Music Program Faculty

Education:
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Doctor of Musical Arts, Voice Performance (2012)
    New England Conservatory of Music, Master of Music, Voice Performance, Honors (2008)
    Seoul National University, Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance, Top Honor, 2006

Courses taught:
    MUS 101 – Music Fundamentals
    MUS 120 – College Choir
    MUS 133/134 – Music History I/II
    MUS 162 – Beginning Voice
    MUS 190A/195A/295A – Applied Music: Voice

Dr. Yoo Sun Na is a performer and an educator. Na covers music ranging from Baroque to Contemporary with her powerful interpretations and vibrant stage presence as a soloist and guest artist. She made her Carnegie Hall debut as the winner of the Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition. She was also a district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council. Na earned her Bachelor’s Degree with top honors from Seoul National University where she received the Presidential Scholarship. She earned her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance with honors from the New England Conservatory of Music and received her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She teaches music at Bunker Hill Community College and voice at Northeastern University.

Education:
   University of Southern California, Doctor of Musical Arts (Phi Kappa Lambda), Composition (2012)
   University of California, Los Angeles, Master of Arts, Music Composition and Theory (2007)
   University of California, Berkeley, Bachelor of Arts, Music / Political Science (2004)
Courses taught:
   MUS 101 – Music Fundamentals
   MUS 105 – Music Theory and Aural Skills I
   MUS 106 – Music Theory and Aural Skills II
   MUS 116 – Popular Music Ensemble
   MUS 141 – Rock & Roll History
   MUS 171 – Introduction to Music Technology
   MUS 195I/295I – Applied Music I/II: Composition
   MUS 208 – Songwriting
   MUS 272 – Advanced Music Production

Mark Popeney is a composer whose music spans many styles and media. His music has been performed by such groups as Ensemble Signal, the USC Thornton Symphony, the Tuscaloosa New Music Collective, the University Chorale of Boston College, and more. Learn more at markpopeney.com

Mark is an avid singer, guitarist, and producer, and is a founding member of the bands The Slackademics and Dream Hydra.

Mark is also a podcaster, producing and co-hosting the show Nevermind the Music, a light-headed deep dive on popular music with his friend, psychology professor Nichole Vatcher.

Mark received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music in 2012, where he studied with Stephen Hartke and Donald Crockett. Mark earned his Master’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2007, studying with David Lefkowitz and Ian Krouse, and his Bachelor’s degree in 2004 from the University of California, Berkeley.

Mark teaches music at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, MA, where he also serves as chair of the Performing Arts Department.

Mark is a host of the Nevermind the Music Podcast. Learn more

Education:
   Berklee College of Music, Bachelor of Music, Performance (2013)
Courses taught:
   MUS 190J/195J/295J – Applied Music: Bas

Yaman Akdogan is a Turkish-born bass player living in Boston. He started music by playing guitar at the age of 11. He switched to bass in high school in order to fill in the bassist position in the school band. Lately in high school, borrowing some jazz recordings from a pianist friend, he started to get into jazz music. While maintaining his degree in Laboral Economics in college, he studied jazz music theory and performance with well-known jazz pianist, arranger and jazz educator in Turkey, Omur Gidel. He performed in jazz clubs and festivals with different local bands around Turkey.

In 2008 he participated in Berklee Umbria Jazz Clinics in Perugia,Italy and studied with Grammy Award winning bassist Oscar Stagnaro. In the same year he participated in Berklee College of Music Auditions in Athens, Greece as an accompanist bass player, recognized by the audition team and invited to auditions and got acceptance to Berklee College of Music as a scholarship student. In 2010 he got scholarship to participate in Siena Jazz Academy Summer Program where he studied with great jazz musicians as Avishai Cohen, Ferenc Nemeth, Scott Colley, Paolino Dalla Porta,Anders Jormin, Ricardo Del Fra, Furio Di Castri, Marco Tamburini, Francesco Petreni, Mario Raja and Ettore Fioravanti. He graduated from Berklee College of Music where he studied jazz performance on electric and acoustic bass with great musicians as Ed Tomassi, Whit Browne, Lincoln Goines, Ron Mahdi, Danny Morris, Dave Samuels, Greg Hopkins, Steve Bailey, John Patitucci, Eddie Gomez, George Garzone, Hal Crook, Tia Fuller, John Repucci, Jetro Da Silva, Jackson Schultz and Greg Mooter. He's currently performing and touring around U.S and Europe as a professional bass player and teaching in the Performing Arts Department as a bass guitar faculty at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston.

Education:

University of Massachusetts, Boston, Doctor of Philosophy, Higher Education & Leadership (expected 2023)
Springfield College, Master of Science, Student Personnel Administration (2007)
Quinnipiac University, Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Bachelor of Arts, Communication (2003)

Austin Ashe is from Southern Connecticut by the way of West Haven and New Haven. He has spent most of his career advancing DEI and Belonging initiatives in higher education. He brings his love of hip-hop into his approach to teaching at Bunker Hill and into his administrative work as Senior Associate Director for Culture & Belonging at the MIT Sloan School of Management

Education:
Stony Brook University, Doctor of Philosophy., Composition (2021)
Boston University, Master of Music, Composition (2013)
Northeastern University, Bachelor of Science, Music Technology (2009)

Courses taught:
    MUS 137 – Hip-Hop History: Music, Culture, and Resistance

Samuel Beebe is a composer and sound designer exploring the dramatic possibilities of music and sound through collaborations that often produce interdisciplinary works. He collaborated with Lex Brown on the NYTimes Critic’s Pick Carnelian, a multi-channel musical film installed at MIT List Visual Arts Center, and has received a 2024 Live Arts Boston Award from the Boston Foundation to create a new operatic work with Brown starring tenor/drag performer Jordan Weatherston Pitts/Creatine Price. POW POW POWER UP, an installation-performance created with Liss Lafleur, was presented at the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C., and his dystopian chamber opera Biophilia was produced by Stony Brook Opera. Beebe’s work has been commissioned by Strange Trace, Opera On Tap NYC, and Boston Choral Ensemble, and has been performed by Chelsea Symphony and Lilith Vocal Ensemble. Beebe holds a Ph.D. in Music Composition from Stony Brook University, is a Visiting Lecturer at Salem State University and Bunker Hill Community College, and teaches incarcerated students in Massachusetts Jails through Merrimack College’s Jail Education Project. He is based in Boston.

samuelbeebe.com

Education:
    Longy Schol of Music at Bard College, Graduate Performance Diploma (2013)
    Morgan State University, Master of Arts, Music Performance (2011)
    Morgan State University, Bachelor of Arts, Music Performance (2008)

Courses taught:
    MUS 144 – World Music

Seychelle Dunn-Corbin is a saxophonist best known for her inclusivity in programming, performance, and education. As an alum of Morgan State University, a Historical Black College; Seychelle began looking to diversify the realm of western classical styles and considers herself an advocate and socially conscious artist.

As a first-generation graduate of a four-year college and beyond, education has been and continues to be at the forefront of Seychelle’s lifelong pursuit of knowledge. After completing her studies and earning both a B.A. and M.A. degree in music, Seychelle furthered her education at Longy School of Music of Bard College and is currently a third-year doctoral candidate at Boston University.

She is a founding member of the Area 9 Quartet which has commissioned and premiered new works for saxophone quartet in Boston and New York City, in addition to co-founding North Star Duo – a unique duo of Flute(s) and Saxophone(s) that commissions & performs works by composers of color; and facilitates a bi-annual Women’s Equity Project in Boston, Ma. Additionally, Seychelle serves as faculty at Bunker Hill Community College and Salem State University, teaching a wide array of courses in music history, teaching artistry, piano, and saxophone.  

Seychelle currently studies with Kenneth Radnofsky and has previously studied with composers Dr. James Lee III and Dr. Nkeiru Okoye; saxophonists Tim Green, Brian Sacawa, and Cory Kaspryzk; and pianists/organists Dr. Stephanie Bruning and Dr. Samuel Springer.  She is a proud member of the Omega Eta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc; serving the South Shore needs through various community engagement activities.

Education:
   Berklee College of Music, Berklee Global Jazz Institute Master of Music, Contemporary Performance, Jazz Voice (2021)
   Berklee College of Music, Bachelor of Music, Performance, Arranging, Minor in Contemporary Conducting (2018)
   Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Master of Arts, Public Relations, Protocol and Events Management (2016)
   Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Bachelor of Arts, Cultural Journalism (2015)

Courses taught:
   MUS 195A/295A  – Applied Music I/II: Voice

Mar Fayos is a Jazz fusion vocalist, composer, producer, educator, and music activist from Barcelona, Spain. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2018 from the Berklee College of Music, with a Bachelor of Music Degree in vocal performance, arranging, and a contemporary conducting minor. In addition, the vocalist has recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Master of Music in Contemporary Performance (Jazz Voice) from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, where she studied with artists such as Danilo Pérez, Joe Lovano, John Patitucci, Tia Fuller, Kris Davis, and Kenny Werner, among many others, thanks to a full scholarship award.

As a Berklee student, Mar participated in several projects of the college involving distinguished international artists such as Brazilian composer Toninho Horta, famous Mexican bolero composer Armando Manzanero, outstanding jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and four-time Grammy winner bassist Oscar Stagnaro, among others.

In the last two years, Mar Fayos received important international distinctions and nominations both as a performer and composer. Recent relevant performances include a concert in Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid featuring relevant artists such as Mariza, Pitingo, Arcángel, Ainhoa Arteta, El Piraña, Javier Limón and La Mala Rodríguez, among others, in addition to the recording of videos with Sony Latin US Music with Casita Limón.

The vocalist released her first album of original music in 2020, called Mi Propia Religión, while she works in higher education as a faculty of voice at the Berklee College of Music, at Escola Taller de Músics in Barcelona and at Bunker Hill Community College, and offering masterclasses as a guest artist around the world. Mar Fayos is currently on tour with Cirque du Soleil, performing as a lead vocalist of the show Alegría in South Korea and Japan, and performs actively in Spain, around Europe, and in the U.S.

Education:     
    University of California at Los Angeles, Master of Arts, Teaching English as a Second Language (1982)
    Stanford University, Bachelor of Arts, English, “With Distinction” (1978)
    Also completed requirements for B.A. in Music
Courses taught:
    MUS 151 – Piano I
    MUS 190C/195C/295C – Applied Music: Keyboards

Cindy Fong, piano and violin, completed programs in music and English at Stanford University, where she studied piano with Earle Blew and Naomi Sparrow.  Other influential piano teachers include Randall Hodgkinson and David Oei.  Ms. Fong has performed as a pianist in recitals and chamber music concerts in the New England area, as well as in New York, Virginia, and Kansas, and is a regular participant in the Chamber Music Conference of the East at Bennington College, in Bennington, VT.  Also a violinist, she is a member of the Lexington (MA) Symphony as well as its principal program annotator, and occasionally subs for the New Bedford (MA) Symphony.  Ms. Fong is a professor of both Piano and English as a Second Language at Bunker Hill Community College.

Education:
    Longy School of Music of Bard College, Master of Music, Jazz and Contemporary Music
    University of Mary Washington, Bachelor of Arts, Linguistics, Bachelor of Science, Psychology

Courses taught:
    MUS 190A/195A/295A – Applied Music: Voice

Cassie Kollman is a contemporary vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader who possesses an informed command of her craft and performs a wide range of musical genres, mostly those rooted in Black American traditions; including jazz, r&b, blues, soul, pop, rock, New music, and classical. Her specialization is vocal improvisation. Cassie released her debut album, Lady in Shoes, in 2021; an eclectic mix of groove-based, richly-textured, and imaginative original compositions and collaborations. Cassie’s songwriting is introspective, personal, and emotionally nuanced. An agile vocalist and deep listener, Cassie creates compositions and arrangements that are vocally ambitious, harmonically intricate, and lyrically exploratory. The result is a soulful experience of jazz-rock music. Cassie performs regularly as a soloist, and manages several ensembles in the Boston area. As a cross-genre vocalist, Cassie’s projects span a diverse range of instrumentation and styles, sharing the common languages of improvisation and blues. Cassie holds a Masters of Music in Jazz and Contemporary Music from the Longy School of Music of Bard College and has completed Level I and Level II of the Somatic Voicework™ (Lovetri Method) vocal pedagogy method for CCM (Contemporary Commercial Music) styles. As a studio teacher and choir director, Cassie is committed to student mentorship and supporting the growth of her students’ musicianship and artistry. As an artist, teacher, and community member, Cassie is passionate about arts accessibility, music education, and live community events.

Education:
    Indiana University, Doctor of Musical Arts, Performance/Music Theory (expected 2019)
    Yale University, Artist Diploma (2008)
    New England Conservatory of Music, Master of Music, Cello Performance (2005)
    Seoul National University, Bachelor of Arts, Music (2003)

Courses taught:
    MUS 195F/295F – Applied Music I/II: Strings

Cellist Jaehee Ju, a native of Korea, has already won top prizes in several prestigious Korean competitions, including first prize in both Korea Times and Chosun Times Competitions. She also won Luigi Silva Memorial Award at the Corpus Christi International Competition for piano & strings. As an active recitalists and chamber musician, Ms. Ju has performed in major concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, and in Korea and Japan. Ms. Ju is also an active orchestra player. She served as a Principal Cellist of  Civic Orchestra of Chicago where she actively collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, and Principal Cellist at Boston Civic Symphony. She played with the Boston Public Quartet and has performed in a variety of venues, including Harvard Musical Associations and the Celebrity Series of Boston.

As a dynamic and engaging teacher, Ms. Ju currently serves as cello faculty at the Bunker Hill Community College and the Chestnut Hill School. She is also teaching at Wellesley College as a visiting lecturer in East Language and Culture department. She also taught cello at Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra ICP program, Midwest Young Artist, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, KIPP Academy, Lena Park, and Mattahunt community centers. She holds a Bachelor degree from Seoul National University, Master’s and Graduate Diploma at New England Conservatory, as well as an Artist Diploma at Yale University. As one of only selected few who are recipients of the Jacobs School of Music’s most prestigious award, Ms. Ju is pursuing her Doctoral studies, where she is a ABD candidate, with Eric Kim at Indiana University.

Education:
   Eastman School of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts, Piano Performance (2016)
   Columbia University, Master of Education, Music Education (2016)
   Julliard School, Master of Music, Music Performance (2011)
   Julliard School, Bachelor of Music, Music Performance (2009)

Courses taught:
    MUS 190C/195C/295C – Applied Music: Keyboards

Korean-American pianist Rosa Lee has joined BHCC faculty member since 2019. She is the recipient of the Juilliard School’s John Erskine Prize, and has made numerous appearances in recitals, playing solo piano and chamber works, and with major orchestras in the U.S. She has won top prizes in competitions and performed in numerous tours through major cities of Italy, Switzerland, Korea, and Canada. Praised in the Seattle’s Korea Times for her “clear tone and beautiful expression,” she has been broadcasted on PBS television and Seattle King FM numerous times.

Lee has taught as an instructor of piano at Columbia’s Teachers College and Eastman School of Music. Most recently, she served as Assistant Professor of Music at Bethel College, Kansas. She has served as a jury member in Syracuse, New York, and was the former assistant director of Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts series, an annual collaborative effort of Hesston and Bethel College for sponsorship of concerts and K-12 outreach programs by world-class artists.

Lee holds a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music performance at the Juilliard School of Music, a second master’s degree in music education from Columbia University, Teacher’s College, and a doctorate degree from the Eastman School of Music. Lee’s principle piano studies were with Julian Martin and at Eastman with Nelita True.

Education:
    University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Master of Business Administration (2002)
    Berklee College of Music, Bachelor of Music, Music Production and Engineering (1988)

Courses taught:
    MUS 130 – Music Appreciation
    MUS 171 – Introduction to Music Technology
    MUS 190X/195X/295X – Applied Music: Specialized Instruction (Music Technology)

Rob Lehmann teaches music history, music technology, and audio technology at Bunker Hill. He has a Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music (major in Music Production & Engineering) and a Master of Business Administration degree from U/Mass Lowell. He has been teaching at the college level for 25 years and for 20 years he was the department chair of Audio Production at The New England Institute of Art. Rob has recorded and produced lots of music, mixed many live concerts, and played a lot of notes on his guitar over the years. He has worked in many styles and has production and/or engineering credits in genres including jazz, classical, folk, rock, and even marching band music. He is also a member of the Audio Engineering Society.

Education:
    Eastern Michigan University, Master of Arts, English (1976)
    Eastern Michigan University, Bachelor of Science, English, with secondary teaching certificate (1972)

Courses taught:
    MUS 113 – Jazz Ensemble

Professor Tim McLaughlin has directed the student Jazz Ensemble at BHCC since 1984.  The Jazz Ensemble has been an important musical presence in the life of the college, having played at many college events.  The ensemble has also been regularly featured as part of the BHCC Jazz Celebration series, which Professor McLaughlin helped cofound in 1999. This series has brought many well-known jazz artists to the college over the last twenty years.  Besides Jazz Ensemble, Professor McLaughlin also teaches Children’s Literature.   

Education:
    University of North Texas, Master of Music, Percussion Performance and Jazz Drum Set (2021)
    Virginia Tech University, Bachelor of Arts, Percussion Performance and Music Technology (2019)

Courses taught:
    MUS 19D0/195D/295D – Applied Music: Percussion

Denver Nuckolls is a performer, composer, audio engineer, and educator based in the Boston, MA area. Raised in a musical family, he inherited an overarching and undiscriminating appreciation for music, regardless of style or aesthetic. He prides himself on being a musical shapeshifter, able just as easily to excel as a solo electronics act as in an orchestral percussion section. His performances and compositions have activated spaces and events including NICE, A Fest [The Croaks; Boston, MA - 2024], Jazz in July [Lenny Marcus Trio; Salem, VA - 2024] the Museum of Science [Boston, MA; 2023], MG Space [Yolanda He Yang; Beijing, China - 2023], the Taubman Museum of Art [Lenny Marcus Trio; Roanoke, VA - 2023], the Olive Tjaden Gallery at Cornell University [The Boneyarders; Ithaca, NY - 2022], and the Jefferson Center [Lenny Marcus Trio; Roanoke, VA - 2022]. Some notable accomplishments include being selected as an artist-in-residence at Stove Works [Chattanooga, TN - 2025], being awarded an exclusive fellowship for the Virtual Percussion Music Festival [2021], and winning the Percussive Arts Society’s collegiate chamber ensemble competition as a member of the Virginia Tech Percussion Ensemble [Indianapolis, IN - 2018]. Since 2022, he has released solo projects 'it comes in waves', 'dead account', and '3 Days in June'. His most recent solo endeavor, 'morals', is out now via Idolatrous Sound Research [Brooklyn, NY].

Education:
    Boston University, Doctor of Musical Arts, Voice Performance (2017)
    University of California, Irvine, Master of Fine Arts (magna cum laude), Voice Performance (2013)
    East Carolina University, Bachelor of Music (magna cum laude), Voice Performance (2010)

Courses taught:
    MUS 130 – Music Appreciation
    MUS 190A/195A/295A – Applied Music: Voice

Countertenor Bryan Pollock has been an instructor with BHCC since 2017.  Dr. Pollock earned degrees in voice performance from East Carolina University (BM), the University of CA Irvine (MFA), and Boston University (DMA).  He has performed in over twenty fully-staged operatic productions with lead roles such as Giulio Cesare from Händel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Oberon from Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Refugee from Dove’s Flight and Orfeo from Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice.  His past performances include the roles of Aldoborontiphosocophornio from the world premiere of Andy Vores’ opera Chrononhotonthologos with Guerilla Opera of Boston and Truman Capote in the world premiere of Eric Sawyer’s The Scarlet Professor with Five College Opera.  “Bryan Pollock (Cardinal 1/Oracle 1) has an easily produced countertenor which he was able to vary in tone from reedy warmth to edgy body” from Opera Today.  “Bryan Pollock’s Oberon was, theatrically, something to behold.  It was sung with a chocolate ganache smoothness, with a sinister underlay hidden behind an alarmingly disarming smile” from The Boston Music Intelligencer.  "Counter-tenor Bryan Pollock as Arsamene was outstanding, dominating the stage with a magnificent, strong voice” from the CVNC.  He currently sings with the choir of All Saint’s Ashmont in Dorchester, MA and the Schola Cantorum of Boston.  Dr. Pollock has performed in a variety of choral venues and teaches voice, piano and rhetoric in his private studio in Waltham, MA.  

Education:
    Fitchburg State University, CAGS Doctoral Certificate, Education (2016)
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Doctor of Philosophy, Musicology (1995)
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Master of Library Science (1994)
    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Master of Music (with honors), Choral Conducting (1992)
    Yale University, Bachelor of Arts, Music/Conducting (1990)

Courses taught:
    MUS 101 – Music Fundamentals
    MUS 133/134 – Music History I/II
    MUS 144 – World Music
    MUS 190A/195A/295A – Applied Music: Voice
    MUS 190C/195C/295C – Applied Music: Keyboards
    MUS 190G/195G/295G – Applied Music: Woodwinds
    MUS 190H/195H/295H – Applied Music: Conducting

Laura Stanfield Prichard sings with the BSO and Boston Pops and is the music director/pianist for the Winchester Cooperative Theater. She teaches music lessons at BHCC and has a private studio in Lexington. An active conductor and public speaker, she was a finalist for the 2015 Pauline Alderman Award for outstanding writing on women and music and is the Dramaturg for New Commissions for the New York Philharmonic. The Boston Musical Intelligencer sent her to Cuba in 2015 as a foreign correspondent, and she has reviewed local concerts for them since 2010.

Laura teaches music theory, history, and performance at BHCC; she conducted the inaugural year of the College Choir at BHCC: she gives frequent public talks for the San Francisco Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, and the San Francisco Symphony and Chicago Symphonies. She was the President of the Pacific Chapter of the College Music Society and Assistant Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus under Michael Tilson Thomas (1995-2003).

Education:

University of California, Santa Cruz, Doctor of Musical Arts, World Music Composition (2013)
Arizona State University, Master of Music, Music Composition (2007)
University of Colorado, Boulder, Bachelor of Music (with honors), Music Composition (2005)

Courses taught:
MUS 101 – Music Fundamentals
MUS 144 – World Music
MUS 190G/195G/295G – Applied Music: Woodwinds
MUS 190I/195I/295I – Applied Music: Composition

Beth Ratay has been composing and performing for over 25 years. Dr. Ratay received her Doctor of Musical Arts in World Music Composition from the University of California, Santa Cruz, her Master of Music in Music Composition from Arizona State University, and her Bachelor of Music in Music Composition from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her musical research has focused on the music of Harrison Birtwistle as well as text setting, poetic interpretation and the relationship of language to music, especially in Czech, German and English. She has studied with composers David Evan Jones, Paul Nauert, James DeMars, and Michael Theodore.

Beth is also active as both a flutist and a singer. She was the principal flutist for the University of California, Santa Cruz Orchestra and also performed for the April in Santa Cruz New Music Festival for three consecutive years. She is currently a member of the Back Bay Chorale and the Cambridge Chamber Singers. In the past, she has been a member of the Phoenix Symphony Chorus and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Beth is currently the Artistic Director for the Boston New Music Initiative.

Education:
   Longy School of Music, Master of Music (2012)
   Berklee College of Music, Bachelor of Music (2009)

Courses Taught: 
   MUS 190B/195B/295B – Applied Music: Guitar

Guitar virtuoso, composer, bandleader, educator and recording artist, Javier Rosario is the first ever Michel Camilo Scholarship winner. The scholarship was an initiative of the Dominican born, Grammy, Latin Grammy and Emmy Award winning pianist. It has been the first scholarship of its kind in the history of the Dominican Republic, where Javier was born in Santo Domingo. In 2006, Javier attended Berklee College of Music with full scholarship, graduating with the highest ratings ever given to a guitarist. In 2009, he performed at the Berklee Jazz and Blues Guitar Night: a concert which only featured the very top players of the entire school. In 2010, Javier decided to further his studies at the Longy School of Music of Bard College with a master’s degree. There he was awarded a Presidential Scholarship and was acknowledged by his guitar teachers as possibly the highest-level guitarist ever to enter the jazz program.

Among some of the musicians Javier has performed with are: Joe Lovano and his Berklee College of Music 21st Century Ensemble, John Lockwood, Matt Savage, Zachary King, Scott Kiefner, Ken Field, Bart Weisman, Qya Cristal, Caleb Montague, Greg Toro, Ian Ashby, Aaron Holthus, Avery Logan, Bob Edinger, Vardan Ovsepian, Jeff Galindo, Phil Grenadier, Bret Willmott, Hoo Kim, James Heazlewood Dale, Evan Waaramaa, just to name a few. Javier has performed at Blue Note in New York City, Concerts in the Courtyard Series at Boston Public Library, Boston Jazz Fest (BJF), 150th Anniversary of Boston Public Library South Boston Branch, Casa de Teatro Jazz Festival, Fiesta Sunset Jazz Club the #1 jazz club in the Dominican Republic and one of the top jazz clubs in the world according to All About Jazz, A-Town Jazz Festival, Strand Theater, Massachusetts’ State House, Cornelia Street Cafe, St. Botolph Club, Berklee Performance Center, Portsmouth Book & Bar, The Press Room in Portsmouth, The Club in Provincetown, Pianos NYC, Shrine World Music Venue, Silvana, Port City Blue, Riverwalk Cafe & Music Bar, Radio Bean Jazz Fest, Thunder Road, Tonic, Community Music Center of Boston's Fête de la Musique and John Kleshinski Concert Series, The Record Company, Altos de Chavon Amphitheater in the Dominican Republic, just to name a few.

Javier is a guitar Adjunct Professor and performer at Bunker Hill Community College where he has served as a music audition panel judge. He is a faculty member and performer at Community Music Center of Boston and a Community Engagement Programs Teaching Artist and performer at the Hurley School in Boston’s South End. In May 2022, Javier became a performer and music educator for the City of Boston through the Boston Public Library (South Boston Branch). Javier has been a Visiting Artist/Collaborator and Music Thesis Judge for the international music program at UNPHU or Universidad Pedro Henriquez Ureña since 2021, and a Visiting Artist at the National Conservatory of Music since 2009 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. During the Spring 2021, Javier was a Community Engagement Programs Teaching Artist at Boston Collegiate Charter School. He was a faculty member at Passim School of Music, Amigos School and Morse School in Massachusetts.

In late June 2022, Javier was granted the Community Music Center of Boston Professional Development Grant for Creative Youth Development in alignment with Cultural Inclusion and Social Emotional Development. In late June 2021, Javier received the Community Music Center of Boston Marilla MacDill Award for Teaching Excellence and Community Service.

In September 2023, Javier released his second album, Javier Rosario Trio V.2 Yes! This album has been nationally and internationally reviewed.

In early 2022, Javier's most recent interview with Dominican jazz writer and promoter, Fernando Rodriguez De Mondesert, was published in the book The Interviews "Las Entrevistas" 2021 Jazz en Dominicana. The book is a collection of interviews of the most prestigious Dominican musicians on the scene today.

In late December of 2019, Javier released his debut album Javier Rosario Trio, Vol. I: A Celebration of Life which has been nationally and internationally reviewed. Javier's music has been played on the radio in the Dominican Republic and NHPR New Hampshire Public Radio, All Things Considered with Peter Biello: NHPR Summer Music Series Kicks Off With A Few Recommendations.

The Javier Rosario Trio has a residency at the distinguished music venue Port City Blue in Maine. He is an active performer of Sofar Sounds and a long-time member of the Matt Savage Groove Experiment.

Education:
    Manhattan School of Music, Master of Music, Jazz Arts (2015)
    Berklee College of Music, Bachelor of Music, Performance (2012)

Courses taught:
    MUS 152 – Piano II
    MUS 190C/195C/295C – Applied Music: Keyboards

Matt Savage has had a remarkable 20+ year professional career as a jazz musician, bandleader and composer with ensembles of different size. He’s played with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Chick Corea, the Ellington All Stars, Chaka Khan, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill, John Pizzarelli, Joshua Redman, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi and Donny McCaslin among others. He’s also opened for rock legends Neil Young and Stephen Stills, and has performed with Steve Earle, Jackson Browne, Shawn Colvin and Al Stewart. Along the way, he’s recorded fifteen albums and EPs as a leader. He is a Bösendorfer piano artist.

As a composer, Matt has garnered respect and recognition. He composed and recorded the score for a full-length documentary film, Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story. The movie, which premiered in 2014, chronicles the life of the late jazz alto saxophonist Frank Morgan. Additionally, Savage wrote almost all the songs on his albums, several of which have been used in short documentaries, on web sites, in school music curricula and in government educational materials.

Matt’s latest release is the Matt Savage Quartet’s album, The Whole Package! This album, released on June 16th, 2023, is his first acoustic “straight-ahead” jazz CD since 2016. Savage also has two recent jazz-funk albums with the Matt Savage Groove Experiment, entitled Splash Variations (2018) and The Groove Reawakens (2022).

Savage has toured worldwide, including performances at The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Birdland, Blue Note (NYC), Bohemian Caverns, Smalls Jazz Club, The Town Hall, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Scullers, the Jazz Standard, the Pantages Theatre, the Iridium, the Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, Heineken Jazzaldia (Spain), the Costa Rica International Jazz Festival, the International VSA Arts Festival, the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, the New Orleans Jazz Festival, the Earshot Jazz Festival, tours of Japan, China, India, Spain, Curacao, Aruba and Singapore.

Education:
    University of Newcastle, Masters of Music Technology
    Berklee College of Music, Bachelor of Music, Music Production & Engineering

Courses taught:
     MUS 171 – Introduction to Music Technology

Tony Schultz has been an audio engineer, music producer and composer for more than 35 years as owner/operator of Big T Productions in Boston, MA. www.bigtproductions.com

He was an Assistant Professor at The New England Institute of Art from 1997-2017, specializing in Audio Technology and Computer Music and has been an Instructor of Music Production for Berklee Online since Jan. 2016. He has also been an Instructor/Lecturer of Audio Technology at Bridgewater State University since Jan. 2020.

Tony has a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Production & Engineering from the Berklee College of Music and a Masters in Music Technology from the University of Newcastle in Callaghan, Australia. He also received a Certificate in Online Course Design from Bridgewater State University in Dec. of 2021.

He has served three consecutive two-year terms as the Chair of the Boston Section of the Audio Engineering Society, two two-year terms as the VP of the Eastern Region of the US/Canada and served as Chair of Regions & Sections for the AES from Oct. 2016-Dec. 2021, overseeing all Pro and Student AES Sections Worldwide.

Past clients include; RCA Records, Mercury Records, Virgin Records, WFNX, Filene's, Home Inc., EF Education, Schneider & Associates, Softskull Press Inc., Brand X Filmworks, Dudnyk Healthcare, Teatro de Marionettas de Venezuela and the NAHB Production Group.

Tony has presented at a number of colleges including Berklee College of Music, Harvard University and the Royal College of Music in London. In addition to the AES, he is also a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) and the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP).

Education:
    Brooklyn College, Master of Fine Arts, Performance & Interactive Media Arts (2015)
    Bard College (Longy School of Music), Artist Diplomaa (2009)
    Musicales Boulogne Conservatory, Diplôme d'études (2007)
    The Boston Conservatory, Bachelor of Music, Woodwinds Performance (2004)

Courses taught:
    MUS 130 – Music Appreciation
    MUS 141 – Rock & Roll History
    MUS 147 – Music in the United States
    MUS 180 – Introduction to the Music Business
    MUS 190G/195G/295G – Applied Music: Woodwinds

Dennis Shafer is a saxophonist, director, and live-composer based in Boston and New York City.  His playing has been reviewed as “brilliant” by The Boston Globe, and he has engagements around the world soloist, educator, and live-composer. He conducts and directs Boston University Saxophone Ensemble, Chagall Performance Art Collaborative, and Brooklyn Soundpainting Ensemble. As a commercial musician, Shafer is represented by Hank Agency and works for Honey Train Music Services. In New York, Shafer made his concerto debut in 2011 in Merkin Hall and his recital debut in 2015 at the Firehouse Space. His most recent multimedia project, RendrGram, gave a debut at Washington Square Park in 2015. Dennis Shafer holds diplomas with honors from The Boston Conservatory, Boulogne Conservatory (Paris, France), Longy School of Music, and Brooklyn College (Performance and Interactive Media Arts).  He has studied saxophone and Soundpainting with Kenneth Radnofsky, Jean-Michel Goury, Vincent Gnojek, Etienne Rolin, and Walter Thompson.

Education:
   Boston University, Doctor of Musical Arts, Piano Performance (2015)
   Mahidol University, Master of Music, Piano Performance (2010)
   Hanover University of Music and Theater, Undergraduate Diploma of Music and Art Education in Piano (2007)

Courses taught:
    MUS 190C/195C/295C – Applied Music: Keyboards

Having performed across the world, Han Nah Son is widely recognized as a captivating and inspiring musician. Han Nah Son has performed at municipal concerts in Russia, Germany, Italy, France, Thailand and USA. She appeared as a guest pianist for National Public Radio WBUR On Point “Boston After the Bombings: A Public Conversation of Hope & Healing”. She has been casted as a musician for Michael Frayn’s contemporary play Copenhagen at Central Square Theater in Cambridge. Han Nah featured as a soloist with Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra and as a pianist in Boston University Symphony Orchestra’s performance at Boston Symphony Hall. Affirming her interest in putting music in the service of others, she regularly visits and performs at the Hebrew Senior Life of Gloria Adelson Field Health Care Center. Han Nah also takes great joy in collaborating with small and large ensembles.

Han Nah Son is determined to help and mentor young musicians in order to pursue their educational and professional dreams and holds a strong piano studio with many talented students. She has given piano masterclasses at Tanglewood Institute of Boston University, as well as at Chiang Mai Music Festival in Thailand. She served as a piano faculty at St. Joseph’s University, as well as at Montgomery County Community College in Pennsylvania.  Han Nah has also taught at the College of Fine Arts, Boston University as a Teaching Assistant in piano performance and at Mahidol University College of Music in Thailand.

Han Nah Son was born in South Korea and obtained her early music education from the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St Petersburg, Russia. She then went onto the Freiburg and Hannover Musikhochschule in Germany for her Bachelor's degree and then a Master's degree from Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. Han Nah Son completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from Boston University. She currently resides in Needham, MA and continues to perform as a soloist and as a chamber musician. Her musical awards include 1st prize of Young Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Russia, 1st prize of Ingrid Martin Foerder Foundation in Germany, 2nd prize of Richmond Piano Competition in USA, 3rd prize at the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Italy, special prize in the Rotary-Rotaract International Piano Competition in Spain, 1st Gold Prize at the ASEAN International Chopin Piano competition in Malaysia, 1st prize at the Thailand Beethoven Piano Competition and many others.

Education:
   Berklee College of Music, Bachelor of Music, Guitar Performance (2011)

Courses taught:
   MUS 190B/195B/295B – Applied Music: Guitars

Guitarist J.J. Thomchick joined the BHCC faculty in January of 2020. He attended Berklee College of Music where he earned a degree in guitar performance, was a recipient of the Harris Stanton Award for Outstanding Musicianship, and graduated summa cum laude. During his time at Berklee J.J. had the opportunity to study with great guitar minds like Mick Goodrick, Tim Miller, Rick Peckham, and many more. Over the past decade J.J. has excelled as one of the most versatile performers on the scene, displaying a high proficiency in a variety of contemporary and traditional styles. As an educator he has taught hundreds of private students over the years, taught guitar at the Berklee Day Sessions and Berklee Guitar Sessions, and served as the assistant musical director for the Summer Institute of the Vocal Arts. J.J. currently resides in New York where he continues to explore his own musical interests while mentoring a number of private students. In addition to guitar J.J. is also a professional pianist, specializing in vocal/choral accompaniment, musical theater, and church services.

Education:
    Boston University, Doctor of Musical Arts, Trumpet Performance (2015)
    University of Maryland, Master of Music, Trumpet Performance (2000)
    Boston Conservatory, Bachelor of Music, Trumpet Performance (1998)

Courses taught:
    

Courses taught:
    MUS 101 – Music Fundamentals
    MUS 130 – Music Appreciation
    MUS 144 – World Music
    MUS 180 – Introduction to the Music Business
    MUS 190E/195E/295E – Applied Music: Brass

Dr. Bob Thorp has performed at many of the Nation’s prominent music festivals, including Tanglewood Music Festival, Ravinia Music Festival, Chautauqua Chamber Music Festival, Bethlehem Music Festival, and The Boston Early Music Festival. In addition, he has performed with distinguished artists and ensembles including the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, The Boston Pops, Joe Strummer of the Clash, The Toasters, and Natalie Cole. For the past 25 years, Dr. Thorp has been performing with the internationally recognized chamber music ensemble, the Synergy Brass Quintet.

Dr. Thorp is currently a Chair of Fine and Performing Arts, Director of Bands and Music at Xaverian Brothers High School, Salem State University, Gordon College, and Bunker Hill Community College in Massachusetts. He has also taught trumpet and chamber music at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA. Dr. Thorp is a clinician for the Conn-Selmer Company and Denis Wick London and has presented numerous master classes and clinics around the world on their behalf, including at Tokyo Conservatory, Osaka Conservatory, Nagoya Conservatory, Yale, Manhattan School of Music, Rice University, Northwestern University, San Francisco Conservatory, University of North Texas, Mannes College of Music, and the Eastman School of Music. Dr. Thorp is an advocate for new music and has premiered and commissioned numerous works, including Sonata for Trumpet by Daniel Pinkham, Transfiguration: An Ecumenical Mass by Samuel Adler, Four New York Sketches by Robert Martin, Distance by David Blackstone, and Second Elegy by Larry Bell. His music has been used by ESPN and the NBA for the official broadcasts of the Washington Wizards. He has studied under Rolf Smedvig, Chris Gekker, Terry Everson, and Rick Ensminger. Dr. Thorp received his B.M. from the Boston Conservatory, his M.M. from the University of Maryland, and his D.M.A. from Boston University. Dr. Thorp performs exclusively on Bach trumpets and Denis Wick London mutes. He has appeared on Paraclete, RAI, and AAR labels and has been featured on NPR, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and the Hallmark Channel.

Education:
    Boston University, Doctor of Musical Arts, Violin Performance (2010)
    Boston University, Master of Music, Violin Performance (2005)
    Lynn University, Bachelor of Music, Violin Performance (2003)

Courses taught:
    MUS 190F/195F/295F – Applied Music: Strings

Dr. Angel Valchinov is a violin soloist, concertmaster, chamber musician, and teacher. Currently performing as a soloist with orchestras in the U.S. and Europe, Dr. Valchinov plays a wide-ranging repertoire. A recent performance highlight was H. W. Ernst's Six Polyphonic Etudes. An avid recitalist and chamber musician, he recently performed with the Turtle Island Quartet in Boston's Jordan Hall. Dr. Valchinov serves as concertmaster of several orchestras in the Boston area, including Claflin Hill Symphony and Boston Chamber Orchestra. He is also a member of the String Faculties at Bunker Hill Community College and Northern Essex Community College, and he is the String Department Chair at the Concord Conservatory of Music. In addition, he has a large private teaching studio. In the summer, Mr. Valchinov teaches at the Atlantic Music Festival, Colby College, Waterville, Maine and the Youth & Muse Music Festival, Boston. He is the subject of a documentary by Bulgarian national television, and he has been featured on a number of television and radio stations across the U.S. A third generation musician, Dr. Valchinov regularly performs with his wife, violist Dr. Chen Lin, and other family members, and he is a reader at his beloved Orthodox Church in Allston, MA.

Mr. Valchinov is officially endorsed by Optima Strings of Germany.

More information on his website, www.linvalchinovmusic.com.

Education:
Longy School of Music at Bard College (2014)
Boston Conservatory of Music, Master of Music, Percussion Performance (2010)
Illinois Wesleyan University, Bachelor of Music, Percussion Performance (2008)

Courses taught:
MUS 101 – Music Fundamentals
MUS 151 – Piano I
MUS 190C/195C/295C – Applied Music: Keyboards
MUS 190D/195D/295D – Applied Music: Percussion

Joshua Ziemann is a multi-instrumentalist percussionist, pianist, music director, and composer pursuing a life-long interest in improvisation, experimental music, and theatre. For the decade following his graduation from The Boston Conservatory, he worked as a freelancer in a dizzying variety of situations. A few notable institutions he has performed with in this time include the Boston Ballet School, Metropolitan Opera Guild Urban Voices, and MIT's Hacking Arts Conference. He has music directed and accompanied dozens of educational and community theatre productions at Merrimack College, Boston College High School, Curry College, Rhode Island School of Design, Nobles and Greenough, Boston University, and others.

In 2013-2014, he continued his drum studies at Longy School of Music with Bob Gullotti of the legendary free jazz group, "The Fringe", as well as marimba with Sylvie Zakarian, and piano with Peter Cassino and Ben Schwendener. Here he began to shift focus towards the creation of original music. His style expanded to incorporate analog synthesizers, and he gained an interest in recording, singing, songwriting, and electronic music production.

In 2017 he was invited to perform, act, and co-compose the music in Baltimore Center Stage's production of Mary Zimmerman's The White Snake.

Josh currently focuses on small ensemble work. He continues to operate in a wide range of experimental Jazz, rock, electronic, and popular musical styles.

In addition to his teaching duties at Roxbury Community College and as an applied lesson instructor at Bunker Hill Community College, he works regularly as a music director at the Improv Asylum comedy club, and as a Performing Arts Group Advisor at Suffolk University.