Teachers and Bios

• Thomas Berryman

  Music Director - A member of the St. Mark’s faculty since 1983, Thomas Berryman teaches classes in AP Music Theory, Music History, Music Studio and the Third Form Seminar. He directs the School’s choral groups and oversees the entire music program. Mr. Berryman also serves as School Organist and assists with planning music for the Chapel. He has served as a Reader of the AP Music Theory Exam and is on the convention planning board of the American Choral Directors’ Association. He sings with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, the chorus of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Berryman is an active musician in the greater Boston area, frequently conducting community and church choirs. Mr. Berryman holds the Evill-Glavin Teaching Chair at St. Mark’s.

• Joan Ellersick

  Director of Chamber Players Strings, chamber music - Joan Ellersick appears with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Cantata Singers, Handel & Haydn Society, Alea III, Boston Symphony and Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra. An active chamber musician, she is a member of Music at Eden's Edge. She was a founding member of the Somerset Quartet and Mackinac Trio, and played in the Van Swieten Quartet, in residence at Longy School of Music. Ms. Ellersick coaches the viola sections of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras. Ms Ellersick was assistant principal viola of the Grand Rapids Symphony for 14 years before returning to her native Boston. She studied at Indiana University with Georges Janzer and at Boston University with Bernard Kadinoff.

• Janet Underhill

  Dir. of Chamber Players Winds, Private Music Lessons Coordinator, bassoon - Janet Underhill , a native of British Columbia, Canada, is the Director of Private Lessons at St. Mark’s School, as well as bassoon instructor at Boston College, for South Shore Conservatory, Community Music Center and Wellesley Public Schools. She is a founding member of Arcadian Winds, an ensemble specializing in the commissioning and performance of contemporary music. She has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Harvard University Mozart Society Orchestra, Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras and the Little Orchestra of Victoria and in solo performances at the International Double Reed Conference in Minneapolis, the Gaudeamus Competition in Rotterdam, Holland, the Women’s Avant Festival in Chicago, The Outoftowners series in New York City and Soundwaves in St. Petersburg, Russia. She is a member of Alea III. Ms. Underhill is the recipient of the 2001 Kay Logan Award, a national award for excellence in chamber music teaching, for her development of the chamber music program at GBYSO.

• Dan Fox

  Jazz Band Director, brass - Boston based multi-instrumentalist Dan Fox has performed throughout the US, Europe and Japan including performances at the Newport, Monterey, and Boston Globe Jazz Festivals, as well as the 2004 Gezmetaz Jazz Festival in Genoa, Italy. Primarily performing on trombone and electric bass, Mr. Fox also plays trumpet, tuba, conch shells, and drums. Mr. Fox is a co-founder of the Made in the Shade Music groups. As a jazz educator he led workshops in improvisation and taught ensembles at the Gezmaetaz Festival in Genoa, Italy. He has also given clinics at Berklee College of Music, Cleveland State University, Interlochen School for the Arts, University of Iowa, and Lawrence University. Mr. Fox currently teaches private students in Lexington, MA

• Hillary Foster

  Violin - Hilary Foster is the assistant concertmaster of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and a member of Emmanuel Music, the New England String Ensemble, the Boston Philharmonic and the Cantata Singers Ensemble. Ms. Foster earned a Bachelors of Music from Northwestern University, studying with Gerardo Ribeiro, and a Masters of Music and the Artist Diploma from Boston University, studying with Yuri Mazurkevich. She attended both the Isaac Stern Chamber Music Workshop at Carnegie Hall and the Tanglewood Music Center. In addition to teaching at St. Mark’s School, Ms. Foster teaches at the Phillips Exeter Academy, the Middlesex School, and the Shady Hill School in Cambridge.

• Anna Korsunsky

  Violin - Anna Korsunsky studied at Gnesiney Institute of Music in Moscow, Russia. After immigrating to the United States she continued her studies under a Special Director Award at Boston University, where she received Master of Music degree. She has appeared as a soloist and as a chamber musician in the former USSR, Germany, Italy, Japan and USA and has participated in the Musicorda, Spoleto and Pacific Music Festivals. Ms. Korsunsky is a member of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and plays with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. She teaches extensively at her home studio in Needham and at St. Mark’s School.

• Susanne Friedrich

  Cello - A native of Vienna, Austria, Susanne Friedrich pursued cello studies at the Vienna Conservatory (modern cello) and at the Tirol State Conservatory in Innsbruck (baroque cello). As a soloist, in chamber music and with both modern and baroque/classical orchestras, Ms. Friedrich has appeared in concerts throughout Austria and Europe as well as in Asia. After moving to the Boston area in 1997, she established herself as a freelance player and as a teacher at New England Conservatory, Clark University, Dana Hall School of Music, St. Mark’s School and in her own studio. Ms. Friedrich is a certified Suzuki teacher.

• Joanna Heim

  Flute - Joanna Heim, a graduate of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA. Joanna has appeared with many ensembles in the Worcester area, including the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra and the Milford Symphony Orchestra. Joanna has been active as a flute teacher in Westborough for twenty five years. Many of her students have participated in the Massachusetts Central District Band and Orchestra, the Massachusetts All-State Band and Orchestra, the All-Eastern Band, Worcester Youth Symphony Orchestra, Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble, and the New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. Her students have also participated in the University of New Hampshire High School Flute Choir, and the Massachusetts High School Flute Choir. In addition to teaching flute at St. Marks, Joanna teaches privately at The Fay School in Southborough, MA., and at Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough , MA .

• Debra Parker

  Voice Canadian soprano DEBRA PARKER has been a frequent artist on CBC Radio-Canada and CBC Television. She has performed with many Canadian orchestras including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Chamber Players, the Winnipeg Symphony and Symphony Nova Scotia. Ms. Parker received her Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of British Columbia and her Masters from The Juilliard School in New York City. She won the CBC Talent Competition and the Canadian National Music Festival in addition to being a prize winner in the Montreal International Voice Competition and the New York Oratorio Competition. She is an alumnus of the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh, England, the Music Academy of the West, the Aspen Music Festival and the Banff School of Fine Arts. Ms. Parker has been an adjudicator and presenter of Master Classes at numerous high schools, universities and festivals. She also started the “Singers Can Act!” summer program at the University of Manitoba and has since coordinated two successful seasons of this program at St. Mark’s School. Ms. Parker resides in the Boston area with her husband and two children.

• Jennifer Slowik

  Oboe - Jennifer Slowik is an active free-lance player in the Boston area, performing regularly with the Indian Hill Symphony, Shaker Mountain Opera and Emmanuel Music. She has also appeared with the Boston Symphony, the Boston Chamber Music Society, the Cantata Singers and was a member of the 2002 Sarasota (FL) Opera Orchestra. As a founding member of the chamber group Southspoon Winds, Ms. Slowik has performed in chamber music concerts in the Phillips Collection Series in Washington D.C. and in Chicago's Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series. She holds degrees from both New England Conservatory and the Longy School of Music.

• Ed Harlow

  Saxophone - Ed Harlow is active in the Boston area as a saxophonist, composer and teacher. A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and the University of North Texas, Mr. Harlow studied with Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, John McNeil and Cecil McBee. He has performed with big band leaders Tony Bennett, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey. He also plays with his own group the Ed Harlow Sextet. In addition to his teaching at St. Mark’s, Mr. Harlow also teaches in the Newton, MA public schools.

• Mark Miller

  Clarinet - Mark Miller is principal clarinetist of the Cape Symphony Orchestra and assistant conductor of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras. He teaches clarinet and directs the Chamber Orchestra at the Community Music Center of Boston. Mr. Miller is a member of Arcadian Winds, specializing in contemporary music as well as the classics of the chamber music repertoire. He has appeared as clarinet soloist with the Cape Symphony Orchestra, Harvard’s Mozart Society Orchestra, and the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras. Mr. Miller attended the Florida State University, where he earned degrees in composition and clarinet performance. He holds a master's degree in composition from Boston University. He has studied clarinet with Eugene Gonzalez, Fred Ormand, and Michael Webster, and composition with Harold Schiffman, Theodore Antoniou, Joyce Mekeel, and Robert Sirota.

• Janet Ainsworth

  Piano - Janet Ainsworth received her Bachelor of Music from the Hartt College of Music where she studied with Anne Koscielny. She has performed and collaborated with members of the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Pops, the Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, The Emerson String Quartet, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Phoenix Contemporary Ensemble. She is the pianist of the Ainsworth-Russell-Snyder Trio, actively performing chamber music in the Boston and Cleveland areas. She has performed in Paris, Brussels, Chaux de Fonds, Strasbourg, and Cologne. Ms. Ainsworth’s most recent recitals include collaborations with the South Coast Chamber Society, “Phebes Forum and Lecture Series” at the Danforth Museum, and the concert premiere of John McDonald's "Daumier Bozzetti." Her students have won substantial solo and concerto competitions and have achieved distinction in the London Royal School of Music. In addition to her teaching at St. Mark’s, Ms. Ainsworth also serves on the faculty of the Rivers Music School.

• Ellina Blinder

  Artistic Director of St. Mark’s International Chamber Music Festival, piano,- Ellina Blinder received her education at Hartt School of Music and New England Conservatory of Music, where she completed Bachelors and Masters Degrees. She was a First Prize winner of the Connecticut Young Artists Competition and the 2nd Prize winner in Massachusetts Young Pianists Competition. In 1983 Ms. Blinder was selected to participate in the Tanglewood Music Festival and the Aspen Music Festival. She performed solo and chamber music in Gerona Festival in Spain as well as in England and Russia. She has collaborated in chamber music with members of Concertgebouw Orchestra and Boston Pops. She performs frequently with violinist Lilia Muchnik as the Boston Duo. In 2004, Ms. Blinder was appointed an artistic director of the newly formed Chamber Music Foundation of New England, an organization that focuses on promoting chamber music in all levels by forming collaborations between students, amateur musicians and professional musicians. She teaches piano and chamber music both privately and at St.Marks School.

• Steven Sussman

  Piano - Steven Sussman plays new music and jazz as well as the traditional repertoire. He appears frequently as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral member. In addition to his teaching at St.Mark’s School, Mr. Sussman is the affiliated with the Rivers Music School and maintains a private teaching studio. He is also the co-director of Opera Presto.

• Susan Bonito

  Voice - Susan Bonito began her vocal training at the University of Southern California, studying with Nina Hinson, Madame Gwendolyn Koldofsky and Natalie Lamonick. Her professional credits include numerous performances with the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus, the Newport Music Festival, the California Repertory Opera, San Francisco Chamber Singers, and the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan. She has performed with such distinguished conductors as Robert Shaw, Edo De Waart, Herbert Blomstedt, Neemi Järvi, Michael Tilson Thomas, John Nelson, Charles Mackerras, Kurt Masur and Christopher Hogwood. Ms. Bonito was a winner of the Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions and the Music Teachers Association VOCE Auditions, a finalist in the California Young Artist’s Competition sponsored by the Carmel Music Society, and a semifinalist in the Belvedere International Opera Auditions in Vienna, Austria. Concert tours have taken her to Europe, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Alaska, and throughout the United States. Recording and film score collaborations include two Grammy-winning recordings with the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus, and the film soundtrack for Godfather, Part III with Carmine Copola conducting. Ms. Bonito maintains a private voice studio and is on the voice faculty at Indian Hill Music Center, and St. Mark’s School. She is a licensed Kindermusik educator and serves as the Music Director at United Parish of Upton

• Charlotte Russell

  Voice - Charlotte Russell attended Cornell University; Westminster Choir College. Her principal teachers include Donna Hewitt-Didham and Jo Estill. Active as a soloist and recitalist throughout New England, Ms. Russell has appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of Indian Hill. She is music director at the Union Church of Stow and and is a Master Teacher of the Estill vocal training technique. At St. Mark’s, Ms. Russell directs our annual Broadway Night.

• Bill Manley

  Percussion - Bill Manley performs and teaches throughout New England. He holds a Bachelors degree from the State University of New York at Potsdam and a Masters degree from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. In addition to his teaching studios at St. Mark’s School and in Needham, Mr. Manley is an active performer in a wide range of settings. He has performed and recorded with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Berkshire Opera Company, and the Catskill Klezmorim. He also has performed with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the National Lyric Opera Company, the New Hampshire Symphony, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the percussion trio, New England Percussion Ensemble.

• Mike Peipman

  Trumpet - Mike Peipman studied at the New South Wales ( Australia) Conservatorium of Music before coming to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music. He has toured with the Artie Shaw Orchestra and the Woody Herman Orchestra. Mr. Peipman has recorded soundtracks to movies such as “Young at Heart,” “Prefontaine,” and “Dick Tracy.” He has backed up artists including Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight, The Four Tops, Jerry Vale, Al Martino, Ellis Hall, Cab Callaway and Joel Grey. Presently he plays with Boston based Made in the Shade.

• Crick Diefendorf

  Guitar - Crick Diefendorf received a degree in music composition from the Berklee College of Music in 1991. Since then, he has had extensive experience as a bandleader, performer and instructor. Mr. Diefendorf began teaching professionally at the age of 17 and instructs all styles of guitar, banjo, mandolin and bass. He has performed throughout the US, Canada and Europe with his band, Made in the Shade, which he co-founded in 1990. He is an frequent performer with Young Audiences of Massachusetts. Mr. Diefendorf produces our annual Guitar Night at St. Mark’s.

• Steve Fell

  Guitar - Steve Fell started playing guitar at age 11. He received a B.M. in jazz performance from Berklee College of Music in 1998. There, he studied guitar with Richie Hart, Jon Damian, Brett Wilmont, Jon Wilkins as well as others. He has since performed locally, nationally, and internationally with various groups including the Steve Fell trio, the Jazz Farmers, Kokolo Afrobeat Orchestra, Mackie Burnett's Panorama, the Grayson Farmer Quintet, the Bando Brihlo de Luz, as well as many freelance performances in variety of musical styles.