Faculty and Staff List
Adjunct Faculty, AURAL SKILLS and Graduate Theory Review, Dewberry School of Music, CVPA
Dr. Kathleen Smith began teaching at George Mason in 2011. She received her masters and doctoral degrees in Music Theory from Florida State University where she was honored with a university-wide Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award. She has served on the faculty of George Washington University, Northern Virginia Community College at Alexandria, and Shenandoah Conservatory.
Adjunct Applied Faculty, OBOE, Dewberry School of Music, CVPA
Originally from Newark, Delaware, Prof. Emily Snyder joined The United States Air Force Band in Washington, DC in 2013 and was appointed as Adjunct Oboe Faculty at George Mason University in 2019.
Adjunct Applied Faculty & Co-Coordinator, PERCUSSION, Dewberry School of Music, CVPA
In the Fall of 2010 John Spirtas joined the faculty of the School of Music as Adjunct Professor in Percussion. Prof. Spirtas joined the Washington National Opera Orchestra and Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra in 2000 as Principal Percussionist.
Adjunct Faculty, JAZZ BASS, Dewberry School of Music, CVPA
Jazz bassist Ben Thomas hails from Connecticut and currently resides in Washington D.C. He has performed with Melissa Aldana, Ted Nash, Sean Jones, Bob Brookmeyer, Tony Malaby, Till Brönner, Ari Honeig, The New York Ballet, and Ryan Truesdell in notable venues including The Kennedy Center, The White House, The Midwest Clinic, The Jazz Education Network, Umbria Jazz Festival, Smalls, and Birdland.
Adjunct Faculty, CLASSICAL GUITAR and Guitar Ensemble, Dewberry School of Music, CVPA
Matt Trkula is a Northern Virginia based classical guitarist and teacher. He earned his BM in Classical Guitar Performance from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati under Clare Callahan and Masters degrees in Classical Guitar Performance and Music Education from George Mason University under Larry Snitzler.
Adjunct Faculty, MUSIC TECHNOLOGY, Dewberry School of Music, CVPA
Professor Thomas E. Tyra holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Technology and an Engineering emphasis with a minor in Audio Production from George Mason University. He also holds a Master of Arts in Audio Sciences with a concentration in Recording and Production from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University.
Assistant Professor of Accompanying and VOCAL Coaching, Dewberry School of Music, CVPA
School of Theater, CVPAJoseph Walsh has three decades of experience in preparing, presenting and conducting opera and musical theater in Virginia, across the U.S. and internationally. He is a conductor admired for his ability to combine dramatic flair and theatrical excitement with sensitivity, detail and a keen sense of dramatic pacing.
Adjunct Faculty, FLUTE, Dewberry School of Music, CVPA
Award-winning flutist Thomas J. Wible has garnered international acclaim for his accomplishments. He holds top-prizes in competitions sponsored by the National Flute Association, Music Teachers National Association, Pittsburgh Concert Society, New York Flute Club, Atlanta Flute Club, James Pappoutsakis Memorial Foundation and the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.
Adjunct Applied Faculty, VOICE, Dewberry School of Music, CVPA
Dr. Mira Yang Studied with Iris Adami Coradetti at the Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria and Societa dei Concerti in Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy. She also studied with Carolina Segrera in NYC. Dr. Mira Yang earned her D.M.A. Degree at The Catholic University of America, her M.M. from Peabody Conservatory, and B.M. from Ewha Womans University. She studied at Der Hochschule Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. She also attended Altenburg Academy in Germany; Societa dei Concerti in Italy; AIMS in Graz, Austria; the Minnesota Opera Center; Dicapo Opera and the Shaker Mountain Festival.
Piano Technician, Dewberry School of Music, CVPA
Mr. Emanuil Yorgov is Mason’s full-time piano technician, where his responsibilities will include piano tuning, voicing, and regulation for Mason’s All-Steinway School, as well as tunings in Harris Theater.