• Nicholas Culver – DMA, Horn Performance and Literature
• Harrison Candelario – BM, Jazz Voice
• Molly Chun – MM, Voice Performance and Literature
• Emmaline Colvin – BM, Voice
• Mia Gensure – BM, Viola
• Zoe Gutierrez – BM, Double Bass
• Kai Harrington – BM, Voice
• Ellen Kim – MM, Violin Performance and Literature
• Kaitlyn Lien – BM and BA, Violin and Audio Arts and Technology
• Cole Moorhead – MM, Saxophone Performance and Literature
• Kristene Murrow – MM, Violin Performance and Literature
• Natalia Noriega – BM, Trumpet
• Alison Pollock – BM, Basson
• Daniel Reeder – BM, Harp
• Brooke Walden – DMA, Flute Performance and Literature
• Cristian Yohannes – BM, Viola
• Zhilin Zhang – PhD, Music Education

2026 Catherine Filene Shouse Arts Leadership Certificate Fellows Nati Noriega, Cristian Yohannes, and Kai
Harrington

The Catherine Filene Shouse Arts Leadership Certificate of Achievement (ALP) is an experiential program designed to complement students’ primary area of study and provide professional development training to support student’s career goals. Students personalize their experience through course selection, internship choices, and advising by industry professionals. Those in the program gain knowledge of the music industry and the skills to become a leader in the field. The Institute for Music Leadership creates career and leadership development opportunities for musicians on and off the stage.

Download the transcript: Coming soon!

Season 7, Episode 2: Recoding Rare French Works with Aaron Tan

In this podcast, Jeff sits down with Aaron Tan, a prize-winning organist and Eastman alum, to discuss his recording project L’orgue Moderne. Tan discusses the inspiration behind the project, the logistics of funding and recording, and ways to market a finished product. He also talks about his career change from material science to music performance and how a fulfilling career is essential for a happy & successful life. You can find Aaron’s recordings on Youtube and Amazon Music.

Host: Jeff Dunn

Guest: Aaron Tan

Mixing, Mastering: Ash Mach

Artwork: Luke Juntunen

Music: Will Jae

Listen to L’orgue Moderne on Amazon or YouTube

Download transcript: S7E1 Transcript

Season 7, Episode 1: Meeting the Needs of Independent Artists with Nereya Otieno

In this episode, Jeff Dunn sits down with Nereya Otieno, writer and co-founder of the Rising Artist Foundation, to discuss how she creates spaces for artists to thrive without financial burden. Otieno shares how her travels abroad inspired the founding of her non-profit and the ways in which the Rising Artist Foundation provides vital resources to artists. Otieno also discusses the Fourth River Project, a recipient of the Paul R. Judy Center Grant, and how the program provided a grant, seminars, and personalized creative development to electronic artists across the Pittsburgh area.

Host: Jeff Dunn

Guest: Nereya Otieno

Mixing, Mastering: Ash Mach

Artwork: Luke Juntunen

Music: Will Jae

Learn more about Nereya Otieno

Learn more about the Rising Artist Foundation

Contact Jeff with questions, comments, or ideas for episodes

This June, Joy Hsieh (DMA Viola Performance and Literature) had the opportunity to shadow Victoria Paterson ’93, founder and director of the Mostly Modern Festival, during the festival’s seventh season. The festival was one of the first of its kind exclusively dedicated to the coaching and performance of works by living composers and 20/21st century repertoire. While there, Hsieh observed all the production and administrative gears that keep a festival turning. She attended production meetings with Paterson, and observed the director’s responsibility for the logistic, marketing, venue, and hospitality teams’ communication.

What particularly impressed Hsieh was how arts administration balances immediate needs with long term planning. “Discussions often focused not only on the current season but also future programming and organizational goals [for next season].” By having a bird’s eye view of festival operation, the experience has helped guide Hsieh into her specific career interests in arts administration. “Being able to learn directly from the festival’s leadership gave me an opportunity I couldn’t have gained anywhere else. Observing the decisions made behind the scenes deepened my appreciation for the people who make the artistic experiences possible and broadened my awareness of the wide range of career paths within the arts. This experience expanded my perspective on the impact that thoughtful leadership, collaboration, and adaptability can have on the success of an organization.” 

Ash Mach (PhD Music Theory) recently returned from The 4th International Conference on Timbre, where they presented a poster of their research titled “The Contours of Timbre in Rebecca Saunder’s Fury II.” Unlike speaker presentations, posters allow the researcher to engage in face-to-face dialogue with peers about their work. This feedback proved invaluable to Mach as they were able to incorporate more interdisciplinary ideas for their next presentation in November, this time as a speaker at the Society for Music Theory’s annual meeting. “My time at the International Conference on Timbre inspired me to listen to, observe, and analyze sound from a whole host of new perspectives. I feel much more prepared for my dissertation research as I have even more methodological ideas to play with.”

However, what struck Mach the most in their visit was how much research on timbre has changed even in the last three years. The field that used to be dominated by acoustics and computational methods has seen a great increase in philosophical and cultural contribution, such as decolonizing the use of Western analysis for non-Western music. “Based on this conference, I’ve now realized that it’s not so much a matter of choosing the best spectrogram parameters or calculating the appropriate audio descriptors… but rather asking how sound through composers’ artistic decisions contributed to nationalistic sentiments. In other words, how did timbre impact society?” Mach’s work is a continuation of their research in post-tonal theory seminar at Eastman. They hope to publish this work before their graduation.

As a recent graduate, Zachary Costello ’26E (MM Saxophone Performance and Literature) presented his saxophone recital “Echoes of the Peninsula” in Seoul, South Korea. The project focused on newly commissioned works by Korean and Korean adoptee composers, with a blend of classical and contemporary saxophone techniques and traditional Korean music Sanjo. Both saxophonists and and traditional Korean musicians were in attendance and worked with Costello on musical style. “Presenting this music in Korea revealed the difference between studying a tradition and experiencing it within the deep culture that shaped it,” Costello says. “The feedback I received deepened my appreciation for the ways Korean history, storytelling, and musical aesthetics can inform performance, and it will continue to influence my work as a performer and advocate for this repertoire.”

A Korean adoptee himself, this project had a personal connection to Costello, and allowed him to find audiences that related to his identity. “Thoughtful outreach ensures the work exists in dialogue with the communities it is connected to. Together, these expenses supported a structured professional exchange rather than a standard recital presentation. They make it possible for this project to function as a site of feedback, learning, and cultural engagement.”

Interested in becoming a Catherine Filene Shouse Arts Leadership Certificate of Achievement Candidate? Applications are open until September 20th, 2026. Apply Now!

Download the transcript: S6E18 Transcript

Season 6, Episode 18: A Cappella Beyond the Stage with Reggie Bowens ’25E (DMA)

In this episode, Jeff chats with Reggie Bowens, a musician, arranger, and educator who is an Assistant Professor of Music in Vocal Jazz Studies at Howard University. Reggie discusses his journey through training and projects that led him to a career in higher education: early musical experiences, formative experiences on NBC’s “The Sing-Off”, and teaching at community colleges prior to his doctoral degree at Eastman. Reggie also speaks about A Cappella Camp, a program he founded and continues to run, and discusses the challenges of entrepreneurial endeavors as well as the potential for creating impactful experiences for the students his team serves.

Host: Jeff Dunn

Guest: Reggie Bowens

Mixing, Mastering: Ash Mach

Artwork: Luke Juntunen

Music: Will Jae

Learn More about Reggie Bowens

Learn More about A Cappella Camp

Contact Jeff with questions, comments, or ideas for new episodes.

Download the transcript: S6E17 Transcript

Season 6, Episode 17: Creating Artist-Driven Impact with Members of the Zohn Collective

In this episode, Jeff chats with members of the Zohn Collective: an artist-driven ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary art music.  Flutist Molly Barth and cellist Colin Stokes ’10E discuss their unique journeys touring and creating community opportunities, and pianist and composer Dr. Daniel Pesca returns to the podcast to discuss the formation of the Zohn Collective and the ensemble’s approach.  The group shares thoughts on creating mission-centered ensembles, planning opportunities in advance, and changes in career journeys.  

Host: Jeff Dunn

Guest: Daniel Pesca, Molly Barth, Colin Stokes

Mixing, Mastering: Ash Mach

Artwork: Luke Juntunen

Music: Will Jae

Learn More about the Zohn Collective

Learn More about Daniel Pesca

Learn More about Molly Barth

Learn More about Colin Stokes

Contact Jeff with questions, comments, or ideas for new episodes.