FEBRUARY 2014
If you would like to submit up to date bios or pictures, or if you have never submitted information, please forward your material to Ron
Mangum at magnumforce89@gmail.com or Russ Link at rclbuffalo@msn.com. This letter is a great way to keep everyone informed about
what’s happening in our lives; please help us to keep it going.
HERE’S THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT OUR ALUMNI:
ALEXIS SPIGHT (2011) and award-winning Gospel star, songwriter,
producer and nationally-syndicated radio host James Fortune will release
the first live album from FORTUNE & FIYA, Live Through It February 25.
The new album features 20 tracks with guest appearances from Tasha Cobbs,
Zacardi Cortez, Israel Houghton, Isaac Carree, and DaT.R.U.T.H.
www.jamesfortunemusic.com/.
MIKE HANSEN (2006) is the drummer in the band PENTIMENTO. They will perform at Bottom of the Hill, www.bottomofthehill.com/index.html
February 1 at 7:30PM: www.pentimentony.com/.
CHADDY BOOM (2004) is the featured Band of the Month artist in the January issue of Slackertown
magazine, www.slackertown.com/bandofthemonth.php?id=21. She will perform at the Daytona
Music Festival, http://ssa.cc/daysch14.html on February 8 and Delandapalooza on April 12:
www.ssa.cc/delandapalooza.html
JAMES BRANDON LEWIS’ (2001) latest CD, Divine Travels, will be available February 4:
www.jblewis.com/live/.
Help Music Teacher PAUL M. SIEKIERSKI (1999) acquire musical instruments for his students. For more information and to donate, go to:
http://www.donorschoose.org/project/groovin-on-the-guitar/1113226/ .
JENNIFER CIOCCA (1995) is the lead singer in WHISPER IN DISTORTION. She also plays keyboard for THE INDUSTRY OF LIFE DIVINE.
TILD's next performance will be at the Town Ballroom’s (681 Main Street, Buffalo) Continental Reunion, April 26 at 8PM. For tickets and
information, call (716) 852-3900.
PHIL DAVIS attended BAVPA from 5th grade to 8th grade (1993-1997) and is the Founder and CEO of Alemaedae Theater. He’s employed
by the Buffalo Board of Education as a Substitute Teacher and is a Math Tutor at Canisius College Academic Talent Search. Xavier Films,
in conjunction with Alemaedae, will present a screening of the documentary Together We Stand: The Story of the 1958 UB Bulls Football
Team, February 18, at the Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre, 639 Main Street, Buffalo, at 7PM. For tickets, go to www.atpgalaxy.com/:
LA SHAWN BANKS (1994) appeared in the NBC-TV police drama Chicago P.D. pilot
episode, Stepping Stone, www.nbc.com/chicago-pd/ . He’s performed at several
regional theatres: The Wheel at Steppenwolf, Chicago; Richard III, American Players
Theatre, Spring Green, WI; and The Comedy of Errors at Summer Shakespeare at Notre
Dame, South Bend, IN.
JULIAN MONTAGUE (1991), Burchfield Penney Art Center, and several artists are creating an
art work barge. Once completed, the barge and it works will be on exhibit for and travel
the Erie Canal’s route to NYC, Summer, 2014. Here’s an Artvoice article about the project:
http://artvoice.com/issues/v13n1/art_scene .
JON CESAR (1989), STEPHEN MCKINLEY HENDERSON and DEJA STEVENS
(2013) are starring in the motion picture drama, The Romans. PHIL DAVIS
(attended BAVPA from 5th grade to 8th grade (1993-1997) was the casting
director and JENNIFER CIOCCA (1995) appeared in the film. The movie will
be screened at the 2014 San Diego Black Film Festival February 1 at
2:30PM: www.sdbff.com/2014Trailers/theromans.html:www.sdbff.com/index.html.
KRISTEN CRAGE (1988) is a Djembe drummer of African Ivory Coast rhythms, for West African
Dance classes at Alvin Ailey’s dance school in NYC, www.alvinailey.org/, and a member of
Kotchegna,Ivory Coast Dance and Drum Company: www.kotchegna.com.
ROBERT PATERSON (1988) will have his composition, Star Crossing, for flute, clarinet, percussion and piano, performed by VOICES OF
CHANGE February 2 at SMU’s Caruth Auditorium in Dallas, TX at 2:30PM: http://robertpaterson.com/. He has received a commission for a
new work for wind ensemble, entitled Firecracker Alley, inspired by his childhood in Buffalo: http://robertpaterson.com/firecracker-alley. He
is also working on an album release entitled Winter Songs, the title track inspired by living in Upstate NY: http://amzn.com/B00FDX26W4Br.
Performances of Dark Mountains with the Austin Symphony are scheduled for May, 2014: http://www.robertpaterson.com.
JESSE L. MARTIN (1987) will perform in the New York Live Arts stage
reading, James Baldwin, This Time! The special event honoring the novelist,
essayist, playwright and social critic will be held April 23-April 27. For tickets,
www.newyorklivearts.org/#/home. He was featured in the documentary film.
Long Live TOY: Defending Children’s Theatre in the Nickel City. Buffalo Spree
article, http://digital.buffalospree.com/buffalospree/january_2014?pg=46#pg46.
The film is slated to be shown on Time Warner this month (date,TBD). He’s also
starring in the mystery film Nebraska Horizon, now in pre-production. Jesse will
also co-star as Detective Westin the pilot episode of DC Comics and the CW
Network's The Flash: www.tvguide.com/news/flash-jesse-martin-1076422.aspx .
ANI DIFRANCO (1986) will perform at Wendy Williamson Theatre, 3211
Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK February 17. For tickets call 907-263-ARTS
or www.righteousbabe.com/.
The JOSEPH MICHAEL MAHFOUD (1985) BAND, featuring Russell Clark,
Hugh Arthur and Dan Sturner, is performing at GFY, 1866 Colvin Boulevard,
Tonawanda, every Tuesday from 7PM-10PM. He’s also coordinating an April
13-20 CD release promotional tour in Barbados:
www.josephmichaelmahfoud.com/.
TIM BOOKHAGEN (1982) is starring in the Towne Players’ production Mornings at Seven, opening February 28 and running through
March 8:www.towneplayers.com/#.
LUCKY PETERSON attended BAVPA from 1978 to 1979. He and his wife,
Tamara, will perform at Blues On Whyte in Edmonton, AB, Canada, March 3:
www.bluesonwhyte.ca/PlayingattheClub.aspx .
ROCCO DIPIETRO (BAVPA Composer in Residence, 1980-1982) will perform a recitation of texts from Rajas for John Cage with the SEM
Ensemble (under the direction of Petr Kotik), a long time Buffalo Creative Associate, February 12 in NYC. On May 21, he will perform at the
Stanford University Computer Music Center a colloquium of his new work Lilith Aria for chamber ensemble, and on May 23, a concert at
Stanford’s CCRMA, featuring his new work, The New Laughter, with live electronics and acoustic sounds.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED
BAVPA 6th Grader and Music Major RAHIM DUNSTON, who recently made his stage debut in the BAVPA musical Willie Wonka Jr. as
Charlie Bucket, recited the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech at the Buffalo Common Council's meeting held January 28.
BAVPA and BPS students had their architectural works at the Architecture + Education Exhibit at CEPA Gallery, January 10-January 24.
Here's a Buffalo Rising and WBFO-88.7 FM article about the event: http://buffalorising.com/2014/01/architecture-education-exhibit-opening/
and http://news.wbfo.org/post/city-students-get-hands-lessons-architecture.
ALEXIS SPIGHT (2011) was nominated for 2 Stellar Music Awards in the categories New Artist of the Year and Contemporary Female
Vocalist of the Year. The awards’ ceremony was held January 18 in Nashville ,TE: http://thestellarawards.com/. She also attended The
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) annual Morning Glory Stellar Awards breakfast reception January 21 at
the Hutton Hotel in Nashville. The breakfast honored Grammy Award-winning artist Edwin Hawkins with the Gospel Icon Award, Tye
Tribbett and Warryn Campbell with the newly-established Spirit of Song Award, as well as recognized other 2014 Stellar Awards nominees.
Junior SUNY Purchase College Film student Director KAMERON D. WOOD (2011) directed his thesis documentary, I Am Human: The
Journey of the Invisible.
Air Force Reserve Airman ANTHONY C. MCDUFFIE (2004) graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San
Antonio.
TILKE HILL (1996) starred in the lead role of the history based vampire horror film, Elizabeth Bathory: www.elizabethbathorymovie.com/ .
BRADON P. MCDONALD (1993), formerly a dancer with the Mark Morris Dance Company, is
a fashion designer and was a finalist on Lifetime Channel's Project Runway. Here’s a
Watertown Daily Times article about his visit to Double Play Sports Community Center in
Loweville, NY: www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20131230/NEWS04/712309969.
VICTORIA PEREZ (1996) directed and starred in the Raices Theatre Company's Voces Latinas Series’s stage reading of The House of Ramon
Iglesia, January 26: http://raicestheatrecompany.com/ .
SCOTT “GUS” POITRAS (1992) was with the pre-production staff of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, running on Broadway at the
Sondheim Theatre: http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/theater-review-beautiful-the-carole-king-musical-3-5-stars-1.6783561:
http://www.beautifulonbroadway.com/.
JON CESAR (1989) is the host at Helium Comedy Club where Aries Spears was guest comedian January 23-25: www.heliumcomedy.com/ .
TERESA PULVIRENTI-MISSEL (1986) has been RN for Hospice Buffalo since 2005. She’s also a case manager and works in people’s
homes. She loves her jobs and finds them the most rewarding in the world.
CAITLIN COLEMAN (1984) starred in the BUA stage reading of Psycho Beach Party, January 26: http://www.buffalobua.org/on_stage.html .
KELLY BEUTH starred in the Brazened Faced Varlet’ workshop production, Good Sentences and Well Pronounced. The show was
performed at Hallwalls, January 26: http://varlets.org/Beginnings_2.html .
PETE GALLIVAN (1983) is a WGRZ-TV Channel 2 News reporter, fill-in anchor and
sports team reporter. He was at the Catwalk for Charity fundraiser at theTowne
Ballroom, Buffalo, December 15, with Buffalo Sabres and USA Olympian Goalie,
Ryan Miller.
KELLY M. BEUTH, VICTORIA PEREZ (1996), LISA VITRANO (1988 , JESSE L. MARTIN (1987) , CAITLIN COLEMAN (1984), BRANDON
WILLIAMSON, JOSIE DIVINCENZO, SAUL ELKIN, LORNA C. HILL and FORTUNATO PEZZIMENTI were featured in an Artvoice story
highlighting the 2013 Buffalo theatre season: http://artvoice.com/issues/v13n2/theaterweek .
Concerned Citizens Following The Dream presented the 34th annual Martin Luther King Celebration Program. There were performances by
the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, African American Cultural Center, Hutchinson Technical High School
Band (under the direction of BENJAMIN BOYAR) and Miss Barbara's School of Dance. The theme of the program was The Man, the Dream,
the Legacy. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown delivered the keynote speech: http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/buffalo/buffalonians-singthe-praises-of-dr-king-20140119 .
FACULTY, STAFF & FRIENDS
Composer, Educator and Interdisciplinary Artist ROCCO DIPIETRO’s life revolves around music. He is a composer and educator in the field,
serving as an adjunct professor in the Humanities and Music Department at Columbus State Community College. However, to say he was
simply a professor might be selling his commitment a bit short. Rocco has worked at Columbus State for 15 years and recently received
a certificate for 50 quarters of service. In 2006, Rocco received a grant from Columbus State to take music students to Stanford University’s
Sophomore College, giving them the opportunity to perform with world renowned composers, such as Pauline Oliveros. “It was a great
experience for our students and the Stanford students,” Rocco said. “The Stanford students were amazed with our students’ ability to hold
jobs while they still pursued their dreams by going to school at the same time.”Rocco was an ASCAP Fellow to the Berkshire Music Center
in Tanglewood, MA, and is involved with musical associations at Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY; MacDowell Colony, Peterboro, NH;
Headlands Center, San Francisco; and Ferienkurse fur Neue Musik, Darmstadt, Germany. Currently, Rocco is a guest lecturer and composer
in residence at Ohio State University New Music Collective and a SICA Artist in Residence and guest faculty member at Stanford University.
He began his work in Ohio by teaching in prisons where he later became a habilitationist, collecting life stories of incarcerated students.
Using the stories he collected, Rocco wrote a book, The Normal Exception-Life Stories from Prison. Rocco earned his bachelor’s degree
from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a masters from Vermont College.
SAUL ELKIN is an actor, director and founder of Shakespeare in Delaware Park and the Jewish Repertory Theatre. He directed the play Dai
(Enough), starring JOSIE DIVINCENZO, opening February 6 and running through March 2 at the JRT. For tickets and show times, go to
http://jewishrepertorytheatre.com/dai-enough/.
LORNA C. HILL is a full-time Theatre and Musical Theatre teacher at BAVPA. She’s also the Founder and Artistic Director of Ujima Theatre.
She, along with The Buffalo Public Theatre will present The Trojan Women, starring Lorna as Hecuba. The play opens March 27 and running
through April 20. For tickets, show times and more information, go to http://ujimatheatre.org/ .
SANDRA LEE HITCHCOCK (FOLEY) was a parent volunteer in many BAVPA productions during the 1980's as a costumer. She is the creator
of the new BAVPA Beacon newsletter header. Sandra designs graphics and websites; for more information, go to:
www.warandra-productions.com/Website_Hosting_and_Design.html .
JON LEHRER is a choreographer and founder of LehrerDance. The company will perform Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL
February 1 at 7:30PM: http://www.lehrerdance.org/jon-lehrer/ .
RUSSELL LINK and RON MANGUM (1988) are performing in the drama movie The David Dance. The film
will be screened at the 24th Annual Cinequest Film Festival, www.cinequest.org/, March 4-16 inSan
Jose, CA: www.thedaviddance.com/
FRANK SCINTA will be a guest speaker at the Opera Buffs of Western New York’s Lecture Series. The lecture LA BOHEME with Frank
Scinta: A Scinta Puccini Fest, Part Two will be held March 22, 2014 at Buffalo State College Rockwell Hall, Room 124 at 10:30AM. There
will be free parking, refreshments and a talkback session.
UPCOMING BAVPA EVENTS AND HIGH SCHOOL REUNION NEWS
BAVPA Black History Presentation & Art Show
February 13, 2014 at 7PM
BAVPA Side by Side Concert with the BPO
April 30, 2014 at 7:00 PM
For tickets and more information, www.bpo.org
VELMA J. COTTON (1987) is planning a BAVPA Class of 1987 reunion for August, 2014, and she’s looking for volunteers. Please contact her
at cottonvelma@gmail if you’re interested in being a committee board member.
Call (716) 816-4220 or go to http://www.buffaloschools.org/Visual_PerformingArts.cfm for information regarding any of the above events. If
you would like to unsubscribe the BAVPA newsletter, please contact Ron Mangum or Russell Link at the emails in the opening paragraph
above.
The mission of the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts Foundation (BAVPA Foundation) is to enhance and to enrich student
learning opportunities by providing additional financial support to the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts High School (“Arts
Academy”). Its singular goal is to facilitate the successful transition of Arts Academy students from high school to college. The BAVPA
Foundation Board of Directors meets regularly to plan and to implement programs designed to realize this goal. BAVPA Foundation is a 501©
3 not-for-profit organization incorporated in February 2010 and it solicits contributions from the public, individuals, alumni and the business
community to fund programs at the Arts Academy. These student academic opportunities and expanding performance opportunities for
artistically gifted students are designed to give students better opportunities to pursue their music and art studies in college. For further
information about the BAVPA Foundation, please e-mail questions or comments to info@bavpa.org. The official link to the foundation is
http://bavpa.org/. The BAVPA Foundation is creating a home address mailing list for BAVPA alumni. Please email your home addresses to
KATE SULLIVAN at info@bavpa.org. They are trying to expand their database to inform more people about their accomplishments and
upcoming events.
BAVPA ALUMNI & EDUCATORS
STEVE APPLER
1981
Visual Art Teacher, Amherst High School
KAREN TOMZAK
1981
Program Director of Dance at Western Carolina
University, Cullowhee, North Carolina
DEBORAH LIPA-CIOTTA
1982
Tapestry Charter School, K-4 Dance Teacher
CAITLIN BAUMLER-COLEMAN
1984
Tapestry Charter School, K-8, Grade ½ Teacher
OMAR CARTER
1984
Arts Teacher, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TRACEY HOLT COFIELD
1984
Principal, Tapestry Charter School, Buffalo
DONNA KERR
1984
City Honors Music, Buffalo
ARTHUR PERRY
1984
JOSEPH MICHAEL MAHFOUD
1985
Crossing Guard and Volunteer Librarian Aid at
Clear Creek Elementary School, Kileen/Temple,
Texas
Tapestry Charter High School, Music Teacher
GEORGE DAVIS
1986
BAVPA Arts Vocal and Music Teacher
JAY INGERSON
1987
BAVPA Arts Theater
ROMONA THOMAS-REYNOLDS
1987
Principal, Martin Luther King, School #39
JODY COVINGTON
1988
BAVPA Principal
MARC RUMMENIE
1988
The Gow School, South Wales, New York
ORNIECE HILL
1990
Assistant Principal, South Park High School, Buffalo
SEAN CLEMENTS
1992
Bronx, New York
DAVID PATERSON
1992
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, P.S. #22,
Queens, New York
MATTHEW HURLEY
1994
5th Grade Teacher, Raleigh, North Carolina
JESSE MANK
1994
Tapestry Charter High School, English Teacher
PATRICIA ENFIELD
1996
Elementary Education
TAMMY GAGOLA
1996
Elementary Education
NICOLE JONES
1996
BAVPA Dance
ERNEST KEEN
1996
Physical Education, Rochester
LISA SANTIAGO
1996
Vocal Music
LUCY ALTIERI
1997
Visual Arts
MICHEL DEVANS
1997
Tapestry Charter School, Buffalo
TANDY GREEN
1997
Elementary Education
MINDY LUCAS
1998
PAUL M. SIEKIERSKI
1999
Music
MARIA INTORRE
2000
Elementary Charter School
DENNIS YACOBUCCI
2001
Brooklyn Special Education
CHRISTOPHER RUDROFF
2002
Music