Dr. Joseph Downing is a member of the composition and theory faculty, but most students will know him as "the ear training guy."  He stresses basic musicianship skills that give students the flexibility to be successful in today's changing world and demonstrates those skills himself.  In Syracuse, he has done such diverse things as conduct an unfamiliar opera for Syracuse Opera with five days notice, perform with the former Syracuse Symphony on piano, harpsichord, organ and celeste, and sing as a section leader at the Episcopal Cathedral.  This semester he will take on new responsibilities as Chorus Master for Syracuse Opera's performance of Porgy and Bess.  Dr. Downing also continues as Music Director at Plymouth Congregational Church in downtown Syracuse where he leads the choir, plays the organ and works with five student interns from the Setnor School of Music in a varied program that includes jazz, popular music, ethnic music, and classical music.

Violinist Carolyn Goldstein BM '16 (Performance) is also pursuing a major in Music History and Cultures. She is very grateful for the opportunity to study abroad and for the support of the faculty and her peers at Setnor. She is spending the semester in France with Setnor's Strasbourg program where she takes classes at the SU Center and the Conservatoire de Strasbourg. This past semester her string quartet had the opportunity to play in a master class for the Villiers Quartet of London, which was a thrilling experience for her since her career goal is to be a member of a traveling string quartet. She hopes to intern at a luthier shop for her Capstone Project in the Renée Crown Honors Program. She has been accepted at two internationally prestigious summer chamber music festivals for 2014: one in Europe and one in the USA. She looks forward to making chamber music this summer and returning to Setnor in the fall.