Matthew Barriga
Equinox Staff
This year, Keene State College has received two new music professors; Dr. Nadège Foofat and Dr. Joshua Long.
Dr. Foofat has begun work as the orchestra director, as well as the string coordinator. “I gravitated towards music when I was very young” said Foofat. According to Foofat, she studied at Julliard School in New York for her undergraduate, before receiving her masters degree at Yale. She then went back to New York, where she directed an orchestra for five years. She eventually received her doctorate at the University of Montreal. Before coming to Keene State College, Dr. Foofat spent a year working in as the Assistant Conductor to Kent Nagano at the Hamburg State Opera. Dr. Foofat said a big reason she came to Keene was because of the area. She said she loves outdoor activities such as hiking, and enjoys taking her 12-year-old husky to explore new trails. Specializing in violin and viola, Dr. Foofat claimed one of her favorite classes she teaches here is String Methods, “It’s fun to teach students who are interested in music who might not have gotten the opportunity to learn string instruments before.” Dr. Foofat said she is really enjoying the students and faculty at KSC and claimed she’s astounded at the talent in the orchestra.
Dr. Long has taken on many roles as well, including concert band director, brass coordinator, and music education lecturer. According to Long, he conducts the concert band, and focuses on teaching low brass instruments such as the trombone and tuba. He has a love for brass instruments, with his personal favorite being the euphonium, a “combination between a french horn and a tuba.” Before coming to KSC, Long said he worked at Frostburg State University in Maryland. He received his masters at Hartford University in Connecticut, and his doctorate at Pennsylvania State University. Long said that living in Connecticut inspired a love for New England and its environment, and when he saw the job opening at Keene State College, he knew it was the perfect fit. He’s spent a lot of time teaching community bands, which was great experience considering the KSC concert band is open to community members as well. “I try to be active in the community as much as I can.” he said. He enjoys running 5k’s and plans to do an upcoming half-marathon.
Will Wright is a junior here at KSC and takes private lessons with Long. Previously, Wright took lessons with Dr. Chesebrough. Wright said that Long has recently been helping him prepare for an upcoming Music Workshop recital. “He’s really knowledgeable. He definitely has a lot on his plate since coming here. Chesebrough got here in 2002, he’d been here for a long time so Dr. Long had a lot to take on. He runs rehearsals in a fun way, and is open to a lot of opportunities” said Wright.
Matthew Barriga can be contacted at
mbarriga@kscequinox.com