Ensemble Conductors : Department of Music and Dance : UMass Amherst

Matthew Westgate

Chair and Professor, Director of Wind Studies

Conductor Matthew Westgate “leads with a combination of expressivity and crispness” (San Francisco Chronicle). His performances are praised as “dramatic, incisive, and passionate” (Audiophile Audition) and full of “verve and swagger” (MusicWeb International).

Lindsay Bronnenkant

Lecturer, Wind Studies

At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Dr. Lindsay Bronnenkant directs the Symphony Band, teaches conducting classes, and leads a graduate conducting seminar. Prior to her appointment at UMass Amherst, Bronnenkant taught basic conducting at Nazareth College and led the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Community Wind Ensemble as she completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Conducting degree at the Eastman School of Music.

Gonzalo Alexander Hidalgo Ardila

Assistant Professor, Director of Orchestral Studies

From the conducting class of Eduardo Marturet and Teresa Hernández, Gonzalo has directed some of the most important youth and professional orchestras in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, United States and Argentina. Gonzalo was one of the finalists in the international competition for associate conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, as well as a finalist for the position of principal conductor of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra in Boston.

Jeffrey W. Holmes

Professor, Director of Jazz & African American Music Studies, Composition, Conductor

Holmes plays keyboards with the Paul Winter Consort, leads the Jeff Holmes Big Band featuring his wife, vocalist Dawning Holmes, and plays lead trumpet with the New England Jazz Ensemble. Recent recordings as performer and/or composer/arranger include the Jeff Holmes Quartet release "Of One's Own," the New England Jazz Ensemble’s “Peter and The Wolf“, HGTS’s “…and then they played…” and projects by Paul Winter, colleague Felipe Salles, and Earl MacDonald. He continues to appear as a guest conductor/clinician/adjudicator and performer/composer/arranger.

Atla DeChamplain

Lecturer, Vocal Jazz

Atla DeChamplain is a jazz vocalist, lyricist, and educator known for her compelling sound and sincere interpretations of jazz standards. A Connecticut native, she studied at the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School of Music and earned her Master’s degree from the University of Toledo, where she was mentored by the legendary vocalist Jon Hendricks. Specializing in vocalese—the art of setting lyrics to instrumental jazz solos—Atla is recognized for her original lyrics, expressive phrasing, vocal control, and authenticity on stage.

Stephen A. Paparo

Professor, Music Education, Choral Conductor

Lindsay Pope

Assistant Professor, Director of Choral Studies

Lindsay Pope is Director of Choral Studies at UMass Amherst, where she directs the Chamber Choir and teaches conducting. Previously, she directed the programs at Mount Holyoke College and Williams College. She was also Assistant Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Chorus, for which her work was praised as “exemplary and well-prepared” (Texas Classical Review). Pope’s research interests include early music performance practice, the ethics of choral programming, and the intersection of women and gender studies with choral music.

Felipe Salles

Professor, Jazz Saxophone, Composition, Conductor

A native of São Paulo, Brazil, Felipe Salles has been an active musician in the US since 1995, where he has worked and recorded with prominent jazz artists, including Randy Brecker, Paquito D’Rivera, David Liebman, Melissa Aldana, Lionel Loueke, Jerry Bergonzi, Chico Pinheiro, Magos Herrera, Sofia Rei, Yosvany Terry, Jovino Santos Neto, Oscar Stagnaro, Luciana Souza, and Bob Moses. He has toured extensively in Europe, North and South America, India and Australia, as a sideman and as a leader of his own group.