Music Associates

Michael Albert (oboe), attended the University of Southern Maine as a Double Performance Major in oboe and voice. He also studied at the Interlochen and Longy Schools of Music. As an oboe soloist, Michael has performed with the Maine Music Society, the Portland and Bangor Symphony Orchestras, the Harvard and Brown University Baroque Orchestras, and the North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra in Massachusetts. Michael has also performed chamber works at various colleges around New England including Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Bates, Colby and Dartmouth. Michael has also performed as an oboist in various Bach cantatas, John Rutter's Requiem, and Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors. As an oboe soloist, Michael has performed Vivaldi's Concerto in D minor, Bach's Concerto in C minor for oboe and violin, and the Strauss concerto for oboe. As a countertenor, he has performed throughout New England as a soloist in Handel's Judas Maccabeus and Messiah, Bach's Mass in B minor, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, Carissimi's Jephthe and Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. His oboe awards include the Emily K. Rand and Kotzschmar scholarships, the Maine Governor's Award, and the Maine Bay Chamber Concerts' Harvey Picker prize. His vocal awards include the Lillian Nordica Award, 1st place at Maine NATS, and the Bay Chamber Concerts' Louise Meyers Vocal Award. As a composer, Michael co-composed film scores for the PBS documentaries Sweet Ambition and The Polygamist's Daughter. Both were pre-nominated for a Grammy Award. He currently performs with Initial Ascent (an original composition improve trio), Port City Winds Woodwind Quartet, the Rogues of Arcadia early music ensemble, Portland Pro Musica, the Southern Maine String Quartet, and performs chant and chant-based polyphony with the Schola Cantorum of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, ME.

Graybert Beacham (violin and viola), holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and is currently pursuing a D.M.A. at Boston University School of Music. He has been active as a violinist, violist, conductor, and teacher at a number of universities and schools of music in the United States. As a violinist and violist, he has performed as concertmaster, soloist, and in principal positions with orchestras and festivals throughout the United States and Mexico. He is a founding member of the Nordica Trio. Mr. Beacham is also concertmaster of the Colby Symphony Orchestra. 

Jordan Messan Benissan (African drumming), a native of Togo, West Africa, received a B.A. from the Institut des Sciences Commerciales in Lome, Togo. A member of the Ewe people, he was introduced to music and dance at an early age through ceremonies and rituals. He received his traditional music training from several West African master drummers. He has taught and performed for all levels, from elementary school through college level. His first CD, Drumming Through the Spirit of my Ancestors, has been widely distributed and was adopted by the Hennepin County Library (Minneapolis) as a teaching resource. Some of his performances include an opening show for the West African Drummer Babatunde Olatunji, a performance for the national NAACP Conference and performances for Mayo Clinic's Multicultural Program.

Rick Bishop (bass), is a composer-bassist with the Rick Bishop Quartet, which is currently playing in the New England area in preparation for recording what will be Bishop's third album of original jazz music. His first two (Mister Hide and Intuition) were both released on the PEP Record label. He has shared the stage with Stevie Ray Vaughn, David Bromberg and Eddie Kirkland, to name a few, and has taught bass and guitar at Al Corey's Music Center in downtown Waterville for twelve years. He has also written a book for bass entitled Applied Diatonics for the Electric Bass. Rick joined the staff at Colby as bass instructor in the fall of 1993.

Angela Capps (bassoon), received her Bachelor of Music degree at The University of Massachusetts at Lowell and Masters at the University of Maine. She has played bassoon with the Colby Symphony Orchestra since 1991, as well as in performances with The Mid-Coast Chamber Orchestra, and as a member of The Karuna Trio. Prior to joining the Colby Symphony, Angela was a member of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and Northshore Philharmonic. Her teachers included Donald Bravo, Matthew Ruggiero and John Steinmetz. 

Carl Dimow (guitar), is an eclectic musician whose performances range from blues and jazz to classical and world music.  Also an  accomplished flustist, he has appeared in concerts and festivals in the US, Europe and Central America.  Carl performs with the Casco Bay Tummlers klezmer band who have toured in Germany and Lithuania and have released two CD’s.  Carl composed the music for “She-Who-Loves,” a new work by the award winning Figures of Speech Theater.  He has performed in productions of that show in Maine, New York City and Boston.  Carl graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern Maine.  He has also studied privately and in masterclasses with many well-known guitarists and flutists.  He is a Maine Touring Artist and also teaches at the Waynflete School in Portland.

Annabeth French (voice and organ), received a Bachelor of Music degree from Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey after majoring in organ with George Markey, Director of the Guilmant School in New York City, and minoring in voice. She has held church organist positions and sung with the community choral societies as a member and as soloist in the New York City and Chicago areas, including the New York Choral Society under Robert DeCormier. She does extensive accompanying work for the Colby College Music Department, community theatre, summer camps, etc. and is currently organist and choir director at First Congregational Church UCC, in Waterville, and Chapel Organist at Colby.

Sebastian Jerosch (trombone), has been on the faculty of Colby College since 2000. As a freelancer, he keeps an active performing schedule including commitments with the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Bangor Symphony, Maine Music Society, the Maine State Music Theatre and various other groups. Sebastian also runs a large private low brass studio and he teaches at the University of Maine at Augusta and Bates College. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Trombone Performance from Mannes College of Music in 1997 and is working on his Masters. Amoung his teachers were David Taylor, freelance recording artist in NYC, Per Brevig, principal trombone, Metropolitan Opera, and Hal Janks, bass trombone, Metropolitan Opera. As a native of former East Germany, he received his earliest musical education at the Musikschule Berlin, first on piano and then trombone where he also studied with Jürgen Heinel, principal trombone, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin. He currently resides with his wife and son in Bowdoinham, Maine.

Margery Landis (French Horn) has been teaching music in Maine since 1986. She holds a B.A. in Music History from the University of New Hampshire and a M.M. in horn performance from the University of Idaho. Her primary teachers include Verne Windham of Spokane Washington and Mike Hatfield at the Aspen Music Festival. Ms. Landis is currently Director of Bands at Mt. Ararat Middle School in Topsham Maine and is active as a horn player and teacher both locally and nationally. She serves on the applied music faculty at Colby and Bates Colleges and plays Principal Horn in the Colby College Orchestra. In recent years she has performed with the Scottsdale Baroque Orchestra, Phoenix College Symphony, Tempe Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Bowdoin International Music Festival Orchestra, Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, Maine Chamber Ensemble, Utah Symphony, Spokane Symphony, Washington-Idaho Symphony, Northwest Wind Quintet, and Idaho Brass Quintet.

Mark Leighton (classical guitar), graduated from the New England Conservatory in Boston, and has been on the Applied Music Faculty at Colby since 1981. His teachers include David Leisner and Sharon Isbin. He also teaches at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, MA, and is an active member of the Copley Chamber Players. Mark has performed throughout New England, including performances at the Museum of Fine Arts, the Gardner Museum, and Kings Chapel, Boston. He is also the Artistic Director of First Night Quincy, and the wine writer for the New Bedford Standard Times.

Gayle Maroon (piano), joined the Applied Music faculty in the fall of 1995 as a piano instructor. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Syracuse University where she was an honor graduate of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. In addition to teaching piano at Colby, she has a private studio, adjudicates numerous piano festivals, and serves as organist at the China Baptist Church. She is active in the Maine Music Educators Association and the Maine Music Teachers Association.

Elizabeth Patches (voice), earned her music degrees from the University of Michigan with majors in applied voice and opera. She has worked with musicians and composers such as Alvin Brehm, Gil Kalish, Sam Baron and Martin Canin. Her teachers have included Pierre Bernac, Ralph Herbert and Josef Blatt. Elizabeth has has made solo appearances with symphony orchestras, oratorio societies and chamber music groups in 49 states, Canada, and Europe. She has given recitals in Alice Tully Hall, Town Hall, and 92nd St. "Y" in New York, and was an "approved artist" for the U. S. Department of State, singing in concerts in Europe under their auspices. Elizabeth joined the applied music faculty at Colby in the fall of 1992.

Nicole Rabata (flute), has performed extensively throughout Europe and the United States as a soloist and chamber musician and is also active as a traditional Irish flutist on the wooden flute. She holds an artists' diploma and master's degree in performance from Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. Ms. Rabata currently serves as an applied music associate at Colby College, where she maintains an active flute studio and is principal flute in the Colby Symphony Orchestra.  In January 2009, Ms. Rabata will be spending a month in northeast India for the Jan Plan Colby program, teaching music at the Ghandi Ashram School. She is also a coach and adjudicator in youth chamber music at the Bay Chamber Concerts' Next Generation program. Recent concert appearances include The Portland Chamber Music Festival, The National Flute Convention, the International Flute Festival of Lund, Sweden and the Magic Flute Festival in Stockholm. Ms. Rabata is a founding member of the Bayside Trio and Harlequine Ensemble, recent Ensemble-in-Residence at Bowdoin College, and the World Flute Trio, a unique ensemble showcasing traditional Shakuhachi, Klezmer, and Irish flute music and original compositions.  Ms. Rabata has spent many years teaching and performing traditional music in Ireland, where she resided for four years near the West Coast. She is currently recording her first solo album featuring traditional Irish, Breton, and French Canadian repertoire in addition to her own compositions on the wooden flute.

Paul Ross (cello), studied at the Toronto Conservatory of Music and went on to receive a Performance Degree in Cello with a sub-major in Conducting from the Juilliard School. He has been awarded and Honorary Doctorate in Music from Colby College. His principal teachers have been Leonard Rose and members of the Juilliard and Paganini String Quartets. Mr. Ross has been principal cellist with the Robert Shaw Chorale, Quebec Symphony, Florida Symphony, Boston Opera, and Boston Ballet. He has also performed with the Boston Symphony, the CBC Radio Orchestra, and the Boston Pops. His awards include the Gold Medal at the Canadian National Exhibition.

Eric Thomas (clarinet, saxophone, jazz improv), is also Director of Jazz and Wind Ensembles.  Mr. Thomas received his Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, and has previously conducted the Phillips Academy Andover Jazz Band, the Phillips Academy Andover Concert Band, and was an assistant to Sarah Caldwell at the Opera Compnay of Boston. Eric has been a guest artist at the Bravo! Colorado festival and played clarinet in small chamber ensembles with Eugenia Zukerman and Yolanda Kondanassis.  He is currently composer-in-residence of the Moab Music Festival (Utah).

Mark Tipton (trumpet), is an alumnus of the Interlochen Arts Academy, the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music (B.M.), the Mannes College of Music (M.M.), and the 2005 Henry Mancini Institute at UCLA.  Mark has studied privately with Vincent Penzarella of the New York Philharmonic, Jack Sutte of the Cleveland Orchestra, Roy Poper of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Charley Davis of the late Buddy Rich Big Band.  He has performed with such artists as: Yves Abel, Ray Barretto, Vassar Clements, Quincy Jones, Bobby McFerrin, Doc Severinsen, and John Williams.  Well-known as a stylist, he has studied Classical, Jazz, Latin, and World Music, and performs over 150 concerts a year.  A dedicated music educator, Mark teaches students of all ages at the Portland Conservatory of Music and at his private studio in South Portland.  He is also a composer, poet, vocalist, chef, hiker, swimmer, and record collector.  

Joann Westin (piano), received her music training at the University of Maine at Orono and she has a degree in professional studies from Thomas College. Joann was an accompanist for community summer theater for several years. She has maintained a private piano studio in her home for over 25 years, with an emphasis on intermediate and advanced students.