Alumni Profiles

’17, B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts
Brooke, better known by her stage name, Brooke Alexx, is a rising pop singer and songwriter, embarking on her first headline tour in the fall of 2024 in support of her first full-length album, Big Mouth, which releases on Oct. 4, 2024. Alexx graduated from Elon with a degree in music production and recording arts. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she also regularly performs and works on new music. She performed at Lollapalooza 2021 in Chicago.

’99, B.A. in Music Performance
Chris Miller is a musical theatre composer, arranger, orchestrator, and pianist. He composed the music for the Broadway production of “Tuck Everlasting,” scored the revival of “Angels in America,” and was part of the team that won a 2012 Daytime Emmy award for music in “Elmo Time” and “Sesame Street.” He won the prestigious Jonathan Larson, Richard Rodgers, Frederick Loewe, and Fred Ebb awards for musical theatre composition. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in musical theater writing from New York University

’13, B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts
Philip is a contemporary artist and composer. He writes and produces music for television, film, commercial productions, and publishers around the world. Recent credits include Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back, Undercover Boss, and Chrisley Knows Best.

’14, B.A. in Music Production & Recording Arts and Business Management
Parker is the Senior Director of Digital Production Management at Interscope Records in Los Angeles, CA. After completing dual degrees in Music Production and Business Management at Elon, Parker went to work in digital marketing at Black Box and Warner Bros. Records before landing at Interscope. He also received an MBA from UCLA in 2023.

’03, B.A. in General Music, B.S. in Biology
Dr. Painter double majored in Music and Biology at Elon. He earned his M.D. at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in 2007. He is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Division Chief of Ambulatory Anesthesiology at the UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, NC.

’13, B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts
“Audio was definitely not on my radar. I grew up playing cello in orchestras and small ensembles, but I was all set for Med school until October of my senior year of high school. My dad and I went to a concert, and I realized I wanted to ensure I had time for music, but not necessarily be the one on stage making it. At the last minute, I applied to Elon University… and I was accepted into their Music Technology program,” Emily recounts. Her first job after graduation was with Maryland Sound. She then moved to Clair Global, working in the live sound field, and has worked on tours for artists such as Lady A (formerly Lady Antebellum) and Foo Fighters, among many others.

’00, B.A. in Music
After finishing his degree at Elon, Andrew eventually moved to NYC and co-founded the band Yarn, with which he toured nationally for nine years. He has performed at major music festivals, theaters, and rock clubs throughout the US. His music has been featured by Rolling Stone, NPR, CMT, PBS, Mountain Stage, and Daytrooter.com. He teaches mandolin for Vintage Guitar. Andrew has collaborated with renowned artists including John Oates (Hall & Oates), Mike Gordon (Phish), Edie Brickell, Rahiem (Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five), Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth), Jeff Austin (Yonder Mountain String Band), Andy Falco and Jeremy Garrett (The Infamous Stringdusters), Ollabelle, Cabinet, Tony Leoni (Chris Robinson Brotherhood), Caitlin Carry (Whiskeytown), Vince Herman & Drew Emmitt (Leftover Salmon) and bluegrass legends Jim Lauderdale, Sam Bush, and Tony Trischka.

’17, B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts
Chelsey has many audio engineering credits in film and television, including “Fairview” and “Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out The News” on Comedy Central. She has worked as an audio engineer and director at NYAV Post, an audio engineer at Paramount, and as an audiovisual specialist at Latham & Watkins LLP.

’13, B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts
Ben is an audio engineer and music producer working in Burbank, California. Following graduation from Elon, Ben worked as an assistant engineer at Jungle Room Studios and Resonate Music and Film. Ben has also worked as a sound designer and mix engineer at For The Record Live, a staff engineer at Outloud Audio, and Front of House Engineer and tour manager for Ocean Park Standoff.

’14, B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts
Jesse is a system design engineer based in Silicon Valley. He has his own team working with Fortune 500 companies to provide custom systems and corporate AV standards. He is also the Chair of the Young AV Professionals Council for InfoComm, and audio/video industry standards organization. While at Elon, in addition to his classroom experiences, Jesse worked in live event support, AV, event and theater production, and radio production.

’22, B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts
Eliza Spear ’22 released her debut album “Right Now, It’s Like This,” which was written throughout her sophomore and junior years as a music production and recording arts and communications student. She wrote, recorded and executive produced the 10-song record in between classes and school work. Spear describes her music as “a darker, chamber style of Pop-Americana music that features themes of regret, forgiveness, grief, time and loneliness.”

’20, B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts
As marketing manager for Thrive Music record label in Los Angeles, California, Ciara Graves has become one of the few Elon University alumni to receive a gold record for her work on the popular ACRAZE track “Do It To It”. Graves joined Thrive Music in July 2021. She works as the team’s marketing manager and the lead of social media audience development. Her tasks are geared toward the marketing aspect of the music industry, as she works with artists to help promote them, their singles, and the label itself.

’11, B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts
Chris works with faculty and department staff at Duke University to create engaged learning experiences using technology. He provides technical support and leadership for projects and experiments which extend and enhance Duke’s eLearning Ecosystem. Before taking on a senior role, Chris previously worked as Academic Technology Consultant for Music and Digital Humanities at the Duke Center for Technology (CIT). He earned his B.S. in Music Technology from Elon University in 2011, with a minor in Communications and in Asian Studies.

’73, B.S. in Music Education
Addison served as band director at Bluefield West Virginia before attending the University of North Texas where he earned the Master of Music degree in 1976, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1984. Today, Dr. Himes is Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Stephen F. Austin State University. He is recognized as a conference presenter and panelist. Moreover, within NASM he was elected to the Board of Directors in 2002 and serves as a visiting evaluator for the Commission on Accreditation.

’11, B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts
Following graduation from Elon, Jacob toured with the Southern Gospel group, The Hoppers, playing piano. From there, Jacob transitioned to playing bass, lead guitar, and pedal steel for the Dove Brothers Band. He also worked as a session musician with credits in the Southern Gospel and Country markets. He was a producer and engineer, working at Pure Mix and The Farm. He also taught music production at Guilford Technical Community College. In 2020, Jacob took on the new role of Senior Pastor of Westside Fellowship church in Burlington, NC, where he lives with his wife and their three children.

’20, B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts
After completing her Elon degree, Natalie worked as a music supervision assistant at Trailblazer Studios. She then joined Sony Music Entertainment as a synch licensing coordinator. While at Elon, Natalie served as the president of Limelight Records, a student-run, faculty-mentored record label on campus, gaining valuable experience about the business side of the music industry.

’76, B.S. in Music Education
Patrick is the Director of Bands and Music Department Chair at Eastern Washington University where he conducts the wind ensemble, teaches conducting and courses in music education. Mr. Winters has established a band program at Eastern Washington University that is one of the finest and most active in the Northwest. Concert, marching and jazz groups regularly perform throughout the Northwest United States and Western Canada. In 1994, Mr. Winters received the PTI Outstanding Faculty Award for excellence in teaching. In 1998, he was awarded the Washington Music Educator’s Association Outstanding Music Educator Award. In 2000, he was inducted into the W.M.E.A. Hall of Fame.

’11, B.S. in Music Education
Kelsey is currently teaching K-5 General Music at Marshville Elementary in Union County Public Schools in North Carolina and is World Music Drumming Level 1 certified. She received her Master of Music degree in Music History and Literature in the spring of 2014 from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Her thesis was titled, Civil War Song and Womanhood: Mediating Myth, Reality, and Memory. She currently plays trumpet with the Matthews Concert Band.

’16, B.A. in Music Production & Recording Arts
While at Elon, Ben worked as sound and lighting technician for live events and was a member of the studio staff. After graduation, Ben worked as a freelance live audio tech, boom operator, and sound mixer on set. He then joined CareySound as an audio engineer and AV technician, before entering his current position with Clair Global as a touring audio technician in 2018.

’15, B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts
Connor worked as an audio technician for Anderson Audio in Pennsylvania after graduating from Elon University. She then joined TAIT, a company that develops and deploys technology in the realms of live, location-based experience, brand experience, and placemaking experiences. Connor works as an asset coordinator.

’13, B.S. in Music Production & Recording Arts
Andrew is a Senior Instructional Designer at the University of Virginia where he designs and supports engaging learning experiences. Prior work includes e-learning, face-to-face, and blended learning design at Teachstone and for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. After completing his undergraduate degree at Elon, Andrew earned a M.A.Ed. in Instructional Design and Technology at Virginia Tech.

’11, B.A. in Music Education and Music Performance
Kaitlyn Fay Koch is an educator, jazz vocalist, flutist, and baritone saxophonist. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Music Education and Music Performance (flute), she went on to earn a M.M. in Jazz Voice Performance from William Paterson University. She has taught instrumental, vocal, and general music for grades 4-12 and maintains a private studio. You can listen to her jazz album Curiosity on all major music streaming platforms.

’02, B.A. in Music
A winner of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, bassist Kevin Pace has performed with musicians such as Gretchen Parlato, David “Fathead” Newman, Freddie Redd, Jon Ozment, Steve Fidyk, Steve Abshire, John Jensen, and Greg Hyslop, a four-star recording artist in Downbeat Magazine. Pace has toured throughout Germany and Austria as well as in his own area, including several spots at the East Coast Jazz Festival, where he returned as an assistant clinician for the 2002 festival and as a member of the Adam Janjigian Quartet in 2004 and 2005.

’01, B.A. in Music
Brad Linde is a saxophonist, pianist, composer/arranger, educator and bandleader living in the Washington D.C. metro area. His approach to the saxophone and improvising has drawn comparison to the melodic nature and easy swing of modern jazz titans including Lester Young, Allen Eager, Wardell Gray, Zoot Sims, Warne Marsh, and Lucky Thompson. Linde has performed with jazz greats such as Barry Harris, Lee Konitz, Butch Warren, Ted Brown, Eddie Bert, Freddie Redd, and Dan Tepfer, Gretchen Parlato, Joel Frahm, and the Chris Byars Octet.

’11, B.A. in Music Performance
After graduating from Elon, Amanda attended George Mason University, receiving her Masters Degree in Vocal Performance. Amanda went on to Shannandoah University’s Vocal Pedagogy Instutute, where she received her certificate in Contemporary and Commercial Music. In addition to teaching private lessons, Amanda has contributed to the Musical Theatre community through music directing, voice camps, cabarets, and masterclasses, all while maintaining a professional performing career herself.

’14, B.S. in Music Education and  B.A. in Music Performance
Michelle Warshany is the Director of Bands at Port St. Lucie High School in Port St. Lucie, Florida. She also performs in the Port St. Lucie Concert Band and Treasure Coast Flute Ensemble. She has taught K-2 music, high school band, and private flute and piano lessons.

’05, B.A. in Music, Sociology, Public Administration and Political Science
Cecelia is the Executive Director at Action Greensboro. She is the co-founder of Young, Smart and Local, a network of more than 50 cities working to build diverse young talent through college student engagement, inclusion and retention. She was the Executive Director of Guilford Green Foundation from 2005-2008 and the Communications Officer of The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro from 2006-07.

’99, B.A. in Music Performance and Music Education
J. Michael Capps is the Director of Bands at A.L. Stanback Middle School in Hillsborough, NC. Under Mr. Capps’ guidance, a continuous flow of A.L. Stanback band students qualify for All-District and All-State honor bands. In 2000, Mr. Capps was awarded First-Year Teacher of the Year. In 2006, the A.L. Stanback Jazz Ensemble was privileged to perform at the North Carolina Music Educators’ Conference in Winston-Salem, NC.

’01, B.A. in Music Performance
After earning her bachelor’s degree at Elon, Nora completed her master’s degree in opera performance from The Boston Conservatory. She currently teaches private voice students at Lynchburg Music Center while also serving as a music teacher for Faith Christian Academy in Hurt, VA.

’03, B.A. in Music
Mary Brozina Wierick is an in-demand music director, vocal teacher, vocal coach, actress, and pianist around town.  With a professional career spanning two decades, she has worked up and down the east coast as well as Oklahoma. The Poteet Theatre is where she met her husband Kyle in a production of Scrooge 13 years ago.  Some of her favorite shows she has music directed are 42nd Street,The Music Man, Mame, The Who’s Tommy, Ave Q, and Songs for a New World.  Some favorite roles include Amy in Company, Maureen in Rent, Annas in Jesus Christ Superstar, and Fruma Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof.

’10, B.A. in Music Performance
After graduating from Elon University, Patrick went on to earn his Master’s and Doctorate in Piano Performance from Louisiana State University. He is a piano faculty member at Yantai University and teaches at the Hilliard Community Music School.

’99, B.S. in Music Education, B.A. in Music Performance
After completing his undergraduate education at Elon, Brian completed a Master’s degree in Music Therapy at Illinois State University. He has worked in sales management and commercial building supplies. After sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2010, Brain was determined to go back to work. In 2016 he was named South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation’s Client of the Year. Brian is now the Outreach Coordinator for SCSCIA (South Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Association).

’71, B.A. in Music Performance
Steve’s current musical affiliations include the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra where he has held the position of Principal Second Violin since 1994, the Winston-Salem Piedmont Triad Symphony and the Carolina Chamber Symphony. He performs with a number of local educational string ensembles as well as playing violin and viola for weddings and church services in Piedmont North Carolina. Steve is the president of Winfred C. Harper Agency, inc., an insurance agency in Burlington and also owns a violin shop, Artley Violins, located in downtown Gibsonville, NC.