The MHC Jazz ensembles sport a variety of talented students of different majors, minors, instruments, and experiences. The table below shows our board members. Also, so that parents, fans, friends, and prospective musicians get to know what kind of students play with us, every semester I request members of JEMHC to send a little bio and optional picture about themselves. Thank you to those of you who volunteered to do that! To see their profiles and pictures, click here or scroll down.

Board Members

  • Becky Nowak '08 -- Big Band & Chamber Jazz Coordinator
  • Anindita Dasgupta '08 -- Vocal Jazz Coordinator
  • Melina Marini '08 -- Secretary of Jazz Ensembles
  • Courtney Duhring '09 -- Treasurere of Jazz Ensembles
  • Mercedes Drazewski'09 -- Librarian of Big Band (fall semester)
  • Rose Smith '09 -- Librarian of Big Band (spring semester)
  • Laura Fernandez -- Fundraising Chair
  • Mariah Whitbread-Hardman '08 -- Librarian of Vocal Jazz
  • Jeremy Spiewak '08 (UMass) -- Equipment Chair
  • Katie Mazzerina-Schwartz '09 -- Publicity Chair
  • Eve Crusto '08 and Rebecca Ernst -- Social and Recruitment Co-Chairs
  • Jacoba Anna-Bol '08 -- Historian
  • Becky Nowak '08 -- Webmistress

 

Katie Brown '09 Katie Brown '09 has been singing with Vocal Jazz since the spring of 2008, and she wishes she had joined sooner! A Critical Social Thought major and African Studies minor, she enjoys West African drumming, taking photographs of everything that moves (and everything that doesn't), and playing her ukulele to her turtles Duke and Ella, who both have impeccable taste in music.
Eve Crusto '08 Eve Crusto '08 has been singing in Vocal Jazz since her first semester at Mount Holyoke and has loved every semester of it since. She is planning on majoring in English and African American Studies. Theatre and dance are also among her passions, but jazz will always hold a special place in her heart!
Anindita "Dita" Dasgupta '08 has been happily singing with vocal jazz since her first year. Since then, jazz has been one of the most enjoyable parts of her time at Mount Holyoke. She is double majoring in English and Biology and while she doesn't know what she wants to do after college, she hopes to keep jazz in her life.
Courtney Duhring Courtney Duhring '09 joined the world of MHC Jazz in the Spring of 2006. She sings Soprano I with Vocal Jazz, and is also a member of the Glee Club and Chamber Singers. She is planning on double majoring in English and Art History. She loves the inspiring spirit that Jazz infuses into her life and is thankful to be a part of such a wonderful and talented group of musicians!
Laura Fernandez '08 Laura E. Fernandez '08 has been singing Soprano 1 with Vocal Jazz since her sophomore year (Fall 2005). She is a Chemistry major and Mathematics minor and hopes to teach chemistry/math at some point, but music will always be a passion of hers.
Melina Marini '08 Melina Marini '08 has been singing Soprano 1 with Vocal Jazz since Fall of 2004. She is a Music Education Major and loves to perform! She is also a member of the Glee Club, Chamber Singers and Diversions A Capella. She first started her affair with jazz music at Mount Holyoke. She hopes to continue her love of jazz music as well as opera for as long as possible.
Rebecca Nowak Rebecca "Becky" R. Nowak '08 has played with the Big Band since Spring of 2005 and Chamber Jazz since Spring of 2006. She plays alto saxophone and trombone for MHC Jazz, and she has served on the Jazz Board both as Webmistress since Fall 2006 and is now as Coordinator of Big Band and Chamber Jazz for the 2007-2008 academic year. She majors in Psychology and minors in Music, and has a special interest for foreign language and travel, after having returned from a semester abroad in Freiburg, Germany last Spring.
Jeremy KW Spiewak Jeremy KW Spiewak has played Jazz Trumpet in MHC Jazz since the Fall of '04. He lives for jazz improvisation and plays along to heavy metal music for practice. His favorite type of jazz is blues, and of course, fonk. He will be playing with MHC Jazz Ensembles officially until May '09.
Chelsea Taxman Chelsea Taxman I am a second year student (almost Division II) at Hampshire College. I sing Alto I in the MHC Vocal Jazz Ensemble. My focus of study has narrowed down to Alternative Healing and Education. Specifically, I am studying music therapy and massage therapy now. I am also a solo singer/songwriter.
Abbey Wells Abbey Wells '09 plays alto saxophone in MHC Jazz, going on three years, now. An Anthropology Major and Film Studies Minor, she is also on the Varsity Crew team and in College Democrats.

 

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Site maintained by Rebecca R. Nowak
Last Updated May 5, 2008