Music Program

Rebecca Lanning is known as an engaging, artistically vulnerable performer with a rich, colorful tone. She has performed in recital, opera, and oratorio throughout the U.S. and in France. Symphonic appearances include the Georgia Symphony, Central Florida Symphony, Valdosta Symphony, Albany Symphony and Macon Symphony. Her musician's heart, however, lies at the fringes of the canon. She presented the world premiere of McNair’s Judas Wind with the Macon Symphony Orchestra, the Georgia premiere of Einhorn’s The Spires, the City, the Field with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and regularly programs obscure works by lesser-known composers.Lanning was named Young Artist of the Year by the Gretchen Bunche Endowed Recital Series and received the Irvin Bushman Award at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Auditions. As a member of Robert Shaw’s Chamber Singers and Festival Singers, she has performed several times at Carnegie Hall.A versatile musician, Dr. Lanning received degrees in voice and continued with graduate studies in music history at Ohio University; and arts policy studies at Valdosta State University. She has done extensive research in the relationship between the arts, the academy, and the educational social contract. Dr. Lanning is the leading scholar of American composer, Kathleen Lockhart Manning. For her research of Ms. Manning, she received the John Houk Research Grant. She has been authorized to write the first official biography of Ms. Manning, using primary documents entrusted to her by Manning's family. Other research areas include private/public artistic partnerships, the relationship between arts education and the contemporary cultural economy, and music entrepreneurship.An active choral conductor, Dr. Lanning has presented choral master classes and clinics throughout Georgia. She is Professor of Music at Middle Georgia State University and was named the sole recipient of Outstanding Teaching Award in 2010. She received the American Patriot Award from the US Army Reserves in 2009 for outstanding service to veterans in her classroom. She currently serves as the President of the Georgia Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.

Michael Gaffney has a degree in Music Production and Recording Arts from Elon University and a Film Music Composition from UNC School of the Arts. In 2018 he scored music and was the sound effects mixer for "Compete", a powerlifting documentary. He was the recording and mix engineer for the Oscar qualifying short film "Grab my Hand: A Letter to my Dad", and has scored music for award winning short films "The Line Jumper" and Bixwad at the Wing". He has engineered records for Bennty, 2nd Today, Hiding from Helicopters, Sophie Adams, and other artists. Most recently he has had music featured on CNBC's "Super Heists". His first feature film, "Those Who Call", is on Amazon and Tubi TV, and he has scored music for the narrative short "Dear Daughter", which is currently on its festival run. 

Assistant Professor of Music and electric trombonist, Dr. Justin McAdara, has had a diverse career including real estate, insurance marketing, nonprofit, and professional musician. Hailing from southern California, Dr. McAdara received his Doctorate in Jazz Performance in 2020 from the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana. His dissertation focused on his invention, The InfiniSphere, which is the first trombone designed specifically to be used with electronics. While at the University of Illinois, Dr. McAdara also founded his nonprofit organization, Music Defying Boundaries, that is dedicated to engaging individuals with experimental and improvised music through education, performance, and documentation.
Dr. McAdara has had the pleasure of performing with several groups including The Pacific Symphony, Holland America Cruise Lines, Adam Rudolph’s Go Organic Orchestra, The Everyone Orchestra, and Renee Baker’s Chicago Modern Orchestra. Most recently, Dr. McAdara performed at The Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York with Russell Gunn’s Royal Krunk Jazz Orchestra which included special guests, Jazzmeia Horn, Steffon Harris, Leon Timbo, Jessica Care Moore, Craig Harris, Miles Griffith, Oliver Lake, and Weedie Braihmah.
Dr. McAdara is an endorsed artist with Best American Craftsman out of Kansas City, Missouri.

Miguel Castro studied music from 1977 to 1983 at the "Conservatorio Nacional de Musica" in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic earning a Master's Degree in Music Performance. After that, he went to New York to study at Drummers Collective International in 1984-85 where he had the opportunity to study with some of the world leading percussionists such as Steve Gadd, Doug Allen, and Frank Malabé to name a few. From 1989 to 1992 Miguel lived in Germany where he played in numerous Latin American, jazz, pop, and chamber groups as well as pursuing an extensive recording career. He performed on tour throughout Europe with various groups, including the Puerto Rican Salsa star Marvin Santiago. Miguel has been a recording artist with ARC Music record label since 1992 and has produced 15 Compact Discs with them.  

 

He has performed with various professional orchestras including the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of the Dominican Republic, the Swiss Philharmonic Orchestra, the Carol Morgan Operatic Society, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Maracaibo, the Macon Symphony Orchestra, and currently the Latin American Orchestra of Houston Texas. Mr. Castro served as Director of Percussion Studies at Mercer University in Macon for eight years and was Director of Percussion Studies and Jazz Band at Middle Georgia College in Cochran from 1998 to 2012. He is currently our lead percussion instructor and band assistant here at Middle Georgia State University. He serves as the Percussion Coordinator for the Houston County School System. Mr. Castro is regularly in demand as a percussion clinician (Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Georgia Music Educators Association Conference, Georgia Percussive Arts Society Conference, and the Southeastern United States Band Clinic), adjudicator, composer, arranger and recording artist, maintaining a busy schedule in and outside of the United States.