[[Alumni]Antonishen]Michael is currently in a Ph. D. program at Oregon State University working as a research assistant. He is studying electrical engineering in the energy systems research group and works on topics like ocean wave energy conversion, wind energy, and designing a power grid that can better host renewable sources.

Michael describes his experience of music at "K":

Even though my formal studies were not in music, it played a huge role in my 'K' life and continues to even after K. It would be impossible to talk about my education at K without referencing my time with Dr. Tung. I have always used music as a vent for my emotions, as a stabilizer in my life, but my studies with Dr. Tung taught me that I could also use it as a source of inspiration for life. I probably learned just as much from my musical studies as I did in the rest of my education.

Geraldine Boyer-Cussac

[[Alumni]Boyer-Cussac]

Geraldine recently passed her orals is now officially Dr. Boyer-Cussac! She got married in 2010. Geraldine moved to Virgina recently. She works as the vocal coach at the Interlochen of Hampton Roads and music directs local community perfomances.

Justine Dolorfino

[[Alumni]Dolorfino]

Justine was involved in ensembles from the start of her college career and eventually decided, halfway through her freshman year, to double major in Music & Psychology. It was always a great interest of hers and K's academic and performing program gave her an opportunity to explore one of her passions.

She has continued this interest in her life after K. She is currently pursuing a masters of arts degree at Teachers College, Columbia University, and hopes to teach music in the public schools in the near future. She currently plays with the New York area band, Jessie Murphy In The Woods, as well.

She is keeping busy with student teaching, working as a technology and social media assistant in the Arts & Humanities department at Teachers College, and doing gender research in music education with Dr. Harold Abeles.

Roxana (Ho) Han K '97

[[Alumni]Han]

After college, while Roxana was in Korea on a Fulbright scholarship, she sang in a church choir that helped her mingle with the community and test her Korean reading skills. She substitute taught high school choir and orchestra. She was hired in the Farmington Public School District in 2000 for her music certification.

This is the first year she is not teaching music. She had taught elementary vocal music K-5 for 8 years, then vocal music and French for 7th and 8th grade. She is now teaching French at Dunckel Middle School (7/8) in Farmington Hills, MI. She is sad to have music out of her teaching life, but happy to dedicate her evenings and weekends to family and surviving her kids' toddler years.

Roxana is married to Richard Han for 8 years with 2 kids, Katie and Derek and a Bichon named Cooper. They live in Novi, MI and hope that these grey winters subside quickly!

Meg Lauterbach

[[Alumni]Lauterbach]

Meg Lauterbach, who received her Master of Music degree in Cello Performance from Roosevelt University and Bachelor of Arts degree from Kalamazoo College, is an active studio musician, and has worked with many bands and singer/songwriters to create original cello parts. In addition, she maintains a rigorous schedule of classical chamber music and solo performances. She has been on the faculty at Hyde Park Suzuki Institute and Columbia College Chicago's Sherwood Community Music School for 10 years, training cellists and pianists of all ages and levels. Orchestral performances have taken her around the globe--to Tomar, Portugal, to play Baroque cello at the Academia de Musica Antiga; to Osaka, Japan, where she was assistant principal cellist for the Ambassador Chamber Orchestra of Roosevelt University; to Courchevel, France, where she was principal cello for Festival MusicAlps; and to Clermont-Ferrand, France, where she was assistant principal bass at the Conservatoire de Region.

Meg describes her music experience at "K":

Music was a huge part of my life at K. I played in the orchestra, sang in two different choirs, played in the bell choir, played bass in a Woody Guthrie-style folk band for a theatre production written by Ed Menta on the beginnings of organized labor in the U.S., rehearsed and performed with the Conservatory Orchestra during my study abroad in Clermont-Ferrand, performed three solo recitals (two on bass, one on cello), took private lessons in bass, cello, piano and voice, and played lots of chamber music with classmates and faculty. Only now, over 10 years after graduation, do I realize how unusual, amazing and varied are the music opportunities at K. At the time I was a student at K, I didn't plan to become a professional musician--I just loved the music faculty and the wealth of ensembles and performance opportunities. Lo and behold, several years after graduation I realized it was silly to do anything BUT music for a living. And lo and behold, all of that music at K prepared me completely to enter graduate school in music. Now I have a Master's degree in Cello Performance from Roosevelt University and I never hesitate to tell people that I did NOT go to a conservatory for undergrad, nor do I hold a Bachelor of Music degree. I love the fact that I took serious courses in many diverse disciplines; I love the fact that I didn't flinch when graduate music history professors asked for a 20-page paper--at K, I regularly had to write 30+ pages for a final paper!

 

Dusty Morris

Dusty Morris is a teaching choir in Vicksburg Schools. He directs seven choirs at the middle and high schools that do two musicals a year. He lives in Vicksburg, Michigan with his wife, Hadley (K 1999).

Dusty describes his experience at "K":

K prepared me well to be a choral director. Not only did I get the musical training I needed to begin my conducting/teaching career, but the liberal arts emphasis meant I also learned some history, language, philosophy and other things which have been very useful when explaining songs to my students. I can place the songs in their historical context, pronounce the foreign language texts and discuss the music's cultural relevance thanks to K College.

 

Carl Wasielewski

[[Alumni]Wasielewski]

Carl sung for a variety of choirs in the Chicago Area, including the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Carl's busy life, including being a Chicago Police Officer, has curtailed his formal musical activities.

Music has very much been a comfort to Carl in his life, and he thinks fondly of the great joy and good friends he made in music at Kalamazoo.