Conservatory of Music
Alumni
This list represents some of the many successes enjoyed by alumni of the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College.
| Luellen Abdoo | Freelance violinist: Has performed with the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Brooklyn Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony, and New York Virtuosi, and with such renowned artists as Ray Charles and Bon Jovi; artistic director and performer, New York City Ballet Musicians and Friends, a summer chamber music series in Saratoga Springs, NY |
| Barbara Allen | Principal harpist, American Ballet Theatre Orchestra and Greenwich Symphony Orchestra; recordings on DGG, RCA, EMI, CRI, Koch, Angel, Nonesuch, Bridge, and Arabesque. M.M., The Juilliard School |
| Scott Altman | Bass baritone: Has performed with the New York City Opera and throughout the U.S., including the Opera Festival of New Jersey, Austin Lyric Opera, Arizona Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Orlando Opera, Connecticut Grand Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, and Chicago Lyric Opera Center |
| Sébastian Bardin | Composer, producer, MC; co-founder, The Brüknahm Project (with Saundi Wilson); co-author, Freestyle (Massot/Millet Editions: France, 1993) |
| David Biancardi | Musician and interactive technology designer; founder, Audio, Video & Controls; co-founder, Synesthesia; co-creator, Interactive Dance Club; member of LEMUR (League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots) |
| Christopher Bolduc | Baritone: Santa Fe Opera; awards include: Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (semi-finalist, 2007), Classical Singer Convention Competition (1st place, 2005), George London Foundation, Liederkranz Foundation, Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation; M.M., Indiana University |
| Gregory Buchalter | Maestro di banda and chorus master, Metropolitan Opera; premiered Corigliano's “The Ghosts of Versailles,” Philip Glass’ “The Voyage,” and Harbison's “Great Gatsby” |
| Owen Burdick | Music director, conductor, and organist, Trinity Church, New York City; recordings on Naxos, Hänssler Classic, Nonesuch, Summit, Gothic, and Centaur; Ph.D., University of California at Los Angeles |
| Jason Chapman | Trumpet: Recordings and/or performances with numerous artists, including Spyro Gyra, the Shirelles, Kerry Kearne, and Mario Cruz's DCT Octet; composer and arranger; M.M., Manhattan School of Music |
| Bill Charlap | Award-winning pianist, The Bill Charlap Trio (Criss Cross, Blue Note); former member of Gerry Mulligan's quintet; artistic director, “Jazz in July,” 92nd St. Y’s Tisch Center for the Arts, New York City |
| Imani Coppola | Composer and recording artist; Sony/Columbia: “Chupacabra” (gold album), MTV hit “Legend of a Cowgirl” (platinum single); 2007 release: “The Black & White Album” |
| Dwayne Croft | Baritone: Opéra de Paris, Vienna Staatsoper, Salzburg Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera; recordings: EMI Classics, SONY, Decca Records, Philips Classics |
| Leah Danielle | Soprano: Opera North; has performed in Europe with Dritan Luca and the Vienna Opera Harmonists |
| Raymond Diaz | Bass baritone: Utah Opera, Central City Opera, Bronx Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Virginia Opera; awards: Heinz Rehfuss Competition, Mario Lanza Competition, Maria Saritelli Di-Panni Belcanto Competition, Sullivan Foundation, Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation |
| Bob Donlon | Bassist; founding member, The Rake’s Progress (Geffen Records); currently senior marketing manager for Adobe Systems |
| Victoria Drake | Freelance harpist, New York City; performs in the American Symphony Orchestra, New York City Ballet, New York City Opera, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, American Ballet Theatre, Orpheus, and Brooklyn Philharmonic, and on Broadway; recordings on ESS.A.Y, CRI, Spectrum, Well-Tempered Productions, Arabesque, MSR Classics, London/Decca, and Koch International |
| Judith Eissenberg | Second violinist and founding member, Lydian String Quartet; founding member and co-director, Music From Salem; faculty, Brandeis University and the Boston Conservatory |
| Jack D. Elliot | Los Angeles-based producer, songwriter, and remixer; his credits include work for Britney Spears, N’Sync, The Backstreet Boys, Access Hollywood, E! News Live, Good Morning America, The View, and the Daytime Emmy Awards, among many others |
| Hugh Eddy | Associate trombone, New York City Ballet Orchestra; American Composers Orchestra |
| T.D. Ellis | Contrabassoon, Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, Ridgefield Symphony, Bermuda Philharmonic, and Chappaqua Chamber Orchestra; faculty, Bridgeport University and Fairfield University |
| Oren Fader | Classical guitarist, chamber musician; member of Cygnus, Fireworks, and Glassfarm; faculty, Manhattan School of Music |
| David Gee | Principal cellist, Georgia Symphony (Augusta); former co-principal cellist, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada; M.M., Yale University |
| Lynne Haeseler | Pianist; accompanist: Vail International Dance Festival, Arizona State University Dance Dept., American Ballet Theatre, Paris Opera Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet; D.M.A., University of Arizona |
| Anna Jablonski | Mezzo soprano: Minnesota Opera, Chautauqua Opera, San Francisco Merola Opera Program |
| Trevor Job | Composer, arranger, producer; BMG/RCA: “Tyrese,” platinum album |
| Jonathan Lipton | French horn: Fourth horn, London Symphony Orchestra; faculty, Guildhall School of Music and Drama |
| Peter Lopez | Video editor and film composer; Sundance, Soho, and Tribeca awards |
| Bradley Lubman | Conductor and composer; has worked with Steve Reich, Elvis Costello, John Zorn, Pierre Boulez, and Michael Tilson Thomas, and appeared with Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Ensemble Modern of Frankfurt, Steve Reich Ensemble, Saarbruecken Radio Orchestra, Deutsches-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, New World Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, New York New Music Ensemble, Ensemble 21, and New Millennium Ensemble, among others; recordings on Auvidis Montaigne, BMG/RCA, Bridge, col legno, CRI, Centaur, Koch, and Nonesuch; associate professor, Eastman School of Music, and director, Eastman Musica Nova |
| Peter Matzka | Conductor and violinist; member, Vienna String Sextet; concert master, Radio Symphony Orchestra, and faculty, University for Music, Vienna |
| Holly McCormack | Soprano: Chicago Opera Theatre, American Opera Group, Chicago Symphony Chorus |
| Samuel Morgenstern | Principal percussion, Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus |
| Peter Press | Guitar and mandolin: Has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, 20th-Century Classics Ensemble, New York Philharmonic, Mid-Atlantic Chamber Orchestra, New York City Ballet Orchestra, Bridgeport Symphony, and Shelly-Press Flute-Guitar Duo; recordings on Ess.a.y, Bridge, Koch, International Classics, Naxos, Centaur, and BMG; faculty, Hoff-Barthelson Music School. |
| Susan Radcliff | Trumpet: Has performed with the New York City Ballet Orchestra, Solisti New York Chamber Orchestra, Fairfield Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Orchestra of St. Luke, among others |
| John Selway | New York-based techno DJ and producer; co-founder, Serotonin Records |
| Damien Simon | Composer and guitarist; numerous scores for film, theatre, and dance productions |
| Regina Spektor | Composer and recording artist; her critically acclaimed albums include “Begin to Hope” (Sire Records, 2006) and “Soviet Kitsch” (2003); featured in Smithsonian Magazine’s Fall 2007 special issue, “37 Under 36: America’s Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences” |
| Rich Westover | Vice president of promotion/research & information systems, Island Def Jam Music Group |
| Saundi Wilson | Film composer and DJ; Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, Indie Spirit, Atlanta, Muestra, Avignon, and Urbanworld awards |
| Bill Youngman | Renowned rave DJ and recording artist, based in Berlin; Scandinavia Records, Tresor, Electrostep |
| William Anderson | Guitarist and composer; founder of the noted chamber ensemble, Cygnus; faculty, Sarah Lawrence College and Queens College |
| Jay Azzolina | Jazz guitarist and composer: Has performed with Michael Urbaniak, Spyro Gyra (Grammy nomination), Herbie Mann, Chuck Mangione, John Patitucci, Charles Blenzig, Michael Franks, Donna Summer, The Manhattan Transfer, Carly Simon, and Rickie Lee Jones, among many others; his fourth CD, “Local Dialect,” has recently been released. |
| Levi Barcourt | Pianist and musical director for Melba Moore |
| Susie Bench (Sasiwan Benchasil) |
Orchestrator, ABC World News Now |
| Tony Cimorosi | Jazz bass: Active in the New York jazz and world music scene; international touring; recordings and performances with Randy Brecker, Alex Foster, Baba Olatunji, Michael Urbaniak, Lonnie Smith, Jeremy Wall, and Joe Taylor, among many others |
| Charlie B. Dahan | Grammy-nominated producer; co-chairman and founder, Larchmont Recordings, Inc.; associate professor, Recording Industry Dept., Middle Tennessee State University |
| Will DeVos | Freelance French hornist on Broadway |
| Carl Harvoe | Principal trumpet, Brass Quintet, Royal Australian Air Force Command Band, Sydney; recordings on Northquest and Newmarket |
| Rodger Lee | Trumpet; founding member, Royal Brass; faculty, C. W. Post Campus, Long Island University |
| Alison Quinn McConekey | Soprano: Opera North, City Beat Opera, Eastern Festival Opera, Downtown Symphony, Center for Contemporary Opera; OperaOnline, 2006 characterized her performance in “Il Trovatore” with Opera North as “Best Performance by a Comprimario Female.” |
| Mei-Mei Meng | Pianist; soloist, Music for Westchester Orchestra, Hudson Valley Symphony, and University of Wisconsin Orchestra; faculty, Mannes College of Music, Curtis Institute of Music |
| Leigh Mesh | Associate principal bass, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; has performed with the MET Chamber Ensemble, Caramoor Virtuosi, and Brentano and Tokyo String Quartets |
| Richie Morales | Performances with Dave Valentin, Chick Corea, Diane Reeves, and at the Newport Jazz Festival |
| Edward G. Robinson | Musical director and conductor, “Miss Saigon,” “Cats,” and “Shogun The Musical” on Broadway; conductor, “The Phantom of the Opera” (Los Angeles company and national tour); musical supervisor, “Mamma Mia!” national tour |
| Justin Henry Rubin | Composer, pianist, and organist; associate professor of music, University of Minnesota at Duluth |
| David Sabella-Mills | Broadway veteran and master teacher; originated the starring role of Mary Sunshine in the 1996 revival of “Chicago”; international tours with La Gran Scena Opera Company; recordings on Koch International and RCA Victor |
| Benjamin Verdery | Classical guitarist: Performs internationally; more than 15 recordings, including “Start Now” (2005 Classical Recording Foundation Award) and “Some Towns and Cities” (1992 Guitar Player Magazine Best Classical Guitar Recording); chair of the guitar dept., Yale University School of Music |
| Jeremy Wall | Writer/arranger for Spyro Gyra, Windham Hill, and Koch International; assistant professor of music, SUNY Oneonta |
Updated Oct. 29, 2007