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Ronald Braunstein, the Music Director of Me2/, received his musical background at The Juilliard School, Salzburg Mozarteum, Fontainbleau, and the Tanglewood Music Center. Immediately following graduation from Juilliard, he won the Gold Medal in the Herbert von Karajan International Conducting Competition and spent the following four years mentoring with Mr. Karajan. He has conducted the San Francisco Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, Stuttgart Radio Orchestra, Swiss Radio Orchestra, Israel Sinfonietta, Auckland Philharmonia, Kyoto Symphony, Osaka Symphony, Tokyo Symphony, the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague, and the Oslo Philharmonic .
Mr. Braunstein was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1985. He launched Me2/ because of his desire to support others who struggle to maintain good mental health. (www.ronaldbraunstein.com)
Caroline Whiddon, the Executive Director of Me2/, has more than two decades of experience in orchestra leadership. During her tenure as Executive Director of the Vermont Youth Orchestra Association, the organization nearly tripled its student enrollment, completed a successful $2.1 million capital campaign, made its Carnegie Hall debut, and toured internationally. She is a past Chair of the Youth Orchestra Division of the League of American Orchestras, and a graduate of the Snelling Center for Government’s Vermont Leadership Institute.
Caroline received her Bachelor’s degree in French horn performance from the Eastman School of Music. She was first diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder nearly thirty years ago.
Braunstein and Whiddon launched Me2/ in the fall of 2011. They were married in 2013.
Michael Colburn, the Music Director & Conductor of Me2/Burlington, is a freelance guest conductor and clinician who regularly leads professional and student ensembles in festivals, residencies, and a variety of other settings throughout the country. Colburn most recently served as the Director of Bands at Butler University, where he also taught conducting, euphonium, and the history and literature of the wind band. Colburn previously served for 27 years in “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, where he held a variety of positions including Principal Euphonium (1991-1996), Assistant Director (1996-2004), and Director (2004-2014). As Director, Colburn was music advisor to White House and regularly conducted the Marine Band and Chamber Orchestra at the Executive Mansion and at the Presidential Inaugurations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He was promoted to Colonel by President Bush in a private Oval Office ceremony in 2007, and in 2014 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by Gen James Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and the Medal of Honor by the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic Board of Directors.
Colburn currently serves as the President-Elect of the American Bandmasters Association and the Vice President for Project Enhancement for the John Philip Sousa Foundation.
Johnny Nichols, Jr., the Conductor of the Me2/Boston Chorus, holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Music Performance and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting. He received his vocal, instrumental, conducting, and pedagogy training at American University, University of Louisiana Monroe, and Texas Southern University.
As an educator, Johnny has taught high school and middle school choir and theater for over eleven years, and is often called to local schools to serve as a clinician to vocal ensembles and theater programs. Throughout his career, he has been named to lead honor choirs in Louisiana, Texas, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts area districts, as well as an adjudicator for MMEA, METG, MICCA and SEMBSA organizations. In addition, Johnny is the Artistic Director and conductor for the Ipswich River Community Chorus, and he conducts the Boston Children’s Chorus.
Johnny spends the remainder of his artistic time conducting operas and other large works, directing plays and musicals for adult and youth shows throughout the country, music directing projects, teaching voice lessons to youth and adults, and arranging choral music.
A native of Louisiana, Johnny has struggled with mental health issues most of his life. After receiving a diagnosis in 2018, he has fought to destigmatize mental illness and support others who suffer unnoticed.
Eileen Yarrison, the Conductor of the Me2/Boston Flute Choir, has been teaching flute for nearly forty years. She is on the faculty of Gordon College, and the Indian Hill Music School (where she also conducts the Intergenerational Flute Choir), and maintains a private studio at her home on the North Shore. Eileen holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Nebraska, a Master’s of Music degree from Pennsylvania State University, and a Bachelor’s of Music degree from the University of New Hampshire.
Eileen is the new National Flute Association’s Professional Flute Choir Competition Coordinator. She is currently a member of The Collective, a chamber music ensemble based on the North Shore, which includes winds, strings, guitar, and an Irish band.
Annamarie Cioffari, Director, M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Northern Vermont University
Lisa Dwyer, mental health advocate
Carole Furr, staff accountant, Burlington Housing Authority; French horn, Me2/Burlington
John Helzer, MD, Professor Emeritus, Psychiatry; Director, Health Behavior Research Center, University of Vermont School of Medicine
Wendy Hoffman, attorney, Mental Health Law Project, Vermont Legal Aid, Inc.
Heidi Keegan, CFO, Fort Hill construction; violinist, Me2/Boston
Margie Leith, Business Intelligence Developer, University of Vermont Health Network; violinist, Me2/Burlington
Jeffrey Means, Artistic Director & Conductor, Sound Icon; Assistant Professor, Berklee College of Music
Klemens Meyer, Director of Dialysis Services, Emeritus, Tufts Medical Center; violinist, Me2/Boston
Marcia Zuckerman, MD, psychiatrist, Melrose Wakefield/private practice; clinical assistant professor, Tufts School of Medicine.; violist, Me2/Boston
Evelyn Bromet, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor
Director, Epidemiology Research Group
Stony Brook University
Andy Pallito
Dean of Administration
Community College of Vermont
Sandra Steingard, M.D.
Medical Director, HowardCenter
Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Vermont
Me2/ (“me, too”) is the world’s only classical music organization created for individuals with mental illnesses and the people who support them. Me2/ is a nonprofit, 501c3 organization with programs in Boston MA, Burlington VT, and Manchester NH, as well as affiliates launching in additional states.
Me2/
Schrafft’s City Center
529 Main St, Ste 103
Charlestown, MA 02129
info@me2music.org
(802) 238-8369