Faculty and Staff

Bio: Laura Bennett Cameron’s artistic and research activities in Europe and in the United States have established an international reputation for expressive playing, innovative collaborations, and expansion of the bassoon’s repertoire through her work with international composers Roger Boutry, Matteo Dal Maso, and others. Laura Bennett Cameron serves as Assistant Professor of Bassoon and Chamber Music at the University of Texas-Arlington, and as the Woodwind Area Coordinator. She also holds the principal bassoon position of the five-time Grammy-nominated Dallas Winds, and substitutes with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, among others. She appears frequently as a soloist, having given recent recital and concerto performances in the US and Europe. In January of 2020, she performed concertos by Rossini and Weber in San Marco and Turin, Italy, to enthusiastic audiences and critical acclaim from Italian media. She is also a sought-after chamber collaborator, and has given performances with the Fine Arts Chamber Players, Spectrum Series, The UTA Faculty Wind Quintet, and through other chamber music organizations. She also hosts the multimedia series #BassoonistsTalk with Dr. Cayla Bellamy of Colorado State University. Never far away from the instrument, Dr. Bennett Cameron is actively involved in research and publication. Her main research focus is the music of French composer Roger Boutry (1932-2019, Grand Prix de Rome 1954). This pioneering research on Boutry and his compositions represents the first major published resources on the composer in any language. Further, she is actively involved in the editing and publication of Boutry’s works for bassoon through TrevCo Music Publishing and other publishing houses. She is frequently invited to speak about Boutry and perform his works, thanks to her unique close relationship to the composer during his life, and her continued relationship with his family. Inspired by her work with Boutry, Laura is the founder of La Société pour la Promotion de la Musique de Roger Boutry, an American foundation devoted to the promotion and advancement of Boutry's compositions. She also serves as solo bassoonist in The Boutry Ensemble, a chamber ensemble dedicated to the education and engagement of American audiences with the composer's body of work. Her debut recording, "French Masterworks for Bassoon and Piano," (Indesens Classique, 2016) recorded with composer Roger Boutry at the piano, has been praised as "virtuosic, lyrical, and engagingly musical" by critics across the globe. Her second CD with Roger Boutry, “Encounters,” is expected out in 2021, and was recorded with Gina Ford (Dallas Opera principal oboe), Joanna Cox Pennington (Louisiana State University the late Eric Varner, and fellow Boutry scholar and pianist Mathilde Handelsman (University of New Hampshire). This thrilling album brings Boutry’s newer and lesser-known works for double reeds and piano into the spotlight. Dr. Bennett Cameron holds a Doctor of Music in Bassoon from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, with concentrations in Music Theory and Early Music. She holds a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor of Music from West Texas A&M University (all degrees earned with highest honors). Her principal teachers were William Ludwig, Richard Svoboda, Dr. Tina Carpenter, and Michael McCraw. In addition to an active solo recital schedule and regular chamber performances, she maintains a small private bassoon studio in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She serves on the Board of Directors Dallas’s Classical Radio Station, WRR 101.1, is a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society, the International Double Reed Society, and the Texas Music Educators Association.

Bio: Rick Bogard has been heralded by the American Record Guide for his “... sweet tone quality; reliable in all registers, his pitch is excellent, and he plays with feeling.” In a review of his solo CD Trumpet Songs, The Journal of the International Trumpet Guild stated: “…brilliantly performs…displays an enviable purity of sound and an exceptionally consistent sense of lyricism as he weaves poetic lines that ebb and flow with expressive energy.” Bogard is a tenured Professor of Music at University of Texas at Arlington, where he has been on the faculty since 1990. He served the university as Chair of the Department of Music from 2012 to 2018. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in trumpet performance from the University of North Texas, a master’s degree from Baylor University, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Central Arkansas. His teachers include Ronald Fox, Thomas Booth, John J. Haynie, and Leonard Candelaria. Bogard has been a member of the Dallas Opera Orchestra since 1989 and served as principal trumpet of the orchestra during the 1993-94 season. During his tenure with the Dallas Opera, he has performed on over 700 performances, including three world premieres and several recordings. He played first trumpet on Verdi’s Othello in the inaugural opera performance in Dallas’ Winspear Opera Hall. He has recorded Mahler, Shostakovich, and Respighi on six CDs with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and participated with the DSO in opening concerts of the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas. Bogard was a founding member of the Dallas Wind Symphony (now Dallas Winds) and has been a member of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the Waco Symphony Orchestra. He has toured with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and has been a soloist with the Texas Wind Symphony, the UT Arlington Wind Ensemble and the UT Arlington Symphony Orchestra. Bogard has performed and held master classes throughout the United States and in Mexico, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Russia, and Sweden. He has performed and presented at the International Trumpet Guild Conference, the MENC National Convention, Texas Music Educators Association Convention, the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention, and the College Music Society National Convention. Bogard has written an etude book for trumpet titled “Daily Warm-Ups and Skills Studies”, published by Gore Publishing Company. His 2002 Research Enhancement Grant from the University of Texas at Arlington produced a solo CD, Trumpet Songs. (Centaur Records) Rick Bogard is currently an Artist/Clinician for the Vincent Bach trumpet division of the Conn-Selmer Corporation. His bio is included in David Hickman’s book “Trumpet Greats”, a biographical compendium of 2,212 important trumpeters since the year 1542. Rick lives in Dallas with wife Kathy and shih-tzu Katie, where he is an avid but mediocre golfer.

Bio: Melissa Bosma is the newly appointed Adjunct Oboe Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Bosma served as Lecturer of Oboe at Oklahoma State University, where she also served as Director of the OSU Summer Music Camp. She also served as Adjunct Instructor of Oboe at Heidelberg University, where she performed with the faculty woodwind quintet, regularly performed at the New Music Festival, and commissioned new solo works for oboe and piano. Ms. Bosma has taught extensively in Texas, Michigan, and Oklahoma through her studio and master classes at many local middle and high schools. Passionate about sharing oboe pedagogy with other educators, Ms. Bosma has given presentations at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention and the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference. Ms. Bosma is an active orchestral musician who has performed with groups such as the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Michigan Philharmonic, Toledo Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, and Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Also an accomplished chamber musician, Ms. Bosma attended the Sarasota Music Festival and was a Fellow at Music Academy of the West where she was a featured soloist under the baton of Grammy-nominated conductor Nicholas McGegan. Melissa Bosma graduated with Master of Music degrees in both Oboe Performance and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in Oboe Performance from Southern Methodist University. Her primary teachers include Erin Hannigan and Nancy Ambrose King.

Bio: Aleyna Brown is a contemporary American composer, multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer, and educator based in Dallas, TX. As a versatile musician and entrepreneur, with a complement of five music degrees, Aleyna’s work serves to both celebrate and recontextualize semiotics of the feminine to include empowerment, ownership, strength, and resilience, achieved through research and collaboration with artists of diverse backgrounds, identities, and artistic disciplines. As a composer, Aleyna writes and codes electroacoustic and mixed-media solo and chamber music. Much of her work in creative coding and computer music serves another layer of activism showcasing femininity in traditionally male-dominated spaces, providing a role model for young women interested in music technology. Aleyna is also an active contemporary music flutist specializing in electroacoustic performance. She enjoys performing works with contemporary extended techniques, improvisation, and electronics. In addition to her performance, composition, and teaching career, Aleyna works as a professional recording, mixing, and mastering engineer in Dallas recording studios. She is also a professional recording artist, with her own debut independent album released worldwide in 2019. She is also a frequent collaborator with national artists, producers, and bands across a variety of genres. Aleyna earned her two masters degrees from the University of North Texas and her three bachelors degrees from the Florida State University College of Music.

Bio: Margaret Brown is in the fifth year of her second career as Adjunct Assistant Music Professor at UT Arlington. She serves in the String Music Education Department and as University Supervisor of Music Education Clinical Teachers. Serving as the Sigma Alpha Iota faculty advisor has been a highlight of this time at UTA. Ms. Brown joined the UTA faculty in 2020, after retiring from 34 years as a public school teacher at high schools and middle schools in the Grand Prairie, Tyler, Lubbock and McKinney Independent School Districts. Ms. Brown had earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Texas Wesleyan University, where she studied with Dr. Robert McCashin. While in Lubbock, she added a Master of Music degree from Texas Tech University, studying with Dr. Virginia Kellogg. Ms. Brown served for two years as an Adjunct Music Professor at Texas Tech and as the Master Teacher for the Texas Tech String Project. She also was Conductor of the Lubbock Youth Symphony String Orchestra. A pioneer in bringing orchestral music to previously unserved schools, Ms. Brown began the Irons Junior High School Orchestra when the school opened in Lubbock in 1989. In 2005, she and Ruth Kurtis accepted the challenge of founding the McKinney ISD Orchestra. Dr. Deborah Perkins had begun the Cross Timbers Youth Orchestra, which created a need for the school orchestra program. As Director of Orchestras at both Irons Junior High and McKinney North High School, Ms. Brown quickly grew those into University Interscholastic League Sweepstakes Award-winning programs that included chamber music and full orchestras. She also instituted monthly Chamber Music Nights at McKinney North. At UTA, she continues to serve as the Camp Director of the Summer Strings Camp for middle and high school students, and performed in the Texas Conducting Workshop, Friends and Faculty Orchestra and serves as a faculty advisor for the Zeta Nu Collegiate Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota. Ms. Brown has traveled extensively in Europe as a performer and conductor with the Texas Youth Orchestra and Choir under Dr. Perkins’s direction. The group performed in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Spain, France, Hungary, the Czech Republic, England, Wales, and Scotland. For five years, Ms. Brown served on the Executive Board of the Texas Orchestra Directors Association, including one year as president. She also was President and Treasurer of the Texas American String Teachers Association, and Secretary and Orchestra Chair for the Texas Music Educators Association Region 16. She is an active adjudicator for the Texas Music Adjudicators Association and a conductor and clinician for All-Region orchestras and orchestras across Texas. Her other memberships include Mu Omicron and Sigma Alpha Iota, a professional fraternity for women in the field of music. Ms. Brown has been honored and included in “Who’s Who Among American Women,” “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers,” “Who’s Who in Music,” and “Who’s Who Among American High School Students.” She is proud of her designation as PTA Lifetime Membership Honoree.

Bio: Tom lives in Fort Worth, Texas and he is originally from Brookings, South Dakota. His website address is: tomburchill.com. Tom Burchill is a professional guitarist, teacher and award-winning jazz band director, gifted arranger and composer in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. An active freelance guitarist, he performs frequently throughout the metroplex and has impacted many lives through his teaching and his music. Tom teaches private guitar at the University of Texas at Arlington. Tom held the position of jazz band director at Weatherford College for 13 years. He is a highly sought-after clinician and private instructor and teaches at jazz education camps each summer. During his tenure as a jazz educator he has had the privilege of performing with a variety of jazz artists including Clark Terry, Peanuts Hucko, Joey Defrancesco, Randy Brecker, Peter Erskione, Marcel Ivory, David Fathead Newman, James Clay, Marvin Stamm, John Fedchock, Bill Watrous and Phil Woods among others. An excellent, motivational teacher, Tom is proud of the students he has had the privilege to teach. Altogether, his former students have won more than 20 Grammy awards and have gone on to play with such artists as Snarky Puppy, Count Basie Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, The Lincoln Center Band, Leon Bridges, Little Big Town, Tori Kelly, Miranda Lambert, Kirk Franklin, Toby Keith, Erika Badu, Prince, Snoop Dogg, Frank Foster, Mumford and Sons, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Sheryl Crow. Tom has performed with a number of revered artists and was honored to accompany the late, great Luciano Pavarotti in February of 2002 at his performance at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. He plays regularly with the Fort Worth Symphony where he has performed with artists such as Willie Nelson, Bernadette Peters, Michael Feinstein, Monica Mancini, and Art Garfunkel. Tom is also a member of the local group, Brasuka which plays original Brazilian jazz in a style reminiscent of Sergio Mendez. Their first project of all original compositions is to be released in the fall of 2021. They performed at the JEN conference in Dallas (2018), the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival (2019), and play frequently at The Kitchen in Dallas as well as other venues around the Dallas and Fort Worth area. Burchill earned a Bachelor’s degree in Guitar Performance from the University of South Dakota and a Master’s degree in Jazz Education at the University of North Texas where he was a part of the jazz bands, jazz small groups, guitar ensembles and jazz singers.

Bio: Dr. Hannah Leffler Chiasson, a Miyazawa Performing Artist, serves as Senior Lecturer of Flute at the University of Texas at Arlington. Before transitioning into this position, she served in the music theory department at UTA and on the faculty of El Centro College. She has held collegiate teaching positions at Luther College, the University of Northern Iowa, and the University of North Texas. In addition, she has been a freelance flutist and private teacher in the DFW metroplex. Hannah has performed frequently with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. She received her DMA in Flute Performance from University of North Texas with a related field in Music Theory. She also holds degrees from the University of Northern Iowa and Oklahoma City University. Her primary teachers include Dr. James Scott, Terri Sundberg, Dr. Angeleita Floyd, and Parthena Owens. Hannah was a founding member of WoodWired, an electroacoustic duo. In 2018, Woodwired released their first album through UTA Records in 2018. She has been a prizewinner in the prestigious NFA Young Artist Competition, the NFA Orchestral Audition Competition, the Atlanta Young Artist Competition, and the Myrna Brown Artist Competition, among others.

Bio: As a trumpet player, he has performed, toured, and recorded with a wide variety of jazz musicians and pop artists. He was a member of Bob Belden's acclaimed experimental jazz group, Animation, which recorded and performed throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. Following a groundbreaking tour to Iran in 2015, the group garnered press in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and the Boston Herald. In the DFW area, he is a sought after soloist and recording musician and maintains a busy career as a freelance performer. He has held trumpet clinics throughout DFW, performed at International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE,) the Jazz Education Network (JEN,) and also teaches privately in his studio. Mr. Clagett holds degrees from the University of Miami (Coral Gables) (B.M.) in studio music and jazz and the University of North Texas (M.M.) in jazz studies.

Bio: Dr. Cheyenne Cruz joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2016 as Lecturer of Clarinet. Previously, she held a position as Adjunct Clarinet Instructor at Stephen F. Austin State University, and was the Teaching Fellow in chamber music for the University of North Texas in 2015. In addition to her collegiate teaching, Cheyenne maintains a private clarinet studio in the DFW area including students from Hebron High School (winners of "Best Music" at BOA Grand Nationals in 2015) and Argyle High School (UIL 4A State Marching Band winner for 4 consecutive years). Cheyenne's high school students have been accepted into All-State bands and orchestras for both the TMEA and ATSSB organizations. Cheyenne completed her DMA in clarinet performance with a related field in music education at the University of North Texas in 2015. She also holds a Master's degree in clarinet performance from the Florida State University and Bachelor's degree in music education from McMurry University. As a performer, Cheyenne has appeared with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the San Angelo Symphony, the Longview Symphony Orchestra, and the Dallas Wind Symphony. She is presently a member of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Corporon. Cheyenne has also been the long-term substitute 2nd clarinetist with the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. An active chamber musician, Cheyenne’s previous wind quintet, The Center Quintet, was invited to perform at both the Plowman and Fischoff chamber music competitions. Now Cheyenne is composing and arranging in addition to performing with her newest chamber music group, WoodWired, an electroacoustic duo with flutist Hannah Leffler. WoodWired has been actively performing original music for bass clarinet, flute, and electronics since 2015, and appeared at the National Flute Association convention in 2016. In addition to her performing ventures, Cheyenne has been published in The Clarinet Magazine, the monthly journal issued by the International Clarinet Association, with an article entitled "A Pedagogical Guide to Playing Bass Clarinet in a Wind Ensemble." Prior to that, she completed an undergraduate thesis entitled "Mickey Mousing Squared: Postmodernism in Cartoon Music" for which she graduated with special honors in Music History. Her major clarinet teachers include Dr. Kimberly Cole Luevano and Dr. Frank Kowalsky.

Bio: David Dunham is a retired Texas band director with 33 years of classroom teaching experience primarily at the middle school level. The last 19 years of his career were spent in Frisco ISD leading Clark MS and later Fowler MS until his retirement in May of 2019. His ensembles in Frisco ISD have received top awards “Sweepstakes” Award for the last 17 consecutive years and is a 4 time TMEA Honor Band State Finalist. In 2013, the Fowler MS Symphony won the Texas Music Educators Association Middle School Honor Full Orchestra, and in 2015 Fowler MS was the only Middle School Percussion Ensemble in the nation invited to perform and Percussive Arts Society Internal Conference (PASIC). Recently, the Fowler MS Symphonic Band was selected as the Outstanding Middle School Band and Outstanding Middle School Brass for the 2019 Dallas Wind Symphony Invitational Windband Festival. The Jazz program at Fowler MS is one of the the largest in the nation with three competing jazz bands and a 4th jazz band, the 55 member Beginning Jazz Band that starts rehearsing weekly each Spring. The Jazz Band at Fowler was the first ever national winner of the Foundation for Music Education’s Mark of Excellence National Jazz Honors in 2010. In 2018 the Fowler MS Jazz Band 1 won first ever State Champion in the state of Texas and performed in San Antonio as the first ever Invited Middle School Jazz Band in history of The Texas Music Educators Association. There are dozens of former students who achieved Texas All-State Band and Jazz Band, and dozens of former students teaching and/or performing in colleges and conservatories across the country, including three from the Eastman Conservatory of Music in New York, and a former student who has won a Grammy Award. In addition to teaching High Brass Methods at UTA, Mr. Dunham is an active band consultant, clinician, conductor, mentor, band recruiting specialist, national adjudicator, and a frequent contributor to The Instrumentalist national band and orchestra magazine, He is a proud graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, received his masters degree in music education from Baylor University, and has pursued classes towards a doctorate at the University of North Texas. He is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Band Masters Association, the American Band Association, Texas Jazz Educators Association, and an active member of the Texas Music Adjudicators Association, Originally from Austin, Texas Mr. Dunham has two grown sons and resides in an “empty nest” with his wife of 30 years Dr. Jocelyn Dunham in Flower Mound, Texas (a suburb of Dallas).

Bio: Dr. Andrew Eldridge is Coordinator of Percussion/Assistant Professor of Percussion at the University of Texas at Arlington. Prior to UTA, Andrew taught percussion and music theory at Texas Christian University, taught percussion at Texas Wesleyan University, and spent six years as a full-time Assistant Band Director/Percussion Director at high schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. Andrew’s musical interests lie at the intersection of percussion and electronics. His recent musical experiments combine live-looping acoustic percussion in Ableton Live controlled with midi controllers. Andrew also enjoys creating music with mobile music set-ups that are accessible to the general music lover. At UTA, Andrew was awarded an Outstanding Teaching Award for Tenure-Track Faculty by the UTA College of Liberal Arts in 2021 and nominated twice for the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Under his direction, the UTA Percussion Ensemble was selected to present the New Literature Session at the 2017 Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC). The ensemble also performed Showcase Concerts at the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) annual convention in 2017 and 2023. The UTA Percussion Ensemble actively commissions talented composers for the UTA Percussion Commissioning Series, presenting world premieres to music by Nathan Daughtrey, Francisco Perez, and Michael Varner. Andrew actively serves as President for the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) Texas Chapter and as Co-Chair for the Percussion Ensemble Committee for PAS. He served a three-year term on the Lone Star Wind Orchestra Board of Directors and has been performing with the group as a section percussionist since 2009. Andrew presented clinics for the Midwest Clinic, Texas Music Educators Association, and the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy. Most recently, he was selected to present a clinic called “The Tech-Forward Student: Technology Integration for the Applied Percussion Studio” at the 2023 National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy. An avid performer of new music, Andrew has individually commissioned and given the world premieres of music written for percussion by Dan Welcher, Kyle Kindred, Dwayne Rice, Martin Blessinger, Ryan George, and David Maslanka. Andrew presented recitals and performances at the College Music Society (CMS) National Conference, CMS Great Lakes Regional Conference, National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, and the National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy. Additionally, he has performed as a concerto soloist with the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, Lone Star Youth Winds, and the UTA Wind Symphony. Andrew holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Percussion Performance from Texas Christian University, a Master of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Texas A&M University – Commerce. He proudly endorses Yamaha Percussion, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Remo Drumheads, and Zildjian Cymbals.

Bio: Elizabeth Elsner is currently concertmaster of the Abilene Philharmonic and is an Adjunct Professor of Violin at The University of Texas at Arlington. Since her move to the Dallas area, she has performed with the Fort Worth Symphony, the Dallas Opera, the East Texas Symphony, the Arkansas Symphony and other various area orchestras. Previously, Elizabeth held the position of concertmaster of the Midland/Odessa Symphony, and was a member of the Permian Basin Sting Quartet. She received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Cleveland Institute of Music studying violin with Linda Cerone, Stephen Majeske and Stephen Rose,and chamber music with Peter Salaff and the Cavani Quartet. She has been a member of the National Repertory Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, Cleveland Pops Orchestra, and assistant concertmaster of the Peoria Symphony.

Bio: Mexican conductor and violinist, Dr. Espinosa is the Music Director of the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Irving. He combines his time here with his position as Senior Examiner for the International Baccalaureate Organization in Wales, UK. He also maintains an active schedule as clinician in Texas and beyond. Dr Espinosa studied at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the Conservatoire de Neuchâtel, Switzerland (Diplôme de Capacité Professionnelle de Violon), Ithaca College, New York, (Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting), and received his DMA in Orchestra Conducting from the University of Iowa. His activities as orchestral conductor includes Music Director with the Shoals Symphony Orchestra, Florence, Alabama; assistant conductor with the Orchestre de L'Université de Fribourg, Switzerland; and assistant conductor with the Orchestre Philharmonique Rhodanien, Tournon, France. He has also guest-conducted the Las Colinas-Arlington-Garland Symphony, Rome Festiva Orchestral, Rome, Italy; the Orquesta Sinfónica de Nuevo León; the Orquesta Sinfónica de Michoacán; the Orquesta Sinfónica de Guanajuato; Orquesta de Cámara de Bellas Artes and Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional in Mexico. As a violinist, Dr. Espinosa has been a member of the string quartet Boccherini in Spain and has played with many orchestras, including Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México, Orchestre de Chambre de Neuchâel in Switzerland, Orchestre Municipal de Besançon in France, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada in Spain, Orquesta Do Norte de Portugal, and Fredonia Chamber Players, Cedar Rapids Symphony, and Quad-City Orchestra in the United States. Dr. Espinosa has led numerous teacher training workshops in different cities such as Sion and Lausanne, Switzerland; Hong-Kong, China; Bogota, Colombia; Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg in Canada; New York, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Denver, Albuquerque, Houston, Columbus, Boston, Seattle, Portland, Atlanta, Ft. Lauderdale, in the USA among others.

Bio: Dr. Chris Evans is the Associate Director of Bands and Director of the Maverick Marching Band at UTA. In addition to the marching band, Dr. Evans teaches the Symphonic Winds, Symphonic Band, Marching Band Techniques, and Instrumental Methods and Materials. Previously, Dr. Evans was the Associate Director of Bands at Flower Mound High School. While at Flower Mound, he primarily taught the Concert Band and the JV marching band while assisting with all other aspects of the program. Dr. Evans also served as Assistant Director of Bands at Juan Seguin High School and was a graduate assistant at the University of Oklahoma. While at OU he assisted with the concert ensembles, the Pride of Oklahoma marching band, and conducted the women’s basketball band for 2 years. Before graduate school, he taught middle school in Georgia for three years. Dr. Evans, a native of Birmingham, Alabama earned his Bachelors of Music Education from Auburn University. He earned his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Oklahoma. His professional associations include the Texas Music Educators Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (honorary), and Tau Beta Sigma (honorary).

Bio: Dr. Clifton Evans currently serves as Director of Orchestras, Associate Professor of Music, and String Area Coordinator at the University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Evans has enjoyed a conducting career that has taken him to Hong Kong, England, China, Austria, the Czech Republic and throughout the United States. Highly sought after as a clinician and lecturer, Dr. Evans has conducted numerous Region Orchestras and Bands and given multiple lectures on conducting and rehearsal technique. His upcoming schedule includes a return engagement with the American Festival for the Arts Conservatory Orchestra in Houston in the summer of 2021. In addition to his duties as a professor at UTA, Dr. Evans maintains an active schedule at summer festivals, conventions, and workshops. For six years, he conducted the Fargason concerts for the Texas Music Teachers Association, which featured concerto competition winners selected from across the state of Texas. He has also conducted the prestigious American Festival for the Arts Conservatory Orchestra in Houston numerous times and has been invited back for the 2020 season. In the summers of 2010, 2013, and 2017, he presented conducting workshops and other lectures at the state convention for the Texas Orchestra Directors Association in San Antonio. Each summer at UTA, he serves as Executive Director and a faculty member of the Texas Conducting Workshop, a program he founded together with the string faculty, and Summer Strings, a camp that hosts roughly 400 students from throughout the Metroplex. Dr. Evans’ previous positions include Artistic Director of the Arlington Youth Symphony, Director of Orchestras and Chamber Music for the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Music Director for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston, Conductor for the Houston Youth Symphony, and Music Director and Conductor of the Houston Civic Symphony. He currently maintains professional memberships in TMEA, TODA, Conductors Guild, and Mu Omicron. He is an honorary member of the Tau Beta Sigma and Kappa Kappa Psi chapters at UTA and also served as the faculty advisor to the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia chapter for 5 years. He resides in Arlington with his wife, Christy, and their children.

Bio: Catherine Forbes is Viola Professor and Director of Chamber Music at The University of Texas at Arlington. She is Founding Director of the UTA Viola Recital Lecture Series, now in its 29th season. Renowned as a gifted teacher, her students have been prizewinners in local and national competitions, hold positions in major symphony orchestras, and continue to pursue education at major conservatories in the United States and abroad. Previous Artist Faculty appointments include the Heifetz International Music Institute, the Phillips Academy in Andover MA, and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Nuevo Leon in Monterrey, Mexico. As a recent guest of Vietnam Connection Music Festival, she presented chamber concerts and master classes in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and performed as guest Principal Viola of the Hanoi Symphony. Catherine was Assistant Principal violist of the Boston Philharmonic and the Santa Fe Chamber Orchestra. She has performed as artist in residence for the Andover Chamber Players in Massachusetts for four seasons. She toured New England with Musica Nova, premiering newly commissioned chamber music pieces to the acclaim of the Boston Globe. She was a featured performing artist at the XXVII International Viola Congress in Canada. She held office as National Secretary of the American Viola Society for a four-year tenure, and was awarded the National Founder’s Award for excellence in performance, teaching and service. She is recipient of the University of Texas at Arlington College of Liberal Arts Excellence in Teaching Award. Most recently she was awarded the Phyllis Young Outstanding Studio Teacher Award for 2019 presented by the Texas American String Teachers Association. Catherine completed her graduate studies at the New England Conservatory where she served as teaching assistant to Heidi Castleman. She performs on a viola made by Vincenzo Panormo, c. 1790 and a bow made by Guillaume Maline in 1850.

Bio: David Grogan, baritone, has performed extensively throughout the Southwest to critical acclaim. The Dallas Morning News hailed Mr. Grogan as the “perfect Christus” after a performance of the St. Matthew Passion with the Dallas Bach Society. The Albuquerque Tribune, in reference to a performance of Messiah with the New Mexico Symphony, said, “David Grogan had all the range and power required of the part, sounding like the voice of doom in ‘The people that walked in darkness’ and the light of revelation in ‘The trumpet shall sound.’" A recent performance of Elijah had critics praising his ability to “move easily from stentorian declamation to lyrical aria.” Another critic said that he “….brought an impressive vocal power to the lead role of Elijah, and his rich emotive gift set the level for the other chief performers.” He has performed as a soloist with many Dallas area arts groups including the Dallas Bach Society, Texas Baroque Ensemble, Orpheus Chamber Singers, Mesquite Civic Chorus, and the Allegro Artists, as well as at several Texas universities. Recent performances include Elijah with the New Mexico Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Arlington Master Chorale, and the Beethoven Missa Solemnis with the Plano Civic Chorus. Grogan looks forward to his performance of the Brahms Requiem under Helmuth Rilling this fall. Grogan joined the faculty at the University of Texas Arlington in the fall of 2009, first as visiting professor and in 2010 as tenure-track Assistant Professor of Voice. In addition to providing private vocal instruction for voice majors, Grogan teaches vocal pedagogy, voice class, and choral methods. His background in choral music education is extensive, including experience directing programs in both private and public schools across the metroplex. As choir director at Dallas Christian School from 1996 to 2000, Dr. Grogan increased choir participation from 15 members to 115, and took the choir to one of the first TPSMEA competitions. He has taught voice and served as assistant choral director in some of the most prominent programs in the area, including at Arlington High School under Dinah Menger, and Manor Middle School under Tommy Haygood. Grogan holds Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music degrees from Texas Christian University, where he studied voice with Sheila Allen and pedagogy with Vincent Russo. His love of choral music was solidified under the tutelage of the late Ronald Shirey, who taught Grogan much of his musicality. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy in 2010 from the University of North Texas, where he studied voice with Jeffrey Snider, pedagogy with Stephen Austin, and worked closely with Lyle Nordstrom in the early music program. Dr. Grogan’s dissertation was on the vocal pedagogy of Frederic W. Root, who was an American vocal pedagogue of the 19th century. A shorter version of the dissertation was published in the January 2010 Journal of Singing under the title, “The Roots of American Pedagogy.”

Bio: Ryan Haines is a trombonist, composer, clinician, and brass teacher based in Dallas, Texas. He was an Adjunct Instructor for Jazz Trombone at the University of North Texas from 2017-2018, taught Jazz Trombone at Arizona State University from 2011-2015, and was the interim Director of Jazz Studies at Northern Arizona University from 2011-2012. Ryan was the lead trombonist, Musical Director, Producer, and Chief Arranger for the Falconaires Jazz Ensemble based at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. He has composed and arranged music for 9 Air Force recordings and videos by premier ensembles including the Falconaires and the Airmen of Note. Ryan has performed as a featured artist at international music conferences, jazz festivals, and before audiences throughout the United States. Ryan has composed and arranged an extensive list of published music for jazz ensemble, brass ensemble, and trombone and tuba/euphonium ensembles; available through EJazzLines.com and Potenza Music publishing. A Sea Breeze Jazz recording artist, Ryan composed an 8-movement suite for big band entitled “The Sky Blue Suite” for his 2001 debut recording “To the Sky” and his follow-up recordings “New Horizons” and “People and Places” received critical acclaim internationally. Jazz industry reviewers use phrases such as: “world-class”, “stellar”, “amazing” and “as good as it gets” to describe his trombone playing and writing style.

Bio: Amy Hatch earned her PhD in music theory at the University of North Texas (2022) under the advisement of Dr. Ellen Bakulina. Her dissertation developed the concept of a Doubly Augmented Prime (DAP) from the original trestise of Russian music theorist Alexsii Ogolevets into a theory that could be applied to the music of Shostakovich. Amy earned a B.A. in Music (2011) and an M.M. in Music Theory (2013) from Texas State University - San Marcos. She has taught at Texas State and UNT and has been an adjunct professor UTA since 2019. Dr. Hatch's research interests include analysis of Tejano/Conjunto music, Transformation Theory (Lewinian), and Music Theory Pedagogy/Music Education. She has presented on motivic analysis of David Lee Garza's music at the 2018 SMT/AMS National Conference in San Antonio, TX as well as her dissertation research at the Graduate Association of Musicologists und Theorists (GAMuT) conference and the Texas Society for Music Theory conference in 2022.

Bio: Graham Hunt is Professor of Musicology and Music Theory at the University of Texas at Arlington. He received his Ph.D. in Musicology from Duke University. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in music theory journals, including 2 articles in the most pre-eminent journal in the field of Music Theory, Music Theory Spectrum. He has also presented 5 times at the national meeting of the Society of Music Theory. He served as President of the Texas Society Music Theory from 2011-2014. He has given the keynote speech for the Oklahoma City University Theory Conference and has been a guest speaker at the Music Theory Lecture Series at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the University of Texas at Austin. He has published on subjects such as Wagner, Neo-Riemannian analysis, the Three-Key Exposition in Sonata forms, and, most recently, problematic rondo forms in Classical and 19th-Century finales, in journals such as Journal for Schenkerian Studies, Integral, Theory and Practice, 19th-Century Music Review, and Music Theory Spectrum. He was also selected to be the Grace and Joseph Valentine Visiting Professor at Amherst College (Massachusetts) in 2009. His latest research applies the groundbreaking theories of William Caplin, "Formal-Function Analysis," which was derived from the theories of Arnold Schoenberg to examine formal ambiguities that have previous defied traditional analytical interpretations, such as three-key expositions, truncated rondo forms, and opera arias, duets, and ensembles. Most recently, he was been invited to contribute a chapter to "Mozart Operas", a volume published by Leuven press, on Sonata forms in Mozart's operas, published an article in Music Analysis (published in the UK) on "Diverging Subordinate Themes" in sonata forms ranging from Scarlatti to Bruckner, and contributed a chapter to “Wagner studies” on formal functions of leitmotivs in Wagner’s opera Lohengrin. This November, he will present a paper on “Lesser, Redundant and Inconvenient Rondo Forms” at the national Society for Music Theory, which will be held virtually.

Bio: Tim Ishii has been Director of Jazz Studies at UT Arlington since 2004. Under his direction, the Jazz Orchestra has performed in Mexico City, Germany, Hawaii, Kansas, throughout Texas and the surrounding Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. In 2007 the Jazz Orchestra was selected to perform at the Texas Music Educators Conference in San Antonio, Texas and in 2009 the band was awarded the “Gene Hall” award as the Outstanding Collegiate Band at the University of North Texas/City of Addison Jazz Festival which included bands selected by taped audition from coast to coast. Tim is active as a clinician and has conducted numerous high school and college honor bands in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Oregon. In December 2014, he appeared as guest artist with the Iolani High School Jazz Band (Honolulu, Hawaii) in Kobe, Japan performing at the Konan Boys High School Winter Jazz Festival and Konan Women’s University. He is Past President of the Texas Jazz Educators Association and is Co-Music Director for the Hawaii Jazz Institute, a joint collaboration between the University of Texas at Arlington and the Iolani School in Honolulu, Hawaii. As part of the 2015 Hawaii Jazz Institute, the UT Arlington Jazz Orchestra performed aboard the USS Missouri battleship that is now docked at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In addition, Tim and the UT Arlington Jazz Faculty performed and provided educational enrichment at the 2015 Maui Jazz Festival. In May of 2016, Tim was invited to give big band clinics in Detmold, Germany at the Hochschule Fur Musik and also presented a master class to area saxophonists at the Haus Die Musik in Detmold. In October of 2016, Tim along with fellow UTA Jazz Faculty and students traveled to Stockholm, Sweden to finalize arrangements for a Study Abroad Exchange program with the Royal College of Music. The group also was invited to participate in the 2016 International Jazz Education Festival hosted by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In June of 2016, Tim, the UT Arlington Jazz Faculty, and Jazz Orchestra returned to Hawaii to work with students from the Honolulu area in the Hawaii Jazz Institute. Since 2016, the UT Arlington Jazz Area has continued outreach efforts in Hawaii, Sweden, Germany, and China. The UT Arlington Jazz Program is proud to sponsor the Eddie Gomez Trio in Residence each fall and spring semester. Tim maintains an active freelance and clinician schedule. Tim is an Artist/Clinician for Conn-Selmer and D’addario.

Bio: Dr. Jamila Javadova-Spitzberg is praised by the American Record Guide for her tasteful, appropriately shaded, colored, and intellectually engaging performance, Jamila Javadova-Spitzberg is an internationally performing organist, keyboardist, and educator. Her concert venues include the United States, countries of the former USSR, and Western Europe, including the Netherlands, Germany, France, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and England. Javadova-Spitzberg's performance repertoire includes works from Baroque to the Twentieth Century. She is strongly interested in discovering and exploring European historical instruments, playing recitals, and recording. In July of 2023, Javadova-Spitzberg recorded organ works of the German/Austrian composer Johann E. Eberelin (1702-1762) on a Johann Nepomuk Holzhey organ (1777-1780) in Marchtal Abbey, Germany. A release of the Eeberlin CD is scheduled for Spring-Summer 2024 by Ambiente-Audio CD Label of Germany. As a result of a one-year-long fellowship at Leopold Mozart Center in Augsburg, Germany, while receiving training in historical fortepiano (hammerklavier) performance practice, in 2022, Javadova-Spitzberg had the privilege of performing on the original Walter fortepiano (1782) of W. A. Mozart in Salzburg, Austria. Inspired by this instrument, she acquired a copy of the 1805 Walter fortepiano built for her by Paul McNulty, a maker of world-famous fortepianos in Divišov, Czech Republic. Among other notable historical instruments played by Javadova-Spitzberg are the Hagerbeer/Schnitger organ at Grote Sint-Laurenskerk in Alkmaar and Grote of St. Michielskerk in Zwolle, as well as the C. Muller organ at St. Bavo in Haarlem, A. Hinsz organ at Bovenkerk in Kampen, and the Sauer organ at Berlin Dom. Javadova-Spitzberg is an avid promoter of the organ works of Azerbaijani composers. In December of 2022, she released video films containing organ works of Azerbaijani composers recorded in Elandstraat Church in Den Haag, The Netherlands. In 2016, Javadova-Spitzberg recorded and released a CD comprising works of prodigious Azerbaijani composer Gara Garayev (1918-1982), a student and friend of Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975). Recorded on the magnificent 85-stop Marcussen & Søn organ at Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk in Roherdam, the Netherlands, this CD included organ transcriptions of Garayev's piano, symphonic and ballet works. Javadova-Spitzberg enjoys sharing her experiences and knowledge with her University of Texas at Arlington students as an Assistant Professor of Organ. She has lectured in various academic institutions (UNT, UT Dallas, Baku Music Academy) and concert stages, including Carnegie Hall and NYC, and has given masterclasses. Javadova-Spitzberg holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas, majoring in Organ Performance with a minor in music theory. During 1997-2000, while studying with the renowned organ Professor Jacques van Oortmerssen at Amsterdam Conservatory, Javadova-Spitzberg extensively worked on developing Baroque performance practice skills. She received a Master of Music (MM) degree from the Azerbaijan State Conservatory, double majoring in music theory and organ performance. Javadova- Spitzberg received the Licentiate Diploma from the Royal Schools of Music of the UK. She played in masterclasses with the renowned organ music experts Jean Boyer, Michel Bouvard, Naji Hakim of France, Andrea Marcon of Italy, Hans-Ola Ericsson, Hans Davidsson of Sweden, and others. In 2017, Javadova-Spitzberg founded and became the Executive Director of the Azerbaijan- American Music Foundation (AAMF), a non-profit organization dedicated to building "classical music bridges" between Azerbaijan and the USA. Javadova-Spitzberg was awarded a "Tarraggi" Medal, a state award of the Azerbaijan Republic, in recognition of her efforts in the field and the advancement of Azerbaijani Classical Music in the USA and worldwide.

Bio: Carol Jessup is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Texas at Arlington. She received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in music performance from The University of Michigan where she studied with professors John Mohler and David Shifrin. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University and Michigan State University, and is a student of Keith McCarty and Dr. Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr. Dr. Jessup’s performances include Alice Tully Hall, New York City, and performing as principal clarinet with the Mozarteum Orchestra, Salzburg, Austria. She is nationally known for her extensive work as soloist/clinician, and has appeared as a guest artist at the International Clarinet Symposium, ClarinetFest ’96, ’97, ’03, and ’08, the University of British Columbia (Vancouver), Arizona State University (Tempe), the University of Utah (Salt Lake City), Texas Tech University (Lubbock), the Mid-West National Band and Orchestra Clinic (Chicago), Mid-East Instrumental Music Conference (Pittsburg), Midwestern Conference, Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (Ann Arbor), Montana State Music Conference (Missoula), the Southern Instrumental Conductors Conference (Hattiesburg), Texas Music Educators Association and Texas Bandmasters Association conventions (San Antonio), and the renowned Interlochen National Arts Camp (Interlochen, MI). Dr. Jessup has had a number of articles on clarinet performance and pedagogy published in recognized journals including the School Band and Orchestra, The Instrumentalist, Southwestern Musician, The School Musician, and with Southern Music Company. Her comprehensive book, Playing and Teaching the Clarinet, published by RBC Music, San Antonio has been highly acclaimed and enthusiastically received.

Bio: A Philadelphia native, Jamar Jones, according to Jonathon Sprinkles, "is a guy that has been a part of all of our lives in some way without us realizing it." Since 1996, Jamar has been trusted to work with and for some of the music industry's most respected brands as a producer, composer, arranger, and musician to an impressive list of artists that includes Boyz II Men, Musiq Soulchild, Jill Scott, Jamie Foxx, Mary Mary, Usher, and the legendary Ms. Patti Labelle. Recognized as a child prodigy, Jamar started playing the piano at the age of 4 years old when his mother purchased a piano for the home following the death of his father in 1981. The piano that was purchased from the Cunningham Piano Company in Philadelphia "became the tool through which I would express all my emotion" states Jones. After attending initial study at the West Oak Lane School of Music, Jamar quickly progressed to being recognized as a young gifted performer through winning the best soloist awards at several stage band competitions in junior high. Eventually, the recognition for Jamar Jones as a dominating young performer would lead to an invitation to be a part of the City of Philadelphia's premier high school jazz students' Philadelphia All-city Jazz Band. It was his participation in the All-city Band that led to his induction to the Grammy All-American High School Jazz Band in 1994 and 1995. While a freshman at Temple University, Jamar co-wrote and co-produced the song, Dear God, for the Grammy nominated Boyz ll Men album Evolution. Jamar continued to work for several years as a producer with many artists but one major highlight of this tenure was producing the theme song for the movie, Hurricane, which starred Denzel Washington and was performed by Boyz II Men with The Philadelphia Orchestra. He has served as a musical director for both stage artists and a diverse range of theater and film projects over the previous 20 years. Jamar has lent his talents as a producer, arranger, composer, and musician to: Mary Mary, Kindred, Myron Butler, Tamela Mann, Kanye West, Janet Jackson, Jamie Foxx, Deitrick Haddon, Crystal Aiken, Vickie Winans, T.D. Jakes, Usher, Fantasia, Mario, Claudette Ortiz, Floetry, Bruce Parham, Vivian Green, Voices of Theory, Jill Scott, Fred Hammond, Richard Smallwood, Syleena Johnson, The Rickey Minor Band, Patti LaBelle, Denise Rich, Al Kasha, Rihanna, Eminem, P. Diddy, Kim Burell, Steven Ford, Warryn Campbell, Adam Blackstone and others.

Bio: Edward Jones teaches applied tuba and co-directs the Tuba Euphonium Ensemble at the University of Texas at Arlington. From 1985-2003 he was on the faculty of the Texas A&M University-Commerce where he taught applied tuba and euphonium, coached brass chamber groups and directed the tuba-euphonium ensemble. He holds degrees from Fort Hays State University and Texas A&M-Commerce and has done additional graduate study in applied tuba at the University of North Texas. His principal teachers are Lyle Dilley of Hays, Kansas and Donald Little, Professor of Tuba and the University of North Texas and retired principal tuba with the Forth Worth Symphony. In 2001 he was appointed Principal Tuba with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Previously he was tubist with the Northeast Texas Symphony, the Richardson Symphony and East Texas Symphony Orchestras and the Dallas Wind Symphony. He has performed and recorded with the Dallas Symphony and the Dallas Opera Orchestras. Also an active chamber musician, he performs with the Iridium Brass Quintet and the FWSO Brass Quintet. As a soloist, he has given numerous recitals throughout Texas and the Southwest and has been a featured artist at regional and international tuba conferences.

Bio: Elyse Kahler is the Composition Studies Coordinator and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Kahler writes for a variety of ensembles and levels, and has particular interests in fun and engaging music for middle school students and inspiring music for the modern church. Recent projects include a commission from Tyler ISD for a scaled orchestra piece that beginners to seniors can play together, Forging Canyons for the International Clarinet Association conference, and Perspectives, a chamber work with dance and film in collaboration with Anne Wharton. A Thread of Hope for piano, a piece about climate change, was performed as part of Ann DuHamel's Prayers for a Feverish Planet project. Dr. Kahler research interests include methods to discuss the creative process with composition students and popular music analysis, specifically how unclear lyrics inform formal labels. During the summers, Dr. Kahler teaches music theory at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Interlochen, MI. For more information, please visit www.elysekahler.com

Bio: Karen Kenaston-French is Professor and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Texas Arlington, where she conducts the A Cappella Choir, teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting, and heads the Vocal Area. Under her direction the UTA A Cappella Choir given invited performances at prestigious conferences including National Collegiate Choral Organization (2019), Southwestern Division American Choral Director’s Association (2022 & 2016), the Texas Music Educators Association state convention (2019 & 2014), and served as Choir-in-Residence for the undergraduate and graduate conducting competition at national ACDA (2015). She has prepared the choir for numerous regional guest appearances, including with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theatre, Fort Worth Chorale, the Rolling Stones and The Eagles. Under her direction, the UT Arlington A Cappella has been named a finalist in the American Prize for Choral Performance in 2021 and 2014. In 2019 Dr. Kenaston-French assumed the position of Artistic Director/Conductor of the Fort Worth Chorale, only the fifth conductor in the organization’s 57-year history. Prior to her arrival at UTA, Dr. Kenaston-French served as Director of Choral Activities at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where she led the Chamber Singers in two appearances at the Tennessee Music Education Association state conference, and in master classes with Chanticleer, Cantus, and Libby Larsen. She taught conducting at Southern Methodist University and the University of North Texas, and served as director of music ministries at Plymouth Park United Methodist Church in Irving, Texas from 1986-1998. Dr. Kenaston-French has been guest conductor for honor choirs in Colorado, Tennessee, and for many TMEA region choirs. A frequent lecturer and adjudicator, she has given presentations on choral tone, conducting, rehearsal technique and performance practice for SMU, Choristers Guild, Texas Choral Directors Association, and various universities, school districts and local churches. A native of Huntington, WV, Dr. Kenaston-French holds a B.A. in vocal performance from West Virginia Wesleyan College, M.M. and M.S.M. degrees in choral conducting from Southern Methodist University, and a D.M.A. in choral conducting from the University of North Texas, where she was named outstanding graduate student in conducting and ensembles and the Pi Kappa Lambda outstanding doctoral student. She studied conducting with Jerry McCoy, Mel Ivey, Lloyd Pfautsch, Jane Marshall, and Larry Parsons, and in 2011 was a conductor for the Choral/Orchestral Master Class of the Oregon Bach Festival, under Helmut Rilling and Jeffrey Kahane. Vocal studies include graduate work with Lynn Eustis at UNT and Linda Baer at SMU. Her article “The Teachings of Jean‐Antoine Bérard” was published in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Journal of Singing in November 2009. She sang in the Dallas Symphony Chorus from 1993-2003, and was selected for the first Robert Shaw Festival Chorus at Carnegie Hall in 1991.

Bio: Soo Hong Kim, a lyric soprano, is recognized for her full, warm and expressive voice, and her moving interpretation of many opera roles such as Mimi (La Boheme) and Nedda (I Pagliacci). She has performed major rolls in many professional opera companies such as Dallas Lyric Opera and Shreveport opera. She made her New York debut as soloist in Mozart’s Vespers at Lincoln Center. Graduated from the University of North Texas with the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance, Dr. Kim has been teaching at The University of Texas at Arlington as an assistant professor of voice since 1998. Along with applied voice lessons, she also teaches Voice Class, Vocal Pedagogy, Vocal Literature, and Opera Workshop. Dr. Kim conducts a weekly Studio Class open to all voice students. Recently she was appointed as the vocal division coordinator. Dr. Kim has received many awards and recognition as the winner in competitions such as the Metropolitan Opera Guild Audition (Southwest Region winner) and the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards (National winner, Mary Wolfman Award). The Hemphill-Sorantin Competition named her the overall winner of the competition and the vocal division winner. Early recognition of Dr. Kim’s abilities earned her the International Rotary Club Scholarships and the Dallas Opera Career Development Grant. In addition to her many solo recitals and guest artist presentations, she has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Festival, with the San Angelo Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and the Texas Wind Symphony. As a clinician, Dr. Kim has presented master classes and lecture recitals at local, national and international venues. In Seoul, Korea, she presented several master classes and a recital in summer 2002. She recently performed in a recital at the Regional Conference of the College Music Society in Oklahoma City, and is a regular adjudicator at State and Regional NATS competitions. Her current performance engagements include solo recitals and soprano soloist for oratorios in many cities nationwide, such as South Bend, Oklahoma City, Dallas and Austin.

Bio: Diane Lange is Professor and Music Program Director of Field Experience where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Early Childhood and Elementary Music Education. Dr. Lange received her Bachelor of Music in Education and Master of Music from Central Michigan University and Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Additionally, she taught elementary music for ten years in Michigan and Nevada. She received her Orff Levels at Memphis State University and Gordon Institute for Music Learning Levels from Michigan State University. She has presented several national and international pedagogical workshops. Her research interest includes combining Orff Schulwerk and Music Learning Theory, and developing curricular material for elementary-aged students. Dr. Lange has published three books, numerous book chapters and articles, and is a co-author for Jump Right In: The Elementary Music Curriculum, Grades Kindergarten and 5. Dr. Lange was president for the National Gordon Institute for Music Learning and North Texas chapter of American Orff Schulwerk Association, and was regional representative for Early Childhood Music and Movement Association where she hosted an Early Childhood Music Conference. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Lange’s service to the university has included Area Coordinator of Music Education, Associate Chair of the Music Department, Curriculum Chair, and currently she is the chair of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. Dr. Lange has received the Outstanding Educator Award from the Crawford AuSable School District and was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at the University of Texas at Arlington in spring 2019.

Bio: Leffer joined the faculty at UTA as Lecturer in Cello in 2016. Currently he performs as a member of the Dallas Opera Orchestra. He frequently plays with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Winds Musical Outreach, and as artist-in-residence for the Baylor Scott & White healthcare system. A New York native, Leffer began his studies at the Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Division. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music as a student of Steven Doane and a Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of Stephen Geber. Leffer has previously served as principal cellist and soloist with the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra. Festival appearances include Bravo! Vail with the Dallas Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, Kent Blossom, and as principal cellist of the New York String Orchestra Seminar at Carnegie Hall. Leffer plays on a modern Italian cello by Paolo de Barbieri from Genoa dated 1952.

Bio: Jing Ling-Tam, Professor of Music has garnered international recognition in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. A brilliant conductor, Ling-Tam has conducted over thirty- five All-State Choirs and numerous American Choral Directors Association national and divisional honor choirs. An innovative and much sought after clinician/master teacher, she has been featured as a headliner at prestigious international, national, regional and state choral conferences. As Director of Choral Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington (1999-2009), her choirs have performed at national and regional ACDA conferences, Texas Music Educators Association Conferences (1997 and 2001) and toured in the US, Mexico, Canada, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Austria. Ling-Tam served as Associate Conductor/Chorus Master /Principal Coach Pianist for the Ft. Worth Opera Association for sixteen seasons, and was on the faculty at the American Institute of Musical Studies, Graz, Austria for eleven summers. Ling-Tam’s recent credits include conducting the Taipei Symphony, the Coro de Madrigalistas of Mexico, and presenting workshops/lectures for the Children’s Palaces of NingBo, Xiamen and GuangZho in China; Festival 500, Newfoundland, the Ontario Vocal Festival & Choral Conductors' Symposium, Toronto, Podium 2008, New Brunswick, Canada; the 2006 International Youth Choral Festival, Hong Kong and the 2007 and 2009 Salzburg Pedagogical Institute Winter Workshops. Ling-Tam also served on juries for the 2007 Third World Children's Choral Festival, Hong Kong, the Spittal an der Drau 45th International Choral Competition in Austria, and the 2008 World Choir Games in Austria. This July she made her Australian conducting debut with the 2010 Australian National Choral Association’s Honor Choir and was a member of the international jury for the 2010 World Choir Games in China. Currently, Prof. Ling-Tam is scheduled to conduct the 2010 New York All-State Choir, 2010 Washington All-State Choir, and 2010 Louisiana Youth All- State Choir. Prof. Ling-Tam serves on the board of Chorus American A choral series in her name is published by Alliance Music of Houston, Texas.

Bio: Saxophonist Prof. Chris McGuire is a member of the University of Texas-Arlington classical and jazz faculty, and an in-demand performer on saxophone, clarinet, and other woodwinds. He holds a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music from the University of North Texas and, over a thirty plus year performance career, has performed and toured with many diverse musical acts from The Duke Ellington Orchestra to country star Jamey Johnson, from the Jim Cullum Jazz Band to the industrial rap of MC 900 ft. Jesus, numerous other jazz, pop, and rock acts, and movie and television soundtracks. At UT-Arlington, he has deployed his versatile musical and pedagogical skills for over ten years by teaching applied saxophone, coaching jazz combos and classical quartets, and directing the Jazz Lab. Outside of UT-Arlington, he maintains a full performance schedule playing for a range of ensembles and recording projects, including a recent worldwide collaboration for the Ryan Anthony Foundation’s Cancer Blows.

Bio: A native of Dallas, Texas, Ronald Montgomery has spent most of his professional life in Italy, where he furthered his studies with the bass Enrico Fissore and the soprano Sylvia Rhys-Thomas. He sang in many concerts and recitals, as well as performing operatic roles, most notably at Italy’s famous Teatro alla Scala in Milan. He graduated from S.M.U. in Dallas with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance, where he studied with former Metropolitan Opera tenor Thomas Hayward. He received his Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from West Texas A&M University, where he was a Graduate Teaching Assistant in both voice and music theory. He was a finalist in both the Metropolitan Opera Guild Auditions and the San Francisco Regional Auditions. At The University of Texas at Arlington he teaches Private Voice, Singer’s Diction, and conducts the Women’s Chorus.

Bio: Born in Mexico City, pianist Astrid Morales is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at Arizona State University with Robert Hamilton. Astrid holds master’s degrees in Piano Performance, Piano Pedagogy and a Performer’s Diploma in Piano from Southern Methodist University, where she studied with Joaquín Achúcarro. In 2012, she graduated from the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City where she studied with Héctor Rojas. Winner of the 2022 Puerto Rico Center for Collaborative Piano - Professional Division, Astrid has been awarded several prizes and scholarships including the Actos de Confianza Grant from the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures 2021, the 2014 General Concerto Competition at the Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, TX, the 2011 Youth Mexican Prize, Grand Prix to Exceptional Talents and Best Interpretation of Mexican Music at the Second National Piano Competition “Petrof – Symphony – Pearl River”, among many others. In 2021, she was recognized as a Kawai Medallion Educator. Astrid has had an intensive soloist career and has performed with well-known orchestras and conductors such as: Mexico State Symphony Orchestra (Enrique Bátiz, Virgilio Valle and Gabriela Díaz Alatriste), Querétaro Philharmonic (José Guadalupe Flores), Meadows Symphony Orchestra (Paul Phillips), Nuevo León University Symphony (Eduardo Diazmuñoz), Mexico City Philharmonic (José Areán), National Polytechnic Institute Symphony Orchestra (Alfredo Ibarra and Enrique Barrios), Aguascalientes Symphony (Stephano Mazzoleni), Women’s Orchestra of Arizona (Livia Gho), among many others. In addition, she has performed recitals in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, United States, Canada, Holland, Germany and Italy. As an advocate of Latin American music and an active performer of Mexican music, she recorded her first CD “Rimero Musical” with music of the Mexican composer Ladislao Juárez and collaborated in “El Oficio Mío” with Armando Rosas. As an active collaborative pianist, Morales was appointed as a faculty member at the North Texas Low Brass Camp and was the pianist for Portland Opera To Go 2022 program and tour. Morales has collaborated with world-renowned musicians including Andrés Díaz, Santiago Cañón, Matt Albert, among many others. In 2018 and 2019, she also served as Fellow Pianist at the NorCal Music Festival. Astrid Morales serves on the piano faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington. She has also served as Faculty Associate at Arizona State University. Morales has appeared in several TV shows, newspapers and radio interviews in Mexico, Italy, The Netherlands, and United States. Astrid serves as an active member of the Binational Cultural Forum of Mexican Artists and is an active committee member at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. In addition, she is the 4th Vice President of the Arizona State Music Teachers Association.

Bio: Michael Morrison was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up in Levelland, Texas. He holds a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music/Performance degree, both with an emphasis in Jazz Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington. He has performed in the UT Arlington Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Bill Snodgrass and Timothy Ishii, and has been a student of Mr. Timothy Ishii for many years. Also, he has performed in the UT Arlington Wind Ensemble as principle alto saxophone and as guest soloist with the UT Arlington Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Morrison has also served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Jazz Studies program at UT Arlington. His duties included teaching jazz combos, jazz history, and jazz theory. In addition, he presented lectures and performed for the Saxophone Master Class under the direction of Mr. Timothy Ishii. During his time at UT Arlington, Mr. Morrison has performed with many renowned artists; such as, Arturo Sandoval, Jon Faddis, Terell Stafford, Bob Mintzer, Dave Pietro, Linda Oh, Peter Erskine, Mike Williams, Denis DiBlasio, Roger Ingram, and Dave Hagedorn. Michael Morrison is a Adjunct Professor of Saxophone at the University of Texas at Arlington in addition to maintaining an active performing schedule in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. He is a member of the American Jazz Composers Orchestra, Mesquite Repertory Jazz Ensemble, Rebel Alliance Jazz Ensemble, and the Curtis Bradshaw Octet. Also, he performs with his jazz trio—Michael Morrison Trio—which has been the house jazz trio at Newport’s Restaurant for three years. They have also been the featured jazz group at the Mesquite Arts Center Summer Jazz Breaks in 2011. In addition to performing, he is an in demand private lesson instructor throughout the area, teaching classical saxophone repertoire as well as jazz saxophone, improvisation, theory, and beginning flute and clarinet.

Bio: Brian Mulholland is an adjunct instructor of jazz bass and music business at the University of Texas at Arlington. Since 2007, he has served UTA variously – from lecturing in jazz history and music appreciation to directing instrumental and vocal jazz combos. As a bassist, he toured with the late jazz artist Maynard Ferguson. During his tenure with the band, Mr. Mulholland's debut album, Deco (2005), was featured in the Maynard Ferguson Presents Series. His recorded performance highlights include Ferguson's Grammy®-nominated* studio album,The One and Only (2007), and the Maynard Ferguson Tribute memorial concert DVD (2007). He has held bass clinics in the U.S. and Canada, judged for jazz ensemble festivals, and performed at International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) and International Society of Bassists (ISB) conferences. During his final year at the University of North Texas (UNT), he taught electric bass lessons as a graduate teaching assistant of jazz bass. Mr. Mulholland holds degrees from the University of South Carolina (B.M., magna cum laude) and the University of North Texas (M.M.) in jazz studies. * 2007, Best Instrumental Arrangement: “Besame Mucho,” arranged by Steve Wiest. GRAMMY is a registered trademark of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Inc.

Bio: Jacob Muzquiz is currently the Adjunct Assistant Professor of Trombone at the University of Texas at Arlington. He also holds positions as section trombonist of the Dallas Winds and second trombonist of the Allen Philharmonic Orchestra. He holds degrees in Music Performance from Texas A&M University-Commerce and Southern Methodist University. As an active performer, he has performed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Ft. Worth Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Opera Orchestra, Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Missouri Symphony Orchestra, El Paso Symphony Orchestra, and the Imperial Brass. At the university level, he has taught masterclasses and lessons across the state of Texas including Texas A&M University-Commerce, Sam Houston State University, and University of Texas at El Paso. He has also been a faculty member at the Mountain Light Music Festival, the Side by Side Project, and has presented for students at the Texas Bandmasters Association.

Bio: Saxophonist Mike Nguyen is an active performer, chamber musician, and educator in the DFW Metroplex. Since 2017, he has served on the faculty of the University of Texas at Arlington as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Saxophone, where he teaches applied saxophone, chamber music, coordinates the saxophone studio class, and directs the UTA Saxophone Choir. Nguyen maintains a vibrant private studio in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and actively encourages chamber music throughout the area by performing it himself, and by organizing engaging performances for his private and collegiate students in modern urban venues. Under his direction, the UTA Saxophone Choir was selected to perform at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in 2020. In addition to an active teaching schedule, Nguyen is a committed performer. In 2020, he performed John Williams’ Escapades for saxophone and wind orchestra with the Dallas Asian Wind Ensemble, where he holds the position of principal saxophone. He is also principal saxophone of the Allen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dallas Civic Wind Ensemble, and is a member of the Texas Dixieland Band. In 2019, Nguyen co-founded the Dallas Asian Wind Ensemble, a group dedicated to increasing diversity in classical music by showcasing the highest quality compositions and performances by Asian musicians. Nguyen continues to serve the ensemble as principal saxophone, and as a member of the Board of Directors. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Civic Wind Ensemble. Nguyen holds a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Saxophone Performance from the University of Texas at Arlington, where he studied classical saxophone under professor Timothy Ishii. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Music Arts in Saxophone Performance at the University of North Texas, in the studio of Dr. Eric Nestler. He is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the North American Saxophone Alliance, and the Young Saxophonists’ Institute.

Bio: From Canada’s east coast, Peter Rioux’s traditional piano style is heavily rooted in the blues idiom. As a teenager, Rioux developed an interest in improvisational music which he expanded through jazz studies at St. Francis Xavier University and the University of North Texas. Throughout his career, Rioux has had the pleasure of touring with blues legend, Lazy Lester, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, D.J. Fontana. Rioux’s career is also comprised of multiple cross Canada tours and performances at some of the country’s top music festivals. In recent years he has maintained a busy schedule performing around the DFW metroplex as a leader and a sideman. Under the leadership of saxophonist Shelley Carrol, he has opened for Ravi Coltrane and has performed in tribute shows in honor of Don Wilkerson and Arnett Cobb. Rioux has coordinated Bud Powell tributes shows and is dedicated to paying respect to jazz tradition through teaching and performing.

Bio: Megan Sarno is Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Texas at Arlington. She was previously Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Carleton and St Olaf Colleges. She earned her PhD at Princeton University in 2016. Her research focuses on the cultural dimensions of early 20th-century French music. Dr. Sarno’s published work includes an article in 19th-Century Music on the music of little-known French composer André Caplet. Focusing on his final work, the song cycle Le Miroir de Jésus, Sarno uses archival materials, as well as literary and music analysis, to explain subtle layers of meaning in Caplet’s songs. Her 2018 article in Journal of Musicological Research investigates the 1911 stage music of composer Claude Debussy. The work, Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien, has been long misunderstood. Using literary and music analysis, Sarno argues that Debussy’s music highlights the Symbolist poetic qualities of Le Martyre. Though her work is focused on French music, Sarno is broadly interested in the social and intellectual function of music—why composers write it and why listeners keep returning to it. Sarno has taught on a wide range of topics, from Baroque and Classical repertory through the music in Disney films. She enjoys teaching music majors and non-majors alike, encouraging students to draw on their own musicality to engage with assignments. Previous courses include American Musical Theater, Songs and Identity, Women and Music, Religion and Music, Disney Movie Musicals, Music of the Cold War, and American Music. Sarno has presented her work on French music and literary culture internationally and in the United States, at the Society for the American Musicological Society, the North American Conference on Nineteenth-Century Music, Music and the Moving Image, and special meetings on Fauré, Debussy, Saint-Saëns, French Creative Women, and Musical Life in 20th-Century Paris. She has won numerous grants for pedagogical innovation. In 2016, she was the recipient of a Chateaubriand Fellowship, which funded a semester of archival research in Paris, France.

Bio: Tyler Shepherd has performed, recorded and toured across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States. Formerly Principal Double Bass of the Welsh National Opera, he has also appeared as Principal with many orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester, BBC Scottish Symphony and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Tyler has also performed with the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Nashville and San Antonio. Prior to his appointment with WNO, Tyler served two seasons as Principal Bass of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera. Tyler studied at Boston University, Boston Conservatory and Walnut Hill School for the Arts. His primary teachers were Edwin Barker, Dennis Roy and Steve Zeserman. During his time in Boston, he was a member of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra for three seasons, and a Tanglewood Music Center fellow for two summers, where he was awarded the Maurice Schwartz Prize. As a teacher he has been on faculty of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama since 2012, and has taught at the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, the Royal Academy of Music in London, the Royal Scottish Conservatoire, Trinity-Laban Conservatoire of Music and Drama, as well as Texas Christian University and James Madison University. He has also been a tutor the Britten-Pears Festival Orchestra in Snape, England. Recent chamber engagements include the Corbridge Chamber Music Festival, Fishguard Chamber Music Festival of Wales, and the Penarth Chamber Music Festival, alongside the Gould Trio and David Adams. He has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Chattanooga Symphony and the City of Cardiff Symphony Orchestra. Tyler has worked with artists such as Tan Dun, Jaap van Zweden, Bernard Haitink, Leonidas Kavakos, Donald Runnicles, Vadim Repin, Renée Fleming, Herbert Blomstedt, Valery Gergiev, Fabio Luisi, Midori, Ben Heppner, Carlo Rizzi, Lothar Koenigs, Rinaldo Alessandrini, and Tomáš Hanus.

Bio: John Solomons, Associate Professor of Piano at University of Texas at Arlington, has appeared with great success as soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Europe, and South America, performing in concert with the Emerson String Quartet, Cliburn winner Fabio Bidini, and under the direction of American conductor Gunther Schuller. Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Solomons began his piano studies at age four, and continued his studies in the U.S. with noted Brazilian pianist Luiz de Moura Castro from the age of eleven. Other primary teachers include Steven de Groote and Hartt School founder Moshe Paranov. Solomons holds degrees from Texas Christian University, the Hartt School of Music, and the University of North Texas where he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree under Adam Wodnicki. Grand prize winner of the 13th Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Piano Competition, John Solomons was praised by Gyorgy Sandor as “an exceptionally gifted artist, whose musical and pianistic achievements are of the highest order”. Additional winnings include 1st prize in the Stewart Grant Competition, 3rd prize in the American Music Scholarship Association World Piano Competition, and the Catalan Composers Prize at the Xavier Montsalvatge International Piano Competition in Girona, Spain. His interest in 20th century music has led to premiers of works by contemporary composers William Albright, James Sellars, Carlos Guinovart, Lloyd Taliaferro, Rufus Brown and George Chave. An active adjudicator, Solomons has served on numerous juries including the Chamber Music Foundation of New England’s International Chamber Music Competition and the Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International piano Competition, among others. Solomons has taught and performed solo and collaborative recitals at the Curs Internacional in Girona, Spain; the Festival de Inverno in Vale Veneto, Brazil; and in 2005 was sponsored by the Arnaldo Schwimmer Foundation in a series of recitals and masterclasses throughout Bolivia. Recently listed in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, Solomons has recorded on the Centaur and Evolutionary Music Records labels.

Bio: Dr. Douglas Stotter is Director of Bands, Professor of Music and Coordinator of the Wind/Percussion Area in the UTA Music Department. He conducts the Wind Symphony and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting and wind literature courses while overseeing all aspects of the band program. He is active as conductor, clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States and most recently in China, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Prior to his appointment at UTA, Dr. Stotter served for seven years as Assistant Director of Bands at Indiana University, where he conducted the Concert and Symphonic Bands and taught advanced undergraduate and graduate instrumental conducting courses in the IU School of Music. Previously, Dr. Stotter was Director of Bands and head of instrumental music education at Valdosta State University, where he conducted the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, and Marching Band and taught courses in conducting, marching band techniques and secondary instrumental methods. Dr. Stotter has also served as Director of Bands at the University of Missouri-Rolla, Doane College in Nebraska and at Galesburg (Illinois) High School. Dr. Stotter's textbook, Methods and Materials for Conducting, was published in 2006 by GIA Publications and is now in use at numerous universities across the country. His other publications include contributions to the text Teaching Music Through Performance in Band (Volumes 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9), as well as research into the history of Edwin Franko Goldman and the Goldman Band published in the Journal of Band Research. His arrangement for concert band of songs by Ralph Vaughn Williams, Three Dorset Songs, was published in 2003 by Daehn Music and performed in 2004 at the Midwest Clinic. His latest arrangement, a setting of Percy Grainger's Sussex Mummer's Christmas Carol, was published in 2006 by Daehn Music. Dr. Stotter also served for 9 years as Editor of the College Band Directors National Association Report. Dr. Stotter received Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music education from The University of Michigan and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from The University of Iowa. He is a member of the Conductors Guild, the Music Educators National Conference, the National Band Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, the Texas Music Educators Association and is an active member of the College Band Directors National Association, serving on the National Executive Board as treasurer. He is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma chapters at Indiana University, the University of Missouri-Rolla, Valdosta State University and the University of Michigan.

Bio: Songwriter/Film Composer/Musician Dr. Will Townsley has been an active composer, performer, and music educator for 20 years. Will has composed and arranged music for various ensembles of all levels. His music for film includes scores for four documentaries for Bro N Stine productions (Las Vegas, Nevada) -- Boys of Summer (and sequels), You Should Know Jack, Share the Road, and Redemption of the Fall. As a former Nashville songwriter, Will wrote several songs featured in the Curb Publishing catalog. His song How Long (co-written with Billy Decker) is published with Al Jolson/Black and White Music (Nashville, Tennessee). His songs have been recorded by Jason Ashley, Colt Prather, and others. His composition Blues for Addie was recorded and performed by the UT Arlington Jazz Orchestra on their CD release Caravan of Cool. Will has performed with artists that include Sammy Kershaw, Joe Nichols, Bob Mintzer, and Tom Dumont (No Doubt). He has opened for Jake Owen, Brett Young, Chris Jansen, Richie McDonald (Lodestar), Larry Stewart (Restless Heart), Tim Rushlow (Little Texas), and Blues Traveler. He has performed for major organizations including the Dallas Cowboys and was invited to perform at a songwriter showcase at the world-famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee. As a music educator, Will is currently the Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Industry Studies at the University of Texas–Arlington where he teaches courses in recording techniques, songwriting, film scoring, and music business. He has also served as an adjunct saxophone instructor at the University of Texas–Arlington and graduate teaching assistant at Texas Christian University and UT Arlington. Will holds a doctoral degree in saxophone performance from Texas Christian University where he studied classical and jazz saxophone with Joe Eckert. He has also studied saxophone with Tim Ishii (University of Texas-Arlington) and Don Aliquo Jr. (Middle Tennessee State University) as well as jazz composition with Dan Cavanagh and Rick Stitzel. He is affiliated as a songwriter and publisher (Tee Four Music) with BMI.

Bio: Jack Unzicker is the Associate Professor of Double Bass at the University of Texas at Arlington and is a sought-after performer and educator. He has extensive and varied experience in all performance areas, from early music to contemporary, solo, chamber, and orchestral, as well as jazz and electric bass. He maintains an active performing schedule, over 500 performances since his appointment at UTA in 2012. Raised in Juneau, Alaska, he began his musical studies with piano, guitar, and percussion and began performing as a professional bassist and teaching private lessons at the age of fourteen. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of North Texas, where he studied solo and orchestral performance, orchestral conducting, jazz studies, and early music with Jeff Bradetich, Paul Sharpe, Bill Clay, Anshel Brusilow, Lynn Seaton, and Lenora McCroskey. Dr. Unzicker earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Western Washington University where he studied jazz studies, performance, and contemporary music with Chuck Israels, Anna Doak, and Roger Briggs. Dr. Unzicker continued his studies at the Henry Mancini Institute, working with Bertram Turetzky, Christian McBride, John Clayton, and Dave Carpenter, the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors, and the Pirastro Strings Elite Soloists Program. As a pedagogue, Dr. Unzicker serves on the board of the Bradetich Foundation, a double bass performance and education organization. He served as the Bass Forum Editor for the journal American String Teacher and has been featured in articles on playing and teaching the double bass in The Strad, Bass World, American String Teacher, and Strings Magazine. He frequently performs, adjudicates, and presents at the International Society of Bassists, American String Teachers Association, and Texas Music Educators Association Conventions.  In the summers, he performs and teaches as Artist Faculty and as the Assistant Director of the Annual Bradetich Double Bass Master Classes. Recent projects include a recording on Albany Records, The Diaries of Adam and Eve (2019), of five newly commissioned and premiered duos for violin and double bass. This duo project is in collaboration with Dr. Martha Walvoord, UTA violin professor, and contemporary composers, including six-time Grammy-award winner Michael Daugherty, Andrea Clearfield, Tom Knific, George Chave, and Daniel M. Cavanagh. The duo performed this new repertoire at the International Society of Bassists 2017 Convention at Ithaca College on June 10, 2017. Upcoming projects include several performances of Nino Rota’s Divertimento Concertante with U.S. orchestras in Fall 2021. Recent concerto performances include Bottesini’s Concerto No. 2 with the Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestra and with the Dallas Chamber Symphony, performing his transcription of Hindemith’s Trauermusik. Dr. Unzicker’s chamber music performances include the Adams Chamber Symphony, Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 1, 2, 3, & 6, Beethoven Septet, Bruch Octet, Ginastera Variaciones Concertantes, Prokofiev Quintet, Stravinsky L’Histoire du soldat, and Brahms Sextet in B-flat Major, Svendsen Octet, Schubert Octet, and Piano Quintets by Goetz, Labor, Schubert, and Vaughan-Williams with members of the Dallas Symphony, Dallas Opera, Fort Worth Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, and professors from Rice University and the University of North Texas. As an orchestral musician, Dr. Unzicker has performed as Principal Double Bass of the AIMS Festival Orchestra (Austria), Caminos Del Inka, Dallas Chamber Orchestra, Dallas Chamber Symphony, Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Divertimento (Costa Rica), Plano Symphony Orchestra, Richardson Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica, and Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Artosphere Festival Orchestra, Dallas Opera, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Opera, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Holland Symphony Orchestra, Waco Symphony Orchestra, and he has worked extensively with conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya, as well as Jaap Van Zweden, Fabio Luisi, Robert Spano, David Robertson, James Conlon, Otto Werner-Mueller, Leon Fleisher, Larry Rachleff, Brett Mitchell, Rossen Milanov, Teddy Abrams, Anshel Brusilow, and Gunther Schuller. Current and former students of Dr. Unzicker have been accepted to undergraduate, graduate, and summer programs at the Colburn School, Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, University of Southern California, Boston University, Indiana University, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, University of North Texas, Peabody Institute, DePaul University, Florida State University, University of Texas at Austin, North Carolina School of the Arts, New World Symphony, Curtis Institute of Music Summerfest, Aspen Music Festival and School, Domaine Forget, National Orchestral Institute, National Repertory Orchestra, Interlochen Arts Camp, Round Top Music Festival, Texas Chamber Music Institute, and the WaBass Institute. The double bass studio at the University of Texas at Arlington has proudly hosted many guest artists recently, including George Amorim (UTRGV), the Bassinova Quartet, Jeff Bradetich (UNT), Craig Butterfield (University of South Carolina), Bill Clay (Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra), Ira Gold (National Symphony/Peabody Institute), Artist-In-Residence Eddie Gomez (Jazz Legend), Aaro Heinonen (Indianapolis Symphony), Milton Masciadri (Univeristy of Georgia), Brandon McLean (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), Brian Perry (Dallas Symphony/SMU), and Dennis Roy (Boston Symphony). Dr. Unzicker performs primarily on instruments by Daniel Hachez and Albert Jakstadt, and a bow by Reid Hudson.

Bio: Christian “Baby” Valdés is a talented pianist from Cali, Colombia. He comes from a family of renowned Salsa musicians, which led him to be a very successful and active musician in the Latin Scene in America. by the age of 16 he was already performing and touring with numerous Salsa artists mainly from Colombia, Cuba and Puerto Rico, among this list, Andy Montañez, Ismael Miranda, Tito Nieves, Guayacan, Luisito Carrion, Willie Gonzalez, Rey Ruiz, and many more. At the age of 19 Christian became part of the renowned band “Grupo Niche”, when on tour, in one of his visits to Dallas, he auditioned for the Jazz Piano program in the University of North Texas, which amazed by his talent, offered him a scholarship to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Studies. Christian moved to Texas in 2011 and since then, he has had the privilege of studying with different mentors and very well-known professionals such as Stefan Karlsson, Michael Palma and Sergio Pamies. He has performed with different artists such as Diego “El Cigala”, Arturo Sandoval, Nestor Torres, Luis Conte, Karen Briggs, Brad Leali, Lynn Seaton, Rich DeRosa, among many others. Christian has also been awarded several Downbeat awards in the category of best Latin Jazz Group with his own Sextet, and best soloist with some of his own compositions. Currently, Christian is part of the Jazz Studies Faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington and remains being an active pianist, arranger and composer in the Dallas/Fort Worth scene.

Bio: Dr. Martha Walvoord is an active performer and educator. Described by American Record Guide as “an enthusiastic and expressive player,” performances have taken Walvoord to China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Spain, England, Costa Rica, and across the US. Her performance of the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra was described by the Qingdao Evening News as “very elegant, expressing well the music-king's style.” Walvoord is Principal Second Violin of the Dallas Chamber Symphony and performs regularly as part of the Spectrum Chamber Music series in Fort Worth, TX. Walvoord is committed to the commissioning, performing, and recording of new music. Her debut album, American Perspectives, is featured on Centaur records and is made up of new works by Matthew Tommasini. Walvoord’s latest album, The Diaries of Adam and Eve, a collection of duos for violin and double bass on Albany Records, features the works of Michael Daugherty, Tom Knific, Andrea Clearfield, Daniel M. Cavanagh, and George B. Chave. Fanfare Magazine describes the performance saying, “Walvoord and Unzicker, who commissioned this music, play it with precision and gusto, and the recording is excellent. This album…holds up well to repeated listening.” From 2016-2022, Walvoord served as President-Elect, President, and Past-President of TexASTA, the Texas chapter of the American String Teachers Association. During that time, she also served on the editorial board of the American String Teacher Journal. In 2019, Walvoord received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from the University of Texas at Arlington. Her former students hold teaching and orchestral positions across the US. In 2015, Walvoord was awarded a Faculty Development Leave to study baroque violin. Walvoord served on the first executive committee for the Women’s Faculty and Staff Network at UT Arlington and was the faculty co-chair from 2017-2019.Originally from Michigan, Walvoord was the Concertmaster of the West Shore Symphony Orchestra in Muskegon, MI and held the position of Artist-in-Residence at Hope College in Holland, MI. At UT Arlington, Walvoord is Professor of Violin and Chair of the Music Department. Walvoord performs on a violin by Francois Pique and a bow by Jules Fetique.

Bio: Dr. John Wayman is the Associate Director of Choral Activities, Associate Professor, and Area Coordinator for Music Education at the University of Texas at Arlington. He conducts the University Singers and helps guide future choral music educators. He is in great demand as a conductor, adjudicator, and clinician. Dr. Wayman has appeared as a guest conductor and adjudicator at numerous state and regional events. He has given frequent clinics at the state, national, and international platforms on choral pedagogy for the maturing adolescent voice, programming, and rehearsal strategies for choral music educators. Much of Dr. Wayman’s research focuses on the changing male voice and teacher preparation. He has presented at the state (Alaska MEA, Georgia MEA, Louisiana MEA, New Mexico MEA, Oklahoma ACDA, Tennessee MEA, and Texas MEA), national (National Association for Music Educators, National American Choral Directors Association, Society of Research for Music Education, Society of Music Teacher Educators, Southwestern American Choral Association) and international venues (Greece, Brazil, England, Uganda, China and most recently in Scotland and Ireland). He has published in the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing, the Journal of Research in Music Education, the Teaching Music, Texas Music Educator Research, Missouri Journal of Research in Music Education, Kansas Music Review, the Ala Breve: Alabama Music Education Journal, and Georgia Music News. Dr. Wayman also serves on the Editor Advisory Board for the national Music Educators Journal. In 2019, Dr. Wayman was selected as the 2019 Sunrise Rotary Professor of the Year Award for the College of Liberal Arts. Above all, he loves teaching and inspiring those who love to sing!

Bio: Praised for his "polished tone and amazing expressivity" by the Dallas Morning News, Gerald "Gerry" Wood joined the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as Principal Horn in 2022. Prior to his appointment, he held positions in the Dallas Opera Orchestra and the Dallas Winds, and was a prolific freelancer in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. From drum and bugle corps to chamber ensembles to video game recording sessions to orchestras worldwide (including China, Korea, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Switzerland), Mr. Wood's playing experience runs the gamut of performance ensembles. He has performed as a soloist at the Busan Maru International Music Festival in Korea and is the founding member of the internationally renowned Horn quartet, The Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse. In addition, his entire family, including his wife and three children, are successful horn players.

Bio: Dazheng Zhu has been teaching piano lessons at all levels at the University of Texas At Arlington Music department since 2001. Ms. Zhu has taught courses in Music Theory I, II and III, Ear Training levels I – IV, Elements of Music, Music Appreciation, and Class Piano levels 1-4. Additionally, Ms. Zhu has been a music adjunct faculty at Tarrant County College since 2001 where she teaches all levels in Piano, Class Piano, Music Appreciation, Theory, and Ear Training in College levels 1-3. Ms. Zhu holds a B.A. in Music and Piano Performance from The University of Texas at Arlington with Dr. David Stokan, and a M. M. degree from Texas Christian University in Piano Pedagogy where she studied with Dr. Tamas Ungar and Ms. Leeann Kirkham. She also studied private lessons and many Master Classes with Professors Joseph Bloch and Rudolph Firkusny (both from The Julliard School) in Shanghai Music Conservatory 1982-1985. Moreover, Ms. Zhu is a very active private piano teacher in DFW area. Most of her students have won Superior plus ratings at AMTA piano contests, festivals and UTA contests, and several students have advanced to competitions at the state level. From the years of 2002 to present, many of Ms. Zhu’s students have won first place in district piano contests and have also won top places in the Fort Worth piano solo contest. Ms. Zhu has given numerous piano recitals in China, New York, Tai Wan -China and the DFW area. Her many honors and awards include Winner of UTA Concerto Competition, Outstanding Musician and International Leadership Award. She has also judged many piano competitions and contests in the DFW area. Ms. Zhu has been serving as the Chairman of the Outstanding Musicianship Awards of Arlington Music Teacher Association since 2006. She is a member of the TMTA, AMTA, FWMTA, and the Sigma Alpha Iota Music Club.

Bio:: Mrs. Buckhout began her advising career at UTA in Freshman advising and moved over the Music Department in October 2019.

Bio: Sara spent 12 years working as the Theatre Arts and Professional Communications Director at Smithfield Middle School. She was Circle Theatre's resident stage manager for 13 seasons, and the Production Stage Manager for the Trinity Shakespeare Festival. Before entering the professional realm, Sara completed stage management internships at The Juilliard School in New York City and The Bush Theatre in London. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Dance with a concentration in Stage Management from the University of Texas at Austin.

Bio: As a stage manager and event manager, Katie has worked locally for Theatre Three, Shakespeare Dallas, The Fort Worth Community Arts Center, Jubilee Theatre, Lyric Stage, Kids Who Care, and Casa Mañana. She has stage managed for touring theatre for young audiences groups, summer stock theatre, and theme park entertainment shows. Katie has her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, emphasis in Technical Theatre, from Austin College in Sherman, TX. Katie is a member of Alpha Psi Omega - Nu Kappa chapter, Alpha Phi Omega - Phi Xi chapter, and an Honorary member of Tau Beta Sigma - Gamma Nu chapter. Katie is currently serving as the Financial Advisor for the Zeta Nu chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota at UTA.

Bio: Thomas Posavac has been the Events Manager for the UTA Department of Music since October 2008. Prior to returning to the UTA campus, Thomas held arts administration positions at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, and the Lutheran Summer Music Festival. As a trombonist, he has performed with Buddy’s Big Band, Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, Racine Symphony Orchestra, The Prairie Ensemble, Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, and Penfield Symphony Orchestra. He currently performs in a brass quintet formed by Professor Emeritus George Chave comprised of current and former students of UTA. As an educator, Thomas taught private low brass lessons for 15 years in Texas, Illinois, and New York. While a student, Thomas spent two summers competing in DCI with the Freelancers Drum and Bugle Corps and the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps. Outside of music Thomas spends his free time researching history of the UTA Department of Music, practicing trombone, and can found in local bowling alleys. Mr. Posavac holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Master of Music in Trombone Performance from Texas Christian University. Thomas is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, TCU, and is an Honorary Member of Kappa Kappa Psi, Delta Sigma Chapter, and Tau Beta Sigma, Gamma Nu Chapter.