Meet Our Faculty
Beth Porter (Chair)
Beth Cram Porter has been appointed chair of the Department of Music, Art, and Worship 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.
Lori Akins
Lori Akins is principal flutist with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, flutist with the Ohio Valley Symphony Orchestra, and is an associate musician with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Mrs. Akins earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree and Master of Music degree in flute performance from The Ohio State University. She serves on the faculties at Cedarville University, Heidelberg College, and Wittenberg University where she teaches flute and directs flute choirs. In addition, she is a recitalist on the faculty performing artist series at each institution. Prior to these appointments, she taught at Capital University and Muskingum College. Mrs. Akins maintains a private flute studio and is a frequent adjudicator, flute clinician, and freelance flutist throughout Ohio. She has performed at the 2007 Albuquerque National Flute Association Convention and is currently Secretary of the NFA, also having served as General Competitions Coordinator.
Connie Anderson
Connie Anderson serves as the director of the keyboard pedagogy program. She is a nationally certified teacher of OMTA/MTNA and administrates a large private piano studio. She has been involved in church ministry with her husband and is an active adjudicator for the National Guild Auditions, National Federation of Music Clubs, and Ohio ACSI. She maintains an active presence at both the World Piano Pedagogy Conference and National Keyboard Pedagogy Conference. Earning her undergraduate degree from Cedarville College and an M.M. from Wright State University in 1994, she has taught 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.
Judy Bede
Pianist, organist, adjudicator, and teacher, Judy Bede is a Nationally Certified teacher of OMTA/MTNA, holding a B.M. degree from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN. She serves as adjunct in the Piano Pedagogy Directed Teaching Program. She maintains a large studio of piano students in the Dayton area, teaching both private and group lessons. In addition to her work as church organist at Fairmont Presbyterian Church, Kettering, she serves as accompanist for numerous soloists.
Charles Clevenger
Dr. Clevenger teaches studio piano to music majors and the core course on the arts, Introduction to the Humanities, which all students of 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 site: 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.
Janelle Criner
Mezzo-soprano Janelle Criner serves as adjunct professor of voice. Ms. Criner has been a featured soloist in performances of Vivaldi’s Gloria, Saint Saens Christmas Oratorio, Vivaldi’s Magnificat, Handel’s Messiah, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Her opera and operetta repertoire include the roles of Tisbe in La Cenerentola, Amastris in Orfeo ed Euridice, Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore, Baroness in Candide, and Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance. She is a graduate of Cedarville University (B.M.), where she studied with Mark Spencer and Beth Porter, and The Ohio State University (M.M.), where she studied with Robin Rice. Janelle brings with her over four years of private studio teaching experience and is an active artist in the Columbus and Dayton area.
Bruce Curlette
Dr. Curlette is an active recitalist and pedagogue who has performed venues such as the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium and has taught at James M. Pyne's clarinet studio at The Ohio State University while Pyne was on sabbatical. Prior to his tenure at Cedarville, Dr. Curlette 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, and Carl H.C. Anderson and has been on the Cedarville music faculty since 2001.
Sheridan Currie
Sheridan Kamberger Currie is the principal violist of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed as chamber musician throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, and has performed as soloist with numerous orchestras since her concerto debut in 1997. In 1998, Mrs. Currie was the Time Warner String Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival, and was the winner of the Nakamichi Viola Concerto Competition there. Other competition awards include first prize in the 1998 Geraldine B. Gee International Viola Competition, where she also won second prize in 1995 and 1997. Currie has a passion for performing chamber music. From 2000 to 2005, she was a member of the Lake String Quartet. A founding member of the Masala String Quartet, she enjoyed working closely with such composers as Bruce Adolphe, Gerhard Samuel, John Corigliano, and Evan Chambers. In addition to world premiere performances of works by Adolphe and Samuel, the Masala Quartet gave the European premiere of Chambers' First String Quartet. Mrs. Currie has also recorded twentieth century music on the Vienna Modern Masters label. After earning her Bachelor of Music degree at the Peabody Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Baltimore Symphony principal violist Richard Field, she moved to Cincinnati where she studied extensively with Masao Kawasaki and Catharine Carroll at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. During that period, she earned a Masters degree and also served as teaching assistant for the Kawasaki/Carroll viola studio. Sheridan enjoys teaching viola and violin privately, and is currently an Adjunct Instructor at Cedarville University, where she teaches viola and has coached chamber music.
Jacquelyn Davis
Jackie Davis received her B.M. degree in harp performance from the University of Florida and did her graduate work in harp performance at the University of Cincinnati, College Conservatory of Music. She has been a Visiting Instructor of harp at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio since 1992, and is also an Adjunct Instructor of harp at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jackie is currently principal harpist with the Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra. She has served as principal harpist with the Middletown Symphony Orchestra and second harpist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. She continues to perform as an extra player for all these organizations. Jackie maintains an active freelance schedule, playing for touring artists and Broadway shows in the greater Cincinnati area.
Michael DiCuirci
Mr. DiCuirci serves as the director of the 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 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.
Michael DiCuirci
Mike DiCuirci, Jr. earned a B.A. in tuba performance from Cedarville University and a M.A. in low brass studies from The Ohio State University, under James Akins. After completing his masters degree, Michael has been working as a freelance musician and teacher in the Columbus, OH area. Currently he is professor of low brass at Heidelberg College, Cedarville University and Otterbein College. Michael has performed all over the country as a guest soloist and featured recitalist. He is a member of the nationally recognized Brass Band of Columbus. Michael also plays electric and upright basses in jazz and rock ensembles and has studied with Chris Berg, Andy Woodson and Eddie Brookshire.
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.
Mary Fetherston
Mary Davis Fetherston holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory and the College-Conservatory of the University of Cincinnati. She is featured as soloist in the Dayton Philharmonic's recent recording of William Bolcom's Daedalus, and her playing and arrangements can be heard on Lyrica's disk, A Crystal Spring, released in October 2003. Mary teaches at Cedarville University, maintains studios in Granville and Clintonville, and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at The Ohio State University. In her free time Mary enjoys reading, cycling, and spending time with her husband, Tom, and her son, Daniel.
John Filbrun
John attended Wright State University as a music performance major from 1984-1985. He graduated from Musician's Institute in Hollywood, CA in 1987. He has been a private guitar instructor since 1988 and currently teaches at McCutcheon's Music Studios located in Centerville, OH. he has performed with numerous bands and a solo guitarists since 1988.
Lisa Grove
Lisa Grove is principal oboist with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Symphony's Woodwind Quintet. She has performed in orchestras throughout Ohio including the Columbus Symphony, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, Canton Symphony and Ohio Valley Symphony. Lisa also teaches oboe at Wittenberg University. She received bachelors degrees in both music education and performance at The Ohio State University and a masters degree at Carnegie Mellon University. Her teachers were Robert Sorton and Cindy DeAlmeida. Lisa has also performed in such venues as Symphony Hall and Carnegie Hall while in graduate school.
Amy Hutchison
Amy Hutchison has been teaching and performing piano for over 25 years. Her teaching venues have included The Ohio State University, Cedarville University, Clark State Community College, and Amy's Piano Studio. She has been actively involved in church worship ministries for many years, and is currently serving with the Axis Worship Ministry at her local church. Her undergraduate degree is in piano performance and she has a master’s degree in piano pedagogy from the Ohio State University (2002).
Austin Jaquith
Dr. Jaquith recently joined the Cedarville faculty as Assistant Professor of Theory and Composition. Having received degrees in composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music (B.M), University of Houston (M.M), and Indiana University (D.M), Dr. Jaquith is passionate about music. Several of his compositions have received honors and prizes including String Quartet No. 2 (SCI/ASCAP Composition Commission, Regional Winner), String Quartet No. 3 (Kuttner String Quartet Competition), and more recently his orchestral work Blaze of Autumn (Dean’s Prize in Orchestral Composition). Currently Dr. Jaquith is focusing on harp music, composing a solo piece as well as a concerto for performance by harpist Ah-Rim Kim in 2010. In addition to composition, Dr. Jaquith enjoys running, cycling, and playing the piano.
Chet Jenkins
Chet Jenkins earned a B.A. in saxophone performance from Cedarville University where he studied with Jerry Rogers and Harold Ashenfelder. He did his graduate work at Ohio University, where he studied saxophone with Matt James and conducting with John Climer. As a classical saxophonist, Chet has participated in the commissioning of new works for saxophone by Gunther Schuller, Shih-Hui Chen, Howard Frazin, and John McDonald. He currently maintains an active schedule as a freelance musician throughout central and southwest Ohio. He has also performed in a variety of sacred settings as a soloist and with various ensembles throughout the country as well as in Russia and Belarus. In 2009, Chet enjoyed returning home to Alaska to serve as the director of the same Region II Honor Band he performed in throughout high school. Since 2000, Chet has taught saxophone at Cedarville and has served as assistant director for the Symphonic Band and Jazz Band. He also teaches saxophone and woodwind methods at Ohio Christian University and has previously taught at Wittenberg University.
Gregory Jones
Greg Jones is an independent recording & performing artist who has released three CDs. He is a worship leader at a local church and an adjunct professor of Guitar at Cedarville University. He teaches guitar, piano and bass. Styles: Rock, jazz, blues, fingerstyle & funk.
Jun Kim
Professor Kim serves as assistant professor in violin and conductor of the 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.
Michael LaMattina
Michael LaMattina currently holds the position of Principal Percussion and assistant Timpani with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Percussion with the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, in Boulder, Colorado. Additionally he has performed as a substitute and extra percussionist with the Cincinnati Symphony and the Atlanta Symphony. Past positions have included Principal Percussion with the Canton Symphony, section percussion with the Erie Philharmonic, Principal Timpani/Percussion with the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, and section percussionist with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Michael teaches privately at his home studio in Dayton and maintains a private studio Centerville,OH. He recieved a BM in percussion performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 1999, and a Master's Degree in Percussion from Cleveland State University in 2001. He resides in Dayton with his wife Lori.
Andrew Millat
Andy Millat's varied experiences and training in jazz, rock, chamber music, and military band, as well as the symphonic field, have prepared him to perform and teach a broad range of styles. Originally from Dayton, Ohio he gained his first orchestral experience as co-principal trombonist of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, under the baton of Leonard Slatkin. This experience planted the seed for his future success in the symphonic field. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music in 1977 with a degree in Jazz and Studio Music, and continued his studies under Buddy Baker at the University of Northern Colorado, from which he graduated with a Master of Music degree in 1981. He was Principal Trombone of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra in 1987 and was also a member of the award-winning Carillon Brass Quintet from 1987-1990. In 1990, he won the audition for Principal Trombone of the Columbus Symphony. In Columbus, he also performs frequently with the Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra. His teachers have been Tony Chipurn, John Daley, Buddy Baker, Paul Piller, Bernard Schneider, and John Rieger. In addition to teaching at Cedarville, he also teaches at Ohio University in Athens.
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 and worship 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 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.
Lawrence Pitzer
Lawrence Pitzer has studied classical guitar with Ramon Estrada, Miguel Alboniz, and Jeffery Van, and has attended lute master classes with Paul O’Dette and Ronn McFarlane. He has also studied recorder and early music with Shelly Gruskin and Scott Reis. Lawrence performed with the "Hyland Ensemble" from 1985 to 1993 and currently performs with "Wind in the Woods", an early music ensemble, and "Alegría" a guitar duo / lute duo. He holds a BFA degree from Miami University. Lawrence Pitzer began teaching guitar at Wittenberg in the fall of 1971, from 1972 to 1985 he taught guitar at Wright State University and since 1985 has taught guitar at Cedarville University.
Daniel Sachs
Daniel Sachs was born in Basel, Switzerland. He earned his first degree in piano performance in his home town followed by studies in Paris, France and Lübeck, Germany. In 2005 he completed his doctoral degree in piano performance at the College-Conservatory of Music (University of Cincinnati), where he studied with Prof. James Tocco. He currently teaches piano at Cedarville University and at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati. He has performed extensively in Europe and the United States as soloist and collaborative pianist.
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.
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.
Sandra Yang
Dr. Yang joined the Cedarville music faculty in 2009 as assistant professor of music history. She teaches courses in classical Western music history, global music, church music, and opera and oratorio literature. She also directs the Junior Seminar for the B.A. in music major. Dr. Yang received her M.A. and Ph.D. in musicology from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Terry Chamberlain
Mr. Chamberlain is a highly respected member of the Ohio art community and oversees the art program. 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.
Timothy Frame
Tim Frame has more than 18 years of experience in graphic design and visual communication. 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 is a painter whose work leverages the inherent historical context of the medium to confront issues of online social interactivity and digital simulacra. Employing techniques of collage and oil painting to splice and to weld, Gosser's compositions present a world at once both familiar and disconcerting. Fragments of discarded media find their place alongside canonical works of art, emblematic of a landscape flattened by the Google search query. Aaron holds a B.A. in Art with a concentration in Painting from Goshen College, and received his M.F.A. in Visual Art from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. He has been at Cedarville since 2005.
James Mellick
James Mellick joined the Cedarville studio art faculty in 2008 and currently teaches 3D design, sculpture, printmaking, and drawing. He previously taught at Houghton College, where he founded the art program, and Calvin College. For most of his professional career, he worked as a full-time artist, winning national and regional awards. His internationally collected sculpture is featured in textbooks and is in several museum and university collections in the United States. He earned his M.F.A. from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in 1973. He has performed as a storyteller, musician, and songwriter. He is a member of Ohio Designer Craftsmen, The Furniture Society, and Christians in the Visual Arts.
Daniel Sternsher
Professor Sternsher serves as assistant professor of design and digital imaging. More than 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 websites, 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 Eeducation 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 taught teaching at Cedarville since 2001.
James Cato
Jim serves as the Director of HeartSong, a role he has held for the past 26 years. He has been involved in leading church music for over 35 years, as well as teaching worship seminars at conferences and in local churches. Jim earned a BA in Music from Cedarville University and a Bible Diploma from Faith Baptist Bible College. He has also served in the Ohio Army National Guard Band for 25 years. He and his wife, Melody, of 31 years, have three children.
Roger O'Neel
Dr. O'Neel is the director of church music and worship 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