Commercial Music Faculty
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Associate Professor of Music |
Dr. Nolan Stolz is Associate Professor of Music at USC Upstate, where he has been teaching since 2014. A composer, scholar, and drummer, Stolz teaches a variety of courses such as composition, songwriting, arranging, music theory/musicianship, popular music studies, jazz combo, and private lessons in composition, songwriting, and drum set. He is the author of the book Experiencing Black Sabbath and essays on Black Sabbath, Genesis, Rush, and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Recorded in the Czech Republic in 2017 and released on Ablaze Records in 2018, his 25-minute orchestral piece, the Lincoln Highway Suite, was awarded second place in the American Prize: Ernst Bacon Award. Dr. Stolz received the Breakthrough Star award from the University of South Carolina in 2020 and the Faculty Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Pursuits Award from USC Upstate in 2019. Several other of his compositions have been released on Ablaze Records, ESM, Navona/Parma, Six String Sounds, and Tributary Music. As a drummer, he appears on albums from Art Rock Circus, Coalition, Halloween Town (with members of The Killers, Louis XIV, and others), Johnnie Pate’s 80th Birthday Celebration (with Monty Alexander, Kenny Burrell, Ron Carter, James Moody, Phil Woods, etc.), Nolan Stolz Rock Orchestra, and several releases as a session musician. Dr. Stolz has performed with a variety of bands ranging in style from the avant-garde electroacoustic Southern California ensemble Caravan to the Tokyo-based J-Pop band Swinging Popsicle.
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Associate Professor of Music (music history, music technology, popular music studies) |
Griffin Woodworth is an Assistant Professor of Music in the Commercial Music program at the University of South Carolina Upstate, where he teaches courses on popular music and music technology. Dr. Woodworth earned his Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of California Los Angeles. In his research, Dr. Woodworth unpacks the ways that popular music expresses political and personal issues including gender, race, and social class, as well as the ways that contemporary music technology has impacted the aesthetics and practices of modern musicians. Currently, Dr. Woodworth is working on a book about the music of Prince, an artist whose career Griffin avidly followed during his previous residence in Minneapolis MN before coming to teach at USC Upstate. In addition to his work as a music educator, Griffin also plays cello and bass professionally in rock, folk, and worship bands. Among his many professional gigs, Griffin played bass and guitar in the pit-orchestra for the national touring production of “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” the musical. He currently lives in Spartanburg SC with his wife and children.
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Upstate Vocal Ensemble director (ensembles, staff accompanist) |
Lance Bastian is the University of South Carolina Upstate’s director of the Upstate Vocal Ensemble. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music theory from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a master’s degree in church music composition from Bob Jones University. In addition to accompanying both vocal ensembles and soloists for 10 years, Lance is a published composer of choral music and enjoys writing arrangements and original compositions for voice, piano and strings. In addition to directing the Upstate Vocal Ensemble, Lance accompanies voice students for lessons and performances, and teaches piano.
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Adjunct Instructor of Music (music theory / musicianship, Group Piano, Intro to Music) |
Carter Callison is a native of Asheville, North Carolina, where he began studying music at a young age and developed a passion for composing and playing the double bass. His works have been preformed by numerous ensembles including the BBC Singers, the Manson Ensemble, Spitalfields Winter & Summer Festivals, and the Bristol School of Animation. His recent Clarinet Concerto 'Lucid Dreaming' was recorded by Ensemble Erasme at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris (CRR de Paris) in France. In addition to his composing endeavors, he has enjoyed performing double bass throughout Europe and America and is proficient playing in styles from the baroque to the avant-garde. Carter holds degrees from the Royal Academy of Music (MMus 2012, PhD 2017), Manhattan School of Music (B.M. Composition and Double Bass, 2009) and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (High School Diploma, Double Bass 2005).
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Adjunct Instructor of Music (piano, Intro to Music) |
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Adjunct Instructor of Applied Music (voice) |
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Adjunct Instructor of Music (Intro to Music, History of American Popular Music, Recital Attendance, Writing About Music) |
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Adjunct Instructor of Music (Intro to Music, History of Rock) |
Born in Dallas, Texas, Dr. Patrick Flynn has been on faculty as an adjunct professor at USC-Upstate since 2011. He currently teaches courses such as the History of Rock Music and Music Appreciation. He also teaches at several other colleges of higher education in the Greenville/Spartanburg area, whereby he teaches courses in guitar performance, guitar pedagogy, music theory, piano performance, and is the director of several instrumental ensembles of distinction. Dr. Patrick Flynn earned his Doctoral of Music Arts and Master of Music degrees at the University of Memphis, where he studied with the international recording artist Dr. Lily Afshar. As a student, he was awarded a full tuition scholarship and also the prestigious “Graduate Performance Award.“ He was the first recipient of a Doctoral of Musical Arts degree in classical guitar performance in 2005 from the University of Memphis. His undergraduate degree is from Florida Atlantic University, where he studied with Dr. Ken Keaton, a student of Pepe Romero and Juan Mercadal. Having a passion for the classical guitar, Patrick Flynn has had the great opportunity to attend and participate in numerous master classes held by many of the leading guitarists around the world. These include; David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, Eliot Fisk, Christopher Parkening, and The Romeros. Patrick Flynn is an active performer of solo and chamber works throughout the continental USA. When not performing or teaching, he enjoys playing tennis, reading, as well as studying and investing in the financial markets. Patrick resides in Spartanburg, SC, with his wife and two sons.
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Adjunct Instructor of Music (Intro to Music, History of American Popular Music) |
Max Hardy has performed in a variety of settings and genres throughout the United States. He has worked with various bands, musical theatre troupes, ballet companies, chamber ensembles, and as a solo artist in addition to studio and session work. Though primarily a guitarist, he is also proficient on the banjo and mandolin. In addition to performing, Max is a passionate music educator with years of experience teaching in private studios and at the collegiate level. He has served as adjunct faculty with Midlands Technical College, the Midlands Audio Institute, Presbyterian College, the University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina Upstate. Mr. Hardy received his Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University in 2006 and his Master of Music degree from the University of South Carolina in 2009.
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Karen Hill Adjunct Instructor of Applied Music (saxophone, clarinet) |
An active performer, Karen Hill is currently the Principal Clarinetist of the Spartanburg Philharmonic, Principal Second Clarinetist of the Asheville Symphony and a member of the Arbor Wind Trio. She has appeared as a soloist with the Spartanburg Philharmonic, Brevard Chamber Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, Music Academy of the West Festival Orchestra, Hunan Symphony Orchestra, the Converse Symphony Orchestra, and collaborated with the American Chamber Players. She has also served as Principal Clarinetist with the Hendersonville Symphony, the Brevard Chamber Orchestra, and the French Broad River Woodwind Quintet. A freelance musician in the area for over 20 years, she also has performed with the Asheville Lyric Opera Company, Augusta Symphony Orchestra, Augusta Opera Company, Charleston Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Greenville Symphony, North Carolina Symphony and the South Carolina Philharmonic. Karen has traveled to China more than fifteen times as a performer and teacher in cities such as Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Zhengzhou, Changsha and Qingdao. In addition to USC Upstate, Karen has also taught at Converse College, Brevard College, Mars Hill College, Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, Union, and the School for Gifted Students in the Arts. A high school graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, Mrs. Hill holds degrees in clarinet performance from Northwestern University and the University of Michigan, where she was a full-tuition Fellow. She is a former student of the world-renowned clarinetist Robert Marcellus. Karen lives in Gaffney, SC with her husband Chip, also a clarinetist, and their three boys.
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Adjunct Instructor of Music (guitar, ensembles, Music Business and Entrepreneurship, Intro to Music, History of Rock) |
Adam Knight is a dynamic, soulful, and versatile guitarist. He’s also an accomplished composer, writing for rock, funk and hip-hop groups, jazz and guitar ensembles, and big band orchestras. In 2004, Adam earned a Bachelor of Music degree in jazz performance from Georgia State University. He later earned a Master of Music degree in jazz performance from New England Conservatory of Music. Since 2008 he has been on the music faculty at the University of South Carolina Upstate, where he is the head guitar instructor. Adam teaches numerous music courses and ensembles, including American Popular Music, Guitar Ensemble and Commercial Music Combo. Over the years, Adam has performed with various bands, touring, recording, and opening for artists like Maceo Parker, Incubus, and Robert Randolph. Adam’s music has received major market radio airplay and has been placed on episodes of MTV’s, The Real World and Road Rules. In 2011, Adam formed Earsight, an original, high-energy funk/jazz project. Earsight’s music has been featured on SC/NC radio station WNCW, 88.7. Adam performs in the Greenville Jazz Collective Big Band, a contemporary jazz orchestra based in Greenville, SC. You can also find Adam performing with his jazz trio, at festivals, venues, and events around the Southeast.
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Adjunct Instructor of Music (Intro to Music) |
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Adjunct Instructor of Applied Music (staff accompanist, vocal coach) |