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31st Annual Music Celebration

Friday, Dec. 5, 2025  •  7:30 p.m.

The Ohio State University School of Music
Mershon Auditorium


WELCOME

Season’s greetings and a warm welcome to the 31st Annual Music Celebration Concert!

It brings us great pleasure to host this beloved event once again on our campus. This unique concert provides an opportunity for our students, the heart of the School of Music, to showcase their passion. We come together to share, express and celebrate joy together. Your presence makes it all the more meaningful and delightful.

This evening's program — celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the School of Music at Ohio State — is a vibrant tapestry of music, illustrated with broad strokes of diverse musical expressions and emotions. From love to laughter, from melancholy to optimism, and from festivity to contemplation, each piece is intricately woven in the spirit of the season.

I extend my deepest gratitude to the dedicated students, faculty and staff whose collective talents have made this evening's performance possible. A special thanks to Eric Gibson, director of opera, whose coordination has seamlessly blended elegance and efficiency. To all of you gracing us with your presence, your friendship and support of the School of Music continues to inspire us. We eagerly look forward to your next visit and wish you a holiday season brimming with cheer.

Sincerely,

Michael Ibrahim's signature

Michael Ibrahim
Director, School of Music


PROGRAM

Rosters


ACT ONE


Bring A Torch, Jeannette, Isabella

Gary Fry, arr. R. C. Mikkelson

Wind Symphony
Russel C. Mikkelson, conductor


Exsultate, justi

Lodovico da Viadana

Chorale
Robert J. Ward, conductor


Stac-Flat

Roger Bourdin

Flute Troupe
Katherine Borst Jones, director

With Jazz Ensemble rhythm section


Carmen Ohio

arr. Jerrod Shackelford

Golden

arr. Ava Gilley

Women’s Glee Club
Jordan Saul, conductor


Quando me'n vo'

(Musetta's Waltz) 

from La Bohème

Giacomo Puccini

Skye Johnson, soprano
Diana Chubak, piano


Quartet, Mvt. 2: Gently — With Motion

Elliot Del Borgo

Saxophone Quartet


Geistliches Wiegenlied, Op. 91, No. 2

Johannes Brahms

Sophia Haws, voice
Aidan Dever, cello
Emily Foster, piano


Clarinet Candy

Leroy Anderson, arr. Clarence Barber

Clarinet Choir
Caroline Hartig, conductor


Kyoto

arr. John Psathas

Percussion Ensemble
Susan Powell and Joseph Krygier, directors


Os justi! Chorale

Anton Bruckner

Low Brass Ensemble
James Akins, conductor


Winter Wonderland

Felix Bernard and Robert Bernhardt Smith
arr. Alyssa Hartman

Art Blakey Combo
Kevin Turner, director


Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

J. David Moore

Men's Glee Club
Robert J. Ward, conductor


The Night Before Christmas

Randol Alan Bass

Wind Symphony
Russel C. Mikkelson, conductor


— Intermission —


ACT TWO


Great Gate of Kiev

from Pictures at an Exhibition

Modest Mussorgsky, arr. Maurice Ravel

Symphony Orchestra
Miriam Burns, conductor


Brothers, Sing On!

Edvard Grieg

Men's Glee Club
Robert J. Ward, conductor


Summertime

from Porgy and Bess

George Gershwin and DuBose Hayward

A tribute to Ruby Elzy

Sadiyah Babatunde, guest vocalist
Diana Chubak, piano

Sadiyah Babatunde, soprano, is a dynamic and versatile performer equally at home in opera, concert, and genre-crossing repertoire. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music under Cyndia Sieden. Sadiyah is an alumna of The Ohio State University, receiving both a Bachelor of Arts in Music/Vocal Performance degree and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Marketing degree in 2022. Recent performances include Miss Wordsworth in Albert Herring, Act II (MSM) and Lady Capulet in Roméo et Juliette (MSM). She will perform the role of Zina in Dark Sisters, in April 2026. Additional credits include Casilda in The Gondoliers (Ohio Light Opera) and Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music (OLO).


O Christmas Tree

Traditional, arr. Jon Lampley and Chris Ott

Jazz Ensemble
Mike Smith, conductor 


Barso Re

A. R. Rahman, arr. Ethan Sperry

Women's Glee Club
Jordan Saul, conductor 


Carol of the Bells

arr. Will Fisher

Trumpet Ensemble
Timothy Leasure, conductor


Conservatory Garden

Daniel Levitan

Percussion Ensemble
Susan Powell, and Joseph Krygier, directors


Tuttarana

Reena Esmail

Chorale
Robert J. Ward, conductor


Finale: JOY


Joy to the World

arr. Whitney Houston

Gospel Choir
Milton V. Ruffin, director

Joy Trio

Ricky Ian Gordon

Skye Johnson, Xiao Liu, Paige Strassel, sopranos
Diana Chubak, piano

Joy to the World

arr. Three Dog Night

Art Blakey Combo
Kevin Turner, director


Hallelujah Chorus (from Messiah)

G. F. Handel, arr. W. A. Mozart

Symphony Orchestra with combined choirs
Miriam Burns, conductor

Rosters

Art Blakey Combo

Kevin Turner, director

Ivan Murray, trumpet
Ethan White, clarinet
Alyssa Hartman, alto saxophone
Nathan Lucero, tenor saxophone
I Burgos, trombone
Logan Franklin, guitar
Alex Hliatzos, piano
Kindall Benjamin, bass
Nick Serrano, drums
Lizzie Gill, vocals

Chorale

Robert J. Ward, conductor

Casey L. Cook, associate conductor and pianist

Soprano/Alto
Kya Angle
Maria DiPaolo
Ava Gilley
Holly Hamilton
Alison Hamm
Sophia Haws
Maddy Herzog
Maddy Lee
Savanna Lenze
Mya Luca
Marissa Maxwell
Lauren Meadows
Evelyn Mignanou
Imaya Perera
Makenna Peterson
Helena Radford
Meghan Rogozinski
Alana Sayat
Abby Spatt
Stephanie Speck
Donnie Whitman
Lily Wiford

Tenor/Bass
Luke Allen
Kellan Behrens
Ryan Bieryla
Micah Bradshaw
Brent Campbell
Enerald Carter
Riley Christopher
Ben Cutarelli
Nathan DeRodes
Jake Eyink
Raul Garcia-Fernandez
Marlon Haughton
Matthew Hebert
Logan Henry
William Hughes
Wyatt Kerns
Griffin Mykel
James Rheinfrank
Greg Smith
Julius Tabery
Keegan Wells
Ian Wiksell
Brayden Williams
Eric Zhang

Clarinet Ensemble

Caroline Hartig, conductor

B-flat Clarinet Soloists
Almudena Curros Varela
Bernadatte John
Chen Du
Sam Langer

B-flat Clarinet
Jacob Behrend
Jarom Christensen
Landen Gedeon
Zachary Grant 
Nicole Goutanis
Jenna Harkin
Adam Lee
Asa Mattson
Evan Milam 
Aoi Nishiyama  
Favius Pena-Amaya
Becca Plympton
Holly Rasanow
Noah Reilly
Nicholas Ritchie
Matthew Watson
Bowen Wei
Ethan White 
Joseph Zishka

E-flat Alto Clarinet
Sonny Day

Bass Clarinet
Leah Henning
Quinn Jensen

E-flat Contra-Alto Clarinet
Rachel Weinstein

Contrabass Clarinet
Christopher Larsen

Flute Troupe

Katherine Borst Jones, conductor

Melanie Ahn
Karis Brennan
Katelyn Cheng
Nic Digena
Maryssa Hoermle
Sophie Junga
Lance Korte
Laurinda Lan
Danica Lipp
Jonathan Mitchell
Noah Peck
Anaiyah Rogers
Kaleigh Rummel
Katie Sharp
Braden Steward
Haley Svec
Samantha Vann
Coral Varian
Emma Walters
Shreeya Yampati

Gospel Choir

Milton V. Ruffin, director and arranger

Vocalists

Claire Booker
Benjamin Dickson
Alessandro Duarte
Zach Grant
Max Henderson
Sydney Johnson
Sharon Orisadipe
Zella Poarch
Michelle Sterling
Lucas Swiderski

Instrumentalists

Angelo Barnes, guitar
Grace Wilson, guitar
Jordan Steinbrook, organ
Kindall Benjamin, bass

Jazz Ensemble

Michael Smith, conductor/director

Saxophones
Alyssa Hartman, alto 1
Matt McDonald, alto 2
Ean Marin, tenor 1 and 2
Nathan Lucero, tenor 1 and 2
Chris Cofer, baritone

Trumpets
Juong Min Oh 
Ben Dickson
Tavien Dotson
Sam Haskell
Leo Wolf

Trombones
Lily Kent
Holly Saunier
Briana Heath
Lucia Cherok

Rhythm Section
Logan Franklin, guitar
Jordan Steinbrook, piano
Alexis Cunningham, bass
Julien Brandon, drums/percussion
Nicolas Serrano, drums/percussion 

Low Brass Ensemble

James Akins, conductor

Trombone 
Elisabeth Shafer Suffern
Gavin Abrams
DJ Austin
Veronica Ball 
Luke Brown
Lucia Cherok
Clarissa Cousart
Shawn Davern
Fernando Flores IV 
Jackson Fortner
Jackson Hammond
Nik Henderson
Jonathan Kessler 
Keven Li
Michael Malone
Kenton Michael 
Tristan Miller
Jacob Myers
Sebastian Pena
Delaney Speidell 
Amara Suchy

Euphonium
Ayden Casa
Drew Enyon
Sayaka Iimura
Clayton Messinger 
Matthew Grover 
Hannah Lyons 
Tori Klinger
Corina Clagg 
Davis Aho

Tuba
Justin White 
Will Roesch 
Zane Tekaucic 
Adam Johnson 
Lucas Snouffer 
Owen Thomas 
Adam Briggs
Sydney Reeves 
Matthew  Sliwinski

Men's Glee Club

Robert J. Ward, conductor

Casey L. Cook, associate conductor and pianist

Tenor I
Micah Canestraro
Sam Chandler
Justin Everhart
Jake Eyink *+
Craig Foulkrod
Raul Garcia-Fernandez *
Jared Giovannone
Joze Ivancic
Jonathan Kessler *
Ethan McCoy +
Paul Renner *+
Sam Rosen *
Drew Sutherland *
Aiden Toler
River Wells

Tenor II
Luke Allen
Jack Bell
Robbie Bennett
Ian Dimaano
Quinn Felbinger
Martin Fihe
Wesley Giles *+
Matthew Hebert
Brandon Hudepohl
William Hughes
R. J. Human *
Sush Koppula
Jude Kutay *
Hayden Longbottom
Hrishi Rawat
Andrew Vannorsdall
Eric Zhang

Bass I
Ryan Bieryla +
Ben Coughlin
Connor Davis
Rhys Davis
Kai Ellsworth
Nathaniel Gailey
Karlos Gordillo
Logan Henry
Avery Mongold
Sebastian Otero *
Colin Parker
Charlie Thacker *+
Raphael Toro-Valdebenito
Keegan Wells
Brayden Williams
Mason Williams

Bass II
Bryce Barta
Kellan Behrens
Josh Bodner
Brent Campbell
Andrew Carter *
Jhon Fajardo
Jack Hainrihar
Nate Johnson
David Laurence
Joel Lazarow *
Griffin Mykel *
Brandon Newbright *
Curtis Nutter
Zachary Seaver *
Adam Wall-Conner
Ian Wiksell

* Member of Statesmen
+ MGC officer

Percussion Ensemble

Susan Powell and Joseph Krygier, directors

Stephen Alexander *
Jacob Cauley +
Brody Fogle +
Josh Green *
Noah Landrum +
Nathan Smith *+
Haydn Veith *+

+ Kyoto
* Conservatory Garden

Brahms Piano Trio

Lynn Singleton, director

Sophia Haws, voice
Aidan Dever, cello
Emily Foster, piano

Ohio State Saxophone Quartet

Prateek Bhandari, soprano
Alyssa Hartman, alto
Sammy Smith, tenor
Kyle Buchwalter, baritone

Symphonic Band

Scott A. Jones, conductor

Musicians are listed alphabetically by section.

Piccolo
Katelyn Cheng
Grace Reven *

Flute
Melanie Ahn ^
Karis Brennan
Katelyn Cheng
Nic Digena
Sunny Jiang
Laurinda Lan ^
Danica Lipp
Grace Reven *
Haley Svec

Oboe
Claire Rottman
Briele Vollmuth *
Maddie Wittman

English Horn
Maddie Wittman

Bassoon
Bobby Schwartz * 
Lucas Swiderski

E-flat Clarinet
Jacob Behrend

Clarinet
Jacob Behrend
Sonny Day
Landen Gideon
Zach Grant ^
Adam Lee 
Aoi Nishiyama
Noah Reilly *
Nicholas Ritchey
Logan Sturgeon
Lily Tropple
Joseph Young
    
Bass Clarinet
Leah Henning
Quinn Jensen *
Matthew Watson

Contra Clarinet
Quinn Jensen
    
Alto Saxophone
Alyssa Hartman*
Tito Leong
Willow Mauldin
Sammy Smith ^

Tenor Saxophone
Katia de Jong ^

Baritone Saxophone
Kyle Buchwalter

Trumpet
Jude Abuzeide*
Graham Bentley
Connor Caviness
Ben Dickson
Ava Diederich
Gaby Hardisky ^
John Heino
Connor Milner
Allison Morris

Horn
Caleb Anderson
Nicholas Blum
Margaret Carter
Theresa Deevers*
Jared Giovannone
Katherine Indyk
Mirai Nawa
Allie Polzin
Benjamin Wainwright

Trombone
Nolan Call 
Lucia Cherok * ^
Jackson Fortner 
Ashleigh Mastilak
Jacob Myers

Bass Trombone
Anthony Frankowski
Jonathan Kessler

Euphonium
Sayaka Iimura *
Clayton Messinger
Hannah Lyons

Tuba
Adam Johnson
Lucas Snouffer
Zane Tekaucic *

Percussion
Logan Crawford
Wesley Giles ^
Josh Green
Peter Kindt
Mary Paydock * ^
Hayden Techter

* principal player
^ board member

Symphony Orchestra

Miriam Burns, conductor

Violin I
Nathan Jeoung, concertmaster
Felipe Mathias Romagnoli
Sidd Figurov
David Zhu
Mara Seppala
Martin Fihe 
Adam Whitman
Melanie Owen

Violin II
Miah Shaffer, principal
Hana Mazak
Chuyang Deng
Isabelle Tardivon
Declan Alford
Amina Janybek

Viola
Aiden Yi-Hung Jeng, principal
Brandon Waite
Erica Lopez 
Avery Temple 
Nicolo Moulthrop
Chase Lobos  
Luke Wittrock
Benjamin Windover Noble   
Logan Bartlett

Cello
Aidan Dever, principal
Anyu Gu
Owen Summers
Jake Eyink
Margaret Leung
Jacob Schwengler
Jacob Myers
Annie Bartos
Kate Sahr
Jaeda Wood-Binkley
Audra Incledon

Double Bass
Saoirse Hurley, principal
Carson Wolfe
Owen Lutz
Felix Mueller
Jett Maslouski
Luca Brusco
Jeremy Frolo
JoJo Schweitzer
Owen Welch

Flute
Katie Sharp
Jonathan Mitchell
Kayleigh Rummel, piccolo

Oboe
Briele Vollmuth
Ben Newman
Laura Pitner

Clarinet
Chen Du
Samuel Langer
Almudena Curros Varela, bass clarinet

Alto Saxophone
Hudson Müller

Bassoon
Brandon Golpe, principal
Bitania Petros
Laila Elhamri, contrabassoon

Horn
Kaylee Skaris
Olivia Boden
Andrew Waite
Nora Lemmon
Paul Bissler

Trumpet
Nick Schnitzspahn 
Zach Heffner
Will Fisher
Jude Abuzeide

Trombone
Gavin Abrams
DJ Austin
Shawn Davern

Euphonium
Ayden Casa

Tuba
Justin White

Harp
Abigail Bachelor

Celesta
Clara Rudy

Timpani
Haydn Veith

Percussion
Jacob Cauley
Brody Fogle
Wesley Giles
Nathan Smith

Trumpet Ensemble

Timothy Leasure, director

Brandon Ising, conductor

Colin Parker
Benjamin Dickson
Abbey Zunic
Katie Williams
Samantha Harvey
Alli Jones
Devon Grant
Brianna Nemec
Noah Madsen
Gabrielle Hardisky
Allison Morris
Zach Burns
Marlee Lawson
Will Fisher
Nick Schnitzspahn
Conner Milner
Zachary Heffner
Jude Abuzeide
Connor Caviness
Ava Diederich
Graham Bentley
Cameron Beard
Bobby Petty

University Chorus

Colin Knoth, conductor

Casey L. Cook, associate conductor and pianist

Andrew Carter
Bree Edinger
Kai Ellsworth
Craig Foulkrod
Desiree Gailes
Natalie Griffith
Lukas Hammer
Emma Hatcher
Isabella Hegland
Brandon Hudepohl
Alex Jolly
Olivia Lamancusa
Jake Liu
Alexis McClain
Ava McGill
Curtis Nutter
Jaylin Powell
Sam Rosen
Ella Rudkin
Kate Ruff
Lily Smith
Vija Tessman
Abi Traverse
Adam Wall-Conner
Elizabeth Weber
Maggie Wehrle
Katherine Wenrick

Wind Symphony

Russel C. Mikkelson, conductor

Piccolo
Lance Korte
Shreeya Yampati

Flute
Jonathan Mitchell *
Lance Korte
Shreeya Yampati
Kaleigh Rummel
Katelyn Cheng
Karis Brennan
Danica Lipp

Oboe
Benjamin Newman *
Briele Vollmuth
Laura Pitner

English Horn
Laura Pitner

Bassoon
Brandon Golpe *
Gunnar Pellissier
Steven Swiderski

Contrabassoon
Gunnar Pellissier

E-flat Clarinet
Samuel Langer

Clarinet
Almudena Curros Varela *
Bernadette John
Samuel Langer
Xinchen Du
Asa Mattson
Joseph Zishka 
Favius Peña-Amaya
Sonny Day
Landen Gedeon

Bass Clarinet
Leah Henning
Christopher Larsen Rivera

Contrabass Clarinet
Christopher Larsen Rivera

Alto Saxophone
Cooper Greenlees *
Ziheng Huang 
Alyssa Hartman
Sammy Smith

Tenor Saxophone
Sean Bauman
Sammy Smith

Baritone Saxophone
Hudson Müller

Horn
Kaylee Skaris *
Andrew Waite 
Olivia Boden
Nora Lemmon
Nicholas Blum
Paul Bissler

Trumpet
Brandon Ising *
Will Fisher
Bobby Petty
Nick Schnitzspahn
Abbey Zunic 
Zach Heffner
Connor Caviness
Jude Abuzeide

Trombone
Gavin Abrams *
DJ Austin
Jacob Myers
Lucia Cherok
Sebastian Peña

Bass Trombone
Nik Henderson

Euphonium
Ayden Casa *
Andrew Eynon
Sayaka Iimura

Tuba 
Justin White *
Zane Tekaucic 
Adam Johnson

Percussion 
Stephen Alexander *
Kye Pyeatt
Josh Green
Brody Fogle
Noah Landrum
Nathan Smith

Piano/Celeste
Manuel Vizurraga

Double Bass 
Carson Wolf

Harp
Abigail Bachelor (faculty)

* principal

Women's Glee Club

Jordan Saul, conductor

Diana Chubak, collaborative pianist

Lindsey Scarberry, graduate teaching associate

Soprano I
Morgan Cline
Clarissa Cousart
Alex Ensign +
Liz Gilbert *
Ali Hamm *
Maddie Herzog ^
Gemma Huber
Kay Huvler *
Sarah London
Marissa Maxwell
Ashley Moore
Gabriella Plummer
Abby Skinner
Evy Todd
Donnie Whitman
Gabriella Witschey

Soprano II
Mina Brown
Niyathi Chakrapani
Paola Crespo-Roman
Hailee Franklin
Holly Hamilton ^
Emma Hatcher
Claire Holdren
Nina Holt
Summer Hussain
Gracie Key
Zoe Leasure
Evelyn Mignanou *
Sophie O’Leary
Bella Santiago
Esther Shen
Dionysia Thompson
Abi Traverse
Winnie Xiao

Alto I
Lois Abunjuah
Jasmine Acuña
Reva Baste-Bania
Grace Bete ^
Tracy Darius
Jordan Evans
Maddie Highfield
Maryssa Hoermle
Aubrey Liming
Linnaea Long
Ria Modak
Sophia Mapes
Carolyn Sagel
Vija Tessman
Hailey Trautvein
Grace Wright
Crystal Zheng
Audrey Yao

Alto II
Veronica Ball
Jules Biller
Claire Booker
Macie Egbert *
Lillian Felkner *
Vivienne Garner
Ava Gilley *
Mary Ann Hoelzel *
Sam Lowe
Kayla Miller
Madison Nesler
Makenna Peterson ^
Emma Sayers
Taylor Small
Abby Spatt
Lizzy Vologzhanin
Greta Zender

+ President
* Executive Board
^ Section Leader

Join us...

School of Music 100th Anniversary badge

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Name a seat in the new Recital Hall

Celebrate 100 years of music at Ohio State by naming a seat in the new Recital Hall. With a gift of $2,500, honor someone special and secure your place in our history, helping ensure the next century of extraordinary music. give.osu.edu/SOM100


Educate • Enrich • Inspire

The School of Music offers numerous outreach events for young musicians, including the popular Youth Summer Music Programs. Visit Outreach.

Interested in lessons? Our Community Music School offers opportunities for all ages and ability levels.


Concerts at Ohio State

Join WOSU Classical 101 host Christopher Purdy, Sundays at 1 p.m. in early 2026 for the Concerts at Ohio State series featuring performances by School of Music students and faculty. Listen on-air, online, or on the WOSU Public Media mobile app.


Opus 88

Did you know? Ohio has 88 counties, just as a piano has 88 keys. A musical inspiration!

Follow our progress as we trek the state to connect with Buckeyes, engage with communities and share the joy of music through each of Ohio's 88 counties.