Board of Advisors

Dr. Robert Duff

Brandeis University

Dr. Robert Duff, conductor, directs the nation’s eldest collegiate town-gown chorus, the Handel Society of Dartmouth College, founded in 1807, and is on the faculty of the Brandeis University Department of Music.

Prior to his 2015 appointment at Brandeis, Dr. Duff served on the faculties of Dartmouth College, Pomona College, Claremont Graduate University and Mount St. Mary’s College. He also held the post of Director of Music for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Earning degrees at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (B.M.), Temple University (M.A.) and the University of Southern California (D.M.A.), Dr. Duff studied conducting with Wayne Abercrombie, Alan Harler, Lynn Bielefelt and William Dehning. He has taught all age groups in both public and private schools and serves as adjudicator and clinician for vocal and choral competitions, workshops and festivals.

Dr. Carole Ann Maxwell

Fairfield University/The Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut

One of America's preeminent conductor's of collegiate, community, and professional choral ensembles, Dr. Carole Ann Maxwell has been the Director of Choral and Liturgical Music at Fairfield University since 1980. She is also the Founding Artistic Director and Conductor of The Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut.

Her distinctive style and artistic leadership have produced critically acclaimed results from podiums throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. In addition, Dr. Maxwell is a favorite Chorus Master for area orchestras and is a member of the Board of Fairfield County Children's Choir. This year will find her choirs singing with the Greater Bridgeport Symphony.

Dr. Daniel Bara

University of Georgia

Daniel Bara is the Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia where he oversees seven university choral ensembles as well as the graduate choral conducting program. His university choirs have performed by juried invitation for state, regional, and national conventions of ACDA and MENC, and IMC. In May 2014, the UGA Hodgson Singers won the Grand Prix at the International Choral Competition Ave Verum in Baden, Austria. Some of his former M.M. and D.M.A. conducting students now hold collegiate conducting appointments at Susquehanna University, New England Conservatory, Miami University of Ohio, University of Idaho, and William Jewell College.

Dr. Bara holds the DMA degree in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music, Organ and Conducting degrees from the University of Michigan, and is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy. He is the Youth and Student Activities Chairman for the Southern Division Chapter of ACDA. At UGA, Dr. Bara conducts the UGA Hodgson Singers and the University Chorus and is the Chairman of the Conducting Studies Division.

Dr. Steven Young

Bridgewater State University

Steven Young serves as a Professor of Music at Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA where he teaches courses in music theory, music history, and choral techniques. He also serves as the Director of Choral Activities, conducting the college's two choral ensembles. He earned degrees in Organ Performance from Barrington College and New England Conservatory of Music, as well as his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University. He also holds the Associate Certificate from the American Guild of Organists. He is the organist and music director at the Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Taunton, MA.

Dr. Young has performed throughout the United States and Europe as an organ soloist and accompanist. He has presented recitals, workshops, and clinics for regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society. He maintains an active schedule as a soloist, accompanist, choral clinician and adjudicator.

Dr. Kevin Bartram

University of Mary Washington

Kevin Patrick Bartram is Orchestra Director at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he also teaches instrumental conducting. Dr. Bartram received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education from Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in Winchester, Virginia, and he has degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia in Orchestral Conducting and Northwestern University in Music Education.

Dr. Bartram is active as an adjudicator, guest conductor, and clinician, having conducted honor orchestras and judged orchestra and band festivals throughout the nation. Bartram is national Vice President of the College Orchestra Directors Association, and past-Chair of the Fredericksburg (VA) Arts Commission. His primary conducting teachers included John P. Paynter, Edward Dolbashian, and Daniel Hege, and he worked with Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland.

Mr. Mario Dell’Olio

Marymount School, New York City

Mario Dell’Olio is Chair of the Performing Arts Department at Marymount New York City. Annual concert tours have included Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic, Austria, Holland, Belgium, Germany and California.

Mario Dell’Olio was director of music at Mission Dolores Basilica in San Francisco, CA from 1990 - 2000. As conductor of the Basilica choir, Mr. Dell’Olio presented a concert celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Mission and the founding of San Francisco. Mr. Dell'Olio has established numerous successful music programs in California, Connecticut and New York. He received a Master of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Notre Dame de Namur in May 1995. He pursued postgraduate work in Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy and at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.

Mr. John Sullivan

Newton Country Day School

John M. Sullivan began his musical life as a choir boy at the St. Paul Choir School in Cambridge, MA. He has been a Vocal Fellow at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood and has sung lead roles with the Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Sarasota Opera, Mississippi Opera, Mobile Opera, and the Banff Festival, Canada.

Mr. Sullivan is also a choral conductor. Currently the Department Chair of the Performing Arts Department of the Newton County Day School of the Sacred Heart, Mr. Sullivan's high school choirs have performed to enthusiastic acclaim in many festivals both in the United States, Europe, and Canada. Most recently, his Chorale and Schola Cantorum have performed concerts in Italy, France, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Spain.

Mr. Eric Wilkinson

Wando High School

Eric Wilkinson is the Director of Choral Activities at Wando High School in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Mr. Wilkinson's choirs have received consistent Superior ratings at concert festivals and competitions.  The Wando Bella Voce recently performed at the 2014 ACDA Southern Division Convention in Jacksonville, FL.

Mr. Wilkinson's choirs have performed solo concerts in Carnegie Hall, St. Peter's Basilica and the Washington National Cathedral. Mr. Wilkinson has presented interest sessions for ACDA and SCMEA. He is a National Board Certified Teacher and was awarded the prestigious Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award in 2007. Mr. Wilkinson has also received the SCMEA Outstanding Young Music Educator Award and been named Teacher of the Year.

Mr. David Tierney

The Rivers School Conservatory

David Tierney provides the artistic and administrative leadership for both The Rivers School Conservatory and the Performing Arts Department at The Rivers School. He also conducts The Rivers Symphony Orchestra, a community orchestra sponsored by the RSC. Prior to coming to Rivers in 1993, he taught at Lasell College, Boston College, and Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School.

His conducting engagements include the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra and the New England Classical Singers. He is also Minister of Music at St. Paul’s Epicopal Church in Dedham. He received his B.M. in organ performance and his M.M. in conducting, both from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Dr. Don Dregalla

Milton Academy

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Dregalla received his B.M. (with honors) in 1975 and his M.M. (with distinction) in 1980 from The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1993, Dr. Dregalla received a Ph.D. in Music Education from The Ohio State University in Columbus. He has studied conducting with Frank Battisti, Richard Blatti and Craig Kirchhoff; percussion with the late Vic Firth, formerly of The Boston Symphony Orchestra; and Cloyd Duff, formerly of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Dr. Dregalla has been on the faculty of Milton Academy since 1980, serving as Chair of the Music Department since 1990. At Milton, he directs the school's orchestra and chamber orchestra and teaches music appreciation classes. In 1994-95, he was appointed acting Chair of Music and Performing Arts and for one year served as Co-Class Dean of the Academy's middle school. He has conducted orchestras and bands, presented papers and led workshops at many state and national conventions and remains active as a conductor, percussionist and educator.

Mr. Matthew Sprinkle

Ss. Peter & Paul Parish

Matthew S. Sprinkle, a native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, began his musical studies at the age of four. Mr. Sprinkle holds a degree in Organ Performance and Voice Performance from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He continued his studies in Organ Improvisation under the tutelage of the late Dr. Gerre Hancock, Professor of Organ, at the Juilliard School, New York City. In addition to his studies in organ and voice, Matthew studied Choral Conducting and Gregorian Chant at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, Rome, Italy.

Matthew has served as the Archdiocesan Director of Music for the Archdiocese of Washington, D. C. and most recently as Diocesan Director of Music for the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona. While in Phoenix, Matthew served as Director of Sacred Music for Saint Thomas Aquinas Church, Avondale, Arizona. Mr. Sprinkle developed a comprehensive sacred music program including a Choir of Men and Boys, Girls, Children's Honors Choir, Mixed Treble Choir, Adult Parish Choir, Resident Professional Schola Cantorum, and the Resident Professional Parish Orchestra. Matthew is excited to call Ss. Peter and Paul his new home Parish.

Mr. Aaron Fuller

Advanced Math & Science Academy Charter School

B.A. History, BA Classics, University of North Carolina, Asheville
M.A. Classics, Ohio State University

Aaron Fuller is the middle school Latin teacher as well as a member of the Global Travel Committee at the Advanced Math & Science Academy Charter School in Marlborough, MA.  For almost twenty years, Aaron has taught Latin. He combines a modern approach of empowering students to connect Latin and the contributions of the Romans to modern life. Aaron has traveled to Ireland, Mexico, England, France, and most of all to Italy. Aaron's love of history, knowledge of monuments, and experience in traveling with students allows him to guide any client to the perfect academic tour.

Aaron's current publications include the following:
50 Tips for Having a Great Advisory A manual for teachers on how to be a successful advisory.
Shashi Bora, Teen Witch Aaron's first novel for adolescents and set in mythical India.