2024 Class – Friday October 25th
J-D Fine Arts Hall of Fame
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Megan Brady Balderston 1986 Music
Megan is thrilled to join her fellow alumni and beloved former teachers as an inductee to the Jamesville-DeWitt Fine Arts Hall of Fame. At Moses DeWitt Elementary School, she began playing trumpet, and then met Charlotte Haas who identified and nurtured her as a singer.
In middle school, Megan participated in band, stage band, chorus, the Good Time Singers, and either played in the pit or sang in all of the school musicals. At the urging of the JDMS music staff, she took private trumpet lessons, and then voice lessons with Syracuse University’s Donna Miller. By the end of 8th grade, she had begun to sing in her parish church as a soloist and with their choir, thanks to Ernest Camerota and Ralph D’Mello.
At JDHS the culture of Bonnie Nye and Ron Nuzzo’s music program encouraged students to go outside of their comfort zones. Ron Nuzzo urged Megan to start playing French horn, and Bonnie Nye constantly challenged her to push herself for excellence. As a result, Megan played in band, pep band, and orchestra while also singing in choir, small groups, and the Roaring 20’s. A highlight of her participation in the Roaring 20’s was the ensemble being selected to represent New York State in the Young Americans National Invitational show choir competition in Los Angeles, California—the first time the school had ever supported such a project.
She participated in area musicals, both with the school and park districts, and was in the high school musicals all four years—playing the iconic role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady as a senior. She was selected for the NYSSMA All-State Choir her junior and senior years and was chosen as a soloist at All-State her senior year. Outside of the music department, she was particularly involved in the excellent German, English, and humanities programs.
After graduation, Megan was selected as a Rotary International Exchange student and spent a gap year studying abroad in Germany at a time when this was uncommon. While there she sang as a member of Braunschweig Cathedral Choir and their a cappella Octet, which toured northern Germany. She then attended Northwestern University—thanks to the suggestion of Bonnie Nye, and with the encouragement and influence of Tom Muench.
At Northwestern, while studying vocal performance, Megan participated in several choirs, the Wildcat marching band, and student government—and was honored by her fellow classmates electing her Homecoming Queen. Her senior year she landed an internship in administration at Lyric Opera of Chicago and was hired full-time by General Director Ardis Krainik prior to graduation, beginning a long career in Chicago area arts institutions.
She was Assistant Director of Education at the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where she helped design and then ran the orchestra’s education center and served on the American Symphony Orchestra League Education Steering Committee. There she also met and married her husband, cellist Stephen Balderston.
She became Director of Education and Public Programs at Hinsdale Center for the Arts, where she directed a robust catalog of classes and exhibits for children and adults and instituted an in-home chamber music series. While earning her master’s in nonprofit management from DePaul University in 2008 and serving as that program’s Director of Admissions, she became the Executive Director of Rush Hour Concerts—a weekly, summer chamber music series in downtown Chicago which has since become part of the larger Make Music Chicago initiative.
From 2010-2022 she was Managing Director of Chicago Chorale, an outstanding community choir in the heart of the Hyde Park/University of Chicago neighborhood, where she produced and has performed in over a hundred concerts including two European tours and produced three of the ensemble’s CDs. In a crazy plot twist, she began a “short term” job in Panera Bread’s corporate offices in 2014 and 10 years later is still working for the company in Corporate Development and Growth Strategy, specializing in capital savings and process initiatives. She has served as a consultant to several nonprofits, and is a peer-to-peer mentor in the Engage Mentoring program.
Through the years Megan has remained active as a singer and performer, as well. Since 1991, she has been a professional cantor in both the Chicago and Joliet archdioceses, singing regularly at three different churches—about a thousand masses, weddings, funerals, and holidays over that time. She has continued to be a volunteer singer in Chicago Chorale after her long tenure as managing director. And in her second plot twist, she returned to community theater in 2015 and has performed in over a dozen productions in the Chicago area theater scene.
Richard Mangicaro 1975 Music
Rich Mangicaro loved music at a very young age. He grew up hearing memorable TV themes (I Dream of Jeannie, Lost In Space, Batman, The Monkees, and The Brady Bunch). Two particular shows stirred serious interest in music as a life career. First was watching the conga player in the Cuban band on I Love Lucy. Second was The Ed Sullivan Show when in February, 1964 a British band, The Beatles, appeared. Seeing Ringo play drums, Rich knew what he wanted to do.
Five years after his introduction to the Beatles, his sister took him to a concert in 1969 to see the rock band Steppenwolf. The opening band was Sly & The Family Stone. This was another milestone for Rich. Seeing Sly and the Family Stone helped direct his playing toward integrating a Rhythm & Blues approach and feel to his development.
When Rich’s father, a well-known artist, would paint with music playing in his home studio, Rich would hear Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, and other jazz greats. Then while already hooked on Ringo, still more inspiration occurred when he first saw the fierce style of drummer Buddy Rich, revealing the endless spectrum of percussion.
Rich joined both Jamesville-DeWitt school bands, directed by Ron Nuzzo, and groups outside of school. His first professional gig was at age 16. He played in local Central New York bands booked by DMR Enterprises while attending both Onondaga Community College and Syracuse University. In those bands, Rich would often play the music of The Eagles, David Crosby of Crosby, Stills and Nash, Jackson Browne, Michael McDonald and The Tubes – musicians he would later befriend and share the stage with. He spent 15 years as percussionist/vocalist for Eagles founder, the late Glenn Frey and The Joe Walsh Band.
In 1986, Rich earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance at SUNY Potsdam Crane School of Music. Then he moved to Southern California where his career soon flourished.
For over 30 years, Rich has been recognized as one of the music instrument industry’s foremost authorities in the field of Artist Relations. For 19 of those years, Rich was Director of Artist Relations at Paiste Cymbals, working with Jeff Porcaro (Toto), Stewart Copland (The Police), Larry Mullen (U2), and Sheila E.
He secured major endorsement contracts for, among others, Paul McCartney’s long time drummer, Abe Laboriel, Jr. Rich also was an integral member of Paiste’s Sound Development Team, helping to create their Signature, Signature Traditionals, and Signature Dark Energy series of cymbals. He conducted product seminars both nationally and internationally.
Rich is currently the Artist Relations Manager & Product Specialist for Gon Bops, Inc., celebrating their 70th year as one of the world’s leading percussion instrument manufacturers and is also the creator and host of their popular podcast, The Percussion Loft.
As a music trade journalist, Rich has enjoyed both national and international recognition. His articles have been published in top drum industry magazines, such as Modern Drummer, Drumhead, Drumscene, and Batteur. He has interviewed and profiled Abe Laboriel Jr., Greg Errico (Sly and The Family Stone), Tony Thunder Smith (Lou Reed, Jan Hammer), Joe Porcaro (Jeff’s father), and James Gadson (Love Affair, Herbie Hancock, B. B. King, Paul McCartney).
Rich has released three instrumental solo albums – Travels, Dialogues, and A Dream I Had. Along with writing partner Jonathan J. Clark, Rich is currently composing underscore music for Atomica Music, featuring 4 collections, Destinations, Tension & Trouble, Lofty Pursuits, and The Good Life.
Rich formed RAM57 Productions which has created and edited video content for artists Chad Wackerman, Joey Waronker, Alex Acuna, Brian Ray (Paul McCartney), Chris Hillman (The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers), Graham Nash (The Hollies, CSN), plus companies Innovative Percussion and Gon Bops. RAM57 is also the home of the YouTube web series The Art of Improv which focuses on spontaneous creation via various art forms. In 2024, Rich directed and co-edited the film El Madero, a celebration of Gon Bops’ 70th anniversary with music composed by Alex Acuna and Abraham Laboriel.
The circular flow of Rich’s career has many stories like this one. In 1999, he was touring as the percussionist for Joe Walsh, prepping for a concert in Northern California. Someone Rich had recently become friends with called saying, “Hey Rich, can my wife and I come see you play with Walsh?” Immediately, his mind flew back in time and thought how surreal it was. The friend was Greg Errico – the original drummer for Sly & The Family Stone! The very same drummer he saw in 1969, who was such an important early influence for Rich, was now sitting right behind his setup at that Joe Walsh show, watching him play! Rich knows how very lucky he is.
Kasey Mathews 1985 Author
Kasey Mathews is an author of two award-winning books, an inspirational speaker, a leader of workshops and retreats, and a Transformational Life and Book Coach.
Kasey graduated from J-D in 1985 and received her undergraduate degree from St. Lawrence University, where she spent a life-changing semester living and studying in Nairobi, Kenya. After college, she went on to teach at the prestigious Dexter and Southfield Schools in Boston, while at the same time earning her Master’s Degree from Boston College.
Kasey credits much of her love of teaching, writing, and inspiring others to live their best lives, to the wonderful support and encouragement she received throughout her J-D education.
Her earliest school days began walking to kindergarten at Moses DeWitt with a gang of neighborhood kids. A second grade move to the other side of town brought a scary first school bus ride, but her teacher Mrs. Raasch always made the trip worthwhile. Kasey never considered herself a strong student, yet many teachers at J-D inspired her to flourish and uncover her hidden potential. In middle school, Mr. Daly, Mr. Baron and Ms. Simmons were influential. In high school, Kasey’s love of writing grew under the guidance and support of Ms. Landfear, Ms. Murphy and Mr. Bennett. An essay about jumping off Edward Falls, a research paper on the history and role of planned parenthood, and falling in love with The Great Gatsby were all gifts bestowed by those three teachers. Mr. Wenzel created a happy space to express her artistic creativity, and Mr. McLaughlin somehow made math understandable to a brain not geared in that direction. For four years Mr. Diorio, or Mr. D, as he was known to the girl’s tennis team, put up with Kasey and the team bunny hopping around the track and endless versions of Jack and Diane on every bus ride to their matches. However, the most influential and supportive to Kasey was her devoted and wonderful guidance counselor, Mr. Muench. To this day, whenever she bumps up against challenge, she still hears his wise and gentle words – “Keep pluggin’ away kid. I believe in you.”
It was the unexpected premature birth of Kasey’s second child that prompted her to write her book, Preemie: Lessons in Love, Life and Motherhood, which won the Mom’s Choice Gold Award and New Hampshire Reader’s Choice Award. At one of her first book readings, there was Mr. Muench in the front row with a big smile on his face declaring, “I knew you could do it, kid.”
After overcoming periods of challenge, uncertainty, and adversity in her own life, Kasey answered the calling to support other women in doing the same. She went on to write her second book, A Mom’s Guide to Creating a Magical Life, which also won the Mom’s Choice Gold Award, and formed her own coaching practice to support other women in reaching their own potential. With advanced training in Ancestral Clearing, Energy Codes, Reiki, Gateless Writing, Happiness Coaching, and Feminine Power, Kasey is able to facilitate powerful and proven lifelong change in the lives of other women. She believes the time has come for women around the world to find and harness their own authentic voices and share them in whatever form that takes. She has helped thousands of women around the world find more peace, balance, and magic in their lives.
Kasey is deeply grateful for this honor and wishes to thank her parents, siblings, dearest J-D friends, her husband, Lee and her two children, Tucker and Andie, all of whom have always stood by her side.
Douglas McLean 1972 Art
Doug McLean remembers art classes with Mr. Adams at Moses DeWitt Elementary. During his J-D High School years, Doug fondly remembers the strong support, guidance, and inspiration he received from Tom Muench and Cathy Richardson.
Growing up, Doug displayed some signs (though didn’t yet know it) that he’d work in the arts. He was fascinated by a drawing in pen of the human spine his brother Rod did for a J-D science fair. Doug loved the shape of the G-Clef and scribbled it hundreds of times. He carved bars of soap at the summer camp on Tully Lake, and, at age 20, he painted a 980 ft. x 1 foot straight black line across the ice of the same lake.
Doug attended Roger Williams College where he took his first sculpture class. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Montclair State University. In the summer of 1975, Doug studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine, taking advantage of its association with many world renowned artists.
At age 25, Doug moved to Galveston Texas, and after two years, joined the restoration crew working to restore the 1877 square rigged tall ship “Elissa” (the oldest, most authentically restored, operational square rigged vessel in the world). After months of training with master blacksmiths in central Texas, he became the chief blacksmith on the restoration project forging over 400 ship fittings during the four year project. Then he spent the next five years as a member of the volunteer crew, helping to sail the ship to New York City for the Statue of Liberty Centennial Parade of Tall Ships in 1986.
For ten years, Doug taught Sculpture at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Glassell School of Art.
He was also a member of the Adjunct Faculty, teaching 3-D Design at the College of the Mainland.
In 1982, Doug founded his own company, McLean Metal Works, hoping to support a studio by performing skilled ironwork and iron restorations. He garnered many preservation awards and authored several articles and lectured on iron restoration.
Doug has fabricated a great many public and private commissioned works: The E.B. Evans Pavilion for Darragh Park, in Galveston is a tall open air pavilion paying homage to the historic 1868 Darragh house that once stood on that location. Rise Up for J.P. Bryan is a bronze figurative story portraying a team of oxen pulling a wagon through the mud as a family flees San Antonio during the battle of the Alamo. Hope – a bronze sculpture depicting the struggles of Galveston’s heroic survivors of the 1900 storm and other disasters, dedicated as the centerpiece of the new City of Galveston park.
His most recent large scale work, Resolve, installed in April of 2024, is a monumental steel and cast fiberglass structure that pays homage to Galveston’s 16-mile long, 18-feet high concrete Seawall that has protected the island for over 120 years.
He was speaker-lecturer at Columbia University’s Historic Preservation Education Foundation’s
Symposium on the Restoration of Cast and Wrought Iron in 2011.
Doug was a member of the Landmark Commission for the City of Galveston from 2014-2016.
He’s on the Board of Directors of the Galveston Art Center (past President from 2016 -2018).
He was Chairman of the City of Galveston Building and Standards Commission from 2010-2014.
Doug is inspired by objects of the past and present that nature and man have produced. In his work he often brings historic elements out of the past, giving them a fresh meaning by placing them in a new environment, or physical and visual composition.
Doug is transitioning into focusing more on his artworks and studio time, along side his wife and best friend from Moses Dewitt, Joyce Holm McLean, whom he married 16 years ago. He has two grown children, both married, and has two grandchildren. He is very blessed.
James Mosher Educator Music
Jim Mosher had a multi-faceted career as a trumpeter, teacher, conductor, and arranger. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music education from Syracuse University. Professor Mosher established the music program at the Jamesville-Dewitt School District where he taught from 1955 to 1964. Onondaga Community College recruited him in 1964. During his time at OCC, he taught studio lessons, several courses in jazz and music theory, as well as music business. He conducted the wind ensemble and the OCC Brass Ensemble (Brass Sinfonia). Professor Mosher was a big proponent of music technology, implementing the course “Introduction to Music Software with MIDI Applications” into the curriculum. Jim retired in 1993 after teaching with distinction for 29 years, achieving the rank of full professor and becoming chairman of the music department. In addition to his career at OCC, he served as an adjunct professor at Syracuse University.
As a professional trumpet player, Jim played with numerous groups including the Syracuse Concert Band, of which he was an associate conductor, the Johny Latone band, the Little Big Band, Fred Palmer’s Polecat Jazz Band, the Pompeian Players Orchestra, and he played with the Mario DeSantis Orchestra for 51 years. On many occasions, Jim worked with Disney on Ice and with the Ice Follies. He also played with the former Syracuse Symphony for their Symphony Under the Stars series. He was a musical director for over 50 musical theater shows and played in over 150 shows. Jim was music director of the Onondaga County Community Orchestra and conducted bands for acts such as Mel Torme and Bob Hope during their tours in Syracuse.
Jim created the curriculum for the Syracuse Parochial Schools band program when his friend and colleague the late Mario DeSantis founded the program in the 1950s. He remained a consultant while the program was under Mario’s direction. He was active in the Higher Education Preparation Program Upward Bound at LeMoyne College. Upward Bound allowed high school students to live on campus and participate in classes designed to prepare them for college. Among the subjects included, was a hands-on music program in which Jim played a vital role in organizing.
Jim was a member of the Syracuse Federation of Musicians and president and member of the Onondaga County Music Educators Association. He served as an Adjudicator for the NYSSMA annual competition and OCMEA All-County festivals. Professor Mosher was a Life Member of the NYS Teachers Association and was its Chairman for two years. He was also a member and president of the Syracuse University Music Alumni Association. He was personnel manager of the Syracuse Municipal Band and a member of the International Trumpet Guild. Shortly after his passing in 2004, Jim was posthumously inducted into the SAMMYS (Syracuse Area Music Awards) Hall of Fame.
Walt Weiskopf 1977 Music
Walt Weiskopf and his brother Joel grew up listening to their father, a physician and part-time pianist, play Brahms, Chopin, and Liszt, but never jazz. Walt had an interest in jazz, and not really knowing what it was, asked his mother to bring home records from the library. One of them was David and Lisa: Original Soundtrack and Jazz Impressions. The album’s B side was jazz impressions of the film’s soundtrack performed by Victor Feldman. Another early inspiration was the 1965 Miles Davis concert album, My Funny Valentine.
Walt took clarinet at age 10, then began studying saxophone at 14. As a freshman, he performed in the Jamesville-DeWitt Stage Band (now called Jazz Ensemble). He developed under the inspiration of high school band director, Ron Nuzzo, and performed pieces such as West Side Story Medley, a Buddy Rich arrangement. After graduating J-D in 1977, Walt attended the Eastman School of Music, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance in 1980.
Walt then moved to New York City. A year later at age 21, having played alto sax almost exclusively, Walt bought a tenor sax in order to accept a chair in the Buddy Rich Big Band. Only a few years after playing the West Side Story Medley in the J-D Stage Band, Walt was now performing the piece with Buddy Rich. Walt will always be grateful for Andy Fusco’s mentorship during his Buddy Rich tenure.
In 1982, as a result of touring with Buddy Rich, Walt did his first work with Frank Sinatra at the Concert for the Americas in the Dominican Republic. He eventually toured with Frank Sinatra from 1990 until 1994, when Sinatra retired. Walt has also worked with Frank Sinatra Jr.
Combined, Walt spent decades performing with the Toshiko Akiyoshi – Lew Tabackin Big Band and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.
In 1989, Walt released his first album as leader, entitled Exact Science. To date, more than 20 albums have followed, comprised mostly of original compositions featuring personnel ranging from quartets to nine-piece ensembles. Several of the albums were recorded overseas by the Walt Weiskopf European Quartet.
From 1988 to ’89, Walt attended Queens College of the City University of New York where he earned his Master of Arts in Clarinet Performance, studying with Leon Russianoff.
In 2002, Walt began his long affiliation with Steely Dan on the album Everything Must Go. Walt was featured on the album’s title song, including its sax solo introduction. He appeared on five tracks in all. Steely Dan (formed by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen) was a perfect pop-band match for Walt, with both Becker and Fagen being jazz fans and jazz musicians. Walt began touring with Steely Dan in 2003 as part of a horn section that uses four jazz players (possibly the only pop band to ever do so). Walt also performed in the Dukes of September project that included Fagen, Boz Scaggs, and Michael McDonald.
Walt wrote music for piano when he was very young, and later would transcribe music that he played and practiced. In 1991, he co-authored his first book, Coltrane: A Players Guide with Ramon Ricker, a professor and senior administrator at the Eastman School of Music. Since then, Walt has written a series of method and improvisation books drawing from his approach to practice and organization.
Walt has been a visiting Associate Professor at the Eastman School of Music, and taught at Temple University, and New Jersey City University (including as Coordinator of Jazz Studies). He also has instructional videos available at his My Music Master Class webpage.
Through the years, there have been some extra special highlights for Walt. He has collaborated with his brother (and pianist) Joel Weiskopf, as composers, and on each others’ albums. One of their compositions was a four-movement piece, honoring their father for his 80th birthday. Another highlight occurred in June, 2024 with the release of their 94 year old father Richard Weiskopf’s debut album, titled Retrospective. The album is a collection of many of the classics Joel and Walt heard their dad play growing up.