2025 Participant Biographies

Schedule – March 6-8, 2025

AGHAYEVA-EDLER, FIDAN. Fidan Aghayeva-Edler is a pianist based in Berlin, Germany, currently focused on performance of contemporary music and music by women composers. In 2024 she conducted a #365daysofperformance project which included a daily livestreamed performance of solo piano pieces by women composers. In August 2024 she performed a one-woman 24-hour piano performance with music exclusively by women-composers. Her recordings were broadcasted by the Bayerischen Rundfunk, RBB Kultur, Klassikcast of the Goethe Institut, MDR Figaro, KAN Israel, Radio France, Český rozhlas etc. Here solo albums include “Verbotene Klänge: Sechs Suiten” (2019), released by Kreuzberg Records, with the music of persecuted composers, and “Fenster” (2022), released by GENUIN, with piano works by seven contemporary women composers, which got nominated for the Preis der Deutschen Schalplattenkritik and ECHO Klassik. Her further CDs and albums are “Klavierwerke” (2016), “Twenty for piano” (2020), “The Black Garden” (2020), “Seven Sisters” (2024).

ALEXANDER, REBEKAH. A strong advocate of contemporary classical music, Rebekah Alexander has performed many works by renowned and living composers such as Jake Heggie, Chris Cerrone, Osvaldo Golijov, Kaija Saariaho and David Leisner as well as premieres of several new compositions with Guerilla Opera, Time’s Arrow Ensemble, the Studio for New Music Ensemble, Boston Chance Orchestra, Intersection Ensemble, Chatterbird Ensemble, Bent Frequency and soundSCAPE festival. Past concert appearances include Danielpour “Sonnets to Orpheus”, Messiaen “Poemes pour Mi”, Poulenc “Gloria”, Faure “Requiem”, and Handel “Messiah”. Onstage Rebekah has appeared as Lucy in “Threepenny Opera”, Countess in “Le Nozze di Figaro”, the Second Lady in “Die Zauberflöte”, and Bubikopf in “Der Kaiser von Atlantis”. She has performed with Newburyport Theatre, Street Theatre Company, Opera Hub, Worcester Opera Works, Boston Opera Collaborative, and New England Light Opera. At the 2021 Minnesota Fringe Festival, Rebekah presented a film/performance art adaption of Kurt Weill’s “Seven Deadly Sins” that she co-directed, produced, and performed in. Upcoming performances include Ravel “Chansons Madécasses” with the Nashville Chamber Music Society in April 2025 as well as singing Eve in the opera “A Walk in the Garden” by Jonathon Dove in May 2025.

ASHCROFT VANDENBRINK, SARAH. Dr. Sarah Ashcroft VandenBrink, is a performer, educator, and music director. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Literature with a minor in Vocal Pedagogy from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where she also received her Master’s of Music in 2014. As a champion of music by underrepresented works, she has spent time performing and researching works by composers such as Emilie Mayer, Paulina Viardot-García, Teresa del Riego, Juliane Reichardt, and Florence B. Price. VandenBrink has also served as the vocal director of “¡Canto! A Latinx Vocal Intensive,” a program at Hope College that seeks to equip high school Latinx vocalists with resources to study and perform Latinx vocal music, alongside her colleagues Eric D. Reyes and Christina Giuca Krause. As Vice-President of the West Michigan Opera Project, former Community Engagement Chair of the Holland Chorale, and a board member of Friends of the Opera, Sarah is passionate about making music accessible to the West Michigan community and people of all ages. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Music and the Head of Vocal Studies at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

BAKER, MCKINLEY. McKinley Baker (he/him/his) is a performer and educator based in North Carolina. Having a passion for the auxiliary clarinets, he aspires to commission new works for multiple clarinets and educate future clarinetists on the pedagogy and growing repertoire of these instruments. He has performed with many professional ensembles, including the Piedmont Wind Symphony and the Mallarmé Chamber Performers. Baker is currently the clarinet graduate assistant at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, assisting with teaching, administrative duties, and other facets of the clarinet studio. Baker completed his Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance and Bachelor of Music in Music Education at East Carolina University, having studied with Douglas Moore-Monroe. Currently, he is pursuing a Master of Music in Clarinet Performance and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Musicology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, studying with Anthony Taylor and Luke Ellard.

CHRISTY, BANKS. Spatial Forces Duo /The Next Jens: Christy Banks and Jessica Lindsey formed the Spatial Forces Duo (SFD) in 2008, and since that time have toured the U.S. from Alaska to Alabama and internationally in Europe, Canada, China, and New Zealand. We aim to stretch the sonic possibilities of the traditional clarinet duo: each performer doubles on clarinet and bass clarinet. We commission works by composers from a wide variety of backgrounds that write new works influenced by rock, folk, electronica, the 1980s, and minimalist styles. Increasingly interested in expanding repertoire to include musicians of varying experience levels, we formed The Next Jens, a flexible larger ensemble often involving students. SFD recently published an album with Albany Records, titled “Little Spectacle”; reviewers of the album recommend “several repeated listens to the virtuosic and expressive playing of the performers and the exquisitely crafted and sublime creations of the diverse selection of composers.” Christy Banks is Professor of Clarinet and Assistant Chair of the Tell School of Music at Millersville University of Pennsylvania and was the Artistic Director of the ICA’s 2022 ClarinetFest®. Jessica Lindsey is currently Associate Professor of Clarinet and Director of the Digital Arts center at UNC Charlotte.

BERDIALES, ANGELITA. Peruvian-born pianist, Angelita Berdiales, exhibited exceptional talent from a young age, and started her musical training at the National Conservatory of Music in Lima at just eight years old. Her passion for music led her to pursue studies abroad, earning her bachelor’s degree from Florida Gulf Coast University and her master’s degree from the University of South Florida. Throughout her career, Angelita has performed at prestigious festivals in America and Europe. She has given masterclasses in Latin America and has earned numerous awards, including first prizes in concerto competitions and a grant for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Access (EDIA). The concert, titled “Honoring Hispanic Cultures through Music,” celebrated the musical traditions of Latin America and Spain. Angelita Berdiales is a third-year DMA student at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, under the guidance of Dr. Annie Jeng. She advocates diversity and inclusion in music education, aiming to mentor and inspire young musicians while fostering self-exploration and collaboration. Most recently, Angelita has joined Guilford College as an Adjunct Professor.

BOLDIN, JAMES. James Boldin is 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 and premiered numerous compositions. He has authored three 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

BRAULT, ALLIE. Allie Brault is a versatile performer and teacher in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Brault is most recognized for her work towards making Jewish song more accessible through her creation of The Jewish Art Song Database (www.jewishartsong.com). Her award-winning research focuses primarily on the songs of poet and musician Ilse Weber. Most notably, she was one of four students university-wide to win the 2024 Professional Master’s Excellence Award at Penn State—the first music student in over a decade to receive this honor. In 2021, Brault made her Off-Broadway debut in David Harrower’s play “Blackbird.” Brault has sung operatic roles such as Blanche in “Dialogues of the Carmelites,” Mabel in “The Pirates of Penzance,” and Wesley in the world premiere of Tom Cipullo’s “Mayo.” Her concert work spans from Baroque to 21st-century music, with her favorite being the United States premiere of Sacchini’s “Giacchè mia sposa sei.” Brault is a first-year D.M.A. student in Voice Pedagogy at the University of Maryland. She holds an M.M. from Penn State and a B.M. from The Crane School of Music.

CASEY, JERRY. Jerry Casey, Naples, Florida, composes music in all genres. Her eleven premieres from 2022 through mid-year 2024 were in Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, and Oregon. 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/instrumental ensembles. Mrs. Casey has also had performances 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/vocal chamber music. Tracks from this were featured on two Virtual Conferences of Christian Fellowship of Art Music Composers as well as a Virtual Conference/Dallas Chapter of NACUSA. Seven (A Suite for Orchestra) and Gli intrighi d’amore for Woodwind Quintet/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 a 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 performs as the principal cellist of the Starkville Symphony Orchestra and collaborates with the Alabama Symphony, Mississippi Symphony, and Meridian Symphony. Until 2023, she was associate principal cellist with the Illinois Symphony and Chamber Orchestra and principal cellist with Sinfonia da Camera and 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, Olivet Nazarene Symphony Orchestra, 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 is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Cello at Mississippi State University, where she also collaborates with the Starkville-Oktibbeha Public Schools in string education and founded a community cello choir. Catron holds performance degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the University of Akron and a DMA in Music Education from Boston University. In the summer months, she teaches and performs at the InterHarmony International Music Festival and the Five Cities Baroque Festival.

CHUNG, MIDEUM. A native of South Korea, pianist and educator Dr. Mideum Chung began her musical journey at five and made her solo debut at twelve with the Daejeon Symphony Youth Orchestra. She earned her degrees from Dongduk Women’s University (B.M.), the University of South Florida (M.M., Summa Cum Laude), and Florida State University (D.M., Summa Cum Laude) under distinguished mentors. Dr. Chung has performed at renowned festivals in South Korea, France, and Italy and has received accolades, including prizes at the USF Piano Competition and the Osaka International Competition. She was also a semi-finalist at the Walled City Music International Piano Competition. Her dissertation, “A Study of Two Piano Works by Claude Debussy and Korean Folk Song Piano Arrangements by Female Korean Composers,” explores the intersection of Western and Korean musical traditions. A passionate educator, Dr. Chung serves as an adjunct professor at Tarrant County College while maintaining a private studio in Rowlett, TX. She has around 30 students in the Dallas and Rowlett areas, including her online students from Orlando. Her students have won prestigious competitions, including performances at Carnegie Hall. She also serves as a church pianist at First Presbyterian Church of Forney.

CLARKE, SABRINA. Dr. Sabrina Clarke is an Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. She holds a Ph.D. in Composition from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia. She is also an alumnus of the European American Musical Alliance Summer Composition Institute (Paris, France), the Splice Institute for Electroacoustic Music, and McDaniel College. She has previously served as national Board Member for Composition for the College Music Society. Dr. Clarke’s compositions have been performed around the United States and abroad, at events including the Penn State New Music Festival; the Music by Women Festival; the Common Tone Music Festival; the International Trombone Festival; the University of Louisville New Music Festival; the Society of Composers Region III Festival; the Composer’s Voice Concert Series; and the Geelvinck Fortepiano Festival in Amsterdam. Notable works include On Whale Beach: Dances for String Quartet, commissioned by the Skyros Quartet; Love Songs for Ada, commissioned by the East Passyunk Opera Project (ePOP) and awarded a Finalist Honorable Mention by the American Prize in Composition; and Still ist’s im Wald for solo soprano and chamber orchestra.

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. Her DMA work included a study of the first topic. An active member of NATS, MTNA, and Federated Music Clubs, she served as an officer in each organization at various levels. Continuing to teach privately, she serves as Co-President for Chaminade Music Club in Jackson, MS, and has been invited to serve as a NATS Affinity Group Member to promote Group Lessons. 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 in 1984 after 12 years of teaching choral music in Tupelo, MS. He received the BM (piano), MM (conducting), and Ph.D. (choral music) from the University of Southern Mississippi. Additional studies have included a National Endowment for the Humanities summer grant at the University of Minnesota, Schubert Festival at Westminster Choir College, and Choral Scholars study with Lara Hoggard. 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 served on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra for many years, eventually serving as Chairman of the Board. He continues to contribute to the work of MSO through his Bravo Concert Series Pre-Concert Lectures. 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 adultl choirs in United Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Catholic churches. He currently conducts the adult choir at Northminster Baptist Church in the Jackson, MS.

COOPER, CORA. Dr. Cora Cooper is a teacher, violinist, occasional violist, chamber music coach, researcher, and music publisher. An emeritus professor of Kansas State University, where she taught from 1990-2022, Cooper has pursued these interests both within and outside of the academic setting. She brought these skills together to create the graded anthology “Violin Music by Women,” published (with the sister anthology, “Viola Music by Women”) through her own company, Sleepy Puppy Press. Research on women composers also led to guest lectures in the United States, England and Indonesia. Cooper has presented multiple sessions at national ASTA conferences and contributed a number of articles to the AST Journal. Her presentation at the 2020 national ASTA conference, “What to do when it doesn’t sound like you want it to: A Practice Flowchart” was revised into an article for the ESTA Norway journal. Cooper earned graduate degrees in violin performance from the Eastman School of Music and Florida State University, with principle teachers Peter Salaff, Charles Castleman, and Karen Clarke. She performed professionally with the Vermont, Austin, and Tallahassee Symphonies, the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, and a NAXOS recording of Charles Martin Loeffler’s “Quintet for Strings” with the DaVinci String Quartet.

COPELAND, RACHEL E. Rachel E. Copeland continues to receive acclaim as a “revelation with her coloratura soprano leaping easily to impossible heights!” Career highlights include the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Coronation Mass at Avery Fisher Hall, a recital with the Brussels Chamber Orchestra, and the roles of Contessa in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Frasquita and Micaela in Bizet’s Carmen, Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Zdenka in Strauss’s Arabella, Musetta and Mimì in La bohème, and Juliette in Gounod’s Romèo et Juliette. Dr. Copeland began an appointment at Penn State School of Music as a member of the Voice Department and Associate Director of the School of Music in the Fall of 2018 after her tenure at East Carolina University. She is a leading researcher on how breast surgeries impact respiration and upper body tension. Dr. Copeland also currently serves as the General Manager of the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival. She holds the Doctor of Music degree in Vocal Performance with a minor in Music History from Indiana University; the Master of Music degree in Voice Performance and the Bachelor of Music Education degree in Choral Conducting from Baylor University.

COQUEMPOT, JEAN-CLAUDE. Jean-Claude Coquempot began formal studies at the Geneva Conservatory at the age of 27. A double bassist in the orchestra Collegium Academicum (Geneva), he substituted in the Groupe Instrumental Romand (Radio RSR) for whom he wrote several tunes. He wrote incidental music for Swiss theaters (Tel Quel Bétant, Le Caveau), taught music education in Swiss public high schools, and had a piece performed at the Festival Tibor Varga (Switzerland). Through frequent workshops and seminars, the scope of his mentors ranges from Norbert Bichet (small farmer, guitarist, composer), Jacques Guyonnet (ISCM), Rainer Boesch (electroacoustic music), Alberto Ginastera in Geneva, to Max Deutsch in Paris. Jean-Claude was a dump truck driver on the construction site of La Défense (Paris) and worked nine years in various United Nations agencies. In the U.S., he taught French in colleges and at Berlitz, was a cataloger at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and a loader at The Home Depot. Degrees: Doctorat de 3ème Cycle, music and society (Université Paris VIII); French Literature (ABD, University of Maryland); Français Langue Etrangère (Maîtrise, Université Lyon 2); Library and Information Science (Master, University of Southern Mississippi).

CORNISH-SCOTT, KRISTA. Canadian conductor and soprano Krista Cornish Scott earned her Masters of Music in Performance and Literature from the University of Western Ontario, where her studies included contemporary opera and solo repertoire with innovators John Hess and Theodore Baerg. A past prize-winner at Canada’s national Eckhardt-Gramatté contemporary music competition, she continues to support and seek out new music as a singer, conductor, and as co-artistic director of the contemporary music ensemble Coro Volante. In 2019 she received a Grammy nomination for her professional choral work for the PaTRAM Institute, recording Kurt Sander’s Divine Liturgy. In 2020 she launched Heri et Hodie, an intimate professional women’s ensemble exploring medieval and modern music. In 2024 she restarted the Cincinnati Early Music Festival with a mission to promote both professional and amateur performances and participation in early music. An active presenter and lecturer in Canada, Europe, and the US, she is a tireless advocate for the creation and performance of both early and new music. This summer she will travel to Portugal to perform and record early polyphony rediscovered and transcribed for Scherzo editions by her husband L. Brett Scott.

CRONK. RILEY. Riley Cronk is a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. During her education at Cuthbertson High School, Cronk performed as part of the North Carolina South-Central District Honor Band for five years and the UNC Charlotte Youth Wind Ensemble for two years. Cronk performed at the MFA National Concert Band Festival her senior year while holding the role of Concertmaster of the Blue Note Winds, the highest-performing concert band at Cuthbertson High School. In her senior year, Cronk was awarded the Director’s Award for Band. At UNC Charlotte, Cronk has performed as part of the Wind Ensemble, the Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band, and the Clarinet Choir. Riley Cronk is currently studying under Jessica Lindsey.

CUBILLO, PAOLA. Dr. Paola Cubillos, a native of Bogotá, Colombia, is an accomplished flutist and educator. She holds a Doctor of Arts in flute performance and entrepreneurship studies from Ball State University (2024), a Bachelor of Music from the National Conservatory of Colombia, and a Master of Music from Missouri State University. Dr. Cubillos has achieved recognition in several international and state competitions, including the Charleston International 2021 Spring Music Competition and both the Graduate and Collegiate Woodwinds Competitions held by the Missouri Music Teachers Association (MMTA) in 2017. In addition, Dr. Cubillos has performed with various orchestras in Colombia and the US, and has extensive teaching experience. Committed to music education, her work includes revising flute pedagogy material and presenting internationally as a guest artist and adjudicator. Currently based in Kansas City, Dr. Cubillos contributes to arts administration through her work with Harmony Project Kansas City.

DEMBOWSKI, LYNDA. Lynda Dembowski is a member of the United States Naval Academy Band. She has served as Principal Clarinet with the Concert Band and as an enlisted conductor for multiple ensembles. Dembowski is Principal Clarinet of both the Londontowne Symphony Orchestra and the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival Orchestra. She has performed with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Baltimore Choral Arts Society, and Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. Dembowski is Adjunct Clarinet Professor of at Anne Arundel Community College. She and Dr. Amanda Morrison, The Milano Duo, will perform Scott McAllister’s “Freebirds” with the AACC Community College Concert Band at the 2024 Maryland Music Educators Association Conference.

CUMMING, ASHLEY. Dr. Ashley Cumming is the Associate Professor of Horn at Murray State University. Hailing from Cambridge, Ontario, performance experience includes the COSI Opera Orchestra in Italy, Paducah Symphony Orchestra and Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and Orchestre de la Francophonie in Quebec and freelance horn with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and UANL Symphony Orchestra in Mexico. Recital appearances include the International Horn Society Conference in New York, International Women’s Brass Conference in Michigan, Midwest Horn Workshop in Wisconsin, and the K-W Chamber Music Society in Ontario. Touring the United States with Spark Brass, Ashley performs concerts and educational programs with the acclaimed quintet. Their album “Carnaval to the Music Hall” was released in 2015. She has previously held collegiate positions throughout Indiana and maintains an active private studio. Ashley holds a Doctorate of Music from Indiana University where she studied with Jeff Nelsen, Dale Clevenger and natural horn with Rick Seraphinoff. She also holds degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Victoria. For more information, please visit www.ashleycummingfrenchhorn.weebly.com.

CZARAKCZIEW, PAWEL. Paweł CZARAKCZIEW is a cellist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. He debuted at six at the Kraków Philharmonic and performed his first solo concert with an orchestra at ten at the Polish Embassy in Paris. A scholarship recipient of the Polish Minister of Culture and the Rector of the Academy of Music in Kraków, he was nominated for the Fulbright Junior Research Award (2022-2023), conducting research at the University of Southern California. He graduated with honors from the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music and studied under Julius Berger, Mateusz Pliniewicz, and Zdzisław Łapiński. Czarakcziew has performed globally, including in Austria, China, the U.S., and the UK, at festivals like Bachfest Leipzig, SummerFest La Jolla, and Cracow Cello Spring. He explores improvised and non-classical music, collaborating on jazz, dance, and theater projects. A co-founder of the Cracow Harp Quintet and Czarakcziew/Kowal Duo, he is a PhD student at the Penderecki Academy. Beyond performing, he organizes festivals like Tynieckie Recitale Kameralne and has coordinated events such as the Krakow Cello Spring and the Krzysztof Penderecki Competition. He is a board member of the Kolektyw Muzyczny association, balancing artistic, academic, and organizational roles.

DAVIS-HAZELL, ALEXIS. American mezzo-soprano Alexis Davis-Hazell’s performances have earned accolades for the size and quality of her instrument, and the dramatic intensity she brings to supporting characters. Career highlights include operatic and symphonic works with regional organizations in North America, over 130 performances of Porgy and Bess at international venues, and contributing to the GRAMMY™-winning album Grechaninov: Passion Week with the Phoenix Bach Choir and Kansas City Chorale. These performances include critically acclaimed productions at the Dresden SemperOper, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Hamburgische Staatsoper, the Moscow Philharmonic, Polish National Opera, Kuressaare Operadays Festival in Estonia, Palacio de Bellas Artes, and San Francisco Opera. Current National President of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Dr. Davis-Hazell has 20+ years of teaching experience in adjunct, tenure-track, and private studio owner roles, and a variety of higher education administration experience. As an interdisciplinary collaborator, and session presenter at conferences and arts research alliances, her research interests include African American folk and art music, Russian art song literature, and lyric diction pedagogy. Davis-Hazell is Assistant Professor of Voice and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies at The University of Alabama School of Music.

DEAK, ZACHARY. Pianist Zachary Deak has appeared in recital as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States, France, Morocco, Portugal, Moldavia, and the United Kingdom. He has concertized at renowned venues such as the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, the Cité de la Musique and Salle Cortot in Paris, the Casa de Musica in Porto, and the Institut Francais in Agadir, Morocco. The recipient of numerous awards, Zachary received the Hopkinson silver medal at the prestigious Chappell Medal Piano Competition in London in 2012. In 2013, he had the privilege to work intensively with the eminent pianist Maria Joao Pires in Paris and Brussels. A graduate of the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris and the Royal College of Music in London, Zachary received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Southern California. In addition to his performance career, Zachary is deeply committed to music education. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Piano and Musicology and Director of Keyboard Studies at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Through his online piano school, “Piano with Zachary Deak,” he extends his passion for teaching to students worldwide via the ArtistWorks learning platform.

DICKEY, REINA. Dr. Reina Dickey is an Assistant Professor at Miami University and the Artistic Director of MUSE Cincinnati’s Women’s Choir. She holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati (DMA), Temple University (MM) and Miami University (BM). Her research interest centers on underrecognized choral works, with research on seventeenth-century Italian nun composers. At Miami, Dr. Dickey directs the mixed ensemble Chamber Singers, co-directs the community/student ensemble, Miami Choral Collective, teaches choral music education courses, and actively mentors students in both academic and professional settings. Her leadership in commissioning works by diverse composers reflects her dedication to expanding the choral canon and promoting inclusivity within choral music.

DRISCOLL, MATTHEW. Dr. Matthew Driscoll is the Band and Chorus instructor at The Epiphany School of Global Studies in New Bern, NC and serves as Principal Trombonist of the Durham Symphony Orchestra. Driscoll has taught music to nearly every age, including several years of elementary and middle school band, and many years of collegiate teaching. He previously served on the faculties of East Carolina University, Kirkwood Community College (Cedar Rapids, IA), Cornell College (Mt. Vernon, IA), and Central College (Pella, IA) and taught low brass applied lessons, brass methods courses, music appreciation, and performance seminars. In addition to his teaching schedule, he has performed with the Augusta Symphony Orchestra (GA), Orchestra Iowa, the Des Moines, Dubuque, Ottumwa, and Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestras (IA), the Peoria and Quad City Symphony Orchestras (IL), Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Tar River Symphony (NC), and many others. Driscoll founded the Durward Ensemble and the podcast, Skills and Bones: The Search for Trombone Treasures. A North Carolina native, Dr. Driscoll has received degrees from Jacksonville State University (B.A. Music Education), East Carolina University (M.A.), and the University of Iowa (D.M.A.). Primary teachers include David Gier, George Broussard, David Perkel, and James Roberts.

DUO ATYPIQUE. Formed in 2018, Duo Atypique is a husband and wife ensemble for clarinet and trombone. We seek to explore the uncommon pairing of the two instruments in chamber music and promote the ensemble as a viable medium for both existing and future compositions. Arranging music written for voices and other instrument combinations as a starting point, the duo found that the combination yielded a unique, yet surprisingly pleasing timbre that had not been widely explored. Duo Atypique strives to provide an entertaining product that appeals to diverse musical tastes through engaging and thought-provoking performances of this atypical duo.

GIALLONGO, MATTHEW. Celebrated for his “beautiful voice and singing with great depth of feeling,” baritone Dr. Matthew Giallongo is equally at home on the operatic and concert stages. He has performed roles such as Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Nardo (La finta giardiniera), Belcore (L’elisir d’amore), Picasso (After Life), and Silvio (I pagliacci), appearing with the Portsmouth Symphony, Opera Fort Collins, Indianapolis Opera, and South Bend Lyric Opera. Dr. Giallongo has a passion for contemporary American and 20th-century French music. He has been fortunate to work with esteemed composers including Libby Larsen, William Bolcom, Lori Laitman, Kile Smith, and Tom Cipullo. A frequent recitalist, he has studied at prestigious festivals such as SongFest and the Collaborative Piano Institute. In Fall 2023, Dr. Giallongo joined Purdue University Fort Wayne as Director of Vocal Studies. Previously, he served on the faculties of Eastern New Mexico University, Louisiana Tech University, Grambling State University, and Colorado State University–Pueblo. He holds degrees from Gettysburg College (B.M.), Temple University (M.M.), and Colorado State University (M.M.). He earned his D.M.A. from the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music, studying with William McGraw.

GILBREATH, DEVIN. Devin Gilbreath is a freelance oboist and private teacher based in Baton Rouge, LA. He has previously performed with groups such as the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. He holds a private online and in-person studio teaching students of all ages. Devin holds a master’s degree in oboe performance from Louisiana State University, studying under Johanna Cox Pennington, a BM in oboe performance and music education from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying with John Dee, and is currently completing an DMA in oboe performance at Louisiana State University under the tutelage of Dr. Andrew W. Parker.

GIRAY, SELIM. Dr. Selim Giray serves as Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Mississippi and conductor of the Memphis Youth Symphony Program’s Repertory Orchestra. Periodically, since 2023 Selim Giray has performed as cover conductor for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Memphis Ballet. In February of 2024, Dr. Giray conducted the California High School All-State String Orchestra. Currently Giray serves as Vice Chair of National Orchestra Festival Committee of the American String Teachers Association. Previously, Giray served as Concertmaster and Assistant Conductor at Ohio Light Opera. Giray is the author of String Methods for Beginners (2020), and co-author of Fundamentals of Instrumental and Choral Conducting (forthcoming). Between 2020 and 2023, Giray served on ASTA National Board as Member-at-Large. He is featured on numerous CDs and can be heard on Naxos Online Library. Giray studied the violin with Eliot Chapo, former Concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, Fritz Gearhart, Visiting Professor of Violin at University of Colorado Boulder; conducting with Dr. William Intriligator, Director of Dubuque and Cheyenne Symphony Orchestras, and Roman Skřepek, former Conductor of Košice State Theater Opera. 

GOH, SOO. Soo Goh is an Associate Professor of Clarinet and Associate Dean (Academic Affairs) at 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 may 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 such as the 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.

GORDON, ALEXANDRA. Alexandra Gordon is a freelance oboist in Baton Rouge and currently teaches at Jackson State University as an adjunct instructor of Oboe. Gordon frequently performs across a variety of genres and settings including orchestral, chamber, and contemporary music. Gordon’s diverse artist background has led to her performing with numerous ensembles including the Baton Rouge Symphony, the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, the Reno Chamber Orchestra, and the American Modern Ensemble to name a few. Gordon is currently a doctoral student studying under Dr. Andrew W. Parker at the Louisiana State University.

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. Her career as a clarinetist has taken her to South Korea, Europe, and throughout the United States. 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. Prior to receiving her doctorate, she taught elementary instrumental music in the Washington, D.C. area, woodwinds at Yongsan International School (South Korea), blockflöte at Otfried-Preußler-Grundschule (Germany), and early childhood music at Cornerstone Center for the Arts (IN). While working in these various learning environments, she gained experience differentiating learning experiences for non-typical learners, ages pre-K-12.

HAMBURG, LEANNA. Leanna Hamburg (b. 24 May 1981) is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a Master’s in library and information science and undergraduate degrees in Music Performance (BM) and English Literature (BA). At USM, Leanna was a student of Dr. Lawrence Gwozdz. In 2021, she began performing again with the Gulf Coast Wind Ensemble. Hamburg has premiered multiple new works for soprano saxophone at the 2023 NASA Biennial Conference and the 2024 International Navy Saxophone Symposium. Hamburg currently resides in Ocean Springs Mississippi with her husband and two boys and is the Personnel Specialist for the Ocean Springs School District.

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.

HARVEY, ALEXANDRA. Alexandra Harvey is a graduate assistant at the University of South Alabama, pursuing her Masters of Music in Collaborative Piano under the mentorship of Dr. Robert Holm. Alexandra is originally from Huntsville, AL where she studied the piano for many years with Diana A. Pettit. She won many competitions, completed the Royal American Conservatory Examination program, often receiving honors with distinction, regularly participated in other state-wide competitions and exams, and was heavily involved in the music ministry at her church. In 2017, Alexandra earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. After graduation, she took a brief hiatus from music, working on a NASA contract in Huntsville, before transitioning to the oil and gas industry in Fort Worth, TX. Despite her career shift, she remained active in music, teaching piano in the DFW metroplex and playing the piano at church. In August 2024, Alexandra, her husband Bobby, and their two dogs relocated to Mobile, AL, where she resumed her musical journey. She aspires to become a professional accompanist and adjunct professor. Outside of music, she enjoys cooking, hiking, beach trips, playing video games, and spending time with her family.

HASLETT, MALINDA. Soprano and Grammy nominated Associate Professor Malinda Haslett, DMA is the Director of Vocal Studies and Artistic Director of the Osher Opera at the University of Southern Maine. Dr. Haslett’s primary research focus is the life and work of women who have composed, performed, and championed music in times of war, exile, or oppression. She has presented her research at the 2nd Women’s Work in Music Conference (Wales, UK), College Music Society National Conference (Rochester), and the 2023 Music by Women Festival. A soprano with over thirty roles to her name, her recent and future concert schedule consists of solo recitals at the Giorgio Cini Foundation , Anna-Maria-Mozart Gesellschaft , Théâtre de L’île Saint Louis Paul Rey, Conservatorio Arrigo Boito, and Olomouc Conservatory. Malinda Haslett holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University, Artist Diploma from Accademia Internazionale delle Arti (Rome), Master degree from Temple University, and Bachelor of Music from Loyola University. She has previously served on faculties at Towson University and University of Pennsylvania. She has co-hosted American Cancer Society events with President Barack Obama and represented the United States as Rotary International’s Ambassadorial Scholar to Rome.

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.

HENSRUD, TAMMY. Mezzo-Soprano Tammy Hensrud has appeared in opera houses throughout Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Japan, Israel, South Africa, and the United States including the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, Stuttgart Opera, Theatre de Chatelet in Paris, Klagenfurt Stadttheater, Salzburg Festival, Opera Orchestra of New York, New York City Opera, and the Spoleto Arts Festival. Ms. Hensrud has sung world premieres at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, the Center for Contemporary Opera in NYC and Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. A versatile artist, she has performed Musical Theater, Cabaret and Kurt Weill at the Lucille Lortel Theater, Players Club, the Café Sabarsky Series at Neue Galerie in NYC and the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Ireland. Hensrud is Professor of Voice and Coordinator of Vocal Studies at Hofstra University, previously served as Visiting Associate Professor at St. Olaf College, is the Vocal Director of the Oyster Bay Summer Music Festival and serves on the Guest Faculty of Music in the Alps, Queens Summer Vocal Institute, and Artists International Summer programs. Hensrud holds the BMus in Cello Performance and MMus and MA degrees from UND and, as a Fulbright recipient, an Artist Diploma in Opera from the Hochschule für Musik in Stuttgart, Germany.

HERNANDEZ, PABLO. Pablo Hernandez is an enthusiastic oboist recognized for his vibrant performances and dedication to music education. He has captivated audiences locally and internationally through solo performances, guest artist appearances, and collaborations with various orchestras and chamber ensembles. Currently, he serves as the Visiting Assistant Professor of Oboe at The University of Southern Mississippi, where he inspires young musicians through private lessons and masterclasses. A native of Brazil, Dr. Hernandez has performed with esteemed ensembles, including the Mississippi Symphony and the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra. He frequently collaborates with his wife, cellist Romina Monsanto, in their duo, New Duobus, focusing on expanding the repertoire for cello and oboe. His recording credits feature works like “Portraits Bizarre” by C.L. Shaw and the award-winning film score for “Severina.” Recently, he premiered “Arari: 5 Variations on Jeongsun Arirang for Oboe and Piano” with pianist Hyeji Seo at the 2024 International Double Reed Society Conference, showcasing his commitment to new music. An American Prize recipient with the Bear Lake Quintet, Dr. Hernandez holds degrees in music performance from The University of Southern Mississippi, Baylor University, and the University of Northern Colorado.

HERSEY, JOANNA. Dr. Joanna Ross Hersey (she/her) began her career as Principal Tubist with the United States Coast Guard Band, performing throughout the country as soloist and clinician. She has appeared in uniform on The Today Show and Good Morning America, and performed for three U.S. Presidents. Joanna now serves as Professor of Music and Associate Dean of Student Success for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Devoted to bringing increased equity to the creative arts, Joanna holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Gender Studies, in addition to her music degrees, and has written several book chapters and articles in the areas of gender, diversity, and belonging. She has recorded seven solo and chamber music albums, which include her own compositions. She serves as Treasurer of the International Tuba Euphonium Association, Secretary of the Historic Brass Society, and as a founding board member of the Athena Brass Band. Her newest composition, Nanon, for euphonium and tuba with electronic track, won the 2023 International Tuba Euphonium Association’s Mary Ann Craig Focus on Women Award, established to honor works which center the achievements and creativity of women.

HILDEBRAND, MADELINE. Dr. Madeline Hildebrand is a versatile pianist, soloist, and collaborator across Canada and the US. She has appeared in concert with Philip Glass (Winnipeg New Music Festival), the Kronos Quartet (Mass MoCA), with Yarn/Wire (DiMenna Center, New York), and as a soloist for the Music Toronto series. Madeline is a founding member of the touring ensemble, Fierbois, represented by Prairie Debut. Their debut album Sing to Me Again, released on the Leaf Music label, has been met with critical acclaim topping Spotify and Apple Music’s classical lists. Maddy regularly tours with Brandon University faculty ensemble Trio Joya, with recent performances in the Netherlands, Ireland, Armenia, Georgia, and Portugal. Madeline is a vigorous advocate for bringing classical music to rural communities and homes as evidenced by her solo tours with Home Routes, GroupMuse (NYC), and Living Room Live. Maddy and her infectious enthusiasm for making music has appeared as an adjudicator at over 30 festivals across Canada. As an educator, Madeline as taught at Brandon University, Canadian Mennonite University, the University of Manitoba, and Stony Brook University. Madeline Hildebrand recently completed her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at Stony Brook University, NY. Madelinehildebrandpiano.com

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. Prior to this appointment, he spent six years as assistant professor of voice at Shorter College/University. 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. Hoch is the 2016 winner of the Van L. Lawrence Fellowship, awarded jointly by the Voice Foundation and NATS. He is the author, coauthor, editor, or coeditor of ten books and over forty peer-reviewed articles that have appeared in numerous academic and professional journals. Hoch serves as associate editor of the of the voice pedagogy column for the Journal of Singing, chair of the “NATS Books” editorial board, editor of the “So You Want to Sing” book series, 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.

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. She has performed with the Jackson Symphony (TN), Space Coast Symphony (FL), Symphony of the Southwest (AZ), and the Arkansas Symphony. In addition, she is a regular performer at the National Flute Association’s Annual Convention. Stephanie is a sought-after clinician at flute conferences and clinics across the United States and has presented workshops for the Texas Flute Society, Florida Flute Association, Southeast Michigan Flute Association, Arizona Flute Society, and Musician Enrichment Foundation. She is also the co-founder and current Vice President of the Arkansas Flute Society. Stephanie earned her Doctor and Master of Music degrees from Arizona State University and holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Central Florida. Her flute mentors include Elizabeth Buck, Carol Wincenc, and Nora Lee Garcia.

HRIVNAK, MAREN. Maren Hrivnak, soprano, is a charming and dynamic Cincinnati-based performer and student. She is an avid lover of concert singing and has a passion for early music, finding particular joy in performing Baroque music. She also has a deep love of choral music. Described as having a “light, controlled, crystalline voice,” Maren has appeared with Collegium Cincinnati, Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, Coro Volante, Musica Sacra, Seven Hills Baroque, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and the Cincinnati Bach Ensemble. Recent performances include Messiah with Collegium Cincinnati, a staged production of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), and Bach’s Magnificat with the Cincinnati Bach Ensemble. Upcoming performances include Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Bach’s Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke during the Cincinnati Early Music Festival, and a return to Spoleto Festival USA as a soloist in Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Maren received her Bachelor of Music in Elective Studies from St. Olaf College, concentrating on musician/vocal health, and her Masters degree in Vocal Performance from CCM. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Voice at CCM, under Dr. Gwendolyn Coleman.

HSIEH, ALISON. Dr. Alison Hsieh is a pianist-collaborator serving as Collaborative Pianist, Instructor of Piano, and Coordinator of Collaborative Piano at Arkansas State University. Throughout the United States and internationally, Alison has collaborated with some of the foremost artists of our time, including Dawn Upshaw, Jaime Laredo, Sharon Robinson, and the Pacifica and Brentano Quartets, among others. Hsieh is a doctoral graduate of the Collaborative Piano program at Arizona State University. She completed her second Master’s degree in Piano Chamber Music and Accompanying at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Hsieh also holds dual Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

HUEHOLT, WILLIAM. Dr. William Hueholt is Visiting Assistant Professor of Piano at University of North Alabama. Dr. William Hueholt is a pianist, improviser, and composer whose work is grounded in the classical tradition while exploring wide-ranging connections between genres. As a soloist, Dr. Hueholt has appeared with the Shoals Symphony Orchestra, Wilmington Symphony Orchestra, UNC-Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, and Eastern Music Festival Student Orchestra. He has been a prizewinner in the EMF concerto and solo piano competitions, MTNA Southern Division competitions, and NFMC state competitions. Dr. Hueholt has also studied at prestigious summer programs including Bowdoin Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival, Amalfi Coast Music Festival, and the Mozarteum Sommerakademie (Salzburg).

JAFFE, JULIA. Julia Jaffe, mezzo-soprano, was born in Minsk, Belarus where she attended a specialized music school. She immigrated to the USA as a teenager and studied voice and literature at the University of Utah. In Boston Julia had a career as a linguist and pursued post graduate studies in voice at the New England Conservatory of Music. She had performed as a soloist with the Lowell House Opera and Commonwealth Lyric Theatre as well as an ensemble member of Utah Opera, Opera Tampa and the Odyssey Opera. Julia experiences singing as direct conduit between the spiritual and corporeal realms. She feels blessed to be the soloist/section leader at the First Church UU in Lexington where she has had opportunities to sing music of dizzying variety under the leadership of Rip Jackson. Julia has found her niche in creating the original thematically organized programs. She performs as a guest soloist at music festivals in USA and Europe.

JAYAKUMAR, EMMA Emma Jayakumar is an Australian composer of opera, ballet and chamber music. Recent major commissioned works include “Lu” for the Australian Vocal Ensemble (2024), “Swim With Me” (2024) for Perth Symphony Orchestra and WA Museum, “Our Little Inventor”(2022) for West Australian Opera, “Circles and Centres” (2023) for Darlington Piano Quintet, orchestral song cycle “Four Lost Songs” (2022) for the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, “Little Red” (2023) and the “Lost Little Llama” (2022) for LINK Dance, “Bell Birds Suite for String Quartet” (2020) for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), “The Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie” (2020) for West Australian Ballet, and “Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge” (2021) for the City of Perth Winter Arts Festival. Initially training as an operatic soprano, Emma is an award-winning singer and alumna of the London Royal Academy of Music and Sydney Conservatorium of Music opera courses. Moving into composition in her early 30s, Emma completed a practice-led PhD in composition at WAAPA in 2018, which was subsequently awarded the 2018 Edith Cowan University WAAPA Research Medal for most outstanding research thesis. She lives and composes in Perth, Western Australia, and is currently the Choral Director for the West Australian Opera, WAO Sings program.

JEAN, CHAN MI. Chan Mi Jean is the Lecturer in Music at the University of Tennessee at Martin, where she specializes in Collaborative Piano. Jean is an emerging solo pianist, chamber musician, and opera coach who has made her international appearances including performances in Austria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Italy, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States. Jean won numerous national and international competitions including the 8th New York International Music Concours and as a result, she made her debut at the Weill Recital at the Carnegie Hall. Prior to joining UT Martin, Jean has served as the Apprentice Coach for the Virginia Opera. During summer, Jean serves as opera coach for different opera festivals and the Co-Director/Chair of the Collaborative Piano for the Vilacello Music Festival. A native of Seoul, Korea, she has received her D.M.A. in Collaborative Piano from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a minor in Opera Coaching; M.M. and P.D. in Piano Performance from Indiana University.

JENKINS, ELLIE. A native of coastal Georgia, Ellie Jenkins (horn) is Artist Affiliate in Horn at Berry College and Professor of Music at Dalton State College. An active performer, she is principal horn in the Carroll Symphony and the Chamber Players of the South, and second horn with the Rome (GA) Symphony. She toured Taiwan with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, and for the past several summers has performed with the Classical Music Festival Orchestra in Austria. Dr. Jenkins holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin – Madison (DMA), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (MM) and the University of Miami (BM). She has appeared as a recitalist in Italy, Brazil, at the Music By Women Festival and at several Southeast Horn Workshops, and was a column editor for The Horn Call, the journal of the International Horn Society, from 2017-2024. She also has an avid interest in playing the natural horn (horn without valves). Dr. Jenkins lives in Tunnel Hill, Georgia with her husband and three dogs.

JONES, LINDSEY. Lindsey Jones is a professional violinist, conductor and educator living in New York City. She is currently a PhD candidate in Musicology at Rutgers University, studying music historiography projects by women in the mid-20th century. Lindsey graduated magna cum laude from the University of South Florida with a M.M. in Violin Performance with a concentration in Instrumental Conducting, and summa cum laude from Western Connecticut State University with a B.M in Violin Performance.

JULIAN, JESS. Jess Julian is (b. 1994) is pursuing their Doctorate in Musical Arts in Guitar Performance at the University of Memphis in Tennessee. They are recognized as an exceptional performer in a variety of genres including classical, jazz, and popular music. In addition to performing, Jess is a published composer, scholar, as well as a dedicated educator and activist. Jess currently is on faculty at Mississippi State University as Lecturer of Guitar. In addition to their musical ventures, Jess enjoys listening to podcasts, hiking, and coffee.

KEITH, REBECCA. Rebecca Keith (she/her) is a rising oboist, performer, and educator from Alabaster, AL. Currently completing her Master of Music at Louisiana State University with Dr. Andrew W. Parker, she has performed with a variety of ensembles across the country, recently appearing with the Baton Rouge Symphony and the Mostly Modern Orchestra. She has performed in masterclasses with well-renowned oboists such as Linda Strommen, Peter Cooper, and Tim Glockin. Recently she has been particularly interested in modern and new music, leading to performances with the LSU Constantinides New Music Ensemble as well as at the 2024 National Conference for the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States. Her major teachers include Andrew W. Parker, Stuart Breczinski, Jared Hauser, and Jim Sullivan. Outside of music, her enjoys reading and spending time with nature.

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.

KINNEY, DAYTON. Dayton Kinney creates music that has been recognized at the international and national levels. Gramophone describes Dayton’s music as “compelling single-movement designs.” Performed in the U.S. and abroad, Dayton’s music concentrates on “transforming the circle… into a spiral.” Through this notion, Dayton explores the limits of ambiguity in thematic material, accessibility, harmony, and form to strike a balance between the certainty of a circle and the ambiguity of a spiral. Her eclectic style is inspired by juxtapositions and accessibility through patterns, sectional comparisons, and repetition. Performers who have played Dayton’s music include Nick Photinos, Juventas New Music Ensemble, Deviant Septet, The Sirius Quartet, HYPERCUBE, F-Plus, Zodiac Trio, and Space City Performing Arts Ensemble, among others. Her music has also been released by Navona Records on the album Music On The Edge Volume 2. Dayton earned her PhD in Music Composition from Duke University, a MM in Composition from Carnegie Mellon University, and a BA in Music cum laude with Honors in Music from Smith College. Her teachers have included John Supko (Duke), Leonardo Balada (Carnegie Mellon), Melinda Wagner (Smith), Salvatore Macchia (UMASS-Amherst), and Alla Elana Cohen (NEC Preparatory). www.daytonkinney.com

KLEIN YOUNG, JENNA Jenna Klein Young, PhD, serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at Mississippi State University where she coordinates the group piano and secondary piano programs for the Department of Music. She teaches group piano, functional piano skills, secondary applied piano, pedagogy and teaches at MSU’s Community Music School. As a performer, Dr. Klein Young has played nationally throughout the Hudson Valley region of New York, Michigan, the Midwest, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and internationally in Eisenstadt, Austria. Dr. Klein Young is an active presenter at state, regional, and national conferences. Her current research interests include pedagogical repertoire by underrepresented composers, group piano curriculum, rote teaching, and flow theory. She has been invited to present internationally at the European Piano Teachers Association (EPTA) Conference, nationally at the Group Piano and Piano Pedagogy Forum (GP3), MTNA Collegiate Piano Pedagogy Symposium, the MTNA National Conference, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP), and the CMS National Conference, and regionally at CMS Central and CMS South-Central conferences. Her research has been published in the Music Teacher’s National Association (MTNA) e-journal.

KOWAL, PIOTR. Piotr KOWAL is a pianist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. A graduate of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków (with distinction) under Prof. Andrzej Pikul, he earned his doctorate in 2018 with a dissertation on Beethoven’s sonatas. He studied at the Musikhochschule in Lübeck and with Prof. Aquiles Delle Vigne, and attended masterclasses with renowned pianists like Paul Badura-Skoda and Dmitry Bashkirov. A laureate of international competitions, including the Tadeusz Żmudziński Competition and the Hans von Bülow International Competition, Kowal has performed across Europe, the U.S., Israel, and China. He has appeared at festivals such as “Wawel at Dusk” and collaborated with orchestras like the Częstochowa Philharmonic. Since 2016, he has taught at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music and heads the Piano Department at the Bronisław Rutkowski Music School in Kraków. He also teaches at the International Courses of Music Interpretation in Nowy Sącz, mentoring prize-winning students. In 2022, he received a Creative Scholarship from the Minister of Culture, and his album Bruzdowicz: Works for Piano and Cello (DUX) won an award at the III International Competition “Muzyczne Orły.”

LAINE, ERIC. Acknowledged for his “vocal allure” and “fiery declamation” (San Diego Story), Eric Laine, tenor, has gained recognition as an innovative artist both on stage and in recital. Recently, he made his European debut as Il Podestà in a new production of La finata giardiniera with the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest, a role that he then reprised with Opera Neo in San Diego, CA. Dr. Laine has appeared in opera, concert, and recital with companies such as Raleigh Camerata, First Coast Opera, Choral Society of Greensboro, Mercury Chamber Orchestra, Red River Lyric Opera, Toronto Summer Music, Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra, Opera in the Heights, Winston Salem Mozart Club, American Baroque Opera Co., Symphony of the Hills, Harmonia Stellarum Houston, Orchestra of New Spain, and Moores Opera Center. In the realm of scholarship, Dr. Laine is a published author in the Journal of Singing, and his research interests include Latin American art song repertoire, vocal agility, and the intersection of exercise science and vocal pedagogy. He currently serves on the voice faculty of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro as Visiting Assistant Professor of Voice.

LEITTERMAN, KRISTIN. Dr. Kristin Leitterman, as a solo artist of oboe and voice, defies modern convention, bringing exciting and unusual programs to audiences.  She has performed compositions employing both oboe and voice that she commissioned from Michael-Thomas Foumai, Jason Coleman, Whitney George, and Lyle Davidson in major concert venues around the world and throughout the United States. As Assistant Professor of Oboe at Arkansas State University, Dr. Leitterman teaches oboe and bassoon and double reed techniques and coaches chamber ensembles. For many years she has served as director of the Lucarelli Oboe Master Class, a weeklong immersive oboe workshop founded by Humbert Lucarelli. She has presented her research on several composers at numerous conferences and schools both nationally and internationally. She holds degrees from the City University of New York’s Graduate Center, the Hartt School, New England Conservatory, and the University of Missouri­–Kansas City Conservatory of Music. Her teachers include Humbert Lucarelli, Mark McEwen, Barbara Bishop, and Amy Burton. – www.kristinleitterman.com

LO, YI-NING Yi-Ning Lo, currently based in Rochester New York, is a composer and pianist from Taiwan. Over the course of her artistic journey, she has drawn inspiration from a rich tapestry of literature, encompassing Western poems, Taiwanese folk tunes, ancient Chinese poetry, and Japanese haiku. Lo also takes particular joy in exploring themes related to womanhood, dreams, and memory, infusing her compositions with a profound sense of emotion and storytelling. Lo has garnered prestigious awards from numerous competitions, including the Classic Pure Vienna Competition and the Robert Avalon Competition. Her compositions are published by Universal Edition and Theodore Front Music Literature. Currently, Lo is an Assistant Professor in the School of Performing Arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in Composition from the Eastman School of Music, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from National Taiwan Normal University.

LUCAS-PAGE, SARAH. Sarah Lucas-Page is an award-winning composer who has dedicated her life to the art of music, activism, and continually pushing the boundaries of her creative expression. She has been creating and performing new clarinet music with the purpose of helping fight injustice and bring awareness to issues within the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as women and neurodivergent people. Lucas-Page has written many pieces for different musicians and groups including the Arizona State University Wind Bands, Katherine Breeden, Thomas Sanders, Yareli Bailon, Morii Duo, and Dr. Julia Lougheed. Lucas-Page is currently pursuing her master’s degree in composition at Western Washington University studying with Dr. Charles Halka and Dr. Bruce Hamilton.

LUCHSINGER, BRENDA. Dr. Brenda Luchsinger is an Associate Professor at Alabama State University, an HBCU in Montgomery, AL, where she teaches applied horn, brass methods, and a variety of musicianship courses. She performs with the Tuscaloosa and Montgomery Symphonies, Sinfonia Gulf Coast (FL), and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival pit orchestra. She has performed in solo, chamber, and ensemble settings throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Dr. Luchsinger was the first American horn player certified by the Suzuki Association of the Americas, serves on the International Suzuki Association’s Brass Committee, and is lead developer of the Suzuki Horn Method. In addition to her home studio, she established a Brass for Children outreach program at ASU. She is a frequent performer and clinician at national and international conferences, and is in-demand as an adjudicator, serving on the distinguished jury panel of the International Horn Competition of America. She is a board member of ClefWorks, an arts advocacy organization in Montgomery, specializing in bringing unique and diverse concerts and music education experiences to the community. Dr. Luchsinger is an IHS Area Representative for Alabama and News Editor for The Horn Call. Her teachers include Charles “Skip” Snead, Paul Basler, and Patrick Miles.

LUTZ, LILLIAN. Lillian Lutz is a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she is currently working towards a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. During high school, Lutz performed as part of the North Carolina South-Central All-District band and was Drum Major at Kings Mountain High School for two years. At UNC Charlotte, Lutz has performed with the Wind Ensemble and Clarinet Choir. After graduation, Ms. Lutz plans to pursue employment as a high school band director. Lutz is currently studying under Dr. Jessica Lindsey.

LWAKI, SHAKA MARKO. Shaka Marko Lwaki is a music student at the Alabama State University in Montgomery AL, pursuing a degree in French horn performance under Dr. Brenda Luchsinger, and takes music composition under Dr. Adonis Gonzalez. Hailing from Nairobi, Kenya, he began his musical studies in high school in 2014 through the Harmony Kenya Foundation (HKF), a charitable organization that fosters music education to students in public schools around Nairobi. His biggest musical influence has been his high school music teacher and HKF founder, Mr. Moses Watatua, who instilled in him a solid musical foundation, one that keeps him grounded to date. Prior to his departure to the United States in August 2022, Shaka worked in Nairobi as a music arranger, composer, librarian, French Horn performer and tutor for various ensembles, organizations, and schools across Nairobi. He has written a wide array of works ranging from instrumental solos to orchestral pieces that have been widely performed in Kenya, USA, Canada and Japan. He currently plays horn with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra.

MANIA, GRZEGORZ. GRZEGORZ MANIA graduated with distinction from the Academy of Music in Kraków (where he studied piano under Stefan Wojtas) and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London (where he was tutored by Martin Roscoe, Charles Owen and Caroline Palmer). He also read law at Jagiellonian University and obtained his Ph.D. for a dissertation about music and copyright law. In 2019 he obtained a post-doctoral degree in the Academy of Music in Kraków. He works extensively as a recitalist, an orchestral soloist and a chamber musician. Mania is a versatile pianist, regularly duetting with violist Katarzyna Budnik and pianist Piotr Różański. Mania has appeared at international festivals throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA. A co-founder and president of the Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association, Mania also co-authored an innovative, 3-part sight-reading handbook for pianists. PWM Editions recently published Mania’s definitive volume on music and authors’ rights, as well as his selection of works for piano four hands for intermediate and advanced pianists. Currently, Mania divides his time between professorship at the Feliks Nowowiejski Music Academy in Bydgoszcz, lecturing copyright law and rehearsing chamber music programs all over Poland.

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. He has held similar positions at Delta State University, the Hochstein School of Music, Hamilton College, Nazareth College, and Colgate University, all located in western NY. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Mark has performed with several orchestras, including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, and the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Locally, he has performed with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Tupelo Symphony, and the Delta Symphony. He has been an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre for the Arts. 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 and sociology from Northwestern University.

MEARS, PERRY. Pianist Dr. Perry Mears performs regularly across the country as a vocal accompanist, piano soloist, and chamber musician. Noted for his ability to play “with clarity and ease” (New York Concert Reviews), Perry’s recent performances have included a program of music by living American women at Carnegie Hall with mezzo-soprano Loralee Songer, numerous college and university appearances, concert tours with cellist Craig Hultgren, and members of Luna Nova Music, and recitals with mezzo-soprano Ann Marie Daehn, trombonist Jason Hausback, and saxophonist Matthew Tracy. Dr. Mears has a particular passion for the music of living composers, having premiered and given early performances of works by Armando Bayolo, Susan LaBarr, Robert Patterson, Evan Erickson, Dan Lazarescou, Jonah Elrod, Lisa Neher, Mark Volker, Jennifer Margaret Barker, and Emily Joy Sullivan. In demand as a teacher, clinician, and adjudicator, Perry is an assistant professor of collaborative piano at Missouri State University.

MICHELSON, HELENA. Originally from Riga, Latvia, Helena Michelson is a composer, pianist, and educator based in the San Francisco-Bay Area. She attended San Francisco Conservatory Pre-College and completed her studies in Music at the University of California, Berkeley (BA) and University of California, Davis (PhD). Helena Michelson has been a fellow at numerous festivals including Composers Conference, June in Buffalo, Domaine Forget (Quebec, Canada), Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium, Source Song Festival, N.E.O. Voice Festival, and PREMIERE|Project Festival (Choral Arts Initiative). She has also been a participating composer in Festival of Contemporary Artists in Music, New Music at the Bayou, the Opera from Scratch program (Halifax, Canada), and Operation Opera Festival.

MOAK, ELIZABETH. Noted for her “sensitivity” and “generous imagination” (La Suisse), pianist Elizabeth Moak has performed throughout the United States and internationally (Europe, Canada, Asia, South America). Winner of the Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition among others, Moak holds the Diplôme de Virtuosité from the Neuchâtel Conservatory (Switzerland) and the DMA in piano performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University (studies with Leon Fleisher, Julian Martin, and Ann Schein). Critics have given commendatory attention to her debut solo recording Art Fire Soul: Piano Music of Judith Lang Zaimont, citing Moak’s “brio, assurance, and remarkable talent” (ResMusica, France). Solo appearances with orchestra have included concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Grieg, Ravel, and Gershwin. Moak’s honors include a Teaching Fellow (Peabody), the Outstanding Young Faculty Award (Millsaps College), and Outstanding MMTA Teacher. She is currently on the faculty of the University of Southern Mississippi and has given masterclasses across the United States, as well as in Taiwan, Peru, Brazil, and China. Her students have been accepted into summer festivals including Vivace, Mannes Summer Piano Festival, and Bay PianoFest, into graduate programs in the USA, England, and France, as well as performed in Steinway Hall and Carnegie Weill Recital Hall.

MOLINA, OLIVER. Dr. Oliver Molina is an Associate Professor of Music where he serves as an Assistant Director of Bands and Director of Percussion Studies at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. As an active percussion performer, educator, arranger, adjudicator, and clinician, Dr. Molina has presented and performed at various state Day of Percussion events, PASIC, NCPP, and other music conferences and festivals. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Percussion Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Iowa under Dr. Dan Moore. Additionally, he is a founding member of the Omojo Percussion Duo and the Ninkasi Percussion Group. Dr. Molina currently serves as Chair for PAS Education Committee and as Treasurer of the Louisiana PAS Chapter. He is a Yamaha Performing Artist and an education endorser of Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Remo Drum Heads, Sabian Cymbals, and Black Swamp Percussion. His professional affiliations include the Percussive Arts Society, National Association for Music Education, National Society for Steel Band Educators, and the College Music Society.

MORRISON, AMANDA. Dr. Amanda Morrison is on faculty at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, teaching applied clarinet and directing the SRU Clarinet Choir. Morrison is a Vandoren Artist-Clinician and private studio instructor in Pittsburgh, PA. She is co-founder of the flute/clarinet duo The PM Woodwind Project, Grant Avenue Clarinet Duo, and Milano Duo clarinet duo. Morrison is also a faculty member of ECpBA in Argentina and the event director of Steel City Clarinet Day, a western Pennsylvania clarinet community day of music making and learning. Dr. Morrison earned degrees from Duquesne University and Florida State University under Mark Nuccio, Dr. Deborah Bish, and Dr. Frank Kowalsky.

MORTYAKOVA, JULIA. Pianist Julia Mortyakova maintains an international performing career. She is the recipient of the 2021 Performing Arts Fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission, the 2023 Programming Award from the International Alliance for Women in Music, the inaugural 2023 MUW Excellence in Creative Activity Award, the 2024 inaugural MUW Excellence in Teaching in Creative Spaces Award and is the 2017 Mississippi Honored Artist (MS State Committee of NMWA). She is on the Mississippi Artist Roster. The Mortyakova/Bogdan Piano Duo are the Second Prize winners of the 2017 Ellis Duo Piano Competition. Julia 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 serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at the Mississippi University for Women and is the Founder/Artistic Director of the Music by Women Festival. She is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Vanderbilt University, New York University, and the University of Miami. Equally active in the lives of her colleagues, Julia is Immediate Past President of the College Music Society Southern Region and serves on the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) Commission on Accreditation.

O’NEIL, BILL. Bill O’Neil has been Professor of Clarinet at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley since 1992. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Minnesota in 1990 as a student of Dr. John Anderson. Other notable teachers include Leon Russianoff, Mitchell Lurie, Cloyde Williams, Leslie Mann, Robert Marcellus, and Clark Brody. As a performer, Bill finds special delight in orchestral playing, chamber music, and recitaling. He has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of Nuevo Leon, the Omaha Symphony, the Victoria (TX) Symphony, and the Valley Symphon, of which he is currently co-principal clarinetist. He is especially passionate about the clarinet choir, and has arranged a lot of major orchestral works for clarinet choir. He is in the midst of rescoring the Mozart symphonies in reverse order. He and Cindy Cripps have been frequent chamber music collaborators for several years. Today’s work, the Clara Schumann Trio, is a blend of several of these interests. Bill is married to Gail, a retired (arthritis) violinist. They have three grown daughters, nine grandchildren, and four cats. He is also active as a church musician, serving as choir director at Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen.

OSTERMAN, EURYDICE. Eurydice V. Osterman, a Fulbright scholar, is a published author and composer whose works have been read and performed around the world. A partial listing of her works is cited in the book, Music by Black Women Composers: A Bibliography of Available Scores by Helen Walker-Hill, CBRM Monographs, No.5, 1995. She is also the featured composer in the dissertation of Angelique Clay, “The Life and Music of Eurydice V. Osterman, and the author of two books, What God Says About Music and Worship: From Praise Him to Praise Hymn. In 2024 she was commissioned by the American Guild of Organists to compose a piece for the national convention, and the Harvard University Choir. Dr. Osterman earned the Bachelors and Masters degrees from Andrews University, and the DMA from The University of Alabama. She retired from Oakwood University where she served as chair of the Music Department. She was also chair of Music at Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica. Dr. Osterman has conducted music seminars throughout the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and Africa, and is the recipient of many awards and holds membership in several professional organizations, including Phi Kappa Lambda, a national honor society.

PAQUIN, KELSEY. Dr. Kelsey Paquin is a vibrant performer whose passion and clear musical vision engages audiences in an authentic way. Her joy for music has taken her around the world, having performed throughout the United States and Europe, including Ireland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Italy.
Dr. Paquin is Assistant Professor of Music (Clarinet) at the University of North Alabama and Assistant Principal Clarinet of the Shoals Symphony Orchestra. She has also served as Adjunct Applied Faculty in Clarinet at Troy University and Teaching Assistant in Clarinet at Florida State University. She has appeared as lecturer and clinician at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Virginia Commonwealth University, Kutztown University, Stetson University, Florida A&M University, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Furman University, Tennessee Tech University, Chicago State University, and University of Central Arkansas. Dr. Paquin holds a Doctor of Music degree from Florida State University, a Master of Music degree from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a Bachelor of Music degree from Ithaca College, and has studied at G. Verdi Conservatorio di Musica in Milan, Italy.

PETROSYAN, SUREN. Dr. Suren Petrosyan is Music Director of the Shoals Symphony and Assistant Professor of Music at the University of North Alabama, conducting the orchestras and teaching cello. Prior to his appointment at UNA, he served as Music Director and Conductor of the Mason Symphony in Michigan; he conducted orchestras and taught cello at Arkansas State University, Creighton University, and Alma College. He has conducted concerts with symphony and chamber orchestras in Germany, France, Armenia, Canada, and the United States. As a cellist, he has played with the Huntsville, Arkansas, Delta, Jackson, Texarkana, Lansing, Jackson, Alma, Midland, Sioux City, and Omaha symphonies. Dr. Petrosyan holds degrees in Orchestral Conducting and Cello Performance from Michigan State University and Yerevan State Conservatory in his home country of Armenia. Each summer, Dr. Petrosyan teaches at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and last year led the International String Orchestra’s tour to Germany, France, and Poland.

PETTGREW, LAURA. Laura Pettigrew’s contributions, influence and achievement well known in Canada have expanded all over the world with publications, performances, premieres in countries on four of seven continents and counting. She is an award-winning composer and flutist working across a broad range of genres in collaboration with performing artists, in film, dance, and the concert hall incorporating ethnic instruments and dancers in her works. She has received commissions from soloists and ensembles globally and honoured being one of forty Canadian composers commissioned by Toronto Symphony Orchestra for their Canada Mosaic Project, Canada’s Sesquicentennial celebration in 2017. Her works have received world premières by; JUNO, GRAMMY® Award-winning Toronto and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras (Brass section) (Canada), GRAMMY® Award-winning I Solisti Veneti (Italy), acclaimed performing, recording artists, Ensemble Chaminade, Quartetto Image (Italy); Regina, Guelph, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestras (Canada), Massive Brass Attack and Sérgio Carolino, world renowned Yamaha International performing, recording artist, tuba (Portugal); honoured as a Finalist, Harvey Phillips International Award 04/21/21 ITEC Conference 2021 for Sergio’s recording of her work “Isolation”. Additionally, awards, grants and her works featured on recordings by acclaimed soloists, ensembles, orchestras across the globe, as well in her international award-winning short film, The Sky Came Down. A colleague stated…”Music truly is the teardrops of your soul! A statement she embodies in every work. Through her love of humanity and music, a universal language, one which allows her to express herself freely, Laura continues to share her passion and making her mark on the world stage.

RAVENSTEM, CARRIE. Carrie RavenStem is co-founder of contemporary music ensemble A/Tonal and clarinet duo La HERmandad. A passionate advocate for living composers, her commissions and consortiums include works by Jenni Brandon, Gabriela Ortiz, Jeremy Beck, Margaret Brouwer, Paul
Schoenfeld, and Erich Stem. Carrie’s recent premieres include Firefly for E♭ clarinet and band (Indiana University Southeast, 2022), Jenni Brandon’s The Mountain (ClarinetFest, 2022), Margaret Brouwer’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (2023), and Erich Stem’s re:CONNECT (ICA ClarinetFest 50th Anniversary). She has served as an artist-in-residence at Navarro College and the University of Tennessee Martin and performed at the Music by Women International Festival. Her recordings include A/Tonal’s EP The Point, Adjy’s The Idyll Opus (I-VI) and the short film of metal by Cloverhitch Productions. Carrie is a member of the International Clarinet Association’s New Music Committee and serves as Composition Competition Coordinator. She is a board member of the New Works Project, a Backun Performing Artist, and a Silverstein Aspiring Educator Artist, maintaining an active teaching studio. She enjoys crocheting, camping, and making exceptional guacamole. Carrie is proud to be the crazy mom in a blended family of six.

RAVETTO, ANNE-GAËLLE. Anne-Gaëlle Ravetto, violinist, is an adjunct faculty member of the Delta State University Department of Music. She serves as a collaborative artist, provides instruction in the music education curriculum and maintains a private teaching studio. She has performed at numerous music festivals and academic conferences including the Atlantic Music Festival, Heidelberg Castle Festival, the Ohio Light Opera, the College Music Society-Southern Region, the Big 12 Trombone Conference and the American Trombone Workshop. Regional recital appearances include Rhodes College, University of Memphis, Henderson State University and UT- Martin, among others. Before moving to the US, she held numerous faculty positions in her native country, including Professor of Violin at the National Music School of Le Havre and National Music School of Notre Dame de Gravenchon. As a performer, Ms. Ravetto was active throughout France. Her credits include engagements with the Lyon Opera under Kent Nagano, the Orchestre Philharmonique des Pays de la Loire under Marc Soustrot, the Orchestre des Prix, and the Orchestre Colonne. Ms. Ravetto 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.

RIVERA, SOPHIA. Sophia Rivera is a euphonium performer, educator, and advocate for underrepresented works in brass music. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Euphonium Performance at the University of Memphis, where she serves as a Teaching Assistant, instructing euphonium lessons and introductory music courses. She holds a Master of Music from the University of North Texas and a Bachelor of Music degree from Brandon University. An active soloist and chamber musician, Sophia has performed at major conferences, including the South Central Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference, the International Women’s Brass Conference, and the College Music Society Conference. She has won multiple solo competitions, including first-place finishes at the Music Teachers National Association State Competition and the North Texas Low Brass Camp Solo Competition. Beyond performance, Sophia is a passionate advocate for new music, having commissioned and premiered numerous works for euphonium. She is also an experienced adjudicator and clinician, working with festivals and competitions across the U.S. and Canada. Dedicated to expanding the euphonium’s repertoire and role in chamber music, she continues to push the boundaries of the instrument in both traditional and unconventional settings.

ROADFELDT, HOLLY. Few musicians balance the new opposite the old quite like American pianist Holly Roadfeldt. Recently deemed “on fire…a perfect pairing of technical prowess and innate sensitivity” (American Record Guide), “a vivid pianist” (Gramophone), and “jaw-dropping” (Mainly Piano), she frequently advocates for eclectic programming and creative pedagogical approaches. Recognized by audiences and critics for both her technical facility and distinctive interpretation of music from all eras, she has appeared in venues across Canada, Europe, Asia, and over 40 U.S. states. Holly tirelessly searches for like-minded musicians who share her obsession with creating opportunities for listeners to connect with the music. Best demonstrating this ethos is her three-year artistic flagship, “The Preludes Project,” which saw her premiere 65 preludes by 16 composers, leading to Holly’s debut album, The Preludes Project. Holly will be continuing her advocacy of combining recently-composed and familiar works with her newest project “North American Narratives” over the next three years. This will include multiple commissions and three recording projects: Anthony J. Lanman’s Hommages, the Études of Philip Glass, and North American Narratives, which she will be recording as part of her 2024-2025 Pesky Artist-in Residency at Lafayette College.

ROBERTS, HANNAH. Dr. Hannah Roberts, NCTM, is 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 at the Schlöss Esterhazy in Austria. Recent appearances include 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 the 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.

ROBINSON, LISA SUYDAM. Lisa Suydam Robinson received a B.A. in music from Vassar College in 1979. In 2015 she realized a lifelong dream of being a composer and entered the school of music at George Mason University as a returning student. She received a Bachelor of Music and a Master’s in Composition from GMU in 2022. Her musical output includes large works, piano sonatas, chamber music, and developmental music for piano inspired by her decades as a successful piano teacher. The experience at GMU cemented her musical ability by providing the opportunity to work with real musicians and explore many different genres. Numerology Piano Sonata was performed at WVU in 2017. Old Growth/New Growth Piano Sonata was recorded by the New Sound Collective at GMU and included in a recording that was nominated for a WAMMIE. In Spring 2022, Thinking of Water, a song for soprano set to a poem by Rita Dove, was recorded by the Christman Opera Company. The Levine School String Orchestra premiered End of the Night, a tone poem for strings, in 2022. A Brass Ring, a piece for orchestra in one movement, was premiered by the NOVA Symphony Orchestra in November 2023.

ROSINE, AMY. Amy Rosine, soprano, has performed throughout the US and in Europe (Čzech Republic, Italy and Vienna). In the US she performed with Civic Opera of Kansas City, Kansas City Lyric Opera Express, Kansas Concert Opera, Regal Opera (TX), Lyric Theatre of Dallas, Ft. Worth Opera, and Brownwood Regional Theatre. Chamber music performance is her current focus, and she performs regularly as one-half of the Sorores Duo ensemble for soprano and clarinet. They have performed at several regional and national conferences and abroad. Dr. Cora Cooper is her first violinist collaborator, and it is a joy to play the music of Rebecca Clarke. Dr. Rosine is professor of music and head of the Voice Area at Kansas State University where she teaches Applied Voice, Vocal Techniques, English Diction, Women in Music, and Survey of Vocal Music for the Adolescent Singer. For 17 years she served as vocal coach for the School of Music, Theatre and Dance Broadway musical productions.Professional memberships include NATS, CMS, PKL, SAI and NAfME. She holds degrees from University of Kansas (DMA), University of Missouri-Kansas City (MM), and Truman State University (BME). Voice teachers include Inci Bashar, Norman Paige, Tom Hueber and Kathleen Dawson.

RÓŻAŃSKI, PIOTR. Piotr Różański graduated from the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków in the piano class of Ewa Bukojemska and Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń. 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 (2024-2028). He is a laureate of numerous piano and chamber music competitions, both nationwide and international, including the 38th Chopin National Piano Competition (Warsaw 2006 – first prize), the Piano Competition for the YAMAHA Foundation scholarship (Gdańsk 2008 – first prize), the Independent International Competition for Musical Individualities (Kiev 2010 – third prize). He has performed, both as a soloist and chamber musician, in Poland and many other European countries, as well as in Israel, Australia and the USA. His phonographic achievements include several CDs, i.a. the album Schumann Prokofiew (recorded in 2012 with the violinist Maria Sławek), the album Mieczysław Weinberg: Sonatas for violin and piano (recorded in 2014 also with Maria Sławek), as well as the album Poland for 4 hands (recorded in 2019 in a piano duo with Grzegorz Mania).

SARVELA, KRISTIN. Dr. Kristin Sarvela joined the faculty of Sam Houston State University as Assistant Professor of Oboe and Music Theory in Fall of 2021. 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 in orchestras around the Midwest and Texas, including second oboe in the Sinfonia da Camera, English horn in the Heartland Festival Orchestra, and oboe and English horn in the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra.

SEBBA, ROSÂNGELA YAZBEC. Rosângela Sebba is a Professor at Mississippi State University, coordinating the piano area and the Community Music School. She regularly presents workshops, lecture-recitals and concerts in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Currently, she is a reviewer for the American Music Teacher Magazine and the College Music Society Symposium and is part of the International Initiatives at the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy. She has performed, given master classes, and presented worldwide. Her album “Eight Sonatinas and the Sonata for Piano Solo” by M. Camargo Guarnieri was the first world-released recording of the set. As a proponent of new music, she released a chamber music CD on the Centaur Label in 2017. Rosângela serves as the Golden Triangle Music Forum Secretary, District Audition Chair, and the Mississippi Music Teachers Association VP for Pre-College Evaluations. In 2013 she was recognized as a Steinway Artist, in 2022 and 2023 received the Steinway Teacher of the Year and was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teachers Hall of Fame as a member of the fifth induction class. She received the Mississippi Music Teachers Association Outstanding Teacher Award in 2023 and the MSU Grisham Master Teacher Award in 2024.

SHANSKY, CAROL. Carol Shansky has been described by critics as having “smooth, legato flute tones…performed with skill and understanding” (Rockland Journal-News) and “…produces a lovely tone with a large palette of colors and timbres, her breath control allows her to spin out endless phrases without losing pitch or quality” (Edith Eisler, New York Concert Review). She has performed at the Weill Recital Hall, Tanglewood Little Theatre, and the Bruno Walter Auditorium, British Arts Center and conventions and conferences of the National Flute Association, College Music Society, American Single Reed Conference, International Clarinet Association, Music by Women Festival, NACWPI, Hispanic Heritage Festival, and International Alliance of Women Musicians. She has won awards from the Pearl Amster Concerto Competition, Concerts Atlantique, and Artists International. Carol performs with Synergy 78 (flutes and clarinets) and is principal flute of the Bergen (NJ) Philharmonic Orchestra. Carol has been interviewed and performed live on New York Public and North Jersey Public Radio. Dr. Shansky received her DMA and MM from Boston University where she studied under Leone Buyse, and her BM from Ithaca College. She is on the faculty at Bergen Community College and Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.

SHIN, JUNG-WON. Jung-Won Shin has appeared as an active solo and collaborative pianist in the U.S., Canada, Korea, and Europe. Shin has been featured in international and regional conferences of the College Music Society, the New Music on the Bayou Festival in Louisiana, the Music in Action Conference in California, the Lives of the Piano concert series at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, Rising Stars Concerts at the Orford Music Academy and Festival in Canada, concerts with singers at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, and several recital and concert series in Korea. Her collaborative CDs with soprano Amy Yeung and violinist Sue-Jean Park have been released. Her current projects include recitals on contemporary solo works by American and Korean composers and piano duo works by Korean and Japanese composers in collaboration with Kumiko Shimizu, recitals with violinist Anne-Gaëlle Ravetto and trombonist Douglas Mark, and a recital series on Beethoven’s piano sonatas and concertos. Shin earned degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Indiana University, and Seoul National University. She is Professor of Music at Delta State University and Immediate Past President of the Mississippi Music Teachers Association.

SIMOES, NAIRAM. Originally from Brazil, Nairam Simoes is an award-winning trumpet artist and Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Arkansas State University. His career spans international performance, education, and leadership. A member of NordesTrio, Simoes earned a silver medal from the Global Music Awards. He also won the Championship Section of the 2022 North American Brass Band Association (NABBA) Championship with the Fountain City Brass Band and secured 3rd place at the 2017 National Trumpet Competition. Praised by the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) Journal for his “virtuosity and musicality,” Simoes has performed across the United States, Germany, Austria, and Brazil. He has appeared with many orchestras, including the Arkansas Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Lexington Philharmonic and performed for the Cincinnati Symphony.
He serves as editor in the ITG Journal and contributes to ITG leadership, coordinating the Festival of Trumpets since 2023 and serving as a judge for the National Trumpet Competition. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, a Master of Music from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Memphis. Simoes proudly endorses S.E. Shires Trumpets and is a recording artist for Fundamental Sounds.

SONGER, LORALEE. Loralee Songer, mezzo-soprano, is an active recitalist, opera and oratorio performer, and conductor. A champion of art song, Loralee’s recital work has led to working with some of today’s most prolific coaches and composers, including Jake Heggie, John Musto, Libby Larsen, William Bolcom, Margo Garrett, Graham Johnson, and Martin Katz. In 2014, Loralee was a vocal fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, and she made her Carnegie Hall recital debut in 2019. Recent opera and musical theatre performances include the role of Mércèdes in Sempre Opera’s production of Carmen in South Africa (2018), Flora in La Traviata with Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre (2016), and Hannah Chaplin in the regional premiere of Chaplin with Revival Theatre Company (2019). In 2023, Loralee portrayed Jackie Kennedy in the world premiere of “Echoes from a Memory” at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, TX. Most recently, she reprised the role of Lucille Frank in Parade with Revival Theatre Company in 2024. Dr. Songer holds the Doctor of Arts degree from Ball State University. She is currently the Executive Director of the Avis Foundation in Upland, IN and teaches adjunct at Taylor University.

SULLIVAN, RYAN. Dr. Ryan Sullivan is the Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music at Arkansas State University. He conducts the Concert Choir, Jonesboro Chorale, and Singing Statesmen, and teaches coursework in conducting and music education. Prior to his time at A-State, Sullivan was the Associate Conductor for the Dallas Symphony Chorus and served as the guest conductor of the University of North Texas Collegium Singers and Baroque Orchestra. His research interests center on the social contexts of Baroque music and practices, and performing arts health. He is currently part of a research team investigating the musculoskeletal and psychosocial aspects of professional women conductors. Sullivan served as President of the Southwestern Region of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) from 2020-2022 and was the 2014 recipient of the Prelude Award from Missouri ACDA. He is one of six American conductors to participate in ACDA’s 2023 International Conducting Exchange Program with the German Choral Association. He holds a D.M.A. from the University of North Texas, a M.M. from Texas Tech University, and undergraduate degrees in Music Education and Vocal Performance from the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory of Music.

SULLIVAN, EMILY JOY. Emily Joy Sullivan (b. 1987) writes music animated by the spirit of song, dance, and storytelling, grounded in a deep respect for vernacular traditions and their communicative potential. Her works have been performed in New York, Chicago, Memphis, Melbourne, Vancouver, Valencia, and Cape Town. Dr. Sullivan currently teaches Music Theory and Composition at SUNY Fredonia and Choir at SUNY Niagara. She holds a PhD in Music Theory and Composition from UC Davis, where she conducted research on Björk’s “Hyperballad” and methodologies for interpreting emotion in popular song. She holds an MM from SUNY Fredonia and a BA in Music from Amherst College, where her feminist musicology thesis was “Envoicing Eve: Femmes Fatales in Carmen, Salome, and Lulu.” She also holds a Master’s degree from the Bank Street College of Education, where she was steeped in a progressive pedagogy she has continued to shape over the last twelve years. Dr. Sullivan is especially passionate about writing for the voice, be it musical theater, lyrical art song, or community-focused choral works. Her instrumental compositions often explore depth psychology and the hero(ine)’s journey and strive to merge lyrical and groovy impulses with formal and conceptual experimentation.

SUTHERLAND, ADRIA. Adria Sutherland, member of the clarinet duo La HERmandad, is a Backun Musical Services Performing Artist and the Kentucky State Chair of the International Clarinet Association. She has been the clarinet professor at Eastern Kentucky University since 2018.

TEUts!. TEUts! is a dynamic tuba and euphonium duo dedicated to expanding the boundaries of low brass chamber music. Formed by Sophia Rivera and Bryson Harding, TEUts! brings a fresh and innovative approach to repertoire, championing new works and reimagining traditional pieces for their unique instrumentation. Sophia, a euphonium player from Winnipeg, Canada, is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Memphis. With a strong background in solo and chamber performance, she is passionate about commissioning new music and incorporating her Métis heritage into her artistic projects. Bryson, an active tuba performer and educator, is a third-year DMA candidate at the University of Memphis. With extensive orchestral and chamber experience across the U.S. and internationally, he brings versatility and depth to the duo’s performances. Together, TEUts! blends artistry, innovation, and technical excellence, captivating audiences with engaging programs that highlight the expressive potential of the tuba and euphonium.

THORNTON, JOHN. John Thornton is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a second major in Computer Science. At UNC Charlotte, Thornton has performed in the Department of Music Student Spotlight concert and as Clarinet Section Leader for the Wind Ensemble. During his education at Leesville Road High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, Thornton served as Director of Woodwind Ensembles and Bus Captain. He also participated in NC All District Honor Bands his Junior and Senior years. In his collegiate years, Thornton enjoys performing music from a diverse range of genres and composers. Thornton regularly performs classical-infused jazz pieces, as well as contemporary clarinet literature. He currently studies clarinet with Dr. Jessica Lindsey.

TRUJILLO, VALERIE M. Valerie M. Trujillo, has been associated with opera companies including Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Wexford Festival Opera (Ireland), Chautauqua Opera, Ohio Light Opera and Opera in the Ozarks. Ms. Trujillo served as artist faculty at the Tanglewood Music Center, Ars Vocalis México (Mexico), Taos Opera Institute, Si parla, si canta (Italy) as well as the academic faculty at the Mannes College and Yale University. She served as the NATS Master Teacher for the 2020 and 2021 NATS Intern Program. She can be heard on the Grammy-nominated Chandos release of Bennett’s The Mines of Sulphur. She can also be heard on the Mark Records. Albany and Azica labels. Ms. Trujillo received her training from Eastern New Mexico University and the University of Illinois. She teaches on the faculty at The Florida State University where she is Professor of Vocal Coaching and Accompanying and served as Coordinator of the Voice and Opera Programs from 1995 – 2023.

WEE, SARAH. Soprano Sarah Wee is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Troy University where she teaches private lessons, vocal pedagogy, diction, and directs the Opera Workshop. Dr. Wee also enjoys a career singing recital, concert, and operatic literature. Dr. Wee received her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where she later served as a lecturer in the voice department. She graduated from Webster University with a Bachelor’s Degree in classical voice performance and earned a Master’s Degree in vocal performance from Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Wee is an active lecture recitalist, regularly presenting lecture recitals at music conferences and is the co-founder of a lecture recital series based on the Music of the Liturgy. Sarah Wee currently resides in Montgomery, AL, where she lives with her husband and two children.

WERNER MERRIMAN, LAURETTA. Dr. Lauretta Werner Merriman currently teaches as the Assistant Professor of Music, Violin at Longwood University and as the string program director at the Longwood Center for Community Music. In prior years, she taught as Lecturer of Violin at West Virginia University, as a Suzuki violin instructor at the Pittsburgh Music Academy and the Hope Academy of Music and the Arts, as a violin faculty member at Camp Encore/Coda, and as a quartet teaching fellow at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp. She currently performs in various solo, chamber, and orchestral settings throughout the central Virginia region. As an educator and conductor, Werner Merriman judges and adjudicates music competitions and orchestra assessments in the central Virginia region, as well. She frequently serves as a guest clinician at many high school orchestra programs, and recently conducted the All-County Orchestra in Henrico, VA. Finally, Werner Merriman researches and explores the topic of mindfulness by reinterpreting mindfulness-based therapies and sport psychology models for musicians and presented this research at numerous conferences. Werner Merriman studied with Stephen Miahky, Solomiya Ivakhiv, Susan Waterbury, and Mikylah Myers, and completed long-term Suzuki violin pedagogy training with Carrie Reuning-Hummel at Ithaca College.

WRIGHT-IVANOVA, CHRISTINA. Dr. Christina Wright-Ivanova, hailed by critics as “a brilliant pianist” (Wiener Zeitung, Vienna) and an “ideal partner” (Huffington Post), is Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at Keene State College. She recently held the Interim Artistic Director position at the Redfern Arts Center and served on faculty as a vocal coach for graduate students at New England Conservatory. As a chamber musician, she has been heard in over 25 countries throughout North & South America, UK, Europe, Asia, and Australia, as well as on several recording labels. She enjoys frequent performances with orchestral musicians, including members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Kansas City Symphony, and with the Apple Hill, Lydian, and MIVOS Quartets. She regularly adjudicates chamber music and piano festivals nationally and internationally, and has given master classes across the US, Europe, and China. A passionate advocate for new music performance, she spends summers on faculty at Colorado’s Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice and has premiered over 150 works worldwide by living composers. Degrees: University of Texas at Austin (DMA), New England Conservatory (MM), University of Victoria, Canada (BM). www.christinajwright.com

YAMADA, KIMIKO. Originally from Sapporo, Japan, Kimiko Yamada is a musician and educator based in Mobile, Alabama. A euphoniumist, trombonist, recorderist, and pianist, she balances a part-time music career with a full-time job outside of music. After a successful freelance career in Japan, she moved to the U.S. for professional and personal opportunities, where she met a talented tuba player—now her husband of 10 years—while continuing to develop her own career. Kimiko was the youngest recipient of Asahikawa’s Rising Artist Award and later earned the same honor from Sapporo. She won concerto competitions at every university she attended and has performed over 40 recitals, soloed with bands and orchestras, and led numerous masterclasses. She has taught from elementary to college, served on the Hokkaido Euphonium Tuba Association board, and was an educational ambassador for Yamaha Music Japan. Her appearances include the Japan Band Clinic, IWBC, TMEA, and Tuba Euphonium Conferences. Kimiko holds degrees from Hokkaido University of Education, Indiana University, and the University of Memphis. She is a founding member of Backburner Euphonium and Tuba Collective, a board member of the Leonard Falcone Festival, and a lifetime ITEA member.

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.

ZENOBI, DANA. Dana Zenobi is a nationally-recognized interpreter of Art Song by women and voice pedagogy scholar. Her 2022 album and score anthology Joys Abiding: Duets by Historical Women Composers (Navona Records/Classical Vocal Reprints) with baritone Oliver Worthington and pianist Chuck Dillard has been warmly received. Performance credits include appearances with Austin Opera, Lyric Opera Cleveland, The Living Opera, Opera in the Heights, line upon line percussion ensemble, and the Austin Civic Orchestra. Performances and studio teaching have received accolades from The American Prize. Currently Associate Professor at Butler University, Dr. Zenobi teaches voice, pedagogy, diction,and vocal literature courses, and directs the Butler University Vocal Competition. Recipient of the 2020 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Voice Pedagogy Award, Dr. Zenobi has presented at events including NATS International Music By Women Festival, Voice Foundation, Voice Study Centre, Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA), Bel Canto Boot Camp, and the Associated Colleges of the South Gender Studies Conference. A native of Northport, NY, she earned both DMA (Voice Performance & Pedagogy) and MM (Opera Performance) from The University of Texas at Austin. She holds a dual Bachelor’s degree in Music and Women’s Studies from Duke University. www.danazenobisoprano.com