Faculty & Staff

Dr. Brian Cardany is the Director of Bands at the University of Rhode Island, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, directs the athletic bands, and teaches instrumental conducting. He also serves as coordinator for both the Southern New England Honor Band and URI Commencement music activities, and is the conductor for the URI Alumni Wind Ensemble.

His efforts to promote new music and works of artistic merit has included a presentation at the Midwest Clinic, several contributions to the Teaching Music Through Performance series (GIA Publications) and regular involvement with commissions and the recording of new works.

As an avid supporter of life-long music making, Dr. Cardany also serves as conductor for four Rhode Island community ensembles, including The American Band, the Ocean State Pops Orchestra, the South County Chamber Orchestra, and the South Kingstown Community String Orchestra.

Education

D.M.A. in music education, Arizona State University, 2006

M.M. in music education, Arizona State University, 2000

B.M. in music education, James Madison University, 1992

"I am so thrilled to be joining the URI Summer Music Academy for the first time this year! I look forward to collaborating with the outstanding and very talented students who join us to be part of one of the most nurturing music camps in New England. I’m beyond excited to share the stage with them, my faculty colleagues, and the audiences who will be attending our concerts. See you this summer at our beautiful URI campus in Kingston!"

Making his first appearance on the faculty at URI SMA this year, Latin Grammy-nominated and American Prize-winning conductor Dr. Luis Víquez is celebrated as one of the most dynamic and versatile musical voices of his generation. With a charismatic presence on the podium, Dr. Víquez’s passionate leadership and energetic musicianship have earned him recognition as one of Central America’s most influential artists. He is equally comfortable with orchestral, wind band, and operatic repertoire in both professional and educational settings. Dr. Víquez currently serves as the newly appointed Music Director of the Chamber Orchestra of Barrington at St. John’s (RI) and as the Director of Orchestral Studies and Assistant Professor of Orchestral Conducting at the University of Rhode Island. His leadership is built on years of artistic excellence, including a distinguished seven-year tenure as Music Director of the University of South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and Opera (2016–2023). A sought-after guest conductor, he has appeared with ensembles across the United States, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and England. Notable collaborations include performances with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, the Narragansett Bay Symphony, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Heredia, the National Wind Orchestra of Guatemala, the Cherokee Symphony (IA), and the Emporia Symphony Orchestra (KS), among many others. His engagements also include prestigious conducting fellowships with the Allentown Symphony (PA), the Saratoga Orchestra (WA), and the Chamber Orchestra of New York. Recently, Dr. Víquez was named a Music Director finalist for both the Hastings Symphony Orchestra (NE) and the Southeastern Philharmonic (MA). An avid champion of music education and the development of young musicians, he has led the South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska All-State orchestras and is in high demand nationwide as an adjudicator and clinician. His discography includes the albums Costa Rica desde Afuera (recorded with the Heredia Symphony Orchestra), Observations On… (recorded with the University of South Dakota Symphony Orchestra), and El Ruido del Agua – Music by Eddie Mora, which was nominated for the 23rd Latin Grammy Awards in the category of Best Classical Music Album. In addition to his conducting activities, Dr. Víquez is also an accomplished clarinetist. He is a clarinet artist for Royal Global Clarinets and D’Addario Woodwinds. For more information, visit www.luisviquezmusic.com.

As an avid chamber musician, Megan Koch has traveled the world, bringing along her love for music and teaching.  She currently teaches with Musicians for the World, teaching students in Africa and South America.  In collaboration with Musicians for the World and EcoAcordes, Megan travelled to Iquitos, Peru in April 2024 to lead a cello workshop there, which included lessons, a recital, and a lecture.  As a founding member of the Rivendell String Quartet, she had the opportunity to travel to Kazakhstan, and the Kyrgyz Republic, in association with the United States Department and Carnegie Hall.  There, the quartet performed several concerts, coached aspiring young conservatory students, and experienced the rich culture of both countries.  The quartet also traveled to Singapore, where they mentored young musicians at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, and performed alongside faculty, as well as at the US Embassy of Singapore.  Megan Koch has performed alongside Robert Mann, Michael Kannen, Ian Swenson, and Steven Dann, and has worked extensively with many of the world’s foremost musicians, among them Joan  Tower, Pamela Frank, Menahem Pressler and the Tokyo String Quartet.  Locally, she has played with the Nth Degree Chamber Ensemble, the new music ensemble Verdant Vibes, and the Meeting House Chamber Music Festival.  She frequently collaborates with pianist Andrew Welch, performing with him and other local musicians in various chamber concerts around New England.

Megan’s love of music and nature has inspired many projects, including the composition of “Water is Life” by Kirsten Volness, a piece about climate change written for two cellos and voice, based on photography of Julia Cumes, which was premiered by Beyond the Bounds in 2022.  This piece was also the topic of a lecture that Megan gave in Peru about climate change in 2024.  In addition, Megan formed Bay Area Cello Collective with cellist, Robin Snyder in 2020 during the Covid 19 pandemic with the idea of bringing music to parks and outdoor venues for all to enjoy.  Bay Area Cello Collective gave an outdoors performance at Montalvo Arts Center as the first group of The Listening Hour.

Megan Koch has a Masters Degree in chamber music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied under Jean-Michel Fonteneau, and holds a Bachelors of Music degree from the Peabody Institute, where she studied with Alan Stepansky.  Megan resides in Rhode Island and is a member of Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.

Megan plays on an old German cello acquired from her teacher, Jean-Michel Fonteneau and labeled Leopold Wildhalm, 1768.

Jane Murray holds the solo English horn chair with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, a position she has held since 1978.  Her many solos have been hailed in the press  as "elegant", "haunting", "wistful", "beguiling", "spellbinding" and "scrumptious"!  

Long a champion of oboe d'amore and English horn, she has premiered several new works  and was recipient in 2012 of a RI State Council  for the Arts Grant for a series of concerts of music  for English horn and organ performed in several of the area’s magnificent churches.
 

 She also is an accomplished oboist, and performs regularly with several New England  area orchestras and choruses, in  the pit for Broadway shows,  with the Hilltop Trio, and with the  wind quintet Northeast Chamber Ensemble, who were the recipients of a Continental Harmony Grant from the NEA, resulting in a series of concerts in  collaboration with Gospel choirs  on both coasts.
 

She is a devoted pedagogue, training oboists of all ages, and is on the faculty of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School and the University of Rhode Island, where she  teaches Oboe and Somatics: Movement Training  for Musicians.  She has  served on the faculty of the Vermont Youth Orchestras Summer program, and was the artistic director of  the Northeast Quintet Camp.
 

She has  performed as soloist with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Ocean State Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Barrington, Fall River Symphony and “Concerts on the Island" Chamber Orchestras, and  has been  featured oboist at the Music on The Hill Series in 2021, the Newport Music Festival from 1993-2003, the Kingston Chamber Music Festival in 1995, 2008, and 2018, and at Vermont's Reveille Festival  from 2011-2014.

She has performed much of  the solo repertoire for English horn and orchestra  including  Jennifer Higdon's Soliloquy, Gordon Jacob's  Rhapsody, Copland's Quiet City with trumpet virtuosos Rolf Smedvig and Joseph Damien Foley, Sibelius' Swan of Tuonela, Reicha's Recitative and Rondo,  Vaughn Williams' Folksong Variations and Donizetti's Concertino, as well as  Bach's Concerto for Oboe D'amore and Orchestra. 

Since 2004, she has been a licensed Body Mapping Educator, teaching Body Mapping for musicians: a somatic awareness curriculum which can help musicians of all ages retrain their movement to allow them to play without pain and avoid injury.   In addition to giving individual sessions in her home studio, she is in demand as a clinician and has presented classes and  workshops at UMass Amherst, SUNY Purchase, Providence College, Boston Woodwind Society, and for the International Double Reed Society 2016 Conference in Columbus, GA. She teaches  the  course for music majors at Rhode Island College  and URI.

Hailed by the New Haven Independent as “mesmerizing”, Adam Crowe is the principal tubist of the U.S. Coast Guard Band and the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. In his twenty-year career with the band he has toured throughout the United States, Japan, and Taiwan, and has often been a featured soloist. He has performed with B.B. King, Sara Bareilles, Maroon 5, Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alessi, and Leonard Slatkin.

He recorded Jess Turner’s concerto Heavy Weather for tuba and wind ensemble in 2017. He also has been active with commissioning new music involving the tuba in solo and chamber music, premiering works by Anthony O’Toole, James Stephenson, and Lewis J. Buckley. He performs regularly with the New London Brass, the Hartford Symphony, the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, and other ensembles in New England.

Adam has worked with many area schools as a clinician and is a strong advocate for music education; he has developed and presented educational outreach programs throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island. As a guest conductor he has led the Coast Guard Band in several concerts and chamber programs, and he is the former music director for the Charter Oak Brass Band, Connecticut’s premier British-style brass band.

D.M.A. in Trombone Performance (ABR), Boston University College of Fine Arts

M.M. in Trombone Performance, Conservatorium van Amsterdam

B.M. in Trombone Performance, The University of Texas at Arlington School of Music

Allison Lacasse is the Band Director at Belmont High School in Belmont, Massachusetts. A passionate music educator and dedicated advocate for her students, Allison fosters an environment where musicians not only develop musical skills but also discover the importance of connection, creativity, and community through the performing arts. Allison combines high expectations with compassion, ensuring her students thrive both as musicians and human beings. Her hope is that in every rehearsal room, she emphasizes artistry and humanity, offering students a space to grow, express themselves, and feel valued.

Beyond Belmont, Allison serves as Honor Band Chairperson for the Western International Band Clinic (WIBC) in Seattle, Washington, and as Operational Staff for the American Band College (ABC) in Ashland, Oregon. Locally, she is the Assistant Conductor for the Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble program at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. Allison is a member of the adjunct faculty of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She also holds leadership roles as Chairperson for the Northeastern District of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association and Secretary for the Servant Leadership Association for Music (SLAM). During the summer, she is the artistic director of the University of Rhode Island Summer Music Academy for middle and high school musicians. A professional flutist, Allison enjoys playing with community ensembles and connecting with musicians in the Greater Boston area.

Allison received a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Performance from the University of Rhode Island, where she studied with Susan Thomas. Allison earned a M.Ed. degree from Cambridge College and a Master’s Degree in Music Education from the American Band College of Central Washington University. Allison was a semifinalist for the 2017 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year. In 2018, Allison was selected among her peers for the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Advocacy Award. In 2025, Allison received the MMEA Lowell Mason Award.

Mary Genlot Polezonis is a music teacher and oboist and is very excited to be a part of the University of Rhode Island Summer Music Academy. Mary’s experiences with this camp include being a camper when she was a high school student, a teacher at the camp, and a former camp parent. Mary is currently a music teacher in the Newington, Connecticut, public schools where she has taught chorus, band, string orchestra, and general music at the elementary school level, general music classes at the high school level, and string orchestra classes at the middle school level. Mary has also taught band at the middle and high school levels and has conducted community bands in Connecticut.

Mary holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Oboe Performance from the University of Rhode Island and a Master of Science Degree in Remedial Reading/Remedial Language Arts from Central Connecticut University. She has also taken classes in Oboe Performance and Music Education at the Hartt School of Music as well as at Central Connecticut State University. In addition to teaching Mary currently performs as a member of WesWinds, the University of Rhode Island Alumni Wind Ensemble, the Rhode Island Recording Ensemble, and in the pit orchestras for high school musicals in Connecticut. Mary lives in Cromwell Connecticut with her husband, Dr. Stephen Polezonis, their rescue dog Maria, and their goldfish Garfield. They have two grown daughters who both attended the URI SMA when they were in high school.

Alexander (URI '15) is a pianist, vocalist, and music educator currently moving into the Rock Band position at Waltham High School this fall. He is incredibly excited to be coming back as one of your counselors this year, and cannot wait to share in the amazing growth and experiences with you all. Make sure to come equipped with your best puns and jokes - the conductors find them electrifying! 

Emily Iwuc is a RI based music educator who recently transitioned from teaching K-5 elementary school general music and beginner band to secondary education. While she will miss playing song-games, jumping around on the ground pretending to be a frog singing folk songs, and imaginative movement activities, she is excited for this transition to the 9-12 part of her K-12 certification, to be the new band director at Cumberland High School and all of the new joys and challenges that entails! Her primary instruments during her studies as a URI Music Education Major were piano and percussion, but she also has a strong inclination to brass instruments and composing. She is excited to be “promoted” to counselor this year, in her fourth year here at URI SMA, after starting as an undergraduate running workshops, primarily teaching music theory! Looking forward to SMA 2025!

Catherine Rousseau is a URI SMA alumnus, being a student in the camp's very first year in 2015. Catherine enjoyed the tight knit community of camp and eagerly returned to be a part of the camp's staff in 2017. 

Catherine completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Connecticut. Experienced in the K-postsecondary settings, she has been an elementary school counselor since 2022. 

Though Catherine chose to not formally study music, she wants to represent how music can stay with students throughout their adult life. Catherine was an active non-degree member of UConn's music program, holding first chair clarinet positions in the wind ensemble and orchestra after a two year hiatus from instrumental music. After another two years away from music due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she found her way into local community bands in Connecticut. Catherine enjoys learning about new instruments and has recently taken on the electric bass.

Outside of music, you can find Catherine cuddling her two cats, playing various videos games, and binge watching reality TV competition shows. 

Gian D'Agostino is a saxophonist and woodwind doubler from Wakefield, Rhode Island, returning to SMA after his first year in 2024. He is currently a music student at Boston University, where he studies saxophone performance with Dr. Jennifer Bill and Kenneth Radnofsky. At BU, Gian performs with the Wind Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble, and has also performed on all five woodwinds in BU's Concert Band. He has previously studied with the RI Philharmonic Music School, New England Conservatory Prep School, and took saxophone lessons at URI with Dr. Amon. He is passionate about diverse programming and cultivating an inclusive environment in classical music. Outside of music, Gian is also a mathematics student and competes in Olympic-style Weightlifting.

Isabel Corson is a current student at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she is pursuing a degree in French Horn Performance under the instruction of David Bryd-Marrow. At Oberlin, she has performed in several ensembles such has the Oberlin Orchestra, Oberlin Horn Ensemble, and a student run brass quintet where they have performed at Oberlin Chamber Fest in May 2025. In her hometown in Rhode Island, she has worked with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and currently offers private lessons on her secondary instrument, Trumpet, at Wakefield Music.

Keith A. Brown is a bassoonist, composer/arranger, conductor, and music educator from Fairfax, VA. In 2021, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education. He is currently pursuing dual Master of Music degrees in Music Performance and Music Education at the University of Rhode Island. He is the principal bassoonist of the URI Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. He is also the band director at De La Salle Middle School in Providence, RI, as well as a member of the National Guard in the RI 88th Army Band.