Dr. Helen Thrall

At Panhandle State, Dr. Thrall serves as an Assistant Professor of Music, the Music Department Chair, a Piano Instructor, a Theory Instructor and an Accompanist.

Thrall stated, “My favorite thing about OPSU must be the spirit of this college. There is a strong sense of community and support between staff, teachers, and students. Being part of this institution inspires me to give my best to my students. Every day I am motivated to help students reach their goals and become better musicians and music educators.”

Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Thrall has an array of musical education in her background. She received a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2013, and then went on to obtain her Masters of Music in Piano Performance. In 2018 she earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Iowa.

The music album published this summer is a dedication to composer Juan Francisco Garcia, a Dominican composer, was released in June and is on Spotify, Apply Music, and Amazon Music. Juan Francisco García (1892-1974), a prominent figure in the classical music scene of the Dominican Republic during the first half of the twentieth century. As a pioneer who fostered the nationalistic musical movement in the Dominican Republic, García sought to create compositions that sounded authentically Dominican. The 21 piano pieces in this album reflect that. They are beautiful, expressive, and short compositions that exhibit unique melodies and attractive rhythmic qualities.

When Thrall is not attending to her duties at Panhandle State, she enjoys traveling and visiting new places. When traveling, she always enjoys seeing different landscapes, immersing herself in nature, trying new foods, visiting museums, and going to live concerts or art events. Her favorite place to visit right now is her home country, the Dominican Republic. Growing up there, she never realized how beautiful and colorful it can be. Every time she visits there, she takes the time to go and explore different towns of the beautiful island.