Group photo some of the of 2005/2006 students and teachers. Biographies and individual
photos are below.
Mary Elise Dugan
Elise is a sixth grade student at the Westminster School in Annandale, Virginia.
She has played the piano for six years and has studied the organ with Victoria Shields
Harding for two years. Elise has played the organ for various services at the historic
Pohick Episcopal Church in Lorton, Virginia, where she is a member. In addition to
music, Elise loves horse riding and tennis.
Joann Moorer
Joann is the former Director of Music at St. George's United Methodist Church in
Fairfax, VA and the present director of Contemporary Worship at Centerville United
Methodist Church. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from Indiana
University of Pennsylvania. In addition to playing piano and organ, Joann studies
voice with Angela Powell and sings with The Master Chorale of Washington.
She is preparing to take the AGO service playing exam with her teacher Thomas Lee
Bailey .
Tom Bailey
Tom Bailey is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University where he studied with
Lawrence Robinson and Ardyth Lohuis. He spent five years in Vienna, Austria as a
disciple of Anton Heiller, a great authority on the music of Bach. After a brief
stint in the world of opera as coach and conductor, Tom settled into many years as
a church musician and organ recitalist. He has served as Organist and Choirmaster
at Christ Church, Roanoke, VA; Christ Church, Oyster Bay, NY; Centenary United Methodist,
Richmond, VA; St. Anne's Episcopal, Reston, VA; St. Paul's Episcopal, Carroll Gardens,
Brooklyn, NY; and currently Washington Street United Methodist in Old Town, Alexandria.
VA.
Tom has been responsible for two organ installations. In Oyster Bay he was responsible
for the purchase and installation of a 32 stop suspended mechanical action organ
in the French Classic Style by Helmuth Wolff organ builders. In Reston, he negotiated
the purchase of a 4 manual Aeolian Skinner from St. Paul's in Richmond, and had it
installed in St. Anne's in Reston.
While in New York, Tom worked at AGO national headquarters as Coordinator of Examinations
and Competitions. In 1993 he received a Divinity degree from Virginia Theological
Seminary in Alexandria.
Tom is the teacher of Joann Moorer.
Edeny Tran
Edeny currently attends the Olney Adventist Preparatory School in the 7th grade.
Edeny is a student of Mark Willey and has studied organ for one year. She loves the
great magnificent tone of the pipe organ at Spencerville Adventist Church where she
practices. Edeny has studied piano since she was five with Dr. Bella Oster at the
European Academy of Music in Silver Spring and her current teacher is Mr. Thomas
Pandolfi.
In addition to music, Edeny likes ice skating, drawing and listening to both pop
and classical music. Edeny would like to express her gratitude for the privilege
and honor to study at POI.
Laura Ann Peper
Laura Ann Pepper is a student of Peter Crisafulli and is enjoying the privilege
of learning about and playing the organ. She has always had an interest in music
through growing up in church choirs, music camps and studying ballet. Laura is currently
a piano student of Dr. Noel Lester and has previously studied with Mrs. Carol Dennis,
beginning at age nine. With Carol Dennis, she learned many hymns and theory and from
Dr. Lester she has learned valuable performance skills and technique. When Laura
learned that the organ was also a keyboard instrument, a dream developed to someday
learn to play the pipe organ. Recently Laura has received a full tuition organ scholarship
at Carson-Newman College where she hopes to attend in the fall. Laura's other activities
include the Youth Choir and Handbell Choir at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda,
MD, and teaching ballet at the Hope Garden Ballet.
Peter Crisafulli
Peter Crisafulli received both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music from Northwestern
University and has been a full-time church musician for over thirty years. He has
several published works to his credit, including music for flute and keyboard, choral
and organ works, and most recently, his “Music for the Holy Eucharist Rite 2” in
Enriching Our Music and several descants in The Crowning Glory, both
from Church Publishing, Inc. Instrument design and construction is a passionate interest,
and he has built his own chamber organ and harpsichord, both of which have been used
in numerous public performing venues. In 1979 Peter was awarded the Friend of
the Arts distinction by the Sigma Alpha Iota professional music fraternity. He
has served various offices in the American Guild of Organists, the Royal School of
Church Music, the Organ Historical Society, the Washington Diocesan Commission on
Liturgy and Music, and the Association of Anglican Musicians. From 1974-88 he was
Director of Music at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Evanston, Illinois. In August 1988,
he began his current position as Minister of Music at All Saints’ Episcopal Church,
Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Peter Crisafulli is the teacher of Laura Ann Peper.
Douglas Beck
Douglas A. Beck is Director, Music Ministries at St. John’s Episcopal Church,
Norwood Parish in Chevy Chase MD. There he conducts an active program of three singing
choirs that involve sixty choristers of all ages in addition to a handbell choir.
He regularly involves parish instrumentalists and soloists in the growing program
and coordinates the music series, “Casual Concerts at the Crossroads” that reaches
out to a larger Washington DC metropolitan area audience.
In addition to his church responsibilities, Mr. Beck serves on the American Guild
of Organists, Washington DC Chapter Executive Board as SubDean. He is a past coordinator
of the Potomac Organ Institute, offering scholarships to capable pianists for one
year of organ study, sponsored by area A.G.O. chapters. He is active as a teacher
of keyboard instruments, choral director and as an accompanist. He has played recitals
throughout the U.S. and Europe including St. Thomas Church in New York City, Altenberg
Cathedral on the outskirts of Cologne, Germany and First Baptist Church in Ottawa,
Canada. He is the Assistant Director and Accompanist for the Alban Chorale.
Mr. Beck earned Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees from the Peabody Conservatory
of Music of the Johns Hopkins University where he was a Freeman, then Woodhead scholar,
respectively. Other recognition includes second prize from the Baltimore Bach Society
and an article for a worship and music periodical, Worship Arts.
Douglas is the teacher of Teresa Huang.
Caroline Arvis, a student of Linda Ellenwood, attends the French International
School. She has studied piano for seven years and currently studies with Ingrid Mongini
in Bethesda. Caroline wanted to be part of the program because her grandmother in
France is an organist! She is drawn to the instrument because of the majesty and
soulfulness of the instrument. In addition to her love of music, she enjoys fossils,
physics, math, and crazy school projects.
Teresa Huang, a student of Douglas Beck, began her first organ lessons in
the Fall of 2005. She played piano for 9 years before starting organ lessons. Currently
she attends the University of Maryland, College Park and expects to graduate in May
2008 with a B.S. in psychology and a B.A. in philosophy.
In her free time, Teresa enjoys exercising, sings in the young adult church choir
at St. Mary's Church in Rockville, and participates in the Mock Trial Team at the
University of MD. In addition to her activities, she dedicates a portion of her day
to personal prayer.