Music for Life
Mentors
A unique feature of the Rochester New Horizons organization is it's affiliation with the Eastman Community Music School which is a division of the Eastman School of Music. For the large bands, one of our two practice sessions each week is spent in sectional rehearsal. We are very fortunate to have a current or recent Eastman student as a mentor for each section. These Eastman students offer invaluable direction and advice to all of our members.
Ben David Aronson
Low Brass Mentor
Completing the prestigious Doctoral Studies Program at the Eastman School of Music, Mr. Aronson has performed and toured with several Eastman ensembles. He has performed with the renowned Eastman Trombone Choir at the Eastern Trombone Workshop and has also joined the Choir at the 2011 International Trombone Festival in Nashville, Tennessee, where they were the winners of the Emory Remington Trombone Choir Competition. In 2013, Ben David was honored to perform in the Eastman Wind Ensemble’s 60th Anniversary celebration and participated in the Ensemble’s tour to MusicFest Canada, held at the University of Toronto.
In addition to his studies at Eastman, Mr. Aronson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Rochester’s College of Arts and Sciences, where he majored in Music and studied trombone with RPO principal trombonist and Eastman Professor Mark Kellogg. He also holds the Master’s Degree of Music in trombone performance from the Penn State School of Music, where he served as Teaching Assistant to Professor Mark L. Lusk and the Penn State Trombone Choir.
Carl Galand
Clarinet Mentor
Carl Galland received clarinet performance degrees from the University of Texas at Austin (B.M.) and from Eastman School of Music (M.M.). He is a current doctoral candidate and Teaching Assistant Graduate Award recipient at Eastman School of Music. His principle clarinet teachers have been Richard MacDowell, Nathan Williams, Kenneth Grant and Jon Manasse.
Carl has been teaching clarinet at the Eastman Community Music School for 4 years and is a freelance clarinet recitalist and chamber musician in the Rochester area. He is also the organist and music director at St. Mary and St. Mark R.C. parishes. In addition to teaching clarinet, he accompanies his students on piano and holds an annual ECMS Clarinet Studio Recital in the late Spring.
Tierney McLean
Trumpet Mentor
Born and raised in Spencerport, Tierney McLean has loved music all her life. Eastman Community Music School is near and dear to her heart, as she is a proud alumna. Awarded the Spencerport Music Association Scholarship upon her high school graduation in 2011, she moved to Ohio to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Trumpet Performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under the instruction of Alan Siebert and Philip Collins.
Tierney is currently on faculty at the Roberts Community Music School, where she teaches private trumpet lessons, as well as being a staff member in the Eastman Community Music School office. Locally, she has performed with the Brighton Symphony Orchestra, the Greater Rochester Women’s Philharmonic, the South Seneca Music Festival Orchestra, and the Center Stage Pops Orchestra. Earlier this year, she was named a board member of the Greece Performing Arts Society, which keeps her active in the larger musical community, when she is not playing and teaching.
Holly Spangenberg
Violin Mentor
Violinist Holly Spangenberg is passionate about sharing diverse music both in the concert hall and in the community. A graduate student at the Eastman School of Music, she has performed with Eastman’s Philharmonia, Musica Nova, OSSIA, the Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media, Collegium Musicum, and other ensembles.
Holly earned her Bachelor’s Degree with honors from the Eastman School of Music in 2018. Currently, she is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Violin Performance at Eastman where she studies with Juliana Athayde.
Emily Bieker
Flute Mentor
Emily Bieker, originally from Waukee, Iowa, is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Flute Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Prior to living in Rochester, Emily lived in Chicago while attending DePaul University where she received her bachelor’s degree. During her time at DePaul, Emily was an active participant in the school’s orchestral, wind, chamber, and opera orchestra ensembles as well as other orchestral opportunities throughout the city. Emily’s primary teachers include Bonita Boyd, Mark Sparks, Alyce Johnson, and Sandra Moore Wacha.
Kyle Peters
Percussion Mentor
Kyle Peters is the percussion instructor at the Eastman Community Music School. He received his Master’s of Music in Performance and Literature, as well as the prestigious Performer’s Certificate, from the Eastman School of Music and his Bachelor’s of Music in Music Education from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam.
As a performer, Kyle has gained recognition as a well-rounded percussionist. Kyle is a member of the Rochester Philharmonic percussion section, guest principal percussionist with the Orchestra of Northern New York, timpanist of the Finger Lakes Opera (’18) and guest percussionist at the Skaneateles Music Festival.
Kyle’s education credits include teaching at undergraduate and graduate level at SUNY Potsdam and director of percussion at Crane Youth Music. At the Eastman School of Music, Kyle held a teaching assistantship where he conducted the Chamber Percussion Ensemble, mentored undergraduate students, and taught the percussion methods courses at ESM. He is also the percussion instructor for the New Horizons program through ECMS.
Priscilla Todd Brown
Oboe Mentor
After completing a preparatory degree at Eastman, Priscilla Todd Brown studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where she graduated with a degree in oboe performance. A professional oboist, Priscilla has played, toured, and recorded with the Boston Symphony, the Boston Pops, and the Bethlehem Bach Orchestra. She played with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for a number of years and with many other local groups. Her Masters degree in education is from Nazareth College.
Priscilla directed the bands and music program at East High School in the City of Rochester for almost twenty years, and received the Rochester Philharmonic Musicians' Award for Outstanding Music Educators (Instrumental Music - Band) in 2002. She is delighted to continue conducting with the New Horizons Band.
