BILLY ADAIR | OKYEREMA GYANE-KWAME AHIMA | GREGORY BARZ | LAWRENCE BORDEN | MAT BRITAIN | DAVID CHILDS | ALLAN COX | GARNETT R. DAVIS | ROBIN FOUNTAIN | CONSTANCE ELY GUERIN | FRANK M. KIRCHNER | JAMIE ANDREW KIRSCH | CASSANDRA LEE | SALLY MCFADDEN | CAROL NIES | JOE REA PHILLIPS | NORMA GROBMAN ROGERS | DWAYNE SAGEN | PAMELA SCHNELLER | GAYLE SHAY | CAROL F. SMITH | HAZEL SOMERVILLE | ROGER SPENCER | CELESTE TUTEN | THOMAS VERRIER | WILLIAM G. WIGGINS

BILLY ADAIR, Director of the Blair Big Band;
Senior Lecturer in Jazz Studies
B.S (Peabody) E-mail

Studio musician 1972-present. Music Director: "Dancing USA" for the Nashville Network 1983-1985. Music Director for several network television specials. TV and recording credits include: Alabama, Lucille Ball, Barbara Mandrell,Ronnie Millsap,Steve Wariner, Mel Tillis, Pam Tillis, Janie Fricke, Lee Greenwood, Gregg Allman. Appearances on "The Today Show." Broadcast music producer for advertising, 1978-present, winning 159 local, regional, national and global awards for composition and arranging. 1998-present, Music Director of The Establishment, a 22 not for profit big band.. Charter member of The Nashville Jazz Machine, a lab band composed of only studio musicians. Staff bassist for the International Trombone Workshop 1974-1982, performed with Slide Hampton, Bill Watrous, Kai Winding, Carl Fontana, Phil Wilson and Frank Rossiilino. Blair School since 2002..

OKYEREMA GYANE-KWAME AHIMA, Co-Director, African Performing Ensemble;
Adjunct Instructor of Music E-mail

Master, Asante Talking Drums of Ghana; Founder and Artistic Director, Sogo Dance Ensemble; Manager, Nana-Nom Ensemble (West Africa); Drum and Dance Instructor, Global Education Center (Nashville); Master drummer, Odomankoma Kyerema Cultural Troupe. Performances at the Ghana National Festival of the arts and culture; 21st Yugoslav Festival of the Child; World University Games (Canada). Appearances in 35 states in the United States. Blair School since 2000.

GREGORY BARZ, Co-Director, African Performing Ensemble;
Associate Professor of Musicology (Ethnomusicology)
B.M. (North Carolina School of the Arts); M.A. (Chicago); Ph.D. (Brown)

See biographical information on the Music Literature and History page.

LAWRENCE BORDEN, Director, Trombone Ensemble;
Associate Professor of Trombone
B.M. (Northwestern)

See biographical information on the Brass & Percussion Faculty page.

MAT BRITAIN Director, Vanderbilt Steel Drum Band
Adjunct Instructor of Music
B.M.E. (Wichita State) E-mail

DAVID CHILDS, Director, Vanderbilt Symphonic Choir, Blair Chamber Choir, and Musical Director for the Blair Lyric Theatre;
Assistant Professor of Choral Studies
B.M. (Canterbury, New Zealand); M.M. (Florida State); D.M.A. (Louisiana State University); Dip. Tchg. (Christchurch, New Zealand); LTCL (piano) E-mail

Student of Kenneth Fulton, Michael Butterman, André Thomas, Rodney Eichenberger, Phillip Spurgeon, David Smyth, and Robert Peck. He is music director for the Vanderbilt Opera Theater program, having recently conducted performances of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, and Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance. He has some twenty compositions with Santa Barbara, Alliance Music, and Colla Voce, many of which have appeared at All-State festivals and at national and regional ACDA conventions. In July of 2002 Childs worked under Helmuth Rilling at the Oregon Bach Music Festival, one of 12 participants chosen to attend his master class. Dr. Childs has served as clinician and adjudicator in the United States on numerous occasions, working at the grade school, college, and community levels, most recently serving as honor choir conductor in Tennessee, Virginia, and Louisiana. Future All-State Choir engagements include Oregon and Tennessee (2004). Blair School since 2000.

ALLAN COX, Director, Blair Brass Choir and Blair Trumpet Ensemble;
Professor of Trumpet
B.M.E. (Nebraska); M.M. (Wichita State) E-mail

See biographical information on the Brass & Percussion Faculty page.

GARNETT R. DAVIS, Director, Tuba Ensemble;
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Tuba
B.S. (North Alabama); M.M. (Indiana)

See biographical information on the Brass & Percussion Faculty page.

ROBIN FOUNTAIN, Director, Vanderbilt Orchestra and Vanderbilt New Music Ensemble
B.A., M.A. (Oxford); M.F.A. (Carnegie-Mellon) E-mail

Student of Gustav Meier and Norman Del Mar. Master classes with Lorin Maazel, Leondard Bernstein, Kurt Sanderling, Leonard Slatkin, and Gennadi Rodzhestvensky. Guest conductor, Brandenburg Symphony, Pittsburgh Center Theater, Nashville Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony; cover conductor, Pittsburgh Symphony, associate conductor, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, 1985-89; music director: Butler Symphony, 1987-94; McKeesport Symphony, 1989-91; Williamsport Symphony since 1990. Aspen Music Festival, 1985; Tanglewood Music Center, 1989. Member of faculty: Duquesne University, 1986-94. Blair School since 1994.

CONSTANCE ELY GUERIN, Director, Young Singers of Blair;
Adjunct Artist Teacher of Chorus
B.S. (Vanderbilt)

See biographical information on the Precollege Faculty page.

FRANK M. KIRCHNER, Director, Saxophone Ensemble;
Adjunct Associate Professor of Saxophone
B.M.E., M.A. (Peabody)

See biographical information on the Woodwind Faculty page.

JAMIE ANDREW KIRSCH, Interim Director, Blair Choral Ensembles (2007 - 08);
Artist Teacher of Chorus
B.M. (UNC-Chapel Hill); M.M. (Yale School of Music); D.M. (Indiana University)
E-mail

Blair Since 2007.

CASSANDRA LEE, Director, Woodwind Choir;
Assistant Professor of Clarinet
B.S. (Tennessee); M.M. (Northwestern)

See biographical information on the Woodwind Faculty page.

SALLY MCFADDEN, Conductor, Nashville Youth Repertory Orchestra;
Adjunct Senior Artist Teacher of Orchestra
B.M.E. (Mount Vernon)

See biographical information on the Precollege Faculty page.

CAROL NIES, Director, Nashville Youth Orchestra Program and Conductor, Nashville Youth Symphony;
Adjunct Senior Artist Teacher of Conducting
B.M. (Miami); M.M. (Yale); Graduate Professional Studies Diploma (Mannes); D.M.A. (Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music) E-mail

See biographical information on the Precollege Faculty page.

JOE REA PHILLIPS, Director, Guitar Ensemble; Assistant to the Dean;
Senior Artist Teacher of Guitar
B.S., M.S. (Peabody)

See biographical information on the Guitar Faculty page.

NORMA GROBMAN ROGERS, Director, Flute Choir;
Adjunct Artist Teacher of Flute, Piccolo, and Recorder
B.M.E., M.S. (Indiana)

See biographical information on the Woodwind Faculty page.

DWAYNE SAGEN, Director of University Bands; Assistant Dean for Admissions;
Adjunct Professor of Music
B.M., M.M. (Northwestern); Ph.D. (Iowa)

See biographical information on the Deans page.

PAMELA SCHNELLER, Director, Vanderbilt University Concert Choir and Chamber Singers; Director, Vanderbilt Community Chorus
Assistant Dean; Senior Lecturer in Choral Music;
B.M.E. (Illinois); M.C.M (Scarritt) E-mail

Student of Sandra Willetts and Harold Decker. Studied with Margaret Hillis, Kenneth Jennings, Donald Neuen. Festival and workshop leader for high school, junior high and elementary choral festivals throughout the region. Appearances at American Choral Director Association conventions; numerous superior awards in various competitions. Full-time director of Music in Presbyterian and United Methodist Churches, 1988-99. Member of faculty: Blair School of Music, 1988-98 and since 1999.

GAYLE SHAY, Director, Vanderbilt Opera Theater; Assistant Professor of Voice
B.A. (Luther College [Iowa]); M.M. (University of Maryland); D.M.A. (University of Colorado at Boulder)

See biographical information on the Vocal Faculty page.

CAROL F. SMITH, Director, The Blair Suzuki Players;
Senior Artist Teacher of Violin; Director of the Suzuki Program
M.A.T. (Washington University)

See biographical information on the Precollege Faculty page.

HAZEL SOMERVILLE, Director, Blair Children's Chorus Program;
Adjunct Artist Teacher of Chorus
E-mail

See biographical information on the Precollege Faculty page.

ROGER SPENCER, Adjunct Artist Teacher of Jazz Ensembles
B.S. (Indiana State University)

Bass student of Robert Goodlett, John Clayton, Frank Gallagher, and Arni Egilsson. Additional jazz studies with David N. Baker and Charlie Shoemake. Jazz and recording bassist in Los Angeles 1975-1988, Nashville since 1988. Orchestras: Santa Monica Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Modern String Orchestra. Big Bands: Harry James, Les Brown, Nelson Riddle, Louis Bellson, and Bill Holman. Small groups with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Carl Fontana, Alphonse Mouzon, Page Cavanaugh, Pete Christlieb and Beegie Adair. Director of the Nashville Jazz Workshop. Blair School since 2001.

CELESTE TUTEN, Conductor, Nashville Youth String Orchestra and Nashville Suzuki Reading Orchestra;
Artist Teacher of Suzuki Violin
B.M.E. (Peabody); M.Ed. (Memphis State)

See biographical information on the Precollege Faculty page.

THOMAS VERRIER, Director, Vanderbilt Wind Symphony and Wind Ensembles; Associate Professor and Director of Wind Studies; Artistic Director of the Vanderbilt Music Académie, Aix-en-Provence, France; Director of the five-year degree program in Teacher Education.
B.M. (Ithaca College), M.M. (CSU-Long Beach), D.M.A. (Colorado)
E-mail

Student of Allan McMurray, Larry Curtis, and Rodney Winther. Master classes with Eugene Migliaro Corporon, Donald Hunsberger, Craig Kirchhoff, H. Robert Reynolds, and Larry Rachleff. Active conductor, adjudicator, and clinician who has worked with groups throughout the United States and in Canada and Mexico including the MENC All-Northwest Honor Band (2001). Conducted performances at conferences of the College Band Directors National Association West/Northwest Divisions (2000), the North American Saxophone Alliance (1999) and the California Association for Music Education (2000). Participant, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles International Conducting Clinic in Hamamatsu, Japan (1995). Presented lectures at conferences of the College Band Directors National Association, the College Music Society and the California Association for Music Education. Taught public school in California and Colorado, 1988-95. Member of faculty: CSU-Los Angeles, 1996-2002. Blair School since 2002.

WILLIAM G. WIGGINS, Director, Percussion Ensemble;
Assistant Professor of Timpani and Percussion; Coordinator of the Pre-College Program; Chair of the Brass and Percussion Department
B.S. (Peabody); M.M. (Northwestern)

See biographical information on the Brass and Percussion Faculty page.