Many students at Centre, regardless of their major or minor, are involved in a variety of musical activities. Students perform in vocal and instrumental ensembles, take private instruction, study music in the classroom, and perform in special events. They also may teach privately, participate in plays at the college or with local theater groups, sing in church choirs, or lead music in their sorority or fraternity. Students also study music abroad at the Centre-In-Europe program.

Centre alumni can be found in all walks of life. Some of our recent graduates are...

Doug Burian '95, completed a masters degree in trumpet performance at The University of New Mexico where he played and toured with their graduate brass quintet, and now is a cornet soloist with the United Stated Marine Band in Washington, D.C.

Marti Kopp '00, was a math major and music minor who is now teaching high school mathematics in northern KY. While at Centre she was a four-year member of Centre Singers, did a senior recital, and was very active in our chapter of Delta Omicron.

Matt Meacham '99, completed the B.A. in music with a minor in English, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He is now a graduate student in musicology and Kenan Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Julie Ogle, '99, has played trumpet for three years at Busch Gardens in Colonial Williamsburg. She will be spending time in Europe studying and performing.

Bryan Proksch, '00, is a doctoral student in musicology at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He did an honors thesis at Centre which included writing a method book for the natural trumpet.

Jennifer Irvin, '95, was active as a singer for four years at Centre, singing the alto solos in our performance of Mozart's "Requiem." She completed a masters degree in music therapy and is now teaching elementary music at Woodward Academy, a fine private school in Atlanta.

Karin Wicke '05 studied piano for four years at Centre with Professor Elizabeth Wolfe, presenting three solo recitals and performing the Grieg A minor Piano Concerto at the 2002 Concerto Competition concert. Karen is doing graduate work as a Roysters Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Korin Kormick recently began doctoral studies at the acclaimed Eastman School of Music in New York, after completing her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Louisville School of Music in May of 2006.  Since her graduation from Centre with a double major in Music and French, Korin has sung frequently with the Kentucky Opera, including creating the title roles in their world-premiere operas about the lives of Helen Thomas and Dian Fossey.  She also portrayed several leading roles with the UofL Opera Theatre, including Ma Moss in The Tender Land by Aaron Copland and Katisha in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, and, earlier this year, advanced to the Regional Finals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

In addition to her operatic pursuits, Korin regularly performs in recital, and recently appeared as a soloist with the Louisville Youth Choir and Orchestra in a concert of Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, which was broadcast on Kentucky Educational Television (KET).  She is a sought-after interpreter of new music as well, and within the past year has premiered several compositions ranging from solo voice with piano to chamber music to opera.

Korin was especially thrilled to be invited back to her alma mater as a guest artist to perform Vaughn Williams’ Magnificat with the Centre Women’s Voices, and again as a soloist for Williametta Spencer’s Christmas cantata Make We Joy at the Presbyterian Church of Danville, where she sang for several years while a Centre student.  She credits Centre with providing a strong foundation for her musical and academic career.

“The impact that Centre, and the music program in particular, has had on my life is immeasurable.  When I arrived, I wasn’t planning to major in music; I wasn’t even intending to take voice lessons.  It was the encouragement of Dr. Barbara Hall and Daniel Weeks [former Centre voice faculty member] that made me think about singing - something I had always loved to do - as a professional aspiration.

“The music department at Centre is unique because it combines the broad perspective of a liberal arts education with a wide range of performance opportunities that are often unavailable to undergraduates at other schools.  I vividly remember one of my music theory courses in which we composed pieces in the style of different historical periods, learning the genres from the inside out, and then we performed our new works for the class.  That, to me, really represents both the thoroughness and the innovation that characterizes the classes at Centre.”

While a student there, Korin was able to participate in a variety of solo and ensemble settings.  She was a member of Centre Singers for three years, including their European concert tour; she sang three times as a featured soloist with the combined orchestras of Centre and Asbury College in the annual Concerto competition; and played the role of Desirée Armfeldt in Drama Centre’s production of Sondheim’s A Little Night Music.  Korin was also a founding member of the Gamma Psi chapter of Delta Omicron (an international music fraternity) and served as their First Vice President for two years.

“The musical experiences I had at Centre were incomparable,” she reflects.  “At many other institutions, it’s unthinkable that an undergraduate student would have the chance to sing with an orchestra in a 1,500-seat auditorium, or to have a leading role in a major piece of musical theatre.  At Centre, those experiences are not only possible, but encouraged.  I was even able to continue my vocal study during a semester abroad in France, at the Conservatoire National de Région de Strasbourg.

“I believe that a successful musician has to combine good training with knowledge and confidence.  Studying music at Centre allows that development to happen in an environment that encourages exploration, collaboration, and excellence.  I will always be grateful for the opportunities I experienced there, and for the wonderful preparation those opportunities provided me for my future studies and career in music.”