2026 Participant Biographies

Schedule – March 5-7, 2026

ARMSTRONG, ASHER. Armstrong is on the Piano Faculties of the University of Toronto and York University.  Prior to these appointments he served as an Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Arkansas, and he has taught at several other institutions, including the Interlochen School for the Arts. Armstrong maintains an active concert career: notable recent engagements include solo recital performances at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, the Penderecki Academy in Kraków, the Royal College of Music in London (UK), the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), and as a concerto soloist with the Washington-Idaho Symphony Orchestra. Armstrong serves as an adjudicator and masterclass clinician at many festivals and competitions throughout North America and internationally, and is also a proud member of the Royal Conservatory’s College of Examiners.  As a performer and scholar, Armstrong’s principal focus is to advocate for women’s music, and his work has been published by Cambridge University Press’s Tempo, as well as Clavier/PianoMagazine, American Music Teacher, the Piano Journal, Canadian Music Teacher, MTNA’s E-Journal, the Kaprálová Society Journal, and others.  

ASHCROFT VANDENBRINK, SARAH. Soprano Sarah Ashcroft VandenBrink is an American performer, educator, researcher, and music director. As a native of Holland, Michigan she has recently returned to West Michigan after completing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Literature and a minor in Vocal Pedagogy from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where she also received her Master’s of Music. Her research is dedicated to forgotten women composers, and she has focused her energies on reviving the vocal works of 19th century German composers Emilie Mayer. An anthology of Mayer’s Lieder, which included newly engraved copies of 12 of her songs in tandem with word-for-word translations, poetic translations, and IPA transcriptions, is under contract and will be published with the Hildegard Publishing Company. Release date coming soon.

BADGEROW, JUSTIN. Dr. Justin Badgerow, pianist, holds degrees from University of Central Florida, University of Texas, and University of Colorado. Dr. Badgerow has been a performer and presenter at meetings of Music Teachers National Association, Texas and Pennsylvania Music Teachers Associations, National Conference for Keyboard Pedagogy, and College Music Society conferences. In addition, he has performed across the United States and internationally in Mexico, South Africa, Brazil, Ireland, Lithuania, Estonia, and Colombia. Justin has been a featured concerto soloist with the Imperial Symphony, Kennett Symphony, and Loudoun Symphony and has performed with the Grammy award-winning Pacifica Quartet. Solo and collaborative recordings can be heard on the Centaur and Divine Art Record labels. Dr. Badgerow is a Professor of Music at Elizabethtown College and serves on the Executive Board of the Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association. For more information, visit www.justinbadgerowpiano.com.

BAILEY, MARY LINDSEY. Dr. Mary Lindsey Bailey, Associate Professor of Oboe at the University of Alabama, is Principal Oboe of the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, and previously served as Principal Oboe of the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in Shenzhen, China, and Principal Oboe of the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra. She formerly served as Assistant Professor of Oboe at Morehead State University, Instructor of Oboe at Colorado Mesa University, and on the faculty of Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival. Dr. Bailey’s international performances include concerts in cities such as London, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Havana, Rio de Janeiro, and Singapore. She is a frequent performer at conferences of the International Double Reed Society. She was a guest artist of the 2024 Toradze International Music Festival in Tbilisi, Georgia, Second Oboe for the 24/04 World Orchestra in 2015 in Yerevan, Armenia, and English Horn of the 2019 WCIT World Orchestra (Armenia). She is a member of the Vuorovesi Trio, a chamber ensemble active in performing and commissioning works for flute, oboe, and clarinet. Their first album, Excursions, is available on the Blue Griffin label. Dr. Bailey holds degrees from the University of South Carolina and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

BAKER, MCKINLEY. McKinley Baker (he/him) is a performer and educator based in Oklahoma. Specializing in auxiliary clarinet performance, he aspires to commission new works by emerging and forward-thinking composers. As an educator, he aims to educate future clarinetists on the pedagogy and growing repertoire of the auxiliary clarinets, building the skillset of the twenty-first century clarinetist. Baker’s performance career has spanned from solo performances to larger ensembles. Originally from North Carolina, he has performed with the Piedmont Wind Symphony, Danville Symphony Orchestra and Mallarmé Music, ranging from soprano clarinet to contrabass clarinet. As a passionate chamber performer, he is a core member of the Pathfinders Trio, a mixed woodwind and brass trio with trumpeter Hannah Markun and multiple woodwind specialist Lyndsey Dean. Baker is currently pursuing his DMA in Clarinet Performance at the University of Oklahoma, where he serves as a clarinet graduate assistant. He has earned prior degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (MM) and East Carolina University (BM). His primary teachers include Suzanne Tirk, Anthony Taylor, Luke Ellard, and Douglas Moore-Monroe. McKinley is proud to serve as a Copeland Performing Artist, performing on the Telos Bb/A clarinets and Harmonia Eb clarinet.

BEERS, DEBORAH YARDLEY. Deborah Yardley Beers, a member of the piano faculty at Rivers School Conservatory, has composed works for piano that have been performed by different pianists at a number of festivals in the United States. A piece she composed for Pierrot ensemble plus percussion was played in 2024 in a public workshop at the Women Composers Festival of Hartford by the Washington D. C. sextet, Balance Campaign. Composers, Matthew Aucoin, a MacArthur “genius” grant winner, and Libby Larsen, a Grammy Award winner, have both called music of Deborah’s “eloquent”. Beers studied composition with Harold Schiffman and Peter Spencer. Improvisation classes with Eloise Ristad and in Dalcroze Eurhythmics also informed her style. As a pianist Beers has performed in numerous solo and chamber recitals in the United States and abroad and performed as soloist with five symphony orchestras. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano from the University of Colorado. More information about her music is available on her website, www.deborahyardleybeers.com

BICKHAM, TERI. Soprano Teri Bickham is praised for her “fine piano nuances” and “expressive legato line.” Her career has taken her to Italy, Austria, and prestigious houses in the United States. She has performed a diverse repertory of operatic roles that include a specialization in Mozart heroines, Italian opera, German operetta, and contemporary American opera. In addition, she has placed in prestigious competitions including The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Palm Beach Opera, Shreveport Opera Singer of the Year, and the Concorso Lirico Internazionale per Cantanti lirico Rosa Ponselle. Dr. Bickham regularly performs with orchestras throughout the country and is an avid recitalist and scholar of female composers, poets, and performers. She earned degrees from the University of Maryland College Park (DMA), the University of Houston (MM), and Towson University (BM). Dr. Bickham’s debut album was released by Albany Records in 2021 and she published her first article in the Journal of Singing in November 2024. She is an Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Maryland College Park and her performance experience has culminated in her passion for training young professionals. Her students have been recognized for their polished performances and exemplary teaching.

BLACK, ALEC. Alec Black is a graduate student at the University of Kansas, where he studies with Dr. Margaret Marco and is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree. He has performed with the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble and the newly formed Wind Symphony. He previously attended Arkansas State University, where he served as a Graduate Assistant for the Department of Music. During his time at Arkansas State, Black was a member of the Wind Ensemble and performed in several chamber groups, including the Howling Winds woodwind trio, the B.E.T. flute–oboe–piano trio, and various other chamber ensembles. In addition to his musical pursuits, he enjoys running a small freelance photography business and spending time with his dog, Luna. Black’s primary teachers include Dr. Kristin Leitterman and Dr. Margaret Marco.

BLAKE, MATTHEW ELIAS. Elias Blake is a DMA candidate in Piano Pedagogy at the University of South Carolina, where he studies with Scott Price. He earned the Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, summa cum laude, from Capital University in 2022, studying with Tianshu Wang, and completed the Master of Music in Piano Performance with distinction at California State University, Northridge in 2024. At CSUN, he studied piano performance with Dmitry Rachmanov and piano pedagogy with E. L. Lancaster and Gayle Kowalchyk. His master’s thesis, A Pedagogical Analysis of Twelve Waltzes by Florence Price, examined the pedagogical value of Price’s piano works for intermediate-level students. Elias’s research interests include piano pedagogy, culturally inclusive repertoire, and the pedagogical applications of generative artificial intelligence. He has presented at state and national conferences including the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP), MTNA TEMPO, and SCMTA, and his article on Florence Price’s waltzes appeared in California Music Teacher Magazine. He is the winner of the 2025 South Carolina MTNA Young Artist Piano Competition and, with ensemble partner Wenyu Deng, the 2021 OHMTA/Graves Duet Competition (Young Artist Division).

BOATMAN, OLIVIA. Dr. Olivia Boatman is Assistant Professor of Flute at Mississippi State University. She enjoys serving area high schools through private lessons, master classes, and adjudication. Olivia is a member of the Mississippi Wind Symphony, Starkville Symphony Orchestra, and Mississippi Baptist Symphony Orchestra. Previously she served as the Woodwind Instructor and Assistant Band Director at Hinds Community College in Raymond, MS; Instructor of Flute at Belhaven University in Jackson, MS; and Instructor of Flute at Grambling State University in Grambling, LA. She has performed and presented at numerous conventions and festivals including the National Flute Association, Midwest Band Clinic, Florida Flute Association, Wisconsin Flute Festival, Music by Women Festival, and local and state band clinics. Olivia holds a Doctor of Music from Florida State University, a Master of Music from Arkansas State University, and a Bachelor of Music Education from Mississippi State University. Additionally, she has specialized study certificates from Florida State University in Music Education and Leadership as well as College Teaching.

BODDIE, SUSAN. Dr. Susan Boddie, soprano was described as giving a performance that was, “otherworldly” by New York music critic Joseph Dalton, noting “the piece that so transfixed me” in reference to her singing “Apparition” by George Crumb. Boddie has performed opera roles with Opera Nova Scotia, Westchester’s Newman Theatre, Boston Summer Theatre, and New York’s Cultural Arts Playhouse. These include Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte, Nanetta in Falstaff. Musical Theatre roles include Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music, Emma in Jekyll and Hyde, Lily in Secret Garden and the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. As well, a featured soloist in Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Coronation Mass, and Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, Faure’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Poulenc’s Gloria – along with recital and chamber concert appearances. Dr. Boddie serves as Assistant Professor of Voice and Voice Area Chair for Valdosta State University teaching in the Music, and Theatre and Dance departments. She holds degrees from the New England Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music and the University of Calgary.

BOLDIN, JAMES. James Boldin, horn performer and educator, is a Professor of Music at the University of Louisiana Monroe, where he holds the Emy-Lou Biedenharn Endowed Chair in Music. He is active as a soloist and chamber musician, and has commissioned, premiered, and recorded numerous compositions. He has authored three etude books, dozens of articles, reviews, and musical arrangements, and currently serves as Publications Editor for The International Horn Society. He is proud to be a Yamaha Performing Artist. jamesboldin.com

BRADLEY GRAHAM, ALANNA. Alanna Bradley Graham originated from Trussville, Alabama where she graduated from Hewitt Trussville in 2018 and studied with Karla Roberts. Graham then attended the University of Alabama for her Bachelors of Science in Music Education (2022) and is currently pursuing a Masters of Arts in Secondary Education. At the university she currently studies with Dr. Diane Boyd Schultz. Graham was named the woodwind winner for the Alabama Music Teachers Association (2019), placed third in the National Federation of Music Club’s Ernest Bluhm Flute competition (2020), and won a seat in the National Flute Association’s Professional Flute Choir (2025) . Her music education scholarships include the Joanne S. Hodgkins Scholarship (2019, 2021), the Sally B. Eisenhower Scholarship (2020), and the Gretchen E. Van Roy Music Education Scholarship (2021). Stage experiences at the University of Alabama included time as principal chair of the Alabama Symphonic Band, the Alabama Wind Ensemble, and member of Huxford Symphony Orchestra. Since graduating in 2022, she has taught in Carrollton, Alabama at Pickens Academy, and continues to teach privately throughout the Greater Birmingham area. Graham is a member of Alabama Winds, Alabama Bandmasters Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the National Flute Association.

BRENSEKE, MADELYNE. Madelyne Brenseke, a clarinetist from Salisbury, North Carolina, began studying the clarinet at the age of twelve. She earned her B.M. in Instrumental Music Education from Appalachian State University and is currently pursuing her M.M. in Clarinet Performance at Appalachian State, where she studies with Dr. Soo Goh. During her time at Appalachian, Madelyne has served as principal clarinet in both the Appalachian Wind Ensemble and the Appalachian Symphony Orchestra, performing at conferences such as the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) and the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA). Her passion for performing extends beyond large ensembles; she has collaborated frequently in chamber settings, including with the Hayes School of Music’s graduate woodwind quintet, which is active in local events and community outreach initiatives. As a soloist, she was named a finalist in the 2025 Concerto Aria Competition. Drawing on her background in music education, Madelyne is passionate about creating meaningful musical experiences for others, whether through performance, teaching, or community engagement.

BUNCHMAN, MICHAEL. Pianist Dr. Michael Bunchman maintains a fulfilling schedule as a collaborative pianist throughout the United States. He is currently on faculty at the University of Southern Mississippi as the director of the Collaborative Piano Program and is the Director of Music and Collaborative Piano at the International Performing Arts institute in Bavaria, Germany. Dr. Bunchman has performed collaborative recitals with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony and soloist from the Metropolitan Opera, to name a few. Companies he has worked with include the Utah Festival Opera, Natchez Festival of Music, Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, Santa Barbara Opera, Opera Saratoga, the Princeton Festival and El Paso Opera. Active as a concerto soloist, Dr. Bunchman has performed with the University of Southern Mississippi Orchestra, the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, the Ridgefield Symphony, the Breckenridge Music Festival, the Antara Ensemble in New York City, the Utah Festival Opera Orchestra and the National Repertory Orchestra.

BURTON, COREY. Corey A. Burton is a trombonist and teacher in North Central Florida. He is finishing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Florida in Trombone Performance. He received a MM from Oklahoma State University and a BS from East Central University of Oklahoma. His teachers include Jemmie Robertson, Paul Compton, Jace Vickers, Vince Kenney, and Steve Wright. www.coreyaburton.com

BURTON, SYDENY. Dr. Sydney Burton currently maintains a private studio in Gainesville, FL. She recently graduated from the University of Florida, earning a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Flute Performance. Sydney holds an MM in Flute from Oklahoma State University and a BM from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. Her primary teachers include Dr. Kristen Stoner, Dr. Erin Murphy, and Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich. www.sydneyburton.com

CAMERON, ERIN. Prize-winning performer Erin Cameron enjoys a diverse career as a clarinetist, composer, and educator. She is the Second Prize Winner in the 2025 American Prize in Performance, the 2020 winner of the Victoria Bach Festival Competition, and regularly performs with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Her book, Bass Camp: A Training Manual for Bass Clarinetists (Alea Publishing) was published in December 2024. An avid proponent of new music, Cameron has performed over 40 world and regional premieres of new works. A committed educator, Cameron serves as Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She is regularly sought out as a guest artist and clinician and has presented recitals and master classes across the United States. She has been featured at numerous International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest Conferences as both a clarinetist and composer, and has served as an adjudicator for the International Clarinet Association High School and Young Artist Competitions.

CARDOSO, ÍSIS. Ísis Cardoso is a Brazilian pianist, pedagogue, and researcher currently pursuing a DMA in Piano Pedagogy at the University of South Carolina. She serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Group Piano and as a Piano Instructor and Admissions Assistant at the Center for Piano Studies, where she works with children, collegiate students, and community programs. She is also a member of the Frances Clark Center translation team (English–Portuguese). Her research focuses on Brazilian and Latin American piano repertoire, with particular emphasis on women composers, nationalism, and pedagogical applications. Ísis regularly presents her work at national and international conferences in music history and piano pedagogy.

CASEY, JERRY. Jerry Casey, Naples, Florida, composes music in all genres. Her thirteen premieres from 2022 through March of 2025 were in seven states. These included works for piano, vocal and instrumental ensembles, art songs and a choral anthem. The art songs were the result of collaborations with students of voice teacher friends. Collaboration with musician friends in several states resulted in the vocal and instrumental ensembles. The piano works resulted from collaboration with young students for the In Good Hands recital in Portland, Oregon sponsored by Cascadia Composers, a chapter of National Association of Composers USA. Other performances of Mrs. Casey’s works have been in England, China, Slovakia and Spain. She has received the ASCAPLUS Award for over 25 years. Mrs. Casey released a CD, Yet I Will Rejoice, featuring her choral and vocal chamber music. Seven (A Suite for Orchestra) and Gli intrighi d’amore for Woodwind Quintet and Narrator were released on an MMC CD.Mrs. Casey has degrees from Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas and Gateway Baptist Theological Seminary, Ontario, California. She is a former faculty member at University of the Cumberlands, Williamsburg, Kentucky, and former adjunct teacher at Florida Southwestern State College, Ft. Myers, Florida.

CATRON, AMY. Acclaimed for her “admirable virtuoso skills,” Amy Catron is an accomplished cellist, researcher, and pedagogue. She serves as the principal cellist of the Starkville Symphony Orchestra and collaborates with the Alabama, Pensacola, and Tuscaloosa Symphonies. Until 2023, she served as associate principal cellist with the Illinois Symphony and Chamber Orchestra, and as principal cellist with Sinfonia da Camera and the Millikin-Decatur Symphony. She has appeared as a soloist with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (Florida), the Illinois Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, the Illini Symphony, and with the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana. Previously, she was a member of the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, and her CD, Particles and Prayer, earned a silver medal in the Global Music Awards in 2019. Dr. Catron teaches and performs at the InterHarmony International Music Festival, the Five Cities Baroque Festival, and the Varna International Festival. Catron holds performance degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester and the University of Akron, as well as a DMA in Music Education from Boston University. Currently, Dr. Catron serves as the String Area Coordinator and is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Cello at Mississippi State University.

CHEN, FEN-FANG. Fen-Fang Chen, an associate professor, is the director of piano and keyboard studies at Florida Southern College, where she also teaches keyboard musicianship, applied piano, piano pedagogy, and piano ensemble. She serves on the Board of Regents of Pi Kappa Lambda, the National Music Honor Society. Dr. Chen earned two doctoral degrees from the University of Mississippi: a Doctor of Arts in Piano Pedagogy and a Ph.D. in Music Education. Her teaching experience includes positions at the University of Mississippi, Birmingham-Southern College, Miles College, and Indiana State University. Dr. Chen is an active performer, playing both piano and pipa, a traditional Chinese lute, at recitals and concerts. She has a keen interest in efficient piano learning and practice methods and has presented her research at numerous national, state, and regional conferences. She received the Outstanding Professional Research Poster Award from the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy at the National Conference. Last January, Dr. Chen took a sabbatical to study Marie Jaëll, a French female piano pedagogue and composer, focusing on her teaching methods and compositions. She plans to share her findings at various piano conferences and festivals.

CLEMENTS, JULIA. Julia Clements is a freshman music therapy major at The University of Alabama, where she studies flute while pursuing interdisciplinary training in performance and clinical musicianship. She performs on multiple instruments across ensembles, playing oboe in the Concert Band, flute in the Symphonic Band, and piccolo in the Million Dollar Band. Her involvement in these ensembles has strengthened her versatility, musical sensitivity, and collaborative skills across both concert and marching settings. In addition to her ensemble work, Julia is an active member of both the flute studio and trumpet studio, which has expanded her understanding of tone production, technique, and musical expression. Her experience studying multiple instruments has given her a broader perspective as both a performer and future clinician. Julia is especially interested in pediatric music therapy and working with patients with Alzheimer’s disease. She is passionate about using music to support emotional expression, cognitive engagement, and quality of life for individuals across the lifespan. Through her studies and performance experiences, she continues to grow as both a flutist and future music therapist.

COBERLY, REBECCA. Rebecca Coberly is a frequent recitalist, and has performed as soprano soloist in Poulenc’s Gloria with the Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, and with the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus in their performance of Barber’s Prayers of Kierkegaard and Theofanidis’s The Here and Now. Other solo appearances include Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and performances of Handel’s Messiah in Ireland and Great Britain. She is a frequent performer in the annual Music by Women Festival and other conference venue, and served as Master Teacher for the 8vo. Congreso Nacional of La Asociacion Mexicana de Maestros de Canto in Culiacan, MX. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University and the Rice University Shepherd School of Music, and a DMA from Texas Tech University. Rebecca is currently serving as the District Membership Director for the South Texas District of NATS. She currently holds the positions of Professor of Voice and Associate Director of the School of Music at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

COCRAN, ABBY. Abby Cocran is a flautist from Troy, Illinois, who started playing the flute in 6th grade. She has participated in many honor bands, including Illinois All District Band, All District Orchestra, and All State band. She performed with her high school wind ensemble in the Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festival three times, as well as performing for local Solo and Ensemble competitions. In college, Abby continues to play in the University of Alabama Million Dollar Marching Band, Campus Orchestra, Concert Band, and Flute Choir while studying Cybersecurity. She has played for and received instruction from Dr. Matthew Allison and Mallory Harrison. She hopes to continue learning and fostering her love of music.

COKER, CHERYL Cheryl Coker, a native of Maryland, came to Millsaps College in 1984 as an adjunct professor, becoming a regular member of the faculty in 1987. Dr. Coker received her BMEd and MM (voice) from the University of Southern Mississippi and the DMA at the University of Minnesota. Her teachers include Robert Mesrobian, Vivian Wood, and Clifton Ware. She has coached with Richard Miller, John Wustman, Martin Katz, Karl Paulnack, Joel Revzen, and Julianne Baird. As a soprano soloist Dr. Coker has performed with numerous symphony orchestras. Among works presented are Haydn’s Creation, and Brahms’ German Requiem. Roles sung include Floyd’s monodrama Flower and Hawk. Special interests for Dr. Coker are the role of women in music and lullabies. An active member of NATS, MTNA, and Federated Music Clubs, she served as officer for each organization in various levels and capacities. Continuing to teach privately, she serves as Co-President for Chaminade Music Club in Jackson, MS, and has completed a two-year program since retirement to become CMVT in the McClosky Institute of Voice. She holds the title of Emerita Associate Professor of Music, having retired from Millsaps College in 2022.

COKER, TIMOTHY. Timothy Coker , a native Mississippian and Emeritus Professor of Music at Millsaps College, came to Millsaps College in 1984 after 12 years of teaching choral music in Tupelo, MS. He received the B.M. (piano), M.M.(conducting), and Ph.D. (choral music) from the University of Southern Mississippi. At Millsaps, in addition to conducting Singers and Chamber Singers, he taught courses in music theory, conducting, music education, church music, and music aesthetics. Dr. Coker sat on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra for many years and eventually served as Chairman of the Board. He continues to contribute to the work of MSO through his Bravo Concert Series Pre-Concert Lectures, which are enthusiastically embraced by many concert goers. Much of the impetus for his interest in music and cognitive development/regeneration sprang from what he learned developing these lectures. As a practicing church musician, Dr. Coker has worked with children’s, youth, and adult choirs in United Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Catholic churches. Composing choral, choral with orchestra, and orchestral works has occupied much of his creative time. He currently conducts the adult choir at Northminster Baptist Church in the Jackson metro area.

CORNISH SCOTT, KRISTA. Canadian soprano Krista Cornish Scott received her Masters of Music in Performance and Literature from the University of Western Ontario, where she studied with contemporary opera innovator John Hess and teacher Ted Baerg. A past prize-winner at the national Eckhardt-Gramatté contemporary music competition, she continues to support and seek out new music. As a choral singer, Krista has sung with Cincinnati’s top professional choirs, and appeared as a frequent soloist and chamber musician with such professional ensembles as Cincinnati Fusion, the Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas, the Athenaeum Chorale, Coro Volante, and Collegium Cincinnati. Recordings include early music ensemble Publick Musik, Vocal Arts Ensemble and Craig Hella Johnson in the world premiere recording of Kyle Smith’s Canticle, Kurt Sander’s Grammy-nominated Divine Liturgy with the PaTRAM Russian Orthodox Institute and conductor Peter Jermihov, and the New Choral Voices series with Coro Volante, most recently as co-conductor on a disc of works by R. Murray Schafer. Krista frequently lectures on chant and women in early music, recently guest teaching at the College-Conservatory of Music, Miami University, Case-Western, Baldwin Wallace, Franciscan University and the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa.

CRIPPS, CYNTHIA. Since 2006, Cynthia Cripps has taught saxophone, saxophone ensembles, woodwind methods, and is graduate coordinator at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. She organizes and directs UTRGV’s Summer Saxophone Ensemble which registers over 50 saxophonists each summer. She plays bassoon and contrabassoon in faculty and student ensembles in the School of Music and in the community. She has performed solos and chamber music at many NASA regional and biennial conferences and has performed at World Saxophone Congresses in Minnesota, Slovenia, and Croatia. Other conference performances include Music by Women, NACWPI (National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, American Single Reed Summit, SCI (Society of Composers, Inc), and TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association) showcase recitals. From 1993-2003 she taught and performed at the music conservatory, International School and National Symphony Orchestra in the Republic of Panama. In recent summers she has taught saxophone master classes and performed in Panama, Columbia, and Guatemala. She is a native of Michigan she received degrees from Central Michigan University, Ball State University, and University of Miami.

DEAN, LYNDSEY. Lyndsey Dean is a J. Copeland Young Artist, and multi-instrumentalist currently living in Winchester, Virginia. Originally from Texas, Dean has had experience as a band director teaching grades 6-12 in Seminole, Texas. As a performer Dean has performed with ensembles such as Opera Roanoke, Plainview Symphony Orchestra and Lubbock Moonlight Musicals. She has also co-founds and performs regularly with Pathfinders Trio (a mixed woodwind and brass trio) and winners of the 2024 Music for a Great Space Artist Residency. Dean earned her Bachelor of Music in Music Education at Wayland Baptist University studying under Dr. Sandra Mosteller, and earned both her Master of Music in Multiple Woodwinds Performance and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Clarinet performance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Currently, Dean is a Graduate Assistant pursuing a DMA in Woodwind Doubling at Shenandoah Conservatory under Professor Garrick Zoeter (clarinet), Dr. Julietta Curenton (flute) and Dr. Timothy Roberts (saxophone).

DEMBOWSKI, LYNDA. Lynda Dembowski is a member of the United States Naval Academy Band and has served as Principal Clarinet with the Concert Band and as Enlisted Conductor for the bulk of her twenty-six year career.   Dembowski is Principal Clarinet of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival (VA) and Naptown Philharmonic Orchestra (MD). She has performed with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, and Baltimore Choral Arts Society. Dembowski is a faculty member of ECpBA (Ensamble de clarinetes de la provincia de Buenos Aires) in Buenos Aires, Argentina and is also the Assistant Director of Steel City Clarinet Day, an educational event connecting clarinetists of all ages from the Pittsburgh- Western PA region. Dembowski is adjunct faculty at Anne Arundel Community College, where she teaches clarinet and directs a multi-generational clarinet choir of students, professionals, and enthusiasts. Dembowski and Dr. Amanda Morrison, as the Milano Duo, have annually premiered new works by women composers at the Music by Women Festival since 2019, as well as performed together at the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest and the Maryland Music Educators Association Conference.

DENNY-CHAMBERS KRISTEN. Dr. Kristen Denny-Chambers, clarinetist, teacher, composer, and founder of Clarinet Playground, has performed as a freelance, chamber and orchestral clarinetist in several venues including the Fort Smith Symphony, Wyoming Symphony, Longmont Symphony, Colorado Light Opera and the Tulsa Symphony. Having no formal compositional training, Kristen wrote a clarinet exercise book called “Prep Steps Before You Kroepsch” in 2016 with the goal of bridging the gap between high school and college-level clarinet methods. A few years later, Kristen began writing the “Finger Fitness Études” series and has also been writing solo and ensemble pieces for all clarinets. There are plans for many more books and pieces to come. Dr. Denny-Chambers holds degrees from the University of Tulsa, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the University of Colorado-Boulder. To peruse Kristen’s books and sheet music or to contact her for a commission project, visit her website at clarinetplayground.com.

DOOLITTLE, KELSI. Kelsi Doolittle’s professional experience has allowed her to flourish as an orchestral musician, educator, and chamber artist. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Practice in Clarinet at Northern Arizona University’s Kitt School of Music. In addition to her faculty role, she performs as Principal Clarinet of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the Flageolet Chamber Ensemble, NAU’s contemporary faculty ensemble. Kelsi regularly performs as guest clarinetist with orchestras such as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Bozeman Symphony, and the Modern Orchestra apart of the Oregon Bach Festival. Previously, Kelsi was a Clarinet Fellow with the New World Symphony, a program that offers in-depth exposure to traditional and modern repertoire, professional development training and personalized experiences working with leading guest conductors, soloists and world renowned faculty. She has also attended several prestigious summer festivals including the Tanglewood Institute and Aspen Music Festival. Her principal teachers include, renowned pedagogue Yehuda Gilad, Jon Manasse, Anthony Mcgill and Micheal Wayne.

DOS GATOS. Dos Gatos (Tim Bonenfant and Martha Saywell) have performed together since 2012 when both were faculty members at Angelo State University. Dos Gatos has presented recitals at the ICA ClarinetFest (2019, 2021 [online], 2023 and 2025), the Music by Women Festival in Columbus, MS (2018-2020, 2022, and 2024-2025), the College Music Society South Central Conference (2018-2024), the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors (NACWPI – 2021) and the American Single Reed Summit (2018). Dos Gatos has focused on presenting music by composers from marginalized communities, with a particular focus on women. They have performed works by Amy Beach, Lily Boulanger, Cecile Chaminade, Marie de Grandval, Ruth Gipps, Amanda Harberg, Jennifer Higdon, Augusta Holmes, Libby Larsen, Thea Musgrave, Leanna Primiani, Alice Mary Smith, Germaine Tailleferre, and Joan Tower. Additionally, representing the music of African-Americans, Asians and Asian-Americans, Dos Gatos has presented music by Chen Yi, Jiyuon Chung, Reena Esmail, Cindi Hsu, Jennifer Jolley, Masatoshi Mitsumoto, Jessie Montgomery, Eurydice Osterman, Florence Price, Karen Tanaka, George Walker, and Takashi Yoshimatsu. They are proud of the work done in bringing this music to the public and look forward to continuing this work highlighting these important composers.

DOUGLAS, PETER. Dr. Peter Douglas, pianist and organist, has established a career as a versatile musician and teacher. His performances have taken him throughout the United States and abroad to Germany and South America. Dr. Douglas currently serves as Fine Arts Program Coordinator, Assistant Professor of Piano, and Collaborative Pianist at the University of Tennessee Southern (Pulaski, TN). Dr. Douglas’s research and creative endeavors focus on music by marginalized composers and the connection of collaborative piano with the ballet technique class. Recent projects include a recital of all women composers with soprano, Dr. Ísis Jarnicki de Calvalho as part of an event he organized “Women’s History through Storytelling: An Interdisciplinary Event” (University of Tennessee Southern, March 2025) and the session “Musicality and Dance: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Musical Interpretation” at the Tennessee Music Teacher’s Association 2025 State Conference (Martin, TN). He is also Director of Music at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (Columbia, TN). Dr. Douglas holds degrees from Ball State University and Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music where he studied with Ray Kilburn and Robert Mayerovitch, respectively.

DUFF, HANNAH. Hannah Duff is a choral conductor, soprano, pianist, musicians’ wellness pedagogue, and doctoral candidate in Choral Conducting at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. At CCM, she is one of the directors of the University of Cincinnati Choruses’ treble choir (Alta Petit) and assistant conductor for CCM Chorale. With Alta Pettit, Duff specializes in selecting repertoire by women that highlights and develops the female voice. This season, Alta Petit will perform at the Cincinnati Celebration of Women concert. Previously, Duff was Director of Choral Activities and Voice Lecturer at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. She received her bachelors and masters degrees from the Eastman School of Music, where she conducted several ensembles, assistant directed the Eastman Opera Theater, taught undergraduate music theory, and won the Teaching Assistant Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2024. She is a 200-hour certified yoga instructor who incorporates movement and mindfulness practices in classroom and rehearsal settings and has published and presented research on incorporating these techniques in music pedagogy. When she is not making music, Hannah can be found practicing yoga, hiking, drinking coffee, and climbing.

FINCHER, AIMEE. Aimee Fincher is an experienced collaborator, chamber musician, and large ensemble pianist comfortable performing wide-ranging styles and genres. She focuses her creative energy on projects including repertoire from diverse styles and backgrounds, exploring the music and composer’s relationship to literature, art, and historical social context. Aimee’s collaborative work takes her to national and international conferences and festivals in North America and Europe. She served as an official pianist for the International Double Reed Society and regional North American Saxophone Alliance conferences. Alongside oboist Shane Werts and clarinetist Kelsi Doolittle, Aimee co-founded the Kaibab Trio, dedicated to performing, promoting, and expanding the repertoire for this instrumentation. Aimee can be heard on albums released on Summit Records, Sonoluminus Records, and Vegas Records. A member of the vibrant piano-area team at Northern Arizona University since 2021, Aimee performs with students, faculty, and guest artists, coaches chamber music, co-teaches piano ensemble, and facilitates collaborative piano assignments. She has served on the faculty at the Flagstaff Piano Festival since its inception in 2022. Aimee holds degrees from the University of Alabama (BM), the University of South Carolina (MM in piano pedagogy), and Arizona State University (DMA in collaborative piano).

FITZHUGH, MELIKA M. A native of Stafford, Virginia, Melika M. Fitzhugh (A.B. Harvard-Radcliffe, M.M. Longy School of Music of Bard College) studied conducting and composition with Thomas G. Everett, Beverly Taylor, James Yannatos, Julian Pellicano, Roger Marsh, Jeff Stadelman, and, most recently, John Howell Morrison and Osnat Netzer. Mel’s compositions have been performed internationally by the PHACE Ensemble, Quarteto Larianna, Brouwer Trio, Sarah Jeffery , Sylvia Hinz, Radcliffe Choral Society, Berit Strong, John Tyson, Miyuki Tsurutani, and Aldo Abreu. Mel was a 2021 Bang on a Can Fellow, 2020 winner of the PatsyLu Prize for IAWM’s Search for New Music, 2014 winner of the Longy orchestral composition competition, and has performed with the Radcliffe Choral Society, Coro Allegro, Harvard Wind Ensemble, Village Circle Band, and WACSAC. The artist, who has composed music for film and stage, was a member of Just In Time Composers and Players and is currently a member of world/early music ensembles Quilisma Consort and Urban Myth, in addition to playing bass guitar with symphonic metal/progressive band Illusion’s End, the ambient rock band Rose Cabal and the Balkan folk dance band Balkan Fields.

GALLAGHER-STEUVER, JESSICA. Dr. Jessica L. Gallagher-Steuver [STY-ver], she/her/hers, is a passionate music educator, choral conductor, and vocalist. She serves as Lecturer of Music Education at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, and Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, and is the Conductor of the University Chorale at CWRU. In addition, she is the Artistic Director of Windsong, Cleveland’s Feminist Chorus, and is a voice instructor at The Music Settlement in Cleveland, Ohio. Jessica is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Queer Choral Studies, the official academic publication of GALA Choruses, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for GALA. Jessica’s research interests include queer studies in music education, social-emotional benefits of choral participation, vocal health in older adulthood, and community musicking. Her scholarship has been published in Research Studies in Music Education and Music by Women Journal, and she has presented at numerous national and regional conferences. Dr. Gallagher-Steuver holds degrees from Bowling Green State University (BM, 2012), the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (MM, 2022), and Case Western Reserve University (Ph.D., 2025).

GLEASON, JEFFREY. Born in Alaska, and raised in Colorado, Jeffrey Gleason holds a Master of Music in Guitar Performance from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance from Metropolitan State University of Denver. He was the third-place winner of the Denver Classical Guitar Society’s solo competition in 2009. Jeff was part of MSU Denver’s guitar department from 2009 until 2020. While on the MSU faculty, Jeff taught Private Guitar lessons, Class Guitar I and II, Intro to Music, Essential Music Theory Skills, and History of Rock and Roll. Jeff performs regularly throughout the United States as a soloist, including the Music by Women festival in Columbus, Mississippi and the FNMC New Music festival, last held in Omaha, Nebraska. St. Louis, MO, Gainesville, FL, Reno, Santa Fe, and nearly every mountain and valley throughout Colorado have also hosted Jeff’s beautiful playing. Recordings are available on Soundcloud (soundcloud.com/user-800242175).

GOH, SOO. Soo Goh is an Associate Professor of Clarinet and Interim Director of the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University. Soo holds a B.A. in Music and Computer Science from Luther College, a M.M. from Bowling Green State University, and a D.M.A from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His primary teachers were Michael Chesher, Kevin Schempf, and Kelly Burke. Previously, he was an Associate Professor of Music at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. While at Kutztown, Soo was the Music Admissions and Outreach Coordinator. He firmly believes in mentorship and advocacy for students who would otherwise not have access to quality music education. He has performed with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, Western Piedmont Symphony Orchestra, Symphony of the Mountains, Carolina Philharmonic, Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, and others. Soo has adjudicated for the International Clarinet Association and the MTNA. He has presented and performed at conferences including NCMEA, PMEA, ClarinetFest, Society of Composers, Inc., College of Music Society, Music by Women Festival, NACWPI, and others. Additionally, he has performed and taught masterclasses in Malaysia, Singapore, Austria, and Jordan.

GUFFEY, AMY. Amy Guffey serves as Teaching Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Kansas State University. She holds degrees from Shenandoah University, Ball State University, and Florida State University, where her doctoral treatise explored clarinet concerti composed between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2013. Her career as a clarinetist has taken her to South Korea, Canada, Europe, and throughout the United States. Her principal teachers include Deborah Bish, Caroline Hartig, Frank Kowalsky, Kathleen Mulcahy, and Charlene Zimmerman. In addition to her studies with the aforementioned teachers, she has worked with esteemed clarinetists such as Mark Nuccio, Pascual Martinez-Forteza, Lawrie Bloom, Victoria Luperi, and Michael Lowenstern. Dr. Guffey is the clarinetist of Nyx Duo, principal clarinetist with the Chamber Orchestra of the Smoky Valley, is on faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and serves as co-chair of the International Clarinet Association (ICA) Youth Involvement Committee. She is also a proud Backun Musical Services Artist. Additionally, Dr. Guffey co-hosts, Hidden Cues, a podcast that explores the mental, physical, and emotional intersections of motherhood in musical settings.

HAISLIP, JESSICA. Dr. Jessica Haislip serves as Associate Teaching Professor of Music at Mississippi State University, where she teaches Applied Oboe, Double Reed Ensembles, and History and Appreciation of Music. In addition to her teaching duties, Dr. Haislip is Principal Oboe of the Monroe Symphony Orchestra (LA) and the Starkville Symphony Orchestra, and Second Oboe of the North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with ensembles including the Kansas City Symphony (MO), Missouri Symphony Orchestra (MO), Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (MS), Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra (AL), Corinth Symphony Orchestra (MS), Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra (ND), Mankato Symphony Orchestra (MN), and Midwest Chamber Ensemble (MO), and has been a featured soloist with Monroe Symphony Orchestra, North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Midwest Chamber Ensemble, and Mississippi State University’s Wind Ensemble and Concert Band. Recent conference appearances include the 2024 International Horn Society conference (Fort Collins, CO), 2024 Music By Women Festival (Columbus, MS), 2022 International Double Reed Society conference (Boulder, CO), and 2022 Florida Flute Association conference (Orlando, Florida). Dr. Haislip holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree and Master of Music degree in Oboe Performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and the Bachelor of Music degree in Oboe Performance from Concordia College (MN).

HAISLIP, MATTHEW. The Mississippi State University Faculty Brass Trio is comprised of Joseph Gray, Assistant Professor of Trumpet, Matthew Haislip, Associate Professor of Horn, and Cassidy Shiflett, Lecturer of Trombone. Joe Gray joined the faculty at MSU in 2025, having previously served as Associate Director of Bands and trumpet instructor at the University of North Alabama. Matthew Haislip is a Yamaha Performing Artist and is currently in his tenth year on faculty at MSU. Cassidy Shiflett is in his first year on faculty at MSU and is completing his DMA at the University of Memphis, where he serves as graduate assistant for the trombone studio.

HANRAHAN, KEVIN. Tenor Kevin Hanrahan has performed nationally and internationally in opera, oratorio, and recital performances. A frequent recitalist, Dr. Hanrahan has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and India. Dr. Hanrahan has performed as a soloist with the Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, the Lyric Opera Theater at Arizona State University, the Catalina Chamber Orchestra, the Arizona State University Chamber Orchestra, the Phoenix Bach Choir, the AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria, The Poona Music Society in India, Abendmusik in Lincoln, the McKeesport Symphony, the Lincoln Symphony, City of Prague Orchestra, the Chattanooga Symphony, the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra. Through his collaboration with composer Diana Blom, Dr. Hanrahan has performed and recorded her songs on the albums Songs of Diana Blom, New Art Songs of the Pacific Rim, and Tangling with the Epic all released by Wirripang, Ltd., and available on streaming services worldwide. Dr. Hanrahan currently holds the position of Professor of Voice and Vocal Pedagogy in the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

HARRIS, OLGA. Olga Harris (b.1953) is a Russian-American prolific composer who has written numerous chamber works, vocal cycles, sonatas for various solo instruments, piano works, orchestral pieces and pedagogical material. She studied with Aram Khachaturian at the Moscow Conservatory. She currently resides in Nashville Tennessee and teaches composition at Tennessee State University.

HARRISON, MALLORY. Mallory Harrison is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in flute performance at the University of Alabama, where she studies with Dr. Diane Boyd Schultz. She teaches applied flute at Miles College and Huntingdon College and performs with the Huxford Symphony Orchestra and Huxford Wind Quintet. She also serves as Audience and Administrative Manager and librarian for the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra. A two-time prizewinner in the Mid-South Flute Festival Young Artist Competition and a finalist in the Florida Flute Association Nancy Clew Eller and Atlanta Flute Club Young Artist Competitions, she has performed internationally and in masterclasses with Marina Piccinini, Tara Helen O’Connor, and Ransom Wilson. She holds degrees from Harding University and the University of Central Arkansas.

HAXO, CARA. Described as “movingly lyrical” (Avant Music News) and “quirky but attractive” (The Art Music Lounge), the music of Cara Haxo juxtaposes delicate, sparkly textures with the gritty and the grotesque. Haxo is the winner of the 2022 National Women’s Music Festival Emerging Women Composers Competition. She was also awarded the 2019 International Alliance for Women in Music Libby Larsen Prize, the 2013 National Federation of Music Clubs Young Composers Award, and the 2013 IAWM Ellen Taaffe Zwilich Prize. She has received commissions from the May Festival Youth Chorus, Hub New Music, Quince Ensemble, and Splinter Reeds, amongst other ensembles. Recordings of her music have been released by New Focus Recordings. A native of Massachusetts, Haxo earned her Ph.D. in Composition at the University of Oregon, where she worked as a Graduate Teaching Fellow in Music Theory. She also holds degrees from Butler University and The College of Wooster (Ohio). She recently served as a Visiting Assistant Professor in Music at The College of Wooster. Haxo is an Academic Dean and faculty member for The Walden School Young Musicians Program and the current Vice Chair and Treasurer of the Cleveland Composers Guild. Please visit www.chaxomusic.com.

HEILMAN, EMILY. Dr. Emily Howes Heilman, mezzo-soprano and Assistant Professor of Voice at Sam Houston State University, has a great passion for performing works by contemporary composers. She recently premiered the role of Chaplain in Graham Yates’ The Measure of Love with Operativo Houston, and she covered the role of Hannah After in Laura Kaminsky’s As One with Chautauqua Opera in 2018 and the mezzo role in Phillip Glass’ Hydrogen Jukebox in 2017. She performed works by Timothy Hoekman at Carnegie Hall along with members of the Parlance Vocal Ensemble and premiered Quinn Dizon’s 12 Haiku for mezzo and orchestra at the University of Louisville’s New Music Festival. In 2018, she received her DM in voice performance from Florida State University where she was the recipient of the Edith S. Joel Opera scholarship as well as the Glenys Gallaher Award and a winner of the Hannah J. Beaulieu Competition. She studied with Shirley Close and Marcy Stonikas and graduated summa cum laude.

HERNANDEZ, PABLO. Pablo Hernandez is an accomplished oboist and dedicated music educator, currently serving as Assistant Professor of Oboe at The University of Southern Mississippi. He maintains an active and versatile performance career, appearing nationally and internationally as a guest artist, soloist, and chamber musician. Committed to music education and community engagement, Dr. Hernandez has contributed to initiatives including the Honduras Oboe Project and the Elevare Orchestral Music Festival. A passionate advocate for chamber music and contemporary repertoire, he frequently collaborates with his wife, cellist Romina Monsanto, in their duo, New Duobus, expanding the repertoire for cello and oboe. His recording projects include Portraits Bizarre by C.L. Shaw and the award-winning film score for Vento. He recently premiered Arari: 5 Variations on Jeongsun Arirang, released by Navona Records and available on major streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Idagio, and others. A recipient of the American Prize as a member of the Bear Lake Quintet, Dr. Hernandez holds degrees from The University of Southern Mississippi, Baylor University, and the University of Northern Colorado.

HOCH, MATTHEW. Matthew Hoch joined the faculty of Auburn University in 2012, where he was tenured in 2015 and promoted to the rank of professor in 2020. He has appeared as a soloist with the Oregon Bach Festival, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, the Vox Consort, Harmonie Universelle, the Hartford, Rome, and Nashua symphony orchestras, the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, and the United States Coast Guard Chamber Players. He is the author, coauthor, editor, or coeditor of eleven books and over forty peer-reviewed articles that have appeared in numerous academic and professional journals. Hoch currently serves as editor in chief of the NATS Journal of Singing and editor of the “On the Voice” column in the ACDA Choral Journal. In 2018, he presented performances and master classes in the United Arab Emirates and was awarded the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts Teaching Excellence Award. Since 2023, he has been the baritone in STELLARUM, an eight-voice choral ensemble based in LaGrange, Georgia. He is the choirmaster and minister of music at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Auburn, Alabama. He holds a DMA from the New England Conservatory and a certificate in vocology from the National Center for Voice and Speech.

HOECKLEY, STEPHANIE. Dr. Stephanie Hoeckley serves as the Assistant Professor of Flute at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas, where she regularly performs with the Bantam Winds chamber ensemble and the Delta Symphony Orchestra. Stephanie earned her DMA and MM degrees from Arizona State University and holds a BM from the University of Central Florida. Her flute mentors include Elizabeth Buck, Carol Wincenc, and Nora Lee Garcia. She is also the co-founder and current Vice President of the Arkansas Flute Society.

HONG, ARMEE. Dr. Armee Hong, a distinguished violinist from Seoul, South Korea, earned her bachelor’s degree from Ewha Woman’s University and both master’s and doctoral degrees from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Mark Kaplan and legendary baroque violinist Stanley Ritchie. She has performed extensively across Europe, Asia, and the United States, with solo appearances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and recently with the University of Mississippi Concert Band, the Lafayette-Oxford-University Orchestra, and the Germantown Symphony Orchestra. Based in Oxford, Mississippi, Dr. Hong teaches upper strings at Ole Miss, directs the Lafayette-Oxford-University Youth Symphony, and serves as coordinator and master teacher of the Oxford String Project. Internationally, she remains active as a performer and adjudicator for major music competitions, including the East Coast International Competition and the Manhattan International Music Concours.

HURLEY, SUSAN. Susan Hurley, soprano, has performed in Europe and the United States in repertoire that ranges from opera and musical theatre to concert and recital literature. Favorite roles have been Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos), Gilda (Rigoletto), and Oscar (Ballo in Maschera) among many others. A prizewinner at the 2002 Meistersinger competition in Graz, Austria, she has sung 25 principal operatic roles and soloed with orchestras in Germany and Austria as well as throughout the U.S. including the Elbphilharmonie, the Mittelsächsiches Philharmoniker, AIMS Festival Orchestra, Princeton Pro Musica, MusicaNova, and numerous others. She is the founding Artistic Director of Phoenix Arizona’s annual AIDS Quilt Songbook benefit concert series, now in its twelfth year. Susan has presented lecture recitals, masterclasses, and talks on the literature comprising the AIDS Quilt Songbook for a multitude of professional and non-profit organizations throughout the U.S. and in Vienna, Austria. In 2023, she was invited to curate and perform on the World AIDS Day concert event at the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. She currently serves as Professor of Voice at Mississippi University for Women, where, among other duties, she teaches applied voice and directs the Opera/Musical Theatre Workshop.

HUTCHINGS, SARAH. Sarah Hutchings is a composer, songwriter, and stage director whose work centers on dramatic storytelling, character, and ensemble writing. Hailed by The Washington Post for her “appealing… sinuous” musical voice, she composes across opera, art song, and chamber music, creating scores that capture the emotional complexity of human relationships and lived experience. Her classical work is grounded in text, narrative structure, and theatrical pacing, shaped by her deep engagement with opera and experience as a stage director. She has released several albums, including New Moon with the ensemble, Calliope’s Call, and Cobalt, Jade, Amethyst, ♀ and d’Arc, both of which received Global Music Awards. Her recent concert works include Bluegrass, a song cycle for soprano, violin, and piano, and Michelangelo, a cycle for tenor and string quartet—reflecting her continued interest in text-driven music and intimate instrumental color. Hutchings holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is a member of the Recording Academy. Her work has been recognized for its expressive clarity and emotional immediacy, and she continues to create music that bridges classical performance, storytelling, and American musical traditions.

JARNICKI DE CARVALHO, ÍSIS. Ísis Jarnicki de Carvalho is a Brazilian spinto soprano and Assistant Professor of Voice at Ithaca College. Dr. Carvalho enjoys curating collaborative recitals in diverse styles, genres, languages, and cultural traditions while championing the performance of works by women composers from the 19th to the 21st centuries and promoting free or low-cost accessible attendance experiences for audiences with disabilities. Dr. Carvalho’s research and performance interests have earned her features as a guest artist, clinician, and consultant across the US and Brazil. Recent engagements include the 2025 CollabFest Performer Showcase, hosted by the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society (IKCAS), and a guest artist feature at Women’s History Through Storytelling: An Interdisciplinary Event during a residency at the University of Tennessee Southern in March 2025. Dr. Carvalho has also been featured as the soprano soloist in “Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection)” by Gustav Mahler and in “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5” by Heitor Villa-Lobos during her tenure as Visiting Instructor of Voice at Concordia College in 2022-23. A sought-after instructor of Brazilian Portuguese diction and art song repertoire, Dr. Carvalho provides coaching sessions for vocal ensembles and one-on-one lessons for voice professionals and students on demand.

JEAN, CHAN MI. Chan Mi Jean is recognized for her expressive depth and versatility as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and opera coach. She has appeared in venues across Austria, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United States, including Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Gasteig München, Roy Barnett Recital Hall, and Aspen Harriss Concert Hall. A prizewinner of the American Prize, the New York International Music Concours, MTNA Young Artist Competition, and the Euterpe Music Awards, she maintains an active performance schedule alongside a growing recording portfolio. Her newest duo album, Franck/Brahms/Fauré, was released on the Sheva label and recorded at Steinway Studio in Fulbeck, UK. As an engaged pedagogue, Jean regularly presents at conferences and workshops. She currently serves as Director of Keyboard Studies at the University of Tennessee at Martin, where she brings her international performing and coaching experience to a vibrant, student-centered piano program.

JONES, ROBYN. Robyn Jones is currently Associate Professor of Clarinet at the University of Memphis, where she has taught since 2012. Prior to her time in Memphis, she spent 8 years performing as Principal Clarinet in the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans. She has performed with the Iris Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Honolulu Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. She is a Buffet Crampon performing artist/clinician, Vandoren Artist Clinician, and a certified Koru Mindfulness instructor. Dr. Jones received her degrees from Indiana University, Florida State University, and University of Minnesota.

JONES, SAM. Sam Jones holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Wyoming and is currently a Graduate Assistant at Valdosta State University, where he is pursuing a Master of Music in Trumpet Performance under the instruction of Dr. Paul Morelli. An experienced educator, Sam has taught students from kindergarten through the collegiate level in both Wyoming and Georgia. In addition to his teaching career, he maintains an active performance schedule throughout southern Georgia, where he regularly performs with the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and the Presidential Brass Quintet. Sam has performed across the United States, with notable appearances including the Jack Rudin Jazz Championship at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, NY; the International Trumpet Guild Conference in Minneapolis, MN; and a performance of the national anthem at Coors Field in Denver, CO.

JUAREZ, KEVIN. Kevin Pavel Juarez Navarro, born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, began his musical studies at the age of fourteen at the National School of Music in Honduras under the guidance of Hernan Teruel. In 2025, Kevin was awarded a bachelor’s degree in music performance in piano from Valdosta State University, where he studied with Dr. Beibei Brantley. Kevin is currently pursuing a master’s degree in music performance at Valdosta State University studying under Dr. Joshua Pifer. Throughout his musical career he has performed in Honduras and the United States. Kevin has collaborated with the New Jazz Ensemble, Concert Choir, and Opera at Valdosta State University. As a soloist, Kevin has been awarded “Outstanding Performance” at the 2022 GMTA auditions and Honorable Mention at the 2023 and 2025 Gulf Coast Steinway Society Competition. Kevin has presented research at the GMTA Conference (2022 to 2025), with his most recent presentation being “From the Heart of the Americas: Exploring the Music of Honduran Composer Lidia Handal”. Kevin has performed in masterclasses with Javier Negrín (Spain), Natalia Jiménez (Colombia), Gabriela Martínez (Argentina), Manuel Matarrita (Costa Rica), Kumi Miyagawa (Japan) and Awadagin Pratt (USA).

KALBACKER, COURTNEY. Courtney Kalbacker, DMA, is a sought-after opera producer/director, educator, researcher, and performer who has recently relocated from the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area to Georgia to serve as an Assistant Professor of Music in Voice and the Director of Opera at Augusta University. Dr. Kalbacker is also the General Director of Summer Music in Tuscany, a chamber music and opera festival that takes place yearly in Sarteano, Tuscany. Dr. Kalbacker has produced or directed over 40 operas in the last 15 years and serves as the Associate Editor of the National Opera Association’s NOW magazine and as co-chair of the Young People’s Opera Committee. Dr. Kalbacker holds degrees from the University of Maryland, Oklahoma City University, Boston University, and a Certificate in Arts and Culture Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania and National Arts Strategies. Her areas of research include the operatic/song compositions of unsung women of the early 20th century, including Eleanor Everest Freer and E. Adaiewsky, along with the study of trauma-informed vocal pedagogy. More information at www.CourtneyKalbacker.com.

KANA, ELISSA. An award-winning saxophonist and music educator, Elissa Kana has performed in festivals and conferences worldwide. Most recently, the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) presented Elissa as a featured chamber music artist at their 2025 Region 3 Conference. In 2014, Elissa was named second-prize winner of the International Saxophone Symposium and Competition (ISSAC) in Columbus, Georgia. A passionate chamber musician, Elissa holds the alto chair of the Colere Quartet, which was awarded the Gold Medal at the 2020 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the First Prize in Winds, Brass, and Percussion at the 2019 Plowman Chamber Music Competition. Since 2012, she has regularly collaborated with fellow saxophonist John Cummins to promote music written for saxophone duos. Elissa currently works as Instructor of Saxophone at Arkansas State University. She has served on the faculty of Monmouth College and the University of Northern Iowa, and since 2018, has spent her summers teaching at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan. Elissa earned degrees in saxophone performance from the University of Iowa (DMA), Bowling Green State University (MM), and Northwestern University (BM), and her principal teachers include Frederick L. Hemke, John Sampen, Kenneth Tse, and Karen Wylie.

KAYHAN, ÖMER AZIZ. Ömer Aziz Kayhan is a conductor, vocalist, and arts executive dedicated to the proliferation of contemporary and underrepresented choral music. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of two distinctive ensembles in Cincinnati: Ars Audax, an early music ensemble focusing on seldom-performed historical repertoire with experimental instrumentation, and Ensemble O2, a professional group dedicated to large-scale, multilingual contemporary works. Additionally, he serves as Assistant Production Manager for concertnova, where he oversees complex production logistics and front-of-house operations. A specialist in linguistic accuracy and modern repertoire, Kayhan’s leadership experience includes serving as Assistant Conductor for the Choral Arts Initiative in Los Angeles and Visiting Professor of Choral Studies at the University of Redlands. His conducting credits include appearances with Seraphic Fire, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Artpark Festival, where he prepared Puccini opera choruses for conductor Gil Rose. As a bass-baritone soloist, Kayhan has performed a wide range of repertoire, from modern premieres with Paul O’Dette’s Collegium to appearances with the Aspen Festival Orchestra. He holds a Master’s in Choral Conducting from the Eastman School of Music and a degree in Music and Economics from Cornell University.

KEELING, KASANDRA. Dr. Kasandra Keeling is currently Professor of Piano, Keyboard Area Coordinator, and Assistant Director of the UT-San Antonio School of Music, where she has been on faculty since 2001. She was awarded the Texas Music Teachers Association’s Collegiate Teaching Achievement Award in 2008 and was inducted into the Steinway and Sons Teacher Hall of Fame in New York City in 2023. Dr. Keeling was the first prize winner in the professional concerto division of the American Prize Competition in 2014 for her performance of the Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and was awarded the UTSA President’s Achievement Award for Creative Activity in 2015. She was also recently honored with the UTSA Faculty Mentoring Award for her work supporting colleagues in the School of Music. She has performed, presented, and given master classes across the US, Canada, China, Mexico, as well as in Central and South America. Her recent CD of new Latin American music for trumpet and piano, Bridging Borders, can be found on all streaming platforms. Dr. Keeling has also been a member of the piano faculty at Interlochen Arts Camp in northern Michigan for the past 12 years.

KIEC, MICHELLE. Michelle Kiec, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Commonwealth University, merges a career as an academic administrator with performances as a clarinetist. Dr. Kiec has presented at conferences, including the International Clarinet Association, College Music Society, National Flute Association, National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, Music by Women Festival, Hispanic Heritage Festival, and Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention. She has performed with the Harrisburg Symphony and Opera, West Virginia Symphony, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Opera Lancaster, Aspen Music Festival, and Breckenridge Music Festival. An advocate of newly composed music, she performs chamber music with Batik Quartet and Synergy 78. She earned degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University and the University at Buffalo.

KIM, JOOYOUNG. Dr. Jooyoung Kim has been critically acclaimed on international stages for her dazzling technique and superb musicianship. She made her orchestral debut at age twelve with the Korean Symphony Orchestra and has presented numerous solo and chamber recitals across Asia, Europe, and the United States in distinguished venues and concert series. Dr. Kim has appeared as a soloist with many orchestras including the Korean Symphony Orchestra, Yonsei Sinfonietta, Yale University Symphony Orchestra, and the Ball State Symphony Orchestra, among others. She is also active as guest artist, presenting recitals, lectures, and master classes at universities, music teachers’ associations, and national conferences. A prize winner in numerous national and international competitions, she has also received grants and fellowships in support of her artistic work. Her passion for contemporary music has led her to collaborations with composers, giving acclaimed premiere performances of new works. In addition to performing and teaching, she regularly serves as an adjudicator at numerous music festivals and competitions. Dr. Kim, who holds degrees from Yonsei University, Universität der Künste Berlin, and Ball State University, currently serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at Campbellsville University. Her solo album is available on MSR Classics and major streaming platforms.

KIM, YOOJUNG. Dr. Yoojung Kim is Instructor of Collaborative Piano at the University of Mississippi. Before joining Ole Miss, she worked extensively as a collaborative pianist, an ensemble coach, and a chamber musician at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, Truman State University, and Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University. She also held positions as the music faculty at Lansing Community College, Principal Keyboardist with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, and a choir pianist for Howell Public Schools. During the summers, she taught piano and accompanied choirs at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, touring Europe with their International Choir and International Youth Orchestra. Originally from South Korea, Dr. Kim earned her DMA and MM in Piano Performance from Michigan State University, where she studied with Yong Hi Moon. She received her BM in Piano Performance from Kyung-Won University.

KOZHEVNIKOVA, JANE Evgeniya “Jane” Kozhevnikova is a composer, pianist, and educator. Her works have been performed at regional, national, and international events. She composes in various styles and genres, from classical to jazz and tango. In 2020, she released a jazz-tango album Tango Avenue and in 2022 an album of her art songs Lift Up Your Hearts. In 2019, Jane received a DownBeat Magazine Outstanding Performance award in the Latin jazz category with her original jazz-tango compositions. In 2019, she became one of the winners of the “Music Now” contest, a part of Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival. Jane became a runner-up at the University of North Carolina Greensboro Call for Scores and Competition. Her choral works were awarded the 1st Prize and a Special Prize at the 2020 International Composers’ Competition Opus Ignotum (Czech Republic). In 2021, she was awarded 2nd Place of the American Prize in Chamber Vocal Composition (student division). Jane holds two master’s degrees, in Music Composition and Music Performance, from Western Michigan University. She is currently finishing her doctorate degree in Music Composition at the University of Florida.

LA HERMANDAD. La HERmandad (The Sisterhood) was founded in 2019 by Kentucky-based clarinetists Carrie RavenStem and Adria Sutherland. Centered on collaboration, advocacy, and the creation of new music, the ensemble champions works by living composers while amplifying the voices of women in contemporary performance. La HERmandad commissioned The Mountain by Jenni Brandon in 2022, premiering it at ClarinetFest in Lake Tahoe, and presented the world premiere of re:CONNECT by Erich Stem at ClarinetFest 2023. The ensemble is currently completing the video recording phase of re:CONNECT. Members of the Backun Quartet, La HERmandad made its debut at the Texas ClarinetFest in summer 2025. Offstage, RavenStem and Sutherland are longtime friends and working mothers, balancing concert life with musician kids, husbands, and the fine art of creative logistics. Carrie RavenStem is co-founder of the contemporary ensemble A/Tonal, serves on the International Clarinet Association’s New Music Committee, and is a Backun and Silverstein Performing Artist. Adria Sutherland is Beeler Professor of Clarinet at Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky State Chair for the International Clarinet Association, and a Backun Performing Artist. She performs with Favonian Winds, semifinalists in The American Prize in Chamber Music Performance (2020–2021).

LAINE, ERIC. Acknowledged for his “vocal allure” and “fiery declamation” (San Diego Story), tenor Eric Laine is recognized as an innovative artist both on stage and in recital. He recently made his European debut with the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest and has appeared with companies including Opera Neo, American Baroque Opera Co., Opera in the Heights, First Coast Opera, Red River Lyric Opera, Orchestra of New Spain, and Moores Opera Center. During the 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 seasons, he was a regular ensemble member with Houston Grand Opera. As a concert soloist, Eric has performed with ensembles such as Mercury Chamber Orchestra, Symphony of the Hills, Choral Society of Greensboro, Incarnatus, Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra, Raleigh Camerata, Tyler Civic Chorale, and Harmonia Stellarum Houston. A passionate advocate for art song, he frequently curates themed recital programs that pair chamber music with visual art, collaborating with organizations including Cincinnati Song Initiative and Toronto Summer Music. Eric holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Houston Moores School of Music and currently serves on the faculty of Texas Christian University as Assistant Professor of Voice.

LAKE, KAELYNN. Kaelynn Lake is a composition student at Hollins University and is on track to graduate in May 2027. During her undergraduate studies, she has focused on developing a diverse compositional portfolio in preparation for her senior recital and future professional opportunities. A native of Arizona, Kaelynn aspires to contribute to music education and the performing arts through involvement with organizations such as ABODA and AMBA. She is particularly interested in composing for film, video games, and marching band, as well as other contemporary performance mediums. Kaelynn began her musical journey as an oboist, flutist, and harpist at Mesa High School and as a member of the All-Region Honor Band. These formative experiences continue to shape her artistic voice and inspire her commitment to mentoring and encouraging the next generation of musicians.

LANGENBERG BAYER, KELLY. Kelly Bayer (DMA-University of IL at Urbana-Champaign, MM-DePaul University, BM, BME- Baldwin-Wallace University) is Assistant Professor of Horn and Music History at Troy University. Prior teaching appointments include Valdosta State University, Northern Illinois University, University of Illinois-Chicago, and Illinois Wesleyan University. Kelly’s “ferociously powerful” (ITG Journal, 2014) playing is enjoyed in musical settings throughout the United States. Kelly currently performs with the Albany Symphony (GA) and Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra. Other orchestral experience includes the Jacksonville Symphony, Pensacola Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, & Dubuque, Elgin, Kalamazoo, Quad City, and Yucatan (Mexico) symphonies. Kelly is a member of the Alliance Brass Quintet and Alloy Horn Quartet and has performed at the Newport Classical Music Festival (RI) Italian Brass Week (Florence, Italy), Wildflower Festival (PA), Chamber Music Festival of Aguascalientes (Mexico), the International Horn Symposium as a Featured Artist. Kelly has performed with Doc Severinsen, Peter Gabriel, Josh Groban, Il Volo, and Celtic Women. An interest in artistic leadership led Kelly to pursue a cognate in higher ed administration and she holds a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from University of IL at Chicago. Kelly is a Hans Hoyer USA Concert Artist.

LEE, HSIAOPEI. Hsiaopei Lee, American-Taiwanese violist, is Professor of Viola at the University of Southern Mississippi, where her excellence in teaching has earned multiple awards. She has mentored many students who now excel in competitions, research, and professional positions. An active performer, she has appeared as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician across three continents, with recent solo appearances with the Meridian Symphony, USM Symphony, and NTNU Symphony in Taiwan. A champion of contemporary viola music, her acclaimed album ODYSSEY (Centaur, 2014) features works by American women composers. Dr. Lee is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Artist Fellowship awarded by the Mississippi Arts Commission (2011, 2017, 2023), recognizing her contributions to the arts. She was a board member of the American Viola Society and served as the competition coordinator for the 2024 American Viola Society Festival Competition.

LEITTERMAN, KRISTIN. Dr. Kristin Leitterman is Associate Professor of Oboe and Assistant Chair in the Department of Music at Arkansas State University, where she teaches oboe, bassoon, and double reed techniques, and directs the Lucarelli Oboe Master Class, now in its 30th year. A solo artist of oboe and voice, she has performed and commissioned works by Michael-Thomas Foumai, Jason Coleman, Whitney George, and Lyle Davidson, appearing in major venues including Carnegie Hall and Jordan Hall, and internationally in Spain, Brazil, and Canada. She was awarded the American Prize in Instrumental Performance in 2024. Her publications with Carl Fischer include Relax and Take a Deep Breath: The Lucarelli Approach to Oboe Playing and Gustave Vogt’s Musical Album of Autographs. A leading scholar on Mary Chandler, she publishes with Clifton Edition and serves as President of the IDRS Midsouth Regional Chapter. Dr. Leitterman is a Lorée Artist. www.kristinleitterman.com

LEVIN, JONATHAN. Praised by New York Concert Review as “much more than a pianist, but a musician with a fine mind and enormously promising creative energy,” Jonathan Levin is a pianist, composer, concert producer, and music entrepreneur known for creating innovative, cross-cultural musical experiences that connect deeply with audiences. He is the founder of American Portraits, an interdisciplinary project producing musical events across the U.S. In spring 2025, Levin co-produced a 20-concert, 7,800-mile cross-country tour with tenor Tyrone Chambers, presenting programs that blended classical music, jazz, folk songs, spirituals, and original works in both traditional and nontraditional venues, with a focus on underserved communities. The journey is being documented for a forthcoming film. Levin has appeared as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Benaroya Hall, and the Chicago Cultural Center (live on WFMT), and performed Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue at the Grand Kremlin Palace with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation. A prizewinner at major competitions, he is Vice President and co-founder of the Kyrgyz American Foundation and Artistic Director of the Clayton Piano Festival in North Carolina, now in its 15th season.

LONG, COURTNEY. Dr. Courtney Long is a music theorist, composer, saxophonist, and educator who performs regularly as a soloist and with various ensembles. She is an active presenter and performer at regional, national and international conferences, including those hosted by the North American Saxophone Alliance, the World Saxophone Congress, and the Society for Music Theory. Her research explores post-tonal motivic analysis, with particular focus on its intersections with agency and narrative theories, performative analysis, and motivic parallelism in both post-tonal and Romantic repertoire. Her most recent publication appears in The Saxophone Symposium (Volume 42). Dr. Long holds a Doctor of Arts in Music from the University of Northern Colorado, where she specialized in Saxophone Performance with a secondary emphasis in Music Theory. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Saxophone Performance from Friends University (Wichita, KS) and a Master of Music in Music Theory and Composition from Wichita State University. She has held teaching appointments in both saxophone and music theory at the University of Northern Colorado, Colorado Christian University, Friends University, and Bethany College. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music Theory at Wichita State University.

LUIKEN, JENNIFER. Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Luiken enjoys a versatile performing career, having been a featured soloist throughout the United States and Europe, making appearances in concert with the Charleston Symphony and other state and regional orchestras. She has been featured in both comedic and dramatic stage roles in opera, operetta and musical theatre. A few of her operatic credits include The Witch in Hansel and Gretel, The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica, Zita in Gianni Schicchi, and Katisha in The Mikado. She recently made her Charleston Stage debut as the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music. A native of Iowa, she now lives in Summerville, South Carolina, and is a Professor of Music at the Horton School of Music and Performing Arts at Charleston Southern University. At CSU, she serves on the voice faculty and directs Lyric Theatre productions. She has been the director of CSU’s tenor/bass ensemble, The Marquesmen, since the spring of 2023. The group performs regularly in concerts around campus and throughout the community. She also serves on the worship staff at East Cooper Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

LYNN, ZANE. Zane Lynn, tenor serves as a voice instructor at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi. His teaching and performance work reflect a commitment to vocal health, stylistic versatility, and the cultivation of expressive, informed musicianship. As a performer, he has appeared in concerts, recitals, and operatic productions, including Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte with the Portland Opera Workshop, Herr Vogelsang in Mozart’s Der Schauspieldirektor, Mayor Upfold in Britten’s Albert Herring, and Marcellus in Nancy Van de Vate’s Hamlet with the Moravian Philharmonic. Previously, he served on the faculty of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, where he directed choral ensembles, taught applied voice, led a music theatre workshop, and instructed courses in music theory. Dr. Lynn holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Mississippi University for Women, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Mississippi, and a Doctor of Worship Studies from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.

MA, YUNN-SHAN. Yunn-Shan Ma is an Associate Professor in the School of Performing Arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she leads orchestral initiatives that connect performance, pedagogy, and interdisciplinary collaboration and also teaches music theory. She is active in orchestral, operatic, choral, and contemporary repertoire, and has guest conducted select performances across Europe, Asia, and North America. Ma is committed to reimagining live performance through thematic programming and interdisciplinary collaboration. At RIT, she has partnered with colleagues in AR/VR, audio engineering, film and animation, illustration, game design, modern languages, and museum studies to create immersive concert experiences. She has served on the faculty of the Taipei International Choral Festival since 2015 and is a frequent guest clinician and NYSSMA festival conductor. Ma holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music and completed earlier studies at National Taiwan Normal University.

MANIA, GRZEGORZ. Grzegorz Mania is a graduate of the Academy of Music in Kraków and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He works extensively as a recitalist, soloist, and chamber musician, performing internationally. He records regularly and collaborates with violist Katarzyna Budnik and cellist Bartosz Koziak, and performs as a member of the Zarebski Piano Duo. A co-founder of the Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association, Mania is the author of numerous books and musical editions, including an innovative three-part handbook on sight-reading (published by PWM Edition). He is the editor-in-chief of Poland’s only piano magazine, Piano Notebook. He is a professor at the Feliks Nowowiejski Music Academy in Bydgoszcz and serves as the artistic director of four chamber music festivals in Poland. He is also a lawyer, a graduate of the Jagiellonian University, and holds a Ph.D. in music and copyright law. www.grzegorzmania.com

MARK, DOUGLAS. Dr. Douglas Mark is Associate Professor of Brass at the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, MS. He provides instruction in applied brass, music education, music appreciation, and directs the MUW brass ensembles. Prior to his arrival at the W, he was Professor of Trombone/Low Brass at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS. He has held similar positions at the Hochstein School of Music, Hamilton College, Nazareth College, and Colgate University, all located in western NY. An advocate of community music projects, Dr. Mark has participated in the NEA Chamber Music Rural Residency in Liberal, KS. He has performed internationally in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Taiwan. In the summer months, Dr. Mark serves as resident artist and Dean of Students at the Atlantic Music Festival, located in Waterville, ME. Dr. Mark received his DMA from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with John Marcellus. He earned his MM from the New England Conservatory of Music and undergraduate degrees in music performance from Northwestern University. His musical training also included studies with John Swallow, Frank Crisafulli, and Per Brevig. Dr. Mark is an artist-clinician for the Buffet Group USA and Antoine Courtois-Paris trombones.

MARKUN, HANNAH. Hannah Markun (she/her) is a trumpet player, educator, and scholar in Greensboro, North Carolina. She works to engage audiences through delicate, authentic communication and storytelling. She pairs her deep dedication to healthy musicianship with advocacy for creating welcoming, inclusive spaces for women and other marginalized brass musicians. Hannah also embraces her love of chamber music with her co-founding several ensembles, including Pathfinders Trio, a mixed woodwind and brass trio and winners of the 2024 Music for a Great Space Artist Residency, Greensboro Chamber Brass (brass quintet), and Valkyrie Brass (all-women brass quintet).

MASTERSON, SARAH. A classically trained pianist praised for her “beautiful and skillful playing” (American Record Guide), Dr. Sarah Masterson was inspired by Philippa Schuyler’s neglected life story to embark on a multi-year project to research and reconstruct Schuyler’s unique piano music. Thus far, that journey has produced two albums and a book, Snapshots of Forgotten Adventures: Rediscovering the Piano Music of Philippa Schuyler, exploring Schuyler’s music in more depth. A “massive undertaking” (The American Prize) reflecting an “intimate knowledge of Schuyler’s musical intention” (The Kapralova Society Journal), her debut recording of Schuyler’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom won Third Prize in the 2023 Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music. Her “deeply revealing and insightful” (Atlanta Audio Club) album Travelogue, funded in part by a generous Arts Project Support Grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission, includes the only commercially available recordings of the rest of Schuyler’s piano works. Masterson serves as Associate Professor of Piano and Music Theory at Newberry College, where she founded the college’s first piano competition. She is an active member of the College Music Society and a board member of the SC Music Teachers Association.

MAYNARD, MARLAYNA. Soprano Marlayna Maynard holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in voice performance from the University of Memphis, as well as degrees from Bowling Green State University (MM) and Marshall University (BA). She has performed operatic roles including Donna Anna, the Countess Almaviva, Frau Fluth, and many contemporary works. As a soloist, she has appeared with organizations including Blue Lake Summer Arts Festival, the Memphis Symphony, the International Horn Symposium, and the Kentucky Bach Choir. Dr. Maynard operates an independent voice studio in Nashville, TN, and is a soprano section leader in the celebrated choir of Christ Church Cathedral in Downtown Nashville.

MEARS, PERRY. Dr. Perry Mears is Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano at Missouri State University, where he coaches singers, collaborates with faculty and guest artists, and teaches song and opera lit. Previously, he has worked on faculties and creative teams around the world, from the mountains of East Tennessee to Zwickau, Germany to small-town Iowa. Noted for his ability to play “with clarity and ease” (New York Concert Reviews), Perry’s recent performances include his Carnegie Hall recital debut with mezzo-soprano Loralee Songer, numerous college and university appearances, tours with members of Luna Nova Music, and collaborations with the Iowa Composers Forum, Ozarks Lyric Opera, and Queen City Chorale. His recording of Robert J Martin’s Interludes for solo piano was recently released on the album Conversations without Words (Parma Records).

MENDEL, TRACI. A native of of Louisiana, Traci Mendel’s compositions have been performed at festivals and in concert both in the United States and Europe. Dr. Mendel’s list of works includes solo, chamber, and large ensemble compositions. Her current commissions and recent premiers include Songs on Poems of Sappho, I and II (soprano/piano), Quiet Grief (bass trombone), a monodrama in collaboration with Emily Bobo, the Stravinsky Project (soprano and percussion quartet using Stravinsky’s Three Pieces for String Quartet and poetry of Amy Lowell), and an as-yet untitled horn quartet. Dr. Mendel is Coordinator of Theory and Composition, and Lecturer at Troy University, in Troy, Alabama.

MERLANO GÓMEZ, NATALIA. Natalia Merlano Gomez is a vocal artist and improviser who specializes in experimental practices. Her work explores the voice from different perspectives, incorporating a wide range of vocal experiences, from folk music to experimental approaches, and everyday vocal expressions that can be transformed into artistic practice. She uses pedal effects and loopers, which add layers of sound, texture, meaning, and transformation. In the last few years, she has also engaged in analog synthesizers. As a creator, she focuses on developing and experimenting with graphical notation, improvisational pieces, and electroacoustic music. She has led various projects, including the album “Resonancias Entrelazadas” (2021), which features ten pieces by women composers from different countries and five improvisations performed in collaboration with female improvisers. In 2022, she premiered the “CINCO” project, showcasing works by Latin American composers created for the album. In 2024, in collaboration with David Aguila on their project, Duo Lingua, they released the album “Unrestricted Lanes” under the Bogotana Records label. This album featured works by UCSD composers and performances by label members. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of California, San Diego.

MOLINA, OSIRIS. Dr. Osiris J. Molina is Professor of Clarinet and Woodwind Area Coordinator at the University of Alabama. He is currently Principal Clarinet of the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Principal Clarinet with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra and has performed with the Alabama, Mobile, Mississippi, Meridian, and Chattanooga symphony clarinet sections.

MONSANTO, ROMINA. Cellist Romina Monsanto is a versatile performer and educator and currently serves as Assistant Professor of Cello at the University of Northern Colorado. She previously held the position of principal cellist of the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra in Brazil and has been on faculty at the Festival de la Música Orquestal in Jalisco, Mexico, and Point CounterPoint Chamber Music Camp (Session 2) in Vermont. An avid advocate for contemporary music, Dr. Monsanto is a founding member of the oboe and cello duo New Duobus. She has premiered new commissions, including Dialogue by Attakorn Sookjaeng and Six Questions by Paul Elwood. She appeared for four seasons at the Open Space Festival of New Music, where she performed works by Andrew Norman, Augusta Read Thomas, and Ellen Fullman. Her recording participations include Heaven?Indeed by Julian Cary, and Leilehua Lanzilotti’s The Akari Sessions, featured at the Noguchi Museum in New York during the Akari: Sculpture by Other Means exhibition. She also contributed recording sound effects for Ludek Drizhal’s music to the Polish film Solid Gold and recorded the cello part for Daniel Wakefield’s music to the film The Forgiving.

MORREALE VINCENT. Vincent Morreale is Instructor of Horn at the University of Mississippi. He previously worked with Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama and has held private studios nationwide. An active performer, Vincent is currently a member of the North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Memphis Symphony, Tuscaloosa Symphony, and Chicago City-Wide Orchestra, among others. He has collaborated with numerous artists, including Gloria Estefan, Joshua Bell, Edgar Meyer, and Terence Blanchard. Vincent received his Bachelor’s of Music from the University of Tennessee, Master of Music from the Frost School of Music in Miami, Florida, and Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Alabama. His primary teachers are Calvin Smith, Karl Kramer, Richard Todd, and Charles “Skip” Snead. Vincent performs on a Karl Hill “Kortesmaki” double horn.

MORRISON, AMANDA. Amanda Morrison is on faculty at Slippery Rock University where she teaches Applied Clarinet and is the Director of Clarinet Choir. Morrison is a Vandoren Artist-Clinician, Rice Clarinet Works Performing Artist,co-host of the podcast, Hidden Cues, a platform for the stories of musicians and pregnancy/post-pregnancy life. Morrison spends her summers performing and teaching at both the French Woods Performing Arts Festival in NY and is on faculty of Ensamble de clarinetes de la provincia de Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a performer, Dr. Morrison has given performances and lectures at national and international conferences such as the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest, the NACWPI National Convention, the Music by Women Festival, and the College Music Society. She is a founding member of the Milano Duo clarinet ensemble and Grant Avenue Clarinet Duo. As a fierce new music advocate, Dr. Morrison has commissioned and premiered clarinet works by composers such as Eric Mandat, Scott McAllister, Theresa Martin, Jenni Brandon, and James M. David. Dr. Morrison earned a BM degree from Duquesne University and MM and DM degrees from Florida State University with her principal teachers being Mark Nuccio, Deborah Bish, and Frank Kowalsky.

MORTYAKOVA, JULIA. Pianist Dr. Julia Mortyakova serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at the Mississippi University for Women, a position she has held since 2012. She maintains an international performing career. She has performed solo recitals and appeared as soloist with orchestras in Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Russia, Spain, Ukraine as well as throughout the United States. She is the recipient of the 2026 and 2022 Performing Arts Fellowships from the Mississippi Arts Commission, the 2023-2024 MUW Excellence in Creative Activity Award, and the 2023 Programming Award from the International Alliance for Women in Music. She is on the Mississippi Artist Roster. Professor Mortyakova is the 2017 Mississippi Honored Artist (Mississippi State Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts). She is a member of the Mortyakova/Bogdan Piano Duo, the Second Prize winners of the 2017 Ellis Duo Piano Competition. Dr. Mortyakova is a laureate of the 2014 American Prize for her performance Cécile Chaminade, and the winner of the 2012 Sigma Alpha Iota Career Performance Grant. Dr. Mortyakova is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Vanderbilt University, New York University, and the University of Miami.

OLIVIERI, ALESSIO. Alessio Olivieri is a native Italian musicologist and classical guitarist. He is an Assistant Professor of Music History at the Glenn Korff School of Music, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and a Research Associate at the Center for Iberian and Latin American Music (CILAM) at the University of California, Riverside. His research and current book project examine realism and verismo in Spanish music theater at the crossroads of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; additional interests include Italian chamber romances (art songs) and twentieth-century guitar literature. Dr. Olivieri has presented his work at national and international conferences, including the national meetings of the American Musicological Society, the College Music Society, the Musicological Society of Australia, and the Società Italiana di Musicologia. As a professional guitarist, he has performed throughout the United States, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand, especially as a duo with his wife, soprano Elisa Ramon. He holds a Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of California, Riverside, an M.M. in Classical Guitar Performance from Manhattan School of Music, and an M.M. in Music Publishing (summa cum laude), a Diploma in Classical Guitar, and a B.M. in Musicology from the Cesare Pollini Conservatory in Padua, Italy.

PATHFINDERS TRIO. Pathfinders Trio is a modular ensemble creating modular music. Members McKinley Baker (clarinets), Hannah Markun (trumpets), and Lyndsey Dean (multiple woodwinds) comprise a mixed woodwind and brass trio founded in 2022 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Recognizing a gap in chamber music of pieces for mixed woodwind and brass ensembles, Pathfinders Trio uses their unconventional instrumentation to reintroduce traditional repertoire with a fresh soundscape and promote new compositions that inspire musicians to step out of preconceived musical boundaries, crossing the sectional divide of woodwind and brass. Pathfinders Trio commissioned five new pieces in 2025, including the composer duo Ivory Out of Time’s Instrument Transportation Authority, a multi-movement work for doubling trio and piano. They have also completed a new arrangement of Francois Devienne’s Trios I, II, and III. In 2024, Pathfinders Trio won the Music for a Great Space Chamber Artist Residency. During the residency, they held weekly educational programs for a local middle school and performed a series of concerts for the public. For more information about Pathfinders Trio, visit pathfinderstrio.com or @pathfinderstrio on Instagram and Facebook.

PEREIRA, RICARDO. Ricardo Pereira made his professional operatic debut in 1992 in the world premiere of Ronaldo Miranda’s opera Don Casmurro at the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo. His performance repertoire includes Chamber Music, Art Song, Opera and Oratorio and world premieres of works by contemporary composers. Among these works are Mozart’s Coronation Mass, C minor Mass and Requiem; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9; Puccini’s La Bohéme and Gianni Schicchi; Verdi’s La Traviata and Nabucco; Massenet’s Werther; Offenbach’s Barbe-Bleue; Bach’s Johannes Passion; Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Handel’s Messiah; James DeMars’ An American Requiem. He appears in the CD Art Songs of Judith Cloud: Letting Escape a Song, performing songs that Cloud composed for him. Dr. Pereira, joined the NAU School of Music in 2001. He received his Doctorate of Musical Arts Vocal Performance degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara, studying with Elizabeth Mosher. In Europe he studied privately in Turin with renowned Italian Maestro Elio Battaglia and in courses at Acquasparta, Naples, and Salzburg. Between 1992 and 1998 he was a singer at the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo.

PIERINI, PATIENCE. Patience Pierini earned an M.M. in Choral Conducting and a B.M. in Piano Performance, both from the University of Southern Mississippi. For eight years, she was an Instructor of Music at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Harrison County Campus where she taught private piano, sophomore music theory, and music appreciation. While there, she was collaborative pianist for the concert choir and small ensemble and was an Honors Faculty Fellow for the Harrison County Honors College and Honors Advisory Council. She is a past Vice-President of Pre-College Evaluations for the Mississippi Music Teachers Association (MMTA) and past Vice-President for the Gulf Coast Music Teachers Association (GCMTA). Ms. Pierini currently performs throughout Hattiesburg and the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a collaborative and solo artist, is the pianist at First Presbyterian Church of Gulfport, maintains a competitive private piano studio, and is full-time mom to Winifred and Arden.

PIFER, JOSHUA. Joshua Pifer is Associate Professor of Piano and Keyboard Area Head at Valdosta State University. During the summer months, he serves as piano faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Festival. Prior to VSU, he served at Auburn University and Florida State University. Praised for his “sensitivity,” “color,” and “depth” in performance, Joshua has appeared in concerts on three continents as well as 27 U.S. states. His two CDs: “Alexander Tcherepnin My Favorite Piano Works” & “Plains2: Love Songs and Lyric Dance” released with Puros Records and co-produced with Chandler Bridges, a Grammy winning recording engineer, were praised as “full of intensity and commitment” and “brilliant and original.” Joshua is the founding member of several chamber groups: Plains2 with Matthew Wood, trombone; The Palm Trio with Peter Geldrich, clarinet and Shannon Lowe, bassoon; and Duo Echo with Jennifer Pifer, oboe. Joshua provides masterclasses that are “filled with innovative substance and the joy of discovery”. He is a strong advocate for increasing professional music opportunities for collegiate students. As a pedagogue and performer, Joshua believes that music is a tool for inspiration. When not performing or teaching, Joshua can be found playing tennis or practicing culinary arts with his family.

PIMENTEL, BRET. Bret Pimentel teaches clarinet and saxophone at Mississippi State University. He is also Emeritus Professor of Music at Delta State University, where he taught oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, and jazz courses. Bret is the author of Woodwind Basics: Core concepts for playing and teaching flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone, and a popular blog for woodwind players and educators. In 2009 Bret received the degree Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Georgia, with an emphasis in multiple woodwinds performance. His master’s degree, also in multiple woodwinds performance, is from Indiana University, and his bachelor’s degree, in saxophone performance, is from Brigham Young University.

PISO, JESSICA. Jessica Piso serves as Instructor of Flute at Maryville College and Lee University. She has taught private applied flute lessons, studio, chamber coaching, music appreciation courses, flute methods for music education majors, and conducted flute choirs She is an active performer and teacher across the country including substitute performances with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Oklahoma Festival Ballet. She has performed locally, at state level festivals, and at the National Flute Association conference. Piso currently serves on the National Flute Association Flute Clubs Committee where she devotes time as a writer, proofreader, and brainstormer of blog content to the NFA blog, organizing presentations at conventions, as well as updating and managing the flute choir repertoire database and flute clubs, choirs, and community bands database. She has also served as an adjudicator for All-State Auditions, competitions, and conducted masterclasses preparing for All-State repertoire in Oklahoma, Florida, and Tennessee. Piso earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree with Instrumental emphasis from Ohio University. She earned a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Flute Performance from the University of Oklahoma.

PLAINS2. Joshua Pifer, piano and Matthew Wood, trombone met back in 2012 at Auburn University. We immediately became good friends, began to collaborate, and found that we truly enjoyed playing together. Our personal performance styles blended beautifully to culminate in expressive lyricism. In 2016 we decided to ask our students to come up with a catchy name for our duo. The winning name, “Plains2” reflect the simple fact that our duo and friendship was formed in the beautiful plains of the Southeast. Sometimes Plains2 joins forces with William Schaffer, horn and expands to become “Plains3”. In 2022, Plains2 released their first CD: “Love Songs & Lyric Dance” which takes the listener on a journey through songs that portray and evoke all kinds of forms of “Love” & “Dance”. The CD starts off with songs about nature and then flows into poetry expressing many different shades of “Love”. The heart of this CD comes around two thirds the way through with the four Tangos by Piazzolla, showcasing our own arrangements, and finishes off with dances based on folklore. We had a lot of fun making this CD with our close friend and Grammy Winning Recording Engineer, Chandler Bridges.

POPHAM, DEBORAH. Dr. Deborah Popham currently serves as the Chair of the Department of Music at Arkansas State University, where she is also a Professor in the vocal area. She has presented her research on both vocal repertoire and voice pedagogy nationally and internationally, including ICVT, NATS, NOA, and CMS. Having made her Carnegie Hall debut in a solo recital in 2015, she is a champion of art song and a frequent performer of new works and living composers. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree in voice performance, and two Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Philosophy from University of Akron. She concluded her studies at Arizona State University, where she earned a Master of Music in Music Theater Performance (Opera) and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Voice Performance. Dr. Popham is an NCVS-trained Vocologist.

RAGSDALE, ANNE KATHERINE. Anne Katherine Ragsdale, collaborative pianist and teacher, is a member of the music faculty at Mississippi State University where she coaches and performs with students, faculty and guest artists. Her love for collaboration began at the age of sixteen when she won a concerto competition and performed with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra in Jackson, Mississippi. She received a Bachelor of Music Education, with an emphasis in Piano Pedagogy, from Mississippi State University. She then pursued a graduate degree in performance with an emphasis in Collaborative Piano at Florida State University, where she studied with Dr. Carolyn Bridger. Since her collegiate days, Mrs. Ragsdale has worked for the Knoxville Opera Company and the University of Tennessee Opera Program as a pianist and coach. Upon moving back to her home state of Mississippi, she became an assistant professor of piano at Belhaven University and performed collaboratively with violinst, Xie Song, in the Jackson metro area. She has come full circle in returning to Mississippi State University, her alma mater, which is very dear to her heart.

RAMON, ELISA. Elisa Ramon is a native Italian soprano, vocologist, and diction coach, currently Assistant Professor of Applied Voice at Fort Hays State University. Her research investigates Italian lyric diction and consonant modification for ease and clarity in Bel Canto singing. She created The Italian IPA Project, an online video repository of synchronized IPA transcriptions. She also researches Ibero-Latin art song, promoting Spanish diction and repertoire in vocal technique development. Dr. Ramon holds a Ph.D. in Vocal Pedagogy with a minor in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She earned a Diploma in Voice and an M.M. in Music Education from the Cesare Pollini Conservatory of Padua, and a B.A. in Musicology from the University of Padua. She is an SVI-trained Vocologist and certified in Levels I–III of Somatic Voicework™ for Contemporary Commercial Music. An advocate of 20th-century Italian art song, she premiered a CD recording of art songs by Apulian composer Michele Bellucci. She collaborates with classical guitarist and musicologist Alessio Olivieri as the Operaperta Duo and released the album Operaperta Duo: Spanish Popular Songs, Venetian Boat Songs, and Neapolitan Songs.

RAVENSTEM, RAVEN. Carrie RavenStem is a clarinetist and co-founder of the contemporary ensemble A/Tonal, the clarinet duo La HERmandad, and the newly formed Backun Quartet. Her work centers on new music and collaboration with living composers. She has premiered works by Jenni Brandon, Gabriela Ortiz, Jeremy Beck, Margaret Brouwer, Paul Schoenfield, and Erich Stem. Recent premieres include Firefly for E-flat clarinet and band (Indiana University Southeast, 2022), Brandon’s The Mountain (ClarinetFest, 2022), Brouwer’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (2023), and Stem’s re:CONNECT at the International Clarinet Association’s 50th Anniversary ClarinetFest. RavenStem has served as artist-in-residence at Navarro College and the University of Tennessee at Martin, performs with the Kentucky Opera, and has recorded with A/Tonal and Adjy, including The Point and The Idyll Opus (I–VI), and the short film of metal by Cloverhitch Productions. She is a member of the International Clarinet Association’s New Music Committee and serves as Composition Competition Coordinator. A Backun Performing Artist and Silverstein Aspiring Educator Artist, she maintains an active teaching and coaching studio. When not performing, she enjoys crocheting and is known for her borderline legendary guacamole.

RAVETTO, ANNE-GAËLLE. Ms. Anne-Gaëlle Ravetto, violinist, serves as a faculty lecturer in the Mississippi University for Women Department of Music and Mississippi State University. She offers applied instruction in violin and is an instructor of string pedagogy in the music education curriculum. Ms. Ravetto previously served as an adjunct faculty member at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS, and was on the violin faculty at the Hochstein School of Music in Rochester, NY.  She performed regularly with the Rochester Oratorio Society, Air de Cour, the Kunde Chorale and the Rochester Broadway Theatre League. She was a Resident Artist of the Banff (Alberta, Canada) Centre of the Arts, and received her Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music. Locally, she has performed with the Tupelo Symphony and throughout the mid-South. She has performed at numerous music festivals and academic conferences including the Heidelberg Castle Festival, the Ohio Light Opera, the Atlantic Music Festival, both International, National and regional conferences of the College Music Society, the Big 12 Trombone Conference and the American Trombone Workshop.  Regional recital appearances include MUW’s Music by Women festival, Rhodes College, University of Memphis, Henderson State University and UT- Martin, among others.

REBER, WILLIAM. Dr. William Reber is Choral Director at The W. He is Professor Emeritus of Opera and Music Theatre at Arizona State University where he was on the faculty for 24 years and served as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Lyric Opera Theatre.  He has been vocal coach, collaborative pianist, and conductor for the Mittelsächsiches Theater in Germany. Former Director of the 17^th Air Force Men’s Chorus in Germany, he was head of the vocal coaching program for the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria (1993-2004), and was Music Director of the German Opera Experience/German Singer Summer in Freiberg, Germany (2008-2017). In the summer of 2019, joined the faculty of Spotlight on Opera as conductor and collaborative pianist. In addition to conducting symphony and chamber orchestra concerts in the United States and Europe, he has served as Music Director/Conductor for more than 150 productions of operas and musicals and has been conductor of the Corpus Christi (TX) ballet for 33 years. As a collaborative pianist, he has performed recitals with singers and instrumentalists in Germany, Austria, Macedonia and throughout the United States. He is the pianist and music director for the annual AIDS Quilt Songbook benefit performances in Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Reber earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Opera and Conducting at The University of Texas at Austin under Walter Ducloux.

RIED, NICHOLAS. Nicholas Reid is a clarinetist and saxophonist currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance (Clarinet) at the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. He studied under Niles Loughlin during high school and now studies with Dr. Soo Goh (clarinet), Dr. Scott Kallestad (saxophone), and Professor Todd Wright (saxophone). Nicholas is equally at home in classical and jazz settings, both on the clarinet and saxophone. Nicholas has performed with the Appalachian Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble I and II, Jazz Combo, and the Appalachian Wind Ensemble. As a senior in high school he received the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award for his achievements and leadership in his high school jazz program. Nicholas has performed across North Carolina, as well as in Florida and Georgia, and continually seeks new and enriching musical experiences.

RIVERIA, SOPHIA. Sophia Rivera is a euphonium performer, educator, and advocate for underrepresented voices in brass music. She serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Mississippi Valley State University and is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Memphis, where she teaches music appreciation as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. She holds degrees from the University of North Texas (M.M.) and Brandon University (B.M.). An active soloist and chamber musician, Sophia has performed at major conferences such as the International Women’s Brass Conference, the College Music Society National Conference, and the South Central Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference. She is also a multi‑competition winner, recognized for her expressive playing and commitment to artistic innovation. A passionate champion of new music, Sophia has commissioned and premiered numerous works for euphonium, collaborating closely with emerging and established composers. She is equally dedicated to mentorship, serving as an adjudicator and clinician at festivals and competitions across North America. Driven by a mission to expand the euphonium’s repertoire and visibility, Sophia continues to push the instrument’s boundaries in both traditional and unconventional chamber settings, amplifying diverse musical voices and shaping the future of low brass performance.

ROBERTS, HANNAH. Hannah Roberts serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Alabama, where she teaches piano and piano pedagogy. An active performer, her playing has earned her opportunities to perform throughout the United States and abroad at the Schlöss Esterhazy in Eisenstadt, Austria. Recent appearances include solo recitals at the University of Missouri, Ball State University, University of Houston, Ohio University, Western Kentucky University, and Mississippi State University, among others. In addition to performing, she maintains an active profile as a clinician, pedagogue, and researcher. Her current research focuses on promoting the works of forgotten female composers, with particular emphasis on the music of Helen Hopekirk. She was named recipient of the 2023 Edward T. Cone Fellowship from the Society for American Music for her research on Hopekirk, and her articles on female composers have been published in American Music Teacher, Piano Magazine, and MTNA e-Journal. She has also been invited to share her work nationally at the MTNA, CMS, NCKP, and GP3 conferences, as well as through video publications for the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma.

ROH, YOON-WHA. Acclaimed as “a pianist who lets her piano work do the talking, transporting her audience not only to a clearly defined place but also into a colorful adventure” (Hyde Park Herald), Yoon-Wha Roh has been acknowledged for her versatile and sophisticated performances. Roh has appeared as a celebrated soloist with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, New Jersey Garden State Orchestra, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Seoul National Symphony Orchestra, Sungnam Philharmonic Orchestra, and New York Classical Symphony Orchestra. Roh has been featured on WFMT and KPBX radio stations for her performances and interviews. Roh has won awards and prizes from London International Music Competition, Clara Schumann International Competition, Manhattan International Music Competition, National Artists Competition, American Prize, International Moscow Music Competition, Carles and Sofia Piano Competition, Piano Texas Concerto Competition, and Hakata Fukuoka International Piano Competition among others. Notable performances have been presented at the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Lincoln Center Bruno Walter Auditorium, Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, and Seoul Arts Center. Her international appearances include performances in Prague, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Germany and South Korea. Roh currently teaches at Washington State University as Assistant Professor of Piano.

ROSINE, AMY. Soprano Amy Rosine is Professor of Music and head of the Voice Area at Kansas State University, where she teaches Voice, Vocal Techniques, English Diction, Women in Music, and Survey of Vocal Music for the Adolescent Singer. She holds degrees from the University of Kansas (DMA), the University of Missouri–Kansas City (MM), and Truman State University (BME), and studied with Inci Bashar. An active recitalist, Rosine has performed across the United States and internationally, including appearances in the Czech Republic and in Italy, as a faculty artist with the International Opera Performing Experience. Operatic credits include roles such as Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, the Merry Widow, Ann Putnam in The Crucible, and Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro. She is a past recipient of the Alpha Corrine Mayfield Award in Opera Performance. Rosine also performs with clarinetist Dr. Sandra Mosteller as the Sorores Duo. The have appeared at international, national, and regional conferences. Rosine has given masterclasses throughout the U.S. and in Italy and has served on university faculties in Texas. She also directs the Adult Choir at College Avenue United Methodist Church in Manhattan, Kansas.

ROSS, ELAINE. Dr. Elaine M. Ross currently serves on the faculty of Charleston Southern University, is a collaborative pianist for Low Country Piano and is the Director of Music at Bethany United Methodist Church on James Island, SC. Dr. Ross recently served on the music theory faculty as head of aural skills at Morgan State University. Prior to this appointment, Dr. Ross was on the theory faculty at Towson University and Ohio University, served as the chair of music theory at the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles, CA, and as the coordinator of music theory/composition at Central Washington University. Dr. Ross is a recording artist for the Albany label and is an extremely active and sought-after collaborative pianist. She has performed with such artists as Toby Oft, principal trombone of the Boston Symphony, Harry Watters, premiere jazz trombonist, world renowned clarinetist Fred Ormand, and internationally acclaimed hornist Frank Lloyd, to name a few. Dr. Ross is published by Southern Music Company, Sisra Press, and Triplo Press and has had performances throughout the United States and in France, Germany, and Israel.. A complete catalogue of works, recordings and sample scores can be found at www.elainemross.com.

RÓŻAŃSKI, PIOTR. Piotr Różański graduated from The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków. Following his Doctor of Arts degree in 2014 and a post-doctoral degree in 2019, Różański was appointed Assistant Professor of Piano at this Academy, as well as its Vice Rector for Teaching and International Cooperation (2024-28). He is a top prize winner of international piano and chamber music competitions, including the 2006 Chopin National Piano Competition, the 2008 YAMAHA Foundation Scholarship Piano Competition, the 2010 Independent International Competition for Musical Individualities, as well as semi-finalist in competitions in the United States, Slovakia and Austria. He has performed extensively across Europe, as well as in Israel, Australia, and the USA. Piotr Różański’s CD albums include Schumann & Prokofiew and Mieczysław Weinberg: Sonatas for Violin and Piano, as well as Poland for 4 Hands. He has lectured at international conferences and authored articles on piano literature in addition to serving as editor of collective publications. He frequently conducts piano masterclasses and serves as a jury member at piano competitions. Różański’s interests include piano literature discoveries and pioneering performances of piano music for the left hand.

RUZENSKY, JACOB. Jacob Ruzensky is a very dedicated flutist from Palm Bay, Florida, with over nine years of playing experience. He has a very high passion for music and is a very hardworking musician. Jacob built a strong record of accomplishments through high school, including All State, All County Band and Orchestra, several different honor bands, and more. He is currently in his Junior year, studying Instrumental Music Education at the University of Alabama with a Flute Concentration studying under Dr. Diane Boyd Schultz. Jacob is a very active performer in many ensembles, including the UA Wind Ensemble, Flute Choir, Campus Orchestra, and the Million Dollar Marching Band. He also performs regularly in flute studio recitals and continues to grow daily as both a performer and future music educator. Jacob has also won several competitions where he’s gotten to perform for Carol Wincenc, Greg Patillo, and Linda Toote. In addition to these great flutists, Jacob has also played and received high quality instruction from Helen Blackburn, Julee Kim Walker, Ransom Wilson, Tara Helen O’Connor, Bart Feller, and several others.

SARVELA, KRISTIN. Kristin Sarvela joined the faculty of Sam Houston State University as Assistant Professor of Oboe and Music Theory in Fall of 2021. Her previous appointments include Instructor of Oboe and Music Theory at Eastern Illinois University and Instructor of Oboe at the University of Illinois at Springfield. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance from the University of Illinois with a Minor in Mathematics, a Master of Music in Oboe Performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University with a Masters Minor in Music History, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Oboe Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois with a Cognate in Musicology. Sarvela has an active performing career and has held many positions including principal oboe of the Camerata Sinfonietta and the Danville Symphony Orchestra, second oboe in the Sinfonia da Camera, and oboe and English horn in the Heartland Festival Orchestra and the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra. She is currently a section oboist in the Lake Charles Symphony Orchestra.

SATTERFIELD, ARLEY KATE. Arley Kate is a sophomore Elementary Education major at the University of Alabama whose originally from Arab, Alabama. She began playing the flute in sixth grade and continued developing her musical voice throughout high school. At Arab High School, Arley Kate performed piccolo and served as drum major, gaining early experience in musical leadership and collective artistry. Her sophomore year, she began playing the oboe and was selected for All-State ensembles for two consecutive years, an achievement that reflects both technical skill and musical dedication. Now, she currently performs on the piccolo with the University of Alabama’s Million Dollar Band, as well as playing the oboe in the University’s Concert Band. Through her performance with the flute choir, Arley Kate hopes to inspire those who aren’t music majors to embrace the arts in everyday life as a pathway to connection, expression, and joy.

SAWYER, KATE. Kate Sawyer is a soprano from Ocean Springs, MS, known for her concert, opera and theater work. When not on the mainstage, she teaches voice and directs the choral ensembles and music theatre workshop at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Jackson County campus. Kate has been recognized for excellence in education, being named a William Winter Scholar in 2022 and selected as a 2021 Teaching Fellow for the International Performing Arts Institute in Fairhope, Alabama. Last spring, Kate appeared as First Spirit in Opera Mississippi’s Die Zauberflöte. Other recent roles include Adele in Opera Huntsville’s production of Die Fledermaus and Elena Firenzi in Lend Me a Soprano at Center Stage in Biloxi, MS. In July 2025, Kate joined pianist Patience Pierini and soprano Jayne Edwards to present Midsummer Mélodies, a recital series featuring French art song and arias. At home, Kate is mother to Emma (12) and James (8) and wife to Ric. She also serves as soprano soloist and section leader at First Presbyterian Church in Pascagoula, MS. Kate Sawyer holds degrees in voice performance from Loyola University New Orleans (BM ’05 Summa Cum Laude) and Peabody Conservatory (MM ’07)

SAYWELL, MARTHA. Martha Saywell joined the faculty of Texas A&M University-San Antonio in 2016 where she oversees the music curriculum of the Creative Arts and Performance Studies program. She also served as the music curriculum architect for College Credit for Heroes, a specialized online program created in partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission to provide a more accessible and streamlined pathway to college graduation for American military veterans. She directs the University Voices choral ensemble, teaches piano and music theory, and serves as faculty liaison/host to both the San Antonio Community Wind Ensemble and the San Antonio Jazz Collective. As a strong advocate for music by women composers, she is a regular performer at the annual Music by Women Festival at Mississippi University for Women and also performs frequently as part of the duo, Dos Gatos, with clarinetist Timothy Bonenfant. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Keyboard Studies degree from Murray State University, and both Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a member of the College Music Society, International Alliance for Women in Music, and American Association of University Professors.

SCHWANDT, JACQUELYN. Jacquelyn Schwandt enjoys a multifaceted career as a teacher, chamber musician, orchestral performer, and recitalist. She serves as Professor of Viola at Northern Arizona University, Associate Director of the Kitt School of Music at NAU, Principal Viola of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of the string faculty at the NAU Curry Summer Music Camp. An active educator, Dr. Schwandt has taught at music camps and presented master classes throughout the western United States and abroad, including at Soochow University, Tainan University, and the National Taiwan University of Arts, as well as served as a clinician at the Black Hills String Retreat, Arizona Suzuki Institutes, Arizona Chamber Music Experience, and the Chaparral Chamber Music Workshop. She has completed recital tours in Taiwan and Spain and has performed at the International Viola Congress, the International Double Reed Society Conference, and the International Music by Women Festival. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, the Newport Symphony Orchestra (Oregon), and the Musica Sacra Chamber Orchestra in Denver, where the Denver Post praised her “smooth, warm tone.” Dr. Schwandt holds degrees from the University of Oregon (DMA), Wichita State University (MM), and Southern Methodist University (BM).

SEBBA, ROSANGELA. Rosangela Sebba is Professor of Piano at Mississippi State University, where she coordinates the piano area and the Community Music School. She teaches applied piano, piano literature, and theory. Her college and pre‑college students have earned numerous honors in regional, national, and international competitions and conferences. An active clinician and adjudicator, she presents workshops, lecture‑recitals, and recitals throughout the United States and abroad. In 2010, she released the first complete recording of Camargo Guarnieri’s Eight Sonatinas and Sonata for Piano Solo, and in 2017, she released her chamber music CD, Millenia Musicae. She serves as an editor for American Music Teacher, Frances Clark Center, and the College Music Society Symposium. She was selected to perform the opening recital for the Conference on Brazilian Music in Paris at the Sorbonne University, organized by the Institut de Recherche en Musicologie and the Groupe de Recherche de Musique Bresilienne. A Steinway Artist since 2013, she received the Steinway Teacher of the Year awards in 2023 and 2024 and when she was also inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teachers Hall of Fame. Additional honors include the 2023 MMTA Outstanding Teacher nomination and the 2024 MSU John Grisham Master Teacher Award.

SHERER, NATALIA. Dynamic pianist Natalie Sherer thrives in collaboration with singers and instrumentalists alike. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2024 as a performing artist in SongStudio, an art song focused program, which was led by acclaimed soprano Renée Fleming. A frequent recitalist, Sherer premiered “Sorrow & Ecstasy: The Complete Songs of Henri Duparc,” a semi-staged musical narrative following four characters’ journeys, and she hosts the CollabPiano Podcast. Sherer recently performed with Ryan Speedo Green at Florida State University where she is Assistant Professor of Vocal Coaching. Sherer has been a guest artist at Orvieto Musica festival in Italy, and she recently hosted the annual Tally SongSLAM competition. Other engagements have included performances at NATS conferences, NATS Artist Awards Competition, SongFest, Sparks & Wiry Cries’ NYC SongSLAM Festival, and Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago’s Vocal Chamber Music Fellowship program. She is also a researcher for Living Song Project, a contemporary American art song database. Following BM and MM degrees in Piano Performance through studies at Manhattan School of Music, Wheaton College, and Roosevelt University, Sherer earned a DMA in Collaborative Piano, studying with renowned pianist Martin Katz, from University of Michigan.

SIMKO, SARAH. Dr. Sarah Simko is a concert and collaborative organist, and scholar. She currently serves Indian Hill Episcopal Presbyterian Church as their Associate Organist; and the (Episcopal) Diocese of Southern Ohio as the Diocesan Liturgical Coordinator. She is the organist for Beyond Choir, Ypsilanti, Michigan. Her scholarly focus is on the work of living women composers of organ music, cataloged in a recording project Living Voices. A frequent presenter and lecturer on her work, recent recitals have taken her to Christ Episcopal Church, Dearborn, and First Congregational Church, Owosso, Michigan. She has given lectures (in person and virtual) and lecture-recitals on her work for the Women Organists and Organ Builders of North America; Historical Keyboard Society of North America; numerous University of Michigan Organ Conferences; Grace Episcopal Church, Providence, Rhode Island; the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of Organists; and the Detroit Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. More information can be found at sarahsimko.com.

SMALL, HEATHER. Heather Small is Associate Professor of Flute at Troy University’s John M. Long School of Music. She studied at Oberlin Conservatory with renowned flutist, Michel Debost, and earned graduate degrees from the University of North Texas and Florida State University. In July 2024, she made her Carnegie Hall debut performing a recital of music by Troy emeritus composer, Carl Vollrath, alongside pianist Benjamin Crook. As a member of the West Texas Winds, Small competed at the Semifinal round of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. She has performed with the Midland-Odessa, Tallahassee, and Chattanooga Symphonies and was a finalist in the Myrna W. Brown Artist Competition sponsored by the Texas Flute Society.

SMITH, RYAN. Ryan M. Smith serves as Assistant Professor of Percussion at Valdosta State University. Prior to VSU, he served on faculty at Georgia College, Toccoa Falls College, and the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program. His primary teachers have included Dr. Thomas McCutchen and She-e Wu. Dr. Smith holds the position of Principal Timpani with the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra & Albany (GA) Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with many orchestras in the southeast. An advocate of new music, he has commissioned composers including Ivan Trevino, Emma O’Halloren, Molly Joyce, and Steven Snowden among others. He is an active member of PAS (past-President, GA PAS), NACWPI, NSSBE, NAfME, and JEN. Dr. Smith holds degrees from the University of Georgia and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.

SULLIMAN, JASON. Dr. Jason Sulliman is an innovative brass teacher who combines principles from kinesiology and cognitive science to rethink pedagogy in the 21st-century. He is one of the world’s leading experts on facial stability and embouchure rehabilitation and is in constant demand as a clinician and consultant with professional woodwind and brass musicians all over the world. Currently, Jason is Associate Professor of Trombone at Troy University and Brass Pedagogy Specialist for the Alpha Institute in Kingston, Jamaica. Previous teaching positions include the University of North Alabama, Vincennes University, and the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps. Jason earned his DM in Brass Pedagogy from Indiana University where he also studied kinesiology and cognitive science. Dr. Sulliman also holds master’s degrees in conducting and performance from the University of New Mexico and a Bachelor’s degree in performance from the University of Massachusetts. As a performer, Jason is the current bass trombonist for the Meridian Symphony. Jason is proud to be an M & W Custom Trombone artist and performs on a custom AR resonance mouthpiece.

SULLIVAN, KRISTEN. Kristen Sullivan earned her D.M.A. in Voice and Ph.D. in Performing Arts Health at the University of North Texas. She is a National Center for Voice and Speech-trained vocologist. Her academic interests include early music performance practice, musical theatre performance, voice science and vocal pedagogy. She is Instructor of Voice and Musical Theatre at Arkansas State University. A consummate performer of musical theater, cabaret, opera, and operetta, Sullivan has championed lesser-known composers such as August Holmès. Sullivan produced world premieres of Vit Zouhar’s Coronide, as well as singing the title role and Le Mariage d’Antonio by Lucile Grétry. Sullivan has performed with Orchestra of New Spain, Polyphonia, Orpheus Chamber Singers, and toured Sweden, Estonia, Finland, and Russia with the Dallas Symphony Chorus as a chorister and soloist. Sullivan has presented research at the Music by Women Festival, Pan American Vocology Association, ACDA and SWACDA conferences, and the Performing Arts Medicine Association. This past year, she was published in the Voice and Speech Review, as well as the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing.

SUTHERLAND, ADRIA. Dr. Adria Sutherland is the Beeler Professor of Clarinet at Eastern Kentucky University, a position she has held since 2018. She is a member of the clarinet duo La HERmandad with Carrie RavenStem, the Kentucky State Chair of the International Clarinet Association, and performs and coaches frequently throughout central Kentucky. Adria is a Backun Performing Artist, performing exclusively on Backun clarinets and mouthpieces.

TAGUE, KEVIN. Dr. Kevin Tague is a trumpeter whose career spans symphony orchestras, jazz ensembles, and commercial music. He is Assistant Professor of Music at Northern Arizona University, where he teaches applied trumpet, directs the NAU Trumpet Ensemble, and teaches in the jazz area. He has presented clinics and masterclasses throughout the United States, with a focus on cultivating musical authenticity across diverse styles. Equally at home in classical and popular settings, Dr. Tague has performed on the Las Vegas Strip and toured internationally with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. He is a member of the Flagstaff Symphony and has appeared as guest principal trumpet with the Hawaii Symphony and the Las Vegas Philharmonic. His career also includes appearances with headlining artists including Mannheim Steamroller, The Temptations, The O’Jays, Marcus Roberts, Take 6, Chuck Mangione, and the Cab Calloway Orchestra. Dr. Tague can be heard as lead and principal trumpet on recordings released by Klavier Records, Albany Records, and Interscope Digital. His debut solo album, “Walks of Life,” with pianist Dr. Aimee Fincher, was released on the Vegas Records label in November of 2025.

TALMADGE SINGERS. Talmadge Singers is the upper-level choral ensemble from Hollins University. Founded in 1842 as Virginia’s first chartered women’s college, Hollins is a small private liberal arts university of around 800 students (700 undergraduate/100 graduate), located in Roanoke, Virginia, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Talmadge Singers is open by audition to students of all years/majors, and represent departments from the full breadth of campus – including undergraduate majors in music, theatre, English, biology, chemistry, environmental science, French, international studies, elementary education, psychology, business, and communications, and graduate studies in creative writing. The ensemble previously presented an interest session at Virginia Music Educators Association state conference, and performs frequently on- and off-campus in the Roanoke area. Hollins choral program is a frequent participant in the American Choral Directors Association SSAA/Treble Commissioning Consortium, and regularly supports the commissioning and performance of new works by women composers.

TAYLOR, KENZIE. Kenzie Taylor holds a Bachelor’s in Music from The University of West Florida, and is currently a Graduate Assistant for the Blazin’ Brigade Marching Band at Valdosta State University. Kenzie is currently pursuing a Masters of Music in Flute Performance under the instruction of Dr Sarah Jane Young, and is a Flutist for the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra. She has performed at the Florida Flute Association conference, with the Inter Collegiate Band at FMEA, and as a spotlight performance in the UWF Singers orchestra.

TOLHURST, SIERRA. Sierra Tolhurst is an accomplished flutist from Alberta, Canada. Sierra is currently a graduate student at the University of Alabama where she is pursuing an MM in Flute Performance under the instruction of Dr. Diane Boyd- Schultz. Prior to the University of Alabama, Sierra earned her BA in Flute performance from Jacksonville State University. Sierra’s Prior mentors include Dr. Jeremy Benson and Professor Rebecca Arrensen. Sierra has performed across the South Eastern United States as a soloist and ensemble member. Sierra has performed with ensembles such as the UA Wind Ensemble, UA Huxford Symphony, UA Flute Choir, JSU Chamber Winds, JSU Flute Ensemble, JSU Inferno Steel Band, and the JSU Marching Southerners. She has been featured as a soloist at the 2022 Delta Omicron Triennial Convention as an honored performer, 2023 and 2024 Florida Flute Conventions as a Advanced Masterclass winner, and as the winner of the 2022 JSU BIPOC competition. Outside of music Sierra enjoys baking, reading, and enjoying nature.

TROTTER, BRITTANY. Prize-winning flutist Dr. Brittany Trotter leads a dynamic and multifaceted career as an educator, soloist, collaborator, and advocate for new music. She is Assistant Professor of Flute and Woodwind Program Director at the University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music in Stockton, California. Dr. Trotter regularly performs, teaches, and presents guest lectures throughout the United States. Her commitment to contemporary performance is reflected in awards such as the Flute New Music Consortium’s Flute Artist Competition (2024) and the UTA Maverick Flute Soloist Competition (2021). Since relocating to California in 2021, she has performed as a substitute with ensembles including the Stockton Symphony Orchestra, the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, the Modesto Symphony Orchestra, and the San Francisco Contemporary Players. Originally from Laurel, Mississippi, Dr. Trotter holds degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi (B.M., B.M.E.), the University of Wyoming (M.M.), and West Virginia University (D.M.A., Certificate of University Teaching). www.brittanytrotterflute.com | Instagram: @brittanyflute | YouTube: @brittanytrotterflute

WAHL, SHELBIE L. Dr. Shelbie L. Wahl-Fouts is associate professor of music, Director of Choral Activities, and Music Department Chair at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. She conducts the Talmadge Singers and the Concert Choir, as well as the Valley Chamber Orchestra – a community/collegiate partnership. She also teaches First-Year Foundations, Intro to Video Game Soundtracks, and Identity & Intersectionality in Musical Theatre History. A frequent festival conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, she is passionate about working with women’s and treble choirs, and especially on works by women composers and authors. Shelbie earned degrees from Ball State University, Butler University, and DePauw University. She has written in Conducting Women’s Choirs, has presented at national and state music conferences, and has written a regular repertoire blog for American Choral Directors Association-ChoralNet. She lives in Roanoke with her husband Donovan and their children, James and Catherine.

WANG, SOPHIE. Sophie Wang is an active pianist and chamber musician who serves as Associate Teaching Professor and Collaborative Piano Area Coordinator at Mississippi State University, where she maintains a dynamic performance career alongside her work with undergraduate students and faculty collaborators. Wang appears regularly as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States and abroad. She has been a recurring guest artist at the Internationaler Musiksommer auf Kulturverein-Schloss Rosenegg in Austria since 2011, presenting solo, chamber, and four-hand recitals, and has recently performed in Austria and at the VIII Encuentro de Pianistas in San José, Costa Rica. Additional international engagements include a lecture-recital and masterclass at the World Piano Conference in Novi Sad and a solo recital in Taiwan. In the United States, Wang made her solo debut at Carnegie Hall in 2016 and has appeared with orchestras including the Cincinnati Community Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, and Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra. She frequently presents lecture-recitals and performance-based research at major national and international conferences. Wang holds the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she studied with James Tocco.

WERTS, SHANE. Dr. Shane Werts is Assistant Professor of Oboe at Northern Arizona University’s Kitt School of Music, where he also serves as coordinator of the woodwind department and director of NAU’s Curry Camp. He is currently principal oboist of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. Previously, Dr. Werts has won auditions and held orchestral positions with the Amarillo Symphony (English horn and utility oboe), the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra (second oboe), and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago (associate member). His academic appointments have included Associate Instructor of Oboe at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and as Adjunct Professor of Oboe at Colorado State University–Pueblo. He has performed with orchestras across the United States, including the New World Symphony, the National Repertory Orchestra, and the National Orchestral Institute. Additional summer music festival appearances include the Oxmoor Farm International Chamber Music Festival, Snake River Music Festival, and the InterHarmony International Music Festival. He holds a Doctor of Music and Master of Music from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Music Education from Colorado State University–Fort Collins. His primary teachers include Linda Strommen, Roger Roe, Dr. Gary Moody, and Dr. Kenneth Evans.

WILEY, ADRIENNE. Dr. Adrienne Wiley is currently Professor of Music at Central Michigan University where she teaches and administers the piano pedagogy program at the bachelor’s degree level and teaches piano and class piano. Dr. Wiley received her bachelors and master’s degrees in piano performance from the University of Kansas, and her doctor of musical arts in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma. Wiley has been active through the Music Teachers National Association where she has held a variety of offices and duties: most notably she served on the Certification Committee, Chaired the MTNA Senior Competitions, and is currently serving as East Central Division Competitions Chair. Wiley has also been active through her state association, the Michigan Music Teachers Association, where she has served in many positions, most notably Vice President and President (president twice). She is active in the College Music Society as well, and has presented at the regional and national levels. In her spare time, Wiley adjudicates piano events, contributes to the AMERICAN MUSIC TEACHER magazine and PIANO magazine as both author and reviewer. She has presented workshops and lectures at the state, regional, national, and international levels.

WINDISH, CHRISTIAN. Christian Windish is from Lakeland, Florida, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Clarinet Performance from Valdosta State University, where he studied under the direction of Dr. Peter Geldrich and Dr. Julie Detweiler. Before transferring to VSU, Christian completed two years of academic study at Polk State College in Winter Haven, Florida. Christian is actively pursuing a Master’s Degree in Clarinet Performance, studying under the direction of Dr. Julie Detweiler, and is a Graduate Assistant for the Department of Music. He has served as a Clarinetist for the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra and Principal Clarinetist with the VSU Wind Ensemble since 2022. Christian has also been a two time finalist at the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. Christian has been a recipient of the VSO and Kay Jennett Chair scholarships since coming to VSU in 2022.

WINDT, GRETCHEN. Originally from Chicago, mezzo soprano Gretchen Windt has performed with companies including Cincinnati Opera, Sarasota Opera, Utah Opera, Ohio Light Opera, Opera Southwest, Opera Birmingham, Opera Huntsville, Chesapeake Chamber Opera, and Opera Idaho. She has performed roles including Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), and the title role in Offenbach’s La Périchole. She presented and performed at conventions including National NATS Conferences, SERNATS Scholar and Artist Series, Music By Women Festival, Darkwater Festival, Sam Houston State University Art Song Festival, and Musical Theatre Educators Alliance. She was selected to participate in the prestigious NATS Intern Program in 2020. She has degrees from the University of Utah, the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, and North Park University. She is Associate Professor and Voice Area Coordinator at the University of North Alabama. This summer, she joins the voice faculty at Bay View Music Festival. For more information: www.gretchenwindt.com

WISE, SHERWOOD. Dr. Sherwood Wise teaches oboe, bassoon, and Music Theory at Valdosta State University, where he also serves as Opera Music Director. He holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory, New England Conservatory, and Florida State University. Dr. Wise serves as principal oboe of the Valdosta Symphony, the Gainesville Orchestra, and the Albany Symphony, is a member of Sinfonia Gulf Coast, and is a former member of the Glens Falls Symphony and Vermont Symphony. He has performed on oboe and bassoon with professional orchestras around the country, including the Jacksonville Symphony, Ocala Symphony, Springfield Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Dr. Wise has performed in recital on oboe and bassoon at Valdosta State University, the College of Saint Rose, International Double Reed Society Conferences, the International Symposium for Singing and Song, and the International Flute Association. He has been a featured soloist with the Glens Falls Symphony, the Gainesville Master Chorale, the College of Saint Rose Orchestra, the Saint Rose Pre-College Experience Orchestra, the Florida State University Symphony Orchestra, and the Flatirons Community Orchestra. Dr. Wise is an active clinician in Valdosta and surrounding communities, working with oboe and bassoon students at all levels.

WOOD, MATTHEW. Matthew Wood is Associate Professor of Trombone at Auburn University. In addition to maintaining the trombone studio, he teaches courses in the music history sequence. Dr. Wood recently collaborated with Dr. Joshua Pifer on Love Songs and Lyric Dance, released on Puros Records. Prior to joining the Auburn faculty, Wood was an active performer, educator, and clinician in the Austin and San Antonio areas. His principal teachers are Nathaniel Brickens, professor of trombone at the University of Texas-Austin and Timothy Myers, principal trombone (ret.,) St. Louis Symphony. Wood received the Doctor of Musical Arts in Trombone Performance from the University of Texas-Austin and both Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

WOOLLY, KIM. Kim Woolly is Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of Southern Mississippi where she teaches bassoon, performance practice, and courses in literature and pedagogy. In addition, she is principal bassoon of the Gulf Coast and Meridian Symphonies and 2nd bassoon of the Mobile Symphony. She performs regularly with the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Arkansas Symphony, the New Orleans Chamber Players, and with other orchestras in the region. Other performance credits include appearances at several Conferences of the International Double Reed Society, the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and Symposium, and at the International Computer Music Conference, as well as performances and master-classes given in Brazil, Panama, and Colombia. She performed with the orchestras of the Tanglewood Music Festival, the Heidelberg, Germany, Schlossfestspiele, and the Victoria Bach Festival, and holds a B.A. in music from Wellesley College, an M.M. from the Eastman School of Music, and a D.M. from Florida State University.

YEUNG, AMY. Dr. Amy Yeung, soprano, Professor of Music, teaches applied voice, lyric diction, aural skills, directs lyric opera theatre, and is a recipient of the university’s Coffey Outstanding Teacher Award. A native of Hong Kong, Yeung has performed extensively in recitals and concerts on three continents. She is particularly active in recitals of art songs, especially by women composers. Her debut art song CD with pianist Jung-Won Shin, released by Centaur Records, was supported by the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Individual Artist Fellowship in Music. She won the Harold Heiberg Liedersänger Prize for outstanding interpretation of art songs at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. Yeung holds a DMA in voice performance and an MM in music theory from Michigan State University, an MM in voice performance from Texas State University, and a BA in voice performance from Hong Kong Baptist University. She is an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and has served the organization in various capacities since 2008. Besides NATS, she is also a member of Phi Kappa Phi (an honor society) and the International Alliance for Women in Music.

ZUBKE, DARYN. Daryn Zubke joined the faculty at the University of Memphis in 2017 after completing his doctoral degree at the University of Kansas. He has performed with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the Huntsville Symphony, the Kansas City Symphony, and the New York Philharmonic. Dr. Zubke studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy, the Juilliard School, and the Manhattan School of music. His academic research is greatly inspired by a passion for the French bassoon and its history. He has performed recitals and masterclasses on the French bassoon in Spain, France, Mexico and at universities across the United States.

ZWONIK, LAUREN. Vermont native, Dr. Lauren Zwonik is a versatile soloist, educator, and arts administrator with a diverse career spanned across the United States, South America, Europe, and Africa. She currently serves as the Operations Manager for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and Adjunct Professor of Flute at Virginia Wesleyan University, while balancing her private flute studio and two chamber ensembles: the Mirage Duo (Sam Wetzel, percussion) and Double Pendulum Duo (Dr. Alejandro Montiel, guitar). Dr. Zwonik recently completed her Doctor of Musical Arts with a Certificate in University Teaching, with her doctoral research focusing on the pedagogical methodologies and resources of fife and drum corps, how the teachings intersect with amateur flute pedagogy, and how these teaching ideas can strengthen both private flute and fife and drum ensemble curricula. She holds a DMA in Flute Performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, MM in Flute Performance from West Virginia University and a BM in Music Education, Flute Performance, and Music Business from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York.