Faculty & Staff Directory

Bonnie Miksch is a composer who writes both acoustic and electroacoustic works. Her music explores the distinctly human realms of emotions, dreams, and states of consciousness, and combines diverse elements with...

Jazz pianist and composer Darrell Grant has performed in some of the best clubs in the country as a sideman to legends like Betty Carter and Chico Freeman, while his recordings as a bandleader have won critics'...

Professor Karin Magaldi, is Head of the Theater program and Associate Director of the School. Since joining the PSU faculty, she has directed several departmental productions including Anon(ymous), Indecent,...

Devon Allen is head of Acting and resident artist. Before coming to PSU, Ms. Allen taught at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Duke University, U.C.S.D., and Muhlenberg College. A professional actor...

Sherry’s performances are an exploration of the great song writers and story tellers of the past and present. Her clear tone and improvisatory vocal approach create fresh and nuanced musical experiences. Her...

Northern California native Dr. Harry Baechtel enjoys a wide-ranging career in the vocal arts. An advocate for new music, he created the role of Adam, a returned war veteran struggling with PTSD, in Ethan...

Dave Bamonte was trained at the New England Conservatory of Music and the Eastman School of Music. He has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and served as principal trumpet in the Israel Philharmonic...

Recently back from performances in Warsaw, Poland and Mexico City, Dr. Joel Bluestone's active schedule included performances last year in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, California, Florida and South...

Antares (Tara) Boyle completed her PhD in music theory at the University of British Columbia in 2018. Her research focuses on contemporary art music, ranging from that by European post-serial composers Salvatore...

Flutist, Sydney Carlson has been inspiring audiences with her sparkling and expressive playing for over 30 years. Highly sought after as a performer and mentor, Sydney has concertized and taught in Mexico,...

The New York Concert Review described Susan Chan as “a thoughtful musician and a sensitive player,” and The New Yorker called her “an energetic advocate for contemporary music.” The Fanfare magazine and...

Hamilton Cheifetz has been described in Fanfare Magazine as “unquestionably a magnificent player" for his solo recordings, and he has performed throughout North America and in Europe, Asia, and Australia. A...

George Colligan is not only one of the great jazz pianists of his generation, but he has earned an international reputation as a multi-instrumentalist (drums, trumpet, organ, keyboards), composer, accompanist,...

Hailed by Michael Tilson Thomas as "an excellent violinist," Tomas Cotik was a first-prize winner at the National Broadcast Music Competition in his native Argentina in 1997, and the winner of the Government of...

Whether he is collaborating with an instrumentalist, coaching a singer, conducting an opera, or accompanying a choir, Chuck Dillard is a musician at his best while working with others. Hired as a church pianist...

A leading figure in Oregon Music Education for twenty years, Debbie Glaze serves as the Coordination of the Music Education Program and is a tireless advocate for the new Bachelor of Music with emphasis in Music...

Dr. Hansen has been Music Theory Coordinator for the School of Music & Theater since 2000. He teaches Theory at all levels, Formal Analysis, Orchestration, Counterpoint, Analytical Technique, Contemporary...

A devoted educator, clarinetist Dr. Barbara Heilmair engages communities as a clarinet professor, performer, and teaching artist. She serves as Associate Professor of Clarinet & Music at the Portland State...

As one of the most versatile and highly sought after conductors, and pedagogues in the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Edward Higgins has held positions in Spoleto, Italy, California, Missouri, Kansas, Wisconsin,...

Jesse McCann is an award-winning classical guitarist based in Portland, Oregon. He made his debut at age 17 on the gulf coast of Mississippi, winning first place in a number of local and regional guitar...

Christine Meadows has served as Director of Opera and Vocal Area Coordinator in the Portland State School of Music and Theater since 2006. She has a flourishing voice studio at PSU and also teaches vocal...

Caroline Louise Miller is a composer and intermedia artist based in Portland, Oregon. Her music broadly explores affect, ecology, labor politics, tactility, and digital materiality, often addressing contemporary...

Ken Selden was appointed conductor and music director of the Symphony Orchestra and New Music Ensemble at Portland State University in fall 2006. Under his direction, the PSU Symphony has received three awards in...

Jelena Simonović Schiff is an Assistant Professor of Music History and Musicology. She holds doctoral degree in Music Education from Boston University, MA in Music from Portland State University, and MA and BA...

Hailed by The Oregonian for providing “the finest choral concerts in Portland in recent memory,” Ethan Sperry is in his eleventh year as Director of Choral Activities at Portland State University, where he...

Associate Professor Karen Strand has been teaching oboe in PSU's Department of Music since 1989. Like so many of the music faculty, Karen maintains a busy schedule of performances and recordings which keep her...

Patrick Vandehey is an Associate Professor of Music at Portland State University. Prior to taking the position at PSU he taught 14 years at George Fox University and 23 years in the Beaverton School District, 14...

Professor Richard Wattenberg is the Graduate Advisor and teaches theater history, literature and criticism. His research interests are in American theater, and for some years he has focused on plays dealing with...

Ms. Willette is the Area Coordinator for the Sonic Arts and Music Production (SAMP) program in the School of Music. She developed the curriculum for distant learning in the area of music technology and currently...

Jea Alford is an interdisciplinary artist playing with themes of class, labor, the role of aesthetics in economy, and the role of economy in the artist’s studio. Growing up in a trailer park in suburban Oregon,...

Lorraine Bahr, is a four time awarded Actress, Director, Writer and Teacher. Recent local stage performances include: The Crackwalker, Sowelu; Playhouse Creatures, CoHo; The New Electric Ballroom, Third Rail...

Dr. Julia Banzi is an Ethnomusicologist (Ph.D. University of California at Santa Barbara) and award winning musician/composer. One of a very few female flamenco guitarists worldwide, Julia is co-artistic director...

Mr. Bolton has been a band director in Oregon for 53 years, beginning his career at Knappa High School in 1966. In 1968 Sam Barlow High School opened and he was hired and spent 31 years teaching there before he...

Kenji Bunch enjoys an active career as a composer, performer, and teacher. As one of the most frequently performed composers in the Pacific Northwest, his works have been performed by over sixty American...

JáTtik Clark serves as Instructor of Tuba and Euphonium at Portland State University. He assumed this position one year after becoming the new Principal Tuba of the Oregon Symphony in the Fall of 1999. In...

Florian Conzetti is artistic co-director of Northwest New Music, a Portland-based contemporary chamber music ensemble, has appeared as a chamber music collaborator at the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival (David...

Colin Corner was appointed principal bass of the Oregon Symphony in 2017 after serving two seasons in the same capacity with the Atlanta Symphony. Currently principal bass of the Grant Park Music Festival in...

As a classical pianist, Rory Cowal’s repertoire spans the breadth of the American avant-garde. In addition to classic works by composers such as Lou Harrison and Johanna Beyer, he has performed numerous...

Christi Denton is a composer and sound installation artist who works with found sounds, electronics, and homemade and modified instruments. She enjoys breaking things, multi-channel speaker configurations, and...

Mario Díaz is a guitarist, singer, audio engineer, and educator whose musical activities have taken him across the U.S. and South America. A member of the Oregon Guitar Quartet, he has also performed with...

Theresa Robbins Dudeck, PhD, is an international theatre scholar-practitioner with expertise in improvisation and applied improvisation. In both corporate and academic settings, she is frequently invited to...

Damian Erskine is known for his ability to fit into any musical situation, extraordinary reading and improvising skills as well as being an educator and columnist. He has played in the studio or on the stage with...

Sean Fredenburg serves as the Instructor of Saxophone at Portland State University where he teaches applied saxophone, chamber music, and woodwind techniques. He is dedicated to promoting new music for the...

Denise Fujikawa studied at the Eastman School of music with the renowned harpist Eileen Malone, was awarded a graduate teaching assistantship at the University of Southern California and has taught at California...

Damien Geter is an acclaimed composer and diverse artist whose credits include performances ranging from the operatic stage to the television screen. As a composer, Damien infuses classical music with various...

Kelly Gronli began her oboe studies at the age of ten in her hometown of Vienna, Virginia, where she was a student of Richard White, retired English Hornist for the National Symphony Orchestra. She quickly gained...

Ian Kerr has been Principle Timpanist of the Eugene Symphony since the 2013-14 season. He also serves as Principle Percussionist/Timpanist of the Oregon Mozart Players, is Principle Percussionist of the Newport...

Wynn Kiyama is an assistant professor of musicology and ethnomusicology and the music history coordinator at Portland State University. He received a Ph.D. in musicology from New York University and has taught at...

Liz Kohl is a pianist, instructor, collaborative musician, and yoga instructor based in Portland, Oregon. She holds degrees in music from the University of Washington (B.A. in Music, Dance Minor, cum laude) and...

Julia Hwakyu Lee, pianist, has performed solo and chamber music in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Portland, Toronto and cities in Korea including Seoul. Dr. Lee is on the faculties of the University of...

Soprano Hsin Yi Lin, praised for her sparkling voice and vibrant stage presence, excels in music ranging from Baroque to contemporary. The recipient of the Chi Mei Arts Award in 2011 and a Grand Prize winner...

Enthralled with movement, music, and the human body, Lavinia Magliocco trained from a young age to be a professional ballet dancer while attending North Carolina School of the Arts and School of American Ballet....

SteepleChase Records recording artist Joe Manis has been applauded for his "big tenor sound" and his "intense, updated take on the Rollins-Trane tradition." His most recent SteepleChase recording, The Golden Mean...

Dunja Jennings Marcum is an adjunct clarinet instructor at Portland State University and maintains a successful studio in SE Portland that consists of students throughout the Metro area. She has been an active...

Lisa Ann Marsh is a member of the adjunct piano faculty at Portland State University. As Director of the Coordinate Movement Program at Portland State University she specializes in wellness for musicians. Her...

Ben grew up in Andover, Massachusetts. He spent his high school years with trombonist, Phil Wilson. During his summers, he studied with German trombonist Jiggs Whigham. After attending Berklee College of Music in...

Multi-instrumentalist John Nastos was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where he found his love of music while exploring the vibrant local music scene. Before graduating from high school, John enrolled at...

Michael O'Connell joined the school in 2003 teaching acting and voice. O'Connell has served as a program director and teacher for Portland Center Stage and Vision & Voices since 2002, taught and performed with...

Ken is an adventurous composer and musician. He has performed with many great musicians, poets, dancers, and multimedia artists. He also has several albums out as a leader or a sideman. His latest trio recording...

Dr. Daniel Partridge has been the horn instructor at Portland State University since 2016. He is an active performer, soloist, and clinician. He is the principal horn of both Symphony Tacoma and the Vancouver...

Hannah Penn, mezzo-soprano, enjoys a diverse career as a performer of opera, oratorio, and recital literature. Frequently praised for her musicality and the timbre of her voice, Ms. Penn has recently been called...

Kerry Politzer is a jazz pianist with classical and Brazilian influences. She received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Piano from the New England Conservatory of Music, where she studied improvisation and composition...

Jeff Putterman is a unique guitarist and composer who has performed as a soloist, sideman and ensemble leader in clubs and concert halls from coast to coast and abroad. A former instructor at the Musicians...

Charles Reneau is an instructor of trombone and bass trombone at Portland State University, as well as the bass trombonist of the Oregon Symphony. He is a busy educator, teaching privately and at PSU, as well as...

On camera, Ted has amassed over 35 TV guest-star and recurring credits including ER, Gilmore Girls, Community, My Name Is Earl, Seinfeld, CSI, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia...most recently on Boardwalk...

Megan Sand, mezzo soprano, joined the voice faculty at PSU in fall of 2018 teaching voice part time. She left Oregon State University in 2018 to have more time with her family after twelve years teaching...

Suzanne Savaria, MAT, NCTM, is Co-Director and developer of the Artist as Citizen Initiative, an arts and social justice program founded in 2016 at Portland State University (PSU) in Portland, OR, and a...

Sarah Tiedemann currently serves as Artistic Director of Third Angle New Music and as a member of the Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra. She has performed across North America, Europe, Australia, and China with...

Connie Titterington is a member of the adjunct piano faculty at Portland State University. She is an active chamber musician and accompanist. Connie teaches conceptually, with a mind for body awareness and...

Composer/pianist Ezra Weiss is “a bold, inspired figure in the contemporary jazz arranging scene.” (DownBeat) He has released seven albums as a bandleader: The Five A.M. Strut (2003), Persephone (2005), Get...

Denise Westby grew up knowing that flute was her "thing". She was accepted into the studio of John May, Principal Flute with the Oregon Symphony at the age of 12, later going on to attend the University of...

Called “hypnotic, enthralling...dynamic” (Oregon ArtsWatch), with playing described as “a striking diversity of styles and spirit" (Boston Musical Intelligencer), Christopher Whyte (b. 1983) is known for...

Alex is a goonie from the Oregon coast. She joined the School of Music & Theater staff in 2019 after graduating with a degree in Vocal Performance. As Office Coordinator she does a little bit of everything,...

After a long career of administration in the high-tech industry, Brenda was happy to transfer her skills to the PSU School of Music in 2016 which grew to be the School of Music & Theater in 2017. As the...

Heather is a native Oregonian who joined PSU and the School of Music in 2007. When she is not helping students and faculty in the School of Music she enjoys reading, sewing, and hiking. She also makes a mean...

Ian is a native Oregonian who joined PSU and the School of Music & Theater in 2016. When he isn't creating marketing materials or managing the school's website and social media platforms he enjoys making...