New Faculty for 2025-26

While I have been a member of our campus community for almost a decade, I am thrilled to begin this next chapter at Ithaca College as a MYRN faculty member in the Department of Music Education. My journey to Ithaca was many years in the making and my love of this institution is deeply personal.

As a young boy I recall my parents sharing many anecdotes about their incredible experiences in the Portland (CT) High School Band led by Eric Osterling (Ithaca College class of 1946). Mr. Osterling was a student of the late Walter Beeler and his legendary career in my hometown spanned 34 years. Truth be told - my parents met in band class so I suppose Mr. Osterling played a small part in my very existence! As you might imagine, joining the band was a directive, not an option in our household! Fast forward a number of years, three degrees, eleven years teaching band in the public schools in CT and NY, many honor band jobs, and four+ years of teaching in higher education - the rest is history. I am profoundly proud of my degree from our college and humbled to continue my work on the faculty of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. The success of our graduates, the artistry and scholarship of our faculty, and the rich and industry-leading history of our school serves as a constant source of much inspiration and pride. I am grateful for this opportunity to continue collaborating with our students and world-class faculty as we advance our mission together.

Amanda Morton is an award-winning music director, writer, and educator who has worked on Broadway as well as several notable regional theatres such as the Wilma Theater, Paper Mill Playhouse, and Goodspeed Musicals. She is the music supervisor for a new adaptation of Anne of Green Gables by Matte O'Brien and Matt Vinson as well as Picnic at Hanging Rock by Greta Gertler Gold and Hilary Bell. She also serves as music director for the forthcoming Broadway production of Crazy Rich Asians being adapted by Helen Park, Amanda Green, Leah Nanako Winkler, and Tat Tong. As a writer, Amanda was awarded a 2023 Pew Grant in the area of Contemporary Expressions of Culture & Identity to develop an original piece that investigates her experience as an adopted Korean American through the lens of satire and musical comedy. Wishing To Grow Up Brightly will be produced this Fall in the Philadelphia region at Theatre Horizon. Amanda is an active mentor for MUSE (Musicians United for Social Equity), whose mission is “to challenge systemic acts of exclusion and support musicians as we transition to a more diverse and inclusive environment for all.” She has a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre Performance from Ithaca College.

Broadway credits: Tommy , Gutenberg! The Musical! , KPOP . Other select credits include: Diary of A Wimpy Kid (by Kevin Del Aguila, Michael Mahler, and Alan Schmuckler), Other World (by Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, and Ann McNamee), Music Director/Conductor/Keys 1 for the first national tour of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical ; RENT (Paper Mill Playhouse), Into the Woods (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival), The Appointment (Lightning Rod Special), The Bridges of Madison County (Philadelphia Theatre Company), Anne of Green Gables (Goodspeed Musicals, The REV Theatre Co.), Passing Strange (Barrymore award recipient, Wilma Theater), KPOP (Ars Nova), A Period of Animate Existence (Pig Iron Theatre Company), The Color Purple (Barrymore award recipient), Peter and the Starcatcher, A New Brain, Into the Woods (Barrymore award recipient), and Spring Awakening (Theatre Horizon), Do You Want A Cookie? (Bearded Ladies Cabaret), A Year With Frog & Toad (Barrymore award nominee), The Secret Garden, Passion, and Parade (Arden Theatre Company).