Sopranos

Sarah Ellis

Sarah Ellis is a sophomore music theatre major at PSU.  She enjoys kicking her face, creating macaroni art of compromising positions. and constantly raising the stakes in her life.  She has been scene onstage as a Regina George incarnate in Dog Sees God and shopping in a parfumerie in She Loves Me.  Sarah is active in School of Theatre THON as well as in various student-run projects and performances.  Thanks to the Shades family for being such great friends and collegues!   


Kelly Gross



Samantha Hughes

Samantha Hughes is a Senior Biology major from Fleetwood, PA.  She enjoys hot chocolate, puppies, scratch and sniff stickers, and the Office.  When she's not being a lame science major you can find her singing with Essence of Joy, fund raising for Thon, or hanging out with her Brookline family at the Terrace.  Next year she'll be attending Physician Assistant  school, and if that doesn't work out she can/will be singing karyoke @ Cafe 210 every Tuesday.


Veronica Garza

Veronica is a Sophomore theatre Major who likes anything brightly colored and the Chicago Cubs! This is her first and only A Capella group experience. 

"If there is no singing, dancing, or yelling, I don't want to do it."


Rachel Kauffman
Business Manager

This is Rachel's fourth year in Shades of Blue.  She has been the business manager for the past three years and loves every minute of it! She majors in Psychology and Hebrew at Penn State.


Altos

Rachel Dungan
Librarian

Rachel Dungan is a sophomore studying social medicine and music at Penn State. Outside Shades of Blue, she is an active member of Penn State's Essence of Joy, Chamber Singers, THON, and the Schreyer Honors College Student Council. In her spare time she enjoys playing the piano, pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain...


Alyssa Gagarin
Concert Manager

Alyssa is a Musical Theatre major from Bethesda, Maryland who loves a cappella music. After serving as President of her high school's a cappella ensemble, she is thrilled to be a part of Shades of Blue at Penn State. She was also excited to contribute to the redhead population of the group, a unique trait of Shades. Alyssa enjoys singing and dancing around her room like Tom Cruise in "Risky Business".


Audrey Cardwell

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Audrey Cardwell is a sophomore musical theatre major from Birmingham Alabama. She is thrilled to be a part of Shades of Blue after having absolutely no prior experience with a cappella music!  Audrey enjoys apple cider and luxury vanilla wafers.

Christina Jackson

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Christina Jackson is a freshman Musical Theater major and Schreyer scholar from Cincinnati, Ohio.  She was involved in her high school’s A Cappella choir, and is super siked to be a part of Shades of Blue this year-the first choir she’s ever been in that has performed contemporary repertoire!  How exciting!  Some of her favorite things include: fruit snacks, color-coded school supplies, inspirational quotes, ribbons, and watching So You Think You Can Dance.  Thanks to her family and all of her wonderful new friends in Shades!




Lorraine Schule
Public Relations

Lorraine is a sophomore at Penn State, majoring in Business Marketing, with a double minor in International Business and Business Law. This is her second year in Shades, and she loooooves it. Besides Shadsey Shades, she is a sister in Zeta Tau Alpha, an active member of the Penn State Marketing Association, runs on the Penn State Club Track and Field Team, and participates heavily in the Penn State Dance MaraTHON. Lorraine also loves singing Norah Jones to relax, dancing like the cops on Reno 911 to get pumped, and reppin' her wonderful homestate, New York.


Tenors

Dan Brein
Assistant Director

Daniel Brein is a senior and musically under-qualified assistant Director of Shades of Blue.  Nobody is really sure why or how he obtained the position... In fact, I think people are kinda pissed about it.

"Dude, shut up, he's right over there... I'm pretty sure he heard you... this is awkward."

He also likes gushers.


Jeremy Greenbaum



Jim Hogan

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Jim Hogan is a freshman Musical Theatre Major from just outside of Philadelphia in Abington, PA. Jim's a cappella background comes from being a founding member of Nameless 9, a contemporary a cappella group from the Hatsboro-Horshamm, PA area.  He is extremely proud and excited to be starting with Shades of Blue.

Paul Langdon
Media Manager

Paul Langdon is a Junior studying Information Science and Technology so he can make the big bucks and his friends studying Musical Theatre will have a place to sleep until they hit it big. He has been singing since he was talking, and is also part or the ensemble Essence of Joy on campus.  He designed this website and the SOB fan page on Facebook.

**note: also goes by Lou and Ron Stoppable.


Blake Stadnik

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Blake Stadnik is a freshman at BFA Musical Theatre student. He is from Pittsburg, PA,  and enjoys spending time with his family, his friends at PSU, and his dog, Scooter.  One day, he hopes to attend grad school at either Juilliard or Yale for drama.


Basses

Maurice J. Blackmon

A Senior English major/Theatre minor at Penn State, Maurice began singing at the age five in his church choir. He discovered his love for musical theatre in middle school and has been performing on stage ever since. He has been in approximately ten choirs in the last fifteen years, three of which he founded, directed, and even composed/arranged music for. In January 2006, he was afforded the opportunity of performing at Carnegie Hall with the New England Symphonic Orchestra Ensemble. He's currently president of Essence of Joy, one of ten Penn State School of Music ensembles, and he's an active member in the Penn State Glee Club, an 80-member all-male chorus. He enjoys red shirts and tacos.


Bill Emhof

Bill Emhof is a junior music composition major at the Pennsylvania State University. This is his second year with Shades, so his superiority complex is certainly well deserved. In addition to being a bass, Bill is the vocal percussionist for Shades and has been spittin' mad beatz since he was a young tough on the streets of his suburb, Pennington, NJ. When he isn't in Shades (which is rare) Bill enjoys most music related things, movies, curling up by a nice warm fire with his favorite book; Twilight, and stealing candy from babies. If you dare ask him how he beat boxes, he'll simply answer "Very carefully..."


Mark Lehnowsky
Director

Once upon a time, way back in the fall of 2003, Mark Lehnowsky was looking for something to do. You see, this was back in the "bad years" of Penn State football, so all the time he now spends on ESPN is now wasted.  "What," he thought, "is a good substitute for my football obsession?" Of course there was only one answer: a cappella.

So he went forth and gathered before him a band of misfits.  Shades of Blue was born.  Since it still satisfies his Paterno complex, he continues to direct the group.  Someday, after the longest tenure with one group in collegiate a cappella history, he will leave Shades and Penn State, but not yet. And not next year. And maybe not the year after.  Sound like anyone else you know?


Professional Photographs by Ken Kauffman
Others by the members