music > alumni
ALUMNI
Whether you were a music major or your major was in another field but you participated in any of our ensembles, you’re always welcome.
The 'events' page has a listing of Music Department concerts and performances. All Music Department concerts are free and open to the public. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you might be coming to any of our performances. If you do attend one of our concerts, please visit with us afterwards. As you can see, we are continuing our strong tradition of offering rather diverse programming which provides our students with excellent opportunities to learn and gather performance experience, and provides our community wonderfully enriching and entertaining concerts. You helped pave the way and we extend our thanks. We hope to see you there.
In the following section we highlight Music Department alumni. We would enjoy hearing from you. Send an updated bio (and photo, if you'd like) to Stephen Futrell, department chair.
PROFILES
Steve Harper began study of the violin at the age of eight and studied with both Dr. Edgar Alden at the University of North Carolina and Dr. Malvin Artley at Elon College (now Elon University). He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in performance in 1971.
Past musical affiliations include the Eastern Music Festival, Roanoke Symphony (for more than 15 years), Salisbury Symphony, Tar River Symphony, North Carolina Chamber Orchestra, Lynchburg Symphony and the Florida International Music Institute where the London Symphony was in summer residence and where he performed under the batons of such notables as Jasha Horenstein, Sir Arthur Bliss, Sir Geoffrey Gilbert and Andre Previn.
Steve's current musical affiliations include the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra where he has held the position of Principal Second Violin since 1994, the Winston-Salem Piedmont Triad Symphony and the Carolina Chamber Symphony. He performs with a number of local educational string ensembles as well as playing violin and viola for weddings and church services in Piedmont North Carolina.
Steve lives in Burlington, NC with his wife, Mikki, a former member of the Greensboro Symphony cello section, and his son Steven, JR., who is completing his junior year in the School of Architecture at Virginia Tech.
Steve is the president of Winfred C. Harper Agency, inc., an insurance agency in Burlington and also owns a violin shop, Artley Violins, located in downtown Gibsonville, NC.
Tim Hill ('91) maintains an active singing and teaching career. He has performed with a variety of companies, including Santa Fe Opera, Utah Opera, Shreveport Opera, New Jersey Concert Opera, Hudson Opera Theater, Theatre Evreaux (Evreaux, France), New Jersey Verismo Opera Association and New York Chamber Opera. In the past two years, he has shared the stage with operatic greats Mark Delevan, Natalie Dessay, Patricia Racette, Susan Graham, and Antony Michaels-Moore.
His widely varied repertoire include roles in Tosca, Simon Boccanegra, Turandot, Barber of Seville, Lucia di Lammermoor, Le Nozze di Figaro, La Boheme, Sweeney Todd, Beatrice and Benedict, and Into the Woods. Tim teaches "Voice and Speech for the Stanislavsky Actor" at the New School for Drama (formerly the Actors Studio Drama School) in New York City.
He has also been on the faculties of UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina Wesleyan College. Tim will be appearing with the Elon University Chorale in the performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem on November the 11th at 7:30 pm in McCrary Theater.
Addison Choate "Buddy" Himes graduated from Elon in 1973. After graduation he served as band director at Bluefield West Virginia before attending the University of North Texas where he earned the Master of Music degree in 1976, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1984.
Today, Dr. Himes is Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University. He is recognized as a conference presenter and panelist, having presented for the National Association for Humanities Education, the Association for Technology in Music Instruction and the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). Moreover, within NASM he was elected to the Board of Directors in 2002 and serves as a visiting evaluator for the Commission on Accreditation.
His publications may be found in Academic Leader, Department Chair Online Resource Center of the American Council on Education, the Kappa Delta Pi Record, and the Record in Educational Leadership. Earlier publications, in the Journal of the International Trombone Association and The Instrumentalist, include over twenty articles on psychoacoustics, pedagogy, and performance of the trombone.
He also serves as the President of the Rotary Club of Lafayette.
Dr. Himes' e-mail address is himes@louisiana.edu. He welcomes contacts from alumni, classmates, or potential Elon students or parents.
Patrick Winters is the Director of Bands and Music Department Chair at Eastern Washington University where he conducts the wind ensemble, teaches conducting and courses in music education. Mr. Winters combines his broad experience as a university conductor and teacher with his experience as a successful high school director. His high school ensembles in Virginia and California achieved an impressive record of competitive and festival performances, as well as tours through the eastern and western United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan. Mr. Winters has established a band program at Eastern Washington University that is one of the finest and most active in the Northwest. Concert, marching and jazz groups regularly perform throughout the Northwest United States and Western Canada. His EWU Wind Ensemble’s first compact disc is entitled CELEBRATIONS has received wide acclaim. The group can also be heard on SOUNDSCAPES, PRISMS and MILLENIUM CD, the EWU Music Department’s three compact discs. In 1994, Mr. Winters received the PTI Outstanding Faculty Award for excellence in teaching. In 1998, he was awarded the Washington Music Educator’s Association Outstanding Music Educator Award. In 2000, he was inducted into the W.M.E.A. Hall of Fame. Mr. Winters’ article Building Ensemble Musicianship For Your Concert Band appears in “Spotlight On Teaching Band,” published by M.E.N.C.
Mr. Winters holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Elon University and a Master of Music Education degree from California State University.
Mr. Winters is in demand throughout the country as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator. As co-president of International Marching Clinics, he leads numerous workshops for marching band directors and students each summer. Patrick lives in Spokane, Washington with his wife Joyce and their three children Brittany, Danica, and Zach.
Leonard Rowe is enjoying a successful career in opera. In 2002 he made his debut at the New York City Opera in the title role in Porgy and Bess. He later repeated the role in Berlin, Amsterdam and Munich. He has performed various roles throughout the US and is a frequent solist with many of the country's finest symphony orchestras. Leonard makes his home in Mocksville, NC.
Andrew Hendryx: Author, recording artist, freelance jazz mandolin player, New York City. (www.myspace.com/andrewhendryx)
Kevin Pace: Jazz bassist, recording artist, educator, performances with David "Fathead" Newman, DC Metro area. (www.kevinpace.com)
Brad Linde: Jazz saxophonist, educator, co-ordinator Take Five performing arts series (includes jazz) at the University of Maryland. (www.bradlinde.com)
Michael Capps: Director of Bands at A.L. Standback Middle School, Hillsborough, NC where he received the teacher of the year award and started a jazz program. Ensemble performances at MENC Conferences.
Jon Rahilly: Completed masters at University of Oklahoma. DMA in progress at UNC-Greensboro.
Mary Brozina: Music Director, Lakes Region Summer Theater (summers, Meredith NH), Music Director Naples Dinner Theater (Naples, FL), Accompanist, Oklahoma City University, Music Director Lyric Theater and City Rep Theater (Oklahoma City), and Music Director University of Central Oklahoma Jazz Lab. Performances for Governor of Oklahoma.
TJ Jackson: Saxophone instructor, US Army School of Music, Norfolk, VA.
Mac Campbell: Operations Manager for The Music Center at Strathmore Hall (MD) where he organizes and schedules jazz concerts and helps promote jazz events like the East Coast Jazz Festival.
Cecelia Thompson: Special Projects Co-ordinator for the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro (NC) where she promotes jazz performances.
Kristen Robeson: Choir Director, Henry E. Lackey High School in Charles County, MD.
Megan Kelley: Band Director at Turrentine Middle School, Burlington, NC where she founded a new jazz program.
David Smith: Music Teacher, South Mebane Elementary and Director of Music Ministries at Burlington's First Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Completed Masters Degree in Music at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro.
Wynsor Smith: Music Teacher, North Graham Elementary. Original member of Church Street Brass, a Burlington based Brass Quintet. Entering Graduate School for a degree in Arts Management.