Music Concentrators
Matthew Block '13 is a Music and History concentrator hailing from Philadelphia. He started playing trumpet at age 10 and became heavily involved with jazz in the Philly area. Matt has been playing in the Brown Jazz Band since freshman year and currently leads the trumpet section. He also started and still runs the Wednesday Night Jazz Jams in the Underground. He is dedicated to growing the presence of a jazz community at Brown. Matt has interned for Human Music and Sound Design in New York, a company that composes and produces original music for advertising, TV, film, and interactive media. He hopes to pursue a life of music in that type of field where he will be able to express his ideas through composition and through his trumpet. Currently he is working on Project Iceland, a collaboration with artist Nazli Ozerdem. A more extensive explanation of the project can be found here: http://www.globalconversation.org/conversation/project-iceland-matt-block-and-nazli-ozerdem .
Carrie Danielson ’14 is a Music Theory & History/Composition concentrator from Mora, Minnesota. She began playing the oboe with her school band in the fifth grade, and after discovering the joys of instrumental music, took up piano lessons a year later. In high school, she was an active member in her school’s Band program, for which she received the John Philip Sousa Award and was selected for the Minnesota All-State orchestra as and oboist and English hornist. At Brown, she continues to study oboe with Amy Mendillo through the Applied Music Program and is a member of both the Brown University Orchestra and The Brown Band. For the past seven years, she’s had the pleasure of serving as the pianist for her home church of Grace Lutheran, where she continues to play whenever she finds herself back in her small community. To this day, Carrie realizes the impact music education has had on her life and works to promote research and advocacy for arts education in our schools. In 2010, she conducted an epidemiological study focusing on positive correlations between music education and factors contributing to overall mental health, for which she was honored as a national semi-finalist in the College Board’s Young Epidemiology Scholars competition. At Brown, she hopes to continue on to reach her goal of sharing the importance music has to our youth and society. Though she hopes to go into the medical field in the future and will be spending this summer doing cancer research at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, music will always be an integral part of her life, which is why she has chosen it as a concentration here at Brown.
Holly Doerflinger ’13 was born and raised in
El Paso, TX and is double concentrating in Music and Anthropology. She began to play flute in the fourth grade and after several years of being unable to play anything, she finally began to flourish. In high school, she was a member of her city’s youth orchestra, her high school marching band, honor band, symphonic orchestra, and the TMEA All Region Honor Band. She continues to focus on performance through the Applied Music Program and participation in the Brown University Wind Ensemble and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Community Flute Ensemble. Additionally, she writes music, sings in her church choir, and gives music lessons to children and teens from low-income regions of Rhode Island. While she never intended to combine her two degrees, part of her research focuses on how people in various ethnic communities in Providence use music to negotiate their racial identities. After Brown, she hopes to pursue a PhD in Linguistic Anthropology and a Masters of Music Education.
Berit Goetz ’13 is a music concentrator (theory/history/composition track) from St. Paul, Minnesota. A graduate of St. Paul Central High School, Berit has performed as a vocalist and classical pianist with the St. Paul Ordway Honors Chorus and Orchestra, the Minnesota Chorale, VocalEssence, and the Minnesota Orchestra. From 2008-2009 she studied jazz voice and piano with Irving Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, which culminated in a workshop and performance with Lincoln Center Jazz. At Brown, she studies classical piano with Arlene Cole, and has also studied AMP jazz voice with Yvonne Monnett, participated in an AMP jazz combo with Paul Mason, and sung in the University Chorus. Berit is committed to bridging the gap between music academia and pop culture; she sings with and has directed the Chattertocks, Brown’s oldest all-female a cappella group, and in addition to arranging and composing pieces for the ensemble she has written and recorded three albums of original songs for voice and piano. A comparative literature double-concentrator, she will continue her studies of British literature at the University of Cambridge, Pembroke College before returning to Brown to complete an interdisciplinary thesis in music and cultural history.
Michael Goldberg ’13 is a dual concentrator in Music (History/Theory/Composition) and Biology (Physical Sciences Sc.B.) from Newton, MA. Since age 8, he has played the clarinet in various large and small ensembles in the Greater Boston area and is now a member of the Brown University Orchestra and Applied Music Program, studying with Professor Karen Heninger. During the spring of 2012, Michael studied abroad at Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium (The Royal Danish Conservatory) in Copenhagen, Denmark and studied under Professor Søren Elbo. His special interests include performance and analysis of early classical, impressionist, and early modern music. Although he plans to pursue a career in bioinformatics, music will always be a strong presence in his life.
Kevin Gonzalez ’14 is a double concentrator in MEME and Hispanic Studies from Wichita Falls, TX. His main instruments include the piano, guitar, and percussion. Kevin first became interested in music at a young age, largely by his father’s participation in a local band. At the age of 13, he was introduced to computer music by his brother, Ivan Gonzalez, and began to make music as a hobby, particularly urban music. He worked with his brother as an audio engineer, editing and compiling their father’s Sunday sermons for the radio. During this time, Kevin also took piano lessons for a few years until high school, where he continued to produce music with his brother while also playing varsity soccer. At Brown, he continues to produce original beats as well as playing soccer.
Alec Kacew '14is a music concentrator from New York City. He began playing cello at the age of 5 and was a boy soprano in The Young People's Chorus of New York during his Middle School years. He has studied chamber music at NYU's Steinhardt School and cello performance and music theory at Manhattan School of Music. At his high school, he was a member of the orchestra, a cappella group, and received honors in music. Since coming to Brown, Alec has participated in the chamber music program and has played in the pit orchestra for several operas. As a sophomore, he conducted and music directed Brown University Gilbert and Sullivan's Fall 2011 production of The Mikado. This summer, he is interning at WNYC's radio program New Sounds, hosted by Jon Schaffer, where he hopes to gain experience with some of the most current trends in the music world, along with music licensing and radio production.
Jacob Klapholz ’13 is a Music Theory & History/Composition concentrator from Weston, Massachusetts. A graduate of Weston High School and the New England Conservatory Preparatory School with honors in brass performance, Jacob currently plays trumpet in the Brown University Orchestra and a brass quintet while studying trumpet with Charles Schlueter, former principal trumpet of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Jacob has participated in various music festivals including the 2010 Trumpet Seminar at the Center for Advanced Musical Study at Chosen Vale, the Atlantic Brass Quintet Seminar and has appeared in concert with the Boston Civic Symphony, Opera Providence, and the Mercury Orchestra among others. At Brown Jacob has pursued his love of opera serving as Vice Chair and Alumnae Hall Administrative Board representative for Brown Opera Productions (BOP) and began his conducting career as music director for BOP’s 2011 spring production of Die Fledermaus and 2012 production of Don Pasquale. Jacob's interest in the music of Mozart has led him to pursue an honors thesis on the composer's works from 1786 following the completion and Vienna premiere of Le Nozze di Figaro, featuring a performance of the concert aria "Ch'io mi scordi di te? ... Non temer, amato bene", K. 505.
Jonathan Koh '13 loves music, rabbits, and meditation. He is a musician, guitar teacher, recording engineer and computer scientist. He is dual concentrating in MEME (Electronic Music) and Computer Science. He is from Waltham, MA, and is currently 20 years old. He has been playing guitar since 5th grade, and working with computer music since 7th grade. For samples of his electronic work visit soundcloud.com/jvkoh. For samples of his live recorded work you will have to contact him directly.
Morgan Lee '14 is a Music History/Theory/Composition Concentrator from Connecticut. She has played classical piano since age four and currently studies with Linda Jiorle-Nagy in the Brown Applied Music Program. In fall of 2011, she was one of the final competitors in the Brown University Concerto Competition and in the spring of 2012 she performed an hour-long solo recital featuring the works of Beethoven, Chopin, and Debussy. She enjoys collaborating with other artists through chamber music and has accompanied musical theater at Brown. She has been singing in choirs since age seven and participated in both her high school’s honors voice ensemble and the Connecticut All-State Chorus. She currently sings soprano and serves as Assistant Music Director in the Brown a cappella group the Higher Keys. While a traditional music concentrator, she has a special interest in ethnomusicology and hopes to study the intersection of music and culture more in future.
Matthew Milano ’13, hails from the Garden State. He intends to double concentrate, with special interest in Music Theory and Composition and Computer Science Systems Engineering. While his concentration interests do not intersect academically, music has found its way into every chapter of Matthew’s life – as a small child playing the piano at Carnegie Hall, Weil Recital Hall, to first chair as a clarinetist and bass clarinetist, to Highland Bagpiping, playing the Irish Uilleann pipes, and reeling away with the Irish tin whistle – Matthew loves to make music. In his high school academy for science, Matthew also enjoyed playing in the band, in World Music Ensemble, and singing in the award winning BCA Choir, Chamber Choir, and Bergen Sound, the five member a cappella ensemble. He joined the Brown Chorus his first semester at Brown and has been singing ever since. Matthew is currently composing music for several independent games, local projects/commissions, and his own pleasure.
Sarah Mooney '13 is a Junior Music Concentrator from Warwick, Rhode Island following the MEME track. In high school she was very involved with music performance , participating in chorus and chorale, and taking private instruction in piano. However, through Brown's music department she has discovered her love of new media and music. Sarah is the Promotions Director for WBRU, a commercial radio station in Providence that is run by Brown students. At the station, Sarah is responsible for the planning and coordination of their concerts and events and gets an inside look into the music industry through her work with record labels and musicians. Sarah is also a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority and is Residential Peer Leader in a first year unit.
Bridget Nixon '14 is a Music Theory, History, and Composition concentrator from New Haven, CT. Bridget began singing in the Elm City Girls' Choir in New Haven at age eight and sang with them for ten years. In addition to her public high school Bridget attended the Educational Center for the Arts for four years, where she performed in choral and musical theater ensembles and studied music theory and composition. Throughout her years in high school Bridget regularly sang in two church choirs in the greater New Haven area. Bridget currently sings in the University Chorus and studies voice under Dr. Bradley Fugate. She directs and arranges songs for the Ursa Minors, one of Brown's all-female a cappella groups. She also serves as director of the Youth Choir at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Wickford, RI. Bridget is thrilled to be a part of the Music Department at Brown!
Dan Rome '13 is a senior music concentrator following the MEME track. Dan was born and raised in Essex, VT, and his primary instruments include the saxophone, didgeridoo, and ukulele. Dan played saxophone in the Vermont All State and All New England Music Festival bands throughout high school, and in May, 2009 he performed the Glazounov Concerto with the Burlington Chamber Orchestra as the winner of their Young Artist Solo Competition. Dan currently studies jazz saxophone with Ed Tomassi in the Applied Music Program and plays in the Brown Jazz Band. He began making electronic music during his freshman year at Brown and will be working towards a Senior Capstone Project this semester under the advisement of Butch Rovan, for which he will compose and perform a solo interactive piece for his electronic musical shoes, alto saxophone, and Max/MSP. In addition to making music, Dan is a tour guide at Brown and an active member of his fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi. In his free time, Dan enjoys skiing, exploring, web design, and frisbee.
Madeline Sall '13, a native of Newton, MA, was lucky enough to stumble upon the Brown University Music Department and subsequently decided to concentrate in Music History, Theory, & Composition. Ever since she joined her synagogue's junior choir at the tender age of 7, Madeline has not stopped singing (quite literally!). Currently, she sings mezzo soprano with the Brown University Chorus and studies voice privately through the Applied Music Program with Dr. Bradley Fugate. In Fall 2010, she played Zita in the Brown Opera Productions performance of Gianni Schicchi and has sung 'Oh Thou, That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion' in two performances of Handel's Messiah with the Brown University Chorus. Madeline plans to write her senior honors thesis on the philosophical problems of representing ideas and emotions in instrumental music. Outside of the Music Department, Madeline works as the Production Director at WBRU, Providence's commercial alternative radio station run by Brown students, and takes aimless walks around Providence streets.
Just back from a year in Bologna, Italy, Jacob Scharfman ’13 hails from Boston. He began singing at seven, performed his professional opera at eleven, and continued with voice, pianoforte, composition, and direction through high school; he acquired consistent national acclaim as a chorister. He pursues numerous musical interests at Brown, studying voice privately and singing in the University Chorus and the Madrigal Singers, whom he directs. Both groups performed original compositions in 2009 and 2010. Jacob has performed as soloist with the Chorus, the Madrigal Singers, Brown Opera Productions, the First Unitarian Church of Providence, the Providence Singers, Community Music Works, and in private recitals. As a musicologist, he began historical research on the Bolognese scholar, composer, and didact Giovanni Battista Martini (1706-1784). Also in Italy, he committed to rigorous study of the pianoforte under Nicoletta Olivieri and took lessons at the harpsichord with the maestro di cappella of San Petronio, Michele Vannelli. This year he hopes to focus his energies on conducting, keyboard development, and vocal growth, culminating in a thesis recital about Elizabethan verse. After Brown, Jacob’s plans are uncertain but will likely involve education, non-profit work, or composition, and may lead him back to Europe or San Francisco.
Riyad Seervai ’13 is a junior concentrator in Music with an emphasis on Theory and Composition. Born in Bombay, Riyad was brought up in a household with a strong tradition of listening to and appreciating western classical music. His keen interest in music theory stems from years and years of listening to repertoire – today, he is familiar with and can recognize at a drop of a hat thousands of compositions ranging from Brahms’ Horn Trios to Ravi Shankar’s Concertos for Sitar and Orchestra and beyond. He loves to collect and compare as many recordings of the same piece as he can get his hands on. He began playing the piano at age 6, and continues to take lessons through Brown’s Applied Music Program. As a biology concentrator, Riyad has focused his study on Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Biochemistry. He has done research on epigenetic changes seen during cellular senescence (aging), gene expression during development of the forebrain, and the genetics of adverse drug reactions. He will complete an undergraduate thesis on sexual reproduction in the Candida species of pathogenic yeasts under the guidance of Dr. Richard Bennett. Outside the academic sphere, Riyad is a member of the Brown Model United Nations club, a Trip Leader in the Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT) program, a varsity squash athlete, and a yoga instructor through the Yoga and Mindfulness (YAM) group. After Brown he hopes to pursue an MD/PhD degree, and to ultimately set up a research program that allows him to consolidate his three main pleasures – biology, yoga, and music.
Nara Shin '13 is in the MEME program. She plays piano but enjoys recording it even more. She owns a synthesizer named Gary. She currently studies organ under Professor Mark Steinbach, University Organist, through the Applied Music Program. In Paris, she studied with Jean-Baptiste Robin, organist at the Royal Chapel in the palace of Versailles. She enjoys scoring film and video, sound-designing plays, and collaborating with others. She is working towards a new genre of film sound tracks that combines orchestral and electronic music.
Annalise Van Meurs '14 iis a concentrator hailing from Menlo Park, CA. Though ultimately at Brown as a PLME student intending to go onto medical school, she was enticed by the music program in her freshman year and became an enthusiastic music concentrator. She began playing violin at age 5 and ultimately switched to the viola during high school, studying with Leonid Gesin of the San Francisco Symphony. During her middle and high school years, she played with the El Camino Youth Symphony, eventually serving as principal and co-principal of the viola section for two years. At Brown, she plays in the orchestra and is a proud member of the Zeta Delta Xi fraternity. She enjoys fuzzy objects, bike riding, and mozzarella sticks.