Listed in Alphabetical Order:

Sey Ahn, Honor Orchestra of America Assistant Conductor Born in 1986 in Seoul, Korea, Sey Ahn began playing the piano at the age of three. After immigrating to America at the age of ten, she consistently won accolades at numerous competitions such as the National Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Music Teachers National Association Piano Competition, International Young Artist Piano Competition and the Ylda Novik Piano Concerto Competition, to name a few. As a result, she concertized extensively, performing recitals as well as soloing with various orchestras including the Georgetown Symphony Orchestra and the Frederick Orchestra. From 2004-2008, Ahn attended the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music, where she received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance under the guidance of Professors Alan Chow and James Giles. During her years at Northwestern, Ahn also studied conducting with Maestro Victor Yampolsky, Professor and Director of Orchestras at the Bienen School. In 2008, Ahn moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance at the Thornton School of Music of the University of Southern California. While studying piano with Professor Norman Krieger, Ahn was accepted into the private conducting class of Professor Larry Livingston, Chair of the Department of Instrumental Conducting and Music Director of Thornton School Orchestras. Subsequently, in the fall of 2010, she was admitted as one of two orchestral conducting majors in the Master’s Degree program. Ahn has taken part in master classes and workshops led by renowned maestros Kurt Masur, Carl St. Clair, Jorge Mester, Helmuth Rilling, Mei-Ann Chen, Alexander Mickelthwate and Larry Rachleff. This past November, Ahn was among a cohort of nine conductors chosen from a field of one hundred applicants to enroll in the Kurt Masur Conducting Seminar at the Manhattan School of Music. She was subsequently chosen by Maestro Masur to conduct in the final concert. Selected to participate in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra International Conducting Symposium in 2010, Ahn was mentored by Maestro Alexander Michelthwate and Larry Livingston. Ahn has also participated in the California Conducting Institute, where she worked with Don Thulean, formerly head of the American Symphony Orchestra League Conducting Program, and Maestro Jon Farrer, Music Director of the Bakersfield Symphony in Bakersfield, California. Commencing in 2010, Ahn began serving as an assistant conductor to Maestro Larry Livingston with the Idyllwild Summer Music Festival Orchestras. Continuing that role in the summer of 2011, Sey also managed both the Idyllwild Summer Symphony and Chamberfest Orchestras. As of fall 2011, she has been appointed as a co-conductor and administrator of the USC Concert Orchestra. Trained from childhood to be a Tae Kwon Do black belt, she is an expert dancer, golfer and tennis player, and has studied flute and voice extensively. Ahn lives in Buena Park, California and carries a demanding teaching schedule.

Thomas Akins, Master of Ceremonies, Warren Performing Arts Center Thomas N. Akins, was Principal Timpanist of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) from 1965 to 1991, a position that is now endowed and titled in his honor. He then served as the ISO’s Director of Public Relations and Archives until 2007. Akins gave the world premiere of William Kraft’s Timpani Concerto No. 1 in 1984 and has appeared as soloist, guest conductor and narrator with the ISO and other orchestras on many occasions. He is conductor of Carmel Brass, co-host of an arts radio show, an award-winning author, a published composer/arranger and a national sports radio correspondent. His latest book, Behind The Copper Fence: A Lifetime On Timpani, is available at www.behindthecopperfence.com.

Joseph Alessi, Honor Band of America Guest Artist Joseph Alessi was appointed Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic in the spring of 1985. He began musical studies in his native California with his father, Joseph Alessi, Sr. as a high school student in San Rafael, California, and was a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony before continuing his musical training at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music. Prior to joining the Philharmonic, Alessi was second trombone of The Philadelphia Orchestra for four seasons and principal trombone of L’Orchestre symphonique de Montreal for one season. In addition, he has performed as guest principal trombonist with the London Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall led by Pierre Boulez. Alessi is an active soloist, recitalist and chamber music performer. In April 1990 he made his solo debut with the New York Philharmonic, performing Creston’s Fantasy for Trombone, and in 1992 premiered Christopher Rouse’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Trombone Concerto with the Philharmonic, which commissioned the work for its 150th anniversary celebration. His most recent appearance with the Philharmonic as soloist was in world premiere performances of Melinda Wagner's Trombone Concerto in February of 2007. Alessi has been a guest soloist with the Lincoln Symphony; National Repertory Orchestra; Colorado Symphony Orchestra; Syracuse Symphony Orchestra; Virginia Symphony; Alabama Symphony Orchestra; Santa Barbara Symphony; South Dakota Symphony; New Japan Philharmonic; Seoul Philharmonic; Orchestra of Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, Sicily; Mannheim National Theater Orchestra; National Symphony of Taiwan; Puerto Rico Symphony; Hague Philharmonic; Helsinki Philharmonic; and the Hartford Symphony. Alessi has also participated in numerous festivals, including the Festivale Musica di Camera in Protogruaro, Italy; Cabrillo Music Festival; Swiss Brass Week; and Lieksa Brass Week in Finland. He was featured in the 1997 International Trombone Festival in Feldkirch, Austria, and the International Meeting of Brass Instruments in Lille, France. He is a founding member of the Summit Brass ensemble at the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute in Tempe, Arizona. In 2002 Alessi was awarded an International Trombone Association Award for his contributions to the world of trombone music and trombone playing. Alessi is currently on the faculty of The Juilliard School; his students now occupy posts with many major symphony orchestras in the U.S. and internationally. He has also given master classes throughout the world and has toured Europe extensively as a master teacher and recitalist. He has performed as soloist with several leading concert bands, including the U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point, U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own), and the U.S. Marine Band (President's Own). Alessi’s discography includes many releases on the Summit record label, including the recent Trombonastics, and a disc with New York Philharmonic Principal Trumpet Philip Smith entitled Fandango; he also recorded New York Legends on the Cala label. His live recording of the Rouse Concerto with the New York Philharmonic can be heard on Volume II of the recent release, An American Celebration, on New York Philharmonic Special Editions, the Orchestra’s own recording label. Three new recordings are scheduled for release in 2007: Return to Sorrento, on the Naxos record label, and two recordings on the Summit record label that feature Alessi with Columbus State University Wind Ensemble and the Imperial Brass Band. In addition, conductor/composer Bramwell Tovey recently recorded a piece written especially for Alessi, entitled Urban Cabaret with Alessi as soloist. Alessi was invited by the International Trombone Association to record a solo disc of newly composed works, which was distributed to the Association’s membership of 5,000 trombonists in early 1999 and is now available as Beyond the End of the Century through Summit Records. Recently, his recording of George Crumb’s Starchild on the Bridge record label, featuring Alessi as soloist, won a Grammy Award for 1999– 2000. Other recordings featuring Alessi are with the Canadian Brass (Sony Classical and Philips Records). Further information about Alessi can be found on his website, www.slidearea.com.

Thad Anderson, Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival Evaluator Sponsored by Yamaha Corporation of America, Vic Firth and Remo Thad Anderson is a member of the percussion faculty at The University of Central Florida. Active as a solo, orchestral and chamber musician, some of Anderson’s performance credits include the Accidental Music Festival; Victoria Bach Festival; Austin Chamber Music Center; Round Top Festival-Institute; Syracuse Society for New Music; Make Music New York; Winter Park Bach Festival; Days of Percussion in Florida, Texas, Idaho and Oklahoma; the Texas and Florida Music Educators Association Convention; Percussive Arts Society International Convention; Austin, Waco, and Brevard Symphony Orchestras; and as a guest soloist with Conspirare and the Monroe Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, Anderson is highly active in the Percussive Arts Society community, where he is currently President of the Florida chapter. He completed his undergraduate work in Music Education at the University of Central Florida and received his Master of Music degree and Doctorate of Music Arts degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Texas at Austin. Anderson endorses Yamaha, Vic Firth and Remo.

Harry D. Blake, National Concert Band Festival Associate Coordinator Harry D. Blake will finish his 50th year of band directing in May of 2013 as Director of Bands at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. He previously taught at Killeen High School, De Soto High School and MacArthur High School in Texas; Fort Hunt High School in Virginia and Salem High School in Oregon; and Sturgis High School in Michigan. His MacArthur High School Band and the De Soto Wind Symphony have been featured bands at Music for All National’s Concert Band Festival. Blake also served as Director of Bands at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma; University of Nevada at Las Vegas; and Frostburg State College in Frostburg, Maryland. Blake is a past State Chairman of the National Band Association (NBA) and College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) and is presently a member of the CBDNA, NBA, Texas Bandmasters Association, Texas Music Educators Association and Texas Community College Band Directors Association.

Brian Blocker, Jazz Band of America Assistant Brian Blocker has been a music educator in Indiana for 12 years. Blocker holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Butler University’s Jordan College of Fine Arts. While at Butler, he studied percussion with Jon Crabiel and John Hill. Blocker is currently the Director of Bands for the School Town of Highland in northern Indiana, teaching K-12 music, and is pursuing his Masters degree in Music Education at VanderCook College of Music. Blocker maintains professional memberships in both Kappa Kappa Psi National Band Fraternity and the Indiana Bandmasters Association. This is his third year as an assistant for Music for All. He served as the assistant to the Honor Band of America for the past two years, and 2013 marks his first year working with the Jazz Band of America.

Dr. Peter Loel Boonshaft, National Concert Band Festival Evaluator Called one of the most exciting and exhilarating voices in music education today, Peter Loel Boonshaft has been invited to speak or conduct in every state in the nation and around the world. Boonshaft is the author of the critically acclaimed best-selling books Teaching Music with Passion, Teaching Music with Purpose and Teaching Music with Promise. He is also co-author of Alfred Music Publishing’s new beginning method book series, Sound Innovations for Band and Sound Innovations for Strings. He is currently a Professor of Music and Director of the Graduate Conducting Program at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Boonshaft was honored by the National Association for Music Education and Music For All as the first recipient of the “George M. Parks Award for Leadership in Music Education.” He has received official proclamations from the Governors of five states and a Certificate of Appreciation from former President Ronald Reagan, and has performed for former President and Mrs. George H. W. Bush; former President Bill Clinton; and Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Other honors include being selected three times as a National Endowment for the Arts "Artist in Residence,” three times awarded Honorary Life Membership in the Tri-M Music Honor Society, and being selected for the Center for Scholarly Research and Academic Excellence at Hofstra University.

Thomas Bough, Tuba Master Class Sponsored by Yamaha Corporation of America Dr. Thomas Bough holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education degree from Missouri State University and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Tuba Performance from Arizona State University. He served as a music educator at Westwood High School in Mesa, Arizona and at Southern Illinois University. He is currently the Director of Athletic Bands at Northern Illinois University, where he also conducts the Wind Symphony and teaches graduate conducting and instrumental arranging. Bough is a Yamaha sponsored artist, and his diverse performance background includes wind, jazz and brass bands; orchestras; chamber music; Dixieland; the Walt Disney World All American College Band; and the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. Bough is an active conductor, arranger, composer, clinician and adjudicator. His music is published by Alfred Publications, Cimarron Music and GPG Publications. He serves as a brass consultant and guest instructor with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. Bough has been a part of the Music For All Summer Symposium and National Festival for over a decade. He has presented master classes and workshops at numerous music schools, universities, clinics and conferences across the country, as well as at the International Society for Music Education Conference in Beijing, China. Learn more about his work at www.ThomasBough.com or www.downbeatdesignteam.com.

Joel Braun, Strings Sectionals/Seating, Bass Joel Braun is Assistant Professor of Music (Double Bass) at Ball State University. As an orchestral musician, he has performed in many of the leading concert halls around the world, including the Musikverein, the Berliner Philharmonie, Royal Albert Hall, the Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, the Salle Pleyel in Paris and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. From 2006 through 2012, Braun was a full time substitute musician with the New York Philharmonic. During that time, he participated in numerous international tours of both Europe and Asia, including the Philharmonic’s historic trip to North Korea in 2008. Other engagements include performances with such ensembles as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the New York City Ballet, the Israel Philharmonic and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. Braun is a past recipient of the Aspen Music Festival String Fellowship. He is a faculty member of the Benefic Chamber Music Camp and has held past positions in double bass at the Juilliard School Pre-College Division and the Kaufman Center in New York City. As a recitalist, Braun has premiered Bezhad Ranjbaran’s Elegy for Double Bass and Piano and Manuel Sosa’s Tractus V, a work written for and dedicated to him. Braun is a graduate of the Juilliard School, receiving a Pre-College diploma in 2001, a Bachelor of Music in 2005 and a Master of Music in 2007.

Joe Burgstaller, Trumpet Master Class Sponsored by Yamaha Corporation of America Trumpeter Joe Burgstaller has thrilled audiences throughout the world with his dazzling virtuosity, captivating sensitivity and engaging personality. Formerly with Canadian Brass and the avant-garde Meridian Arts Ensemble, he was also one of the all-time most popular soloists at Columbia Artists Community Concerts and performed over 60 solo concerts every year. Burgstaller has performed in front of more than 40 orchestras, in more than 50 music festivals, and has performed and taught at over 80 universities, conservatories and colleges. His extensive discography includes solo CDs and three Top-10 Billboard hits with Canadian Brass. His last two CDs with his Classical/Jazz- Hybrid crossover group, BM4, were Top-50 on the JazzRadio charts and the Roots Radio Report. Burgstaller tours worldwide as a soloist, with BM4, with the New York Brass Arts Trio and as a clinician and teacher. He is on the faculty at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, where he teaches trumpet, chamber music and a special Performance Class series for all instruments called "Change Your Mind, Change Your Playing." Every summer, he teaches at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, CA. Burgstaller is a Yamaha Performing Artist.

James Campbell, Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival Evaluator Sponsored in part by Yamaha Corporation of America and Zildjian James Campbell has received worldwide recognition as a performer, pedagogue and author, and is a respected figure in the development of the contemporary percussion ensemble. He has toured extensively throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Currently Provost’s Distinguished Service Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, he also holds the positions of Principal Percussionist with the Lexington Philharmonic, drummer with the Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra and Past-President of the Percussive Arts Society. Campbell is a member of the Latin Percussion Educational Advisory Board; was inducted into the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame in 2008; is a Performing Artist for Yamaha Corporation of America, Band & Orchestra Division; and represents a number of other major music industry members. Music for All will induct Campbell into the BOA Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Saturday evening, March 16, at the Music for All National Festival in Indianapolis. His involvement with Music for All and BOA spans three decades as an adjudicator, clinician and evaluator, including having served previously as both BOA Chief Judge and coordinator of the Summer Symposium percussion divisions for students and teachers.

Scott J. Casagrande, National Concert Band Festival Associate Coordinator Music for All Educational Consultant Scott J. Casagrande has been Director of Bands at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois since 1999. He served previously as Director of Bands at Plainfield and Stephen Decatur High Schools. He received his B.S. and M.S. in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Ensembles under Casagrande’s direction have been selected to perform at honor clinics and festivals, and his bands have been consistent winners at marching and jazz contests and festivals. His ensembles have performed at the French Reeds Festival in the French Riviera, at Orchestra Hall in the Chicago Symphony Center, at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and throughout Europe. In 2007, the John Hersey band program was awarded the prestigious Sudler Flag of Honor from the John Philip Sousa Foundation. In 2004, Casagrande was one of three conductors in the United States chosen to participate in the National Band Association International Conducting Symposium in Rome, Italy, conducting the Italian National Army Band. Casagrande was inducted into the prestigious American Bandmasters Association in 2009. He has been published in The Instrumentalist, The National Band Association Journal and has presented at the Illinois Music Educators Association State Convention. He currently serves as Second Vice President of the National Band Association.

Ndugu Chancler, Jazz Band of America Guest Artist Sponsored in part by Yamaha Corporation of America, Vic Firth and Remo Ndugu Chancler is a drummer, percussionist, producer, composer, clinician and educator. As a studio musician, Chancler has recorded with such greats as Frank Sinatra, Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, John Lee Hooker, Kenny Rogers and Michael Jackson. He worked on “Thriller” and “Bad” and was the drummer on the hit single “Billie Jean.” Chancler has also played on a number of movie soundtracks including “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “Indecent Proposal” and “The Color Purple.” As a songwriter, Chancler co- wrote hits including “Dance Sister Dance” for Santana, “Reach For It” for George Duke, and “Let It Whip” for the Dazz Band. His production credits include Flora Purim, Bill Summers and Toki, along with his own solo recordings as “Ndugu and the Chocolate Jam Co.” and “Ndugu Chancler.” He has co-produced recordings for Santana, George Duke, The Crusaders, Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, Tina Turner and The Meeting, a group he co-leads with Patrice Rushen and Ernie Watts. Through these associations he has earned many Gold and Platinum albums and Grammy Awards. As an educator, Chancler has worked with the Jazz Mentorship Program in Los Angeles, as Faculty Advisor to the USC. JazzReach, and as Faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop and the Diaz Music Institute. He does clinics all over the world for various percussion and audio equipment companies including Yamaha, Remo and Vic Firth. Chancler is an Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies at The University of Southern California, Flora L. Thornton School of Music.

David Collier, Honor Band of America Percussion Coordinator Sponsored by Yamaha Corporation of America Dr. David Collier is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at Illinois State University. He was recently named the College of Fine Arts Outstanding Teacher for 2012. Collier is currently principal timpanist with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Chamber Orchestra, the Peoria Symphony Orchestra and the Heartland Festival Orchestra. In addition, Collier is also active as a freelance percussionist and has performed with artists such as Mannheim Steamroller, Marvin Hamlisch, Joel Gray, Mitzi Gaynor, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Petula Clark, Aretha Franklin, Tommy Tune, Roger Williams, Shirley Jones and Bobby Vinton. Collier received his Bachelor of Music degree from Florida State University, his Master of Music degree from Indiana University and his doctorate in Percussion Performance and Electronic Music from the University of Illinois. His teachers include Gary Werdesheim, George Gaber, Barry Jekowsky, Richard Holmes, Thomas Siwe, William Moersch and Scott Wyatt. Collier has served as an adjudicator for Drum Corps International and Bands of America. He is an artist/clinician for a number of percussion music industry members and a Performing Artist for Yamaha.

Eugene Migliaro Corporon, National Concert Band Festival Evaluator Eugene Migliaro Corporon is the conductor of the Wind Symphony, Regents Professor of Music and Director of Wind Studies at the University of North Texas. He is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach and Claremont Graduate University. His performances have drawn praise from colleagues, composers and music critics alike. His recordings, two of which have appeared on the Grammy nomination ballot, are aired regularly on radio broadcasts throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. Corporon maintains an active guest-conducting schedule and is in demand as a conductor and teacher throughout the world. He is Past President of the College Band Directors National Association, a past member of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles International Board, and a member by invitation of the American Bandmasters Association and Phi Beta Mu. Corporon, a frequent guest conductor at the Showa University of Music in Kawasaki City, Japan, has also served as a visiting conductor at the Julliard School, the Interlochen World Center for Arts Education and the Aspen Music Festival and School. Corporon has received many illustrious awards, among them the Kappa Kappa Psi Distinguished Service to Music Award, the Phi Beta Mu International Band Conductor of the Year Award, and California State University Department of Music Distinguished Alumni Awards.

Jon Crabiel, Honor Orchestra of America Percussion Coordinator, Percussion Master Class Sponsored in part by Yamaha Corporation of America, Vic Firth and Remo Jon Crabiel is currently Artist-in-Residence in Percussion at Butler University’s Jordan College of the Arts School of Music, where he serves as Director of Percussion Studies, conducts Percussion and Steel Drum Ensembles and teaches courses in percussion pedagogy and world drumming. In addition, he serves as director of the Butler Total Percussion Camp held every summer. Crabiel is a regular extra percussionist/drum set and timpanist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. He has served as Principal Timpanist at Bear Valley Music Festival and has performed with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Empire Brass and Ronen Chamber Ensemble. He is a member of the Icarus Ensemble, an eclectic, five-piece jazz group made up of members of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Crabiel is a Yamaha Performing Artist and endorses Yamaha Drums and Percussion, Vic Firth Drumsticks and Mallets, Remo Drumheads and other music industry members.

Paula Crider, Middle School National Music Festival Evaluator During her years as a graduate student at the University of Texas, Paula Crider taught at an East Austin inner city middle school. In 1972, she became the first female class 4-A (later 5-A) high school band director in the state of Texas. Her Crockett High School Bands in Austin earned twelve consecutive University Interscholastic League awards for musical excellence, received national recognition on the concert stage, and were twice named Texas State Marching Band Champions. In 1982, Crider began her tenure at the University of Texas, first as Assistant Director, and later as a full professor in the School of Music, conductor of the Symphony Band and Director of the acclaimed Longhorn Band. She has been named Professor Emerita and was twice awarded the “Eyes of Texas“ Award for distinguished teaching. Crider has enjoyed an active schedule as guest conductor, lecturer, clinician and adjudicator in 48 states and across the globe. She is a Past President of both the National Band Association and the American Bandmasters Association and was named to the Board of Directors of the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Association in 2011. Among many other awards, Crider was named the Texas Bandmasters Association Bandmaster of the Year in 2004 and was inducted into the Phi Beta Mu Hall of Fame in 2011. Nicole DeGuire, Strings Sectionals/Seating, Violin Nicole DeGuire is Director of Orchestras at Fishers High School and an avid freelance violinist with numerous orchestras across the state of Indiana. Earning her B.M. in Violin Performance with Honors at Butler University, she went on to complete her M.M. in Violin Performance and Literature as well as an Orchestral Studies Diploma from the Eastman School of Music. Teachers include Charles Castleman, Ilya Kaler, Lisa Brooks, Davis Brooks, Larry Shapiro, Geoffrey Applegate and Paul Kantor. As Director of Orchestras at Fishers High School, DeGuire’s groups have earned gold ratings at ISSMA District Festival and gold ratings along with distinction at ISSMA State Qualifications. In 2012, the Fishers High School Orchestra was selected to perform in Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World. DeGuire has extensive orchestral experience performing with the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic, Muncie Symphony Orchestra, Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, Carmel Symphony Orchestra and Marion Philharmonic. Other professional orchestral experience includes Rochester Philharmonic, Erie Philharmonic, Albany Symphony Orchestra and South Bend Symphony Orchestra. She maintains an active private studio, serves as a clinician/coach for middle and high school orchestra students and enjoys playing chamber music. DeGuire is also the INASTA All-State Orchestra Coordinator. Nicole DeGuire is the Director of Orchestras at Fishers High School. She has a B.M. in Violin Performance with Honors from Butler University and a M.M. in Violin Performance and Literature, as well as an Orchestral Studies Diploma from The Eastman School of Music.

Douglas Droste, Orchestra America National Festival Evaluator Douglas Droste is Director of Orchestral Studies and Associate Professor of Music at Oklahoma State University. He is also Principal Guest Conductor with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, where he conducts a variety of performances including productions with the Oklahoma City Ballet. An advocate of youth orchestras and music education, Droste is the founder/conductor of the OSU String Academy Chamber Orchestra. He regularly conducts All-State orchestras and other youth orchestras throughout the country, serves as a clinician and adjudicator for school orchestras and festivals, and recently established a Young People's Concert series with the OSU Orchestra, performing in area schools. Droste studied conducting at the Pierre Monteux School, Oregon Bach Festival with Helmuth Rilling, as well as conducting seminars sponsored by the League of American Orchestras and Conductors Guild. His primary conducting mentors include Gary Lewis, Larry Rachleff, Michael Jinbo, David Lockington and Jose- Luis Novo. On violin, Droste has performed with the orchestras of Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Nashville, Memphis, Lubbock and the Lancaster Festival. He studied with John Gilbert and the late Michael Davis. Droste is also proficient on viola, trumpet and has sung in a variety of choral ensembles. He is a graduate of Ohio State University and Texas Tech University.

Lou Fischer, Jazz Band of America Conductor Sponsored by Yamaha Corporation of America As a Yamaha performing artist, playing the Silent Bass exclusively, Dr. Lou Fischer has been an extremely active performer in the entertainment industry since he was 12 years old, having performed on over 2,000+ commercials and 50+ Broadway shows. He has toured worldwide with The Crusaders, Airto, Charlie Byrd, Bill Watrous, Red Rodney, Rich Matteson, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams and Emmy Lou Harris, plus the orchestras of Woody Herman, Louis Bellson, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Les Hopper, Tex Beneke and Jimmy Dorsey, among many others. Having performed on over 200+ recordings, Fischer has four big band album releases under his own name as a bandleader. He is also featured as a founding member of the groups: “highTIME” Morning Walk co-produced with Ndugu Chancler, featuring Pat Coil-kybds, Fred Hamilton-guitar; “Three As One” Decisions with Steve Houghton-drums and Stefan Karlsson-piano; and “Beaux J Poo Boo” on All Things Are New featuring Shelly Berg-piano, Fred Hamilton-guitar, and Steve Houghton-drums. A select group of additional recordings include: The Manne We Love: Gershwin Revisited (Steve Houghton); A Time For Love and Bone-I-fied (Bill Watrous); The Joy (Shelly Berg); A Miracle (The Frank Mantooth Big Band); and High Wire (Sunny Wilkinson). Fischer has appeared as a performer, clinician and/or director at jazz festivals in Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Scandinavia, Sweden and South Africa, in addition to over three hundred high schools and universities in the United States. He recently conducted the All-State or Intercollegiate jazz ensembles of Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, South Carolina and Wisconsin. A music publisher for thirteen years, Fischer now publishes his compositions with Walrus Music. He is author of Jazz Bass Solos Vol. II (Kendor) and has co-authored Rhythm Section Workshop for Jazz Band Directors (Alfred) and Stylistic Etudes in the Jazz Idiom (Hal Leonard). Additionally, Fischer has contributed various articles to JAZZed magazine, the Jazz Educators Journal and The Instrumentalist regarding jazz and jazz pedagogy. As a composer, Fischer has penned commissions for the Muncie Symphony Orchestra; for the jazz ensembles of Louisiana Tech, Illinois Wesleyan, Capital University and Ball State Universities; and has completed a four-movement symphonic work titled Shades of Winter, premiered by the Capital-Bexley Community Orchestra in 2003. A member of the University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band (1971-1974), Fischer earned a Bachelor of Music in jazz performance (’91), Magna Cum Laude, and a Master of Arts in composition with honors from the University of Denver (’92). He holds a Doctor of Arts in bass performance, with a secondary in theory and composition from Ball State University in Indiana (’99). Fischer is professor of music, jazz activities coordinator and jazz ensemble director at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, where he teaches American Pop/Jazz Theory and Jazz Arranging and directs the Fusion Band and award-winning Big Band. In addition, Fischer acted as a faculty member and jazz division head for the Music For All Summer Symposium from 1995-2011. “Dr. Lou” is one of two Co-Founders and Immediate Past President of the Jazz Education Network.

Ingrid Fischer-Bellman, Cello Master Class Ingrid Fischer-Bellman is a member of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) cello section. She studied cello with Janos Starker at Indiana University where she earned a Masters Degree in Music. Born in Bucharest, Romania, Ingrid immigrated with her family to Israel. She was a scholarship recipient of the American Israeli Foundation for Young Artists and has concertized in Israel and the United States. She has performed as soloist with the Carmel Symphony and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis. Fischer- Bellman is a co-founder and co-Artistic Director of the Ronen Chamber Ensemble, and she directs Ronen’s educational outreach programs. Fischer-Bellman is a 2009 recipient of the ISO's "Patch" Leadership Award, which recognizes ISO musicians for their contributions both to the orchestra and to the greater musical community. She is a frequent faculty member of the Illinois Wesleyan University Summer Cello camp. Fischer-Bellman is also devoted to bringing music to young people, and has an active private studio as well as a busy schedule with the ISO education department's public school initiative, where she presents thematic programs that coordinate with teachers' curriculums.

Cheryl Floyd, Middle School National Music Festival Evaluator Cheryl Floyd is Director of Bands at Hill Country Middle School in Austin, Texas, and previously served as Director of Bands at Murchison Middle School. Organizations under her leadership have consistently been sited for musical excellence at both local contests and national invitational festivals. Floyd is recognized nationally for her educational and musical achievements at the middle school level. In 1990, her Murchison program was the recipient of the coveted Sudler Cup Award presented to exemplary middle school band programs by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. Since 1985, Floyd has served as co-principal flute with the Austin Symphonic Band. She also enjoys an active schedule as an adjudicator, clinician, author and guest conductor throughout the United States, having served as one of the first women guest conductors of the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C. in 1998. A 1980 graduate of Baylor University, Floyd has also done graduate work at the University of Texas. In 2003, she was elected to the American Bandmasters Association, the first middle school band director to be chosen for membership. Floyd is also a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association and Phi Beta Mu.

Richard L. Floyd, National Concert Band Festival Evaluator Richard Floyd is presently in his 50th year of active involvement as a conductor, music educator and administrator. He has enjoyed a distinguished career at virtually every level of wind band performance from beginning band programs through high school and university wind ensembles as well as adult community bands. At present, Floyd serves as State Director of Music at the University of Texas at Austin where he coordinates all facets of secondary school music competition for some 3,500 performing organizations throughout the state. He also holds the post of Musical Director and Conductor of the Austin Symphonic Band which is viewed to be one of the premier adult concert bands in America. Floyd is a recognized authority on conducting, the art of wind band rehearsing, concert band repertoire and music advocacy. As such, he has toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe as a clinician, adjudicator and conductor including appearances in 44 American states and in nine other countries. In 2002 he was the recipient of the prestigious A.A. Harding Award presented by the American School Band Directors Association in recognition of his significant and lasting contributions to the school band movement. The Texas Bandmasters Association named him Texas Bandmaster of the Year in 2006, and in 2009 he was presented the Texas Music Educators Association Distinguished Service Award. In March of 2011 he was inducted into the Music For All Hall of Fame and awarded the prestigious Midwest International Clinic Medal of Honor for his distinguished and unique contributions to educational bands and orchestras.

Dean Franke, Violin Master Class Dean Franke has served as the Assistant Concertmaster of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) since 1990. He was born in Ottawa, Canada, and made his solo debut at age 15 with the Toronto Symphony. He was the winner of the CBC Network Talent Search and Second Prize in the CBC Talent Festival, leading to numerous recitals and solo performances throughout Canada. He studied at Indiana University, at Juilliard and as a fellow at Tanglewood, Yale and the Banff School of Fine Arts. Franke is on the faculty of the University of Indianapolis. With his wife, violist Susan Chan, he was cofounder of Accord Chamber Music Society in San Francisco, California, and is also cofounder since 1999 of the New Century String Quartet based at the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center in Indianapolis. He has performed as a soloist with the ISO with conductor Raymond Leppard and with the Indianapolis Philharmonic with conductor Orcenith Smith. Franke has also been a guest with the Ronen Chamber Ensemble, Scott Chamber Players, Indiana University’s Faculty Recital Series (Bloomington), Composers Inc. (San Francisco) and Princeton University New Music Series (New Jersey).

Adam Frey, Euphonium Master Class Sponsored by Yamaha Corporation of America One of the elite brass soloists of the world, Adam Frey travels the globe sharing his talents as a performer and teacher. Frey received his musical training at the University of Georgia and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. As a major ambassador of the euphonium, Frey has more than seventy works that have been composed or specifically arranged for him. Frey has soloed with notably famous orchestras all over the world. He also has been invited to perform major euphonium and tenor tuba features with the Atlanta, Seattle, Oregon and Charleston Symphony Orchestras. He performs regularly with wind bands and brass bands from Holland, Wales, Switzerland, Singapore, Germany, Hong Kong and the United States. Frey has been a guest soloist at festivals around the globe. In addition, he has hosted the International Euphonium Institute Festival for Euphonium and Tuba for ten years. This event occurs in Atlanta each June and hosts 70+ students and teachers from around the world. Frey’s website, www.euphonium.com, contains sound files, performance schedules, photos from his world travels and his recordings and publications. Adam Frey is a Yamaha Performing Artist and Guest Clinician.

Colonel Arnald D. Gabriel (USAF Ret.), National Concert Band Festival Evaluator Colonel Arnald D. Gabriel retired from the United States Air Force in 1985 after 36 years of service. He served as Commander/Conductor of the internationally renowned U.S. Air Force Band, Symphony Orchestra and Singing Sergeants, and he was named the first Conductor Emeritus of the USAF Band. A member of the U.S. Army’s 29th Infantry Division in Europe during WW II, Col. Gabriel received two Bronze Star Medals, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the French Croix de Guerre. In 2008, the U.S. Air Force Band dedicated the Arnald D. Gabriel Hall in his honor. Col. Gabriel served on the faculty of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and was named Professor Emeritus of Music in recognition of his service. Col. Gabriel has earned distinguished awards from the organizations Phi Mu Alpha and Kappa Kappa Psi, has served as President of the American Bandmasters Association, and has been inducted into Music for All’s Bands of America Hall of Fame. He has performed in all 50 states and in 50 countries, and has had over 1,000 appearances as a clinician at major music festivals around the world. Col. Gabriel attended Ithaca College, where he earned both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Music Education and later received an Honorary Doctor of Music degree and a Lifetime Achievement Award. Visit Colonel Gabriel at www.colgabriel.com.

William Galvin, Educational Consultant and Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival Coordinator William Galvin is the former Director of Instrumental Studies and Music Department Chair for the Trinity Area School District. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Morehead State University (KY) and Master of Music Education degree from Duquesne University. Galvin has been awarded the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence and the Citation of Excellence presented by the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA). During his tenure at Trinity High School, Galvin’s ensembles earned twenty-eight Superior Ratings and eight consecutive Pennsylvania Interscholastic Marching Band Association Class Championships. His ensembles performed for five PMEA State Conferences, one Music Educators National Conference Eastern Division Conference, and three Music For All National Festivals. Galvin was cited as an Outstanding Young Educator in America and has been listed in “Who’s Who Among American Teachers.” He is conductor of the Washington (PA) Symphony Chamber Orchestra. He has served on the board of directors of the Washington Symphony Orchestra, as a member of the Music for All Advisory Board, is a past president of the Washington County Music Educators Association, a past PMEA District President, and a former chair of the PMEA Music Booster Affiliate. In his retirement, Galvin continues to be active as a consultant, speaker and guest conductor.

Carl Grapentine, Master of Ceremonies, Clowes Memorial Hall Carl Grapentine is the host of the Morning Program on WFMT/ 98.7 FM, Chicago’s classical radio station. Grapentine joined WFMT in 1986 after 13 years as the morning host of the classical music station in Detroit. Grapentine hosted the first five National Concert Band Festivals in Chicago, and Music for All was thrilled to welcome him back as Master of Ceremonies beginning with the 1999 Festival in Indianapolis. Grapentine presents pre-concert lectures for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Music of the Baroque and many other groups. He also performs as narrator with the Chicago Pro Musica and hosts concerts for numerous community orchestras and bands. An alumnus of the University of Michigan School of Music, Grapentine has been the “stadium voice” of the University of Michigan Marching Band for 43 seasons, and added the duties of game announcer in 2006. An accomplished conductor and singer, Grapentine has many years of experience as a church music director. Currently, he sings in the choir of Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest, Illinois. He has also sung the national anthem for professional and collegiate sporting events at Wrigley Field, Comiskey Park, Tiger Stadium, the Pontiac Silverdome and the University of Michigan’s Crisler Arena.

Gary Green, National Concert Band Festival Evaluator Gary Green is Professor of Music, Director of Bands, Chairman of Instrumental Performance and conductor of the Frost Wind Ensemble in the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. He previously served as Director of Bands at the University of Connecticut, where he was influential in commissioning and recording new works for winds and percussion. Since his arrival at the University of Miami, Green has continued the commissioning and performance of important new repertoire for the Frost Wind Ensemble, including the commission of Christopher Rouse’s Wolf Rounds, premiered at Carnegie Hall in 2007. Green received The Phillip Frost Award for Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship in the Frost School of Music in 2002. Green has been Music Director of the Greater Miami Symphonic Band since 1994. He is an active conductor and clinician for the Interlochen Summer Arts Academy and has also appeared with international, national, regional, All State and intercollegiate bands in the entire continental United States. Green conducted in Taiwan as part of the 2005 International Band Association Festival as well as in Austria for the Mid Europe Music Festival. Green is a member of the American Bandmasters Association, the College Band Directors Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the Florida Bandmasters Association and the Florida Music Educators Association.

Michael Huestis, Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival Assistant Michael Huestis has been involved in music education since 1991 and is currently teaching at The Colony High School in North Dallas. His ensembles have performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Music for All National Festival, MENC Biennial Conference, Bands of America Grand National Championships, President Bush’s inaugural parade in Washington D.C. and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Huestis was featured as one of the “50 Directors Who Make a Difference” by School Band and Orchestra magazine in 2008. Huestis’ drum corps career includes the Velvet Knights, Freelancers and Blue Devils. He earned his Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of North Texas, where he performed with the UNT drum line, Steel Band, the Brazilian Ensemble, Afro-Cuban Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble. Huestis earned a Masters in Percussion Performance from BYU while serving as a graduate assistant for the Cougar Drumline and Latin-Jazz Ensemble. Huestis is a highly sought-after composer and arranger with compositions published by JKS Music, Rowloff and Key Poulan Publications. He is also the author of the classroom method, “Developing the Percussionist-Musician.” Huestis served as a Chapter President of the Percussive Arts Society, and other professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association and the Music Educators National Conference. Huestis is a Vic Firth clinician.

Jerry Junkin, Honor Band of America Conductor Beginning his 25th year on the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the Vincent R. and Jane D. DiNino Chair for the Director of Bands, Jerry Junkin is recognized as one of the world’s most highly regarded wind conductors. He also holds the title of University Distinguished Teaching Professor. Previously, he served on the faculties of both the University of Michigan and the University of South Florida. In addition to his responsibilities as Professor of Music and Conductor of the Texas Wind Ensemble, he serves as Head of the Conducting Division and teaches courses in conducting and wind band literature. He is a recipient of multiple teaching awards, and his students hold major positions throughout the world. He has served as Music Director and Conductor of the Hong Kong Wind Philharmonia since 2003. Additionally, 2012 marks the beginning of his 20th season as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Dallas Wind Symphony. He has also recently been named as principal conductor of the Sensoku Gakuen College of Music Wind Ensemble in Kawasaki, Japan. In 2005 he was presented the Grainger Medallion by the International Percy Grainger Society in recognition of his championing of Grainger’s works. Performances under Junkin’s direction have won the praise of such notable musicians as John Corigliano, David Del Tredici, Gunther Schuller, Karel Husa, William Kraft, Jacob Druckman and Michael Colgrass, among many others. Junkin has released over 30 compact disc recordings for the Reference, Klavier and Naxos labels. The New York Times named his recent release on the Reference Recordings label, Bells for Stokowski, one of the best classical CDs of the year. His performance of Circus Maximus with The University of Texas Wind Ensemble was recently released on the world’s first Blu Ray audio disc in 5.1 surround sound by Naxos. In 2014 he will lead The University of Texas Wind Ensemble on a four-week tour around the world. Junkin is an enthusiastic advocate of public school music education, having conducted All-State bands and festivals in forty-eight states and on five continents. He spends his summers in residence at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, as well as appearing at major music festivals throughout the world. Junkin has served as President of the Big XII Band Directors Association, is a member of the Board of Directors of The John Philip Sousa Foundation, is Past-President of the American Bandmasters Association and is Past President of the College Band Directors National Association. Regularly making guest appearances with ensembles such as the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra and the Taipei Symphonic Winds, the 2012-13 season finds him conducting throughout the United States in addition to appearances in Japan, China, Spain and Austria.

James Keene, National Concert Band Festival Evaluator James F. Keene retired from the University of Illinois in 2008, where he held the titles of Director of Bands and Brownfield Distinguished Professor of Music. During his 23-year tenure, the Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony, under his direction, were selected to perform for major music conferences in the U.S., toured throughout the U.S. and Europe, and performed in several of America's most prestigious concert halls including Orchestra Hall in Chicago and Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York. His ensembles have produced an extensive recording series on several labels, which have been broadcast worldwide. Keene is Past-President of the American Bandmasters Association and the National Band Association. He also serves as Trustee of the Foundation for Music Education. He is an honorary member of the Board of Directors of the International Percy Grainger Society; is an Honorary Life Member of The Texas Bandmasters Association; and has been installed into the Bands of America Hall of Fame. Recently, Phi Beta Mu announced that Keene will receive the 2013 Outstanding Bandmaster of the Year Award at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in December. Keene is in constant demand as conductor, clinician and adjudicator, and has appeared in forty-four states and on four continents.

Craig Kirchhoff, National Concert Band Festival Evaluator Craig Kirchhoff is Professor of Conducting and Director of University Bands at the University of Minnesota, where he conducts the University Wind Ensemble and guest conducts in the University Opera Program. Kirchhoff coordinates the graduate program in Wind Ensemble/Band Conducting and guides all aspects of the University of Minnesota wind band program. Previously, Kirchhoff served as Director of Bands at Ohio State University for fourteen years. He was the recipient of the Ohio State University Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award and the Ohio State University School of Music Distinguished Teaching Award. Kirchhoff is past president of the College Band Directors National Association and is a member of the American Bandmasters Association, the National Band Association, the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles and the Music Educators National Conference, and served as the founding editor and principal advisor of the College Band Directors National Association Journal. He has appeared as guest conductor, clinician and lecturer throughout the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Taiwan, Europe and Scandinavia. Kirchhoff has guest conducted the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra and has recorded with them on the Kosei Publishing label.

Franz Anton Krager, Orchestra America National Festival Evaluator American born and trained conductor Franz Anton Krager has made his artistic presence felt both at home and abroad with performance engagements in some of the world’s most celebrated concert halls. Since making his prize-winning European conducting debut in Copenhagen’s Tivoli Koncertsalen in 1978, Krager has led orchestras in Moscow’s State Kremlin Palace, Manchester England’s Bridgewater Hall, the Sydney Opera House and Kazan’s State Philharmonic Hall in Russia, among many other venues. Maestro Krager served as principal guest conductor in Stratford from 2000-2004, made his European opera-conducting debut with the Stagione Lirica in Italy in 2004, conducted the Houston Ballet with Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker in 2011, and has led countless other groups across the nation and the world. Krager has worked with the Texas Music Festival and Interlochen National Music Camp as well as with leading international music festivals. In 2006, he was appointed Artistic Consultant for the World Holocaust Forum Foundation’s “Let My People Live” event in the Ukraine. Krager is Professor of Conducting, Director of Orchestras, and Chair of the Conducting Department at the University of Houston Moores School of Music, where he has brought the orchestra and orchestral conducting programs into the realm of national prominence.

Frank Kumor, Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival Evaluator Sponsored in part by Yamaha Corporation of America and Remo Dr. Frank Kumor is currently on the music faculty at Kutztown University in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, where he is the Assistant Director of Percussion Studies and conducts the World Percussion Ensemble. This ensemble specializes in the drumming of West Africa, Ghana and Brazil. His book, Drum Circle, A Guide To World Percussion, co-authored with Chalo Eduardo, features twenty-eight world percussion instruments from five continents and an interactive CD-ROM. Kumor presents solo recitals and workshops as well as concerts with the Kutztown University Percussion Ensemble worldwide. As a soloist, Kumor has performed at the Patagonia International Percussion Festival, Rio Negro, Argentina and at the Polish International Percussion Festival, Wroclaw and Opole, Poland. He has also served as Artist-In-Residence at the University of Montevideo, Uruguay; University of Campinas, Brazil; Kenyatta University, Kenya; Conservatorio Professional Municipale de Ribarojja, Spain; and has served as Visiting Professor for the Argentine Ministry of Education and for the 5th International Percussion Festival in Cordoba, Argentina. Nationally, he has presented workshops at music educator association meetings in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Texas and at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. Kumor is a Performing Artist and Clinician for a number of respected music industry members, among them Yamaha Percussion, Remo Percussion and Alfred Publishing Company. His online clinics can be viewed at the Alfred website.

Terry Langdon, Viola Master Class Violist Theresa Langdon is a long-time member of the Indianapolis Symphony’s viola section, a founding member of the Linden String Quartet and an active teacher in the Indianapolis area. Her students, mostly high school-aged, have gone on to be music majors or to continue playing as non-majors at the nation’s finest colleges and universities. As Vice-President of Indianapolis Matinee Musicale, an organization which sponsors recitals and competitions for young musicians, she coordinates the Collegiate Scholarship Competition for music majors at colleges and universities in Indiana. Through the ISO’s Arts Every Day program, she presents educational programs at elementary schools, and has written a book to teach folk songs to children entitled Little Cloud’s Adventure. During the summer, she serves on the faculty of the MasterWorks Festival, where she offers orchestral and chamber music coaching and plays for the Chamber Music Week and faculty recitals. Langdon holds music performance degrees from Indiana University and Yale University. Her interests outside music include cooking, foreign languages, Christianity, fitness and her family.

Tim Lautzenheiser, Opening Session Speaker Senior Educational Advisory, Music for All Tim Lautzenheiser is a trusted friend to anyone interested in working with young people to develop a desire for excellence and a passion for high-level achievement. His career involves ten years of successful college band directing at Northern Michigan University, the University of Missouri and New Mexico State University. He has also spent three years with McCormick’s Enterprises working as Executive Director of Bands of America. In 1981, Lautzenheiser created Attitude Concepts for Today, Inc., an organization that manages workshops, seminars and convention speaking engagements focusing on the area of positive attitude and effective leadership training. In the last three decades, over two million students have experienced his acclaimed student leadership workshops. Lautzenheiser’s books, produced by G.I.A. Publications, Inc., continue to be bestsellers in the educational world. He presently serves as Senior Educational Consultant for Hal Leonard, Inc. and as Senior Educational Advisor for Music for All. Lautzenheiser holds degrees from Ball State University and the University of Alabama. In 1995 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the VanderCook College of Music. He is presently an adjunct faculty member at Ball State University, Indiana-Purdue/Ft. Wayne University and Butler University. In addition, he serves on the Midwest Clinic Board of Directors and the Western International Band Clinic/American Band College Board of Directors.

Gary Lewis, Honor Orchestra of America Conductor Gary Lewis is the Director of Orchestral Studies and Professor of Music at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he conducts the University Symphony Orchestra and oversees the entire orchestra program. He is also the Music Director and Conductor of the Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestra in Texas. His orchestral conducting graduate students have been successful conductors of university, youth and professional orchestras, and many have won prestigious conducting competitions and been awarded Fulbright grants. Lewis received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Oklahoma and a Master of Music degree in Conducting from Texas Tech University. He has worked with a number of university ensembles across the country serving as a faculty member, conducting performances and leading master classes. Lewis has conducted numerous professional and youth ensembles, and he served as the Resident Conductor of the Pine Mountain Music Festival in Michigan for seven years. As a strong advocate of music education, Lewis has presented many workshops for public school educators, both in-service and at music education association conferences. He continues to conduct All-State Orchestras and other honor ensembles throughout the country, including a regular presence at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp. Lewis is a strong proponent of new music. He has collaborated with composers such as George Crumb, William Bolcom, John Harbison, Chen Yi, Michael Daugherty and Stephen Paulus, among many others.

Li Li, Strings Sectionals/Seating, Viola Li Li has enjoyed a diverse career as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. Having studied with several of the world’s prominent violists, she currently performs with orchestras such as the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Detroit and Indianapolis Symphonies, and appears internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. She most recently toured in China, where she performed Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante to critical acclaim. Li has also performed with the Boston Chamber and Symphony Orchestras; Brevard Music Center Orchestra; the Shenyang Conservatory and Opera Orchestras; Trio con Brio, of which she is a founding member; and the Appasionati Ensemble, among many other ensembles. Li joined the Syracuse Symphony in 2001 and was appointed to the viola faculty at Syracuse University two years later. She has taught master classes internationally, and was appointed Honorary Guest Professor of Shenyang Conservatory of Music in China in 2007. She has been on faculty at Anderson University since 2010. Li maintains an active private studio, and her students perform and teach around the world. Li completed her early studies with her father, Xueke Li, at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music. After studying with Manuel Diaz at Columbus College, Li earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the Boston Conservatory and then went on to earn her Master of Music degree from Boston University.

Ju-Fang Liu, Bass Master Class Ju-Fang Liu was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and began her study of the bass at age nine. She earned Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Indiana University and has studied with Bruce Bransby and Lawrence Hurst. Prior to joining the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in 2003, she was principal contrabass with the New World Symphony in Florida. She has also been a member of orchestras in Kansas City, Owensboro and Evansville; performed in summer festivals at Aspen, Marlboro and Tanglewood; and has been a soloist with the Louisville and New World orchestras. In her leisure time, Liu enjoys jogging, badminton, table tennis, reading, cooking, and learning and playing jazz. Her parents, two brothers and sister reside in Taiwan.

Larry J. Livingston, Honor Orchestra of America Music Director Larry Livingston is a distinguished conductor, educator and administrator, as well as a highly respected motivational speaker. The founding Music Director of the Illinois Chamber Orchestra, Livingston has appeared with the Houston Symphony and in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Green Umbrella Series. He has conducted at the Festival de Musique in Evian, France, and has led the Stockholm Wind Orchestra, as well as the Leopoldinum Chamber, Chopin Academy, Wroclaw Philharmonic and Academy Orchestras in Poland. He served as Music Director of the Pan Pacific Festival Orchestras in Sydney, participated as a performer and clinician at the International Jazz Festival in Rome, and conducted an electro-acoustic ensemble in concerts in Tokyo under the auspices of Yamaha International. Livingston has led the American Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Young Musicians Foundation Orchestra, the USC Thornton Chamber and Symphony Orchestras in Los Angeles and the USC Thornton Contemporary Music Ensemble in Berlin, and served on the jury for the renowned Besancon International Conducting Competition in Besancon, France. Livingston has performed with soloists Keiko Abe, Ran Blake, Shelly Berg, John Barrows, Maureen Forrester, Adolph Herseth, Lawrence Lesser, Yehudi Menuhin, Robert Merrill, Itzhak Perlman, Donald Sinta, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, John Walz and Time for Three, and has premiered and/or recorded works by Jan Bach, Paul Cooper, Mario Davidovsky, Robert Erickson, Ernst Krenek, Kasia Livingston, Edwin London, Pauline Oliveros, Russell Peck, Roger Reynolds and Yuji Takahashi. Livingston frequently appears with professional, festival, collegiate, and all-state wind ensembles, bands and orchestras throughout the United States, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. From 1983 to 2002, he served as a conductor in the University of Michigan All-State Program at Interlochen, has been the Conductor of the Festival Orchestra at Idyllwild Arts since 1989, and is the Music Director of Music for All’s National Honors Orchestra. From 1997 to 2001, Livingston regularly toured Germany and Slovakia with the Internationale Junge Orchesterakademie. The performances and subsequent recordings were "the most successful in this organization's history," according to its director. In the last decade, he has conducted extensively in Eastern Europe, and particularly throughout Poland, leading orchestras in Warsaw, Wroclaw, Jelenia Gora, Bialystok and Olsztyn, attracting consistent critical acclaim. Reviews described “long, unending applause, enthusiastic cheers, like at a rock concert, standing ovation.” Since 2004, Livingston has toured with the famed Landes Jugend Orchester; served as clinician and guest conductor at the College Band Directors National Conference in Alice Tully Hall; and led All-State Ensembles in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and Texas, where he appeared for the sixth time, a record unmatched in Texas All-State history. He has also twice conducted the George Enescu Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra in Romania. In 2009-12 Livingston directed the Thornton Symphony and Chamber Orchestra; guest conducted the Thornton Wind Ensemble; served as the Principal Juror for the 3rd Annual Winnipeg Symphony International Conducting Symposium; conducted the All-State Orchestras or Bands of Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas; and guest conducted the University of Michigan Marching Band. He also returned to Katowice, Poland to conduct the opening concert in an international festival of academy orchestras from across the globe. In 2012-13, Maestro Livingston will conduct the All-State Bands or Orchestras of Kentucky and Colorado, serve as clinician for the Disney Honors Program, and guest conduct in Texas, Indiana, Florida and California. Holding Baccalaureate and Masters degrees from the University of Michigan, Livingston completed Ph.D. coursework in theoretical studies at the University of California, San Diego. He studied conducting and interpretation with Laurence Livingston, Elizabeth Green, William Revelli, Rafael Druian and Herbert Zipper. In 1988 he received the Alumnus of the Year Award from the University of Michigan School of Music. Livingston served as Vice President and Music Director of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he was also Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and Contemporary Music Ensemble, and, subsequently, became Dean of the Shepherd School of Music and Elma Schneider Professor of Music at Rice University in Houston. From 1986 until 2002, Livingston served as Dean of the USC Flora L. Thornton School of Music, where he is Chair of the Conducting Department and Music Director of Thornton School Orchestras. The first music administrator accepted into the Harvard University Executive Education Program, he is a recipient of the Life in the Arts Award from Idyllwild Arts and an Outstanding Teacher Award from the student chapter of the USC Center for Religion. As a motivational speaker, he has established a national reputation for inspiring presentations to corporate and business leaders across the United States. From 2002 to 2007, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Guitar Center, which he now serves as Director of Educational Initiatives. Also, at the request of Quincy Jones, Livingston now chairs the Education Committee of the Quincy Jones Musiq Consortium.

Garland E. Markham, Music for All Senior Educational Consultant and Music for All National Festival Coordinator Garland “Gary” Markham is currently the Supervisor of Music for the Cobb County School District and previously spent 25 years as a band director in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and the Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax County, Virginia. His programs have consistently received superior ratings. In 1992, Colonel Eugene Allen, Director of the United States Army Band, presented the Sudler Flag of Honor to the Robinson Band, and Markham received the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Order of Merit, one of the multitude of awards he has received during his career. Markham has been inducted into the Phi Beta Mu Honorary Bandmasters Fraternity in both Pennsylvania and in Virginia and has also been inducted into Music for All’s Bands of America (BOA) Hall of Fame. Markham works internationally as a clinician, guest conductor, adjudicator and consultant. He currently serves on several Metro Atlanta Arts Boards, the BOA Advisory Board, the Drum Corps International (DCI) Rules and Systems Taskforce, and the Advisory Committee for the MidWest Clinic. He is the Chief Judge for BOA, Senior Education Consultant for Music for All and Judge Education Director for DCI. Markham received his B.S. degree from Mansfield State University, M. Ed. degree from Penn State University, and did Ph. D (ABD) study in conducting and music supervision at George Mason University.

Brian Miller, Honor Band of America Assistant Brian Miller is a graduate of the Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory in Berea, Ohio. After then earning his Masters degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of Michigan, Miller spent most of the last 10 years living and performing in Atlanta, where he was one of the most sought-after brass instructors in the area. His private students regularly participated in the Georgia All State Band and Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, and three of his high school groups were accepted to perform at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. Miller currently teaches in the Middle School and Lower School at King Low Heywood Thomas in Stamford, Connecticut. In addition to his duties at King, Miller also works with the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestra program as a winds and brass instructor. He teaches private lessons throughout Fairfield County and continues to be a guest clinician throughout the country. Miller has previously worked for the Interlochen Arts Academy Michigan All State Program, the Debut Orchestra of Los Angeles Summer Program, the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra and the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra of Atlanta, in addition to various other high school and university programs. Locally, Miller has performed with the East Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, the Ridgefield Symphony and Waterbury Symphony.

John Pollard, Master of Ceremonies, Warren Performing Arts Center and the Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival John Pollard is a percussion educator and clinician residing in Dallas, Texas. He has served as music coordinator for Yamaha’s Sounds Of Summer program and has instructed at Music For All’s Summer Symposiums, National Concert Band Festivals and with the BOA Honor Band. Pollard was a band director with PASIC National Champion and Bands of America Champion L.D. Bell High School. He has been chairman of the Texas UIL Percussion Prescribed Music Committee, selected TMEA’s All-State Percussion Music, served on the planning committee for PASIC 2000 in Dallas and assisted with MTV’s production of Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime featuring Janet Jackson. Pollard is a two-time recipient of the HEB Education Foundation’s “Award of Excellence,” is published by Rowl-Off Productions and has written for Percussive Notes, Drum Corps World and other periodicals. He is an active educator and clinician, working with several band programs in Texas including LD Bell High School. Pollard is a consultant for the Yamaha Corporation of America and Vic Firth. With degrees in gemology and science in addition to music and music education, he is an authority in the global diamond trade and serves as the U.S. Account Executive for Infinity Diamonds.

Elizabeth Richter, Harp Master Class Elizabeth Richter has enjoyed a distinguished career as both a performer and teacher. Formerly principal harpist with the Kansas City Philharmonic and the Kansas City Lyric Opera, she has performed across the United States and Europe. She was a founding member of the Aeolian Trio, the resident flute, viola and harp trio at Ball State University, and is a past winner of an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Indiana Arts Commission. Richter earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in harp performance from Boston University College of Fine Arts. She pursued further musical studies at the Tanglewood Music Festival, the Music Academy of the West and the Salzedo Harp School in Camden, Maine. Professor of Harp at Ball State University since 1982, she received the BSU College of Fine Arts Dean's Teaching Award in 2001. She has conducted master classes at universities and festivals in London and in the U.S. In the summer, she performs at the Midwest Harp Festival in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she also teaches the College and Career-Bound Seminar for advanced level students. Richter formerly served as First Vice- President of the American Harp Society and as director of the Society's Concert Artist Program, as well as a member of the Board of Directors and Vice-President of the American Harp Society Foundation.

Richard L. Saucedo, Music for All Educational Consultant and Jazz Band of America Coordinator Richard L. Saucedo is currently Director of Bands and Department Chairman at the William H. Duke Center for the Performing Arts at Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana. He will be retiring at the end of the 2012- 13 school year after teaching for 31 years. Under his direction, Carmel bands have received numerous state and national honors. The Indiana Bandmasters Association named Saucedo Indiana’s “Bandmaster of the Year” for 1998-99, and recently named him the state’s 2010 “Outstanding Music Educator.” Saucedo is a freelance arranger and composer, having released numerous marching band arrangements, concert band works and choral compositions. He is currently on the writing staff for the Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation. Saucedo travels throughout the country as an adjudicator, clinician and guest conductor and has been a featured clinician at a number of prominent conferences and clinics. He has served as Music Caption Head for the Drum Corps Midwest Judges Guild and as a music judge for Drum Corps International. Saucedo has also served as the brass composer/arranger for the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps and will be the brass composer/arranger for the Blue Stars in 2013. Saucedo did his undergraduate work at Indiana University in Bloomington and finished his Masters degree at Butler University in Indianapolis.

Stan Schoonover, Music for All Educational Consultant and National Concert Band Festival Coordinator Stan Schoonover has served for fourteen seasons as the founding conductor of the Fairfax Wind Symphony in Virginia. He retired from the Fairfax County Public Schools after thirty-two years of service to education, including eleven years as Music Supervisor. Ensembles under his direction have appeared at Mid-West Clinics, the National Concert Band Festival, National Music Clinics, and Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA) conferences. Schoonover received his B.S. Degree from Gettysburg College and a Master of Music degree from West Chester University. Postgraduate work has included study at the University of Virginia, George Mason University and the University of Michigan. Schoonover is an active Past-President of the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA), a recipient of multiple Citation of Excellence awards from the National Bands Association, the 2006 VMEA Outstanding Administrator Award, and the 2012 VBODA Philip J. Fuller Award for sustained musical excellence. He is an elected member of the American Bandmasters Association.

Kim Shuttlesworth, Middle School National Music Festival Assistant Kim Shuttlesworth is currently the Director of Bands at James Bowie High School. She has been working in the Austin Independent School District for seven years teaching at both middle school and high school levels. Shuttlesworth holds a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from The University of Texas at Austin. While at Bowie, her wind ensembles have received superior ratings at the UIL Concert & Sightreading Contest. The Outdoor Performing Ensemble has been a finalist in Bands of America Regional and Super Regional contests since 2007, and performed at Grand National Finals in 2006, 2009 and 2012. She has most recently been a clinician for the Texas Bandmasters Association Annual Convention teaching marching band concepts. Shuttlesworth has volunteered for National Concert Band Festival since 2006. She has worked with summer programs over the past ten years including the Longhorn Music Camp, Music for All Summer Symposium and the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. Shuttlesworth holds professional affiliations with the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association and Tau Beta Sigma. Robert W. Smith, Middle School National Music Festival Evaluator Robert W. Smith has over 600 publications in print with the majority composed and arranged through his long association with Warner Bros. Publications and the Belwin catalog. He currently serves as the Vice- President of Product Development for C.L. Barnhouse and Walking Frog Records. Countless bands throughout the world have programmed his original works for winds and percussion. His educational compositions have become standards for developing bands in the United States and internationally. His music has received extensive airplay on major network television as well as inclusion in multiple motion pictures. From professional ensembles such as the United States Navy Band and the Atlanta Symphony to school bands and orchestras throughout the world, his music speaks to audiences in any concert setting. As a conductor and clinician, Smith has performed all over the world. He has recently completed the production of Symphony No. 3 (Don Quixote), the fourth in a series of compact disc recordings of his best-known works for concert band. In addition, he is co-creator of the Expressions Music Curriculum. Smith is currently teaching in the Music Industry program at Troy University in Troy, Alabama. He is the coordinator of the Middle School/Young Teacher track of the Directors’ Academy at the Music for All Summer Symposium.

Robert Soto, Trombone Master Class Sponsored by Yamaha Corporation of America Trombonist Robert Soto has performed across the United States and in Mexico, Canada, England and Brazil. He has performed at such prominent events as the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Hungarian Revolution at Carnegie Hall in NYC with the Yale Philharmonia; the 2008 Texas Tech Big XII Trombone Conference as a faculty member and guest soloist; the Birmingham and Wigan Jazz Festivals in England; the International Association of Jazz Educators convention; and at the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) convention. Recently, Soto was the guest trombone clinician for the 2012 Fullerton College Jazz Festival. He holds a Bachelors in Music Education degree Cum Laude from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Masters in Music Performance degree from Yale University, School of Music. Soto has been invited to work with many schools in Texas and California teaching private lessons, master classes, and even serving as an adjudicator for the TMEA Region 22 All Region band auditions. He has served on the instructional staff for the Mandarins, the Blue Knights and the Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps. Presently, he is on the music faculty for Fullerton College and at Cal State University Pomona. Soto is a performing artist for Yamaha and performs exclusively on Yamaha trombones.

Doug Spaniol, Bassoon Master Class Sponsored by Yamaha Corporation of America Doug Spaniol serves as Professor of Music at Butler University and Instructor of Bassoon at Interlochen Arts Camp. His book, The New Weissenborn Method for Bassoon (Hal Leonard), has been called “a must for all your beginning students” (The Double Reed) and "an invaluable addition to bassoon literature… a landmark in 'pedagogy'" (Double Reed News). As a Fulbright Scholar, Spaniol spent the first half of 2012 teaching at the University of York and restoring the pedagogical works of Julius Weissenborn. Previously, he was named a Marshall Scholar and subsequently studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, where he earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance. Spaniol earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Ohio State University and Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees from the University of Illinois. His bassoon teachers include Christopher Weait, William Waterhouse and E. Sanford Berry. A Yamaha Artist/Clinician, Spaniol plays a Yamaha YFG-811 bassoon.

David Starnes, Music for All Educational Consultant and Honor Band of America Coordinator David Starnes joined the School of Music at Western Carolina University in the summer of 2011 as Assistant Professor/Director of Athletic Bands. He directs the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band and the Symphonic Band. Starnes graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1988, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education. Prior to coming to Western Carolina, Starnes was the founding Director of Bands at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Kennesaw, Georgia, where he served for 11 years. Starnes is sought out nationally and internationally as an adjudicator, clinician, guest conductor and creative designer. He serves as an adjudicator for several state, national and international organizations, including Music for All, where he is a member of the Advisory Board, and Winter Guard International and Drum Corps International, where he served as an adjudicator and Percussion Caption Head from 1998-2002. He also serves as an Educational Consultant at Music for All was appointed program director for the Bands of America Honor Band, which appeared in the Tournament of Roses® Parade in Pasadena, California in 2005 and 2009.

Mimi Stillman, Flute/Piccolo Master Class Sponsored by Yamaha Corporation of America Mimi Stillman is one of today’s most celebrated flutists, having been hailed by The Washington Post as “magically gifted… a breath of fresh air.” Critically acclaimed for her dazzling artistry, technical brilliance, and penetrating interpretation, she has performed as soloist with orchestras including The Philadelphia Orchestra and Bach Collegium Stuttgart, and as recitalist and chamber musician at venues including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Verbier Festival and Israeli radio Kol HaMusica, among others. At age 12, Stillman was the youngest wind player ever admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music. A Yamaha Performing Artist, she was the youngest wind player ever to win Young Concert Artists. She has won numerous other prizes, awards and competitions including the 2012 Women in the Arts Award from Women for Greater Philadelphia. She can be heard on eight CDs, and recorded a film score for Kevin Bacon. Stillman holds an MA in history from the University of Pennsylvania and is a published author on music and history. She has given flute master classes, lecture-recitals and new music symposia at numerous institutions, and she teaches at the Curtis Institute of Music Summer Fest. She serves as Artistic and Executive Director of Dolce Suono Ensemble, which she founded in 2005. Visit Mimi at www.mimistillman.org.

Kenneth Tse, Saxophone Master Class Sponsored by Yamaha Corporation of America Kenneth Tse is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading classical saxophonists. He won the prestigious New York Artists International Award in 1996, leading to an acclaimed debut recital at Carnegie Hall. Since then he has garnered a multitude of awards and has been a frequent soloist on five continents. He has also been a guest clinician and master class leader at prestigious conferences, universities and conservatories worldwide. Tse has been an active recording artist, and his work has received praising reviews from journals such as Fanfare Magazine, American Record Guide and Saxophone Journal, who named Tse a “master magician” of music. Desiring to give back to his home city, Hong Kong, Tse created the first Hong Kong International Saxophone Symposium in 2009. This event attracted over 70 saxophonists from around the world and led Tse to form the Hong Kong International Saxophone Society. Tse is currently Professor of Saxophone at the University of Iowa, where his students have garnered high recognition through recordings, concert appearances and competitions. Tse is also President-Elect of the North American Saxophone Alliance and Vice-President of the International Saxophone Committee. He holds degrees from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (D.M.A.), Indiana University (B.M., M.M. and Artist Diploma) and Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. More information and media clips are available at www.kenneth-tse.com.

Robert van Sice, National Percussion Festival Evaluator Sponsored in part by Vic Firth and Zildjian Robert van Sice is considered one of the world's foremost performers of contemporary music for marimba. He has premiered over 100 works and has performed in more than 30 countries. He is frequently invited to appear as a soloist with many of the world’s leading contemporary music and percussion ensembles. In 1989, van Sice gave the first solo marimba recital at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. He has since performed in many of world's major concert halls. He is a frequent guest at many elite international music festivals. Van Sice is also an esteemed percussion teacher. His students maintain careers in more than twenty countries. Many have won prizes in both chamber music and solo competitions. From 1988 to 1997, he headed Europe's first diploma program for solo marimbists at the Rotterdam Conservatory in the Netherlands. In 1997, he was appointed director of percussion studies at the Yale University School of Music, and subsequently joined the faculties of the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and the Curtis Institute of Music. Van Sice has given over 400 master classes in 25 countries, and he often serves on juries of international competitions.

José Valencia, String Sectionals/Seating, Violin José Valencia is the founding music director and artistic advisor for the contemporary classical music ensemble, Orkestra Projekt, of Indianapolis, as well as the Music Director of the Kokomo Symphony Orchestra. Valencia has served as the Music Director of the Musical Arts Youth Orchestra in Bloomington, as well we conducted American String Teacher Association All-Region Festival Orchestras in Indiana and Kentucky. He has served as clinician for Music for All’s National Festival Orchestra since 2012. In a special project, Valencia coached the Indianapolis Opera lead singers and chorus in its first Russian language production of Tchaikovsky’s opera, Eugene Onegin, which received praise for the chorus’ superb execution of the language. In 2007, The Arts Council of Indianapolis awarded Valencia a Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship. In 2000, he won the fourth International Karelia-Sochi Conducting Master Class/Competition, held in Russia. He has earned two Masters Degrees in Music at the Jordan Conservatory of Fine Arts at Butler University, one in Violin Performance and the second in Orchestral Conducting. An active performing and teaching violinist, Valencia is currently Concertmaster of the Marion Philharmonic Orchestra, Assistant Concertmaster with the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra and principal second violin of the Heartland Festival Orchestra and the Danville (IL) Symphony Orchestra. He also maintains a large violin studio, teaching at IUPUI, Lawrence Township Schools and Zionsville Community School.

John P. Varineau, Clarinet Master Class Sponsored by Yamaha Corporation of America Clarinetist John Varineau attended Michigan State University for two years, as a student of Keith Stein, and then received his Bachelor of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Wyoming, studying under Ralph Strouf. He received his Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music, where he was a student of Keith Wilson. As an orchestral musician, Varineau has performed with the New Haven Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of New England (principal clarinet) and the Grand Rapids Symphony. As a chamber musician, he performed at the Yellow Barn Music Festival in Vermont for seven years, was a member of the Musical Arts Consortium and was a founding member of Music at Eden's Edge of Essex, Massachusetts. Currently, he performs with Montage and Ma non troppo, both based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is active as a recital clarinetist. Varineau is Professor of Music at Calvin College and has also taught at Grand Valley State University, Cornerstone University and Grand Rapids Community College. Varineau is the associate conductor of the Grand Rapids Symphony and conductor of the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony and Grand Rapids Classical Orchestra.

Petrea Warneck, Oboe Master Class Sponsored by Yamaha Corporation of America Oboist Petrea Warneck performs extensively throughout the Carolinas as an orchestral and chamber musician, appearing with the South Carolina Philharmonic, among other ensembles. She has a distinguished reputation as an oboe instructor, teaching at a private studio and at Furman University, the SC Governor’s School for the Arts in Greenville and Clemson University. She presents master classes from coast to coast and is on the faculty of the Oxford Oboe Camp in Georgia and the Charleston Oboe Camp. Warneck has had an active career in the field of arts management, first in NYC with Colbert Artists Management, Inc., and subsequently in Berlin, Germany, where she resided for five years. She co-founded The Chamber Music Society of Wilmington (NC) and served as the executive director for a decade. She continues her affiliation as the organization’s Principal Oboist and Executive Director Emeritus. Dedicated to the health and wellness of performing artists, Warneck is a Certified Teacher of the Alexander Technique and is in the process of acquiring licensure as an Andover Educator Instructor of Body Mapping. Warneck obtained a Bachelors degree from the Ithaca College School of Music, a Masters degree from the University of South Carolina, and continued post-graduate work with Elaine Douvas and Mark Ostoich. Warneck is a Yamaha Performing Artist and plays on the Yamaha Custom Oboe 841.

Dean Westman, Music for All Educational Consultant and Honor Orchestra of America Coordinator Dean Westman is the Performing Arts Department Chair and Orchestra Director at Avon High School in Avon, Indiana, where he also serves as a Program Coordinator for the Avon High School Marching Black and Gold. Previously, Westman worked as the Educational Director for Bands of America and Orchestra America as well as held band director positions in Texas and Illinois. Ensembles under his direction have won numerous honors and recognitions and have performed at Carnegie Hall and the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago. In 2002, Westman was named the Texas Young Bandmaster of the Year. He has taught the Tenrikyo Aimaichi Marching Band from Nagoya, Japan, which has frequently won the All-Japan Marching Band Championship. Westman continues to present clinics throughout the United States and Japan. An active instructor and arranger in the drum corps activity, he has worked with the Cadets, Santa Clara Vanguard, the Cavaliers, Carolina Crown and the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps, as well as the Yokohama Scouts, who in 2011 became the first Japanese drum and bugle corps to ever perform at a Drum Corps International World Championship. Westman currently serves as the Program Coordinator for the Bluecoats. Westman is a native of Park Ridge, Illinois, and a proud alumnus of the University of Illinois.

Larry Williams, French Horn Master Class Sponsored by Yamaha Corporation of America Larry Williams has distinguished himself as a multifaceted musician whose artistry led the late Philip Farkas, former Principal Horn of the Chicago Symphony and master teacher, to describe him as "an outstanding artist-soloist with fine tone, excellent intonation, superb accuracy, and superior musicianship." Ebony Magazine named Williams one of the "50 Leaders of Tomorrow," and The Maine Sunday Telegram described him as "a phenomenally good horn player." Williams is an active performer and is currently a member of The Lyric Brass Quintet and Rodney Mack Philadelphia Big Brass. He serves as Principal Horn of the American Studio Orchestra, Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra and Sphinx Symphony Orchestras. He has performed with the Baltimore, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and New World Symphony Orchestras, among others. Williams has served as a soloist with ensembles throughout the country. His wide range of musical styles includes solo and chamber repertoire, jazz, pop, contemporary, gospel, film and commercial music. He has toured and performed with music greats such as Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and Arturo Sandoval. Williams serves on the faculties of the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University and The Performing Arts Institute. He is a Yamaha Performing Artist and Clinician and performs exclusively on Yamaha horns. Brian Worsdale, Honor Orchestra of America Manager Brian Worsdale is the artistic director and conductor of the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts located in the Catskill Mountains of New York state. French Woods is one of the largest and most comprehensive performing arts summer programs in the United States. In addition, he is the founder and conductor of the ISO Symphonic Band and maintains a busy schedule conducting bands and orchestras throughout the United States. Studies include the Manhattan School of Music, St. John’s University and Brooklyn College. Teachers include Jonathan Strasser, David Finlayson and Anthony Maiello.

Paul Young, Strings Sectionals/Seating, Cello Paul Addison Young is a native of Indianapolis, where he began cello lessons at the age of eight. As an educator, Young joined the faculty of the Indianapolis Suzuki Academy in 2009, where he maintains a private studio, teaches group classes and coaches chamber music. In addition, he is a cello instructor and coach for the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of Indianapolis, as well as co-founder and cello instructor of the Porterville Summer Strings in California. Young has conducted sectionals with the Symphonic Youth Orchestra of Greater Indianapolis, New World Youth Orchestra, Musical Arts Youth Orchestra, Butler Community Arts School and orchestras in Lawrence Township and Avon Community Schools. In 2012, Young joined the inaugural board of the Indiana Suzuki Association. An active performer, Young has been a member of the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra since 2009 and performs frequently in Indianapolis. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Young is currently completing an internship through Marian University to obtain an Indiana teaching certification.