Robert Behrman Joelle Bouchard Andy Bullington Carolyn Butler Laura Gallagher Byrne Jeff Carlson Cherie Cseley Joseph Dudzinski Barbara Elder

Armen Ghazaryan Mollie Glazer Marcia Hempel Jason Sullivan Jonathan Thayer Dottie B. Thompson Erik Wendelken Caleb Whelden

- Robert Behrman


- Joelle Bouchard
How many hidden musicians are there on Nantucket who studied music as children, in high school, or even in college, but then dropped it from their schedules? Clarinetist Joelle Hess Bouchard was one such "past-lifer" who not only drew music back into her life, but also found that she could yet fulfill her college plan of teaching music, despite having moved in a different career direction. At school in East Aurora, NY, Joelle wanted to play the flute because. . . well, she admits: she wanted to be with her friends in the band. "Too many flutes!" said the conductor and urged Joelle to take up the clarinet. She felt an instant affinity for the instrument that led her to try it out before her first lesson (something she does not advocate with her students today, since her instructor had to replace her reed before they could begin). By high school, most of her friends had dropped music, but Joelle was truly hooked and, by her sophomore year, was first clarinet in New York's All-State Band. At SUNY's Potsdam College, Joelle double-majored in music performance and music education at the Crane School of Music. There she studied under Dr. Allan Woy, who had. earlier taught Rocco Amuso, the high school conductor who had introduced Joelle to the clarinet! Joelle's moment of Nantucket Fate came when she took a summer job working with Lucille Jordan at the Maury People. Annual summer returns led to her permanent move to the island in 1994 to work with Lucille Jordan Associates as a real estate broker, a position she still holds. Music gradually fell by the wayside, following a couple of years in the mid-nineties in the NCMC Concert Band. In 2002 Gerry Mack approached Jordan Real Estate to list his home for summer rental. Assigned to photograph the house for the listing, Joelle noticed the plethora of music in the house. A conversation with Gerry resulted in his finding in Joelle just the person NCMC desperately needed -a clarinet teacher for several interested island children. With a little Mack magic persuasion (and a little time to dust off her clarinet) Joelle started with her first student 3 years ago. She now instructs teens in grades 6 through 9, supplementing her own practice with performances on the alto sax in the NCMC Jazz Band and on her first-love, the clarinet. Joelle enjoys the interaction with her students and finding ways to motivate them to do better. The most difficult thing, she has found, is helping the kids juggle their copious activities so that music, often the first thing to go, doesn't have to. She looks to find in her students that special connection with music. “Some kids don’t excel at everything, “ she says, “and to help them discover and area in which they can excel is very rewarding.”

- Andy Bullington
Andy Bullington, guitar is an alumni of the Berklee College of Music and has been a composer, guitarist and teacher for over twenty-five years. In 1998, he composed and performed the score for the first full performance ever of Percy Shelley’s “Prometheus Unbound” at the University of Texas. From 1983-2001, he spent his winters in Austin, Texas performing, composing and teaching music. In the 1997 Clarksville Jazz Festival, his trio performing his original compositions won “Best New Group.” Andy is a founding member of The Atlantics and works extensively with cellist and vocalist, Mollie Glazer. He also performs solo. A year-round Nantucket resident, Andy lives with his wife, photographer Cary Hazlegrove and daughter, Virginia Page.

- Carolyn Butler
For the past 38 years, Carolyn has exhibited her love of music through her piano. After raising her 5 children, she began to teach piano, offering private lessons to children and adults in her home. For over 10 years, she has been involved in small ensembles in churches off-island and on. Like all great musicians, she considers herself a life-long learner and developer of her craft. She first discovered NCMC/Nantucket School of Music 3 years ago through a desire to hone her musical skills. Her involvement now continues as she joins the teaching staff of NCMC/Nantucket School of Music, desiring to transfer that same life-long love of music to others.

- Laura Gallagher Byrne
Laura Gallagher Byrne earned a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theater from Shenandoah Conservatory of Music. She has worked as a performer at venues across the country including Mill Mountain Playhouse, Dorset Theater Festival and Troika Tours. She directed Nantucket Theater Workshop's productions of Oliver!, I Hate Hamlet, and the Youth Theater productions of Really Rosie and Don't Count Your Chickens until they Cry Wolf. She had performed on stage in the Theatre Workshop Productions of Little Shop Of Horrors and I do, I do and has appeared as soloist with The Nantucket Jazz Band. Formerly the Nantucket Middle School Chorus and Drama teacher, Laura now teaches voice and musical theater for NCMC. Laura is a member of NATS, the National Association of Teachers Singing, and is a member of Alpha Si Omega, the dramatic Fraternity.

- Jeff Carlson
Jeff Carlson has been playing drums since his high school days in Elkhart, Indiana. He studied privately with Bruce Lehman and Bob Berheide. Jeff holds a degree in Natural Resources from Purdue University and is employed by the Town of Nantucket as the Beach Manager. Jeff plays drums on-island with the Nantucket Community Jazz Band and the Bob Lehman Trio.

- Cherie Cseley
Cherie Cseley is in her fourth year of teaching private violin and ensembles for NCMC/Nantucket Music School. Before living on Nantucket, Cherie was the director of orchestras for the Marblehead Public Schools in Marblehead, MA. Also, she was the director of the “Saturday morning orchestra program” in Belmont, MA. As a member of the Music Educators National Conference, Cherie served as the assistant manager for the All-State Orchestra in 2002, and as manager in 2003. While living in the Boston area, Cherie played with Symphony by the Sea, and the Melrose Symphony Orchestra as directed by Jonathan McPhee and Yoichi Udagawa. She also served on the board of directors for Melrose Symphony Orchestra as player representative. Cherie actively freelanced with several Boston based orchestras as well as theater, opera , and studio recording. Cherie received her degrees of Bachelor’s in Music Education and Bachelor’s in Music with emphasis in Violin Performance from The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL in April of 1995, and Master’s in Music Education and Master’s in Music with emphasis in Violin Performance from The Boston Conservatory, Boston, MA in June of 1997. Cherie is enjoying the good life on Nantucket with her husband Steve and her two little boys Lukash and Garryn.

- Joseph Dudzinski
Joseph Dudzinski has conducted sacred and secular choral groups for nearly twenty years, mainly in Washington DC. During a recent sabbatical from church music, he founded the Harborfront Chorus of Toronto and served as artistic director of the Maine Gay Men’s Chorus. The Portland Press Herald and the GIA Quarterly Acoustical Review call his work beautiful, balanced and blended. He currently lives in Nantucket, MA working as music director at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church. Joseph holds a Master’s in Music in choral conducting from George Mason University of Virginia where he studied with Dr. Stan Engebretson, conductor of the National Philharmonic Chorus, and Dr. Laura Mann, performer of over 40 opera roles in Europe and the US who now specializes in performing the music of women composers. Because of his experience as an educator on the elementary, secondary and adult levels, and his proficiency in piano, organ and voice, Joseph was awarded the Melton Music Teaching Scholarship at George Mason University in 2000. He also holds a second master’s degree from the Catholic University of America. Before leaving Washington DC, Joseph organized and led the “Pipe Dreams Project,” an outreach program of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church which restored a historic pipe organ, began a successful musical arts series, and founded a scholarship music program for inner city youth. Joseph has recorded four CDs, is published by the University of Notre Dame and several professional journals, conducted the choir of Dignity Washington at the World Health Organization’s 1996 World AIDS Day Concert, and has been an instructor for the Jack Kent Cook Music Scholarship Program for gifted young musicians. Aside from his work at St. Paul’s in Nantucket, he is active in studio teaching, performing, and choral adjudication.

- Barbara Elder
Barbara Elder is a music educator with over twenty years of experience in Massachusetts public schools. She lives on Nantucket Island where she is music coordinator for the Nantucket Public Schools and teaches for Virtual High School. Choral conducting, teaching music, directing musicals and composition are her passions. She conducts the Nantucket High School Chorus and Honors Chorus. The groups have performed on concert tours to NYC and Europe over the past ten years. For twenty five years, Ms. Elder has also conducted the Nantucket Community Music Center Chorus, a seasoned adult chorus of thirty members. Supporting composers of new choral music, Elder has commissioned two composers to write a masterworks for the Nantucket High School Chorus. NYC-based composer Matthew Harris composed "Innocence and Experience," an a cappella setting of three poems by William Blake. Nantucket-based composer Mollie Glazer composed "Beyond Measure," a choral setting of a text by for string quartet and chorus. Barbara Elder has composed for chorus and written four musicals. Barbara Elder received her Masters in Education from Cambridge College and completed her undergraduate degree in music education from the University of Rhode Island where she studied choral conducting with Ward Abrusamra and piano with Henry Fuchs. Her mentors and inspirational guides in music education include Dr. Gerry Mack, Dr. Tinka Knopf, David Bacon and Dr. Geoffrey Gibbs.

- Armen Ghazaryan Armen Ghazaryan was born in Yerevan,Armenia. He received his PhD from Komitas State Conservatoire. He studied with U.S.S.R honored teacher Karp Dombaev and People’s Artist of Armenia, V. Khachaturian. He also took special violin classes at Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Mr. Ghazaryan has been the Concertmaster of Yerevan Opera Symphony Orchestra (2002-2004). 2005-present Mr. Ghazaryan plays with Miami Symphony Orchestra, 2005-2006 was the Concertmaster of Miami Lyric Opera Symphony. He captured two prizes at International Violin Competitions in Belgium and Armenia. Mr. Ghazaryan has performed as a soloist in Eastern Europe and in United States (over 20 solo programs).Armen Ghazaryan was born in Yerevan,Armenia.

- Mollie Glazer
Mollie Glazer studied cello and viola da gamba at New England Conservatory and The Royal Conservatory of The Netherlands. She performed as a soloist at the Bethlehem and Rochester Bach Festivals. She has also performed throughout the United States and Europe and recorded for five record labels. A composer as well, Mollie has written scores for the Pennsylvania Ballet, the National Dance Company of Wales and the Emmy award winning film for PBS called “If the Walls Could Talk.” She was also the composer of Nantucket’s musical “Faraway Land.” Mollie lives in Nantucket with her husband and son. She teaches at Nantucket Lighthouse School, Nantucket New School, Nantucket Community Music Center, as well as a music class for the children’s library at Nantucket Atheneum. She also plays and sings jazz with guitarist, Andy Bullington. A CD of music favorites of Mollie and harpist, Mary Keller will be available in the Spring of 2007.

- Marcia Hempel
Marcia Hempel moved to Nantucket in 1984 from Providence RI. She was trained as an organist at New England Conservatory and is certified to teach Level 1 Dalcroze Eurythmics by Longy School of Music. She is currently Music Director and Organist at the Unitarian Church, where she also runs the Noonday Concert Series and directs the chidren's and youth choirs. She has been teaching piano for NCMC since about 1987, and accompanies the NCMC Chorus. She has two chorus classes at the Nantucket Lighthouse School, directs the Women's Chorus of Nantucket, and teaches singing games classes and preschool music classes. She also accompanies the High School and Middle School choruses, and accompanies the Cape and Islands High School Music Festival. She lives in Dennis on the Cape with her husband on her days off!

- Jason Sullivan
Jason Sullivan has taught guitar for NCMC/Nantucket School of Music since 2004. He is a Nantucket High School graduate and has worked on the island as a landscaper for fourteen years. Jason is a member of Ecliff And The Swingdogs and has played with other groups covering such genres as Jazz, Folk, Rock, Blues and country music. During the winter of 1998, Jason moved to Boston and worked with Dave Fabris, a Boston area guitar player, studying Jazz. He also studied Jazz and ear training with Gil Aharon, a piano player based in Charlsetown. After moving back to the island to continue landscaping, Jason commuted to Boston every two weeks for one year and accumulated tens of hours of ear training tapes. He uses some of the concepts learned with Gil to help his students better understand what notes sound like in addition to learning to play the guitar. The guitar is a complex and extremely versatile and instrument and Jason really enjoys learning from his students as well as being an educator.

- Jonathan Thayer
Jonathan Thayer, oboe The first time I passed out in the middle school bandroom during a Bflat scale, I knew the oboe was for me. It's still a daily physical challenge, but I can play things I never dreamed of playing before I moved here 20 years ago. I started studying audio the same year with an apprenticeship in a hi fi shop. After growing up in Oklahoma, I went to NYC for school, graduated in Chinese and Govt from Columbia, went to work in recording studios for 20 amazing years. After Vanguard Records closed their huge multitrack studio and laid me off shortly before folding forever, I joined my wife, Linda in Nantucket, where she had come for a summer job now thirty years ago spring, because I loved the summer band on the pier and decided it was time to dust off the neglected oboe. If I came here for anything, it was to toot. Ann Maury led the founding of the Community Band in about 1989 under Don Soutar, and Kevin and Margorie later taught us to swing together. A dozen of us have played together weekly for 18 years, from Holst, Grainger, and Sousa, to Brubeck, Gershwin, and so on. In the spring of 2004, I had a personal musical revelation at a visit to Haydn’s tomb in Eisenstadt with Barbara’s Elder’s choral students, and have determined to spend the rest of my life professionallizing my lifelong devotion to spreading the healing power of music.

- Dottie B. Thompson
Dorothy B. Thompson, flute, clarinet and saxophone teacher, received a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Hartford as an English major with a music minor. She did graduate studies at University of Hartford, Framingham State, Plymouth State, Central Connecticut State and Cambridge College. She has taught band and instrumental music in Nantucket Public Schools since 1987 and directs NHS flute ensemble, NCMC Summer Band Camp and adult recorder ensembles. She is a member of NCMC chorus, jazz band and woodwind quintet. Dottie serves on NCMC/Nantucket School of Music Board of Trustees.

- Erik Wendelken


- Caleb Whelden
Caleb Whelden is a native of Nantucket and a graduate of Nantucket High School’s class of 1999. He studied voice with Soprano Deborah Montgomery for four years at Ithaca College, where he received a bachelor’s degree in vocal music education. Since college, Caleb has spent six years as musical director of Nantucket’s on-island a cappella group The Cobbletones, as well as performed with Boston’s professional vocal rock bands Five O’Clock Shadow (FOCS) and Slapdash Graduate. With these groups, he has opened for The Counting Crows, been featured at the NFL Hall of Fame Halftime Show, and been a finalist of NBC’s competition “Star Tomorrow.” Currently, both FOCS and Slapdash Graduate spend much time travelling across the country to high schools and colleges, teaching all-vocal music. Caleb writes and arranges music, some of which can be heard on Boston’s radio station WERS. In addition to performing, he has spent time conducting the NCMC chorus and teaching private voice.