Sangeetha A. Rayapati

Professor, Voice

• Phone: 309-794-7238
• Email: SangeethaRayapati@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff Studio

Sangeetha Rayapati, soprano, is a professor of music specializing in vocal pedagogy, and head of the voice program.

She also teaches course in diction and song literature, music research, general education and coordinates offerings of the Barbara Shellhouse Center for Singing.

Described as a true artist, she uses her expressive skills in a variety of vocal genres. She has sung with regional companies including the Minnesota Opera, the Minnesota Chorale, the Kenwood Chamber Orchestra, Aspen Opera Theater, Voices of Vienna, Ballet Quad Cities, the McDonough Choral Society and the Handel Oratorio Society. She is a frequent recitalist and collaborator with contemporary composers.

Other performance credits include solos in Rutter's Requiem, Vivaldi's Gloria, Respighi's Laud to the Nativity, and several Bach Cantatas. Operatic roles have included Despina in Cosi fan Tutte, Frasquita in Carmen, and Pamina in Die Zauberflšte. She has been honored as a finalist for the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Award and for study at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.

Her professional output also includes presentation and publication on pedagogy for the aging singer. Her work can be found in the Journal of Singing and her recent book (2012), Sing into your Sixties and Beyond from Inside View Press. Previous presentation includes national and international venues for the National Association of Teachers of Singing, American Choral Directors Association, Music Educators National Conference, and American Guild of Organist chapters. She was featured at the  International Congress of Voice Teachers in Brisbane, Australia, in July 2013 and was featured at the Northwest Regional NATS conference in Victoria, British Columbia, in October 2013.

Rayapati is a member of professional organizations such as the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the College Music Society, the music honor society, Pi Kappa Lambda, Mortar Board, and Sigma Alpha Iota. She has served as president and board member for the Central Illinois Chapter of NATS and on the Community Engagement committee for the College Music Society.

Dr. Rayapati holds undergraduate degrees in vocal performance and nursing from Valparaiso University, and graduate degrees from the University of Minnesota. During the summers she has been a member of the vocal faculty at Lutheran Summer Music, a national music festival for talented high school musicians and provided vocal instruction at Lutheridge Music Week, Arden, North Carolina.

Specializations: Vocal pedagogy, Diction and song literature, Opera, Musical theatre, Vocal music

Randy F. Pobanz

Part-time Instructor, Guitar

• Phone: 309-794-7869
• Email: RandyPobanz@augustana.edu

Randy Pobanz is on the music faculty at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He has many solo and ensemble performances to his credit and is a highly regarded teacher, performer and transcriber of the classical guitar. Mr. Pobanz published a book titled Right Hand Exercises and Scales for the Beginning Guitarist, which is in use at several colleges and universities. His transcriptions include music for three guitars and guitar and flute duet. He released a recording titled 20th Century Music of Spain and Latin America. He has also presented lecture/performances on the history of the guitar in colleges and schools.

He holds a Master of Music degree in guitar pedagogy and performance from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. While at S.I.U. he studied guitar with Joseph Breznikar. Other studies include seminars and masterclasses with South American composer Guido Santorsola and guitarists Abel Carlevaro, Eliot Fisk and Christopher Parkening.

His students have gone on to study in prestigious guitar programs at Manhattan School of Music, Southern Illinois University and Northwestern University. Other teaching duties include classes in Harmony for Guitar and Guitar Literature and Pedagogy at Augustana. Mr. Pobanz also teaches guitar at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.

Specializations: Classical guitar, Guitar history and literature

James M. Lambrecht

Professor and Co-Chair of Music, Director of Bands, Augustana Symphonic Band, Trumpet, Conducting

• Phone: 309-794-7424
• Email: JamesLambrecht@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff Studio

James M. Lambrecht is the director of bands and professor of trumpet at Augustana College, where he conducts the Symphonic Band and teaches studio trumpet, wind conducting, and brass methods.

He is  co-chair of the Department of Music at Augustana College, a term he began in the fall of 2016. Dr. Lambrecht also has conducted the Opera@Augustana Orchestra and served as the conductor and music director of the Quad City Youth Symphony Orchestra from 1994-1998.

Before coming to Augustana in 1988, he was director of bands and assistant professor of music at Olivet College in Olivet, Mich.

 In the fall of 2009 and 2011, he served as guest conductor of the Musashino Academia Musicae Wind Ensemble in Tokyo, Japan, one of the top collegiate wind ensembles in Japan. In the summer of 2014 and 2019, Dr. Lambrecht returned to Musashino for his third and fourth appointments as a guest conductor and is scheduled to conduct them in the summer of 2021.

He was granted the singular honor of conducting both the 2011 and 2012 Illinois All-State Honors Band in Peoria.

He has directed the Augustana Symphonic Band on yearly tours throughout the United States, and on frequent concert tours of England, Scotland, Italy, Spain and Japan. 
 
In addition to frequently serving as a guest conductor, clinician, adjudicator, and soloist throughout the country, Dr. Lambrecht has performed with the Augustana Brass Quintet, the Quad City Brass Quintet, the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Philharmonic, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

He has been a member of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, the Madison (Wisconsin) Symphony, the Beloit-Janesville (Wisconsin) Symphony, and the Battle Creek (Michigan) Symphony.

Dr. Lambrecht is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education, the International Trumpet Guild, the National Band Association, the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, and Pi Kappa Lambda.

Lambrecht holds a B.M. degree from the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater, as well as an M.M. and D.M. from Indiana University. His teachers have included Frederick Ebbs, Ray E. Cramer, Stephen Pratt, Dennis Rohrs, Stan Finck, Charles Gorham, Barry Hopper and Vincent Cichowicz.

Cynthia A. Lambrecht

Part-time Instructor, Oboe

• Phone: 309-794-7232
• Email: CynthiaLambrecht@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff Studio

Cynthia A. Lambrecht has been the Instructor of Oboe and English horn at Augustana College since 1989. She also teaches Woodwind Methods, Oboe Pedagogy, Oboe Literature, Music Appreciation and coaches wind chamber ensembles. Each June Mrs. Lambrecht is a member of the music faculty for the Indiana University Summer Music Clinic in Bloomington, Indiana. From 1985-1988 she taught at Olivet College and Spring Arbor College in Michigan.

She received her B.M. degree in Oboe/English Horn Performance from Illinois State University in 1982 where she studied with John Ferrillo. In 1984 she completed a M.M. in Oboe/English Horn Performance with a minor in Musicology at Indiana University. While at Indiana, Mrs. Lambrecht studied with Jerry Sirucek and Dr. Malcolm Smith. She also held a Graduate Assistantship in Musicology under Dr. Austin Caswell.

Mrs. Lambrecht currently performs with the Augustana Faculty Wind Quintet and freelances throughout the Midwest. She is frequently asked to judge as well as clinic high school and college age students. She has been English hornist with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, oboist with the Augustana Wind Quintet Outreach Tours and the Bloomington-Normal Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, Battle Creek Symphony, Camerata da Musica (Battle Creek), and the Ft. Wayne Chamber Orchestra.

Samantha A. Keehn

Continuing Lecturer and Assistant Professor, Low Brass

• Phone: 309-794-7237
• Email: SamanthaKeehn@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff 30

Samantha Keehn is currently the Low Brass Instructor at Augustana College. Dr. Keehn teaches trombone, euphonium, and tuba students as well as in the General Education and Music Education programs.  In addition to teaching, she is an active freelancer in the area.

A native of Victoria, TX, she has studied with Don Lucas and Brent Phillips at Texas Tech and Baylor, respectively. She has also studied with Dr. William Stanley while earning her D.M.A. in Trombone Performance and Pedagogy. 

Dr. Keehn has a newly published etude book by Mountain Peak Music called Beyond the Notes and Rhythms: A Practical Approach to Teaching Musical Expression.  She has presented her research and method exhibited in this etude book at the International Women’s Brass Conference (2010), The Big XII Trombone Workshop (2010), Illinois Wesleyan (2011), and the Tubonium Conference (2011). 

She has also won numerous awards and grants, including the Bronze Medal of the Senior Wind Division at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, winner of ETW Jazz Bones Competition, the Best Should Teach Silver Award at the University of Colorado, and winner of the ITA Emory Remmington Trombone Choir Award.

An active performer, has performed with the Wyoming Symphony, Fort Collins Symphony, Colorado Light Opera, Victoria Symphony, Roswell Symphony, and the Waco Symphony.  Dr. Keehn also participated in the Hot Springs Orchestra for two summers, the Rafael Mendez Institute, and the Masterworks Festival Orchestra. She has also performed at ETW, ITA, TMEA, the Big XII Trombone Workshop, ITEC, Tubonium, and IWBC.

Sonja Hurty

Adjunct Instructor, Voice, Manager of Choral Performance and Outreach

• Phone: 309-794-7804
• Email: SonjaHurty@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff Studio

Sonja Hurty teaches applied voice and is the manager of choral performance and outreach. She previously directed the Augustana Concert Chorale, as well as many other school and church choirs.

She directed the Chapel Choir at Concordia University in Irvine, Calif., as well as many other school and church choirs. She provides workshops and clinics for high school and church choirs and adjudicates for music festivals and contests.

Hurty previously taught voice at Concordia University in Irvine, and at Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., and has maintained a vibrant private voice studio for many years.

She has performed as soloist with many academic, community and church choral organizations in Orange County, Los Angeles, Champaign/Urbana , and in the Quad Cities.

Hurty completed a master's degree in voice performance at California State University in Northridge, where she studied with Dr. Linda Stones. She completed a B.A. in music education at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, where she studied with Dr. Elmer Copley. She also has studied with William Miller, professor emeritus from the University of Illinois and Gretchen Stein at the Dusseldorf Opera in Dusseldorf, Germany.

She lives in Moline, Ill., with her husband Jon.

Specializations: Musical theatre, Singing, Opera

Jon Hurty

Henry Veld Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities, Augustana Choir, Conducting

• Phone: 309-794-7505
• Email: JonHurty@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff Rehearsal Hall

Jon Hurty is Director of Choral Activities and Henry Veld Professor in Music at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He directs the Augustana Choir, the Augustana Chamber Singers, serves as the conductor of the Handel Oratorio Society and teaches conducting. He is also Co-director of Music for Augustana Campus Ministries and is the Conductor and Artistic Director of Augustana Choral Artists. Before coming to Rock Island he was Director of Choral Activities at Concordia University in Irvine, California. 

Active as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the United States and abroad, he has served in this capacity in All State, State and Regional festivals of the American Choral Directors Association, the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, National Association for Music Education, and many colleges and high schools. Other professional activities have included conducting the Tian Kong Choir and serving as Guest Professor at Huazhong Normal University in Wuhan, China as well as guest conducting on the Quad City Symphony Orchestra subscription series. He has conducted his choirs in concerts throughout the United States as well as Austria, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Norway, Spain, and Sweden.

He completed his undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas, where he graduated summa cum laude, his master’s degree in Choral Conducting from California State University, Northridge, and his doctorate in Choral Conducting and Literature from the University of Illinois. He has studied conducting with John Alexander, Don Moses, Chet Alwes and Ann Howard Jones. Throughout his career, Hurty has had an interest in developing and refining his skills as a conductor and has studied conducting in workshops with Paul Christiansen, Robert Shaw and Helmut Rilling as well as singing under many conductors including Christopher Hogwood, Sir Charles Groves, and Roger Wagner.

Specializations: Choral music, Campus Ministries

Maureen K. Holmes

Adjunct Instructor, Voice

• Phone: 309-794-7159
• Email: maureenholmes@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff Studio

Maureen Holmes holds a Master of Music from Westminster Choir College, graduating with distinction, in addition to a Bachelor of Music from Drake University. Maureen’s degree work has been both in the areas of performance and vocal pedagogy.

Operatic credits include Nicklausse in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, First and Second Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Don Ettore in Haydn’s La Canterina, Nerone in selections from Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, Mélisande in scenes from Pelléas et Mélisande, as well as selections as the roles of Mercèdes from Bizet’s Carmen, Clorinda from La Cenerentola, Suzuki from Madama Butterfly, Cherubino from Le nozze di Figaro and Baba the Turk from Rake’s Progress. Additionally, she has been a soloist for works including Bach’s Magnificat, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Paukenmesse, and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

Along with operatic performances and classical training, Maureen maintains an active schedule as choral singer and musical theater enthusiast, a featured soloist and ensemble member in Nova Singers and Quad City Choral Arts and regularly performing volunteering at Quad City Music Guild. Maureen maintains a private voice studio and serves as music coordinator/chancel choir director at First Congregational Church in Moline

John W. Hildreth

Gassman Family Professor of Music, Musicology, Ethnomusicology

• Phone: 309-794-7427
• Email: JohnHildreth@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff Studio

Dr. John W. Hildreth is a native of Evansville, Indiana. He began his musical studies there with Eva Crawford Brooks with whom he studied piano. He later entered the Preparatory School of Music at the University of Evansville while a student at Lincoln High School. There he studied piano with Margaret Shepherd and organ with Gerald Clark. In 1959 he won the Arion Music Award at Lincoln High School.

After graduating from high school, he continued his education at Concordia College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While there he was a member of the college chorus, the brass choir, and was choir tour accompanist and chapel organist. He continued his studies at Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana where he chose music as an academic concentration and served as chapel organist. He received the B.A. Degree from Concordia in 1965.

In 1967 he began studies with Professor Robert Reuter at Chicago Musical College, Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois in organ and church music and also studied piano with Felix Ganz. He was on the Dean's List and was the recipient of numerous music scholarships. He received a B.M. Degree in organ and church music in 1969 and an M.M. Degree in organ and church music with Highest Honors in 1970 at Roosevelt.

He began his doctoral work at the Northwestern University School of Music in Evanston, Illinois and completed the Ph.D. in Musicology and Ethnomusicology in 1978 under the direction of William Porter, Theodore Karp, Aarond Pasrons and Klaus Wachsmann. He also studied piano with Francis Larimer and harpsichord with Dorothy Lane while at Northwestern.

Dr. Hildreth has served as organist and choirmaster at various places, including Augustana College where he served as chapel organist for a number of years. At present he serves as organist and choirmaster at Trinity Episcopal Church in Rock Island, Illinois. He is on the faculty of the Music Department at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois where he has completed 30 years of service and now holds the rank of full professor. He has taught courses in the History and Literature of Western Music, Music Theory, Music in General Studies, History of American Music, African-American Music, Women in Music, the Art of Listening and Ethnomusicology, and has published his own materials for teaching in these areas.

Randall B. Hall

Professor, Saxophone

• Phone: 309-794-7639
• Email: RandallHall@augustana.edu
• Office: Bergendoff Studio

Saxophonist Randall Hall joined the Augustana music faculty in 2005. Dr. Hall holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (DMA), the New England Conservatory (MM), the Conservatoire National de Région de Boulogne-Billancourt, France (Premier prix) and Warner Pacific College (BS).

He studied saxophone with Claude Delangle, Jean-Yves Fourmeau, Jean-Michel Goury, Kenneth Radnofsky, and Ramon Ricker.

Internationally active as a performer and clinician, Hall has performed throughout North America, Europe and Asia, including concerts at the Karnatic Lab (Amsterdam), Logos Foundation (Belgium), Werstatt für improvisierte Musik (Zürich), Zeitgeist Gallery (Boston), Center for New Music (Iowa City), Electronic Music Midwest (Chicago), Outside the Box Festival (Carbondale), and the Electro Acoustic Juke Joint (Mississippi).

He has given lectures and master-classes at institutions around the world, including Harvard University, Cornell University, the Eastman School of Music, New England Conservatory, Bowling Green State University, University of Illinois, University of Iowa, the Luxembourg Conservatory, Concervatorio Superior de Música de las Islas Baleares (Spain), and the World Saxophone Congress.

Randall Hall is the recipient of numerous honors including a Fulbright Grant, Frank Huntington Beebe Grant, Presser Music Award, Encore grant and the Premier prix in the Concour Région Ile-de-France.

Dr. Hall’s students have continued their studies at major music schools in the United States and Europe, including the New England Conservatory, Northwestern University, Eastman and the National Conservatory of Boulogne-Billancourt, France. They have also won prestigious awards including the Frank Huntington Beebe Grant, the Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship and the Joseph P. O’Hern Phi Beta Kappa Scholarship. 

Hall has recorded on the Innova label and Medusa Critical Publications and his compositions are published on Reed Music. In addition to saxophone Dr. Hall also teaches improvisation, music theory, electronic music, and co-directs Augustana’s summer session in Paris, France. 

Specializations: Saxophone