Artist Biographies

Pamela Ajango

Pamela Ajango is a member of Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and teaches oboe at Butler University. As a full-time freelance oboist for over 25 years, her multifaceted playing style has led her to performances with professional symphonies and chamber groups to the pits of Broadway; from opera and ballet orchestras to multiple world premieres of new music; from Johnny Mathis to rock n’ roll; and almost everything in between. From 1996-2002, Pam lived and worked in NYC, performing with the area’s top ensembles, on Broadway, and for commercial recordings. She has performed and lectured at the International Double Reed Society’s conferences since 2008, and co-hosted the conference in 2025. Pam studied with Malcolm Smith, Ralph Gomberg, Joseph Robinson, and Stephen Taylor. She received her degrees from Boston University and the Manhattan School of Music. Pam is a Laubin artist.

Lisa Alexander

Lisa Alexander, classical musician, sound healer began her sound journey 40 years ago playing the bassoon. Over the past 10 years, after experiencing a profound sound bath with gongs and Tibetan Singing Bowls, she pursued education in that discipline. Being a classical musician for over 35 years playing the bassoon in New York for The Little Orchestra Society, The New York Choral Society, The NY Chamber Symphony and subbing in Mostly Mozart, New York City Ballet, The American Symphony and performing all around the globe with The Glickman Ensemble (Bassoon Ensemble), sound vibrations have always been a part of her life. After being certified by IASH (International Academy of Sound Healing) to share the healing, sacred sounds and vibrations of the Tibetan Singing Bowls and Gongs, she has opened her studio of sound healing for others to be transformed by this sacred modality.

Thomas Almendra

Thomas Almendra (b. 2002) is a multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer with wide-ranging experience across musical disciplines. He has performed extensively with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps, and alt-rock band philo*, spanning an eccentric variety of instruments including the oboe, bass, and marimba.

Experimenting past the boundaries between classical and popular music, Thomas has performed as principal oboist with the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra and as a bassist in punk band Rat Church. As a marimbist, Thomas has made finals appearances at the Drum Corps and Winter Guard International World Championships with both the Mandarins and Monarch Independent.

Currently, Thomas is an acoustician at BAi, designing and testing the acoustics of musical performance venues. He studied oboe performance and completed a B.S. in Architectural Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin in 2024.

Maribel Alonso

Born in Mexicali, Baja California, Maribel Alonso studied bassoon performance in Mexico and Vienna. Her musicality and creativity for improvisation have earned her various grants and residencies, including funding from the National Funds for Arts and Culture (FONCA) for a tour of Mexico and Colombia with her program of newly commissioned works by Mexican women composers. She has performed in the most important theaters within Mexico, and internationally in Germany, Austria, Lebanon, Thailand, Canada, USA, Ecuador, Argentina and Colombia. Recently, she has been working on commissioning new music by women composers to bring more equity to the music community. She’s an active part of TSUNAMI (Mexican Women Musicians Network) along with her duo Big Bambi (electric bass and bassoon), both of which have albums available on most common streaming platforms. Her solo project “Nomad Bassoon” brings music and various workshops to distant communities, migrant shelters, girls shelters and centers for persons with autism.

Since 2018 Maribel has been the Bassoon Professor of the Facultad de Música UNAM and Escuela Superior de Música, both in Mexico City.

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Fahime Angouraj Taghavi

Fahime Taghavi is a Persian oboist pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Alabama, where she is a recipient of the Graduate Council Fellowship. She earned her Master of Music in Oboe Performance from the University of Idaho and Bachelor of Music from Tehran University of Art.

Fahime has performed with the Iran National Orchestra, University of Idaho Symphony Orchestra, University of Idaho Wind Ensemble, and the Huxford Symphony Orchestra. Her experience also includes solo recitals, chamber recitals, collaborative concerts, and studio recording. Fahime is currently anticipating the 2026 release of the film Threads of Gold, which features her perspective on reed-making, performance philosophy, and live oboe performance.

She has over a decade of experience teaching oboe, classical guitar, and elementary music at universities and conservatories including the University of Idaho. Her research interests include extended techniques for oboe and cross-cultural approaches to oboe pedagogy. In the next year, Fahime plans to form a classical fusion band, commissioning new works for the oboe, and giving live performances.

Dorian Antipa

Dorian Antipa is a professional bassoonist and repair technician based in Great Falls, MT where he owns Big Sky Bassoon, a full service woodwind and brasswind repair shop specializing in bassoon. Since attending repair school in Red Wing, MN, hecontinues to work with and learn from master technicians around the country, making regular visits to Paul Nordby Bassoon Repair in Indianapolis.

Dorian found his way to becoming a repair technician after earning a BM from Sacramento State and an MM and DMA from the Hartt School. He has taught at the University of the Pacific, University of Montana, and Montana State and was principal bassoonist with the Great Falls Symphony and member of the affiliated Chinook Winds quintet until its termination in 2024. Since then, Dorian has focused on repair while continuing to substitute with regional orchestras and maintain a private studio. His primary teachers were Lindsey Bartlett, Nicolasa Kuster, Frank Morelli, and Marc Goldberg.

Sagar Anupindi

Sagar Anupindi is an oboist and educator based in Kansas City, MO, and is presently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In 2025, he was awarded the Second Prize in the International Double Reed Society’s Fernand Gillet-Hugo Fox Competition. Sagar is an avid chamber musician, currently performing with the Plaza Winds, UMKC’s Graduate Fellowship Woodwind quintet. He co-founded the Vanguard Reed Quintet, with whom he won the Silver Medal at the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. In addition to solo and chamber music engagements, Sagar regularly performs with the Kansas City Symphony, South Dakota Symphony, and Sioux City Symphony as a substitute musician. Sagar holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Michigan and a Master of Music from the Eastman School of Music. His principal teachers include Nermis Mieses, Nancy Ambrose King, Richard Killmer, and Celeste Johnson.

Braedon Avants

Braedon Avants is a Killeen-based composer, pianist, and drummer whose work blends cinematic textures with progressive energy. In 2018, He founded Big Sky Collective as an outlet for his original compositions. Braedon’s musical background spans piano, percussion, and ensemble performance, having played in concert groups, marching ensembles, and bands throughout the Austin area. His compositional voice is shaped by the movie scores and video game soundtracks that inspired him from an early age. Braedon’s music is evocative, energetic, and authentic. Braedon earned his degree from Texas State University in 2016 and continues to develop new works that explore movement, tone colors, and genre fluidity within contemporary ensemble settings.

Shelby Avants

Shelby Avants is a creatively driven bassoonist and multi-ensemble performer based in Killeen, Texas. Shelby is passionate about performing in orchestral, chamber, and vernacular settings. She regularly performs with Big Sky Collective, Skymomma, and Starmind Ceremony while maintaining an active freelance career across Central Texas. Shelby frequently appears with a range of chamber groups and symphonies, including Temple Symphony, Austin Symphony Orchestra, and Austin Opera.

She earned an AA in Music from Temple College (2019), a BM in Bassoon Performance from Southwestern University (2022), and a Master’s in Performance and Pedagogy from Texas State University (2024). Her musical experience spans symphonic repertoire, recording projects, and cross-genre performances, with features on albums.

Committed to both teaching and performance, Shelby has taught private lessons since 2017 and currently serves as a lecturer in the Music Department at Texas State University. Shelby’s work reflects her dedication to her craft and passion for art.

Ricardo Averbach

Ricardo Averbach is Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Studies at Miami University (Ohio), where he conducts the Miami University Symphony Orchestra. An internationally recognized conductor, scholar, and educator, he has led professional orchestras and presented masterclasses in more than 18 countries across the Americas, Asia and Europe. Before moving to the United States, he served as conductor of the Municipal Symphony Orchestra of São Paulo, Brazil’s largest professional orchestra.

Averbach is a past President of the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA), recipient of the Ohio Governor’s Award for the Arts, and winner of the 2025 The American Prize in Orchestra Performance (college/university division). His scholarly work focuses on Latin American music and cultural modernism. He is the author of Villa-Lobos and Modernism: The Apotheosis of Cannibal Music (Lexington Books, 2022). An advocate for contemporary music and cross-cultural artistic exchange, he regularly collaborates with composers, performers, and institutions worldwide, bringing diverse musical traditions to concert audiences and educational settings.

Ella Avni-Levi

Ella is a French-Israeli-American clarinetist with two decades of performance and teaching experience across Israel, Europe, and the U.S. She has served as a member of the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra, Trio Eden, and Women of the Wind Quintet, and performed with the Israel Chamber Orchestra and Bravo Musicians Ensemble. An advocate for the power of music education for all, she serves as a Teaching Artist for two organizations serving underserved youth in NYC.

Douglas Bakenhus

Dr. Douglas Bakenhus Director of Orchestral Studies and Professor of Bassoon at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. He plays modern, baroque and classical bassoons and studied baroque historical performance practice at the Tafelmusik Baroque Institute where he studied bassoon with Dominic Teresi and conducting with Ivars Tauren and Jeanne Lamon. He has performed with Mercury Baroque, Austin Baroque, and Ars Lyrica orchestras.

Zane Ballenger

Zane Ballenger is currently pursuing his Master of Music in Bassoon Performance as well as a Master of Chamber Music at the University of Delaware, where he studies under Professor Zachary Feingold, plays in the Fellowship Wind Quintet, Zephyria, and is a TA for Woodwind Methods and the Double Reed Studios. He also studies oboe as a secondary study under Dr. Erin Banholzer. Zane completed his Bachelor of Music Education with a concentration in Instrumental Music K-12 while studying with Dr. Heather Killmeyer at East Tennessee State University.

Yaala Ballin

Yaala Ballin, is a jazz vocalist, based in New York City. She regularly performs with her various ensembles that include duo with pianist Michael Kanan, jazz quartet with guitarist Pasquale Grasso bassist Ari Roland and drummer Keith Balla, the David Berger Big Band and her strings woodwind and brass chamber orchestra.

Rick Barrantes Aguero

Dr. Rick Barrantes Agüero holds teaching positions at Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, Millersville University, The Music School of Delaware, and the Philadelphia International Music Festival. He is the Principal Bassoon of the New Jersey Chamber Orchestra and has performed with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and Delaware Symphony Orchestra. Barrantes Agüero has also appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, York Symphony Orchestra, Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, Reading Symphony Orchestra, Symphony in C, Second Ending Ensemble, APEX Ensemble, Berks Sinfonietta, Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey, Toronto Concert Orchestra, and Niagara Symphony Orchestra. During the summers, he has performed as principal bassoon with the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (Switzerland), AIMS Festival Orchestra (Austria), Brevard Music Center Institute, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, and Youth Orchestra of Central America (Panama). He is a graduate of the National Music Institute (Costa Rica), the Royal Conservatory of Music (Canada), and Temple University.

Daniel Bates

Daniel Bates holds principal oboe positions with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, City of London Sinfonia, and Irish Chamber Orchestra as well as the National Philharmonic Orchestra in DC. He has performed solo concertos with many of the world’s leading orchestras under conductors including Pierre Boulez, Simon Rattle, John Eliot Gardiner, and Kurt Masur.

His solo recital appearances have included venues such as Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, and major European festivals, collaborating with internationally renowned musicians including Cecilia Bartoli, Jörg Widmann, and Elizabeth Leonskaya.
As a session musician, he has recorded for numerous pop artists and film soundtracks, including Barbra Streisand, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, and Stevie Wonder.

Daniel is the founder and Artistic Director of FitzFest in central London. He lives in Washington, DC and teaches at The Catholic University of America.

Bear Lake Winds

Bear Lake Winds is the premiere graduate woodwind quintet at the University of Northern Colorado. Based in Greeley, Colorado, the ensemble features flutist Mackenzie Hargis, oboist Jonathan Chan, clarinetist Kornel Juhász, hornist Lu Tovar-Vargas, and bassoonist Nicholas Shields. The quintet studies and performs under the guidance of Tim Gocklin, engaging deeply with both standard and contemporary repertoire. Bear Lake Winds is committed to artistic collaboration, stylistic versatility, and thoughtful programming that highlights diverse musical voices. Through performances across campus and the regional community, the ensemble aims to bring dynamic, high-level chamber music to a wide range of audiences.

Caitlin Beare

Caitlin Beare is the Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. An acclaimed clarinetist and educator, she has won prizes for solo and chamber music performances and has held fellowship positions at festivals in the US, Canada, and Switzerland. For more information, visit: www.caitlinbeare.com.

Gabriel Beavers

Gabriel Beavers is Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Prior to joining the faculty at Frost, he served on the faculty of Louisiana State University School of Music. Formerly a fellow with the New World Symphony, he has also served as Principal Bassoon with the Virginia Symphony, Acting Principal Bassoon with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Jacksonville Symphony and as Acting Second Bassoon with the Milwaukee Symphony for one season. Mr. Beavers has also previously held the position of Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Music.

Rachel Becker

Dr. Rachel Becker is Assistant Professor of Music History at the University of Northern Colorado. Her research focuses on issues of genre, virtuosity, gender, popularity, and woodwind development. Her current projects focus on current societal resonances of historical musical criticism – including in the gendering of musical instruments and of genres in contemporary Western society – and on nineteenth-century female oboists. She currently performs in the US and in Europe, both in chamber and solo recitals and with ensembles such as the Colorado Bach Ensemble, the Boulder Symphony, and the Boise Phil. She is a Howarth Artist, playing on a Howarth XM oboe and a Howarth XL English horn. Her first book, Valuing Nineteenth-Century Italian Opera Fantasias for Woodwind Instruments, was published by Routledge in 2024.

Conor Bell

Dr. Conor Bell enjoys a varied career as an educator, orchestral musician, and chamber musician. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Bassoon at West Texas A&M University.

Conor is particularly passionate about championing new music and expanding the bassoon’s repertoire by commissioning new pieces and creating arrangements of existing works.

Conor is currently principal bassoon of the Amarillo Symphony and was previously principal bassoon of the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra in Kentucky for eight seasons and has performed with many orchestras around the United States, including the Nashville Symphony. He is also an active chamber musician, currently performing with the Elicio Winds—a flute, oboe, bassoon trio—which has performed across the country at various conferences, as well as many local venues focused on community outreach.

Kathleen Bell

Dr. Kathleen Carter Bell is a dynamic educator and performer, currently serving as Assistant Professor of Oboe at West Texas A&M University. She holds positions with both the Amarillo Symphony (English Horn) and the Lubbock Symphony (Principal Oboe), and is on faculty at the Interlochen Arts Camp. Kathleen was recently appointed Artistic Director of Chamber Music Amarillo, where she also performs regularly.

A passionate chamber musician and soloist, Kathleen has performed across the U.S. and internationally. Her trio, Elicio Winds, has received multiple grants for commissioning and recording projects, including their 2023 album Convergence: Music and Cultural Legacy.

As a dedicated educator, Kathleen gives masterclasses nationwide and regularly presents at major conferences. Her pedagogical writing has appeared in Ala Breve and The Tennessee Musician, and in 2024 she was named Review Editor for the International Alliance for Women in Music Journal. Kathleen also serves as Secretary for IDRS’s Midsouth Chapter.

A committed advocate for new music, Kathleen has collaborated with many composers to commission and premiere original works. Her doctoral dissertation was commended by Indiana University as a “Dissertation of High Distinction.” She holds DM, MM, and PD degrees from Indiana University and a BM from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory. In 2012, she was awarded the prestigious Barbara and David H. Jacobs Fellowship for “excellence and leadership in the world of music”.

Cayla Bellamy-Lanz

Dr. Cayla Bellamy-Lanz is a performer, collaborator, and pedagogue dedicated to advancing the music field through redefining standard practices in the bassoon studio and chamber ensemble settings. She serves as Associate Professor of Bassoon at Colorado State University in addition to performing regularly with the Colorado Bach Ensemble and directing the Fort Collins-based Health and Wellness Community Orchestra.

Cayla is a specialist in contemporary American solo writing for the bassoon, with eight concerto features since 2019. Both of her commercial albums, Double or Nothing and American Bassoon Voices, were recorded with the intent of creating sound reference recordings for new performers of modern music. She is currently developing her third album, featuring commissioned duos with flute inspired by the National Parks.

Offstage, Cayla is an endurance athlete with academic research focusing on coaching methodologies, performance psychology, and the intersections of artistic and athletic training. Learn more at www.caylabellamy.com.

Megan Bellamy-Lanz

Miyazawa Performing Artist Megan Bellamy-Lanz (DMA/CMI) performs regularly as a solo artist and chamber musician. Her holistic performance and pedagogical approaches encompass all physical, mental, and emotional components of being a human musician.

Megan’s music appreciation textbook, Music and the Human Experience (Cognella Publishing), prioritizes the concept of music as a product of the culture in which it is created and how it reflects the human experience in general. The chapters draw examples from around the globe and show how music can be used to create a sense of identity, to express, to mourn, to fight for social change, and to bring communities together.

As a performer and pedagogue, Megan regularly finds inspiration in connecting with composers to commission and premiere new works. Her performances have earned her repeated awards in the American Prize professional division, and she has recorded on the GIA and Klavier record labels.

Nanci Belmont

Praised as “a lyrical soloist” with “beautiful playing in both tone and technique” by the New York Concert Review, bassoonist Nanci Belmont is a dynamic performer and educator currently serving as the Assistant Professor of Bassoon at Louisiana State University. An engaging soloist, Nanci is a Performing Artist for Leitzinger Bassoons and Second Prize winner of the Fernand Gillet-Hugo Fox Competition of the International Double Reed Society. She is driven by a desire to cultivate meaningful relationships and relevant musical experiences, and is frequently invited to perform as a soloist and chamber musician on festivals and series throughout the United States. Nanci is a member of The City of Tomorrow, a wind quintet dedicated to the performance and expansion of contemporary repertoire, and is also active in the commissioning of new works for bassoon. She has collaborated with contemporary groups such as Talea ensemble International Contemporary Ensemble, Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra, and Alarm Will Sound. As an orchestral musician, she has performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York City Ballet Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic, and Charleston Symphony, among others. Nanci has been invited to present clinics and master classes at a variety of institutions across the country and is also on faculty at the Mostly Modern Festival and is a 2026-2028 coach for the Lucerne Festival Academy.

Audrey Benson

Audrey Benson is a freshman bassoonist at Bowling Green State University, where she is pursuing a degree in Music Education. She performs in the Symphonic Band, Bassoon/Double Reed Choir, Clarinet Choir, and the Brio Quintet. Her aim is to continue to learn about music through a multitude of experiences. Her teachers include Ben Weppler, Jordan Wier, and Susan Nelson.

Bryan Benson

A native of North Carolina, bassoonist Bryan Benson is an active chamber musician, orchestral musician, and soloist. He is currently pursuing an Artist’s Diploma at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) as a graduate assistant studying with Christopher Sales and Martin Garcia. Previously, he earned his Master of Music from CCM and a Bachelor of Music in Performance from Appalachian State University where he studied with Dr. Jon Beebe. Outside of the university setting, he plays second bassoon with the Mason Symphony Orchestra and has performed with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and Richmond Symphony Orchestra. Bryan is also a passionate teacher and teaches private bassoon lessons at local high schools.

Big Sky Collective

Big Sky Collective (BSC) is a cinematic progressive ensemble based in central Texas. With music school roots, this ensemble challenges the role of the Bassoon in the modern context. BSC lights up the stage at festivals, breweries, and recital halls, showing the world that the Bassoon belongs everywhere. This adaptability is mirrored in their sound, where their playful approach to boundaries is reflected both in genre and in the evolving role of the Bassoon. Big Sky Collective is an artful group of collaborative writers who bring whimsy and improvisation to every tune.

Cullen Blain

Cullen Blain, D.M.A., is a San Diego–based bassoonist, reed maker, and educator whose work bridges performance, science, and craftsmanship. His ongoing research builds on his doctoral project, Nondestructive Evaluation of Reed Cane: A New Approach in Determining the Material Properties of Arundo Donax L. (University of Cincinnati, 2019), which introduced a repeatable, data-driven method for assessing reed cane quality through nondestructive ultrasonic characterization, functionally analogous to a medical ultrasonic. By measuring how sound waves travel through Arundo Donax L., Cullen developed a reliable way to predict how a piece of cane will perform, transforming the reed-making process from guesswork into measurable artistry.

Leveraging these evidence-based insights for advancing the art of reed making, he supports musicians worldwide with performance-ready reeds, processed cane, and sustainable solutions. A dedicated educator and performer, Cullen continues to teach the next generation of bassoonists and appears with ensembles across California and the United States.

Cesar Blas

Cesar Blas is an oboist currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Oklahoma, studying under Dr. Shawn Welk. Originally from La Paz, Bolivia, he began his musical training at the Conservatorio Plurinacional de Música in La Paz before completing both a Master of Music and a Graduate Certificate in Oboe Performance at the University of Central Arkansas under Dr. Lorraine Duso.

Blas has performed with numerous orchestras in his native Bolivia and has held principal positions with the Conway Symphony Orchestra and the OU Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Tarija and made his American solo debut with the Conway Symphony, performing Vaughan Williams’s Oboe Concerto.

He is the winner of the UCA Concerto Competition and the Delta Symphony Competition. Blas currently serves as principal oboist of the OU Symphony Orchestra and as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Oklahoma.

Norman Boehm

American pianist and composer Norman Boehm, former music professor at Hendrix College, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan and a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music. His teachers have included Charles Fisher, Eugene Bossart, Clark Eastham, Benning Dexter, and David Burge. Boehm has performed in Europe and South Africa, as well as in the U.S., and specializes in music from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In addition to performing as a soloist and chamber musician, he is also a composer, arranger, and sometime conductor.

Wesley Boehm

Wesley Boehm in an active and in-demand teacher and performer throughout Central Illinois and beyond. He completed his DMA in Oboe Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois where he also served as teaching assistant. Prior to attending the University of Illinois, Wesley received a master’s degree from the University of Kansas and a bachelor’s degree in Oboe Performance from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. Equally comfortable teaching beginners and advanced students, Dr. Boehm teaches at Illinois State University and has a thriving private studio. Wesley is an active performer and chamber musician throughout Central Illinois on oboe, English horn, and Baroque oboe. He has performed with the Kansas City Symphony, Springfield (MO) Symphony Orchestra, Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Heartland Festival Orchestra, among others. Wesley also works in music administration, serving as the Orchestra Librarian and Operations Assistant for Sinfonia da Camera.

Gwendolyn Boros

Technical Sergeant Gwendolyn Boros is the youngest and newest member of the United States Air Force Academy Band, having joined in February 2025. She performs as a horn player with the concert band, ceremonial band, and Rampart Winds. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in June 2024 from Northwestern University, where she studied with Professors Gail Williams and Jonathan Boen. While at Northwestern, she spent two summers as an undergraduate research assistant in the Language and Communication in Aging and Neurodegeneration Research Group and the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine. She spent her summer before enlisting at the Aspen Music Festival, where she studied with Andrew Bain and Kevin Rivard.

Gianfranco Bortolato

Born in 1964, he gained his Diploma with honours from the “B.Marcello” Conservatoire in Venice where he was taught by Bruno Baldan, before continuing his studies with Pietro Borgonovo. In 1992, he was awarded the Konzertdiplom from the Musk-Akademie der Stadt Basel. From 1994 to 1995 he attented a course of further specialist study with Hans Elhorst at the Hochschule fur Musik in Freiburg. From 1990 to 1995 he played first oboe with the Orchestra Sinfonica of Sanremo. From 1995 to 1998 he played first oboe with I Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano.

He has also collaborated as principal oboe with several other orchestras, including the Orchestra at the Teatro La Scala, Teatro Comunale di Genova, Orchestra Regionale Toscana, Teatro Regio in Turin and Accademia di S.Cecilia. He has performed several soloist performances and has made recordings for Ares, Frequenz, Erato, Nuova Era, Ricordi,T actus, Rivoalto.

In 2001, he was invited as a member of the jury at the International Competition Gillet/Fox in the USA and presented “Parigi o cara”during the IDRS. He performed, as an Italian premiere, the “Trittico”for Oboe,Oboe d’amore, English horn and strings of A.Dorati. He presented the “Trittico”at the IDRS at Banff (Canada)as well. In 2003, he presented, as a world premiere,at the IDRS at Greensboro (USA) his new CD”Ardon gli incensi” which contains fantasies by Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti operas. His performance of the A.Dorati’s Trittico in the USA has been the subject of a thesis at the Indiana University.

He played with the Avant-garde Quintet, one of the finalists in the 46th International ARD Competition in Munich and in 1995, was awarded the second prize at the seventh “Concorso nazionale Vittorio Pitzianti” for oboe held in Venice. He has played as a soloist in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela, Perù, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ecuador, Japan and more. In 2018 he was appointed Knight of the Italian Republic for merit towards the nation in the field of music.

He is currently the Solo-Oboe of the Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera in Rome.

Bowling Green State University Double Reed Club

Bowling Green State University (BGSU) Double Reed Studios are directed by Susan Nelson (bassoon) and Dwight Parry (Oboe). Students performing at the conference range from undergraduate to masters and doctoral levels in the following degree areas: performance, contemporary performance specialization, music education, bachelor of musical arts, and composition. Students run the BGSU Double Reed Club which includes annual fund raisers, support for guests coming to campus, support for student activities, and BGSU’s annual Double Reed Day.

Jenni Brandon

Jenni Brandon is an acclaimed composer and conductor whose music blends lyrical beauty with inspiration from nature, poetry, and personal stories. Her catalogue of over 100 works includes solo pieces, chamber music, concertos, operas, and orchestral compositions featured on more than two dozen albums with labels such as Navona Records, Delos, and MSR Classics. Brandon’s artistry has earned prestigious honors including the Sorel Medallion and the American Prize, and her works are required repertoire for international competitions and auditions at leading institutions. Through her company Jenni Brandon Music, she oversees global publication and distribution of her works. As a conductor, she has led performances of her works and others, notably her opera 3 PADEREWSKIS at the Kennedy Center. A passionate educator, Brandon presents workshops nationwide on collaboration and the business of music and serves as Co-Artistic Director of Heartland Marimba. Learn more at jennibrandon.com.

Heidi Brann

Heidi Brann has been playing and performing as an oboist for over 40 years. The people that shaped her as a musician are numerous though the greatest influence was during her time at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University where she was the recipient of the Zaidee T. Thomas Award in instrumental performance. There she studied with Sara Watkins Shirley-Quirk, the first female principal oboist of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC. During her time of focused study in the oboe she had opportunities to perform as a soloist in Europe as well as in the US. She continues to enjoy sharing music as a soloist as well as in the woodwind section in ensembles throughout the midwest. She has held teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin, Parkside and The College of Lake County and her own HB Oboe Studio. She also enjoys helping oboists throughout the US by supplying reeds and tools through her business HB Oboe and Reeds. She views teaching as adding oboe vitamin supplements to the lives of her students. Every student has different needs and helping them create healthy habits is essential to growth. Understanding the goal of the student is also imperative to meeting their needs as a musician and performer. She teaches students of all ages and levels. Though after raising her three children in the Suzuki Method of Violin, Cello, Harp and Piano she has an appreciation of learning music as a language. Heidi can be found at HBoboeAndReeds.com

Stuart Breczinski

Praised by the New York Times for his “eloquent” playing, Stuart Breczinski is a New York and Louisiana-based oboist, composer, audio engineer, and educator whose early interest in making unusual sounds on the oboe has developed into a passion for creating and sharing innovative audio with audiences everywhere. An avid proponent of chamber and contemporary music, Breczinski is a member of the City of Tomorrow, a quintet dedicated to the promotion and performance of contemporary works. He is the principal oboist of NOVUS and Contemporaneous, a member of Decoda and Ensemble Mélange, and he has been a collaborator with Bang on a Can, Talea Ensemble, the International Contemporary Ensemble, and the New York New Music Ensemble. Breczinski was the winner of the 2018 Matthew Ruggiero International Woodwind Competition, and he received an honorable mention at the 2015 IDRS Gillet-Fox International Competition. He has held positions at Louisiana State University and Sarah Lawrence College.

Bridge Bassoon Duo

Founded in 2022 by bassoonists Dana Brink and Andy Sledge, the Bridge Bassoon Duo explores the expressive capabilities of the bassoon duo as a genre. They have performed and given masterclasses at festivals, conferences, and universities throughout the United States and internationally. As creators and commissioners, the duo places a special focus on expanding the bassoon duo repertoire written by historically marginalized composers, especially queer and transgender artists; they have premiered pieces by Meadow Bridgham, Chrysanthe Tan, and Madeline October Wildman. Andy and Dana call Pittsburgh, PA home.

Erin Brophey

Erin Brophey shares the joy of music-making with audiences across Canada. Erin is currently the Principal Oboe of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra (on sabbatical).

In 2000, Erin earned her Honours Bachelor of Music from Wilfrid Laurier University. She completed her Master of Music degree at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2002.

As a performer, Erin is interested in the intersection of art forms and offering meaningful cultural experiences to audiences. She has a particular interest in music written by composers that identify as women and people of colour.

A joyful educator, Erin Brophey is a sessional lecturer at the University of Saskatchewan and is the Woodwind Coach for the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra. In Saskatoon, Erin co-directs a community double-reed band called Squawk. In addition, Erin is on faculty at the Inter-Provincial Music Camp in Parry Sound, Ontario. Erin Brophey is the Director of an online oboe education program called the Oboe Path.

Kate Bruns

Kate Bruns is currently the Acting English Horn/Third Oboe for the Nashville Symphony. Prior to her appointment, she thoroughly enjoyed her time as an Oboe Fellow with the New World Symphony, playing under Artistic Director Stéphane Denève and performing a Solo Spotlight recital through the organization’s BLUE program. Before joining NWS, she held the positions of Second Oboe in the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, Second Oboe/English Horn in the Richmond (Indiana) Symphony Orchestra, and associate member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra for the 2022-23 season. Kate holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (MM ‘22) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (BM ‘20). She looks forward to joining “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band as Associate Principal Oboe in Fall 2026.

Geoffrey Burgess

Geoffrey Burgess has played a key role in the early music revival on three continents. Australian by birth, he played Baroque oboe around the globe, and is known equally as a scholar of early music. He was a member of Les Arts Florissants in Paris for 20 years, and has appeared as soloist, orchestral and chamber musician with groups across the USA. He has supervised a revised French translation of The Oboe (originally written in collaboration with the late Bruce Haynes) due to appear in 2026. Geoffrey was also responsible for entries on the oboe in major dictionaries, and his latest book, The Thorn of the Honey Locust, is a historical novel based on the life of Bach’s oboist Caspar Gleditsch. The Revolutionary Oboe, a recording of three chamber works featuring an original Delusse oboe from the 1780s is available from Oboe Classics.

The Burning River Winds

We are a flexible woodwind chamber ensemble based in Southwest Ohio, and have performed extensively throughout the area and beyond, including our performances at the 2012 and 2022 IDRS Conferences. In 2022 we performed the world premier of a piece commissioned for our trio by Dr. Glenn Harman, Lost and Found by Alyssa Morris which has since been published by Trevco Music.

Deon Byrd

Deon is a euphonium and trombone player with nearly fifteen years of experience. He studied under Mark Hays, a distinguished tubist with a background in U.S. Army bands, and Eric Dluzniewski of the University of Georgia Hugh Hodgson School of Music.

Deon is a co-founding member of Big Sky Collective (c. 2019) and serves as the band’s auxiliary brass player and transcriptionist. Some of Deon’s notable achievements include receiving the Outstanding Performer award at the 2018 Texas State Solo & Ensemble Contest, performing twice with the All-State Community College Symphonic Band (2019-2020), and later serving as lead trombone for the All-State Community College Jazz Band at TMEA events (c. 2022).

Davin Cai

Davin Cai (b. 2003) is a percussionist who unifies different musical settings and audiences through finding meaningful human experiences with unapologetic emotion. Highlights include performances at Carnegie Hall, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC). An advocate for contemporary music, he has premiered music by composers such as Hila Plitmann, Katahj Copley, and Hunter Prueger. Further accolades include winning the 2024 Drum Corps International World Championships with the Bluecoats in a show nationally recognized by the New York Times as one that “”just might live forever””.

Davin is currently pursuing his M.M. in Percussion Performance from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, studying with Ian Rosenbaum, Jisu Jung, Jeff Stern, and Sandbox Percussion. He received his B.M. in Music Education from the University of Texas at Austin under the instruction of Thomas Burritt and Ivan Trevino.

Las Californias

Comprised of Maribel Alonso and Stephanie Patterson, Las Californias is a cross-border bassoon duo that celebrates music by female and underrepresented composers, including improvisation and new arrangements of pieces by composers from present and past centuries. With a passion for bridging cultures through their unique sound, they have performed internationally from Thailand to Argentina. Weaving together tradition and innovation, they have presented improvisation workshops to groups of all ages across North America, focusing on creating a safe space for all voices to experiment and be heard. Their current projects include arrangements of works by female composers from the past, and commissions of new works by female composers from Mexico and across Latin America. Alonso’s solo project “Nomad Bassoon” brings music and various workshops to distant communities, migrant shelters, girls shelters and centers for persons with autism. Since 2018 she has been the Bassoon Professor of the Facultad de Música UNAM and Escuela Superior de Música, both in Mexico City. Stephanie Patterson is Associate Professor of Bassoon at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and her book An Introduction to Contemporary Music for Bassoon and 64 Etudes is available through Trevco Varner Music.

CAN-AM Trio

The CAN-AM Trio was created in 2019 by oboists Geralyn Giovannetti of Utah and Sarah Hamilton from The State University of New York at Fredonia, and Anna Mattix, the English hornist with the Buffalo Philharmonic. Both Geralyn and Sarah are Canadian citizens and Anna is American, hence the name. As good friends and colleagues we share a long musical association and friendship and perform together to promote the rich musical tradition of trios written for two Oboes and English horn. CAN-AM Trio performances include both historical and contemporary works, especially those written more recently by Canadian, American, and British composers. In 2021, the CAN-AM Trio was awarded a grant by the Canada Council for the Arts to commission, record and tour. The trio has presented recitals in both Canada and the US and premiered new commissioned works by composers, Elizabeth Raum, Shreya Ya, Ron Royer, and Rob Deemer. We completed our first CD recording in the fall of 2023.

Clair Cangialosi

Dr. Clair Cangialosi (she/her) performs as a freelancer in the northern Virginia area, most recently as contrabassoonist with the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, and with her chamber ensemble, Matchsticks Bassoon Quartet. Also a passionate educator, Clair maintains a private studio at the Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy in Winchester VA and is currently serving a three year term on the IDRS Pedagogy Committee. In July 2025 she joined the team at Hodge Products as the Bassoon and Digital Content Specialist. Clair holds a Bachelor’s degree in music education (’17), Professional Performance Certificate (’18), and Master’s degree in bassoon performance (’20) from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, as well as a Doctor of Musical Arts degree (’24) in bassoon performance from Shenandoah University.

Stephen Caplan

I truly credit my graduate studies (D.M.A., The University of Michigan, 1992) with Harry Sargous as pivotal in setting me up for a career as a professional oboist. As oboist and Executive Director of the Sierra Winds for over twenty years, I toured internationally and made many acclaimed recordings. I also performed at the Kennedy Center when it was still cool to do that. I’ve been a concerto soloist with orchestras around the globe, and my solo recording of American works for oboe, A Tree in Your Ear, has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and Performance Today. Living in Las Vegas, I’ve had the chance to tune a slot machine, record music with a spinning roulette wheel, and perform for Klingons and other interstellar beings at the annual Star Trek convention! I am now Emeritus Professor of Music at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas after a thirty-eight-year teaching career. I continue to perform as Principal Oboe with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, and to teach Body Mapping to musicians. To find out more about Body Mapping and how it helps musicians, check out my books, Oboemotions: What Every Oboe Player Needs to Know about the Body, and The Breathing Book. See: www.oboemotions.com

Madison Cardenas

Madi Cardenas is a professional educator, bassoonist, and reed-maker currently based in North Central West Virginia. Before moving to Morgantown, WV for graduate school, Madi was the Lake County Bassoon Instructor where he primarily taught bassoon and chamber music. Additionally, while in Illinois, Madi performed with the Celesti Wind Quintet and North Suburban Wind Ensemble.

As a performer, Madi is frequently called upon to substitute performing with regional ensembles and collegiate groups, including Marietta Symphony, Mon Symphony, Frostburg State, and Fairmont State. While pursuing his degrees, Madi also works with West Virginia University’s Graduate Wind Quintet and leads the WVU Honor Band masterclass for bassoon.

Madi received his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where his primary instructor was Timothy McGovern, holds his Masters of Music from West Virginia University working closely with Dr. Andy Sledge and is currently pursuing his DMA from West Virginia University.

Stephanie Carlson

Dr. Stephanie Carlson is currently Assistant Professor of Oboe and Bassoon at Murray State University. Previously, she served as Instructor of Oboe at Concordia College Moorhead. She is currently oboist with the Larkspur Reed Trio (oboe, English horn, and clarinet), a non-profit organization dedicated to music education and community outreach. She has also performed for thousands of K-12 students with the Concordia Wind Quintet through the Minnesota Public Radio Class Notes Artists program. Dr. Carlson has performed with the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, Paducah Symphony, Jackson (TN) Symphony, Augusta Symphony, Charleston Symphony, and the GAMAC Chamber Orchestra, among others. She is a regular recitalist at International Double Reed Society conferences and has also performed or presented at conferences of the International Clarinet Association, the College Music Society National Conference, and the Music by Women Festival. Dr. Carlson holds degrees from the University of Georgia and the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music.

Tracy Carr

Oboist Dr. Tracy Carr, a founding member of Duo Encantada, is active as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician, & clinician. Her national performance & presentation venues include the IDRS International Conference, CMS National & International Conferences & the Hawaii International Arts & Humanities Conference. She has also performed numerous recitals and presented masterclasses both in the US & abroad including Texas Tech University, West Texas A & M University, Abilene Christian University, Hardin-Simmons University, UT-Brownsville, Miami University, University of Southern California, Chapman University, Chicago State University, Southern Utah University & the Sichuan Conservatory of China.

Carr’s articles on performance & pedagogy have been published in the NACWPI Journal, IDRS Journal, NM Music Educator’s Magazine, & The Instrumentalist magazine and she actively mentors junior university faculty. Tracy is Professor of Double Reeds/Music History at Eastern New Mexico University, Marigaux Performing Artist, & a National Honorary Patron of Delta Omicron.

Alexandra Castro

Alexandra Castro, a bassoonist from Venezuela, began her musical journey at the age of thirteen, studying piano and clarinet at the Escuela de Música Elías David Curiel. She later transitioned to the bassoon and became involved with the renowned music education program “”El Sistema,”” where she studied under Zoila Lopez and Omar Ascanio.

In 2008, Alexandra joined the faculty at the Conservatorio de Música Santa Ana de Coro, teaching introductory music theory to children aged 7-14. In 2012, she co-founded the Conservatorio de Música Eligio Duno, where she served as a bassoon and music theory instructor.

In 2015, Alexandra earned a scholarship to pursue her master’s degree in music performance at Andrews University in Michigan, studying under Professor Eric Kuhner. She has participated in masterclasses with distinguished bassoonists such as Henning Trog, Nathalia Rose Vrbsky, Matthias Rácz, Klaus Thunemann, Keith Sweger, Judith LeClair, and Saxton Rose.

While in the U.S., Alexandra has performed as a guest bassoonist with various orchestras across Michigan, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Connecticut. Currently, she is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in bassoon performance at the University of South Carolina, under the guidance of Dr. Michael Harley. She is also an active member of the reed quintet Civitasolist and freelances in Connecticut and New York.

Jonathan Chan

Jonathan is an oboist based in Northern Colorado, where he is pursuing the Doctor of Arts degree in Oboe Performance at the University of Northern Colorado under the instruction of Tim Gocklin. He holds both a Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance from the University of Michigan, where he studied with Nancy Ambrose King, and a Master of Music in Oboe Performance from the University of Northern Colorado. Jonathan maintains an active freelance career and has performed with several regional orchestras, including the Henderson Symphony Orchestra, Dearborn Symphony Orchestra, and Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra.

Dione Chandler

Dr. Dione Chandler has an active career as a chamber musician, orchestral freelancer, and educator. She has performed numerous solo and chamber music recitals throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and the Czech Republic. An advocate of new music, Dione has been involved in numerous commissioning projects with composers such as Margi Griebling-Haigh, Chiayu Hsu, Jim Stephenson, Sydney Hodkinson, Dana Wilson, Mason Bynes, Connor Chee, Katherine Pukinskis, Brin Solomon, Tom McColley, Joshual Burel, Joseph Sowa, and her father, B. Glenn Chandler. She was a recipient of an International Double Reed Society 50 for 50 Commissioning Grant and has performed world premieres at the International Double Reed Conferences in Flagstaff, AZ and Tampa, FL, in addition to the International ClarinetFest in Orlando, FL. Dione frequently performs with the Naples Philharmonic, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, and Sarasota Orchestra, and was principal of the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra from 2001 until its closure in 2025. Since 2014, she has been Adjunct Professor of Oboe at Stetson University, where she also teaches aural training and Jazz & 20th century American music. Previously, Dione taught at the University of Florida, Texas Tech University, Florida International University, and the International Association for Music Education in Prague. She holds degrees from Florida State University, the University of Southern California, and Rice University.

Simon Cheek

Simon Cheek (b. 2001, BMI) is a recent Music Composition graduate from Brigham Young University and current Master’s student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His music focuses on themes such as human psychology and our connection with nature through pieces ranging from solo to full orchestral works.

While at BYU, he won the Vera Mayhew Music Composition Grand Prize 3 times, having had his works performed by the BYU Philharmonic, Honors Brass Quintet, Group for New Music, and more! As a clarinetist, he performed in the Wind Symphony, Group for New Music, Serenade Wind Quintet, and the Philharmonic Orchestra, including a 2024 Concerto Competition Winning Performance of the Tomasi Concerto (Mvmt 3).

His music has also been performed in places such as the International Clarinet Association’s (ICA) Clarinetfest, the North American Saxophone Alliance, the June in Buffalo New Music Festival, and the Brevard Music Center.

Jung Choi

Oboist Jung Choi is an active recitalist, educator, lecturer, adjudicator, solo, chamber and orchestral musician. She was the associate principal oboist for the Korean National Symphony Orchestra for eight seasons and the principal oboist for the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Springfield, MO for two seasons. She taught oboe at the Nazareth College, Seoul National University and the Missouri State University. As an avid chamber musician, she performs actively as a member of ensemble Sunyul based in Seoul, Korea and co-founded ensemble Noree in order to diversify double reed repertoire and to promote music of diverse backgrounds and musical intersection of cultures and identities.

She actively gives masterclasses and performs nationally and internationally. She has given classes in schools such as Eastman School of Music University of Southern California, Mahidol University, University of Michigan, and University of Colorado Boulder to name a few. She is regularly invited to national and international conferences, music festivals and concerts as a solo and ensemble performer, competition judge and a lecturer. Her oboe playing was heard internationally including Seoul, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, France, Czech Republic, Germany, Canada and the United States. She is currently serving as the Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of North Texas and is the principal oboist for the Richardson Symphony in Richardson Texas and the Abilene Philharmonic in Abilene.

Civitasolis Reed Quintet

Civitasolis Reed Quintet is a modern chamber ensemble committed to expanding the reed quintet repertoire through innovative programming and the commissioning of new works. The ensemble, comprised of performers with extensive backgrounds in orchestral, chamber, and solo music, strives to push the boundaries of double-reed performance, offering diverse and compelling interpretations. Civitasolis Reed Quintet is an advocate for living composers and frequently premieres new works that reflect the evolving nature of reed instrument chamber music.

Carlos Clark

Previously a Paul J. Ross fellow with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Carlos’s main goal is to prove the effectivness of the orchestra as a tool in pursuit of global liberation. He lives in Metro Detroit with his partner Jenny and dog Indigo Lee.

Ari Cohen Mann

Ari Cohen Mann (they/them) serves up “”brilliant virtuosity”” (The Whole Note) through their playing and brightness and optimism through their popular social media channels. Ari has been hailed as the “”Jonathan Van Ness of the oboe”” (CBC Music), proudly championing their queer identity and serving as a role model for LGBTQ youth. Based in Toronto, Ari is a dynamic recitalist, new music proponent, orchestral musician, and educator. Recognized on CBC’s 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians under 30, they are also a Howarth Artist, performing on a Howarth LXV-VT oboe.

With playing described as “emotionally charged” (Ludwig van Toronto), Ari’s career includes performances as a concerto soloist with the PEI Symphony Orchestra, National Academy Orchestra, Canadian Studio Symphony, and Ontario Philharmonic. Ari has premiered works by composers such as Kevin Day, Jocelyn Morlock, Nicky Sohn, Matthew Emery, and Felipe Téllez. Ari’s solo debut at Carnegie Hall was with harpist Noël Wan, as featured artists in the Yale in New York series.

Ari was a prizewinner at the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Manulife Competition, and the winner of the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition and Ben Steinberg Musical Legacy Award. As a faculty member at Wilfrid Laurier University, Ari teaches oboe and coaches chamber music. Connect with them at www.oboeari.com

Jacob Coleman

A native of Athens, Georgia, pianist Jacob Coleman is Associate Professor of Piano and Collaborative Piano at the University of Kentucky School of Music. As a collaborator, Dr. Coleman has performed with artists such as Franklin Cohen, David Kim, Jeff Nelsen, Leone Busye, Amy Porter as well as the Zohn Collective and Kenari Quartet. He has served as an official pianist for the Mid-South Flute Fest, National Trumpet Competition, ProjetoBone Brasil (2019), and Muestra Internacional de Clarinete de Panamá (2019). Coleman has also frequently appeared at the North American Saxophone Alliance and International Double Reed Society conferences.

Prior to coming to Kentucky Dr. Coleman taught at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he directed the Collaborative Piano Program and created a new doctoral degree. From 2014-2016, he served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Collaborative Piano at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. For six summers, he was a member of the piano staff at the Meadowmount School of Music founded by Ivan Galamian. Dr. Coleman holds degrees from The University of Texas at Austin (DMA, Collaborative Piano), University of Oregon (MM, Collaborative Piano), and University of Georgia (BM, Piano Performance). His primary teachers were Richard Zimdars, David Riley, and Anne Epperson.

The Common thread

The Common Thread is the Double Reed Ensemble at The Ohio State University and includes students from the studios of Dr. Abby Yeakle Held and Professor Jesse Schartz. The Common Thread’s goal is to bring together students who share a passion for the oboe and bassoon while fostering a supportive community where members can grow musically through collaboration, performance, education, and outreach. Performers: Ben Newman, Thomas Alexander, Isaac Scott, Adil Zafar, Maddie Wittman, Dylan Miller, Layla Lubic, River Wells, Tyler Ulbert, Jaleea Gamble, Briele Vollmuth, Laura Pitner, Emilina Pappalardo, Maya Chen-Randall, Laila Elhamri, Brandon Golpe, William Harper, Jack Householder-Wise, Sarah Lewis, Gunnar Pellissier, Bitania Petros, Lucas Swiderski

Stephen Cooney

Stephen Cooney is a Killeen-based bassist who has been playing electric bass since the age of 13. He began playing the upright bass in the elementary school orchestra at the age of 11 and continued to play in the jazz band from middle school through high school. He joined Big Sky Collective in 2018 and graduated from Temple College with an Associate’s in music in 2021. He also plays with local bands Skymomma, Martian Folk, and La Banda, and occasionally plays at local jazz jams.

Peter Cooper

Principal Oboist of the Colorado Symphony and Teaching Professor of Oboe of the University of Colorado, Peter Cooper has taught and performed as soloist with orchestras in Asia, Europe, Mexico and the United States. He previously played in the San Francisco Symphony and the Hong Kong Philharmonic.

Peter Cooper has played the premiere of five oboe concertos. His discography includes the Strauss and Mullikin Oboe concertos with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

He has recently given masterclasses at the Paris and Lyon Conservatories in France and in Berlin, Leipzig and Stuttgart in Germany and at an International Oboe Festival in Mexico. He was a prize winner in the Tokyo International Oboe Competition, and he has been guest principal oboist in many orchestras including the Boston Symphony and St Paul Chamber Orchestra.

A Marigaux, Paris artist, he was the primary American consultant for Marigaux in the development of the “A” model oboes, aimed specifically for North American oboists.

Anthony Costa

Anthony J. Costa is Professor of Clarinet at Penn State and a member of the Prestige Clarinet Quartet and Pennsylvania Quintet. He serves as principal clarinet with the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra and Penn’s Woods Music Festival Orchestra and is a Buffet-Crampon Artist.

Robyn Costa

Robyn Dixon Costa is the English hornist with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, principal oboist with the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra and a member of the Penn’s Woods Music Festival Orchestra.

In addition to her performance career, Robyn is the owner of Whole Body Performance, and a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. She helps people learn pain and stress reduction, as well as how to improve their overall coordination, performance, and wellbeing. Robyn has given workshops at universities all over the country and maintains a studio in Pennsylvania. For information on working with her or bringing a workshop to your organization, please contact her at wholebodyperformance.com.

Robyn lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and several furry animals.

Matthew Covington

Matthew Covington is an active orchestral oboist and educator based in North Carolina. He holds positions with the Greensboro Symphony, Carolina Philharmonic, Western Piedmont Symphony, Salisbury Symphony, Fayetteville Symphony, and Piedmont Wind Symphony, and regularly performs as a substitute with other regional ensembles. His versatility across oboe, English horn, and oboe d’amore has made him a sought-after performer in both symphonic and chamber music settings.

Matthew studied at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with Ashley Barret, and has performed in masterclasses for Joe Robinson, Jacqueline Leclair, and Mark Ostoich. He has also been invited to teach, including a guest masterclass at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Beyond the concert stage, he is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of musicians as a faculty member at The Music Academy of North Carolina.

He lives in North Carolina with his husband, their dog Burt, and cat Omar, and enjoys gaming on PC.

Mason Cox

Mason Alexander Cox (b. August 19th 2001, Placerville, CA) is an emerging bassoonist-composer currently enrolled at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a doctoral student in bassoon. Fascinated with blurring the line between performing and creating, Mason’s work is rooted in counterculture to traditional performance practice that usually comments on shared human experiences through aleatoric and modern techniques.

Johanna Cox Pennington

Johanna Cox Pennington joined Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music as Professor of Oboe in Fall 2023. With over two decades of teaching experience, she has held tenured positions at LSU and the University of Oklahoma. Johanna made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2005 and has recorded several CDs, including Orion Nocturne (2018). She has performed with prestigious orchestras like the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, and Cleveland Orchestra, and regularly performs at the International Double Reed Society Conference. Johanna has taught and performed internationally, including in Brazil, China, and Europe. She studied with Richard Killmer, Alex Klein, and Heinz Holliger.

Gina Cuffari

Bassoonist Gina Cuffari is a dynamic and versatile musician who performs a variety of roles in the New York City area. Gina is the Bassoonist of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Principal Bassoonist of the American Symphony Orchestra and Riverside Symphony. She is a frequent guest artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and is a member of Sylvan Winds and the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. She has premiered many new works with Alarm Will Sound, and commissions and premieres works that combine her two passions – singing and playing the bassoon – into one performing experience. A passionate educator, Gina is the bassoon professor at Stony Brook University and an adjunct professor of bassoon at New York University. She is a frequent guest clinician at Bard College for The Orchestra Now and teaches masterclasses and “Singing Through Your Instrument” workshops throughout the country. She spends her summers teaching and performing at the Mostly Modern Festival at Skidmore College and the Bard Music Festival.

Tom Cuffari

Noted for both his virtuosity and his versatility, Tom Cuffari has an extensive career as a performer, arranger, conductor and educator in the classical, musical theater and gospel genres. He worked on the 2016 revival Broadway productions of “Fiddler on the Roof” and “An American in Paris” and first National Tour of “Nice Work If You Can Get It”. He has performed with Sierra Boggess, Arielle Jacobs, Reneé Fleming, the Three Irish Tenors and former Yankee Bernie Williams.

Tom has prepared choruses for Michael Bublé, Josh Groban on his “Bridges” tour – which was aired on PBS, Good Morning America and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Pete Townshend’s Classic “Quadrophenia” at the Metropolitan Opera House, Jared Leto and 30 Seconds to Mars, Sarah Brightman, Cage The Elephant, “Hunchback of Notre Dame” at the White Plains Performing Arts Center and for the National Tour of “Star Wars – In Concert.”

Tom has regular engagements with the Princeton Symphony and is principal pianist of the Norwalk Symphony. He is currently a collaborative pianist at the Hartt School of Music.

Almudena Curros Varela

Almudena Curros Varela is a Spanish clarinetist specializing in chamber music performance. She began her studies in her hometown of A Coruña, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Musical Interpretation from the Conservatory of Music of A Coruña, and continued her training at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music under Professor Guntis Kuzma.

Currently based in Columbus, Ohio, Almudena is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Clarinet Performance at The Ohio State University. She holds a Master of Music degree from Fontys Academy of the Arts in the Netherlands, where she studied with Lars Wouters, Eddy Vanoosthuyse, and Henri Bok.

A dedicated chamber musician, she is a founding member of the Crunia Ensemble, a wind quintet recognized with multiple awards in Spain, and a member of the Musetta Ensemble, which performs across Europe. Since 2025, she has served as the bass clarinetist of the Ovis Aries Reed Quintet.

Lara Dahl

Dr. Lara Dahl is Principal Lecturer at Georgia State University where she teaches oboe and serves as Graduate Director and Woodwind Coordinator for the School of Music. A passionate advocate for inclusivity and equality for faculty, she was appointed the Non-Tenure Track Faculty Advocate for the College of the Arts in 2022 and is president of the Non-Tenure Track Faculty Affinity group for the university. She plays with the Atlanta Symphony, Atlanta Opera Orchestra and Atlanta Ballet Orchestra and is an active freelance musician in Atlanta. She has performed several artist recitals at International Double Reed Society conferences and is an invited guest clinician at universities in the southeast region. Dr. Dahl frequently offers masterclasses and sectionals at Atlanta’s publics schools, and she organizes and runs an annual Double Reed Day open to double reed players of all ages at Georgia State University every fall. For more information on the Georgia State University Oboe Studio, follow “GSU Oboes” on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Mark Dal Porto

Dr. Mark Dal Porto has been granted numerous commissions for his compositions, receiving hundreds of performances by many instrumental and vocal ensembles throughout the US and abroad. His orchestral works, Bucolic Celebration and Tarantella for Violin and Orchestra were recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra in 2022 and 2025, respectively and in 2026 the Brno Philharmonic will record his Symphony of the Ages. His works can be found on the PARMA recording label.

In 2022, the Delta Omicron Foundation selected Dal Porto as the Commission Composer for the Thor Johnson Commission. The result of this was his Lyric Suite for Oboe and Piano which was premiered at the Delta Omicron Triennial Conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana July 2025.

Dal Porto serves on the faculty of Eastern New Mexico University as Professor of Music and Coordinator of Music Theory and Composition. He frequently serves as a guest composer, conductor, and pianist.

Nicholas Daniel

Nicholas Daniel is one of Britain’s most celebrated musicians and among the world’s leading Solo Oboists, admired for his virtuosity, deep musical insight, and charismatic stage presence. Since winning BBC Young Musician of the Year competition at the age of 18, he has performed worldwide with leading orchestras including the Philharmonia, English Chamber Orchestra, and BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Also a distinguished conductor, he is Music Director of Triorca, bringing together young musicians from Germany, the UK, France and Serbia, and is in great demand internationally.

His honours include the Queen’s Medal for Music (2011), OBE (2020), and the Cobbett Gold Medal (2023), two BBC Music Magazine awards and a Grammy Nomination.

A passionate advocate for new music and education, he has premiered hundreds of works and is signed exclusively to Chandos Records. He is Artistic Director of the Leicester International Music Festival, a founder of Britten Sinfonia, and teaches at the Musikhochschule Trossingen in Germany.

Nicholas proudly plays Lorée Oboes, Paris.

Jamal Davidson

Jamal Davidson serves as the oboist for the 25th Infantry Division Army Band located in Hawaii. At the 25th ID Army Band, Jamal is a member of the Makani Wind Quintet. Jamal recently served as a preliminary round adjudicator for the 2024 Norma Hooks Young Artist Competition. Jamal’s education includes: BM from West Viriginia University studying with Cynthia Anderson, MM from University of Texas-Arlington with Rogene Russell, and he studied with Dr. Eric Ohlsson at Florida State University for doctoral studies prior to enlisting in the Army.

John Dee

John Dee has performed and taught throughout the world, performing and recording with such orchestras as the Chicago, Saint Louis, and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras with such conductors as: Claudio Abbado, Sir Georg Solti, and James Levine. He has collaborated with nearly every major performing artist in the world including Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, and has performed for the Pope.

He is featured on Grammy Award-winning recordings, hundreds of commercial recordings, and seven oboe solo CD recordings. He was Principal Oboe of the Florida Philharmonic and Florida Grand Opera, the Florida Orchestra in Tampa, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and taught at the University of Miami, the Harid Conservatory, the Conservatory of Music at Lynn University, Florida International University and DePaul University in Chicago.

Professor Dee is the Bill A. Nugent Endowed Professor of Music Performance and Professor of Oboe at the University of Illinois. He has been awarded the Outstanding Teacher Award by the National Endowment for the Arts multiple times and his oboe students have earned prestigious performance and teaching positions throughout the world.

John deGruchy

John is a native of Long Island, N.Y. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied under Cleveland Orchestra principal bassoonist George Goslee. He has also earned a Masters of Music from Rice University, studying under Benjamin Kamins. John served as Second Bassoon in the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra from 1988-1996. He has also performed extensively throughout southwest Ohio and the Midwest, including with the Cincinnati Opera and Ballet, The Springfield Symphony, The West Virginia Symphony, and the Whitewater Opera Company. Most recently, John has performed as principal bassoon with the Lima Symphony, the Hamilton – Fairfield Symphony and also principal bassoon in the Opera Project of Columbus’ production of Verdi’s “Un Ballo en Maschera”. John and his wife Katherine were featured as guest artists at the 2012 IDRS Annual Conference with their trio the Burning River Winds and performed the debut of, Lost and Found, a piece commissioned for them at the 2022 Conference. John currently has a successful bassoon studio with many award-winning students and members of the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

Katherine deGruchy

Katherine received her Bachelors and Masters in Music Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with the renowned oboist John Mack of the Cleveland Orchestra. She started her performance career in Mexico City where she lived for 17 years and played oboe and English horn with the Mexico City Philharmonic, but also English horn with the Orquesta de la Teatro de Bellas Artes and principal oboe with the La Orquesta de Camara de Bellas Artes. With the Mexico City Philharmonic, Katherine performed the Mexican premieres of the Perischetti English Horn Concerto and the Honegger Double Concerto for Flute and English horn. She was a member of the Sinfionetta Ventus octet which toured the US which included a performance at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall. In 2005 she returned to the Dayton area where she subs frequently with the Dayton Philharmonic and their quintet as well as the Butler Philharmonic, the Southwest Ohio Orchestra Philharmonic, the Columbus Opera Project, the Bach Society as well as others. Katherine has also performed several broadway musicals that performed in Dayton such as Wicked, Mary Poppins and Little Mermaid. In 2006 she helped create the Burning River Winds with her husband John. They were featured as guest artists at the 2012 IDRS Annual Conference and in the 2022 Conference they performed the debut of a commissioned work, “Lost and Found”.

In addition to her current performance career she has a large private studio and was the Adjunct Instructor, Applied Oboe at Wright State University before retiring after 16 years. Katherine works 2 days a week at R House Ministries which is a women’s day center that provides food, clothing, showers and life resources for vulnerable women facing homelessness, addiction or other challenges.

Gilbert Dejean

Bassoonist Gilbert Dejean is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Leonard Hindell and Steve Maxym. He is a member of the American Symphony Orchestra, Chappaqua Orchestra, and Saratoga Opera, and regularly performs with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Stamford Symphony, New York City Ballet, and the New York Philharmonic.

Dejean performed in the orchestra for the Broadway productions of The Scarlet Pimpernel and West Side Story. He has recorded for BIS, Telarc, and Albany Records, and is a member of the Moose Hall Chamber Ensemble, which performs annually at the Inwood Shakespeare Festival.

Theresa Delaplain

Theresa Delaplain is a dynamic oboist, actively performing as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician. She is the First Place winner of the 2025 American Prize in Instrumental Performance. She has commissioned, performed and recorded several new works for oboe, and has been a champion of contemporary music. A proponent of supporting music by female composers, Delaplain has given many concerts presenting newly- commissioned works and historic works written by women, including her own compositions.

Delaplain has performed as concerto soloist with the Fort Smith Symphony, the North Arkansas Symphony, the Arkansas Philharmonic, the Thai National Orchestra, the LOU Orchestra, the Tulsa Youth Symphony, and the University of Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Wind Symphony, and Chamber Orchestra. She has written a reedmaking book, “My Kingdom for a Reed!” and has a YouTube reedmaking channel called “Something to Crow About.”

Delaplain’s recent solo albums, “Souvenirs” and “Her Voice” have earned glowing reviews, and she is also featured on a recent album of chamber music by Robert Mueller, “Dream Gardens.”. She is a Lorée Artist, is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Arkansas, and is Principal Oboist of the Fort Smith Symphony and the Arkansas Philharmonic.

Matthew Denman

Matthew Denman is a Pepe Romero String Artist, the Assistant Professor of Guitar at Oklahoma City University, and the director of Guitar at Classen School of Advanced Studies. He leads the Celedonio Romero Guitar Institute and previously served as Director of Education for the Guitar Foundation of America. Denman’s programs have earned three GFA awards, and he is a recipient of the GFA/Augustine Award for Excellence in Guitar Education. His students have won top prizes in major competitions, and alumni have pursued successful careers in music and beyond. An active performer, composer, and songwriter, Denman has toured internationally and appeared at prominent festivals; his music is published by Les Productions d’OZ. He has taught masterclasses at institutions worldwide, including the Beijing Conservatory.

Ariel Detwiler

Ariel Detwiler, owner of ACDC Reeds LLC, is a reed maker, private bassoon teacher, and freelance performer based in Minneapolis. Ariel holds three degrees in Bassoon Performance: a Doctorate from the University of Minnesota under Norbert Nielubowski, a Masters from Indiana University under William Ludwig, and a Bachelors from DePauw University under Kara Stolle. Ariel currently holds positions with the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Winds, and works as a regular freelancer in the Twin Cities. She teaches bassoon at two universities in Minnesota and maintains a private studio of more than 20 students online and in person. With a passion for teaching bassoonists of all ages, Ariel’s studio welcomes elementary school beginners all the way through retired amateur musicians looking to make progress in their musical journey. Ariel’s teaching philosophy is to make the bassoon easier for every student through knowledge building, efficient practice, and great reeds.

TK DeWitt

TK DeWitt has been a member of the Kansas City Symphony since 2013. Previously, he was Second Bassoon of the Houston Grand Opera and Principal Bassoon of the Breckenridge Music Festival. Mr. DeWitt attended the University of Texas at Austin for his bachelor’s degree, where he studied with Kristin Wolfe Jensen and was a winner of the Winds Concerto Competition, performing the Mozart Bassoon Concerto. He continued his studies at Rice University, where studied with Benjamin Kamins and attained a master’s degree. Additionally, he attended the Tanglewood, National Repertory Orchestra, Round Top and Eastern music festivals as a fellow, and has held teaching positions at the University of Central Missouri and University of Missouri-Kansas City. TK DeWitt is a Fox Artist and performs on a Model 750 bassoon as well as a Model 950 contrabassoon.

Telma Diaz

Telma Díaz, Fagot Principal de la Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Guatemala. ha interpretado una amplia variedad de conciertos con la Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional, incluyendo obras de Villa-Lobos, Richard Strauss, Carl Maria von Weber, Mozart y Hummel. Ha estrenado y promovido obras de compositores guatemaltecos como el Doble Concierto para oboe y fagot, Cofradía y Siguanaba de Paulo Alvarado, así como Pajarillo de Minor Estrada, contribuyendo activamente a la difusión del repertorio nacional. Vicepresidente de la recién formada Asociación de Dobles Cañas de Centroamérica y Panamá.

Valerie DiCarlo

Valerie DiCarlo is an oboist and English horn player with an extensive career spanning orchestral performance, studio recording, and music education. She has performed with prestigious ensembles including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, as well as numerous chamber orchestras and music festivals across the United States. In the studio, Valerie has contributed to major motion picture and television soundtracks such as Scent of a Woman, Of Mice and Men, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise. She has also recorded with notable artists including Ray Charles and Linda Ronstadt. Valerie holds a Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music, under the tutelage of John Mack and a Bachelor of Music from Duquesne University, under the tutelage of James Gorton. She has served on the faculty of several universities and music festivals, mentoring the next generation of woodwind musicians.

Monica Ding

Senior Master Sergeant Monica J. Ding joined the U.S. Air Force Academy Band in 2007 and currently performs oboe with Rampart Winds and the Concert Band. Originally from Mount Prospect, IL, she earned degrees from Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University and Northwestern University. She has held many orchestral positions throughout international and regional groups, including orchestras in Mexico, Prague, Chicago, and California. As an educator, she taught oboe at Zacatecas University and assisted Ray Still at Northwestern. She now teaches at Colorado College. Her mentors include Ray Still, Sara Watkins, Thomas Indermühler and Carl Sonik.

Michael DiPietro

Michael DiPietro, MD: IDRS At-Large Avocational Board Member has been a faculty Pediatric Radiologist for 43 years at the University of Michigan where he is now Professor Emeritus of Radiology and Pediatrics. A bassoonist since high school, his teachers over the decades have been IDRS members: Chris Weait (Hon), Robert Danziger, L. Hugh Cooper (Hon), and now Fernando Traba, Principal Bassoonist in the Sarasota (Florida) Orchestra. Other significant musical influencers include IDRS members Alan Goodman, C. Robert Reinert (Hon), and Loren Glickman (Hon). His major playing experience in the past 30 years was at University of Michigan as Principal Bassoonist x20 years in Campus Symphony Orchestra and x17 years in Life Sciences Orchestra as a founding member. In Sarasota Michael performs with the Sarasota-Bradenton Pops Orchestra, Anna Maria Island Chamber Orchestra, Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble, and Suncoast Concert Band. He agrees that “STEM” is better as “STEAM” where “A” = arts.

Erin Dowler

Dr. Erin Dowler is a clarinetist, music educator, and arts administrator based in Michigan. She currently serves as Principal Clarinet with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra and Second Clarinet with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. As a freelance musician, she has performed with orchestras throughout Michigan, including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Marquette Symphony, Jackson Symphony, Warren Symphony, and the Michigan Philharmonic. An avid chamber musician, Erin frequently performs with Pure Winds Woodwind Quintet, and is often featured in various other chamber ensembles as part of the Lansing Symphony Musician’s Series concerts. She is also a founding member of the Bella Clarinet Quartet, who are currently completing a recording project of clarinet quartets written by women composers. Dr. Dowler is the Instructor of Clarinet at the Oakland University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, and continues to provide private lessons and masterclasses to middle school and high school students throughout Michigan. Fueled by her passion for education, Erin recently commissioned Sonatina for the Inner Child by Nadine B. Silverman with the goal of adding a new work to the clarinet’s pre-college and early undergraduate repertoire. Erin is actively involved in arts advocacy and non-profit work in the city of Detroit. Currently, she serves as a Detroit Strategy Specialist at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, working to expand the DSO’s participation in the growth and well-being.

Lorraine Duso Kitts

Lorraine Duso Kitts has been a member of the oboe section of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra for twenty years, and she is Professor of Music at the University of Central Arkansas teaching double reeds. She has premiered several chamber works by John Steinmetz, Christopher Theofanidis, Stefanie Berg, Patrick Long, Karen Griebling, and Paul Dickinson. Her recent chamber premiere was in June 2025 where she performed Song and Dance for Oboe and String Quartet by Arthur Kruetz with members of the Arkansas Symphony at the International Double Reed Society Conference at Butler University. For twenty-five summers, Dr. Duso Kitts taught double reeds at the New England Music Camp in Maine. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University, her Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan. Her teachers include Jerry Sirucek, Joseph Robinson, Tom Stacy and Harry Sargous.

Katie Eaton

Katie Eaton currently plays in the US Army Field Band, playing Oboe and English Horn in the Concert Band and Cavalreeds Reed Quintet. Prior to joining the Army, she served as Principal Oboe of the Augusta Symphony, and Second Oboe with the Aiken Symphony. Katie holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (MM ‘23), and the University of South Carolina (BM’21).

Glenn Einschlag

Glenn Einschlag began his appointment as Principal Bassoonist of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in 1999. He has performed with such ensembles as The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. Passionate about teaching, Einschlag is a faculty member at The Glenn Gould School and the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has presented master classes and pedagogical residencies at such institutions as the Colburn Conservatory of Music, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Michigan, the Eastman School of Music, Arizona State University, the Manhattan School of Music, Wilfred Laurier University, and Rice University. He has studied at The Juilliard School, The Curtis Institute of Music, and The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and has been heavily influenced by the teachings of Harold Goltzer, Marc Goldberg, Bernard Garfield, William Winstead, Norman Herzberg, and Benjamin Kamins.

Mark Eubanks

Mark Eubanks retired after 10 years with the Seattle Symphony and Opera, and 30 years as Principal Bassoon of the Oregon Symphony; he continues to perform with regional orchestras in the Northwest. He was also the leader and head “deranger” for the irreverent Bassoon Brothers quartet with three quartet recordings, Wanted, Captured, and Escaped. He is an expert in bassoon tuning and voicing. He began manufacturing bassoon reeds commercially in 1972 with his designs for Arundo Reeds and grew Arundo Donax reed cane in the fertile Oregon wine district soil and the property is now the home of Resonance Vinyards. He has written several publications on reed making and reed tuning and he continues his incessant research to demystify and improve reed making in hopes of reducing frustration in bassoondom.

Terry Ewell

Terry B. Ewell teaches at Towson University in Maryland. He has also been a frequent teacher at the Masterworks Festival (USA) and the Crescendo Summer Institute (Hungary). He was the first Gillet/Fox competition winner and served as IDRS President (2002-05) and Co-Host for the 2001 IDRS Conference in West Virginia. His playing is on nineteen commercially released recordings, most of which feature him performing as principal bassoon.

Dr. Ewell is recognized as a leading pedagogue for the bassoon throughout the world. His 750+ “Bassoon Digital Professor” videos have well over one and a half million viewings on YouTube and 2reed.net and are available in eleven languages. He has published over 100 articles on various aspects of bassoon pedagogy and performance. His most recent online publication is Método: Music of the Americas for Bassoon, which is now the largest and most comprehensive bassoon method—available for free.

Jack Fanning

Jack Fanning is the principal bassoonist of the Carolina Philharmonic, second bassoonist with North Carolina Opera, and contrabassoonist with the Greensboro Symphony. Jack is the founder of Reedy Set Go! Bassoon Reeds. Jack earned his BM at CSU Sacramento with Dr. David Wells, and his MM at UNC Greensboro with Dr. Michael Burns. He completed his DMA at UNC Greensboro with Dr. Ryan Reynolds, and taught undergraduate music theory and aural skills. His dissertation explores the application of live electronics in performance and composition for the bassoon, and is centered around the works he is performing at the conference. Jack plays a Püchner Model 23 Bassoon. He lives in Greensboro, NC with his wife Bri and two cats, Ori and Pierre.

Daniel Farr

Daniel Farr, DMA, is Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at Miami University, where he has also been named an Armstrong Professor in the College of Creative Arts. Farr holds degrees from Florida State University (BME, MM) and The Ohio State University (DMA). He studied conducting with Russel Mikkelson, Patrick Dunnigan, and Alex Jimenez, and clarinet with Deborah Bish. Before pursuing his doctoral studies, Dr. Farr taught for ten years as a high school band director in Florida, where his ensembles consistently earned Superior ratings at marching, concert, and solo and ensemble music performance assessments.

Under his leadership, the Miami University Wind Ensemble has been selected to perform at the Ohio Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference and the College Band Directors National Association North Central Division Conference. Dr. Farr’s research interests include commissioning new works for the wind band medium, advancing performances of music by underrepresented composers, exploring best practices for secondary school bands, and promoting mental health awareness among music educators. A sought-after clinician and clarinet pedagogue, he is President-Elect of the Mid-American Conference Band Directors Association and serves as the College Band Directors National Association State Chair for Ohio. Farr is an active member of Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity, the College Band Directors National Association, the Ohio Music Educators Association, the Florida Music Educators Association, and NAfME: The National Association for Music Education.

Jacob Farr

Music theorist, composer, and drummer Jacob Farr is a PhD candidate in the music theory program at the University of Kansas where he studies with Dr. Brad Osborn and Dr. Scott Murphy. He received his Masters of Music Theory and Bachelors of Jazz Studies degrees from UT-Arlington. Jacob has presented his research at the Texas Society for Music Theory conference, has had his compositions performed at UT-Arlington’s annual 24×24 composition competition, and received the Downbeat Student Music Award for Best Undergraduate Latin Jazz Combo for his performance with UT-Arlington’s Latin jazz group. Jacob currently teaches undergraduate music theory and aural skills classes at the University of Kansas as a graduate teaching assistant.

Jacob and Kelsey Farr are happily married and living in Kansas with their cat, Estrellas.

Kelsey Farr

Oboist Kelsey Farr has performed nationally and internationally at the conferences of IDRS, the North American Saxophone Alliance, the Kansas Music Educators Association, the Texas Music Educators Association, and the College Band Directors Association. Kelsey is a masters student and graduate assistant/reed making intern at Kansas State University, where she studies with Dr. Alyssa Morris and works for MKL Reeds. She is principal oboist of the university ensembles at KSU and is an active freelance musician in central Kansas. Kelsey received her Bachelor of Music from the University of Texas-Arlington, where she studied with Melissa Bosma. She also had the opportunity to work with oboe specialist Carlos Coelho while teaching a full oboe studio throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Roya Farzaneh

Roya Farzaneh, D.M.A., is a flutist, educator, and arts administrator active in the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina regions. She performs as principal flutist with the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra, 2nd flute/piccolo with the Symphony of the Mountains and, 2nd flute/piccolo with the Brevard Philharmonic, teaches at Northeast State Community College, and works on the administrative staff for Symphony of the Mountains.

Farzaneh has earned prizes and finalist placements at competitions including the National Flute Association, the Texas Flute Society’s Myrna Brown Artist Competition, and regional competitions held by the Central Ohio, South Carolina, and Kentucky Flute Societies. Her teaching experience includes previous positions at East Tennessee State University and Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC, as well as serving as artistic director of the ETSU Community Music School and conductor of Flute Loops, a Columbia, SC based adult flute ensemble.

As an Iranian-American flutist, she has presented research on works for flute by Iranian women at conferences nationwide. Her dissertation, “An Annotated Bibliography of Works by Iranian Female Composers,” won the 2024 National Flute Association Graduate Research Competition. She has given recitals and lectures at conferences for the Mid-South Flute Society, Mid-Atlantic Flute Society, National Flute Association, Florida Flute Association, South Carolina Flute Society, and the Flute New Music Consortium.

Billie Feather

Billie Marie Feather is a guitarist/songwriter/banjoist/bassist who originally hails from the Allegany Mountains of Johnstown, PA. She holds degrees from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Classical Guitar Performance, North Carolina Central University in Jazz Studies with a focus in Jazz Guitar, a Master’s Degree in Guitar Performance from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and an Artist Certificate in Recording Engineering/Guitar from The University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Awarded a Career Development Grant from UNCSA’s Kenan Foundation Billie founded her mobile recording endeavor called Feather Farm Recordings.

Nathan Fenwick

Nathan Fenwick is the associate principal horn of the Yakima Symphony Orchestra and a founding member of Serenade Winds. He has performed across the U.S. and internationally, including appearances with the Ballet West Orchestra, Bulgaria’s Vratsa Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonietta Vidin, and Utah Metropolitan Ballet. Nathan earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University, studying with Laurence Lowe and Brian Blanchard, and previously took lessons with Edmund Rollett, principal horn of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

When he’s not making music, Nathan enjoys exploring Utah’s mountains, reading anything that resembles Tolkien, and losing to his friends in pickleball.

Alfonso Fernández Vargas

Alfonso F. Vargas is a bassoonist, educator, and co-founder of NA Bassoons, a project dedicated to promoting the bassoon beyond the classical tradition while making high-quality instruments more accessible to new generations. His artistic vision is rooted in a solid classical background yet deeply engaged with improvisation and contemporary expression.

He has been invited to give masterclasses and lectures at leading conservatories and the principal double reed congresses in Spain, Portugal, and Italy, as well as internationally, most recently at the Universidad Autónoma de México. His work bridges the academic and artistic worlds, combining teaching with innovative projects that connect the bassoon to world music, groove, electronic music, and interdisciplinary performance.

As both performer and educator, Vargas advocates for expanding the bassoon’s role in today’s musical landscape. His approach inspires students and audiences alike to rethink the instrument’s possibilities, encouraging creativity, versatility, and a sense of artistic ownership.

Melanie Ferrabone

Dr. Melanie Ferrabone is Teaching Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Arkansas. In the summers, she serves as Artistic Operations and Program Coordinator for the Alfredo de Saint Malo International Festival in Panama.

An active performer across Arkansas and Florida, she has appeared with the Arkansas Symphony, Palm Beach Symphony, Florida Grand Opera, and Gulfshore Opera. She has also recorded for Grammy-winning studios such as Miami Art House and L Music Miami, collaborating with prominent popular-music artists.

Dr. Ferrabone has presented and performed at major events including the College Music Society National Conference, the Meg Quigley Bassoon Symposium, and the Festival de Dobles Cañas de Centroamérica in Guatemala. She has been recognized in Florida as an emerging leader and distinguished female musician.

At the University of Arkansas, she teaches Arts Entrepreneurship and Aural Skills, drawing on her wide-ranging experience as performer, administrator, and arts advocate.

A native of Panama, she began her musical studies at the National Conservatory with Daniel Agudo and later earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, followed by master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Miami under Professor Gabriel Beavers.

Tom Fleming

Since joining the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 2019, Tom Fleming brings both teaching and performing experience from North and South America, Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia. Having earned degrees from Yale University and the Manhattan School of Music, he was also a fellow at the New World Symphony.

He has performed as a concerto soloist in various venues, most notably Alice Tully Hall in New York City. His orchestral career included engagements with the Seattle Symphony, Oregon Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera, and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.

Over the years, Tom engaged in multiple summer music festivals, such as the Chesapeake Chamber Festival, Bellingham Festival of Music, and Wintergreen Music Festival. As an alumnus of the high school conservatory at the North Carolina School of the Arts, he studied with the late Mark Popkin. During his college years, Tom continued bassoon studies with Patricia Rogers, Frank Morelli, and Sue Heineman.

Michelle Fletcher

Dr. Michelle Fletcher is the Instructor of Bassoon at Northern Arizona University’s Kitt School of Music and is the current interim adjunct bassoon professor at Brigham Young University Idaho. Originally from Mesa, AZ, she received her DMA and MM at Arizona State University and completed undergraduate work at Brigham Young University. Currently, Dr. Fletcher performs as the principal bassoonist with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Millennial Choirs and Orchestra, and the Arizona Pops Orchestra. She has performed as both a bassoonist and contrabassoonist with both professional and community ensembles across Arizona, as well as Utah, Idaho, and Colorado, and has been part of professional orchestral and wind band concert tours to the Philippines and Australia. Notable guest artists Dr. Fletcher has performed and recorded with include Lea Salonga, Fanya Lin, Nathan Pacheco, Time for Three, Amy Grant, GENTRI, and Jenny Oaks Baker. Dr. Fletcher studied primarily with Albie Micklich and Christian Smith, with additional mentorship from Erik Ludwig, Doug Brown, and Andy Bunch. She is a member of the International Double Reed Society and maintains a vibrant private bassoon studio across the East Valley and Phoenix areas of Arizona.

Lindsay Flowers

Dr. Lindsay Flowers is the Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music and is a member of the Wingra Wind Quintet, Madison Symphony Orchestra, and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. She received a Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Lindsay was previously with the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and Arundo Donax Reed Quintet, Fischoff Chamber Music Competition winners. She has performed with the Milwaukee, Chicago, San Francisco, Indianapolis, Utah, and Nashville Symphony Orchestras, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and with the Santa Fe Opera, Grant Park, Midsummer’s, Lakes Area, Apollo, LunART, Bach Dancing and Dynamite, ChatterABQ, Lake George, Castleton, Aspen, and Banff Music Festivals. Lindsay has released two albums with PARMA Recordings, teaches at the Interlochen Center for the Arts Symphonic Band Camp, is the Treasurer of the International Double Reed Society’s Midnorth Regional Chapter, and is a F. Lorée Musician. Her background in athletics distinguishes her pedagogical approach.

Andy Flurer

Andy Flurer is a 27-year-old bassoonist from Mason, Ohio, living and performing in the greater Boston area. He has played the bassoon since he was 13 years old, performing in side-by-side concerts with the Cincinnati Symphony during his 3 years in youth orchestra. Andy received his Bachelor of Music Performance degree from Indiana University, where he studied with William Ludwig. During this time, he spent a semester in Vienna, studying with Sophie Dervaux. He then pursued a Master of Music in Bassoon Performance with Richard Svoboda. Throughout his education, Andy attended summer music festivals at Brevard and Kent/Blossom, and performed in multiple masterclasses with notable musicians such as John Miller, Suzanne Nelson, Gregg Henegar, and several others.

Currently, Andy performs as Section Bassoonist for the Vista Philharmonic Orchestra in Groton, Massachusetts, and is a freelance bassoonist and contrabassoonist across much of eastern Massachusetts. He has performed in notable halls such as Music Hall in Cincinnati, as well as Jordan Hall and Symphony Hall in Boston. In addition to his passion for bassoon, he enjoys playing other instruments in his spare time, such as clarinet, oboe, and viola.

Emily Foltz

Emily Foltz is based in Lawrence, KS, and is an active freelance oboist and teacher at many stops along Interstate 70, from Kansas City, MO to Hays, KS. She is the Adjunct Instructor of Oboe at Washburn University in Topeka, KS. Along with her teaching activities, Emily is the orchestra librarian for the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra.

Emily earned her Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Kansas in 2020, where she studied with Margaret Marco. Her other teachers include Barbara Bishop, Melissa Peña, and Adam Shapiro.
Emily frequently performs with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, and in 2022 was appointed principal oboist of the Lawrence Community

Orchestra. She can be heard playing English horn on the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble’s CD “Freedom from Fear,” and on the Kansas Virtuosi’s CD “Salgado: Chamber Music, vol. 1,” a selection of the chamber works of Ecuadorian composer Luis Humberto Salgado.

Lauren Fox

Lauren A. Fox is an oboist and English hornist currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Arizona State University, where she studies with Martin Schuring and Dr. Jonathan Davis. She holds a Master of Music from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Music from Grand Valley State University, where she studied with Dr. Marlen Vavrikova. Lauren has performed with ensembles including the Bozeman Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, West Valley Symphony, and MusicaNova Orchestra, and has appeared at conferences of the International Double Reed Society, International Clarinet Association, and the North American Saxophone Alliance. An active chamber musician, she is a member of the Arcane Reed Quintet, Terracotta Trio, and Calliope Reed Quintet. Lauren’s performance and research interests center on expanding the modern oboe and English horn repertoire through collaboration and new works.

Nicole Frankel

TSgt Nicole Frankel has performed as a Flutist in the U.S. Air Force Academy Band in Colorado Springs, CO, since 2023. A supporter of contemporary music, Nicole is Co-Founder and Flutist of the new music chamber collective, ensemble vim. She previously held contracted positions in the Rockford Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonia Gulf Coast, and performed regularly with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Opera, Atlanta Ballet, as well as many regional orchestras. Nicole attended summer music festivals including the Hamptons Festival of Music, National Repertory Orchestra, Le Domaine Forget, and the Orford Academy, and she was a Quarterfinalist in the NFA Young Artist Competition in 2019. Nicole earned an M.M. from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she was an Associate Instructor, and a B.M. from the University of Florida. Her principal teachers are Thomas Robertello, Jennifer Gunn, and Dr. Kristen Stoner. Nicole is originally from Pembroke Pines, Florida.

Rachel Frederiksen

Rachel Frederiksen is an in-demand bassoonist and educator who is based in San Antonio, Texas. As a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player, she performs across the United States and abroad. As a teacher and pedagogue, she has educated many bassoonists in university masterclasses, conferences, and lessons, and previously held positions at the University of Arkansas, University of Alabama, and the University of Texas at San Antonio as Lecturer of Bassoon. Currently, Rachel teaches at the University of Incarnate Word, virtually at Southwest Baptist University, and is on the boards of both IDRS Midsouth Regional Chapter and Puerto Rico Double Reed Festival as well as enjoys a freelance career through teaching, performing, and reed-making.

Ann Fronckowiak

Dr. Ann Fronckowiak, Professor of Oboe at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, has performed with the Columbus Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Dayton Philharmonic, and Corpus Christi Symphony. A founding member of oboe and percussion ensemble, Duo Precipice, she has given recitals throughout Texas, Florida, and Arizona and has been described as having “…nuanced phrasing and range of tone colors (that) revealed the depth of her artistry…” Ann has presented at conferences of the College Music Society, International Double Reed Society, and Texas Music Educators Association. A new music advocate, she has premiered several works and received praise from Thea Musgrave and John Harbison. Ann has been published in The Double Reed, College Music Symposium, and Southwestern Musician. Current research includes music and disabilities and musicians’ wellness. Ann studied at The Ohio State University, Manhattan School of Music, and State University of New York Fredonia and also completed courses in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

Christine Fuoco

Christine Padaca Fuoco has been a faculty member in the keyboard department at Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Performing Arts since 2001. She maintains a dynamic and diverse career as a teacher, soloist and collaborative pianist performing in the Western Reserve Concert Series, Dover Center Music Series, Trinity Cathedral Music Series, Aspen International Music Festival Chamber Music Series and at the Chautauqua Institution. She has performed at the University of Miami and Florida Gulf Coast University with members of the Cleveland Orchestra, has concertized throughout Japan as the Nakayama-Padaca Duo and has toured Switzerland as a member of the Incarnation Trio. In 2012, Fuoco performed works by Richard Wagner with world-renowned opera soprano Jane Eaglen. The performance was broadcast on Cleveland’s classical radio station WCLV as part of their chamber music series and included a live interview session with both performers on the art of collaboration. As a frequent performer throughout Northeast Ohio and at Baldwin Wallace, Fuoco enjoys collaborating with many fellow faculty members including her husband as the Fuoco Piano Duo. She has also performed multiple times as a guest soloist and as the Fuoco Duo with the Lorain County Community College orchestra. Fuoco is a native of the Pacific Northwest and received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Puget Sound as a student in the pre-med program. Though a science major, Fuoco’s love for music continued to grow with the inspiration and encouragement of her teachers Duane Hulbert, James Barbagallo and Tanya Stambuk. She was the grand prize winner of the Concerto Aria Competition and the Olympia Young Artist’s Competition which afforded her performances of both Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with orchestra. Fuoco was also an original member of Trio Enérgico. The trio won grand prizes at the state and regional levels, prizing at the national level in the Music Teachers National Association National Chamber Music Competition in Washington D.C.

Fuoco holds a Master of Music and Professional Studies degree in both piano performance and chamber studies from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied primarily with Paul Schenly. Other piano teachers have also included Kathryn Brown, Jeanine Dowis and coachings with Sergei Babayan. Her extensive chamber music studies have been with William Preucil, Donald Weilerstein, Peter Salaff, Anne Epperson and Rita Sloan. Fuoco has had the privilege of performing in masterclasses with renowned pianists Warren Jones, Martin Katz and Janina Fialkowska in addition to coachings with Elly Ameling, Paul Kantor, Richard Weiss, and Joseph Silverstein. Upon graduating from CIM, Fuoco was awarded the prestigious Arthur Loesser Award for Excellence in both piano performance and academic achievement.

As a faculty member at the Conservatory, Fuoco teaches keyboard musicianship courses and applied secondary piano. She has also taught chamber music, piano pedagogy and sight reading. A strong proponent of young musicians, Fuoco regularly participates in the BW Conservatory Summer Institute (CSI) programs, was the first artistic director of the Conservatory’s annual summer piano camps and is a collaborative pianist for the Musical Theater Overtures program. She frequently serves as an adjudicator for the National Federation of Music Clubs and is a member of the Cleveland Fortnightly Musical Club where many of her preparatory students have taken part in music festivals and competitions.

Carlos Galdamez

Carlos Galdamez, Presidente del Consejo Directivo y Corno Inglés de la Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional. Es profesor de oboe en la Escuela Municipal de Música. Integrante del Quinteto de Maderas Brisante, ha desarrollado una carrera como profesor de oboe y músico sinfónico, además de presentar obras de repertorio de cámara.

Krista Gallagher

Krista Gallagher – Bassoon (MA, MSc, BMus, LTCL)
Krista has been a woodwind tutor and manager with the NI Education Authority Music Service for the last 25 years. An important part of her teaching is the “To Bassoon and Beyond” project which was developed to boost numbers of students taking up the Bassoon as part of the “”Endangered Instruments of the Orchestra Scheme”” in 2022. This project is run as a partnership between the NI Education Authority Music Service and the Ulster Orchestra and was awarded the Classic FM ‘Best Learning Initiative of the year in 2023’ in the Music Teacher of the Year awards ceremony in the Royal Albert Hall.

She organises Double Reed days in Northern Ireland to support local players both school age and amateur. As an avid amateur player she is also principal bassoon of the Studio Symphony Orchestra, and occasionally plays with the Ulster Orchestra when needed.

Krista is also the Events Officer for the British Double Reed Society (BDRS) and organises double reed days across the UK.

Carl Gardner

Technical Sergeant Carl Gardner is a bassoonist with the United States Air Force Academy Band. He began his studies with his father, Larry Gardner, and later trained at the Oberlin Conservatory and the Yale School of Music, studying with Frank Morelli. Most recently he studied towards a DMA at the Eastman School of Music under the tutelage of George Sakakeeny.

An active chamber and orchestral musician, TSgt Gardner has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Fresno Philharmonic, and Colorado Springs Philharmonic. He is also a private studio teacher in addition to teaching bassoon at Colorado State University Pueblo.

His awards include the Andrew J. Bogiages Memorial Prize, fellowships to the Yale School of Music, and concerto competition wins at Oberlin and with the Fresno Philharmonic. He also volunteers with the USAF Academy Cadet Orchestra and in local educational outreach.

Lillie Gardner

Lillie Gardner recently graduated from Brigham Young University where she studied flute performance with Christina Castellanos and received a Bachelors of Music. A frequent performer, she enjoyed positions as principal flutist in both the BYU Philharmonic, and BYU Wind Symphony. She also enjoyed playing with the Serenade Woodwind Quintet, the BYU studio flute choir, and in other group and solo settings. She loves to compete as a soloist, and has placed in numerous MTNA, UMTA, UFA, and other competitions. Lillie loves the challenge of diverse repertoire, and collaborating across musical styles from baroque ensembles to opera and musical pits to beatbox solo flute. She is also an active board member of the Utah Flute Association (UFA) where she helps provide opportunities for flutists in Utah to connect, collaborate, compete, learn, and grow.

Andrew Genemans

Bassoonist and contrabassoonist Andrew Genemans joined the Grand Rapids Symphony in September 2017. An avid orchestral musician, he has performed with renowned ensembles including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and St. Louis Symphony, among others. During the summer, Andrew performs with the Peninsula Music Festival in Door County, Wisconsin.

Originally from Akron, Ohio, Andrew earned both his Master’s Degree and Advanced Musical Studies Certificate from Carnegie Mellon University, following undergraduate studies at the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music. From 2015 to 2017, he spent two summers as a Contrabassoon Fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and School, studying with Per Hannevold and Michael Sweeney. His primary teachers have included Nancy Goeres, Jonathan Sherwin, Jim Rodgers, and Renee Anthony Dee.

Outside of music, Andrew enjoys traveling with his wife Clare, spending time with their dogs Juniper and Karma, cooking, and writing poetry.

Allison Gessner

Alli Gessner plays and teaches oboe and English horn. She maintains an active teaching schedule of students aged 9-adult, and her students are her inspiration for her Oboe Auntie videos on TikTok and Instagram. Alli launched her first online course “Switching to Oboe” in May 2022. Switching to Oboe takes her decade of experience helping students get started playing oboe to an online format designed to help more students. Alli is also on faculty at West Valley College.

Since her move to San Jose, CA in 2017, she’s performed with many Bay Area ensembles including the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, Oakland Symphony, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Sacramento Philharmonic, Symphony San Jose, and Modesto Opera. She earned her Master’s in oboe performance from DePaul University where she studied with Jelena Dirks. When not playing or teaching the oboe, Alli enjoys yoga, hiking, and watching or reading science fiction. www.OboeAlli.com @OboeAlli

Anne Gilby

Anne Gilby enjoys a distinguished career as performer and educator. Her commitment to music pedagogy has seen her teach in such diverse countries as Afghanistan and Taiwan. Anne’s studio comprises students of all ages, from pre-school to university and beyond, with a busy private practice and education institution positions. Academic appointments have been at the WAAPA (Edith Cowan University), Monash University Conservatorium School of Music and Head of Woodwind at the Victorian College of the Arts. Anne is a past Chair of the Australian Youth Orchestra Ltd Artistic Committee. She served on the Music Board of the Australia Council and chaired the Artistic Committee of the Victorian Opera. Anne was the founding President of the Australasian Double Reed Society, co-hosting the 2004 International Double Reed Society Conference in Melbourne.

Geralyn Giovannetti

Geralyn Giovannetti is Professor Emerita at Brigham Young University where she was a member of the Orpheus Wind Quintet. In 2020, Dr. Giovannetti was chosen to receive BYU’s highest teaching honor, the Karl G. Maeser “Excellence in Teaching” award. A student of Harry Sargous, she received her DMA degree from the University of Michigan where she was a Full Fellow and teaching assistant. She was Co-Principal Oboe with the Canadian Chamber Orchestra (Banff, Canada) and Principal Oboe of the Windsor Symphony, and has also performed with the Utah Symphony and the Utah Chamber Orchestra (Ballet West). Passionate about chamber music, she has made eight CD recordings with Essex Winds, Sundance Trio, Trio Abelia and the CAN-AM Trio. Dr. Giovannetti has served as a jury member for the IDRS Young Artist Competition and the Asian Double Reed Society, and was Chair of the Young Artist Competition for IDRS from 2014-2020.

Zach Gnall

Zach Gnall received his Master of Music in Oboe Performance in 2025 at the University of Denver, under Professor Ian Wisekal. Previously, he has earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree and a Performance Certificate from Shenandoah University, where he studied under Stephen Key, graduating Summa Cum Laude.

Dedicated to the advancement of music in America, Zach was recognized as one of Virginia’s Teachers of Promise at the Teachers of Promise Institute in 2022. Throughout his collegiate career, he has attended several of the Virginia Music Educators Association Conferences, gaining valuable insight from current and past educators in the field in their various sessions. While at SU, Zach fostered many relationships with his colleagues, acting as a guide and mentor to his peers in the Music Education department and in Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity. He served as the Instrumental Representative for the Shenandoah Chapter of the National Association for Music Education, where he oversaw the organization and advancement of the mentoring system for incoming music education students.

In the spring of 2023, Zach embarked on a journey to Argentina, where he performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 with the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra in five different cities under the baton of Jan Wagner. After graduating from DU, Zach plans to pursue a degree in conducting in Europe, in addition to teaching instrumental music in the public school system.

The Golden Appalachian Reed Trio

The Golden Appalachian Reed Trio formed in Fall of 2025. Our trio performs locally in the Morgantown, WV area, performing works of lesser known areas, while also diving into “standards” for reed trio. The group members are current WVU DMA candidates: Chase Kennedy on oboe, Joel Panas on clarinet, and Madi Cardenas on Bassoon.

Brandon Golpe

Brandon Golpe is a versatile American bassoonist known for his expressive phrasing and collaborative spirit across a wide range of ensemble settings. He received his bachelor’s degree in Bassoon Performance from Bowling Green State University, studying under Dr. Susan Nelson, and later completed his master’s degree at The Ohio State University with Prof. Jesse Schartz, where he is currently pursuing his doctoral studies. Drawn to music through a love of film scores and orchestral soundtracks, he began playing the bassoon as a teenager and quickly developed a reputation for his musical curiosity, disciplined craft, and dedication to artistic growth.

Golpe’s work spans solo, chamber, and large-ensemble performance, with particular enthusiasm for contemporary music and cross-disciplinary projects that explore new sonic possibilities. As an educator, he has worked with young musicians in workshops and sectionals, emphasizing musical storytelling, healthy technique, and community within the arts. His interests in cinema, digital media, and the outdoors continue to inspire his creative outlook.

Clark Gomez

Clark Gomez is a bassoonist from Houston, Texas. A third-generation musician from a lineage of Jazz and Gospel musicians, Clark is currently in his undergraduate studies with Nanci Belmont at Louisiana State University. Clark has performed multiple styles of repertoire in the United States and Italy spanning from opera productions to multiple contemporary large ensemble world premieres. Clark has attended the Eastern Music Festival, Trentino Music Festival, and the Mostly Modern Festival, performing in many different chamber groups and ensembles. Clark will be attending Northwestern University in the Fall of 2026 to pursue a Master’s of Music in Bassoon Performance.

Todd Goranson

Todd Goranson, DMA, BSN, RN, is Professor of Bassoon and Saxophone at Messiah University. A registered nurse and musicians’ health advocate, he presents lectures internationally at conferences and campuses such as Butler University, Utah Valley University, Oklahoma State, Towson University, Dickinson College, Ursinus College, Whitworth University, University of Idaho, George Mason University, University of North Dakota, University of the Redlands, East Texas A&M, Arizona State, and many others. His articles on musicians’ health have appeared in publications for International Horn Society, Australian Clarinet & Saxophonist Association, and Vandoren’s “The WAVE. He has performed as bassoonist with over 20 professional orchestras in the US, Mexico, China, and Sweden, as well as in his own chamber ensembles, Triforia Winds and Trio Atlantis. His saxophone career includes performances with Ray Charles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Johnny Mathis, and the Utah Symphony. Todd is a Vandoren Artist Clinician and is a Yanagisawa Saxophones endorsing artist.

Alexandra Gordon

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

Ryan Griffin

Ryan Griffin is a graduate of Wright State University where he studied clarinet with Dr. Randall Paul. His first degree was in music education. After graduating, he continued at Wright State University and earned a master’s degree in clarinet performance. While at Wright State, Ryan was a winner of the Concerto Night Competition and was the recipient of the Clark Haines Award for outstanding musicianship.

Ryan has taught music in the Dayton, Ohio area for 18 years. His current position is Band Magnet Director at Stivers School for the Arts where he teaches the 7-12 grade band program. Ryan enjoys regularly performing with the Springboro Wind Symphony and the Burning River Winds chamber music ensemble.

John F. Griffin Jr.

John F. Griffin Jr. is a clarinetist and educator dedicated to inspiring the next generation of musicians through performance, teaching, and advocacy. He began his clarinet studies with Dennis Zeisler at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Later he earned his Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he studied with Dr. Anthony Taylor and Dr. Andy Hudson. He continued his studies at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, completing a Master of Music in Clarinet Performance under the guidance of Dr. Jeremy Reynolds while serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.

Griffin currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Clarinet at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. In addition to his work at East Central, he is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Clarinet Performance and Wind Conducting at the University of North Texas. At UNT, he studies with Dr. Kimberly Cole Luevano, performs with the North Texas Wind Symphony under the direction of Maestro Eugene Corporon, and teaches Woodwind Methods to undergraduate music education majors. An active chamber musician, Griffin is a founding member of the wind quintet ShakaduGAT, with whom he regularly performs and tours.

Joseph Grimmer

Joseph Grimmer is Principal Bassoon of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra/Washington National Opera Orchestra and Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Maryland. He also holds the Principal Bassoon positions with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. He previously served as Principal Bassoon with the Jacksonville Symphony, was a member of the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, was Acting Assistant Principal Bassoon with the Naples Philharmonic, and spent six summers as Assistant Principal Bassoon with the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra in his hometown of Boulder, Colorado.

He has performed with the National Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Miami City Ballet, Annapolis Symphony, IRIS, Arizona Musicfest, and Wolf Trap Orchestras, among others. He was a fellow at the Lucerne, Aspen, and Sarasota Music Festivals and a prize winner at the IDRS’s Young Artist Competition in Birmingham, England. Grimmer earned his Master of Music degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where he studied with Benjamin Kamins. He also studied with William Winstead at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree.

Hannah Grosse

One of the emerging artists of the present day, Hannah Grosse is an up-and-coming oboist in the professional landscape. A current senior at the University of Michigan, she has studied under mentors Nancy Ambrose King, Karen Pfeifer, Leland Greene, and George Edge. In recent years, she has performed at Eastern Music Festival, Madeline Island Chamber Music Institute, and Mostly Modern Music Festival. Her collegiate ensembles include the University of Michigan Symphony Band, University Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band, and CHASM wind quintet.

She has participated in the prestigious Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and advanced to the semifinal round with her group, the Kessho quartet, in 2022. Individually, she has been awarded second place in the Great Composers Competition Best Saint-Saens Performance, honorable mention in the New Albany Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, and received recognition in the Columbus Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition, which included a solo performance before the Columbus Symphony concert.

Her masterclass performances include playing for distinguished pedagogues Lindsay Flowers, Andrew Parker, Galit Kaunitz, Andrew Parker, Mingia Liu, and Trevor Mowry, among others.

Casey Gsell

Casey Gsell is Principal Bassoon of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, previously Principal Bassoon of the Eugene Symphony Orchestra and Acting Associate Principal Bassoon of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. She has worked with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, Sarasota Orchestra, New Zealand Opera, and Tulsa Opera.

She is the Bassoon Instructor for the University of Toledo and has taught at Bowling Green State University and New England Music Camp, as well as giving recitals and masterclasses around the world.

At the Australasian Double Reed Society’s Double Reed Competition, Casey won Best Overall Performer and First Prize. She performs new music with Plastic Sheep.

She graduated from The Eastman School of Music and Southern Methodist University, studying with Wilfred Roberts, Roger Nye, and John Hunt.

Casey founded the New Zealand Double Reed Society and has led the Toledo Symphony Orchestra’s Orchestra Committee through successful contract negotiations.

Bryan Guarnuccio

Dr. Bryan Guarnuccio is an educator, performer, collaborative pianist, and music arranger based in mid-Michigan. As an educator he enjoys teaching flute, piano, and oboe lessons to students of all ages and abilities including adult students who have stepped away from music and are returning for their own enrichment. Bryan is also part of the flute faculty at the Flint Institute of Music. He has previously taught music theory, counterpoint, and aural skills to college students from many different backgrounds including hobbyists, music minors, and music majors. As a performer Bryan loves chamber music of all varieties as well as orchestral playing. He has been contracted in Lansing Symphony since 2010 and frequently performance with the Kalamazoo, Flint, and Southwest Michigan Symphonies on both flute and piccolo. He also enjoys accompanying performers of all levels and can seen coaching and playing piano for instrumental recitals, solo and ensemble competitions, and both school and church choirs.

Sean Gumin

Sean Gumin is a band instrument repair technician in his hometown of San Jose, California.

Sean holds a MM from the University of Illinois, a BM from the University of Oregon, and a Diploma in Band Instrument Repair from the Red Wing Technical College. While at UIUC as a TA in bassoon, he took a job with the Fox Products Corporation in Indiana, where he was part of the design, production, and repairs of oboes and contrabassoons, including Fast System contrabassoons.

Sean has worked in band instrument repair in Chicago, Baltimore/Washington D.C., Minnesota, Illinois, and California while also teaching privately and as a middle school band director.

His primary teachers were Vernon Read, William Trimble, Wendell Hanna, Timothy McGovern, Burl Lane, and Roger Soren.

In his free time, Sean is a proud Oregon alumnus who loyally supports the Duck teams and who cries over the lovable Chicago Cubs.

Hongzuo Guo

Dr. Hongzuo Guo, an accomplished Chinese classical pianist, began her musical journey at the age of six. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Shenyang Conservatory of Music in China, establishing a strong artistic and technical foundation. She later completed a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano and a Piano Pedagogy Diploma at the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2018, followed by a Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano at Arizona State University in 2023. Her mentors include Russell Ryan, Andrew Campbell, Anita Pontremoli, Ning Fu, Nobuko Nagaoka, and Dongni Ma.

As a collaborative pianist, Dr. Guo has distinguished herself through national and international performances, auditions, and recitals. She has participated in masterclasses with esteemed artists such as Michael Bunchman, Christina Wright-Ivanova, Martin Kuuskman, and Nicholas Cords. Her collaborations include guest artist recitals with Taylor Jones, Mariam Adam, Amy Guffey, and the Égide Duo. She has also performed with the Gulf Coast Symphony and the Meridian Symphony, and appears on the EP Romance Phrase (2021) with clarinetist Chen Hu Jie.

Christine Guptill

Professor Guptill received her occupational therapy training at Western Michigan University, and her PhD in rehabilitation sciences at Western University. During her post-doctoral fellowship, she completed a three-year training program in work disability prevention at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, in partnership with the Institutes for Work and Health. She holds a status appointment at the University of Toronto’s Music and Health Research Collaboratory, and an adjunct appointment in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Alberta. She is co-director of the Canadian Network for Musicians Health and Wellness, a co-founder of Mental Performance in Arts Canada, and currently serves as vice- chair of research for the Performing Arts Medicine Association. She was a founding member of both the Performing Arts Medicine Clinic at the Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic in Edmonton, Alberta, and of the Health Advisory Team for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYOC). She provides primary care occupational therapy to the NYOC, and in 2012, she was honoured to receive a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of this work. She is a member of the Canadian Federation of Musicians, and in her spare time, she performs as a freelance oboist.

Deanna Hahn

Dr. Deanna Hahn is the professor of flute at Middle Tennessee State University. Hahn is a frequent performer with the Nashville Opera, the Tennessee Philharmonic and the MTSU Faculty group the Stones River Chamber Players. She also performs with the Nashville Symphony, the innovative chamber ensemble Intersection, the Nashville Ballet and in recording studios in the Middle TN area. Hahn has also performed with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra (TN), Huntsville Symphony (AL), Orchestra Kentucky, Sewanee Symphony Orchestra (TN), and Evansville Philharmonic (IN). She has performed as a soloist, master class clinician, chamber musician, and flute ensemble director throughout the United States, Canada, Central and South America, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia and the Netherlands. In addition to her teaching duties at MTSU, Hahn teaches on the faculty of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts and has also taught on the faculty at Drake University and the University of the South at Sewanee.

Darrel Hale

Dr. Darrel Hale is the Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of North Texas and the Principal Bassoon of the Baton Rouge Symphony. Before coming to UNT, Dr. Hale taught for eight years at Louisiana State University. He has also held a position as the Acting Principal Bassoon with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and has performed with many other orchestras including the Cincinnati Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, and Fort Worth Symphony. Aside from his active career as a teacher and orchestral performer, Dr. Hale is committed to the commissioning and performing of works that expand the bassoon repertoire. These include works written for him and his duo partner, mezzo-soprano Megan Ihnen, and a concerto written for him in 2020 by Mara Gibson entitled Escher Keys. Dr. Hale holds a doctorate from the College-Conservatory of Music. His teachers include William Winstead, Yoshiyuki Ishikawa, and Per Hannevold.

Lauren Hallonquist

Bassoonist Lauren Hallonquist is an active orchestral musician based in New York City. Recent engagements include performances with Adelphi Orchestra, Bergen Symphony Orchestra, and City Lyric Opera. They have also served as an Associate Musician with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and Substitute Musician with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida, and regularly appear with the Regina Opera Orchestra in Brooklyn, New York. They have made appearances in music festivals including the Brevard Music Center and Chautauqua Institution, and have premiered and recorded a number of new works for orchestra and chamber ensemble in Indiana, New York, and North Carolina. Lauran hodls a Professional Studies Certificate in Orchestral Performance as well as a Master of Music in Classical Bassoon from Manhattan School of Musicians, and a Bachelor of Music in Performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Primary teachers include William Short, William Ludwig, and Kathleen McLean.

Sarah Hamilton

Dr. Sarah Hamilton is Professor of Oboe at SUNY Fredonia, where she is currently also the Associate Director. She is principal oboe with the Western New York Chamber Orchestra and English Horn with the Erie Philharmonic. She has also performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Bach and Beyond Festival. Sarah has appeared as a soloist most recently with the Buffalo Silver Band, the Orchard Park Symphony and at IDRS conventions. Sarah has created several resources for younger oboists including 12 Soon – to- be -Famous Studies for oboe, Oboe Tuning Duets and Big Book of Sightreading Duets for Oboe. Sarah holds a DMA from The Ohio State University and a MM from Wayne State University where she studied with former Detroit Symphony oboist Robert Sorton. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Western University where her teachers included Shelley Heron, Geralyn Giovannetti and Perry Bauman.

Scott Hanratty

Scott Hanratty performs extensively throughout Central Ohio and has served as principal bassoonist of the Worthington Chamber Orchestra since the ensemble’s founding. He has also performed with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Central Ohio Symphony, Westerville Symphony, and New Albany Symphony. Scott holds a Master of Music in Bassoon Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with David McGill, and a Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with John Hunt. A native of Central Ohio, he began his bassoon studies with Betsy Sturdevant, principal bassoonist of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, Scott performed extensively as a student in woodwind quintets, developing a deep love for the quintet repertoire. Teaching is also central to his work: he maintains a private bassoon studio and is dedicated to high-level instruction, with several students going on to attend leading music performance colleges and conservatories. Scott plays on an early 5,000 series Heckle Bassoon that was completed in 1913.

Mackenzie Hargis

Mackenzie Hargis is a Colorado-based flutist currently pursuing a Master of Music in Flute Performance, where they study under James Hall. They are an active soloist, chamber musician, and large-ensemble performer, recognized for their warm tone, stylistic versatility, and thoughtful musicality. As the flutist of Bear Lake Winds—the premiere graduate woodwind quintet at the University of Northern Colorado—they collaborate closely with colleagues and perform repertoire ranging from Classical standards to contemporary works. Hargis has performed at the National Flute Association Convention on multiple occasions, both in chamber ensembles and in featured masterclasses. Dedicated to community engagement, they frequently participate in outreach performances and educational initiatives. Passionate about expanding access to classical music, Hargis aims to build a career that integrates performance, teaching, and advocacy for diverse and underrepresented composers.

Michael Harley

Michael Harley enjoys a diverse career as a teacher, performer, and music advocate. At the University of South Carolina he teaches bassoon and courses in music history and contemporary music, coaches chamber music, and is artistic director of the award-winning Southern Exposure New Music Series. Past full-time teaching positions include posts at Ohio University, Wright State University, and Goshen College. His performances have been called “spectacular” (Washington Post) and “exquisite” (Columbus Dispatch).

A proponent of contemporary music, Mike is a founding member of the acclaimed chamber orchestra Alarm Will Sound, called “new music luminaries” and “one of the most vital and original ensembles on the American musical scene” (New York Times).

Glenn Harman

Glenn Harman is a retired medical oncologist/hematologist who spent the last twelve years of his career at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He has had a long second career in music, performing throughout North America as a solo pianist, duo-pianist, and oboist. He and a former duo-piano partner were invited to perform a recital in New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1995. He is a long-time member of IDRS, and has served as chairman of the Reading Group Committee since 2001. He has performed six times at prior IDRS conferences, three of those as a collaborative pianist. Currently, he performs on oboe and viola in several university ensembles at Wright State University and Wittenberg University, as well as accompanying recitals by faculty and students. Following retirement, Glenn hiked the Appalachian Trail with his faithful dog, Gertie.

Harmony 3

Founded in 2023, Harmony 3 is an NYC-based reed trio—oboe, clarinet, and bassoon—using three instruments to bring many voices together. The group is committed to core repertoire as well as expanding the possibilities of the reed trio through commissions, performances of music by overlooked voices, and collaborations with vocalists, dancers, and visual artists. Harmony 3 has performed at venues including 92NY and inside a sculpture at the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club in Brooklyn, and regularly partners with schools, hospitals, and community centers on engagement programs throughout the city. Learn more at harmony3reedtrio.com.

Allie Harrington

Allie Harrington is based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. She received her early musical training in Taiwan. Allie completed her Bachelor of Music degree in Woodwind Performance at Brandon University, where she studied with Dr. Catherine Wood. In 2015, she won Third Prize at the ENKOR International Music Competition. Allie has appeared in ensembles including the Brandon Chamber Players, Prairie Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra in Saskatoon, and the National Youth Band of Canada. She was also in the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra for many years, where she first discovered her love for chamber music through their programs. Allie has performed in the Winnipeg New Music Festival several times with the Brandon University New Music Ensemble. She enjoys working with composers and performing new music.

Emily Hart

Emily Hart is Assistant Professor of Oboe and Aural Skills at the University of Florida. She received her DMA in Oboe Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Richard Killmer, and has held teaching positions and has been an active freelancer throughout the Midwest, Northeast, and now the southeast. She seeks to curate innovative programs that have something to offer to audiences of all backgrounds, and her recent solo work has focused on the intersection of classical and popular music in new works for oboe and piano.

Matthew Harvell

Chicago-based bassoonist and contrabassoonist Matthew Harvell is a freelancer on orchestral and chamber stages, performing with International Chamber Artists, Ars Viva Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta, Chicago Philharmonic, and Music of the Baroque. Prior to moving to Chicago, he spent 17 seasons as a member of the Richmond Symphony and performed often with the Virginia Symphony and National Symphony Orchestra among other orchestras nationally. Previously on the faculty of Lake Forest College, Trinity International University, and the University of Richmond, he has given masterclasses nationwide as well as performing at multiple IDRS conventions. His principal teachers were David Sogg, Richard Beene, and John Wetherill with extensive additional coaching from Norman Herzberg, Lew Kirk, Chris Millard, Judy LeClair, and Danielle Damiano with chamber music mentorship from Harry Sargous, Lowell Greer, and Gustav Meier.

He studied at the University of Michigan and the University of Colorado. Matthew performs on Rudolf Walter bassoons and Fox contrabassoons and owns and operates Critical Point Reeds.

Jared Hauser

Described by ArtsNash as “melodious and spontaneous” and praised by Gramophone as a “sensitive, elegant soloist,” oboist Jared Hauser is recognized for his stylistic versatility and commitment to exploring new musical territory, often bridging musical genres and traditions. He is Associate Professor of Oboe at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music and serves on the faculty of the National Music Festival.

Hauser performs as principal oboe of the Nashville Opera Orchestra and appears regularly with the Blair Woodwind Quintet, the Montrose Duo, Intersection, and on historical instruments with Music City Baroque. He has performed with many major orchestras including Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, Nashville, Orlando, and the Orchestra Camerata Ducale of Turin. A proponent of new music, he has over 50 world premiers to his credit, with recent collaborations taking him across North America, Europe, and South America. Jared has released nearly 20 solo and chamber music albums, and has been featured on NPR’s Performance Today, BBC Radio 3, and CBC/Radio-Canada. He is a Yamaha Performing Artist.

Dominic Hayes

Dominic Hayes is an active orchestral and freelance hornist based in Michigan. Dominic is Principal Horn of the Adrian Symphony Orchestra, the Michigan Philharmonic, and the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra. He also regularly performs with many orchestras in the area, including the Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Jackson, Flint, Toledo, and Battle Creek symphonies. As a soloist he has performed at the CHIME Festival at the University of Chicago and at the Society of Composers Inc. National Conference, premiering new solo and chamber works for the horn. He also performed as a soloist with the Michigan Philharmonic in 2024, performing Mozart’s Concert Rondo K. 371. Dominic can be heard as a soloist and chamber musician on multiple albums, including Pure Winds Quintet (Orpheus Classical), First Impressions (Navona Records), Sila: The Breath of the World (Cantaloupe Music), and Dark Matters Album (Innova Recordings). In addition to performing, Dominic is an active educator. His private students span a large spectrum of age and experience, from beginners to adults. Many of his students have received top accolades, including placing top awards at Solo & Ensemble and performing at All State as well as many other Honors Bands. Dominic is currently the Horn Instructor at the Flint School of Performing Arts.

Abby Held

Dr. Abby Yeakle Held serves as the oboe professor at The Ohio State University, where she was appointed in 2021. As a performer, Held served as Associate Principal Oboe of the West Texas Symphony from 2017-2023. Held appears with orchestras in her region including the Columbus Symphony, Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra, and Dayton Philharmonic. Held has performed internationally in Austria and Belgium, including a recital at the United States Embassy in Vienna, Austria. Dr. Held is also recognized for her unique research. As a Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Held studied the Viennese oboe, its history, traditions, current state, and cross-application to the French conservatory oboist. She is the first to publish on the topic in English, making her one of the foremost scholars on the Viennese oboe outside of the instrument’s community.

Micahla Hendrix

Chief Musician Micahla Hendrix, a Minnesota native, is a bassoonist with the United States Naval Academy Band. She earned her Bachelor of Music in bassoon performance from the New England Conservatory in 2008 and her Master of Music from Yale University in 2010, studying with J. Christopher Marshall, Richard Svoboda, and Dr. Frank Morelli.

Hendrix was the 2007 Boston Woodwind Society Competition winner and a semi-finalist in the 2010 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition. She has appeared as a guest recitalist at the International Double Reed Society Convention and the Midwest Clinic, and has performed with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, Fairfax Symphony, and Chamber Players of Washington, D.C. Additional performances include appearances with the Air Force Band of Liberty, Navy Fleet Forces Band, and Navy Band Washington, D.C. on bassoon and contrabassoon.

She joined the U.S. Naval Academy Band in 2013, where she performs with chamber winds, wind trio, ceremonial units, and the wind ensemble.

Pablo Hernandez

Pablo Hernandez is an accomplished oboist and dedicated music educator, currently serving as Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Southern Mississippi. He has built a versatile performance career, appearing as a guest artist, soloist, clinician, and chamber musician across the United States and abroad.

Dr. Hernandez has participated in several international music initiatives, including the Elevare Orchestral Music Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico, and has also contributed to community-based educational efforts such as the Honduras Oboe Project (HOPE). He frequently collaborates with his wife, cellist Romina Monsanto, in their duo New Duobus, an ensemble devoted to expanding the repertoire for oboe and cello. His notable recordings include Portraits Bizarre by C. L. Shaw, the award-winning film score for Vento, and the recently released Arari: 5 Variations on “Jeongsun Arirang” for Oboe and Piano on Navona Records.

An advocate for contemporary music, Dr. Hernandez is passionate about performing and promoting works that may be unfamiliar to audiences, enriching cultural exchange and amplifying new voices within the academic community. He is a recipient of the American Prize as a member of the Bear Lake Quintet and holds degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi, Baylor University, and the University of Northern Colorado.

Lynn Hileman

Bassoonist Lynn Hileman is an internationally recognized performer, educator, and performance scientist. A career-long advocate of contemporary and experimental music, she is a founding member of Tuple Bassoon Duo, Dark in the Song, and The Rushes Ensemble, and a founding faculty member of the NewBassoon Institute. She is Principal Bassoon of the Binghamton Philharmonic and has appeared at venues including November Music and GLOW Festivals, National Sawdust, and Park Avenue Armory. She teaches at the University of California–Davis and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division, and was Associate Professor of Bassoon at West Virginia University for sixteen years. At WVU she developed Neurobiologically-Informed Performance — a methodology that brings the same scholarly rigor to performance neuroscience that historically-informed performance brought to historical practice — which is now the foundation of her consultancy, The Performance Practice. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Yale University, and the Eastman School of Music.

Aaron Hill

Dr. Aaron Hill serves as Associate Professor of Oboe at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has previously held appointments teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Virginia, and James Madison University. He performs frequently with the Reno Philharmonic and Reno Chamber Orchestra. He recently published “12 Soon-To-Be-Famous Studies for Oboe” through Conway Publications, and a solo album, Solitary Discourse, on Soundset Recordings, including four premiere compositions and a new oboe arrangement of JS Bach’s Partita No. 2 for Violin in D Minor. He earned his Bachelor of Music from the University of Michigan, Master of Music and Artist Diploma from Yale University, and Doctor of Musical Arts from James Madison University, studying oboe with Nancy Ambrose King, Richard Killmer, Stephen Taylor, and David Weiss. Dr. Hill plays a maple Fox Sayen oboe made in South Whitley, Indiana.

Leonard Hindell

Leonard Hindell, an Honorary Member of the IDRS, began his bassoon studies with Stephen Maxym at the Henry Street Settlement in New York. He continued at the Manhattan School of Music where he received the Harold Bauer award. In 1964 he joined the Metropolitan Opera and in 1972 became a member of the New York Philharmonic until he retired in 2005. In 1975 he served as principal bassoon with the Metropolitan Opera on their first tour of Japan. He was a member of the Lark woodwind quintet along with IDRS member Humbert Lucarelli. In 1994, Zubin Mehta invited Mr Hindell to join the Israel Philharmonic on their tour of South America. In 2019 Mr. Hindell became artistic director of the Glickman-Popkin Bassoon Camp, succeeding co-founder, Honorary IDRS Member, Loren Glickman.

Merideth Hite Estevez

Dr. Merideth Hite Estevez is an oboist, coach, and author of The Artist’s Joy. Through her workshops, her award-winning podcast Artists for Joy, and her one-to-one coaching, she is a spiritual space-maker for artists, leading thousands in various fields to creative recovery. As an oboist, Merideth has performed with top orchestras in the US and abroad and has served on the faculties of numerous universities and schools of music, including the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the University of Delaware. She holds degrees from CCM, Yale School of Music, and The Juilliard School. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Germany, where she studied with Nicholas Daniel. Her latest book, Art Is How God Loves Us, debuts in July 2026. She hails from Abbeville, SC, but now lives in Metro Detroit, Michigan, with her husband, Rev. Dr. Edwin Estevez, and their two children.

Hilary Hobbs

Dr. Hilary Hobbs teaches at the College of Wooster as the Adjunct Instructor of Oboe and at Kenyon College as an Adjunct Instructor of Music (Double Reeds). She was Principal Oboe of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra for the 2023-2024 season. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Rutgers University, and both Master and Bachelor of Music degrees from The Ohio State University. She has performed at the following music festivals: Los Angeles Film Conducting Studio Intensive, Lake George Music Festival, Festival Napa Valley, the Akropolis Chamber Music Institute, Atlantic Music Festival, Hidden Valley Music Seminar, Rocky Ridge Young Artist Seminar, and the International Music Mastercourses Festival. Dr. Hobbs served as Principal Oboe (2022-2023) and Second Oboe/English horn (2021-2022) in the Brook Orchestra. She has performed with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Huntington Symphony Orchestra, South Orange Symphony, Monmouth Symphony, Worthington Chamber Orchestra and the Knox County Symphony. She maintains her own reed making business and private lessons studio in Grove City, OH.

Keegan Hockett

Keegan Hockett is the Instructor of Bassoon at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and St. Ambrose University. An active musician across the Midwest, he has appeared with the Des Moines Symphony, Orchestra Iowa, Quad City Symphony Orchestra, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, and the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. Keegan is a DMA candidate at the University of Iowa and graduate of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where he earned his MM as a Henry Mancini Fellow. When he’s not teaching or performing, Keegan produces sheet music at Just a Theory Press in Iowa City, IA.

Timothy Hommowun

Timothy Hommowun is a New York-based woodwind doubler, arranger, reed-maker, and teacher. Tim toured for two seasons with the global production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music (Broadway Asia), playing oboe & clarinet for over 300 performances all over Asia. Back in the city full-time now, Tim has performed with ensembles such as American Composers Orchestra, Eastern Wind Symphony, and Brooklyn Symphony. An enthusiastic chamber musician, Tim is the founding oboist of Fifth Element Winds. In addition to performing, Tim is an avid arranger. His first arrangements were written to have excuses to play the rarely-heard bass oboe, an instrument he wants to bring more attention to by commissioning works for it throughout his career. Tim is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music & NYU – Steinhardt, where he studied with Richard Killmer & Humbert Lucarelli, respectively. You can check out Tim’s website at www.hommowunmusic.com

Holger Hoos

Holger H. Hoos holds an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship in Artificial Intelligence at RWTH Aachen University (Germany), as well as a professorship in machine learning at Universiteit Leiden (The Netherlands). He studied bassoon with Benedikt Manemann, Michael Held and Heiko Dechert, before deciding to pursue an academic career in computer science, where part of his work has been on topics in computer music. From his early teens, he regularly played the bassoon in orchestral settings and chamber ensembles; since 2019, he has studied and played the heckelphone. His public appearances as a heckelphonist include performances of Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony at the Tonhalle Zurich in 2022 and the world premiere of Graham Waterhouse’s Perplexities after Escher at the Richard Strauss Festival in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 2024. Together with Graham Waterhouse, he played the US première of Perplexities after Escher in a gala concert at the IDRS 2025 Annual Conference in Indianapolis.

Martha Hudson

Martha Hudson is an oboist based in Bowling Green, Ohio, currently pursuing a DMA in Contemporary Music at Bowling Green State University under the guidance of Professor Dwight Parry. She has performed with the Zacatecas State Chamber Orchestra and the Zacatecas Philharmonic in Mexico, as well as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra, and the Lima Symphony Orchestra in the United States. Her international appearances include performances in Belgium, Slovakia, Ecuador, and Spain, and she has been featured as a soloist with the Zacatecas Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Matanzas Symphony Orchestra in Cuba. She holds an MM from BGSU and a BM from the Autonomous University of Zacatecas, Mexico.

Amy Humberd

Amy Humberd has appeared throughout the United States and Europe as a soloist and chamber musician. In November of 2017, she presented her Carnegie Hall debut as the second prize winner of the Concert Artists International Virtuoso Competition.

Outside of the performance hall, Humberd is an accomplished teacher. Currently, she serves as the Artist Affiliate of Clarinet at Berry College and the Adjunct Instructor of Clarinet at Lee University. In 2019 she was appointed to the faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, where she taught and performed with the faculty ensembles. In addition, she has presented clinics and masterclasses throughout Tennessee.

An advocate for the arts, Humberd is on the planning committee for the American Single Reed Summit, where she holds the social media coordinator position. Previously Humberd volunteered as a coordinator of Classical Revolution – Tallahassee, an organization dedicated to presenting free classical music concerts in community and neighborhood venues.

Her former teachers include Jonathan Holden, Deborah Bish, Howard Klug, Eric Hoeprich, Peter Cain, and David Shaffer.

Gordon Hunt

Gordon Hunt was born in London and studied with Terence MacDonagh. Regarded as one of the world’s leading oboists, for over five decades he has performed across six continents as soloist and conductor, also directing master classes and playing with renowned chamber ensembles. He is currently Principal Oboe of the London Chamber Orchestra, the Oxford Philharmonic and the World Orchestra for Peace, and formerly of the Philharmonia and London Philharmonic Orchestras. He has recorded twenty-nine solo and chamber music CDs, including the Richard Strauss concerto, which the Penguin Guide named as the finest version, and was the original “Gabriel’s Oboe” in the film The Mission. As a conductor, he is well known. He has been Music Director of the Danish Chamber Players and the Swedish Chamber Winds. He is Professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, an Honorary member of the International Double Reed Society, and a UNESCO Artist for Peace. He plays an XM oboe by Howarth of London. When not involved in music, he is passionate about nature and the environment, and fly fishing for trout and salmon.

Cody Hunter

Dr. Cody Hunter is on faculty at the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music as an Assistant Professor of bassoon and member of the Stone Fort Wind Quintet. Additionally, Dr. Hunter has been on the teaching faculties for the International Music Camp, SFA Summer Band Camps, and the Bocal Majority A.D.R.I.T. camp. He also gave guest masterclasses at the Shanghai Conservatory and the High School Affiliated to Fudan University.

An advocate for new music, Dr. Hunter has commissioned and premiered music by Alex Manton, Jonathan Posthuma, Adam Berndt, Wang Yaming, and Ben Morris.

Dr. Hunter has performed with the Longview Symphony, Shreveport Symphony, Arkansas Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Symphony Orchestra Augusta, and the Eroica Ensemble of Memphis, among others. He is a member of the Texas Chamber Winds and Reed5, both of which have performed around the world.

His teachers include Patricia Holland, John Miller, Norbert Nielubowski, and Lecolion Washington.

Sarah Hurd

Sarah Hurd is an active chamber artist and freelancer within the greater Pittsburgh, PA region, and is currently rebuilding her performance career after losing her ability to play for a decade due to severe illness and subsequent permanent disability. A champion of community-centered music-making, Sarah makes it her mission to elevate underrepresented artists within the musical community, and due to profound need, her attention is now fully turned toward the work of supporting disabled musicians.

Recognized for her work within this space, she served as an inaugural member of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council’s Disabled Artist Creative Cohort; a first of its kind initiative to center disabled artists and their needs; which are usually overlooked in the broader artistic scene. She has also served as the only openly and visibly disabled member of her former academic institutions’ DEI committee, where she endeavored to improve educational access for her disabled peers.

Jake Hutchinson

Jake Hutchinson is an oboist, performer, and teacher currently pursuing his DMA at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. In 2024, he was featured in a residency through the New York Philharmonic in which the flute, oboe, and piano group E/221 toured New York City and worked with NYP musicians. His focus includes the promotion of new music – recently he performed an English horn recital featuring works by composers from groups historically underrepresented in classical music. A dedicated lover of contemporary works, he has premiered numerous works throughout his career, and looks forward to continuing this. Jake received his master’s degree from Oklahoma State University and bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. His primary teachers include Professor John Dee, Dr. Andrew W. Parker, and Dr. Leslie Odom.

Hydra Winds

Hydra Winds is an emerging wind quintet based in New York City dedicated to championing works by underrepresented composers. Hydra Winds is composed of recent graduates from the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Valerie Coleman. During their time as an ensemble, Hydra Winds has been selected as winners of the Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition, guest artists at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Wind Quintet Workshop, and has performed multiple recitals in New York City and Boston.

Ione Inchaustegui

Ione Inchaustegui is an incoming junior at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she studies bassoon performance under Professor Kathleen McLean. A few things she performed this past year include principal bassoon for The Wizard of Oz in Concert, contrabassoon in L’enfant et les sortilèges, and third bassoon in Die Walküre. She also performed the Poulenc Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano and was second bassoon in the Jacobs School of Music’s 2024 production of The Nutcracker.

From Walled Lake, Michigan, Ione studied with Cornelia Sommer and performed with the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble, Spartan Youth Wind Symphony, and Michigan Youth Symphonic Band. She was principal bassoon for pieces such as Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol and Bizet’s Carmen Orchestral Suite, and performed selections from Swan Lake and more at Carnegie Hall with the Honors Performance Series Symphony Orchestra.

Jennet Ingle

Jennet Ingle is Principal Oboist of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. Jennet is a soloist at heart, joyfully taking over any stage that will have her.

As the owner and operator of Jennet Ingle Reeds, she makes and sells over two hundred handmade reeds every month, and helps oboists with their own reed-making through her YouTube series, The Five Minute Reedmaker, her weekly online Reed Club, and her beginner course, Zero to Reedmaker.

Jennet is also committed to the demographic of adult avocational oboists and serves them in her group programs, The Invincible Oboist and Invincible Oboist FLOW.

She encourages all musicians to thrive in their creative careers with her podcast, Crushing Classical, her book, The Happiest Musician, and 1:1 business and mindset coaching.

Jennet can be found on the web at www.jennetingle.com.

Joshi Ishikawa

Ishikawa is Professor of Bassoon at the University of Colorado Boulder, College of Music. He has performed and presented concerto performances, solo recitals, masterclasses and workshops at prestigious conservatories, schools of music, and festivals in North America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, including IDRS, ADRS and ADRA. Ishikawa organized and hosted the 51st annual conference of the International Double Reed Society (IDRS) in 2022 at the University of Colorado Boulder, College of Music. In 2015, he cosponsored the first Asian IDRS conference in Tokyo under the auspices of the third ADRA conference. From 1990 to 2020, he served as a member of the IDRS Executive Board and held positions of President, Secretary, and Editor of IDRS Online Publications. Currently, he is the chair of the International Bassoon Meetup Competitions. As an adjudicator, Ishikawa has served on judging panels for numerous international competitions including: IDRS Gillet and Young Artists Competition; Tokyo Wind and Brass Competition; Rimsky-Korsakov Competition; Moscow Conservatory Wind and Percussion Competition; Asian Double Reed Association International Competitions; and Australasian Double Reed Society Competitions. Video of his performances are widely available on YouTube and on the International Double Reed Society video archives.

Christopher Jackson

Technical Sergeant Christopher Jackson, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, is a bassoonist with the United States Air Force Academy Band.
He began his bassoon studies under the guidance of Dr. Shelly Unger, later continuing with Leon Daughrity and Dr. Bruno Paige, all of whom played important roles in his musical development.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Music degree from the University of Memphis, where he studied with John Hunt and Lecolion Washington respectively. He also pursued doctoral studies while at the University of Memphis.
As a performer, Chris has appeared with a wide range of ensembles, including the Rochester Oratorio Society, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Eroica Ensemble, Jackson Symphony, and the Westpfälz Symphony Orchestra in Germany. In addition to his work with the Air Force Academy Band, he remains an active freelance musician and dedicated educator.

André Januário

André Januário is a Brazilian bassoonist and researcher whose career spans Brazil, Canada, and the United States. He has held principal positions with leading Brazilian orchestras, including the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro Symphony and the Theatro São Pedro Chamber Orchestra, and has performed with U.S. ensembles such as the West Virginia Symphony, River Cities Symphony, and Midland Symphony. His artistic training includes studies with renowned bassoonists Noël Devos, Lynn Hileman, Aloysio Fagerlande, Milan Turkovic, Fabio Cury, and Alexandre Silvério, shaping a versatile and internationally informed approach to performance.

Dr. Januário earned his Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Bassoon Performance from West Virginia University, where he also pursued secondary studies in conducting and performance pedagogy. He has taught at Middle Tennessee State University, West Virginia University, and the University of Caxias do Sul. Currently an associate researcher at McGill University’s IDMIL, his work investigates the relationship between postural mechanics and sound in bassoon performance.

Bill Jobert

Bill Jobert serves as Lecturer of Bassoon and Coordinator of Music Education at Wright State.

Jobert received his master’s degree in Bassoon Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music and his major teachers include Bill Davis, John Hunt, Loren Glickman and Carl Niche. He has commissioned and premiered works by composers Michael Issacson, Steve Winteregg, Carlos Carrillos, Christopher Weait, and Robert Broemel on his faculty recitals and at previous IDRS conferences. Jobert is working with several other bassoon professionals to record all of the OMEA bassoon trios so that young bassoonists and music teachers can have a resource for selecting and preparing these pieces.

Jobert received his bachelor’s degree is in Music Education from the University of Georgia and student taught at Lassiter High School under Alfred Watkins. He taught for over 12 years in public school, directing bands at the middle and high school levels. He has also served as a band and orchestra adjudicator for Showcase Music Festivals and at the Alberta Band Association Concert Band Festival in Canada. At Wright State, Jobert serves as the Coordinator of Music Education, teaches education pedagogy courses, and in 2008 was awarded Wright State’s Outstanding Instructor Award.

Currently Jobert maintains a large high school and middle school bassoon studio with students performing in many local youth symphonies and honor bands.

Bernadette John

Bernadette John (Bearnáirdín Ní Sheáin) is a clarinetist based in Columbus, Ohio. She is a Fulbright Program alumna, completing her studies at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and Technical University Dublin. She holds a Master of Music in performance from Austin Peay State University, as well as a Bachelor of Music in performance and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Bowling Green State University.

In 2022, John was invited to perform as a Rising Artist at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest in Reno, Nevada, where she presented two lesser-known works by Irish composers. She later appeared on a headlining concert at the 2024 ClarinetFest in Dublin, Ireland, and delivered a lecture titled Spásanna Nua, highlighting her Fulbright research on Irish clarinet repertoire and musical spaces.

Outside of her academic and performance life, John enjoys Irish and American fiddling, singing seán-nós, photography, and exploring the outdoors.

Bradley Johnson

Dr. Bradley Johnson holds positions as lecturer of bassoon at both Eastern Michigan University and Central Michigan University. He is an advocate of new music and regularly performs music by underrepresented composers and has premiered numerous works by living composers. Bradley previously held an academic position as Adjunct Instructor of Bassoon at Northern Arizona University, where he co-hosted the 2024 International Double Reed Society (IDRS) conference. He was also a member of the 2025 IDRS Conference Artistic Committee.

He has had an active performance career, having regularly performed with the Scottsdale Philharmonic, Flagstaff Symphony, The Phoenix Symphony, and is principal of the Adrian Symphony Orchestra in Adrian, Michigan. He has also been a featured artist at numerous conferences such as IDRS and the Meg Quigley Symposium

Due to his love of chamber music, Bradley co-founded the Arcane Reed Quintet with the goal of expanded the repertoire of this genre. While in the Arcane Reed Quintet, he performed at both the Fischoff and Coltman Chamber Music Competitions.

Bradley received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Arizona State University, where he studied with Dr. Albie Micklich. His previous teachers include Christin Schillinger, MaryBeth Minnis, and Amy Rhodes.

Celeste Johnson

Celeste Johnson is Professor of Oboe at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory. Before joining the UMKC faculty, she spent eleven seasons with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. Her career includes international teaching and performing engagements in Japan, Colombia, Switzerland, the Isle of Man, Canada, and across the U.S. She remains active as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician, with two recordings on the Equilibrium label. Her performances have earned prizes at the Gillet and Barbirolli International Oboe Competitions and fellowships to perform at the Tanglewood, Aspen, and Lucerne music festivals. Celeste has presented or performed at various conferences, including IDRS and the Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri music educator conferences. She also serves as artistic advisor for Summerfest, contributing to the creative direction and programming of the Kansas City-based chamber music series. She holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

Robin Johnson

Robin Johnson received her M.M. degree at the University of Michigan in 1988, studying with Harry Sargous, having previously received B.M. degrees in oboe and piano performance and music education at Washington State University. Robin served as Principal Oboe with the Windsor Symphony, Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, and Cobb Symphony Orchestra, 2nd Oboe/EH with the Atlanta Opera, and has performed with the Atlanta Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and Kansas City Symphony. A dedicated educator, Robin held positions as Artist in Residence at Kennesaw State University and Instructor at the University of Windsor.

Joseph Jones

Joseph Jones began studying bassoon at age 12 when his piano teacher suggested: “Joey, you might be good at the bassoon.” Some years and many concerts later, Joe is a bassoonist performing throughout the country and occasionally around the world with ensembles like The Smithsonian Academy Orchestra, The English Concert, TENET, Boston Early Music Festival, American Bach Soloists and more. He has performed concertos with The Sebastians, Brecon Baroque, and Lyra Baroque Orchestra. He is also a founding member of The Harmonie Collective. Joe’s playing has been praised for its “warm singing tone,” and once while performing a Vivaldi concerto he “proved he could easily break the four-minute mile without missing a note” (Star Tribune). Joe is a graduate of The Juilliard School’s historical performance program, as well as the University of Minnesota and Utah State University.

Judy Jones

While studying with Harry Sargous at the University of Michigan, Judi earned her master’s and doctoral degrees there. She is currently principal oboe with the Oakland Symphony in Pontiac, Michigan, and a freelance oboist in the metro Detroit area.

Matthew Jones

Dr. Matthew Jones is a musicologist whose research examines intersections of LGBTQ+ culture, politics, and music, with particular focus on popular music, music video, disability studies, and HIV/AIDS. He earned his Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Virginia and holds a master’s degree in musicology/ethnomusicology and a graduate certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Georgia. His first book, “Love Don’t Need a Reason: The Life and Music of Michael Callen “(Punctum Books, 2020), explores the life and activism of Michael Callen, a pioneering figure in AIDS activism and queer music. His forthcoming book, “How to Make Music in an Epidemic “(Routledge), investigates popular music-making during the AIDS crisis. Jones’s work also engages with disability studies, including his essay on “crip virtuosity” in Joni Mitchell’s music. In addition to scholarship, he is an active musical director and vocal coach, and formerly served as artistic director of Pride Chorus Houston.

Khari Joyner

Described by the New York Classical Review as “one of the most exciting young musicians on the classical scene,“ Dr. Khari Joyner has a following both nationally and abroad as a versatile concert cellist, chamber musician and ambassador for the arts. He has made numerous guest appearances with orchestras and ensembles across the world, including two recent performances of both Saint-Saëns “Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor” and Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme“ with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which received rave reviews. In addition, he has given many cello masterclasses and lectures at notable institutions, including SUNY Fredonia, Oberlin Conservatory and Clayton State University.
Furthermore, Joyner received the 2017-18 career grant from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund, which nominates and endows a select number of gifted artists with generous funding to further their careers. Joyner has also performed for Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, the latter for which he gave a private performance in the Oval Office.

A passionate advocate for the music of the 21st century, Joyner has collaborated and given performances of works by major composers such as Tyshawn Sorey, Carman Moore, Kaija Saariaho, Magnus Lindberg, among many others. An active chamber musician and one of the founding members of the Altezza Piano Trio, Joyner has given performances as a guest at the Ritz Chamber Players, Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, Fontainbleau Music Festival and on WQXR as a part of the Midday Masterpieces series. A graduate of Juilliard’s prestigious Doctor of Musical Arts program, he has had teaching affiliations with Columbia University, Sarah Lawrence College and recently joined the faculty at Mannes Prep. He also pursued a mathematics concentration in an exchange program with Columbia University, while studying in Juilliard’s Accelerated BM/MM program. Joyner actively collaborates across genres with many choreographers, actors and jazz musicians and was recently featured as a guest artist for Dance Theater of Harlem and on NPR’s Tiny Desk with Sudan Archives.

Ju Xing

Ju Xing is an associate professor of oboe and the director of the Section Woodwind of Orchestral Instruments Department of Sichuan Conservatory of Music. He is also a council member of the Asian International Music Education Association, council member of the Asian Double Reed Association, the deputy secretary-general of the Sichuan Wind Music Federation, and the deputy secretary-general of the Sichuan Double Reed Society. He has long served as a judge for domestic and international youth music competitions.

He graduated from the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in Austria and the Academy of Music “Hanns Eisler” Berlin in Germany.

Kornel Juhasz

Kornel is a clarinet doctoral student at the University of Northern Colorado. He received his Bachelor’s in Music Education from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Brownsville, Texas and received his Masters in clarinet performance at the University of Texas at El Paso. Kornel is also principal clarinet of the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, and maintains an active teaching studio and freelances with groups such as the Colorado Dance Theatre, Loveland Opera Theatre, and subs with the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra. Kornel has started a clarinet choir while studying at UTEP and UNCO, taking both groups to conferences such as TMEA, ICA, and the 31st annual University Clarinet Festival UNAM, in Mexico City. Kornel enjoys spending time with his cats and perfecting a delicious shot of espresso!

Galit Kaunitz

Oboist Galit Kaunitz is the Assistant Professor of Oboe at Colorado State University. She is an active orchestral, solo, and chamber musician. Galit is dedicated to expanding the canon to include works by underrepresented and displaced composers and enthusiastically collaborates with composers to commission new works. Her solo album, Into the Light: Music for Oboe and Piano by Elizabeth Gyring and Alexander Wunderer, was released in December 2025 and features previously unknown works by Viennese Jewish composer Elizabeth Gyring. She may also be heard on the album All Are Welcome, which features new commissions for oboe and bassoon by Connor Chee, brin solomon, Mason Bynes, and Kate Pukinskis. Both albums are available on streaming platforms. Galit is grateful to have studied under Eric Ohlsson, Rebecca Henderson, Humbert Lucarelli, and Marilyn Krentzman. Galit is a Marigaux artist and plays on a Marigaux 901/901p.

Lavinia Kell Parker

Composer Lavinia Kell Parker integrates improvisation with classical writing, a practice that has earned recognition from the International Alliance of Women in Music with the New Genre Award and national honours in choral composition. Her music has been performed internationally and broadcast on CBC, NPR, and PBS. She has collaborated and been commissioned by ensembles including the Allegra Chamber Orchestra, Guitar CC Duo, Kensington Sinfonia, LSO, Penderecki String Quartet, and both elite and community choirs across North America. Frozen Music: Elegy was composed in memory of oboist Harry Sargous, inspired by his evocative “frozen music” photography. Lavinia Kell Parker teaches at the University of Lethbridge Conservatory, is an Associate Composer of the CMC and founder of Coulee Composers, a youth composition club in Southern Alberta.

Kelariz Keshavarz

Dr. Kelariz Keshavarz is Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and formerly served as Assistant Professor of Flute at Western Carolina University. She is the founder and artistic director of Iranian New Waves, a commissioning and recording project focused on new works by contemporary Iranian composers. She is a Haynes Artist and performs on a 14K Haynes Custom flute.

Amy Kesler

A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Amy Brough Kesler was privileged to study with Harry Sargous for three summers at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, while still in high school. The teacher-student bond they shared continued as Amy attended the University of Michigan School of Music.. She received her BM in oboe performance with high honors in 2000. Under Harry’s tutelage, Amy gained expansive technique of the oboe and a depth of musicianship inspired by his passion for expression. Amy has settled in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and together with her husband, Steve, is raising 5 children. Amy performs regularly with the Macomb Symphony, Rochester Symphony, International Symphony of Port Huron and Sarnia, Flint Symphony, and Warren Symphony. In 2022, Amy was a featured soloist on the album, “Adore,” composed, arranged, collaborated by her sister, Sarah Brough Blomquist. In 2023, Amy and Sarah released the album, “Path to Serenity,” including 2 original solo works for oboe and piano and hymn arrangements.

Vahan Khourdoian

French bassoonist Vahan Khourdoian started his bassoon studies at the Conservatoire de Marseille, and continued his tertiary studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon with Carlo Colombo and Jean Pignoly. He then continued to study at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim under the guidance of Professor Ole Kristian Dahl.

Vahan was invited to perform as Principal Bassoon in orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Camerata Bern.

He has given masterclasses and recitals at the Guildhall school of Music and the Royal Academy in London, Midwest Musical Imports in Minneapolis Minnesota, Jornadas do Fagote in Portugal, CNSM de Lyon, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Beinjing, Nanjing and Shanghai Conservatories in China and was assistant teacher in Saarbrücken Musikhochschule.

Solo apparences include Weber and Vivaldi Bassoon Concertos with the Ulster Orchestra, Rossini bassoon concerto and Ciranda Das Sete Notas from Villa-Lobos in Montpellier, France. Vahan is Principal Bassoon of the Orchestre du théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels.

Vahan is a Püchner Artist and plays a model Superior.

Heather Killmeyer

Heather Killmeyer serves as Professor of Double Reeds at East Tennessee State University. Heather received her degrees from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (BM), the University of Nevada Las Vegas (MM) and the University of Southern California (DMA). Her primary teachers were Mark Ostoich, Stephen Caplan, Allan Vogel, and Brenda Schuman-Post.

An active performer, Heather has explored her skills in a wide range of orchestral, chamber, and solo repertoire. She has performed with a number of orchestras including the San Antonio Symphony, Corpus Christi Symphony, Symphony San Jose, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Reno Philharmonic, and the Knoxville Symphony. Heather is principal oboist of the Johnson City Symphony and performs in the ETSU faculty woodwind ensemble Classical Appalachia. An advocate for contemporary music, she has participated in numerous commissions and premieres of new works for oboe.

Gyuhee Kim

Gyuhee Kim is from Seoul, South Korea. She was a distinguished scholarship student at Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, where her undergraduate studies were with Dr. Sooyeon Lee. Ms. Kim received her Master of Music degree in piano performance from Middle Tennessee State University. She has participated in the East/West International Piano Festival, numerous masterclasses, and has been a prizewinner in the Ulsan University Music Competition. She has extensive experience as a church musician and piano teacher of all ages. Her students have received prizes and special recognitions in numerous competitions and events. In 2019 she completed training with ConKo, one of Korea’s most prestigious early music instruction programs. Ms. Kim is the staff pianist at Middle Tennessee State University.

Danny King

Danny King is a New York based clarinetist and arts administrator for the Harmony Program. Danny earned his master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of Charles Neidich. He holds bachelor’s degrees in music education and clarinet performance from Illinois State University, where he studied under Dr. David Gresham and received the Presser Scholar Award.​ Recent awards include two winning placements in the Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition, Illinois State University Concerto-Aria Competition Winner, and finalist in the ISU Band Concerto Competition and the U.S. Army Collegiate Concerto Competition. Danny has been a clarinet fellow at the Newfound Chamber Winds Festival, Miami Beach Classical Music Festival, and woodwind quintet teaching assistant at Boston University Tanglewood Institute. You can learn more about Danny at dannykingclarinet.com.

Beth King-Bennett

Beth King-Bennett is a passionate performer, educator, and advocate for new music. She has presented performances and masterclasses nationally and internationally as a soloist and chamber musician, including premieres and commissions for solo saxophone, mixed duos, saxophone quartet, reed quintet, and saxophone ensemble. Recent conference performances include presentations at the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest, North American Saxophone Alliance, Music by Women Festival, and the Hong Kong International Saxophonist’s Symposium. Beth has performed with ensembles including the McKinney Philharmonic Orchestra, Panama City Symphony Orchestra, and h2 quartet. She serves as Adjunct Instructor of Music at Dallas College-Richland. Beth is a member of the North American Saxophone Alliance Committee for Gender Equity and also serves on the faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and Great Plains Saxophone Workshop. ​
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Beth received her Doctor of Music at Florida State University, where she was a saxophone Teaching Assistant, her Master’s from the University of Iowa, and Bachelor of Music Education from DePauw University, where she was awarded a Performance Certificate for excellence in performance. Her former teachers include Geoffrey Deibel, Kenneth Tse, Scotty Stepp, and Adrianne Honnold.

Olga Kleiankina

Dr. Olga Kleiankina is Teaching Professor of Piano and Director of Piano Studies at North Carolina State University. She maintains an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and pedagogue, and her work includes performances of new music and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Joseph Kluesener

Joseph Kluesener is founder and bassoonist of Paradise Winds, internationally acclaimed reed quintet featured in Calefax Reed Quintet Festival. Kluesener was an US Air Force Qualified Musician at age 22, and earned degrees cum laude from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) prior to Master and Doctoral degrees from Arizona State University.

From 2013-2019, Kluesener was Second Bassoon and Faculty with Wintergreen Summer Music Festival (VA). Abroad and nationally, Kluesener has performed and taught in Portugal, Germany, Spain, Ireland, The Netherlands, and Japan.

Kluesener proud leader of Coyote Bassoon Ensemble as Adjunct Faculty at Chandler-Gilbert and Scottsdale Community Colleges, and maintains a private studio. He has appeared with NASA, ICA, and IDRS conferences. His primary mentors include Cynthia Cioffari, Martin James, William Winstead, Jeffrey Lyman, and Albie Micklich.

Kluesener is a skilled gourmand, corporate professional, and pickleball player residing in Chandler, Arizona with his spouse and Frenchie.

Amrutha Koteeswaran

Amrutha Koteeswaran is a flutist, educator, and arts advocate whose work bridges performance, teaching, and community engagement. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of North Carolina Greensboro under the mentorship of Dr. Erika Boysen, where she also serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.

Amrutha has performed with several collegiate and professional ensembles, with appearances at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference, the College Band Directors National Association Conference, and the North Carolina Music Educators Association Conference. She is a member of the chamber group Once Upon a Tune, a chamber group that combines woodwind quintet, percussion and voice to bring children’s stories to life and is committed to creating more musical children’s programming. As a soloist, she has been a finalist in the UNCG Student Artist Competition and Cincinnati Young Artist competition, first alternate of the Central Ohio Flute Association Young Artist competition, winner of the Texas Flute Society Masterclass Competition, and a featured artist with the Austin Flute Society. She has performed in masterclasses with leading flutists such as Leone Buyse, Jim Walker, and Conor Nelson.

Caitlin Kramer

Oboist Caitlin Kramer, a native of Kalamazoo, MI has performed and taught around the United States. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Oboe Performance at DePauw University studying with Anna Mattix, and her Master’s Degree in Oboe Performance at The San Francisco Conservatory of Music studying with Pamela Smith.

Caitlin spent over a decade on the Las Vegas strip playing for commercial music shows and artists like Hugh Jackman, Andrea Bocelli, Johnny Mathis, Weird Al Yankovic, Evanescence, Amy Grant, and many more.

Caitlin is Assistant Principal of the Holland Symphony Orchestra, and performs oboe and English horn regularly with South Bend Symphony Orchestra, West Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Sacred Music Notre Dame, Holland Bach Society, and others. Caitlin teaches a large studio of aspiring middle school and high school students privately, helping them with college preparation.

Caitlin is the Oboe Professor at Hope College in Holland, MI where she helps her students prepare for their futures in our industry. Caitlin performs on a YOB-841 LT and KLT oboe and is a proud Yamaha Performing Artist.

Melissa Kritzer

Melissa’s performance experience spans orchestras to opera to Broadway. She holds a position in the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed with the New Jersey Symphony, Hartford and Albany Symphony Orchestras, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and the Reading Symphony Orchestra. Melissa’s music scholarship includes bringing the previously unpublished reed trios of composer Fernande Decruck to light through manuscript transcription and recording.

Edwin Lacy

Edwin Lacy retired from full-time teaching in 2008, but he has continued as Instructor of bassoon and saxophone at the University of Evansville, as well as Instructor of bassoon and oboe at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He holds the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Murray State University and the Master of Music in Bassoon and Doctor of Music in Woodwinds from Indiana University. Dr. Lacy served as principal bassoonist of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra for 54 years and continues to perform in various regional orchestras. He has been a member of the International Double Reed Society since the inception of the organization in 1972. He was Secretary of the IDRS for three terms and has been program chairman and host of two of the Society’s annual conventions, in Evansville in 1977 and at Indiana University in 1994.

Larkspur Reed Trio

Larkspur Reed Trio is comprised of Stephanie Carlson, Susan Miranda, and Amy McCann (oboe, English horn, clarinet). As a 501c3 non-profit organization, Larkspur is dedicated to performance, music education, and community outreach and is deeply committed to expanding the repertoire for this unique ensemble by commissioning new works by historically underrepresented composers. Since the organization’s inception, the ensemble has performed or presented at the International Double Reed Society conference (Flagstaff, AZ), ClarinetFest conferences of the International Clarinet Association (Denver, CO, Dublin, Ireland, and Fort Worth, TX), and the College Music Society National Conference (Washington, DC). With a grant from the Minnesota Regional Arts Council, the trio collaborated with author Alexandra Alessandri and composer Alejandra Odgers to create a brand new musical story with the children’s story Isabel and Her Colores Go To School. The video is available at no cost in both English and Spanish on the ensemble’s YouTube page.

Sonja Larson

Sonja Larson was born in Misawa, Japan, to a military family and grew up living around the world. Sonja began playing the bassoon in middle school. Sonja graduated from Washington State University in 2014, earning her B.M. in Music Education, and studying bassoon performance and composition with Dr. Ryan Hare. She then earned a Master’s Degree in Bassoon Performance in 2017 from Ithaca College, studying bassoon with Dr. Lee Goodhew Romm and Mr. Glenn Einschlag. She also studied composition with Dr. Daniel Pesca. In 2017, Sonja enlisted in the U.S. Army as a musician and took lessons with Dr. Derek Bannasch at the Army School of Music. Sonja has been serving as an Army Musician for eight years and has performed in concert bands, wind quintets, and other small ensembles. She also arranges and composes music for wind quintet and concert band. She has performed in South Korea, Texas, and is currently based in Colorado Springs, where she lives with her husband, Andrew, and cats, Queen City and Invercargill.

Emma Laude

Emma is an incoming junior and attends the Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music as a bassoon performance major and arts management minor, studying under Kathleen McLean. Apart from the orchestras she is a part of, Emma has played contrabassoon in the Wind Ensemble at Indiana University and bassoon in other chamber groups and ensembles across campus.

Originally from Cincinnati Ohio, Emma studied under Emily Prochaska and performed in the Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble and Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra for three years, where she was principal bassoonist for works such as Stravinsky’s Firebird, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet. Emma also performed in the Honor Band of America during her junior and senior year of high school.

Joey Lavarias

Joey Lavarias, Assistant Teaching Professor of Bassoon at Ball State University, is an active bassoonist and educator. He was previously on the faculties at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and North Carolina State University. An in-demand bassoonist for a variety of musical genres, Joey has played with the Charlotte Symphony, North Carolina Opera, and Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, is a founding member of the Cardinal Sound Collective, a North Carolina-based chamber music group, and made several studio recordings for prog rock bands around the United States. A candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts at UNC-Greensboro and a recipient of Bachelors and Masters degrees at The Juilliard School, Joey’s teachers include Michael Burns and Frank Morelli. Outside of music, Joey is an avid trivia player, culminating in an appearance on the game show Jeopardy!

Natalie Law

Dr. Natalie Law is a bassoonist and educator best known as the creator of Building a Bassoonist, an online resource serving bassoonists around the world. She combines a passion for performance with a deep commitment to teaching, working with students of all ages and levels to help them build confidence, develop their skills, and find joy in music-making.
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Natalie previously served as Principal Bassoonist of the Great Falls Symphony and their resident quintet, the Chinook Winds, in Great Falls, Montana. She performs with orchestras throughout Michigan and has been featured as a clinician and recitalist at institutions and events such as the Midwest Clinic and the International Double Reed Society Conference.
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She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in bassoon performance from Michigan State University, and her bachelor’s degrees in performance and music education from the University of Montana. Her primary teachers include Michael Kroth, Dorian Antipa, Elizabeth Crawford, and Jennifer Cavanaugh.

Jacqueline Leclair

Jacqueline Leclair is Associate Professor of Oboe at McGill University. She formerly served on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College, and Bowling Green State University. Leclair worked with Luciano Berio on her edition of Sequenza VII from 1997 until 2000. She has performed internationally throughout her career and recorded for Nonesuch, CRI, Koch, Deutsche Grammophon, and CBS Masterworks. In addition to her musical research interests, she has for many years supported the wellbeing of music students and launched various initiatives to help them cultivate better mental and physical health during their studies and careers. Prof. Leclair is originally from Syracuse New York and studied at the Eastman School of Music and SUNY Stony Brook, receiving bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in oboe performance.

Juhyun Lee

A native of South Korea, collaborative pianist, and chamber musician, Dr. Juhyun Lee actively performs nationwide, including in New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C, Boston, Utah, Arizona, Nebraska, Montana, and Colorado.

Dr. Lee has performed in a large number of recitals, concerts, and new music festivals, including a world premiere performance of Charles Strouse’s Sonata for Horn and Piano, Armand Qualliotine’s Duo for Piano and Alto Saxophone, and Moye Piano Sonata by Jim Klein and Ian Jamison. She joined a premier recording project of Sonata for Saxophone and Piano by Jim Klein and Ian Jamison and released an album in July 2023. This album has received recognition by magazine media such as Plastic, Dulaxi, KIMU, and EDM Rekords.

In 2023, she was appointed collaborative piano faculty member at Luzerne Music Center in New York.She also has served as an orchestral pianist in Arizona State University, Fort Collins Symphony, and Greeley Philharmonic. She performed in Jordan Hall as a guest keyboardist with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project in 2014. Dr. Lee joined the Colorado State University collaborative piano faculty in 2018.

Kristin Leitterman

Dr. Kristin Leitterman is Associate Professor of Oboe and Assistant Chair in the Department of Music at Arkansas State University, where she teaches oboe, bassoon, and double reed techniques, and directs the Lucarelli Oboe Master Class, now in its 30th year. A solo artist of oboe and voice, she has performed and commissioned works by Michael-Thomas Foumai, Jason Coleman, Whitney George, and Lyle Davidson, appearing in major venues including Carnegie Hall and Jordan Hall, and internationally in Spain, Brazil, and Canada. She was awarded the American Prize in Instrumental Performance in 2024.

Her publications with Carl Fischer include Relax and Take a Deep Breath: The Lucarelli Approach to Oboe Playing and Gustave Vogt’s Musical Album of Autographs. A leading scholar on Mary Chandler, she publishes with Clifton Edition and serves as President of the IDRS Midsouth Regional Chapter. Dr. Leitterman is a Lorée Artist. www.kristinleitterman.com

Ann Lemke

Dr. Ann Lemke combines her love of performing on oboe, oboe d’amore, and English horn with a curiosity for discovering new repertoire by women composers. Principal Oboist with the Rochester and the International Symphony Orchestras, Ann gave the US and Canadian premieres of the virtuosic Grandval Oboe Concerto. Her album Oboe Salon and intimate Salon Recitals of little-known works by nineteenth-century European women composers have inspired international audiences. Through her thriving private studio and as Oboe Instructor at Cranbrook Schools, Ann enjoys making a positive, lasting impact in Metro Detroit. Based on her research as a Fulbright scholar to Germany and a Yale University Beinecke Fellow, Ann strives to give voice to long-forgotten women composers through publications and innovative programming. Ann’s studies with Elaine Douvas at the Manhattan School of Music continue to shape her artistic expression. With a doctoral degree from Indiana University, Ann has taught interdisciplinary, university-level courses.

Qiuwei Li

Qiuwei Li is a distinguished piano collaborative artist and educator. She serves as Piano Pedagogy Director at Sichuan Conservatory of Music. A graduate of Sichuan and Xi’an Conservatories, she earned her Master of Arts with Distinction from the Royal Academy of Music (RAM), winning its professional accompaniment competition.

Her exceptional collaborative skills have earned her excellence awards at national competitions including the China Wen Hua Awards. Qiuwei has been the official artistic guide for prestigious events such as the Guangya International Violin Competition since 2014 and the German Hummingbird Music Competition. Her international experience includes serving as staff pianist at London’s Nicolas Martin Music Theatre School.

The Lilac Trio

Kate, Emily, and Katie met as graduate students at the Eastman School of Music. While they weren’t always fans of the early-morning hour of their weekly coachings as the “grad trio” with Mr. Killmer, they were fans of playing together and churning through great repertoire, both new and old. They are thrilled to reunite as the Lilac Trio!

Blake Lind

Blake Lind is a dedicated bassoonist recognized for his refined technique and consistently positive presence in ensemble settings. He began studying the bassoon at age twelve after moving to Utah with his family, quickly developing a strong affinity for the instrument. Throughout high school, he advanced through competitive solo festivals and performed in All-State ensembles, experiences that helped shape his musical discipline and artistry.

He continued his training at Brigham Young University, where he performed regularly with the BYU Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestras and collaborated in several chamber groups and wind quintets. His undergraduate years broadened his repertoire, strengthened his ensemble skills, and solidified his commitment to a career in performance.

Now a graduate, Blake is focused on the next stage of his musical development, seeking opportunities that challenge his abilities, expand his artistic range, and allow him to contribute meaningfully to the musical communities he joins.

Glenda Lindgren

Glenda Lindgren is the acting principal oboist for the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra’s 2025/26 season. She completed Master’s degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she studied with Eugene Izotov and the University of Ottawa with Charles Hamann, and her bachelor’s degree from the Royal Conservatory of Music with Sarah Jeffrey. Originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Glenda began playing the oboe at the age of eleven, and her passion for classical music grew when she began studying with Erin Brophey. Glenda has appeared in numerous ensembles including the Prairie Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, the National Academy Orchestra, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Glenda was a finalist at the 2022 NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition. She was also invited to perform at the Agassiz Chamber Music Festival in Winnipeg in 2022 and 2023. When Glenda is not busy practicing and making reeds, she enjoys journaling and taking photographs in nature.

Carlos López Soria

Mexican bassoonist Carlos López Soria began his musical journey at the age of six on the piano, before discovering his passion for the bassoon at eighteen. He began his formal music studies at the School of Music of the UNAM, later earning degrees from the Schwob School of Music and the University of Iowa. He is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the University of Iowa, with a research focus on bassoon music of the Americas. Carlos’s primary teachers include Benjamin Coelho, Dr. Stephanie Patterson, Dr. Ronald Wirt, Nylsa Ávalos, and Manuel Hernández.

He has won top prizes in numerous solo and chamber music competitions across Mexico and the United States. As an orchestral player, he has served as principal bassoon for the Columbus Ballet (GA), second bassoon with the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra (GA), and has performed with the Columbus Symphony, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, UNAM Philharmonic, IPN Symphony, and many other orchestras in both countries.

Carlos has served as Instructor of Bassoon at the University of Wisconsin–Platteville and as teaching assistant at the University of Iowa. Since August 2024, he has been bassoon faculty at Western Michigan University. He maintains an active schedule of performances and masterclasses throughout the United States and Mexico. Recent performance highlights include gala appearances at the IDRS Conference, the Meg Quigley Symposium, and the prestigious Mizzou International Composers Festival.

Eric Louie

Louie is an active orchestral bassoonist and contrabassoonist. He joined the Toledo Symphony as 3rd bassoon and contrabassoon in 2023. He regularly plays with Louisville Orchestra and Dayton Philharmonic, and has also performed with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra and many other regional groups.

Heather Macdonald

Praised for her “intimate and evocative” playing (The WholeNote) and “remarkable displays of virtuosity” (Textura), Canadian oboist Dr. Heather Macdonald is internationally sought after as an orchestral and chamber musician. Recently, she was appointed Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Iowa, to begin in the 2026-27 school year. Previous teaching appointments include Oklahoma State University and McMaster University (Canada). She has performed with ensembles across North America including the Bluestem Blaze Wind Quintet (Oklahoma State’s faculty ensemble), Tulsa Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Soundstreams, Niagara Symphony, Windsor Symphony, Ontario Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, Wheeling Symphony, Bermuda Chamber Choir, and many more. As a soloist, she regularly commissions and premieres new works for oboe, with previous projects funded by grants from the International Double Reed Society (IDRS)’s 50 for 50 Project and Ontario Arts Council, and premiered at SoundSCAPE Festival and the IDRS Symposium. Her solo debut album, That Place, Darling, features several of these new commissions as well as fresh takes on classics. A passionate advocate for musicians’ wellness, Heather has published her musicians’ health research in Frontiers in Psychology and International Journal of Music Education and presented at the Performing Arts Medicine Association, International Symposium on Performance Science, and Australian Society for Performing Arts Healthcare conferences. She is a registered yoga teacher, and when not playing the oboe, she enjoys teaching and practicing yoga.

Robin MacMillan

Robin MacMillan has had a unique dual career as an oboist and collaborative pianist, in both Europe and North America. She is currently Principal English Horn & 2nd Oboe in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and is a sessional instructor at both the University of Manitoba and Brandon University. She has also played with the Rochester Philharmonic, National Ballet of Canada, Calgary Philharmonic, and numerous Viennese orchestras. Robin holds a DMA in Oboe from Eastman. Also an accomplished pianist, she holds Masters in Accompanying from the University of Michigan. Robin was a longtime resident of Vienna, where she had an active and varied career as a freelance oboist. As a collaborative pianist and vocal coach she served on the faculties of the Universität für Musik and Theater an der Wien. Robin’s principal oboe teachers were Richard Killmer, John Ferrillo and Shelley Heron. She was also privileged to study with Harry Sargous.

Heather MacPhail

Heather MacPhail has been Staff Accompanist at Miami University, Oxford, since 1997. There, she coaches undergraduate and graduate pianists in accompanying, and performs in master classes and recitals with students, faculty and guest artists. She has traveled with faculty for performances in recitals and conferences throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Ms. MacPhail is the piano accompanist for the Cincinnati May Festival Chorus, a position she has held since 1990. She has also performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on piano, organ, celeste and harpsichord. Ms. MacPhail has been the organist at Westwood First Presbyterian Church since 1993 and in 2008 became the Director of Music Ministries, directing the Chancel Choir and Chancel Bells.

Heather maintains a teaching studio for piano and organ and is a member of the American Guild of Organists. She holds a Master of Music degree in Accompanying and a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from the Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music.

Rachel Maczko

Dr. M. Rachel Maczko is Associate Professor of Oboe at Oklahoma City University and holds the English Horn chair in the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Before making Oklahoma her home, she held positions with the Tallahassee Symphony, Savannah Philharmonic, and Albany Symphony Orchestra, while also appearing regularly with the Atlanta Symphony, Charleston Symphony, and Huntsville Symphony Orchestras. An avid chamber musician, Rachel’s recent recitals have featured her own arrangement of Summer Dreams by Amy Beach, as well as collaborations on Prokofiev’s Quintet, showcasing her passion for both classic and lesser-known repertoire. Whether on stage or in the classroom, she brings the same dedication and artistry to her music. Outside of her musical life, Rachel loves exploring the outdoors, swimming, and cycling.

Kelsey Maes

Dr. Kelsey Maes is an oboist, music educator, and higher education professional based in Arizona. She teaches oboe at Glendale Community College, and works as a Format and Curriculum Advisor at Arizona State University.

As a chamber musician, Dr. Maes has performed with a wide variety of ensembles, ranging from reed quintet and oboe trios, to mixed instrument groups. She competed at the 2023 Coltman Chamber Music Competition and Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.

Dr. Maes is also an active scholar. She presented at past IDRS Conferences, serves as the IDRS Social Media Content Coordinator and on the IDRS Chamber Music Committee, and has been published in The Double Reed. Selected via peer-review, her DMA abstract was selected for publication in the Leonardo Graduate Abstracts database, an international database showcasing topics in arts, sciences, and technology. She is also a member of CMS and SMT.

Dr. Maes holds a DMA, Music Theory Pedagogy Certificate, and MM from ASU, and a BM from the University of Illinois. She studied with Martin Schuring and John Dee.

Curtis Magee

Curtis Magee received his Bachelor’s in Music Performance (bassoon) from Wright State University, and his Master’s in Music Performance (bassoon) from CCM, in Cincinnati. He has studied under Joe Hesseman, Bill Jobert, and Martin Garcia.

Curtis is the principal bassoonist of the Mason Symphony Orchestra, and frequently performs with the Kettering Praise Orchestra and Springboro Wind Symphony. He also plays saxophone and has performed with the Eddie Brookshire Big Band, Tom Daugherty Orchestra, and the Hauer Swing Band. Curtis teaches Bassoon and Saxophone lessons to students of all ages in the Dayton Area.

Curtis wants to thank his wonderful family, including his wife Emily, daughter Cecily, and son Isaac for their love and support.

Eric Malson

Eric Malson is an active soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician whose activities have taken him throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. As soloist, he has appeared with the Orquestra da Fundação Gulbenkian, Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, North Carolina Symphony, Columbus (Ohio) Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Oak Ridge Symphony, and Prince William Symphony orchestras. As a collaborating pianist with the Steans Institute for Young Artists, he has appeared frequently at the Ravinia Festival, as well as the Tanglewood, Norfolk (Conn.), Wexford (Ireland), Caramoor (N.Y.), Scotia (Halifax), Chautauqua, Évora (Portugal), Verso il Millennio (Riva del Garda, Italy), and the Mt. Angel (Oregon) Bach festivals, and has appeared in concert with members of the Hagen, Vogler, Alexander, Lark, Cavani, and Ciompi quartets. Mr. Malson has served as official accompanist for various competitions, including the Eurovision Young Musicians Competition, Carnegie Hall International American Music Competition, and the Metropolitan Opera National Council District Auditions. He has served on the opera faculties of the Juilliard School of Music and the Mannes College of Music, as well as the accompanying and chamber music faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music. In addition to working with opera companies throughout the U.S. and Europe, he has appeared in concert with sopranos Eva Urbanová, Deborah Voigt, tenor Lawrence Brownlee and Charles Reid, baritones Laurent Naouri and Christophorèn Nomura, and bass-baritone Alfred Walker among many others.

Lynne Marie Mangan

Lynne Marie Mangan has shaped a multifaceted career uniting music, innovation, and leadership. She has appeared with the Detroit, Toledo, Windsor, and Phoenix Symphonies, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, and opera and theater orchestras. A former member of the Tucson Symphony and Arizona Opera, Ms. Mangan earned BM and MM degrees from Arizona State with additional studies at Harvard and UMKC. She previously served as faculty at Bowling Green State University and Siena Heights University.

Ms. Mangan’s creative vision extends beyond the stage and classroom. In her third term on the Executive Board of AFM Local 5, she also empowers individuals as a Career Consultant, owns a Business Consultancy, and has made a powerful impact as an Innovation Leader at Ford Motor Company and Unisys Corporation. Ms. Mangan’s journey illustrates how people can combine their passions and skills with bold thinking to open new worlds of opportunity.

Ashley Mania

Bassoonist Ashley Mania seeks to build a bridge between early practices and contemporary music styles. She has advocated for new works for bassoon and has premiered many such works across the United States. In addition to the modern bassoon and contrabassoon, Mania performs on various period double reed instruments and recorder, but her main focus is historical bassoons. In her free time Mania loves cats and can be found enjoying time with her cat Sage.

ToniMarie Marchioni

Oboist ToniMarie Marchioni enjoys a varied career as a performer, educator, and arts advocate. She appears frequently as a guest musician on both oboe and English horn with orchestras around the country, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, National Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and Nashville Symphony, among others. She has also been a featured artist at the Moab Music Festival (Utah), in Carnegie Hall’s collected stories festival, for the Stefan Wolpe Society, and at New York’s leading contemporary music venue Spectrum. A member of the Maribo Trio (Lexington, KY), IRIS Collective (Memphis, TN) and Decoda (New York, NY), she is also an alumni of Ensemble Connect/The Academy, a groundbreaking program combining chamber music performance, arts advocacy, leadership, and teaching artistry. For the 2017-18 season, she was the Acting Second Oboe for the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC. Dr. Marchioni’s first commercial album, “Légende: Concours for Oboe & Piano,” with pianist Kevin Murphy was released in 2022 on the Centaur Label. Currently the Professor of Oboe University of Kentucky, she is a native of Mechanicsburg, PA and holds degrees from Harvard (BA) and The Juilliard School (MM and DMA).

Margaret Marco

Dr. Margaret Marco is the Professor of Oboe at the University of Kansas and principal oboist of the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. She began her career as the principal oboist of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Maracaibo, Venezuela and has since performed and taught master classes at many prestigious venues around the world including Central and China Conservatories in Beijing; the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; the Royal Academy of Music and many others. She has received grants from the NEA, the Mid-America Arts Alliance and KU to commission and record new music. She can be heard on Naxos, Parma and Navona labels. Her recordings Hidden Gems: Oboe Sonatas of the French Baroque (Volumes I& II) and Still Life received glowing reviews. She is a founding member of the NAVO Trio which is dedicated to the performance, discovery, and commissioning of music by women composers.

The Maribo Trio

The Maribo Trio, founded in August 2022, is the faculty reed trio of the University of Kentucky. Named after the members’ canine companions (Mabel, Rita, and Bowie), Maribo enthusiastically engages in collaborative chamber performances in a wide variety of settings and seeks to expand the wind chamber repertoire through progressive and thoughtful commissioning efforts. The Maribo Trio anticipates the release of their first full-length album later this year.

Xhovana Marku

Xhovana Marku, Professor of Oboe at University of Arts in Tirana, Albania. She is also the founder and artistic director of the International Woodwinds Festival “Frymon,” which was established in 2022 to promote woodwind music and foster international cultural exchange. In the meantime, she plays regularly in the Kosovo Philharmonic and Opera of Kosovo. She is also very devoted to chamber music, regularly being part of several ensembles in the region.

Born and raised in Tirana, Xhovana began her oboe journey at the age of 10, under the guidance of Edis Bacelli. In 2018, she graduated at the University of Arts in Tirana, in the oboe class of Ilir Mërtiri. In 2016, as part of Erasmus+ Mobility Program, studied in the class of Pietro Milella at the “Giuseppe Tartini” Conservatory in Trieste, Italy. Her education was further enriched by masterclasses with esteemed oboists. Xhovana has performed in the main orchestras in Albania as the RTSh Orchestra and the National Theatre of Opera Orchestra. As a soloist with UART’s, OSFA’s, TKOB’s Orchestras. In international projects in Germany, Italy, Austria, France etc.

Known for her refined sound and musicality, she has established herself as an influential figure in Albania’s classical music landscape. Xhovana is a passionate advocate for her country’s music and she actively promotes works written for oboe, collaborating with the composers striving to enrich the oboe’s role in Albanian musical life and inspire future generations.

Andrew Marlin

Mr. Marlin has been actively freelancing primarily playing with Opera Festival Chicago, Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, Northbrook Symphony, and is a member of the Vox Box Quartet. He has also performed with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Seattle Symphony.

As a passionate educator, Andrew Marlin is the professor of bassoon at Elmhurst University. His career began while he first started to build up bassoon sections in programs throughout the northwest suburbs of Chicago. In turn, he’s created a full time teaching career for himself. Mr. Marlin’s students regularly fill up the majority of ILMEA District and All-State Honor Ensembles, participated in fellowships with From The Top and Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, and have gone on to some of the country’s finest music schools with competitive scholarships.

Mr. Marlin is also the founder, music director, and conductor of his Summer Bassoon Workshop, which is a program that is designed to expose young bassoonists to the world and wonders of classical music. Mr. Marlin does this by having his students learn about and performing his own bassoon ensemble arrangements of some of the best classical music has to offer.

Lastly, Mr. Marlin earned his Masters of Music and Professional Artist Diploma in Orchestral Studies from Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts and his Bachelor’s of Music from the University of Washington. His primary teachers include Seth Krimsky, Dennis Michel, David McGill, and Lewis Kirk.

Emily Mastenbrook

Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Emily Mastenbrook (she/they) is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts with Dr. Muñoz at the University of Missouri–Kansas City after resigning from the Sarajevska Philharmonika. A core principle in Emily’s teaching and research is fostering pain-free, sustainable performance. She has guided numerous musicians toward playing with greater ease and efficiency. Emily specializes in orchestral performance, contrabassoon, bassoon repair, educational outreach, and chamber music.

Anna Mattix

Anna Mattix, Oboe/English Horn, has been a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic since 2007. A native of Central New York, Anna studied at Ithaca College, Yale University and Indiana University. Her major teachers include Daniel Carno (Syracuse Symphony), Mark Hill, Ronald Roseman, Nicholas Daniel, Anne Leek and Theodore Baskin. Previous performing positions include Principal Oboe with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and English Horn with the Owensboro Symphony and Evansville Philharmonic. Hailed as “virtuostic” by the Buffalo News, Ms. Mattix has appeared as soloist with the BPO on many occasions. Solo recording credits include Pieta by Ulysses Kay, The Swan of Tuonela by Jean Sibelius, Vox Humana by Rob Deemer, a work dedicated to Anna and premiered by BPO in 2016. Anna has also appeared several times by invitation at the International Double Reed Society Annual Conference and has been a featured clinician for many Colleges and Universities. In addition to her work with the Philharmonic, Anna performs locally with the Buffalo Chamber Players and teaches at Buffalo State University. She is also a founding member of the Can-Am Trio in collaboration with Sarah Hamilton (SUNY Fredonia) and Geralyn Giovannetti (Brigham Young University). Anna, in addition to her performing schedule, has always been a passionate educator and advocate for community engagement.

Brianna Matzke

Brianna Matzke is a Cincinnati-based pianist, arts leader, and creative collaborator whose work bridges performance, curation, and community engagement. She serves as Executive Director of the Wyoming Fine Arts Center and concertnova, and as President and CEO of the International Foundation for Contemporary Music, under which she directs the Cortona Sessions for New Music and The Response Project. Known for performances that blur boundaries between tradition and experimentation, Matzke brings a distinct artistic voice to projects that connect music, people, and place.

Steven Maxwell

Dr. Steven Maxwell is Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Kansas State University. In addition, he teaches brass techniques and the History of Rock and Roll. Dr. Maxwell is also the tubist with the K-State Faculty Brass Quintet and the director of the K-State Tuba Euphonium Ensemble. He is an active clinician, adjudicator, and soloist throughout the United States and Europe. Dr. Maxwell has been active internationally performing at prestigious conferences including the International Tuba and Euphonium Conference and the U. S. Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Workshop. He has also performed at numerous regional conferences over the years including the Great Plains, South Central, and Rocky Mountain Conference.

Dr. Maxwell has as principal tuba with the Wichita Grand Opera, Chautauqua Festival Orchestra, Central Iowa Symphony, Kansas City Puccini Festival Orchestra and has been a member of the award-winning Fountain City Brass Band. Dr. Maxwell is an associate editor for the International Tuba and Euphonium Association (ITEA) Journal. He is a member of ITEA, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma.

Maxwell is a champion of new music for tuba and euphonium and has commissioned over fifty works for solo tuba, solo euphonium, and tuba-euphonium ensemble. He featured six of these new works on his first solo album entitled “Pretty Please?” which was released in 2019.

Dr. Maxwell is proud to be a Willson Performing Artist.

Susan Maxwell

Dr. Susan Gustavson Maxwell is the Bassoon Professor at Kansas State University as well as the Division Head for the Music Business Area. Maxwell has 20 years of solo, chamber and orchestral experience and is now Patent Pending for the Bassoon Buddy.

She is dedicated to teaching, performing and finding ways to make the life of a bassoonist easier. At this time, she one of the first five women to publish an etude for the bassoon. Maxwell is also the only woman named tool/product maker for bassoon on the retail market!

Megan McCafferty

Megan McCafferty is a flutist and educator based in the northeast. Megan holds a master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Linda Chesis, previously Boston Conservatory with a Bachelors of Music in flute performance and a minor in instrument repair. Megan is honored to be recognized as a Haynes Young Artist. Megan’s recent engagements include her solo performance at the 2025 National Flute Association Convention, where she gave the NFA premiere of Valerie Coleman’s Bostonian Scenes. She was a guest artist at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and has made appearances performing at the 2024 Flutistry Boston Flute Festival, Albany Symphony, and Boston Civic Orchestra. Beyond performing, she serves as the Director of Sales and Marketing at Flutistry and sits on the board of the James Pappoutsakis Memorial Fund. You can learn more about her at meganmccaffertyflute.com.

Amy McCann

Dr. Amy McCann is currently Associate Professor of Music at Murray State University where she teaches clarinet and aural skills. McCann is a former military musician and active freelance performer and teacher. She has played with the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band, La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, Wheeling Symphony, Johnstown Symphony, and the West Virginia Symphony. She also served on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point, and Lawrence University in Appleton, WI.

Dr. McCann is a Sponsored Artist and Reed Making Specialist with Precision Reed Products and a Rice Clarinet Works Performing Artist.
​Dr. McCann has been an invited performer and presenter at the International Clarinet Association’s annual ClarinetFest, the Midwest ClarinetFest, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors conference, the International Double Reed Society Conference, and more.

Dr. McCann holds degrees from West Virginia University and Indiana University.

Keegan McCardell

Keegan McCardell, a graduate of the Orchestral Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music, studied with Javier Gandara. He has previously completed his bachelor’s degree from Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Cally Messick, Justin Drew, and Richard Deane. He has performed at many world-renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Seiji Ozawa Hall, and The Koussevitzky Shed at Tanglewood. Apart from participating in orchestral ensembles, he was also selected as one of the winners of the Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition. He is also a founding member of the Mahogany Brass Quintet, which recently performed in a guest artist recital at University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has also attended various festivals throughout his career including Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Eastern Music Festival, and Brevard Music Festival.

Colleen McCracken

Colleen McCracken (she/her) is the founder and host of the Lessons Unlocked Podcast, as well as a graduate student pursuing an MM in Performance at the Univ. of North Carolina Greensboro under Dr. Erika Boysen. She currently holds the Piccolo position in the Durham Symphony Orchestra. Colleen graduated summa cum laude with her BM in Performance from the Univ. of Denver in 2024. She won 1st Prize in the 2022 Flute Society of St. Louis Collegiate Young Artist Competition and first prize in the Central Ohio Flute Association Collegiate Competition the following year. She is an active private lesson teacher and flutist in the ShakaduGAT! Wind Quintet. Her former teachers include Dr. Shelly Monier, Michel Lavignolle, and Julie Thornton. In the fall, Colleen will move to Dublin, Ireland, where she will pursue a Recital Artist Diploma at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Dennette Derby McDermott

Dr. Dennette Derby McDermott learned to play traverso after a forty year career playing modern flute. She studied with Wilbert Hazelzet, Janet See and Claire Guimond at the Tafelmusik Baroque Institute in Toronto and was selected to participate in the American Bach Soloists program in San Fransisco in 2019. She has researched, located and published editions of several 18thc manuscripts, including the Czech composer Jiri Czart, creating a Thematic Catalog and updating the composer’s entry in the New Grove Dictionary of Music. In 2023 she released an album “Jiri Czart Flute Sonatas,” a premier recording of these 18thc Czech sonatas on period instruments. She is Professor Emerita at Northwestern State University of Louisiana.

Kathleen McLean

Kathleen McLean is a well known teacher, orchestral player and chamber musician in North America. Internationally recognized, McLean was the Associate Principal Bassoon of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra before taking on the position of Associate Professor of Bassoon at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. She was previously on faculty at the Glenn Gould School of Music and the University of Toronto and continues to be part of the chamber music faculty at the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. McLean’s former orchestral appearances include principal bassoon with the Canadian Opera Company, London Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Boston Symphony, Montreal Symphony, National Arts Center Orchestra and World Orchestra for Peace. Chamber Music festival include, Evian Festival, Vancouver Chamber Festival, Scotia Festival, Ottawa Chamber Festival, Chautauqua Festival. She has performed as concert soloist with the Thailand Philharmonic, Calgary Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony. She has performed chamber music with Amici Ensemble, Octagon Ensemble, Caliban Bassoon Quartet, Camerata Pacifica, New Music Concerts Toronto. An advocate of new music, Kathleen has commissioned, performed and recorded many new concerts and works with string and harp by leading international composers.

Rebecca Meador

Rebecca Meador, flute, is currently a Professor of Music at Washburn University. She holds a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. In addition to Washburn University, she has taught at Earlham College, Stephen F. Austin State University, and Webster University. Dr. Meador has participated in several recordings and has pursued an active freelancing career substituting with the Wichita Grand Opera Company, the Northern Kentucky Symphony, and the St. Louis Philharmonic. Dr. Meador was a member of the Equinox Chamber Players with whom she participated in a PBS Documentary on the Continental Harmony composition project. She has performed chamber music at the International Double Reed Society, National Flute Association, and Kansas Music Educators Association Conventions.

Laura Medisky

Dr. Laura Medisky is the Instructor of Oboe at Northern Illinois University. Based in Madison, WI, she performs with regional ensembles such as the Madison Symphony, Rockford Symphony, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, con vivo! chamber ensemble, Fresco Opera, and Capital City Theatre. She held the position of Acting Principal Oboe in both the Rockford Symphony and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra for multiple seasons, and has performed concertos with orchestras in Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska, and Idaho. Her solo album “Personalities: 21st-century American Music for Oboe” was released in 2012 on the Centaur Records label.

As an AmSAT-certified teacher of the Alexander Technique of 25 years, Medisky integrates its philosophy of the mind-body connection into her own playing as well as her oboe pedagogy. She has an interest in the psychology of musical practice and peak performance, and finds creative ways to guide students to incorporate these concepts into their oboe study.

Lev Meniker

Lev Meniker is a Baroque bassoonist based in New York, who is currently doing his Master’s degree in the Historical Performance program at Juilliard. Before coming to Juilliard, Lev studied abroad and completed his BA in Baroque bassoon at the Schola Cantorum in Basel, Switzerland, and has performed with such ensembles as the Collegium Musicum Lucerne, Jeune Orchestre Rameau, the Theresia Orchestra, and the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra. As a performer, Lev is equally at home playing on the bassoon and the dulcian, and he knows the repertoire of the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods very well. Regardless of what he plays, Lev has an instantly recognizable sound, a unique sense of musicality, and a high level of character and energy. Dedicated to exploring new repertoire, Lev is passionate about sharing early music with new audiences. Outside of the rehearsal hall, he enjoys cooking at home, standup comedy, and karaoke nights.

The Mercury Double Reed Quartet

The Mercury Double Reed Quartet, “Murcur-reeds” is a group of Ohio State University graduate and undergraduate music students. The ensemble was created as a means to perform works written by OSU composition students. The Mercury Double Reed Quartet’s goal is to perform original work for the instrumentation of two oboes, English horn, and Bassoon in addition to arrangements of popular and video game music.

Performers: Maddie Wittman, oboe; Ben Newman, oboe; Briele Vollmuth, English horn; Gunnar Pellissier, bassoon

About the composer, Nik Henderson (Mercury):
Nik Henderson is a flighty artistic type from Orem, Utah. After frittering away ten years studying math, he had an epiphany that writing music was such a compelling practice that he returned to school at The Ohio State University’s School of Music to get another Bachelor’s degree, this time in composition. While there, he has been a part of several musical premieres as both composer and performer. He had the great fortune to have his trombone choir work Symbony in F Minor premiered at the International Trombone Festival in 2025 in London, Ontario, Canada. He continues to perform on the trombone when possible, serving with the OSU’s Symphony Orchestra, Wind Symphony, and Trombone Choir.

Rachel Messing

Dr. Rachel Messing is an oboist and educator whose career spans orchestral, solo, chamber, and historical performance. She serves on the faculty of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she teaches oboe and performs actively throughout the region. Previously, she was Associate Professor of Oboe and Music History at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi and served as English hornist with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with the San Antonio Philharmonic, Phoenix Symphony, Tucson Symphony, and Corpus Christi Symphony, among others. As a founding member of chamber ensembles like Plumeria Winds, Dr. Messing is dedicated to expanding and promoting chamber repertoire for double reeds. Her teaching integrates historical context, theory, and performance practice to encourage students to take creative risks and deepen their artistic identities.

Ewan Millar

Ewan is a prominent young oboist building a career in the UK. In 2020 Ewan won the woodwind final of BBC Young Musician, advancing to the Grand Final, and giving an “exemplary, richly shaded account” (The Guardian), of Navarro’s “Legacy” concerto with the BBC Philharmonic. Recently he won the coveted Gold Medal at the Royal Over-Seas League music competition 2025. As a result of these competitions he performs extensively around the UK as a solo and chamber musician. He has played principal oboe with the LPO, RPO, CBSO, BSO, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Aurora Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, and Birmingham Royal Ballet, and for the last year has been a member of award-winning wind quintet Lumas Winds. Ewan studied at Oxford University and the Royal Academy of Music, learning with Melanie Ragge and winning the Bicentennial Prize and Janet Craxton Memorial Prize. He is a Howarth Artist and plays on a Howarth XM.

Courtney Miller

Dr. Courtney Miller is Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she teaches oboe, chamber music, and reed making. Additionally, Dr. Miller performs as Principal Oboe with the North Carolina Opera.

A highly regarded performer and pedagogue, Dr. Miller tours as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America.

Dr. Miller is a versatile artist devoted to performing new compositions and lesser-known works alongside standard repertoire. Her albums Portugues Perspectives and Modern Fairy Tales are available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. American Record Guide praises her “seamless consistency in the various registers of the oboe…and sensitive phrasing and articulation.” Fanfare Magazine hails Courtney Miller as “a performer of considerable skill, with an unfailingly lovely sound, abundant technical ability, and a special gift for turning notes into poetry.

www.courtneymilleroboe.com

Susan Miranda

Dr. Susan Miranda is a Fox Products Performing Artist and Adjunct Professor of Oboe at Dordt University. She is a performer, educator, and entrepreneur committed to expanding the oboe repertoire and bringing music to diverse audiences.

With over forty premieres in the last decade, her performing career includes appearances at the International Double Reed Society, International Clarinet Association, North American Saxophone Alliance, the SHE Festival, and the Music by Women Conference. Internationally, she has performed at the 2023 IDRS Conference in Thailand and the 2024 ICA Conference in Ireland, and in March 2026 she will perform at the International Duo Symposium in San José, Costa Rica.

Miranda’s ensembles, Larkspur Reed Trio, Cassia & Colibrí, Dúo León, and Reed5, serve as platforms for performance, commissioning, and outreach. Her educational initiatives, including grant-funded musical story Isabel and Her Colores Go to School, have reached audiences from preschoolers to college students across the Midwest.

Benjamin Moermond

Benjamin Moermond is the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s Principal Bassoon since joining in 2010, and is teaching bassoon at the School of Music, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen.

As a soloist he has performed Weber’s Concerto for Bassoon, Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante, Telemann’s Double Concerto for Bassoon and Recorder, and Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with the HK Phil. As a guest artist he has performed with groups such as the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Macau Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival, the 6th International Bassoon Festival in Qingdao, China, and the 1st Shenzhen Bay International Bassoon Art Week

He has also previously been on faculty of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts, and is currently on faculty for Youth Music Culture Greater Bay (YMCG). Benjamin graduated from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Judith LeClair. Other teachers include Patricia Rogers, Martin James, and Russell Hinkle. He is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Kathleen Moniaci

Kathleen Moniaci enjoys a multi-faceted career as a performer, teacher and repair woman in Indianapolis. She earned degrees from the the University of Michigan and the University of Cincinnati where she studied with Richard Beene and William Winstead, respectively.

After graduate studies Kathleen attended the Band Instrument Repair program in Red Wing, Minnesota and then began apprenticing with the renowned bassoon restorative artist Paul Nordby. Kathleen maintains this apprenticeship as well as her own repair business, Moniaci Woodwinds.

Kathleen performs throughout the greater Indianapolis area with the Carmel Symphony, Lafayette Symphony, Danville Symphony, Anderson Symphony, Kokomo Symphony, Orchestra Indiana and the woodwind quintet Impressaria Winds. Kathleen is a founding member of the bassoon and harp ensemble ‘Voices in the Wood.’

Kathleen Moran

Kathleen Moran is from Los Angeles, California and received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Bassoon performance with a cognate in Arts Administration (May 2026) at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). She previously received a Master of Music and a Bachelor of Music summa cum laude in Bassoon performance at CCM where she studied with William Winstead, Martin Garcia, and Christopher Sales. Prior to CCM, she studied with John Campbell in Los Angeles. Kathleen was a semifinalist in the 2025 Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition. She is the contracted third bassoon and contrabassoon for the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and a member of New Downbeat. She has performed on bassoon and contrabassoon with the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony Orchestra (Indiana), Springfield Symphony Orchestra (Ohio), and Queen City Opera. Kathleen is currently the librarian for the May Festival Chorus, official chorus of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Frank Morelli

Leitzinger artist Frank Morelli, student of Stephen Maxym: 1st Juilliard bassoon DMA. Soloist in Carnegie Hall’s main hall on 9 occasions. Performed regularly with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for over 30 years, including the Final Clinton Whitehouse State Dinner. Emeritus Co-principal, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Morelli teaches at the Yale School of Music, and retired from Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Glenn Gould School, SUNY Stony Brook and Queens College, CUNY. Of nearly 200 CDs, “From the Soul” is his 6th solo album and his second on the Musica Solis label after An die Musik. Fanfare Magazine: [Morelli’s recording of Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto] “reset a reviewer’s standards at too high a level for comfort in a world more productive of ordinary music making,” Gramophone magazine: “DG… recorded all of Mozart’s wind concertos with Orpheus…Frank Morelli’s…is probably the pick of the series” and “Morelli’s playing is a joy to behold.” The American Record Guide: “[his] bassoon playing … is a good as it gets.” Jazz Weekly.com stated of Morelli’s foray into jazz (The OX-MO Incident with saxophonist Keith Oxman): “Morelli makes the usually unwieldy bassoon work wonders…[he] bops with delight.” Orpheus CD “Shadow Dances” on which he is featured was a Grammy winner. Along with many transcriptions (TrevCo), he created the unmatched books, “Stravinsky: Difficult Passages” (Boosey&Hawkes) and “First Complete Weissenborn Method and Studies” (Carl Fischer.)

Angela Moretti

Angela Moretti is currently in her third year of study in the Doctor of Musical Arts degree program at the University of North Carolina- Greensboro. She holds a Master’s degree in Music Performance from the University of Central Florida and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Florida State University.

Prior to her time at UNCG, Ms. Moretti held the position of Adjunct Lecturer of Bassoon at Texas Lutheran University and served in the U.S. Army as a member of the 8th Army Band in South Korea and the 323d Army Band in Texas. While serving as an Army musician, she performed in numerous concerts, festivals, and clinics across South Korea and the United States. Prior to her Army service, Angela was a music teacher at Lakewood Park Elementary School in Florida and performed with several regional orchestras in Florida and Texas. Her small business, Laughing Crow Bassoon Reeds, specializes in handmade bassoon reeds and supplies for amateur and professional bassoonists.

In her spare time, Angela enjoys hiking, sculpting, freelance graphic design and illustration, and spending time with her pets.

Alyssa Morris

Alyssa Morris serves as Associate Professor of Oboe at Kansas State University and principal oboist of Topeka Symphony. She has appeared in performances around the world, and as concerto soloist at the Kennedy Center. Alyssa is an American Prize finalist and PEO Scholar. Her solo albums, “A Higher Place” and “Ruminations” were hailed by American Record Guide as “gorgeous and thoughtful” and by Fanfare Magazine as “pure gold.” Alyssa is a founding member of AGLOW, a trio for flute, oboe, and piano. In response AGLOW’s album “The Light is the Same,” Fanfare writes that AGLOW performs with “arresting unity” and “glowing transparency.” The trio released their second album, “Infinities,” in September 2025. Regarding her compositions, American Record Guide writes that Alyssa’s music “has charm and substance.” Her music has been presented at the conferences of IDRS, ICA, NFA, SCI, and more. Alyssa’s works have been required international competition pieces, university audition pieces, and international examination pieces. Alyssa is a three-time International Barlow Composition Commission Winner, ROCO’s 2021 Composer-In-Residence, she has been invited to present oboe and composition clinics at Universities and festivals around the United States and her music is performed worldwide.

Ryan Morris

Ryan Morris, DMA is the Adjunct Professor of Bassoon at the University of Texas at Tyler. He resides in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, where he teaches a pre-college studio, and makes bassoon reeds for musicians across the United States. He received his DMA from University of Kansas, MM from University of Missouri-Kansas City, and BM from Texas State University.

Mu Ge

Mu Ge is an oboe instructor in the Orchestral Instruments Department of Sichuan Conservatory of Music and serves as the principal oboist of the Chengdu Metropolitan Concert Hall Orchestra. In 2001, he was admitted to Shenyang Conservatory of Music with outstanding results, studying under Mr. Liu Heming, and graduated in 2005. Since then, he has been teaching at Sichuan Conservatory of Music. He participated in the Guangdong International Music Summer Camp Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the world-renowned maestro Charles Dutoit, where he served as the principal oboist. He is also a standing council member of the Sichuan Double Reed Society. He won the first prize in 1st Southwest China Bassoon and Oboe Competition.

Hudson Müller

Hudson Diógenes Müller is a Brazilian saxophonist, educator, and researcher currently based in the United States. In Fall 2025, he began the Doctor of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance at The Ohio State University, serving as a Graduate Assistant Teacher under the guidance of Dr. Torres. Müller holds a Master’s degree in Saxophone Performance from East Texas A&M, studying with Dr. Chris Beatty, as well as a Master’s in Musicology and Creative Process from Paraná State University. He also earned Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Saxophone Performance from the same institution.

From 2016 to 2023, he taught at Paraná State University and the Maestro Paulino Alves Conservatory, where he directed the Conserva’s Big Band. As a performer, he has participated in major events such as the Great Plains Saxophone Workshop, the NASA 2024 National Conference, the 2025 Regional Conference, and the TMEA convention. With the “From Paraná Duo,” he has also performed at SERTEC and MWRTEC.

Leigh Muñoz

Leigh Muñoz is a dynamic pedagogue, entrepreneur, and musician, currently serving as Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory and Bassoon Intensive faculty at Interlochen Arts Camp. She has previously taught at Middle Tennessee State University, University of Missouri, Washburn University, and Missouri State University. A first-call substitute bassoonist and contrabassoonist with the Kansas City Symphony, Lyric Opera, and Kansas City Ballet, Leigh has also performed with the Jackson Symphony, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, Cedar Rapids Symphony, and Springfield Symphony. Leigh’s leadership extends to the double reed community, as Vice President of the International Double Reed Society and Director of Operations of the Meg Quigley Bassoon Symposium and Competition. She holds a doctorate from the University of Kansas and studied at Oberlin Conservatory, Ohio University, and the New England Conservatory. Leigh Muñoz is a Fox Contrabassoon Artist and performs on a Fox Model 750 bassoon and 950 contrabassoon.

Dylan Myers

Dylan Myers is working toward his DMA in Bassoon Performance and certificate in Music Career Development at Michigan State University. He is an early music specialist in historically informed performance practices of the Late Medieval through Baroque eras and investigating historiography of early wind instrument pedagogy. His research interests include the development of early woodwinds, the influences of rhetoric in the arts, as well as new music for both modern and historical bassoons alike. Dylan received his B.M. in Bassoon Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point under Dr. Patricia Holland, and M.M. in Bassoon Performance at Michigan State University under Michael Kroth. Dylan has performed with the Spokane Symphony, Glacier Symphony, and Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestras, and throughout the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies on historical and modern bassoons, and most recently with the Oregon Bach Festival Berwick Academy. Additionally, he serves on the International Double Reed Society Historical Performance Committee.

Kyle Myrfield

Kyle Myrfield (he/him) is an orchestral and chamber ensemble flutist and piccoloist based in Ottawa, ON. Originally from Saskatoon, Kyle completed his Bachelor of Music Honours in Performance at the University of Saskatchewan while studying with Randi Nelson and earned his Master of Music in Performance at the University of Ottawa under the tutelage of Camille Churchfield. He has continued further studies with Lorna McGhee during multiple summer festivals. Kyle won the position of Acting Second Flute and Piccolo during the Saskatoon Symphony’s 2018-2019 season and currently performs with the Ottawa Pops Orchestra as Principal Piccolo. He has attended numerous summer music festivals including Orchestre de la francophonie, the Pender Island Flute Retreat, The Consummate Flutist, and the Orford Music Festival, and has performed in master classes led by Lorna McGhee, Leone Buyse, Alberto Almarza, Soo-Kyung Park, Joanna G’Froerer, and Denis Bluteau.

Priscila Navarro

Described as a “phenomenal talent” by the Atlanta Audio Club, Peruvian pianist Priscila Navarro is the first prize winner of several international competitions, including the Liszt-Garritson International Competition in Baltimore, Maryland, Beethoven Sonata Competition in Tennessee, Chopin International Competition of Texas, Artist Series of Sarasota, Florida, Imola City Awards, Italy, and the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition in Connecticut. Priscila made her Carnegie Hall solo recital debut in 2013 as an international competition winner. She received a Special Bach prize at the International City of Vigo Competition in Spain, where she was one of five finalists from over 400 participating pianists, with a jury presided by Martha Argerich. Her performances in England in 2021 were streamed on BBC public radio as well as the Medici TV channel. She received the Christa-Marshall Bach foundation prize at the Leipzig Bach foundation. Priscila is Assistant Professor of piano at the University of Kansas.

Susan Nelson

Dr. Susan Nelson is the Associate Professor of Bassoon and Woodwind Area Coordinator at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), Ohio, and enjoys an active career as a performer, teacher, and clinician. Dr. Nelson is an advocate for new music as well as chamber music for the bassoon, and is the Director of the non-profit organization Bassoon Chamber Music Composition Competition (BCMCC) and founding member of Across the Grain bassoon/percussion duo. Dr. Nelson teaches at various camps, including BGSU’s Double Reed Camp and The Renova Festival. She has performed with the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria, Michigan Opera Theatre, Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra, Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Adrian Symphony Orchestra, and Helena Symphony, among others. She has also given solo performances at the International Double Reed Society Conferences in Boulder (CO), Redlands (CA), Oxford (OH), New York, Tokyo (Japan), and Thailand, among others.
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Dr. Nelson has taught bassoon and theory at Stephen F. Austin State University and played with the Stone Fort Wind Quintet in Nacogdoches, Texas. She also held the position of principal bassoon in the Great Falls Symphony and was a member of the Chinook Winds quintet in Great Falls, Montana. She can be heard on Elements, an album through the MSR Classics label, and Not Yet: New Chamber Works for Bassoon on the Mark Records label. Dr. Nelson is a graduate of the University of Kansas, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Michigan. Her primary teachers include Jeffrey Lyman, Carl Rath, and Alan Hawkins.

Dr. Nelson is a Fox Artist.

New Downbeat

New Downbeat’s mission is to present accessible, engaging, and diverse new music performances featuring women and other gender marginalized musicians performing works by living composers. Our mission is driven by our underlying core values of community building, intersectional feminism, gender equity, and cutting-edge artistry. Founded in 2019 by bassoonist Caroline Sackleh, New Downbeat began as a group of likeminded, classically trained musicians and composers who wanted more – to create performance opportunities that celebrate women’s musicianship and to collaborate with living composers to create something special, together. Since its inaugural concert in 2019, New Downbeat has commissioned, collaborated on, and performed over 50 new music premieres written by their Composers-in-Residence. Currently, New Downbeat’s roster includes 41 musicians, 9 composers, and is administered by Directors Caroline Sackleh, Alexis Shambley and Julianna Eidle.

Benjain Newman

Ben Newman is an oboist and music educator based in Columbus, Ohio. He holds bachelors degrees in Music Education and Oboe Performance from Liberty University, where he graduated summa cum laude. Currently, he is pursuing his master’s degree in Oboe Performance at the Ohio State University, where he studies as a Graduate Fellow under Dr. Abby Held. His previous oboe teachers include Dr. Rebecca Watson, Dr. Courtney Miller, Dr. Reid Messich, Elizabeth Henderson, and Bill Parrish. Ben has also served as Assistant Music Librarian at the Masterworks Festival, where he was a finalist in the Concerto Competition and three-time chamber musician on the festival’s Honors Chamber Recital. Current research interests focus on Baroque oboe and historical performance practice. In addition to oboe, Ben has studied saxophone for twelve years and bassoon for three. He currently studies bassoon with Jesse Schartz, and his former primary teacher is Dr. Rebecca Watson.

Allison Nicotera

Bassoonist Allison Nicotera is Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Kentucky. As an educator, she is passionate about inspiring bassoonists of all ages to reach their fullest musical potential while realizing the value of their skill sets in all facets of life. An advocate for new music, she serves on the Board of Directors and is bassoonist with Exceptet, a seven-piece new music ensemble. Their debut album, Tree Lines, was released on New Focus Recordings in January 2025. Nicotera received her Bachelor of Music degree from The Hartt School, her Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan. When she’s not practicing, performing, teaching, or making reeds she enjoys gardening, tackling home improvement projects with her husband, and spending time with their young children, Frankie and Owen, and rescue dog, Bowie.

Jan Norris

Jan Norris was born in New York City, grew up in Toronto, and has made her home in Saskatoon for the past 30 years. She has always sketched and painted, and received her Bachelor of Fine Art degree (with great distinction) from the University of Saskatchewan in 2001. Since then she has taught art and showed her work in several one person shows and numerous group shows in Saskatoon. She works in oil, watercolour and pastel. Her work includes many landscapes painted en plein air, but she also is happy to paint still life or whatever attracts her eye. Her compositions are carefully arranged, often finding beauty in the ordinary, sometimes with a touch of drama. She is a longtime student of Zen Buddhism and an environmental activist, both of which may have had an influence on her art.

OBOHIO 2.0

2025 marked the 35-year anniversary of the founding of the OBOHIO, The Double Reed Consort, founded by Robert Sorton in 1990. At the 2025 IDRS conference in Indianapolis, OBOHIO 2.0 emerged. The original members included Robert Sorton (oboe), P. Bailey Sorton (oboe d’amore), Sarah Hamilton (English horn) and Christopher Weait (bassoon). Three members of the newly-formed ensemble, Samantha Zelnik (oboe), Michael Rueda (oboe d’amore), and Hilary Hobbs (English horn), hold degrees from The Ohio State University, where they worked with Robert Sorton and P. Bailey Sorton. Scott Hanratty (bassoon) also holds a connection to Ohio as an alumni of the Cleveland Institute of Music and as the Principal Bassoon of the Worthington Chamber Orchestra. OBOHIO 2.0 honors and hopes to uphold the double reed consort tradition established by the original OBOHIO consort through a recital featuring two lesser-known pieces for double reed quartet to ty raise awareness of these excellent works that double reed players should know. The original OBOHIO, The Double Reed Consort, inspired much music to be written for the less common genre of double reed quartet, and OBOHIO 2.0 hopes to continue this interest in double reed quartet music and gain more repertoire for this instrumentation.

Andreas Oeste

Andreas Oeste is an active performer, chamber musician, and educator who currently serves as Assistant Professor of Oboe at Pennsylvania State University. He is Principal Oboe of the Harrisburg Symphony, oboist of the Pennsylvania Quintet, and former Chair of the Gillet-Fox International Oboe Competition. Andreas appears regularly as an orchestral performer, and is featured often as an orchestral soloist, performing with orchestras including the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra, Hershey Symphony, Penns Woods Festival Orchestra, TACTUS Chamber Orchestra, Harrisburg Symphony, and more. Andreas holds prizes from several prominent international competitions, most notably from the Hugo-Fox Gillet Competition and the Barbirolli International Oboe Competition. He received his Doctorate of Musical Arts and Masters of Music in Oboe Performance and Chamber Music degrees from the University of Michigan, and Bachelors degrees in Oboe Performance and Music Composition from the University of Central Arkansas.

Janelle Ott

Janelle Ott is a bassoonist currently based in Kingsville, Texas. She currently serves as Adjunct Instructor of Bassoon and Manager of Facilities and Events for Texas A&M University Kingsville. Recent teaching appointments include work with Angelo State University, Collin College, University of Texas at Tyler, Abilene Christian University, McMurry University, and Hardin-Simmons University. In addition to maintaining an active free-lance career across Texas, Janelle enjoys financially supporting her dog and cats and visiting the nearby Gulf coast. She completed a DMA at University of North Texas under Kathleen Reynolds, Performer Diploma at Indiana University under William Ludwig, MM at Wichita State University under Nicolasa Kuster, and BM at Luther College under Eric Ring.