Cellist Bryan Hayslett continues to distinguish himself as a versatile solo, chamber, and orchestral player. Dr. Hayslett is currently Assistant Professor of Cello and Academic Studies at Middle Tennessee State University and serves as section cellist of the Palm Beach Opera. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2009 as first prize winner of the Alexander & Buono International String Competition and returned the following year as a repeat top prize laureate.

Dr. Hayslett is a proponent of new music, having founded and participated in Juxtatonal, Semiosis Quartet, and several other new music chamber groups across the New England area. His solo concert tours feature new music as a central focus, and he has commissioned composers including Joan La Barbara, Anthony Green, Drew Baker, David Macbride, and Annika Socolofsky. Additionally, he has premiered works with the Equilibrium Concert Series, The Fifth Floor Collective, and New Music Brandeis and has worked with composers such as Louis Andriessen, Joan Tower, Evan Ziporyn, Ted Hearne, and Yehudi Wyner. Dr. Hayslett can be heard on an Innova recording, “A Special Light,” featuring music of David Macbride. His album Cello Unlocked was released in 2024 to critical acclaim across the globe and explores connections between music and language, including several tracks with him singing and playing.

As Executive Director of Bow and Bridge Society, a 501(c)3 nonprofit he founded, Dr. Hayslett helps to provide high-quality performance and learning opportunities to cellists by fostering and supporting an inclusive musical community around the world. The organization is working to encourage the next generation of cellists to think creatively and collaboratively by providing access to high-caliber artists in a cooperative environment.

As a scholar, Dr. Hayslett’s Theory of Prominence, published by Cambridge University Press, suggests that listeners perceive rhythm in contemporary music in similar ways to how they perceive the rhythm of language. His focus on temporality in and perception of contemporary music was inspired by his study and performance of Lee Hyla’s music. He has received several research grants and has presented his research at conferences across the United States and in Austria, Norway, and Portugal.

With degrees from NYU (Ph.D.), The Boston Conservatory (M.M., G.P.D.), and The Hartt School of Music (B.M.), Dr. Hayslett’s principal teachers include Marion Feldman, Rhonda Rider, Terry King, and Yuri Anshelevich. In addition to soloing with the Boston Conservatory Lab Orchestra and the New World School of the Arts Symphony, Dr. Hayslett has performed with groups such as Eighth Blackbird, the New York Arabic Orchestra, Ne(x)tworks, Experiments in Opera, Sound Icon, and the Boston Chamber Orchestra. He has collaborated with artists including Joseph Silverstein, David Kim, Carol Rodland, Scott Kluksdahl, and Lauren Flanigan. He has been artistic faculty at festivals including the Killington Music Festival and the Fox River Chamber Festival. Teaching residencies have included the University of South Florida and University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. Previously, he taught cello and music history as adjunct artist faculty at NYU Steinhardt. Dr. Hayslett performs on an American cello made by Gary Davis in 1998.

Beyond music, Hayslett competes in triathlons, cooks, and enjoys woodworking.

Pianist Amy Dorfman has enjoyed a wide variety of musical collaborations throughout her career. For more than 20 years, she accompanied American bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer, performing in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, as well as on NPR’s St. Paul Sunday Morning and The Lonesome Pine Special. She also joined Meyer in his 1990 recording Work in Progress for MCA Records.

Dorfman has performed with the Blair String Quartet and was a member of the Dorfman/Katahn piano duo with pianist Enid Katahn. She has also collaborated with pianist Mark Wait, Dean of the Blair School of Music, in piano duet and duo recitals.

In 2002, she and colleagues Carolyn Huebl, violin, and Felix Wang, cello, formed the Blakemore Trio. The trio performed their New York debut in Merkin Hall in 2010. In 2013 the trio released two recordings, The Blakemore Trio plays Beethoven and Ravel (Blue Griffin Records), and Gates of Silence, composed by Susan Botti and commissioned for the Blakemore Trio (Albany Records). Critics wrote, “another chamber ensemble has arrived to claim the limelight…for Beethoven’s ‘Ghost’ Trio, they don’t come any better than this one.” The American Record Guide hailed their performance of the Ravel trio as “Impressionism at its best.” The trio is currently at work on a recording of solo and chamber works of American composer Adam Schoenberg, which is slated for a 2019 release on Blue Griffin Records.

Dorfman’s students have been prize winners in national divisions of MTNA chamber music competitions, the Vanderbilt Concerto Competition and the Curb/Nashville Symphony concerto competition. Her college students have continued on in many prestigious graduate music programs around the country. She served as coordinator of the Blair precollege chamber music program from 2006-18.

Dorfman received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Indiana University School of Music, where she studied with Alfonso Montecino and James Tocco. She also worked with Edith Oppens and Rosalyn Tureck at the Aspen and Banff festivals. She serves as artist/teacher at the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts and spent several summers at the Sewanee Music Center.

Reginald (Reggie) Coleman serves as the band director at Rocky Fork Middle School. A native of Knoxville, TN, Reggie obtained his bachelor’s degree in music education from Middle Tennessee State University, where he studied trombone with Dr. David Loucky. Reggie formerly taught at LaVergne and Smyrna Middle Schools, where he was mentored by colleagues Philip Gregory, Lindsey Mears, and Phillip Simpson. Currently in his 5th year of teaching, Reggie has taught concert, pep, and jazz bands, as well as percussion ensemble and choir.

He has served the Middle Tennessee Schools Band and Orchestra Association (MTSBOA) as Mid-State Equipment Coordinator (2019-2022), Board Member-Middle School Representative (2021-present), and Mid-State Clinic Coordinator (2022-present). Coleman also serves the Tennessee Music Education Association (TMEA) as the Instrumental Equipment Chair (2020-present). Reggie is looking forward to his eighth year with the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts as one of the Music Production Coordinators. Reggie currently serves on the board for the newly founded Dow Street Community Music School (Murfreesboro TN), a non-profit organization created to provide high-quality music experiences for children who may not have the opportunity or means to do so at school.

Reggie resides in Murfreesboro, TN and is loving every minute of teaching band at Rocky Fork Middle with one of his best friends, Phillip Kigaita.

Andrea Dawson joined the MTSU Music Faculty in 2007 and the faculty of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts in 2008. Dawson is a member of the Stones River Chamber Players and Music City Baroque (formerly Belle Meade Baroque), and has been a featured chamber musician on WPLN, Nashville Public Radio. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States, China, France, Mexico, Curaçao and Brazil. Before moving to Tennessee, she was Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Texas Pan American and Associate Concertmaster of the Valley Symphony Orchestra in south Texas.

Dawson received her Masters in Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the Eastman School of Music, where she was awarded the coveted Performer¹s Certificate. She also received a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology, with a minor in French, and a Bachelor of Music in violin performance from Oberlin College. Her principal teachers include Lynn Blakeslee, Camilla Wicks, Taras Gabora, Kathleen Winkler, and Robert Koff.

Associate Professor of Horn & Music Theory Middle Tennessee State University

Angela DeBoer is the Associate Professor of horn at Middle Tennessee State University where she also teaches music theory, brass literature and pedagogy.   She is an active performer, playing second horn with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera and assistant principal horn with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra.  Ms. DeBoer appears regularly with the nationally acclaimed Nashville Symphony as well as performing with the Nashville Opera, Nashville Ballet and maintaining a presence in the recording studios of Nashville.  Additional creative activity will find her performing on the Baroque and Classical natural horns; instruments on which she presents lectures and masterclasses at workshops and schools around the country.  Ms. DeBoer is also the co-coordinator of the MTSU music faculty concert series, the Stones River Chamber Players, and since 2011 has been on the faculty of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts.

Prior to her work in Tennessee, DeBoer was a member of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra and worked with the Tulsa Ballet and Tulsa Opera.  She was also active in the freelance community in and around Chicago for many years, performing with the Milwaukee, Grant Park, Elgin, South Bend, Northwest Indiana, Duluth-Superior and Illinois Symphonies as well as with Symphony II, Chicago Sinfonietta, Millar Brass Ensemble, Chicago Opera Theatre and the Illinois and Fort Wayne Philharmonics.  She also spent several seasons as a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a group with which she also appeared as soloist.  She has attended several competitive music festivals including Tanglewood, National Repertory Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute, Sarasota Chamber Music Festival and the Music Academy of the West.  Angela was also a semi-finalist at the 2007 International Horn Competition of America.

Ms. DeBoer received her Bachelor of Music degree from DePaul University in Chicago, studied in the Orchestral Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music and received her Master of Music from Northwestern University.  Her primary teachers include Gail Williams, David Krehbiel, Jerome Ashby and Jonathan Boen.

In addition to her work at MTSU and in the music profession, Angela competes nationally in Three Day Eventing (horse triathlons) with her horse Christopher.

DMA, James Madison University Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music

Violist Ayn Balija, enjoys a varied career as both a teacher and performer. As the Lecturer of Viola at the University of Virginia, Ms. Balija is a member of the Rivanna String Quartet, co-directs the Chamber Music Seminar, and serves as principal violist of the Charlottesville & University Symphony Orchestra. In the 2009-10 Season she was asked to perform, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with guest violinist Max Rabinowitz.

She frequently collaborates with the composition faculty on new works and volunteers for the UVA Baroque Orchestra. Dedicated to teaching, Ms. Balija seeks to develop a well-rounded musician. Students who go on in music are accepted into some of the top music schools around the nation. She was invited to present a paper at the 2014 American String Teachers National Convention entitled “Roles, Rules, and Running” highlighting the development of non-major talent and future roles they will take in society.

Immersing herself in the Charlottesville, VA and Columbus, OH communities, Ayn provides private lessons as a Boyd Tinsley Tutor in the Charlottesville Public Schools, performs outreach concerts, and maintains a private viola studio. Outside of the University, Ms. Balija performs with the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, OH, gives masterclasses and recitals around the region, and collaborates regularly with her colleagues. She is often asked to substitute for the Richmond Symphony and has gone on tour with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

During summers, she has attended numerous festivals including the Aspen Music Festival and School, Banff Center, Credo, and the Colorado College Summer Music Festival. She participated as an orchestral musician, chamber coach, mentor, and quartet fellow. Starting the summer of 2006, Ms. Balija was awarded the Aspen Mentor Fellowship to aid in the instruction of aspiring orchestral musicians. This summer she will return to Yachats Summer Music Festival in Yachats, OR and be on faculty at the Tennessee Governors School of the Arts. Ms. Balija has degrees from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Her principal mentors are Jeffrey Irvine and Peter Slowik. She is currently finishing her doctoral studies at James Madison University with Amadi Azikiwe.

Dr. Ben Blasko is the Director of Instrumental Studies at Lipscomb University where he oversees instrumental ensembles & instrumental private instruction. Ben holds degrees from the University of North Texas, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Messiah University. He has conducted groups such as the Nashville Symphony, Boston Symphony, the North Texas Wind Symphony, and the Agora Brass Ensemble.

As an orchestrator, he has worked for artists such as OneRepublic, Tommee Profitt, Tina Guo, Jordan Smith, Tauren Wells, Colton Dixon, and the Disney Company. As a composer, his music has been played all over the world by groups such as the Nashville, Boston, and Colorado Symphonies, the United States Air Force and Navy Bands, the London Sinfonia, the Israeli State Band, and numerous high school & collegiate ensembles.

As a recording engineer, Ben has worked with artists such as Evelyn Glennie, the Barcelona Clarinet Players, the North Texas Wind Symphony, Tromba Mundi, the Eastern Tennessee State University Wind Ensemble, the Messiah University Wind Ensemble, members of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra Brass Quintet, the Grimethorpe Brass Band, and the Vanderbilt Wind Symphony. You can find his work on the Naxos, Mark Custom, Klavier, and Capitol record labels. His conducting teachers include Eugene Migliaro Corporon, Jack Stamp, Dennis Fisher, Brad Genevro, William Stowman, and Timothy Dixon. Ben has studied composition with Bruce Broughton, Jack Stamp, Kirsten Broberg, Bruce Yurko, and Alvin Singleton.

Associate Professor, MTSU DM, Indiana University Deanna R. Little, associate professor of flute at Middle Tennessee State University, holds a Bachelor of Music degree in education from the University of Northern Iowa, a Master of Music degree in flute performance and the Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University. Her primary instructors include James Scott, Kate Lukas, Peter Lloyd, Trevor Wye, and Angeleita Floyd.

As a professor at MTSU, Little currently teaches applied flute, classes in woodwind methods, literature and pedagogy and directs the MTSU Flute Choir. As a writer/arranger she is the author of Daily Flutin’, a daily warm-up and exercise book for flutists, and has arranged several works for flute ensemble. As an active performer, Little is a member of the Stones River Chamber Players and a frequent guest on Nashville’s WPLN “Live from Studio C” radio broadcasts. She has performed with the Nashville Symphony, the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, Huntsville Symphony ( AL), and Evansville Philharmonic (IN).

Little has won numerous awards for her flute playing. She was a two time winner in the National Flute Association’s Young Artist Competition (1998, 1996) as well as the recipient of an award for best performance of a newly commissioned work at the 1996 convention. She was a winner in the 2007 Myrna Brown Competition in Texas and a 1998 semi-finalist in the New York Concert Artists Guild Competition. She has performed as a soloist, master class clinician, and flute ensemble director throughout the mid-west and mid-south. She was also the 2004 local arrangements coordinator for the NFA Convention in Nashville, TN and is the past-president of the Mid-South Flute Society.

Dr. Jackie McIlwain, Assistant Professor of Clarinet, began teaching at The University of Southern Mississippi in 2013. She enjoys keeping a diverse and active performance schedule with solo recitals, chamber recitals, solo performances, and orchestral concerts. In 2017 Dr. McIlwain became a licensed Andover Educator, which allows her to teach Body Mapping. This body awareness technique teaches anatomy and physiology of the body and how this knowledge can help us release tension and move more efficiently. Body Mapping was created specifically to help musicians perform with more freedom and ease as well as to aide in injury prevention and recovery.

Named Teacher of the Year by the Alabama Music Teachers Association and Music Educator of the Year by the Arts Council of Tuscaloosa, pianist Kevin T. Chance has been hailed as “a superlative musician” playing “with musical conviction and muscularity.” He has performed throughout the United States and abroad as both soloist and collaborator. Recent engagements include performances at Carnegie Hall as well as concerto appearances with Bernstein’s Age of Anxiety and Rachamninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini with the Huxford Symphony Orchestra, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the University of Alabama Wind Ensemble, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the Athens Chorale in Georgia, and Gerald Finzi’s Eclogue. In March 2016, he also appeared with the Tuscaloosa Symphony in a performance of Saint-Saens’s Carnival of the Animals. Recital engagements have taken him throughout the U.S. with recent appearances at the American Matthay Association Festivals, the University of Oklahoma, the Louisiana Piano Series International, and the Albion College International Piano Festival. He has also been presented in performances by the Mobile Opera, the Mississippi Opera, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, the University of Texas at Brownsville, the University of South Carolina, Columbus State University, Auburn University, Millsaps College, the University of North Dakota, the Saratoga Arts Fest, and Bucknell University. Dr. Chance was a prizewinner of several regional and national competitions including the National Society of Arts and Letters Career Awards Competition, Music Teachers National Association Competitions (MTNA), and the Brevard Music Center Concerto Competition.

Dr. Chance is a member of the Semplice Duo with flutist Cristina Ballatori. In August 2004, they were named the winners of the Notes at 9,000 Emerging Artist Series Competition in Colorado. Past seasons have taken them to Texas, Colorado, New York, and Louisiana, and they were selected as artist fellows for the 2005 Hampden-Sydney Music Festival in Virginia, where they returned for a series of performances in 2008. They frequently perform in recital on the “Live from Hochstein” series, which are broadcast live on WXXI radio in Rochester, NY, and in 2014, they made their European debut in Paris.

A sought-after teacher, Dr. Chance maintains a prize-winning studio, and he was recently named a Leadership Board Faculty Fellow by the Universtiy of Alabama College of Arts and Sciences. His students are frequently named winners and finalists in local, state, regional, and national competitions, including the 2009 Music Teachers National Association’s National Competition Finals in Atlanta. He currently serves on the faculties of several summer festivals including the New Orleans Piano Institute. In demand as a clinician and adjudicator, he regularly presents workshops and lecture-performances on repertoire and pedagogy throughout the country, and he has served as a guest artist and clinician for the Michigan, Mississippi, and Alabama state music teacher conferences. Additionally, Dr. Chance has presented at the 2019, 2016, and 2008 Music Teachers National Association Conferences. He is a Past President of the Alabama Music Teachers Association and is a past board member of the Music Teachers National Association serving as Director of the Southern Division. Kevin currently serves as the Vice President of Music Teachers National Association and President of the American Matthay Association.

Serving as Associate Professor of Piano and Chair of the Gloria Narramore Moody Piano Area at the University of Alabama, Dr. Chance is a former faculty member at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music where he was awarded the Jerald C. Graue Fellowship for academic excellence. An alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival, he holds the Master of Music degree from Louisiana State University and graduated magna cum laude from Birmingham-Southern College. His teachers have included Barry Snyder, Constance Knox Carroll, Ann Schein, Anne Koscielny, Herbert Stessin, William DeVan and Betty Sue Shepherd.

Adjunct Professor, Southern Adventist College and Cadek Conservatory Concertmaster, Huntsville Symphony

Violinist Mark Reneau’s career encompasses solo, recital and concerto appearances, as well as orchestral, opera, chamber music and baroque performance. Concertmaster since 1998, Mr. Reneau has performed with the HSO since 1977. He plays frequently in the violin section of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, performing with such conductors as Stefan Sanderling, Carlos Kalmar and Leonard Slatkin. Since 2000, he has performed regularly in the violin section of Orchestra Nashville. In 2003 and 2004, he toured with Amy Grant and Vince Gill. Since 2005, he has been Associate Concertmaster of the Bellingham Festival of Music in Washington state. Several of his performances with the Bellingham Festival have been broadcast on National Public Radio’s Performance Today.

Prior to his appointment in Huntsville, he served as associate concertmaster of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera from 1983 to 1998. In 2006, he was concertmaster of the first Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition held in the United States. Mr. Reneau has made several recordings with Orchestra Nashville, including the first stereo recording of Virgil Thomson’s cello concerto and a critically acclaimed Naxos disc of works by Aaron Copland. He has also made studio recordings with diverse artists such as Trey Anastasio, James Brickman and Rebecca Lynn Howard. Mr. Reneau is gifted and dedicated teacher, serving over twenty years on the faculty of Southern Adventist University. Since 2000, he has taught at the Tennessee’s Governor’s School for the Arts.

From 1978-2005, he was on the faculty of Cadek Conservatory of Music. His students are regularly accepted to music conservatories and major festivals, and are performing with distinguished ensembles such as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Mr. Reneau’s sons are also accomplished musicians. Charles is bass trombonist with the Oregon Symphony, and has performed with the orchestras of Honolulu, Huntsville, Atlanta, Alabama, the Metropolitan Opera and the Israel Philharmonic. Douglas is a graduate trumpet student at the Indiana University. Winner of several national competitions, he toured Europe in 2005 performing the Arutunian Trumpet Concerto. In the summer of 2008, Douglas with the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado. Mr. Reneau’s hobbies include the study of old stringed instruments and bows, cooking, and the study of theology and social history..

Equally at home in both the symphonic and operatic repertoires, conductor Nyela Basney is known for her “fiery intensity” (Chicago Sun-Times) and “brilliance and dexterity”. Excellence, authenticity, joy, and creative engagement with musicians and audiences alike are the hallmarks of Nyela Basney’s three-decade career – one that encompasses over 700 performances as a conductor and pianist and that has taken her to Lincoln Center, rural Louisiana, Chicago, Sarajevo, Rome, Scotland, Uruguay and beyond.
Miss Basney has led Masterworks, Pops and educational concerts with the American Symphony Orchestra (in Avery Fisher and Alice Tully Halls), the Sarajevo Philharmonic, the Virginia, Toledo, Shreveport, and Midland-Odessa Symphony Orchestras, and the Rochester, NY and Massapequa Philharmonics. She has collaborated with Renée Fleming, Peter Schickele, ‘cellist Elizabeth Anderson, pianist Jeffrey Biegel and violinist Zina Schiff.

She has also served as music director and arranger for productions with Chicago’s Music Theatre Works (The Merry Widow with Stacey Tappan), El Paso Opera, Chamber Opera Chicago (at the Edinburg Festival Fringe), Operafestival di Roma, Voices of Change in Dallas, Little Orchestra Society of New York and Opera Tascabile. She was nominated for a Leon Rabin award for Best Music Director for her work with Lyric Stage in Irving, Texas, where she conducted the world premieres of six musicals, including two written by Harvey Schmitz and Tom Jones.

Miss Basney was Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master for nineteen productions with the New York Grand Opera under the tutelage of maestro Vincent LaSelva. She served as cover conductor for Andrew Litton and the Dallas Symphony at Carnegie Hall, for John Nelson with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, at Carnegie Hall and at the Aspen Music Festival. She taught a 5-week Master Class at the National School of Opera in Montevideo, traveling as a cultural specialist with the United States Information Agency.
She is the founder and Artistic and Executive Director of Trusted Alliance Masterclass, Inc., focused on the synergy between singer and conductor, and has recently given two recital tours with noted Italian violinist (and recent guest concertmaster at La Scala) Alessandro Cervo.

Mis Basney attended the Eastman School of Music, receiving her undergraduate and graduate degrees with highest distinction.

Dr. Preston Light currently serves as Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at Tennessee Tech University and is Principal Tuba of the Bryan Symphony Orchestra. Previously, he taught tuba and euphonium at Xavier University and Northern Kentucky University.

An active freelancer, Preston has performed with a variety of ensembles. His orchestral experience includes performances with the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Kentucky Symphony, Youngstown Symphony, South Bend Symphony, Richmond (IN) Symphony, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Queen City Opera, and the Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra. As a chamber musician he has performed with Summit Brass, the Linton Chamber Music Brass Quintet, and is a member of Cincinnati based Seven Hills Brass Ensemble. Preston has presented masterclasses and recitals across the United States, as well as being a featured soloist with many bands and orchestras.

Preston also has had an accomplished competitive career. He won the 2018 Solo Tuba Competition at the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” Tuba-Euphonium Workshop, 3rd prize in the 2018 Music Teachers National Association Young Artist Brass Competition, 1st prize at the 2016 Falcone International Tuba Artist Competition, 1st prize in the Mock Band competition at the 2016 International Tuba Euphonium Conference, and won the 2016 Jan and Beattie Wood Concerto Competition at the Brevard Music Center. Preston has also won and placed at many regional conferences hosted by the International Tuba Euphonium Association.

Dr. Light holds a B.M. in Music Education from Tennessee Technological University and a M.M. and D.M.A. from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. His primary instructors include Timothy Northcut, Chris Olka, R. Winston Morris, and Jimmie Self.

Amy Collins is a highly respected oboist, educator, and entrepreneur with a career spanning many decades.  Since 2019, she has served as the Principal Oboe for The Venice Symphony, while also maintaining an active teaching and performance schedule throughout the greater Tampa Bay area and beyond. She has been an adjunct Professor of Oboe at The University of South Florida since 2004, where she teaches applied oboe, coaches chamber ensembles, and directs the USF Da’ “Bull” Reed Summer Camp, a program she founded in 2004 that has since become a vital part of USF’s outreach and educational efforts.

In addition to her work at USF, Collins holds faculty positions at Hillsborough Community College, Florida College, Eckerd College, and The Pinellas County Center for the Arts High School, where she is known for her dedication to student development. She previously taught at The University of Tampa, contributing to the growth and refinement of oboists across multiple institutions.

Collins’ performance career is equally distinguished, both in the U.S. and abroad. She spends her summers on the faculty of the Governors School for the Arts in Tennessee, where she teaches and performs, and has also participated in several prestigious summer music festivals throughout Europe. As a performer, she holds Principal Oboe positions with both The Venice Symphony and The Villages Philharmonic.

She is also the oboist/English hornist for her chamber group, Amici, a dynamic ensemble that has allowed her to explore a wide range of chamber music repertoire. Amici is known for its innovative programming, performing not only standard works but also commissioned pieces and the ensemble’s own transcriptions of music, tailored to highlight the unique capabilities of the oboe and English horn. Through this group, Collins is able to collaborate closely with composers and other musicians to bring new, exciting works to life, contributing to the evolution of the chamber music genre.

A versatile musician, Collins regularly performs for numerous touring Broadway productions in Tampa, in addition to participating in Broadway National tours. Her ability to adapt to different musical styles has made her a sought-after performer for some of the world’s leading performing arts companies. Over the years, she has played with the New York City Opera, Miami City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, The Moisiev Ballet, Cirque du Soleil, and the famous Mannheim Steamroller. Her collaborations have extended beyond classical ensembles to include performances with internationally renowned artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Luciano Pavarotti, Tony Bennett, Diana Ross, Josh Groban, Lindsey Stirling, and Evanescence.

Among the many highlights of her illustrious career, one of the most significant was her performance for Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in 2007. This historic event marked her as the first instrumentalist to perform in the Basilica of St. Peter’s since Pope John Paul I, a distinction that remains a proud milestone in her career.

Collins is not only an influential figure in performance and education but also a successful entrepreneur. She is the president of The Stellar Corporation, Inc. (dba Stellar Oboe Products), a business she founded that specializes in crafting high-quality oboe-related products. The company celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023, a testament to its lasting impact and Collins’ business acumen. Stellar Oboe Products is widely known and trusted by oboists worldwide, helping musicians elevate their craft with superior tools and materials.

Whether on stage, in the classroom, or as a business leader, Amy Collins has left an indelible mark on the world of music. Her passion for performance, her commitment to education, and her drive to innovate have established her as a leading voice in the classical music community. Her contributions, both as an oboist and as a dedicated teacher, continue to inspire generations of musicians to pursue excellence in their art.

Dr. Ben McIlwain joined the faculty of The University of Southern Mississippi in the fall of 2010 and was named the Nina Bells Suggs Endowed Professor of Trombone in May of 2014. He holds degrees from Middle Tennessee State University (B.M.), Manhattan School of Music (M.M.) and The Florida State University (D.M.)

One of Dr. McIlwain’s main passions and research interests is supporting new music for the trombone.  As of June 2017, Dr. McIlwain has commissioned over 30 new works for trombone solo and/or ensemble.  This includes compositions for his group, Tromboteam, which successfully funded a Kickstarter.com campaign in 2012 that raised $10,000 for new works for trombone ensemble including composers James Kazik, Kevin McKee and Alan Theisen to name a few.  Tromboteam released their debut album containing all nine of these Kickstarter.com funded commissions in 2015. This recording is funded by a Scholarly and Creative Arts Grant provided by the College of Arts and Letters.  After being awarded the Aubrey Keith Lucas and Ella Ginn Lucas Endowment for Faculty Excellence, Dr. McIlwain was able to fund a new concerto for trombone and orchestra by Russian composer, Polina Nazaykinskaya.  In addition, the composer agreed that this piece would be written in memory of McIlwain’s former student Gustavo Campos Cassemiro, who lost his battle with cancer on December 4, 2013.  The title of this work is Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, In Memoriam to Gustavo Campos Cassemiro.   Premiere performances included with the Southern Miss Symphony Orchestra in February 2015 and with the U.S. Pershing’s Own at the American Trombone Workshop in March 2015.

In addition to these commissioning and performance opportunities, Dr. McIlwain has been active in service to the International Trombone Association.  The former President of the International Trombone Association, Jiggs Whigham, appointed him, Director of TAPAS (Trombone Artists Performing for Amateurs and Students), which aimed to increase membership in the Association.  Dr. McIlwain is also a frequent contributor to the ITA Journal as a writer and literature reviewer.

At Southern Miss, Dr. McIlwain directs all aspects of the trombone studio including The Southern Miss Trombone Choir, Select Octet,  and Hub Bones (jazz trombone ensemble).  The Southern Miss Trombone Choir was invited to perform twice at the 2013 International Trombone Festival in Columbus, GA and at the American Trombone Workshop in 2017.   He is also a member of the Southern Arts Brass Quintet, the faculty brass quintet at Southern Miss. In June 2015, Dr. McIlwain joined members of Tromboteam to start an annual summer trombone camp in 2015: Summer Slides @ Southern Miss with Tromboteam, which was a rousing success. His primary teachers have included Dr. David Loucky, formerly of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Dr. Per Brevig, former Principal Trombonist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, along with Dr. John Drew, professor of trombone at Florida State University.

As a Presidential University Fellow at Florida State University, Dr. McIlwain was the first doctoral trombone student and one of two in the entire College of Music at FSU to ever receive this honor. The research for his doctoral treatise titled, “Select Contributions and Commissions in Solo Trombone Repertoire by Trombonist Innovator and Pioneer: Stuart Dempster,” consists of extensive interviews with Stuart Dempster and Pauline Oliveros, among others.  He has published articles in the Grove Dictionary for Music and Musicians and the International Trombone Association Journal. Dr. McIlwain has also performed as a guest artist at the International Trombone Festival, the American Trombone Workshop, and Trombonapalooza.

In addition to the Suggs Endowed Professorship and Lucas Award, Dr. McIlwain has also been awarded the Junior Faculty Creative Achievement Award and the College of Arts and Letters’ Junior Faculty of the Year Award at The University of Southern Mississippi.

Dr. Ben McIlwain is a Performing Artist for S.E. Shires Trombones.

A native of Wichita, Kansas, Dr. Brian Mueller is currently Lecturer in Percussion at Middle Tennessee State University. 

He holds a Doctor of Music degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (2016).  His prior academic background includes a Bachelor of Music degree from Wichita State University (2007) and a Master of Music degree from The University of North Texas (2009). Brian has worked as a freelance drummer, percussionist, and instructor for many years, and is also a published composer.  He has traveled and performed nationally and internationally, including as a guest soloist and clinician at the Paris Conservatory in December of 2014, and has performed twice at PASIC. He has been an active steel pan performer with the Bloomington based steel pan group, Steel Panache, and currently plays marimba with the newly formed B-Line Jazz Percussion Trio.  Brian performs regularly with the Sewanee Symphony Orchestra and is also an active clinician, presenting workshops and performances nationally.  He proudly endorses Innovative Percussion.

University of Tennessee Chattanooga and Lee University

Based in Chattanooga, TN, Staci A. Spring leads a versatile career as a professional bassoonist, educator, and arts advocate. She performs frequently throughout the region with ensembles including the Knoxville Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, Rome Symphony, Chattanooga Bach Choir, Opera Tennessee, Figment Chamber Ensemble, and the Fourth Wall Trio. She maintains a private bassoon studio, and holds faculty appointments at Lee University, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga State Community College, and the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts. In 2019 she was selected as a UTC-Wolf Trap Teaching Artist, an affiliate program of the nationally renowned Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts. 

An active member in the Chattanooga arts community, Spring has participated in the Holmberg Arts Leadership Institute, served on the Community Arts Team for the Kennedy Center’s Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child initiative in Chattanooga-Hamilton County, and spent three seasons with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera as the Youth Orchestras Manager and the Community Engagement Manager. In 2016 she founded the Scenic City Bassoon Ensemble; a group for bassoonists of all ages and skill levels that performs in community settings. 

Other professional experience includes a decade of performing and teaching in Texas, where she held faculty appointments at Stephen F. Austin State University, McMurry University, Abilene Christian University, and Hardin-Simmons University. She performed numerous recitals as a member of the Stone Fort Wind Quintet, Key City Winds, and the Abilene Chamber Players, and performed regularly with the Abilene Philharmonic, Midland-Odessa Symphony & Chorale, San Angelo Symphony, Longview Symphony, Texarkana Symphony, and Shreveport Symphony orchestras. She has performed and presented at conferences for the International Double Reed Society, Texas Music Educators Association, and the College Music Society, and has served on the organizational team for the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition & Bassoon Symposium since 2013.

Spring is a doctoral candidate at the University of North Texas, where she studied bassoon with Kathleen Reynolds and completed a Graduate Academic Certificate in Arts Leadership as a Priddy Scholarship recipient. She earned dual Master of Music degrees in Historical Musicology and Bassoon Performance from The Florida State University, studying with scholar Denise Von Glahn and bassoonist Jeffrey Keesecker. She completed her undergraduate studies at Brevard College in North Carolina. 

Master’s degree from Duquesne University Bachelor’s degree from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University

Double bassist, Taylor Brown, joined the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera as principal in 2012. Prior to his appointment, Taylor performed regularly with the symphony orchestras of Youngstown, OH, Canton, OH, and West Virginia. In addition to his work with the CSO, Taylor has performed as a substitute musician with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Huntsville Symphony, toured internationally with Barry Manilow, and has performed with Earth, Wind, and Fire.

He maintains a private teaching studio in the Chattanooga area comprised of students of all ages and is a faculty member of Tennessee’s Governor’s School for the Arts. Taylor has earned a Bachelor’s degree from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s degree from Duquesne University. His primary teachers were Jeffery Turner and Micah Howard of the Pittsburgh Symphony and John Hood of the Philadelphia Orchestra. As an advocate for the arts, Taylor has served as a musician’s representative on the board of directors of the CSO and is a founding board member of Chattanooga Young Artistic Network (CYAN). When not performing, Taylor enjoys riding bikes on the roads and trails of the Chattanooga area.

Originally from California MD, Simon Yeh is a Nashville based saxophonist, woodwind doubler, arranger, composer, and producer. Simon is currently the saxophonist/Horn arranger for artist Danny Gokey, and has worked with many other artists/groups including Michael W. Smith, Toby Mac, Chris Tomlin, Matthew West, Mac Powel, Mandisa, T. Grahm Brown and many more. Simon also arranges for various horn/string sections around Nashville including Nashville based international super band UNIVERSAL CRUSH.

In addition to working with artists/bands in a live setting, Simon can be found in the studio recording for various artists in many different genres from classical to jazz to pop, and much more. While in the studio, Simon has had the chance to play along side and learn from some of the worlds best horn players and session musicians. Simon is one of the co-founders of Nashville based horn section, BNA Horns.

While Simon keeps a very busy performance schedule, he also spends a lot of his time in Music Education with over 10 yrs of teaching experience. Simon is currently on faculty at Lipscomb University where he teaches saxophone, woodwind doubling, jazz improvisation, ear training, music technology, and leads the Lipscomb University jazz ensemble.

Todd Waldecker has served on the faculty of the Middle Tennessee State University School of Music where he teaches clarinet, pedagogy and chamber music.  He holds degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Yale University, and the University of Missouri. He has also served for over twenty years on the faculty of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts.

Waldecker has performed across the United States, Europe, Asia and South America, and has appeared by invitation at several International Clarinet Association conventions. He is a frequent performer with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Opera, and can be heard on commercial recordings for film, television and video games.

Waldecker’s current and former students enjoy careers as university professors, public school teachers, orchestral and military band performers, and in the various fields of music publishing, sales, marketing and instrument repair.  His students have been semi-finalists and finalists in the International Clarinet Association Competitions and they regularly attend summer music festivals around the globe.

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A native of the Midwest, Dr. Michael Arndt joined the MTSU School of Music as the trumpet professor in 2002. In addition to maintaining a private studio of more than twenty music majors and minors. Arndt coaches and directs the MTSU Symphonic Brass Ensemble, the award winning MTSU Trumpet Ensemble, and numerous other brass chamber ensembles. He has also guest conducted both the MTSU Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band.

Under his direction, the MTSU Trumpet Ensemble is very active and has opened for the Nashville Symphony Orchestra’s Day of Music, competed in the National Trumpet Competition in Washington, DC, and performed at the International Trumpet Guild Conference.

Arndt has additionally presented and performed at conferences in the US and in Bangkok, Thailand. His performing schedule at the university is very busy as he performs solo recitals and regularly with the Stones River Chamber Players. The MTSU Faculty Brass Quintet features Arndt along with colleagues David Loucky, Jeff Bailey, Angela DeBoer, and Gilbert Long. They have presented many concerts in Middle Tennessee featuring some of the most exciting and difficult music for brass quintet.

Since moving to Middle Tennessee, Arndt has been increasingly active in Nashville’s dynamic music community. He is a regular addition to the Nashville Symphony Orchestra trumpet section and plays Principal Trumpet with the Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra. He has also recently played Principal Trumpet with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra in performances of Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben and Berlioz’s Symphony Fantastique. He has performed with Orchestra Nashville, the Nashville Opera Orchestra, Chattanooga Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and many others. Additionally, he is active in Nashville recording studios and has performed with many of Nashville’s best known performers for Fourth of July Celebrations, benefit concerts, and even at Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Music Festival.

Arndt earned degrees in Trumpet Performance from some of the most reputable programs throughout the United States. He received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory of Music, Master of Music from the University of Minnesota and Doctorate of Music Arts from Arizona State University. He was also awarded a Performance Certificate from DePaul University. His teachers include Dave Hickman, Philip Clark, Keith Benjamin, Gary Schutza, Gary Bordner, David Baldwin, and John Hagstrom.

Listen to Michael Arndt in streaming audio:

Profiles for Trumpet, Very Fast by Fisher Tull – Michael Arndt Trumpet, Sandra Arndt, piano

Intrada for Solo Trumpet by Otto Ketting- Michael Arndt, Trumpet

Concerto in D, Allegro by Fasch Michael Arndt Trumpet; Sandra Arndt, piano

Concerto For Trumpet by F. Joseph Haydn Michael Arndt, trumpet; Sandra Arndt, piano

You Made Me Love You, Harry James (standard), Michael Arndt, trumpet with Bowling Green Chamber Orchestra.