Hixson-Lied Graduate Fellows

Chadric Devin

Chadric Devin is pursuing his Master of Fine Arts degree in photography from the Department of Art and Art History. Devin received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from Northwest Missouri State University, where he was also hired as an adjunct instructor shortly after graduating. He has had various solo shows throughout Missouri, including Kansas City, and has had work in national and international exhibitions from Santa Monica, Calif., to Kashmir, India.

The majority of his artwork is done through traditional darkroom practices, such as processing and printing 35mm and medium format film. Throughout graduate school, Devin will be focusing on combining digital media with historical and alternative photographic processes along with organizing and curating his own exhibitions.

Masayoshi Ishikawa

Masayoshi Ishikawa is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in jazz composition in the School of Music. He holds two Master of Music Degrees—one in jazz composition from University of South Florida (2012) and one in jazz piano performance from University of Northern Colorado (2008).

Ishikawa, a pianist, has been involved in several jazz ensembles within the United States and has performed at many festivals throughout Italy. As a native of Japan, Ishikawa recently premiered his original jazz big band suite dedicated to the victims of the tsunami that occurred in 2011. In this multi-movement work, he incorporated a taiko drum (a traditional Japanese instrument) into the American standard big band setting.

Jana Krajciova

Originally from Bratislava, Slovakia, Jana Krajciova is pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance in the School of Music. She received her Master of Music in piano performance and pedagogy from Kansas State University and her Bachelor of Music summa cum laude in piano performance from Northwestern State University of Louisiana, where she also received an Associates Degree in criminal justice. She has served as an adjudicator for the Manhattan (Ks.) Area Music Teachers Association Music Fair, The Federation of Women’s Clubs Music Auditions and the Greater Shreveport Music Teachers Association Piano Festival.

She is the recipient of First Prize in graduate piano at the Kansas Music Teachers Association Honors Auditions in 2011 and a Kansas State University Concerto Competition Winner in 2011. She received the Alice L. Pipes Award for Excellence in Music Performance at Northwestern State University of Louisiana in 2010. Krajciova also won 2nd Prize in 2010 and 3rd Prize in 2008 at the Caudell Cup Piano Competition in Pineville, La. Krajciova is a member of the Music Teachers National Organization and Pi Kappa Lambda honorary music society.

Lynda Laird

Lynda Laird is pursuing her Ph.D. in Music Education in the School of Music, where she received her Master of Music Education in 2005. She received her Bachelor of Music from Hastings College in 2002. Laird taught Elementary general music and Middle School Choral music from 2005-2010 for the Bellevue Public Schools in Bellevue, Neb. Laird served as organist for Grace Lutheran Church in Omaha, Neb., from 2008-2011. She conducted children choirs for Sing Omaha from 2009-2011. Most recently, Laird served as the adult choir director at St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church in Omaha, Neb., from 2011-2012.

Brian Paden

Brian Paden is pursuing his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in trombone performance from the School of Music. He received his Bachelor of Music and Music Education from The University of Southern Mississippi, where he studied with Dr. Bruce Tychinski and was a William T. Presser Fellow. Paden served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant while pursuing his Masters of Music at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln under the guidance of Hixson-Lied Professor of Trombone Scott Anderson.

Paden has performed with various local ensembles in Mississippi and Nebraska, including the Mississippi Symphony, Gulf Coast Symphony, The Noteables and Plymouth Brass. Most recently he served as a counselor for the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Mich.

Chris Varga

Chris Varga’s musical background is widely varied, ranging from jazz, classical, church, rock, pop, 20th century avant-garde, trip-hop and other unclassifiable genres. His formal education includes a B.M. in percussion from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, an M.M. in jazz studies from DePaul University in Chicago, Ill., plus a few months at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied vibraphone with Victor Mendoza.

His informal education includes freelancing on vibraphone and drums in the Chicago area, performing at the Montreaux Jazz Festival, the JVC Jazz Festival in Seoul and the Singapore International Jazz Festival. Chris has released two self-produced albums as a leader, "Inertia" and "Dancer In," which include his original compositions and arrangements. He has also contributed as a sideman to numerous records and movie soundtracks, and has also performed with Peter Bernstein, Steve Slagle, Dave Stryker, Howard Levy, Ulf Wakenius, Darren Barrett and many others in the jazz music field.

Joshua Zink

Rising young baritone, Joshua Zink is beginning to make a reputation on the stage and in the concert and recital hall. Recent operatic engagements have included Marullo in Verdi’s "Rigoletto" with Nashville Opera and "Don Giovanni" on tour as a Mary Ragland Young Artist. Other recent operatic engagements have included "The Mikado" and "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" with Opera New Jersey. As an advocate for new works, Zink collaborated with composer Michael Ching to workshop a new opera, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream;" an a-capella opera which was showcased at Opera America in New York City in the summer of 2009. At Dayton Opera, Zink was an Artist in Residence with for the 2008-2009 season and covered Belcore in "L'elisir d'amore" and performed Kromov in "The Merry Widow." Joshua has also performed as a Resident Opera Artist at Pine Mountain Music Festival. In a summer tribute to Leonard Bernstein works included "Trouble in Tahiti" and "Candide."

Recently on the concert platform, Zink has sung with the Dayton Philharmonic in Bach’s "St. John Passion;" also as a soloist in Handel’s "Israel" in Egypt. Other concert repertoire with various symphony orchestra’s include: Mozart’s "Requiem," "Mass in C minor" (The Great), Beethoven’s "Mass in C" and "Missa solemnis," Handel’s "Messiah," and Mendelssohn’s "Elijah." An avid song lover, Zink has performed some of the great repertoire with pianist John Wustman, including Schubert's "Winterreise" on the Crescendo Concert Series in St. Louis, Mo., in 2011. In 2007 Zink participated in "The Song Continues…" given by Marilyn Horne at Lincoln Center to promote and preserve the art of song recital.

Zink is a 2008 alumnus of The University of Illinois where he studied with his mentor John Wustman and a 2005 alumnus of Bowling Green State University.

Victoria Halverson

Victoria Halverson is pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in scene design from the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. She received her Bachelor of Science in theatre design and tech from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Halverson was also the scene shop student supervisor from 2010-2012 at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Halverson was the scenic designer for “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Shakespeare in Hollywood”, “Urinetown” and “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” (an American College Theater Festival Regionals participant) for the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Toland Theatre. She has also worked as an assistant scenic designer, assistant technical director, scenic artist and props for Toland Theatre and Frederick Theatre.

Michaela Lynne Stein

Michaela Lynne Stein is pursuing her Masters of Fine Arts in Scenic Design in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. Stein received her Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., where she studied Technical Theatre with an emphasis in Scenic Design. She has worked for the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Okoboji Summer Theatre, Southwest Shakespeare Company, Theatreworks (Peoria, Ariz.), Stageworks and the Phoenix Metropolitain Opera.

In the last three years she was the scenic paint charge and resident Theatre for Young Audiences scenic designer for the Arizona Broadway Theatre. Her previous scenic designs include "Anastasia," "Steel Magnolias," "Grease" and "The Celebration of Christmas" at Phoenix First Assembly of God. Stein will serve as the Scenic Charge Artist for the JCSTF and will be designing "Candide" this year. In addition to painting and scenic design, she also is a freelance electrician, seamstress, scenic carpenter and foodie.

David Bruce Tousley

David Bruce Tousley is pursuing his Master of Fine Arts in scenic design from the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from San Jose State University in 2009 where he designed the sets for "Mummified Deer," "Death of a Salesman," "Urinetown, the musical" and "Six Characters in Search of an Author."

Tousley has trained under Bay Area set designer Erik Flatmo working on numerous plays and operas such as "Scapin," "La B?te," "Tosca," and "La Traviata." Tousley is the recipient of the 2008 Randy Earle USITT Award for Excellence in Production Design as well as the 2009 Wendell Johnson Award for Excellence in Stage Design. He is also a recurring member of the design team for San Francisco’s premiere sketch comedy group, Killing My Lobster.