BIOGRAPHIES OF PRESENTERS & COMPOSERS updated 10/23/17 Adler, Ayden Ayden Adler is Dean of the Depauw University School of Music. In her previous role as dean of the New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy, Dr. Adler redesigned the academic program to address 21st-century needs of music students by providing high-level training in audience engagement, community engagement, and digital engagement, musician health and wellness, entrepreneurship, and leadership development. Before working in higher education administration, Dr. Adler served as Executive Director of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in New York City. With support from the Mellon Foundation, she expanded the Orpheus Institute, through which Orpheus musicians mentor the next generation of musicians and business leaders in shared leadership, entrepreneurship, and communication. Dr. Adler has also served as Director of Education and Community Partnerships for the Philadelphia Orchestra and as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Director for Learning Development. As an orchestral musician, Dr. Adler performed in many countries under esteemed conductors, including Loren Maazel, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Alan Gilbert. Alberti, Alexander Alexander Alberti is the current director of instrumental music and psychology at Longleaf School of the Arts in Raleigh, North Carolina. In addition, he works with the Middle Creek High School Marching Mustang Band, instructing front ensemble and percussion. Alberti formerly taught at Southern Lee High School in Sanford, North Carolina, where he directed band, orchestra, chorus, and an extracurricular a cappella program. Alberti is an active researcher in the field of music theory pedagogy and music education, presenting his findings at NAfME, CMS National, and NCUR. Alberti currently holds a Bachelors of Music in Music Education from Appalachian State University with a minor in Psychology. At Appalachian State, Alberti participated in the wind ensemble, concert band, Men’s Glee Club, symphonic band, marching band, and orchestra, while also serving as a music theory tutor for the entire sequence of theory and aural skills courses. In his spare time, Alberti composes both choral and instrumental works, judges for the International Competition for Collegiate A Cappella, and participates in the semi-professional a cappella group, Spectrum Vocals. Alcorn, Allison BIO PENDING Appalachian Brass Quintet, The The Appalachian Brass Quintet is composed of upperclassmen and graduate performance students at Appalachian State University. Members of the group have a variety of performance experiences, including the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra, Brass Band of Appalachia, Marine Corps Band New Orleans, Cave Run Symphony, High Country Jazz Collective, and a number of different staged musicals and church orchestras. All members of the quintet are actively involved in Appalachian State’s performance ensembles, research, and teaching. As a group, they have performed around Western North Carolina at a number of public schools and other private venues. The ensemble is dedicated to community engagement and outreach through interactive and accessible performance. Arreola, Brian Dr. Brian Arreola, Associate Professor of Voice/Opera Workshop at UNC Charlotte, has been featured with The Minnesota Opera, Opera Carolina, Toledo Opera, American Opera Theater, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Grachtenfestival (Netherlands) and others. His Riccardo in Iford Opera’s (UK) 2015 Ballo was called, “passionate and tortured,” by The Fine Times Recorder, and of his 2016 Toledo Opera debut The Blade enthused, “Tenor Brian Arreola created a Romeo whose persona churned from petulant adolescent to ardent lover, and finally impetuous hero. His voice was rich, lyric, and particularly expressive in the final death duet.” His opera students have won awards in the National Opera Association’s Opera Production Competition: His voice students have won awards in the National Association of Teachers of Singing National Student Auditions, Heafner-Williams Vocal Competition, and Charlotte Opera Guild Auditions. Atticks, Barry Dr. Barry Atticks is the Director of the Music Business Technology program at Millersville University. Dr. Atticks holds degrees in Business Management/Piano (B.S.), Commercial Music Composition (M.M), Intelligence/Terrorism (M.S.) and Music Education (Ph.D) from Elizabethtown College, California State University-Los Angeles, American Public University and Penn State University, respectively. Additionally, he has studied music technology at Berklee College of Music and the University of Oslo. He has worked as a sound designer and a music engineer in New York, a sound effects editor for Sony Television in Los Angeles on shows such as “Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman” (CBS), and as an assistant to composer Jeff Rona at Hans Zimmer's Media Ventures on television shows such as “Chicago Hope” (CBS) and Steven Spielberg-produced “Profiler” (ABC). He has also appeared in television shows such as “Power Rangers,” “Beetle Borgs” and Showtime movies. He recently worked as music director and sound editor on the new documentary release, “Rikki’s Promise.” Bacon, Alexis C. Alexis Bacon is a composer recognized nationally and internationally for her acoustic and electroacoustic music, having won awards such as the IAWM Search for New Music Pauline Oliveros Prize, the Ossia International Composition Prize, and the ASCAP/SEAMUS student composition commission. She has also received grants and awards from the Indiana Arts Council, the Percussive Arts Society, the American Music Center, and ASCAP, and commissions from the duo Due East, the Bro-Fowler Duo, violinist Robert Simonds, and a consortium of ten percussionists headed by Brad Meyer. A Fulbright scholar to France, she studied music composition in Paris with Betsy Jolas before attending graduate school at the University of Michigan, where her composition teachers included William Bolcom, Michael Daugherty, Evan Chambers and Susan Botti. Also skilled as a violist and pianist, she remains active as a performer. She has taught at the University of Michigan, West Texas A&M University, Indiana State University, and the University of Indianapolis, and spends her summers teaching at Interlochen Arts Camp. She is currently Assistant Professor of Music Composition at Michigan State University. Baker, Vicki Dr. Vicki D. Baker is Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music Education at Texas Woman’s University. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate music education courses and supervises student teachers. Prior to her appointment to TWU, she taught at The University of Texas at Arlington. She received her Ph.D. in Music Education from Texas Tech University, her M.A. in Music Education from Texas Woman’s University, and her B.A. from Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi. Prior to entering higher education, Dr. Baker taught elementary and secondary choral music in Texas public schools for 13 years, receiving numerous teaching awards including three citations in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, as well as being named Most Influential Educator and Teacher of the Year for her school district. Banks, Christy A. see Batik Quartet, The. Barry, Nancy H. Nancy H. Barry is Professor of Music Education in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Auburn University. She earned the Master’s degree and Ph.D. in music education, and certificates in Electronic Music and Computers in Music from Florida State University. Barry is an international scholar in music education with publications in such journals as Arts and Learning, Psychology of Music, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Contributions to Music Education, UPDATE, and Bulletin of Research in Music Education, among others. She served as editor of the Journal of Technology in Music Learning, and is a reviewer for Psychology of Music. Professor Barry is a frequent presenter at national and international professional conferences. Recent international activities include being selected by the Confucius Institute to visit China as a member of a delegation of educators, and establishing a community-based partnership for AU students and faculty to work in Malawi, Africa. Barry is an active member of professional organizations such as NAfME and The College Music Society and currently serves as National College Music Society Secretary. Batik Quartet, The Christy Banks is Associate Professor of Clarinet and Assistant Chair of the Music Department at Millersville University of Pennsylvania. A former member of the Lincoln Symphony and the Nebraska Chamber Players, Banks has performed with the Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Reading Symphonies, Pennsylvania Philharmonic, and Opera Lancaster. Passionate about new music, Banks is a member of Naked Eye Ensemble and the Spatial Forces Duo. Soo Goh is Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Kutztown University. Previously, he has taught at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Goh is the principal clarinetist with the Carolina Philharmonic. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2008 with the Carolina Philharmonic under the direction of Maestro David Michael Wolff. Michelle Kiec, Associate Dean in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Kutztown University, balances a career as a clarinetist and administrator. She has performed with the Harrisburg Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Opera Lancaster, Aspen Music Festival, and Breckenridge Music Festival. Dr. Kiec is a frequent conference presenter in the areas of distance