Music Faculty

Department chair: Jama Stilwell | Contact info

Faculty & Staff

Julia Andrews
Accompanist
Julia Andrews is an active performer of chamber music and jazz piano. She is in demand throughout the region as an accompanist, jazz pianist, clinician, and adjudicator. Andrews has owned a piano studio for 23 years and opened a Music Works Iowa School of Music in 2021. She has served on the music faculty at Monmouth, Knox, and Cornell Colleges. In addition to private teaching, Andrews is the Grants and Compliance Manager at Cornell College and the Music Director of First Presbyterian Church, Mount Vernon, Iowa.
Michelle Bennett
Artist Instructor of Viola
Holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Iowa, B.M. from the University of Illinois with Guillermo Perich and M.M. degree from the University of Minnesota, where she studied with Roland Vamos. Dr. Bennett currently plays with Orchestra Iowa in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She has played in the Quad City symphony, Northwest Indiana Symphony, and New Philharmonic. She has also played with the Pacifica Quartet, American BalletTheatre, and Harry Connick Jr.
Victoria Rose Bishop
Artist Instructor of Flute
Rose Bishop serves as Instructor of Flute at Cornell College, Coe College, Kirkwood Community College, and Mount Mercy University. Bishop also serves as Principal Flutist of the Southeast Iowa Symphony, Second Flute and Piccolo with the Quincy and Ottumwa Symphonies, and has performed with the Battle Creek Symphony, Orchestra Iowa, and many others. Bishop is the founder and Artistic Director of the Eastern Iowa Flute Workshop, the Cornell College Flute and Clarinet Summer Camp, and is a frequent contributor to Flute Talk Magazine and the Flute Examiner Magazine. Bishop is the co-author of A Flutist’s Guide to the Voxman Etudes, a new performance guide in conjunction with Voxman’s Selected Studies for Flute.
Desmond Cervantez
Artist Instructor of Trumpet
Holds a Master of Music in performance from Northeast Missouri State (Truman State), a B.S. in music performance at Southwest Baptist University, and received his teacher education certificate from the University of Iowa. He tours with pianist Jim McDonough, is principal trumpet with the Cedar Rapids Follies, and performs with Theater Cedar Rapids. In 2020 he was a featured artist for the Corridor Jazz Project. He has been the Director of Bands at Solon High School in Solon, Iowa since 1999. Before his public school teaching career, Mr. Cervantez taught private trumpet and brass lessons, and still maintains his private studio. Desmond has arranged and published a variety of works for Brass. He arranges for his own quintet, Cedar River Brass Quintet, as well as for his students and their solo and ensemble contests.
R. Joseph Dieker
Artist Instructor of Clarinet, Dean of the College Emeritus
Clarinetist and conductor R. Joseph Dieker served as dean of the college and professor of music at Cornell College from 2010–2021. As emeritus academic dean of Cornell College, he now serves as artist instructor of clarinet for the music department. He is an active professional musician and teacher who has performed as a conductor, soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral clarinetist in many venues in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest.
James Ellis
Artist Instructor of Cello
Holds a Doctorate from the University of Iowa, studying with Charles Wendt, a Master's from the University of Georgia, studying with David Starkweather; and a Bachelor's from Western Michigan University, studying with Bruce Uchimura. James has played with 17 professional symphonies in Michigan, Georgia, South Carolina and Iowa. He has been principal cellist at various times with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, Orchestra Iowa, the Southeast Iowa Symphony, the Waverly Community Orchestra, and the Quad-Cities Symphony.
Andrew Gentzsch
Artist Instructor of Violin
Holds a D.M.A. in violin performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa, a Master of Music from the University of Delaware, and a Bachelor of Music in violin performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Gentzsch’s primary teachers have included: Allen Ohmes, Doris Preucil, David Perry, Xiang Gao, and Dr. Scott Conklin. He frequently runs orchestra sectionals at Cornell College, Grinnell College, and Linn-Mar High School. Dr. Gentzsch formerly taught masterclasses, sectionals, All-State coachings, and lessons. Dr. Gentzsch leads numerous orchestras as concertmaster, leading the University of Delaware Chamber Orchestra, the University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra, and the Grinnell Singers Orchestra.
Peter Korntenkamp
Artist Instructor of Horn
Holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Iowa, a master's degree from the University of Akron under the instruction of William Hoyt and a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison studying with Douglas Hill. Peter is a member of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, the Des Moines Symphony and Orchestra Iowa, and is an active freelancer around the Midwest. He has also played principal horn for the La Crosse (WI) and the Central Wisconsin symphony orchestras. He formerly taught horn at Iowa State University for eight years.
Benjamin Laur
Artist Instructor of Voice
Benjamin Laur has sung the roles of Rinuccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, Marco in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, Jasper in Mechem’s The Rivals, and The Magician in Menotti’s The Consul with the University of Iowa Martha-Ellen Tye Opera Theatre. He has also performed with Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Toledo Opera, Bowling Green State University Opera, Central Michigan University Opera Theatre, and Central Michigan University Music Theatre, singing the titular role of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Koko in Gilbert Sullivan’s The Mikado, Fred/Petrucchio in Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate, and numerous ensemble credits. Laur earned his Bachelor of Music from Central Michigan University studying with Eric Tucker, DMA, his Master of Music from Bowling Green State University with Sean Cooper, DMA, and his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Iowa with John Muriello, DMA. Laur teaches voice at Kirkwood Community College and Cornell College.
Lisa Ryoo
Artist Instructor of Oboe
Holds a Bachelor of Music in oboe performance from Indiana University and a Master of Music from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She is pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Iowa where she serves as the Oboe Teaching Assistant. While pursuing her master’s degree in North Carolina, Lisa performed with the Roanoke and Fayetteville Symphony Orchestras. Her oboe playing is featured on the logo soundtrack for Davidson College’s WDAV Radio Station (89.9FM) in Davidson, North Carolina. During the fall of 2016, Lisa studied at the Institute for the International Education of Students Study Abroad Program in Vienna, Austria where she studied with Thomas Höniger, principal oboe of the Vienna Radio Symphony. Lisa’s primary teachers include Dr. Courtney Miller, Jaren Atherholt, Roger Roe and Linda Strommen.
Thomas Mackey
Artist Instructor of Percussion
A native of Maryland and Illinois, Tom earned a B.M. from Illinois Wesleyan University and a M.M. from the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied with Frank Epstein of the Boston Symphony Orchestra with additional drumset studies with Skip Hadden (Weather Report, Dewey Redman, Berklee College of Music). While in graduate school, Tom performed with the Boston Philharmonic and spent 3 summers at the Aspen Music Festival. Tom has been Principal Percussionist with Orchestra Iowa since 1992, Section Percussionist with the Des Moines Symphony since 2000 and Timpanist with the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band since 1995.
James Martin
Professor of Music
Teaches Opera, Piano Pedagogy, History of Western Music, and The Ring Cycle of Wagner. Research interests include piano, music history, opera, Beethoven, Wagner, John Cage, and the history of avant-garde. He has been a faculty fellow at Columbia, Princeton, and Stanford, and he is a former director of the Newberry Library ACM Program in the Humanities. He was a Fulbright Scholar Specialist at Freie Universität Berlin in 2017. D.M., piano performance, Northwestern University.
Learn more about James Martin
Jessica Monnier
Artist Instructor of Piano
Jessica Monnier holds a Master of Arts in piano performance from the University of Iowa and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Northern Iowa. Her study has focused on Hungarian folk music, particularly as used by Franz Liszt and Bela Bartok. Her music has taken her world-wide, including performances in Brazil with the Northern Iowa Symphony Orchestra, performances in Spain with the UNI Varsity Men’s Glee Club, and solo work in Germany. She won the People’s Choice Award at the UNI Performance Competition Finals and placed in the UNI Concerto Competition Finals. Jessica has held positions at Kirkwood Community College and the Southeastern Iowa Symphony Orchestra. She is currently a piano instructor and accompanist at Cornell College. Along with being an active collaborator, Jessica also teaches and judges at area festivals.
Christopher Nakielski
Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Choral Music
Dr. Christopher Nakielski directs Cornell choral ensembles and teaches Fundamentals of Music and Methods and Materials for Music Education. He's interested in research related to Polish choral music during the fall of communism. Nakielski has taught at the high school and college level, most recently at Washington State University, and enjoys helping students become great teachers. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in choral conducting and pedagogy from the University of Iowa.
Joshua Neuenschwander
Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Instrumental Music
Joshua Neuenschwander is the Director of Instrumental Music at Cornell College, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Orchestra and teaches courses in the music department. A native of Michigan, Dr. Neuenschwander holds the Doctor of Musical Arts in wind conducting from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, Master of Music in instrumental conducting from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, and Bachelor of Music Education from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois. His principal conducting teachers include Dr. Richard Mark Heidel, Dr. Eric Bush, and Dr. Gregory Cunningham. While at the University of Iowa, Dr. Neuenschwander was the recipient of the Myron D. Welch Conducting Fellowship. He holds memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, the National Band Association, the College Orchestra Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, the Iowa Bandmasters Association, and the Iowa Music Educators Association.
Tom Nothnagle
Artist Instructor of Guitar
Tom creates genre-bending improvisations and compositions rooted in classical guitar technique. His training is as varied as his musical approach, including instruction/ influence from: Benjamin Verdery, John Hoffman, Michael Lorimer, Nelson Amos, and Pierre Bensusan. As a native Iowan, Tom began serving in 1990 as a rostered artist for the Iowa Arts Council offering cultural and historical music demonstrations including classical guitar, flamenco guitar, historical banjo, baroque mandolin, and antique parlor guitar. As guest soloist, he has performed in over fifty classical concerts throughout the central Midwest including the Southeast Iowa Symphony, Eastern Iowa Classical Guitar Society, Grinnell College, Cornell College, Luther College, Coe College, Monmouth College, University of Iowa, Drake University, University of Northern Iowa, and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Matthew Ransom
Artist Instructor of Bassoon
Studied with Richard Beene at the University of Michigan, and received his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati where he studied with William Winstead. Matthew is an active performer and educator throughout the Midwest. His orchestral career has included performances with the Cincinnati Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony, the Russian National Orchestra, the Des Moines Metro Opera, the Canton Symphony, and the Kentucky Symphony. Matthew has served as the contra bassoonist of the Des Moines Symphony since 2016 and as principal bassoonist of Orchestra Iowa since 2012.
John Reyna
Low Brass Instructor
John holds a Bachelors of Music in tuba performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a Master of Arts in performance from the University of Iowa. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Iowa as an Iowa Performance Fellow. John is an active chamber musician performing in tuba quartet, brass quintet, and mixed chamber ensembles. His brass quintet, Amity Brass Quintet, are semi-finalists for the 2024 International Trumpet Guild (ITG) Chamber Music Competition. As a soloist, John prioritizes the contrabass tuba, with the intent of premiering and composing new repertoire for the instrument. His composition, The Lumbee Suite for Bass Tuba and Contrabass Tuba, was premiered at the 2023 International Tuba and Euphonium Conference. His primary teachers include Professor John Manning, Dr. Justin Worley, and Dr. Daniel Johnson.
Mark Rheaume
Artist Instructor of Composition
Dr. Mark Rheaume (he/him/his) teaches Music Composition at Cornell College. His own compositions—programmed by the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the JACK Quartet, and the American Trombone Quartet, to name a few—engage with and interrogate the expanse between history and memory. In 2023, Mark earned a PhD in Music Composition from the University of Iowa, where he taught Rhetoric, Music Theory, Music Composition, and tutored in the Writing Center.
Blake Shaw
Jazz Ensemble Director
Iowa City resident, double & electric bassist, vocalist, composer/arranger, band leader, and Cornell College’s jazz band director Blake Shaw brings a wide variety of inspiration and experience to the table. After receiving both his Bachelor of Music in classical double bass performance (‘13) and Master of Arts in Jazz (‘17) degrees at the University of Iowa he continued his quest of playing any and all kinds of music. Blake has played for festivals, cruise ships, clinics, masterclasses, concert halls, and venues all across the US and even as far as Australia. In his main group, The Blake Shaw Quintet, he not only showcases his original compositions but adds a mix of jazz influenced arrangements. Many of these elements are used in creating the music for his 12 piece Big-ish Band as well.
Jama Stilwell
Professor of Music
Teaches core courses in music theory and history, and topics courses such as Women and Music and Musical Borrowing. Stilwell’s research was honored with the 2011 Einstein Award of the American Musicological Society. Ph.D., musicology, University of Iowa.
Learn more about Jama Stilwell
Ryan Smith
Artist Instructor of Saxophone
Multiple woodwind specialist Ryan Smith is drawn to music across the spectrum of genres, regularly performing throughout the Midwest with symphony orchestras, new-music chamber ensembles, jazz combos, pit orchestras, and rock bands. As an international performer, he has toured in São Paulo, Rome, and Milan with the Américo Project and given concerts in Hong Kong and China with the Iowa Saxophone Ensemble. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music in jazz studies degrees from the University of Iowa and teaches saxophone at St. Ambrose University and Cornell College.