Johanna Albrecht Voice Instructor

Ms. Albrecht received a B.A. in music and M.F.A. in theatre from Smith College. She has, in addition, studied music and voice with David Blair McCloskey (Boston Conservatory), Franz Kelch (Leopold Mozart Konservatorium, Augsburg, Germany), and Julia Drobner (New York City). Her career has embraced opera, operetta, oratorio, and musical theater in the United States, Germany, and Austria. Her U.S. appearances have included solo performances at the Kennedy Center, Emmanuel Church (NYC), Weill Recital Hall, Town Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and the New York State Theatre. She has performed as a singer-actress in off-Broadway musical theatre and has performed the role of the Mother Abbess in six U.S. productions of The Sound of Music. Ms. Albrecht was soprano soloist with the Martha Graham Dance Company at the Met, Covent Garden, on Broadway, and in the PBS “Dance in America” TV series. She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the Music Teachers’ National Association, and the National Association for Music Education.

Albert Bayers Oboe and Bassoon instructor

Mr. Bayers received his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Bridgeport and received his Master of Music Education from Western Connecticut University. He studied bassoon at the Yale School of Music and has performed with the Connecticut Symphony, The Chappaqua Chamber Orchestra, The Litchfield Chamber Orchestra, and was a staff musician at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, CT. Mr. Bayers was the Director of the Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Ensemble, Select Winds, and Orchestra in New Milford, CT for thirty five years.

Thirzah Bendokas Cello Instructor

Thirzah Bendokas, concert cellist, made her professional debut with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, performing the Lalo Cello Concerto. Soon after came her solo debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra with the Kabalevsky Concerto. Upon graduating from the Juilliard School, she completed four concert tours of Mexico which included the Dvorak ‘Cello Concerto, inaugurating the Nezoalcoyotl concert hall in Mexico City.

Ms. Bendokas is a familiar soloist with leading orchestras in her native Connecticut with recent performances including Beethoven’s Triple Concerto and the Haydn D Major Concerto. Besides local performances, Ms. Bendokas concretizes throughout the US, Austria, Portugal, Italy, Canada, Switzerland and in Spain, where recently she was guest soloist in five International Summer Music Festivals. She has performed at Tanglewood, appeared on TV and radio, toured the Northeastern US, was guest soloist in the “First Great American Octette Concert-Connecticut,” and is featured in Milford’s “Annual Gala Holiday Chamber Music Concert” as well as the “Mid-Summer Night’s Dream Concert.”

Deborah Cardenas Flute Instructor and Director of the Flute and Recorder Ensembles

Deborah Cárdenas was born in London and began her studies at the Birmingham Conservatory, U.K. In 1990 she transferred to the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she was a Fiske Competition Award winner and recipient of a BMUS with Honors. Mrs. Cárdenas continued to teach and perform in the Denver area (Colorado Wind Ensemble and Denver Centennial Orchestra) before moving to New York. Here, she continued to freelance and teach (Hudson Valley Wind Ensemble and New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra) whilst earning an advanced certificate and Licentiate in Flute Teaching from the Royal Schools of Music.(LRSM) Mrs. Cárdenas studied with Coun Lilley (UK) and Ali Ryerson (US). She is a member of the National Flute Association.

Louis Carrafiello Saxophone and Clarinet Instructor

Mr. Carrafiello attended Indiana University, Manhattan School of Music, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music and has a M. Ed. in Music. As a member of the Tommy Dorsey and Xavier Cugat Bands, he has toured throughout the United States and Europe. He was Director of Music in the Carmel, New York schools, and has served as saxophone instructor at Western Connecticut State University. Mr. Carrafiello is presently a freelance musician performing in the New York area. He is also a member of the Connecticut Saxophone Quartet.

Charles B. Emerich Department Chairman, Co-Advisor to the Kent Music Honor Society, Music Survey, Music Theory, Low Brass Instructor, Director of the Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, Dixieland Band, and the Orchestra for the Musical

Mr. Emerich has had extensive experience conducting both adult and student vocal and instrumental groups. A graduate of West Chester University in Pennsylvania, he also holds a M. Ed. from Penn State University, is a member of the Cum Laude Society, holder of The Centennial Teaching Chair in Music, and is also recognized in Who’s Who in American Education. In addition to conducting several instrumental music ensembles at Kent School, Mr. Emerich has directed the Elderhostel Orchestra on the Housatonic, Elderhostel Woodwind Ensemble in Albany, NY, the Danbury Music Centre Chamber Orchestra in Danbury, CT., and he was the Administrative Director of the Kent/Silver Bay Music Festival. He served, as principal trombonist in the Danbury Symphony for twenty years, is a member of the Brass Guild Quintet, a jazz quartet called The Algorhythms, and participates in a number of other musical organizations throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York.

Rosemary Fax Dance Instructor

Mrs. Fax attended Marymount College and studied ballet, jazz, and modern dance at the American School of Dance, Carnegie School of Dance, the Matt Mattox Studio, and the School of Performing Arts in New Milford, CT. She also studied acting at the Herbert Berghof Studio and Stella Adlers Studio.

Thomas Freas Brass Instructor

Mr. Freas is the founder and Artistic Director of Fanfare Consort, performs on clarino as soloist with many prominent period instrument ensembles throughout the United States and Europe. Mr. Freas has participated in numerous festivals where he performed Bach's Brandenburg Concerto N°2 on clarino and the Haydn Trumpet Concerto on "keyed" (valveless) trumpet. Thom's performance of Telemann's Suite in D Major for Trumpet and Strings has been described as "an amazing display of technical mastery over a difficult instrument as well as memorable musical sophistication," and "refined brilliance of the trumpet in the more extroverted cantata, Bach's Cantata N° 51, Jauchzet, Gott in allen Landen" [The Chestnut HillLocal ,Philadelphia].

Thom is the first American to record Brandenburg Concerto Nº 2 on valveless baroque trumpet. You can hear that recording with Anthony Newman on Sony Classical and Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Trumpets on the Newport Classics label. He can also be heard on Champignon International, Classic Masters, Helicon Records, Koch, Music Masters, Telarc and Vox.

Jennifer Malone Hobbs Violin and Viola Instructor (Suzuki Pedagogist), String Ensembles, String Orchestra, Orchestra, Music Theory, Advisor to the Kent Music Honor Society, and Music Survey

Mrs. Hobbs holds an A.B. from Bowdoin College in music and history, and a Master of Music from the University of Connecticut. Her coursework at the University of Connecticut focused on performance practices, music skills and theory, and music education. She studied violin with Stephen Kecskemethy (Bowdoin College), Paul Kantor (Yale University), and Thomas Moore (University of Miami, School of Music). Mrs. Hobbs studied quartet performance with members of the Portland String Quartet. In addition to conducting several ensembles at Kent School, Mrs. Hobbs conducts and teaches for the Kent School Elderhostel String Orchestra. Currently she is a first violinist with the Ridgefield Symphony and performs as a soloist and with other ensembles throughout New England.

Thomas Holcombe, Ringing Master of the Kent Bell Tower

Mr. Holcombe received a B.A. from Harvard University and a Master of Sacred Music from the graduate School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary in New York, where he subsequently received a Master of Divinity degree as well. He served as the Chapel Center Music Director at Ft. Dix, NJ during his service in the army and has also been an organ recitalist in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Currently he directs the Elderhostel Chorus on the Housatonic.

Margarita Nuller, Piano Instructor

Margarita Nuller was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and received her BA and MM from St. Petersburg Conservatory. She appeared as a soloist and in chamber ensembles in St. Petersburg and worked with the Union of Soviet Composers performing modern repertory. Since her emigration to the United States in 1990, she has played throughout the Northeastern region and was presented in her debut recital at Weil Hall at Carnegie Hall in April 2000 as a winner of the Artists International Auditions, and the Kent/Silver Bay Summer Music Festival. She was an Artist-in-Residence at the Shandelee Music festival in Shandelee, NY and the Condede Gondomar, Bayona, Spain. From 2000-2003, she was on the faculty of the Hartt School in Hartford, CT. Ms. Nuller currently has a private studio in New Fairfield, CT. Her CD of Russian music was released in 2003 on L’Art label.

Patricia Parker Director of the Choir, Chamber Choir, Kentones and Kentettes, Chapel Organist, Music Survey, Music Theory, Piano, and pianist for the Spring Musical

Dr. Parker received her Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance with a minor in German Studies, magna cum laude, from Salem College in Winston-Salem,NC, where she studied with John and Margaret Mueller. She later earned two graduate degrees from The Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY: a Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Organ Performance and Literature. Her teachers included David Higgs, Michael Farris, Katharine Pardee, and Gerre Hancock. Having served most of her professional life as a choir director and organist, Dr. Parker has been active in organizations such as the Royal School of Church Music in America (RSCM) and Choristers’ Guild. In addition to participating in and directing a variety of choral groups, Dr. Parker has also studied choral conducting with Angela Broeker at The University of St. Thomas in St.Paul, MN.

Debra Smith Violin and Fiddle Instructor

Ms. Smith attended Mansfield University in Pennsylvania as a Music Performance Major, where she studied Violin under the direction of Dr. Zdzinsky. While attending M.U. she performed on the violin with the Corning Symphony and the Elmira Symphony in NY. Prior to college, she studied violin with Berendt Freimanis, Mildred Perlow, John Burnettt and Dr. Oppelt. She has performed with various musical groups such as, The String Camerata of Long Island, The Danbury Symphony, The New York Youth Symphony, The Ridgefield Youth Orchestra, All County and The Long Island String Festival. Ms. Smith attended the Hartt Summer Youth Music Festival at Hartt College of Music in Connecticut for four consecutive years. After moving to Texas, she performed on the violin with the Mid-Texas Symphony in New Braunfels, TX. Ms. Smith began studying Fiddle with Richard Helsley in New Braunfels in 1996. She also began performing at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in 1996 in one of the country western shows at the park. She performed the Fiddle with the country band Windfall in Dallas, TX. and with other top 40 country bands. She studied Bluegrass Fiddle through various musical experiences in Roanoke, VA. She has also been a private violin instructor in both New York State and Texas.

David Poirier Jazz Studies

Mr. Poirier received his Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the Hartt School and Masters of Science in Music Education from Western Connecticut State University. At Hartt, he performed throughout New England as the alto saxophonist with the Nice Guy Sax Quartet, and was featured on their CD, “Sax-A-Plenty”. Mr. Poirier is currently band director and music teacher at Kent Center School and Sharon Center School of the Region One public schools. Additionally, he enjoys instructing approximately twenty private saxophone students. Since 1996, Mr. Poirier has also been the cantor at Sacred Heart Church in Kent.

Tracy Walton String Bass, Bass Guitar, and Guitar Instructor

Mr. Walton studied at the Hartford Conservatory as a jazz performance major, where he received the Goodwin Scholarship for excellence in musicianship. He has taught privately in the Connecticut area for the past twelve years. In addition, he is a member of the Tracy Walton Trio. The group performs extensively throughout the Northeast and have released two full length CD’s. Mr. Walton owns and operates TWAL Recording Studios and works as a session player at many studios in the area and he is also on the faculty of the National Guitar workshop. He is also the author of “Musicianship for the contemporary bassist” and “The Bass Chord Encyclopedia”.

Dave Wonsey Percussion Instructor

Mr. Wonsey studied percussion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a Bachelor degree from the Manhattan School of Music. His performance career includes work with the North Carolina Symphony, the Brooklyn Opera, the New Music Consort (NY), and the Danbury Symphony. Currently he is the Principal Percussionist with the Ridgefield Symphony and recently was the featured soloist playing “Concerto for Solo Timpani and Orchestra.” He also plays with countless community and summer theaters, and numerous jazz, pop/rock, and dance bands. On the “World Percussion” scene, Dave is an accomplished hand drummer and performs regularly with his group, “WoMaDe”. In addition, he is a World Champion rudimental snare drummer (Scottish style), teaching seminars and master classes along the East Coast, including the Manhattan School of Music and the Julliard School.