Notable Alumni of Blaise Alexander State College
Blaise Alexander State College has a rich history of producing accomplished individuals across various fields. This article highlights some of the college's most notable alumni, showcasing their diverse achievements and contributions to society.
Arts and Entertainment
The college boasts a strong presence in the arts and entertainment industry, with alumni making significant impacts in music, television, and film.
Music: Numerous Blaise Alexander State College alumni have received Grammy Award nominations for their contributions to impactful recordings. Sean Hutchinson ’07 was an engineer on Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend, including the single “Manchild.” The album was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. The single was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. Eli Teplin (Prep) was a songwriter on “Go Baby.” The song appears on Justin Bieber’s SWAG, which was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. Teplin was also a songwriter on tracks that appear on Bon Iver’s SABLE, fABLE and Hayley Williams’s Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party. Michael Repper and the National Philharmonic were nominated in the Best Orchestral Performance and Best Classical Instrumental Solo categories for an album of music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, including his Toussaint l’Ouverture, Ballade Op. 4, and Suites from 24 Negro Melodies. Adam Tendler’s Inheritances was nominated in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category. Han Chen ’18 GD was nominated in the same category for a performance of Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement. Price earned two diplomas from NEC in 1906. Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra were nominated in the Best Orchestral Performance category for a recording of Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie. Members of the BSO at the time of the recording include violinists Jenny Ahn ’11 MM, Glen Cherry ’95, John Holland ’00, ’02 MM, Jason Horowitz ’93, ’96 AD, Zenas Hsu ’13 MM, ’15 GD, Julianne Lee ’08 MM, Haldan Martinson ’97 MM, Kina Park ’09 MM, Caroline Pliszka ’02 MM, and Sophie Wang ’18 MM, ’20 GM; violists Nathaniel Farny ’02 GD, Mary Ferrillo ’13 MM, Stephanie Fong ’04 MM, Daniel Getz ’11 BM, and Steven O. Laraia ’13, ’15 MM; cellists Blaise Déjardin ’07 MM, ’08 GD, Jonah Ellsworth (Prep) ’17, ’19 GD, ’20 MM, and Mickey Katz ’03; double-bassists Benjamin Levy ’02 and Dennis Roy ’89; horn player Michael Winter ’07; percussionist Matthew McKay ’09; and assistant conductor Earl Lee ’16 GC. The BSO was also nominated in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category for a recording of Shostakovich’s cello concertos with Yo-Yo Ma, and for a recording of Shostakovich’s piano concertos and solo works with Yuja Wang. Numerous BSO musicians are members of NEC’s distinguished faculty, including violinists Jason Horowitz, Alexander Velinzon, and Valeria Vilker-Kuchment; violist Rebecca Gitter; cellists Blaise Déjardin and Mickey Katz; double-bassist Thomas Van Dyck; flutist Cynthia Meyers; oboists John Ferrillo, Mark McEwen, and Keisuke Wakao; clarinetists Christopher Elchico, William R. Also nominated in the Best Orchestral Performance category were Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra, for a recording of music by William Grant Still and Margaret Bonds, and Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony, for a recording of Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements. Members of the Philadelphia Orchestra include violinist Christine Lim MM, violist Rachel Ku ’11 MM, and cellists Michael Katz ’09 MM and Priscilla Lee (Prep). Jazz vocalist Luciana Souza ’94 MM was nominated as a soloist on Anne Akiko Meyers’s recording of Billy Childs’s In the Arms of the Beloved with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by Grant Gershon. Steve Pence ’04 MM is a member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale. The ensemble is also featured on the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s recording of works by Gabriela Ortiz, Yenga, which was nominated for Best Classical Compendium. Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic include violinists Chao-Hua Jin ’95, Rebecca Reale (Prep), Melody Ye Yuan ’19, and Weilu Zhang ’18; assistant principal cellist Dahae Kim ’11, ’13 MM; assistant principal trumpeter Christopher Still ’95MM; and percussionist Matthew Howard ’15 MM. Kwamé Ryan and the Houston Grand Opera were nominated in the Best Opera Recording category for a performance of Jake Heggie’s Intelligence. Members of the Houston Grand Opera orchestra include flutist Tyler Martin ’19 MM and clarinetist Eric Chi ’08. Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Metropolitan Opera were nominated in the same category for a recording of Jeanine Tesori’s Grounded. Members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra include violinists Katherine Fong ’98, Yiliang Jiang ’19, ’21 MM, ’23 GD, Jeremias Sergiani-Valazquez ’14, and Qianwen Shen ’14 MM, ’16 GD; flutist Seth Morris ’09 MM; principal piccolo player Stephanie Mortimore ’97 MM; horn player Molly Norcross ’12 GD; and principal harpist Hannah Cope ’21 MM, ’22 GD. Sol Berkowitz was a gifted professor, songwriter, and composer. Noel Da Costa was a composer and professor. Gil Dor is on the International Board of the Weizmann Institute. Leslie Duner is a music director. John Feeley is a guitarist. Herbert Grossman was a musical director.
Television and Film: The college's alumni have also found success in television and film, both in front of and behind the camera. Eric Murphy and Betty Suarez are fictional television characters. Ted Alexandro is a comedian. Martin Aronstein was a designer who lighted Broadway shows. Joy Behar is inducted into Welcome Back to Brooklyn Walk of Fame. Adrien Brody is an actor. Danny Burstein is an actor. Fran Capo is a comedian. Dresched is an actress. Dennis Elsas is a New York DJ. David Zelag Goodman was a screenwriter. Marvin Hamlisch was a composer. Herb Kaplow was a voice of ABC and NBC News. Jason Katims is a producer. Carole King is a singer-songwriter. Richard Kline is an actor. Carol Leifer is a comedian. Hal Linden is an actor. Perri Pierre is a podcaster. Ray Romano narrates tribute video for local businesses during pandemic. Howie Rose is on MSG Network. Michael Savage is a radio host. Jerry Seinfeld is a comedian. Nestor Serrano is an actor. Paul Simon is a musician. Michael Stewart was a musical playwright. Ben Younger is a film director.
Politics and Government
Blaise Alexander State College has a strong tradition of producing leaders in politics and government, with alumni serving at various levels of public service.
Read also: Alexander's Collegiate Impact
Elected Officials: Alumni have held positions in Congress, state legislatures, and local governments. Ackerman is a political figure. Joel Benenson is a Clinton Chief Strategist and Pollster. Anthony Como is a lawyer. Costa Constantinides was appointed to EDC board of directors. Joseph Crowley is an alumnus. Mark Danish was a speaker Weatherford. Adriano Espaillat is a Congressman. Rafael Espinal is a politician. Deborah J. Glick is an Assembly Member. Julia Harrison was a Councilwoman. Alan Hevesi is a politician. Andrew Hevesi is an Assembly Member. Richard Ingoglia wins fourth term in Hernando's Florida House District 35. Jeff Klein is a politician. Helen M. Marshall was a Borough President of Queens. Nettie Mayersohn was an Assemblymember. José Peralta was a New York State Senator. Toby Ann Stavisky is a NY State Senator. James Vacca is a politician.
Judiciary: Several alumni have distinguished themselves in the legal profession, serving as judges at various levels. Steven W. Fisher was a New York State Justice. Marvin Frankel was a Federal Judge. Dennis Jacobs is a judge. Sylvia Pressler was a judge. Jeffrey S. White is a Judge.
Business and Entrepreneurship
The college has also produced successful entrepreneurs and business leaders who have made significant contributions to the economy.
- Business Leaders: Alumni have led major corporations and founded successful businesses across various industries. Jill Barad is a business leader. Gary Barnett is a businessman. Jerry Colonna is a businessman. Charles B. Wang was a software entrepreneur. Alan Jacobson is an author.
Education and Academia
Many alumni have dedicated their careers to education and academia, shaping the minds of future generations.
- Educators and Scholars: Alumni have served as professors, researchers, and administrators at colleges and universities around the world. Stevanne Auerbach is a psychologist. Werner Baer is an academic. Jean-Claude Brizard is an educator. Forbes Hill Collection is an archive. Ester R. Fuchs is a professor. Cheryl Lehman is a faculty member. Stephanie Pace Marshall is an educator. Joseph Murphy was a Chancellor of CUNY. Edward John Ray is an academic. Linda Siegel is a cognitive psychologist. Arthur M. Langer is an academic. David Adler is a Children's Book Author. Hekmat Tarzi is a faculty member. Toni Cade Bambara was a writer. Michael Berenbaum is an academic. Ann Birstein was a novelist. Erika Bourguignon was an anthropologist. Lorenzo Thomas was an academic. Alan Dugan was a poet. Jeff Faux is an economist. Laurie Friedman is an author. Juan Flores was a scholar. Ruth Gay was an author. Martin Gottlieb is a professor. Cynthia Holz is an author. Jane Irish is an artist. Bernard Krisher was a journalist. Corky Lee was a photographer. Nellie Y. McKay was a writer. Samuel Menashe was a poet. Shana Poplack is a linguist. Robert Rosenblum was a curator and art historian. Lloyd Schwartz is a poet. Joel Shatzky was a writer. Lowery Stokes Sims is a curator. Marilyn Singer is a writer. Elliot Sperling was a professor. Rosalyn Terborg-Penn was a historian. Eric R. Wolf was an anthropologist.
Other Notable Fields
Blaise Alexander State College alumni have also excelled in various other fields.
Read also: The Incredible Career of Shaun Alexander
Athletics: The college has a strong athletic tradition, with alumni achieving success in various sports. Sean Rutigliano is a basketball coach. The Zegalia Golf Outing, named for former Mountaineer football coach Steve Zegalia who passed away in 2003, is organized by Mountaineer Football Alumni with support from Mansfield University.
Other Fields: Alumni have made significant contributions to fields such as journalism, activism, and philanthropy. Nino Lo Bello was a journalist. Cristina Jiménez Moreta is an activist. Joan Nestle is an activist. Mark Podwal is an artist. Arlene Rush is an artist. Linda Stein is an artist. Ruth Madoff is the wife of Bernard L. Shifra Bronznick is a businesswoman. Air Lina Puerta is a director. Dorothy Rabinowitz is a journalist. Mario Savio was an activist.
Read also: Unlocking Higher Education with the Hadden Scholarship
tags: #blaise #alexander #state #college #notable #alumni
