Faculty
Kristin Van Cleve
Director of Music, Violin Professor, Director of Chamber Ensembles
Office: Music Department, Carpenter Hall
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 Studio, Haggar
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".
Jim Higgins
Adjunct Professor, Music History & Theory
Office: Music Department, Carpenter Hall
Phone: 972-721-5079
E-Mail: jhiggins@udallas.edu
Jim Higgins, born in Indiana, received his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from
Indiana State University, and a Master's Degree in Cello Performance from Ball State
University. After 10 years of performing with the Florida Symphony, he moved to Texas
to begin a career in education and performing. He now teaches music history and music
theory here at the University of Dallas as well as maintaining a private cello studio
at his home in Richardson, and teaching cello at Brookhaven and Richland Junior Colleges.
An active free-lance cellist in the metroplex, Mr. Higgins has performed in many churches
and with many organizations including The Dallas Opera, Lewisville and Richardson
Symphonies. He is a founding member of Timeless Concerts, a dinner/concert series
based in Arlington.
In addition to performing and teaching, Mr. Higgins writes arrangements for a variety
of ensembles in Texas as well as other states. His arrangements for school orchestras
have been published by Kjos and RBC.
Tara Cunningham
Adjunct Professor, Applied Piano
Office: Music Studio, Haggar
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, Carpenter Hall
Phone: 972-721-5079
