Salem State Music Alumni Recital
Celebrating Twenty Years of the Music Major
October 19, 7 pm Recital Hall
Featuring alumni
Adam Silvia, saxophone
Antanas Meilus, voice
Brianna Paquin, voice and keyboard
Caillie Hughes, voice and guitar
Colby Sherwin, drums
Daniel Maraist, electric guitar
Jabari Tovar, snare drum
Kevin Turano, voice
Elizabeth Anderson Sierra, voice
Madeleine Downs, violin
Richard B. Moore, Junior, vibraphone and cajo n
Shannon (Conway) Cioffi, voice
with
Beverly Soll, piano
Joe Stroup, piano
This concert is presented in association with Salem State University’s Center for Creative and Performing Arts.
PROGRAM
Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61, Allegro ma non troppo (excerpt) .................... Ludwig van Beethoven
Madeleine Downs ’21, violin / Joe Stroup, piano
Sure On This Shining Night........................................... Samuel Barber “O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi ........... Giacomo Puccini
Shannon (Conway) Cioffi ’10, voice / Joe Stroup, piano
O pastor animarum and O virtus sapientiae..... Hildegard von Bingen
Briana Paquin ’12, voice and keyboard
Third Rail ................................................................................. John Ling
I. Voltage
II. Traction
III. Crossroads
IV. Third Rail
Jabari Tovar ’16, snare drum / Joe Stroup, piano
Gravestones at Hancock, N.H. (1946) ..................... Nicolas Slonimsky texts from words engraved on tombstones in Hancock, New Hampshire
1. Vain world
2. Lydia
3. Here peacefully lies the once happy father
4. A lovely Rose
5. In Memphis, Tennessee
6. Stop, my friends, as you pass by Antanas Meilus ‘09, voice / Dr. Beverly Soll, piano
Moon Bridge ............................... Florence Price, text by M.R. Gamble
Elizabeth Anderson Sierra ’14, voice / Joe Stroup, piano
Romance for Eb Alto Saxophone and Piano .......... William Grant Still
Adam Silvia ’20, saxophone / Joe Stroup, piano
“A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman ............. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Feeling Good ............................ Lesley Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Kevin Turano ’12, voice / Joe Stroup, piano
Reflections ...........................................................
Richard B. Moore, Jr.
Richard B. Moore, Jr. ’20, vibraphone
Pocket Book...................................................................... Daniel Maraist
Calypso in D Daniel Maraist
Colby Sherwin ’19, drums / Daniel Maraist, electric guitar
Silver Lining ......................................................................Caillie Hughes
Back Then ..........................................................................Caillie Hughes
Caillie Hughes ’21, guitar and vocals / Richard B. Moore, Jr., cajon
Audio and video recording of this performance is strictly prohibited. Please silence all electronic devices. Thank you!
TONIGHT’S ARTISTS
Madeleine Downes graduated Class of 2021 from Salem State with a Bachelor of Arts in Music in violin and viola, taught by Alan Hawryluk and Diane Hastings, and has performed with the North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra and The Cherry Hill Chamber Orchestra. She performs and teaches classical and folk music in the greater Boston area. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, craft projects, visiting new restaurants, and exploring nature. She’d love to know a) your favorite places for dinner and live music or b) the most beautiful piece of music you’ve ever heard.
Shannon (Conway) Cioffi is a proud graduate of the class of 2010. Shannon participated in Chamber Singers (under the direction of Dr. Philip Swanson), College Chorus (under the direction of Dr. Gary Wood), and Women’s Chorale (under the direction of Dr. Lynn Shane). She studied voice with Sarah Hunter and Dr. Holly Zagaria while at Salem State. Shannon credits her ability to graduate to Dr. MaryJo Grenfell. Dr. Grenfell was not only her advisor but was Shannon’s strongest advocate.
Currently, Shannon is an active member of the Salem State Community Chorus and the St. Pius V/Holy Family Music Ministry. She is the Director of Childcare for Catholic Charities in Peabody. She lives in Salem with her husband Matt and her cat Cora Elisabeth Cioffi. Shannon wishes to thank her family and friends for always supporting her endeavors.
Briana Paquin graduated summa cum laude from Salem State University in the class of 2012, with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. She performed in several ensembles as a vocalist in both classical and jazz styles. After graduation Briana performed as a soloist with local ensembles in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including The Orchestra on The Hill. Briana is also a singer/songwriter who enjoys producing electronic music and has performed her music alongside local artists in New England. She currently works as an audio technician for a digitizing company, where she has the opportunity to record and edit audio from old media.
Jabari Tovar is a percussion educator based in the North Shore of Massachusetts. Born and raised in Salem, MA, he is a graduate of Salem Public Schools (‘12) and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Salem State University (‘16). Currently, Jabari serves as the Percussion Specialist for the Salem Public School district, instructing all percussion students in grades 4-12. Jabari also serves as the Percussion Director for the Salem High School Marching Band and the Salem High School Indoor Percussion Ensemble, where he arranges/composes music for percussion students of all skill levels.
Outside of the classroom, Jabari also has an extensive background in the marching arts, most notably working with the Open Class World Championship drum corps, The Spartans , based in Nashua, NH as well as the WGI World Championship Finalist Spartans Indoor Percussion Ensemble. In the Spartans organization, Jabari serves as a Percussion Consultant, working with the Percussion Education teams to further develop teaching strategies and pedagogical concepts .
In February 2023, Jabari was named by the Yamaha Music Corporation as a “40 Under 40” Music Educator, Class of 2023. Jabari was nationally recognized for his efforts in creating a culturally responsive curriculum and challenging the “traditional” aspects of band and percussion repertoire. In November 2023, Jabari was inducted into the Northeast Regional Educators Hall of Fame in recognition of his work in Salem Public Schools.
Antanas Meilus, tenor, graduated in 2009 after completing the BA in Music program. Since then, Meilus had a varied career inside and outside of music. An advocate of new music, he took part in the premieres/performances of Robert Bradshaw’s opera QWERTY (2012), Bradshaw’s As Our Voices Begin to Rise (2012) composed in memory of the tragic destruction of Temple Ahvat Achim in Gloucester, MA, and When Blessings Brighten: The Cemetery Project (2019), a premiere at the Peabody Essex Museum by Ian Wise commissioned by the Essex Piano Trio. Meilus often collaborated with composer/pianist Philip Swanson on songs set to contemporary English poetry and with many other artists in recitals of art song.
Meilus also collaborated with Beverly Soll, the Boston Singer’s Resource, and fabulous artists in the Boston Area to premiere a moving recital of African American art song, The Gift of Song: Voices of Black America.
He has performed with the New England Light Opera Company and The New England Gilbert and Sullivan Society in their Summer Concert Series. He is also a soloist and tenor section leader in many local churches and choruses and the lead vocalist and bodhrán player for the Irish folk band, Killeeshil.
As a music director he has been at the helm of numerous Boston premieres, these include ROOMs: a Rock Romance, and 44 Plays for 44 Presidents as part of the National Plays for Presidents Festival.
Outside of musical accomplishments, Antanas is a husband, father of two, IT consultant specializing in K-12 education and supporting mission driven organizations, and a martial artist.
Elizabeth Sierra graduated Salem State in 2014 with a major in Music, focus on voice, and minor in Theatre Arts. A favorite memory of her time is participating in #SSUbuildsanopera. She has fond memories of working in the Music Resource Center at SSU, and as an usher for the recital hall. In 2014 she received the Creativity Award for music from SSU. She has performed many styles from opera, to jazz, to folk, and dabbles in singer songwriter music with her ukulele.
Following any opportunity that life offers has led her to performing with the Cape Ann Big Band at the Shalin Liu Center in Rockport, to performing in a series of musical Friday night features at Breaking Grounds Cafe in Peabody. Upon graduating Salem State, Elizabeth participated in the Frost School of Music Salzburg Summer Music Program in Salzburg, Austria focusing on German lieder and opera studies. In 2017 Elizabeth participated in the chorus of the opera, The Demon, by Anton Rubinstein at The Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston. Elizabeth has given voice, piano, and ukulele lessons since 2017, freelancing, and formerly but most prominently through The Music Connection Studio in Danvers. She has given voice lessons to ages as young as four, to as old as 80! She is currently the general music teacher Pre-K- 8th grade, and tech support at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Lynnfield, where if she is not fixing a chrome book, she is teaching songs and music theory to over 340 students. She is excited to be back on the Recital Hall stage 10 years later!
Adam Silvia is a professional saxophonist and educator in the North Shore area. Silvia attended Salem State University from 2016 to 2020, receiving many awards such as the Presidential Arts Scholarship, Student Artistic Development Grant, and Creativity Award for Music before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a minor in educational studies. Adam currently holds a position at Lynn Public Schools teaching Pre-K to fifth grade general music, using his life experience and knowledge of pedagogy to inspire students to be lifelong learners. Currently, Silvia attends Longy School of Music of Bard College, where he is pursuing a Masters of Music Education online in hopes of further rooting his teaching in cultural responsiveness.
Kevin Turano graduated from Salem State University in 2012 with a BA in music, concentrating in voice and saxophone. While at Salem State, Kevin participated in Chorus, Chamber Singers, Jazz Band, Wind Ensemble, and Sax Ensemble. Kevin also performed in Pirates of Penzance and Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Since graduating, Kevin has been employed as a preschool music teacher. In his spare time, he has performed in many community theater musicals. Kevin is also a member of the Maynard Community Band.
Richard B. Moore Jr. graduated magna cum laude from Salem State University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, a minor in Educational Studies, and a Certificate in Music Technology. During his studies, he was honored as a Presidential Arts Scholar.
In the summer of 2019, Moore received an Artistic Development Grant, which allowed him to expand his expertise in audio recording through work in studios across the metro Boston area. His exceptional musicianship and creativity were further recognized with the Leonard Bernstein Musicianship Award. In the spring of 2020, he was awarded the Creativity Award, Salem State University's highest artistic honor. His research during this period focused on implementing music technology in educational settings.
Professionally, Moore has worked as an audio engineer for artists including Kunal Gunjal, Aditya Kalyanpur, and Nicole Zuraitis. He also contributed as an audio engineer to Timber Lewinski’s “Within the Static” EP and enhanced the audio for two films scored by Lewinski. His expertise extends to sound design for live productions of "The Nutcracker" and voice recording for podcasts and other non-visual media.
Currently, Moore is a Security Precinct Supervisor II at the Peabody Essex Museum. In this role, he engages in various special projects that support the museum's operations and oversees first aid inventory and response. Despite his diverse responsibilities, he remains passionate about audio work and continues to pursue creative projects alongside his role at the museum.
Colby Sherwin (he/him) has vast experience working within the diverse communities that make up the Greater Boston area as a dedicated musician, band leader, and educator. In 2019 he graduated from Salem State University with a degree in Business Administration and Music Performance where he gained an immense appreciation for the great American tradition of improvised jazz music. He also has a strong passion for reading, baking bread, and gardening with his wife. Colby regularly collaborates with local musicians and is still taking weekly music lessons with Tony Wolff, who he met at Salem State University in 2017.
Daniel Maraist (he/him) was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and comes from a family of musicians and artists. As a self-taught acoustic guitarist, he has combined free hand techniques with a focus on open chord tunings to compose his own works. Phil Keaggy, John Scofield, and Jon Hassell are among an eclectic mix of artists that shape his musicality and drive his passion for creativity. In recent years, he and his wife moved to Boston to start a family where he studies jazz guitar and performs music with friends.
Caillie Hughes is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who graduated from Salem State University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a minor in Business. Hughes got her start as a street performer on Essex Street in Salem while pursuing her degree. This opened doors to bigger performance opportunities, radio, and television exposure, and stepping into the business side of the music industry. Hughes delivers relatable storylines, while incorporating melodic vocal styles and pop-infused instrumentation to captivate listeners and provide positive energy. Her songwriting often touches on life experiences, mental health awareness, and love. A few of her latest releases include “Temporary,” a song about broken love; “Someday,” which explores themes of falling in love; and “Silver Lining,” a fun song written and released during the Covid-19 pandemic as a reminder to stay positive. Since graduating in 2021, Hughes has been working on new music in recording studios and continues to perform throughout New England at various venues, festivals, and events. To see where Caillie Hughes will be performing next or to follow her music journey, check her out on Instagram @ImCaillie / Facebook at Caillie Hughes Music / or www.CaillieHughes.com
Beverly Soll holds degrees in piano from the University of Illinois and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Maryland. Having served on the faculties of the State University of New YorkGeneseo, George Mason University, and Wayne State College, she has been an adjunct music faculty member at Salem State University since 2008. Her scholarly publications include articles in the NATS Journal, the CMS Symposium, three volumes of arias and scenes from the operas of William Grant Still, and a 2005 book on the operas of this pioneering African American composer, I Dream a World, published by the University of Arkansas Press. Soll is a free-lance pianist/coach in the greater Boston area and is pianist for the Essex Piano Trio.
Joe Stroup has been affiliated with the Music and Dance Department at Salem State University as a collaborative pianist for over 20 years, working with teachers, students, and several choral groups. He is the accompanist for the Salem State Community Chorus. He has also worked with the SSU Theatre Department both as the principal accompanist and as Music Director for five spring musicals, including “Into the Woods” in 2022. He has held similar positions at Suffolk University and Endicott College, as well as at community theaters, including Marblehead Little Theater and Stage284. He is the organist at the First Church in Wenham and is a graduate of the Oberlin College School of Music.
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