CIM bolsters faculty with appointments in flute, trombone, double bass, and voice departments

Just as musicians continually chase perfection, so does CIM never stop strengthening its faculty.

On Friday, May 10, that truth bore out splendidly with the announcement of four new or newly promoted faculty members in CIM’s flute, trombone, bass, and voice departments.

Newly appointed was Hannah Hammel Maser, principal flute of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, while three others – baritone Tyler Duncan and two Cleveland Orchestra members, trombonist Brian Wendel and double bassist Charles Paul – took on expanded teaching roles.  

The appointees, whose new roles take effect in fall 2024, have received rave reviews from CIM students in the Conservatory and Joint Music Program divisions and reflect CIM’s continued investment in faculty with extensive, high-level performing experience and a deep commitment to pedagogy.  

“These energetic faculty members will help our students get where they want to be: on stage with the world’s best,” said Scott Harrison, CIM’s Executive Vice President & Provost. “With their rich and diverse backgrounds, these teachers will be an invaluable resource to every student in their care.”  

Hannah Hammel Maser is new to the faculty but not new to CIM. She has been principal flute in Detroit since 2020 and has been a guest instructor at CIM most of that time. Before Detroit, she was principal flute of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.  

She has also taught at Michigan State University and is an active participant in the National Flute Association. She will provide regular lessons for CIM's flute students in partnership with current flute faculty Jessica Sindell, assistant principal flute of The Cleveland Orchestra. 

Brian Wendel has been a member of CIM’s chamber music faculty and taught in CIM’s low brass seminar since 2022, when he was appointed principal trombone of The Cleveland Orchestra.  

He came to Cleveland from Canada, where he served for five years as principal trombone of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia.  

In his new capacity at CIM, Wendel will increase his teaching load in collaboration with fellow Conservatory trombone faculty members Peter Sullivan and Randall Hawes.  

Baritone Tyler Duncan, who has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, Spoleto Festival, and the Handel and Haydn Society, has been on CIM’s voice faculty since 2023, through the Historic Performance Program within the Joint Music Program, CIM’s longstanding partnership with Case Western Reserve University. 

At CIM, Duncan will continue to offer specialty training in early music performance while starting a Conservatory voice studio in an already robust department headed by Mary Schiller, further preparing students to take part in the thriving CIM Opera Theater.  

“Expanding my role in the supportive, welcoming and nurturing voice department at CIM brings great joy,” Duncan said. “I enthusiastically look forward to helping the next generation of singers uncover the artist inside of them and navigate the exciting evolution of our field.”  

Equally fortunate at CIM is the double bass department, which also saw an expanded appointment to its Conservatory faculty.  

Like Wendel, Charles Paul comes to CIM from The Cleveland Orchestra, where he has been first assistant principal bass since 2022. He previously played in the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and has extensive experience as a chamber musician and collaborator, often joining forces with dancers and choreographers.  

At CIM, Paul will teach a Conservatory double bass studio along with Cleveland Orchestra members Derek Zadinsky, Maximilian Dimoff, and Scott Dixon.  

CIM’s students “inspire me every time I walk into the building,” Paul said. “Each of them works hard, loves music, and cares for each other's success and well-being. To work with them and the faculty, who have all been mentors to me, is an incredible opportunity, and I look forward to all I can continue to learn from them as a teacher and musician.” 

Friday's appointments were only the latest in a stellar series of new faculty.  

In recent months, CIM also has announced the appointments of violinist Jessica Lee as chair of the violin department; saxophonist Steven Banks; cellist Wei Yu; and pianists Gabriela Montero, Ilya Itin, and Dr. Daria Rabotkina. 

Commenting on the new appointments, Harrison noted another process in continual flux across classical music: navigating one’s career path.  

As CIM students embark on that ever-changing process themselves, he said they will be well-served by these new faculty, each of whom exemplifies diverse models of success in his or her field. 

“Our highest ambition at CIM is to prepare students to take their place as the future of classical music,” Harrison said. “From these new faculty members, our students will gain all the skills, artistry, and resilience they will need to thrive in their profession.”