Matthew Zachary (Greenzweig) '96
will perform solo piano.

Zachary overcame extraordinary odds to earn his degree in contemporary musicianship with emphases in theater, computer science and sociology. Diagnosed with brain cancer in December 1995, Zachary was told he might never walk or play piano again. Refusing to give up hope on life or on his degree, he continued to work on his Innovational Projects Board (IPB) thesis -- a two-act musical, Changing Times -- while undergoing both surgery and aggressive post-operative cancer treatment. He returned to school in the late spring of 1996, completed his coursework, produced his musical and graduated on schedule.

Since then, Zachary has produced two critically acclaimed CDs: Scribblings, a solo piano album he composed in the form of scribbles while he was battling brain cancer, and its sequel, Every Step of the Way. He has received national recognition for the healing power of his music, and shares both his music and his experiences with tens of thousands of cancer patients and survivors.

Zachary attributes much of who he has become to his personal and professional education, growth and development as a student of Binghamton University.

Mike Van Allen '96,
a pianist, will perform with his Mike Van Allen Quintet.

A piano performance major, Van Allen played piano in the University Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Al Hamme and performed in student-run groups such as the Koza/Kamp/Van Allen Trio, the James Beaudreau Quintet and the all-male a cappella group, the Binghamton Crosbys.

Van Allen received a master's in jazz piano performance from New York University in 1998. The following year, he performed in the featured show band on Celebrity Cruises throughout the Caribbean. Since then, he has been teaching band at Alfred E. Smith High School in the Bronx while leading his own piano trio in Manhattan, performing in the Mike Van Allen Quintet and playing bass in the rock band Gel.

"Binghamton gave me the opportunity to develop my musical skills," said Van Allen. "I have always viewed my time here as an enriching and rewarding experience."

Mara Hitner '98
will sing and play solo acoustic guitar.

A native New Yorker who makes her home in Los Angeles while touring colleges, popular clubs, coffeehouses, youth hostels and seasonal festivals, Hitner recently released her debut album, It's Who I Am, on her own label, Flying Coaster Records. The album's overall theme of finding your place in the world and being comfortable with your own self-image has struck a chord with audiences of all ages.

In 2001, Hitner was nominated "Best Female Singer/Songwriter" by the L.A. Music Awards and secured a coveted spot on Music Connection Magazine's "Hot 100 Unsigned Artists" list. Her songs have been featured in independent film, on national television and on compilation CDs from MP3.com (her song "Don't Let Me Run" was number one on its acoustic charts) and GuitarGirls.com.

"Binghamton University has much more to offer than just what's in the course book," said Hitner. "The Innovational Projects Board (now the Individualized Major Program) allows you to create a major that takes your individual interests and career goals into account; you learn to identify what you need and then ask for what you want. These are the basic skills that have made me successful."

Brian Friedman '98
will perform on drums with the Mike Van Allen Quintet.

As a freshman, Friedman promoted live jazz on campus for the Harpur Jazz Project. That helped him to land a production assistant internship with Jazz at Lincoln Center, where he worked with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. In his senior year, as vice president for University programming, Friedman brought world-class artists such as Chick Corea, Joshua Redman, Spyro Gyra, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, the Indigo Girls and LL Cool J to campus. He also performed in the Harpur Jazz Ensemble (under the direction of Al Hamme and Mike Carbone), the James Beaudreau Quintet and Miles Ahead.

After graduation, Friedman became a road manager. He toured Japan with the jazz ensemble "Spirituals to Swing," led by pianist Cyrus Chestnut and guitarist Mark Whitfield, and the U.S. with jazz drumming legend Roy Haynes. An entertainment manager with Ray Romano, Robert Klein and others, Friedman specializes in organizing tours, public relations and general management. He also performs in New York City with the Mike Van Allen Quintet and a number of other groups.

"I have been looking forward to returning to Binghamton for a long time," said Friedman. "Just being in the Anderson Center will bring back so many great memories -- promoting concerts and playing drums in the jazz ensemble were both very valuable experiences for me. I can't wait to be back on that stage!"

Lynne Camenga-Zawodniak
will perform solo violin.

A protégée of the late and much-loved music professor Janet Brady, Camenga-Zawodniak still regards Binghamton as her alma mater, although she went on to earn her degrees elsewhere. She graduated summa cum laude with her BFA from SUNY Purchase and received her master's in violin performance with an emphasis in violin pedagogy from the Hartt School of Music.

Camenga-Zawodniak performs with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the Waterbury Symphony, the New Britain Symphony and the Connecticut Valley Chamber Orchestra, where she is concertmaster. She also teaches at the Encore School For Strings in Longmeadow, Mass., where she is the director.

"I gained so much valuable experience while at Binghamton," she said. "I never felt lost in the crowd. The Music Department was close-knit and personalized. What I needed when I arrived at Binghamton was a chance to prove to myself that I was a person who could really play the violin. I felt a great sense of support from all the faculty, especially Janet Brady, who believed in me as a serious player."