Tori LaRose, a second-year Biomedical Engineering student from St. Louis, Missouri, is in her first semester with the UF Carillon Studio. Having played piano for most of her life, she was inspired to explore the carillon and is eager to expand her musical skills. In addition to her musical pursuits, Tori is actively involved in Generational Relief in Prosthetics (GRiP), the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), Phi Sigma Rho, the American Society of Biomechanics, and RecSports Sport Programs.
Ashlyn DellaVecchia is a second-year student from South Florida, who is majoring in Environmental Engineering. She grew up in a family that loves to play the piano, and this has inspired her to want to continue music in college. This is her first semester in Carillon Studio, and she is excited to learn how to play this unique instrument. In addition to piano and carillon, she also plays the clarinet and can be found marching at halftime in the Gator Band.
Jennifer Moloney is a junior pursuing a bachelors in Data Science with a minor in Computer and Information Science and Engineering. Raised in South Florida, Jennifer has an extensive background in piano and musical theater. Currently, she works closely with the School of Theatre and Dance under the direction of Andrew Cao and serves as a collaborative artist for the department. Academically, Jennifer is involved in undergraduate research with the department of Engineering Education. Jennifer is in her second semester with the UF Carillon Studio and is very excited to contribute and expand her musical abilities.
Francesca is a third-year student majoring in Biology on the Pre-Medical track and minoring in linguistics. This is her second semester in the studio and comes from a piano and guitar background. She is involved in the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), Gators for Refugee Medical Relief (GRMR), and volunteers at UF Shands and HCA North Florida hospitals. Her hobbies include puzzles, creating art, Rubik's cubes, and learning languages.
Andrew is a fourth-year student majoring in philosophy with a minor in economics. This is his fifth semester in the UF Carillon Studio. He has a background in piano, as he has played it for nearly his whole life. Andrew also enjoys playing the trombone, guitar, and singing the bass in the UF a cappella group Tone Def. Outside of music, Andrew is a member of the Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity and can sometimes be found juggling in the Plaza of the Americas.
Charleigh is a fourth-year majoring in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology with a minor in Dance and is working towards her Dance in Medicine Certificate. This is her third year in studio. Her main instrument is piano, but she also loves to sing and used to be a part of an a cappella group. Charleigh is also involved in Extreme Dance here at UF where she both choreographs and performs with the team. She is also the Global Diversity Equity Advocacy & Leadership Director for UF's pre-health honors society, Alpha Epsilon Delta.
Anna is a master's student majoring in Material Science Engineering. With a musical background in piano, she joined the UF Carillon Studio as a way to continue pursuing music in college. This is her seventh semester in the UF Carillon Studio. Outside of class, she can be found trying local coffee shops, eating Krishna lunch, and spending time outdoors!
Michael Dixon is an undergraduate student at the University of Florida, working toward a degree in Music Composition. A member of the UF Carillon Studio since August 2022, he has studied carillon performance with Dr. Laura Ellis for two years. With a musical background in French horn and piano, he studies the carillon to broaden the scope of his experience as a composer and performer. Dixon became a Carillonneur member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America (GCNA) upon passing the Carillonneur Exam at the 2024 GCNA Congress. He has written several pieces for carillon and is the composer co-recipient of the GCNA's 2023-24 Franco Student Composer-Performer Pair Grant. He plans to continue his studies at the graduate level with the goal of working as a composer, either in academia or the video game industry. Outside his studies, Dixon is an avid rhythm gamer; he is a co-founder and the current president of the University Rhythm Game Enthusiasts (URGE), a student organization at UF that focuses on rhythm video games such as Dance Dance Revolution.
Carlos is a graduate student at the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida. He graduated with a music performance minor in carillon in May 2022 with over 4 years of performance experience. During the same month, he was also awarded the Sally Slade Warner Arrangement & Transcription Competition Performance Award. His work was a transcription of El Coquí, a traditional Puerto Rican Danza by José Ignacio Quintón (1881-1925). Due to this distinction, his piece was performed at the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Carillon at the University of Chicago (IL) during the annual congress of The Guild of Carillonneurs of North America (GCNA) in June 2022.
In his continued approach to contributing to the art of carillon playing, Carlos is developing a project through the GCNA's Ronald Barnes Memorial Fund. His project consists of researching dances archived in his homeland of Puerto Rico to create carillon arrangements, thus enhancing the carillon repertoire with a more diverse cultural heritage.
Liz is a first year graduate student studying criminology who is in the University of Florida Gator Band where she is a member of the 10-time national champion Gatorettes (the majorette team for the university). She is also the president of the band sorority Tau Beta Sigma and this is her fifth semester playing carillon. Liz was introduced to carillon by another sister of Tau Beta Sigma and has been enthusiastic to learn all she can about being a carillonneur.