Alumni News
Check out photos of Crowden's Alumni & Alumni Families Brunch!
Where Are They Now?
Frances Delaney (’00) has won Lewis & Clark's highest academic honor. The Rena J. Ratte Memorial Award, established in 1970 by the colleagues, students, and friends of the late Rena Ratte, commemorates the distinguished philosophy professor by annually honoring one undergraduate senior whose work is consistently of the greatest distinction. Franny's mom, Barbara Delaney, says Franny is currently working as a biochemistry research assistant at Oregon Health Sciences University while she contemplates her future. Read more about Frances and her work here.
Lindsay Benner (’95) completed her BFA in Drama at the University of Connecticut , where she received the senior award in Drama. She returned to the Bay Area, performing at a number of theaters in the area including Orinda Shakespeare, The Aurora in Berkeley, The Magic in San Francisco, and Theaterworks in San Jose. Currently, she is working and learning in LA and has a street performing tour planned this summer (2008) in the U.S. , Canada, and Europe. Lindsay is a featured performer in the upcoming film The Lost Coast, to be shown in San Francisco this summer. You can find further information and see her street performing on her website: LindsayBenner.com.
Matthew Cmiel (’02) graduated from San Francisco School of the Arts in 2007, and is currently a composition student at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studies with Jennifer Higdon. Matt recently won the state ASTA competition on guitar, and has received commissions from Maestra Marin Alsop for the Cabrillo New Music Festival, The Baltimore Guitar Society, San Francisco Composer's Inc., and the Crowden Music Center (in honor of Crowden's 25th Anniversary).
Isaac Hansen-Joseph (’95) received his BA in History from UCLA in 2003. He worked as a Staff Assistant and Field Representative for California's Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante from 2004 through 2006, and served as a Community Economic Develpment volunteer in Peace Corps Ukraine from 2006 to 2008.
Annika Holmlund (’07), Theodore Rosenthal (’06), and Yannick Tysl (’06) are happily enrolled in Lick-Wilmerding High School. Yannick writes that he "loves to ski very fast and hang out slowly. Still playing cello, making music on the computer."
Sara Lempert (’02) just finished her sophomore year at Columbia University, and continues her cello studies with a Juilliard student. She will spend the summer in New York working in a neuro lab and studying spanish, and hopes to go to Argentina this fall to study tango.
Ollie Glatzer (’91) is a freelance sound designer/composer in Seattle who also produces experimental dance music.
David Requiro (’99) won first prize (in memory of Mstislav Rostropovich) at the National Symphony Orchestra's Young Soloists' Competition! As part of the prize, he performed as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra on May 20, 2008 in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The performance was streamed live from the Kennedy Center website. Update: David just received co-first place in the 2008 Naumburg International Violoncello Competition in New York City!
Cameron Arens (’99) received his MM (double bass performance) from the Yale School of Music this May. In addition to the Yale Philharmonia and New Haven Symphony, he performs regularly with early music groups, and has had the opportunity to play continuo bass under Sir Neville Marriner and Helmut Rilling. As an undergraduate he was Artistic Director of the Yale College Opera Company, and has spent the past few summers working behind the scenes for festivals in Boston and Austria, anticipating a career in opera production after graduation.
Alumna Nina Pak, Lyly Li, and Asuka Yanai (’07); Angel Llanos and Genevieve Durst (’05); and Miranda Franklin-Wall (’06) traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico to compete in the American String Teacher's Association annual High School Orchestra Festival, as part of the San Domenico School Virtuoso Program's Orchestra da Camera. The ensemble came in First Place in the orchestra strings category and won the overall Grand Champion trophy.
Nicole Raynor (’06) recently came back to Crowden to sing for the Lower School chorus! Since graduating Crowden, she has received the Senior Division Vocal Prize in the 2007-2008 Third Annual Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition, performed at the White House as a recipient of the 2007 Coming Up Taller Awards, was a first place winner of the National Association of Negro Musicians in 2007, and in 2006 was selected to sing onstage with Metropolitan Opera star, Frederica Von Stade.
Since their formation in 2005, Jory Fankuchen's ensemble, the Kailas String Quartet, has received first prize at the Chamber Music International Young Artists Competition and second prize at the 2006 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. As graduate quartet-in-residence at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, the Kailas Quartet works closely under the guidance of faculty members James Dunham, Norman Fischer, and Kenneth Goldsmith.
Josh Feltman (’88) has an eclectic repertoire these days! Currently a Ph.D. candidate in Composition at City University of New York, and Music Director at an Episcopal Church on Long Island, Josh is also the First Viola in the New Amsterdam Symphony. You can catch up with Josh through his website, www.joshuafeltman.com.
Reggie Patterson (’96), TCS alum and CCMC faculty member for Summer Music & Opera camp last summer, entered Duke University’s Ph.D. program in French and Francophone literature this fall—a language he first studied at Crowden! Reggie recently completed a Fulbright fellowship teaching English in Guadalupe.
Christo Logan (’97) is enrolled in graduate studies in Architecture at Columbia University this fall.
Ian Jones (’98) graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelors of Music (Cello Performance) in May 2006. He spent this past year in Hawaii playing with the Honolulu Symphony.
Rachel Taylor (‘03), TCS alum and CCMC student, took third place in the Oakland Youth Orchestra solo competition and performed in a special inaugural concert for newly elected mayor of Oakland, Ron Dellums. Rachel and CCMC alum Sarah Lee were chosen to play the first movement of Bach’s Double Violin Concerto with the Oakland East Bay Symphony at the Paramount Theatre.
Adriane Kisch-Hancock ('04), Stephanie Mao ('05), and Jono Rosenthal ('04), performed concerti, chamber music, and orchestral pieces at Oakland’s Head-Royce School in mid-February.