Faculty & Staff

As established artists and top scholars in their fields, members of Calvin’s Music faculty bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to every class, rehearsal, and private lesson.

Part-time Music Faculty

Akins, Keaton - jazz instrumental lessons	Hovnanian, Michael - string bass	Van Kooten, Jan - Music Appreciation
Alley, Gregory - trumpet	Hoisington, Linda - piano	VandenBerg, Lavonne - piano
de la Barrera, Carlos - guitar	Huizenga, Trudi - voice	Varineau, Gwen - accompanist
Bays, Jan - accompanist	Krummel, Karen - cello	Varineau, John - clarinet
Beck, Matt - percussion	Lee, Eun - accompanist	Visser, Larry - organ
Britsch, Richard - French horn	Mattson, Dan - trombone	Walhout, Lisa - voice
Brown, Jill - flute, Flute Choir	Malefyt, Norma - organ	Walvoord, Jennifer - violin
Burch, Monty - tuba	Mustert, Betty - piano	Werkema, Jason - jazz guitar
Colpean, Beth - harp	Tolbert, Clinton - accompanist	Wiltse, Stephanie - Handbell Ensemble
De Young, Tim - bassoon	Van Becker, Leslie - viola	Wunder, Patricia - violin
Gomez, Kathy - oboe

Keaton Akins Jazz Instrumental Lessons	email
Keaton Damir Akins received his bachelor of arts degree from Western Michigan University and his Masters in Music Performance from Ithaca College where he served as director of the Wednesday Jazz Lab. As a lead and jazz trumpeter, Mr. Akins has performed and taught at such festivals including Eastern Music Festival, the Telluride Jazz Festival, Birchcreek Music Performance Center, Shell Lake Arts Center, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and the Henry Mancini Institute. His teachers include Lew Soloff, Walter White, and Scott Thornburg.
Gregory Alley Trumpet	email
Gregory Alley teaches trumpet at Calvin College. He holds a BM from Cornerstone University and a MM from Michigan State University. From 1984 to 2007 he was a member of the West Point Band in New York. He is an active performer and clinician and has performed with the Battle Creek Symphony, The West Shore Symphony, the Lansing Symphony, and the Grand Rapids Symphony. He also teaches trumpet at Aquinas College and at Grand Valley State University's International Trumpet Seminar.
Carlos de la Barrera Guitar	email
Carlos de la Barrera teaches guitar at Calvin College. A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he holds an MM in Classical Guitar Performance from the Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. His extensive South American performances include solo recitals throughout Latin America and the United States. Mr. de la Barrera's recent concerts as a soloist with orchestra include performance with the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, the Holland Symphony Orchestra, and the Andrews Symphony Orchestra. In addition to teaching at Calvin, Mr. de la Barrera maintains a private studio and teaches at Grand Valley State University.
Jan Bays Accompanist	email
Jan Bays is a vocal coach and accompanist for several voice studios at Calvin. A graduate of Eastern Michigan University, Jan also studied accompanying and vocal coaching with Eugene Bossert at the University of Michigan. She has been a vocal coach and accompanist at Grand Valley State University and plays regularly at Madison Square Christian Reformed Church.
Matthew Beck Percussion	email
Matthew Beck currently serves as Principal Percussionist with the Canton Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, and the West Shore Symphony in Muskegon, MI. He also appears regularly with the Grand Rapids Symphony. Mr. Beck received his B.M. from the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of Richard Weiner and Paul Yancich of the Cleveland Orchestra, and he graduated with a M.M. from DePaul University as a student of Ted Atkatz from the Chicago Symphony. He has spent his summers performing at many of the world's great music festivals including the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, Pacific Music Festival (Japan), and the Spoleto USA Festival. Mr. Beck was previously Instructor of Preparatory Percussion at the Cleveland Institute of Music and a percussion faculty member at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.
Richard Britsch French Horn	email
Richard Britsch teaches French Horn at Calvin College. Formerly with the Florida Orchestra and the Southwest Florida Symphony, he has appeared as soloist numerous times with the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Peninsula Music Festival of Wisconsin, both of which he has been Principal Horn since 1990 and 1992, respectively. He performs regularly with the Detroit Symphony and has performed as Principal Horn with the Milwaukee Symphony. He is a founding member of the Emerald Brass, which was the first prize winner of both the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and the Yamaha/Summit Brass International Brass Competition in 1990. He holds a BA from the University of South Florida in Tampa and participated in such festivals as the Florida Music Festival and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Austria. In addition to teaching at Calvin, Mr. Britsch also teaches at Cornerstone University and Grand Rapids Community College and is a member of Beyond Classical and Ensemble Montage, two music groups dedicated to introducing great music to new audiences.
Jill Marie Brown Flute, Flute Choir Director	email
Jill Brown teaches flute and directs the Flute Choir at Calvin College. She holds a bachelor's degree from Calvin College, where she majored in Music Education and flute performance, and a MM from the University of Michigan. Her past instructors include Darlene Dugan and Judy Bentley. Ms. Brown has been a member of the West Shore Symphony for 21 years, and is a substitute in the Grand Rapids Symphony. She has also performed in various Master Classes, including Julius Baker, Jeanne Baxtresser (principal flutes in New York Philharmonic), and Jeffrey Khaner (Cleveland principal).
Dwight Burch Tuba	email
Dwight (Monty) Burch joined the Grand Rapids Symphony as principal tuba in 1978. Prior to his appointment in Grand Rapids, he held similar positions with the Oak Park Symphony and the Elmhurst Symphony. Mr. Burch received his Bachelor's degree in music from North Texas State University and earned a Master's degree from the California State University at Fresno. His principal teachers include Roger Bobo of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Arnold Jacobs of the Chicago Symphony, with whom he has studied privately since 1973.
Elizabeth Colpean Harp	email
Elizabeth Colpean has been Principal Harpist in the Grand Rapids Symphony since 2000. She has participated in a number of international music festivals including the Pacific Music Festival, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Tanglewood Music Festival and the Seventh World Harp Congress in Prague, Czech Republic. Her principal teachers include Alice Chalifoux and Susan Dederich-Pejovich. Ms. Colpean holds degrees from Southern Methodist University and The Cleveland Institute of Music. In addition to her demanding orchestral schedule, she is a member of Duo Derazey, and Trio Neaveau, and is active in solo engagements.
Tim De Young Bassoon	email
Tim De Young teaches bassoon at Calvin College. Tim also teaches middle and high school band and orchestra in the Grand Rapids Public Schools, and has eight years of K-12 teaching experience, with five years as an instrumental music teacher in grades 6-12. Tim De Young received his Bachelor of Music, Instrumental Music Education from the University of Michigan.
Kathleen Gomez Oboe	email
Kathleen Gomez has been a member of the Grand Rapids Symphony since 1981. She teaches privately at Calvin College and Grand Rapids Community College. She received a BS in K-12 instrumental music education at the University of Wisconisn-LaCrosse and a MM in woodwind instruments from the University of MI-Ann Arbor. In addition to her work with the Grand Rapids Symphony, Ms. Gomez has performed in many orchestras including the Chicago Symphony.
Dr. Michael Hovnanian String Bass
Michael Hovnanian teaches Double Bass at Calvin College. He holds Masters of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in double bass performance from Michigan State University, where he studied under Jack Budrow, and received Bachelor degrees in both Music and Music Education from Central Michigan University. He has also studied with Steven Molina and Larry Hutchenson of the Detroit Symphony, and Robert Goodlett of the Indianapolis Symphony. In addition to being a member of the Grand Rapids Symphony, Michael Hovnanian has performed with numerous orchestras throughout Michigan, including the Detroit Symphony, and is also the associate principal bassist of the West Michigan (formerly West Shore) Symphony and a member of the Lansing Symphony.	email
Linda Hoisington Piano, Staff Accompanist	email
Linda Hoisington is the staff accompanist at Calvin College, where she also teaches private piano lessons. She holds a BM and MM from the University of Wisconsin, and previously taught at Wheaton College. Linda is an active collaborative pianist and teacher, accompanying the Bach Chorale and participating in publisher's recording sessions.
Trudi Huizenga Voice	email
Trudi Huizenga is an emerita teacher at Calvin College where she taught voice, theory and music history. She continues to teach voice at the college. She holds a masters degree in musicology from Ohio State University and a Ph.D. in music with an emphasis in voice from Michigan State University. She also is a certified McClosky Voice Technician and is interested in vocal rehabilitation. She has sung as a soloist with the Michigan State University Choral Union, the Calvin Orchestra and the Calvin Alumni Choir. Dr. Huizenga has sung numerous recitals and enjoys serving as soloist in local church services.
Karen Krummel Cello	email
Karen Krummel has been a full-time member of the Grand Rapids Symphony since 1989 and has taught cello at Calvin College since 1995. Her teachers included Samuel Mayes, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and Louis Potter, and she participated in summer festivals at Aspen, Banff, and Tanglewood. Besides her strong orchestral background, she is active as a chamber musician, and she has performed and premiered many contemporary works. Karen soloed with the Calvin Alumni Orchestra in 2000.
Eun Lee Accompanist
Eun Kyung Lee holds a BA and MA in piano performance from Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, Korea. She also completed a course from the Bartok Music Institute in Hungary. She has performed several distinguished recitals, including one at the nationally-renown Se-Jong Cultural Center and performances with the Choong-Nam Symphony Orchestra. Her teaching experience includes six years at Chun-Nam National University and Hoshin University. Currently, she serves as an accompanist for the Calvin College Music Department.
Norma Malefyt Piano, Organ	email
Norma de Waal Malefyt teaches piano and organ at Calvin College. A Calvin alumna, she has an AB in organ performance and education. Norma is a Resource Development Specialist for the Calvin Worship Institute, and she plays organ and directs the handbell choir at Hillcrest CRC in Hudsonville.
Dan Mattson Trombone	email
Dan Mattson teaches trombone at Calvin College. Dan is a graduate of Michigan State University, and received both a Masters in Trombone Performance and Wind Conducting from Michigan State in 1996. He has taught at Michigan State, Western Michigan University, Hope College, Cornerstone University and the University of Michigan-Flint. Dan Has also performed with the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, Western Brass Quintet, Alpenbrass, the Detroit Chamber Winds as well as numerous music festivals.
Betty Mustert Piano	email
Betty Mustert is a graduate of Calvin College and has been teaching piano at Calvin for over 20 years. She belongs to various musical organizations at the local, state, and national levels. These include St. Cecilia Music Society, Grand Rapids Piano Teachers Forum, Grand Rapids Musicians League, Michigan Music Teachers Association, Music Teachers National Association, and National Guild of Piano Teachers. In addition to teaching at Calvin, she has a private studio which includes children and adults.
Clinton Tolbert Gospel Choir Accompanist	email
Clinton Tolbert has been accompanying for the Gospel Choir since 2000. He also plays keyboards with the Bethel Pentecostal Church Choir in Grand Rapids and was the accompanist and Instrumental Director for the vocal group Voices of Grace. With this group he opened concerts for artists such as Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp, the Edwin Hawkins Singers, and Anointed. In addition to his musical talents, Clinton works as an Environmental Lab Technician for Smiths Aerospace in Grand Rapids.
Leslie Van Becker Viola	email
Leslie Van Becker has been principal viola of the Grand Rapids Symphony since 1978. She earned a bachelor of music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and master's in music from the Yale University School of Music. She attended the Conservatory with a four-year full tuition Rockefeller Grant and held a School of Music Assistantship at Yale. As a chamber musician, Ms. Van Becker has appeared with the New World String Quartet, Trio Nouveau, Ghandarva Piano Quartet and Lakeshore Chamber Players. She has appeared as a soloist with the Grand Rapids Symphony on its Casual Classics Series in 1987, 1989, 1995, and 2005 and was featured in Don Quixote on the Symphony's Grand Series in DeVos Hall. She participates each year as principal viola in the Cabrillo Music Festival in Santa Cruz, California, where she plays orchestra and chamber music exclusively from the 20th century. Ms. Van Becker has served on the faculty of Western Michigan University and maintains an active class of viola students. In addition she has been on the faculty at Grand Rapids Community College since 1997.
Lavonne VandenBerg Piano	email
Lavonne VandenBerg teaches piano at Calvin and also has a private piano studio. Ms. VandenBerg is a graduate of Calvin College and has been a full-time organist in Grand Rapids.
Jan Van Kooten Music Appreciation	email
Jan VanKooten is a life-long music educator (beginning as far back as sixth grade) who teaches Music Appreciation at Calvin. Having earned a BA in Music Education from Dordt College and a Master of Music from Arizona State University, she has taught privately and in elementary and secondary schools in Virginia, Texas, Colorado and Alaska, until arriving in MI in 2004. Jan enjoys serving the church as choir director, accompanist and worship service designer in addition to doing statistics and scoring for Calvin's women's athletic teams.
Gwen Varineau Accompanist	email
Gwen Varineau is an active pianist in the Grand Rapids area. She is a regular pianist at Sherman Street Christian Reformed Church and accompanies the clarinet studio at Calvin. Gwen studied at Detroit Bible College as an undergraduate and did graduate work in piano at Michigan State University.
John Varineau Clarinet, Music Theory	email
John Varineau teaches clarinet and music fundamentals at Calvin. John is the Associate Music Director of the Grand Rapids Symphony, conducts the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony, and he has also served as the Calvin College Orchestra conductor. John holds a BM from the University of Wyoming and MM from Yale University.
Larry Visser Organ	email
Dr. Larry Visser attended Calvin College where he earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in music history, theory, and composition. He pursued graduate studies at the University of Michigan School of Music where he holds the MM degree in organ and church music and the DMA degree in organ performance. Dr. Visser is currently Minister of Music and Organist at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. He is a member of the American Guild of Organists, has served on the board of the Grand Rapids Chapter of AGO, and is also a member of the Hymn Society in North America and Canada, and composes organ and choral music.
Lisa Walhout Voice	email
Lisa Walhout teaches voice at Calvin College. A Calvin alumna, she also did graduate work at the University of Maryland. Lisa was the interim director of Calvin's Lyric Singers, and she has performed as a soloist with Opera Grand Rapids, the Washington Bach Consort, and the Calvin Oratorio Society.
Jennifer Walvoord Violin	email
Jennifer Walvoord teaches violin at Calvin College. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Michigan. Ms. Walvoord has Masters degrees in both violin performance and chamber music from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor's degree in violin performance from Hope College. Her former teachers include Andrew Jennings, Mihai Craioveanu, Joan Conway, and Mansoon Han. In addition to her position as West Shore Symphony concertmaster, Jennifer is a member of the Flint Symphony Orchestra and plays regularly with the Grand Rapids Symphony. While at the University of Michigan, Jennifer was concertmaster of the University Symphony Orchestra, and performed electric violin on the Grammy Award-winning recording of William Bolcom's Songs of Innocence and Experience conducted by Leonard Slatkin.
Jason Werkema Jazz Guitar	email
Jason Werkema is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Music Division at Grace Bible College, Grand Rapids, MI. Previous to his current administrative/faculty position, he finished a Bachelors of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, MI and a Masters of Music degree in Jazz and Classical Guitar at Bowling Green State University, OH. He is currently nearing the completion of the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Higher Education Leadership through Western Michigan University. In addition, he serves on the music faculty at Grand Rapids Community College and Calvin College. Mr. Werkema is also founding member of the Grand Rapids Guitar Quartet (GRGQ).
Stephanie Wiltse Handbell Ensemble Director	email
Stephanie Wiltse has been director of the Calvin College Handbell Ensemble since the fall of 2001. She has also directed the Valenti Handbell Ensemble of Aquinas College since 1998. She currently directs adult handbell groups at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church and Trinity United Methodist Church. She is a founding member of the community group Embellish, and has been music director of the group since 1998. She has served as conductor for mass rings in Oakland, California; Kokomo, Indiana; and Cleveland, Ohio; and has taught handbell classes for the Calvin Symposium on Worship as well as at various area and national American Guild of English Handbell Ringers (AGEHR) events. Stephanie was recently elected to a six-year term on the National Board of Directors of the AGEHR. She is also a handbell soloist, a choral singer and a vocal soloist, and keeps a busy performance schedule throughout the greater Grand Rapids area.
Patricia Wunder Violin
Patricia Wunder teaches violin at Calvin College. Mrs. Wunder holds a B.M. and M.M. in Violin Performance as well a B.M. in Music Education from the University of Minnesota. Her principal teachers include Roland and Almita Vamos and Roger Frisch. She is currently active performing in worship settings and is an active music educator.