Director of Instrumental Music at Aquinas College holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Music Composition and Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Brewer also holds a Bachelors and a Masters degree in Music Education from the University of Central Oklahoma. In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Brewer has been active as a professional trombonist since 1970. While jazz is his main musical endeavour, Dr. Brewer has also played in a variety of musical ensembles including everything from orchestral groups to rock and roll bands. His many years as a trombonist in musical theater productions gave Dr. Brewer the opportunity to work with celebrities such as Mickey Rooney, Ann Miller, Richard Harris, Robert Goulet, and many others.

As a jazz performer Dr. Brewer has performed with such greats as J.J. Johnson, Max Roach, Urbie Green, Mel Torme, Randy Brecker, and many others.Among his many contributions to the field of jazz education, Dr. Brewer has been chosen three times to lecture at the prestigious International Association for Jazz Education annual conference (twice in New York City and once in Toronto). Dr. Brewer is also called upon each year to adjudicate jazz festivals and to perform as a guest soloist on public school jazz band concerts. Along with his tenure at Aquinas College and as a Jazz Artist sponsored by the Yamaha Corporation, Dr. Brewer is also on the jazz faculty at the Interlochen Arts Camp held each summer in Interlochen, Michigan.

At Interlochen Dr. Brewer has taught many wonderful students from all over the world among them, five-time Grammy Award winner Norah Jones and Dr. Brewer's son, Matthew Brewer, an upright bassist currently performing with the great alto saxophonist and Blue Note recording artist, Greg Osby. At Aquinas College Dr. Brewer is the Director of Bands, concert and jazz. Dr. Brewer also teaches instrumental conducting, instrumentation/arranging/orchestration, jazz improvisation, studio trombone and trumpet, band methods courses, popular music history, and counterpoint.

Barbara has been teaching Voice on the campus of Aquinas College since 1987 and is now an Associate Professor of Music, teaching Voice Techniques, Private Voice, Vocal Pedagogy and Literature, and Music Appreciation classes. As a soloist, she has given many recitals in concert halls and churches in addition to having been a featured singer in Grand Rapids Symphony Pops Concerts,

with the Kalamazoo and Calvin College Oratorio Societies, the Grand Rapids Choir of Men and Boys, St. Cecilia Music Society, the Ann Arbor Cantata Singers, at Lake Michigan College, Western Michigan University and a College Music Society's Spring Conference in Madison, Wis. Ms. McCargar sang in Austria and Hungary, recorded a CD and performed as a member and soloist with the Chamber Choir of Grand Rapids.

Her performing career has spanned over three decades, from Art Song to Musical Theater. She has performed roles on stage with Lansing Lyric Opera, Opera Grand Rapids (most recently as Mercedes in Bizet's CARMEN), Youth Opera USA with composer Sanford Jones, Circle Theater (most recently as Desiree in Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music), Spectrum Theater, and been featured debuting songs by Roelof Bijkerk in the composers forum at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, with the composer at the piano.  Ms. McCargar is also releasing a CD of Women Composers' works for soprano and piano, which evolved from annual lecture recitals with her colleagues on the campus of Aquinas during Women's History Month. The 2005 CD includes songs for solo voice and piano by Libby Larsen, Florence Price, Undine Smith Moore, Amy Marcy Beach, Sylvia Glickman, and Betty Jackson King. Fellow faculty members performing on the CD are accompanist and piano soloist, Mary Hurd, and pianist, Catherine Williams, O.P., playing extended works by Rhene Jaque and Lili Boulanger, respectively.

In the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Barbara is an instructor with the School for Cantor Training, Chapter Director of the National Pastoral Musicians (NPM) Association, and a Cantor and an Artist in Residence for the Cathedral of Saint Andrew as a member of the medieval chant trio, Vox Angelica, specializing in the chants of Hildegard von Bingen. In December 2003, Vox Angelica released its first full-length CD, "Hildegard von Bingen - Chants of Heaven and Earth." They performed two concerts at the Immaculate Conception Church in July 2004 as part of the church's centennial celebration and the Chicago Regional Convention of NPM. In January 2005, the trio performed in Spain and Portugal as featured artists on tour with the Diocesan Choir of Grand Rapids, under the direction of Dr. Brandon Spence. Recent performances include February 26 in the Basilica of Saint Adalbert Anniversary Year Concert series, "Celebrating 125 years of musical excellence" debuting a new program of chants be Hildegard von Bingen which was presented again at the Regional Convention of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians on July 17, 2006.

Associate Professor McCargar holds a Master of Music in Voice, with secondary emphasis in Opera from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor , with further study at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz , Austria . She received the BM in Vocal Performance from Aquinas. She has been a member for over 20 years of the Michigan and National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS). Her current professional study includes: training for certification in WEM - What Every Musician (Singer) Needs to Know About the Body - with Andover Educators, www.bodymap.org, and the music of Women Composers.

Sr. Catherine Williams - Music Ed., SS/ET: Piano, Music Theory, Basics of Music, Music Appreciation, Liturgical Music
Phone: (616) 632-2414
Office: AMC 111
E-mail: willicat@aquinas.edu

Mr. Biser is a graduate of Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton , N.J. While a student there, he sang under notable conductors of the day and toured with the world famous Westminster Choir. His major instrument was in organ, while minoring in voice. Mr. Biser completed his Master of Church Music in the summer of 2002 at Concordia University in River Forest , Ill. His vocal studies began in high school and continued through college. Mr. Biser studied voice with Robert Simpson and Raymond Kyser at Westminster Choir College . Since that time Mr. Biser has studied privately with Stanley Kolk in Grand Rapids and has also served as studio accompanist for Mr. Kolk. Mr. Biser is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music on the Aquinas faculty.

Mr. Biser studied conducting under Paul Boepple, Elaine Brown and George Lynn. His organ studies have been with Eugene Roan and Joan Lippincott at Westminster Choir College and Dr. Steven Wente at Concordia University. He has served churches in Arlington and Norfolk , Va. before coming to East Congregational United Church of Christ in 1969. Since 1982, Mr. Biser has been the Music Director and Conductor of the Chamber Choir of Grand Rapids. He has recorded three CDs and toured Austria and Hungary with the Chamber Choir. In 1995 Mr. Biser was invited to take the Chamber Choir of Grand Rapids to Salt Lake City where they performed with the world famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Mr. Biser was afforded the unique privilege of conducting the combined choirs for their national Sunday morning broadcast. In June of 1999, Mr. Biser and the Chamber Choir of Grand Rapids went to St. Petersburg , Russia , as part of a cultural exchange program with the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. The choir also performed in Finland and Estonia while on this tour. Since 1969, Larry Biser has been Minister of Music in the East Congregational United Church of Christ. With his wife, Diane, they maintain a program of six singing choirs and three ringing choirs. Mr. Biser is listed in the International Edition of "Who's Who in Music?"

• accompanist for soprano, Joan Gillett in 1998
• soloist and accompanist in faculty recitals every January, since 1995
• soloist/lecturer in "Music of Women Composers" series every March since 1998
• joint solo recitalist in conjunction with Barbara Witham McCargar in February of 2000
• collaboration as a soloist and accompanist on a CD of women's music, recorded in 2003

Following his 1973 graduation from Michigan State University, Roger MacNaughton embarked on a full-time music career.  Along with teaching and an active performance schedule, Roger writes and produces music for commercial broadcast and video underscoring through his company Acoustic Arts Custom Music Production LLC.  Roger has also penned and produced CDs for the opening of the Lena Meijer Children’s Garden in Grand Rapids and the Christian Reformed Church “Walk With Me” series. 

Other credits include being named Composer of the Year in 2000 by the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts and winning Third Place, Finalist and (3) Honorable Mention in the 2006 Great Lakes Songwriting Competition.  Roger’s original music CDs in the Acoustic Arts catalogue presently total four; an instrumental CD “Summer Dance,”  Jazz Trio CD “Blue Muse,” piano and cello CD “Winter Canvas,” and solo piano CD “Cold-Hearted Orb.”

Steve Talaga - Vocal Jazz, Theory, Piano