NIKKI ABISSI Nicole Abissi is a professional trombonist and teacher living in New York City. She is Second Trombone of the historic American Symphony Orchestra, Principal Trombone and Mentor of the Montclair Orchestra, performs on Broadway and with professional orchestras around the world. Nicole is also an inventor. She has created an extension handle for the trombone called, Extendabone. As a short trombonist, she knew this is a tool that needs to be available for herself, and other students around the world. Nicole received her Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School under the instruction of Joseph Alessi, Principal Trombonist of the New York Philharmonic. She received her Master of Music Degree from Stony Brook University under the instruction of Michael Powell, Principal Trombonist of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and member of the world renowned American Brass Quintet. Nicole’s other teachers include Per Brevig, Warren Deck, Glenn Dodson, Ian Bousfield, and Thomas Riccobono. In September of 2007, she began the first of two seasons as a fellow the New World Symphony. While there, she had the opportunity to work with one of the premier conductors of our time, Michael Tilson Thomas. Nicole won her first professional position as the Second Trombonist of the Alabama Symphony for the 2009-2012 seasons. In September of 2012 she joined the Colorado Symphony as the acting Principal trombonist for the 2012-2013 season. In the same year, she also filled in as acting Principal Trombone in the Macon Symphony under the direction of Ward Stare. Nicole has also had the pleasure of performing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, and Huntsville Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her performance experience, Nicole is a passionate teacher. Nicole is an instructor of trombone at Montclair State University in New Jersey as well as Mannes Prep. She has given clinics at many fine universities as well as music festivals, such as, Georgia State University, University of Alabama, Interlochen Arts Camp, Southeast Trombone Symposium, University of Kentucky, Jackson State University, and Youngstown State University. Her students have gone on to study trombone performance at such schools as The Juilliard School, Northwestern University, New England Conservatory and Lynn University. Nicole Abissi is an Antoine Courtois Sponsored Artist. Estela aragon Estela Aragon (she/her) is a trumpet instructor, entrepreneur, masterclass artist, and performer. She is a former student of Aric Brian, James Ackley, and Allen Vizzutti. Estela holds a master’s degree in Trumpet Performance from the University of South Carolina School of Music and a bachelor’s degree in Music and Trumpet Performance from the University of Tampa. She has spent her post-graduate school years researching trumpet pedagogy, teaching ably in English and Spanish, and innovating in educational and entrepreneurial strategies. Aragon is the creator of TrumpetHeadquarters.com and MusicFitAcademy.com, two different programs to teach the trumpet to students of all ages and experience levels, through well-founded pedagogical approaches and methods. An ambassador for the art of education, Estela launched a full-time private trumpet studio called Music Fit Academy in 2014; a lesson program driven by athletic thinking in which players “workout” to achieve their highest potential. In 2018, she founded Trumpet Headquarters, a website to serve the trumpet community with an extensive lineup of complementary resources. The website went on to include the THQ Trumpet Lessons Online course; a recognized achievement in high quality online trumpet education. Estela is often invited to share her ample experience in music education and entrepreneurship in podcasts, music programs, and conference panels. She has been invited the Oklahoma State Trumpet Studio, Shenandoah University Music Entrepreneurship Program, BrassChix Annual Gathering, Denis Wick Artist Summit, TMEA - Mouthpiece Neophobia Panel, Denis Wick Women in Brass Panel, Diversify the Stand Podcast, and the Musician’s Perspective Podcast. Aragon is also a member of the International Trumpet Guild Inclusion and Diversity Committee, where she advocates for changes in support of equality. Currently, Estela is honored to be a preliminary judge for the National Trumpet Competition. Originally from Lima, Peru, she resides in the vibrant city of Austin, Texas with her fiancée and husky. She likes to spend her free time reading, learning languages and building large LEGO structures. Dr. STACY baker Dr. Stacy Baker is Professor of Music - Tuba/Euphonium at Morehead State University (KY) where she was honored as the 2016-2017 Distinguished Creative Productions Award recipient and the 2014-2015 Distinguished Teacher. Originally from Harsens Island, MI, she graduated summa cum laude with her B.M. and M.M. degrees from the University of Michigan as a James B. Angell scholar and holds a D.M.A. with highest honors from the University of Illinois. Baker has toured and recorded throughout the United States Europe, and China as a soloist and founding member of SymbiosisDuo, the R.S.V.B. and JUNCTION tuba/euphonium quartets, Monarch Brass, the Athena Brass Band, as a member of the Lexington Brass Band and MSU’s Horizon Brass quintet. Her quartet, JUNCTION, presented the world premiere of the first Concerto for Tuba Quartet and Wind Band by Austrian composer Franz Cibulka at the prestigious Mid-Europe Festival in Schladming, Austria in 2002. Baker performs with the Brass Band of Battle Creek and Keith Brion’s New Sousa Band. She has also performed as principal tubist with the Warren Symphony, the Allen Park Symphony and as substitute tubist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Illinois Symphony, the Champaign/Urbana Symphony, the Danville Symphony, the Owensboro Symphony and the Lexington Philharmonic. Baker formed the professional tuba euphonium duo, SYMBIOSISDUO, with Dr. Gail Robertson in 2007 to increase awareness of the tuba/euphonium duo as a performance medium and to promote and disseminate new works for this unique combination of instruments. The duo chose the name "SYMBIOSISDUO" from the concert duet of that name written for them by composer Chris Sharp. In the program notes for the work he writes: "Symbiosis is defined as, 'A relationship of mutual benefit or dependence . The technical and range- requirements for each solo instrument are comparable, suggesting a 'separate but equal' relationship." This is an innovative and challenging approach to duet writing for tuba and euphonium producing 'the symbiosis effect' as the tuba is not relegated to an accompanying role, but is equal in all aspects of music with the other voice in the duo, the euphonium. Her duo’s debut album, SymbiosisDuo, was selected as finalist for the International Tuba Euphonium Association’s 2010 Roger Bobo Award for Recording Excellence in Chamber Music. The duo’s second album, Playground was released in 2015 including American composer James Grant’s double concerto, Playground, and Franz Cibulka’s Wallstreet. Both albums were funded through Morehead State University Creative Production Grants. In 2016, they joined Dr. Deanna Swoboda and SSG Lauren Veronie-Curran to release the R.S.V.B. Tuba/Euphonium Quartet album - Fanfare and Flourish: Celebrating Women Composers. She and Dr. Gail Robertson presented the American premier of the first double concerto for euphonium, tuba and orchestra, The World of Dreams by Spanish composer Eduardo Nogueroles with Orchestra Iowa at the 2019 International Tuba Euphonium Conference at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Baker has performed and presented clinics at numerous conferences hosted by the International Tuba/Euphonium Association (ITEA), International Women’s Brass Conference (IWBC), U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” Tuba/Euphonium Workshop, International Euphonium Tuba Festival, and the Kentucky, Florida and Michigan Music Educator’s Associations. A former camper, she was honored to return to Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp as featured tuba artist for the 32nd Annual Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival in 2017 where she and Robertson premiered their commission of American composer Eric Knechtges’ double concerto for euphonium, tuba and wind band, "Twin Lake Reflections." She was the featured tuba artist for the 2019 International Women’s Brass Conference at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Baker served together with Robertson as co-instrumental advisor and co-curriculum designer for the Pro-Series Elite Practice Systems for Tuba and Euphonium, providing all exercises, instruction and quartet arrangements as well as performing as on-screen talent alongside some of their students for the revolutionary pedagogical series of 10 DVDs for tuba and 10 DVDs for euphonium. The project was fully funded and released by American Product Group, LLC in 2013 along with similar series for each of the wind instruments. She serves on the board of directors of the International Tuba Euphonium Association. She has served on the board of directors of the International Women’s Brass Conference and as co-editor of the IWBC Newsletter. Her feature article: “Making and Maintaining a Great Lip-Reed” appeared in the September 2019 edition of the ArbanZone online magazine. Dr. Hana Beloglavec Trombonist and pedagogue Hana Beloglavec has a dynamic career performing as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, and teaching at Louisiana State University. In March 2020, Beloglavec performed the Lars-Erik Larsson Trombone Concertino with the U.S. Army Orchestra as a guest artist of the American Trombone Workshop. As a soloist, she has been interested in pieces for loop pedal and trombone and has commissioned two pieces, Chemical Reaction by Marc Mellits, and Give and Take by Molly Joyce. Beloglavec was a core member of Seraph Brass from 2017-2020 and with the group performed and taught across the United States and the world. With Seraph, she was a guest artist at the 2019 Busan Maru International Music Festival in South Korea, the 2017 and 2018 Lieksa Brass Week in Finland, and the 2019 Artosphere Music Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas.