Marc Sackman
- D.M.A., Flute Performance, Rutgers University
- M.M., Flute Performance, Rutgers University
- B.Mus. program (no degree), University of Illinois
- B.A., History/Social Studies Secondary Education, Rutgers College
Archives
8 total posts. Showing results 1 - 8.
Jessica A. Jensen
- D.Mus., University of Wisconsin-Madison
- M.Mus., University of Wisconsin-Madison
- M.Mus., Lawrence University
Erin K. Bryan
- D.Mus., University of Wisconsin-Madison
- M.Mus., University of Louisville
- B.Mus., Lawrence University
American soprano Erin Bryan has been praised for her “deft” operatic characterizations and a voice that is “a lyric soprano of exceptional beauty.” Recent engagements include Rosalinda (Die Fledermaus), Anne Sexton/#2 (Transformations), and the Governess (The Turn of the Screw), and she is featured as Young Anne/#1 on the recently released world-premiere recording of Conrad Susa’s Transformations. An advocate for new music, she enjoys frequent collaboration with living composers, including the Midwest premiere of Laura Schwendinger’s Kay Ryan Songs and the world premiere of Dangerous New Avenues, a chamber duet for soprano and percussion by Justin Giarrusso. She has just completed her second season with the innovative Fresco Opera of Wisconsin, where she was heard in works by Mozart, Verdi, Floyd, and Bellini.
Dr. Bryan holds degrees from Lawrence University, where she studied with Steven Spears and Patrice Michaels, and the University of Louisville, where she studied with Edith Davis Tidwell. She earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in vocal performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied with Paul Rowe. Her research concentration is largely in the area of vocal repertoire, with particular emphasis on eighteenth-century opera.
As a member of the music faculty at Ripon College, Dr. Bryan instructs courses in applied voice study, vocal pedagogy, lyric diction, and musicology, and she also enjoys regular collaboration with both the school’s choral program and the theatre department.
Tobin C. Shucha
- Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
- M.Mus., University of Wisconsin-Madison
- B.M.E., University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
I serve as the director of bands and music education at Ripon College. I direct the Symphonic Wind Ensemble – our main concert band – and the Rally Band, our athletic band. I also teach all of our music education courses, and oversee the music education major. Other courses that I teach include music history and theory courses, and music technology. Like most professors at Ripon, I also contribute to our Catalyst curriculum. My research interests focus on the social structures within school bands, including social induction, belonging, and hazing.
I have a Bachelor of Music Education from UW – Eau Claire, and a Masters in Music and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from UW – Madison. Before Ripon, I taught for five years at UW-Richland, and for thirteen years in Wisconsin’s public K-12 schools.
Deb MacKenzie
- Master of Music/Piano Performance and Pedagogy
My name is Deb MacKenzie, and I teach in the Music Department at Ripon College, as well as accompany all ensembles, juries and recitals. I have degrees from the University of Iowa (B.M. Music/Music Therapy) and UW-Madison (M.M. Piano Performance and Pedagogy). I enjoy watching students progress in their fields of study, and love watching their growth. I am married with four children, a son-in-law and a grandson.
Sandra Polcyn
- M.A. in Education, Olivet Nazarene University
- B. Mus., K12 Instrumental Music Education – Lawrence University
- A.S., UW-Fox Valley
William Nelson
- B.A. in Music Education, University of Wisconsin Parkside
I have been the clarinet and saxophone instructor at Ripon College since 1993. I was the band director at Ripon Middle School from 1988-2020. This fall I will be the band instructor at Xavier Elementary School in Appleton, and Seton Catholic School in Sheboygan. I am an active jazz performer throughout Wisconsin and I am a master adjudicator with the Wisconsin School Music Association.