Todd Anderson, guitar
Biography coming soon.
William Cullen Buirge, violin
Born in Edina, Minnesota, William C. Buirge began violin lessons at age 9. By age 14, he was named the Minnesota Youth Symphonies' Concerto Competition winner, three times. First, soloing at Orchestra Hall, performing the Haydn Violin Concerto in C; then touring with the Symphony Orchestra, performing the Wieniawski Violin Concerto #2 in d and Mendelssohn's violin concerto in e. William continued his studies and held the Concertmaster position in every orchestra of the Minnesota Youth Symphony organization.
In addition to numerous private recitals, master-class performances, recording sessions for National Public Radio, and professional quartet engagements, William has won several competitions, awards and scholarships. William's formal studies include many full scholarship awards including: Interlochen Arts Academy, Meadowmount School, University of St. Thomas and the University of Louisville; Schools of Music. William's training has centered on solo violinistic excellence with Master violinists. He has had the privilege of studying with legends of the violin world such as: Dennis Lane, Richard Adams, Helen Holburg, Sally Thomas, Ivan Galamian, Hanley Daws, Marcus Ratzenboeck, and Peter McHugh. These persons, legends in their own right, represent the direct teachings of Dorothy Delay, Eugene Ysaye, Leopold Auer, Joseph Gingold and Jascha Heifetz.
Currently, William is a freelance violinist performing in groups throughout the region. Since 1981, he has performed with Cliff Brunzelle's World Famous Golden Strings. William enjoys teaching students of all ages and abilities, with an emphasis on both intermediate and advanced students who exhibit a strong desire. Younger beginning students are evaluated and accepted into his studios on a case by case basis. William's mission as a teacher is to pass on to young players of all abilities, the gifts of deep technical insight, musicianship and strong work ethics. William strives to provide a clear advantage for his students in order to enhance their accomplishments in both violin performance and life. William has been teaching with the Academy since August, 2005.
Jill Cowan, Academy Operations Administrator, piano & voice
Jill started her first season of teaching with the Academy in Fall 2007. As a graduate of Luther College, she has been heavily involved with music, specifically choral music, through college and beyond. Jill has sung with several prominent choral groups over the years, including Nordic Choir at Luther and the Pacific Chorale in Orange County, California.
Jill owned and operated her own music instruction business in the Madison, Wisconsin area for over four years. She had over 30 students in her studio, ranging in age from 7 to 60, a weekly homeschool elementary music class, and a summer vocal workshop for middle school and high school students.
Owen Davison-Edwards, piano
Bio coming soon
Dana Donnay, oboe, saxophone, clarinet, flute
Dana Donnay is a professional oboist and woodwind performer. She studied oboe performance at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA, and at the Univeristy of Minnesota. She has taught young instrumentalists for over a decade and loves the opportunity to share with people of all ages her enjoyment of music. Dana teaches Oboe, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, and Piano. She is experienced in teaching band and early childhood music classes, and is a licensed Kindermusik educator. Dana is also a very active performer. She plays oboe and english horn in many professional orchestras throughout the midwest and is a busy freelance musician in the Twin Cities. She holds the english horn position with the South Dakota Symphony. She also plays in many chamber music ensembles including the Semada Trio, and the Gilded Lily Trio. Dana is a multi-instrumentalist. She performs as a woodwind doubler in musical orchestra pits, in particular with the Bloomington Civic Theater and the Chanhassen Dinner Theater. She enjoys playing a variety of styles which include jazz and world folk music. Dana also has a diploma in instrument repair, and has worked as a repair technician at Midwest Musical Imports.
Amee Gallagher, piano
Amee came to the Academy in Fall 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Instrumental/Classroom Music and Piano Performance major from the University of Minnesota, Morris, and is finishing her Master of Music degree in piano pedagogy at St. Cloud State University. While at St Cloud State, she worked as a graduate assistant teaching undergraduate sessions of Class Piano, private undergraduate piano lessons, and accompanied students and several large ensembles. Amee holds memberships with several music associations, including Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), Minnesota Music Teachers Association (MMTA), and National Guild of Piano Teachers. In 2006, Amee was the recipient of the National Honor Roll of Guild Teachers Award.
Amee has taught private piano lessons since 2000, encouraging practice, progress, confidence and success in every student, and she likes to work collaboratively with parents to ensure that students' goals are met. Amee also works as a freelance musician/accompanist, orchestra director for community musicals, and has taught high school vocal music.
Carol Geldert, brass
Carol comes to the Academy with a wealth of musical experience. An Augsburg College graduate with a degree in Music Education, Carol has spent over 20 years teaching both classroom and instrumental music in Minnesota public schools. She most recently taught elementary and middle school instrumental music in the Minnetonka Public Schools, which involved small group and individual lessons, as well as large group band rehearsals. Carol also sings madrigal groups, church choirs, and the Choral Society.
Carol's primary instrument is the trombone, and she has continued to play in community bands and church groups. Carol will be teaching trombone, baritone and trumpet lessons and would prefer beginning students through middle school.
Jay Gordon, guitar
Since studying classical guitar and composition at the University of Minnesota, Jay Gordon has been active a guitarist, composer, teacher and concert producer. Jay's music making has an international profile having been performed in Europe as well as North America.
Jay brings music theory (as applied to the fret board), as well as the usual basic pedagogy, to his teaching style. He especially encourages the creativity of his guitar students, emphasizing improvisation and finding their own unique "voice" on guitar. He teaches beginning, intermediate and advanced acoustic (steel or nylon) and is comfortable with Jazz and Rock concepts on guitar.
Recent activities include a commission for a new sacred work for The National Lutheran Choir and Cantus premiered last May in Minneapolis. And look for Jay's new recordings of his guitar music available on iTunes and other online sources. These include Digginum Trees for two guitars based on Buddhist ideas about nature and a collection of Renaissance pieces titled For I Upon This Bank Will Rest My Head. He's currently recording a new CD called LISTENING POINT.
Kevin Hobbs, piano
As a young child, Kevin was first introduced to the piano by his father, whose daily music-making inspired him to request piano lessons at the age of nine. He has been playing ever since, having earned a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, in addition to a Bachelor of Arts from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Currently, Kevin is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Minnesota.
As a soloist, Kevin has won top prizes in numerous competitions at the state and international levels and has been featured in performances at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. as well as in Barcelona, Spain and Amalfi, Italy. Videos of his playing can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/user/kslc19
Also active as a teacher, Kevin has taught students of all ages (6-adult) in a private studio setting, as well as administering both group and private lessons to undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Minnesota. His teaching philosophy centers around making the piano enjoyable for players of all abilities and, most importantly, instilling a love of music in his students.
Julie Kurtz, voice, Mount Olive site
Julie Kurtz studied Vocal Performance/Pedagogy at Whitworth University. She performs a wide range of genres including opera, jazz, musical theatre. She has performed locally with Theatre de la Jeune Lune (Susanna, Figaro), with Dakota Jazz club favorite George Maurer, Nautilus Music-Theatre, among others and artists and companies across the country. In San Francisco she taught family music with Music Together, and served as music director for numerous theatrical productions. Beyond her private voice students she also teaches for Upstream Arts, and serves as the Interim Music Director of Aldrich Church. Julie loves teaching, sharing the joy of music-making and learning, and honoring each student's individual growth.
Libby Laufers, flute, suzuki piano & Kindermusik
Libby (Elizabeth) Laufers has a B.A. in Music from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (major instrument flute) and a Master of Music in Music Theory from the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Conservatory of Music. Raised as a Suzuki child, she plays flute, piano, recorder and organ and is a registered Suzuki flute teacher and a licensed Kindermusik instructor. Libby has taught flute (Suzuki and traditional) since 1998, early childhood music (Kindermusik, pre-school Sunday School, daycare) since 2003, beginning piano, and directs a Flute Choir.
Libby's flute teachers include Jane Garvin, Adam Kuenzel, and Dr. Mary Posses; organ teachers include Dr. Dean Billmeyer and Nancy Lancaster. Libby's collegiate teaching experience includes University of Missouri and Crown College. Besides teaching, she freelances as a flutist, dabbles in bass guitar and arranges music.
Mary Lechelt, Academy Director, violin & piano
In addition to being a violin and piano instructor, Mary currently serves as Director of the Academy. She is also director of the Academy Chamber Ensemble program. Mary is performing her 20th season as a member of the first violins of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. She has over twenty years of experience in music education as a private teacher, directing children's and adult choirs in Minesota and South Dakota, directing musicals, and the public school setting. She also enjoys performing as a free-lance violinist in the Twin Cities area. She has performed in concert with such artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Midori, Emmanuel Ax, Sarah Chang, Whitney Houston, and Ray Charles.
Mary has been with the Academy since Fall, 2005. She completed her Bachelor's degree at the University of Minnesota, studying violin and English Literature. Mary holds memberships with Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and Minnesota Music Teachers Association (MMTA).
Erick Lichte, cello & Music Theory Class
In the last ten years, Erick Lichte has carved out a distinct niche in the vocal music world and concert life in America.
From 2000-2009, Lichte's programming and artistic direction was heard in over 60 concerts a year in such venues as Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Merkin Hall, to name a few. He has collaborated with artists such as Bobby McFerrin, the Boston Pops, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, James Sewell Ballet and poet Robert Bly.
His work with Cantus garnered the 2009 Margaret Hillis Award for choral Excellence, the highest honor for the professional choral organization Chorus America.
Lichte has been a part of the creation of over 50 new compositions. Composers Lichte has worked with include Lee Hoiby, Gavin Bryars, Steven Sametz and Peteris Vasks.
As a record producer, Lichte has been at the helm of eight highly acclaimed recordings. He is also an ardent audiophile and writes equipment review for Stereophile magazine.
This season Lichte serves as Artistic Director of the Great River Chorale, an auditioned 50 voice ensemble based in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He is also on faculty at Augsburg College and the University of St. Catherine in the Twin Cities and will prepare the professional chorus of Chicago's Music of the Baroque.
Erick has been teaching cello with the Academy since 2006.
Karin Maas, Acting Class, Director for Summer Musical
Patricia Malloy, voice & piano
Patricia Malloy has been an instructor of music for over 30 years. She has worked as Assistant Professor at the College of St. Scholastica, as vocal music instructor at high schools in Duluth, MN and Solon, Wisconsin, and as private lesson instructor in voice and piano. Patricia completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education and English at the University of Minnesota, as well as her Master's degree in Education at the College of St. Scholastica. In addition to her teaching, Patricia has written numerous curriculums on vocal pedagogy, music education, and other subjects. Patricia has been an instructor with the Academy since August, 2005.
David Mercer, piano, Mount Olive site
John Moir, voice
John comes to the Academy with an impressive background of teaching and performing. John received his BFA in music/classical voice from United States International University, San Diego, California, his Master's degree in voice/performance and literature from Eastman School of Music/University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in voice/opera from Shenandoah University/Conservatory of Music, Winchester, Virginia. John has served on the music faculty at several universities and colleges throughout the Midwest and New York and has worked as music director at churches in the Minneapolis area. He also has a significant resumé of opera and solo work.
John is fluent in French and German, with study in Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian, and Greek. He was awarded the "Jorma Hynninen Scholar for Scandinavian Music Research" in 1997-98 and holds professional memberships with National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Professional Music Fraternity.
Adam Reinwald, voice
Adam Reinwald, baritone, is a graduate of St. Olaf College with a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal music education. Since 1998, Adam has been Artisitic Co-Director and Baritone with Cantus, a professional 9-member male vocal ensemble based in the Twin Cities, where he conducts vocal music educational outreach, programs concert repertoire, serves as music director on approximately 40 pieces of music per year, and of course, performs. He has also worked as a voice instructor and elementary music teacher in the Minneapolis area.
Adam is fluent in Spanish along with diction studies in French, Italian, German, and English. He has studied voice with Mary Kay Schmidt, Rick Penning, Carl Hogset, Robert Smith, and Dan Dressen. Adam is starting his first season of teaching with the Academy in Fall 2007.
Gary Ruschman, voice, Mount Olive site Tenor Gary Ruschman appears throughout the U.S. and abroad as a freelance opera singer, oratorio soloist, choral artist, studio vocalist, jazz artist, teacher, and member/Artistic Co-Director of Cantus male vocal ensemble. With more than thirty roles to his credit, Mr. Ruschman has performed as a soloist with American Bach Soloists, Berkeley Opera, Boston Pops, Portland Opera's young artist program, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and San Francisco Opera Guild, to name a few. Pop and jazz appearances include NYC's Birdland, Cincinnati's Blue Wisp, and numerous west coast venues.
He has maintained vocal studios in both the Cincinnati and San Francisco Bay Areas, and earned music degrees with honors from Northern Kentucky University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Healthy experimentation, and training in expression, stage deportment, and musical style/performance practice are highlights of studying with Gary. http://ruschman.com.
Erika Sjogren-Seiler, voice
Erika Sjogren studied at the nationally accredited Circle in Square Theatre School in New York, and performed off-Broadway at the Triad Stage. Locally, Erika has worked at The Guthrie Theater, Hometown Theatre and Old Log Theater. As a Chicago native, she has performed at Alphabet Soup Children's Theater, DPHST Ensemble, The Historical Theater, The Bog Theater, and at The Metropolis Theater in the greater Chicago area. Erika brings a rich background in professional musical theater and vocal training to the Academy. She is a graduate of Trinity International University, Deerfield, Illinois. Erika has taught voice lessons, directed children's choirs, and served as the musical theater instructor at several schools in the Chicago area.
Mike Stefan, percussion
Biography coming soon.
Mike Steiner, string bass
Michael Steiner 
has a bachelor's degree in music education from Michigan State ('73) and a master's of music education degree from the University of Montana ('77).
He has also taught vocal music for 12 years in public schools in Michigan and Minnesota and also worked for 16 years as a furniture designer/engineer. Currently, Mike is self-employed as an Organizer, Handyman and Landscaper. He plays double bass with the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra (former Allegro Symphonia) and sings in the Kantorei Chamber Choir. While in Michigan, Mike played with the Lansing, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Jackson and Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestras. Mike started teaching at the Academy of Music in the spring of 2009.
Julie Sweet, piano
Bioraphy coming soon.