Alumni News

 Alumni - Submit News  

1978

• Nancy K Frasier '78 - BM - Instrumental Music Education - Band Director for 14 years at Pisgah High School in Jackson County Alabama Retired after 30 years in the classroom as a history teacher in May 2009. Now serving as a Literacy Coach at Pisgah H.S. (submitted Sept. 2009)

1998

• Jared Wilson '98 - BM - Instrumental performance: Organ - Currently serving as Associate Pastor for Music & Christian Education at Madison Street United Methodist Church in Clarksville, Tennessee. Currently serving on the adjunct faculty in the Music Department at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee teaching organ, piano (through the APSU Community School of the Arts), and accompanying various choirs and ensembles. Currently serving on the Acuff Circle of Excellence Advisory Board to APSU's Center for Excellence in the Creative Arts. (submitted Sept. 2009)

1999

• Benjamin Parks '99 - Music Minor - Bassoon/Alto Sax/Voice/Piano - I'm working at Living Arts College in Raleigh, NC teaching computer animation and video game design. I also consult in video game design with a local company and primarily direct and do voice acting for their games currently in development. I have an MFA in Computer Art: Animation from School of Visual Arts in New York City. I have an amazing wife, Cynthia Yula-Parks, and daughter, Sydney Elizabeth Gaia Parks (8). In 2008 I was part of a team of motion capture animators for Rock Band II. I actually graduated MTSU with a degree in Mass Communications, emphasis Radio-TV/Photography, specialization Digital Animation with an Art minor and wrapped my 2 1/2 years in the Music Ed. department into a Music Arts minor. However, I stay active in music as much as I can, although, having never owned a sax or bassoon, has been difficult. I still hop on the piano as much as I can and have played my father's guitar from time to time, as music is still a huge part of who I am and it ! "has to get out" on occasion. I have written a few songs that I'm recording at the school (they have an audio department and studio) and my daughter and I sing all the time. (submitted Oct. 2011)

2000

• Brian Russell '00 - BM - Brian Russell was recently appointed Assistant Professor of Music at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, where his responsibilities will include directing choral ensembles, teaching conducting and choral methods, and supervising student teachers. Brian is completing his DMA in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music, where he was the 2009 recipient of the Walter Hagen Conducting Prize. He and wife Patience Long (BS '01) will move to Illinois this August with their daughter Cadence (2 yrs old) and son Chase, who was born on June 5. (submitted June '09)
  
  
• Ben Mcilwain '04 - BM Trombone performance - Currently Presidential Fellow at Florida State University - " BM- MTSU in Music Performance, MM- Manhattan School of Music in Music Performance, DM- Florida State University (in progress). Having taken 2 years off between graduate degrees, I was able to freelance and teach in the Nashville area. The summer of '08 I married Jackie O'Kain and have relocated to Tallahassee, FL to begin work on a doctorate degree as a Presidential Fellow at Florida State University." (submitted Aug. '08) - UPDATE 08/09/10 - "Ben McIlwain has been appointed to a position at the University of Southern Mississippi. Ben, who is completing his doctoral studies at Florida State University, will be Visiting Assistant Professor of Music for the upcoming academic year, assuming all teaching duties related to the trombone studio."

2005

• Seth Carico '05 - BM voice performance - Current position: National Opera Singer - This season, after recently joining the roster of ADA Artist Management and Representation in New York, Seth is returning to Nashville Opera to perform Monterone in Verdi's Rigoletto, and he made two company debuts: first with Atlanta Ballet in the role of Sarastro in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte; and then with Opera Idaho as Alidoro in Rossini's La Cenerentola. Following his creation of the role of Victor in the world premiere of Jorge Martin's Before Night Falls with Fort Worth Opera, he will be debuting with the Ash Lawn Opera Festival in the role of Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni. In 2008-2009 Seth made his mainstage debut with Fort Worth Opera, appearing as Zuniga in Bizet's Carmen and George Benton in Heggie's Dead Man Walking, following his debut with Lake George Opera in Saratoga Springs, NY, as the Imperial Commissioner in Puccini's Madama Butterfly. He returned to Chautauqua Opera, where he was a Studio Artist in 2006. As an Apprentice Artist, he was seen in Chautauqua as Harasta in Janácek s The Cunning Little Vixen and George Jones in Weill's Street Scene. He has previously appeared with Michigan Opera Theatre as Marquis de Brisaille in the world premiere of David DiChiera's Cyrano, as well as Antonio in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Alessio in Bellini's La Sonnambula, and Doctor Grenvil in Verdi's La Traviata. Seth debuted with Florentine Opera as First Soldier in Strauss' Salome and finished the season with another debut, as The Bonze in Puccini's Madama Butterfly with the Opera Company of North Carolina. While in Michigan, he offered a recital at the University of Michigan of Dvorák s Cypresses, accompanied by renowned pianist and specialist in Czech music, Timothy Cheek. Seth is an accomplished alumnus of young artist training programs affiliated with Fort Worth Opera, Nashville Opera, the Seagle Music Colony, and the Brevard Music Center. His featured roles include Olin Blitch in Floyd's Susannah, Kecal in Smetana's Prodaná Nevesta, Don Alfonso in Mozart's Così fan tutte, Aristotle Onassis in Daugherty's Jackie O, Seneca in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea, Leporello in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Colline in Puccini's La bohème, Bartolo in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Gideon March in Adamo's Little Women. Concert appearances have included Dvorák's Stabat Mater, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Verdi's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle, Bach's Coffee Cantata, and Mozart's Requiem, with orchestras including the Nashville Symphony, the Chautauqua Symphony, and the Michigan Sinfonietta. In 2008, Mr. Carico was named the Grand Prize Winner of the Orpheus National Vocal Competition, and he received an Encouragement Award from the Chautauqua Opera Guild. This year, he was awarded Fourth Place in Shreveport Opera's Singer of the Year Competition, and in 2007, he was awarded a Special Prize at the International Czech and Slovak Song Competition.
  
  
• Crystal (Blue) Grosvenor '05 - MA Clarinet performance - On October 27, 2007, my husband, Joshua, and I welcomed our first daughter, Abigail May Grosvenor, into the world. She is a beautiful baby girl. Currently I teach private music lessons at a local music store. I have about 20 students, on all woodwind instruments, and I am working on the creation of a Classical and Jazz Academy, in the store, which would include the brass, string, vocal and piano studios. (submitted Sept. '08)
  
  
• Jacqueline (O'Kain) McIlwain '05 - BM Clarinet performance - Currently Doctoral Teaching Assistant, Florida State University - "Upon graduating MTSU, I received my Master's of Music from Indiana University, and am currently working on my Doctorate of Music at Florida State University as a Teaching Assistant. I recently married a fellow MTSU alum, Ben McIlwain, who I met while attending MTSU. I am very grateful for the many relationships and contacts I made while at MTSU! " (submitted Aug. '08)
  
  
• Jennifer (Whitehead) Reine '05 - BM Flute performance, MM Flute Performance - FSU '08, MA, Arts Administration - FSA '10 - "I am currently pursuing my second master's degree in arts administration. I am the assistant director of the Bryan Hall Learning Community on FSU's campus, Assistant Director of the Wildacres Flute Retreat and Fundraising Chair of the FSU Flute Association. I maintain an active performance schedule as well." (submitted Aug. '08)

2007

• Matthew Crossley '07 - BM Instrumental Music Education (Tuba) - After serving as band director at Sunset Middle School (Brentwood, TN) for two years, Matt has joined four other MTSU School of Music alumni (Preston Bailey, Marcus Brooks, Sean Donovan, and Noah Crossley) at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance to particiapte in a two year Graduate program. The Broad Street Brass Quintet (founded at MTSU) will be serving a fellowship as the UMKC Graduate Brass Quintet and will participate in many concerts and competitions throught out the two year program. In July of 2008, Matt married Katie (Ford) Crossley (MTSU 2007 B.M.-Music Industry, 2009 M.B.A. ) and now reside in Overland Park, KS. Please visit www.broadstreetbrassquintet.com for more information about the BSBQ! (submitted Aug. '09)
  
  
• Brad Hancock '07 - BM Instrumental Music Education, current position with Orff Music in Memphis, TN (submitted March. '09)
  
  

2008

• Silviu Ciulei '08 - MTSU Guitar graduate Silviu Ciulei who won the $1000 Fifth Prize in the Parkening International Guitar Competition at Pepperdine University, May 28-30. The triennial Parkening Competition is the preeminent guitar competition in the world, offering $65,000 in cash prizes. Silviu, age 23, was the only USA college student to win a prize in the 2009 Parkening International Competition. (The other prize winners hailed from Italy, Spain, Scotland, and Finland). Silviu, a native of Romania, received his B.M. in Guitar Performance from MTSU in '08. He has just completed his first year of graduate school at Florida State University under the direction of Bruce Holzman. (posted 06/01/09)