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Preparatory Music Instructors

Instructors

Belen Clifford

Violin/Viola

Education:

University of Miami
Frost School of Music
         Bachelor of Music
         Violin Performance
Institute of Fine Arts
Havana, Cuba
          Bachelor of Music
          Violin Performance

About:

Born in Havana, Cuba, Belen began studying the violin at age eight, attending the Manuel Saumell Conservatory and studying with Alla Taran. At age thirteen Belen was accepted to the Esteban Salas Conservatory in Santiago de Cuba. She completed her studies there receiving the certificate of performer/professor of violin and viola. During this time she competed nationally in the Amadeo Roldan Competition and was awarded first prize, second prize, and two honorable mentions. She was also a member of the Symphony Orchestra of Santiago de Cuba. She then entered the Institute of Fine Arts in Havana where she completed her studies in violin performance. While in Havana she was a member of the Camerata Brindis de Salas and the National Symphony Orchestra first violin section. After emigrating to the United States she attended the University of Miami where she received her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance. She has performed as a member with the Miami City Ballet Orchestra, the Florida Grand Opera Orchestra, the Boca Pops, and was a per service member of the Naples Philharmonic. She also is second violinist in Quartteto Stringendo, the quartet-in-residence at Palm Beach Atlantic University. She currently teaches violin and viola in the Palm Beach Atlantic University School of Music and Fine Arts Preparatory Department as well as the Stringendo School for Strings Summer Academy. Mrs. Clifford enjoys teaching and the relationships she develops with her students. Many of her students hold leadership positions in the area youth and school orchestras and have won numerous competitions here in Palm Beach county and throughout the state of Florida. It gives her great satisfaction to watch her students as they succeed musically, academically as well as personally.

Kelsey Lin

Violin

Education:

Lynn University
Conservatory of Music at
       Bachelor of Music
       Violin Performance

About:

Kelsey Lin was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. Her love of music began at a very early age when she begged her mother to take her to cello lessons. Eventually she traded in her cello for a much smaller instrument, the violin. Over the years Kelsey participated in many music festivals such as the Florida State University Summer Music Camps, Brevard Summer Music Festival, Indiana University Summer String Academy, and Domaine Forget Summer Music Festival. During those festivals Kelsey studied violin with Austin Hartman violinist in the former Biava Quartet, Helmut Lipsky violin professor at the University of Montreal, and Marie Berard, violin professor at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. During these festivals Kelsey also participated in ensemble practice. At Brevard she was placed as the principal violinist of the Transylvania Symphony Orchestra, and was also placed in the elite Il Solisti group. She participated in many string ensembles receiving instructions from the Biava String Quartet and the Nash String Quartet. Kelsey has also been asked to play in many master classes with great violinists Oleh Krysa, Regis Pasquier, Elmar Oliveira, and Mimi Zweig. While attending high school at A.W. Dreyfoos Jr. High School of the Arts, Kelsey was selected to play in the Florida All-State Orchestra for three consecutive years. She also soloed with her high school orchestra and was concertmaster on occasion. Currently Kelsey is the El Sistema Director at U.B.Kinsey/Palmview Elementary School of the Arts and mentors at Jupiter Middle School. She is also on faculty at Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Preparatory Department. Kelsey is dedicated to creating and sharing music with people of all ages in PB County.

Susan Snow

Violin

Education:

Palm Beach Atlantic University
       Bachelor of Science
       Elementary Education,
Music Minor

About:

Susan Snow is an American violinist who was raised in Lakeland, Florida. After several years of piano lessons, Susan took up the violin at the age of 10 and spent her middle and high school years attending arts schools, earning yearly positions in Florida’s All-State Orchestra, and serving as Concertmaster for both her high school symphony and All-county orchestras. For her college years, Susan continued her education at Palm Beach Atlantic University where she received a degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Music. During these years, Susan studied classically with Patrick Clifford. After graduation, Susan was presented with the unique opportunity to tour, record, and perform with the rock group, ‘Dashboard Confessional’. For 3 years, Susan toured all over the states, Canada, and Australia, playing electric violin. She also accompanied the group during performances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’brien, and The Today Show. Her time with the band culminated in a sold-out show at Madison Square Gardens in NYC, which was filmed for a PBS special. In an effort to combine her 2 passions, teaching and violin, Susan joined the faculty of Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Preparatory Department . Since joining the faculty in 2007, Susan has enjoyed instructing private students, teaching ensemble/theory classes, facilitating group lessons at nearby schools, and working with students at the Stringendo School for Strings summer camp. Susan’s hope as a violin instructor is to instill in her students a lifelong dedication to and passion for the violin while having fun along the way! In an effort to combine her 2 passions, teaching and violin, Susan joined the faculty of Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Preparatory Department. Since joining the faculty in 2007, Susan has enjoyed instructing private students, teaching ensemble/theory classes, facilitating group lessons at nearby schools, and working with students at the Stringendo School for Strings summer camp. Susan’s hope as a violin instructor is to instill in her students a lifelong dedication to and passion for the violin while having fun along the way!

Dr. Erikson Rojas

Piano

Education:

Rutgers University
Mason Gross
School of the Arts
      Doctor of Musical Arts
      Piano Performance
Peabody Institute of the
John Hopkins University
       Master of Music
       Piano Performance
Cairn University
       Bachelor of Music
       Piano Performance
       Bachelor of Science in Bible

About:

Dr. Erikson Rojas, has given numerous solo and chamber performances in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America, including eight appearances at Carnegie Hall. In each case he has been featured as soloist with orchestra. His recordings have obtained critical acclaim, and as a teacher, lecturer, and church musician, he continues to gain distinction amidst high demand. Dr. Rojas is honored to have been one of five Americans and the only Hispanic in 30 pianists selected worldwide to participate at the Cleveland International Piano Competition. He has won the Ambler Symphony Orchestra Competition, the Outstanding Young Christian Artists Competition, Cuba’s Amadeo Roldán and UNEAC Competitions, among others. Dr. Rojas’s primary piano teachers include Leon Fleisher, Samuel Hsu, Eleanor Sokoloff, and Min Kwon. Studies in conducting and organ were with Gustav Meier and Robert Carwithen, respectively. Other lessons and masterclasses in piano were with Claude Frank, Gary Graffman, Seymour Lipkin, Martin Canin, John Perry, Ilana Vered, Sasha Starcevich, Pavlina Dokovska, Susan Starr, Jorge Luis Prats, Charles Abramovic, and Paul Hoffmann. He is on faculty at Palm Beach Atlantic University, Csehy Summer School of Music, and Sounds of Manhattan International Music Festival and Competition. He also serves as Pianist of the Choral Society of the Palm Beaches and as Music Minister at Royal Palm Presbyterian Church in Southeast Florida, where he resides with his beloved wife Diandra. Hailed as “an impressive performer in his own right… impassioned, hypnotic, insightful…superb tonal control” by the New York Concert Review, and as a “prodigy…Rojas, the piano and the music become one” by the Los Angeles Times.

Dr. Jackie Yong

Piano

Education:

Florida State University DM in Piano Performance

University of Tennessee (Knoxville)  MMus in Music Performance

About:

Dr. Jackie Yong, a versatile Malaysian pianist, serves as Assistant Professor of Piano and Coordinator of the Keyboard Division at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Approaching music teaching and learning as a form of discipleship, Dr. Yong emphasizes student-centered, comprehensive and sustainable methods that encourage a thorough and practical understanding of music.

As a celebrated performer, Dr. Yong is recognized for his thoughtful programming and ability to engage audiences with repertoire that spans from Bach to Bernstein, Boulez to Bright Sheng, captivating listeners across Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Germany and the United States. He has excelled in numerous international competitions, winning awards at the Rockwood Piano Competition, Asia-Open International Piano Competition, Charleston International Piano Competition, ASWARA International Piano Competition and Young Person’s Piano Competition. A passionate advocate for new music, he has premiered works by living composers and performed at major events like FSU’s Biennial Festival of New Music and UTK’s New Sound Concert Series. His artistry has been featured in broadcasts and interviews, including on WUOT 91.1 FM’s UT Concert Hall Series and 988 FM.

In scholarship, Dr. Yong’s research covers a range of topics crucial to today’s music educators and performers: teaching collegiate piano literature, recital programming, musical hermeneutics, performance techniques, historical pedagogy and career development for musicians. He regularly presents at national and regional conferences organized by the College Music Society, the Music Teachers National Association and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. A two-time recipient of the David Z. Kushner Paper Award from the CMS Southern Regional Conference, Dr. Yong’s commitment to academic excellence is reflected in awards like the FSU Dissertation Research Grant and UTK Diversity Enhancement Fellowship, along with inductions into the honor societies Pi Kappa Lambda and Phi Kappa Phi.

An MTNA-certified adjudicator, Dr. Yong has judged numerous events, including the Tallahassee Sonata and Sonatina Festival and he is frequently invited to lead masterclasses and workshops on topics ranging from piano technique to hymn playing and improvisation. Beyond the concert stage and classroom, Dr. Yong is deeply involved in church music. Since becoming a Christian as a teenager, he has served as a pianist, organist, conductor and worship leader across various denominations, including Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and non-denominational congregations. His dedication to outreach is evident in his workshops and lectures on hymn playing, where he aims to make music accessible and meaningful to diverse communities.

Dr. Yong earned his Doctor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Florida State University, along with three specialized certificates in Piano Pedagogy, Music Theory Pedagogy and College Teaching. He also holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Malaya and a Master of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His training with esteemed mentors, including Dr. Read Gainsford, Dr. Diana Dumlavwalla and Dr. Chih-Long Hu, as well as masterclasses with Jerome Lowenthal, Hung-Kuan Chen, Bernd Goetzke, Robin McCabe, Craig Sheppard and Angela Cheng, have shaped his holistic approach to teaching and performance.

Prospective students will find in Dr. Yong a dedicated mentor who combines a rich performance background with a passion for education and community, offering a uniquely inspiring environment for musical growth and discipleship.

Website:http://jackieyong.com

Dr. Nicholas Tavani

Music

Education:

University of Maryland DMA in Violin Performance

University of Texas

MMus in Violin Performance

 

Dr. Lexi Bryant

Music Theory

Education:

University of Maryland

DMA in Music Composition

Rice University

MMus in Composition

About:

Hailed as a “promising composer” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Alexandra T Bryant has been lauded for her “ability to convey myriad moods through clear thematic materials and coloristic contrasts.” Inaugurating her compositional commissions, the 2008 world premiere of her piece Apostrophe was presented by the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra in Severance Hall. In addition she has received commissions from ensembles such as the Kronos Quartet, the Aeolus Quartet in collaboration with the Friends of Chamber Music of Reading and through a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, Katherine Murdock and Mark Hill, Duo Scordatura and Scordatura Music Society, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Orchestra Association, the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association, The Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, William Preucil (concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra), and the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre & Academy. She has participated in the Cabrillo Festival (2012), is the 2010 winner of the Avalon Composition Competition, and the 2007-2008 recipient of Darius Milhaud Award at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Dr. Bryant has also been a finalist or prizewinner in numerous composition competitions including Morton Gould, Lake George Music Festival, Garth Newel, USA International Harp Society, Flute New Music Consortium, and the Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute. In the summer of 2011, Alexandra served on the faculty of the Luzerne Music Center as composer-in- residence.

Prior to her arrival in Fall 2024, Dr. Bryant served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Gustavus Adolphus College in St Peter, MN where she piloted a full theory curriculum revision, pushing students to new standards, increasing standards and learning outcomes. Here at PBA, she is again in charge of the music theory sequence, where she is already implementing changes in the curriculum, raising the bar for student expectations. In addition to Music Theory courses, Dr. Bryant teaches Orchestration & Arranging.

A native of Western Washington, Dr. Bryant is a graduate of the University of Maryland where she taught written theory, aural skills, and music fundamentals. She was a recipient of the school’s Flagship Fellowship and the School of Music’s Dean’s Fellowship and has studied with Mark Wilson and Lawrence Moss. Additionally, Dr. Bryant is a 2010 Master’s graduate of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University where studied under Dr. Pierre Jalbert and Dr. Arthur Gottschalk. In May of 2008, she completed her Bachelor of Music degree in Composition under the guidance of Dr. Margaret Brouwer and Dr. Paul Schoenfield from the Cleveland Institute of Music. During the summer of 2010, she was a Composition Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and School studying under Sydney Hodkinson. Dr. Bryant has also studied under George Tsontakis at Aspen, the Bowdoin International Music Festival with Samuel Adler, Claude Baker, and Simone Fontanelli, Tyler White at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chamber Music Institute, the Czech-American Summer Music Institute in Prague with Ladislav Kubik, and Dr. Robert Hutchinson at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington.

Beginning her musical studies at an early age on the violin under the direction of her mother, her major private instructors since have included Janis Upshall, Dr. Maria Sampen at the University of Puget Sound, and David Russell at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Participating actively in orchestral and chamber music since a very early age, Miss Bryant has acted as Concertmaster of both the Tacoma Youth Symphony and the Peninsula Youth Orchestra, as well as Principal Second of the University of Puget Sound’s Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestras, in addition to numerous leadership positions in other ensembles. During her studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Dr. Bryant was the only non-instrumental performance major who participated in the orchestral program and in chamber ensembles at the Shepherd School.

She is married to violinist Nicholas Tavani with whom they have three wonderful boys and a very fluffy dog.

 

Dr. Sam Broomell

Band

Education:

John’s Hopkins University/Peabody Conservatory

DMA-ABD in Wind Conducting; Music Theory Pedagogy

Franklin & Marshall College

MMus in Wind Conducting, John’s  BA in Music

Business. Organizations, and Society,

About:

Professor Sam Broomell was appointed Assistant Professor of Music Education, Director of Bands and Division Coordinator of Instrumental Music at Palm Beach Atlantic University in 2024. He previously served as Director of the Johns Hopkins University Wind Ensemble, Assistant Conductor of the Peabody Institute Wind Ensemble and Assistant Conductor of the Franklin & Marshall College Orchestra and Symphonic Wind Ensemble. He has served as an instructor and graduate assistant in conducting, music theory, aural skills and music education.

He has conducted ensembles across the United States, including the United States Army Field Band, The Soldiers’ Chorus, The Delaware Winds, The Newfound Chamber Winds, The Allegretto Orchestra of Lancaster, The Rockville Concert Band and The Hunt Valley Wind Ensemble. Sam previously taught K-12 music and has served as a clinician and arranger for high school music programs across the country.

As both a performer and scholar, Sam’s past research has included “A Conductor’s Guide to Olivier Messiaen’s Et Exspecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum,” “Music and Philosophy: A survey of the philosophical approaches to music analysis from Greek Antiquity through the twentieth century,” and “Identity constructed through choir: The Welsh male chorus during the Nonconformist movement.”

Sam was awarded the 2024 American Prize in Conducting in the College and University Band division. He was selected to participate in the Tidewater Conducting Competition and Fellowship. He reached the semi-final round for a Fulbright Study and Research Grant to Cardiff University, Wales and was a semi-finalist in the National Youth British Brass Band of Great Britain Conducting Competition.

With a desire to bring glory to the Lord through song, Sam has served as a worship director for churches in Florida, Maryland and Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the Timothy Foundation Fellows program, a leadership training program committed to raising up the next generation of Christian leaders. His hobbies include running, snow skiing, trying new foods and traveling.