South Shore Conservatory Faculty in Residence
GITA BROWN, clarinet
South Shore Conservatory
Clarinet Instructor/Music Therapist Gita Brown received her bachelors degree in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music, her masters degree in clarinet performance from the University of Michigan, and her music therapy equivalency degree from Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Gita is a board certified music therapist, with experience in a diverse range of settings and populations. As a member of the South Shore Conservatory faculty, Gita provides music therapy services to children with special needs in Scituate, Bournedale, and Plymouth. Focusing on addressing the potential of each individual, Gita is skilled in creative movement and music, dynamic group instrument exploration, and fostering individual creative expression.
Prior to joining the South Shore Conservatory faculty in January 2010, she was member of the faculty at the College of Lake County in Illinois, where she taught private lessons, music theory, music appreciation, chamber music, and early childhood music education. Gita teaches private clarinet instruction at the South Shore Conservatory Duxbury campus, and enjoys playing in faculty recitals. In pursuit of her creative growth, Gita also takes guitar and songwriting lessons.
Gita is also a certified yoga instructor, having received both a beginner and intermediate certification with the Integral Yoga Academy, as well as certification in Yoga for the Special Child and Peaceful Weight Loss through Yoga. She teaches various classes in Yoga for adults, teens, children, and children with special needs through her home studio, Scituate Public Schools, Bournedale Public Schools, and Scituate Recreation Department.
Adele Carter, cello
South Shore Conservatory
Cellist Adele Carter received her DMA from the University of Maryland, her MM from the University of Southern California, and her BM from Cleveland Institute of Music. In addition to having her own teaching studio since 2000, she has taught cello at schools such as All Newton Music School, Chestnut Hill School, Santa Monica Waldorf School and North Hollywood Private School. She was also a visiting lecturer at Bridgewater State College from 2007-2008. She started teaching at South Shore Conservatory in 2010.
ELIZABETH ENGLAND, oboe
South Shore Conservatory
Elizabeth England, oboe instructor, is an active freelance musician in the New England area and can be seen performing in varied settings, including orchestras, contemporary ensembles, and chamber music. She has performed with many Boston based ensembles including the Boston Lyric Opera and Boston Philharmonic. As a chamber musician, she has performed throughout New England and has appeared as a guest artist at the Virginia Arts Festival. Ms. England is also on faculty at the Community Music Center of Boston and with Wellesley Public Schools. She holds a bachelor’s degree in oboe performance from the New England Conservatory.
ANDREW GARLAND, baritone
South Shore Conservatory
Andrew Garland, baritone is saluted for having a ‘distinctly American presence’ (The New York Times) and for his coloratura which borders on the ‘phenomenal.’ (Opera News). He performs in wide-ranging leading operatic roles at the Seattle Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, Ft. Worth Opera, Nevada Opera, Dayton Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, and the Utah Symphony and Opera, among others.
Concert highlights include performances with the Ravinia Festival, Atlanta Symphony, National Philharmonic, Dayton Philharmonic, Delaware Symphony, Tucson Symphony, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, University Musical Society (University of Michigan), Washington Master Chorale at the Kennedy Center and the New York Festival of Song at Carnegie Hall.
Rapidly becoming known as an important recitalist, (“The fine art of poetry in music has found a rare ambassador” – Matthew Gurewitsch,) Mr. Garland creates programs of “Living American Composers,” working with today’s classical songwriters to program lively and inventive concerts, which he performs across the continent often under the auspices of the Marilyn Horne Foundation.
Mr. Garland’s recordings include Puccini’s La Bohème with the Atlanta Symphony (Telarc), a disc of songs by Lee Hoiby accompanied by the composer on piano (Naxos) and a disc of folk song settings by Steven Mark Kohn (Azica). This past June Andrew took home 2nd prize in the Jose Iturbi International Music Competition. He is also the winner of the Washington International, American Traditions, Lotte Lehman, William C. Byrd, Opera Columbus and NATS New England competitions.
Mr. Garland has 7 years of private teaching experience and holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from UMass Amherst and a Master of Music in voice and Artist Diploma in Opera from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
ASHLEIGH GORDON, viola
South Shore Conservatory
Originally from upstate New York with a new address of Boston, MA, violist Ashleigh Gordon has performed throughout the United States, France and Florence, Italy on Radio Papesse. She is an active performer of classical and contemporary music with a solo and chamber music repertoire ranging from Bach, Schubert and Debussy to Cage, Gubadulina and Andriessen. Ashleigh has performed with the Callithumpian Consort in Jordan Hall, Juventas New Music Ensemble and New England Philharmonic, all of whom specialize in contemporary music. Her strong desire to promote new works has led her to work with such composers as Steve Reich, David Lang, Augusta Read Thomas, Christian Wolff, Frederic Rzewski and Krzysztof Penderecki.
As an educator, Ashleigh has written, produced and directed a full length Children's Concert, toured with the Prana String Quartet as a teaching artist throughout Washington D.C. and led/coached chamber music and string orchestra ensembles ranging from middle school to collegiate level string students. Here in Boston, she maintains an active violin and viola studio at the South Shore Conservatory, which she joined in 2008, and the North End Music and Performing Arts Center in "Little Italy." Also active in the orchestral field, Ashleigh has performed with the Aspen Music Festival Orchestra (CO), Atlantic Symphony (MA), Pierre Monteux School Orchestra (ME), Ohio Light Opera Company and Glens Falls Symphony (NY).
Ashleigh is a graduate of New England Conservatory where she earned her Masters Degree. Her primary teachers have included Carol Rodland, Louise Zeitlin and Jeffrey Irvine with supplemental solo and chamber music studies with Peter Slowik, Karen Ritscher, Eric Rosenblith and Mai Motobuchi of the Borromeo String Quartet. She has recorded on Mode and Art of the States Record Labels.
For further information, please visit her at www.violashe.com.
EDEN MACADAM-SOMER, violin
South Shore Conservatory
Beginning her classical studies at the age of four, it was not until high school that Eden became an active member of the traditional music and dance community in Houston, Texas. This led her to years of playing and singing with contra dance and gypsy bands, jazz and swing groups, and several early music ensembles.
She is a past winner of the Music Teacher’s National Association State Division and the Lennox Young Artists Competitions, and has been a featured soloist with symphony and chamber orchestras, jazz and swing bands, bluegrass, DAWG and American folk groups. In 1998 she collaborated with classical Indian singer, Nanda Banarjee, in an East meets West crossover concert. She appeared frequently at the Wimberly and Texas Jazz Festivals and in concert at the Woodlands Pavilion.
Most recently, Eden appeared as solo violinist with the Houston Chamber Orchestra, as lead fiddler in the Houston Christmas Revels, and in China, as principle-second violinist of the Beijing International Music Festival orchestra. Eden earned her degrees from the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston as a student of Fredell Lack, and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University as student and teaching assistant of Kenneth Goldsmith.
Although she spends much of her time touring with guitarist Larry Unger as the band Notorious, Eden now lives in Boston, where she maintains an active performance and recording career as well as classical and fiddling studios privately and at South Shore Conservatory. Eden performs with Notorious, the Bagboys, Istanpitta, the MacAdam-Somer String Quartet, and numerous other ensembles.
PATRICK OWEN, cello
South Shore Conservatory
A native of Michigan, cellist Patrick Owen has performed in recitals and as a soloist with orchestras in Europe, the United States and Japan. Recent engagements include a performance of the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, a recital on WCRB’s summer concert series in Boston’s Hatchshell, and a New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall.
Mr. Owen received his Bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music. While a student at Eastman, he spent one year of study in Paris at the Paris Conservatory. He received a Master’s degree from the Juilliard School in 1999, and finished Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Boston University in 2007. Mr. Owen has been an honored participant at the summer music festivals of Aspen, Sarasota, Taos, Brevard and others. His teachers include Pamela Frame, Alan Harris, Phillipe Muller, Harvey Shapiro, James Kreger and Andres Diaz.
KATHERINE ROUSSOPOULOS, violin
South Shore Conservatory
Katherine received her first 10 years of violin instruction from Madeleine van Rooyen at the Hugo Lambrechts Music Center in Cape Town, South Africa. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in violin performance, from the University of Cape Town, in 2004, where she received the highest string practical grade for her year, as well as graduating with distinctions in chamber music, orchestration, and violin performance. She was placed on the Dean’s Merit List for all of her academic years. In 2005 Katherine completed her Honors degree in violin performance with distinction. From 2001 – 2005 Katherine was a member of the UCT orchestras, and was concertmaster from 2003 through 2005. As well as receiving a bursary from SAMRO, Katherine has been awarded the Gerry Meyer and Alfred Libochowitz String Prizes, and is currently a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society.
She has studied under Prof. Jack de Wet, Prof. Jurgen Schwietering, Prof. Farida Bacharova, and most recenlty Prof. Bayla Keyes at Boston University where she completed her Masters degree in violin performance, graduating Summa Cum Laude in May 2008. As well as teaching violin and piano in the greater Boston area and New Hampshire, Katherine performs regularly with Atlantic Strings, a Boston based string quartet, Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and the Indian Hill Symphony Orchestra. She has performed extensively throughout South Africa, toured Europe with the Hugo Lambrechts Symphony Orchestra, and has performed solo and chamber music recitals in the Seychelles, and the USA.
Katherine has been sponsored by Skye International Foundation, the National Arts Council of South Africa, and the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust.
PHILIP RUSH, viola
South Shore Conservatory
Philip Rush, violin and viola, born and raised in Riverside, California, is a musician with a wide range of interests and experience. Although classically trained and at home in traditional recital, chamber music and symphonic settings, he has also performed as an electric violist in rock bands, in folk ensembles, and in jazz ensembles. His experience with contemporary music and baroque performance on period instruments has led to an interest in improvisation in traditional genres as well. As a teacher Philip strives to help his students achieve a sound, tension-free technique combined with the mental tools and intellectual curiosity to help achieve their own individual musical goals, whatever they may be.
Philip holds a BA, cum laude, from the University of California at Riverside, a MFA in viola performance from the California Institute of the Arts, and a DM in viola performance from the Florida State University. In addition to teaching at South Shore Conservatory, Philip maintains a private studio at his home in Jamaica Plain and is an active freelance musician, performing regularly with the Chamber Orchestra of Boston, Intermezzo Opera Boston, The Rhode Island Philharmonic, The Handel and Haydn Society and the Cantata Singers. In his spare time he enjoys cooking and long walks with his wife Michelle, who is also a professional violist and teacher.
Janet Underhill, Bassoon
South Shore Conservatory
Bassoonist, teacher and arts administrator, Janet Underhill has been active in the Boston area for over 20 years. Her first experiences in teaching were in the summer of 1987 at South Shore Conservatory’s Summer Music Festival. Janet was the recipient of the 2001 Kay Logan Award, a national award for excellence in chamber music teaching, for her ten years of developing and managing Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Chamber Music program.
Currently she is the Director of Music Lessons and Winds, Brass and Percussion for St. Mark’s School of Southborough. In addition to South Shore Conservatory, Ms. Underhill teaches bassoon at Boston College and the Community Music Center. Still active at BYSO, she is the Director of Preparatory Winds and Assistant Conductor for the Junior Repertory Orchestra.
Janet is a founding member of Arcadian Winds, a woodwind quintet specializing in contemporary music that has commissioned and premiered more than 50 works. In 2004-2005 Arcadian Winds was in residence at Boston Latin School, through a grant from Chamber Music America, to help establish a chamber music program in the Boston Public Schools.
As a freelancer Ms. Underhill has performed with The Moody Blues, Placido Domingo, Tony Bennett and The Panamanian National Symphony Orchestra. Concerto performances include appearances with The Pittsburgh Symphony, Harvard University Mozart Society Orchestra, Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras and the Little Orchestra of Victoria.
As a soloist she has performed at the International Double Reed Conference in Minneapolis, the Gaudeamus Competition in Rotterdam, Holland, The Women’s Avant Festival in Chicago, The Warebrook Contemporary Music Festival in Vermont, The Sonics Series at the Western Front in Vancouver, B.C., The Outoftowners series in New York City, Crossounds in Alaska and Soundwaves in St. Petersburg, Russia.
As an improviser, Janet Underhill has been a member of Cast of Characters, Spectrum Dance Company, Kaleidoscope Theatre and Networks Orchestra. Also interested in archival projects, she has developed a cataloguing system for ethnic recordings with composer Martin Bartlett, and has organized Gunther Schuller’s personal collection.
