Classical Performance : Piano

* Full-time faculty

Piano Faculty

*Carl Patrick Bolleia, Piano & Keyboard Area Coordinator, Piano, Harpsichord, New Music

With performances and recordings featured by The New York Times, The New Yorker, Gramophone, New York Classical Review, American Record Guide, Fanfare and more, Carl Patrick Bolleia has performed as pianist and historical keyboardist internationally throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, at venues including Carnegie Hall Stern Auditorium and Weill Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Merkin Hall, NJPAC, Bargemusic, le poisson rouge, Spectrum, and more.

Dedicated to the music of our time, he has given world premieres of hundreds of compositions, including performances of works by notable composers including Frederic Rzewski, Reena Esmail, Robert Aldridge, Whitney George and more. His large scale commissioning project of works for diverse keyboard instruments, entitled tintinnabulation.bloom, features inaugural compositions by the world’s leading composers, including Tyshawn Sorey and Stephen Hough.

As a collaborative artist, he has performed with musicians of the The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Juilliard415, New Jersey Symphony and more. He is an orchestral keyboardist with Apex Ensemble, and has performed with some of the world’s leading conductors, including Pablo Heras-Casado, Nicholas McGegan, William Christie, David Chan, Jerry Junkin, and more. In the fields of historical performance and sacred music, he serves as Director of Music at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Boonton. He has recorded for Composers Concordance Records distributed by Naxos and MSR Classics. Engaged in the fields of commercial music, entertainment and media, he has composed, arranged and recorded for multiple projects with Audible by Amazon and the 125th Anniversary Campaign of Dr. Pepper.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, from where he received the Graduate Diploma in Historical Performance as a recipient of the Historical Performance Scholarship, he additionally holds the Doctor of Musical Arts from Rutgers University, where he wrote his dissertation entitled, “A Taxonomy of Musical Gesture and a Hermeneutic of Narrative and Diatonic Continuity in the Piano Music of Charles Wuorinen.” There he received the Edna Mason Scholarship and was awarded the Elizabeth Wyckoff Durham Award for Academic Distinction and Excellence in Piano and Organ Performance, as well as the Arthur G. Humphrey Memorial Prize in Collaborative Piano. He received the Masters of Music in Piano Performance from The City University of New York Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music, where he was honored with the Robert Starer Award for the Performance of a Work by a Living Composer. He holds the BM in Music Education from William Paterson University, where he was an inaugural recipient of the Tami Cotsakos 71’ Scholarship, a Legacy Scholar, and received the Outstanding Musician Award and Music Scholar Award.

He cites his tutelage under a variety of pianists and keyboardists to be most profoundly influential, especially with Ursula Oppens, Alan Feinberg, Peter Sykes, Richard Egarr, Béatrice Martin, Avi Stein, Skip Sempé, Jerome Lowenthal, Fred Hersch, Nicolas Hodges, Min Kwon, Warren Jones, Gary Kirkpatrick, and Dr. Billy Taylor. Dr. Bolleia is Assistant Professor of Music, Director of New Music and Coordinator of Piano and Keyboard Studies at William Paterson University.

Lois Buesser, Staff Pianist
Lois Buesser studied Piano Performance and Voice at Oklahoma City University, graduating Summa Cum Laude and named Outstanding Senior Woman. Her teachers include Florence Birdwell, Dr. Stephen Coker, Dr. Clarence Burg and Dr. John Salmon. She has been Accompanist and Music Director for regional, community and school theatres in New Jersey, North Carolina and Oklahoma. She presents concerts which meld various genres and guest performers into a Musical Extravaganza! The productions have included piano, vocal, cello, organ, and rock band music, tap and ballet dancers, and her clever Musical Memory Medleys. Ms. Buesser toured Europe and Asia with the USO/DOD, and has performed with Susan Powell, Bob Hope, Lara Teeter, Teri Bibb and Stacey Logan. In Branson, MO, Lois played Ragtime piano, and conducted the Silver Dollar City amphitheater's premier show. She's sung with Pro Arte Chorale, Piedmont Chamber Singers, and i Cantori di New York. She taught Kindermusik, accompanied at UNCG, and is a church and temple organist. With Light Opera of New Jersey, she accompanies, conducts and arranges music for cabarets, operas, operettas, and musical theatre.

Nancy Chamberlain, Staff Pianist
Nancy Chamberlain is a collaborative pianist at William Paterson University, Manhattan School of Music, and Caldwell University. She won the Premier Prix in Piano from the Conservatoire National in Nice, France, where she studied as a Rotary Foundation Scholar. While in Europe, Nancy performed with the Aspremont Quartet, winning First Prize in the International Chamber Music Competition in Tradate, Italy. She has taught K-12 vocal/choral/ theatrical music in New York City and New Jersey and has worked as a Broadway audition pianist for Telsey and Co. Other work has included The Duplex Sessions cabaret in Greenwich Village, The Actor’s Project NYC at the Triad, and Barefoot Shakespeare at Alchemical Theater on 14th Street. She has also played synthesizer for shows at Mayo PAC and Plays in the Park in NJ. Nancy holds an M.M. in Piano Performance from Manhattan School of Music.

Kristin Dabaghian, Piano Lab, Organ
Kristin Dabaghian is the Associate Organist at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, New Jersey. While at the Cathedral, she has performed several recitals and had the opportunity to play with the New Jersey Symphony. In 2014, Kristin was organist for the Beatification Mass of Blessed Miriam Teresa broadcast on EWTN. She has served as organist and music director for several parishes in the Archdiocese of Newark and Paterson. Kristin is an accomplished pianist with an extensive background in accompanying and conducting Broadway performers and theater companies. She holds a bachelor of music degree in both piano and organ from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and a master of music degree from Manhattan School of Music, having studied with the late McNeil Robinson. Kristin is published in National Pastoral Magazine and serves as Dean of the Metropolitan New Jersey AGO chapter. Performances include recitals at Holy Trinity Church and St John Nepomucene (East River Concerts) in NYC. the NPM National Convention 2017 at Saint Peter in Chains Cathedral in Cincinnati, OH and as accompanist for choir tours throughout Italy and Mexico City.

Ahran Kate Kim, Piano Lab
Korean American pianist, Ms.Kim, studied at Korea National University of Arts Pre-College with Dae-Jin Kim in Korea. Her first public debut was at YoungSan Art Hall with the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 11. She won several competitions and performed several solos with orchestras as well.
In 2003, she immigrated to the US and studied at The Juilliard Pre-college with Victory Mushkatkol and Matti Raekallio. She received an award at the New York Music Competition and performed at the Weill Recital Hall inside Carnegie Hall. She and her chamber group was selected by the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society twice in a role and performed at Lincoln Center.
Ms.Kim studied with various artists and performed in several festivals, including: France Music Festival, Orford Music Festival, Piano Summer in New Paltz, Manhattan in the mountain and Brevard Music Festival.
Ms. Kim has completed her Bachelor degree at the New England Conservatory, studying under Alexander Korsantia. While attending NEC, she received the Bertha L. Harris Scholarship. She then received her Master’s degree at Manhattan School of Music, studying under Joanne Polk. Currently, she is in the process of getting her DMA at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, studying under Prof. Daniel Epstein
Ms. Kim has been the music director of the Holy Name Hospital Benefit Concert and the Five Star Living Care Community Artist. She served as a piano faculty at the Extension Division, Rutgers University from 2016 to 2019 and Lindeblad School of Music from 2016 to 2021.
Since 2013 she teaches piano privately in New Jersey and New York City. She is currently an Adjunct professor at William Paterson University and a lecturer at the Mason Gross School of the at Arts Rutgers University. In addition, she has been a steady and dedicated volunteer performer at the Buckingham Norwood Care and Rehabilitation Center since 2006.

June Marano-Murray, Voice Coach / Staff Pianist
June Marano-Murray received her Bachelor and Master Degrees in piano and accompanying from Manhattan School of Music where she was a recipient of the prestigious Harold Bauer Award. Credits include: Wolf Trap Opera, Lake George Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Central City Opera, Pepsico Summerfare, NY Opera Repertory Theater, and the Berkshire Choral Institute. She has been music director for opera productions at Asolo Opera in Sarasota, Florida, the Bel Canto Opera in New York, and performed and taught at the First International Summer Music Festival in Taiwan. A former Gramma Fisher scholarship recipient (which enabled her to study and perform at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria), she is a former lecturer at SUNY- Purchase, Music Director for Purchase Opera Theater, and for Mannes College of Music. As a member of the opera coaching staff at Manhattan School of Music, she also accompanied the Birgit Nilsson Master Class series for five years. She is a member of the American Guild of Organists, and serves as choir director/organist for the Second Reformed Church in Hackensack, New Jersey. She also is a free lance coach and piano teacher. She is also on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music.

Soyeon Park, Piano, Staff Pianist
Pianist Soyeon Park has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Canada, Romania, Italy, Czech Republic, China, and Korea. A highly sought-after collaborative artist in New York City’s demanding classical music scene, Soyeon has frequently appeared at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall. Her energetic and insightful interpretations of classical works have charmed and inspired many audiences, young and old.

As a young artist, she won many awards from various competitions and auditions including Ivan Moravec Award from The Prague International Piano Festival Competition, ARTS (Arts Recognition and Talent Search) by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, Heida Hermann International Competition, Wideman Piano Competition and the Corpus Christi International Competition. Soyeon has participated in master classes with many renowned pianists, including Alexander Kobrin, Julian Martin, Robert McDonald, Ann Schein, Ian Hobson, Jerome Lowenthal, Tamás Vásáry, Ivan Moravec, Menahem Pressler and Leon Fleisher.

A passionate advocate and educator of music, Soyeon served as an associate faculty member at The Center for Musical Excellence where she was later appointed a director of admissions and gave master classes at International Piano Academy in Beijing. Soyeon also has served as an adjudicator for various auditions and competitions including Children’s Foundation for the Arts, NJMTA (New Jersey Music Teachers Association) and the concerto competitions and masterclass auditions in the preparatory division of Manhattan School of Music.

Soyeon earned Doctoral degree of Musical Arts from Manhattan School of Music where she was a recipient of the Svend Svendsen and Margarethe Svendsen Scholarship and the President’s Award.

Caroline Parody, Staff Pianist, Piano Lab
Caroline Parody earned a Bachelor of Music in piano performance from William Paterson University, and her Masters from Montclair State University in New Jersey. She received several awards, including Outstanding Performer and Music Scholar from WPUNJ. Additionally, she studied voice and vocal pedagogy, winning First Place in the NJNATS competition. Performing throughout the NY metro area, she has accompanied the Oratorio Society of NJ, Coro Lirico, Pro Arte Chorale, Harmony Singers, Concord Singers, WPUNJ Opera Workshop, and was assistant musical director for WPUNJ Musical Theater and Leonia Summerstage. An educator for almost 30 years, Caroline currently serves on the faculty of WPUNJ, From The Top Music Studio in Midland Park, NJ, and is the Director of Music at St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Wayne, NJ.

Charity Wicks, Piano, Vocal Coach, Staff Pianist
Charity Wicks is a sought-after pianist whose work crosses all musical genres. She has an active career on Broadway as a Music Director/Conductor/Pianist with such shows as the Broadway-bound LEMPICKA, as well as with current and past shows including COME FROM AWAY, GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY, TOOTSIE, FROZEN, SPRING AWAKENING (original production), and many others. Her expertise in the development of new works (both musical theatre and opera) is frequently called upon, and she often collaborates with such organizations as The Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, La Jolla Playhouse, The Public Theatre, and The American Opera Project. She maintains an active recital career, playing vocal recitals and chamber music throughout the metropolitan area, and is the Director of Music Ministries at Central Presbyterian Church in Summit, NJ. She holds a BM and MM from Temple University, and a DMA from The Manhattan School of Music in Piano Accompanying.