Alfred Publishing Company Inc.

Internationally acclaimed piano pedagogue and lecturer Carole L. Bigler is a faculty member and coordinator of the Master's Degree program in Suzuki Piano Pedagogy at Ithaca College, New York. Since 1974 she has traveled worldwide, presenting seminars on the psychology of learning, piano pedagogy and the Suzuki method. She is the Vice President of More Than Music, Inc., in Ontario, Canada, a member of the International Platform Association, and for the past 22 years has been the co-director of an international music festival for music teachers and students at Queens University, Canada. With Valery Lloyd-Watts, Bigler is the co-author of several books and compilations of piano music. She has also published articles in Clavier Magazine, the American Suzuki Journal and Suzuki World Magazine. A Suzuki piano specialist, Bigler has taught pedagogy at major universities throughout the United States and Canada and has given presentations at national, state and local conferences for the Music Teachers National Association and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. A registered teacher trainer for the Suzuki Association of the Americas and former member of its Board of Directors, she studied Suzuki pedagogy with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki and has been teaching Suzuki piano since 1971. An honors graduate in music from Syracuse University, Bigler studied piano with Sidney Sukoenig, George Pappa-Stavrou and Ernst Bacon, and organ with Arthur Poister. She also did graduate work at Ithaca College, Cornell University and Elmira College. In addition to maintaining a private teaching studio, Bigler has been the organist for the First Congregational Church in Corning, New York since 1967. She has performed in professional concerts on both piano and organ and as a pianist in a chamber music ensemble. Bigler is married and has two children.

David Angerman is the Director of Fine Arts and choral director at Regents School of Austin. Additionally, he has been the Director of Music and organist at Bethany Lutheran Church, Austin, Texas, since 1980. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education Degree and Master of Church Music Degree from Baylor University and a Master of Music Degree in Organ Performance from the University of Texas in Austin. As a composer, his published works include choral and handbell music as well as organ and piano solos. He has written the music for several youth and children's musicals, and co-authored with Joseph Martin and Mark Hayes KEYS FOR THE KINGDOM, a piano method for Christian students, published by Shawnee Press.

Greg Funfgeld gfunfgeld@fpc-bethlehem.org was born on Long Island in New York State. He started taking piano and organ lessons in grade school and held his first position in the field of church music at the age of twelve. A graduate of Westminster Choir College, he has been our Director of Music since August 1976. In May of 1986 Westminster honored him with the Alumni Merit Award for excellence in musical performance. Greg directs our Middler Boys and Girls Choir, The High School Chorale, and The Chancel Choir. He has led The High School Chorale on mission trips throughout the United States, with visits to Mexico, Montreal, Quebec and Toronto. During the summer of 1991 he led the Chancel Choir on a 15-day European Tour with concerts throughout Germany and Austria, including singing High Mass in the Cathedral of Salzburg for a congregation of 5,000 worshippers. The Chancel Choir's most recent tour took them to cities throughout the United Kingdom, with memorable performances in Edinburgh, York, Bath, Bristol and London. Greg is also the Artistic Director and Conductor of the world-renowned Bach Choir of Bethlehem, and Founder and former Music Director of the Musikfest Chorus. He supervises recordings of new choral music for the church music catalogues of Warner Brothers Music and Alfred Publishing Company. Greg and his wife, Nanci, reside in Bethlehem with their daughters, Craley Ann and Emma Elizabeth.

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Matt Schinske is a free lance writer, arranger, performer and recording artist. Throughout his music career, he has performed numerous solo piano concerts in a variety of music venues. Matt loves to perform at churches, dinners, weddings and receptions. He has played for Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Congressman JC Watts, Governor Frank Keating, Entertainer Larry Hagman and many others. As he brings a unique performance to the piano concert setting, Matt incorporates original music and arrangements - many enhanced by MIDI accompaniments he creates. His performance, warm personality and humor make an enjoyable experience for all ages, as he plays original compositions, great hymns of the faith, worship choruses, standards from yesteryear and ballads of today. Known across the country for his music education, Schinske has taught college level music courses and workshops nationwide in the area of piano, keyboard and MIDI technology, and multi-media. He also currently teaches select computer courses at Oklahoma City Community College. Matt is a composer whose piano arrangements and articles are published by Shawnee Press and Alfred Publishing Company. His newest release, Come to the Table, is a book of fresh, contemporary piano arrangements that give flexibility to the pianist in both small and large churches. This book demonstrates his belief that church pianists have an unusual and distinct opportunity to assist in creating a seamless flow in worship by weaving together the distinct parts of a service. As a solo artist, studio musician, producer and engineer, Matt is flexible in the recording studio. His most recent solo recording, Be Still , is a collection of worshipful piano solo arrangements that will sooth the spirit.

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Murray Baylor, an accomplished pianist, composer, and editor of piano literature, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and received his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from the University of Iowa. Before taking a position at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, Baylor studied piano with Alberto Jones in New York City, Nadia Boulanger and Robert Casadesus in France, and he chaired the music department at William Penn College in Oskaloosa, Iowa. In 1942, Baylor joined the faculty of Knox College, where he remained for 38 years until his retirement in 1980. He chaired the music department for 21 years and was named the Ferris Booth Distinguished Service Professor of Music. While at Knox, Baylor was instrumental in creating a program that integrated the demands of musical performance with the spirit of the liberal arts. Baylor insisted on combining scholarship and musicianship into a cohesive unit, thus providing students with a solid musical education in a liberal arts setting. In addition to his music instruction, Baylor conducted a highly popular interdisciplinary series of courses on the humanities. Baylor performed both as a solo pianist and with the Knox Galesburg Symphony. Baylor's published editions of piano music by Schubert, Scriabin, Satie and, most notably, a precedent-setting collection of works by Rachmaninoff, stand as examples of printed music which is clear, accurate, and designed to be used both in concert and as teaching material. Murray Baylor died in 1992, following a long illness. He is survived by his wife Elisabeth Barbou Baylor and his three sons, Denis, Michael and Stephen.

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Philadelphia-born Susan Mazer now calls Connecticut her home, where she lives, performs, and teaches students of all ages. Her intricate fingerstyle playing of the acoustic guitar and dobro has led to a life that revolves around her passion for music. Her skilled technique and distinctive style resulted in her being selected as the first female guitar instructor at the renowned National Guitar Workshop. Susan began playing at eight years old when her babysitter let her borrow her guitar. She immediately knew she had found her calling. I learned, "Go Tell Aunt Roadie" and I played it until my fingers bled," Susan recalls. By junior high school, she and her friend had a duo and they wrote a song for their fathers, which they performed on a local TV show, "AM Philadelphia." "From that point on I knew that music was the thing that brought me the most joy in life," she says. While still in high school, she studied with Benji Arnoff, a protege of Doc Watson, and attended Berklee's college-prep summer program. She received her Bachelor of Music degree at Hartt School of Music. Her insatiable thirst for learning inspires her to continue experimenting with - and mastering - many different styles and techniques. She is also pursuing an advanced degree in theory pedagogy. She has been featured on many CD's including a special bonus track in Guitar Player magazine, which also highlighted her original composition, "Burghers of Callais." She is the author of seven popular instructional books, videos, and CDs for Alfred Publishing, including, "Guitar for the Absolute Beginner." She also teaches guitar privately and is on the faculty of the Hartford Conservatory where she teaches music theory, ear training, sight singing, and pedagogy. She also is an instructor for continuing education guitar classes at Naugatuck Community Technical College. Her newest project is on-line interactive music lessons with "Workshop Live." This is a ground breaking educational program. It combines streaming video with printable graphics in both standard notation and tab. Susan finds inspiration in her students. "They come in wanting to learn so many different artists and styles that I find myself exposed to new things," she says. She listens to a variety of artists across the decades including Chet Atkins, Johnny Winter, Guy Van Duser, and Patti Griffin. Her next dream? To learn to play pedal steel guitar and possibly, cello. For more than 20 years, Susan has traveled throughout the region playing and singing with various acoustic duos including Laura Coyle, and Anne Donohue. She currently performs with Megan Keith of "Eight to the Bar." "Sometimes when I play with my duo partner, everything just clicks together and the perfect sound comes out. When that happens, you remember why you chose this career. Not too many people can get a natural high from their work."

Andy Albritton is Director of Church Choral Publications for Alfred Publishing Company. An active clinician, composer/arranger, and church musician, he holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Composition from Mississippi College and a Master of Music in Choral Music from the University of Southern California. Andy resides in Southern California with his wife, Jessica, and two children, where he serves as Worship Director at Holy Trinity Church in Ladera Ranch.

Anna Laura Page received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Music Education with a concentration in piano and Master of Music in Music Theory with a concentration in organ from the University of Kentucky. Active as a composer, clinician, and organist, she served on the Music Committee of the Southern Baptist 1991 Hymnal Committee and has received the ASCAP Standards Award for the past several years. She has taught organ as an adjunct faculty member at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and theory/organ as an adjunct faculty member at Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina. She served as director of the Austin Peay Community Children's Chorus in Clarksville, Tennessee for three years. Mrs. Page currently serves as Handbell Music Editor for Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. Her publications include choral works for children, youth, and adults, and compositions for handbells, organ, and piano. She is married to Dr. Oscar C. Page, president of Austin College in Sherman, Texas.

Robert Sheldon (Feb 3, 1954 - ) has taught instrumental music in the Florida and Illinois public schools, and has served on the faculty at the Florida State University where he taught conducting and instrumental music education classes, and directed the university bands. As Concert Band Editor for the Alfred Publishing Company, he maintains an active composition and conducting schedule, and regularly accepts commissions for new works. Sheldon received the Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Miami and the Master of Fine Arts in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Florida. An internationally recognized clinician, Sheldon has conducted numerous Regional and All-State Honor Bands throughout the United States and abroad, and is Conductor of the Prairie Wind Ensemble in residence at Illinois Central College . He holds membership in several organizations that promote music and music education. The American School Band Directors Association has honored him with the Volkwein Award for composition and the Stanbury Award for teaching. He has also been a twenty-time recipient of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publisher's Standard Award for his compositional contributions to concert band repertoire. Several of his compositions have been recorded and released on compact discs including, Images: The Music of Robert Sheldon, and Infinite Horizons: The Music of Robert Sheldon, as well as numerous other recordings. Mr. Sheldon has been the topic of articles published in Teaching Music and School Band and Orchestra Magazine, and is one of eleven American wind band composers featured in Volume I of Composers on Composing Music for Band. He has been honored by the International Assembly of Phi Beta Mu as being the International Outstanding Bandmaster of the year.

Throughout her professional career as a pianist, composer, arranger, editor and teacher, Sharon Aaronson has worked extensively throughout Los Angeles, Boston, Denver and Dallas. Concentrating her studies in jazz and classical piano, jazz arranging and jazz composition, Sharon graduated from Boston's Berklee College of Music, where her teachers included Gary Burton, E. Dean Earl, John LaPorta, Andy McGhee, Ted Pease, Herb Pomeroy, Ray Santisi, Paul Schmeling and Phil Wilson. Her education allowed her to develop a rich, unique style that combines these jazz and classical influences into both her compositions and pianistic techniques. As a member of Alfred's composing team, she balances her influences and integrates them beautifully into her collections and solos. As an editor for the Alfred Masterwork Library, Aaronson's pursuit of excellence, research, attention to detail and dedication serve to enhance one of Alfred's most popular series. A Boston native, Aaronson relocated to the west coast in 1980. She and her husband Alan, who is employed in the motion picture industry, currently live in the Los Angeles area with their two cats.