Institute Team (alphabetical order)
Logan CONTRERAS, Art Song Co-COORDINATOR
A native Coloradoan, mezzo-soprano Logan Contreras has developed a rich and varied career on the operatic and concert stages. She completed her Doctor of Music Arts in Vocal Performance from the Conservatory at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in May 2019. As a part of her doctoral studies, Dr. Contreras created the Kassia Database, a database of art song by women composers. Read more…
Mandart Chan, Head of DEIA, Leadership Circle, and COMPOSER DIVERSITY DATABASE COORDINATOR
Mandart Chan (he/him) embraces his intersectionality as a gay, cis-gender, neurodivergent, first generation Chinese/Hong Kong - Canadian male. He was born & raised as a visitor on the lands of the Musqueam people, also known as Richmond, BC. He holds a BMus and PDPP from University of Victoria and a MMus the American Band College of Sam Houston State. Currently, Mandart is pursuing a Master of Professional Education in Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice at the University of Western Ontario. Mandart was in the classroom teaching Band, Leadership, and Social Justice in schools in Alberta and British Columbia and considers Volunteerism, Social Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Community main pillars in life. He currently works as Education Officer for the Ministry of Education & Child Care in British Columbia, authoring “Anti-Racism Education in BC : A Teachers’ Guide” which was released in early 2023. Mandart has been an active volunteer with the BC Music Educators’ Association, the Canadian Music Educators’ Association, and the Victoria Pride Society. Mandart lives as a visitor on the lands of the Lekwungen People, also known as Victoria BC with his partner Jason and their dogs Tikka & Masala.
Rob deemer, institute director, Leadership Circle
Rob Deemer is a composer, conductor, educator, and author who advocates for living composers and composers from historically excluded groups and who explores the role that contemporary concert music plays in today’s society. Deemer currently holds the position of Professor and Head of Composition in the School of Music at the State University of New York at Fredonia. Read More…
Mia Fritze, ORCHESTRA DATABASE CO-CoORDINATOR
Mia Fritze is a horn player and teacher currently living in Vermont. She is also the Operations Assistant for the VT Youth Orchestra Association and the Horn instructor for their Endangered Instruments Program. Mia holds a BA in Music Education from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and a MM and PC in Horn Performance from Northern Illinois University.
Jared Geer, Head of Communications, Leadership Circle
Even though I am passionate about all forms of musical literature, I am heavily involved in the marching arts where my primary instrument is tuba, was the former conductor during the 2022 season for the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corp, and a visual designer for the North Cobb High School Marching Band in Kennesaw, Georgia. I came across ICD back in 2021 during the Midwest Conference in Chicago and immediately wanted to get involved, bringing more awareness to both educators and performers in the musical space to expand their repertoire by representing the artists that may be ignored. I’ll be handling communications both internally and externally with ICD so please feel free to reach out to communications@composerdivisity.com if you have any questions. I strive to make sure that more musicians/educators within the arts have the materials they need to be successful in their career
Mily Harrod, Head of Development, Leadership Circle
Mily Harrod (she/her/ella) is an active arts administrator, flutist, and advocate for Diversity and Inclusion in the Arts. She received the M.A. in Arts Leadership and Management and the M.M. in Flute Performance from Wichita State University and the B.M. in Flute Performance from Texas A&M University-Commerce. Mily serves as the Membership Manager for the National Flute Association, where she ensures a positive member experience and builds a strategic vision for the future of the organization and its stakeholders. She joined the NFA from her previous position as the Annual Fund Coordinator for the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, where she helped the development team secure 2 million dollars in annual fund gifts each year. Prior to joining the NFA staff Mily was a proud volunteer for the organization, serving on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. She also co-founded the Young Artist Mentorship Program, which serves underrepresented up and coming flutists with mentorship opportunities to grow their professional portfolio. Educating the next generation about what a career in arts administration looks like is Mily's greatest passion, and that is the core mission of her career coaching business, which she launched in 2022. Mily currently resides in Nebraska City, Nebraska with her husband, Dr. Tanner Harrod. They enjoy attending concerts, musicals, and are always planning their next trip.
Matthew James, Chamber Database Coordinator
Matthew James is a second-year MM student in Music Performance at the University of Southern Mississippi who aspires to actively contribute to improving accessibility in the field of music as well as diversifying it. Matthew can be seen frequently as a soloist, having won multiple competitions including the Delta Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Music Teacher’s National Association Competition, and the King’s Peak International Competition. Additionally, he is a frequent contributor to bodies of research concerning teaching practices, saxophone pedagogy, and racial equity in music. When Matthew is not performing, he enjoys anime, cooking, and playing video games with his friends.
DR. CORY MEALS, HEAD OF ANALYTICAL ACTIVITIES
Dr. Cory Meals is a member of the Music Education faculty at the University of Houston where his duties include teaching courses relating to instrumental music education, and pursuing research that explores how students experience and interact with music in learning contexts.
Jennifer Meckler, Orchestra CO-COORDINATOR
Jennifer Meckler is a music educator, arranger, conductor, and viola player, living in New Jersey. Currently Jennifer Meckler teaches in the West Morris Regional High School District (Chester, NJ) where she conducts string orchestras and the district symphony, and teaches International Baccalaureate Music and Audio Production classes. Jennifer holds a BM in Music Education from Ithaca College and a MM in Music Education from William Paterson University. Jennifer has arrangements for school orchestras published with Tempo Press, a division of Luck's Music Library.
CHARLES MOORE, Art Song CO-COORDINATOR
Declared a “skyscraping tenor” in a review by Arkansan music critic Eric Harrison, Dr. Charles Moore hails from Kingston, Jamaica. Dr. Moore has a keen interest in presenting the music of composers who are minorities and features their work in his recitals. These composers include Robert Owens, Noel G. Dexter, H. Leslie Adams, Harry Burleigh, Jacqueline Hairston, and Ned Rorem, to name a few. His pedagogic interests include vocal pathologies and injuries, as well as the paths to recovery for the singer and performer
Courtney Snyder, wind band DATABASE co-COORDINATOR
Dr. Courtney Snyder is Associate Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Conducting at the University of Michigan where she conducts the Concert Band, teaches conducting, and conducts the Michigan Youth Symphonic Band. Snyder is currently President of Women Band Directors International. She received the Tau Beta Sigma Paula Crider Outstanding Band Director Award and in 2018 earned 2nd Place American Prize in Conducting, Band/Wind Ensemble Division Competition.
Catrina Tangchittsumran, DATABASE MANAGER
Catrina Tangchittsumran-Stumpf, Ed.S., is the Director of Bands at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Arlington Virginia. She is a National Board Certified Teacher and regularly leads professional learning sessions on instructional strategies to promote equity and inclusion in music and classroom settings. She is the chair of the VBODA Inclusion Committee and was named one of School Band and Orchestra Magazine’s “50 Directors Who Make A Difference” in 2020.
ROBERT TAYLOR, wind band DATABASE co-COORDINATOR
Robert Taylor is Professor of Music and Director of Bands at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where he conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting, and serves as Chair of the Woodwind Brass and Percussion Division. With a career in music education spanning over twenty-five years, previous appointments include the University of Puget Sound in the state of Washington and Eureka High School in northern California, where ensembles under his direction earned recognition by Downbeat Magazine, the Selmer Corporation, and Grammy Signature Schools. Dr. Taylor received the Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees in conducting from Northwestern University and the Bachelor of Arts degree in Trumpet and Music Education from Humboldt State University. As a passionate advocate of music in the schools, Dr. Taylor is in high demand as a festival adjudicator, rehearsal clinician, and guest conductor throughout North America and internationally.
Fellows & Interns
Hana cai, research fellow
Dr. Hana Cai serves as an Assistant Professor of Music at Ithaca College where she conducts the Treble Chorale and Chorus and teaches conducting. In March 2019, she was the winner of the ACDA Conducting Competition in Kansas City, MO. She has presented her research on tokenism at ACDA conferences and her Mandarin Chinese diction for singers and conductors was published in the Fall/Winter 2021 issue of The Choral Scholar & American Choral Review. She holds degrees from the University of Maryland, the Eastman School of Music, and Indiana University.
Janice Chia-Ying Shieh, Research Fellow
Janice Chia-Ying Shieh is a composer and performer originated from Taiwan. Her music communicates with others through memories and reflects herself as a habitual transpacific traveler. She holds degrees in BM composition and BM violin performance from the University of North Texas. As a violinist, she is experienced in orchestral, chamber music, and solo performances from Western early music, classical music to traditional Chinese music. She currently focuses on the contemporary music area and explores the role of technology in music. When Janice is not making music, she enjoys going into the woods and sharing Taiwanese dishes with her friends.
Alberto de la Paz, Research Fellow
Conductor and tenor Alberto de la Paz has enjoyed a career performing and conducting in many different genres. For four seasons, Alberto served as an Artistic Co-Director and tenor with Cantus, a professional vocal ensemble based in Minnesota. Alberto’s interest in the creation of new music is reflected in the commissions written for and premiered by Cantus from composers like Melissa Dunphy, Mari Esabel Valverde, Griffin Candey, Yosvany Estepe, and Mariana Sadovska. A native of Guadalajara, Mexico, Alberto’s passion and commitment to Latin American music are highlighted in a recent concert collaboration with two-time Grammy Award winner and Cuban jazz pianist Nachito Herrera. This program combined art songs, choral arrangements, and piano solo pieces from four different countries (Mexico, Cuba, Brazil and Argentina) in a celebration of the diverse and rich musical styles that exist in Latin American music. Alberto obtained his Bachelors in Music Education from the University of Illinois, and he is currently pursuing his Masters in Choral Conducting at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
Humay Gasimzadeh, RESEARCH FELLOW
Originally from Azerbaijan, Humay Gasimzadeh is currently pursuing her Doctorate Degree in Contemporary Performance program at Bowling Green State University in the studio of Dr. Robert Satterlee. She is interested in performing and promoting piano music most recently composed especially by people of color and underrepresented groups, making new music user-friendly for everyone, and rethinking old and idolized rituals of piano performance. She likes to think of the piano as a vault where a large body of acoustic sounds is kept securely. Different cultures, races, individuals, genders, ethnicities… and the list is endless…manifest themselves through this large body, melding into each other, and co-exist in harmony and peace.
MOLLY GIBSON, RESEARCH FELLOW
Molly Gibson is an undergraduate Music Education student at the State University of New York at Fredonia. Her musical studies are completed alongside teaching students, Spanish studies and an interests in Arts Administration, Advocacy and Leadership. Molly is an active part of the music community on the campus and in the music school. Within Molly's Research Fellowship, she will be working with the Orchestral Database, as well as creating new developments in the Institutes Social Media pages.
Mara Keen, Intern
Mara Keen is a composer, music editor, pianist, orchestrator, producer, and piano teacher. You can hear her music featured in Netflix’s Princess Power. In 2019, she earned a B.M. from George Mason University in Classical Composition. In 2022, she earned a M.M. from SUNY Purchase in Studio Composition where she was selected as a SUNY Thayer Fellowship Winner. She is an active member of The Society of Composers and Lyricists, The Alliance for Women Film Composers, and Maestra. In 2023, she was selected to participate in the MUSE/Maestra Music Assistant Experience. During the same year, she was asked to be a guest lecturer at SUNY Purchase.
Leila Koch, Intern
Leila Koch is a Soprano, Musicologist, and composer. She graduates with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Public Musicology certificate in December and plans to get her Masters in Musicology after. While she does specialize in minority composers, she has a focus in female composers. She is originally from Hicksville, NY and is currently pursing a BA in Music and a Public Musicology Certificate from Columbus State University in Columbus, GA. In her free time, she likes to cook her grandmother's recipes, read, sketch/paint, go to museums, and play music with her father.
Amanda Lawrence, RESEARCH FELLOW
Amanda Lawrence is a South African flutist and musicologist (in training) currently based in Vancouver, Canada. A passionate performer and academic who holds a BMus (Stellenbosch University, 2019) and MMus (University of British Columbia, 2022) in Flute Performance, Amanda is currently furthering her graduate studies in Musicology at UBC. She plans to explore relationships between music and identity – focusing on how imposed gender structures and race ideologies impact composers (and their works), performers, and music institutions.
Andrea Layedra, Intern
Andrea Layedra is a violinist at SUNY Fredonia, originally from New York, but now located in Florida. She is completing her Bachelor of Art in music, and is involved in musicology and music history studies at Fredonia, with interests in American classical music studies.
Song Lyu, Intern
Song Lyu is a graduate student pursuing a Doctor of Musical Art degree in voice at the University of Kansas. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, she served as a voice faculty at the colleges for three years. Additionally, Song Lyu is the president of the KU Chamber of Vocal Music Organization and produces the chamber voice concert inside and outside KU. She is actively involved in both chamber and opera stage performances. As a classical singer, Song Lyu has performed in numerous productions, including Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, The Second Knitter in Game of Chance, and La Fortuna in L’incoronazione di Poppea, the solo soprano in the world premiere of Psalm Symphony, H.175 by Leo Sowerby, and Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw, etc. Song Lyu's repertoire includes a variety of recitals and concerts, and is currently devoted to studying French song cycle and other chamber voice music for both research and performance purposes.
Philip Marra III, Intern
Philip Marra III (he/him) is an undergraduate music composition major at the State University of New York at Fredonia. In addition to his work as a composer, he studies voice and is a collaborative pianist on campus. He is the current president of Ethos New Music Society, a student group at Fredonia that promotes both living composers, as well as the cultivation of new works.
T. Parker, Research Fellow
Hello all, my name is T. Parker. I served as an instrumental music educator before transitioning to my current role as the Director of the e-Institute of Cultural Connections by Design. I am also currently pursuing my Doctorate in Music Education through Boston University. I have always had a passion for social justice and enjoy having conversations with people that spark meaningful and impactful discussions. To achieve equality, we must seek opportunities to hear from others' experiences to inform our decisions.
Pedro pastor, Research Fellow
Pedro Pastor is a Brazilian musician and composer who holds a B.A in Music Education from the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO). Pedro's main background is in choral music. He joined his first choir in elementary school and has traveled around Brazil to perform. Currently, Pedro concentrates his studies on text-music relations and rhetoric in the baroque period, as well as exploring the importance of the Internet in disseminating neglected repertoire.
LISA Santoprete, Intern
Lisa Santoprete is a Canadian pianist, currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Piano Performance at Wilfrid Laurier University. She holds an Associate Diploma (ARCT) in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She is also an avid chamber musician and collaborative pianist and is experienced in many genres including jazz, improvisation, and vocal music. She is passionate about spreading awareness and performing music written by underrepresented composers, particularly women composers. She believes that advocating for composer diversity is so important and plays a huge role in allowing classical music to become accessible to a wider audience!
Jessica SIsti, RESEARCH FELLOW
Jessica Sisti, originally hailing from Riverhead NY, is an educator within the Capitol Region. She is currently the 5th & 6th grade band teacher in the Lansingburgh Central School District
, as well as a studio teacher at the Patrizio Fine Arts Center in Latham NY. Aside from teaching, Jessica enjoys reading, traveling, The Beatles, and collecting/analyzing research for the ICD—snuggling her cat in the process.
Darren Sobol, Intern
Darren Sobol (he/him) is a violist. Originally hailing from Moriches, New York (Long Island), Darren is currently finishing his undergraduate degrees in Music Education and Viola Performance with an Arts Administration minor at the State University of New York at Fredonia. At Fredonia, Darren continues to expand his performance knowledge through participation in the school's Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and Opera Orchestra. Darren currently serves as the Vice President of the American String Teacher Association's (ASTA) Fredonia collegiate chapter, and the Chair of the Mason Hall Student Leadership Council. Darren is also a violist with the Western New York Chamber Orchestra (WYNCO). Research interests for Darren include works for viola and string technique development.
Wesley Rhodes, Research Fellow
Wesley Rhodes is currently a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Clarinet Performance student at the University of Kansas, where he also earned his Master of Music degree. He is also a member of the Shards Duo. His research interest include diverse works for clarinet, electroacoustic works for clarinet, and alternative materials for clarinet manufacture.
Katherine Wynn, Intern
Katherine Wynn is a cellist, writer, singer, songwriter, and aspiring musicologist. They graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Cello Performance in the coming spring. Originally hailing from central New York, they currently attend the State University of New York at Fredonia, and plan on advancing their studies to a Masters in Musicology. At Fredonia, they have participated in the school’s College Symphony Orchestra, opera pit orchestras, and Chamber Orchestra, as well as serving as a founding member of the New Rose Quartet. Katherine has a passion for diversity not only in classical music, but in the DIY music scene as well. Their topics of interest include Russian studies, female composers, women in opera, labor in music, and gender diversity/expression in the genres of metal and rock at large.
Wioleta Zochowska, Research Fellow
Wioleta Zochowska is a musicologist, music writer, and curator. In her work, she explores socially engaged music practices and the influence of technology on music-making. She investigates how music corresponds to the challenges of modernity such as the climate crisis or migration. In 2019-2021 she was programming a series of contemporary music concerts at the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra in Warsaw. Titled “Experimental Tuesdays”, the series combined adventurous new music with world and Polish premieres each evening. Since February 2022 she has been working at the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice (NOSPR) where she is responsible for concert programming and orchestra planning. She also co-curates a new series of contemporary music concerts which kicks off in the season 2023/2024. She is committed to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. When not absorbed in discovering new music, she loves traveling and doing yoga.