Meet the Music Department Staff

For general questions about the music program, contact Shelly Williams, Music program coordinator at (360) 992-2662 or sjwilliams@clark.edu.

Don Appert

Professor

(360) 992 - 2195
dappert@clark.edu
Website

Dr. Donald Appert, Music Department Chair and Orchestra Director, is an active conductor, composer, and performer. Dr. Appert received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Trombone from the New England Conservatory and earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Kansas.

He's been the conductor of the Clark College since 1990, teaching both levels of theory, ear training, and applied trombone, and is currently the Music Department Head. Dr. Appert has composed a variety of works for solo instruments, orchestra, wind symphony, and choirs with many of his pieces having been premiered by Clark ensembles. In addition to his responsibilities at Clark, Appert is the Music Director/Conductor of the Oregon Sinfonietta and the Jewish Community Orchestra.

Linda Appert

Professor

unavailable
lappert@clark.edu
Website

Linda Appert, applied vocal instructor, attended Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and received her Bachelor of Music in in Vocal Performance from the Boston Conservatory of Music. Linda has soloed locally with many orchestras and has performed arias and works for Coloratura Soprano throughout the United States and abroad. Linda’s vocal students have consistently won awards at the District, State, Regional and National levels and many of them have attended some of the most prestigious music schools in the country.

William Athens

Professor

unavailable
wathens@clark.edu

Bill Athens, applied contrabass, moved to Portland in 1997 and studied classical bass with Ken Baldwin at PSU and improvisation with Darrell Grant. In addition to serving as the principal bass in the Clark Orchestra, Bill plays jazz with several local groups including his own quartet, the Jazz Composer's Orchestra, and Trio Subtonic. Bill has recorded several albums and teaches both at Clark and George Fox University.

Tyler Briceno

Professor

unavailable
tbriceno@clark.edu

Tyler Briceno, Professor of Percussion, is an active performer and composer. He received his Bachelor of Music Performance at Montana State University Billings, and his Master of Music in Percussion from Eastern Washington University.

In Montana, Tyler was a percussionist for the Billings Symphony Orchestra and Yellowstone Chamber Players. After moving to Washington, Tyler was the front-line instructor of the EWU Marching Band; then during his graduate program, held the position of Graduate Student Assistantship at EWU.

He is a composer for the independent film “Damaged” along with several upcoming podcasts, composes pieces for percussion ensembles, and solo percussionists.

Nicole Buetti

Professor

unavailable
nbuetti@clark.edu

Nicole Buetti has composed extensively for chamber ensembles and large ensembles of various configurations, as well as children’s music and music for media. She spent several years in the Los Angeles area working as a composer in the film and television industries, and has had music commissioned and licensed for use all over the world. She has been honored for her film score work at the Wild Rose International Film Fest,

Elizabeth Byrd

Professor

unavailable
ebyrd@clark.edu
Website

Elizabeth Byrd, applied cello, is an active soloist and chamber music recitalist and concertizes as an improv cellist. She is also tonal vibration therapist, who trained at the North Carolina School of the Arts and The Juilliard School. Ms. Byrd presents Healing Cello Clinics across the country and has released 2 CDs as a part of The Healing Cello CD Series. As a concert cellist and teacher, she has traveled, performed and taught though-out the world. She is the principal cello in the Clark Orchestra and teaches private lessons on campus.

Mark Claassen

Professor

unavailable
mclaassen@clark.edu

Wendy Edgar

Professor

unavailable
wedgar@clark.edu

Wendy Edgar, applied viola, started violin lessons at age 6 but later fell in love with the warm rich tone of the viola and never looked back. She has a Bachelor of Music in viola performance from Oberlin Conservatory and a Master of Music in viola performance from Northwestern University. She has played with various groups in the greater Portland, Oregon area, including the Portland Opera Orchestra and the Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra. Every summer she heads to southern Oregon for three weeks to play in the Britt Festival Orchestra. Her viola was made by Mark Moreland in 2002.

Jacob Funk

Professor

(360) 992 - 2245
jfunk@clark.edu

Dr. Jacob Funk, Director of Choirs, came to Clark from the University of Missouri—Kansas City where he completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting. During his doctoral study he was a Graduate Assistant to the Choral Department, Associate Conductor of the Conservatory Concert Choir and co-conductor of the University Singers. While at UMKC he also served as Opera Chorus Master and the director of Canticum Novum. Jacob earned his masters degree in choral conducting from the University of British Columbia, and his undergraduate degree in vocal performance from John Brown University. He served on the music faculty of John Brown University and Northwest Arkansas Community College, and served as the Associate Choir Master at Grace Episcopal Church in Siloam Springs, AR where he conducted the Adult Choir and oversaw the Grace Children’s Choir School.

Katherine Goforth

Professor

unavailable
kgoforth@clark.edu

Originally from Portland, OR, USA, Katherine Goforth received a Bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College and a Master’s degree from the Juilliard School.

To further her education, Katherine attended the Franz Schubert Institut, Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme, Heidelberger Frühling Liedakademie, Georg Solti Accademia and masterclasses sponsored by the Richard Tucker Foundation.

Doug Harris

Professor

(360) 992 - 2188
daharris@clark.edu

Dr. Doug Harris joins the faculty Clark College after serving as Director of Bands at Western Kentucky University, Santa Clara University and Southern Utah University. He also enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a high school band director in Florida. Dr. Harris received his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Florida, his Master of Arts and Doctor of Arts from the University of Northern Colorado. Doug is active as a marching band arranger and clinician, working with and writing for bands from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, Colorado, Utah and California and has adjudicated concert, jazz and marching bands in Florida, Georgia, Colorado, Utah and California. He is active as an arranger and transcriber and is published in the Grand Mesa Music catalog.

Tim Jensen

Professor

unavailable
tjensen@clark.edu

David Kelley

Professor

unavailable
dkelley@clark.edu

David Elan Kelley is an award winning guitarist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist who performs and composes in a wide variety of styles including classical, rock, pop, blues and jazz. David holds a Masters Degree in Classical Guitar Performance and currently lives in beautiful Portland, Oregon where he teaches, composes and performs music, both as a member of various ensembles and as his solo act Élan 1Man Band.

elanpromusic.com

Katie Matsuura

Professor

unavailable
kmatsuura@clark.edu

Katie Matsuura, applied clarinet, is a passionate music educator and performer. She holds bachelor’s degrees in clarinet performance and music education from Boise State University and a Master of Music degree in wind band conducting from the University of Northern Colorado.

Katie performs regularly with the Clark College Orchestra, the Southwest Washington Wind Symphony, and the Zephyr Clarinet Choir.

Katie’s education career includes teaching elementary through college levels in many contexts: general music, guitar, choir, orchestra, and band. In addition to her applied clarinet instruction work at Clark College, she currently teaches band at Wy’east Middle School in Vancouver, WA .

Maya Muller

Special Assignment

unavailable

Dan Partridge

Professor

unavailable
dpartridge@clark.edu

Dan Partridge, applied horn, is a Northwest native, who lived and worked in New York City for ten years as a teacher, free-lance performer, and arranger before moving back to the Portland area in 2009. He works as an editor at Oregon Catholic Press, is a member of the Vancouver Symphony and various other ensembles, and teaches at Clark College in Vancouver.

Victoria Racz

Professor

unavailable
vracz@clark.edu

Eva Richey

Professor

unavailable
erichey@clark.edu
Website

Eva Richey, applied violin, began her career playing regularly with orchestras including the Cincinnati Symphony, Columbus Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, and the Kentucky Symphony. She has performed with The Moody Blues, Yes, Harry Connick Jr., and Rod Stewart. In 2000, she toured with the Broadway musical "Titanic" as their concertmaster. In 2001, Eva moved to the northwest where she is currently the concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Clark College Orchestra.

Stephen Shepherd

Professor

unavailable
sshepherd@clark.edu

Steve Shepherd, applied violin, teaches orchestra and band at Mount Solo Middle School in Longview, WA. Steve is the Concertmaster of the Southwest Washington Symphony, the Associate Concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and the Principal Second of the Clark College Orchestra. Steve and his wife Lanette are active Suzuki teachers at the Suzuki Institute of Longview-Kelso, which they started in 2010.

Jeffrey Snyder

Professor

unavailable
jsnyder@clark.edu

Melissa Terrall

Professor

unavailable
mterrall@clark.edu

Melissa Espíndola Terrall is an award-winning pianist based in Salem, OR. She is currently interim Professor of Piano at Clark College. Her recent performances include Stravinsky’s Petrushka with the Portland Ballet and concert engagements with the Carney-Terrall Duo.

Melissa received her master’s in piano performance at the University of Kansas, where she was awarded a coveted graduate teaching assistantship and studied under Dr. Scott McBride Smith. While in Kansas, she served as director of the KU Community Music School, mentoring piano students of all ages. Melissa received her undergraduate degree at Portland State University, studying with Dr. Julia Lee. While at PSU, she studied abroad in Spain, an experience that piqued her interest in Iberian and Latin American music. When she is not at the piano, Melissa finds inspiration cooking, hiking, reading, and studying Spanish.

Laura Thoreson

Professor

unavailable
lthoreson@clark.edu

Laura Beckel Thoreson, applied voice, has been praised for her warm, rich tone quality, sensitive musicality, and compelling stage presence as she is equally at home in the opera house, on the concert stage, and in the recital hall.

A native of Vancouver, Washington and an alumnus of Clark College, Ms. Thoreson was a member of the voice faculty at the University of Portland for three years and joined the Clark faculty in fall 2017. She also maintains a full private voice studio in the Portland area. Ms. Thoreson is a current Performer Diploma candidate at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, where she received her Master of Music in Voice, studying under Distinguished Professor Timothy Noble. She completed her Bachelor of Music in Voice at Central Washington University, as a student of Diane Thueson Reich.

Ms. Thoreson is a member of NATS (the National Association of Teachers of Singing) and is a frequent clinician and adjudicator for choral programs, festivals, and vocal competitions throughout the Northwest. She is also a member of AGMA (the American Guild of Musical Artists).

Charlie Violett

Professor

unavailable
cviolett@clark.edu
Website

Charles Violett, applied tuba, holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Henderson State University, a Master of Music in Performance from Portland State University and a Masters of Science from the University of Phoenix. He is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator throughout Oregon and Washington. He has taught in both public school and privately, as well as at the college level.

His 25 years of performance experience includes 14 years serving in Army bands in the U.S. and abroad. His recent performances include stints with Oregon East Symphony, Columbia Symphony, the Conical Quartet, Collage Brass, and various other groups as a freelance artist. Charles was a founding member of Rose City Brass and has performed with Brass Inc, The Classical Brass, Arkansas Symphony, the Mesquite Symphony, Bravura Wind Ensemble, Garland Winds, The 296th Army Band, The 36th Army Band, and the 234th Army Band.