From teaching at Julliard and performing at Carnegie hall to the first woman to earn her DMA in Jazz at oldest Jazz institution in America- these new faculty members up
the musical ante at UofSC!
Quintus Wrighten
Assistant Director of Bands
Dr. Quintus F. Wrighten, Jr. will join the University of South Carolina School of Music faculty as the Assistant Director of Bands. He currently serves as the Director of Bands at Blythewood High School in Blythewood, South Carolina, where he coordinates the activities of the Concert Band, Wind Symphony, The Blue Legion Marching Band, and Winterguard. He has also previously served as the Associate Director of Bands at the University of Memphis, where he directed The Mighty Sound of the South Marching Band, conducted the Symphonic Band, and taught courses in undergraduate conducting and instrumental materials and methods. Wrighten’s public school teaching experience spans twelve years in middle and high schools of South Carolina, with his ensembles being recognized on regional and national levels for consistently outstanding performance.
Wrighten earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Band Conducting from the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis, studying with Kraig Alan Williams, Albert Nguyen, and Nicholas Holland. He earned a Master of Music Education with an emphasis in Wind Conducting from the University of Southern Mississippi, where he studied with Dr. Thomas V. Fraschillo. He earned the Bachelor of Music from the University of South Carolina.
Wrighten serves the Theta Chapter of Phi Beta Mu as the Vice-President, as well as the South Carolina Band Directors Association as an elected representative to the Concert Performance Assessment Committee. He holds membership in the National Band Association, American School Band Directors Association, Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, the National Association for Music Education, and the South Carolina Music Educators Association. Wrighten also holds honorary membership in Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Lauren Meccia
Instructor of Jazz Studies
Saxophonist and vocalist Lauren Meccia is currently director of jazz big bands at the University of South Carolina and UofSC
Aiken and instructor of saxophone at UofSC Aiken. She is the founder and director
of the CSRA (Central Savannah River Area) New Horizons Band for senior adults in Aiken,
SC and assistant director of the Congaree New Horizons Band in Columbia, SC.
Lauren earned a Bachelor of Music in Education with a Certificate in Saxophone Performance
and a Master of Music in saxophone performance from the University of South Carolina.
She has performed jazz and music festivals throughout the Southeast and across the
US.
Lauren presented a recital at the World Saxophone Congress in St. Andrews, Scotland
in 2012. She has performed twice at the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants)
Show in Anaheim, CA. She has been a featured soloist with several symphony orchestras
and concert bands throughout the US and has appeared in concert with the Glenn Miller
Orchestra, the Temptations, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, Jesse Colin Young, Chris
Potter, Kenny Barron, and Wycliffe Gordon.
Jeremy Polley
Coordinator and Instructor of Music Industry Studies
Mr. Polley has over twenty years’ experience in the music industry field. He has nearly ten years’ experience in musical instrument retail, working clients and vendors such as Peavey, Fender, and ESP. Prior to moving to South Carolina, Mr. Polley ran a successful teaching studio in Decatur, Illinois, growing enrollment to over fifty students. He was able to utilize his teaching experience and relationships with local educators and administrators to build partnerships with area middle and high schools, establishing after school guitar programs. Mr. Polley is a co-founder of the Summer Guitar Camps at Millikin University, which were the spiritual predecessors to the very successful Rock Band U programs currently in place.
Mr. Polley earned his Bachelor Degree in Commercial Music from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois before arriving at the University of South Carolina. While attending UofSC, Mr. Polley earned a Masters in Music in Music History and Performance - Guitar.
Matthew White
Associate Professor of Jazz Studies and Director of CSAM
Trumpeter, Composer, Educator, and Technologist Dr. Matthew White is a curious musician, often blurring the lines between musical styles and conventions. Before entering academia, he was a freelance and session musician in Nashville and Miami. He holds degrees from the University of North Florida and The University of Miami and has appeared on numerous albums, radio broadcasts, and television shows, performing and composing music for artists as varied as: Rihanna, Becca Stevens, The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, Oscar DeLeon, Duranice Pace, Charlie Peacock, the Czech Republic Arts Ministry, the Mavericks, and Jeff Coffin, in addition to various other artists, ensembles, symphonies, and big bands.
As a composer, Matt’s music has been described as “rhythmically brash and invigorating” by the Washington Post, with “a knack for sweeping, cinematic statements” by Downbeat Magazine. While rooted in the jazz tradition, his music often draws on non-musical inspiration, such as local culture, literature, scientific phenomenon, or personal experiences. Matt is a Bach Trumpet, Aston Microphones, and Patrick Mouthpiece performing artist. He has two new upcoming albums – Lowcountry (featuring the St. Helena Island Singers), and Dolly (a reimagining of early Dolly Parton music).
Hassan Anderson
Assistant Professor/Oboe and Coordinator of Teaching Artistry
Named the Yale School of Music 2019 Distinguished Teaching Artist of the Year, American oboist Hassan Anderson is a soloist, chamber musician, conductor, and teacher.
Noted for his clarity of tone, range of colors, and energetic stage presence, Anderson was the oboist of the acclaimed innovative New York-based chamber music ensemble SHUFFLE Concert (Ensemble Mélange), a position he has held from 2011-2018. With the ensemble, Anderson toured Israel three times, performed on series throughout the US and Canada.
A popular collaborator, amongst his numerous guest appearances with distinguished ensembles, are performances with the New York Philharmonic, American Ballet Theater, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, East Coast Contemporary Ensemble (ecce), and The Harlem Chamber Players.
Anderson was recently named Co-Artistic Director of The East Coast Contemporary Ensemble (ecce) and Director of Educational Programming for the Harlem Chamber Players. Hassan previously served on the faculty of the renowned Juilliard School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, The Harlem School of the Arts and is the founding Director of Music at Wetherby-Pembridge School (NYC).
Colleen Clark
Assistant Professor of Jazz
Drummer, composer, educator and bandleader, Colleen Clark is the first drummer and woman to earn a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Jazz Performance at the world-renowned University of North Texas, the oldest jazz institution in America.
As a player, Clark has been described as "someone to watch" and "someone who will be turning heads in jazz for years to come." Clark was invited by the ASCAP Foundation to lead her band, the Colleen Clark Collective, at the Kennedy Center. Dr. Clark has performed in prominent NYC venues including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland and the 55 Bar. Her debut album, consisting entirely of her original music, Introducing Colleen Clark, was produced by Gordon Stout and engineered by ten-time Grammy Award nominee/winner, Brian Dozoretz. Clark proudly joined the Sisters in Jazz Collegiate Combo on their premiere performance at the Jazz Education Network in 2019.
Michelle Haché
Instructor of Musical Theatre
Kurdish-American soprano Michelle Moslemi Haché has been an award-winning vocal instructor for over 16 years, specializing in crossover, contemporary musical theatre, and classical voice. Haché is a reviewer for The Austin Chronicle and Broadway World, as well as a national adjudicator for the NATS and Hal Leonard Vocal Competitions. Studio members continue to earn placement in leading conservatories and young artist programs, top placement in national vocal competitions, and casting in Broadway productions and tours.
Michelle holds a Graduate Diploma in Voice from The Juilliard School, an MM in Musical Theatre from Oklahoma City University, and a BFA in Musical Theatre from Jacksonville University.
Haché is currently the Artistic Director of Gilbert & Sullivan Austin, ASMC Austin, and she served as Director of Opera and Musical Theatre and Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, and as a Lecturer of Applied Voice at Texas State University. Haché received seven B. Iden Payne award nominations for both performance and directing, winning in 2010 and 2013 for leading roles, and again in 2016 for Best Director of a Musical Production. Haché’s full lyric soprano voice can be heard on recordings featuring Broadway, classical and classical fusion. Ms. Haché regularly offers lectures in crossover pedagogy and musical theatre industry trends at regional and national conferences, and she is currently an active member of The Juilliard Teacher Directory, The National Association of Teachers of Singing, OPERA America, and The American Alliance for Theatre and Education.
Omar Roy
Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy
In demand as a clinician, Roy frequently presents workshops and guest lectures to music teacher organizations and universities and is a regular adjudicator for festivals and competitions. His involvement with organizations such as the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) have led to leadership positions including President of the Collegiate MTNA Chapter at the University of Oklahoma (2017-2018), and Chair of Advertising for the Alabama Music Teachers Association (2020-2021). While Dr. Roy is dedicated to teaching at both the college and pre-college levels, he also remains a committed and passionate performer, presenting both traditional and lecture performances.
Dr. Roy earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma where he studied Piano with Jeongwon Ham and Edward Gates, and Pedagogy with Jane Magrath and Barbara Fast. His research interests include practice efficiency, teaching strategies for students with special needs, sequenced repertoire assignment, and pedagogical applications of musical semiotics. Dr. Roy’s other teachers include Jerry Wong, Shirley Yoo, and Nathan Hess. Previous faculty appointments include the University of Alabama and Oklahoma City University.