Faculty Members

Derek J. Molacek - Concert Band and Pep Band

Derek J. Molacek is a trombonist, euphoniumist, composer and arranger. He previously was a member of The USAF Band of the Golden West, where amongst other performances, performed in a joint concert with the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas as well as the 2011 and 2012 Monterey Jazz Festival. Coming from Omaha, Neb., he was an active composer and performer in the Omaha-Lincoln-Southwest Iowa Region. He has also previously performed trombone with the Omaha Symphony, and former The Voice contestant Josh Hoyer. Molacek previously served on the faculty of Iowa Western Community College

Molacek earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver, and his master’s from the University of North Texas. During his time at Denver, he studied jazz trombone with Darren Kramer, classical trombone with Dr. Joseph Martin, and jazz theory and composition with Malcolm Lynn Baker, Dave Hanson, and Eric Gunnison. He also had the opportunity to perform with Terrell Stafford in 2004.

He completed his doctorate at the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska in the spring of 2017 in Music Composition, Jazz emphasis. During his first year, he studied jazz composition and arranging extensively with Dr. Eric Richards and completed his studies under Thomas Larson.

Tiffany Stone Richter - Concert Band and Singers

Tiffany Stone Richter is the Director of Choral Activities at Wallace State. During her tenure at Wallace State, she has conducted the Wallace State Concert Choir, Wallace State Singers, and Wallace State Vocal Jazz. She has also taught Private and Class Voice, Private and Class Piano, Music Theory and Music Appreciation. Distinctions include Alabama Community College Award of Excellence, Academic Faculty Award, and Wallace State Employee of the Year.

Under Ms. Richter’s direction, the Wallace State Vocal Ensembles have participated in several performances across the country, including the Kennedy Center and National Cathedral in Washington D.C., The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN, Walt Disney World, and have also extended their reach outside of the United States during their 2019 tour of France and Germany.

Ms. Richter also collaborates as a musician in the private sector. She is a gospel and jazz recording artist, performing in a variety of settings across the United States, as well as Europe and Central America.

Ms. Richter received her MM in Choral Conducting from Texas State University-San Marcos, with a stipulation in Vocal Jazz. She is originally from Oklahoma, but has adopted Alabama as her new home, and enjoys her husband, children and the variety of animals, invited, or not, running around the farm.

Concert Band