Contact Us
Feel free to use email, fax, phone, or other means to contact us with any questions regarding the NSU Music Program:
Dr. Greg Handel, Director of the School of Creative and Performing Arts, 318-357-4522
Faculty
The NSU Music Faculty are distinguished and highly respected teachers, performers, and scholars in their respective fields of music. They appear in many local, regional, national, and international venues in those capacities. Along with their impressive credentials, they are first and foremost excellent instructors, dedicated to helping students improve and achieve.
Dr. Christine Burczyk Allen
Dr. Douglas Bakenhaus
Luke Brouillette
Paul Christopher
Kristine Coreil
Dr. Nicholaus B. Cummins
Mary DeVille
John T. Dunn
Leah Forsyth
A native of Central Ohio, Ms. Forsyth holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music degree from The Florida State University where she studied with Dr. Mark Ostoich and Dr. Eric Ohlsson respectively. She has performed with the Tallahassee Symphony, Charleston (SC) Symphony, Ohio Light Opera, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, and the Columbus (OH) Symphony Orchestra. She was also a member of the Favorable Winds Quintet, performing throughout Central Ohio from 2005-2007.
Ms. Forsyth holds the positions of Principal Oboe of the Rapides Symphony Orchestra in Alexandria, LA, and Second Oboe with the Texarkana Symphony. She performs regularly with the Shreveport Symphony as well as other orchestras throughout Louisiana and Texas. She is a founding member of the Three Reeds Duo with husband and saxophonist Paul Forsyth. Three Reeds performs throughout the world, building a repertoire ranging from baroque and classical transcriptions to contemporary and newly commissioned works. To read more about Professor Forsyth, visit www.leahforsythmusic.com.
Northwestern State University Saxophone Studio Faculty Biography
Paul Forsyth
Paul Forsyth joined the faculty of Northwestern State University in the fall of 2007 and currently serves as Associate Professor of Saxophone. In the past, he has been on the faculties of Albion College, Spring Arbor University, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. He received his doctoral and master’s degrees in saxophone performance from Michigan State University and his bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Tennessee. His primary professors include Joseph Lulloff, Diego Rivera, Ron Blake, and Mark Tucker. Dr. Forsyth is a Yamaha Performing Artist and also a member of two renowned chamber ensembles, the Three Reeds Duo and the Iridium Quartet.
greenk@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
Kenneth Green
handelg@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
Greg Handel
hesterd@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
D’Nissa Hester
hudlowa@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
Adam Hudlow
hsiehc@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
Chialing Hsieh
A sought after collaborative pianist, Hsieh has performed with members of the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Lyric Opera Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, and the symphony orchestras of Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Minnesota, and Memphis. She has performed with the faculty of Julliard, Northwestern University, New England Conservatory, University of Cincinnati, and Arizona State University.
Hsieh has performed recitals in Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States. She performs regularly at universities and conferences for CMS, MTNA, NATS, SCI, North American Saxophone Alliance, National Flute Society, International Clarinet Association, International Viola Congress, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, and the Southeastern Composers’ League. Hsieh has given master classes throughout the United States and abroad and served as a judge and adjudicator for competitions and events.
Hsieh joins the faculty of Northwestern State University in 2016 as Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano. In the summer, she is the piano instructor at the Lutheran Summer Music Festival and Academy and the Sounds of Summer Institute. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the National Taipei University of the Arts, and M.M. and D.M.A. in piano performance at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. Her principal teachers include Richard Morris, Sandra Rivers, and Tsai Chai-Hsio.
joys@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
Sharon Joy
kurodam@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
Dr. Masahito Kuroda
kurtia@nsula.edu
http://www.andrejkurti.com/
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Dr. Andrej Kurti
In 2000, Kurti became a recording artist for classical label Blue Griffin Recording, for which he later recorded Six Sonatas for Violin Solo by Eugene Ysaye, op. 27. In 2004, Kurti became a professor of violin at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. He appeared as a soloist with many symphony orchestras in the United States, Serbia, Montenegro, Italy, Greece, Russia and France. He also appeared as a chamber performer in Spain, France, Latvia, Canada, and South Korea.
In non-classical music world, Kurti performed and arranged on more than forty albums of popular and modern music, which he recorded for many different music labels in the United States. Kurti has been invited to several international music festivals where he most often performed music written for solo violin. In 2015, Kurti performed Ysaye’s op.27 in Road to Carnegie nation-wide recital series, culminating with his Carnegie Hall debut.
Most recently, Kurti has remained a very active concert violinist, where, besides solo and chamber recitals, he appears as a soloist with chamber and symphony orchestras in United States and abroad, performing masterworks by Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Williams and Sarasate. For more information visit www.andrejkurti.com
mathewsj@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
Jeffrey Matthews
mcdermottd@nsula.edu
Orchestra Website Faculty Biography
Dr. Dennette McDermott
mcdonaldd@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
Daniel C. McDonald
mckeem@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
Marcy McKee
Marcy’s primary voice teachers include, Dr. Jerry Doan, Gordon Hawkins, and Dr. Cloyce Kuhnert. She has sung throughout the United States, mainly in Texas, Minnesota, California, and New York. Ms. McKee has also sung abroad in Germany and Italy.
She is a two-time winner of the North Dakota division of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Marcy is a member of National Association of Teachers of Singing, Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society, and Mu Phi Epsilon.
Ms. McKee enjoys helping students create and perform roles for operas and recitals. She is also interested in learning styles and how they facilitate a student’s learning ability.
mclarenm@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
Malena McLaren
molinao@nsula.edu
olivermolina.com Faculty Biography
Oliver Molina
Currently, Mr. Molina is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Percussion Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Iowa under Dr. Dan Moore. He earned a master in music from the University of Arkansas and a bachelor in music education from the University of Central Florida.
Mr. Molina is an active percussion performer, educator, arranger, adjudicator and clinician. He has performed at various state Day of Percussion events, PASIC, and other music education conferences. He has served as a clinician for the “Yamaha Sounds of Summer” percussion camp and has adjudicated many marching contests and state solo and ensemble festivals. Mr. Molina also has articles published in the PAS Journal Percussive Notes and has percussion ensemble and steel band arrangements through Alfred Publications.
As an active soloist and chamber ensemble musician Mr. Molina seeks new literature from composers and commissions new works. He has joined several consortiums including composers Alejandro Vinao, Baljinder Sekhon, Steven Snowden, Ivan Treviño, and Marc Mellits. Mr. Molina has teamed up with Dr. Joe W. Moore III to form the Omojo Percussion Duo. The duo was formed in 2013 and they have presented clinics and performed recitals throughout the southeastern United States.
Mr. Molina is an education endorser of Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Remo Drum Heads, Sabian Cymbals and Black Swamp Percussion. His professional affiliations include the Percussive Arts Society, College Music Society, National Association for Music Education, and the Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society.
rodriguez@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
Galindo Rodriguez
He joined NSU as Applied Trumpet Professor in 1988. In addition to applied trumpet he has taught, Techniques of Conducting, Brass Methods and directed the Brass Ensemble, The Baroque Trumpet Choir, and currently directed the Jazz Orchestra. He established the Jazz Concert Series in 1997 and the Annual Jazz Artist Series. Under his direction the University Jazz Orchestra has performed with Ellis Marsalis, Byron Stripling, Mike Williams, Mike Tomaro, Graham Breedlove, Mike Vax, Astral Project, Tony Dagradi, Matt Niess, Bill Watrous, Ingrid Jensen, Rodney Whitiker, and Rodger Ingram, Jessy J., Warren Wolf, and Allen Vizzutti. Rodriguez is Past-President of the Louisiana Association for Jazz Education and is currently Treasurer. He is a member of the LAJE Hall of Fame. The University Jazz Orchestra has twice received superior ratings at the Loyola Jazz Festival New Orleans. He continues to perform locally and regionally in both classical and jazz settings His students include three trumpet players as former members of the world-famous Once O’clock Lab Band from the University of North Texas, and a number of members of the United States Coast Guard Band and the United States Marine Drum & Bugle Corp.
rorexm@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
Michael Rorex
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Dr. Terrie Sanders
David Steele
stokess@nsula.edu
samuelstokesmusic.com Faculty Biography
Dr. Samuel Stokes
sofiko@nsula.edu Faculty Biography
Sofiko Tchetchelashvili
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Dr. J. Mark Thompson
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