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Music Department Alumni

Mark Bachiochi

Mark graduated in 2010 with a degree in Music Education as a vocal major. He is currently singing professionally for Celebrity Cruise Lines.

Sarah Brady

Contemporary Flutist Sarah Brady (BM Flute Performance 1998) called “enchanting” (Boston Globe) and “clairvoyantly sensitive” (New Music Connoisseur), is principal flute with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and performs with the Firebird Ensemble, Boston Musica Viva, Brave New Works, The Fromm Players at Harvard, Collage New Music and the Radius Ensemble. She has premiered music from hundreds of composers and has recently premiered and recorded the music of Andrew Norman, Lisa Bielawa, Eric Moe, Marcos Balter, Lei Liang, Elena Ruehr, John Mallia, Robert Morris Jonathan Bailey-Holland and  Yu- Hui Chang.

Equally comfortable in the world of orchestral playing, Sarah often performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the Boston Ballet and is Principal Flute of Odyssey Opera. A prizewinner in the Pappoutsakis Flute Competition and the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition, Sarah now serves as the Chair of the National Flute Association’s New Music Advisory Committee which commissions two solo flute works each year as well as larger chamber works for ensemble.

An extensive recording artist, Sarah has recorded numerous albums of contemporary chamber music and to date has released over 70 orchestral recordings with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Six of those albums have been nominated for a Grammy and 2020 was the first Grammy awarded to BMOP in the category of Best Opera Recording. Sarah’s recordings can be found on the Albany, Naxos, Oxingale, Inova, Cantaloupe, New Focus and BMOP/Sound labels.  A devoted teacher, Sarah is Head of the Classical Contemporary Music Program at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and enjoys working with a thriving studio of flute students who inspire her on a daily basis. For more information about recordings and performances, please visit www.bradyflute.com.

Amy J. Bovin

Dr. Amy J. Bovin, (BA Music/BS Music Education 2009; MM Instrumental Conducting 2013) completed the degrees of Masters of Music in Instrumental Conducting, Bachelors of Arts in Music, and Bachelors of Science in Education from the University of Connecticut. She completed her Ph.D. in Music Education at The University of Hartford’s The Hartt School. Throughout the school year, Dr. Bovin is a frequent presenter at conferences and workshops on the topics of music education, music literacy, gendered experiences in music, leadership in instrumental music programs, and on the NAfME National Standards. Dr. Bovin was chosen as a participant at the 2019 International Conducting Workshop Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria, as a recipient of a 2018 CBDNA Mike Moss Conducting Grant, and as a conductor for the 2015 Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy. At the 2016 Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, Dr. Bovin received the Citation of Merit award from Women’s Band Directors International (WBDI) for outstanding contribution to bands and band music.  

Dr. Bovin is the current President of Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA), the Connecticut State representative for WBDI, the Regional Representative for the Practicing Musician Professional Development Roundtable, and an editorial board member for The Science Journal of Education. Dr. Bovin is a member of NAfME, ISME, IMTE, SRME, SMTE, CBDNA, NBA, and ABA. She was also a National Officer of Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority and held additional offices on the district and chapter level. To read more: www.amybovin.com

Kathryn Bowden

Soprano Kathryn Bowden (BM Vocal Performance 2010, PC Vocal Performance 2011)  is making her mark in the fiendish role of the Queen of the Night (Königen der Nacht) in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. In October 2017, Ms. Bowden made her Metropolitan Opera debut as the Queen in the company’s German language MainStage production and covered the role during the Met’s English language family performances later in the season. The role of the Queen has served as Ms. Bowden’s 2015 San Francisco Opera debut vehicle and her entry onto the Metropolitan Opera roster as a cover for the 2016 family performances of The Magic Flute. Ms. Bowden reprised the role in 2019 making her Symphony Hall (Boston) debut with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and Opera Maine. Ms. Bowden also rejoined the Metropolitan Opera roster in 2019 covering the role in the English language family performances and will perform the role for her Pittsburgh Opera debut in the fall of 2021. In 2018, Ms. Bowden made her debut with Houston’s Opera in the Heights as Cunegonde in Candide. In spring 2019, she sang with the Carolina Philharmonic debut in the annual Opera Gala,made her Carnegie Hall debut with MidAmerica Productions as the Soprano Soloist in Haydn’s Mariazeller Mass as well as Vivaldi’s Gloria. An alumna of San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Merola Opera Program, Ms. Bowden performed the roles of Mrs. Gobineau (The Medium), and Nella (Gianni Schicchi) and excerpts from the role of Amina (La sonnambula). She has also participated in the voice program of the Chautauqua Music Festival. Ms. Bowden has been a District Winner of the 2016 and 2014 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in Florida and Winner of the 2013 Jenny Lind Competition for Sopranos. She is a current Masters candidate at Florida State University. To read more: https://www.kathrynbowdensoprano.com

Dan Campolieta

Dan Campolieta (BM Organ Performance/BS Music Education 2008) is the pianist for the United States Army Chorus, of the United States Army Band, “Pershing’s Own,” in Washington, DC, a position he has held since 2015. In this role, he serves as collaborative pianist, and also arranger and assistant conductor. As a composer, he has recently published choral pieces through Hal Leonard and ECS, and released an album of original songs and compositions in 2018 entitled, “Poems, Prayers, Images.” Dan is active in the DC chamber music scene, having participated in several premieres of new works over the past few years. He lives in Washington, DC with his choral conductor wife, Christen Hernandez, a fellow Husky.

Brian Charette

New York City organist/pianist, Brian Charette (BMus 1990), has established himself as a leading voice in modern jazz. Charette is a Hammond-endorsed, Steeplechase and Positone recording artist who was the winner of the 2014 Downbeat Critics’ Poll Rising Star: Organ award and has climbed to 5th place in The 2018 Critic's Poll main organ category. In 2015 Brian also won Hot House Magazine's Fan's Decision Jazz Award for Best Organist in New York. His last Positone recording, "Once and Future", reached #17 on the Jazz Week chart and was also on the Itunes new music Top 20. This fall, Brian released his new circuit bent organ trio recording,"Kürrent", featuring Ben Monder and has a brand new traditional jazz organ trio release on Steeplechase Records featuring NEA Master, George Coleman called "Groovin with Big G". He recently released albums "Like the Sun" and "Power from the Air" on Steeplechase Records. Besides being a critically acclaimed composer and bandleader, Brian has performed with many notable artists such as Joni Mitchell, Chaka Khan, Paul Simon, Cyndi Lauper, and many more. Charette is also an active author and educator, writing for Keyboard Magazine, The New York City Jazz Record, DownBeat, Electronic Musician and the Czech magazine, Muzikus. Brian teaches masterclasses all over the world and is on the faculty of the Czech Summer Jazz Workshop at Jesek Conservatory in Prague, and in NYC at The New School and 92nd Y School of Music. His first book, "101 Hammond B3 Tips", released through publisher Hal Leonard, has become very popular, as well as his videos on the website, mymusicmasterclass.com. Read more about him at www.briancharette.com 

Brian Coffill 

Dr. Brian Coffill, D.M.A., (BA Music/BS Education 2008) currently serves as  the Founding Director of Instrumental Ensembles and Assistant Professor of Music at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, where he created and conducts two innovative musical ensembles: the Randolph-Macon Ensemble and the Jazz Improvisation Laboratory. These two flexible-instrumentation ensembles upend musical norms and utilize student collaboration to creatively explore historic and modern music from across the instrumental spectrum. His primary academic interests include promoting equity and inclusion in student musical achievement, programming performances of works by historically-excluded composers, and the developing twenty-first century performance experiences for musicians and audiences alike. Still a passionate Red Sox fan after leaving New England, he also studies the links between the venerable institutions of baseball and the American wind band, and was invited to present his research at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Read more at www.briancoffill.com.

Samuel DeCaprio

Currently a C.V. Starr Doctoral Fellow at The Juilliard School, cellist Samuel DeCaprio (UConn B.M. 2012, summa cum laude) won 2018 Aldo Parisot Prize from the Yale School of Music. He has won numerous top prizes including the Arlington, Eastern Connecticut Symphony, National Federation of Music Clubs, Oneppo Chamber Music, William C. Byrd, and Windham Arts Council Young Artist competitions,and was awarded the Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music.
Recent highlights include his New York City debut on Grazyna Bacewicz's Cello Concerto No. 2 with The Juilliard Orchestra under conductor David Robertson in Alice Tully Hall, as well as notable chamber music performances at the International Musicians Seminar (UK) and the Steans Music Institute at Ravinia (Chicago). Other appearances include WQXR’s “Midday Masterpieces,” The Juilliard School’s ChamberFest and Focus Festival, the Crypt Sessions, and the Schneider Concerts at The New School, and has recorded for ECM Records and MSR Classics. Mr. DeCaprio holds degrees from UConn, Eastman, Mannes, and Yale.

Giana DiNatale

Bassist Giana DiNatale (BA Music 2020) received “Eisner Scholarship and Steinhardt Music Talent Graduate Scholarship” to pursue Masters of Music degree at New York University. Over the summer, she performed with a Big Band in Manchester, CT and began working in the Creative Department for a Marketing Agency in Rocky Hill. Giana says, ”My UConn experience has been invaluable and has prepared me with the confidence to continue on a path of success.”

Charles Eaton

Charles Eaton (BM Vocal Performance 2013) most recent pre-pandemic performance was Marcello in "La Boheme" with Lakeland Opera in Florida. Roles in 2019 included a role debut as Carl-Magnus in "A Little Night Music" with Madison Opera, the creation of two supporting roles in Minnesota Opera's world premiere of "The Fix," and his international debut as the English Ambassador in "The Ghosts of Versailles" at the Royal Opera of Versailles, located in the Château de Versailles. 
Regarding his education at UConn, he says, "I attribute much of my success to the undergraduate training I received at UConn, under the tutelage of Dr. Jeffrey McEvoy and the counsel of of Dr. Constance Rock. It provided a foundation in voice and music that readied me for graduate studies and the career beyond."

Alexandra Eckhardt

Alexandra Eckhardt (BMus Jazz Studies/BS Music Education 2011) held the bass chair for the Broadway show The Band's Visit and played on the Grammy Award winning cast album. She has performed in the orchestras for many Broadway shows including Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and Wicked, and played with Sara Bareillies on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Most recently, Alex supervised the music for the Indie film "Passing", directed by Rebecca Hall, starring Tessa Thompson and Alexander Skarsgard, and premiering at Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.

Alex Gernter

Alex Gertner (MM 2016) recorded Professor Earl MacDonald’s arrangement of “By Our Love” which will be released as a single on the Outside In Music record Label in January 2021. The piece will also appear as part of a full album entitled, “Consecrated” which will be released in June 2021. During the pandemic, Gertner invested in his own at-home studio equipment and plans to produce music throughout 2021 and beyond.

Nathan Giordano

Nathan Giordano (BA Jazz Studies 2018) graduated from Rutgers University in May of 2020 with a MM in Jazz Performance. Nathan is currently teaching and freelancing in Northern New Jersey.

Spencer Hamlin

Spencer Hamlin (BM Vocal Performance 2013, MM Vocal Performance 2016) has performed with Martina Arroyo's Prelude to Performance Program, New York City Opera, and the Bryant Park Summer Series. He has performed with Sarasota Opera as an Apprentice Artist and also the Glimmerglass Festival. Cancelled due to covid, he was scheduled to sing The Duke of Norfolk in Rossini's Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra with Odyssey Opera and was scheduled to return to Glimmerglass that summer to sing Max in The Sound of Music and Gunther in Wagner's Die Feen. Upcoming engagements include Don Jose in Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music's remote/virtual production of Carmen.

Meredith Hansen

Meredith Hansen (BA Music 1999) made her debut at The Metropolitan Opera in the 2012-13 Season, singing Woglinde in The Ring Cycle (Das Rheingold und Gotterdammerung). She is also covered Frasquita in Carmen. Meredith joined the Charlotte Symphony for two sold out performances of Carmina Burana. Past perrformances include the Poulenc Gloria with the Plymouth Philharmonic, the lead role of Beatrice in Boston Lyric Opera’s new production of John Musto’s The Inspector, Beethoven’s 9th in Greensboro, NC, a Mozart Mass, Exultate Jubilate, and an Opera Concert in Aiken, SC. www.meredithhansen.com

Christen M. Hernandez

Christen M. Hernandez (BA Music/BS Music Education 2008) is the Director of Vocal Curriculum at National Cathedral School in Washington, DC, where she directs multiple choral ensembles and teaches classroom music in grades 4-8, and advises and leads the music department in updating curricula and improving pedagogical practice across the 4-12 program. Ms. Hernandez's choirs perform regularly at the Washington National Cathedral and are in-demand in the DC metro area, having performed in venues including the National Christmas Tree, EagleBank Arena, Nationals Park, and the Kennedy Center. In 2017, she was awarded the Sarah D. Barder Fellowship through the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, which recognized her as an outstanding educator of gifted students; she was the first musician to receive this honor in the program’s 30-year history. In 2019, she received the Allnutt Award recognizing her leadership and development of the choral program at National Cathedral School. She lives with her husband, fellow Husky Dan Campolieta, a collaborative pianist and composer, in Washington, DC. 

Matt Janiszewski

Matt Janiszewski (BA Jazz Studies/BS Education 2005) received a MA in jazz studies from Rutgers in 2008. Currently, he is teaching privately in the Princeton area and performs regularly throughout the tri-state area.

Brandon Kaplan

Violist Brandon Kaplan (MM Viola Performance 2018, PC 2019) has a private strings in Rhode Island, consisting of musicians spanning all ages. He also started this academic year as a new addition to the private teaching faculty at the prestigious Pomfret School, teaching both violin and viola. Brandon just completed his fifth year adjudicating for both CMEA's All-State Music Festival and NEMFA orchestras. Although this has been a tough year for many, Brandon continues to play with the Amari String Quartet based out of Southern RI. Most recently, they are working on recordings of Beethoven and Mozart with funding through the Rhode Island Council for the Arts.

Sarah Kaufold

Sarah Kaufold is an experienced conductor, music educator, and singer and is the Founding and Artistic Director for Consonare Choral Community (consonare-sing.org), a nonprofit organization based in the Storrs-Mansfield, CT area working to build community through choral music, where she currently directs:  Voices of Concinnity, a professional chamber ensemble of singers from diverse backgrounds, and Choir Matrix Women's Ensemble, a community choir open to all self-identified women. Voices of Concinnity and Choir Matrix are both recipients of the 2020 Alfred Nash Patterson Grant and have continued to sing and share music with the community during the pandemic.
Sarah holds a Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from University of Connecticut with extensive graduate study in choral conducting from California State University, Los Angeles, studying conducting under Donald Brinegar, James Spillane, William Belan, and Iris Levine.  She obtained a B.A. in Psychology from Cal Poly Pomona where she also began her studies as a choral conductor. Sarah has directed choirs for singers of all ages, range of abilities, and in a number of settings, which include: church choral programs for children and adults, teaching middle and high school, collegiate choirs, adult community programs, and now at the professional level.  She has served as music director in numerous churches since 2000 and is now at First Church of Mansfield.

Anthony Leathem

Anthony Leathem (DMA Vocal Performance 2018) is currently teaching in a tenure-track position at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN where he teaches a full studio of undergraduates in voice as well as lyric diction and an advanced performance class. He has performed at the Metropolitan Opera as a member of the auxiliary chorus for the last three seasons and have performed principal roles in multiple productions with the Fargo-Moorhead Opera. His area of research is early 20th century Italian voice pedagogy and he is currently in the midst of translating an Italian book detailing the life and teachings of Marcello Del Monaco, which will be published worldwide electronically through Amazon. 

Dylan Lomangino

Violist Dylan Lomangino (BM Viola Performance 2014) currently holds the position of Music Director and Conductor of the Northeast Connecticut Community Orchestra based in Ashford, CT.  He teaches elementary and middle school orchestra at Riverside Magnet School and Connecticut River Academy Middle Grades Program, a string program that he started in 2018.  Dylan lives in Bloomfield but is a native of Farmington where he still teaches during the summer at the Suzuki String Academy.  In addition to teaching, Dylan plays viola in the CT Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Beth El Symphony Orchestra. 

William Longo

William Longo (BA 2002) recently completed his DMA in Jazz Composition at the University of Miami. He is currently teaching Jazz and Commercial Music Composition at the University of Rhode Island and Providence College, where he has also designed a newly-approved degree program in Music Technology and Production.

Joshua May

Dr. Joshua May (DMA Vocal Performance 2014) is an Assistant Professor of Voice and the Director of Opera Activities at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University in Columbus, GA. He has performed in recital and as a soloist across the United States with recent solo engagements that include Bach's Magnificat and Cantata 140 with the Marquette Choral Society and the opera role of 'Rinuccio' in Gianni Schicchi. In 2020, he was selected as a national finalist for the Charles Nelson Reilly Prize for Stage Directors in both opera and musical theatre by the American Prize. He served as an opera directing fellow at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival and as a resident artist with Pittsburgh Festival Opera. Lastly, he has presented his research at the National Opera Association, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Lilly Conference, and the College Music Society. 

Justin McManus

Justin McManus (BA Music/BS Music Education, 2011; MM 2013) has accepted the position of Assistant Band Director at the University of Notre Dame.  At Notre Dame, his responsibilities will include assisting with the 380-member “Band of the Fighting Irish”, Varsity Pep Bands, co-conducting instrumental ensembles, and assisting with undergraduate courses.  His duties will also include various administrative and logistical aspects within both the band program and music department.

Steve McArdle

Since graduating, Steven McArdle (BA Jazz Studies 2018) moved to New Jersey where he completed a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance from the Mason Gross School of the Arts, while working professionally as a performer and educator.

Myles Mocarski

Violinist Myles Mocarski (BA Music 2016) is currently pursuing a DMA degree at the University of Maryland, where he holds an ensemble assistantship under the direction of Dr. James Stern. In addition to his studies, Myles has grown his online presence in his private violin studio since the start of the pandemic. He currently maintains a studio of over 30 violin students of varying ages and levels of ability across the United States, from Montana to Florida to Maui!

Michael O'Callaghan

Michael O’Callaghan (BA Music 2016) recently completed his MM in Music Composition from New York University where he was awarded a Steinhardt Creative Projects Grant and the Paul Simon Scholarship. He is currently working on a new album and teaching middle school music.”

Matt Rescsanski

Cellist Matt Rescsanski (BA Cello Performance/BS Music Education 2015, MA Education 2016) is teaching strings at Marvin Elementary school and Nathan Hale Middle School in Norwalk, and, pre-pandemic, he played with Connecticut orchestras in Wallingford, Waterbury and New Britain.

Tim Riley

Tim Riley (BM Horn Performance 2006) has been a touring member with the North American production of The Lion King since 2017. Previously, he was acting 2nd horn with The Florida Orchestra. He received his MM in Horn Performance from Cleveland Institute of Music and his AD from Yale School of Music.

Brian Roach

Violinist Brian Roach  (BA Music 2018, PC Violin Performance 2019) is pursuing his Masters Degree at the Texas Tech University, where he received graduate teaching assistantship award. He plays in Lubbock Symphony Orchestra (first violin section) and co-led 2019 Esker Festival Orchestra.

Mark Small

Mark Small (BMus 1997) recently released a record on bandcamp that can be found at https://marksmall.bandcamp.com/album/one-day. He is currently living, performing, and teaching in Miami, FL.

Mai Vestergaard

Violinist Mai Vestergaard (BM 2020) is currently pursuing a dual-degree Master in Public Health and Doctor of Pharmacy Studies with aspirations to pursue a Pharmacy Administration career. She is also frequently collaborating with local musicians to perform chamber music in the community. She is currently teaching beginning violin lessons, researching the impact of COVID-19 and access to healthcare services, and administering COVID-19 vaccinations at UConn Health and Yale. 

Nick Trautmann

Nick Trautmann (BM Music Theory / BA Jazz Studies 2014) is a bassist, music educator, and collaborator living in NYC. Nick's latest work is in Brooklyn-based progressive soul band Valipala's latest release "Bubble".

Eric Wagner

Eric Wagner (BA Music 1999) is an in-demand freelance drummer and educator living in Poughkeepsie, New YorkHaving recorded and performed in and around New York City at various jazz clubs his experience also includes performances with many big bands, combos, and rock groups throughout the country. As a pit percussionist he has worked professionally with musical companies including Princess Cruise Lines. While in college he performed regularly with the wind ensembles, orchestra, and traveled the U.S. with the UConn Pep band and UConn Marching Band at such major events as the 1996 World Series at Yankee Stadium, halftime show for an NFL game in Buffalo NY, and the 1999 NCAA Final Four and Championship Basketball Games. He was a member of the 1994 Connecticut All-State Jazz Ensemble as the #1 drum set performer in Connecticut. Eric has been a jazz-teaching assistant at Frederick Douglas Academy in New York City. www.ericwagner.net

Colin Walters

Colin Walters (BS Music Education/BA Jazz Studies 2014, MA Education Curriculum & Instruction 2015) is currently studying at The Juilliard School, anticipating his MM Jazz Studies 2021. He recently collaborated with the legendary iconic Italian fashion house Fendi in their Anima Mundi Series. This series showcases the intersection between art, music, and fashion to celebrate the unifying power of creativity. In reflection, Colin states that, "It is incredibly significant for a brand like Fendi to highlight the intersection between music and fashion because these art forms amplify and influence each other organically. Fendi provided a space to spotlight our talents and bring together cinematography, fashion, and wardrobe styling that elevated our musical performance."