MacPhail Presents: Women’s History Month Performance Festival & Faculty Spotlight Concert
Celebrate International Women’s Day with MacPhail’s first-ever Women’s History Month Performance Festival. The two-part event champions the musical compositions of women from around the world and through the ages.
Women’s History Month Festival
From 10 am to 1:30 pm, performers of all ages will perform pieces by women and gender diverse composers on the Gary Sipes Performance Stage, curated by MacPhail piano faculty Dr. Sara Langmead. Drop in to hear inspiring performances by MacPhail faculty, staff, students, and community members.
Performances will include the music of BIPOC composers from countries around the world, from South Korea to the U.S., Latvia to Argentina, Africa to France, and many more!
Faculty Spotlight: Timeless Tapestry – Celebrating 25 Years of Compositions by Sarah Miller
The Performance Festival culminates in a one-of-a-kind concert at 7:00 pm featuring the brilliant work of MacPhail faculty member Dr. Sarah Miller. Hear her original works, crafted over her 25-year tenure, performed by a stellar ensemble of MacPhail faculty members, including James DeVoll, Dr. Sara Langmead, Caitlin Lucic, Sarah Hruska Olson, Nina Olsen, and David Kozisek. Choose-what-you-pay tickets for this portion of the festival are on sale now.
Evening Concert Performers
Sarah Miller has been an instructor of composition, theory, and piano at MacPhail since 1996, and our composition coordinator since 2001.
Her teaching starts by connecting with her students through their mutual love of music. From that base, she helps each student create an individual plan, setting realistic goals that they are eager to pursue.
Sarah has received numerous grants and commissions. Her most recent commission was from MacPhail and the resulting piece, “Clouds” premiered at a faculty recital in February 2020. It was performed by Nina Olsen, Clarinet, Chi-Chi Bestman, viola with Sarah at the piano. Her most recent State Arts Board Grant featured pieces inspired by works of art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Seven of the pieces are available at the MIA website, Plays Well with Art: Compositions by Sarah Miller –– Minneapolis Institute of Art (artsmia.org). Those pieces plus several more were performed at MIA in April, 2022. This is the third State Arts Board Grant that Dr. Miller has received.
Sarah developed the composition program at MacPhail which features two recitals a year and a summer camp. Her students have won many prizes in various composition contests including the Junior Composers Contest, the Minnesota Music Teachers Association Composition Contest, the Sinfonia Orchestra Composition Contest and the Eric Stokes Song Contest. She has taught composition to classes through residencies in public schools as well as arranging to GTCYS students. She is also involved with the National Federation of Music Club’s Composers Institute.
She holds a PhD in Music Composition as well as a Master’s of Music in Piano Performance, a Bachelor’s of Music in Piano Performance, and a Bachelor’s of Arts in Humanities, all from Michigan State University.
James DeVoll, flute, has appeared on concerts and recitals throughout the United States and Europe. He is principal flute of the Duluth Superior Symphony and has performed with groups throughout the area, including the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra. He enjoys working with composers and has participated with dozens of composers in the premieres of over 50 works. In addition to teaching at MacPhail, James is on the faculty of Gustavus Adolphus College and Minnesota State University—Mankato. He has been a clinician and judge for the Minnesota All-State Bands and has served as President of the Upper Midwest Flute Association. He studied at the University of Minnesota, Yale, and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Additional studies were in France, where he obtained a diplôme from the Conservatoire Internationale d’Eté in Nice, and spent two summers at the Centre Acanthes festival for contemporary music.
Dr. Sara Langmead is committed to expanding the canon of solo piano literature to include traditionally underrepresented composers throughout history and from around the globe. She enriches the lives of her students and listeners by communicating passionate, creative, and academic insight through her enthusiastic teaching, performance, studio class, adjudication, writing, and discussion of this amazing and impactful repertoire.
As the recipient of research grants from the Music Teachers National Association and MacPhail Center for Music, Dr. Langmead will be curating MacPhail’s Women’s History Month 2025 Music Marathon and Celebration, a four hour concoction of students, faculty and staff from all four MacPhail campuses on March 8th, International Women’s Day. The inspiring music, educational stories, and mentored preparation will benefit performers and listeners alike in the free and open to the public venue of MacPhail’s Gary Sipes Performance Space in Minneapolis.
Dr. Langmead is a Teaching Artist in Piano and Theory at MacPhail Center for Music and the Piano Faculty teacher at St. Cloud State University. She earned her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University where she studied piano for seven years with Yoheved Kaplinsky (current chair of the Juilliard Piano Department); she is deeply indebted to all of her mentors which include the late Gyorgy Sebok, the late Dominique Weber, Julian Martin, Sharon Levy, John Spitzer, and Eileen Soskin. Prior to her return to her native Minnesota, Dr. Langmead held piano faculty posts at St. Mary’s College-Maryland, the University of Missouri-Columbia, and at Mercyhurst University-Pennsylvania.
Caitlin Lucic (she/her) has taught at MacPhail since 2013. She is a Sing, Play, Learn with MacPhail®, School Partnerships, and MacPhail Music for Life™ instructor. She utilizes The Kodály Method and the Orff-Schulwerk in her teaching to provide joyful, multi-sensory learning experiences for her students.
Caitlin’s instruction integrates music with other disciplines, helping children to discover the multitude of ways music connects humanity throughout history and across the globe. Caitlin is a frequent children’s music presenter; her in-demand percussion class Tap-Shake-Scrape: It’s Only Natural blends world music, literacy and environmental stewardship together in an engaging manner for participants of all ages. Caitlin is also a member of the children’s band The Rosie Posies.
In addition to her work at MacPhail, Caitlin is an active freelance drummer, percussionist, and marimbist in the Twin Cities area. She has performed with a diverse array of artists and arts organizations including Celtic Woman, Lorie Line’s Pop Chamber Orchestra, Children’s Theatre Co. (Minneapolis), Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, MN History Theatre, Artistry, VocalEssence, Alive & Kickin’ MN, Twin Cities Bronze, Exultate Chamber Choir and Orchestra, Youth Performance Company, The Phipps Center for the Arts, Lyric Arts, The Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, and various other organizations in the Twin Cities and Hartford, CT area.
Caitlin holds a M.M. degree in Percussion Performance from The Hartt School of Music and a B.M. degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She completed her levels 1-2 certification in The Kodály Method and her level 1 certification in the Orff-Schulwerk at the University of St. Thomas. She received her MN teaching license in K-12 Instrumental/Classroom Music Education from the University of MN-Twin Cities, and is trained in The Responsive Classroom, Teach Like a Champion, and the Paideia Method. In 2018, she was awarded the James. E. Ericksen Professional Development Grant in conjunction with MacPhail Center for Music. Caitlin utilized this award to study jazz improvisation, world music, and drum set at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN with Dr. David Hagedorn.
Sarah Hruska Olson holds a Bachelor of Arts in music and English from Lawrence University, a Master of Music in vocal performance from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Minnesota. She teaches classes for children and older adults in the Sing Play Learn, School Partnerships, and MacPhail Music For Life departments at MacPhail Center for Music. Although teaching is Sarah’s primary occupation and passion, she loves to sing music of all kinds whenever she has the opportunity.
Recent projects include various MacPhail Faculty recitals, A “Fridays in the Valley” recital collaboration, and a duet project with classical guitarist, Jean Seils. Sarah has also enjoyed singing various roles for readings with Opera Reading Project, including the 2nd lady/2nd spirit role in “The Magic Flute,” Dido in Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas,” and Gertrude in Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel”.
Clarinetist Nina Olsen moved to the Twin Cities area in the fall of 1988. During the past three decades her professional life has been focused on performing and teaching. Nina has been a member of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra (since 1989,) and has performed with many other groups including the Duluth Symphony, Opera on the Lake, the Second Winds, the Chione Quintet and Thursday Musical. She has been on the faculty of the MacPhail Center for Music (since1990) and is a Senior Lecturer in clarinet Carleton College (since 1991.) In addition, Nina has taught at St. Cloud State University and served as sabbatical replacement at St. Olaf College and Gustavus Adolphus College. Her primary mentors have been Burt Hara, Dr. John Anderson and Fred Ormand.
David Kozisek teaches at MacPhail Center for Music, Gustavus Adolphus College, and the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Before moving to Minnesota in 2013, he an appeared frequently at the Kennedy Center with the Washington National Opera, Washington Chorus, Washington Concert Opera, Cathedral Choral Society, and the National Symphony Orchestra among others. David has also performed with the Shakespeare Theatre Company and in various theatrical programs at Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Dr. Kozisek has a DMA in voice with an emphasis in choral conducting from the University of Minnesota and holds additional degrees from DePauw University and the University of Michigan and is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy. Earlier this fall, he created and directed the musical revue “Come On, Get Happy!” for the Cross Community Players. David is also the Director of Music and Worship at Hamline Church United Methodist where he conducts a variety of ensembles and curates and produces their Music and Arts Series including a recent production of “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” He is thrilled with this opportunity to perform Dr. Sarah Miller’s music alongside some new friends.