Notable Alumni

Brewer is a founding member of the U.S. Army trumpet ensemble and plays in the top U.S. Army band, Pershing's Own.

Carpenter is an award-winning musician and songwriter, and is known as a dynamic music performer, author and scholar. She is currently a faculty member at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and speaks internationally on global access to music education, hit songwriting, ethnomusicology and music psychology. Carpenter performs frequently in the Nashville area and will be touring with the Wizards of Winter on their 2024 national tour.

An associate professor of voice at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Gonzales-Redman had an 18-year career as a main stage soprano with the Metropolitan Opera, including nearly 200 onstage performances as a principal soloist.

Graves is in his 17th year of teaching and is the band director at Themer Middle School in Forney Independent School District. Graves also served as the director at Tony A. Jackson Middle School and Roma Middle School for 11 years. In 2020, the Roma Middle School Wind Symphony was selected as the Texas Music Educators Association 5A-Area G Middle School Honor Band. He is currently on the board of directors of the Midwest Clinic, named to Yamaha Music’s 2023 "40 Under 40" Excellence in Music Education, and Country Music Awards’ Music Teacher of Excellence in 2023.

Hawk has been recognized by Opera News and commended by Opera Wire for her "richly balanced" voice. Performances include debuts at the Houston Grand Opera, Chicago Opera Theater and Florida Grand Opera.

Having started his professional journey as a full-time freelancer, Lieberman is most known for his work composing on anime series like Rooster Teeth's "RWBY" and "Beyblade Burst Evolution," among others. In 2019, he partnered with the Asia-Pacific government officials as an international ambassador to Australia representing the video game music industry. As a cellist, guitarist and vocalist, Lieberman has worked with a variety of film and gaming franchises.

Spring 2021 Sawdust Magazine Feature Story

Melton is the current Region 4-2A Area C executive secretary of University Interscholastic League’s music division. While at SFA, Melton studied with Melvin Montgomery and Max Morley. He retired after 37 years as a band director and fine arts director with stints at Spring Hill, Lufkin, Union Grove and Pine Tree independent school districts. His bands won many UIL Sweepstakes awards, Best in Class awards, as well as UIL State Marching appearances and TMEA Honor Band finalists. In 2024, Melton was inducted into the Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame.

Director of the Golden Wave Marching Band at Baylor University, Odajima has appeared as a clinician, adjudicator and guest conductor at multiple events throughout the country. He also has served on the faculty of the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp as the conductor of the All-State High School Band.

Thomas, a lyric mezzo soprano, regularly performs as a concert soloist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, singing a vast repertoire that spans from early to 20th century music. Equally comfortable on the opera stage, Thomas has performed roles that include Acis in "Acis y Galatea,”" Meg Page in "Falstaff," Prince Orlofsky in "Die Fledermaus," the mother in "Amahl and the Night Visitors," and Hansel in "Hansel and Gretel."

Thomas will serve as a resident artist with Portland Opera during the 2024-25 season.