Adjunct Faculty

Beth Albert, percussion: Beth Albert is principal timpanist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. She has also played with the Richmond, Baltimore, and Delaware Symphony Orchestras. She received the Bachelor of Music degree from the Juilliard School and the Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Suzanne Fleming Atwood, voice: Suzanne Fleming-Atwood is a graduate of Cincinnati Conservatory and Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and has also studied in Italy. She teaches voice and diction at the College of Charleston and directs the Charleston Children's Choir. She performed the role of "Gretel" In the November performance of "Hansel and Gretel" with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.
Quentin Baxter, jazz percussion: Quentin Baxter is a graduate of the College of Charleston and also studied at the University of South Carolina. He appears throughout the Lowcountry. He facilitated the drum position at Serenade, a major production/musical review, and toured Japan, Guam, St. Croix, and Hawaii. Mr. Baxter has performed with many musicians including Charlie Byrd, Billy Childs, and Marcus Roberts. His group Emanon has an affiliation of approximately twelve musicians and its configuration varies from duos to octets. Emanon has a two-fold agenda: 1) to present the only "true" American artform with a continual fresh approach, however never sacrificing the intent and integrity of true improvisation and swing, and 2) to continue to explore and/or create new ways to present their instruments as an extention of human expression.
Yuriy Bekker, violin
Art Bumgardner: Dr. Bumgardner has a DMA from the University of Texas at Austin in Vocal Performance with a minor in musicology. He has appeared as baritone soloist in numerous recitals, operas, oratorios and cantatas in the Midwest. He has served as Chorus Master for the Duluth-Superior Symphony Chorus for several major works including Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Handel's Messiah and the Requiem of Brahms and Verdi. Dr. Bumgardner served for more than thirty years as instructor of voice and twenty-five years as Music Department Chair at the University of Wisconsin-Superior where he received the Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1992. He has published articles on the life and works of American composer Norman Dello Joio. Most recently, Dr. Bumgardner served as Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
Frank Duvall, jazz bass: Frank Duvall is one of the most respected and sought-after bassists in South Carolina. A native of Rome, Georgia, he received a Masters degree from the University of South Carolina. Upon graduation, he moved to New York City, where he played the Blue Note and Birdland jazz clubs, performed in off-Broadway shows and worked extensively in recording studios on music for television and movies. Mr. Duvall's resume includes performances with Marian McPartland, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy DeFranco, Chris Vadalla, Carl Fontana, Nneenna Freelon, Chris Potter, and Bill Charlap. Mr. Duvall leads the Frank Duvall Jazz Trio and performs throughout the area with other various ensembles. For more information: www.frankduvall.com
Kevin Eakes, music education
Tacy Edwards, flute: Tacy Edwards is piccoloist of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.She has published two flute method books, Developing Doubtful Digits and The Ultimate Workout Book for Professional Flutists, and is nearing publication of a third book entitled Bach and Beethoven for Flute and Guitar. She has been a member of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Philharmonia Virtuosi, the Columbus (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra, the East Texas Symphony, and the Buffalo Philharmonic. She is a member of the chamber group Chacabuco which specializes in music of Latin America. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree in flute at the Univerisity of Kansas. This past year she has founded two new companies, www.SymphonyConsultant.com and www.ClassicallyCharleston.com, to aid people in the music industry. She chaired the 1994 and 1995 CSO Designer Showhouses and formed two flute clubs in the USA: The Niagara Frontier Flute Association and the Central Ohio Flute Association. She plays an Anton Braun flute and piccolo.
Mark Gainer, oboe: Since 1984, Mark Gainer has been principal oboist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and its woodwind quintet, and has been a featured soloist with the CSO on numerous occasions. He holds degrees from The Hartt School and the Juilliard School of Music, and has performed with the Mexican State Symphony and the Filarmonica de Caracas. As an active chamber musician, Mr. Gainer organized and performed in recitals all over the Americas and spent his summers participating in the Colorado Music Festival, the Bedford Springs (PA) Music Festival, the New Southwest Chamber Orchestra (NM), the Vale Veneto Music Festival in Brazil, and was a soloist in the Spoleto Chamber Music Series.
Tommy Gill, jazz piano: A native of Charleston, Tommy Gill began studying piano at the age of five. His interest in jazz performance and composition compelled him to continue his studies in Boston at the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied jazz piano with Fred Hersch and Jaki Byard. After completing his degree in piano technology, Mr. Gill moved to New York where he became a Steinway Concert Piano Technician working for great pianists such as Vladimir Horowitz and Herbie Hancock. He has performed and recorded from Boston to Los Angeles leading his own group as well as performing with other jazz artists including Billy Harper, Jimmy Knepper, Johnny Coles, Bud Shank, Shorty Rogers, Bob Belden, Ronald Westray, Sonny Fortune, Ron Free, Terry Gibbes, and Buddy De Franco. He completed his piano performance degree while studying with Enrique Graf at the College of Charleston.
Julia Harlow, harpsichord, organ: Julia Harlow is currently Organist at Second Presbyterian Church in Charleston. She earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Oregon, the Master of Music in Early Keyboard Performance at the University of Oregon, and the Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance from the University of Iowa. She has extensive performance experience of early music, as well as European, Balkan and Middle Eastern folk music. She has often performed as harpsichordist or organist in Piccolo Spoleto, on the Early Music, Choral Artists/Festival of Churches, and L'Organo series. In her spare time she enjoys playing the bagpipes with the City of Charleston Police Pipes and Drums.
David Heywood, jazz flute, pep band: David Heywood received his Bachelor's Degree in Flute Performance from North Texas State University, and his Master's Degree in Jazz Studies from the University of South Carolina. While living in Texas, he was a member of Fort Worth Early Music and the Dallas Bach Society for ten years, with performances in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas, as well as three appearances at the Boston Early Music Festival. Since moving to Charleston, Mr. Heywood has become a regular fixture in the local jazz scene, and has also been a guest soloist with the University of South Carolina Swing Shift Big Band, as well as being featured on the Macon-based jazz group Inside Out's premier CD. He has performed with Dave Pietro and Bert Ligon, to name a few. Mr. Heywood is also a published arranger of flute choir music, with offerings in the Southern Music Company and Alry Publications catalogs. His current responsibilities at the College of Charleston include directing two of the jazz combos, the Basketball Pep Band, and teaching private lessons.
Jan Marie Joyce, viola: Jan-Marie Christy Joyce is in her fourth season as Principal Violist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. After earning a master's degree in Viola Performance from Louisiana State University in 1996, she completed a professional studies certificate in 1998 from the Cleveland Institute of Music under Stanley Konopka (Assistant Principal Violist of The Cleveland Orchestra). Jan-Marie is former Principal Violist of the Canton (OH) Symphony Orchestra and currently spends her summers as a member of the Breckenridge Music Institute Orchestra in Colorado. She also holds a bachelor's degree in Trumpet Performance.
Richard Marcus, wind ensemble: Mr. Marcus earned a Master's Degree in Conducting from Butler University in Indianapolis where he studied with Stanley DeRusha. He has participated in masterclasses with some of the world's leading wind band conductors including Frederick Fennell, John Paynter, Craig Kirchhoff, and Timothy Rhenish. Mr. Marcus has directed bands, choirs, and orchestras of all levels including the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and the Athenaeum Pops Orchestra. His ensembles have consistently earned superior ratings in music festivals in Florida, Virginia, New York, and the Bahamas. While at St. Pius X High School in Atlanta, Mr. Marcus served as spokesperson for the Southeast for the National Catholic Band Association, and he organized the first Honor Band and Choir Festival for the Archdiocese of Atlanta.
Charles Messersmith, clarinet
Charles McDonald, gospel choir: Charles Messersmith is a native of California and has lived here in Charleston for four years. He attended school at the Cleveland Institute of Music where he received a Bachelor in Music in 1991 while studying with Franklin Cohen. He then went back to California to study with David Breeden and received his Masters degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In 1994, he was appointed principal clarinet of the Augusta Symphony, and four years later he was appointed to the Second Clarinet position of the Charleston Symphony where he plays now.
Lorenzo Muti, orchestra: Lorenzo Ricci Muti was born in Spoleto, Italy. He started his musical career at the age of seven, when he was chosen for a singing role in Menotti's opera "Matia Golovin." He performed at the Brussels International Expo, on New York City's Broadway, and at La Scala Theatre in Milan. After an intense singing career, he started conducting studies at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and then moved to the U.S., where he studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and the Juilliard School. His conducting debut took place during the 1977 Spoleto Festival. Since then, Maestro Muti has conducted both for the Italian and Charleston Spoleto Festivals, in major European cities such as Rome, Florence, London and Amsterdam; and for several American opera companies. Muti is the Artistic Director of the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle since 1988 and Conductor/Artistic Director of the Tar River Philharmonic Orchestra since 1989.
Brandon Nichols, horn: Brandon Nichols has served as Principal Horn of the Charleston Symphony since 1991, having been a member since 1989. As a frequent soloist with the Charleston Symphony, Mr. Nichols has performed Schumann's Concertstuck and Mozart's Symphonie Concertante on the Masterworks series as well as works by Haydn, Telemann, Richard Strauss, Fiala, Franz Strauss and Bach on the Chamber Series. During the 1993-94 season he took a one year leave to serve as Principal Horn of the Milwaukee Symphony, where he can be heard performing on several compact disc recordings on the Koss label. In the summer of 1998, Mr. Nichols was invited to Toronto to play with the Canadian Brass Quintet. He was one of a select few hornists worldwide being considered for the horn position in the Canadian Brass.
Irina Pevzner, piano: Irina Pevzner, born in Ukraine and raised in Latvia, earned her bachelor’s degree in piano performance and music education from Mansfield University (Pennsylvania), magna cum laude. She earned her master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University. Irina has performed throughout Latvia, Ukraine, and throughout the east coast of the U.S. She is a certified music teacher in Pennsylvania and has taught extensively at the Carnegie Mellon University Preparatory School. Currently, Irina is enrolled in the Artist Certificate Program at the College of Charleston, where she studies with Enrique Graf.
Tyler Ross, jazz guitar: Tyler Ross attended the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point completing a Bachelor of Music in jazz performance. During his undergraduate program, Ross spent a semester studying music, theater, and visual arts in London and around Europe. In December of 2008, Tyler completed a Master’s of Music in jazz performance from Western Illinois University, where he was the Graduate Assistant for the Jazz Department. Ross finished three substantial essays during his graduate work on the following topics: Brad Mehldau’s use of thematic improvisation, Derek Bailey’s concept of non-idiomatic improvisation, and Johnny Smith’s single line bebop soloing. Aside from teaching, Tyler is an avid performer and composer. He can be reached at TylerSRoss@yahoo.com
Michael Smith, trumpet
Deborah Styles, voice: Deborah Styles, soprano, holds degrees from Furman University and Columbia College. She has also pursued the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Louisiana State University, where she studied with the Metropolitan Opera star, Martina Arroyo. She has appeared as soloist with the Dallas Civic Chorus, Greenville Civic Chorale, LSU Symphony Orchestra, and Columbia Choral Society. Ms. Styles has performed leading operatic roles in productions of Aida, The Magic Flute, The Bartered Bride, Faust, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and The Marriage of Figaro with companies in Greenville, Columbia, Birmingham, and Baton Rouge. She has been the recipient of many awards, including the first prize at the Southern Regional Opera Competition in Birmingham, AL.
Krista Wilhelmsen, voice
Kathleen Wilson, harp
Eunjoo Yun, piano: Eunjoo Yun has won prizes in competitions such as the Jewish Community Competition in Baltimore, the Brevard Festival Concerto Competition, and the Southeastern Competition in North Carolina. She received the 1995 South Carolina Arts Commission Fellowship in music and was named to the Community Tour Artist Roster. She studied at the College of Charleston with Enrique Graf and received the Outstanding Student Award from the Music Department and the Edwin Davis Peacock Award for Outstanding Piano Performance. She is founder and director of the piano faculty of the Charleston Academy of Music.
William Zehfuss, trombone: William Zehfuss has been principal trombonist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra since 1985. He has also played with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Savannah Symmphony Orchestra, Brevard Music Center Orchestra and the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. He earned the Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University and has taught at Brevard Music Center and the University of South Carolina.