Core Faculty

Listed below are the seven members of the core faculty of the Department of Music.

Dr. Anne Bentz


Associate Professor of Music

Studio D, Patterson Hall
724-946-6045
E-mail (bentzah@westminster.edu)
Dr. Anne Hagan Bentz, soprano, is a native of Silver Spring, Maryland. She received her Bachelor degree in Music Education at the University of Delaware, a degree in vocal performance at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover, West Germany and her D.M.A. in performance at the University of Maryland. Dr. Bentz was engaged as a soloist in Germany for more than fourteen years at the following theaters: The Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe, at The Städtisches Landestheater Flensburg and at Eduard von Winterstein Theater in Annaberg Buchholz in former East Germany. Her many roles which span the opera and operetta repertoire include, among others, Gilda, Rosina, Pamina, Adina, Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro), Susanna (The Secret of Susanna), Blondchen, Gräfin Mariza, and Csardasfürstin. As a guest artist and recitalist Dr. Bentz has performed extensively in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, at the Shanghai and Zhoung Zho Opera houses in China and at the Conservatory of Music in Moscow, Russia. In 2001, she received a Governor's Citation and award from the Montgomery County Arts Council for excellence in singing. Her most recent performance in September 2004 was with the Valley Lyric Opera Company as Gilda in Rigoletto. Dr. Bentz is also an active member of the Friday Morning Music Club, Phi Kappa Phi and the National Association of Teacher's of Singing.Currently, Dr. Bentz is Assistant Professor of Voice and Head of the Vocal area at Westminster College where she teaches voice and directs opera. Her most recent performance in September 2004 was with the Valley Lyric Opera Company as Gilda in Rigoletto.

Dr. Bentz joined the faculty of Westminster College in 2001.


Dr. Nancy DeSalvo


Associate Professor of Music

Room 9, Patterson Hall
724-946-7023
E-mail (desalvnj@westminster.edu)
Nancy Zipay DeSalvo is an Associate Professor of Music at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, where she teaches piano, accompanying, and music theory, and where she performs solo recitals and accompanies visiting guest artists. Dr. DeSalvo, a Steinway Artist, performs extensively across the United States as a professional accompanying pianist and chamber music collaborator. Guest solo appearances have included performances with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. She received her terminal degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music with a major in Collaborative Piano, where she studied with Anne Epperson. She and baritone Jason Fuh captured First Prize for their performance of the Four Claudel Poems in the Darius Milhaud Performance Auditions held at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The CIM Collaborative Piano Faculty named her a 1997 recipient of the Gwendolyn Koldofsky Award, given at the discretion of the faculty to a Collaborative Piano Major, with a special aptitude for vocal accompanying, who exemplifies the important dual role of the profession - - that of support, service and cooperation, balanced with professional skill and high standards of performance.

Dr. DeSalvo joined the faculty of Westminster College in the fall of 1991.

 

 

Dr. R. Tad Greig


Associate Professor of Music

Chair of the Department of Music

Director of Instrumental Activities

Studio F, Patterson Hall
724-946-7279
E-mail (greigrt@westminster.edu)
Dr. R. Tad Greig is the Director of Instrumental Activities and Assistant Professor in Music Education at Westminster College. As the Director of Instrumental Activities, Dr. Greig is the conductor of the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble. Additionally, he is the Director of the “Titan” Marching Band. He is also the Trombone/Euphonium Instructor. In Music Education, Dr. Greig co-supervises student teachers and teaches Secondary Instrumental Methods and Instrumental Conducting. Dr. Greig is also the faculty advisor to the Westminster College Pennsylvania Collegiate Music Educators Association and the past Collegiate Representative for Curriculum and Instruction for District Five PMEA. He is also responsible for maintaining the PMEA performance list in instrumental, vocal and solo. Dr. Greig is an active Guest Conductor, Clinician and Adjudicator throughout the Eastern United States. In addition to conducting, he is in constant demand as a marching band drill designer. He has also given lectures and presentations on ensemble rehearsal techniques, literature selection and various topics regarding music education. As a Trombonist, Dr. Greig currently performs with the Youngstown Fine Arts Brass, (Quintet), Westminster College Faculty Brass as well as being a free-lance musician throughout the Youngstown and Pittsburgh areas. Prior to his hiring at Westminster, Dr. Greig was a music educator in the public schools in Warren County and Mercer (Pennsylvania) and Struthers (Ohio) for twelve years. He was also hired to re-establish the band program at Thiel College and has taught Brass Methods at Grove City College. Dr. Greig received his Undergraduate Degree in Music Education from Grove City College, Masters Degree in Music Education from Youngstown State University and his Ph.D. in Music Education from Kent State University. Dr. Greig is the past president of the Pennsylvania Collegiate Bandmasters Association and a member of the Collegiate Band Directors National Association, National Band Association, Phi Beta Mu, International Trombonists Association, National Brass Society, Music Educators National Conference and the Pennsylvania Music Education Association. He was also nominated and accepted into the “Who’s Who in American Education”, and was awarded the “Citation of Excellence” award in Music Education presented by the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association.

Dr. Greig joined the faculty of Westminster College in the fall of 1992.

 

Dr. Daniel Perttu


Assistant Professor of Music

Studio E, Patterson Hall
724-946-7024
E-mail:  perttude@westminster.edu
Daniel Perttu is Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, where he is also the Coordinator of the Music Theory Program.  Previously he served as Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.  His music has been performed in Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States.  Members of the Pittsburgh Symphony and of the Jacksonville Symphony have performed his music.  These performances have occurred in arts festivals, new music festivals and concerts, Society of Composers conferences, College Music Society conferences, and solo recitals at the international, national, and regional levels.  Some of his compositions are published by BRS Music, Inc., and he has written peer-reviewed articles that have been published in three different journals. 

Recently, Perttu was commissioned to compose for the Johnstone Woodwind Master Series at The Ohio State University.  The commissioned piece, Rhapsody, was premiered by the world-renowned Verdehr Trio.  In addition, he has received awards from two Ruth Friscoe Composition Competitions, the Johnstone Woodwind Composition Competition (First Place), the Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music, the ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Competition, and the Third Seoul International Competition for Composers.  Perttu was also the holder of a Jacob K. Javits Fellowship and of other fellowships and scholarships.  Recently, he was elected Treasurer of the College Music Society Northeast Chapter.

Daniel Perttu completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at The Ohio State University, has a Master of Arts degree in composition, and a Master of Music degree with a double major in instrumental conducting and bassoon from Kent State University.  A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and Pi Kappa Lambda, he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree Williams College with a double major in music and English.  From Williams he graduated magna cum laude.  He has studied composition privately and in master classes with Thomas Wells, Donald Harris, Thomas Janson, Frank Wiley, Robert Rodriguez, Bright Sheng, Claude Baker, Don Freund, David Cutler, Gunther Schuller, and Samuel Adler.


Jason Howard


Assistant Professor of Music

Studio B, Patterson Hall
724-946-7025
E-mail:  howardj@westminster.edu
Jason Howard is Lecturer of Music at Westminster College where he teaches music theory, composition and cello. Previously, he taught at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Kent State University, Youngstown State University, and Mt. de Chantal Visitation Academy.

As a cellist, Howard is a tenured member of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra. He has been a member of the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra since 1994. He is principal cellist with the Dana New Music Festival Chamber Orchestra and a founding member of the Howard String Quartet. He has studied privately or in master classes with Janos Starker, Michael Gelfand, Hampton Mallory, and Keith Robinson.

Howard has received commissions for compositions or arrangements from Grammy nominee John Turk, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra bassist Micah Howard, the Dana Chamber Orchestra, the  Greenville Symphony Orchestra  and the Steubenville High School Orchestra. His music has been performed in Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. He has studied with Ed Largent, Robert Rollin, Thomas Janson, and Frank Wiley.

Howard is a Ph. D. candidate in music theory and composition at Kent State University. He earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music from Youngstown State University.  Mr Howard joined the faculty of Westminster College in the fall of 2007


Dr. Robin Lind


Associate Professor of Music

Director of Choral Activities

Studio C, Patterson Hall
724-946-7278
E-mail (lindra@westminster.edu)
Dr. Robin A. Lind is an Associate Professor and the Director of Choral Activities at Westminster College, where she conducts the Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, and Men's Chorus, and teaches private voice. She coordinates the Choral Music Education program, teaches Secondary Choral Methods, Choral Conducting and co-supervises student teachers. Prior to her appointment at Westminster she taught at Western State College in Colorado, Salt Lake Community College, the University of Utah, and Lane Community College in Oregon. Choirs under Dr. Lind’s direction have toured Spain, Italy, Great Britain, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria and the United States. She is active as a guest clinician, conductor, and adjudicator. Dr. Lind is advisor to the Westminster College Pennsylvania Student Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and co-faculty advisor to the Westminster College Pennsylvania Collegiate Music Educators Association. Dr. Lind received her Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Utah, her Masters in Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Oregon, and her BA in Music Education from Albertsons College of Idaho. For her dissertation, Dr. Lind developed a sight singing/theory program utilizing two-part species counterpoint to be used to teach music literacy at the high school level. She is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the ACDA of Pennsylvania, the Music Educators National Conference, the Pennsylvania Music Education Association, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Dr. Lind is an avid golfer and enjoys exploring the back roads of Pennsylvania and the Northeast. She lives in New Castle with her husband, Ralph Peters.

Dr. Lind joined the faculty of Westminster College in 2000.

 

Dr. Grover Pitman


Professor of Music

Room 68B, Patterson Hall
724-946-7274
E-mail (pitmanga@westminster.edu)
Dr. Grover A. Pitman, Professor of Music, joined the faculty of Westminster College in 1978. His doctorate (awarded in 1973) is in historical musicology from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. A former Chair of Westminster's Department of Music, his present teaching duties include introductory courses in the histories of western music, ethno-music, and classic jazz.

Teaching in a fine liberal arts college such as Westminster continues to be a source of extreme satisfaction and pleasure for Dr. Pitman, since his personal goals and philosophy of education mesh so well with Westminster’s. He finds it exciting to work for a college which sustains a long tradition of excellence by holding to traditional religious values and to solid educational goals and ideals, yet continues to grow and improve as it searches for new and better ways to prepare students for the challenges of life after college.

Dr. Pitman plays horn in the Youngstown and Warren (both in Ohio) symphony orchestras as well as in the Westminster faculty woodwind quintet. He is a member and former President of the New Wilmington Rotary Club, is retired from the U.S. military, and sings in his church choir.

Dr. Pitman joined the faculty of Westminster College in 1978.