Marla Meissner
Preparatory Center Acting Director
973-655-4443
meissnerm@mail.montclair.edu
Marla Meissner has been awarded degrees from Ithaca College (B. Mus), Montclair State University (MA), and New York University (PhD). Her training includes electronic music composition studies with Peter Rothbart; acoustic music composition with Ting Ho and Ruth Schonthal; Saxophone studies with David Henderson, Steven Mauk, and Daniel Trimboli; Music theory and analysis studies with Lawrence Ferrara, John Gilbert, and Marc Holland. She recently completed an extensive study of the music of the Delaware or Lenape Indian. Her compositional output includes an eclectic variety of electronic, electroacoustic, and traditional compositions for various types of instrumental ensembles as well as film soundtracks, theater music, and rock and jazz compositions. Her music has been performed in various venues including Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall and New York City's Angelika Film Center. Her first CD, Selections from the Kaleidoscope, was released in 1999.
 Louis Kosma
Stokes Forest Music Camp
Artistic Director
973-655-4443
musicprep@mail.montclair.edu
Lou Kosma received his degree in music education with applied double bass from Temple University. He has taught in Philadelphia (PA) and Belleville (NJ) and served as orchestra and musical show conductor at Holy Family Academy in Bayonne (NJ). He teaches privately and is an adjunct double bass instructor at New Jersey City University. He is a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. He has also performed as principal bassist for the American Ballet Theatre, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, and acting principal for the New Jersey Symphony. He was a member of the Chautauqua Symphony for 17 years and continues to play radio and television jingles and industrials. He has organized and participated in chamber music concerts and recordings with Music Amici and Alborada Latina. He is music director and conductor of the Junior Orchestra of the Youth Orchestras of Essex County and has guest conducted several district, regional and all-state festival concerts in New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, North Dakota and Vermont. He is also the music director of the Vermont Philharmonic. Lou was appointed Music Director and Conductor of the Thurnauer Symphony Orchestra in Tenafly, New Jersey, in May of 2003. Mr. Kosma conducts the Festival Orchestra at Stokes Forest Music Camp and Festival in Sussex County, NJ.
Letitia Stancu
Administrative Assistant/Piano
973-655-4443
stancul@mail.montclair.edu
Performance (Brass, Jazz, Keyboard, Strings, Woodwinds, Voice)
Contact number for faculty: 973-655-4443
Brass
Ryan Benz
Trumpet
Jazz
Janet Lemansky
Preparatory Center Jazz Advisor
Jazz Connections
www.jazzconnections.org
973 509 -0860
Janet Lemansky serves as advisor for the Preparatory Center's jazz programs. She is artistic director of Jazz Connections, an organization dedicated to furthering jazz performance and education. Faculty from Jazz Connections teach at the Center's Stokes Forest Music Camp. Also, every summer, the Preparatory Center hosts the Jazz Connections Summer Jazz Workshops on the Montclair State campus. These programs offer students of all ages the opportunity to work with world class jazz recording artist/educators from the metropolitan area. Daily jazz ensembles unite students, faculty, and guest artists in exciting performance collaborations. Latin and Brazilian jazz are an integral part of the curriculum. See the Jazz Connections website for contact information, dates and application.
Michael Lee
Jazz Ensembles/Saxophone
Keyboard
Contact number for faculty: 973-655-4443
Jihea Hong
Piano
 Mansoon Han Kim
Piano
Mansoon Han Kim has won numerous competitions including the Yale Gordon Competition, the Yook Young Competition, the Piano Music Competition, and Nan Pa Music Competition. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Seoul National University in 1991. In 1992, she began studies with concert pianist Ann Schein at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore (MD), where she received her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. She has performed throughout the United States, Canada, South Korea, and China. She has performed with members of the Maia String Quartet, Ceruti String Quartet, the Anchor Trio, and soprano Hyunah Yu. Kim has won the Clara Ascherfeld Accompanying Award, Peabody Career Development Grant. She has studied at summer festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival, the Orford Arts Center, and the Kent Blossom Summer Chamber Music Festival and participated in master classes by Mennahem Pressler, Leon Fleisher, Abbey Simon, Jörg Demus, Sergei Dorensky, and Gabby Casadesus.
Stacey Mack
Piano
 Caroline Parody
Piano
parodyc@mail.montclair.edu
Caroline Parody received her master's degree in piano from Montclair State University, and her bachelors degree from William Paterson University. Roles include Elsa in Lohengrin with Operesque Classical Concerts, and Greta Fiorentino in Kurt Weill's opera Street Scene. She has been a featured performer at Al Di La's Opera Nights (Montclair, NJ) and and has performed in Too Many Sopranos with the La Bella Voce opera ensemble. She participated in a scenes program at Dicapo Opera Theatre in NYC, as Agathe in Der Freischütz. In MSU's Opera Workshop, she played Elisetta in Il segreto matrimonio, and Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream. In addition to her work at MSU, Ms. Parody serves as vocal coach and accompanist for the Newark Boys Chorus School. She is also an accompanist for several groups, including Zion Lutheran Church in Saddle River (organ), MSU, the Concord Singers, and the Oratorio Society of New Jersey. She studies voice with Thaddeus Motyka, and coaches with Louis Menendez.
 Ruth Rendleman
973-655-7208
rendlemanr@mail.montclair.edu
Ruth Rendleman was educated at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Manhattan School of Music, and Columbia University. She is a specialist in the performance of eighteenth-century music. She has been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities for research and studies at the University of Maryland and has served on the faculty of the Aston Magna Performance Institute. She has performed as a solo artist and in chamber recitals throughout the New York metropolitan area. Her tours abroad have included performances in Korea, China (where she was artist-in-residence at the Shanghai Conservatory), and Australia. In the New York Times, Joseph Horowitz wrote that: "The performance showed force and fluency, consistently communicative. Her work had a firmness of design and continuity of emotion." Her interest in contemporary music led her to commission her colleague, Ting Ho, to write a piano sonata for her. She has received two major commissions from the N.J. State Arts Council for new piano works. Prof. Rendleman founded Montclair State's Preparatory Center for the Arts and Stokes Forest Music Camp. She has served as the music coordinator of the New Jersey School of the Arts and served on the board of the College Music Society. She also served as chair of the Committee on the Status of Women for the College Music Society.
Letitia Stancu
Piano
Chris Tsai
Piano
Guerguan Tsenov
Piano
Guerguan Tsenov is born in Bulgaria, where he graduated Secondary Music School in Plovdiv, and later The State Academy of Music in Sofia where he studied piano with Prof. Jenny Zaharieva, and opera and orchestral conducting with Prof. Vassil Kazandjiev. He continued his education at Montclair State University where he studied piano with Prof. Mark Pakman. He has worked in the Preparatory Center since 2005. As a pianist Mr. Tsenov has performed in Bulgaria, West Europe and United States. He has recorded for the Bulgarian National TV, Bulgarian National Radio, Unison Records. He has won prizes and distinctions at many international competitions, including Svetoslav Obretenov (1984), Dimitar Nenov (1987), Albert Roussel (1996) and Music and Earth (1997) for composition. He has been awarded the Prize of the Foundation Open Society (1996) and the Prize of the International Academy of Arts (1996) as a composer.
Yuka Yanagi
Piano
Yuka Yanagi earned a Bachelor of Music (Summa Cum Laude) and Master of Arts degrees in Piano performance from Montclair State University. She is the recipient of the 1996 Outstanding Performance Award from Montclair State University. In addition to her work at Montclair State, she is on the adjunct faculty of the music department at County College of Morris and is continuing her performance studies at the Juilliard School. An active performer, she performs frequently throughout the New York metropolitan area, and has also performed in Japan and Taiwan. Her students have participated in and won many major New York area piano competitions and appeared at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall and Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. Ms Yanagi has received the four Madame Genia Robinor Pedagogy Award from Piano Teacher's Society of America and two Distinguished Pedagogy Award from Cecilian Music Club. She is currently co-chair of Piano Competition for the Music Educators Association in New Jersey.
Strings
Violin, Viola, Cello, String Bass
Contact number for faculty: 973-655-4443
Ruth Brons
Suzuki strings coordinator
Wei Leng Cheang
Violin
Tricia Gálvez-Gruswitz
Violin
Myra Kelly
Violin/Viola
Kimberly Syvertsen
Violin/Viola
973-655-4443
syvertsenk@mail.montclair.edu
Violinist Kimberly Syvertsen holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory, where she studied with Shirley Givens. She has also studied with Matthew Pierce, Tao Chang Yu, Pamela Frank, and Joseph Lin. She is an Artist Diploma candidate at the Cali School. She has studied music pedagogy with Suzuki specialist Martha Thomas and Rebecca Henry. She serves as a conductor and chamber music coach in Youth Orchestras of Essex County and is a counselor/chamber coach at the ASTA-NJ Chamber Insitute. She is active as a chamber musician, has participated in the Heifetz International Music Festival, and was an Artist Fellow at Hampden-Sydney Music Festival. She performs with the Cali School's graduate string ensemble, The Verismo Quartet, which was founded in 2005 and made its debut on the Colonial Symphony's chamber music series opposite Met Opera tenor Bruce Rameker. She is entering her second year as Director of Youth Symphonies at the MSU's Music Preparatory Center, where she conducts the University Youth Orchestra and Chamber Sinfonia.
Daniel Mumm
Cello
Leigh Stuart
Cello
Rachel Hershy
String Bass
Woodwinds
Contact number for faculty: 973-655-4443
 Marsha Heller
Oboe
Oboist Marsha Heller has been recognized for her expressive playing and beautiful tone by the New York Times and Performing Arts Magazine, among many others. She studied with Harvey McGuire of the Cleveland Orchestra, at Oberlin Conservatory with DeVere Moore, at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, and in New York with Harold Gomberg and Henry Schuman. Since her debut as winner of the Concert Artists' Guild Competition in 1971 she has performed with diverse groups including the American Symphony, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Martha Graham Dance Company, Bronx Arts Ensemble, and New York Pops. She has been a frequent guest soloist at the Berkshire Bach Society, Ogunquit Chamber Music Festival and the New Jersey Chamber Music Society. She is a member of the Queen's Chamber Band, which performs Baroque and contemporary works. Her recordings include Music of Carlos Surinach, Ritmo Jondo and Three is Company, all with the Bronx Arts Ensemble, JCF-the Buckeburg Bach and Ragtime at the Ritz with the Trio Bell'Arte, and Viva Italia with the Queen's Chamber Band. Ms Heller has taught oboe and chamber music at MSU since 1991.
Michael Lee
Saxophone
An-Li Tseng
Flute
Voice
Contact number for faculty: 973-655-4443
 Sandra Darling
Voice
wilsing@verizon.net
Soprano Sandra Darling has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and with the New York City Opera, and off-Broadway. She has performed more than eighty roles with the New York City Opera, the Metropolitan Opera Studio, the National American Opera, the Canadian Opera and with many regional opera companies. Her performances as orchestral soloist include the Pittsburg, Toledo and Detroit symphonies, the Brno (Czech Republic) Symphony, New York's Clarion Concerts, St. Andrew Society, Jens Nygaard's Mozart Chamber Orchestra, and with the orchestras of the St. Cecilia and Masterwork Choruses. Repertoire performed with these groups includes such diverse works as Bach's St. Matthew Passion, Mozart's Exsultate jubilate, Handel's Messiah, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Poulenc's Gloria, and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. Ms. Darling is equally at home singing lieder ranging from Lully to Massenet, Bartok, Brahms, Wolf, Mozart and Bernstein. In addition to studio voice she has taught English repertoire and diction, voice masterclass and vocal methods. Ms. Darling has been recognized by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and by the Cultural Heritage Competition for Superior Teaching.
 Chikae Ishikawa
Voice
Chikae Ishikawa serves on the faculty of the Thurnauer School of Music at JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly, NJ, the Lucy Moses School of Music and Dance outreach program in Manhattan (voice/chorus). She taught general music at the Chapin School and the Town School in Manhattan and Dalcroze eurhythmics at Lucy Moses School of Music and Dance. She has performed on Broadway in A Chorus Line (Dir. Michael Bennett), and nationally in Nine (Dir. Tommy Tune), Stop the World-I Want To Get Off (Dir. Anthony Newley). She has given vocal performances at the Shubert Theatre, Metropolitan Opera House, Madison Square Garden, Kennedy Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavillion and various jazz venues. She studied jazz theory, piano and improvisation at the Mannes College of Music, trained at the New York Dalcroze School, Hoff-Barthelson School of Music, and the Longy School of Music. She holds an Arts in Education Certificate from Marymount Manhattan College. She has also studied jazz piano, vocal and improvisation with Dr. Barry Harris, and piano, composition and theory studies with W. A. Mathieu.
Caroline Parody
Voice/Piano
See bio under Keyboard
973-655-4443
 James Wilson
Voice
973-655-4443
wilsing@verizon.net
Tenor James Wilson holds a masters degree from the New England Conservatory of Music. He has taught at MSU since 1987. During his distinguished career, he performed with many opera companies including the New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Goldowsky Opera. He has performed leading roles in operas, musicals and operettas including Barber of Seville Don Giovanni, Elixer of Love, Cosi fan tutte, The Magic Flute, I Pagliacci, Taming of the Shrew, Albert Herring, Curlew River, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Don Pasquale, Die Fledermaus, Falstaff, Madame Butterfly, The Merry Widow, Babes in Toyland, Naughty Marietta, Brigadoon, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, The Gondoliers, Iolanthe and Patience. He has performed as soloist with many orchestras including the Detroit, Dallas, Baltimore, Denver, Edmonton and Vancouver symphonies. Has toured with the Robert Shaw Chorale, performed the major song cycles of Schubert, Britten Vaughan Williams and Dvorák, and the oratorios of Handel, Haydn, and Bach.
Ensembles - Groups
Unless otherwise noted, contact faculty at 973-655-4443.
Choral
Chikae Ishikawa
Choral/Voice
See bio under Voice
Cadette Strings
Tricia Gálvez-Gruswitz
Strings Ensemble/Violin
Youth Orchestra
Kimberly Syvertsen
Conductor/violin/viola
See bio under Strings
Jazz Ensembles
Michael Lee
Jazz Ensembles/Saxophone
Chamber Ensembles
Leigh Stuart
Chamber Coordinator
Daniel Mumm
Chamber Music/Cello
Dilyana Zlatinova
Chamber Music
New Jersey Children’s Choir
(in residence at Montclair State University)
Lourdes Armada
Director
973 655 – 6967
Fax: 973 655 – 6968
Email: NJCC2000@cs.com
Children's Choir Website
Music Therapy
Kristen Brennan
Private and group music therapy sessions
973-655-4443
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