Music Faculty
.jpg?n=4955 "Batcho Mike")
Michael Batcho
Concert Choir
mjbatcho@stritch.edu
Michael Batcho is an adjunct faculty member serving as the director of the Concert Choir. He is also the director of Music for the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, where he serves as the principal organist, directs the Cathedral Choir and Women's Choir, and oversees the Cathedral Fine Arts Series.
Batcho earned a bachelor of music degree, Magna Cum Laude, from West Virginia University. He earned a master of music degree with a choral conducting emphasis from Virginia Commonwealth University. In addition, he has done some graduate work in liturgy and theology at the University of Notre Dame and Washington Theological Union. He has held various church and diocesan posts in West Virginia, Maine and Virginia as well as faculty positions in the public school system in Maine and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Richmond, Va.
Batcho holds membership in the National Association of Pastoral Musicians - DMMD Division, American Guild of Organists, Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians, American Choral Directors Association and the Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society. In addition to performing organ programs in Milwaukee, he has performed recitals at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, and the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark. He has served as guest conductor for the Diocese of Providence, R.I. and does choral music reviews for NPM.
Peter Baime
Guitar
pabaime@stritch.edu
Peter Baime studied in Madrid and Moron De La Frontera Spain with the legendary gypsy guitarists Diego Gastor and Paco Gastor. He began his performance career in Chicago in 1965 and has concertized extensively in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, with additional solo concerts in Spain, Canada, Italy and Mexico.
He has also toured as an accompanist for some of this country's leading flamenco dancers and singers. In 1996, Baime joined the Music Department at Stritch, where he teaches classical and flamenco guitar, in addition to the performance workshop classes for University music majors. In addition to teaching, he has performed more than 2,500 concerts in public schools and has contributed to many public radio and television broadcasts in Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, Texas, Virginia and Oregon.
He has completed six nationally broadcast documentary film scores through Bandana Productions, transcribed an extensive collection of flamenco music which is distributed internationally and commissioned several new works for classical guitar. In October 2000, he won an Emmy Award from the National Academy for Television Arts and Sciences for his original score in the PBS documentary "Indigenous Always."
Kay Belich
Voice
ksbelich@stritch.edu
Kay Belich teaches voice and mentors music education students at Stritch. She is also a music specialist in the West Allis- West Milwaukee School District. Belich has performed in the Milwaukee area in opera, oratorio and recital. Six productions at the Skylight Opera Theatre have featured Belich, most notably in the title role of Britten's "The Rape of Lucretia" and as a recital soloist for "Schubertiad."
She has performed on several occasions with the Waukesha Symphony and the Racine Symphony, singing repertoire ranging from Handel's "Messiah" to "Lovesongs," written by her husband, Sam Belich, which had its premiere in the Racine Symphony's 2000 season. She sang with the New York City Opera Company for many years, as well as with Central City Opera, Connecticut Grand Opera, New Jersey State Opera and Great Lakes Opera.
She earned her bachelor of music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her master of music degree from The Juilliard School in New York City. She was a regional finalist in the New York City Metropolitan Opera Auditions, and a winner of the Wisconsin Federation of Music Clubs' Auditions. The New York Singing Teachers Association presented her in recital at CAMI Hall.
David Carlton
Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba
dmcarlton@stritch.edu
David Carlton attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, earning master of music and bachelor of fine arts degrees. He studied tuba with Robert Rusk, who at the time was principal tuba with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. For the past 30 years he has taught instrumental music at high schools throughout northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, and is currently teaching in Greenfield.
Under his direction, the Greenfield High School Wind Ensemble has received acclaim at music festivals throughout the United States and Canada. He currently performs with the Concord Chamber Orchestra and the Great Lakes Brass Quintet. In 2005, he was appointed conductor and music director of the Oconomowoc American Legion Band.
He has wide-ranging experience working for the Wisconsin School Music Association i.e., on the All-State Honors Staff, as a music reviewer, and as a master adjudicator. He has served as an adjunct instructor of low brass at Stritch since 2004.
Mark Davis
Jazz Studies
davisjazz@aol.com
Mark Davis is currently the jazz studies coordinator at Cardinal Stritch University. His teaching responsibilities include jazz piano, improvisation, jazz theory, jazz history and popular music. He leads and performs with the Stritch jazz performance groups. His teachers include Adelaide Banaszynski, David Hazeltine and jazz legend Barry Harris.
A frequent performer in the Midwest since age 16, Davis has performed with many nationally known musicians, including Jimmy Heath, Brian Lynch, Frank Morgan and Jeff Hamilton. He was featured on the WYMS "Jazz Sample."
Jolita Frank
Piano
jolitaf@sbcglobal.net
Jolita Frank teaches piano and performs as the staff accompanist at Stritch. Frank holds a bachelor's degree in piano performance from the Music Academy of Lithuania and a master's degree in vocal accompanying from UW-Milwaukee.
She has performed as a pianist with UW-Milwaukee choirs and has accompanied for singers at National Association of Teachers of Singing and Metropolitan Opera auditions. She also performs frequently as an accompanist for singers and instrumentalists in the Milwaukee area, and as an accompanist for musical theater productions at Stritch.
Mary Jirovec
Clarinet
majirovec@stritch.edu
Mary Jirovec is presently the clarinet instructor for Cardinal Stritch University as well as a band director for the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District. She received both her B.F.A. and M.S. degrees in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She primarily studied with Russell Dagon, former principal clarinetist of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Jack Snavely, UW-Milwaukee clarinet professor.
She has performed with a number of local community groups and has been involved in short term missions work extensively overseas.
Dr. Dennis King
Chair, Theory, Musical Theater Conductor, Saxophone
(414) 410-4349
dwking@stritch.edu
Dr. Dennis King is chair of the Music Department and associate professor of music at Stritch, where he teaches music theory and conducts musical theater productions. Previously, he was the music supervisor for the Milwaukee Public Schools and fine arts administrator for the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District. King has served on the School of Music faculty at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and he has also taught on the music faculties of Beloit College and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
King received M.M. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and school administration credentials from Stritch.
As a classical saxophonist, King has studied under Dr. Frederick Hemke of Northwestern University, Robert Black of Chicago and William Schwab of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has performed as a soloist with the Beloit/Janesville Symphony, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and University of Wisconsin Symphony.
King is a member Phi Delta Kappa and has served as a director for Young Audiences of Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Jazz Experience, the Milwaukee Civic Music Association, and as a chair for the Wisconsin School Music Association and the MacDowell Club of Milwaukee. He has been a music program evaluator for the North Central Association and the Wisconsin School Evaluation Consortium.
Timothy Klabunde
Violin, Chamber Music
tklabunde@earthlink.net
Violinist Timothy Klabunde has been a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra since 1980 and has served as concertmaster for the Milwaukee Ballet and Milwaukee Civic Orchestras. Klabunde has appeared as violin soloist performing with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra.
He studied the quartet repertoire with the Fine Arts Quartet, including founders Leonard Sorkin, George Sopkin as well as Bernard Zaslav and Abram Loft. Klabunde competed at the Fourth Annual International String Quartet Competition in Evian, France, and has performed on live broadcasts on WFMT and Wisconsin and National Public Radio.
He is also a member of the Prometheus Trio at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Klabunde is the adjunct violin instructor and chamber music ensemble coach at Stritch. He is also a founding member and violinist with The Clarus Piano Trio, a Stritch faculty artist ensemble.
Dr. Eun-Joo Kwak
Piano, Piano Program Coordinator, Chamber Music, Accompanying
(414) 410-4662
ekwak@stritch.edu
Dr. Eun-Joo Kwak is associate professor of piano at Stritch, where she teaches applied piano, chamber music, piano pedagogy and music literature, and directs the university's annual Piano Festival. Her performances have led her to Russia, Asia, and throughout the United States, including appearances at Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts in Chicago, American Landmark Festival in New York, Taipei National Recital Hall in Taiwan, and Seoul Arts Center in Korea.
She has won prizes in prestigious competitions such as the Tokyo International Piano Duo Competition in Japan and International Beethoven Sonata Competition in Memphis. Kwak has performed with numerous orchestras internationally, including the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Her live performances have been broadcast through KBSFM-Korea, WFMT-Chicago, the Christian Radio of Taiwan, and the Wisconsin Public Radio.
As a chamber musician, she performs regularly in The Clarus Piano Trio, and frequently collaborates with musicians in the Chicago and Milwaukee communities. A sought-after clinician and adjudicator, she is on a judging panel for the International Smetana Piano Competition in Pilsen, Czech Republic. Her teachers have included Jung-Joo Oh, Kui-Hyun Kim, Pawel Checinski, Sylvia Wang, and David Kaiserman.
Kwak also played in master classes for Hans Graf, Ursula Oppens, Robert Levin, and Garrick Ohlsson. She received her bachelor of music degree in piano performance from Seoul National University, master of music from Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University, and doctor of music from Northwestern University. Kwak's performances may be heard on the Northwestern University Press label in the U.S. and the Vienna Masters Series label in Austria.
Dr. Linda Nielsen Korducki
Flute
lindaflute@hotmail.com
Linda Nielsen Korducki received her bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she studied with Robert Goodberg. She continued her studies with Walfrid Kujala of the Chicago Symphony and later with Julia Bogorad at the University of Minnesota where she earned her master of music degree. Korducki enhanced her studies with world-renowned flutist and pedagogue, Trevor Wye, spending a year completing his "Flute Studio" course in Kent, England, and recently completed her doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Stephanie Jutt.
A member of the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra, she also served as co-principal flute of the Pamiro Opera Orchestra, and has been principal flutist of the Fox Valley Symphony. Formerly the piccoloist with the Kenosha Symphony, she continues perform with various organizations including the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra and the Rockford and Waukesha Symphony Orchestras. She served on the faculty of the International Music camp from 1991 through 2006.
Along with an active performing career, Korducki maintains a large private teaching studio and has been the adjunct instructor of flute at Stritch since 1995.
Dr. Dan Maske
Theory, Composition
(414) 410-4699
demaske@stritch.edu
Composer Dr. Dan Maske holds B.A. and M.M. degrees in music theory/composition from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a D.M.A. in music composition from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has received commissions from artists such as the Skyline Brass, the Umpqua Chamber Orchestra (Oregon), the St. Norbert College Wind Ensemble, the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra - Junior Wind Ensemble, the UWM Youth Wind Ensemble, and the UW-LaCrosse Symphony Orchestra.
Maske is also a founding member of the chamber rock ensemble Far Corner, a quartet in which he serves as composer and keyboardist. The group's recordings have been released on the Cuneiform Records label. He has taught private lessons in composition, piano, trumpet, drum set, and has been a classroom teacher of subjects such as music theory, music technology, orchestration, and progressive rock.
He is also an editor and author for Hal Leonard Corporation, the world's largest music publisher. Dr. Maske teaches composition and coordinates the composition program at Cardinal Stritch University.
Catherine McGinn
Bass
ktvgm@aol.com
Catherine McGinn studied with Lawrence Hurst at the University of Michigan where she received her bachelor of music degree in performance. Upon graduation, she joined the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in the bass section.
During her tenure with the MSO, she has performed with the Peninsula Music Festival in Door County, served as principal bass of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, plays in the Washington Island Music Festival and is a founding member of the Baroque chamber music ensemble, Bach Babes.
In addition, she was a lecturer in Double Bass at Lawrence University for five years, an adjunct professor of Double Bass at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. McGinn is also an adjunct instructor at Northwestern University where she teaches orchestral repertoire to the bass students and is currently an adjunct instructor of bass at Stritch.
Rita Mitchell
Oboe
(414) 410-4118
rmmitchell@stritch.edu
Rita Mitchell is an adjunct faculty member teaching oboe at Cardinal Stritch University. She received her bachelor degree in Music performance from Northern Illinois University. While at Northern she studied with Judith Zunamon Lewis (Lyric Opera Chicago) and J. Ricardo Castañeda (Chicago Sinfonietta). Rita Mitchell received her master’s degrees in Chamber Music Performance and Library and Information Science from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she was a student of Stephen Colburn, former principal oboist of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Mitchell was the 2002 winner of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition.
Ms. Mitchell is currently principal oboist of the Concord Chamber Orchestra. She is also a member of the Wisconsin Philharmonic. Previous positions include oboe/English horn with the Racine Symphony. Ms. Mitchell is also the Information Literacy Librarian at Cardinal Stritch University.
Dr. James Norden
Piano, Chamber Music
(414) 410-4673
jcnorden@stritch.edu
Dr. James Norden, pianist, received B.M. and M.M. degrees from Michigan State University and a D.M.A. degree from the University of Iowa. Previous to his adjunct appointment on the Stritch piano faculty, he taught at Southwestern State University in Oklahoma, the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, and at Alverno College and Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee.
Active as teacher, adjudicator, and clinician, Dr. Norden has also performed for many years as a chamber music pianist and piano accompanist with/for artists around the country. Other musical interests include conducting two German choruses in the Milwaukee area.
Dr. Norden has been active in Music Teachers National Association for many years, having held association offices at the state, division and national levels, finally serving as MTNA national president. He is currently serving as national coordinator of the MTNA Chamber Music Competitions.
Christine O'Meally
Voice
comeally@stritch.edu
Christine O’Meally, a Milwaukee native, teaches voice at Stritch. She holds a master’s degree in vocal performance from the Peabody Conservatory and recently completed certification in Levels I, II & III of Somatic Voicework™ The LoVetri Method at the Contemporary Commercial Music Voice Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah University
Her performances include appearances with Racine Symphony, Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee, Washington Bach Consort, Chicago Opera Theatre, Opera Theater of Northern Virginia, Washington Savoyards, In Tandem Theatre, Windfall Theater, The Young Victorian Theater of Baltimore, and Skylight Opera Theatre. She created the role of The Woman in Red in Dominick Argento’s Dream of Valentino in its world premiere with the Washington Opera.
O’Meally also teaches vocal pedagogy and vocal literature at Carroll University, and maintains a private studio in her home in Wauwatosa.
Paul Silbergleit
Jazz Guitar
paul@paulsilbergleit.com
A jazz performer and composer, Paul Silbergleit has worked as a soloist, bandleader, and sideman in a wide variety of settings. His 1996 debut album, "Silberglicity," made it onto the jazz charts with nationwide publicity.
Silbergleit received his bachelor of arts degree from Oberlin College and has appeared with Jack McDuff, Jon Faddis, Richie Cole, Melvin Rhyne, Brian Lynch and David Hazeltine. He is the adjunct instructor of jazz guitar at Stritch, where he also coaches and performs with the jazz studies performance combos.
Amelia Spierer
Ear Training, Voice
aspierer@stritch.edu
Amelia Spierer, a Cedarburg native, is a member of the voice faculty, vocal ensemble coach and ear training instructor at Cardinal Stritch University.
She recently completed her Masters of Music degree at Rutgers University and spent a year studying at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, Germany. Her opera credits include Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Mrs. Page in Nicolai's Merry Wives of Windsor, and Annina in La Traviata. In 2002, Ms. Spierer was awarded an Honorable Mention in the American Bach Society's annual vocal competition.
Olga Tuzhilkov
Viola
violgaclassic@yahoo.com
Olga Tuzhilkov came to the U.S. as the original violist for the Veronika String Quartet, which was formed in 1989 while studying at the Gnesins' Russian Academy of Music in Moscow.
The Veronika String Quartet has been awarded top prizes in international competitions in Russia, Australia, and in the United States and has collaborated in performances with the Fine Arts Quartet, Martin Lovett, formerly of the Amadeus Quartet, pianists James Tocco and Ruth Laredo, clarinetist Richard Stoltzman.
Having performed in France, Germany, Holland, Spain, England, Switzerland, Israel, and toured extensively in Russia and the United States, Tuzhilkov is active in the Milwaukee and Chicago area as freelance performer and is the adjunct instructor of viola and coaches upper strings and chamber ensembles at Stritch.
Dr. Marion Verhaalen, SSSF
Piano
Dr. Marion Verhaalen SSSF, brings a rich background to her position as adjunct piano instructor at Stritch, including extensive experience in piano pedagogy, composition and expertise in Brazilian music. She has authored a number of books, including several piano courses, and has given workshops in the U.S. and throughout Brazil.
Her landmark study of the life and works of Brazilian composer Camargo Guarnieri, "Expressoes De Uma Vida" [Expressions of a Life] was published by the University of São Paulo in 2001.
Dr. Verhaalen's music publications include piano music, both solo and duet, choral and chamber works. She holds a master degree from Catholic University and a doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Scott Wenzel
History, Ethnomusicology, Instrumental Ensembles, Percussion, Conducting
(414) 410-4575
srwenzel@stritch.edu
Scott Wenzel is the chamber orchestra and wind ensemble conductor, and percussion instructor at Stritch. In addition to coordinating the instrumental music program, Wenzel teaches the music history and literature course sequence. He has been a professional musician for more than 30 years, performing with symphony orchestras, pop, rock and blues bands, fusion groups, jazz ensembles, chamber groups, and various types of world music and ethnic ensembles.
He holds a master's degree in ethnomusicology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as an undergraduate degree in alternative education from UW-Milwaukee. Wenzel has developed and taught online world music courses for the University of Wisconsin-Madison for more than 10 years, and has developed music outreach school programs for the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music for more than 15 years.
Adrien Zitoun
Cello, Chamber Music
(414) 410-4974
azitoun@stritch.edu
Adrien Zitoun began his cello studies at the age of five with Marie-Françoise Bloch in Paris, and then studied for three years with Wolgang Dreschler at the Geneva Conservatory. In 1983, after returning to Paris, he continued with Paul Boufil at the National Regional Conservatory in Paris, where he began his studies in organ, harmony, analysis and conducting. In 1990, he obtained a first prize in theory and in 1991 a first prize in cello.
After he had received his baccalauréat in 1990, he studied musicology at the University of Sorbonne in Paris for one year, before being accepted into the National Superior Conservatory of Music in Lyon, where he began his cello studies with Yvan Chiffoleau. In 1994 he graduated with a first prize in cello and pursued his studies through a perfection cycle in cello and chamber music (piano trio).
In 1996 and 1997, he obtained scholarships from the French Foreign Affairs Office and the Ministry of Culture, the Rhône-Alps Région and from the Société Générale Bank of France, enabling him to go to the United States to continue his studies with Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and Janos Starker at Indiana University, Bloomington. He received an Artist Diploma in 1998 and a Masters of Music in 1999. In 2001, he became a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
Zitoun is currently teaching cello on the music faculty at Stritch, where he also performs with the Clarus piano trio.