NEWS
FSO Alumni
Clarissa Borba
DMA in Instrumental Performance (Percussion) has been performing with the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris since September of 2004 where she has had the honor of working with Pierre Boulez. This prestigous ensemble is currently recording a CD of Ms. Borba's works.
Lisa Crawford
Lisa
Crawford is entering her fifrth season as Executive Director of the Greensboro
Symphony Orchestra (GSO). A 1998 graduate of the UM Master of Music
Business and Entertainment Industry, Crawford gained her orchestra experience
from 1995 to 1998 as the General Manager of the UMSO. During her studies at
UM, she also served as an Intern with the Florida Grand Opera, which developed
into a position as Associate Director of Development. This was followed by a
position at the New World Symphony as Special Project Manager. One month following
her UM gradation in1998, she received an offer to be Executive Director of the
Palm Beach POPS. During her studies at UM, she was active with Cane Records
and initiated the classical program of the label with the release of the UMSO
Brahms’ Requiem.. In her first year as Executive Director of the GSO,
a recording was produced of the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra, which was
followed by the first professional recording of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra
in the year 2001. As a result of this recording, the GSO was hired to record
Shirl Atwel’s ballet, Lucy, which was released on the Albany label in
2003. The GSO has featured UM alumni, Sandra Lopez, in two concerts as the soloist
in Beethoven’s 9th , Carmina Burana, and a work by Vila-Lopes. Currently
the GSO has engaged several UM alumnae arrangers to create arrangements for
several POPS shows in the 2003-2004 season.
Bruce
Kiesling
DMA in instrumental conducting 2006. Currently, Dr. Kiesling was recently named Resident Conductor for the Greensboro Symphony Bruce had previously been the Assistant conductor. In this capacity, he leads the yearly Nutcracker performances, the education concerts, and regularly appears as conductor of the Carolina Pops. In addition to these duties he serve as Music Director and Conductor for the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra, having led the orchestra at its May 2001 performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Under Mr. Kiesling’s guidance this ensemble has continued its growth into one of North Carolina’s elite musical institutions for young people. This past year saw Mr. Kiesling guest conducting at the Eastern Music Festival as well as All-County Orchestras in Guilford and Alamance counties. Mr. Kiesling is also an active composer. His first musical, KING OF THE PLAYGROUND received a staged reading at Musical Theater Works (NYC). His other projects include original music for THE NEWS IN REVUE and the incidental score to THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR and SWIMMING (off-Broadway).
BM in Violin Performance 2003 - had served for several years as Concertmaster of the Miami Symphony Orchestra. He has been featured as violin soloist with the Naples Philharmonic. Cristian is currently a member of the Houston Symphony Orchestra.
Amie
Margoles
MM in Instrumental Performance (Horn) 2002, is currently a freelance horn player in NY and currently playing shows at Radio City Music Hall and on Broadway.
Christopher
Powell
Christopher M. Powell, M.M. ‘95 has been named Music Administrator of Pittsburgh Opera where he has served for five seasons as Artist Coordinator and Opera Center Administrator. In this capacity, Christopher is integral to the process of identifying and auditioning new vocal and instrumental talent for the opera stage and pit. During the summer, he also serves as the Orchestra Personnel Manager for the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, MA, affiliated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Active as an adjudicator for the United States Scholastic Band Association throughout the northeast, Chris also works as an independent review panelist for the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts residency program. He has served terms on the board of directors for Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society, contributed as a founding board member of ArtSynergy, an arts education initiative of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and was the assistant conductor of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh for five seasons. He is also currently the chair of the "Art of Living" Campaign for Pittsburgh’s Art for AIDS benefit.
MM
in Bassoon performance1996. Her latest recording,The Sentimental Muse (N/SR
1031) by Larry Bell has been released to ciritcal acclaim. Kathryn premiered
the commissioned work with the UMSO while serving as the Bassoon TA at UM. Since
graduation, she has performed and recorded contemporary music at concert venues
in the US, China, Argentina, Bulgaria, and The Czech Republic. She appears as
a soloist on two commercial CDs—Music From Six Continents 1996 (VMM 3037)
and recently released -The Sentimental Muse (N/SR 1031.) Kathryn is the recipient
of several awards, including an American Cultural Specialist grant from the
US Information Agency for performances in Beijing and Shanghai.
Marlene
Urbay, MM
in Instrumental Conducting
1996, is the founder and musical director of the Miami-based Florida
Chamber Orchestra. Renowned in her native Cuba, Urbay became music director
of the National Ballet of Cuba in 1982 at the age of 24 and remained in that
position until 1991, when she requested political asylum in Madrid. After emigrating
to the United States in 1991, Urbay earned a Master's degree in orchestral conducting
from the University of Miami School of Music. From 1993 to 1995, she was Associate
Conductor of the University of Miami Symphony Orchestra. She has taught music
at Miami-Dade Community College and is the supervisor in charge of the music
Department at Conchita Espinosa. Marlene Urbay has been the Music Director for
the Florida Chamber Orchestra since her graduation.
