Extended Play, Part 1

A version of this article was originally published in the Summer 2025 issue of the GFS Bulletin.

Many of our alumni who explored music here at 31 W. Coulter Street continue to practice their skills and pursue their passions through local choir groups, casual jam sessions, ongoing lessons, and the like. Some have gone on to forge careers and make their marks in the competitive, demanding music industry.

Here are eight leaders, luminaries, and future legends who can trace their roots back to GFS:

David Charles Abell (honorary alumnus ’76)

David Charles Abell is a conductor of contemporary opera, musical theatre, and orchestra music. His career has taken him across the world to famed venues like the New York City Opera, the London Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Abell is a renowned interpreter of Stephen Sondheim’s musical oeuvre.

GFS Moment: Abell attended GFS from Kindergarten through sixth grade, where he played trumpet before switching to viola. 

Higher Ed: Yale University, the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, The Juilliard School

Career Highlights: 

• Abell made his professional debut in 1982, conducting Bernstein's “Mass” at Deutschlandhalle in Berlin, Germany.
• He became one of Leonard Bernstein’s last protégés in the late 1980s.
• In 2010, he conducted the BBC’s 25th anniversary concert of “Les Misérables” at London’s O2 Arena.
• Abell has worked with big names like Judi Dench, Emma Thompson, Idina Menzel, and Josh Groban on both stage and screen.

Recent Performance: In April of 2025, Abell came out of a two-year sabbatical to conduct Bernstein’s "Candide" at the Forrest Theatre, part of the Curtis Institute of Music’s Centennial performance season. He will conduct “The Pirates of Penzance” for Seattle Opera in September and Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies in Strasbourg” in the spring of 2026.

Eric Bazilian ’71

Eric Bazilian is best known as the co-founder of The Hooters. After coming up through the local Philly music scene in the early 80s, and releasing their first album, “Amore” on an independent label, The Hooters went mainstream in 1985 via their second record, “Nervous Night.” They enjoyed commercial success through the late 80s and 90s, and have continued to record and tour throughout the 21st century. Bazilian has also released four solo albums: “The Optimist” (2000), “A Very Dull Boy” (2002), “What Shall Become of the Baby?” (2012), and “Bazilian” (2021).

GFS Moment: In his senior year, Bazilian formed a band to accompany the Upper School production of “Jesus Christ Superstar”— he played guitar, with Champ Davenport ’72 on bass and Neil Simpkins ’72 on drums. 

Higher Ed: University of Pennsylvania

Career Highlights:

• Bazilian and The Hooters co-founder Rob Hyman wrote, arranged, and performed on Cyndi Lauper’s debut album, “She's So Unusual” (1983).
• Three songs from “Nervous Night”—“And We Danced,” "Where Do the Children Go," and “Day by Day”—charted on the Billboard Top 40. The album went double-Platinum.
• In July 1985, The Hooters played at the Live Aid benefit concert in Philadelphia.
• In 1995, while The Hooters were on hiatus, Bazilian produced and arranged Joan Osborne's Grammy-nominated album “Relish”; he wrote the hit song “One of Us.”

Recent Gig: On May 17, 2025, The Hooters kicked off their "45 ALIVE" tour to celebrate their 45th anniversary with a concert at The Met in Philadelphia.

Kelly Ann Bixby ’02

Kelly Ann Bixby is a vocalist and educator. Her powerful soprano is featured on nearly two dozen albums, such as Opera America’s “New American Songbook” and “Spirits in Bondage” by Benjamin Boyle. She has appeared on prominent stages such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Disney Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Crossing, a contemporary choir ensemble in which Bixby is a core member and featured soloist, has earned a total of nine Grammy nominations and four Grammy awards in the category of Best Choral Performance.

GFS Moment: Participated in GFS Choir, chorus, orchestra, a cappella, and musicals.

Higher Ed: University of Michigan, Westminster Choir College

Career Highlights:

• Bixby made her 2014 début with Opera Philadelphia in Golijov’s “Ainadamar.”
• She was named the Eastern Region Artist Award Winner for the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition, also in 2014.
• The Crossing was named Musical America’s Ensemble of the Year in 2023.
• In February 2025, she performed in an octet with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Recent Gig: Bixby currently serves as Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Italian, German, and French diction, voice science, song literature, and choral methods.

Joseph Block ’17 

Joe Block is a pianist, composer, and musical director. Classically trained since the age of two, he shifted his focus to jazz at 13, studying at the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts. While still a student at GFS, he received national recognition as a YoungArts Foundation Finalist and won the J. Douglas White Award from Jazz at Lincoln Center. Now based in New York City, Block is in high demand, performing in over 10 countries and at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Village Vanguard. He leads his own trio, quintet, and big band; he was named a Steinway Artist in 2024.

GFS Moment: Block studied classical composition privately with Dr. Andrew Westerhaus; he wrote incidental music for an Upper School production of “Don Carlos.”

Higher Ed: Columbia-Juilliard dual-degree program

Career Highlights:

• Block performs with Wynton Marsalis, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Leslie Odom Jr, George Clooney, and many more artists of note.
• He was a finalist in the 2023 Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition.
• He is a frequent musical director for Jazz at Lincoln Center, who has named him one of "jazz’s most promising young composers."
• Block released the album “Love Shadows” in January 2025 with vocalist Shabnam Abedi.

Recent Gig: Block was the Assistant Musical Director and pianist for the Broadway production of “Good Night, and Good Luck,” with George Clooney playing Edward R. Murrow, which played at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City through June 2025. He also released his second album, "Solo Piano, Vol. 1" in the summer of 2025.

Head here for Part 2!