2013 Music Camps Staff

Kevin Collins

Music Camps Director

Kevin Collins, on the UW-Green Bay faculty since 1988, was appointed Director of Bands in 1995. He served as Chair of the Music Program from 1998-2003. During that time led the department's NASM re-accreditation efforts, as well as the planning for a substantial remodeling of music facilities at UW-Green Bay. He currently serves as chair of the Music Department.

Professor Collins directs the UW-Green Bay Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band, and teaches conducting and studio low brass. In the summer, he directs the UW-Green Bay Band, Choral and Orchestra Camps. In 1998, he founded the "UW-Green Bay State Bound Honor Band" for students who have received outstanding ratings for solo performances at WSMA and MSBOA district festivals. Professor Collins is a frequent guest conductor, speaker, clinician and adjudicator, and has conducted honor bands throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest, as well as middle and high school bands, youth orchestras, community bands, collegiate, and professional ensembles.

He holds a Bachelor's degree from University of Michigan (Low Brass/Trombone Performance/Music Education), a Master's degree University of Texas-Austin (Wind Conducting) and has done additional study in instrumental conducting at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Prof. Collins will be the Wind Ensemble conductor and low brass instructor for the 2013 High School Music Camp.

 

Scott Wright

Symphonic Band Conductor

Dr. Scott Wright currently holds the position of Assistant Professor of Clarinet at the University of Kentucky. Prior to his appointment at UK in 2002, he served as the Professor of Clarinet and Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and he taught music for the public schools of Longview, Washington from 1987-97.

Dr. Wright received music education degrees from the University of Michigan and Arizona State University, and he received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in clarinet performance from Arizona State University. Former teachers include Robert Spring, James Pyne, John Mohler, Stan Stanford, and the late Evelyn Angerman.

Wright has been a frequent featured performer at the annual conference of the International Clarinet Association with appearances in Columbus, OH in 1998, in Ostend, Belgium in 1999, in Salt Lake City, UT in 2003, and in 2004 in Washington DC. During the summer of 2003 Wright traveled to Greece with the Metropolitan String Quartet (D.C.) for a series of chamber music performances featuring the music of Mozart, Brahms, and contemporary Greek composers. Wright spends his summers teaching at the Young Musicians and Artists Music Festival (Salem, OR) and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Summer Music Camp.

 

Laura Robinson

Conductor, X-Band

Laura Robinson is Director of Bands for the Escanaba Middle School. Besides her groups earning top ratings in the MSBOA festival process, she has been a finalist for MSBOA Teacher of the Year and District Teacher of the Year. Laura received a Japan Fulbright Award which allowed her to travel and teach in Japan. Some of her school projects have been awarded top honors by the Michigan Education Association. Besides teaching, guest conducting, and judging, Laura plays Oboe and English Horn professionally. She is principal Oboe with the Marquette Symphony and a featured soloist. She also performs with the Sault St.Marie Symphony, Superior Festival Orchestra, and several local chamber ensembles. Laura earned her BM from Western Michigan University and MM from Northwestern University. She loves going to UW-Green Bay Band Camp!

 

Randall Meder

Chorale - Director

Dr. Randall A. Meder is Director of Choral Activities at UW-Green Bay, where he conducts the Concert Choir and Phoenix Chorale, and teaches courses in Choral Conducting and Literature. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education and Master's degree in Choral Conducting from the UW-Madison, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting and Literature from the University of Illinois. Dr. Meder has studied with Beverly Taylor, Fred Stoltzfus, Don Moses, Timothy Stalter, Scott MacPherson, Robert Fountain, and Robert Shaw.

Before coming to Green Bay he was Director of Choral Activities at NC State University, where he conducted the choral ensembles and taught sight-singing, choral literature and music history. Prior to his graduate studies he taught high school choral music for four years in Wisconsin, and has continued to work as a clinician with high school groups in Wisconsin, Illinois and North Carolina. Dr. Meder is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, the American Choral Directors Association, the Conductors Guild, Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and Pi Kappa Lambda National Honor Society in Music.

 

Cheryl Grosso

Percussion

Dr. Cheryl Grosso has been a member of the Music faculty of UW-Green Bay since 1985. She has served as Interim Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Chair and Vice Chair of Arts and Visual Design, and Music Chair. She teaches studio percussion, contemporary percussion ensemble, new music ensemble, hand drumming ensemble, aural skills, and world music. She was awarded the honorable Frankenthal Professorship in 2005 and the Founder's Award for Excellence in Scholarship. Professor Grosso earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance and Pedagogy from The University of Iowa, Master of Fine Arts in Percussion Performance from California Institute of the Arts, and Bachelor of Arts from UW-Green Bay. Dr. Grosso studied western percussion with John Bergamo, Karen Ervin, Ron George, Thomas L. Davis, and Tele Lesbines. She studied non-western percussion with artists Pandit Taranath Rao, Amiya Dasgupta, Alfred and Kobla Ladzekpo, Sowah Mensah, Michael Spiro, and K.R.T. Wasitodiningrat.

 

Michelle McQuade Dewhirst

French Horn and Composition

She has taught at the University of Chicago, Oberlin Conservatory and Concordia University (River Forest, IL) and Daley College in Chicago

Michelle was a founding member of the Chicago Miniaturist Ensemble and has received the ASCAPlus Grant for four consecutive years. Her work is published by JOMAR Press www.jomarpress.com.

 

Courtney Sherman

Dr. Courtney Sherman will be teaching voice classes and the Musical Theatre class for both the Middle School and High School Music Camps. For more professional information about Asst. Prof. Sherman, please select this link that will take you to the Music Dept. website.

www.uwgb.edu/music/faculty/sherman.asp

 

Adam Gaines

Trumpet Faculty

Adam Gaines is an Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Jazz at UW-Green Bay. In addition to teaching the trumpet studio, Dr. Gaines directs the Jazz Ensemble II and the New Music Ensemble, and teaches Jazz History and Brass Techniques. A native of Kentucky, Dr. Gaines has performed as a soloist throughout Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and at the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals in Europe. His work goes beyond playing the trumpet into the realm of arranging and composition. An example is his trumpet ensemble work "Fanfare and Images," which can be heard on the CD Passages on the Centaur label by his former teacher, Dr. Michael Tunnell. Dr. Gaines holds degrees from the University of Louisville (Bachelor of Music, 1999) and Ball State University (Master of Music, 2001 and Doctor of Arts, 2005). In addition to being a past member of the faculties of the Community College of Philadelphia, Montgomery County Community College, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania and Indiana Wesleyan University, Dr. Gaines has taught for the UW-Green Bay Summer Music Camps (trumpet and recording techniques) and the Milestones Jazz Camp in Pennsylvania.

 

Jill Sousek

Orchestra Conductor

 

Eric Hansen

Assistant Professor of Music at UW-Green Bay, Eric Hansen, will be teaching clarinet classes for the Middle and High School Music Camps. Eric Hansen is the clarinet instructor and assistant professor of music at UW-Green Bay. He teaches Applied Clarinet, Music Theory, Woodwind Techniques, Woodwind Ensemble, and directs the Phoenix Pep Band. He holds a Master of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Kentucky where he studied with Dr. Scott Wright, and two Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education and Music Performance from Arizona State University.

 

David Severtson

Dr. David Severtson, Assistant Professor of Music coordinates the piano program at UW-Green Bay, with again be the summer music camp accompanist. He teaches studio piano lessons, keyboard musicianship, first-year ear training, and Survey of Western Music. Prior to arriving at UWGB, he taught at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa and Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.