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St. Francis Music Center Staff
Robyn Gray, Director
Carol Christiansen, Secretary
Sister Bernita Lindstrom, Clerical
St. Francis Music Center Faculty
Pat Boser
Pat Boser attended Dickinson State University as a music major with an emphasis in pipe organ and tenor sax. She then graduated from Texas Women's University with a music therapy major and psychology minor. From 1966 to 1983 she taught music therapy at the Brainerd Regional Human Services Center. Pat has taught piano and organ lessons at St. John Nepomuk Elementary School in Lastrup and St. Michael's Elementary in Buckman and now at Holy Trinity School in Pierz. Pat is the church organist at St. John's in Lastrup and plays for area weddings.
Abra Fisk
Abra recently graduated from Central Lakes Community College. She has studied violin for 10 years and piano for 13 years. She performs with the Sforzando Orchestra and the Ramona Trio, the Women’s Slavic Chorus, and she is second conductor for the Con Brio Orchestra. Abra has many eclectic interests, including travel and accordion music.
Golden Fisk
Golden attends Central Lakes College. She has played cello for 9 years and has taken dance lessons for 10 years. She is a part of both the Sforzando and Con Brio Orchestras at the Music Cente ras well as the Women’s Slavic Chorus. She also performs with the Ramona Trio, along with Celo V’ec and Abra Fisk. She is available to teach beginning cello and all ages of dancers in tap, jazz, and ballet.
Amanda Hanson
Amanda Hanson is the gymnastics coach for the Music Center. Amanda is a senior at Little Falls community high school. She started her gymnastics career taking classes at the Music Center when she was 4 years olds. Now she is on the high school gymnastics team. Amanda is also involved in track, link, Key Club, and teaches Sunday school and serves on the board of education at her church. She has coached gymnastics for Community Services and comes highly recommended for her coaching skills and enthusiasm.
Tony Kapinos
Tony Kapinos, B.A., graduated from St. John's University with degrees in Piano Performance and Music Composition. He has performed at numerous recitals at St. John's University and performed Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto with the Willmar Community Orchestra. He is also church organist for several churches in the St. Cloud area. Mr. Kapinos is available to teach all levels of piano, composition and flute.
Dorothy Koopmann
Dorothy Koopmann has a Bachelor of Music degree from Concordia College, Moorhead, and has had additional studies at Westminster Choir College and the New School for Music Study with Frances Clark and Lynn Freeman Olson. She has served as accompanist coach for the Detroit Lakes and Lake Park Audubon Junior and Senior High Schools, Playhouse 412 in Detroit Lakes, Fargo-Moorhead Community Theater, and other venues. Dorothy has been organist at several churches in the Detroit Lakes and Fargo-Moorhead areas and is now organist for the Franciscan Sisters and First Lutheran Church in Little Falls. Dorothy is available to teach all levels of piano, organ, and voice.
Trista LaFontaine
Trista LaFontaine is a dancer with the Minnesota Dance Ensemble. She has always dreamed of starting her own dance studio so is very excited to begin teaching at the Music Center. Trista has taken dance lessons much of her life, starting at age ten with Kay Marie and Carol's School of Dance. Some of her classes included tap, jazz, ballet/pointe and lyrical. In her teens she danced on the Sartell Dance Team and participated in plays at the Paramount Theatre taking on various dancing roles. While attending St. Cloud State University she continued to take additional dance classes and found a love for hip hop. In 2009 she enlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard as an Officer Candidate, where she received some of the Nation's best leadership training. In 2010 she graduated from St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing. Aside from dancing, Trista enjoys acrylic painting, camping, running, and hiking. Of all these dancing is her favorite. She says, "I love dancing because it's a passion that lets you speak from your heart with no words."
Greg Langlois
A native of Kentwood, LA, Greg has extensive experience playing in all types of bands. Majoring in theater, Greg pursued a career in the retail music industry but now focuses completely on teaching and recording. He records various styles of music from rock, pop, blues, and Latin. Greg is available to teach guitar, bass guitar, banjo, mandolin, and recording using Pro Tools. Greg enjoys listening to and teaching all types of music from blues to Bach.
Kathryn Pederson
Kathryn Pederson, B.S., attended Hamline University in St. Paul and received her degree from Mankato College to teach K-12 music. In addition, she has completed graduate courses at St. Cloud State University. She has taught vocal music in the Pierz Public Schools and at the Central Minnesota School of Music in St. Cloud. Presently she also maintains a private studio in her home.
Adam Rouland
Adam studied piano under Tony Kapinos for several years. He is now a student in the Piano Pedagogy Program at St. Cloud State University where he has won several scholarships for piano performance. Adam plans on advancing his education by pursuing a master's degree after receiving his Bachelors. In addition to playing piano he also sings solo and in choir. Adam is available to teach piano.
Sister Kay Rundquist, OSF
Sister Kay Rundquist, M.M., has a BA in Piano and Music Education K-12 from the College of Saint Teresa in Winona; advanced studies in Piano and Music History from the University of Michigan; and a Masters degree in Pastoral Ministry and Spirituality from Seattle University. She has been a member and adjudicator for the National Guild of Piano Teachers for over 35 years. Sister Kay has also been a somatologist and teacher on staff at The Spiritual Center for the last ten years, a pastoral minister of music and liturgy, and a classroom and music teacher. As a master instructor of Integrated Energy Therapy, she is active in exploring music and energy in connection with body awareness and healing.
Kevin Stueven
Kevin Stueven, B.S., is a professional woodwind instrumentalist (primarily clarinet and saxophone), music and theatre educator, clinician, composer, actor, and theater director. He is very active in regional performing groups. Kevin is available to teach all levels of woodwinds, and beginning and intermediate band instruments and piano lessons. He is also available to teach composition and theater courses.
Dr. Edward Turley
Dr. Edward Turley holds the degree of doctor of musical arts from the University of Colorado. He is a professor of piano and is in the Music Department for the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University. He is active throughout the Upper Midwest as recitalist, soloist, accompanist, clinician and adjudicator and has been featured in a number of Twin Cities concert series as well as on Minnesota Public Radio.
Celo V’ec
A student of Aldo Parisot at Yale School of Music, Mr. V’ec holds a B.A. in Music Theory and Composition from Yale University. While an undergraduate, he founded the Yale Slavic Chorus, the oldest women’s singing group in Yale’s history. Drawing on his 40 years of professional experience, Mr. V’ec is available to teach all levels of violin, viola and cello. He also directs our two string orchestras and Sestri, our women’s Slavic choir. Currently, he is also offering a class in college-level music theory.
Dr. Hillary Vermillion
Soprano Hillary Vermillion has appeared in the Central Minnesota area as a soloist with the Minnesota Center Chorale, Calliope Women’s Chorus, and the St. Cloud State University Percussion Ensemble, performing repertoire ranging from Faure’s Requiem to Cirone’s Five Items for Soprano and Percussion. Dr. Vermillion has also been featured on a 1997 Mexican National Radio broadcast as soloist with the St. Cloud State Wind Ensemble. She has performed in Santa Prisca Church-Taxco, St. Mary’s Basilica, and Ted Mann Concert Hall. Pursuing a strong interest in contemporary music, Ms. Vermillion has worked with several contemporary composers to help promote their works. A native of Colorado, Dr. Vermillion has completed a Doctoral degree at the University of Minnesota. She has been a voice instructor in Central Minnesota since 1990, serving on the faculties of St. Cloud State University, Central Lakes College, St. Francis Music Center, Central Minnesota Music School, and Central Minnesota Children’s Theater.
Joan A. Wingert
Joan A. Wingert has an MA in Liturgical Studies (music emphasis) from St. John’s School of Theology, Collegeville, MN and a BA in Music Education (K-12) from Benedictine College, Atchison, KS. She served 28 years as Director of Music & Liturgy for churches in the Kansas City metropolitan area, Topeka and Atchison, KS, Little Falls and Upsala, MN. For the same 28 years she’s been an instructor of voice, piano and guitar, including owning and operating her own music studio, Note Bene, in Upsala since 2003. She’s been a conference presenter and conference music director for The Heartland Conference (Kansas City) as well as other area and diocesan courses/workshops. She is the composer and vocalist for the CD, Sow the Wind; Riepp, the Whirlwind about Benedicta Riepp, OSB, the founder of the Benedictine order of nuns in the United States (buried at St. Benedict’s Monatery, St. Joseph,MN). She currently is Director of Music & Liturgy at Bethel Lutheran in Little Falls.
Kori Quillo
Kori started playing violin at the age of three. His first performance was at the age of 4 on a 1/16th size violin. Using the Suzuki Method, Kori studied classical violin for 7 years, then moved to study with Celo V’ec for 6 years. During that time he has won 6 first places at various Minnesota fiddle contests and in 2009 he took the Fiddler of the Year award in the Pillager Fiddle Contest. He has played with various country and tock artists and recorded for their tracks. He plans a career in music education.