Pianist, composer, and arranger, as well as our Music Director, Paul Rosenbloom, is the Artistic Director of one of Rhode Island’s pre-eminent chamber music ensembles, Musica Dolce. An accomplished pianist and composer, Paul is a brilliant musical alchemist, turning piano works into chamber music transcriptions, some of which you will hear again at Star, as well as his own compositions. He began piano studies at the age of ten with Joseph U. Boudreau. He graduated magna cum laude in music composition from Harvard in 1974, and received his Masters and Doctorate in composition from Cornell in 1979. Paul has taught theory, piano and composition at Cornell and the New England Conservatory, and computer science at the University of Rhode Island. He was principal pianist of the Filarmonica de Caracas (Venezuela), as well as head of the piano department at the Caracas Conservatory. Paul was principal pianist with the Rhode Island Philharmonic for almost three decades, conducted the Young Peoples Symphony, the URI and Ariosti chamber orchestras, and is the composer-in-residence of Musica Dolce since its inception. Dr. Rosenbloom has now retired from EVAS, a Westerly firm specializing in adaptive computer technology for the blind and visually handicapped.
Karen Van Dyke, Director of Star Flutes, made her professional debut at 17 as a soloist with the Baltimore Symphony. She maintains a dynamic career as an educator, freelance musician, conductor, artistic director, and clinician. Director of the Stanford Flute Ensemble for 29 years, she also leads the Northern California Flute Camp, a role she has held for 31 years. Under her direction, the Stanford Flute Ensemble has performed at National Flute Association conventions in New York, L.A., and Las Vegas, and appeared at TEDx Stanford. As an orchestral flutist, Karen has performed with the Berkeley and San Jose Symphonies and served as principal flute at the Anchorage Festival of Music. As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with Jake Heggie, performing Statuesque, and worked extensively with Jeanne Baxtresser. She has hosted masterclasses with world-renowned flutists at NCFC and Stanford and served on the NFA Program Committee for the 2024 convention. Karen has commissioned works for flute choir, including Chrysalis by Catherine McMichael and One Morning at Flute Camp by Gary Schocker. She maintains a private teaching studio, coaches winds for the California Youth Symphony, and released a CD, Mouvements Perpétuels: Music for Flute and Guitar, with guitarist Paul Binkley. Karen’s family attended Life on A Star conference throughout her childhood, and she is thrilled to return as the founding Director of Star Flutes.
Dr. Robert Hayden, clarinet, is a founding member of Musica Dolce. During his professional music career, he performed with the US Air Force Band, the Georgetown, Annapolis, and Baltimore Symphonies and spent six years touring the United States and Canada while leading his own five piece musical ensemble. He holds music degrees from Ithaca College and Catholic University, as well as a DMD degree from the University of Connecticut and a post-doctoral orthodontic certificate from Emory University. He maintains an active orthodontic practice in Westerly, RI and Block Island.
Dr. EmmaLee Holmes-Hicks is a freelance musician and educator, passionate about chamber music, orchestral playing, traditional music and improvisation. After receiving her doctoral degree in violin performance from SUNY Stony Brook, EmmaLee moved to Providence to pursue a fellowship with Community MusicWorks, serving as resident musician, teacher and learning about non-profits and social justice. Dr. Holmes-Hicks is on faculty at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and the Birch Creek Summer Performance Center. EmmaLee is principal second violinist of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, a member of the Cape Symphony, performs regularly with the Southcoast Chamber Music Series and is a member of the new music collective, Verdant Vibes. A firm believer that music can move people, quite literally, EmmaLee plays in contra dance bands across New England and in the Midwest where her lively fiddle music drives the spirited old-time dancing. She has played fiddle with the Rusty Pickup String Band since she was ten years old and she has taken many championship prizes at fiddle contests.
Gregory Tompkins holds a B.M. in violin performance and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Rochester and the Eastman School of Music. He received his Master’s degree from the New England Conservatory. Gregory plays regularly in recitals all over the eastern United States, and has performed as a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He has been with Music Haven since 2013.
Violist and educator Gillian Gallagher studied chamber music with the Juilliard, Guarneri, Emerson, and Tokyo String Quartets. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at The Juilliard School and has been on faculty at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, New York’s Center for Arts Education, and the Berklee College of Music Summer String Program. Well-versed in many different styles of music, Gillian has performed and recorded with a broad variety of ensembles such as the avant-garde classical band Hotel Elefant, Taylor Mac’s 24-hour History of Popular Music, the JACK and Attacca Quartets, and violinist and composer Mark O’Connor. Recent performances include concerts at the Park Avenue Armory, National Gallery of Art, and the Philharmonie de Paris with the new music ensemble Alarm Will Sound, and premieres by Osvaldo Golijov and Gabriel Kahane with The Knights chamber orchestra. Gillian studied viola with Sue Nazzaro, Mitchell Stern, Heidi Castleman, Misha Amory, and Hsin-Yun Huang. Originally from Saratoga Springs, NY, Gillian currently lives in Providence, RI.
Philip Boulanger, cello, received his Bachelor’s of Music from Boston University, and an Artist Certificate from the Krakow Academy of Music in Poland. He received his Master’s in Performance and Pedagogy from Northwestern University, during which time he was also Assistant Principal Cellist of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Prior to joining Music Haven in 2013, Philip served as a Teaching Artist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and worked with Yo-Yo Ma on the Symphony’s Citizen Musician Initiative.