Thomas Cockrell, D.M.A.Conductor, Interlochen Philharmonic, Intermediate Symphony Orchestra, Intermediate Concert Orchestra. Conductor Thomas Cockrell is equally at home on the symphonic podium or in the opera pit, whether working with professionals or student musicians of all ages. One of the things that he enjoys most about his work is sharing his love of the interrelation of music and the other arts with both the musicians and audience. In addition to much guest conducting, he has served as the associate conductor of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Opera Colorado, Cincinnati Opera and the Spoleto Festivals. He received his B.A. from Yale University and M.M. and D.M.A degrees from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His musical horizons were further broadened by studying, teaching and conducting in France, Italy and Romania. Tom is Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Arizona School of Music in Tucson where he heads a bold new program, the James E. Rogers Institute for Orchestra and Opera Conducting.

Sandra Dackow, D.M.A.
Conductor, Interlochen Philharmonic, Intermediate Symphony Orchestra, Intermediate Concert Orchestra. An annual ASCAP award winning arranger, Dr. Sandra Dackow has generated over seventy published works for orchestras and is an author of the Orchestra Expressions curriculum. She is active as a guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician across the nation and Canada, in England, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Ukraine, South Africa and throughout Australia and Ireland. Dr. Dackow currently serves as President-elect of the Conductors Guild, an international organization comprised of members from 31 countries. She earned the Bachelor of Music, Master of Music and the Ph.D. from the Eastman School of Music of The University of Rochester. An Aspen Conducting fellow in 2001, she was also awarded the Silver Medal in the 2001 Vakhtang Jordania/New Millennium International Conducting Competition in Kharkov, Ukraine. She is currently serving as Music Director of the Hershey Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania and is a former Music Director of the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra in New Jersey. 

Jung-Ho Pak, M.M.
Director of Orchestral Activities/Music Director of World Youth Symphony Orchestra, Conductor, Interlochen Philharmonic.  Described by the New York Times as a conductor who "radiates enthusiasm", the Los Angeles Times as "a real grabber", and twice by the San Diego Union-Tribune as one of the most "impactful people to watch", Jung-Ho Pak has careers as both a Music Director with a revolutionary vision of classical music and as a nationally acclaimed educator. In 2007, Mr. Pak begins his tenure as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra (capesymphony.org), one of the largest orchestras in Massachusetts (second only to the Boston Symphony Orchestra). The San Diego Chamber Orchestra in 2006 (www.sdco.org) appointed Mr. Pak as Artistic Director and Conductor. Mr. Pak has recently been named Music Director Emeritus of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra after completing his eighth season with one the one of the largest and historic orchestras in the New England region. In 2003, he was appointed Music Director of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra and Director of Orchestras at the Interlochen Center for the Arts (interlochen.org). The WYSO is one of the oldest and most well known orchestras of its kind, as well as an international ambassador for the arts and peace. Previously as Music Director of the new San Diego Symphony Orchestra (1997-2002), Mr. Pak led the Orchestra from bankruptcy to a nationally recognized artistic and financial success, and was known for his community involvement and innovative programming. He has served as Music Director with two prominent music conservatories: the University of Southern California (USC) Symphony and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He has also served as Principal Conductor of the Emmy-nominated Disney Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra for eight years and as Music Director of the International Chamber Orchestra, NEXT Chamber Orchestra, Colburn Chamber Orchestra, and Diablo Ballet. Guest conducting has taken him to Europe, the Soviet Union, South America and Asia. Mr. Pak is also a frequent speaker on television and radio about the relevance of art in society and the importance of music in education, as well as a clinician and guest conductor at national music festivals.

Paul Salerni, Ph.D.
Conductor, Interlochen Philharmonic, Intermediate Symphony Orchestra, Intermediate Concert Orchestra. Salerni is the NEH Distinguished Chair in the Humanities and Professor of Music at Lehigh University where he teaches composition, theory, and directs LUVME. He is also the Artistic Director of the Monocacy Chamber Orchestra. Salerni is a widely-performed composer. This season’s compositional highlights were performances of his song cycles by the Da Capo Chamber Players at Merkin Hall (NYC) and the world premiere in Los Angeles of his one-act opera on a libretto by Dana Gioia called Tony Caruso’s Final Broadcast. That premiere was the result of Salerni’s having won the National Opera Association’s Chamber Opera competition. As an expert in the performance Kim’s music, Salerni has given performances with the Sejong Soloists in Korea, at Aspen, and at the Kennedy Center. Salerni’s contribution to the larger community has included serving as the Chair of the Board of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Ph.D in composition from Harvard.

Jim Bates, Ph.D.
Conductor, Junior String Orchestra/String Ensemble. Director of Orchestras, Cleveland Music School Settlement, OH. Degrees received from Indiana University and Musicology from the University of Kentucky.

Liza Grossman, B.M.
Conductor, Junior String Orchestra/String Ensemble. Music Director and founder, Contemporary Youth Orchestra, Cleveland State University, OH. Graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy.

Sheila Kilcoyne, M.M.
Conductor, Junior String Orchestra/String Ensemble. Founder and Director of Moscow Youth Orchestra and private studio teacher in Moscow, ID. Former member of Colorado Springs Symphony, Denver Chamber Orchestra and South Bend Symphony. Studied with Jennifer Langham, Nathaniel Rosen, Jurgen deLemos and Has Jorgen-Jensen.

Steven Rindt, M.M.
Conductor, Junior String Orchestra/String Ensemble. Orchestra Director/Suzuki Instructor, West Allis Schools, WI and Director/Conductor of Sinfonia-Milwaukee Youth Symphony. Treasurer, American String Teachers Association of Wisconsin. Degrees received from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Madison.

back to top

Jazz Studies

Paul Brewer, D.M.A.
Conductor, High School Jazz Ensemble and Advanced Jazz Improvisation. Director of Instrumental Music, Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI. Degrees received from University of Northern Colorado Central State University. Studied with J.B. Rounds, Kent Kidwell and Buddy Baker.

Robin Leigh Connell, D.M.A.
Conductor, High School Jazz Ensemble and instructor of vocal jazz. Adjunct faculty at Grand Rapids Community College. Degrees received from University of Northern Colorado. Studied with Bob Brookmeyer, Norman Simmons, Andy Laverne.

Paul Johnston, M.M.
Jazz Piano and Jazz Combo. Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies, Eastern Illinois University. Degrees received from Indiana University Bloomington and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Vernon Howard, M.M.
Coordinator of Camp Jazz Studies; Conductor, High School Jazz Band; Instructor of Jazz Styles & Analysis and Jazz History. Associate Professor of Music, Instructor of Trombone and Director of Jazz Studies, University of Tulsa. Degrees from the University of Tulsa with additional study at Indiana University. Studied with Thomas Beversdorf and David Baker.

David Kay, M.M.
Conductor, Intermediate Jazz Ensemble. Music Faculty, University School, Hunting Valley, OH. Member, Jazz Heritage Orchestra, Cleveland, OH. Degrees received from Indiana University and Michigan State University. Studied with David Baker, Jamey Aebersold and Eugene Rousseau.

back to top

Composition and Theory

John Kenneth Boyle Jr., D.M.A.
Music Theory and Advanced Theory. Instructor of Composition and Theory, Interlochen Arts Academy. Degrees received from University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Bowling Green State University, and Illinois Wesleyan University; studied with Marilyn Shrude, Fred Rzewski, and Terry Riley.

Alexis Bacon, M.M.
Music Theory.  Ms. Bacon is a composer and performer residing in Macomb, Illinois. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Music Composition at the University of Michigan, where she served as Graduate Student Instructor in Electronic Music. Alexis Bacon received her Masters degree from the University of Michigan in 2003, and her Bachelors degree in Music Composition and Viola Performance from Rice Univeristy in 1998. Her primary teachers have included William Bolcom, Michael Daugherty, Evan Chambers, and Susan Botti. Ms. Bacon was a Fulbright scholar in Paris from 1998-1999, where she studied composition with Betsy Jolas. She was recently awarded first prize in the ASCAP/SEAMUS student commission competition for her composition “Cradle” for alto saxophone and electronics.

Robert Brownlow, D.M.A.
Composition and Theory. Dr. Robert J. Brownlow enjoys a varied career as an educator, composer and trumpeter. He holds a B.A. from Luther College and an M.F.A. and D.M.A. from the University of Iowa. Before beginning his duties at the University of Akron in 2006, he had held full-time teaching positions at Luther College, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and most recently at the University of Central Florida. Since 1998 he has served on the summer faculty at the Interlochen Arts Camp. As a composer, he has completed over forty works for nearly every genre. His music has been performed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Germany and France. As a trumpeter, he has been a member of the Bach Festival Orchestra, Minnesota Sinfonia, the Quad-Cities and the Cedar Rapids Symphonies. He has also performed frequently with the Orlando Philharmonic, the Jacksonville and Brevard Symphony Orchestras.

Roshanne Etezady, D.M.A.
Composition.  Roshanne Etezady’s music has earned recognition from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Korean Society of 21st Century Music, the Jacob K. Javits Foundation, Meet the Composer, and ASCAP. She has been commissioned by the Albany Symphony, Dartmouth Symphony, eighth blackbird, Music at the Anthology, and the PRISM Saxophone Quartet, and performed by ensembles including the American Composers Orchestra, Rêlache, Amadinda Percussion Ensemble, Ensemble De Ereprijs, and the Dogs of Desire. Etezady has taught at the Interlochen Arts Camp, Yale University, Saint Mary’s College, and the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. She has given masterclasses at Arizona State University, M.I.T., Holy Cross College, the Juilliard School, and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. Etezady holds academic degrees from Northwestern University (BM),Yale University (MM), and the University of Michigan (DMA).

Robert Mueller, D.M.A.
Composition and Theory. Faculty, University of Arkansas. Compositions have been performed by several orchestra including the Cincinnati, Omaha, Lansing, Arkansas, and North Arkansas Symphonies. Recipient of twelve consecutive ASCAP awards, an American Music Center grant, an individual artist grant from the Arkansas Arts Council. Degrees received from College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, Bowling Green State University, and Northern Michigan University.

Zae Munn, D.M.A.
Music Theory and Composition. Professor of Music, Saint Mary's College, IN. Doctorate degree received from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

Peter Terry, D.M.A.
Computer Music and Composition. Director of Instructional Technology, Bluffton College, Bluffton, OH. Member of Electro-metamorphosis. Degrees received from University of Michigan, Bowling Green State University, and University of Texas; studied with William Kraft and Russell Pinkston.

back to top

Brass

Instrument Exploration

Charles Ricky Land, M.M.
Instrument Exploration. Rick Land is a band and chorus director for the Dawson County Public Schools in Dawsonville, GA. He has studied trombone with Philip Jameson, low brass with Roger Rocco, and conducting with William D. Revelli. Mr. Land received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Georgia, his Master of Music degree from VanderCook College, his Specialist in Education degree from North Georgia College and State University, and is completing his Doctor of Philosophy degree at Georgia State University.

back to top

Horn

Lisa Bontrager,M.M.
Horn.  Lisa O. Bontrager has throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan with the Pennsylvania Quintet, the Millennium Brass, and horn duo MirrorImage with Michelle Stebleton. Featured artist at the 2007 Southeast Horn Workshop and an active Holton horn artist, Bontrager performs at numerous regional, national and international workshops. Recognized for her teaching, Lisa has presented masterclasses throughout the world and is currently Professor of Music at Penn State University where she received the 2008 Faculty Scholar Medal for the Arts and Humanities. Currently, she serves as principal horn of the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra and as Tenor Hornist of the Brass Band of Battle Creek. From 1993-99 she served as an elected member of the Advisory Council of the International Horn Society. She appears on nearly 20 recordings, including her solo CD, “Hunter’s Moon,” released on the Summit label. Bontrager holds performance degrees from the University of Michigan where she studied with Louis Stout and Eugene Wade. 

Ellen Campbell, M.M.
Horn. Ellen Campbell joined the Conservatory of Music faculty at the University of Missouri - Kansas City in the fall of 2005 as Assistant Professor of Horn. Previously, Campbell held appointments at the University of Oregon, the University of New Mexico, and Southwest Texas State University. Has recorded with the Oregon Brass Quintet, New Mexico Brass Quintet, tubist Michael Grose, and pianist Victor Steinhardt. With the NMBQ she toured internationally and across the United States. As a soloist, has appeared with orchestras in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, North Dakota, and Indiana. A frequent guest artist at regional and international workshops of the International Horn Society, and hosted the 1996 IHS Workshop. Orchestral experience includes Principal Horn in the Santa Fe Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony, Austin Chamber Orchestra, and performed with Houston Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, and the orchestras of Lansing, Eugene, Flint, Detroit Opera, and Austin.

Kelly Drifmeyer, M.M.
Horn. Faculty at the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam, New York. With horn performance degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan, her teachers include Verne Reynolds, Peter Kurau, Lowell Greer, Michael Hatfield, John Cerminaro, Nancy Cochran and Greg Hustis. Ms. Drifmeyer has presented solo recitals and masterclasses at high schools, conservatories, and universities throughout North America, and has adjudicated at the International Horn Competition of America since 2005. She is currently a member of the Potsdam Brass Quintet, and has enjoyed tenures with New Ear Contemporary Music Ensemble and the Detroit Chamber Winds. As an orchestral musician, Ms. Drifmeyer has been a member of the award-winning Colorado Mahlerfest Orchestra since 1999. Her international experiences include the Windsor Symphony (Ontario), the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of the Dominican Republic, the Detroit Metropolitan Ballet, the North Carolina Symphony, and the Kansas City Symphony. 

Alexander Shuhan, M.M.
Valade Fellow, Horn. Founding member, horn/piano of Rhythm & Brass. Associate Professor of Horn at Ithaca College. Principal horn with the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra; performs regularly with the Rochester Philharmonic, Syracuse Symphony and Skaneateles Chamber Music Festival; member of the Shuhan–Hayghe Trio, performing, recording and commissioning music for horn, flute & piano. With Rhythm & Brass, has recorded seven CD’s, performed as soloist with numerous orchestras is the U.S. and Japan, presented performances & guest master classes at colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and appeared at many national and international professional music conferences and clinics. Member of Dallas Brass from 1985 to 1993. Education: graduate studies at Southern Methodist University with Greg Hustis; undergraduate studies at the Eastman School of Music with Verne Reynolds; Juilliard School, Pre-College Division with Harry Berv; Interlochen National Music Camp (’77, ’78) with Marvin Howe, John Jacobsen and Nancy Cochran. Accomplished composer and arranger. Yamaha Performing Artist. 

back to top

Trombone

Mark Hetzler, M.M.
Valade Fellow, Trombone. Performing in over 14 countries as a member of the Empire Brass. Active in chamber music settings, as a soloist with symphony orchestra and on live television and radio broadcasts. He also appears on several of the group’s recordings on the Telarc label. Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a member of the Wisconsin Brass Quintet, which performs a variety of his own arrangements for quintet, as well as a large library of challenging works from the Modern brass quintet repertoire. He has performed as a recitalist and soloist around the world, creating both traditional concert settings and innovative multi-media performances. Former principal trombone of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, he has performed with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Florida Orchestra and the New World Symphony. Mark has released three solo recordings on the Summit label. Degrees received from New England Conservatory of Music and Boston University.  

Thomas Riccobono, M.M.
Trombone. Instructor of low brass at the Interlochen Arts Academy. He has performed concertos with the Penn State and Florida State University orchestras, Interlochen Arts Academy Band, Traverse Symphony Orchestra, and a solo competition winner at the Eastern Trombone Workshop in 1996. Performed with the Savannah Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival Orchestra in Salzau, Germany, Spoleto Festival Orchestra, (Italy). Principal trombonist with the Traverse Symphony Orchestra, conducts the NMC Concert Band and the Traverse Youth Symphony Orchestra. Degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Penn State University, and the Cleveland Institute of Music.

back to top

Trumpet

John Aley
Valade Fellow, Trumpet. Aley is the Professor of Trumpet at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music and member of the Wisconsin Brass Quintet. He is a former member of the American Brass Quintet, with whom he performed internationally. As a New York freelancer, he performed with many New York City based ensembles. To his credit are recordings with the Wisconsin Brass Quintet, American Brass Quintet, PDQ Bach, the Orpheus Chamber Ensembles, and the American Composers' Orchestra. Aley has performed as soloist with the English Chamber Orchestra, the Composers' Brass Group for the Canadian Broadcasting Co., and on Public Radio. He has also soloed with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra in concert with Maurice Andre and is principal trumpet and often soloist with the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Aley has been an artist/teacher at the Aspen Music Festival, the Yale Summer School of Music at Norfolk, Ct., and UW-Madison Summer Music Clinic.

Michael A. Davison, D.M.A.
Trumpet, Brass Area Coordinator. Dr. Davison is head of the trumpet and jazz programs at the University of Richmond and is on the board of directors for the National Trumpet Competition. As a classical musician, he has performed with Rhythm & Brass, the Richmond Symphony, and both the Wisconsin and Whitewater Brass Quintets. As a jazz musician, Dr. Davison has performed with Michael Brecker, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Curtis Fuller, and the Temptations, among others. Recently, he was the featured soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra performing the music of Harry James and recorded Bach's Brandenburg Concerto no. 2, and was the featured soloist with Santiago de Cuba Symphony Orchestra. Davison is a prolific recording artist with numerous jazz and classical albums to his credit. Dr. Davison has published several jazz combo compositions with Walrus Music, written two transcription books of trumpeter Randy Brecker, and is completing a documentary on Cuban music and Jazz.

Vince DiMartino, M.M.
Valade Fellow, Trumpet. One of our country’s most sought after trumpet performers and educators. Equally known as a jazz and classical performer-teacher, he performs throughout the world as a soloist with ensembles of all types. He has been the lead and solo trumpet in the Lionel Hampton Band, The Norwegian Radio Big Band, The Chuck Mangione Band, The Clark Terry Band and The Eastman Arranger’s Holiday Orchestra. Soloist and/or recorded with many symphony orchestras including Cincinnati, Buffalo, Sante Fe, North Carolina, Orlando, Baton Rouge and Rochester, New York. Guest soloist with the Boston Pops on their Summer Tour ‘99 and a national television broadcast of the same. Matton Professor of Music at Centre College. President of The International Trumpet Guild 2001-2003 and Chair of Artists for The National Trumpet Competition.

Thomas Drake, B.M.
Trumpet.  Thomas Drake is currently Assistant Principal Trumpet of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. In demand as soloist and recitalist, he has been the featured on the orchestra’s subscription series under such noted conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Nicolas McGegan and Jun Markl in works by Copland, Hummel, Vivaldi and Persichetti and broadcast on NPR. He is a member of the Saint Louis Symphony Brass Quintet. Since 1991, Mr. Drake has been Principal Trumpet of the American Kanterei, a St. Louis-based ensemble specializing in the music of J.S. Bach. Mr. Drake is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where he was Principal Trumpet of the Philharmonia. He began his career at age 18 when he won the position of fourth trumpet in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. He played in Rochester from 1980 as third trumpet until 1985 when he won the position of Principal Trumpet in the North Carolina Symphony.

Jan D. Roller, M.M.
Trumpet. Third/Assistant First Trumpet, San Antonio Symphony; Instructor of Trumpet, University of Texas at San Antonio and Trinity University. Degrees received from University of Houston and Eastman School of Music; studied with Sidney Mear and James Austin.(faculty, Trumpet Institute) 

Allen Vizzutti  
Trumpet, Trumpet Institute Allen Vizzutti has visited 40 countries and every state in the union to perform with a rainbow of artists and ensembles including Chick Corea, 'Doc' Severinsen, the NBC Tonight Show Band, the Airmen Of Note, the Army Blues and Army Symphony Orchestra, Chuck Mangione, Woody Herman, Japan’s NHK Orchestra and the New Tokyo Philharmonic, and many more. Performing as a classical and a jazz artist, he has appeared as guest soloist with symphony orchestras in Tokyo, Germany, St. Louis, Seattle, Rochester N.Y., Syracuse, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Phoenix, Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg to name a few. Vizzutti's current career activities include recitals, concerts, recording and composing.  As Artist in Residence, Allen has taught at the Eastman School of Music, the Banff Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas State University, Ohio State University, West Texas State University, the Skidmore Jazz Institute, and the Trompeten Akademie of Bremen Germany. He is currently ‘Artist In Residence’ at the University of Washington. His extensive treatise, “The Allen Vizzutti Trumpet Method” and his “New Concepts for Trumpet”, (Alfred Music Publishing), have become standards works for trumpet study world wide. Allen Vizzutti is a Yamaha Performing Artist.

back to top

Tuba/Euphonium

Charles Guy, D.M.A.
Tuba and Euphonium. Assistant Professor of Music, Tuba and Euphonium, at the Crane School at the State University of New York at Potsdam. Degrees received from Michigan State University and University of Akron. Studied with Phil Sinder and Tucker Jolly.

Phil Sinder, M.M.
Valade Fellow, Tuba. Professor of Tuba and Euphonium, Chair of the Brass and Percussion Area, and a member of the faculty quintet "Beaumont Brass" at the Michigan State University School of Music. He received a Bachelor of Music Education and Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, and a Master of Music from Wichita State University. Sinder has performed as tubist with the Detroit Symphony, the Michigan Opera Theatre, the Houston Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Wichita Symphony, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Colorado Music Festival, the Lansing Symphony, and the Brass Band of Battle Creek. He has a solo tuba CD, Aerodynamics, on Mark Records (1995). Sinder is a former faculty member of the Shepherd School of Music and Rice University. He is currently a member of the board of trustees for the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival.

Charles Villarrubia, M.M.
Valade Fellow, Tuba. Founding member, Rhythm & Brass. Faculty member, Boston University and the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA. In 1984 he was awarded first prize in the T.U.B.A. orchestral competition, becoming the first individual to win that award. In addition, Mr. Villarrubia frequently performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestras. A staunch advocate of student involvement in chamber music, Mr. Villarrubia has authored a book called Team Play with Rhythm & Brass - a guide to making chamber music together. Degrees received from Louisiana State University and Boston University.

back to top

Percussion

Keith A. Aleo, M.M.
Percussion. B.M. Eastman School of Music, M.M. University of Miami. Currently a member of the percussion faculty at the Boston Conservatory of Music and has presented percussion workshops at numerous universities worldwide and at both state and international percussion conventions. He is also a member of the New Bedford and Indian Hill Symphony Orchestras and plays extra percussion with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He serves as the Director of Education and Orchestral Activities at the Avedis Zildjian Co. and is a member of the Percussive Arts Society, Board of Directors and the Board of Overseers at the New England Conservatory of Music. He was a member of the percussion section of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra from 1987-2003, and a member of the percussion faculty at the University of Miami from 1994-2003.

Kimberly Burja, D.M.A.
Percussion. Co-founder and Executive Director of the New Jersey Arts Collective, an award-winning organization that promotes art and artists in New Jersey. She is the percussionist with the Ionisation New Music Ensemble and timpanist with the Chelsea Opera (NYC). World music studies include Ewe music in Ghana, AFRICA and Newari music in Kathmandu, NEPAL. Degrees received from Rutgers University, the University of Miami and the University of North Texas; studied with William Moersch.

David Hardman, M.M.
Percussion and Drumset Techniques. Percussion faculty, University of Central Oklahoma. Symphonic, chamber, and jazz percussionist. Degrees received from Ball State, Cincinnati College-Conservatory and the University of Miami.

Scott Stevens, D.M.A.
Percussion. High School Percussion Ensemble. Percussionist/Timpanist/Assistant Personnel Manager, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Degrees received from The Juilliard School. Studies with Saul Goodman and Elden "Buster" Bailey. Former faculty member of The Juilliard School and Peabody Conservatory.

back to top

Piano and Organ

Thomas Bara, M.M.
Organ. Organ Faculty, Interlochen Arts Academy. Former positions, Assistant Organist, Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York, NY; Chapel Organist and Master of Choristers, Fine Arts Chair, Saint James School, Saint James, MD; Director of Music Ministry, Bethany Presbyterian Church, Rochester, NY; Director of Music, Saint Catherine of Sienna Roman Catholic Church, Rochester, NY; Interlochen Arts Camp Teaching Assistant. Degrees received from Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan.

Gary Barnett, D.M.A.
Piano. Has served as an Assistant Professor in applied piano on the piano faculties of the University of Texas Pan American and Westfield State College, Massachusetts. Dr. Barnett recently premiered a new piano concerto by Jeff Manookian with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra in Yerevan, Armenia under the baton of Yuri Poghosian. He is currently working on a recording featuring solo piano music of contemporary Armenian composers as well as piano music of the Russian avant-garde. As soloist and collaborative artist Barnett has concertized in major cities throughout the world including Vienna, London, Paris, New York, Buenos Aires, and Singapore. He has given master-classes and lecture-recitals throughout the world including the Royal Academy of Music in London, The Nanyang Academy of Arts in Singapore, and the Mahindra United World College of India. Winner of the 1997 Joanna Hodges/Ernst Krenek International Piano competition, his past teachers include Jack Winerock, Lev Vlessenko, Manahem Pressler, and Gary Amano.

Carolyn Bridger, D.M.A.
Piano. Has concertized extensively as both soloist and collaborative artist throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, the Azores Islands, the Dalmation Islands and Southeast Asia.  As concerto soloist she has appeared with the Atlanta, Baltimore and Tallahassee Symphonies, among others. In addition to maintaining an active performance schedule she is frequently invited to present master classes and coach chamber ensembles in such diverse places as Austria, China, Croatia, Malaysia, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the U.S.  Since 1976, Dr. Bridger has been on the faculty of the Florida State University College of Music where she is the John Boda Professor of Piano and Chamber Music. In addition, she has served as Resident Director and faculty member for FSU's Summer Program in Vietnam and taught at the FSU Study Center in London.  Principal keyboardist with the Tallahassee Symphony, she also enjoys playing viola with the Big Bend Community Orchestra.

William Chapman Nyaho, D.M.A.  
Piano. Degrees from St. Peter's College, Oxford University (UK), the Eastman School of Music and the University of Texas at Austin. He also studied at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève, Switzerland. He has held positions as North Carolina Visiting Artist, and Associate Professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is a regular guest clinician, giving presentations, lecture-recitals and workshops advocating music by composers of the African Diaspora. Chapman Nyaho’s performing experience includes recitals in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and North America. His recitals have typically included standard repertoire and piano music by composers of the African Diaspora. Chapman Nyaho has been featured on radio and television broadcasts in Ghana, Switzerland, and NPR’s Performance Today. His recordings include SENKU: Piano Music by Composers of African Descent, a ground-breaking compilation of music of the African Diaspora and Aaron Copland: Music For Two Pianos.

John Cheek
Piano.  Fulbright Scholar and Professor of Music at Lenoir-Rhyne College. A native of Little Rock, he made his professional debut with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra at age 13. Dr. Cheek has distinguished himself as top prize-winner in a number of important national and international music competitions sponsored by the National Society of Arts and Letters, the American Music Scholarship Association and also has the distinction of being the highest-ranking American in the 1986 Franz Liszt International Piano Completion held in Budapest. Dr. Cheek has appeared in such venues as Alice Tully Hall, Weill Hall, Town Hall, and Columbia University. He is a long-time performer of new music, being a founding member of New York’s Omni Ensemble, winners of a Reader’s Digest Commissioning Grant.

David Gilliland, D.M.A.
Instructor of Collaborative Piano and Coordinator of Collaborative Pianists. Staff Accompanist, University of Michigan. Pianist for the Sphinx Competition, Michigan Opera Theater Outreach Program. Former collaborative pianist, accompanist, for Mannes Arts Song Institute, Bravo! String Camp, Music Academy of the West, Banff Centre for the Arts, and University of Minnesota Concert Choir. Degrees received from University of Minnesota, Eastman School of Music, and DePauw University.

Ani Gogova, D.M.A.
Piano. Dr. Gogova is Assistant Professor at the Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University. She has performed at different venues throughout the U.S., Italy, England, Serbia and Montenegro, Portugal, and her native Bulgaria. Her performances have been broadcasted by the Bulgarian National Radio, Classic FM Radio, WFMT-Chicago, and IPR. She has presented lectures and demonstrations for the College Music Society, MTNA, and the International Piano Pedagogy Forum in Serbia and Montenegro. She has been an adjudicator in competitions of MTNA, the Society of American Musicians, as well as in two international piano competitions. Ani Gogova earned her Doctorate from the University of Michigan and B.M and Artist Diploma from the Bulgarian State Academy of Music. 

Rose Shlyam Grace, D.M.A.
Piano.  A Russian-born pianist, has concertized throughout the United States as a soloist and chamber music recitalist.  Miss Grace has been featured as a guest artist at the Skaneateles Music Festival, Krannert Art Center in Champaign-Urbana, Serenade Series in Orlando, Florida, as well as on public radio stations WXXI and WILL-FM.  She has served on the piano faculty at the Hochstein School of Music and the CED at the Eastman School of Music.  During 2005-2007, Miss Grace served on the piano faculty as an Assistant Professor of Piano at the Eastman School of Music as a sabbatical replacement for Barry Snyder and Tony Caramia.  Ms. Grace holds a BM in Piano Performance and Musicology from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, an MA in Musicology from the University of Chicago, and a Doctorate in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music.

Robin Guy, D.M.A.
Piano.  Robin Guy is Professor of Piano/Collaborative Piano and Chair of the Keyboard Division at the University of Northern Iowa. She can be heard on seven compact disc recordings produced by Vienna Modern Masters, Albany, Capstone, Innova, and Mark Records. Her recording, Love Rejoices, with tenor Daryl Taylor on songs of H. Leslie Adams, was named a “top pick of the year” by American Record Guide. As a soloist, she has performed concerti with orchestras and ensembles in Ohio, Michigan, Arizona, Minnesota, and Iowa, most recently performing with the Detroit Symphony Chamber Orchestra. Her degrees are from Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory, Baylor University and the University of Arizona. 

William Lutes
Piano.  Independent piano and vocal coaching studio in Madison, Wisconsin. His piano students have been the recipients of numerous prestigious awards and prizes He is currently Artist-in-Residence at the University of Wisconsin/Madison School of Music where he has served as vocal coach for the University Opera since 2000. As pianist he has performed as soloist and collaborative musician with instrumentalists and singers throughout the US. He received degrees in piano performance from the University of Kentucky and the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory of Music. Mr. Lutes frequently collaborates with his pianist/singer wife, Martha Fischer, in concerts of the piano duet and two-piano literature. Together they present ‘Innocent Merriment” a review of songs and scenes from Gilbert and Sullivan. He has directed and appeared in numerous productions of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, performing the “patter roles”. He has been heard on the international airwaves as a frequent panelist on the Metropolitan Opera Quiz.

Thomas Lymenstull, D.M.A.
Piano. Piano faculty, Interlochen Arts Academy. Former Associate Professor of Piano Pedagogy, University of Southern California. First Prize winner, Joanna Hodges International Competition, prizes in Washington International Piano Competition, others. Students have won state levels of MTNA Baldwin and Michigan MTA Concerto Competition, 1st Prize, Piano Arts Competition of Milwaukee, and have been admitted to Juilliard, Curtis, Eastman and other major music schools. At USC, received Teaching Fellowship from the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching and a Zumberge Faculty Research and Innovation Fellowship. Frequently presents masterclasses in California and Asia, including Korea, Taiwan, China, Japan, and Singapore. Studied piano with Frank Glazer, Cecile Genhart, John Perry, John Sims and Alexander Jenner, collaborative performance and coaching with Robert Spillman, Gwendolyn Koldofsky, Sam Sanders, Harald Goetz. Degrees from Eastman School of Music and the University of Southern California (DMA); Fulbright Scholar in Piano and Conducting in Vienna, Austria.

Laura Melton, D.M.A.
Piano. Associate Professor and Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Former faculty at the Idyllwild Arts Academy in California. Degrees from Rice, USC and University of Maryland. Studied with John Perry, Nelita True and Robert Levin. Fulbright Scholar at Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik in Freiburg, Germany. 1982 Graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy. IAC '76-'80.

Susan Osborn, D.M.A.
Piano. Keyboard Skills Faculty, Northwestern University. Private and group piano instructor, Northwestern Music Academy, IL. Degrees received from Northwestern University, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Smith College. Recipient of Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship. Studies at Ecole Normal de Musique, Paris and the Conservatory in Fontainbleau, France. Piano teachers include David Kaiserman, Jacob Lateiner, Michael Zenge and Robert Miller. Pedagogy teachers include Frances Larimer, Frances Clark, Sam Holland. Frequent adjudicator, clinician and performer in the Chicago area. 

Sheryl Iott Richardson, D.M.A.
Piano. Has served on the faculties at Michigan State University, Grand Rapids Community College, Hope College, Calvin College, and the Conservatory of Central Illinois. Frequent performer, adjudicator, and presenter at workshops and conferences and been published in the piano, piano pedagogy, and music education fields. She has studied with Ralph Votapek, Deborah Moriarty, Ian Hobson, Tina Votapek, and Joseph Evans, and had coachings with William Heiles, Richard Sim, and Ward Davenny.

Robert Satterlee, D.M.A.
Piano. Associate Professor of Piano, Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He tours regularly throughout the United States as soloist and chamber musician and recently performed in Sweden and Holland. He has been heard on radio broadcasts nationwide, most notably on Minnesota Public Radio. He recently received a grant from "Meet the Composer" to commission a new piece from composer Frederic Rzewski. Degrees received from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Peabody Conservatory and Yale University.

Lucia Unrau, D.M.A.
Piano and Piano Area Coordinator. Professor of Music, Bluffton College, OH. Founding member of Electro-metamorphosis and freelance pianist. Degrees received from Oberlin Conservatory, Indiana University, and University of Texas at Austin; studied with Nancy Garrett, Alan Feinberg, and Robert Shannon.

Dorothy Vogel

Esther Wang, D.M.A.
Piano. Music Faculty, Gustavus Adolphus College. Active soloist and collaborator throughout the United States and has appeared on numerous concert series. Has won prizes in the Kingsville and Shreveport Young Artists Competitions and has appeared as concerto soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Green Lake Festival Orchestra under Sir David Willcocks. Degrees received from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Baylor University.

back to top

Strings

Advanced String Quartet

Avalon String Quartet
Advanced String Quartet Program. Hailed as “one of the most exciting young string quartets in America” (The Washington Post) the Avalon String Quartet has established itself as one of the country’s leading chamber ensembles and has earned international acclaim for the bold musicality and passionate intensity of its performances. Formed in 1995 at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. The quartet is in residence at Northern Illinois University, a position formerly occupied by the distinguished Vermeer Quartet. As a part of their residency, they perform four programs annually in DeKalb and Chicago, and the members teach individual studios and coach chamber music at the school. This follows previous residencies at the Juilliard School and at Indiana University South Bend. Members of the quartet include Blaise Magniere, Marie Wang, Tony Devroye, and Cheng-Hou Lee. Additional information about the Avalon Quartet can be found on the web at www.avalonquartet.com

Maia Quartet
The Maia Quartet was formed at the Cleveland Institute of Music and currently serves as the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Iowa. Previously, the Maia Quartet served as faculty at the Peabody Conservatory of Music.  The Maia Quartet has gained considerable recognition for its dedication and expertise in the field of educational outreach. Widely sought after for their inspiring work with young people, they have brought their passion for music to children across the United States and abroad under the auspices of such organizations as the Starling Foundation, Young Audiences, Inc. and the Midori Foundation. They were the recipients of the Arnhold String Quartet Fellowship at the Juilliard School, where they worked with the world-acclaimed Juilliard String Quartet and served as their teaching assistants. They have held summer fellowships at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and at the Aspen Center for Advanced Quartet Studies, where they worked with the American, Cleveland, Emerson, and Tokyo String Quartets. Learn more on their website at www.maiaquartet.com.

back to top

Cello and Double Bass

Winston Jack Budrow Jr., M.M.
Valade Fellow, Double Bass.  Professor of Double Bass, Chair, String Department, Professor of Bass, Michigan State University. Artist-in-Residence, Ravenscroft School. Former member Houston Symphony, Principal Bass, North Carolina Symphony, Santa Fe Opera and American National Opera Co.

Lawrence P. Hurst, M.M.
Valade Fellow, Double Bass.  Professor of Music; Chair, String Department, Indiana University School of Music, Past President, International Society of Bassists. Former Principal, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and former Associate Dean, University of Michigan and Indiana University. Winner of the American String Teachers Association's Artist/Teacher of the Year Award (2005) and winner of the International Society of Bassist's Distinguished Teacher Award.

David Carter, D.M.A.
Cello. Associate Professor of Music at St. Olaf College, Carter has also served on the faculties of the Wichita State University and Illinois Wesleyan University and as Principal Cellist of the Wichita Symphony. Teachers include Donald Hergert, Robert Jamieson, Gary Hoffman, Janos Starker, and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. Finalist in the First International Emmanuel Feuermann Solo Cello Competition, and has performed as soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Wichita Symphony, Pueblo Symphony, and many other ensembles. Founder and Artistic Director of the Bridge Chamber Music Festival, cello editor for String Notes magazine, and performs often in solo and chamber music recitals, appearing recently at the University of Iowa, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Indiana University-Bloomington and Ball State University. Cellist of the Melius Trio, and faculty at the Red Lodge Music Festival in Montana and the Rocky Ridge Music Center in Colorado. Degrees received from University of Minnesota, Indiana University, and the University of Illinois.

Eric Kim, M.M.
Guest Valade Fellow, cello principal cellist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra since 1989, has performed throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and the Middle and Far East as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist. He made his solo debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the age of 15, and he has appeared as a soloist with the orchestras of Cincinnati, Denver, and San Diego. Mr. Kim has collaborated with conductors Zubin Mehta, Jesus López-Cobos, Sergiu Comissiona, and Lawrence Foster, and performed in recital in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. As a chamber musician, Mr. Kim has performed with Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Yefim Bronfman, Lynn Harrell, Cho-Liang Lin, and Menachem Pressler, as well as with Pinchas Zukerman at festivals in Greece, New York, Switzerland, Germany, and on tour. Recent highlights include chamber music debuts at Carnegie Hall, Boston's Symphony Hall, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, performing the Brahms sextets with Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, and Michael Tree. In addition, he has made several recordings for the RCA, EMI, and Koch labels. An alumnus of Interlochen Arts Camp, Mr. Kim holds bachelor and master of music degrees from the Juilliard School.

Jeffrey Lastrapes, M.M. 
Cello. Graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School. His teachers were Orlando Cole and Harvey Shapiro. He has performed in Europe, South America and in every region of the United States as a soloist, chamber musician and recitalist and is an international prize winner. Mr. Lastrapes has participated in numerous festivals including the Evian Festival (France), the Bellingham Festival (WA) and the Sevenars Festival (MA). Currently Mr. Lastrapes is Assistant Professor of Cello at Oklahoma State University and a member of Quartet-a-tete Piano Quartet. Mr. Lastrapes performs on a Ruggieri cello dated 1684.  

John Marshall, D.M.A. 
Cello.  Professor of Cello/Chamber Music at Eastern Washington University and Principal Cellist with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. He is a graduate of IAA, and received degrees from Indiana, Yale, and Northwestern Universities, studying with Janos Starker, Aldo Parisot, and Hans Jensen. His doctoral dissertation focuses on music for two cellos and orchestra. He has been a prizewinner in numerous competitions, including those sponsored by WAMSO (Minnesota Orchestra), the Union League Civic and Arts Foundation, and the Chicago Cello Society. Marshall was selected twice to participate in the prestigious Piatigorsky Cello Seminar. In 2006, Marshall recorded and produced a CD of cello and bassoon music with Lynne Feller-Marshall. Audio clips of SOAK: The Marriage of Cello and Bassoon, are available at cdbaby.com. An advocate of cello ensemble, Marshall created the annual CELLObration Spokane festival, which brings together over 60 student and professional cellists for a day of learning and performing music for cello ensemble. Video clips of CELLObration are available on YouTube.

Astrid Schween, M.M.
Valade Fellow, Cello. Assistant Professor of Cello, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. MM, BM Juilliard School, Marlboro Music Festival. Studied with Bernard Greenhouse, Leonard Rose, Channing Robbins, Harvey Shapiro and Jacqueline Du Pre. Member of Lark Quartet (larkquartet.com) since 1989, with whom she won the Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Gold Medal at the Shostakovich Competition in Russia. She has performed around the world with the Lark Quartet and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, Schleswig-Holstein Festival and Lockenhaus. Performs frequently as concerto soloist and in recital with the Schween-Hammond Duo. Recent performances with the Memphis Symphony, Peninsula Music Festival, Cleveland Institute, Idaho Civic Symphony and in recital at Carnegie’s Weill Hall. Recordings: Arabesque, Point, Decca/Argo, CRI and New World labels. Former faculty: Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Juilliard MAP Program, School for Strings in New York. Represented by MCM Artists.

Aaron Tenney, M.M.
Double Bass. Member of the Greater Lansing Symphony Orchestra. Former member of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, West Shore Symphony Orchestra and the Jackson Symphony Orchestra. Has also played with the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Tenney received his Bachelors of Music education and Masters in Music Performance from Michigan State University. In addition to orchestral performances he has also played for some of the greatest double bassists in the world including Gary Karr and Edgar Meyer. Mr. Tenney is currently the director of Orchestra’s at NorthPointe Christian Schools, Grand Rapids MI.

back to top

Guitar

William J. Simms, M.M.
Guitar. Visiting Instructor of Guitar, Hood College, and Mt. St. Mary's College MD.

back to top

Harp

Ellen Foster
Harp.  A native of Wenatchee, WA, Mrs. Foster has performed with many symphonies, chamber groups, opera and ballet orchestras in the United States and Canada. She earned the Bachelor of Music, Cum Laude, in Harp Performance and Music Education from the Eastman School of Music, a Master of Music degree from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver and an Artist’s Diploma from Yale University. Though featured as the soloist in Debussy’s Danses: Profane et Sacre with the Wenatchee Valley Symphony and the Tennessee Chamber Orchestra, she has also performed with the Atlanta, Macon, Columbus, Savannah, Greenville, and Huntsville symphonies. Mrs. Foster can be heard on recordings with the Macon Symphony and the Atlanta Boy Choir.

Joan Raeburn Holland, B.M.
Harp. Instructor of Harp, Interlochen Arts Academy. Principal Harpist of Midland Symphony Orchestra and Traverse Symphony Orchestra. Former principal harpist, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Ballet Orchestra. Recitalist, American Harp Society regional and national conventions. Concerto performances with West Shore Symphony Orchestra, Ithaca Chamber Orchestra, Akron Chamber Orchestra, Interlochen Arts Academy String Orchestra, Traverse Symphony Orchestra. Degree received from Cleveland Institute of Music. Harp student and assistant of Alice Chalifoux.

back to top

Violin and Viola

Jocelyn Adelman, M.M.
Violin. Ms. Adelman joined the Richmond Symphony in the fall of 2003, having previously served as concertmistress of the Frederick Orchestra of Maryland. She has also performed with the National Symphony, Washington Opera and Chorus Orchestras. Festival appearances include Aspen, Tanglewood, Music at Angel Fire, and the Eilon Violin Mastercourse in Israel. As a violinist of the Hestia Quartet, she was invited to play for Vice President Dick Cheney in 2001 where they received rave reviews in the Washington Post. She has taught at the Cleveland Settlement School, The Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Program, and presently is on the faculty at the Eastern Music Festival and teaches privately in Richmond, Virginia. Ms. Adelman studied at Interlochen Arts Academy, Rice University, and The Cleveland Institute of Music, where her principal teachers included Julia Bushkova, Kenneth Goldsmith, Linda Cerone, Stephen Rose, and William Preucil respectively.

Yvonne Creanga, M.M.
Violin. Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona School of Music. She has performed at the Spoleto Festivals, the Settimane Musicale Senese, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and with Alexander Schneider’s New York String Orchestra. Her ensembles have won prizes at the Coleman Chamber Music Competition, the Accademia Chigiana, and the Conservatoire Américain de Fontainebleau. An accomplished orchestral musician, Yvonne was a member of Rome’s Orchestra Santa Cecilia and has played with the Cincinnati, Colorado, American, New Jersey symphonies as well as the New York City Opera. University of Michigan and the Yale School of Music. She is proud to include Raphael Hillyer, Riccardo Brengola and The Tokyo String Quartet among her teachers.

Susanna Perry Gilmore, M.M.
Valade Violin Fellow. Now in her tenth season as Concertmaster of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Gilmore maintains an active schedule of solo recitals and chamber music collaborations that has allowed her to perform throughout the United States and Europe. Ms. Gilmore currently serves as Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Violin at the University of Memphis and has been on the summer faculty of the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts, Hot Springs Music Festival, and (as an instructor in Celtic fiddle) at the Memphis Suzuki Institute. Ms. Gilmore received her Bachelor’s in Music at Oxford University and spent a year of post-graduate study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she studied with violinist Yfrah Neaman. She then received her Master’s degree in Violin Performance at New England Conservatory under the instruction of James Buswell. Prior to her studies in England, Ms. Gilmore studied with Christian Teal at the Blair School of Music and with Mimi Zweig at Indiana University.

Naomi Gjevre, D.M.A.
Violin. Serves on the violin faculty at the University of Wyoming and is a member of the faculty ensemble The Summit Chamber Players. In addition, Dr. Gjevre is a founding member of the Lindsayan String Quartet, where she has held two prestigious residencies. From 1998-2002 she was appointed Artist in Residence with the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale in Texas, and from 1995 to 1997 Artist in Residence under a National Endowment for the Arts Chamber Music Residency at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. In addition, she is the founder and director of the Medicine Bow Baroque Consort. Dr. Gjevre has performed as a recitalist and chamber musician throughout the United States, as well as in Europe and South America. Dr. Gjevre’s teachers include Roland and Almita Vamos, Eliot Chapo, and Karen Clarke. Degrees: DM Florida State University; MM Florida State University; BM University of Minnesota.

David Holland, M.M.
Valade Fellow, Viola. Has been with the Interlochen Center for the Arts since 1973. He began training with his father in Toledo, Ohio. He then studied at the Indiana University School of Music and the Ohio University School of Music. He is a founding member of the Aurora Quintet and has performed with the New World, Stradivari and Interlochen string quartets. While serving as the resident violist, coordinator of the string chamber music curriculum, and conductor of the string orchestra at Interlochen, Mr. Holland has held visiting professorships at the University of Iowa, Ohio University, and South Dakota State University. He has had summer faculty appointments at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, the University of Iowa, Louisiana State University, Ithaca College, and Southern Methodist University. He is currently on the faculty at the Quartet Program located at Bucknell University in Lewisberg, PA. Recently he presented viola master classes at the University of Michigan, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the Eastman School of Music. 

Jeffrey Howard, D.M.A.
Violin. Dr. Howard has distinguished himself nationally and internationally. Dr. Howard has appeared as soloist with the Boston Virtuosi, and the Yonkers, Indiana University, Concord, UT Arlington, WPI, and Towson University Orchestras. A frequent soloist and guest artist, he has performed throughout the United States, Canada and in Europe. As a chamber music performer, he has appeared with his wife, pianist Anna Soukiassian, in the Kassian-Howard Duo since 2000 and as a member of the Baltimore Trio since 2007. Dr. Howard received degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Indiana University. His teachers included Stephen Clapp, Franco Gulli, Roman Totenberg and Ani Kavafian. He was also one of the last students of Distinguished Professor Josef Gingold. Dr. Howard has taught at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, and the University of Texas at Arlington. He is currently Professor of Violin at Towson University.

William Hinkie III, D.M.A.
Viola.  Dr. Hinkie is the Co-founder and Co-director of the New Millennium Conservatory for Strings where he teaches, violin, viola and cello. Principal violist of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, and appears regularly with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, the Colorado Ballet Orchestra and the Fort Collins Symphony. Dr. Hinkie has worked at the Perlman Music Program and appeared with Mr. Perlman at the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York. As a four-time fellowship recipient to the Aspen Music School, he served as assistant principal violist of the Aspen Festival Orchestra and as a teaching assistant to Castleman/Rose/Chiang. He has also been violist with the Ted Mann String Quartet, the Erde String Quartet, and the New Millennium String Duo with violinist Jennifer John. Dr. Hinkie has served on the faculties of Luther College, Kilgore College and Tyler Junior College. Degrees received from University of Minnesota, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Louisiana State University.

Sharan Leventhal
Violin. Has toured the U.S. and Europe as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher. She has received grants from the NEA, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music Recording, and the Fromm and Koussevitzky foundations, and has premiered over 100 compositions. Leventhal has appeared as soloist with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, the Toledo, Milwaukee, Topeka, and Albany symphonies, among others. She is a member of the Gramercy Trio, which records on Newport Classic, Ltd. Co-founder of the duo Marimolin, which can be heard on the GM and Catalyst labels, and is currently recording a second CD of string quartets by Ben Johnston with the Kepler Quartet for New World. She teaches at the Boston Conservatory, is a string coach with the Hong Kong-based Asian Youth Orchestra, and has served on the faculties of Michigan State University and the Berklee College of Music. Founder and director of Play On, Inc., a non-profit supporting chamber music programs for children.

Javier Pinell, D.M.A.
Violin. Javier Pinell joined the Interlochen violin faculty in 2000. He is a founding member of Lindsayan String Quartet, an ensemble that held two prestigious residencies in Kentucky and Texas, and also violinist with The Summit Chamber Players. As concerto soloist he has appeared with orchestras in the United States and Latin America. In addition, Dr. Pinell has won several awards both as a performer and scholar including the Theodore Presser Award in two occasions. He has also done extensive research of academic music in Bolivia, and has produced and performed in an historical recording of contemporary Bolivian works. Principal teachers include Karen Clarke, Eliot Chapo, and Hal Grossman. He has participated in master classes with Issac Stern, Janos Starker and Jaap Schroeder, and has coached with the Tokyo String Quartet, The Muir Quartet, and the Colorado String Quartet. He currently serves on the violin faculty at the University of Wyoming.

William Preucil
Guest Valade Fellow, violin is concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra, a position he has held since 1994. Prior to his appointment with the orchestra, he served for seven seasons as first violinist of the Cleveland Quartet, with whom he performed more than 100 concerts each year in the music capitals of the world and recorded the complete cycle of Beethoven's string quartets and a variety of chamber works by Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms for Telarc International. Mr. Preucil has also served as concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony and with the orchestras of Utah and Nashville. He performs at numerous North American chamber music festivals, as well as at international festivals in Switzerland, France, and Germany. In addition, he is concertmaster and violin soloist of the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra and a member of the Lanier Trio. Mr. Preucil teaches at the Cleveland Institute of Music and is a member of the artistic advisory board for the Interlochen Center for the Arts. He previously held positions as professor of music at the Eastman School of Music and distinguished lecturer in music at the University of Georgia. He graduated with honors from Interlochen Arts Academy, and received a performer's certificate from Indiana University. Mr. Preucil is a Global Music Network Artist.
 
Ara Sarkissian M.M.
Violin. Mr. Sarkissian began his studies on the violin under his father at the age of four and continues to enjoy performing and teaching both domestically and abroad. Last year, he had the honor of collaborating with such esteemed composers as Pierre Boulez, Peter Eötvös, Helmut Lachenmann, Steve Reich, and Frederic Rzewski. Mr. Sarkissian received his degrees from The New England Conservatory and was twice the recipient of the Alice Ohanasian/Friends of Armenian Culture Society, Inc. Scholarship. In August of 2008, he will return for the second time to the Lucerne Festival held in Lucerne, Switzerland to perform in the Lucerne Festival Academy Chamber Ensemble and the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra directed under Pierre Boulez. Mr. Sarkissian’s principal teachers were Mary Lou Speaker Churchill, Paul Biss and James Buswell IV.

Jane Schranze, M.M.
Violin and Viola. A native of New York, earned degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the New England Conservatory. Her major teachers include Heidi Castleman, Walter Trampler, and Heiichiro Ohyama. A founding member of the Memphis String Quartet, she is currently adjunct professor of viola and violin at Rhodes College, and maintains a large class of private students. Jane is a summer faculty member at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, where she teaches viola and chamber music. She is a former faculty member at Converse College, Northwest Michigan College, and in the A.R.M.E.S. program of the Fine Arts Center in Greenville, South Carolina. Jane plays in the IRIS Chamber Orchestra, and plays in chamber music concerts around the mid-south. She lives in Memphis with her husband, violist Lenny Schranze and their four children.

Leonard Schranze, M.M.
Viola, String Area Coordinator. A native of Philadelphia, graduated from the Eastman School of Music and the New England Conservatory. His major teachers include Heidi Castleman, Heiichiro Ohyama, Dorothy Delay, Max Aronoff, and Evelyn Jacobs. A founding member of the Ceruti String Quartet, he is currently associate professor of viola at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of music at the University of Memphis. He spends his summers at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, where he is the director of the strings program. He is a former faculty member at Furman University, The South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts, and the Fine Arts Center in Greenville, South Carolina, where he won an award from Chamber Music America for “excellence in chamber music instruction.” A past president of the Tennessee Chapter of the American String Teachers Association, he received a three year grant from the National String Project consortium. As a chamber musician, he has performed in concert halls around the country, including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City, and has performed internationally in Switzerland, South Korea, and Brazil. His solo recordings include the works for viola and piano by Robert Schumann, and the sonatas of Johannes Brahms. Reviews describe Lenny’s viola playing as “passionate and beautifully resonant.” Lenny lives in Memphis with his wife, violist Jane Schranze and their four children.

Timothy Shiu
Violin.  Violinist Timothy Shiu is an active chamber musician and recitalist and has performed extensively throughout the United States, as well as in Europe, Asia and South America. Currently a member of the Ceruti String Quartet, he was also formerly a founding member of the Maia Quartet. Notable collaborations include performances with members of the Guarneri, Muir, and Borromeo String Quartets, as well as of the Nash Ensemble of London. Mr. Shiu is Assistant Professor of Violin at the University of Memphis and has previously taught at the University of Iowa and at the Peabody Conservatory. He received his principal training from the Juilliard School, the Peabody Conservatory, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Yale University; and his major teachers include Donald Weilerstein, Victor Danchenko, Louise Behrend, Sidney Harth, and the late Joseph Fuchs.

back to top

Voice

Melvin Foster
Instructor of Choral Studies.  Associate Professor of Voice at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. A native of Charlotte, NC, Dr. Foster has a B.M. degree from the Eastman School of Music and his M.M. and D.M.A. degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has studied voice with John Maloy, Elizbeth Mannion and Victor Roman. Most recent performances have been with the Americolor Opera Alliance(AOA) creating the roles of Missouri in The Great Divide, Ransom in Madam C.J and Ray Grayson in The Pink Lady. Other roles with AOA have been as Alonzo Herndon in The Herndons, as Aleph in The Candlers (world premiere). Various performances have been in Salt Lake City in The Life of Roland Hayes and The Moor Tenors’ Project; tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Fairbanks Symphony and Macon Symphony; and the Rome Festival 2001 as Ferrando in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte in Rome, Italy.

Lisa Pierce Litteral, D.M.A.
Voice. Faculty, Musical Instructor and Voice Teacher, Beaumont School, OH, Ursuline College, and Lorain County Community College, Pepper Pike, OH. Degree received from Cleveland Institute of Music. Studied with Beverley Rinaldi.

Jeffery B. Norris, M.M.
Vocal Soloist Studies Program. Instructor of Voice, Interlochen Arts Academy. Began his professional career at the age of nineteen singing with Fred Warings' Pennsylvanians. A frequent soloist on the concert stage singing solo orchestral repertoire, opera and Broadway reviews. Recipient of Distinguished Teacher Award from White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, 2006. Recipient of National Distinguished Teacher Award from the NFAA for 2007. Degrees received from Michigan State University and Eastman School of Music; studied with John Maloy, Beverly Johnson, William McIver and Martial Singher. Mr. Norris serves as an instructor of voice at the Interlochen Arts Academy.

Tracy Rhodus Satterfield, D.M.A.
Vocal Soloist Studies Program. Dr. Tracy Rhodus Satterfield holds Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts Degrees from Rice University where she studied with Joyce Farwell and Kathleen Kaun. She has twice been a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions and placed fifth nationally in the NATS Artist Awards Competition. She has premiered works for the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Foundation for Modern Music, Houston Composers Alliance, and Society for Composers Inc. Dr. Satterfield serves on the faculty of Texas Southern University and is a Singing Voice Specialist at the Sound Singing institute.

Beverley Rinaldi, M.M.
Voice. Professor of Voice, Cleveland Institute of Music. Recipient of Distinguished Teacher Award from White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, 1990. Performer of opera, musical theatre, oratorios and recitals. Degrees received from Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music; studied with Italo Tajo, Ions Harms, and John Alexander.

Kathryn Stieler, M.M.
Vocal Soloist Studies Program. Assistant Professor of Music, Grand Valley State University. Degrees received from Western Michigan University, Bowling Green State University and post-graduate work at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Studied with Andreas Poulimenos, Gary Kendall and Patricia Berlin.

back to top

Woodwinds

back to top

Bassoon

Jeff Keesecker, M.M.
Valade Fellow, Bassoon. Professor of Bassoon, Florida State University. Member of the Florida Orchestra and former faculty of the University of South Florida. He holds a Master of Music degree with honors in bassoon from The Juilliard School and graduated summa cum laude from the Florida State University School of Music with a Bachelor of Music degree in bassoon performance.

George Sakakeeny
Valade Fellow, Bassoon.  Professor of bassoon at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and holds the title “Guest Professor of the Central Conservatory of Music” in Beijing, China. Sakakeeny serves as principal bassoonist of City Music Cleveland and of the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra. Formerly he has held the principal bassoon position of the Promusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic of Tokyo, the Handel & Haydn Society of Boston, the Opera Company of Boston, and the Grand Teton Music Festival and has performed extensively with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestras. Sakakeeny has appeared with various chamber ensembles including the St. Petersburg String Quartet, the Oberlin Reed Trio, Boston Musica Viva, and the Boston Wind Octet. He is featured on the International Double Reed Society’s 25th Anniversary CD in a performance of the Villa-Lobos Duo for oboe and bassoon with oboist Alex Klein.

Henry Skolnick, M.M.
Bassoon. Henry Skolnick was a member of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, in Miami, for eighteen years and instructor of bassoon at Florida International University. He currently serves as Co-Principal bassoon of Sinfonia da Camera, the chamber orchestra in residence at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Henry is recognized as a leading exponent of the contrabassoon. Composers from the USA, England, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany have written works for him. Henry is the artist representative on the modern contrabassoon designed by Guntram Wolf and known as the “contraforte”. He can be heard as a soloist on the CD “A Bassoon With A View, Late Twentieth Century Music for Bassoon” on the Innova Label (#520) and on “John Van der Slice, Solos and Duos (1985-2002)” on Albany Records, TROY 870, and the Guntram Wolf web site. He earned his degrees at the University of Miami.

Doug Spaniol, D.M.A.
Bassoon. Assistant Professor of Music, Butler University's Jordan College of Fine Arts. As a member of Arbítrio (with Alicia Cordoba Tait, oboe, and Bradley Haag, piano) he has performed throughout the Midwest, in St. Petersburg, Russia, and at the 1999 and 2000 International Double Reed Society conferences in Madison, Wisconsin, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Currently principal bassoon of Sinfonia da Camera, he also performs regularly with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra. Awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Performance from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. Degrees received from the University of Illinois and the Ohio State University.

Eric Stomberg, D.M.A.
Bassoon, Assistant to the Director of Music, and Woodwind Area Coordinator. Instructor of Bassoon, Interlochen Arts Academy; Assistant Professor of Bassoon, University of Kansas; Second Bassoonist, City Music Cleveland. Former member of the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. Former faculty at Ohio University and Northern Kentucky University. Degrees received from Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and The University of Kansas.

back to top

Clarinet

Scott Anderson, M.M.
Clarinet.  Principal Clarinetist of the Honolulu Symphony, also held that position with the Grand Rapids, and Oakland Symphonies, and was a member of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Summers have found him plaing Principal with the Colorado and Carmel Bach Festivals as well as with the Glimmerglass Opera. Appearing many times as concerto soloist in Honolulu as well as with orchestras in California and with Grand Rapids, he has recorded solo and chamber music on the Albany, Well-Tempered, and CRI labels. As a chamber musician, Scott has performed extensively in Hawai’i as well as elsewhere in the United States and Asia. He held teaching positions at the University of California, Berkeley, and at California State University, Sacramento. His own studies were with Stanley Hasty at the Eastman School and Robert Marcellus at Northwestern University, as well as with Rosario Mazzeo, Leon Russianoff, Mitchell Lurie, and Keith Underwood. 

Karen Benda, D.M.A.
Clarinet. Adjunct Faculty, Washburn University. Former visiting faculty, Ohio University, Cincinnati College-Conservatory Preparatory Department. Degrees received from University of Michigan, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and University of Oklahoma. Studied with Fred Ormand, Ronald de Kant, and David Etheridge. 

Deborah Chodacki, M.M.
Clarinet. Ms. Chodacki joined the faculty of the University of Michigan School of Music in 1993. Ms.Chodacki has performed and taught on four continents and throughout the United States. Her performances have been broadcast across North America, including live concerto features on NPR's “Performance Today.” Students of Deborah Chodacki have earned positions in the Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Philharmonic, Winnipeg, Manitoba Symphony Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony, Orchestra Nova Scotia, among others. Her students have also won concerto appearances with the Chicago Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Columbus Symphony, OH, Grand Rapids Symphony and with conservatory and university orchestras.
Ms.Chodacki has been on the faculties of the Interlochen Arts Academy and the East Carolina University School of Music.

Sandra Potkay Jackson, M.M.
Clarinet. Faculty at University of Toledo, OH. Former principal clarinet in the Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico. Degrees received from New England Conservatory of Music and University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Studied with Harold Wright and George Townsend.

Kimberly Cole Luevano, D.M.A.
Clarinet. Professor of Clarinet at Eastern Michigan University; member of the Eastern Wind Quintet; and clarinetist of contemporary ensemble, QUORUM. Has presented acclaimed solo and chamber performances and taught throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America. Freelances extensively and has performed as a member of the Michigan Opera Theater Orchestra, and with the Detroit, Windsor (Canada), and Toledo Symphonies, among others. Chamber music recordings available on Albany Records. Studied in Paris, France as the recipient of Fulbright Grant and Kade Fellowship. Degrees from Michigan State University and the University of North Texas. Principal teachers include Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, James Gillespie, Keith Lemmons, Guy Deplus, and Alain Damiens.

Sarah Nowlin, M.M.
Clarinet. Director of Bands and Instructor of General Music, Summit Country Day School. Coursework toward D.M.A. completed at University of Cincinnati College – Conservatory of Music. Degrees from Central Washington University and the University of Oklahoma. 

Daniel S. Silver, M.M.
Clarinet. Professor of Clarinet, University of Colorado. Member, Colorado Chamber Players and Contemporary Music Forum of Washington D.C. Degrees received from Northwestern University and University of Michigan; studied with Robert Marcellus, Thomas Peterson and Deborah Chodacki.

back to top

Flute

Diane Boyd Schultz, D.M.A.
Flute. Professor of Flute, The University of Alabama, Principal flutist, Tuscaloosa Symphony, flutist of Capstone Wind Quintet, regular performances with Alabama Symphony. Former member of Dallas Bach Society, Richardson, and Terre Haute Symphonies. Winner of National Federation of Music Clubs Orchestral Winds Competition and finalist of Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition. Rotary International Foundation Scholar to McGill University; degrees received from The University of Alabama and The University of North Texas. 

Nicole Esposito, M.M.
Flute. Assistant Professor of Flute, University of Iowa. Flutist, Iowa Wind Quintet, Principal Flute, Dubuque Symphony Orchestra. Awards include Aspen Piccolo Fellowship and prizes from NFA Orchestral Competition, Minnesota Orchestra WAMSO Competition. Semi-Finalist in NFA Young Artist and Piccolo Artist Competitions, Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition, and Haynes International Flute Competition. Degrees from University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon University. Teachers include Jeanne Baxtresser, Amy Porter, and Marianne Gedigian. 

Jill Heyboer, D.M.A.
Flute. Associate Professor of Music (Flute) at Missouri State University and principal flutist in the Springfield (MO) Symphony Orchestra. Former member of the Greater Lansing Symphony, West Shore Symphony, and Boise Philharmonic. Semi-finalist in the NFA Young Artist Piccolo Competition, Winner of the NFA Performer’s Competition, and multiple Semi-finalist in the Myrna Brown National Flute Competition. Degrees held from Luther College, Arizona State University, and Michigan State University. Studied with Eric Hoover, Brian Gordon and Richard Sherman.  

Jane Hoffman, D.M.A.
Flute. Ms. Hoffman was a faculty member at Humboldt State University in California for eigth years before going back to school for her DMA from SUNY Stony Brook New York. She has traveled abroad to study in Nice, France and on the same journey performed several concerts in Mallorca, Spain. She was a member of the Contemporary Chamber Players through Stony Brook and has been a participant in internationally known Sarasota Music Festival in 1993. She also earned her MM from Cal State Northridge. For the past 8 years she has been the Director of the Hecht School of Music in Sarasota Florida. She is a frequent performer in the Sarasota/ Tampa Bay area. She is a member of Trio Voila, flute, viola and guitar, released her first CD in 2002 called A Journey, has played four seasons with the Sarasota Opera Company and also plays with local jazz musicians in many venues.

back to top

Oboe