Class Notes: 2000s
Below are archived updates for Music alumni graduating in the 2000s. Visit the Recent Alumni Updates page for current news.
Christina Bianchi, '09 I started an MBA program at Georgetown University this fall and am working at the Transportation Security Administration. (10/15/12)
Jacob Charron, '09 I am a third-year student at the University of Connecticut School of Law in Hartford, CT, and I expect to graduate in May 2012. I have explored various fields of law and am working currently as a Tax Law Clerk for Valassis Communications, Inc. in Windsor, CT. Despite veering away from music in my professional life, I still play piano and read (ethno)musicology publications whenever I have the chance. (1/13/12)
Lauren Estes, '09 I'm currently in my first year of my Master's degree program in choral conducting at Syracuse University and loving it! (3/05/12)
Kristi Lee, Ph.D., ’09 earned tenure and promotion to Associate Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Seattle University. (5/20/2016)
Katie Hidalgo Pierce, '09 I am currently the Choral Director at Westfield High School in Fairfax County, VA. After graduating from W&M, I attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received my Masters of Arts in Teaching in Music Education. I moved back up to Northern Va, got married in 2011, and for two years taught Middle School Chorus as well as Music to Pre-K Special Education students. I moved to Westfield High School for the 2012 - 2013 school year, and I'm loving every minute of it! It's wonderful being able to reassure kids that there are places out there like W&M where you can pursue various interests while participating fully in the music department. (10/10/12)
Katie Reilly, '08 Hi W&M music department! I am now working as the marketing manager at Darlington Arts Center, a non-profit, community arts center outside of Philadelphia. We provide classes, workshops, and events in music, dance, drama, & art for people of all ages. http://www.darlingtonarts.org. If you are ever in the area (we are located in Delaware County, about 20 miles South of Philly), please feel free to stop by! Hope to see you soon! - Katie Reilly katie@darlingtonarts.org (10/15/12)
Sarah McClure, '07 After earning an MM in Choral Conducting at East Carolina University ('10), I spent two years at Montgomery County Community College outside Philadelphia, PA teaching music history and conducting a small choir. Before getting married this past spring, I moved to Kansas City, MO to join my husband. I am now Director of Music at an American Baptist Church in Kansas and am Assistant Conductor of the Midwest Chamber Ensemble, an orchestra started in 2012 by my husband and me. I am thinking about a DMA in Choral Conducting or a PhD in Musicology depending on the direction life takes us. I continue to sing in several choirs and often think very fondly of singing in Women's Chorus and Botetourts with Dr. Bartlett. Since I was a band kid in high school, I'm forever grateful for all the great music we sang at W&M! (10/23/2013)
Laura Smith, '07 After spending two years in Spain following graduation from William and Mary, Laura moved to DC in 2009 and recently completed her M.A. in Arts Management with a focus on Cultural Policy at American University. This past fall she took a few months "off" and traveled around Europe and North Africa: a month in Morocco, two months in France, and a month in Spain. She is looking forward to beginning her yearly work at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Laura hopes to see some fellow WMers there. Go Tribe! (1/10/12)
Jeremy Wacksman, '07 I am in India for a year of public health technology-related field work. Prior to that I spent almost four years working as a researcher for the Navy. While living in DC I was able to nurture my musical side by teaching beginning piano at a local arts center and occassionally meeting up and playing with other musicians I know from W&M's Middle Eastern Music Ensemble. Hopefully India will provide ample opportunity to exercise the ethnomusicology skills I gained in the music department! I am planning to return to Virginia in 2013 to continue pursuing a career in public health research. (2/6/12)
Justin Hazelgrove, '06 After graduating from W&M, I completed both the MM and DMA in Choral Conducting at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro's School of Music, Theater, and Dance. While a graduate student, I served as assistant conductor of the University Chamber Singers, conductor of the Men's Glee Club, and instructor of undergraduate choral conducting. In a professional capacity, I have served as Interim Director of Choral Music at the 4500-member Centenary United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, NC, Director of Choral Music at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC, Assistant Conductor of the Triad region's premier choral ensemble, the Bel Canto Company, Assistant Conductor of the Greensboro Choral Society, and Choir Director at Konnoak Hills Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, NC. Driven by a deep interest in Swedish choral tradition and pedagogy, I relocated to Sweden in Summer 2012. During my time as a music major at the College, I was a member of the Choir, the Botetourt Chamber Singers, the Opera Workshop, and Delta Omicron. I studied voice with Mary Fletcher and Ryan Fletcher and piano with Judy Zwelling. These experiences left me well-prepared to pursue graduate work in music. (3/26/2013)
Chandler Moore, '06 After graduating from William & Mary, I taught in a public high school in Richmond for four years, and then worked for a year as a job coach with VCU. In September 2011 I moved to the Big Easy to begin a master's degree in musicology at Tulane University, with an emphasis on the music of New Orleans. I absolutely love being immersed in the music and culture of New Orleans - it is a must-see, must-experience city for any music lover! Along the way I have kept up and played with members of the Middle Eastern Music and Southern Appalachian Ensembles. (2/6/12)
Nichole Francisco, '05 While at William and Mary, I was involved with the Opera Ensemble while taking voice lessons with Ryan Fletcher. I also really enjoyed a great class with Anne Rasmussen. Since leaving William and Mary in 2005, I have completed an MBA in 2007 and gone on to work as Finance Director of a nonprofit. I really love my job, and I still sing from time to time with hopes to record a vocal album in the near future. I hope to connect with the Music Department at one of the homecomings in the future. I had a great time at William and Mary! (5/10/12)
Derek Power, '05 In addition to the day-to-day survival routine, I've been working on a two-prong creative career in both music and film. On the music side, I initiated and maintained a music project called The Spangle Maker. The style is eclectic as it reflects various moods and tastes. On the film side, I've written three scripts for a loose trilogy called "The Relationship Triptych" where each film focuses on a couple living in the Boston area. The individual films are: On Nights Like This, All That We Are and Walk in Silence. More things cooking and simmering at the moment. (3/05/12)
Anna Grau, '03 I finished my PhD in musicology in 2010 and have been teaching classes at DePaul University and the University of Illinois, Chicago. I live in Chicago with my husband, Thomas Schmidt ('03) and our daughter Charlotte. (5/24/2013)
Lillie Gordon, '02 I'm currently busy wrapping up my Ph.D. in ethnomusicology at UC Santa Barbara. Since moving out here in 2003, I've continued pursuing Middle Eastern music, an interest I discovered while playing in the William and Mary Middle Eastern Music Ensemble with Prof. Anne Rasmussen. I'm an active member of the ensemble here at UCSB, and have traveled to Egypt multiple times for my dissertation research (once on a Fulbright-Hays fellowship). My dissertation deals with the role of violin players in different periods of Arab Art music in Egypt throughout the twentieth century. I'm also happy to be playing more Scottish and Irish music again, although these days I normally don't wear a bonnet while doing so (as I did during my stint in the CW taverns). (2/7/12)
Deborah Justice, '02 Since graduating from William and Mary, I have been pursuing my doctoral degree in ethnomusicology. I first spent six months living and working in Cairo, Egypt. Upon returning to the States, I earned my masters in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University where I wrote a thesis on hammered dulcimer scenes on the US East coast under the supervision of Mark Slobin. Then, I enrolled in the doctoral program at Indiana University. After finishing my coursework and fieldwork (in Nashville, TN), I moved to Germany to join my husband, who was finishing his degree in laser physics. In addition to learning German, teaching English part-time, and playing lots of hammered dulcimer with local folk musicians, I'm currently in the final stages of my dissertation revisions. (2/7/12)
Richard Lauw, '02 I currently reside back home in Vienna, Austria where I opened my own audio post- production studio working as a film composer and sounddesigner. My work is featured worldwide in over 60 TV shows and feature films including primetime shows such as American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, The Sing Off, as well as various documentary shows on The Discovery Channel, History Channel, TLC, etc. My trailer music appears regularly on most major US & European TV networks, including NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN, BBC. Together with my team, I also provide audio solutions for commercials and businesses. Clients include, Red Bull, TNT Parcel Service, The City of Vienna, etc. I have a 3-year-old daughter who does not like it when I play the piano. For more information, feel free to visit my website www.reeltracks.at (8/28/12)
Benjamin Hedin, '01 I have recently started a podcast series; one can find the first episode and subscribe here. The forum is writers and musicians talking about other writers and musicians. There should be lots of great guests forthcoming. (10/10/12)
