Performance Faculty

Richard Balestra, Teacher of Guitar, has performed in many different settings. Also on the faculty at SUNY Oswego. B.A, Syracuse University; M.M., Ithaca College.

Laura Campbell, Instructor of Flute at Colgate, has performed as a member of the St. Louis Municipal Opera Orchestra, the Springfield (IL) Symphony, the Gateway Festival Orchestra (St. Louis), Ithaca Opera Orchestra, and SATI: A Group for Contemporary Music. She has also been a soloist at the Composers' Forum in New York City. A strong proponent of contemporary music, she has premiered many works, both solo and ensemble pieces. She is the Principal Flute in the Colgate University Orchestra. B.A., Ithaca College; B.M., M.S., University of Illinois.

Julia Hasbrouck Clay has been teaching French horn at Colgate since 1980. A native of North Carolina, she studied at Stetson University, the University of Oklahoma, and at Yale School of Music. Principal hornist of the Colgate University Orchestra, Ms. Clay is also principal in the Catskill and Utica Symphony Orchestras, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, and the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra. In addition to being an instructor at Hartwick College also, she performs regularly with the Catskill Chamber Players. She is Co-Director of the Colgate Brass Ensemble.

Michael Cleveland, Teacher of Violin, is also Concertmaster of the Colgate University Orchestra and a member of the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra. He is currently orchestra director for the Whitesboro Middle and High School Orchestras, and has been guest conductor for twenty All-County and Area All-State Music Festivals. Bachelor's Degree in Music Education, Ithaca College.

Murray Decock is a 1980 graduate of Colgate. He later received his Master's in Piano Performance from the Indiana University School of Music in 1984 and his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Maryland in 1995. His doctoral dissertation, The Piano Sonatas of Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatte was published by the Eckhardt-Gramatte Foundation, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. At Colgate, Murray served as the accompanist and assistant conductor to the Colgate University Chorus from 1987 until 1994. During that time he accompanied the Chorus on two tours of Europe, performing on the piano and organ in the churches and catherals of Venice, Milan, Paris, Salzburg, and Vienna, as well as St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. During this time, he performed as soloist with several regional and college orchestras throughout the northeast and mid-atlantic, including several appearances with the Colgate University Concert Orchestra. He currently teaches piano at Colgate University.

Steven Heyman is Artist-in-Residence, Piano. He has won top prizes in over a dozen national and international competitions, including the Beethoven in Vienna, the Gina Bachauer in Salt Lake City, and the Palm Beach Invitational in Palm Beach. He has recordings on the Opus One and Leonarda labels. He also serves on the faculties at Syracuse University and Hamilton College. He has performed for several years with the Chenango Summer MusicFest. He holds Bachelor's, MM, and Professional Studies degrees from the Juilliard School.

James Johns, Teacher of Drum Set, has extensive background in various venues. He has performed with such noted jazz artists as Cedar Walton, Hank Jones, Stam Stewart, and Mose Allison, among others. He has recorded with The Dean Brothers, Bluegrass master musician Tony Trischka, and several others. He can be heard, along with Rick Montalbano, on Kindred Spirits.

Kerry Koen, who teaches piano at Colgate and is our foremost student accompanist, is a 1974 Colgate graduate. She received her Master's in Piano Performance from Syracuse University. She is active in community performances and maintains her own studio in the village of Hamilton.

G. Roberts Kolb is the conductor of the Colgate University Chorus and Chamber Singers. A graduate of Occidental College, his postgraduate education includes a year of study at the School of Theology at Claremont, California, a master's degree in Choral Conducting from the California State University at Fullerton, and a doctorate in Choral Music from the University of Illinois. A professor of music at Hamilton College, he has been Musical Director of both the Syracuse Vocal Ensemble and the Cayuga Vocal Ensemble (Ithaca, N.Y.), and is currently Director of Music at the Stone Presbyterian Church in Clinton, New York. A member of the national Research and Publications Committee of the American Choral Directors Association, he is a contributing author to Up Front! Becoming the Complete Choral Conductor and is currently editing the complete works of the early 17th-century composer Guillaume Bouzignac for publication by the Center for Baroque Music Research in Versailles, France.

Douglas Mark, Teacher of Trombone, is Prinicipal Trombone in the Colgate University Orchestra. He is plays with the Binghamton Philharmonic, the Syracuse Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, and the Albany Symphony. B.M, Northwestern University; M.M.New England Conservatory, DMA Eastman School of Music.

Rick Montalbano is Teacher of Jazz Piano. Mr. Montalbano is a talented composer and performer, who performance credits include a long list of well-known jazz artists. He currently runs the Music Factory Recording Studio in Rome, NY. Mr. Montalbano's original compositions have been heard in a variety of contexts -- from jazz trios to big band productions to radio commercials and film scores. In 1992 he released an album of his own compositions entitled Kindred Spirits.

Neva Pilgrim, Artist-in-Residence, Voice, is known throughout the country for her extensive work with composers, many of whom have written works especially for her. She has concertized throughout the U.S., in Japan, Canada, and Europe, has soloed with such orchestras as the Chicago, Syracuse, Brooklyn, Clarion and New York Philharmonic and performed over 25 operatic roles with companies in the U.S. and Europe. Ms. Pilgram has appeared at festivals such as Marlboro, Tanglewood, Chautauqua, Ravinia, and the Saratoga Baroque Festival. She has recorded for CRI, Desto, Orion, Spectrum, and Musical Heritage, Master Musicians, Opus One, Leonarda and other labels. As a founding member of the Syracuse Society for New Music, she was awarded the 1994 &127Laurel Leaf&127 Award. Ms. Pilgrim has received numerous awards and grants for her performances and services to the field. B.A., Hamline University; M.M., Yale.

Darryl Pugh is Teacher of Bass at Colgate, where he serves as assistant director of the One-Thirty "big jazz" Band. He is also Principal bassist in the Colgate University Orchestra, and teaches bass. Mr. Pugh is also a member of the Syracuse Symphony. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Music from the Berklee College of Music.

Barbara Rabin, Teacher of Clarinet at Colgate, and Principal Clarinet and Manager of the Colgate University Orchestra, performs often throughout New York as a soloist and chamber artist, including performances with the New York Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the Syracuse Symphony, the Society for New Music, and at the Skaneateles Festival. Ms. Rabin also teaches at Hamilton College. B.A., Wellesley College; M.A., Wesleyan University.

Florent Renard-Payen, Teacher of Cello, is currently a doctoral candidate at the Eastman School of Music (Artist Diploma in Cello, Boston Conservatory;; M.Mus., Boston University). A top prize winner in the UFAM National Cello Competition in Paris, Mr. Renard-Payen has played Principle in many orchestras in Europe as well as in the US. He also plays Principle in the Colgate University Orchestra.

Michael Skovenski is a member of the faculty of the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School District, where he is an instrumental music instructor. Principal Oboist with the Colgate University Orchestra, he also teaches students here. Mr. Skovenski's other musical love is the organ and he serves as senior organist at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Oneida. He received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music from SUNY Fredonia.

Vivien Harvey Slater is Artist-in-Residence, Piano, Emeritus, at Colgate. After graduation from the Conservatory in Cincinnati, she began her career of performance and teaching in the New York City area, during which time she gave her debut recital in Town Hall in 1952. Ms. Slater has performed widely throughout England and up and down the eastern seaboard of the U.S. She frequently gives lecture/recitals which include a broad repertoire, though her specialty is the work of Czerny, Liszt and Beethoven. She has made many recordings and has published music of her own. Ms. Slater retired in Spring, 2002.

Ronald A. Stewart is Teacher of Trumpet. He is also a member of the Syracuse Symphony and Principal Trumpet of the Sinfonia Pacifica and the Colgate University Orchestra,. He has a particular interest in new music and has performed over thirty world premieres. He holds a DMA from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.