Music Department Faculty & Staff
Department chair: James Martin | Contact info
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Lisa Hearne, Professor of Music and Director of Choral Music, teaches studio voice and related courses: vocal diction, vocal pedagogy and song literature. She directs Concert Choir and Chamber Singers and has led Cornell's choral ensembles on tours in Europe and the United States. She is also an active soprano soloist, adjudicator and guest choral conductor. D.M.A. in choral conducting, University of Iowa; Master of Music in vocal performance/pedagogy, Arizona State University; Bachelor of Music in piano and voice, Eastern Illinois University. |
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Martin Hearne, Professor of Music, teaches courses in music education and conducting. He serves as conductor of the Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Steel Drum Ensembles at Cornell, and he has led groups on tours in Europe and the United States. He also serves as conductor for the Palisades Ensemble, which he created, comprising some of the best instrumentalists in the region. Ph.D., Louisiana State University; B.M.Ed., Northeast Louisiana State University; M.M.Ed., Louisiana State University. |
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James Martin, Professor of Music, teaches and performs research in piano, music history from 1660 to the present, opera, Beethoven, Wagner, John Cage, and the history of the avant garde. During Wagner and Wagnerism, he introduces students to historical research at Chicago's Newberry Library as well as to live performances, lectures, museums, etc. He has been a faculty fellow at Columbia, Princeton, and Stanford, and he was the Director of the Newberry Library ACM Program in the Humanitities in 1999-2000. D.Mus., Northwestern University; M.Mus., University of Illinois; B.Mus., Butler University. |
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Jama Stilwell, Associate Professor of Music, teaches applied flute lessons, core courses in music theory and history, and topics courses such as Women and Music and Musical Borrowing. Stilwell’s recent research was honored with the 2011 Einstein Award of the American Musicological Society. Ph.D. in musicology, University of Iowa; M.M. in musicology, Northwestern University; B.M. in flute performance, University of Iowa. |
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Don Chamberlain, Emeritus Professor of Music, taught courses in music theory, composition, jazz improvisation and history. He directed Cornell's Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo, and led the groups on tours to New Orleans, Kansas City, and elsewhere for performances and research. Dr. Chamberlain is a professional jazz guitarist and composer whose recent scores include two Shakespeare productions and Paula Vogel's A Long Christmas Ride Home. D.M.A in composition and M.M.A. in theory and composition, University of Texas at Austin; B.M. in jazz performance, Berkelee College of Music. |
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Lynda Hakken, College Organist and Adjunct Instructor of Music, is an active solo performer and accompanist, having performed throughout the Midwest. Her recent doctoral research on keyboard harmony resulted in a beginning method for which she is seeking a publisher. D.M.A in organ performance and pedagogy, M.A in organ performance, University of Iowa; B.M. in organ performance, Hope College (Mich.). |
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Jonathon Thull, Adjunct Professor of Voice, has performed more than 30 operatic and musical theatre roles, including a number of world premieres. Dr. Thull has also served as Chorus Master for the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre as well as directed and designed one-act operas for their Young Artist Program. Ph.D. in vocal performance and pedagogy and M.M. in choral conducting, University of Minnesota; B.A. in music, College of St. Thomas (Minn.). |
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Michelle Bennett, viola |
Alan Lawrence, percussion |
| Cathy Schonhorst, Academic Program Assistant | ![]() |







