River Tree Center for the Arts
Chappell School of Music Faculty

Rachael Barter, flute: Ms. Kugler holds a B.M. in Music Education from the University of Southern Maine , studying with Jean Rosenblum on flute. She has performed with the Strathclyde University Orchestra in Glasgow , Scotland . She has also studied with Chris Norman and Cathal McConnell at the Boxwood Festival in Nova Scotia , studying traditional wooden, Cape Breton style and Baroque flute. She currently is a freelance soloist and participates in the Casco Bay Concert Band.

Darrell Blackwell, classical guitarist: Mr. Blackwell has studied guitar for 31 years and has been a liturgical guitarist for 30 years. Darrell has studied jazz for three years and classical guitar for 14 years. Darrell has taught basic and classical guitar for six years. Presently, he plays in an ensemble at St. Martha’s Church in Kennebunk. He is currently studying classical guitar with Nathan Kolosko of the Portland Conservatory of Music.

Amanda Day, voice and piano: Ms. Day has been on the faculty of River Tree Center for the Arts since 2001. She was the Director of Music at Catherine McAuley High School from 2000-2002 and has taught at Fiddlehead Center for the Arts in Gray/New Gloucester and currently maintains a studio at Starbird Music in Portland . Amanda has received a Bachelor of Music, with a major in voice performance, from the University of Southern Maine in 2000. Her prior musical studies were at Ithaca College in New York . Amanda is currently a graduate student majoring in vocal performance at USM, where she studies with Margaret Yauger. Other voice teachers have included Ellen Chickering (USM) and Sharon Daniels (BU). Ms. Day’s voice students are leading singers in the District, Allstate, and New England festivals, principal and supporting singers in school and community musicals, and have been accepted in numerous summer vocal programs throughout the northeast. As a performer, Amanda has performed in concert with the Maine Grand Opera, with Port Opera and in various leading roles in professional and community theater productions.

Sherwin Day, piano: Mr. Day has played, composed and taught piano for most of his life. His works have been performed locally and at Wesleyan University in Connecticut . He began his studies under the tutelage of Lisbet Hoffmann Koehler, a German émigré and concert pianist. He continued his education at Columbia University , where he studied harmony, counterpoint and composition, and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1951. Sherwin has to his credit close to 70 compositions. He has served as organist at several churches in the area and is now organist and accompanist at the Congregational Church in Wells. 

Tommy Dee, acoustic, electric and bass guitar: studied classic guitar at Hartt School of music with Allan Spriestersbach & Jeff Noonan. Performs throughout New England at many venues most recently at the Magic Hat Blues festival. Tommy has been teaching since 1986.

Richard Dubois, flute, clarinet, saxophone: A music teacher for 35 years, Mr. DuBois has studied at Gorham State Teacher’s College in Maine, the University of New Hampshire, and graduated from the U.S. Navy School of Music. In addition to teaching at River Tree, he is an active professional musician having performed with the Portland Symphony Orchestra. He currently plays piano with the Good Memories Big Band and plays flute in a newly-formed woodwind quintet. When not teaching or performing, Mr. DuBois repairs wind instruments and introduces woodwind instruments to beginning students in schools throughout New England.

Keith Fletcher has been playing and teaching fiddle for more than thirty years and knows traditional fiddle including Appalachian, Irish, Bluegrass, Swing, New England and Quebec styles. He has performed in venues including television, radio, The Kennedy Center, National Theatre, and the Source Theatre in Washington, D.C; the Wisconsin State Fair and Wisconsin Butter Festival; the Deer Creek Fiddlers Convention; the Washington, D.C. Folk Festival; and smaller venues too numerous to mention (or remember).

Barbara Fraser, piano: Ms. Fraser is an arts/education consultant full time, blending her careers as a musician, educator and trainer, specializing in private piano instruction, music movement classes, and training educators to use the arts to develop literacy, self esteem and communication skills. Barbara has extensive teaching and directing experience in early childhood education. She has sixteen years school classical training on piano, vocals and bassoon. She has developed and performed original jazz material on keyboards and vocals in theater productions, jazz bands and at her own arts’ studio in Albany , NY . She has also performed professionally with an acappella choir in Schenectady , NY . Barbara introduces both classical and jazz concepts to beginning students, age four to adult.

Mary Kennedy , flute, piano, piccolo, saxophone and voice: Ms. Kennedy is a graduate of Colby College and the Hartt School of Music. She also attended the New England Conservatory in Boston . She performs with the Edith Jones Project, Banish Misfortune, and occasionally with the Tim Janis Ensemble. Mary is also a minister of music and a counselor.

Kathleen McNerney, oboe:  Kathleen graduated from the Hartt School of Music in Hartford , CT , with a Bachelor of Music Performance and later went on to receive a Master of Music Performance from the University of Southern California . Kathleen was a Professor of Oboe at Azusa Pacific University , La Sierra University and Glendale Community College . For nineteen years Kathleen was an active freelance performer in the Los Angeles area. She still holds contract positions with the Riverside County Philharmonic and the Chamber Orchestra of Saint Matthew’s, with whom she will premiere a new work for Oboe D’Amore in April. Kathleen is excited to be a new faculty member of River Tree.

Michael Walsh, drums:  Mr. Walsh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the University of New Hampshire . A student of the drums for over 18 years, he has studied privately with Portland Symphony Orchestra principal percussionist Nancy Smith, as well as accomplished jazz drummers Les Harris, Jr. and Bob Gullotti. He has worked in a variety of musical genres with such diverse groups as the Seacoast Big Band, Mango Groove Steel Drum Band and the Friday Night Haircuts among others. Mike has a full schedule as a private drum set instructor, free-lance performer and a studio session drummer. He can be seen performing regularly with the Amorphous Band and his own group, Analog Method.  

Don Wessels, bass and chromatic harmonica:  Mr. Wessels studied music at Pennsylvania State University and has performed jazz, country, blues and Irish traditional music at venues across the Northeast. A former guitar instructor, he also gathered licensing information for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers during the 1980’s. Since 1992, Mr. Wessels has studied chromatic harmonica and has one recording of Scottish and Irish jigs and reels titled "On Orkney" to his credit.