Alan Abel (percussion) is the former associate principal percussionist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, retiring in 1997 after 38 years. Mr. Abel has compiled two books of orchestral studies for timpani and percussion and has designed and produced symphonic triangles and bass drum stands that are used in orchestras all over the world. He has served on the board of directors of the Percussive Arts Society and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.

William Berz (music education and instrumental conducting) has degrees from Michigan State University. His research interests include nonverbal communication, instructional technology, and music cognition. He is active as a clarinetist and conductor.

Antonius Bittmann (department chair, music history and organ) holds degrees from the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany, and the Eastman School of Music. As a scholar, he specializes in 19th- and 20th-century repertoires, particularly the works of Max Reger. He has earned degrees in and performed extensively on both harpsichord and organ.

Darryl Bott (music education) teaches classes in instrumental music education and undergraduate conducting and serves as the coordinator of the student teaching program for the music education program. Mr. Bott has decades of teaching experience in the public schools of New Jersey, and ensembles under his direction have performed at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, having received consistent superior ratings at local and out-of-state competitions. Mr. Bott has received a number of teaching recognition awards and has served as the guest conductor for several honors ensembles.

Ralph Bowen (saxophone and jazz theory) has degrees from Mason Gross School of the Arts. He has concertized internationally and worked with David Baker and Eugene Rousseau. He has recorded with Blue Note Records and other major labels.

Karina Bruk (piano) has performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Steinway Hall, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, as well as performing solo and chamber music recitals throughout the metropolitan area. She has also performed and lectured on "Twentieth-Century Well-Tempered Clavier: Preludes and Fugues, opus 87, of Dmitry Shostakovich" at the 2006 International Conference on Arts and Humanities in Honolulu. Ms. Bruk has been a recipient of numerous awards, among them the Genia Robinor Award for Teaching Excellence presented by the Piano Teachers Society of America.

Eduardo Chama (voice) has received resounding recognition for his work on both the operatic and concert stages of the world. He made his New York City Opera debut as Leporello in Don Giovanni during the 1996-97 season. About his Don Pasquale, the Seattle Times declares, "Eduardo Chama was born to sing the title role. The Argentine bass-baritone...does heroic work on every level." The Calgary Herald agrees, stating after performances of Le Nozze di Figaro, "Argentine bass-baritone Eduardo Chama sang the title role of Figaro in an easy, stylish way, his voice strong and deep enough for the bass notes."  Mr. Chama received the Richard F. Gold Debut Artist award at New York City Opera in 1997.

Choong-Jin Chang (viola) was named principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2006. An ardent chamber musician, he has performed in the Marlboro, Santa Fe, and Seattle music festivals, among others. Mr. Chang is a founding member of the Johannes Quartet.

Gerald Chenoweth (theory and composition) has degrees from the University of Massachusetts and the University of Iowa. His works have been performed extensively in this country and in Europe. He has been a conductor of contemporary music ensembles at Rutgers University and the University of Iowa. His compositions have been recorded for CRI, the Smithsonian Collection of Recordings, and Access labels. His works are available from American Composers Alliance, New York.

Richard Chrisman (director of graduate studies, theory and composition) has degrees from the University of California (Riverside) and Yale University. He has written numerous articles and papers on the analysis of 20th-century music and is a composer of electronically synthesized film music for public television documentaries.

Lenuta Ciulei (violin) tours extensively and has appeared on radio and television in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Central and South America. She earned her master's degree at the Music Academy in Bucharest, Romania.

Kevin Cobb (trumpet) graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music with a bachelor's degree studying with Frank Kaderabek, and two years later received his master's from the Juilliard School as a student of Mark Gould. While in school, he toured Japan as solo trumpet with the chamber ensemble, Music from Curtis. In early 1998, he also toured the United States as solo trumpet with the Israel Camarata, Jerusalem where he was praised for his "beauty of tone and perfect intonation" by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Also as a soloist, he has recently played with I Musici de Montreal in conjunction with the Vermont Symphony. In New York, Mr. Cobb is an active freelancer with organizations like the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony, and New York City Ballet. A former member of the Manhattan Brass Quintet, he performs with New York Big Brass, on Broadway, and in radio and television commercial recordings.

Timothy Cobb (double bass) is principal bass of the Met Orchestra and double bass faculty chair at the Juilliard School. Mr. Cobb frequently performs with quartets such as the Emerson, Guarneri, Belcea, Leipzig and St. Lawrence, as well as artists such as Pinchas Zukerman, Yefim Bronfman, James Levine, and Christian Zacharias, among many others. Mr. Cobb's festival appearances include most of the major summer venues. He can be heard on all Met recordings from 1986 as well as a 2003 Grammy-nominated L'Histoire du Soldat with the Harmonie Wind Ensemble of New York on Koch records. He is a former member of the Chicago Symphony, and serves on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music and Purchase College (State University of New York), as well as those of the Juilliard School and Rutgers.

Paul Cohen (saxophone) brings the saxophone into the mainstream of classical music performance. He is active as a performer, teacher, historian, musicologist, and author. Mr. Cohen has appeared with many of the nation's top symphonies and professional ensembles, and his recordings include solo, chamber, concerto, and quartet works, both historical and modern, in classical and jazz. The author of numerous articles on saxophone literature and history, he has written the "Vintage Saxophone Revisited" column in the Saxophone Journal since 1985. He holds degrees from the Manhattan School of Music.

Stanley Cowell (jazz piano) performs professionally, as a solo pianist and in ensemble formations from duo to orchestra, in a variety of venues, from jazz club to concert hall. He has degrees from Oberlin and the University of Michigan, and also has studied at the Mozarteum Akademie in Salzburg, Austria. His extensive list of recordings as both a composer and pianist includes performances with such artists as Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, and the Heath Brothers.

Nanette de Jong (ethnomusicology and flute) holds degrees from the University of Minnesota, DePaul University, and the University of Michigan. She plays traditional flute repertoire as well as contemporary and world musics. Her ethnomusicological research focuses on the musical cultures of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire, with specific attention to their unique inclusion of Brua, the Afro-syncretized religion found on Netherlands Antilles.

Chris Deviney (percussion) is the principal percussionist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and has been section percussionist in the Houston Symphony. He has also previously performed and recorded with the New Orleans Symphony, Toronto Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Deviney received his bachelor of music degree from Florida State University under professor Gary Werdesheim and his master of music degree from Temple University under the legendary Alan Abel. He has been featured in a number of chamber recitals at settings including Tulane University, Temple University, Network for New Music, Atmos Percussion Ensemble, and the Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Series. He has given master classes at Temple University and the Curtis Institute on the study of preparation for successful audition-taking.

Daniel Epstein (piano) made his orchestral debut with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1973. A graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Adele Marcus, he was presented in his Carnegie Hall debut recital by the Concert Artists Guild. Winner of many awards and prizes including the Kosciusczko Chopin Award, the National Arts Club Prize, and the Prix Alex de Vries in Paris, Mr. Epstein has appeared as a guest soloist with major symphony orchestras and has given recitals in major cities throughout the world, complemented by master classes and intensive seminars for pianists. As the pianist and founding member of the famed Raphael Trio since 1975, Mr. Epstein has performed virtually the entire piano trio repertoire. He has also collaborated with many renowned string guartets, including the Ying, American, Chiara, New Zealand, and Talich as well as with many members of the Juilliard School, Guarneri, and many other distinguished chamber musicians and soloists.

Bart Feller (flute) studied at the Curtis Institute with Julius Baker and John Krell. He has been principal Ffutist with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and, since 1989, with the New Jersey Symphony. He has recorded with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

William Fielder (trumpet) studied with Adolph Herseth and Vincent Cichowicz. He is a former member of the Nashville Symphony. His jazz experience has been with Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Kenny Burrel, and Art Pepper.

Charles Fussell (theory and composition) did his graduate work in composition at the Eastman School of Music, receiving a Fulbright grant to study with Boris Blacher at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik (Germany). He has a long list of published and recorded compositions.

Patrick Gardner (director of choral activities) has degrees in voice and conducting from California State University (Hayward) and the University of Texas. He has taught at the University of Michigan, the University of Texas, and Wagner College. He is director of the Riverside Choral Society in New York, and his choirs have given many world premieres. He also is active as a guest conductor, lecturer, and adjudicator.

Pamela Gilmore (opera workshop/opera director) graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Mount Holyoke College and holds a master's degree from the Catholic University of America. She has taught at the Israeli Vocal Arts Institute, Northwestern University, the Mannes College of Music, and the Brooklyn College Conservatory. An active recitalist, she has maintained a private studio in Manhattan since 1984.

Barbara González-Palmer (accompanying and vocal coaching) has degrees in piano and accompanying from Oberlin College and the Juilliard School. She has performed as soloist throughout the United States and Europe and has accompanied such artists as Phyllis Bryn-Julson and Barry Tuckwell in recital. Her extensive experience as an accompanist for master classes and auditions includes work with Martina Arroyo, Frederica von Stade, James Galway, and Dorothy Delay.

Floyd Grave (music history) trained at the Eastman School of Music and New York University. He specializes in the music of Haydn and Mozart, and in 18th- and early 19th-century music theory, criticism, and analysis. He is coauthor with M.G. Grave of In Praise of Harmony: The Teachings of Abbé Georg Joseph Vogler and Franz Joseph Haydn: A Guide to Research. A contributor to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, he has written numerous articles and reviews for major scholarly journals.

Susan C. Guerrini (music education) received her M.A. degree in music education from Rowan University and her Ph.D. degree in music education from Temple University. She has published several articles in Tempo and the Journal of Research in Music Education. Before coming to Rutgers, she taught in the Evesham Township Public Schools and at the University of Delaware.

Rhonda Hackworth (music education), currently assistant professor of choral music education at Rutgers, received her Ph.D. degree in music education/education at the University of Missouri, Kansas City Conservatory of Music. A recipient also of an M.M. degree in vocal performance, her primary research interest is vocal health for music teachers. She has published articles in International Journal of Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, UPDATE: Applications of Research in Music Education, and Missouri Journal of Research in Music Education and actively presents research at state and national conferences. She is often a guest choral conductor in various performance venues.

Rufus Hallmark (music history) was educated at Davidson College, Boston University, and Princeton University, and has taught at Brown University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, College of the Holy Cross, and Queens College (City University of New York), where he served as director of the Aaron Copland School of Music. He has published articles on the songs of Schumann and Schubert, and is the editor of and a contributor to German Lieder in the Nineteenth Century. He is also a singer and has sung Tamino and Pedrillo, the evangelist in the St. John Passion, Dichterliebe, Winterreise, and Britten's Serenade.

Conrad Herwig (jazz trombone) was voted #1 Jazz Trombone in the 1998, 1999, and 2002 Downbeat International Jazz Critic's Poll. He has been a featured member in the Joe Lovano Nonet, Tom Harrell's Septet and Big Band, and the Joe Henderson Sextet and has performed and recorded with Eddie Palmier's La Perfecta II and Afro-Caribbean-Jazz Octet, Paquito D'Rivera's Havana-New York Connection, and the Mingus Big Band. His recent solo recordings include "Obligation," "Que Viva Coltrane," and "Heart of Darkness" (Chriss Cross Records), and two of his 17 albums as a leader, "Another Kind of Blue: The Latin Side of Miles Davis" (Half Note Records) and "Latin Side of John Coltrane," received Grammy Award nominations. Herwig is a recipient of performance and teaching grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Kaoru Hinata (flute) received her master of music and artist diploma from Yale University, studying under Ransom Wilson. She has held positions with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the Wallingford Symphony, as well as performing with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, New Jersey Symphony, New Haven Symphony, DaCapo Opera Orchestra, Berkshire Opera, and Camerata New York. As a soloist, Ms. Hinata was the winner of the Lawrence Beauregard Competition in Canada in 1994 and placed second in the Myrna Brown Competition in Texas in 1995.

Paul Hoffmann (piano) studied with Cecile Genhart, Brooks Smith, and Leon Fleisher at the Eastman School of Music and the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. A specialist in 20th-century music, he has recorded with Orion, CRI, Voice of America, CRS, Northeastern, Composers Guild of New Jersey, and numerous foreign radio stations.

Maureen Hurd (clarinet) has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in concerts throughout the United States, Canada, and Germany. Her performance highlights include appearances at New York City's Merkin Hall, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in Connecticut, and the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. At the 2001 International Clarinet Association Clarinetfest in New Orleans, she was a prizewinner for her lecture-recital in the research presentation competition. As an orchestral clarinetist, she has performed with New York City's Jupiter Symphony, the Peter Britt Festival Orchestra in Oregon, and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, among others. She studied with David Shifrin, Charles Neidich, and Joseph Messenger, and she received the doctor of musical arts degree from the Yale School of Music.

Cynde Iverson (bassoon) is principal bassoon of the New Haven Symphony and has held principal positions with the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the Connecticut Orchestra. As a soloist, Ms. Iverson has performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the New Haven Symphony. An advocate for contemporary music, she has performed, recorded and explored the medium of jazz with Steve Lacy, Anthony Daves, and James Newton. She has recorded for several commercial labels, and most recently she recorded the Ravel Piano Concerto with Orpheus and jazz legend, Herbie Hancock. She received her bachelor's degree at Indiana University, where she studied with Leonard Sharrow, and her M.M. degree at the Juilliard School as a student of Stephen Maxym. 

Kynan Johns (orchestral conducting) has conducted over 60 orchestras and opera companies throughout the world, including performances of the Israel Chamber Orchestra, Chinese National Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and Opera Australia. He recently won the prestigious Dimitri Mitropoulos International Conducting Competition, and was invited to attend Kurt Masur's master classes at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. He is now a regular guest conductor throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Douglas Johnson (director of undergraduate studies, music history) has degrees from Hamilton College and the University of California (Berkeley). He works on topics in 18th- and 19th-century music and has published widely on Beethoven, with special concentration on the composer's sketchbooks. He coauthored the Beethoven Sketchbooks with Alan Tyson and Robert Winter.

Vic Juris (jazz guitar) has appeared on almost 40 compact discs. He has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Phil Woods, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, Eddie Jefferson, and Nancy Wilson.

Taina Kataja (voice) earned several diplomas with distinction from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, and the Hochshule für Musik in Vienna, Austria. She has been featured in major festivals throughout Europe and as soloist with the Clemencic Consort of Vienna, Musica Antiqua Vienna, the Helsinki Philharmonic, and the Finnish Radio Symphony. She has recorded for Finnvox, Telefunken-Decca, and Mirror Music of Austria.

Andrew Kirkman (music history) has degrees from Durham University and King's College (London). He has published and lectured widely on music of the 15th century and has directed the Binchois Consort in recordings of music by Dufay, Busnoys, Frye, and Josquin for Hyperion Records. He is the author of The Three-Voice Mass in the Later Fifteenth and Early Sixteenth Centuries: Style, Distribution, and Case Studies and coeditor of Binchois Studies with Dennis Slavin.

Min Kwon (piano) has enjoyed an extensive performing career, giving 70 concerts a year in more than 20 countries on five continents. She earned her bachelor of music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music at the age of 19 (studying with Sokoloff and Fleisher) and received her master's and doctoral degrees from the Juilliard School, followed by postdoctoral studies in Europe with Hans Leygraf and Vitali Margulis. She has also worked in master classes and in private coachings with Andras Schiff, Murray Perahia, Richard Goode, Yefim Bronfman, Emanuel Ax, Micha Dichter, Andre Watts, and Leif Ove Andsnes, and contributes articles for Pianoforte and Strad magazines.

Victor Lewis (jazz drums) was encouraged as a teenager by such artists as Buster Williams and Billy Hart to make the move to New York, where in 1974 he quickly ascended to prominence. He was the firstcall drummer for masters like Joe Farrell, Dexter Gordon, and Hubert Laws and started longtime associations with Woody Shaw, Carla Bley, David Sanborn, Kenny Barron, Bobby Watson, and Stan Getz. One of the leading drummers of our time, he also has a second reputation as a composer and bandleader.

Kathryn Lockwood (viola) has been guest artist with ensembles including Trio Solisti, Triple Helix, and Muir Quartet and has collaborated with artists such as Michael Tree, Branford Marsalis, ChoLiang Lin, and the Bill T. Jones Dance Company.  A native of Australia, Ms. Lockwood moved to the United States in 1991 and subsequently captured awards at the Primrose International Viola Competition, Coleman Chamber Music Competitions, Concert Artists Guild competition, and the 1992 Naumburg Chamber Music Award. As a founding and former member of the Pacifica Quartet, she toured extensively and recorded for Cedille Records. She earned her degrees at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music (Australia) with Elizabeth Morgan and at the University of Southern California with Donald McInnes. 

Douglas Lundeen (horn) has degrees from Plymouth State College, the University of South Florida, and Cincinnati Conservatory. A first-prize winner in the American Horn Competition, he is one of the leading period-instrument performers in North America. He has performed and recorded with such renowned conductors as Roger Norrington, Christopher Hogwood, Frans Brüggen, and Nicholas McGegan.

Scott Mendoker (tuba and euphonium) has studied with Arnold Jacobs and Warren Deck. As a freelance artist, he has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the American Symphony, and the New Jersey Symphony. He has recorded for DG and Koch International.

Judith Nicosia (voice) has degrees from Ithaca College and Indiana University. She made her New York recital debut as winner of the New York Singing Teachers Association Competition. She was a prizewinner in Paris and Montreal vocal competitions and winner of a National Opera Institute Award. She has recorded with Orion, CRI, and DR.

Todd Phillips (violin) is a member of both Orpheus and the Orion String Quartet. He has performed as guest soloist with leading orchestras throughout North America, Europe, and Japan, including the Pittsburgh Symphony, New York String Orchestra, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, with whom he made a critically acclaimed recording of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante for Deutsch Grammophon. Mr. Phillips has appeared at the Mostly Mozart, Ravinia, Santa Fe, Marlboro, and Spoleto festivals, and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, chamber Music at the 92nd St. Y, and New York Philomusica. He has collaborated with such renowned artists as Rudolf Serkin, Jaime Laredo, Richard Stoltzman, Peter Serkin, and Pinchas Zukerman and has participated in 18 "Musicians from Marlboro" tours. He also serves on the violin and chamber music faculties of Mannes College of Music. He has recorded for the Arabesque, Delos, Deutsche Grammophon, Finlandia, Marlboro Recording Society, New York Philomusica, RCA Red Seal, and Sony Classical labels.

Michael Powell (trombone) studied at Wichita State University. He is a member of the American Brass Quintet and plays with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He has taught at the Juilliard School, the Aspen Music School, and the State University of New York (Purchase).

Nancy Yunhwa Rao (theory) has degrees from National Taiwan Normal University and the University of Michigan, where she worked on the music of Schoenberg, Crawford, Babbitt, and Carter. She has delivered papers at many music theory conferences and has written numerous publications on 20th-century music, specializing in American music, Chinese composers and opera, post-tonal composition, and women in music.

Barbara Retzko (choral conducting) has directed the award-winning Ridge Chorale, Concert Choir, A Cappella Choir, and Madrigal singers of Basking Ridge High School.  She has served as choral director at the International School of Düseldorf Germany, performing in the Netherlands, Norway, and Germany. She has served as guest conductor for the International Honor Choir in Switzerland, the Independent School Choral Festival in North Carolina, the New Jersey Region II Chorus, and New Jersey All State Chorus. She received the Governor's Teacher Award for Teacher of the Year, 1998, and an Excellence in the Arts Award from Somerset County. She has traveled with the American Music Abroad RED tours in Europe.

Mike Richmond (jazz bass) holds a degree from Temple University. His bass method book, Modern Walking Bass Technique, is used by more than 300 school systems and universities. He is featured on more than 150 recordings and won the 1994 Teacher of the Year Award at New York University.

Matthew Riedel (composition, music technology) received his M.A. degree from the University of California (Riverside) and his Ph.D. degree from Rutgers, where he was a student of Charles Wuorinen. He runs the electronic music lab and the IMLC online training system. His compositions include No Gas, Brasspiece, Californicate, Additive, Ambiance, Passing Tones, and Kiss the Shattered Glass.

John Rojak (trombone) has a degree from the Juilliard School. He joined the American Brass Quintet in 1991, touring internationally, recording, and teaching, with residencies at the Juilliard School and the Aspen Music Festival. He is an original member of the orchestra for Broadway's Les Misérables and the New York Pops, as well as bass trombonist for the Orchestra of St. Lukes, Orpheus, Little Orchestra Society, and Solisti New York. He has recorded with the New York Chamber Symphony, St. Luke's, Orpheus, and Solisti New York.

Timothy G. Smith (marching band and pep band) is finishing an M.M. degree in music education at Rutgers. His teaching experience includes work as field director and percussion instructor with several area high school band programs. He also coordinates the outreach efforts for athletic bands and the music department. He is an active member of the College Band Directors National Association.

Jonathan Spitz (cello) has established himself as one of the leading cellists in the New York area with his performances as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral principal. A graduate of the Curtis Institute, Mr. Spitz has studied with David Soyer, Felix Galimir, Karen Tuttle, Mischa Schneider, Gerald Beal, and Robert Gardner. He has recorded for DG, Sony Classics, Telarc, Nonesuch, Delos, CRI, XLNT, and New World. He has been principal cellist of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra since 1991 and has performed extensively throughout the Americas and Europe. He is also a member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and principal cellist of the American Ballet Theatre and the Bard Festival Orchestra.

George B. Stauffer (music history) is dean of Mason Gross School of the Arts and a professor of music history at Rutgers. He is known internationally as a scholar, writer, and performer who focuses on the music of J.S. Bach and the culture and music of the baroque era. He has contributed pieces to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Collier's Encyclopedia, Early Music, Bach-Jahrbuch, and numerous other publications. He is a former president of the American Bach Society. Before coming to Rutgers, Mr. Stauffer taught at Hunter College, where he was chair of the music department and the program in dance. He also has been on the faculties of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and Yeshiva University. Mr. Stauffer was educated at Dartmouth College, Bryn Mawr College, and Columbia University. He has held IREX, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and ACLS fellowships.

Arnold Steinhardt (violin) studied with Ivan Galamian at the Curtis Institute of Music and with Joseph Szigeti. A prizewinner at the Leventritt and Queen Elizabeth competitions, he is a founding member and first violinist of the Guarneri Quartet. He is an active recitalist and soloist with major orchestras.

Matthew Sullivan (oboe) holds a degree from Miami University. He is principal oboist of the Westchester Chamber Orchestra and the New Jersey Pops Symphony Orchestra. He performs regularly with the New Jersey Symphony, the Colonial Symphony, and the pit orchestras of Les Misérables and Miss Saigon. His solo and chamber music performances have been featured on National Public Radio and Voice of America broadcasts worldwide. He has recorded for the Columbia, RCA, Virgin Atlantic, CRI, Mode, O.O. Discs, Newport Classics, and XLNT labels.

Mark Trautman (church music) studied piano at St. Mary's College of Maryland. He earned a bachelor's degree cum laude in organ performance from Towson University and a master's degree in church music from Westminster Choir College. Recently, he completed studies as a certificate student at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater International Summer Music Academie in Leipzig, Germany, under the direction of Jean-Claude Zehnder and Thomas Spacht. Since 1994, Mr. Trautman has served as director of music at Christ Church in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and as the artistic director and conductor of the Raritan Valley Choral Society.

Frederick Urrey (voice) has degrees from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, and Louisiana State University. He is an internationally recognized tenor who performs in opera, oratorio, and concert in major halls and opera houses throughout North America and Europe. He records with Harmonia Mundi, Telefunken-Decca, Vox, Koch International, Newport Classic, BMG Classics, and Dorian.

Scott Whitener (conducting and brass instruments) trained at the Juilliard School, the University of Michigan, and Rutgers. He is a specialist in the performance of music for wind and brass ensembles. Widely known for scholarly work in brass instruments, he is author of A Complete Guide to Brass: Instruments and Pedagogy, published by Schirmer Books.

Hsin-Yi Wu (percussion) holds two degrees from the University of North Texas. As an undergraduate and the youngest contestant, she won third prize in the Stevens International Marimba Competition. She has been a featured soloist with the Tempus Fugit Percussion Ensemble and a member of the Bob Becker Ensemble.