2024 Participant Biographies

Schedule – March 7-9, 2024

ADDUCI, MICHAEL. Dr. Michael Adduci teaches oboe and music theory at Tennessee Tech University, where he is also the principal oboist of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the Cumberland Quintet. He has been a member of the Santa Cruz Symphony, the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Stanford Woodwind Quintet; he is a lifelong performer of symphonic, opera, ballet, and chamber music around the country. Michael holds dual bachelor’s degrees in biology and music from the University of Idaho, and master’s and DMA degrees in oboe performance from the University of North Texas. His research is focused on the relationship between air pressure and loudness during oboe performance.

ADHIKARI, HANNAH. Hannah Heaton Adhikari (b.2000) is a Pianist, Composer, and Private Piano Teacher in Mississippi. She holds a B.A. in Music for Piano Performance and Composition, has over a decade of professional experience, and has been teaching for over 6 years. Hannah is affiliated with NACUSA, MTNA, BMI Classical, NFMC, and Golden Triangle Music Forum. She’s currently a Full-Time Composer and Piano Teacher in her Studio of around 30 students. She is also a Part-Time Collaborative, Event, + Community Pianist & YouTuber. Hannah regularly composes Piano Solos, Materials, Piano Studies, and Books for herself and her Students. She also composes Commissioned Works. Her music has been featured in CD albums, Local Presentations, MTNA Concerts and Lecture Recitals, and is streaming on most music platforms. Her newest releases include her Piano Solo Albums “Mozart in the Morning,” “Trains of Thought,” and More all streaming now! Learn more about Hannah on her website: hannahehmusic.wixsite.com/pianist.

AGUILAR, GONZALO. Gonzalo Aguilar joined the New School in 2022, began taking piano lessons at 17 years old with Professor Larissa Belotserkovskaia, and graduated from the National Conservatory of Music in Lima, Peru with the highest accolades. In 2013, Dr. Aguilar was invited to attend the Golandsky Institute Summer Symposium at Princeton University. Dr. Aguilar holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from The University of Southern University, with minors in collaborative piano. He was a student of Elizabeth Moak and his dissertation is an analysis of folk elements found in three piano compositions by Peruvian composers. Master’s Degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from Westminister Choir College with Ingrid Clarfield. In 2016, Dr. Aguilar performed Franz Liszt’s first Piano Concert with the Westminister Community Orchestra. He was also invited by Art Quitilinga to perform a recital in the Karl Richter Haus in Quedlinburg, Germany. In 2017, Dr. Aguilar performed a recital on Peruvian composers with oboist William Wielgus at the International Students House in Washington, D.C, and recorded music of Peruvian Composers with Wielgus for the Sono Luminus. Dr. Aguilar was also invited to perform a solo recital and masterclass in Czech Republic.

ARMSTRONG, LAURA. Dr. Laura Armstrong (she/her) is on faculty at Mount St. Mary’s University where she teaches clarinet and saxophone. She is the clarinetist of the Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra and also performs as a freelancer with orchestras in the Mid-Atlantic region and with the Fortunata Duo.

ARMSTRONG, SHELLY. Shelly Marshall Armstrong is the staff accompanist at Nebraska’s Wayne State College. A summa cum laude graduate from Wartburg College with a Bachelor of Music Education and Music Therapy degree, Armstrong also earned a Master of Music (Music Education) degree from the University of Northern Iowa. She has worked as a hospice music therapist and teacher/accompanist for K-12 and collegiate ensembles. In collaboration with her husband, Matthew, their choirs have been selected to perform at regional and national ACDA conventions, and the Nebraska NMEA convention. As a composer and arranger, her works have been published by E.C. Schirmer, MusicSpoke, and Santa Barbara Music Publishing and performed by numerous choirs and festivals. One of her favorite activities is making music with her children, Norah and Gabriel.

BAUGHMAN, FAITH. Faith Baughman is a senior Music Education major from Northport, Alabama. She has been very active within the musical programs of her life from leading youth worship, playing in the orchestra at her church, and being in band for 11 years. Faith primarily plays alto and soprano saxophone. In her 4 years at Mississippi State University, she has participated in the Famous Maroon Marching Band, the MSU Wind Ensemble, MSU Saxophone Ensemble, and has played with the MSU/Starkville Symphony Orchestra. She has served in many leadership roles at State, acting as President and Past-President of the newly reestablished Collegiate National Association for Music Education at MSU for two and a half year, a saxophone squad leader in the Famous Maroon Band her junior year, and then being appointed through a rigorous audition process as one of the four Drum Majors for the 2023 season. She plans to teach for a few years before returning to school to obtain a Masters in Music Composition. Her goal is to be a band director at a high school before moving to teach at a University as a professor of Music Theory or Composition.

BEERS, DEBORAH YARDLEY. Compositions by Deborah Yardley Beers have been performed at the Music by Women Festival in Mississippi; at the Women Composers Festival of Hartford, in Connecticut; the Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young at Rivers School Conservatory (where she teaches piano) in Massachusetts; and on Modern American Music recitals at the Longy School of Music. They were also performed at the Berklee College of Music in a festival sponsored by the International Association of Women in Music and Feminist Music and Theory 15, as well as on a Faculty Artist Recital at Central Michigan University. Composers, Matthew Aucoin, a MacArthur “genius” grant winner, and Libby Larsen, a Grammy Award winner, have both called music of Deborah’s “eloquent”. She studied composition with Harold Schiffman. Improvisation classes with Eloise Ristad and from different Dalcroze Eurhythmics instructors have played a role in the development of her compositional process. As a solo pianist she has also performed with five orchestras, including the Atlanta Symphony, Denver Symphony, and the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano from the University of Colorado. More information about her music is available on her website, www.deborahyardleybeers.com

BLACK, ALEC. Alec Black is an oboe student at Arkansas State University, where he studies with Dr. Kristin Leitterman and is currently serving as a Graduate Assistant for the A-State band’s program. He is currently a member of the A-State Wind Ensemble and has participated in multiple different chamber ensembles during his time at A-State. Black has received several “1” and “Gold” ratings at the Missouri-organized small solo and ensemble contest. He was a part of the Mineral Area College Honors Recital as a solo oboist for the spring and fall semesters of 2019, and the A-State honors recital in the spring semester of 2022 with an oboe and bassoon duo, and also with The Howling Winds woodwind quintet and spring 2023 with a flute oboe and piano trio. In his free time, Alec enjoys spending time with his dog Luna, enjoys baking, and he also enjoys running a small freelance photography business.

BOATMAN, OLIVIA. Dr. Olivia Boatman is the Assistant Professor of Flute at Mississippi State University. Olivia enjoys serving area high schools through private lessons, master classes, and adjudication. She is a member of the Mississippi Wind Symphony, Starkville Symphony Orchestra, and Mississippi Baptist Symphony Orchestra. She is currently serving on the Flute Club Committee for the National Flute Association. Previously she served as the Woodwind Instructor and Assistant Band Director at Hinds Community College in Raymond, MS and Instructor of Flute at Belhaven University in Jackson, MS, Grambling State University in Grambling, LA and Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, KS. Olivia holds a Doctor of Music from Florida State University, a Master of Music from Arkansas State University, and a Bachelor of Music Education from Mississippi State University. Additionally, she has specialized study certificates from Florida State University in Music Education and Leadership as well as College Teaching. In addition to teaching, she has worked in the music industry as a Sales Consultant for Flute Authority, the North American distributor of Miyazawa, Sankyo, Trevor James Flutes, Hamming, and Song.

BODDIE, SUSAN. Dr. Susan A. Boddie, soprano has been instructing music, and performing internationally for over 20 years. She is Assistant Professor of Voice at Valdosta State University. She holds the BM degree from the New England Conservatory of Music; MM degree from the Manhattan School of Music and Doctoral Degree in Education from the University of Calgary. Boddie is also a specialist in CCM Vocal Pedagogy holding all three levels of Somatic Voicework™ and certification from the CCM Vocal Pedagogy Institute at Shenandoah Conservatory with a CCM Vocal Pedagogy course in the process of publication. Higher Education appointments include the College of Saint Rose (NY), and appointments at Acadia, Dalhousie, St. Francis Xavier Universities, and the Education faculty of Mount Saint Vincent University. Dr. Boddie is an active member of MTEA, NATS, PAVA, NAfME, CMS, and the Somatic Voicework™ Teacher’s Association. She is the Treasurer of Georgia NATS. Further, she has won excellence in teaching awards from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Dr. Boddie is published in peer reviewed journals and frequently presents her research at Arts and Humanities conferences. Dr. Boddie enjoys performing works of BIPOC and Cis female composers – bringing diverse repertoire to her students, classes, and audiences.

BRAZEN SKY. Chieh Huang and Rebecca Larkin formed Brazen Sky after entering graduate studies together at UCI. The duo’s name is evocative of their boldness and unlimited potential.

CAMERON, ERIN. Erin Cameron enjoys a diverse career as a clarinetist, composer, and educator. She serves as Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Cameron has worked with young musicians and artists at the Arkansas Governor’s School, The Walden School in Dublin, New Hampshire, and as a Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas. An avid proponent of new music, she has performed over 40 world and regional premieres of new works. Cameron is a founding member of the Bantam Winds, an all-female chamber ensemble based in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and she regularly performs with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. She is also a founding member of the free improvisation trio Sonoren, which released its debut album, Charm the Winds, in May 2023.

CARD, PATRICIA. Patricia Pierce Card is Professor of Clarinet at Sam Houston State University and has been musically active in Texas for many years as a teacher, performer, clinician and adjudicator. Card was previously on the faculty at Oklahoma City University. In addition to teaching, she has performed with several organizations including the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra (principal clarinet from 1997 to 2001), Opera in the Heights (Houston, TX), and Richardson Symphony (TX). Card has performed at ClarinetFest in Ft. Worth/Virtual (2021), Baton Rouge (2014), Austin (2010), Kansas City (2008) and Washington D.C. (2004) as well as numerous clarinet festivals across Texas. She has also performed at the National Flute Association conventions. She has been a featured soloist at the Texas Music Educators Association convention and at the Midwest Convention and has presented clinics throughout Texas and Oklahoma. She was a finalist in the 1991 Young Artist Competition (Midland-Odessa, TX) and a finalist in the 1989 International Clarinet Association Young Artist competition (Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN). She received the Doctor of Musical Arts in clarinet performance from the University of North Texas and a Master of Music from the University of Michigan.

CARLISLE, KRIS. Kris Carlisle is a professional pianist and educator specializing in contemporary music. Music critics have praised his performances for their “use of color, musical nuance, technical ability, and flair”. His recordings have won several awards for outstanding performances of new music, consistently championing the works of up-and-coming American composers. His award-winning project The American Evolution, looks at the ways contemporary American composers use traditional genres of composition, providing performances and recordings of this important music. The most recent phase, The American Evolution: Music for Saxophone and Piano, looks at music by contemporary American women composers. His collaborations with Professor Gary Paulo saxophone, has brought attention to important works by under-represented composers. The resulting work is the album “New Stories” which continues to garner praise from around the world. Currently, Dr. Carlisle is exploring the connections between contemporary music and architecture, looking for correlations between music and this non-musical art form. In keeping with his work in contemporary music, Dr. Carlisle is the founder and director of Berry College’s New Music Ensemble, specializing in works encouraging students to explore their creative side through performance, improvisation, and composition.

CARVAJAL HARDING, TARYN. Taryn Carvajal Harding received her undergraduate degree in organ performance, her masters in musicology, is currently working on her PhD in composition and theory at the University of Utah, and is currently a 2023-2024 Global Change and Global Sustainability fellow. Her compositions focus on issues of feminism, social justices, and representation of the Latin American culture. Her research focuses on underrepresented composers, equality in music theory, and elevating women and minorities into authoritative positions in collegiate settings.

CHANDLER, DIONE. In 2022, Dione Chandler was appointed Adjunct Lecturer of Oboe at the University of Florida. Since 2014 she has been Adjunct Professor of Oboe at Stetson University where she is also Director of the annual Double Reed Workshop, a week-long summer camp for middle and high school students. Dr. Chandler has performed numerous solo and chamber music recitals throughout the county and has been involved in several commissioning projects with composers such as Jim Stephenson, Sydney Hodkinson, and Dana Wilson. She has performed world premieres at the International Double Reed Conference and the International ClarinetFest. Dione is principal oboist of the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and regularly plays with The Florida Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra, and Naples Philharmonic. In 2023, she taught and performed chamber music at the International Association of Music Education (I-AME) in Prague. She holds degrees from Florida State University, the University of Southern California, and Rice University.

CHOI, CHEE HYEON. Dr. Chee Hyeon Choi is an Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her works featured at international and national conferences, including the College Music Society and Association of Technology for Music Instruction, Music Teachers National Association, Kimhae International Music Symposium, National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, Korea Pedagogy Conference, Improvisation Symposium, MTNA Group Piano Symposium, MTNA Collegiate Symposium, Central Michigan University, and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Choi has performed solo and ensemble pieces at various venues such as the Composers in Asia Symposium, Pablo Center at the Confluence, the Central Florida Composers Forum, and the Carnegie Weil Recital Hall. Before joining UL Lafayette, Choi taught at Bradley University and Millikin University and was the Piano Laboratory Coordinator at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where she earned her master’s and doctoral degrees. She served as the VP-Conferences and President-Elect of the Illinois State Music Teachers Association (ISMTA) and currently serving as the chair of the college faculty at Louisiana State Teachers Association. In 2020, she was awarded the Teacher of the Year award by the ISMTA.

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

HARRISON COUNTY CONCERT CHOIR. The Harrison County Concert Choir consist of twenty to thirty student singers at the Harrison County Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. The ensemble is open to both majors and non-majors. The HC Concert Choir focuses on traditional choral repertoire spanning a variety of musical eras and styles. The choir performs regularly and is actively involved in the cultural life of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

COOK, BENJAMIN. Benjamin Crook maintains an active repertoire of both classical works and new music. As an advocate for rising artists, he has commissioned piano work from Adam O’Dell and has performed music from composers including Samuel Adams, Mikhail Johnson, Matthew Ramage, and Traci Mendel. Benjamin received a Doctorate of Music in Piano Performance from Florida State University, a Master’s Degree in piano performance at Bowling Green State University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in piano performance from Ball State University. As an active music teacher and judge, Benjamin has served as a member of the Tallahassee Music Teachers Association, helping to organize festivals and participating as a judge for various events hosted by TMTA. He is currently affiliated with the Alabama Music Educators Association, Music Teachers National Association, and the Alabama Music Teachers Association. Benjamin has taught in classroom and private settings at institutes including Bowling Green State University, Florida State University, Bluffton University, Wallace Community College, and Troy University, where he currently serves as Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano.

D’AGOSTINO, JENNIFER. Mezzo-Soprano Jennifer D’Agostino obtained degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (DMA), the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (MM), and Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory of Music (BM).  Jennifer was reviewed as a singer with “beauty and expression” in her performance of Hindemith’s When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d. She is an active recitalist in song literature and was recently recognized as a finalist for the American Prize, Women in Art Song/Oratorio. Jennifer is a member of National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and is on the board of the New York Singing Teacher’s Association (NYSTA). She is currently the Editor-In-Chief of VOICEPrints, NYSTA’s scholarly peer-reviewed journal. She has presented at the Lilly Conference, NATS Conferences, and the National Collegiate Honors Conference. Teaching engagements have included Alverno College, Beloit College, Pellissippi State Technical Community College, Walsh University, and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Jennifer is currently on the voice faculty at Georgia Southern University where she teaches applied lessons, voice literature, and voice pedagogy. http://jenniferdagostino.com.

DAILEY. SARAH. Equally skilled in both comedy and drama, mezzo-soprano Sarah Dailey recently made her Missouri debut with Heartland Opera Theater in Puccini’s Suor Angelica and wreaked mayhem in the kitchen as Julia Child in a streamed production of Bon Appétit! with Opera in the Rock. She has sung in a number of regional premieres, including the world premiere of During Wind and Rain: A Delta Family Album with music specifically written for her voice by Arkansas composer Michael Rice. Upcoming engagements include her April 2024 role debut of Hansel in Hansel and Gretel with the South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Kermit Poling conducting, and performances of Rebecca Clarke songs at the SHE: Women in Music Festival at the University of Arkansas and Music by Women Festival in Columbus, Mississippi in Spring 2024. Dr. Dailey currently serves as Adjunct Instructor of Voice at Hendrix College, previously at Henderson State University, and maintains a private studio in Little Rock, AR. She holds degrees in voice from the Oberlin Conservatory (BM) and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (MM, DMA). One time in college, she participated in the NCAA National Fencing Championships. More at sarahdaileymusic.com.

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

DEUX FEMMES PIANISTES. Deux Femmes Pianistes focuses on repertoire for two pianos written by women. Shelly Armstrong and Angela Miller-Niles started performing together in September 2018, at Wayne State College in Wayne, NE. They have performed concerts at least once a year ever since, with repertoire spanning all time periods. They often include works by living composers, including Chen Yi, Afarin Mansouri Tehrani and Errollyn Wallen. Recent performances include concerts at Wayne State College and the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society’s CollabFest.

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

DOUBLESTEIN, VIVIAN. Vivian Doublestein began her study of the piano at age three, and by the age of twelve she was actively accompanying various choral groups, instrumentalists and summer theater productions. A graduate of the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio with a degree in piano performance, she continued her studies at Michigan State University where she earned her masters degree in chamber music and accompanying. Vivian was the staff accompanist at Northeast Missouri State ( now Truman State) as well as a freelance accompanist at the University of Indianapolis and the University of Georgia. She has also served as church pianist in multiple locations throughout the years. A huge proponent of arts education, Vivian created The Master’s Academy of Fine Arts, a fine arts school for homeschooled children based on the six historical time periods of the arts. After serving as Founder and Executive Director for 20 years, and overseeing 35 schools around the country, she returned to her first love of collaborative piano. Mrs. Doublestein currently serves as a part of the Collaborative Piano Faculty at the University of North Georgia, and as a freelance accompanist in the greater Atlanta metro area.

DOWNEY, EILEEN. Eileen Downey is currently Vocal Coach and Distinguished Lecturer of Collaborative Piano at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where she also works frequently in collaboration with the Knoxville Opera Company. This summer she joined the faculty of SongFest, and returned to her position as opera coach at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. She was a featured clinician for events with the National Association of Teachers of Singing at the University of South Carolina and Austin Peay State University this fall, as well as an adjudicator for the Mid-South NATSAA competition. In the 2022-23 season, Ms. Downey performed in Opera Roanoke’s production of Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied and returned as a pianist for the Opera Birmingham Vocal Competition. She was also a featured performer at the African American Art Song Alliance Conference in Irvine, California. Eileen was chorusmaster, vocal coach, and Music Director for the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center for six summer seasons between 2013 and 2019, and she has been an accompanist for the Tennessee district of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition since 2012.

EMERSON, DEIDRE. Deidre Vaughn Emerson first started playing cello at the age of five. She received her Bachelors of Music in Cello Performance at Birmingham Southern College and her Masters in Cello Performance at University of Houston in the studio of Vagram Saradjian. She has had the opportunity to study and perform at a number of music festivals throughout the United States and Europe. Deidre has and continues to perform and teach in multiple genres. As guest artist and guest lecturer she has led many masterclasses and clinics as a cellist and conductor for all ages and levels. Mrs. Emerson has been adjudicator for a number of orchestral festivals. She has taught university classes in Orchestra, Applied Cello, Cello Ensemble, String Ensemble, String Methods, Theory, Aural Skills, and Sight Singing. Currently she resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband Matt and their two children, Archer and Astrid. Here she teaches at a number of schools and studios and also maintains her own private teaching studio. She also does recording and performance work in this city’s vibrant industry, and is involved in many full time ensembles. She is currently the Professor of Cello at Tennessee State University and Nashville State Community College.

FEMININE MUSIQUE. Founded in 2008 to promote the music of women composers, Feminine Musique has been in demand presenting recital programs in Concert Series, Universities, Art Galleries, Libraries and other venues throughout the continental United States and abroad. They have presented lecture recitals at Conferences and Festivals including the International Conference of Arts and Humanities in Hawaii, Representing Gender in the Performing Arts Conference in The Netherlands, at the Women and the 19th Century Lied Conference in Maynooth, Ireland, the Athena Festival for Women Composers in Kentucky, The Hartford Women Composer’s Festival, The European Salon: 19th Century Salon Music Conference in Ireland, the Music by Women Festival at Mississippi University for Women, and the International Women’s Work in Music Festival in Bangor, Wales UK . They have performed concerts throughout Germany and at the Georges Sand 40th Anniversary Festival in France. They are a recipient of a 2015 New York Women Composers Grant, have premiered two pieces by American composer Julianna Hall (Roosters and Music Like a Curve of Gold) and can been heard on the soundtrack to the film INFLUENCE with music of Stefania DeKenessy. During the 2024 Season, they are heard in concerts in the US, Canada and Austria.

FORTUNATA DUO. The Fortunata Duo, Alicia Kosack, flute; Laura Armstrong, clarinet and saxophone; celebrate the joy and good fortune of performing chamber music as good friends, promoting this unusual medium, and performing works of underrepresented composers. Their performances have included recitals throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, and performances at several conventions including the National Flute Association, Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, and International Navy Saxophone Symposium. This will be their first appearance at the Music by Women Festival and they will also be presenting for the first time at the International Low Flutes Festival in April 2024.

GAGNON, MARIE-ÉLAINE. An avid chamber player and strong advocate for music education and outreach, French-Canadian cellist Marie-Élaine Gagnon has taught at the University of South Dakota from 2007 to 2017 before joining the music faculty at the Crane School of Music of SUNY Potsdam in the fall of 2017. Her students have won first places in concerto competitions and held principal chairs in New York, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Pennsylvania States. Some have gone to prestigious music programs in Europe, Canada, and graduate conservatory programs in the US. Others have developed and enriched string programs in the Mid-West and on the East Coast. In 2021, Dr. Gagnon was awarded a Lougheed Applied Learning Grant from the State University of New York for her project “Teaching Music through Mindful Mindset and Neuro-Associative Conditioning”. The project allowed her to develop a focus mindset approach in the studio and the classroom. Raised in Chicoutimi, Dr. Gagnon began her conservatory training with Leslie Snider in her native hometown. In 2005, she obtained a D.M.A. from the University of Miami under the tutelage of Ross Harbaugh. She owns a cello made in 1904 by the French Master Paul Bailly.

GELDRICH, PETER M. Peter M Geldrich is Associate Professor of Clarinet at Valdosta State University and serves as principal clarinet of the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra and the Albany (GA) Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, Dr. Geldrich frequently plays with Sinfonia Gulf Coast (FL), the Punta Gorda Symphony (FL), and has served as guest principal clarinet with the Orquesta Sinfonica UANL in Monterrey, Mexico. As a featured soloist, Mr. Geldrich has appeared with the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, the Montclair Symphony Orchestra (NJ), the VSU Wind Ensemble, and the Carolina Master Chorale. Dr. Geldrich has performed in various regional, national, and international conferences including the International Clarinet Association’s Clarinetfest, the International Double Reed Society Conference, the World Alliance of Symphonic Band Ensembles International Conference, the National Flute Association’s Convention, the Music By Women Festival, the Society of Composers, Inc. National Conference, and the Alabama MTNA Conference. Dr. Geldrich received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Maryland, his Master of Music degree from the University of Florida, and his DMA from the University of South Carolina where he studied with Loren Kitt, Mitchell Estrin, and Joseph Eller respectively.

GLEASON, JT. Born in Alaska, and raised in Colorado, guitarist JT Gleason holds a Master of Music in Guitar Performance from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Guitar Performance from Metropolitan State University of Denver. He was the third-place winner of the Denver Classical Guitar Society’s solo competition in 2009. He has been an active studio teacher in the Denver area for over 20 years, and was also part of MSU Denver’s guitar department from 2009 until 2020. While on the MSU faculty, JT taught private guitar lessons, class guitar, Intro to Music, and History of Rock and Roll. ​He has performed throughout the United States as a soloist.

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

HAISLIP, JESSICA. Dr. Jessica Haislip serves as Instructor of Music at Mississippi State University, where she teaches oboe and History and Appreciation of Music. In addition to her teaching duties, Dr. Haislip performs as Principal Oboe of the Monroe Symphony Orchestra (LA), Second Oboe of the North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, and Co-Principal Oboe and English Horn of the Starkville Symphony Orchestra. She has served as Second Oboe and English Horn of the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, and performed with ensembles including the Kansas City Symphony (MO), the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra (AL), the Corinth Symphony Orchestra (MS), the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra (ND), the Mankato Symphony Orchestra (MN), and the Midwest Chamber Ensemble (MO). Dr. Haislip has been featured as a soloist with the Monroe Symphony Orchestra, the Midwest Chamber Ensemble, the Mississippi State University Wind Ensemble, and the Mississippi State University Concert Band. Recent performances include appearances at the 2022 International Double Reed Society conference in Boulder, Colorado and the 2022 Florida Flute Association conference in Orlando, Florida. Dr. Haislip holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree and Master of Music degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and the Bachelor of Music degree from Concordia College.

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

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

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

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

HERSEY, JOANNA. Joanna Ross Hersey (she/her) is a performing artist and composer with twenty years’ experience as a leader in higher education. Joanna began her career as Principal Tubist with the United States Coast Guard Band, performing throughout the country as soloist and clinician. Devoted to changing gendered perceptions in brass music, Joanna has released two solo albums featuring music by diverse female composers, in combination with her own works, and appears on five brass chamber music albums. In addition to her music degrees, Joanna holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and has written several book chapters and articles in the areas of gender, diversity, and belonging. Joanna serves as Professor of Music and Associate Dean of Student Success at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, is Past-President of the International Women’s Brass Conference, serves as Treasurer of the International Tuba Euphonium Association, Secretary of the Historic Brass Society, and as a board member of the International Alliance for Women in Music and the all-female Athena Brass Band, whose mission is to provide opportunities and training for women in the band world.

HOCH, MATTHEW. Matthew Hoch is professor of music (voice) at Auburn University. He has appeared as a soloist with the Oregon Bach Festival, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, the Vox Consort, Harmonie Universelle, the Hartford, Rome, and Nashua symphony orchestras, the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, and the United States Coast Guard Chamber Players. Hoch is the 2016 winner of the Van L. Lawrence Fellowship, awarded jointly by the Voice Foundation and NATS. He is the author, coauthor, editor, or coeditor of nine books and over forty peer-reviewed articles that have appeared in numerous academic and professional journals. Hoch currently serves as associate editor of the of the voice pedagogy column for the Journal of Singing, chair of the NATS/Rowman & Littlefield editorial board, editor of the “So You Want to Sing” book series, and editor of the “On the Voice” column in the ACDA Choral Journal. In 2018, he presented performances and master classes in the United Arab Emirates as was awarded the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts Teaching Excellence Award.

HOLDER, CREIGHTON. Creighton Holder currently serves as Director of Music (Organist/Choirmaster) at the First Presbyterian Church of Oxford, Mississippi where he programs all service music, coordinates the Music at First concert series, and teaches in the Music at First piano studio. Creighton is active in the Oxford community as Co-Director of the Oxford Civic Chorus, Subdean of the Oxford-University of Mississippi chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and as a collaborative pianist in the University of Mississippi music department. He also serves as the Music in Worship chair for the Mississippi American Choral Directors Association. Creighton is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi where he earned a Master of Music degree; his primary instructors were Dr. Gregory Fuller and Dr. Ellen Elder. He has been an instructor through the Southern Miss Piano Institute and has presented sessions on sacred music for the Mississippi and North Carolina ACDAs and the Mississippi Music Teachers Association. He recently completed the Certificate in Injury-Preventive Keyboard Technique at Salem College (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) under Dr. Barbara Lister-Sink and continues to focus studies and performance on women composers of sacred music.

HOPPE, EMILY. Dr. Emily Hoppe is Associate Professor of Flute at Northern Arizona University, with prior faculty appointments at Elizabethtown Colllege, York College of Pennsylvania, and West Chester University. A concerto soloist, masterclass clinician, and recitalist, Dr. Hoppe has performed and taught across the United States and internationally in China. She received her DM from Indiana University (Thomas Robertello), MM from Carnegie Mellon University (Jeanne Baxtresser, Jeffrey Khaner), and BM from Penn State University (Eleanor Duncan Armstrong).

HOUREZ, JEANNE. Jeanne Hourez has appeared as soloist with French and Canadian orchestras. She performed numerous recitals in Europe, North America and Asia, and received several prizes in national and international competitions. An active chamber musician, Jeanne co-founded the Ensemble Benzaiten, the repertoire of which uniquely blends mandolin and piano. In June 2018, the ensemble released a CD dedicated to Schubert. They performed at the French National radio France Musique and toured internationally. Her second CD presenting art songs by Lazar Weiner, with Bass-Baritone Mikhail Smigelski, was released in 2023. Jeanne graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur of Paris and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Montreal where she studied alongside Professor Dang Thai Son. She is a DMA candidate at UT Austin under the tutelage of Anton Nel. She specialises in new music and female composers repertoire. She has presented her research at national and state conferences such as MTNA, TMTA and CMS. She currently serves as the president of the UT MTNA Chapter and works as a keyboard Teaching Assistant.

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

HUANG, ZHENGYINGYUE (ELAINE). Chinese soprano Zhengyingyue (Elaine) Huang has been an apprentice with Russia International Art Festival in Moscow P. I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Russia, San Miguel Institute of Bel Canto in Mexico. She also perform several roles in LAH-SOW Minneapolis opera, Crittenden Opera Workshop, and the Landlocked Opera in the U.S.A. Her past roles include Baba in The Medium, Cio-Cio-san in Madama Butterfly, 2nd Witch in Dido and Aeneas, Mutter in Hänsel und Gretel, the second lady in Die Zauberflöte, Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium, and the title role in Suor Angelica. A new music enthusiast, she has world-premiered the chamber opera Snow Angel which explores the rediscovery and reclamation of personal identity and agency following a sexual assault of the sole female protagonist. As a musician who is passionate about social justice and ethnic diversity, she founded the Asian Classical Music Initiative in 2021. Dr. Huang holds degrees from East China Normal University(B.A), Temple University(M.M), and the University of Kansas(D.M.A).

HUANG, CHIEH. Chieh Huang is a percussionist, vibraphonist, and composer. Her most recent publication, titled “Indigeneity and Computer Music in the Anthropocene,” was published in December 2023 by Array, the journal of the International Computer Association. Her research interests involve exploring sounds using keyboard percussion instruments and incorporating the Atayal language as a model in music composition. She has presented on the topic of “Indigeneity and Three Atayal Values” at multiple national and international conferences, such as the International Music & Musicology Conference, 16th International Conference of Systematic Musicology, SMA Theory and Analysis Graduate Students’ Conference, Asian Classical Music Initiative Conference, among others. Chieh Huang has been involved in several projects and collaborations, including Google News Initiative Case Studies, Tele Espacios Activos, Corcoran-Be Home, Greenacres Foundation, iRhythm Technologies, and the Findings Report. She also forms the duo Brazen Sky with flutist Rebecca Larkin. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology (ICIT) at the University of California, Irvine where she has received various scholarships and awards, including the UC Irvine Diversity Recruitment Fellowship, Medici Scholarship, Grant Award from UCI Center for Asian Studies, and Tierney Scholarship.

HURLEY, SUSAN. Susan Hurley has performed 25 principal operatic roles and sung as a concert soloist in Germany, Austria, and throughout the U.S and is founding Artistic Director of Phoenix Arizona’s AIDS Quilt Songbook concert series, now in its eleventh year. The Phoenix concerts raise funds for HIV/AIDS service and LGBTQ-serving organizations. Dr. Hurley has presented performances, lecture recitals, masterclasses, and talks about the AIDS Quilt Songbook for the International Congress of Voice Teachers (Vienna, 2022;) Southern Regional NATS, The Music Teachers National Association, College Music Society, and at universities throughout the South and midwest. Dr. Hurley’s other research area is the Tomatis Method. She has presented on Tomatis’s theories at ICVT (Stockholm, 2017) and she authored the chapter on Tomatis listening in So You Want to Sing with Awareness which was published in 2020 by Rowman and Littlefield. She serves as Associate Professor of Voice at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, MS, where she teaches Applied Voice, Opera Workshop, Voice Pedagogy, and Music Literature. Current and former students have won top prizes at national, regional, and state NATS competitions. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance from Arizona State University.

JALUVKA, MICHELLE. Michelle Jaluvka is a clarinetist and teacher based in Norman, OK. She is Adjunct Instructor of Clarinet at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, OK where she teaches applied clarinet and fine arts courses. She is pursuing her doctoral degree in Clarinet at the University of Oklahoma (OU) in Norman, OK where she is a graduate assistant for the clarinet studio. Additionally, Ms. Jaluvka maintains a private studio in the Norman area. Ms. Jaluvka regularly performs in chamber ensembles that champion new music. She is a member of the Xena Duo with clarinetist Jenna Eschner. The duo has performed at the American Single Reed Summit, the Music by Women Festival, and the SHE Festival of Women in Music. Ms. Jaluvka is also a member of a clarinet and saxophone duo, the Red Rose Duo, with Justin Evangelist, and the duo will perform at the 2024 North American Saxophone Alliance. Prior to her doctoral program, Ms. Jaluvka earned dual master’s degrees from OU in Clarinet and Musicology alongside a graduate certificate in Women and Gender Studies in 2023. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Clarinet at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC in 2020.

JEAN, CHAN MI. Chan Mi Jean is the Lecturer in Music at the University of Tennessee at Martin, where she specializes in Collaborative Piano. Jean is an emerging solo pianist, chamber musician, and opera coach who has made her international appearances including performances in Austria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Italy, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States. Jean won numerous national and international competitions including the 8th New York International Music Concours and as a result, she made her debut in January 2023 at the Weill Recital at the Carnegie Hall. Prior to joining UT Martin, Jean has served as the Apprentice Coach for the Virginia Opera. During summer, Jean serves as the Music Director of the Young Singer Program for the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival and the Co-Director/Chair of the Collaborative Piano for the Vilacello Music Festival. A native of Seoul, Korea, she has received her D.M.A. in Collaborative Piano from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a minor in Opera Coaching; M.M. and P.D. in Piano Performance from Indiana University.

KANA, ELISSA. An award-winning saxophonist and music educator, Elissa Kana has performed in festivals and conferences worldwide. Most recently, the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) presented Elissa as a featured classical solo artist at their 2021 Region 3 Conference. In 2014, Elissa was named second-prize winner of the International Saxophone Symposium and Competition (ISSAC) in Columbus, Georgia. A passionate chamber musician, Elissa holds the alto chair of the Colere Quartet, which was awarded the Gold Medal at the 2020 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the First Prize in Winds, Brass, and Percussion at the 2019 Plowman Chamber Music Competition. Since 2012, she has regularly collaborated with fellow saxophonist John Cummins to promote music written for saxophone duos. Elissa currently works as Instructor of Saxophone at Arkansas State University. She has served on the faculty of Monmouth College and the University of Northern Iowa, and since 2018, has spent her summers teaching at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan. Elissa earned degrees in saxophone performance from the University of Iowa (DMA), Bowling Green State University (MM), and Northwestern University (BM), and her principal teachers include Frederick L. Hemke, John Sampen, Kenneth Tse, and Karen Wylie.

KARR, STEPHEN. Dr. Stephen Karr, piano, is a compelling interpreter of opera and orchestral works, having appeared as guest conductor in recent seasons with Anchorage Opera and Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera. His international appearances include the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman and an appointment as Cultural Envoy from the United States Department of State to Rotterdam. He was Associate Conductor with Long Beach Opera for the 2019 world premiere production of The Central Park Five by Anthony Davis, which was awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Music, in addition to being scheduled to conduct The Lighthouse (Peter Maxwell Davies) and Frida (Robert X. Rodriguez) in the COVID-truncated 2020 season. He is a co-editor of the first modern performing edition of Joseph Bologne’s L’Amant Anonyme, which was premiered by LA Opera under James Conlon. In 2011, he co-founded Pacific Opera Project, for which he was music director until 2016 Karr is currently Assistant Professor of Music and Music Director of the opera program at the University of Memphis. His schooling includes degrees in organ performance from Mercer University and Westminster Choir College as well as master’s and doctoral degrees from UCLA in orchestral conducting.

KEELING, KASANDRA. Pianist Kasandra Keeling is Professor of Music and Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at The University of Texas at San Antonio. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Houston where she studied with Nancy Weems, and earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder where she studied with Alvin Chow and Larry Graham. Dr. Keeling is a recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award in Collegiate Teaching given by the Texas Music Teachers Association, the President’s Distinguished Achievement Award for Performance from UTSA, and was the 2014 concerto division winner of The American Prize for her performance of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini. She has appeared as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral soloist throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, including performances at Steinway Hall in New York City, the Teatro Degollado in Jalisco, and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Dr. Keeling has also presented and/or performed at the Music Teachers National Association, the American Strings Teachers Association, the National Flute Association, and the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Association.

KELLY, JENNIFER. Dr. Jennifer Kelly is Associate Professor of Music, Director of Choral Activities at Lafayette College, and the author of In Her Own Words: Conversations with Composers in the United States (UIP 2013), presenting her research in the U.S., Europe, and China. With a grant from The Hearst Foundations, she developed several new commission projects with conducted premieres including a major work by Gabriela Lena Frank; the first concerto for sitar, tabla, orchestra and chorus, composed by Hasu Patel; and a major work honoring the shared narrative of cultures in the Lehigh Valley, composed by Libby Larsen. Other commissions and premieres include Hilary Tann, Beth Anderson, Alice Parker, and Svetlana Bukvich. Dr. Kelly was also Lafayette’s Director of Arts from 2015-2021. From this leadership position, Kelly pursued, secured and/or led grants to explore the arts in contemporary Muslim cultures; reconceive the entrepreneurial mindset in higher education; infuse the arts across campus; and examine the essential relationship between arts and technology. She helped to significantly expand the footprint and visibility of the arts on campus while leading the development of a collaborative vision for Lafayette Arts.

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

KILLMEYER, HEATHER. Heather Killmeyer serves as Associate Professor of Double Reeds at East Tennessee State University. An enthusiastic advocate for introducing oboe to new audiences, her performances range from the traditional to the unconventional. Her orchestral experience includes the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Symphony Silicon Valley, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Reno Philharmonic, San Antonio Symphony, Corpus Christi Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Mid-Texas Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, and the Nimbus Ensemble. She created and served as artistic director for Dada Cabaret, an experimental chamber ensemble blending eclectic contemporary art music with spoken narrative and elements of theatre. Killmeyer has performed at International Double Reed Society conferences stateside and abroad and at the Australasian Double Reed Society conference. Summer engagements have included the Hot Springs Music Festival, National Music Festival, Mozart Festival Texas, the Classical Music Festival in Austria, and IFC3. She has worked with artists as diverse as Christopher O’Riley, Elizabeth Pitcairn, Anne-Marie McDermott, David Benoit, and Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders. She has participated in numerous commissions and premieres of new works for oboe. Heather Killmeyer received degrees from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and the University of Southern California.

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

KOSACK, ALICIA. Dr. Alicia Kosack (she/her) teaches applied flute at York College of Pennsylvania and works with flutists of all ages and levels through their YCPrep. She performs as a soloist and chamber musician on both modern and baroque flute, and recently won the 2023 NFA Convention Performers Competition and 2nd place in the 2022 NFA Alto Flute Artist Competition. Alicia previously served as Vice-President of Flute Society of Washington and was the program chair for the 2007 and 2008 Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair.

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

LARKIN, REBECCA. Rebecca Larkin is a musical storyteller. Inspired by soundtracks and concert music, Rebecca writes visual music for the stage and screen. She has received recognition as an ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards finalist and a Game Audio Network Guild (GANG) scholar. Constantly seeking opportunities to create new cross-disciplinary work, her most recent project, “Duet for Flute and Video Game,” explores the expressive potential of play and debuted at GameSoundCon ‘23. As a flutist, Rebecca is an active performer of new music. She has been a featured soloist with the Vermont’s North Country Electronic Music Festival and the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium. She also partners with percussionist Chieh Huang to form the duo Brazen Sky. Rebecca studied at the University of Oregon and Ohio Wesleyan University, earning an M.M. in Music Composition and a B.M. in Flute Performance, respectively. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at UC Irvine in Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology (ICIT).

LEITER, CHERISE. Born in Florida, Cherise Leiter received a B. M. in Music Theory and an M. M. in Composition from the University of Florida where she studied with Dr. Budd Udell. She is currently Professor of Music at Metropolitan State University of Denver, teaching music theory and composition. A composer whose output includes works for choir, piano, voice, band, orchestra and assorted chamber ensembles; her compositions have been performed throughout the United States, Canada, Scotland, France, Italy, Romania, and Japan. She was a featured composer at the New Music Symposium, the University of Central Missouri’s New Music Festival, the Aspen Composer’s Conference, the Women Composers Festival, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, June in Buffalo, Music By Women Festival, and Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts. In her spare time, Ms. Leiter is an avid knitter, horse rider, hiker, swimmer, cook, and bibliophile. She also has a vested interest in anything made of chocolate. She can be reached at LeiterLieder@gmail.com, or www.cherisedleiter.com.

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

LIANG, TIANTIAN Tiantian Liang maintains a multifaceted career as a pianist, organist, harpsichordist, and teacher. An advocate for contemporary music and diverse composers, Liang’s current projects include the works of Fanny Mendelssohn, Florence Price, and Margaret Bonds. She is also premiering and recording the oboe and piano works of the Afro-British composer Althea Talbot-Howard. Liang most recently performed selections from Fanny Mendelssohn’s Das Jahr for NCKP 2023. She also performed a lecture-recital for the 2022 Southern College Music Society Conference titled “Introducing Chinese Piano Music to the Advanced Student: Pedagogical Uses for Tan Dun’s Eight Memories in Watercolor.” Other presentations include “Yvonne Loriod’s Influence on the Piano Works of Olivier Messiaen” for the MTNA Collegiate Chapters Symposium at Ball State University, the Ohio Music Teachers Association Southwest Conference, and the 2020 MTNA National Visual Conference. Liang is Assistant Teaching Professor of Piano Pedagogy at Northern Arizona University. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, a Performer Diploma from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, a Master of Music from Rice University, and a Bachelor of Music from Concordia College.

LOWE, SHANNON. Lauded by the American Record Guide as a bassoonist who “…shines her warm instrument in quite a different light” and “phrases her long lyrical lines so that they not only sing but breathe with the gorgeous tone of a high baritone…,” Dr. Shannon Lowe is a prominent bassoon pedagogue and performer. Currently, she serves as Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of Florida and is principal bassoon with the Albany (GA) Symphony Orchestra. Before her arrival at UF, she served as the Associate Professor of Bassoon at Valdosta State University. She received her BM in Music Education as well as her MM in Music Performance from the University of Florida and her DMA in Bassoon Performance from SUNY Stony Brook. Dr. Lowe is a proud Fox Artist. She recently released the recording A Musical Bouquet: Old, New and Borrowed Works for Bassoon and Strings through MSR Classics.

LYNN, ZANE. Zane Lynn currently serves as a Voice Instructor and Choral Director at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College – Harrison County Campus in Gulfport, MS. At MGCCC Zane conducts two choral ensembles, teaches studio voice, freshman level music theory, and music theatre workshop. He has performed around the United States, Canada, and Czech Republic in recitals, operas, and choral ensembles. He holds the Master of Music in Voice Performance from the University of Mississippi and the Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Mississippi University for Women.

MACH, DAVID. David Mach serves as Instructor of Collaborative Piano at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. David is an educator, collaborator, and musician who has received top prizes in competitions both regionally and internationally. His students regularly receive recognition at the state level. As a music director, David has coordinated music programs at churches in both Alabama and Oklahoma. Recent concerts as a pianist include concerto performance alongside the Oklahoma Community Orchestra, faculty concerts at Arkansas State University, and international performances as a chamber musician in Germany and the United States. David’s research on diverse repertoire and group piano has been presented both regionally and nationally. Most recently, David was invited to present his research on keyboard technique at the opening plenary session of the MTNA Collegiate Symposium. In 2023, David presented his research on Germaine Tailleferre’s music for the piano duo across the country at NCKP 2023: The Piano Conference, MTNA Collegiate Chapters Symposium, CMS Central Conference, and Oklahoma Music Teachers Association State Conference. In 2021, he presented at the national MTNA Conference on “Group Piano That Moves: Off-the-Bench Strategies for the Collegiate Group Piano Class.”

MANIA, GRZEGORZ. Grzegorz Mania graduated with distinction from the Academy of Music in Kraków and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He also read law at Jagiellonian University, and obtained his Ph.D. for a dissertation about music and copyright law. In 2019 he obtained a post-doctoral degree in the Academy of Music in Kraków. He works extensively as a recitalist, an orchestral soloist and a chamber musician, and is a member of the Piano Cooperative and the Extra Sounds Ensemble. Mania is a versatile pianist, regularly duetting with violist Katarzyna Budnik and pianist Piotr Różański. Mania has appeared at international festivals throughout Poland, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Finland, Austria, Italy, Norway, Iceland, Vietnam, Israel, the United States of America, Cyprus and Ukraine. A co-founder and president of the Polish Chamber Musicians’ Association, Mania also co-authored an innovative, 3-part sight-reading handbook for pianists. Currently, Mania divides his time between professorship at the Music Academy in Bydgoszcz, lecturing copyright law and rehearsing chamber music programs all over Poland. He is also an artistic director of chamber music festivals in Kraków, Rzeszów, Zielona Góra and Gdańsk-Warsaw.

MARK, DOUGLAS. Dr. Douglas Mark trombone, serves as Professor of Trombone/Low Brass at Delta State University, in Cleveland MS. He provides instruction in applied trombone, euphonium and tuba, directs the DSU low brass ensemble and teaches brass methods and music appreciation courses. He has held similar positions at the Hochstein School of Music, Hamilton College, Nazareth College, and Colgate University, all located in western NY. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Mark has performed with several orchestras, including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Regionally, he has performed with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Tupelo Symphony and the Delta Symphony. He has been an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Dr. Mark received his DMA from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with John Marcellus. He earned his MM from the New England Conservatory of Music and undergraduate degrees in music performance and sociology from Northwestern University. His musical training also included studies with John Swallow, Frank Crisafulli, and Per Brevig. Dr. Mark is an artist/clinician for Antoine Courtois Paris trombones.

MASTERSON, SARAH. Dr. Sarah Masterson is currently Associate Professor of Piano and Music Theory at Newberry College in Newberry, SC. At Newberry, she serves as the Coordinator of Music Theory, Director of Department of Music Social Media, and the founding Artistic Director of the W. Darr Wise Piano Competition. After stumbling across a brief mention of Philippa Schuyler, Dr. Masterson embarked on a quest spanning the past several years to research and reconstruct Schuyler’s piano music. She has presented Schuyler’s music at venues including the Women Composers Festival of Hartford, Music by Women International Festival, College Music Society National Conference, and Women at the Piano International Conference. Her world premiere recording of Schuyler’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom was released in April 2022 on Centaur Records and received Third Prize in the 2023 Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music. Dr. Masterson recently received an Arts Project Support Grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission to fund her upcoming album Travelogue: Philippa Schuyler’s Music for Piano, and her book Snapshots of Forgotten Adventures: Rediscovering the Piano Music of Philippa Schuyler will be published later in 2024.

MATAVA, JACQUELYN. Winner of The American Prize for Women in Art Song (2023), mezzo-soprano Jacquelyn Matava commands the stage with a voice that seamlessly traverses opera, oratorio, and art song realms. Her versatility is showcased in opera roles such as Nelda in Sankaram’s Taking Up Serpents at The Glimmerglass Festival and Zita in Gianni Schicchi at Festival Napa Valley. As a concert soloist, Jacquelyn has been heard in performances of Duruflé’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor, and Stravinsky’s Les Noces. She has presented recitals in concert halls, universities, and churches across the United States. Most recently, she performed a recital of music for voice and organ celebrating the Christian, Jewish, and Hindu religions at The American Church in Paris. A native of Farmington, Connecticut, Jacquelyn earned her D. M. and M. M in vocal performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and B. A. in music and economics from Vassar College. She serves as Associate Professor of Music at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas and teaches on the voice faculty at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in Lenox, Massachusetts.

MAZUR-PARK, FELICITY. Felicity Mazur-Park is an English composer, pianist, and organist based in Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Boston Conservatory, a Master of Education degree from Tennessee State University, and a Master of Music degree from Texas Christian University where she is studying towards her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Music Composition with a cognate in organ and is an instructor of record for music theory. She also teaches music theory at Dallas Baptist University, and she is the Director of Music at Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church in Fort Worth. Her M.Ed. thesis, World Music in Nashville: A Choral Approach, won Tennessee State University’s graduate oral presentation award at its Spring 2017 Research Forum for the Arts. She won the 12th Annual Sherry Clarkson Prize for Best Scholarly Paper at the RAW Conference at the University of Texas at Dallas in 2023 and the 2024 American Guild of Organists’ Student Commissioning Project contest along with organist David Preston. Recently, she presented at Taylor Swift: The Conference Era at Indiana University and the 2024 GAMuT Conference at the University of North Texas.

MILLER-NILES, ANGELA. Dr. Angela Miller-Niles is Associate Professor of Piano at Wayne State College in Wayne, NE. She also serves as Music Department Chair and director of the WSC Music Academy. She teaches applied piano, group piano classes, and piano pedagogy. She earned her Doctor of Music degree in collaborative piano performance at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Master of Music in piano performance from Central Michigan University and Bachelor of Music in performance from the University of South Dakota. Dr. Miller-Niles maintains an active performing schedule both as a soloist and as a collaborative pianist. Recent performances include faculty recitals at WSC, guest lecture-recital at Peru State College, and Chadron State College’s Beethoven Festival. She also performed at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest with her chamber music group, Trio Mezzklarno. She has recently presented at conferences for the Music Teachers National Association, the National Conference of Keyboard Pedagogy, the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society, and the College Music Society. She lives in Wayne with her husband and sons Henry and Ivan.

MORRISON, AMANDA. Amanda Morrison is on faculty at Slippery Rock University and a private studio instructor in the Pittsburgh area. She is a Vandoren Artist Clinician and founding member of the Milano Duo clarinet ensemble and the PM Woodwind Project flute and clarinet duo. As the Event Director of Steel City Clarinet Day, Morrison created an event designed to bring the Western Pennsylvania clarinet community together to share in a day of music making and music learning complete with guest artists, master classes, a community clarinet choir, and performances. Morrison, along with Dr. Amy Guffey, hosts the Hidden Cues podcast about pregnancy and parenthood as a musician. Having a strong interest in new music and extended techniques for clarinet, Morrison’s research focuses on the music of clarinetist/composer Eric Mandat, publishing numerous articles on his life and works in the Clarinet Journal, NACWPI Journal, and the Vandoren Wave. As a member of the Milano Duo, Morrison co-founded a commission series for women composers that has created numerous works for two clarinets. She earned degrees from Duquesne University and Florida State University with her principal teachers being Mark Nuccio, Dr. Deborah Bish, and Dr. Frank Kowalsky.

MORTYAKOVA, JULIA. Pianist Julia Mortyakova maintains an international performing career. She is the recipient of the 2021 Mississippi Arts Commission Performing Arts Fellowship, the 2023 Programming Award from the International Alliance of Women in Music and the inaugural MUW Excellence in Creative Activity Award. She is on the MS Artist Roster. She was named 2017 Honored Artist by the MS State Committee of National Museum of Women in the Arts. Mortyakova is a laureate of the 2014 American Prize for her performance Cecile Chaminade, and the winner of the 2012 Sigma Alpha Iota Career Performance Grant. The Mortyakova/Bogdan Piano Duo are the second prize winners of the 2017 Ellis Duo Piano Competition. Dr. Mortyakova is Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at the Mississippi University for Women and the Artistic Director of the Music by Women Festival. She is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Vanderbilt University, New York University and the University of Miami. Julia serves on the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) Commission on Accreditation and is Immediate Past President of the College Music Society Southern Chapter.

NEGRUTIU, SILVAN. Hailed as “a startling and authentic pianist displaying rich imagination and brilliant vigor, whose precision and splendor of keyboard sound certainly inspire a transcendental reality” (The Musical News Journal, Bucharest), Silvan Negruţiu has performed on major international stages, from the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. to Ireland’s National Concert Hall, the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, the Xi’an Concert Hall in China, the Showa Recital Hall in Tokyo, and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He has released two albums on Centaur Records and has appeared as soloist with prestigious orchestras, including the Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, Alicante Philharmonic, George Enescu Philharmonic, and Dublin Symphony Orchestra. In high demand as a performer, clinician, adjudicator, and speaker, he appears frequently as a conference presenter and an artist-teacher at international music festivals across Europe, America, and Asia. As an artist, a teacher, and a scholar, he embraces the exploration of rare piano literature, innovative pedagogy, and the advancement of arts entrepreneurship in higher education. Silvan Negruțiu serves as the Kitt Endowed Professor in Piano and Director of Piano Studies in the Kitt School of Music at Northern Arizona University.

NIEMI SAVAGE, HEATHER. Heather Niemi Savage is a North Carolina-based composer who writes evocative music to help build empathy between people, strengthen communities, and support wholeness and healing. Heather draws on her broad background in classical, jazz, musical theater, sacred music, and world music to create authentic and meaningful musical experiences that bring together musicians and community members. Heather’s compositions have been performed in several states, featured on the radio programs, “Classical Discoveries” and “Music of Our Mothers,” and recorded on two internationally renowned record labels. Her piece for string orchestra, “Daughter of the Stars” placed second in the 2020 American Prize for Composition (pops/light music division.) Her work has been performed ensembles such as the Argus String Quartet, the North-South Consonance, and the Great Woods Symphony, and has been presented at the International Festival of Music by Women, the Impulse New Music Festival and various All-State Festivals. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in music composition at Appalachian State University, where she received the Tui St. George Tucker Fellowship. In addition to composing, Heather is a collaborative pianist, teacher, and church musician and loves hiking in the mountains with her husband.

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

PANAYOTOVA, MIROSLAVA. Pianist Miroslava Panayotova has made numerous appearances as recitalist and concerto soloist in the United States, Canada, Bulgaria, Russia, Slovakia, Romania, and Mexico. As well, she has appeared at such music festivals as the Beverly Hills International Music Festival in California, the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in Vermont, XXI Festival Dr. Alfonso Ortiz Tirado in Mexico, the Orford Festival in Canada, and others. Recent concerto performances include appearances with the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, University of Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra, and The Arizona Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Panayotova’s repertoire encompasses various styles, including contemporary music and premiere performances of both solo and ensemble works. In 2022, the most recent album Songs & Elegies with trombonist Cory Mixdorf, received Silver Medal – Outstanding Achievement Award by the Global Music Awards. She has performed with the Grammy-nominated and Emmy-honored True Concord Voices and Orchestra and is a founding member of the Brass and Ivory Trio. Dr. Panayotova served as Artist Faculty at the Beverly Hills International Music Festival and was a member of the music faculty at the University of South Florida. Currently, she is Teaching Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Arkansas.

PAULO, GARY. Gary Paulo is a graduate of Indiana University where he received a BM in classical saxophone performance while studying with legendary saxophonist Eugene Rousseau. Beginning in 2017 he joined the faculty at Berry College as the Artist Affiliate for saxophone and in the Fall of 2021 added Aural Skills I and II to his teaching credentials. Gary has performed with national touring acts, spanning several genres of music. His performance credits include – soloist with the Berry College Wind Ensemble, St. Cloud St. University Wind Ensemble and the Emory University Wind Ensemble. He also performs regularly with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Pops, and has performed with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Augusta Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra, The Macon Pops Orchestra, The Temptations, the Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards, the Zac Brown Band and Natasha Bedingfield. He is also a member of the Atlanta Saxophone Quartet. In 2008 he completed a Master of Music at Georgia State University, and in 2010 he studied with renowned contemporary music composer Christian Lauba and saxophonist Richard Ducros in Estoril, Portugal at the Estoril Contemporary Music Festival. Gary is a D’Addario Woodwinds Clinician and a member of the American Federation of Musicians.

PAVLICEK, ZACHERY. Zachery Pavlicek is a clarinetist and educator based out of Norman, Oklahoma. He currently serves as a teaching assistant in the clarinet studio at the University of Oklahoma where he has instructed applied lessons, chamber music, and the clarinet unit of the woodwind technique class for music education majors. Mr. Pavlicek also maintains an active performance schedule as a substitute clarinetists with the Norman Philharmonic in addition to his obligations with the University of Oklahoma concert ensembles. His primary clarinet instructors include Dr. Suzanne Tirk, Dr. Cecilia Kang, and Dr. Douglas Monroe. A passionate educator, Mr. Pavlicek has taught band and general music to grades k-8 and continues to refine these skills through professional development at conducting workshops and pursuit of Kodaly levels. He has held teaching positions at programs in South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas through public and non-profit programs. Mr. Pavlicek maintains a private studio outside of his university duties. His students have successfully placed in state honor ensembles and are leaders in their school music programs. Through his performance and educational duties, Mr. Pavlicek strives to increase awareness and appreciation for music in the students he teaches and the audiences he performs for.

PEREL-TZADOK, NAAMA. Naama Perel-Tzadok is a highly skilled composer, creator, and scholar who is known for her diverse music styles that are performed globally. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Music Composition and Theory at the University of Pittsburgh, PA, and has been mentored by renowned professors like Oded Zehavi, Eitan Steinberg, Hagar Kadima, Eric Moe, and Amy Williams. Naama derives inspiration from various sources such as nature, plastic art, current events, physical and acoustical space, cultural anthropology, and more. She is continuously exploring and pushing the limits of musical styles and traditions, particularly her Yemenite and Tunisian roots. Naama’s latest album, “Memory Traces,” is a song cycle structured around the circle of life and was inspired by the songs of Yemenite Jewish women. The album begins with a tribute to the mother who gives birth and concludes with a lament. It comprises original instrumental pieces interwoven with songs written in Yemeni Arabic, alternating between traditional and modern sections. The Zahn, a percussion instrument made of copper platter, sets the mood and directs the transition from one section to the next. Over the past years, Naama has been giving lectures about her music and research in various countries.

PIERINI, PATIENCE. Patience Pierini earned an M.M. in Choral Conducting and a B.M. in Piano Performance, both from the University of Southern Mississippi. She is currently an Instructor of Music at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Harrison County Campus where she teaches private piano, sophomore music theory, and music appreciation. She is also the collaborative pianist for the concert choir and small ensemble. Alongside her departmental duties, Ms. Pierini is an Honors Faculty Fellow for the Harrison County Honors College and Honors Advisory Council. Ms. Pierini performs actively throughout the Gulf Coast as a collaborative and solo pianist in addition to maintaining a private piano studio. She is a past Vice-President of Pre-College Evaluations for the Mississippi Music Teachers Association (MMTA) and for the Gulf Coast Music Teachers Association (GCMTA). Presently, she acts as secretary for the GCMTA, and is very excited about establishing and directing a children’s choral opportunity on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

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

PIRITORE, ROSITA. Rosita Piritore (1996) is an Italian pianist and composer. She has a heterogeneous concert activity by performing in cities such as Milano, New York, São Paulo, Ravenna, Lecce, Caltanissetta, Reggio Emilia etc. Her works have been performed in festivals and venues such as German Federal Garden Show [BUGA] (Mannheim), Storioni Festival (Eindhoven), Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Con brio festival (Osnabruck), Art.9 (Hong Kong), Carnegie Hall (New York), Ascoli Piceno Festival, LunART Festival (Madison), PREview (Porto), Ambasciata del Messico (Roma), Stift Music Festival, Verdi Off Festival (Parma) etc. She received numerous piano and composition prizes including Euterpe-Mediterraneo in musica, Gabriella Cipriani Prize, Females Featured, Composition Competition City of Barcelona P.G., Il Casale di Riardo International Competition, Vladimir Mendelssohn International Composition Competition and many others. Since 2020, she has held the position of pianist and arranger in the Toscanini Next Orchestra in Parma.

PLOMINSKA, MARTA. Marta Plominska is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the College of Fine Arts and serves as the Director of the Las Vegas Flute Ensemble and Vice President of the Las Vegas Flute Club. She completed her Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Performance at UNLV in the spring of 2023. Dr. Plominska has won numerous national and international competitions, including the South Carolina Flute Society Young Artist Competition, Grand Prize Virtuoso Brussels International Competition, Flute Society of Kentucky Young Artist Competition, Oklahoma Flute Society Collegiate Competition, IMKA International Music Competition, International Music Competition Barletta in Italy, and the Arizona Flute Society Young Artist Competition. She is also an esteemed international adjudicator, having served on panels for competitions such as the Stockholm International Competition in Sweden, Muse International Competition in Greece, Montana Symphonies YAC, MAP International Competition in CA, and others. Dr. Plominska’s recent engagements include performances at the Female Composers Concert Series, International Chopin&Friends Festival, Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention, Nextet New Music Series, and the Chicago Flute Festival. She is dedicated to promoting and advocating for the works of female composers in order to increase visibility and recognition of their contributions to the music industry.

POLANSKI, SANDRA. Sandra Paschal Polanski holds degrees in piano from the Mississippi University for Women and the University of Michigan. She continues to perform as soloist and collaborative pianist after retiring from fifty years of teaching. For more than fifty years she and her late husband Frank performed in Mississippi and beyond as duo-pianists. Sandra is a Lifetime Member of The Chaminade Music Club of Jackson, Mississippi, where she leads the club’s musical outreach to the memory care unit at St. Catherine’s Village and to The Orchard Retirement Center.

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

QUINTANA, RODRIGO. Rodrigo Zafani Quintana started his musical journey in Sorocaba, attending prestigious institutions like the Conservatory of Music and Drama, “Dr. Carlos de Campos” in Tatui, and the School of Music of the State of Sao Paulo. Under the guidance of mentors Graziella Pagotto and Emmanuelle Baldini, he completed his Master’s degree in music performance at Oklahoma State University with Dr. Laura Talbott-Clark. In 2021, Rodrigo was honored with the Patti Johnson Wilson Foundation Fellowship, collaborating with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. He actively engaged in masterclasses with renowned figures like Mikhail Kopelman, Igor Petrutchevsky, Mauricio Fuks, and Rüdiger Liebermann, enriching his skills and musicality. Throughout his career, Quintana has graced prominent concert halls, including Sao Paulo Hall and the Opera House of Sao Paulo. He toured Germany twice in 2012 and 2013. Since 2014, he has contributed to various professional orchestras in the United States. In 2019, he joined Ensemble Connect’s Summer Intensive Program, collaborating on interactive chamber music concerts for diverse audiences. Rodrigo also participated in the New York Philharmonic chamber music residency program in 2023. Rodrigo recently assumed a violin teaching position at the Dorothy Gerber String Program at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts.

RAGSDALE, ANNE KATHERINE. Anne Katherine Ragsdale, collaborative pianist and teacher, fell in love with the piano at a very early age. In 1991, she won the Mississippi Young Artist Concerto Competition, which allowed her to perform with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Mrs. Ragsdale received a Bachelor of Music in Education, emphasis in Piano Pedagogy, from Mississippi State University. Mrs. Ragsdale also attended Florida State University where she received a Master of Music in Performance in Collaborative Piano. While at FSU, she studied with Dr. Carolyn Bridger who stretched and inspired her even further. Since her collegiate days, Mrs. Ragsdale has worked for the Knoxville Opera Company and the University of Tennessee Opera Program as a coach and accompanist. Upon moving back to her home state of Mississippi, she served as an assistant professor of piano at Belhaven University and performed collaboratively with violinist, Xie Song, in the Jackson metro area. She joined the staff at MSU in the spring of 2019 when she had the privilege to play for MSU’s opera production of Suor Angelica. Mrs. Ragsdale spends much of her time performing with faculty, students and guest artists.

RAMIREZ, JULISSA. Julissa Ramirez, soprano, is a senior music education major at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. An active member of Trinity’s community, Ramirez is also the co-director of the Acabellas, a member of Tri-Alpha, an academic fraternity recognizing first-generation college students, Mu Sigma Psi, a local music fraternity, and the McNair Scholars Program. She is a voice student of Dr. Jacquelyn Matava. This past summer, Ramirez attended the American Institute of Musical Studies program (AIMS) in Graz, Austria. She has also sung in masterclasses with David Portillo and Laura Strickling. Her most recent performances include Mozart’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall with the Trinity University Chamber Singers, Sophie from Werther, and Kayelee from Speed Dating Tonight! in Trinity University’s Opera Workshop productions. Funded by the McNair Scholars Program, Ramirez presented an undergraduate research project titled, “Inequality in Access to Music Education in Public Schools” at the Texas Music Educators Conference in February 2022. She has also been the recipient of the TMEA Undergraduate Scholarship (2023), the TCDA Undergraduate Scholarship (2023), and the TMEA Student Teaching Scholarship (2024). Ramirez looks forward to a future full of learning and performance.

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

REBER, WILLIAM. William Reber is Director of Choirs and Staff Pianist at MUW. Professor Emeritus of Opera and Music Theatre at Arizona State University where he was on the faculty for 24 years and served as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Lyric Opera Theatre, he is former vocal coach, pianist and conductor for the Mittelsächsiches Theater in Germany, was head of the vocal coaching program for the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria (12 years) and was Music Director of the German Opera Experience in Freiberg, Germany (10 years). In summer 2019, he joined the faculty of Spotlight on Opera as conductor and collaborative pianist and was appointed music director in 2020. Dr. Reber has been Music Director for more than 150 productions of operas and musicals and has been conductor of the Corpus Christi (TX) ballet since 1986. As a collaborative pianist, he has performed recitals with singers and instrumentalists in Germany, Austria, Macedonia and throughout the United States. He is the pianist and music director for the annual AIDS Quilt Songbook benefit performances in Phoenix. Dr. Reber earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Opera and Conducting at The University of Texas at Austin.

ROADFELDT, HOLLY. Few musicians balance the new opposite the old quite like American pianist Holly Roadfeldt. Recently deemed “on fire…a perfect pairing of technical prowess and innate sensitivity” (American Record Guide), “a vivid pianist” (Gramophone), and “jaw-dropping” (Mainly Piano), she frequently advocates for eclectic programming and creative pedagogical approaches. Holly has established herself as one of contemporary music’s most prolific ambassadors—to date, she has made over 150 world premieres by more than four dozen composers. Recognized by audiences and critics for both her technical facility and distinctive interpretation of music from all eras, Holly has appeared in venues across Canada, Europe, Asia, and over 30 U.S. states. Roadfeldt tirelessly searches for like-minded musicians who share her obsession with creating opportunities for listeners to relate to the music they hear. Best demonstrating this ethos is her three-year artistic flagship, “The Preludes Project,” which saw Holly premiere 65 preludes by 16 composers. This also led to Holly’s debut album, The Preludes Project. Holly, currently the Director of Keyboard Studies at Lafayette College, will be continuing her advocacy of combining recently-composed and familiar works with her newest project “North American Narratives” over the next three years.

ROBERTS, HANNAH. Dr. Hannah Roberts serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Alabama, where she teaches piano and piano pedagogy. As a prizewinner in numerous competitions, her playing has earned her opportunities to perform throughout the United States and abroad at the Schlöss Esterhazy in Eisenstadt, Austria. In addition to performing, she maintains an active profile as a clinician, pedagogue, and researcher. Her current research focuses on the promoting the works of forgotten American female composers, with particular emphasis on the music of Helen Hopekirk. She was named recipient of the 2023 Edward T. Cone Fellowship from the Society for American Music for her work on Hopekirk, and her articles on female composers have been published in American Music Teacher, Piano Magazine, and MTNA e-Journal. She has also been invited to share her work nationally at the MTNA, CMS, NCKP, and GP3 conferences, as well as through video publications for the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy’s From the Artist Bench and Inspiring Artistry series. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma.

ROBINSON, ELIZABETH. Flutist Elizabeth Robinson is an active soloist, orchestral, and chamber performer. Among her passions is the commissioning of new music and participating in exciting chamber ensembles. Known for her infectious energy and boundless enthusiasm, Dr. Robinson shared the stage with over a dozen orchestras and wind ensembles from coast to coast: in addition to her current position as the Diana Osterhout piccolo chair of the Topeka Symphony, she has held positions with the Heartland Opera, Salina Symphony, and Muncie Symphony (IN). She has performed both within the orchestra and as soloist with ensembles including the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, Springfield Symphony (MO), Enid Symphony, Kansas State University Wind Ensemble, Wichita Grand Opera, and Colorado’s MahlerFest, among many others.  In an effort to expand the flute repertoire, Robinson co-founded the Flute New Music Consortium (FNMC), and currently serves the organization as Vice President. Formed in 2013, FNMC has commissioned new works from composers such as Zhou Long, Carter Pann, Valerie Coleman, Samuel Zyman, and Reena Esmail. Further, she coordinates the organization’s annual composition competition, and is proud of collaborations with several of its winning composers. Her debut album, Aviary, was released on the Aerocade Music in 2023.

PIOTR, RÓŻAŃSKI. Piotr Różański graduated from the Academy of Music in Kraków, majoring in piano (in the class of Ewa Bukojemska and Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń) and chamber music. Following his Doctor of Arts degree in 2014 and a post-doctoral degree in 2019, Różański was appointed Assistant Professor of Piano at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków. He is a laureate of numerous piano and chamber music competitions, including the 38th Chopin National Piano Competition (Warsaw 2006), the Piano Competition for the YAMAHA Foundation scholarship (Gdańsk 2008), the Independent International Competition for Musical Individualities (Kiev 2010). He has performed, both as a soloist and chamber musician, in Poland and many other European countries, as well as in Israel and the USA. His phonographic achievements include several CDs, i.a. the album “Mieczysław Weinberg: Sonatas for violin and piano” (recorded in 2014 with Maria Sławek), as well as the album “Poland for 4 hands” (recorded in 2019 in a piano duo with Grzegorz Mania). Różański’s interests include piano literature discoveries and pioneering performances of piano music for the left hand.

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

SCHOENING, BENJAMIN. American lyric baritone, Benjamin Schoening has enjoyed much success as a vocalist throughout the United States, Europe, and South & Central America. Having started his career as a Horn player and orchestral conductor, he possesses a distinctive combination of talents and abilities that have allowed him to gain a unique insight into the music he performs. Benjamin has garnered a reputation for his performances of Art Song in the English language and is in particular is a champion of the American repertoire. In addition to his song recital performances, Benjamin has made appearances with the Racine Choral Arts Society (Wisconsin), Symphonia da Camerata (Illinois), and White Mountain Symphony Orchestra (Arizona), and Northeast Georgia Chamber Symphony as a vocal soloist. He has been involved in opera, performing roles such as Papageno in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Falke in Strass’ Die Fledermaus. In addition to performing, Benjamin is a devoted teacher and has served as a guest clinician for many events in the Midwest, Southwest, and Southeast United States. Benjamin is presently Head of the Department of Music at the University of North Georgia where is also a Professor of Music and Director of Vocal Studies.

SCIBELLI, SERENA. Serena Scibelli is currently faculty at Mississippi State University. She has presented masterclasses and performed as a soloist, in chamber and orchestra settings in the UnitedStates, Europe, Russia, South America and Arab countries in theaters such as Wiener Musikverein, and Royal Opera House Muscat. Passionate about research and contemporary music for years, Dr. Scibelli is an active participant in international conferences. She has published articles including the one on Tania León by Quinte Parallele and has been collaborating with composers performing and recording new compositions for violin. As a musician, she aims to bridge the gap between classical music and today’s life by considering music a need, not just entertainment. An enthusiastic supporter of the importance of education and arts, she is on the Board at HEART Music. Dr. Scibelli graduated from the Florence Conservatory at the age of 19 and continued her studies with a MM in performance at the Steffani Conservatory in Castelfranco Veneto IT, and a MM in performance at UGA where she then obtained a DMA in 2018. In 2021 she completed an MM at the Cattolica University of Milan in Cultural Diplomacy for International Relations and Global Communication.

HYEJI, SEO. Hyeji Seo is an avid pianist, collaborative musician, and educator. With her diverse background, she was invited to perform throughout the United States, Europe, and Korea, including Carnegie Recital Hall, Kimmel Art Center, Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels, Belgium, Jacopone da Todi Hall, Italy, Youngsan Art Hall, and Cheongju Art Center. She won prizes in several international competitions, including the Ise-Shima International Piano Competition in Japan, the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition in the USA, the International Music Competition ‘Brussels’ Grand Prize Virtuoso, and the American Protégé International Piano and String Competition, among others. She is an advocate of new and current music, especially music from underrepresented groups, and lesser-known composers that are living. One of her current concert programs, ‘The Music We Write’ series features music from Asian, female, and culturally diverse composers, presenting their unique identities and cultures. Often time this repertoire reflects historical or current events that support diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her teaching experience spans institutions like Colorado State University, Sookmyung Women’s University, Seoul, Michigan State University, Western Illinois University, St. Pius X School, and Expressions Music Academy, Michigan. Currently, she serves as a piano faculty at Colorado State University since 2018.

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

SHIMIZU, KUMIKO. Kumiko Shimizu, professor of music & collaborative pianist at Delta State University, has played for several competitions (including National Opera Association, National Association of Teachers of Singing, and North American Saxophone Alliance Region 6 Undergraduate Classical Solo Competition) and has been invited to perform at the College Music Society International/National/Regional Conferences, Southeast Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference, and William Bennett Summer Flute Academy, among others. At DSU, she co-organized several projects, such as Japanese Song Recital and Staged Art Song Recital. She has presented seminars and masterclasses in collaborative piano/vocal coaching at various venues, including at Sungkyul University in South Korea during the 2017 SU-DSU Piano Exchange Program. She co-edited with Dr. Mutsumi Moteki Japanese Art Song Anthology published by Classical Vocal Reprints. During summer 2021, she co-presented sessions on the anthology at the NATS Summer Workshop and as part of the SFBAC NATS webinar series, Songs for All Voices. She has received these awards: James Ronald Brothers Distinguished Achievement in Collaborative Piano Award (NATS Southern Region), Favorite Professor Award (Mu Phi Epsilon-Gamma Zeta Chapter), Second Place – Instrumental Performance, Professional Division (The American Prize), and JoElyn Wakefield-Wright Stage Director Fellowship (NOA).

SHIN, JUNG-WON. Jung-Won Shin has appeared as an active solo and collaborative pianist in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and Korea. Shin has been featured in international and regional conferences of the College Music Society, the New Music on the Bayou Festival in Louisiana, the Music by Women Festival in Mississippi, the Music in Action Conference in California, the Lives of the Piano concert series at the Manhattan School of Music and the Beethoven Sonata Recital Series at the Yamaha Artist Services both in New York, the Beethoven Bootcamp in Dublin, Rising Stars Concerts at the Orford Music Academy and Festival in Canada, and several recital series in Korea. Her two CDs with soprano Amy Yeung and violinist Sue-Jean Park respectively have been released. Her current projects include recitals on solo works by American and Korean living composers and piano duo works by Korean and Japanese composers in collaboration with Kumiko Shimizu, recitals with violinist Anne-Gaëlle Ravetto and trombonist Douglas Mark, and a recital series on Beethoven’s piano sonatas and concertos. Shin is currently Professor of Music at Delta State University and President of the Mississippi Music Teachers Association.

SOSA, NOEMI. Noemi Sosa is a percussionist and composer from Mission, Texas. She started composing at the age of 19, taking composition lessons at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She is actively pursuing her degree as a Music Education major and Music Technology minor. Noemi graduated from La Joya High School in 2020 where she discovered her enjoyment for music and why she decided to study this broad spectrum of the musical journey. She currently lives in Peñitas, Texas, and is serving in her local church’s worship group. Noemi really enjoys playing the drum set, but she is always eager to learn and explore other forms of creating wonderful music.

SYNERGY 78. Synergy 78 (flute and clarinet duo) has performed at conferences such as the National Flute Association, College Music Society, National Association for Collegiate Wind and Percussion Instructors, International Woodwind Duo Symposium, and International Clarinet Association. As a duo, they perform chamber music for the full range of flutes and clarinets. They have premiered works and collaborated with composers to commission exciting new pieces. Dr. Carol Shansky is on the faculty of several universities and music studios in New Jersey, where she teaches applied flute and music history. Dr. Michelle Kiec is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Oklahoma City University.

TRIPLE THREAT. Triple Threat is a Duo comprised of 2 instruments with 3 reeds between them. Dr. Patricia Card (Clarinet) and Dr. Kristin Sarvela (Oboe) both teach at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Their goal is to explore the whimsical harmonic timbres that are created between the clarinet and the oboe and to commission more works for this unique combination.

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

UECKER, KORLISS. The Financial Times (London) acclaimed that “Korliss Uecker, a bright and pretty American soprano, was charming, crystalline of voice and sparkling as an actress.” Uecker has sung over 150 performances at the Metropolitan Opera including Susanna in the Marriage of Figaro (international broadcast), Marzelline in Fidelio, Oscar in A Masked Ball, and Valencienne in The Merry Widow. She sang Giannetta in The Elixir of Love with Lucianno Pavarotti and Frasquita in Carmen with Placido Domingo. Other credits include Strasbourg Opera (France), Opera de Monte Carlo, Wexford Festival (Ireland), Santa Fe Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater, Washington Opera Kennedy Center, Dallas Opera, Baltimore Opera, the Spoleto Festival, Tanglewood Festival and Ravinia Festival, United States Naval Academy and the Library of Congress. She has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra among others. She has recorded for Deutsche Grammophone, London Decca, Arabesque Records ,New World Records and has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning and Live from Lincoln Center. Korliss is the Director of Theater Arts Prep at the Music Conservatory Of Westchester. She is on faculty at the Collaborative Piano Institute. Korliss holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Juilliard and a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Dakota.

URIBE, LIA. Lia Uribe, Associate Dean and Music Professor at the University of Arkansas, is an accomplished educator, arts advocate, and bassoonist. She champions underrepresented music, commissions new bassoon works, and has performed as a guest artist in 20+ countries. Her leadership includes the innovative RefleXions Music Series, focusing on creative justice. A Colombian native, Lia holds degrees from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, University of Arkansas, and University of Kansas, along with an MBA in Arts Innovation from the Global Leaders Institute.

UTRGV SAXOPHONE QUARTET. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Saxophone Quartet formed in July 2023. The members consist of Abraham Saldana (Soprano), Anthony Lee Monrreal (Alto), Jonathan Guzman (Tenor), Roman Valenciano (Bari). We are undergraduate students pursuing a bachelors in music education, and we come from Edinburg, TX.

VALVANO, LIZ. Liz Valvano, bassoonist, currently serves as the visiting instructor of bassoon at UNLV. Liz is a champion for new music, and has commissioned and premiered international, award-winning, contemporary works for solo bassoon, as well as chamber ensembles. She can be heard on Universal, Navona, and Parma recording labels. Liz is an avid educator, maintaining a thriving private studio of accomplished bassoonists who have achieved success in securing placement in summer festivals and earning scholarships to prestigious music schools. As a lecturer, she teaches introductory music history classes for non-majors at UNLV. Liz Valvano received her Doctorate of Musical Arts in bassoon performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, her Masters in Music at Texas State University, and her Bachelors of Arts in music and chemistry at Hollins University in May 2015. For more information, please visit lizvalvano.com.

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

WHITE, COLLEEN. Haynes Artist Colleen White is Assistant Professor of Flute at Kansas State University and Executive Director of Scheherazade Music Festival. Before her appointment at K-State, she held faculty positions in flute, chamber music, and entrepreneurship at Colorado State University, the Metropolitan State University of Denver, and the University of Colorado Boulder. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at Off the Hook Arts Winterfest, Colorado Mahlerfest, Boulder Bach Festival, and the Atlantic Music Festival. Additionally, she serves as Chair of the National Flute Association’s Career and Artistic Development Committee. Dr. White regularly performs in a wide variety of solo, orchestral, and chamber music settings across North America, including performances with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, as a soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and at Carnegie Hall. www.colleenwhiteflute.com.

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

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

ZAPATA, OSWALDO. Oswaldo Zapata holds the position of Assistant Professor of Trumpet at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Zapata comes to UTSA from Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) in Laredo, TX, where he was the Assistant Professor of Music – Trumpet and Director of Mariachi. Dr. Zapata is originally from Caldas, Antioquia, Colombia (near Medellín). He has studied trumpet under Professors David Hickman, James Ackley, Allen Vizzutti, and Fernando Parra. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance with an Emphasis in Instrumental Pedagogy from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, a Certificate of Graduate Study in Music Performance and a Master of Music in Trumpet Performance from the University of South Carolina, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) in Trumpet Performance from Arizona State University. Dr. Zapata lives in San Antonio with his wife, Sarah, and their sons, James and Thomas.

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

ZHANG, MIMI. Mimi Zhang is a pianist, collaborator, pedagogue, and researcher based in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She currently serves as the Temporary Instructor of Collaborative Piano at Arkansas State University, where she teaches music majors courses and collaborate with faculty, students and ensembles. Currently, Ms. Zhang performs in a piano duo named “Echo Piano Duo” with David Mach. Echo Duo has enjoyed performances across the United States, Germany, and China. Ms. Zhang is a passionate pedagogical researcher. Her research has been featured in national and regional conferences, including the MTNA National Conference, NCKP National Conference, MTNA Collegiate Chapters Symposium, MTNA GP3 Forum, OMTA State Conference, AMTA State Conference, and CMS Regional Conference. As a soloist, Ms. Zhang has holds first prizes in the Orbetello International Piano Competition (2022), Great Composers International Competition (2017), University of Oklahoma Rising Stars Young Artist Competition (2021), AMTA Solo Concerto Competition (2019), Alabama Federation of Music Collegiate Auditions (2020), and Alabama MTNA Young Artist Performance Competition (2019). She is currently pursuing a DMA in piano performance and pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma (A.B.D) under the tutelage of Dr. Jeongwon Ham, Dr. Barbara Fast, J.P. Murphy, and Dr. Jane Magrath.