Music Faculty @ PVCC

Residential Faculty

Dr. Christopher Scinto - Fine & Performing Arts, Division Chair

Commercial Music/Music Humanities/Music Theory & Composition

Email: christopher.scinto@pvmail.maricopa.edu | Office: M-East, Room 169 | Phone: 602-787-6686

Christopher Scinto's compositions have been featured on music festivals in Germany, Italy, Spain, and throughout the United States. His works, performed by the ASU Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, the NYU New Music and Dance Ensemble, and the Phoenix Chorale, have received awards and grants from the Long Island Composer's Alliance, Meet the Composer, the MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music, and the National Association of Composers, USA. He holds degrees from Arizona State University (BM & DMA) and Bowling Green State University (MM), where his studies included composition, saxophone performance, and conducting. Currently, he is completing a work for saxophone and percussion, titled Octet, and is collaborating with nationally acclaimed poet and PVCC faculty member Lois Roma-Deeley on an opera. In addition to his artistic pursuits, Scinto is the Division Chair of Fine & Performing Arts at Paradise Valley Community College and is the founder and artistic director of the contemporary music ensemble Crossing 32nd Street.

Dr. Brett Reed - Commercial Music/Music Performance/Music Technology

Email: brett.reed@pvmail.maricopa.edu | Office: M-East, Room 178 | Phone: 602-787-6554

Brett Reed (composer, percussion) is a performer and composer specializing in contemporary and improvised music. He regularly performs as a solo percussionist, as a member of several ensembles, including Crossing 32nd Street, Skin & Bones, a percussion duo he co-founded with Terry Longshore, and as a jazz vibraphonist in solo and ensemble settings. He has performed at numerous festivals, including the Bang On A Can Marathon in New York City and the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella Series. Reed has also produced and performed on numerous recordings including Skin & Bones critically acclaimed first release Boom and their upcoming release Mixmaster. Other recording credits include the music of composers Anthony Davis, Peter Garland, and Iannis Xenakis. In addition, Reed has had performances of his own compositions "that's what it is, grape!" for septet, "Five Loops", for marimba and electronics, and “Translucent Divide” for solo vibraphone. Brett holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego where he studied with renowned percussionist Steven Schick. Dr. Reed is currently the director of the commercial music program and the percussion program at Paradise Valley Community College.

Adjunct Faculty

Andrew Ardizzoia, Music Theory

Andrew Ardizzoia is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area, where he began his studies in music at an early age. His work as a composer, conductor and scholar have garnered numerous awards, including the Presser Foundation Award, as well as a Graduate Fellowship and Herberger Enrichment Grant, both from Arizona State University.

Andrew’s compositions have been featured on programs at the University of Illinois, Otterbein College, The Ohio State University, Arizona State University, the Phoenix Art Museum, and Chandler-Gilbert Community College and the Haggin Museum in Stockton, California. His works have also been part of the Aquatopia Summer Institute for the Arts as well as dance festivals across Northern California. His European debut took place in Helsinki in the fall of 2006. Other recent performances have taken place in Canada, Bangkok, and at the Idyllwild Summer Program. Upcoming performances of Andrew’s works will take place throughout Northern California, at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff throughout the Phoenix Metropolitan area, as well at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

Andrew holds a Master of Music in composition from Arizona State University where he studied with James DeMars and Rodney Rogers. He holds a Bachelor of Music in composition from the University of the Pacific, where he studied composition with Robert Coburn and Francois Rose, and conducting with Eric Hammer. Andrew has also studied conducting with Henrik Jul Hansen, and has participated in masterclasses with composers Michael Torke and Jonathan Newman, and conductor Karla Lemon. He served as music director of the MotherLode Youth Symphony from 2001 through 2003, and has conducted productions of La Cage aux Folles, Lost in the Stars, Sugar, and Fame. In 2008, Andrew was invited to present a paper on Charles Ives’s gendered language at the Freie Universität in Berlin.

Dr. Carolyn Broe, Private Viola Instruction

Dr. Carolyn Waters Broe, American violist, conductor and composer received her Bachelors of Music Performance from Chapman University in 1979, and her Masters in Fine Arts in Music from California State University, in Long Beach in 1984. Broe earned her Doctorate in Music from Arizona State University in 2001. Her viola teachers include William Magers, Adriana Chirilov, and Louis Kievman. She has been the featured soloist with orchestras in California and Arizona.

Carolyn Broe conducts the Four Seasons Orchestra of Scottsdale, which was nominated in two Grammy categories for 2000. She has made several CD recordings and performed with numerous celebrities. She is the violist with the Four Seasons String Quartet. Broe was the founder and conductor of the Paradise Valley Community College Orchestra for ten years. She has written two books including “J.S. Bach’s Treatment of the Viola” and “The String Literature of Louise L. Kerr”. Carolyn holds several awards including: Woman of the Year from American Biographical in 1993; The Dream Catcher Award of 1995; and Marquis’ Who’s Who of Women 2001. Carolyn Broe is currently teaching violin and viola at Paradise Valley Community College and viola and chamber music at Mesa Community College.

Woodrow Chenoweth, Music Humanities

Elizabeth DeLamater, African Drum Ensemble, Music Theory

Elizabeth DeLamater has pursued her love of percussion from Wisconsin to Japan. Formerly a member of the Tallahassee Symphony and the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Elizabeth currently performs as a percussionist with the Phoenix Boy’s Choir and other area ensembles, including the Phoenix Symphony. She has traveled several times to Trinidad and was a member of the 2005 National Panorama Champion Steelband Phase II Pan Groove. In addition to performance, Elizabeth has extensive experience as a steelband director and arranger. Her ensembles have received many awards, including a special educational Grammy Award. She has shared the stage with many other outstanding artists, including Clifford Alexis, Liam Teague, Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, Robert Chappell, and Orlando Cotto. In the past she taught percussion and world music at Roosevelt University, North Central College, Florida State University, and Waubonsee Community College. A Candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts at Arizona State University, Elizabeth received her Bachelor of Music Performance degree from Northern Illinois University, and her Master Of Music Performance from The Florida State University. Elizabeth teaches music history courses and the African Drum Ensemble at Paradise Valley Community College.

Dan Delaney, Private Jazz Piano Instruction, Jazz Combos

Dan Delaney- Professional Pianist/Author/Educator. Originally from Boston and now living in Phoenix for almost 5 years has gained recognition as a local area JAZZ PERFORMER. His entrepreneurial drive has been instrumental in creating a variety of venues for area musicians to thrive. Upon his arrival here in Phoenix Dan has built a strong following of enthusiastic students which occupy a lot of his time each week as he holds faculty positions at Glendale Community College and Paradise Valley Community College and Desert Foothills Community Education of Cave Creek. Dan has been acknowledged as a pioneer in the music industry, featured in industry publications, national magazines and on television as being in the forefront as the first to deliver piano instruction in 1989 through multimedia presentations such as VHS and CD-ROM and now streaming video via the internet. In 2005, Dan licensed the World Rights of his instructional content to Sterling Book publisher, one of the largest in the world. Dan has performed through the years with numerous National Headliners of the Jazz world. To name a few: Dick Johnson-leader of the Artie Shaw Orchestra, Greg Abate, Herb Pomeroy, Jimmy Mosher, Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Rebecca Parris and many more. Dan brings forth a seasoned EAST COAST style and innovation to his playing in an array of tunes sure to please a jazz listening crowd. In addition to Dan’s commitment to his teaching, Dan continues to remain very active performing in a variety of elite musical settings throughout Phoenix. Dan has gained recognition as the creator of the popular Jazz Venue in OLD TOWN Scottsdale, Nellos Restaurant where Jazz piano trios are featured weekly on Tuesdays.

Dr. Will Dobra, Music Humanities, Private Trumpet Instruction

Originally from Sarasota, Florida, Dr. Will Dobra holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from The University of South Florida (USF) where he studied trumpet with Don Owen. After USF, Will continued his musical studies at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) where he studied trumpet performance with Raymond Crisara throughout his Master's and Doctoral degrees. After graduating from UT in 2002 with his DMA, Dr. Dobra moved into the Phoenix area and has since been performing with such groups as the Salt River Brass, Sonoran Brass, Southwest Brass and the MusicaNova Orchestra. Dr. Dobra is currently in his fifth year as trumpet instructor at Phoenix College and his first at PVCC.

Dr. Matt Gould, Music Humanities, Private and Group Guitar Instruction, Guitar Ensembles

Guitarist Dr. Matt Gould (B.M. Peabody Conservatory, M.M. University of Arizona, D.M.A. Arizona State University) has been described as a "guitarist capable of giving performances of great beauty, enthusiasm and control" by EMI recording artist and his teacher, Manuel Barrueco. Equally versed in the traditional and modern literature, he has performed on three continents as both soloist and with his violin and guitar ensemble Duo46. With over 100 works composed for him and several critically acclaimed recordings, Dr. Gould has established himself as a leading force in contemporary art music for guitar. He has performed with many contemporary ensembles such as the Peabody Camerata under the baton of Gene Young, the New Music Ensemble with composer Dan Welcher, and the Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble under Dan Asia; premiering new chamber works by such notable composers as Tania Leon, Ollie Wilson, Mario Davidovsky, and Luigi Nono. He is a recipient of many awards and honors such as a Rotary Scholarship, a Peabody Fellowship Award, the Hos Award for Excellence in Guitar Performance from the guitar faculty at the Peabody Conservatory, a Barlow Commissioning Grant, a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Commission Grant, and an ENCORE grant from The American Composers Forum. In addition to recording and performing concerts worldwide, he has excelled in many international competitions including the Stotsenberg, Sholin, Great Lakes International and the Guitar Foundation of America International. He has taught at Eastern Mediterranean University on the island of Cyprus from 2000-2005 introducing a complete curriculum of courses in Fingerboard Harmony, Guitar History and Guitar Pedagogy within a balanced program of solo and mixed chamber music for guitar, Guitar Ensemble and Guitar Orchestra.

Keith Kelly, Music Humanities

Saxophonist Keith Kelly, a San Francisco Bay Area native, holds degrees from the Conservatory of Music at University of the Pacific and Arizona State University. As a woodwind specialist, Kelly has performed with the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Phoenix Theater, Natalie Cole, Bear Valley Music Festival, and the Berkeley Saxophone Quartet. Currently pursuing a DMA in Music Education (Jazz Studies), he maintains an active private teaching studio in addition to his faculty responsibilities at Paradise Valley Community College and graduate assistant duties at Arizona State University.

Snezana Krstic, Private and Group Piano Instruction, Piano Ensemble

In her native Yugoslavia (Serbia) Snezana Krstic was active as a pianist, professor of music, and a member of several chamber ensembles. At 16 years of age, she became the youngest student at Belgrade University School of Music from which she holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music and a Master's Degree in Piano Performance. She also spent one year in Moscow on postgraduate studies. The recipient of numerous awards for piano solo and chamber ensembles, Mrs. Krstic was a pupil of professors including Valery Sigalevich, Miroslava Petrovic, Andrea Preger, NataliaTomic and Mirjana Vukdragovic. She attended summer music camp in Groznjan, Slovenia and a piano camp in Portogruaro, Italy, where she worked with pianist Constantin Bogino. For 15 years, she was a professor of piano at the Kragujevac Music Academy, where she received their award for best pedagogy result. Mrs. Krstic has performed in Italy, Russia, Germany, France, and Hungary. Since she moved to the United States, she has worked as an accompanist for Ballet Arizona School and Company, Rosie's House: A Music Academy for Children and the Maricopa Community Colleges (Scottsdale and Paradise Valley). She frequently performs as a soloist, and with chamber ensembles. She is a member of the Music Teacher National Association and an active member of the Phoenix Music Teacher Association. She is the chairperson of the Celebration of Music Piano Competition and regularly judges for piano competitions as well as the Arizona Study Program piano examination. Currently, she teaches piano classes and private lessons at the Paradise Valley Community College, as well as at Rosie's House: A Music Academy for Children in Phoenix, and in her home studio. Her students regularly attend competitions throughout the year and receive numerous awards and prizes. She resides in North Phoenix, with her husband and three daughters.

Daniel Kurek, Private Voice Instruction, Opera Workshop, Musical Theatre Workshop

Daniel A. Kurek is an outstanding Vocalist, Pianist, Music Director, Educator, and Composer.
He has performed with Arizona Opera as Beppe in I Pagliacci, Tinca in Il Tabarro, Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos, Carlson in Carlisle Floyd's Of Mice and Men, Nick in La Fanciulla Del West, Remendado in Carmen, Goro in Madama Butterfly, the High Priest in Salome, Pirelli in Sweeney Todd and Curzio in La Nozze di Figaro. Dan sang with Austin Lyric Opera in 2002, with the role of Nick in La Fanciulla del West, in 2004 as Pirelli with the Cleveland Opera, and as Basilio and Curzio in Opera Pacific’s 2005 Le Nozze di Figaro. He was children’s chorus Director for Phoenix Opera’s La Boheme and Carmen, as well as performing the role of Spoletta in their 2008 production of Tosca. He has sung as tenor soloist with local choral groups such as: The Phoenix Symphony, Musica Nova, Arizona Arts Chorale, Arizona Masterworks Chorale, Cantemus, American Bach, and West Valley Chorales. In May/June, 2006, Dan made a European concert tour as tenor soloist in a program honoring Mozart’s 250th Anniversary, with concerts in Krakow, Budapest, Vienna, Ceske Budjavice and Prague.
Dan has had extensive experience as a Music Director and Conductor. He been involved in the Musical Direction of over 50 shows for Companies in Indiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Arizona. He is very proud of the premiere of “A Little Mischief”, an original musical he composed with book and lyrics by Joann Yeoman, at Peoria, Arizona’s Theater Works in the Fall of 2008, which has been nominated for a “Zonie” Award for best overall production of a new musical.
At PVCC, Dan composed the incidental music for Allen Tongret’s "The World Aflame" for the premiere of PVCC’s new Performing Arts Center in October 2005. Since December, 2005 he served as Music Director and Pianist for PVCC’s productions of The Fantasticks, The Secret Garden and Into The Woods. He is also Director of the PVCC Musical Theater Workshop "Paradise on Broadway", which has delighted local audiences with performances at the end of every semester.

Julian Peterson, Music Humanities, Music Theory & Ear Training

Julian Peterson is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and computer programmer whose musical life is divided between electronic and acoustic music. He studied composition and saxophone performance at Arizona State University, followed by additional studies in composition at the University of Florida. Julian is a well-decorated performer of chamber music and was a founding member of the award winning Helios Saxophone Quartet. Julian’s current musical interests include the exploration of algorithmically generated musical material, physical modeling synthesis, song writing and improvisation. He is a member of Integers are for Counting, a chamber group which specializes in minimalism and musical eclecticism with electric and amplified instruments.

Dennis Saloky, PUMA Jazz Ensemble & PVCC Big Band, director

Dennis started playing saxophone when he was eight. By the age of twelve, he was performing regularly with a swing band. As a freshman-engineering student at the University of Michigan, Dennis won a chair in the jazz ensemble, which rarely selected players outside of its prestigious music school. During his career in high tech, Dennis stayed with music, playing rock, R&B, and jazz semi-professionally throughout the US and England. Dennis joined the staff at PVCC in May, 2002. Since that time, Dennis’ PVCC jazz ensembles have regularly garnered the highest awards in state and local jazz festival competitions.

Throughout his musical career, Dennis has had the opportunity to study and play with some of the great big bands and jazz artists like Pete Condoli, Tommy Dorsey, Art Newcastle (aka Glenn Miller Orchestra), Maynard Ferguson, and Phil Wilson.

Beth Ilana Schneider, Private Violin Instruction

Violinist Beth Schneider-Gould (B.M. Indiana University Bloomington, M.M. University of Arizona) made her soloist debut at the age of 16 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. She has performed throughout the United States including the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall, and has toured Europe with Sir George Solti and the Schleswig Holstein Festival Orchestra. She has performed chamber music with many renowned artists including Lynn Harrell and Yefim Bronfman, has worked under conductors such as David Zinman, Neeme Jarvi, Simon Rattle, Kurt Masur, Leonard Slatkin and Christoph Dohnanyi, and has participated in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, the Sarasota Chamber Music Festival, the Meadowmount School of Music, ENCORE, Music '98, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Hermopoulis International Guitar Festival in Greece, the Styrian Chamber Music Festival in Austria, the 2005 Guitar Foundation of America Conference and Competition, and the Cortona Contemporary Music Festival in Italy, among others. Her primary teachers have included Linda Cerone, Victor Danchenko, Eugene Gratovich, Conny Kiradjieff, Andreas Reiner, Mark Rush, and Nelli Shkolnikova and her chamber coaches have included Henry Meyer from the Lasalle Quartet, Paul Katz from the Cleveland Quartet and Phillip Setzer from the Emerson Quartet. Beth has collaborated with composers from around the world including Karl Korte, Dan Asia and Jorge Liderman, in the creation of new duos for violin and guitar and mixed trios with cello, viola and piano. As a member of duo46, Beth has recorded two critically acclaimed discs featuring 20th/21st century music, including commissioned works by American composers, has performed in England, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Turkey, the U.S. and Austria, and has conducted residencies at Harvard, UC Berkely and CSU Fresno, Wellesley, University of Florida at Gainesville, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Beth is a former member of the Tuscon Symphony, San Antonio Symphony and Principle Scond Violin for the Arizona Opera, and is a former Professor of Violin, Viola and Chamber Music at Eastern Mediterranean University in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Ted Sistrunk, Private Electric Bass & Contra Bass Instruction

Brian St. John, North Valley Chamber Orchestra, director

Brian St. John is in his first season as Music Director for the North Valley Chamber Orchestra and adjunct faculty for Paradise Valley Community College. He spent the years 1995 – 2008 in Boulder County, Colorado. During those 13 seasons, Brian was Resident Conductor for the Longmont Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Longmont Youth Symphony, as well as Music Director for the Niwot Timberline Symphony. In addition to conducting hundreds of concerts in that span, St. John has written and premiered seven original ballets, a piano concerto, a concertino for String Bass and Orchestra and a double concerto for Mandolin, Mandola and Strings. Brian St. John is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in orchestral conducting at Arizona State University.

Christina Steffen, Private Flute Instruction, Flute Choir, Music Humanities

Christina Steffen, flutist, has appeared as a soloist and with many chamber ensembles including concerts at the Red Rocks Music Festival, the Abiquiu Chamber Music Series, AZ MusicFest, Phoenix Art Museum, Glendale Library, Tubac Center for the Arts, the Scottsdale Arts Festival, the San Tan Arts Festival, Arizona State University, Mesa Community College and Grand Canyon University. Her performances include concerts with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, many free-lance ensembles, music festivals in Switzerland and England and several CD projects and commercial recordings (PBS Horizon, United Way, Del Webb, SRP). She also performs for National Broadway tours (Wicked, Annie, A Chorus Line, Elton John's Aida, Camelot) and entertainers (Bernadette Peters, Natalie Cole, Marvin Hamlisch, Michael Feinstein, Paul Potts, Rita Moreno, Michael Cavanaugh). Christina is a member of Paradisa!, a flute/cello/piano trio that was recently featured on the cover of Kudos magazine and in the Arizona Republic. Their first CD will be released in 2009 (paradisa.net and myspace.com/paradisatrio). She also performs in a popular flute & harp duo, has been on the Performing Artist's Roster for the Arizona Commission on the Arts and serves on the board of the Arizona Flute Society where she was instrumental in establishing the AFS Flute Camp. Ms. Steffen received her Bachelor’s and Master's degrees in flute performance from the University of Arizona School of Music. She has taught at several music camps, presents clinics including "flutes and flute music around the world" and has served as a guest clinician for many schools and organizations in Arizona. In addition to performing, Christina teaches flute, coaches chamber ensembles, and is the artistic director of the Desert Echoes Flute Project, a flute orchestra, which was recently invited to perform at the National Flute Association’s annual conference (myspace.com/thedefproject). She enjoys teaching Music in World Cultures and American Jazz and Popular Music at PVCC.

Rachel Stoddard, PVCC Community Chorus, director

Rachel Stoddard is in her first year as director of the PVCC Community Chorus and A Cappella Choir. She is also the choral director at Scottsdale Christian Academy, where for the past fifteen years has been directing the choirs, musicals and teaching class piano, guitar and music appreciation. The Phoenix Boys Choir also employs her as a choreographer and the conductor for the Missouri Training Choir. She has also served as music director and vocal coach for dozens of musical theater productions and camps with MVP Theater in the North Valley. Rachel earned a Master of Music Education degree from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Music Degree from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA. Choirs under her direction have performed extensively around the Valley and the country, with tours to California, Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York City and Austria. Her choirs have received many superior rankings at choral festivals and have participated in private workshops led by Dr. Anton Armstrong, Dr. Z. Randall Stroope, Dr. J. Edmund Hughes and Paul Salamunovich. Choral performance highlights include singing for the AZ Music Educator’s Association Convention (2005,) the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and at Carnegie Hall. Professional affiliations include the Music Educator’s National Conference, Arizona Music Educator’s Association and the American Choral Director’s Association. Ms. Stoddard’s performance experiences range from classical singing with the Phoenix Symphony Chorus and Valley Chamber Chorale to musical theater roles at the Stagebrush, Theaterworks and MVP Theaters.

Dr. Scott Zimmer, Music Humanities, Private Saxophone Instruction

As a saxophonist and woodwind player, Scott Zimmer has performed and recorded in a variety of musical styles ranging from commercial to jazz to classical. Recent performances include a West Coast in April 2001 tour with the brass and percussion group Proteus 7, and a jazz performance in July 2000 at the World Saxophone Congress in Montreal, Quebec.

As an educator, he currently teaches courses in jazz and rock history at Paradise Valley Community College. Previously, he has served on the faculty at Glendale Community College, Arizona School for the Arts, Eastern New Mexico University, and the University of Oregon. He is also a freelance musician and educator in the Phoenix area.

Dr. Zimmer has appeared on a number of recordings including Jazz with the Marohnic, Pilafian, Hopkins Jazz Nonet (Summit Records DCD-227), and Meltdown with The Pilafian Project (Summit Records DCD-229). Currently, he performs locally with the Phoenix Jazz Workshop, the Azz Izz Band, the Desert Wind Saxophone Quartet, the Prizefighting Kangaroos Saxophone Quartet, and the jazz quartet Jiggle while teaching and performing as a freelance saxophonist and woodwind player.

Dr. Zimmer holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone Performance from Arizona State University. He also holds a Masters degree in Saxophone Performance from the University of Oregon and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of Northern Iowa where he performed with the award-winning UNI Jazz Band I.