Return of the Hounds: Alumni Masterclass+ Festival

Dr. Donna Halper - Author, Educator, Media Ecologist & Historian

Donna L. Halper, Ph.D. is a retired Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Lesley University, Cambridge MA. She is the author of six books and many articles in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. Her most recent book is a newly revised and expanded second edition of "Invisible Stars: A Social History of Women in American Broadcasting." She is also the author of a well-received local history, "Boston Radio 1920-2010," which tells the story of Boston radio in words and pictures. In 2023, she was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and given the Pioneer Broadcaster Award.

Learn more: DonnaHalper.com/

Delbert Anderson - World Renowned Diné Jazz Musician

Delbert Anderson, a Diné jazz trumpet artist, composer, and educator, stands at the forefront of a vibrant Native American jazz scene. His work, deeply rooted in his Diné heritage, seamlessly integrates Navajo "spinning songs" of love, healing, and courtship with jazz and funk, thus marking him as a community-minded Indigenous individualist. Through his Delbert Anderson Quartet, Anderson revives the improvised sounds of the Diné circle, blending them with jazz, funk, and hip-hop. His compositions are inspired by Navajo Nation landscapes, historical events, and the desire to preserve and educate about Diné history.

Anderson's notable projects include "The Long Walk: 1,674 Days," a poignant composition reflecting on a critical period in Navajo history, and "Manitou," which fuses ancient Native American melodies with jazz and funk. The Delbert Anderson Trio (DAT) showcases DAT jazz standards and original tunes, capturing the essence of his musical beginnings.

Learn more: DelbertAnderson.com

Jade Leyva - Award Winning Mexican Magical Realism Artist 

Magical Realism Artist Jade Leyva was born and raised in Mexico City. She has called New Mexico her home since 2006. Her work expresses her love of nature and her positive hope for the future of the world. She has created images for many important events and her work has been featured on the covers of many publications at the local, national and international levels.

Jade has been creating art since she was a young girl in Mexico City. Her influences range from pre-Colombian to post-modern. It is at times whimsical, celebratory and reflective, yet always thought provoking and expressive - a visual magical realism". The central themes of her work are love, unity, and our fragile relationship to Mother Earth.

In 2013 she founded an organization called Seeds: A Collective Voice"  to raise awareness and cultivate education regarding ancient seed preservation and the environment through multimedia arts and creating murals with seeds in community.

Learn more: JadeLeyvaArt.com/

Dr. Emily Howes Heilman, mezzo-soprano, joined the SHSU music faculty in fall of 2018. She recently received her DM in voice performance from Florida State University where she was the recipient of the Edith S. Joel Opera scholarship as well as the Glenys Gallaher Award and the Hannah J. Beaulieu Competition. She studied with Shirley Close and Marcy Stonikas and graduated summa cum laude in 2018. She completed both her MM and BM in voice performance at the University of Louisville where she studied with Edith Davis Tidwell. She was the 2014 winner of the concerto competition (Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen), and she graduated with highest honors in both degrees.

Dr. Heilman's true passion lies in performing works by contemporary composers. She covered the role of Hannah After in Laura Kaminsky's As One with Chautauqua Opera in 2018 and the mezzo role in Phillip Glass' Hydrogen Jukebox in 2017. She performed works by Timothy Hoekman at Carnegie Hall along with members of the Parlance Vocal Ensemble and premiered Quinn Dizon's 12 Haiku for mezzo and orchestra at the University of Louisville's New Music Festival. She has also premiered several roles with Thompson Street Opera, including the Executioner (Chris Kincaid's Cephalophore), Wingtip (Yvonne Freckman's Rootabaga Stories), and the U.S. premiere of Whiskers (Robin Haigh's The Man Who Woke Up). In fact it is her passion for new works that inspired her doctoral thesis, which centered on Peter Lieberson's Neruda Songs and Rilke Songs.

Learn more: https://www.shsu.edu/academics/music/faculty-bios/2020/emily-howes-heilman

Valerie M. Trujillo's experiences in song literature and opera make her a much sought-after accompanist, coach, and teacher of masterclasses. Formerly Co-Director of the Young American Artists Program at Glimmerglass Opera, she has been associated with many opera companies including Santa Fe Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Wexford Festival Opera (Ireland), Connecticut Opera, Shreveport Opera, Mississippi Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Theatre at Wildwood, Augusta Opera, Ohio Light Opera and Opera in the Ozarks. Ms. Trujillo has served as artist faculty at the Tanglewood Music Center, Ars Vocalis México (Zamora, México), the Taos Opera Institute, Si parla, si canta (Urbania, Italy), and La Musica Lirica (Novafeltria, Italy) as well as the academic faculty at the Hartt School, Middle Tennessee State University, Yale University, and Central Connecticut State University.

A native of Santa Fe, NM, she received her musical training from Eastern New Mexico University and the University of Illinois. She taught at Florida State University from 1990-1996 and rejoined the faculty in 2002 where she is now Professor of Vocal Coaching and Accompanying and Coordinator of the Voice and Opera Area.

Learn more: https://music.fsu.edu/person/valerie-m-trujillo/

Mike Killian - Freelance Aerospace & Aviation Photojournalist 

I've been a full-time aerospace photojournalist now for over 11 years covering America's space programs & military / civilian aviation, producing articles, photos / videos, stories & other media for a wide range of publishers, from magazines to online & print news outlets, to the occasional documentary, TV show & national mainstream news media.

I'm a writer as much as a photographer! But my focus is on space launch and aerial air-to-air photography, producing unique views on the ground and in the sky to help tell the stories & spark people's imaginations & curiosity.

My assignments over the years have brought me onboard NASA's Space Shuttles, front row for launches to other worlds, in clean rooms with Mars rovers, working and flying with the USAF & D-Day Squadron in Normandy for the 74th and 75th anniversaries of D-Day, flying on rocket launch security missions with the USAF (to date the only photojournalist to do so), and intercepted a total solar eclipse with the US Navy in 2017. I also worked as a team aerial photographer for Breitling Jet Team in 2016 across Canada and the United States on their American Tour. 

Learn more: www.mikekillianphotography.com/

John Bryant - Recording Artist, Drummer, Educator, Composer, & Film Producer 

John Bryant is a drummer, percussionist, composer and music producer residing and working in Dallas, Texas. Originally from Virginia, he moved to Dallas and majored in music at the University of North Texas, where he performed and recorded with the One O'Clock Lab Band. He has recorded and/or performed with numerous artists including Ray Charles, Delbert McClinton, Joe Walsh, Lightnin' Hopkins and Doc Severinsen. Bryant has played, composed and produced music for many different types of projects that include regional artists, touring shows, major motion pictures, and documentary films for PBS and National Geographic.

Bryant has recorded across the country in some of the most important recording studios pivotal to the history of American popular music. These include A & R / Columbia Studios in New York with Phil Ramone, RPM Studios with Ray Charles, and Sound Castle Studios in Los Angeles, Criteria Studios in Miami, The Automatt in San Francisco, Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ardent Recording in Memphis, Arlyn Studios in Austin, and most every recording studio in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Learn more: JohnBryantdrums.com/ |  Johnbryantdrums.com/dare-to-drum

Kim Noltemy - President & CEO, Bohnett CEO Chair, Los Angeles Philharmonic

Kim Noltemy is the President & Chief Executive Officer and David C. Bohnett Presidential Chair of the LA Phil. She manages the strategy and operations of the organization, including its world-renowned orchestra, long recognized as having one of the most ambitious and innovative artistic programs in the performing arts.

Kim Noltemy brings to Los Angeles more than a quarter century of leadership experience in American symphony organizations. She joined the LA Phil from the Dallas Symphony Association, where she has served as the Ross Perot President & CEO since 2018.

Thomas Bandzul, Esq. - Legislative Counsel, Veterans for Common Sense

In the current role as Legislative Counsel, Mr. Bandzul serves as the advisor to Veterans for Common Sense (VCS). He is also active in developing and helping to promote bills for the House and Senate as either modification to existing laws or development of new laws. As part of a continuing practice helping Veterans, their families and first responders with veterans claims issues, understanding the processes used in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or any particular legal issue encountered. In this role he is active in interfacing with other Veterans Service Organizations (VSO’s), the Federal Bar Association and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) Bar Association.

As a counsel to Veterans and the courts, Mr. Bandzul is very active in the Veterans Treatment Courts and attends the National Drug Court Professional’s Conference each year. VCS and his previous company (Veterans and Military Families for Progress (VMFP)) he is an ardent supporter of these courts and the role played in these meetings and in the courts. Veterans Treatment is a path away from repetitive behavior leading to problems with the law, self-medication with drugs or alcohol in regards to issues related to past experiences in military service.

As a service-connected disabled veteran himself, he served as legal advisor on legislative affairs and advocacy for over 18 to the VA, other lawyers and the House and Senate. Mainly providing legal assistance to veterans and their families who sought disability benefits from the VA he is also very active in the local community on supporting voter rights. He was a volunteer with the Fairfax County Sheriffs office to help Veteran population in the county jail.

Thomas received his Bachelors degree from Eastern New Mexico University and a JD from the University of Missouri. He currently lives in Burke, VA. He has three grown children who live in various parts of the country. He is a member of the Federal Bar Association; Veterans Law Section, The American Bar Association, the CAVC Bar Association and is an advisor to various courts on the Veterans Treatment Courts. He is also a member of the American Legion, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Disable Veterans of America (DAV), American Veterans (AmVets) and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals Association (NDCPA).