Jose Lopes-Moreno
Assistant to the Dean
305-237-3609
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Richard Fleischman
Viola
305-237-3621
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With Bachelor of Music 1984 and Master of Music 1985 degrees from The Juilliard School and a Certificate of Study from The Curtis Institute of Music 1987, Richard Fleischman is one of today's most distinguished violists.  Formerly a member of the San Francisco Symphony, Mr. Fleischman continues to perform internationally on the viola and viola d'amore as soloist with orchestras such as the Miami Symphony, Colorado Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, and the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra.  Highlights of his career include a concert for the President and First Lady of Germany as conductor of New World Chamber Orchestra and for Vice-president Al Gore as viola soloist on live German television.  Further, he performed as principal violist with Leonard Bernstein conducting, at a televised performance of the 1988 Proms from Royal Albert Hall.  He spends his summers as the principal violist of the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra in New Mexico, is violist with the Delray String Quartet and was guest principal violist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic for several years. Mr. Fleischman has been the Professor of Viola at New World School of the Arts since 1999. He has recorded for Naxos, London/Decca, Sony and Poinciana labels.

Brent A. Mounger
HS Wind Ensemble Director
305-237-3532
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Brent A. Mounger received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Stetson University. While at Stetson he began an active role in music education. During the Fall of 2004, he took on the assignment of conducting the school’s Brass Ensemble. Later in 2006, he petitioned the faculty, with the help of Dr. Bobby Adams, to create a new ensemble for woodwinds - Chamber Winds.  In 2005, Mr. Mounger was President-Elect for the Florida Collegiate Music Educator’s National Conference and served as President in 2006. While President of FCMENC, he restructured the statewide organization and was able to increase the association’s membership. A partnership program was also established where larger universities in Florida were zoned with smaller universities and community colleges to help establish links and communication between future music educators. Mr. Mounger also served on the Florida Music Educator’s Association State Board from 2005-2007.
    Currently Brent Mounger is the Wind Ensemble Director at New World School of the Arts, and from 2007 until 2011 he served as Director of Bands at Coral Reef Senior High School. While at Coral Reef the Wind Ensemble received national acclaim and was invited to perform at the 2011 National Concert Band Festival. Under Mr. Mounger’s direction, the Coral Reef Senior High band program received Superior ratings at District and State Jazz and Concert Assessments. Graduates from his programs attend the New England Conservatory, Peabody Conservatory, Stetson University, University of Miami Frost School of Music, The Florida State University College of Music, Berklee College of Music and the University of Florida School of Music.
    Brent Mounger is the Bass Trombonist with the Miami Wind Symphony, a professional Wind Ensemble in South Florida. His professional memberships include: the College Band Directors National Association, the National Band Association, the Music Educators’ National Conference, the Florida Music Educators’ Association, the Florida Bandmasters Association, and Phi Mu Alpha

Kathleen Bell
Voice

Kathleen Bell is a graduate of the University of Miami Vocal Performance program where she was featured as “Violetta” in Verdi’s La Traviata, “The Countess” in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and “Lizette” in Puccini’s La Rondine. While pursuing a masters in Vocal Pedagogy at F.I.U., Kathleen performed as “Adina” in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amour and “Miss Warbelwell” in Mozart’s The Impressario directed by Phillip Church. Kathleen has traveled extensively throughout Europe performing in Denmark, Austria and Italy in Voice recitals and as “Adele” in J. Strauss’ Die Fledermaus with the Rome Festival Orchestra. Locally, Kathleen has been a featured soloist with the Miami Symphony, the Miami Oratorio Society, The Hispanic Lyric Theatre and in the Chorus of the Florida Grand Opera. Currently, Kathleen is the Director of Music Ministry at St. Augustine Church and Student Ministry as well as being a FVA Festival Adjudicator. Kathleen Bell is a member of Pi Kappa Lamda and Omikron Delta Kappa as well as the National Association of Teacher’s of Singing.

Robert C. Grabowski
Bass

Robert C. Grabowski is an educator, bassist, Jazz historian, composer, arranger, and audio engineer, and in addition to teaching a History of Jazz course at New World School of the Arts, has held the position of Adjunct Professor in Jazz Studies at Florida International University (FIU) for over twenty years.  During his time at FIU, he has taught the Evolution of Jazz courses.  He has also written the text for the course, The Evolution of Jazz In America. Mr. Grabowski produced the FIU Jazz Festival for ten years, featuring such artists as David Sanborn and Maynard Ferguson.  He co-wrote and produced four National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters grants featuring Clark Terry, Nat Adderley, Louis Bellson, and Dr. Billy Taylor.  He is an active writer and musician, having recorded six CDs of his own work. The latest, Deepest Blue, won rave reviews from the Miami Herald.  He has recorded live at the Kennedy Center with Alan Harris, and in the studio with Melton Mustafa, Ira Sullivan, Phil Strange, Larry Marshall, and many others.

Mr. Grabowski holds an MMEd with emphasis in Jazz Studies from Florida International University 1990, with additional graduate work at Florida State University and at the University of Miami.  He received his BM from the University of Miami 1979 in Composition and Conducting.  Major professors have included Dennis Kam, Lucas Drew, John Boda, Fredrick Fennell, and Dick Dunscomb.  Mr. Grabowski is also a radio personality, hosting Monday Night Jazz on WLRN, the NPR affiliate for South Florida. He has also been an Artist in Residence for Arts in America in 2006, and was chosen as a Guest Artist in Residence for the Thelonius Monk Institute.  Mr. Grabowski began teaching Jazz Composition and Arranging Techniques at NWSA in Spring of 2010 as part of that program.

Ms. LeeFei Chen joined the Adjunct Faculty at New World School of the Arts in 2004. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she studied with Anne-Marguerite Michaud.  She continued her graduate studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana where she studied with Susann McDonald. Also, she completed her Master’s Degree at the University of Miami with a full scholarship. Currently, she is a Doctoral Candidate in harp performance at the University of Miami.  Ms. Chen has performed with the Florida Philharmonic, New World Symphony Orchestra, Florida Grand Opera, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Miami Symphony, Key West Symphony, Craig Turley Orchestras, and more.  She won the Anne Adam American Harp National Competition, and the Pennsylvania State Harp Society Grandjany Award.  In the mean time, she enjoys bringing harp music to hospitals and retirement homes.  Ms. Chen was featured in the Miami Herald Neighbors Section in the May 22 and May 29, 2005 issues, and she appeared in Miami Magazine in June, 2005.

Susan DeGooyer has been on faculty with the New World School of the Arts, teaching Private Flute and Flute Choir, since 1989.  She received her MM in Flute Performance from the University of Miami 1972 and her BME in Flute and Piano from Drake University 1969.  Ms. DeGooyer started playing in professional orchestras at age 19 in Iowa and Florida.   She has performed with the Ft. Lauderdale Orchestra, Florida Philharmonic, Greater Miami Opera, American Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, and the Royal Ballet.  In addition to her work with NWSA, Ms. DeGooyer has been a flute instructor at Florida International University for 19 years and has been teaching at Miami Dade College Kendall Campus since 1976.   She is Principal Flute with the Miami Wind Symphony, Piccolo with Miami Symphony Orchestra, Piccolo soloist with the South Florida Youth Symphony, Conductor and founder of Miami Flute Ensemble and a member of the MDC Faculty Woodwind Quintet-Kendall campus.  Her affiliations include woodwind adjudicator for NFAA Young Arts, member of the National Flute Association and the Florida Flute Association, and flute instructor at the University of Miami Young Musicians Camp every summer.

Peter Francis earned a DMA in Trumpet Performance 2005 and an MM in Music Education 1997 from the University of Miami where he studied with Gilbert Johnson and Craig Morris.  He has a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education 1991 from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.  While at the University of Miami, Dr. Francis was a teaching assistant in the Jazz/Studio Music Department and a member of the Concert Jazz Band under Whit Sidener.  He has taught trumpet at the New World School of the Arts since 2004 and in 2010, began directing the High School Jazz Ensemble.  

Dr. Francis has toured with Chayanne, Celia Cruz, Issac Delgado, Tony Vega, Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz, and Jerry Rivera among others.  In South Florida he has performed with the Manhattan Transfer, the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Ojay's, Frankie Valli, Frankie Avalon, Jack Jones, the Funk Brothers, Chaka Kahn, Patti Austin, Arturo Sandoval, Clarence Clemons, Stephen Marley, Hal Linden, Ed Calle, Tito Nieves, Luis Enrique, Cheo Feliciano, Rey Ruiz, Larry Harlow, and Frankie Ruiz, among others. Dr. Francis has also performed regularly with the Miami City Ballet and Florida Grand Opera orchestras, as well as with the South Florida Symphony, the Symphony of the Americas, the Miami Symphony, and the Florida Chamber Orchestra. Dr. Francis has served as brass panelist for the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts Young Arts program since 2007.  In 2011, he was awarded a NWSA Professional Development grant to attend the Jazz at Lincoln Center 2011 Band Director's Academy in New York City.

Christopher Graham is a native of the Boston area where he began his studies at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School.  In Boston, he has performed at Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall, and Sanders Theater at Harvard.  Dr. Graham holds BM 2000 and DM 2006 degrees from the University of Miami and completed an MM 2003 at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London.  He has performed with orchestras in the UK at the Dukes Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, and the Jacqueline du Pre Music Center, Oxford.  In 2002, Mr. Graham received the RAM's prestigious Nicholas Blake Prize for woodwinds.  He has participated in summer festivals including Boston University's Tanglewood Institute, the Bowdoin Chamber Music Festival and NEC's Clarinet Summit with Richard Stoltzman and Kalmen Opperman.  In South Florida, Mr. Graham has performed with the Florida Philharmonic, the Boca Raton Philharmonic Sinfonia, the New Philharmonic, and currently plays with the Florida Grand Opera and Classical Orchestras at the Carnival Performing arts Center and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.  As a chamber musician, Graham has performed to critical acclaim with the Ibis Camerata in the Southeastern U.S. and on international tours to Serbia, Russia, and Italy.  Dr. Graham can be heard on the Ibis Camerata's debut album Glisten, released on Albany Records in December of 2006. Dr. Graham has been with the New World School of the Arts since 2006.

T. Geoffrey Hale received his Bachelor of Music Degree 1969, and Master of Music Degree 1970, from the University of Miami.  While in college, he was Principal Bassoon for the Miami Beach Symphony.  Upon graduation, he served four years in “The President's Own” U.S. Marine Band, in Washington D.C.  For the next 28 years, Mr. Hale was a member of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra.  He served as the Delegate to the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM), representing the Florida Philharmonic since 1990, as well as served as a member of its Orchestra Committee.  During the past 30 years, Mr. Hale has also been a member of the South Florida Symphony, Florida Chamber Orchestra, Miami Philharmonic, Miami Beach Symphony, Miami Chamber Orchestra, Key West Pops, Orchestra Miami, Key West Opera Orchestra and Grove Winds.  He performed seven years with the P.A.C.E. - "Four Families of the Orchestra" woodwind quintet, giving concerts in the tri-county public schools. He is presently Principal Bassoon of the Miami Symphony Orchestra (MISO) and the Miami City Ballet Orchestra.  Mr. Hale has been Bassoon instructor at the New World School of the Arts for the past 11 years. He has taught privately for the past 43 years, aiding his students in achieving scholarships at Cincinnati Conservatory, The Julliard School, New England Conservatory, Florida State University and at the University of Miami School of Music.

John Kricker is a native Floridian and has been an active freelance musician in south Florida for the past 30 years and has been teaching at the New World School of the Arts since 2002. He performs on tenor trombone, bass trombone, and tuba.  He is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Music from where he has received both his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees.  During his career, he has performed for many major stars in virtually every musical genre including Luciano Pavaroti, Placido Domingo, Jose Cararas, Sarah Brightman; Frank Sinatra, Frank Sinatra Jr., Tony Bennett, Jerry Lewis, Steve and Eydie, Jack Jones, Debbie Reynolds, Shirley Jones, Robert Goulet, Ben Vareen, Joey Bishop, Donald O’Conner, Danny Thomas, Vic Damone, Lou Rawls, Jerry Vale, Tony Martin; Linda Ronstadt, Pia Zadora, Nell Carter, Natalie Cole, Paul Anka, Johnny Mathis, Marvin Hamlisch, Wayne Newton, Burt Bacharach, Roy Clark, Kenny Rogers, Maynard Ferguson, Chuck Mangione, Boots Randolph, Hal Linden, Larry Elgart, Willie Chirino, Juan Gabriel, Nelson Ned, Arturo Sandoval, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Jon Secada, Mana, The Platters, The Spinners, The O’Jays, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Moody Blues, The Fifth Dimension, The Smothers Brothers, Dr. John, and P Diddy.  Mr. Kricker is also a frequent performer in a variety of South Florida Orchestras, Brass Groups, Ballet and Opera Companies, Broadway and Theater Shows, Jazz and Commercial Ensembles, and Wedding Bands.  He is an active studio musician.  John is also a member of the award winning Jaco Pastorius Big Band.

Calvin Everette Jenkins
Brass

Mr. Jenkins, adjunct professor of music at the New World School of the Arts since 2007, serves as lower brass clinician to numerous schools throughout South Florida.  He has served on the faculty at Samford University, the University of Montevallo, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Birmingham Southern College.  Mr. Jenkins is currently a member of the Miami Music Project’s Brass Quintet, the Miami City Ballet’s Opus One Orchestra, the Miami Wind Symphony, the Florida Brass Quintet, the Brass Renaissance Quintet, and numerous other performance ensembles.  He has also performed with groups such as the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, and the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra.  Mr. Jenkins received his BM, MM and DMA degrees from the University of Miami all in Instrumental Performance.

Albert Kunze is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Florida 1971 and holds graduate degrees from Florida State University 1973 as well as the University of Miami 1987 where he received a  Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in guitar performance.  His major teachers have been Pepe Romero, John Duarte, and Bruce Holzman.  Dr. Kunze also conducts, sings, and concertizes on classical guitar in South Florida.  He is recordings editor and principal reviewer for Soundboard magazine, published quarterly by the Guitar Foundation of America.  He also teaches music at Miami Senior High School where he is Chair of the Department of Fine Arts.  Dr. Kunze instituted the college level guitar program at the New World School of the Arts in 1998.

Aaron Merritt has been an Adjunct Professor of Cello at the New World School of the Arts since 2006.  Mr. Merritt holds degrees in performance from Rice University 2004 (MM) where he studied with Lynn Harrell, and from Indiana University 2002 (BM) where he studied with Emilio Colón, Helga Winold, and Janos Starker.  Mr. Merritt was a member of the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas from 2004-2008.  His performance career has brought him to festivals across the United States and into Austria, Italy, and the Netherlands.  

As a member of the Miami Music Project under the direction of James Judd, Mr. Merritt performs over fifty concerts a year with his string quartet, providing educational concerts and presentations for under-served schools and communities in the Greater Miami area.  He is also a member of the Florida Grand Opera and Palm Beach Opera orchestras, the Boca Raton Symphonia, and the Miami Symphony Orchestra.  In addition to his teaching duties at NWSA, Mr. Merritt has taught chamber music at Point CounterPoint Chamber Music Camp in Vermont and maintains a private studio. His students are laureates of and participants in competitions at the national and international level, including the Sphinx and Tchaikovsky.  During the summer months, Mr. Merritt performs at the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder

As the First Prize winner of the XIV Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofieff International Competition, Ciro Fodere’s latest performances have been described as “masterful, electric, by turns fiery and lyrical” by The Post and Courier, and as featuring “technical sheen articulation, alert dynamic shading, and an imaginative approach” by The Miami Herald, which also raves, “edge-of-the-seat thrilling.”  In addition to soloing with both major orchestras in Uruguay, he has performed the Liszt and Gershwin concertos with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Ignat Solzhenitsyn and David Stahl. He recently performed the Rachmaninoff Variations on a Theme by Paganini with the New World Symphony (NWS) and the Rachmaninoff Third with the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic.  

Other orchestras he has performed with include the Sendai Philharmonic, Philharmonic of Extremadura, Symphony of the Americas and Florida Philharmonic.  Mr. Fodere was the First Prize winner at the Eastern Division MTNA.  He received his BM in 1998 from the College of Charleston and completed his fellowship at the New World Symphony, an organization that featured him regularly in Miami.  In addition to accompanying leading musicians like Joshua Bell and Renee Fleming, and working under Michael Tilson Thomas’s tutelage,  he participated with members of the NWS in Santa Cecilia, Rome, Perugia, and Carnegie Hall in New York.  Mr. Fodere currently teaches at the New World School of the Arts and is the pianist of the South Beach Chamber Ensemble, Miami Symphony, and the Florida Orchestra. Mr. Fodere has been with the New World School of the Arts since 2007.

Lillian Santiago Caballero is the flute professor at New World School of the Arts College and at Miami-Dade College. She is an active adjunct faculty since 2000, teaching numerous courses including flute ensemble, chamber music, music appreciation, theory, sight singing, and class piano. Ms. Caballero is the director of Vivace Flute Ensemble and Celebration Musicians. She earned her Master of Music from the University of Miami in 1997 where she was also the teaching assistant to the flute professor Christine Nield.  She earned her Bachelor of Music from Florida International University in 1992.  Ms. Caballero was invited to perform with the Miami Symphony Orchestra for their Carnegie Hall debut in New York on June 29, 2000. The performance was warmly received with a long standing ovation by the audience. Since then, she continues to perform with the Miami Symphony Orchestra. She also performs as Principal Flutist with the Flamingo Festival of New Music of America and with the Miami Wind Symphony. Ms. Caballero is an international artist having performed in Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and the USA.  She has served as Principal Flutist of the XVI Rassegna Internazionale di Orchestra in Avellino, Italy; the Festival di Roma Orchestra in Rome, Italy; La Orquesta Sinfonica Merida, and La Orquesta de Camara de la UADY in Mexico. Her recordings include "Ein Deutsches Requiem" by J. Brahms, "Urban Requiem" by M. Colgrass, the Key West Music Festival under the Canes Record Label, Trumpet Glamour, and The Viennese Concert with Miami Symphony Orchestra under the Cacao Record Label. Ms. Caballero’s performance guide to "Kokopeli" was published by Flute Talk Magazine in 1999. She is a frequent Clinician/Performer at the Florida Flute Association Annual State Convention.

Gabriel Torres studied Music Theory (Solfeo), Music History, Harmony, and Contrapunto at the Music High School at Lino Gallardo Music School and at Juan José Landaeta Music Conservatory in Caracas, Venezuela.  Mr. Torres began his formal bass studies under Maestro Frederick Skrabal and continued under the direction of Maestro Omar Sansone.  He earned a degree in double bass at the National Conservatory Marcel Dupre in Paris, where he studied with Master Pierre Hellouin.  While studying in France, Mr. Torres earned the Degree of Medaille d’Or in Bass and a First Place in chamber music.  While living in Venezuela, Mr. Torres founded Orquesta National Juvenile de Venezuela, Orquesta Sinfonica Simon Bolivar and Orquesta Filarmonica de Venezuela.  For several years, Mr. Torres held the Competition de Principal Bass in the Orquesta Filarmonica de Venezuela.  He also worked for the Orquesta Sinfonica de Venezuela as Bass Assistant.

Upon his relocation to the United States, Mr. Torres became co-principal at the Miami Symphony, Symphony of the Americas, Palm Beach Pops and the Atlantic Classical Orchestra.  Mr. Torres is currently is the adjunct bass professor and Master Class teacher at the New World School of the Arts.  He also teaches bass and cello at Westminster Academy, and at Doral Conservatory and School of the Arts, and is a bass coach at the Florida Youth Orchestra where he has been teaching the summer camps for the last two years and conducting the advanced orchestra.  Mr. Torres has studied conducting under Maestro Alex Berti in the United States and Maestros Henry Zambrano and Pedro Mauricio Gonzales in Venezuela.

A native Floridian, Sarah Weiner-Jamison has recently relocated back to South Florida after having been the Founder and Artistic Director of her New York City-based opera company, The coOPERAtive Opera Company. Sarah has sung opera and oratorio throughout the New York Metropolitan area. In a review of her work, Opera News Magazine called her voice beautifully creamy and elegantly spun. Ms. Weiner-Jamison continues to perform recitals and concerts in the South Florida area. She is also on the voice faculty at Broward Community College, where she was nominated as adjunct professor of the year, and maintains a private vocal studio in Broward County. Studied with Rita Shane and Gianna d'Angelo of the Metropolitan opera. Coached with Nicola Rossi-Lemeni, Patrick Summers (Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera). Ms. Weiner-Jamison holds the Bachelor of Music degree from Brenau College and the Master of Music degree from Indiana University.

Fernando Ulibarri
Music Ensemble, Technology, Jazz Guitar

Fernando Ulibarri was born in San Jose, Costa Rica.  He is an active performer, composer, and educator in the South Florida music scene.  He moved from his native country to Boston in 1998, where he graduated from Berklee College of Music with a BM in Music Synthesis.  After working professionally in the New England area, he moved to Miami to attend Florida International University where he obtained a MM degree in Jazz Performance.  Mr. Ulibarri has performed concerts at Carnegie Hall, Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica, Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club, Berklee Performance Center, The Bass Museum, and various other venues in the United States and abroad. He has given lectures at the Universidad de Costa Rica, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica and on two separate occasions, has been a clinician for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.  He is currently an adjunct professor at the New World School of the Arts and is a full-time faculty member at Broward College where he teaches music technology classes as well as ensembles and jazz guitar.

Lajos Zeke, adjunct professor of piano and musicology at the New World School of the Arts, is a native of Hungary (b. 1958, Budapest), where he spent the first three decades of his life.  A graduate of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Organ Performance 1981 and Musicology 1987, Dr. Zeke worked both as a traveling organist and as a musicologist.  He gave recitals in Hungary, Finland, Germany, Austria, the Ukraine, Greece, and Japan while simultaneously conducting research at the Institute for Musicology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in diverse fields such as analytical study of F. Liszt’s music, 19th century music history, organology, and experimental music theory. In 1990, he began his doctoral studies in the United States and in 1999, received his degree from the University of Miami.  As part of his Ph.D. project, he embarked on a thorough study of certain aspects of philosophy and the history of logic, and integrated his new understanding into his approach to theoretical musicology.  In the last 17 years, church musicianship, composing, piano performance and, above all, teaching have seemingly eclipsed his musicological activities.  However, during this same period, prompted by certain crucial discoveries concerning Plato’s “Pythagorizing” musico-mathematical theories, he has launched a new project.  This project is aimed at disclosing aspects of a half-forgotten, yet alive and still unfolding, worldview: a sort of “musical metaphysics,” a participatory science of consciousness.

Brooks Truly joined the New World School of the Arts as an adjunct faculty member in 2008. In addition to NWSA, Dr. Truly also teaches at Miami Arts Charter, Palmer Trinity, Florida Christian, Broward College, Miami Dade College (Kendall Campus), and Nova Southeastern University.  He performs with the Florida Grand Opera, the Miami Music Project, the Ars Flores Symphony Orchestra, and subs with the Boca Raton Symphonia, among others.  Recently, Dr. Truly was invited to present his Doctoral Essay, The Afro-Cuban Abakuá: Rhythmic Origins to Modern Applications, as a lecture/performance demonstration at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Before moving to Miami, Dr. Truly was the principal percussionist of both the Mobile Symphony and the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestras.  He has also played with the Mobile Opera, the Pensacola Opera, the Pensacola Symphony, the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, the Joffrey Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre, the New World Symphony, and many others.  

As a percussionist/drummer, Dr. Truly has had the opportunity to perform with such artists as Lil Greenwood, Bobby Shew, Louis Bellson, Sherwood Mobley, Tony Bennett, Jim Walker, Yo-Yo Ma, Samuel Ramey, Marcello Giordani, Andrea Bocelli, Michel Camilo, The Ramsey Lewis Trio, Paul Potts, Faith Hill, and Elvis Costello, to name a few.  Dr. Truly has studied solo and orchestral percussion, world percussion, jazz vibes, and drumset with John Papastefan, Ed Harrison, Rubén Alvarez, Paul Wertico, Vadim Karpinos, DeDé Sampaio, Darcey Timmerman, Shannon Wood, Richie Bravo, Ted Atkatz, and Ney Rosauro.  Dr. Truly performs with, and is endorsed by, Vic Firth Percussion Products, Remo Drumheads, and Sabian Cymbals.  He received his BM from the University of South Alabama 1998, his MM from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University 2005, and his DMA from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami 2009, all in Percussion Performance.

Ferdinando De Sena teaches composition and music technology at the New World School of the Arts. His music has been performed throughout the continental U.S., Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Argentina, Italy, Scotland, and Ireland.  Dr. De Sena’s work has also been performed at international, national, and regional conferences of the College Music Society, the Society of Composers, the International Computer Music Conference, the Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States, and the International Double Reed Society.  Dr. De Sena earned a BA 1987 in Music and Computer Science from Ithaca College and an MM in Electronic Music 1989 as well as a DMA in Composition 1984 from the University of Miami. His principle teachers were Dennis Kam, Peter Rothbart, and Don Wilson. Dr. De Sena was recently included in Who’s Who in America 2005-2011 edition.  His music Three Attitudes for Harp and Flute, and Directed Ambience for Harp and Computer Sound, has been published by St Francis Music Publications.  Further, he is currently working on a number of large commissions including a double guitar concerto for soloist Jose Adan and the Miami Wind Symphony, and a work for chorus and string orchestra for SoundSet in Dublin, Ireland.