Meet our Faculty

Beth Porter (Chair)

Beth Cram Porter has been appointed Chair of the Department of Music & Art, after serving as Interim Chair of the department since July of 2007, . Beth Cram Porter teaches studio voice and directs the Women's Choir at Cedarville. An accomplished soprano soloist with a distinguished career on the stage, Porter was recently invited to be the featured soloist at the White House Day of Prayer ceremony where she sang for President George W. Bush and his invited guests. She has toured abroad as a soloist with the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, and since 2003 has been a member of the Oregon Bach Festival Choir under the direction of Maestro Helmuth Rilling. Mrs. Porter received her M.A. degree from Western Carolina University and has been at Cedarville since 1997.

Connie Anderson

Mrs. Connie Anderson serves as the director of the Keyboard Pedagogy Program. She maintains an active presence in both the World and International Piano Pedagogy Conferences and writes for Keyboard Companion. Mrs. Anderson maintains a large private piano studio. She received her M.M. from Wright State University in 1994 and has been at Cedarville full-time since 1999.

Lyle Anderson

Dr. Anderson serves as Coordinator of Choral Studies and conducts the Concert Chorale and Men's Glee Club.  He is an authority on choral conducting and theory pedagogy and is active as a choral clinician and guest conductor throughout the midwest.  He earned his Ph. D. in music theory from The Ohio State University in 1977 and has been at Cedarville since 1970.

Terry Chamberlain

Mr. Chamberlain is a highly respected member of the Ohio art community and oversees the Art program which resides in the Department of Music and Art. Cedarville now offers two visual art majors: Graphic Design and Studio Art. In addition, minors in Graphic Design and Studio Art are also available. Mr. Chamberlain received his M.A. degree from Bob Jones University in 1972 and has been at Cedarville since 1996.

Charles Clevenger

Dr. Clevenger teaches studio piano to music majors and the core course on the arts, Introduction to the Humanities, which all students in the university take.  In addition to his teaching, he maintains a full concert schedule that takes him around the country.  Dr. C is also a painter, and has taught elective courses in the Art program.  You may view his work on his commercial web address: www.clevengerstudios.com. He received his D.M.A. from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music in 1985 and has been at Cedarville since 1982.

Bruce Curlette

Dr. Curlette serves as a member of the Music Theory faculty and is an accomplished clarinetist.   Prior to his tenure here at Cedarville, he was a member of the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestra.   He received his M.M. degree in Clarinet Performance from Eastman School of Music in 1981 and his D.M.A. degree in Clarinet Performance from The Ohio State University in 1991. Dr. Curlette has studied with James M. Pyne, D. Stanley Hasty, Gervase de Peyer, Carl H. C. Anderson and has been on the Cedarville University music faculty since 2001.

Michael DiCuirci

Mr. DiCuirci serves as the director of the Cedarville University Symphonic Band and founder of the Jackets Pep Band. He also serves as Coordinator of Instrumental Ensembles for the Music Department. He is an experienced music educator, author of two beginning band method books, and is a trombone and euphonium artist. Currently, he is serving as the part-time Minister of Music at Faircreek Church in Fairborn, Ohio. He received his M.M. from the University of Michigan and has been at Cedarville since 1979.

Laura Ferranti

Mrs. Laura Ferranti received her B.M.E. and M.M. degrees from Louisiana State University. Her elementary music teaching experience includes 5 years as a music specialist, K-5, in Baton Rouge, LA and Miamisburg, OH. She received her Orff-Schulwerk Level I Certification Training from Miami University in Oxford, OH. Mrs. Ferranti serves as Assistant Professor of Music where her responsibilities include teaching courses in elementary music education, aural skills, supervising student teachers, and serving as the faculty advisor for the collegiate chapter of The National Association for Music Education (MENC). Mrs. Ferranti joined the Cedarville University music faculty in 2006.

Taylor Ferranti

Dr. Ferranti, who earned his D.M.A. degree from Louisiana State University in 2004, is one of our newest faculty members and teaches voice, voice class, opera workshop and vocal pedagogy. An accomplished tenor, he also has a strong interest in voice science and pedagogy.

Timothy Frame

Tim Frame has over 18 years of experience in graphic design and visual communications. His broad range of experience includes the design of corporate identity systems, retail graphic programs, environmental graphics, as well as advertising, packaging, and publication design. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Morehead State University and has done graduate work at Western Carolina University. He has been at Cedarville since 2003.

Aaron Gosser

Aaron Gosser holds a BA in Fine Art from Goshen College and has worked throughout the Midwestern United States and Europe. He has been at Cedarville since 2005.

Jun Kim

Professor Kim serves as assistant professor in violin and is the conductor of the Cedarville University Orchestra and has played numerous recitals and concerts throughout the United States and Canada. He has also played in masterclasses of Cho-liang Lin, Pamela Frank, Federico Agostini, and Sergiu Schwartz. He has won prizes and awards including the Starling Competition, the CCM Concerto Competition, and the Tuesday Musical Competition of Akron. Professor Kim is also the recipient of the Aspen Music Festival Fellowship, British Columbia Cultural Scholarship, and the Peabody Merit Scholarship, among others. Professor Kim earned a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Music from Indiana University, and an Artist Diploma in Violin from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). He is currently completing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance with an orchestral conducting cognate at CCM. Professor Kim has served as violin teaching assistant to Dr. Won-Bin Yim at CCM and the Aspen Music Festival, and he has served as violin faculty in CCM's preparatory department. His teachers include Won-Bin Yim, Miriam Fried, Victor Danchenko, and Ik-hwan Bae.

David Matson

Dr. Matson is a musicologist, experienced choral director, minister of music, lecturer on the humanities, and reviewer of University textbooks. He received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 1978 and has been at Cedarville since 1965.

John Mortensen

Dr. John Mortensen received his D.M.A. from the University of Maryland and has served at Cedarville since 1995. He specializes in performing piano literature of the Romantic era as well as Bach transcriptions. His students learn a natural and coordinated approach to piano technique which prevents injury and allows for unprecedented freedom and facility at the keyboard.

Roger O'Neel

Dr. O'Neel is the director of Church Music programs. He has served for 11 years as a full-time minister for worship and has a wealth of experience and knowledge in all aspects of traditional and contemporary worship. He received his Ph.D. in Music Theory from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996 and has been at Cedarville University since 2002

Charles Pagnard

Mr. Pagnard serves as the conductor of the Cedarville University Brass Choir and teaches studio trumpet. He is also the principal trumpet of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, section trumpet in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's summer pops series, and a member of the Carillon Brass Quintet. He received his M.M. degree from the Eastman School of Music and has been at Cedarville since 1977.

Mark Spencer

Dr. Spencer teaches private voice and brings a wide range of vocal experience, including oratorio, opera, and musical theater, to the department. He is an experienced Minister of Music and concert artist. He received his D.M.A. degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has been at Cedarville since 1993.

Daniel Sternsher

Professor Sternsher serves as Assistant Professor of Design and Digital Imaging. Over 20 years of experience in commercial photography, graphic design, instructional design, and technical writing have allowed him to work for a variety of corporate clients.  In addition to designing various printed marketing pieces and several B2B web sites, Professor Sternsher has developed training programs and conducted usability analysis and testing for corporate intranets.  He co-advises the Cedarville Photography Club, is a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, and enjoys digital photography in his spare time.  Professor Sternsher received his M.Ed. in Career and Technology Education and his B.S. of Technology in Design from Bowling Green State University.  He has completed additional professional education courses at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  He has been teaching at Cedarville since 2001.

Steven Winteregg

Dr. Winteregg, who earned his D.M.A. degree from The Ohio State University in 1987, serves as professor of composition. Dr. Winteregg is an award-winning composer and has had many of his compositions performed around the world. He has also served as Principal Tuba in the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. He joined the Cedarville University faculty in 2004.