Keene State College Music Department

Great things are happening with our B.M. Music Technology program, recording studios, and faculty! We are welcoming Ethan Lindblom to teach our Sound Design for Video class this fall.

Ethan is a composer, percussionist, and technologist whose work is focused on the intersection of music and environmentalism. He has a bachelor’s degree in percussion performance from Auburn University and graduate degrees in music theory and music technology from University of Wisconsin and the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has performed in ensembles such as classical orchestras, big bands, bluegrass groups, laptop music groups, and non-Western percussion ensembles. As a solo musician he has produced classical chamber music with percussion and electronics as well as ambient improvisations with field recordings, synthesizers, and audio effects processing. As an audio engineer Ethan has recorded and mixed different classical and popular ensembles, created and managed live sound setups, and worked as a sound and music designer for visual media. His focus now is on teaching, specifically the ways in which we can evolve our standard music curriculum to include newer methods of music making and thinking.

Request for HOST HOMES for professional musicians. One night only!

REQUEST 1-night HOST HOMES:

We are delighted to welcome Connecticut-based professional choir CONCORA with a chamber orchestra to Keene in October 2026. CONCORA will be on their New England Tour to present Geoffrey Hudson's "A Passion for the Planet" and the New Hampshire premiere will be at Keene State College involving KSC and Monadnock area singers. We are looking for hosts to provide a 1-night home stay on Saturday, October 3, 2026 and breakfast on Sunday, October 4, 2026. The visitors will have their own transportation and will be arriving to Keene following an evening concert in Brattleboro. Visitors would arrive to host homes around 9-10pm (Sat. 10/3) and departing mid-morning (Sun. 10/4). We can provide hosts with complimentary tickets to the NH premiere performance at the Redfern Arts Center and a multitude of gratitude! ;)

CLICK HERE FOR HOST HOME SIGN UP: https://forms.gle/apQprvCzTZVVqL5SA

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The Keene State College Music Department welcomes Nabil Hetman to the collaborative pianist staff!

Nabil is a musician originally from New York. As a pianist and violinist, he has performed at the Thousand Islands Chopin Festival, Crane International Piano Festival, and served as the repetiteur for Tundi Productions. Nabil earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Performance from Keene State College, where he studied piano with Dr. Christina Wright-Ivanova and violin with Prof. Jesse MacDonald. He recently completed a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano at Lynn University under the tutelage of Prof. Lisa Leonard.

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Icy Nguyen to our Music faculty! Dr. Nguyen will teach our upper level piano classes and work with our students and faculty as a collaborative pianist!

Vietnamese pianist Icy Nguyen started to play the piano at the age of four and by eight got accepted into the extremely competitive pre-college program at Ho Chi Minh Conservatory of Music. Icy has been fearless in regard to repertoire, tackling and surmounting challenging galore, and has placed highly in competitions. She won the Marjorie Neville competition in 2025 and was a two-time winner of the Darius Milhaud Competition during her time at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Other victories include winning the first Paris International Competition (2024), Lawrence Concerto Competition (2020), and the Wisconsin MTNA Competition (2019). Her artistic journey was generously supported by the Marianne Mastics Scholarship in Piano (at the Cleveland Institute of Music) and the distinguished Margaret Gary Daniels honor award (at Lawrence University) that recognize her excellence in both solo performance and collaborative work. Besides her passion for classical music, she loves to study different cultures and languages and had a minor in anthropology. She earned a master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music and a doctorate from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

We welcome Professor Nicholas Tocci to the Keene State College Voice faculty!

Described as a “rich and flexible” baritone by the Rutland Herald, Nicholas Tocci is a dynamic New England–based performer known for his engaging stage presence and versatility. In addition to his work in the spotlight, he is actively involved behind the scenes and in education, contributing broadly to the region’s arts community. He frequently collaborates with production companies across New England, performing a wide range of operatic roles including Timur (Turandot), Don Magnifico (La Ceneren tola), Schaunard (La Bohème), Germont (La Traviata), the title role in Don Giovanni, and Escamillo (Carmen), among many others. Beyond opera, Tocci appears regularly as a bass soloist in major concert and oratorio works such as Messiah, Carmina Burana, Mozart Requiem, and Bernstein’s Mass. He is also an accomplished director and educator, having served as Associate Director for BARN Opera and Opera Vermont, where he helped shape numerous productions and the development of the BARN Opera House. He currently teaches voice at Clark University, mentoring the next generation of performers.

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Professor Mellissa Hughes to the Keene State College Voice Faculty!

Hailed by The New York Times as “a versatile, charismatic soprano endowed with brilliant technique and superlative stage instincts...indispensable to New York’s new-music ecosystem,” Mellissa Hughes enjoys a busy international career in both contemporary and early music. Recent highlights include Chicago Symphony’s “Beyond the Score” performances celebrating Pierre Boulez; Ted Hearne’s Wikileaks oratorio “The Source” at BAM, LA Opera, and San Francisco Opera; international performances with John Zorn, Alarm Will Sound, Bang on a Can All Stars, a solo recital for American Songbook at Lincoln Center; and an acclaimed recording release of Jacob Cooper’s Silver Threads, from Nonesuch Records. Hughes’ additional discography includes multiple albums from New Amsterdam records, and “Shelter”, a video opera by Bang on a Can composers Michael Gordon, and Pulitzer Prize winners David Lang and Julia Wolfe, released by Cantaloupe Records. As a backing vocalist, Hughes has appeared with the Rolling Stones, The Roots, The National, and is featured on an episode of the WNYC podcast Radiolab where she sang mathematical formulas to calculate weights and measures. As a choral conductor and clinician, Mellissa has worked with The American Boychoir, the Princeton Girl Choir, and the San Francisco Girl Choir. Mellissa currently resides in her home state of New Hampshire and serves on the faculty at Plymouth State University, Saint Anselm College, and St. Paul’s School in Concord NH and holds degrees from Westminster Choir College and the Yale University School of Music.

There’s still time to join us at KSC for the Fall 2026 semester! Contact [email protected] if you are interested in scheduling a music audition!

DEPOSIT DEADLINE EXTENDED TO AUGUST 1! 🥳🗣️

As you're relaxing this holiday weekend, take a minute to make your deposit for the Fall 2026 semester!

We know you’ll feel right at home in our inclusive, student-centered community. You’re ready for your next great adventure. Now is your moment!

https://www.keene.edu/admissions/enroll/fall

Congratulations to our four undergraduate music students who represented Keene State College and New Hampshire Music Educators' Association at the NAfME Hill Day in Washington, D.C. Evalynn, Ellis, Flynn, and Cailyn participated in the Advocacy Summit to prepare them for advocacy talks with Federal leaders on Capitol Hill! We appreciate funding support from NHMEA and Keene State College to make this transformative experience a possibility for our student leaders!