Faculty by Alphabetical Order | School of Music | SIU

Andrew Abrams has worked Off-Broadway, regionally and on tour as a professional director, musical director, conductor, composer and Equity actor. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from UW-Madison and a Master of Arts in Musical Theater from University of London-Goldsmiths. He is also ...read full profile >>

Robert Allison hails from Memphis, Tennessee, and is Associate Professor of Trumpet and Jazz Studies at Southern Illinois University. He has also taught at Millikin University and the Latvian National Conservatory in Riga, Latvia. Besides fulfilling his teaching duties, Dr. Allison is active as a recitalist ...read full profile >>

Education 1965-1969: Béla Bartók Music Conservatory, Budapest, Hungary 1969-1975: Franz Liszt Academy (University), Budapest, Hungary, Degree with Highest Honors as an Artist/Teacher 1975: post-graduate study with Arthur Grumiaux, Belgium Prizes and Honors 1971: Semi-finalist at the Wieniawski ...read full profile >>

Joe Bauer is an orchestral bassist and soloist who has played in orchestras and given performances across the country. As a Fellow in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Joe played in Music Hall under many of the world's top conductors working today, and worked throughout the city designing community ...read full profile >>

Dr. Brittany Benningfield, of Hodgenville, Kentucky, is a lyric soprano and Lecturer of Voice at Southern Illinois University. She received her undergraduate degree in Music Education from Campbellsville University, the Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Kentucky in the ...read full profile >>

Edward Benyas is Professor of Oboe and Conducting at SIU Carbondale, Music Director of the Southern Illinois Symphony, the New Chicago Chamber Orchestra—with which he made his European conducting debut—and founder and Artistic Director of the Southern Illinois Music Festival, which presents ...read full profile >>

Cody Brookshire's music has been performed at events and venues ranging from the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, to SEAMUS and CBDNA National Conferences, to the Oh My Ears! Marathon Concert in Arizona, including international performances ranging from the Audiograft Festival of ...read full profile >>

Composer, jazz artist, and music educator, Philip Brown, is Professor Emeritus of Double Bass and Jazz Studies at Southern Illinois University. His performance career has included occasional dates with first-line jazz artists, as well as full-time seasons with professional symphony orchestras. Based in southern ...read full profile >>

George Brozak begins his fifth year as Director of Athletic Bands in the School of Music at Southern Illinois University. A native of Ohio, Brozak received his Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Master of Music in Music Education Degrees from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and an Ed.D. in Music ...read full profile >>

Dr. Christopher Butler is a percussion educator, artist, conductor, author, and composer with experience in all facets of percussion. He is currently an Associate Professor of Practice and Director of Percussion Activities at Southern Illinois University (Carbondale, Illinois). Dr. Butler teaches all ...read full profile >>

Dr. Jessica Butler is currently an Associate Professor of Practice at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She serves as the Undergraduate Program Coordinator and the Brass Area Coordinator in addition to teaching applied lessons in trombone, euphonium, and tuba and courses in music history. Dr. Butler ...read full profile >>

Italian-Brazilian violist Rossana Cauti enjoys a musical career that spans through Europe, Latin America, United States. A versatile musician, she is an active soloist and chamber musician, a dedicated teacher, and a frequent orchestral performer. Dr. Cauti is the Assistant Principal Viola of the Pensacola ...read full profile >>

William Cernota, violoncello, has been a member of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra since 1982. Since 1994 he has been a member and Chair of the Lyric Opera Orchestra Members Committee. From 1982 to 1996 he was a substitute cellist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. While a student of Chicago Symphony ...read full profile >>

Susan Davenport is Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music at Southern Illinois University. While at SIU, she has also held positions as Assistant Director of the School of Music and Associate Dean for Students and Curricular Affairs in the College of Liberal Arts. Currently, Dr. ...read full profile >>

Baritone David Dillard enjoys a career that encompasses both teaching and performing. Now in his twelfth year at Southern Illinois University, Dr. Dillard teaches applied voice, lyric diction, opera history, and voice pedagogy. Professionally, he appears most summers at Union Avenue Opera and the Southern ...read full profile >>

Maria Johnson is Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology in the School of Music at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale where she regularly teaches two CORE Curriculum courses-- Music 203 - Diversity & Popular Music in American Culture and Music 303I - Women, Blues & Literature, offers topics ...read full profile >>

Yuko Kato has performed as a soloist and collaborative musician in the United States and internationally. She has performed recitals at The Banff Centre in Canada, at Musiksalon Erfurt in Austria, and in various music festivals, including the Friday Recital Series at Carleton University in ...read full profile >>

Richard Kelley has been Associate Professor of Saxophone and Director of Jazz Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale since 2008, performing numerous engagements across the United States, Mexico, Canada, much of Europe and several Caribbean countries. Active in all genres that welcome the saxophone, ...read full profile >>

Edwin Lacy, Assistant Professor of Practice in Bassoon and Woodwinds at SIU-C, retired from full-time teaching in 2008 after a career of 48 years, including 41 at the University of Evansville, and continues as UE’s Adjunct Professor of Bassoon and Saxophone. He held the position of Eades ...read full profile >>

Since 2012, Dr. Lausell has led the guitar program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale School of Music. At SIU, Lausell teaches courses in classical and jazz guitar, jazz ensembles, oversees the guitar area, performs and composes music for the jazz ensemble in residence the New Arts ...read full profile >>

Pianist Junghwa Lee, a native of Korea, performs actively in solo recitals, chamber concerts and lecture recitals, and has frequently appeared in concerto performances as a soloist. Lee has presented solo performances in 16 countries - Korea, Holland, France, Hungary, Romania, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, ...read full profile >>

Clarinetist and composer Eric Mandat is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to contemporary clarinet music. The Chicago Reader states, "Mandat is exploring new worlds...with a unique combination of virtuosity and a creative use of multiphonics...he uses them to create highly ...read full profile >>

Paula Melton, a violin scholarship recipient and graduate of the University of Illinois, studied with John Kendall at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville (SIUE) during high school.  At the graduate level, Paula completed extensive long-term Suzuki training with John Kendall at SIUE. A ...read full profile >>

Christopher Morehouse is Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Southern Illinois University, where he serves as conductor of the SIU Wind Ensemble, teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting, wind literature, and instrumental methods, and administers the entire SIU Bands program. He made his ...read full profile >>

A West Virginia native, Jennifer Presar currently is the Assistant Director and Instructor of Horn and Music Theory at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She holds degrees in Music Theory and Composition and Horn performance from University of Illinois and West Virginia University, respectively. Her ...read full profile >>

James L Reifinger, Jr. is Music Education Coordinator and an Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses music education.  He also serves as the faculty advisor for National Association for Music Education Collegiate Chapter ...read full profile >>

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and provoked by a family of passionate and latitudinous overachievers, creating music has been a part of everyday life for Christopher Walczak from kindergarten afternoons until the present. Many years and three degrees later, Christopher finds himself reconciling the ...read full profile >>

In 2018, Douglas Worthen was given a sabbatical leave to study how musicians signal and communicate to both each other and the audience through physical gesture. In addition, his study focused on German sources of early nineteenth century performance practice and repertoire. As of November, 2018, his online ...read full profile >>