OSU Bands Staff

Director of Athletic Bands Brad teaching
Dr. Brad Townsend, bio

Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
Robyn Chapman, bio

Percussion Instructor, Campus Band Director
Dr. Bob Brudvig, bio

Director of Bands
Chris Chapman, bio

Color Guard Instructor
Kristin Heckers, bio

Spirit Coordinator
Amber Bezates, bio

Staff Assistants
David Manela, bio
Kathleen Smith, bio

Graduate Assistants

Percussion Instructors
Dave Rodenkirch, bio

Director of Athletic Bands, Dr. Brad Townsend: Dr. Brad Townsend directs the OSU Marching Band, Basketball Pep Bands, Rhythm and Beavs Pep Band as well as teaches courses in music education. Dr. Townsend, a native of Somerset, Pennsylvania, holds degrees from The Pennsylvania State University and The University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign. He has had a wealth of experience as a band director at both the public school level as well as the College level. Previous to his appointment at OSU he taught at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, and Iroquois High School in Erie, Pennsylvania.

He has also directed the Pennsylvania Lions Club All State Band, was an Associate Editor of the Council for Research in Music Education Bulletin at the University of Illinois, and as a sousaphone performer, was one of 48(!) sousaphone players for the 1984 Olympics All-American Marching Band at the Games of the Twenty-Third Olympiad.

In addition to his band work Dr. Townsend has had much experience in the world of musical theater. He has conducted and music directed many high school, college, and community theater productions as well as played piano in numerous pit orchestras. He has also performed on stage in such shows as Assassins, Side by Side by Sondheim, The Quilt: A Musical Celebration, Forever Plaid, and many original reviews. Locally he has appeared in productions of Damn Yankees, Godspell, Threepenny Opera and The Rocky Horror Show. Townsend is also a founding member of Puttin’ on the Bitz, a Cabaret group based in the Willamette Valley.
Director of Bands, Chris Chapman: Dr. Christopher Chapman is the Director of Bands for the Oregon State University Department of Music, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble and teaches courses in music education and graduate and undergraduate instrumental conducting. Prior to his appointment at OSU he served as the Associate Director of Bands at Florida Atlantic University, where he founded the athletic band program and Symphony Band. From 2002-2005 Chapman worked as the Graduate Assistant Director for the University of Washington band program and before then served as the Director of Bands at Foothill High School in Henderson, Nevada. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Chapman holds a bachelor's degree in music from The Ohio State University, a master's degree in music from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a doctorate of musical arts degree from the University of Washington. He has studied conducting with Richard Blatti, Thomas Leslie, Takayoshi "Tad" Suzuki, and Timothy Salzman. Dr. Chapman is a sought-after clinician, adjudicator, and conductor, and has worked with bands regionally and nationally including Oregon, Ohio, Florida, Nevada, New York, Arizona, Illinois and Japan. He has been a contributing author in A Composer's Insight: Thoughts, Analysis and Commentary on Contemporary Masterpieces for Wind Band, a series of books on contemporary wind band composers for Meredith Music Publications, a subsidiary of the Hal Leonard Corporation. He is an honorary member of the Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity where he has served as the Co-Governor of the Western District, and an honorary member of the Tau Beta Sigma honorary band sorority. He currently serves as President-elect for the Northwest division of the College Band Directors National Association. Other organizations include the Oregon Band Directors Association, Music Educators National Conference, and Oregon Music Educators Conference.
Percussion Instructor, Bob Brudvig: Bob Brudvig, Percussion Instructor DMA, University of Arizona; MM, Portland State University; BA, Oregon State University. In addition to teaching percussion and music theory at OSU, Bob maintains a busy performing career in the western and southern United States. He has performed with the Tucson Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera, Arizona Opera, Oregon Coast Music Festival and the Ernest Bloch Music Festival. He has toured Japan and the United States with "Starfire," a trio of two harps and percussion based in Tucson, Arizona. He also enjoys performing in a flute and marimba duo with his wife Jeanette. While pursuing his doctorate at the University of Arizona, he was awarded a teaching assistantship in percussion, and twice won the "President's Concert Concerto Competition," which included a concerto performance.
Spirit Coordinator, Amber Bezates: Amber is the Head OSU Cheerleading Coach (1999-present) USA National Champs 2002! Head OSU Dance Team Coach (2002-present) Blazer Stunt Team Member (1999) Morehead State University Varsity Co-ed Cheerleader (1997-1998) and Dance Team Member Masters of Arts in Health, Physical Education and Recreation UCA Staff Member (1993-1997) Willamette High School Cheerleading Coach (1999-2000) State Co-ed Champs! University of Oregon Cheerleader (1993-1997) Bachelors of Science.
Kathleen Smith: Kathleen received both her Bachelors and Master of Arts in Teaching from Oregon State University. She has taught in the Salem-Kiezer District and has been the lead teacher for the Corvallis Youth Symphony Association’s Elementary Strings for the past 6 years. This year she will be joining Lebanon Community Schools as their Director of Middle School Bands. Kathleen is an active member with the American String Teachers Association, Music Educators National Conference and the Oregon Music Educators Association. In addition, she is also a member of the professional music fraternity Mu Phi Epsilon. Her primary instruments are trombone and cello, with the secondary as saxophone. Kathleen resides in Corvallis with her husband Michael and their two children, Stephan and Emily.
David Manela: A former Tenor Saxophone player in the OSUMB, Dave is now an IT Consultant at the Valley Library. Dave coordinates uniform distribution and almost ever other aspect of the OSU Band program—he even conducts the band!
Kristin Heckers: Kristin begins her sixth year as Color Guard Instructor and choreographer for the OSUMB and the OSU Winter Guard. Krisitn brings a wealth of experience, having performed in the OSU Color Guard and Winter Guard and various other guards: Grants Pass High School Dance Team, 1990-93 Everybody Winterguard, 1994-98 Taught Sprague High School, 1997-2000 Seattle Cascades Drum Corp, 1995 Pioneer Drum n Bugle Corps, 1996-97.
Assistant Director of Athletic Bands, Robyn Chapman: Robyn works both on and off the field for the OSU Marching Band and helps conduct the Basketball and Volleyball Pep Bands. Although this is her first year as Assistant Director, Chapman is no stranger to the OSU Bands, working in a number of capacities over the last few years.

Away from the OSU campus, Chapman returns for her third year as a music teacher at Franklin School in Corvallis, Oregon. She completed a master of arts in interdisciplinary studies degree at Oregon State University in 2008, where she served as a graduate teaching assistant for the OSU Band program. She also holds a bachelor of music education degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 2006, Chapman was the music specialist at the Lacomb School in Lebanon, Oregon. From 2002 to 2005, she worked as a music specialist at Totem Falls Elementary School in Snohomish, Washington. She began her career in Las Vegas, Nevada as the director of bands at O’Callaghan Middle School and Swainston Middle School. Her professional affiliations include the Music Educators National Conference, the Oregon Music Educators Association, Women Band Directors International and an honorary membership in Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity. Chapman lives in Albany, Oregon with her husband Chris, and their daughter Cecilia.
Dave Rodenkirch: David Rodenkirch has been the principal marching percussion arranger and writer for the University of Arizona since 1996, and served as the Director of Marching Percussion from 1996 to 2007. He has been teaching percussion to high school and college students for over 25 years, including his involvement on the percussion staff of the Sunset Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps, and serving as Marching Percussion Director and Head Arranger for the Copper Bowl and Insight.com Bowl All-Star Bands. He has also served as a clinician and percussion judge for a variety of festivals and events since 1986. David also had the privilege of contributing to the Marching Percussion chapter of Gary Cook’s Third Edition of Teaching Percussion.
As a freelance musician, David has played in a variety of bands and performing groups, ranging from percussion ensembles to Caribbean, rock, country, jazz, swing, Dixieland and reggae bands. He has also enjoyed playing percussion, drum set and Zendrum in many musical theatre productions in Arizona and Long Island, NY.
David studied at the University of Oslo and the University of Arizona, where he earned a Bachelors degree in Psychology with a minor in Music, and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Psychology. He currently lives in the Portland area with his wife and four children.