Music

Affiliate Faculty - Music Department

Linda Benoit

During her years in Columbus, Mrs. Benoit was a Strings Specialist in the Columbus City School System and taught in the Kodaly department in the preparatory school at Capital University. She also maintained a large private studio of violin and viola students. Mrs. Benoit has done graduate work in music education at the University of Texas at Austin. In Austin, she was a private violin/viola teacher, head of the music theory department in the University of Texas String Project, and director of the Georgetown Youth Orchestras. She spent a year in Manchester, England, setting up a string teacher's training program and a children’s string project at the Royal Northern College of Music. While in Manchester, she was also the conductor of the Manchester Junior Youth Symphony. She has been a violist in the Des Moines Symphony since 1995.

Emily Grundstad

grundstad.jpgEmily Grundstad, soprano, is a graduate of Simpson College, BM, where she studied with soprano, Dawn Pawlewski and tenor, Robin Roewe. She is also a graduate of Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with a master’s degree in Vocal Performance and is currently a candidate for the Doctorate of Musical Arts, DMA, in Vocal Performance and a minor in vocal pedagogy. While at LSU, Ms. Grundstad studied with mezzo-soprano, Lori Bade, and sang many leading roles such as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, and Amy in Adamo’s, Little Women. She has been soprano soloist on works such as Saint-Säens, Christmas Oratorio, Vivaldi, Gloria, Schubert, Mass in G and both Mozart, Vesperae solennes, and Requiem. While in New York, Ms. Grundstad studied with soprano, Leyna Gabriele and sang Yum-Yum in Theater Ten Ten’s production of The ‘Singapore’ Mikado, nominated for “Best Ensemble” by Innovative Theater Awards. She has been an apprentice artist with DMMO, is a four-year winner of the Baton Rouge Opera Guild scholarship, and has been a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions.

Kimberly Helton

Dr. Kimberly Bachelder Helton is currently Instructor of Flute at Simpson College. She has performed across the United States and presented master classes in the Midwest. Dr. Helton returned in February, 2007 from Saratov, Russia where she gave a master class at the Saratov Conservatory and was a soloist with the Saratov International Choral Festival Orchestra. As a guest soloist, she has also performed concertos with Utah Symphony (Joseph Silverstein conducting), Arapahoe Philharmonic, La Fosse Baroque Ensemble, Cedar Rapids Symphony, Des Moines Community Symphony, and was recipient of the prestigious University of Iowa Performance Fellowship. She taught previously for ten years at Grinnell College, conducted the Fresh Flutes Ensemble, and acted as visiting professor at Drake University, 2000-01. Additionally, she was one of the faculty soloists with the Grinnell Symphony Orchestra, 1999, 2004.

Dr. Helton is piccoloist/third flutist with Cedar Rapids Symphony, a position held since 1997. She is also piccoloist with the Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestra and a member of the Polaris Wind Quintet, winners of the 2002 National Flute Association Chamber Music Competition. As a chamber musician, she was artist-in-residence at the Aberystwyth Music Festival in Wales, recording artist on the Simon Estes Broad Way CD, guest artist with the renowned Lark String Quartet, and soloist in many Mid-American Composers’ Festivals. She also performs regularly with the Des Moines Mozaiques Chamber Ensemble.

Dr. Helton was coordinator of the 2002 Iowa Flute Festival at Grinnell College and is invited annually to present classes and join in panels at the IFF around the state. She received her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from Brigham Young University, Master of Music in Flute Performance from Drake University, and Doctorate of Musical Arts from University of Iowa, where she was a student of Betty Bang Mather, Anita Miller-Rieder and Tadeu Coelho. She has performed in master classes for Julius Baker, Louis Moyse, Francis Blaisdale, Keith Underwood, Brooks DeWetter-Smith, Joan Marie Bowman, Paul Fried, and Harvey Solberger.

Steven D. McCombs mccombs.jpg

Mr. McCombs has teaching experience as Director of Bands for the Lynnville-Sully Community Schools, Assistant Director of Bands at Valley High School in West Des Moines, and adjunct instructor of music at William Penn College. He is presently a band director for the Pella Community Schools, an adjunct instructor of music at Central College, an affiliate faculty instructor of percussion at Simpson College, and a performer in civic and commercial shows in and around the Des Moines area. Mr. McCombs has been the conductor for numerous Honor Festival bands as well as having served on the staff for the Iowa State Fair Jazz Band, the 1000 Hills Summer Music Camps and the Southwest Iowa Percussion Camp.

McCombs is active as a percussion clinician and arranger and as a clinician and adjudicator for jazz, marching, and concert bands. He is a former co-chair of the Iowa Jazz Championships, and is past president of the South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association, the Iowa Jazz Educators, and the Iowa Bandmasters Association.

Jay Nugent

nugent.jpgMr. Nugent received his B.M. degree in Music Education from Simpson in 1964. He holds an M.M. degree in Music Education and an Ed.S. in School Administration from Drake University.

Mr. Nugent retired as Director of Bands and Instructor of Music at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa in 2008. He continues teach on a part-time basic, preparing instrumental majors for careers as public school band directors. While Director of Bands, Mr. Nugent founded the Honor Wind Ensemble Festival for high school musicians, continued to serve as coordinator of the Orpheus Middle School Band Festival and assisted with the establishment of the Simpson College Jazz Festival. Under Mr. Nugent’s direction, the Simpson College Symphonic Band performed as the college honor band at the 2007 Iowa Bandmasters Conference.

Prior to joining the faculty at Simpson College, Mr. Nugent taught for twenty-eight years in Iowa's public schools where he directed some of the finest band programs. His bands competed successfully at the state, regional and national level. Bands under his direction have performed for the National Band Association Convention, the Iowa Bandmasters Conference, the Minnesota Vikings, Iowa State University and Drake University. His parade bands appeared in the Kentucky Derby Parade, the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Hollywood Christmas Parade and the Houston Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Mr. Nugent has been an active member of the Iowa Bandmasters Association, serving as State Public Relations Chair, State Marching Band Affairs Chair. He served as Iowa Bandmaster President in 2002-03. He is also a past member of the Advisory Board to the Iowa High School Music Association.

Mr. Nugent continues to write marching band drill for a number of Iowa bands and is in demand as a clinician and guest conductor. He is an active adjudicator throughout the five-state region.

Susan Odem Odem_Susan
Susan Odem is a member of the Des Moines Symphony and the Des Moines Symphony Woodwind Quintet and regularly performs with orchestras and small ensembles throughout the Central Iowa region. She maintains a successful private woodwind studio as well as teaching double reeds at Simpson and Central Colleges. She is the state chair of pre-college winds auditions for the Iowa Music Teachers Association. As a clinician, she has presented seminars and master classes for the Iowa Bandmasters Association, the Des Moines Symphony, and other education venues for young people and their teachers.

Aaron Powell

Aaron Powell has a Masters of Music Performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas city (2003) where he studied with Douglas Niedt. Aaron is also an alumni of Simpson College (1999), graduating with a Bachelor of Music Education. He has been an instructor of guitar at Simpson since the fall of 2003.

Mr. Powell has performed as a guitarist with the Des Moines Metro Opera, Des Moines Playhouse and Des Moines Symphony. Aaron gives an annual recital here at Simpson, and also has appeared in recital in various fine arts series and forums. Mr. Powell has appeared as a performer in the master classes of notable guitarist such as the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Sergio and Odair Assad, Antigoni Goni and Christopher Parkening.

Michael Short Michael ShortMichael Short, Teaching Artist of Low Brass, is no stranger to the Iowa Music scene. Born and raised in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Mike play tuba under the direction of Iowa composer and bandmaster Karl L. King in his Municipal Band. After finishing a B.A. and a Master of Music in Tuba Performance at the University of Northern Iowa, Mike taught band at Central High School in Waterloo, Iowa. After this, he moved to Chicago Illinois, where he lived for eight years and studied with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's great principal tubist and brass pedagogue, Arnold Jacobs. While there, Mike appeared in a number of various venues, including the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the Northbrook Symphony, the Evanston Symphony, Whirlwind Brass Quintet and a number of local traditional jazz groups. Among the highlights of his Chicago career was his performance of the Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto with the Lake Shore Symphony Orchestra and his appearance on the 1985 Jazzology rankings as 11th nationally in the jazz tuba category.

Since returning to Iowa to live in Des Moines, Mike's career has broadened in scope to include private teaching of trombone, bass trombone, euphonium and tuba, as well as performances on all of those instruments. Mike currently is principal tuba for the Des Moines Symphony Brass Quintet, the Central Brass Quintet, and the Central Iowa Symphony in Ames. He's played tuba for the Des Moines Symphony, the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, the Des Moines Municipal Band and the Des Moines Jazz Kings. He has played bass trombone and trombone for the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra, the Des Moines Big Band, the Des Moines Playhouse, the Des Moines Metro Opera, the Al Ford Orchestra, the Bob Weast Big Band, various performances at the Civic Center and the Red Sneaker Jazz Band.

Mike has been teaching applied studies and brass methods at central Iowa area colleges for over eight years, heading numerous clinics, recitals and symposiums , including the Des Moines Symphony's All-State Clinics. Mike has had one or more tuba students participating in the Iowa All-State Festival for each of the last six years. He is the organizer for the William Bell Memorial Tuba Day (clinic, rehearsals and concert), held in Perry, Iowa every November (contact Mike for details).

Mike also writes new music reviews for the quarterly TUBA Journal, the official publication for the Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association, an international organization. More than two dozen of his reviews have been published over the last few years. He belongs to the Des Moines Musicians Association (AFM), where he is an executive board member. He also belongs to Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Pi Kappa Lambda, International Trombone Association (ITA), Iowa Bandmasters Association (IBA), and the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors (NACWPI).

Jacque Thomson

thomson.jpgJacqueline Thomson, winner of the Kirsten Flagstad Award, has most recently been a member of the voice faculties of New York University and Nyack College (Nyack, NY). Prior to moving to New York, she was an Assistant Professor of Music at Vennard College and Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Bachelor’s in Sociology, along with her K-12 Teaching Certification (Music, Sociology, Psychology and World History), were completed at California State University. She holds the Master of Arts in Vocal Performance from the University of Iowa. Miss Thomson has performed in opera, musical theater, oratorio, concert and recital throughout the United States and Europe with opera companies and orchestras including Opera Omaha, Minnesota Opera, Central City Opera, Lake George Opera Festival, Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, The Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Duluth Symphony, Stadttheater Schaffhausen and Theater am Stadtgarten Winterthur. While beginning her professional career as a contralto/mezzo-soprano she has since added several of the dramatic soprano roles. Miss Thomson’s repertoire of over 50 roles encompasses not only music from the Baroque through the Romantic Eras, but also the creation of various roles for the U.S. and World Premieres of contemporary works. Reviewers from Europe have stated “Jacqueline Thomson’s beautiful soprano displayed shining high tones…Perfect acting and singing…Extraordinary performance, including the German.” FULDAUER ZEITUNG; “Jacqueline Thomson was brilliant, possessing a great dramatic voice with a magnificent presence.” AMBERGER ZEITUNG. And, in the U.S.: “Thomson’s dramatic voice manages to produce lush Wagnerian tones even in this mammoth hall.” THE DES MOINES REGISTER; “Jacqueline Thomson…vividly drawn (character) and well sung.” OPERA NEWS; and, “Jacqueline Thomson’s crystal soprano created the angelic mood Fauré must have intended. Poulenc’s GLORIA was truly exciting…Thomson’s voice filled the auditorium…Very special performance.” THE JOURNAL NEWS. In addition to THE KIRSTEN FLAGSTAD AWARD, Miss Thomson is a District Winner (Iowa and San Francisco) and a Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions. Vocal awards and honors include the National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Award, and the Minna Kaufmann Ruud Distinguished Artist Award. She is included in the current edition of American Wagnerian Singers: The Gold Book, and is a recipient of the Wagnerian Soprano Award presented by The Wagner Society of New York. Miss Thomson privately teaches several Junior and Senior High School students whose recognition and awards include: All-State Choir; Opus; District and Regional Honor Choirs; State Solo Contest Perfect Scores and Best of Center; NATS Competition Awards; performances with Des Moines Metro Opera; and, National and College Music Scholarships. Miss Thomson began her operatic career as an Apprentice with Des Moines Meto Opera. She subsequently coached with Dr. Robert L. Larsen, studied voice with Anne Ogan Larson and returned as an Artist to perform The Secretary in the company's premiere of Menotti's The Consul, and as The Mother in the Christmas presentation of Hansel and Gretel at the Des Moines Civic Center. In the summer of 2000, Miss Thomson performed the role of Juno in the DMMO production of Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, and in the 2001 opera season she portrayed Frugola in Il Tabarro, by Puccini. Most recently, Miss Thomson enjoyed creating the comic character of Mother Goose in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress for DMMO’s 2006 opera season.

Kariann Voigts

Kariann Voigts, clarinet, is a 1993 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa in Music Education and Performance. She taught public school instrumental music in Iowa for three years before pursuing her Master of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from Indiana University. While in Indiana, Kariann served as

Upon completion of her degree in 1998, Ms. Voigts joined The United States Air Force Band of the Rockies in Colorado Springs, one of the two premier musical units of the Air Force. During her time with the band she served as clarinet player (including E-flat and bass clarinet) in the Concert Band, Ceremonial Band, Marching Band, and was a founding member of the Solar Winds Clarinet Quartet. Kariann was a soloist with the Concert Band on national tours and is featured on the band’s recent CD Hands Across the Sea and the upcoming Solar Winds CD Golden Door. Ms. Voigts was also responsible for the preparation and presentation of a clinic on clarinet instruction given at the Colorado Music Educators Association Convention. For her distinguished service with the band, Ms. Voigts was a recipient of the United States Air Force Commendation Medal.

Kariann’s professional orchestral playing experience includes the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, the Cedar Rapids Symphony, and, most recently, the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra. Major teachers include Jack Graham, Howard Klug, Eli Eban, Bil Jackson, and Dennis Smylie. Kariann has maintained a private woodwind teaching studio throughout her career with an emphasis in clarinet.

Mike Wilson

Mike Wilson is currently playing wth the Des Moines Symphony. He is also performing with the Cedar Rapids Symphony and the Des Moines Metro Opera. In addition, he performs throughout central and eastern Iowa in various brass.

Formerly, Mr. Wilson performed with the Southeast Symphony, Ottumwa Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, Quad-Cities Symphony and was Assistant and co-principal horn of the Boise Philharmonic and Opera Association. He has also played with the Utah Symphony.

Mr. Wilson is a graduate of the University of Iowa. While working on his Bachelor of Music degree, he studied with Paul Anderson and Dr. Thomas Tritle. He has also studied with Ed VanderLinden and Don Peterson. While attending Indiana University he studied with Myron Bloom.

 
Last Updated: 11/3/08