Faculty

Jerry Kosak
jkosak@mcnallysmith.edu
Department Head, Guitar
Faculty Member Since: 2003
Primary Department: Guitar
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education: M.M. Northern Arizona University, B.M. Arizona State University

Professional Experience: Performances with Don Ross, Tommy Emmanuel, Andy McKee, Walnut Valley Festival, and the Canadian Guitar Festival.  Former guitar instructor at Northern Arizona University.  Winner of the Zeitgeist Eric Stokes Song Contest 2000 and 2001. Jerry has an artist endorsement from National Resophonic Guitars and Petros Guitars, is a recording artist with Candy Rat Records, and has release 2 CD's Many Dances and Sounds Like This.

Kevin Daley
kdaley@mcnallysmith.edu
Primary Department: Guitar
Formal Education:Berklee College of Music, Diploma

Professional Experience: As a freelance guitarist, Kevin has worked in a variety of styles and venues ranging from Broadway shows at the Ordway to performances with the New Music Theatre Ensemble and Zeitgeist. Having performed with both jazz and pop groups, Kevin has been a Minnesota Music Award recipient for top jazz-fusion guitarist.

Mike Krajewski
mkrajewski@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2007
Primary Department: Guitar
Formal Education:M.M. Georgia State University – Jazz Studies, B.M. Berklee College of Music – Professional Music. Classical guitar studies with John Sutherland.

Professional Experience: Mike has performed throughout the northeast and metro Atlanta areas in various Jazz, Rock, Funk, Country, Big Band, and Theater groups. He toured and recorded with the Grammy nominated Joey Thomas Big Band. Honors graduate from both Berklee College of Music and Georgia State University, Mike has been teaching for over 15 years. He is the author of “The Complete Beginning Guitarist”. Before joining the faculty at McNally Smith, Mike taught at Georgia State University as a graduate assistant, Atlanta Institute of Music and the Lovett School.

Paul Krueger
pkrueger@mcnallysmith.edu
Primary Department: Guitar
Formal Education:B.M. Berklee College of Music

Professional Experience: Having studied under guitar greats Bill Leavitt, Mike Ihde, and Larry Baione, Paul toured eight years with various shows and rock bands throughout the U.S. and Canada. He has also played with the Chanhassen Dinner Theater Pit Orchestra for the musicals Oklahoma, Cats, Mamma Mia, and The Full Monty.

Tim Lyles
tlyles@mcnallysmith.edu
Primary Department: Guitar
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education:Berklee College of Music, B.P.S. Memphis State University

Professional Experience: Tim's career includes a wide range of accomplishments in television production, recording studio session work, producing, arranging, engineering, studio management, and multi-instrumental live performance. Having studied with Memphis area sessionmen and Bill Bresnahan in Boston, his university studies culminated in working with artist-in-residence, Aaron Copland, and visiting artists, Gunther Schuller and electronic music pioneer, Vladimir Ussachevsky. Tim has toured nationally in a 14-piece horn band and shared the stage with Carole King, The Beach Boys, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Merle Haggard, Ann Margaret, and many more. He also maintains a long-running contingent of private guitar students.

Michael Menard
mmenard@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2003
Primary Department: Music Theory
Secondary Department: Guitar
Formal Education:B.M. and M.M. in Classical Guitar Performance, University of Minnesota with Jeffrey Van and James McGuire

Professional Experience: Michael Menard is an accomplished classical guitarist and guitar teacher with the ability to play and teach many styles of music. Upon receiving his Masters Degree, Michael was asked to return to teach at The University of Minnesota, and continues to do so. He also teaches guitar at the Math and Science Academy in Woodbury, Eden Prairie High School, the Saint Paul Conservatory, and of course McNally Smith College of Music. Michael also has his own studio where he teaches students of all ages. In addition to teaching, Michael plays at a variety of venues all over the Twin Cities. Other teaching experience: Math and Science Academy in Woodbury, Eden Prairie High School, and the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music.

Brian Metreyeon
bmetreyeon@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2007
Primary Department: Guitar
Formal Education:Studied with Brett Garsed and Scott Henderson while attending Musicians Institute.  Graduated from California State University Chico with a B.A. in music.  Performed throughout Northern California and greater Minneapolis area with funk/rock/r&b bands. In addition to teaching at McNally Smith, Brian also runs a private teaching studio in Minneapolis.

Professional Experience: B.A. California State University Chico

Ric Oliva
roliva@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2007
Primary Department: Guitar
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education:B.M. Berklee College of Music – Contemporary Writing and Production
General Education:Ric has been playing guitar for over 20 years and has been teaching guitar and songwriting since 1997.  Since graduating Magna Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music where he received the Peter Koleta award for Commercial Arranging, he's had the honor of sharing the stage with members of The Sounds of Blackness, The New Power Generation, The Steele Family, and many great local and national touring acts.  He's also had the honor of opening for rock legends Pat Benetar, Peter Frampton, and Huey Lewis and The News.  Before joining the faculty at McNally Smith he was teaching at The West Bank School of Music in Minneapolis and still teaches privately in Bloomington at The Nechville Center for Music and maintains a rigorous performance schedule.

Chris Olson
colson@mcnallysmith.edu
Faculty Member Since: 2001
Primary Department: Guitar
Secondary Department: Music Theory
Formal Education:M.M. in jazz studies/performance from the University of North Texas; B.M. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in jazz studies and music education/choral emphasis

Professional Experience: Chris has performed with such artists as Bob Mintzer, Louis Bellson, Terry Gibbs, Ira Sullivan, and Bobby Vinton. He has performed with dozens of artists locally, and has been featured as a solo performer or guest artist at events such as the UWSP Jazz Festival and the Minnesota Jazz Guitarathon. Chris is featured on the CD, IN THE MEANTIME, by the quartet, Maintime, released this Spring. Awards and Honors: An honors graduate at both the graduate and undergraduate level, Chris is a member of the International Association of Jazz Educators and The Twin Cities Jazz and Guitar Societies.   He is serving as guitar reference on the resource team for the Minnesota chapter of   IAJE. Other teaching experience: Currently, Chris is also teaching at MacPhail Center For Music in Minneapolis, and at the Shell Lake Arts Center in Shell Lake, Wisconsin.  During the summer, he teaches at jazz and rock camps in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including the McNally Smith Summer Jazz Workshop. 

Bobby Stanton
bstanton@mcnallysmith.edu
Primary Department: Guitar
Secondary Department: Ensemble
Formal Education:B.M. Berklee College of Music

Professional Experience: Bobby’s extensive career includes playing with James Taylor, Garrison Keillor, Mark O'Connor, the Shirelles, Bo Diddley, the Coasters, the Marvelettes, the Platters, and Richie Havens, to name a few. He has also been featured on “A Prairie Home Companion” and “A Welcome Home Christmas.”

Neal Thorgrimson
Faculty Member Since: 1987
Primary Department: Guitar
Formal Education:B.A. in Music Performance from Metro State University, B.A. Concordia University

Professional Experience: 20 years playing professionally in pop music style bands. Other teaching experience: Schmitt Music teaching private lessons. Awards and Honors: Academic Scholarship for 4.0 GPA in college.  Neal has worked as a music instructor at the Minnesota Arts High School (now Perpich Center for the Arts), the Minneapolis Community Development program, Open U inc., Minnesota School District 283, and has participated in the guest lecture series at University of St. Thomas, St. Paul MN. He received his bachelor’s degree in music from Metro State University, Minneapolis, MN. and while there, was awarded a variety of academic achievement scholarships. He has composed music for local rock musicals, screenplay soundtracks, and industrial videos. He has also done sessions and commercials used for television and radio. Neal has performed at numerous pro sports events including the N.F.L. Super Bowl. For the last 15 years Neal has performed with rock, blues, R&B, reggae, and country/rockabilly groups opening for such international acts as Ringo Starr, Steppenwolf, Bad Company, Foreigner, Jeff Healy, Bad Finger, and R.E.M.

Cliff Wittstruck
cwittstruck@mcnallysmith.edu
Dean of Academic Affairs
Primary Department: Guitar
Formal Education:M.M. New England Conservatory, B.M. Berklee College of Music

Professional Experience: Cliff performed with the R&B group, Inside Straight, opening for such nationally-renowned performers as James Brown, Roy Buchanan, Art Garfunkel, Junior Walker and the All Stars, Sam and Dave, the Minnesota Orchestra, and Sun Ra. Since returning to Minnesota, Cliff has played with Bernadette Peters, Rupert’s Orchestra, Mick Sterling and the Stud Brothers, and the Wolverines Classic Jazz Orchestra. He also performed throughout the U.S., Far East, Mexico, and Caribbean with the group, Synergy.