Faculty
Kristin Van Cleve
Director of Music, Violin Professor, Director of Chamber Ensembles
Office: Music Department, Catherine Hall, room 131
Phone: 972-721-5079
E-Mail: kvancleve@udallas.edu
Kristin Van Cleve was recently appointed chairperson of the music department at the
University of Dallas, where she has directed the chamber ensemble program since 2007.
She is Artistic Director and Principal Violinist of the historical performance ensemble,
Texas Camerata and is Principal Second Violin with the Dallas Opera Orchestra.
Ms. Van Cleve began violin studies in her hometown of Fairbanks, Alaska and later
moved to Texas, receiving both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Violin Performance
from the University of North Texas. As a baroque violinist, she has performed in
Boston, Washington, D.C., France, Mexico and throughout the southwest. Ms. Van Cleve
is concertmaster of several other historical instrument ensembles, including the Orchestra
of New Spain, and has performed with Apollo's Fire, the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra.
As a modern violinist, she is a member of the New Hampshire Music Festival, has returned
to Alaska as a faculty member of the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival and in June 2011
traveled to Bolivia to teach and perform.
Ms. Van Cleve is active as a clinician for violin students of all ages and also maintains
a private teaching studio in Dallas. She performs with the Fort Worth Symphony and
traveled with that orchestra to Carnegie Hall in 2008.
Andrey Ponochevny
Adjunct Professor, Piano
Office: Music Department, Catherine Hall, room 128
Phone: 972-721-5079
Andrey Ponochevny graduated from Belarussian Academy of Music where he received his
bachelor and master degrees. He also earned his Artist Diploma from TCU in Fort Worth,
where he studied with Dr. Tams Ungar. He continued to refine his skills in the Artist
Certificate Program at SMU in Dallas with renowned pianist, Juaquin Achucarro. He
has appeared with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Des Moines Symphony, Rogue Valley
Symphony and the Illinois Symphony, Irving Symphony, Orchester der Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele
and Belarusian State Symphony among others.
His concerts have been broadcast on radio stations in Boston, New York, Chicago, Germany,
Belarus, Slovenia, Romania, Australia and Denmark. In recent seasons, Mr. Ponochevny
has been featured in many venues throughout Europe. Andrey Ponochevny performed at
several prestigious festivals such as Ruhr Klavier Festival and the Bonner Herbst,
International Keyboard Institute and Festival (IKIF) in New York city, International
Ludwigsburg Festival; Serie de los Nuevos Virtuosos in Puerto Rico, Bravissimo Festival
in Guatemala city and Changchun International festival, China.
He also holds several prestigious awards from China such as Outstanding Artist in
China 2009 and 2011, Honorable professor of Jilin College of Arts and visiting professor
at the Beihua University. In his hometown Minsk (Belarus) he was awarded the title
"Minskovite of the year 2002".
Tara Cunningham
Adjunct Professor, Applied Piano
Office: Music Department, Catherine Hall, room 103
Phone: 972-721-5079
Ms. Cunningham graduated from Texas Woman's University with a Bachelor's Degree in
Music Education/Piano Performance. After teaching in the classroom for four years
as a general music teacher of K-8, she decided to go completely private about 14 years
ago and has a studio of 50 private piano students here in Irving. She was born and
raised with her two older brothers on a 300-acre farm in Jasper, Indiana, by two very
hardworking Catholic parents. Ms. Cunningham and her husband are the proud parents
of two young children and very much enjoy living in Texas although they try to get
back to Indiana as much as possible.
Besides teaching privately and working as the music teacher at Mount St. Michael's
Catholic School in Dallas, Ms. Cunningham enjoys her church job at St. John the Apostle
Catholic Church in North Richland Hills where she is the main pianist/organist and
plays for four masses on Sundays.
Ms. Cunningham holds a bachelor's degree from Texas Woman's University in Music Education/Piano.
She is the author of "The Five Fathers of Music" and "NoteSpeed." She is a piano instructor at the
University of Dallas in Irving, TX and specializes in teaching beginning through advanced
students. She has maintained a full studio of piano students since 1998.
Brian Bentley
Director, UD Chorale
Office: Music Department, Catherine Hall, room 129
Phone: 972-721-5079
Sharon Gross
Adjunct Professor, Voice and Lyric Theater
Office: Music Department, Catherine Hall, room 101
Phone: 972-721-5079
Sharon Gross holds a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from the University of North
Texas with a certification in Choral Music Education and also has a Master of Vocal
Performance Degree from University of North Texas, with an emphasis in opera and choral
music. She was a vocal student of Dr. Stephen Farish and Mr. Harold Heiberg. During
her musical studies at UNT. Ms. Gross was a member of the UNT Madrigal Singers conducted
by Dr. Robert Ottman and the UNT A cappella Choir, conducted by Mr. Frank McKinley.
She performed with the UNT Choir at the Kennedy Center in Washington D. C., and also
toured with the choir, during her graduate studies, to Poland, England, Holland, France,
and Belgium. She also studied voice in New York with Mr. Bill Schuman and sang professionally
with the Ridgewood Singers touring Paris, Monte Carlo, Germany, and England performing
with the Jazz Ensemble “Vocal Point.” She has performed and directed operas and musicals
throughout her career. Ms. Gross performed with the Dallas Opera Chorus, Fort Worth
Opera Chorus and also performed with Fort Worth Opera in the artist program. Ms.
Gross sang with Robert Shaw Chorale in New York at Carnegie Hall during performances of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. Sharon Gross was a member of the Dallas Symphony Chorus under the direction of Mr.
Joshua Habermann during 2013-2016. During June of 2014, Ms. Gross toured Spain and
France (Provence) with the Dallas Symphony Chorus as they performed the Mozart Requiem.
Ms. Gross taught applied voice and directed voice students in select operatic productions
at The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas. The voice students were involved in performing
musicals within the school community and also performed the following opera presentations: La Voix Humaine, Suor Angelica, Hansel and Gretel and The Telephone. Voice students also competed in National Association of Teachers’ of Singing contests
and TPSMEA (Texas Private School Music Educators’ Association) contests and events.
Ms. Gross also taught as an Adjunct Vocal Instructor at Dallas Baptist University
and continued to maintain a private voice studio throughout her career. As a choral
music educator and voice teacher, Ms. Gross was on staff at R. L. Paschal High School
in Fort Worth and also Fort Worth Country Day College Preparatory School in Fort Worth.
During 2005-2014, Ms. Gross served as the Chairman of the Performing Arts Department
at Irving High School. She was the Director of Choirs and coached students in individual
voice instruction. The A cappella Choir performed in the American Music Festival
at the Meyerson Symphony Concert Hall, and the Vocal Jazz Ensemble performed for many venues throughout the DFW area. Many
of her students performed and advanced to the state level of UIL Solo/Ensemble competition.
During her tenure at Irving High School, Ms. Gross conducted the vocalists, chorus,
and orchestra during the Performing Arts musical theater productions, and also served
as the producer of the productions. Also, during her tenure within the Irving ISD,
Ms. Gross was awarded the honor of Irving High School Campus Teacher of the Year and
was also selected as an Irving ISD District Secondary Teacher of the Year. Sharon
Gross is currently in her second year at The University of Dallas as an Adjunct Professor
of Voice Practicum (private vocal study) Advanced Voice, and Lyric Theater in The
Music Department.
As a soprano soloist, Ms. Gross has performed in Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. In addition, she has performed as a choral member and soloist for various church and
sacred music venues. Some of her operatic roles include ‘Suzanna’ and ‘Barbarina’
in The Marriage of Figaro and the role of the ‘Mother’ in Hansel and Gretel . Her musical theater roles include ‘Marion’ in The Music Man, ‘Martha Jefferson’ in 1776, ‘Laurey’ in Oklahoma, ‘Jenny’ in Shenandoah, and ‘Faye Templeton’ in George M.
Marie-Thais Oliver

Adjunct Professor, Cello
Office: Music Department, Catherine Hall, room 128
Phone: 972-721-5079
E-Mail: moliver@udallas.edu
Originally from Rimouski, Québec, Canada, Dr. Oliver holds a Master of Music degree
and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she
studied with Desmond Hoebig, former Principal Cello of the Cleveland Orchestra, and
Richard Aaron. Dr. Oliver also holds an Undergraduate degree from the Conservatoire
de Musique de Montréal, where she studied with Denis Brott. From 2002 to 2010, she
was Principal Cello of the Akron Symphony and the Canton Symphony in Ohio. Dr. Oliver
was heard in many summer festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Institute, the
Music Academy of the West, and was invited to participate in the Gregor Piatigorsky
Seminar for cellists. Dr. Oliver is now an Adjunct Faculty member of the University of Dallas, where she
teaches cello, and a freelancer and sought after chamber musician in the Dallas-Fort
Worth area.