong grew up in Ashland and studied with Raymond Weaver and Sherril Kannasto Wood. After a brief career in environmental sciences, she returned to music performance and now plays the oboe and English horn with many local ensembles, including the Rogue Valley Symphony and the Ashland City Band. Lorin is also a private oboe instructor.
Office: Music Building, 208
Phone: 541.552.8576
E-Mail: groshongl@sou.edu
David R. Humphrey, PhD
Director of the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University
BME and Certificate in Flute, Florida State University; MME and Master’s in Educational Administration, Florida State University; PhD in Opera Production/Music Education, Florida State University
Dr. Humphrey has served in leadership and consulting roles at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Metropolitan Opera, National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Opera, Corcoran Museum of Art, Museum of Performance & Design, California Center for the Arts in Escondido, and Washington Bach Consort.
Office: Music Building, 142
Phone: 541.552.6522
E-Mail: humphred2@sou.edu
Cynthia Hutton, DMA
SOU Associate Music Professor Emerita; Music Instructor, Horn
BA, California State University Fullerton; MM, University of California San Diego; DMA, University of Colorado
Dr. Hutton is Artistic Director and Conductor of Youth Symphony and Youth Orchestra of Southern Oregon. She is a member of the Rogue Valley Symphony Orchestra and RVSO Brass Quintet. Dr. Hutton is a recipient of the Alteria M. Bryant Award honoring women in the arts, as well as SOU’s Elmo Stevenson Presidential Award recognizing outstanding service to the University.
Office: Music Building, 210
Phone: 541.552.6101
E-Mail: hutton@sou.edu
Mark Jacobs, DMUS
Instructor – Trombone, Composition
BA, Western Illinois University; MMus, Northwestern University; DMus, Northwestern University
Dr. Jacobs is the principal trombone in the Rogue Valley Symphony. He is also regularly the trombonist in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He played in Shakespeare in Love (2017), Beauty and the Beast (2017), THE WIZ! (2016), Guys and Dolls (2015), Animal Crackers (2012), Pirates of Penzance (2011), and The Music Man (2009). In 2014, Dr. Jacobs completed a tour of concerts near Basel, Switzerland, featuring his recent compositions for band. His tone poem for orchestra, Las Ranas de Katanchel was premiered by the Rogue Valley Symphony in 2010 and subsequently recorded by the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra in Olomouc, the Czech Republic for the compact disc Spellbound. He composed the film score for the short film The Bullet of Time (2018). His brass quintet Tilting at Windmills premiered in 2019. In 2020 he is working on newly commissioned works including a score for a new short film by the maker of The Bullet of Time.
Office: Music Building, 211
Phone: 541.552.6544
E-Mail: jacobsma@sou.edu
Bryan Jeffs
Percussion/History/World Music, Director of the SOU Raider Band
BA, Music Performance and Music Education, Southern Oregon University; MM, Percussion Performance, California State University (Sacramento)
Mr. Jeffs’ diverse musical experience ranging from rock, pop, folk, classical and experimental contemporary music inform the wide variety of classes he designs and facilitates at SOU. As Director of the SOU Raider Band he works to bring excitement and passionate energy to athletic events and the campus community as a whole. Mr. Jeffs is an avid composer, specializing in works for percussion and innovative graphic notation techniques. His work is published through APAKA Music and his own Rebel Frog Music brand.
Office: Music Building, 224
Phone: 541.552.6101
E-Mail: jeffsb@sou.edu
Jerron Jorgensen, DMA
Assistant Professor of Music – Director of Choral Studies/Vocal Studies, Music History
DMA in Voice Performance, The Hartt School; MM in Voice Performance, Arizona State University; BA in Music, South Dakota State University
Hailed as a conductor for his “warm, invigorating, and beautifully paced” (Peter Tiboris) as well as “passionate and uplifting” (Adolphus Hailstork) conducting, Dr. Jerron Jorgensen possesses a résumé of diverse musical experiences with professional work as a conductor, soloist, chorister, teacher, and arranger. At present, he serves as Director of Choral/Vocal Studies at Southern Oregon University and Artistic Director of the Rogue Valley Chorale. Prior to relocating to Ashland, Dr. Jorgensen served as Director of Choral Activities at Coker University in Hartsville, South Carolina. Under his direction, his ensembles have garnished a number of honors and accolades, including the distinction of national finalists in the prestigious American Prize; participating in professional recording projects; and performances at choral conferences. In May of 2022, Dr. Jorgensen was honored to make his Carnegie Hall debut as a guest conductor with MidAmerica Productions and the New England Symphonic Ensemble.
Dr. Jorgensen’s work in both operatic and choral settings has focused on contemporary works by living composers, including conducting a number of world premieres by composers such as Dale Trumbore, Evan Mack, and Joel Thompson. As a chorister, he has performed with numerous professional choirs, including the GRAMMY®-nominated ensembles True Concord Voices & Orchestra in Tuscon, AZ and the Taylor Festival Choir in Charleston, SC. Professional work as a soloist include performances with Hartford Opera Theater, Hartford Independent Chamber Orchestra, Rhode Island Civic Chorale & Orchestra, Soli Deo Gloria Orchestra, New Haven Oratorio Choir, New Haven Chorale, Madison Lyric Stage, Heartland Opera, and The Scottsdale Musical Arts.
Office: Music Building, 229
Phone: 541.552.6532
E-Mail: jorgensej@sou.edu
Bernadette Mondok Keller
Instructor of Music, Vocal
BA, Vocal Performance and Music Education, University of California, Los Angeles; MM Vocal Performance, Cleveland Institute of Music
Bernadette Mondok Keller is the Owner-Director of Mondok Music Scholars, LLC. As a music educator, she teaches her own piano & voice studio as well as the studios of other music school clientele, such as Music Stream Center (MSC) in California. She directs the MSC Sings vocal ensemble and conducts vocal clinics with local school choirs. She is a certified Harmony Road Music Course teacher and a member of the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC), the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), and the American College of Musicians (ACM). Her students participate in prestigious annual evaluations such as MTAC’s Certificate of Merit exam and ACM’s National Guild of Piano Teachers Audition. They frequently earn lead roles in productions with Davis Musical Theater Company and win national & international competitions such as the American Protege International Competition, International Grande Music Competition, and the Hal Leonard Vocal Competition. She has graduated students into theater and music programs at New York University and California State University Long Beach. When not teaching, she is the Community Outreach Branch Chair & Recording Secretary for the Yolo County Branch of MTAC and a CM Voice Exam evaluator. She also enjoys stage directing and performing; recent such creative projects have included her solo recital on the Trinity Cathedral Music Series, Celestial Beings, as well as Camerata Capistrano’s production of the prologue from John Blow’s opera, Venus & Adonis, and Sacramento Baroque Soloists’ production of Bach’s Coffee Cantata, BWV 211. As a new resident to the Rogue Valley, her upcoming projects include singing as a paid member of Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, music directing Camelot Theater Company’s production of Matilda the Musical in 2022, and teaching at Umpqua Community College and Rogue Community College.
Office: Music Buiulding, 210
Phone: 541.552.6545
E-Mail: kellerb@sou.edu
Derek Keller, PhD
Assistant Professor: Music Industry & Production, Theory & Skills, Composition, and Guitar.
B.Mus., University of Georgia; MM, University of Georgia; Ph.D., University of California, San Diego.
Dr. Keller is an award-winning composer and performer and his music explores the myriad of possibilities in the coexistence, inter-mingling, and hybridity between contemporary concert music, jazz, and rock. Currently, Dr. Keller is focusing on his Modular Music Project which combines live performance, formal modularity, and the audience’s mobile devices to create music along the deterministic–improvisational–aleatoric continuum. The movements, their components, and video animations are modular: the musicians can play the movements and their sections/parts thereof in different arrangements; the video projections can be broadcast at different times; and the audience can navigate and playback related media they retrieve from my website. Keller seeks to create ‘living’ multimedia works through communicative flexibility between himself, the performers, and the audience to address the socio-political challenges of our contemporary moment.
Dr. Keller is also an accomplished guitarist and vocalist. He has won and placed in numerous state, regional and national competitions and performed in notable masterclasses, such as those with Christopher Parkening. Dr. Keller is currently a member of Resurrexit and is the Tenor Choral Scholar at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (Sacramento, CA). Some recent performances include singing his own arrangements of Schubert, Dowland, and Gesualdo for guitar and voice with the McAllister Keller Duo, selections from Four Andalusian Love Songs for countertenor and piano by composer Kurt Erickson, and selections from Récitations for solo voice by George Aperghis. Dr. Keller’s music and performances are available on the Tzadik and Centaur labels.
Office: Music Building, 225
Phone: 541.552.6540
E-Mail: kellerd@sou.edu
Terry Longshore, DMA
Professor of Music – Director of Percussion Studies, Music Graduate Coordinator
BS in Business Administration: Computer Applications and Systems, California State University (Fresno); BM in Percussion Performance, California State University (Sacramento); MA in Contemporary Music Performance, University of California (San Diego); DMA in Contemporary Music Performance, University of California (San Diego)
Dr. Longshore is a percussionist based in Ashland, Oregon whose genre-crossing work exhibits the artistry of the concert stage, the spontaneity of jazz, and the energy of a rock club. He performs nationally and internationally as a soloist and ensemble member, collaborates with artists working in diverse media, and has premiered and recorded numerous works. Longshore is a Yamaha Performing Artist, a Marimba One Vibe Artist, and an artist endorser for Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Remo Drumheads, Gon Bops Percussion, and Beato Bags, and is a member of the Black Swamp Percussion Education Network. He is a trained HealthRHYTHMS facilitator. He holds bachelor’s degrees in business administration from California State University at Fresno and percussion performance from California State University Sacramento and earned the master’s and doctoral degrees in contemporary music performance from the University of California, San Diego. He is Chair of the Music Program, Graduate Coordinator, Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at the Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University.
Office: Music Building, 223
Phone: 541.552.6548
E-Mail: longshore@sou.edu
Christine Lundahl, DMA
Assistant Professor of Instrumental Music/Director of Bands
DMA, University of Michigan; MM Conducting, University of South Florida; BME Music Education, Florida State University
Dr. Lundahl completed a DMA in Wind Band Conducting at the University of Michigan under the mentorship of Michael Haithcock. While there, she conducted the Symphony and Concert Bands, assisted in the undergraduate conducting sequence, worked closely with athletic bands, and was Director of the UM Band Alumni concert ensemble. Her research and publications delve into the topics of diverse programming and music education in Title 1 public schools and she is brought out frequently as a guest conductor and clinician.
Prior to graduate study, Dr. Lundahl spent four years as the Director of Bands at Liberty High School in Kissimmee and two years as the Director of Band and Orchestra at Westridge Middle School in Orlando, Florida. During that time, she established two thriving jazz programs, received accolades for the concert ensembles at the district and state level, and significantly increased participation in each program as a whole. She was also active as a performer, playing trumpet with the Florida Wind Band, Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, Hollingsworth Winds, and cornet and tenor horn with the Brass Band of Central Florida.
Dr. Lundahl currently teaches conducting, applied trumpet and is the director of the Southern Oregon University Wind and Jazz Ensembles, and the Rogue Valley Symphonic Band.
Office: Music Building, 226
Phone: 541.552.6546
E-Mail: lundahlc@sou.edu
Martin Majkut, DMA
Instructor – History, Conducting
DMA in Conducting Fulbright Scholar, University of Arizona; PhD in Conducting, Academy of Performing Arts, Bratislava Slovakia; Studied Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Siena Italy, Studied Wiener Meisterkurse, Vienna Austria
Martin Majkut has been serving as Music Director of the Rogue Valley Symphony in Ashland, Oregon since 2010. The RVS has experienced remarkable growth under his leadership and received national recognition for its ambitious programming. Majkut is also the Music Director of the Queens Symphony Orchestra in New York, a position he has held since 2017. Performing in a variety of ethnically diverse communities, the orchestra has expanded its season and quickly gained popularity in the dynamic borough of 2.35 million people. Born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), Majkut earned his Ph.D. in conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts. Majkut came to the U.S. as a Fulbright scholar in 2003 and earned a D.M.A., his second doctorate, in 2008, from the University of Arizona.
Office: Music Building, 210
Phone: 541.552.6544
E-Mail: majkutm@sou.edu
Ivan Manzanilla, PhD
Instructor – Percussion, Left Edge Percussion Ensemble
BA Mexico’s Autonomous National University; MM, and Ph.D, University of
California, San Diego.
Mexican percussionist, Ivan Manzanilla is a specialist in contemporary percussion music. His work centers on the exploration and dissemination of newly created music and art. His teaching practice and commissions for new works that explore sound, language and gesture reflect his commitment to new generations of percussionists, musicians and contemporary forms of art. His work has been recognized by different institutions like the Rockefeller Foundation, the National University of Mexico, Mexico’s National Fine Arts Institute, the National Fund for Culture and Arts and the Darmstadt Summer Course. Ivan Manzanilla is founder of Duplum together with Mexican clarinetist Fernando Dominguez and member of ONIX Ensemble. He is invited regularly to perform with a wide variety of ensembles and orchestras in México.Ivan Manzanilla is also the head of the Percussion Department at the University of Guanajuato, Mexico and a recipient of the 2017 National Fund for the Arts’ Established Artists Grant.
Office: Music Building, 223
Phone: 541.552.6101
E-Mail: manzanillai@sou.edu
Theresa McCoy
Instructor – Percussion
BM, Music Performance, California State University (Northridge)
Ms. McCoy began her career in Los Angeles performing in a variety of ensembles including premieres for Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music America, jazz drummer for Maiden Voyage, studio percussionist for a number of movie soundtracks, and percussionist for several L.A. area orchestras and musical theaters. She is currently Principal Timpanist with the Rogue Valley Symphony, Extra Percussion with the Britt Festival Orchestra, Conguera for Salsa Brava, percussionist for Sonido Alegre, and drummer for Opus 3.
Office: Music Buiulding, 224
Phone: 541.552.6538
E-Mail: knightmct@sou.edu
Christi McLain, DMA
Instructor, Voice
DMA in Voice Performance, Arizona State University; MM in Opera Performance, Arizona State University; BM in Voice Performance, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Dr. Christi McLain has dedicated her career to performing and presenting invigorating and thoughtful interpretations of contemporary American opera. Before SOU, Dr. McLain served as Coordinator of Vocal Studies at Coker University in South Carolina. During her time at Coker, she led the opera program and founded the Blueprint Project, an artist residency focused on supporting composers and librettists in the creation of new American opera. As a stage director, recent credits include Sweeney Todd (Sondheim), Lucinda y las flores de la nochebuena and The Ghosts of Gatsby (Evan Mack), and Dido and Aeneas (Purcell). As a soprano, Dr. McLain premiered the roles of Nancy Meneely in the new American oratorio, Letter from Italy, 1944 (Meneely-Kyder) with The Hartford Symphony and the one-act opera Owl Moon (Ellen Gilson Voth) with Hartford Opera Theater. Other notable professional appearances include performances with the Phoenix Symphony; the Masterworks Choir of Florence, SC; Connecticut Lyric Opera; and Opera Theatre of Connecticut.
Office: Music Building, 227
Phone: 541.552.6544
E-Mail: mclainc1@sou.edu
David Miller
Faculty- Electric & Acoustic Bass
BA, University of Sioux Falls (SD); MFA, University of Iowa, studied with Eldon Obrecht
Mr. Miller is the Principal Bassist with the University Orchestra in the Cedar Rapids Symphony at the University of Iowa Center for New Music. He is also the Principal Bassist with South Dakota Symphony, and has performed with the Dakota Quartet. David has studied with James Clute, Associate Principal Bass of the Minnesota Orchestra and has performed in Chicago with Lyric Opera, the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of Illinois, and Lake Forest Symphony. Took bass lessons, master classes and/or clinics with Warren Benfield (Chicago Symphony), J B Van Demark (Eastman), and Jeff Braditech (North Texas State). Here in the Rogue Valley, David is the Principal Bassist with Rogue Valley Symphony, Rogue Valley Opera, Jefferson Baroque Orchestra, and performs at the Shakespeare Festival, Camelot Theater, Rogue Music Theater, Cabaret Theater, plus Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, and Rogue Valley Chorale. David also is the creator of the the Rogue Elephants, a double bass ensemble and has performed with Thor Polson Trio, Latin Jazz Quartet, Southern Oregon Jazz Orchestra, Salsa Brava, and others. He is currently a Bass instructor at University of Iowa, Augustana College (SD).
Office: Music Building, 212
Phone: 541.552.8043
E-Mail: millerd5@sou.edu
Michal Palzewicz
Instructor – Cello
BM, Cello Performance, Manhattan School of Music
Mr. Palzewicz is the principal cellist of the Rogue Valley Symphony and is the founding member of the Elsner String Quartet.After winning the European Young Concert Artists Competition in Leipzig, the Elsner Quartet was enthusiastically invited to the Manhattan School of Music for a full scholarship.
Office: Music Building, 212
Phone: 541.552.6545
E-Mail: palzewicm@sou.edu
Vicki Purslow, EdD
Professor of Music – Music Program Chair, Music Education
BM, Music Education, University of the Pacific; MA, Music Education, California State University (Sacramento); EdD, Music Education, University of the Pacific
Dr. Purslow is a Professor of Music and before that an Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Purslow has more than 30 years of teaching and administrative experience at the university, community college, high school, and middle school levels. Purslow earned a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction in Music Education with a minor in Higher Education Administration from University of the Pacific and a Master of Arts in Music Education from CSU Sacramento, and Bachelor of Music from the University of Pacific. Purslow is also a professional saxophonist who has performed with The Four Tops, The Temptations, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Motown’s Funk Brothers, Bobby Shew, Maynard Ferguson, Stan Mark, Joe Williams, Morgan James, Mel Torme, the Rogue Valley Symphony, and Britt Festival Orchestra. Purslow has toured internationally with the Mazama Saxophone Quartet, performing in China, England, and Scotland. Purslow is a published arranger of music for saxophone ensembles. Her research interests include access to the arts for children in rural communities and community music organizations for youths. Purslow is distinctive for her research on guitarist Joseph “Smilin’ Joe” Bruhl and Youth of America on Stage.
Office: Music Building, 209
Phone: 541.552.6538
E-Mail: purslowv@sou.edu
Chiharu Sai, DMA
Instructor, Piano
BM, Willamette University, MM, Arizona State University, DMA, Manhattan School of Music
Selected by Japan’s major newspaper, Mainichi Shinbun, as “One of the 100 People in Tokyo to Represent the 21st Century,” Dr. Chiharu Sai balances her active schedule as an educator and performer. Dr. Sai currently leads the music department at Rogue Community College while serving as a piano instructor at Southern Oregon University. In the summer, she enjoys working with students from all over the world at Pacific Crest Music Festival, a premier chamber music festival in Northern California. As a soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Sai has performed at various venues including Opera City Hall and Suntory Hall in Tokyo as well as at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. She has taught in the past at several schools in New York City including Manhattan School of Music. As an adjudicator and clinician, Dr. Sai was invited to piano competitions sponsored by New Jersey Music Teachers’ National Association and has given lecture-concerts and masterclasses for music organizations in the Tri-State Area including Long Island Piano Teachers’ Association.
Office: Music Building, 227
Phone: 541.552.6545
E-Mail: saic@sou.edu
Frederick Schmidt, PhD
Instructor – Clarinet
BSEd, Music Education, The Ohio State University; MA, Woodwind Pedagogy, The Ohio State University; PhD, Music Education/Clarinet Performance, The Ohio State University
Dr. Schmidt is a Professor Emeritus of Music at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. During his 29 year tenure, he conducted the select St. Norbert Wind Ensemble and the adult St. Norbert Community Band. Dr. Schmidt served as the principal clarinetist with the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra and the Pamiro Opera Company. He can be heard performing as the principal clarinetist on two compact disc recordings featuring the American Promenade Orchestra under the Klavier Records International label.
Office: Music Building, 212
Phone: 541.552.6102
E-Mail: schmidtfr@sou.edu
Heather Schmidt
Instructor – Flute
BS, Music Education, The Ohio State University; MA, Music Education/Flute Performance, The Ohio State University
Mrs. Schmidt serves as the principal flutist with the Rogue Valley Symphonic Band, in the past with the Green Bay Symphony, and can be heard playing principal flute on two recordings with the American Promenade Orchestra. She has been a featured soloist with many groups. Mrs. Schmidt also taught General Music to pre-school age through 8th grade and has written original music and the libretto for several children’s musicals.
Office: Music Building, 208
Phone: 541.552.6571
E-Mail: schmidth1@sou.edu
Tiffany Schmidt
Instructor – Bassoon
BM, Bassoon Performance, University of Wyoming; MM and SCCT, Bassoon Performance and Music Education, Arkansas State University; MA, Music Education, Southern Oregon University
Ms. Schmidt performs with many of the groups in the Rogue Valley including the Rogue Valley Symphonic Band and the Ashland City Band. She maintains a private studio in Southern Oregon, teaching bassoon and reed making.
Office: Music Building, 208
Phone: 541.552.6571
E-Mail: schmidtt@sou.edu
Larry Smith
Instructor of Music
MM Commercial Music Performance, Electric Bass from California State University, Los Angeles; B.M. in Jazz Studies and B.A. in Music Technology from California State University, Stanislaus.
Larry Smith is a teaching artist currently residing in the Rogue Valley of Oregon and specializes in bass playing, composition/songwriting, education and audio engineering.
As a performer, Larry writes, records, and produces his own work under Smittybass: an all bass project where-in the entire sonic soundscape is being created exclusively from his bass. Most recently, Smith has been part of a duo that collaborates on a video project covering influential Progressive Rock songs with various colleagues from across the country. His role includes arranging music, mixing, video editing and organization of all projects in addition to playing bass. In Los Angeles, he had the opportunity to write, record, and perform with a variety of artists as a session musician.
As an educator, Larry is also an adjunct at Rogue Community College teaching classes such as Music Fundamentals, Songwriting, Rock History, Jazz History, Guitar, and Commercial Music Ensemble. Larry was previously the Director of Music at St Mary’s School in Medford was tasked with revamping the music program as a whole including but not limited to class development, curriculum, culture and community, and performance opportunities as part of St Mary’s 2.0. In addition to these roles, Larry has held many taught grades at K-College and has his own private studio lessons.
Larry Smith’s official website: smittybass
Office: Music Building, 213
Phone: 541.552.6546
E-Mail: smithl@sou.edu
Alexander Tutunov, DMA
Professor of Music – Director of Keyboard Studies, Artist in Residence
BA, Minsk College of Music; MA, Belarusian State Conservatory of Music; MA, University of North Texas; DMA, Belarusian Academy of Music
Dr. Tutunov is a First Prize winner of the Belarusian National Piano Competition and winner of the Russian National Piano Competition. His recording of the Abeliovich Piano Concerto was featured as part of the Emmy Award–winning soundtrack for The History Channel documentary Russia: Land of the Tsars. Dr. Tutunov is the artistic director of the SOU International Piano Institute and was recently named the principal guest artist of the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra.
Office: Music Building, 206
Phone: 541.552.6541
E-Mail: tutunov@sou.edu
Christine Williams
Instructor – Voice
BA, Music, California State University, Chico
Christine Williams is a performing artist steeped in classical traditions of music and theatre and she is passionate about combining them into new forms that speak to our time. Her career spans a broad range as both a singer and actor, from drama, opera and musicals, to cabaret, jazz, folk, choral and contemporary chamber music, to collaborations with dancers and visual artists. All this informs her work as a solo artist creating original music-theatre pieces.
Her credits include many seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, productions at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, UMO Ensemble (Seattle), American Opera Projects (NYC), the Barbican Centre (London), and locally with Next Stage, Ashland New Plays Festival, Rogue Opera, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, Rogue Valley Symphony, Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, and the Schneider Museum of Art. She is also an audiobook narrator and is a member of SAG/AFTRA and Actor’s Equity Association. Her most recent solo show, Torched: Songs That Ruined Our Lives, was produced at California Stage Company.
She has an active studio of private students and has taught and directed for Ashland High School, Teen Music Theatre of Oregon, Rogue Community College, and the SOU Theatre Department. In recent years, she’s studied physical theatre at the Centre for Performance Research in Wales and the Growtowski Institute in Poland, and currently pursues Taiko drumming in Ashland.
Office: Music Building, 213
Phone: 541.552.6101
E-Mail: williachr@sou.edu