Music

Dr. R. Daniel Hughes, Associate Professor, Department Chair, Director of Choral Activities, Voice

Email: hughes_r@airllevant.com

Dr. R. Daniel Hughes is Chairperson for the Department of Music, Director of Choral Activities and Liaison between the Department of Music and the Department of Theatre & Dance.  Dr. Hughes is active as a tenor, conductor, clinician and adjudicator. He has presented several reading and interest sessions for ACDA, and has prepared and conducted choirs and singers for national, regional and state conferences. He wrote the article on Dominick Argento for the most recent edition of the Grove Dictionary of American Music. Dr. Hughes received his Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance from Otterbein University, Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from the Eastman School of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Music at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Melody Meadows, Professor, Piano and Organ

Email: Meadows@airllevant.com

Dr. Melody Meadows is Professor of Piano and Organ at West Virginia Wesleyan College. She has performed throughout the US, Europe, and Seoul, Korea, with her most recent performances at Yale University. In addition, she has also appeared with Today’s Brass, the Toledo Symphony Brass Quintet, The American Boychoir, Larry Groce of Mountain Stage, The West Virginia Symphony and the Larry Parsons Chorale. Dr. Meadows holds a Master’s degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College and a DMA in Organ Performance from The University of Michigan and is Director of Music at Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church in Elkins, West Virginia.

Dr. Robert Palmer, Director of Athletic Bands

Email: palmer.r@airllevant.com

Dr. Robert Palmer earned his Doctorate of Music in Brass Performance from Florida State University. He also holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Western Illinois University where he served as a graduate assistant in the band program.

Prior to leaving to pursue his doctorate degree, Palmer spent 2 ½ years as Director of Athletic Bands at Alderson Broaddus University.

Palmer is an accomplished horn player, vocalist, pianist, trumpet player and composer.

Part Time Faculty

Alan Cline, Voice

Email: aclinebaritone@gmail.com, cline.a@airllevant.com

Alan Cline is a Dramatic Baritone currently living and working in the greater Pittsburgh area. He serves as Adjunct Instructor of Voice at West Virginia Wesleyan College. He has appeared on stages across the country and in Europe in opera, theater, concert, and recital. Some of his recent credits include Rigoletto and Don Carlo with Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Carmen with Opera Naples, Tosca and La Traviata with Finger Lakes Opera, Gianni Schicchi and Rigoletto with Si parla, si canta and Cosi fan tutte with Midsummer Night’s Opera. Frequently seen on the competition stage, Cline is the recent winner of the Irma Cooper prize at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards in New York City and a former national Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Competition (now Laffont) twice winning the Pittsburgh District and the Great Lakes Region. He holds a Bachelors of Music degree from West Liberty University, a Masters of Music from the Eastman School of Music, and is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Musical Arts program at West Virginia University where he studies with Robert Chafin and teaches as a Graduate Assistant. He also maintains a large private studio at C.A. House Music in St. Clairsville. Alan will present Schubert’s Winterreise in concert at multiple venues and schools in the Pittsburgh area with pianist Lucas Barkley over the next year and the two will also present a concert this fall at Carnegie Mellon as co-winners of the Pittsburgh Concert Society Major Auditions.

Mike Dawson, Percussion

Email: mike@drumfactorydirect.com

Michael Dawson is Chief Creative Officer for Drum Factory Direct, the leading e-commerce website for drum parts and accessories. He is also the producer and host of the top-ranking weekly Drum Candy Podcast, featuring in-depth interviews with world-renowned musicians, drum makers, and retailers, detailed gear reviews and demos, valuable lessons, listener Q&As, and tech tips.

Before joining the executive team at DFD, Dawson spent seventeen years as Managing Editor for Modern Drummer; the world’s most widely read magazine for drummers. He co-founded and co-hosted the long-running Modern Drummer Podcast With Mike and Mike, which reached nearly 2 million downloads.

Michael performed weekly on Broadway as a substitute drummer for the hit musical Lion King. He has a bachelor’s degree in music education from West Virginia University and a master’s degree in music from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

In addition to his duties as the percussion instructor at WVWC, Mike is Senior Lecturer in music journalism at the University of the Arts and Visiting Professor in recording arts at Peabody Conservatory. He produces drum tracks for artists all around the world out of his home studio in Pittsburgh.

Kaitlin Exline, Flute

Email: exline.k@airllevant.com

Kaitlin Exline is the general music teacher, choir director, and band director at Beverly Elementary School in Randolph County, West Virginia. Additionally, Kaitlin serves as Co-Director of Voices of Augusta, a community children’s chorus, comprised of 1st-6th grade students. Emphasizing Appalachian folk music and traditional music making, VOA is offered through the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, WV.

Kaitlin earned a Bachelor of Music degree with a concentration in Instrumental Music Education from James Madison University in 2016. Following her undergraduate studies, she earned a Master of Music Education degree with a concentration in Music in Special Education from Wichita State University. At WSU, Kaitlin served as a Graduate Staff Assistant, fulfilling the role as Director of Bands at the Wichita Adventist Christian Academy. Additionally, Kaitlin attained Level 3 Kodály Certification through WSU, a program endorsed by the Organization of American Kodály Educators. Recently, Kaitlin completed a Smithsonian Folkways Certificate in World Music Pedagogy from West Virginia University.

Yaniv Gutman, Violin

Email: gutman.y@airllevant.com

Yaniv Gutman began playing the violin at age five in his native country of Israel and made his solo debut four years later with the Petakh-Tikva Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. He then competed in the international television talent show Bravo Bravissimo in Cremona, Italy and at fifteen years old, he moved to the United States to study at Idyllwild Arts Academy in California. He continued his education at Columbus State University where he earned his Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance and Artists’ Diploma under the instruction of Sergiu Schwartz. He went on to complete his Masters in Violin Performance at the University of Denver while studying with Linda Wang.

Yaniv holds various awards both as a soloist and a collaborator. As a solo performer, Yaniv has won the La Grange Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition (Georgia), the Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, the Columbus State University Concerto Competition, and, most recently, the West Virginia University Young Artists’ Concerto Competition. Yaniv has also played in various chamber groups, winning both the University of Denver and West Virginia University Chamber Music Competitions.

Yaniv is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Musical Arts at West Virginia University where he studies with and serves as a graduate teaching assistant to Dr. Mikylah Myers. He is also a member of West Virginia University’s graduate string quartet, the Montani Quartet, which will be returning this summer as the String Quartet Fellows at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. In between his service as a teaching assistant at West Virginia University and an adjunct lecturer at West Virginia Wesleyan College, Yaniv also performs periodically with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the West Virginia University Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Lillian F. Long, Voice and Music Department Collaborator/Accompanist

Email: long.l1@airllevant.com

Dr. Lillian F. Long has a distinguished career as a collaborative artist and music educator. She received a B.S. in Music Education from Manchester University (Indiana), an M.M. in Organ Performance from the University of Akron (Ohio), and an M.M. in Vocal Coaching and Accompanying from the University of Illinois (Urbana/Champaign), where she studied with world-renowned accompanist Mr. John Wustman.

As a collaborative artist, Dr. Long has worked with numerous conductors including Robert Shaw, Dale Warland, Kenneth Fulton, Harold Decker, Ann Howard Jones, Grant Cooper, and Dan Hughes, and accompanied choirs at the Eastern Division Music Educators National Conferences, West Virginia American Choral Directors Association Conferences, and West Virginia All-State Conferences. Her accompanying career has included collaboration with artists Dr. Ollie Watts Davis at the Governor’s Mansion, Charleston, West Virginia, on NPR Pittsburgh, and on tour in Costa Rica for Centro Cultural; with Metropolitan Opera star Jerome Hines as part of the Accompanist for Arts Series; and with the Alderson Broaddus University Concert Choir during European tours to Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Belgium, France and England.

Dr. Long has spent nearly 35 years in higher education, teaching applied voice, diction, and vocal techniques, directing the Opera Scenes productions and the University/Community Handbell Choir, and serving as College Organist, Faculty Accompanist, Music Department Chair, and Music Department Events Coordinator at Alderson Broaddus University (Philippi, West Virginia). There she was awarded the Outstanding Faculty Award in 2008 and the Honorary Doctorate of Music in 2015. She currently serves as a collaborative artist/accompanist and adjunct voice professor at West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Seth Maynard, Guitar and Bass Guitar

Email: Seth1studio@gmail.com

Seth Maynard’s years of training at Berklee College of Music are evident in his skillful and colorful guitar and vocal stylings. He performs as many as 100 shows each year at various regional venues and serves as Adjunct Music Faculty at Davis & Elkins College and West Virginia Wesleyan College. He owns and operates Lone Wolf Productions, where his recording/producing/performing/teaching credits are numerous, including sound mixing and performing for the West Virginia PBS/ RFD-TV show, “American Mountain Theater”. Seth’s recent studio production credits include albums for local/regional artists and Carol Markstrom’s Academy of Western Artists award-winning CD, “Crossing Borders”. Seth performs regularly as a solo/duo act, and with ensembles: Queen City Funk & Soul, ZEN, The Elk River Ramblers, and others. Seth has toured the country, performing with various artists (ZEN, John Angotti), and opened for many national/international artists over the course of his career (Robert Randolph, Bela Fleck, String Cheese Incident, and others).

TJ Metzger, Low Brass

Email: metzger.t@airllevant.com

Timothy Metzger is the director of instrumental and choral music at Geary Elementary Middle School in Roane County, WV. After graduating from Wesleyan with a Bachelor of Music Education, Timothy received his Master in Brass Performance and Pedagogy from Ohio University where he studied under Dr. Jason Smith on tuba and euphonium and Dr. Lucas Borges on bass trombone. In addition to teaching the low brass studio at West Virginia Wesleyan, Timothy enjoys teaching his private studio which includes multiple all state band participants, and coaches the low brass ensemble for Roane County High School.

Brett Miller, Director of Library Services and Archivist, Music Librarian, Clarinet

Email: miller_bt@airllevant.com

Brett Miller is currently the Director of Research at Orion Strategies in Buckhannon, but also serves as the music librarian at West Virginia Wesleyan College, a role he has held since 2008. He received his Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 2011, and graduated with undergraduate degrees in both religion and clarinet performance (with honors) from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 2006. A versatile musician, he has performed with the River Cities Symphony Orchestra in Marietta, Ohio, as well as in a variety of local and regional ensembles and musical productions. He currently serves as Director of Music at First United Methodist Church in Clarksburg, has served as a keyboardist for commencement ceremonies at West Virginia University since 2014, is an officer in the Monongahela Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and sings with both the Madrigal Singers of Clarksburg and Maestri Vocale based in Morgantown.

Gloria Mullennex, Percussion

Email: mullennex.g@airllevant.com

Gloria Mullennex is a percussion performer and educator based out of Elkins, WV. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Music Education at West Virginia University, where she participated in the marching band, fife and drum ensemble, and other world music ensembles. Outside of school, she also performed in two drumcorps and a competitive indoor percussion ensemble through Winter Guard International.

During the summers, Gloria has worked with and composed for many high school drumlines and marching bands. She currently works at Smakula Fretted Instruments in Montrose WV, instructs the drumline of the Wesleyan Bobcat Marching Band, and teaches percussion lessons at Wesleyan.

Richard Norwood, Saxophone and Jazz Ensembles

Email: rnorwood@suddenlink.net

Richard Norwood is a retired music teacher from Randolph County and Adjunct Instructor of Saxophone at West Virginia Wesleyan College. He has spent the last 30 plus years performing throughout West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania in a variety of musical settings. He received his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from West Virginia University.

Tyler Perske, Director of Jazz Ensemble

Email: perkse.t@airllevant.com

Tyler Perske is the music teacher and band director at Buckhannon Upshur High School. Prior to this position, he was the band and choir director at Midland Elementary School and the assistant band director at Elkins High School in Elkins, WV.  After graduating from West Virginia Wesleyan in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education, Tyler attended North Carolina Central University, where he received an M.M. in Jazz Studies with a concentration in Arranging and Composition. Tyler returned to Wesleyan as an adjunct professor in 2022 and currently teaches music courses such as Elementary Music Methods and Orchestration. Tyler continues to find ways to sing and play the trumpet with small groups and big bands alike, including performances with the West Virginia Brass Quintet and the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra.

Dr. Jessica Scott, Principles of Music Research, Accompanist

Email: scott_j@airllevant.com

Jessica Scott (MM, MSoc, PhD) teaches the senior research course for Music Majors, Principles of Music Research (MUSC 475). Dr. Scott’s principal instrument is the pipe organ. She serves as organist at First United Methodist Church in Clarksburg. Dr. Scott is Coordinator of the Gender Studies program on campus, but because of her background in Applied Music and the Social Sciences, she guides students majoring in Applied Music or students receiving a BA in Music through the advanced writing requirement (MUSC 475) they must fulfill to complete their degrees. Dr. Scott earned her MM in Organ Performance from the University of Illinois in 2006, MSoc from the University of Cape Town (South