School of Music welcomes new faculty

The School of Music welcomed four new faculty members for the 2024–25 academic year: George Carpten IV, assistant professor of music in trumpet; Luiz Claudio “Pepe” Barcellos, lecturer in music education; Dawn Pierce, assistant professor of music in voice; and Jennifer Wharton, assistant teaching professor of music in trombone.

George Carpten IV previously served as assistant professor of trumpet at Ohio University and Northern Kentucky University. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, he received his Bachelor of Music from The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Master of Music from Penn State, and Doctor of Musical Arts in trumpet performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. A committed educator, Carpten presents masterclasses and solo recitals domestically and internationally. He also serves as a guest faculty artist at the annual University of Kentucky Summer Trumpet Institute and Corfu International Trumpet Festival in Corfu, Greece. In addition to teaching, he maintains an active performing schedule.

Luiz Claudio “Pepe” Barcellos is a Brazilian guitarist, composer, and percussionist who is an expert on musical creativity, songwriting, popular music, and arts-based research. He has released two albums of original songs and has composed music for film, theatre, dance, and animation, in addition to publishing and presenting songwriting music education research in major international and national venues. Barcellos has taught in Rio de Janeiro and at the Atlanta International School. For the last 15 years, he has been traveling the world leading Brazilian music workshops, including visits to France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, United Kingdom, Bermuda, and the United States. He received his Ph.D. in teaching and learning from Georgia State University.

A mezzo-soprano, Dawn Pierce is known for her innovative and empowering approach to music. She has earned recognition in the United States and Europe as a leading figure in her field. Pierce has served as the artistic director of the Opera Direction Certification program and IC Opera Studio at Ithaca College and is the founder of the Opera Company of Middlebury Young Artist Program. Additionally, she has contributed as a published teacher for The Great Courses and as an advisory board member for the International Performing Arts Institute in Kiefersfelden, Germany. Her operatic repertoire includes leading roles such as Carmen, Charlotte in Werther, and Beatrice in Beatrice et Benedict.

Jennifer Wharton is a low brass specialist who started classically but has planted deep roots in jazz and commercial music. She is at home in a Broadway pit, a recording studio, on stage, or in a big band section. Wharton is a member of multiple Grammy-nominated jazz orchestras, including Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society and Alan Ferber Big Band. She has also performed or recorded with – among others – the New York City Ballet, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and Dizzy Gillespie All Star Band, and with her favorite collaborator, husband trombonist/composer John Fedchock. Wharton founded her band, Bonegasm, in 2017 and has released three albums on Sunnyside Records.