ARCHIVES

---

Dr. Ray Smith recently retired as professor of saxophone at Brigham Young University. After receiving a Bachelor of Music Education from BYU, Smith went on to receive both his Master and Doctor of Music degrees in Woodwinds Performance from Indiana University. He is proficient in flute, bassoon, clarinet, and oboe as well as several other instruments. He can be found playing with the Utah Symphony or the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square periodically, and often with the Tantara band, Q’d Up.  

 LAWRENCE GEE acquired his Bachelor of Music in piano accompanying and Master of Music in piano performance from Indiana University where he accompanied in many voice studios and studied voice with Camilla Williams who was the first black soprano to sing with a major American opera company.  After college he played for productions in a number of regional opera companies including Lake George Opera, Kentucky Opera and Augusta Opera, culminating in being an assistant conductor for New York City Opera.  Upon moving to Utah he became an assistant professor in piano for University of Utah and for several years was piano area director at Snow College in Ephraim.  He is currently an independent instructor of voice and piano.  One of his students, George Dyer, sang leading roles at New York City Opera and other opera companies and currently has his own show in Branson, Missouri.  Other voice students have been winners and finalists in local and national auditions for Music Teachers National Association and National Association of Teachers of Singing, of which Mr. Gee is a member. He has also been a pianist collaborator with many well known instrumental musicians including Andres Cardenes, former concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony and violinists William Hagen and David Park.  He has published a number of instrumental hymn arrangements with Jackman Music. 

Dr. Ruth Ellis has enjoyed singing numerous operatic and music theater roles and from Queens to Wardrobes and concertizes regularly having sung 58 concerts in venues across the nation and a few across the pond. Of one performance the New York Daily News reported she sang with “soaring dramatic authority.”

Ruth thoroughly enjoys teaching voice in both the classical and contemporary areas at BYU, she taught crossover voice at Snow College for five years, has taught at the Ruth Ellis Vocal Academy since 2000 and is a frequent guest teacher/presenter at many other schools and universities across the country. Ruth is currently serving as Governor of the NATS Cal Western Region and sits on the NATS National Board.

Dr. Ellis earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the Manhattan School of Music and studied and performed in New York for fourteen years. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Utah, completed the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute training at Shenandoah Conservatory and is a member of the Marketing Impact Academy. To aid in bridging the gap between studying music and making money in music, Ruth founded the Vocal Instructor Academy, which she teaches courses in pedagogy and entrepreneurship. Ruth and her husband of 33 years, Doug Ellis, are the proud parents of six children..

 Dr. Austin Thorpe grew up in San Diego, CA before moving to Utah, Florida, and now again Utah to study and teach choral music. He is Visiting Director of Choirs and Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Utah for the 2021/22 school year.   He was the 2017 recipient of the Sorensen Legacy Award for Excellence in Music Education, an award presented by the Utah State Office of Education and state superintendent. He taught at Herriman High School from 2011-2017. Under his direction, the HHS Chamber Singers became one of the premiere high school choral ensembles in Utah, along with their treble chamber ensemble, Vivace. The HHS Vivace were featured performers at the 2017 UMEA mid-winter conference, rising to prominence as the premier high school treble ensemble in Utah. The Chamber Singers received straight superior scores at their region and state festivals from 2012-2017, being one of two Utah high school chamber choirs to maintain that streak during that time. Additionally, he conducted the Christ United Methodist Church Chancel Choir from 2010-2017, and was adjunct faculty at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, conducting the Westminster Chorale from 2011-2015. He conducted the Herriman Orchestra from 2014-2016, and in 2017 conducted the inaugural year of the Kensington Singers. In 2020 he organized the treble voice women’s choir, Essere.  During his bachelor and master’s degrees, Dr. Thorpe sang extensively with the University of Utah choirs. During this time he sang with the internationally recognized University of Utah Singers, traveling to nine European countries and Israel. In 2009 he competed with the Singers in the prestigious Marktoberdorf, Germany International Chamber Choir competition, where they won first prize. He also toured with the Salt Lake Vocal Artists in Spain and then Argentina for the 9th World Symposium on Choral Music in 2011. He has sung professionally in various recording studios in Salt Lake City, and under Maestro Thierry Fisher and Dr. Barlow Bradford with the Utah Symphony Chorus.  Dr. Thorpe earned both a Bachelor of Music degree in Choral Music Education and Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Utah, first studying with Dr. Jessica Nápoles and then Dr. Barlow Bradford. He has studied conducting with Barlow Bradford, Brady Allred (both grand prize winners of the European Grand Prix Choral Competition), and James Jordan; receiving further instruction from Dale Warland and Volker Hempling. Dr. Thorpe earned his Ph.D. in Choral Conducting/Music Education from Florida State University where he studied with André Thomas, Kevin Fenton, Michael Hanawalt, Judy Arthur, Alexander Jiménez, and Clifford Madsen. He is the author of the dissertation: Ronald J Staheli and the Choral Art: Risking Total Commitment for an “Achingly Glorious Beauty.” He and his wife Nicole are parents of four children: Calvin, Deric, Anne, and Graham. 

 Gerta is an active performer and pedagogue. Gerta has shared the stage with distinguished artists such as Tadeo Coelho, Celena Shafer, Kathryn Lucktenberg and others, and has performed extensively as a collaborative pianist for vocal and instrumental recitals. She has performed in the Davis Arts Chamber Series, Temple Square Concert Series, WXXI Radio ‘Backstage Pass Series’ and more. As a pedagogue for over fifteen years, she has prepared students to win and place in national competitions. Gerta has taught at Brigham Young University, Weber State University, Eastman School of Music, and Utah Valley University. She has been a clinician for the UMTA-Davis Chapter, has presented in the NYSMTA-Rochester Chapter and has participated in many MTNA Conferences. Gerta received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance from Brigham Young University, where she studied with renowned pianists Dr. Paul Pollei, Barbara Allen, and Dr. Irene Peery-Fox. In 2019, she completed the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music with a Pedagogy Minor at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, studying with Dr. Jean Barr. While at Eastman, she also worked with Tony Caramia, Nelita True, Benton Hess, Russell Miller, Robert Swenson, Alan Harris and Mikhail Kopelman. She lives in Saratoga Springs with her husband and their three children. 

Mark holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from BYU and a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Literature. Coursework completed at the Eastman School of Music. National Tours  include Miss Saigon, 42nd Street, and The Music Man; accompanist for well-known performers such as Kristen Chenoweth, Audra McDonald, and other stars of the Broadway Stage, Metropolitan Opera, and New York City Opera; as well as numerous directorial credits from BYU and other college and professional theatres. Mark currently works in the musical theatre department for Utah Valley University.