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• Joshua Konow

  Joshua Konow is a graduate from the Cleveland Institute of Music with a master of music degree in piano performance. Joshua’s music endeavors include conducting, solo and chamber music performance, musical theater directing and piano teaching. Joshua Konow is in his fifth season as Music Director for the TrueNorth Chamber Orchestra on the west side of Cleveland and first season as Principal Conductor for the Solon Philharmonic Orchestra. Additionally, Mr. Konow is the full-time Director of Music Ministries at Federated Church UCC in Chagrin Falls. Prior to moving to Cleveland in August of 2010, Joshua attended the Manhattan School of Music earning a bachelor of music degree, also in piano performance.

• Caroline Vickers*

  Caroline Vickers joined the Gilmour Academy faculty in 2013. She teaches students in all three divisions of the school and is dedicated to celebrating the unique creative gifts in every child. Prior to Gilmour, she taught at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. for 13 years. During that time, she served as Arts Department Chair (middle division) from 2008-12 and was awarded the Goldberg Family Award for excellence in teaching in 2012. Caroline is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and Ithaca College where she earned a bachelor’s of music in music education and vocal performance. She was the co-founder of the Washington Girls Chorus and has served as a guest conductor/clinician throughout her career. Caroline holds a master of music in music education/choral pedagogy from the School of Music at the University of Maryland.

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• Violin: Kelsey Ferguson

  Kelsey Ferguson is a Cleveland violinist who started playing the violin at age 10. She recently graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with Jan Mark Sloman and achieved a double master’s degree in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy. Previously, she studied with Ivan Zenaty at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Olga Kaler at the DePaul School of Music in Chicago where she graduated in 2016. In both Cleveland and Chicago, Kelsey is an active freelancer, performing with some of top ensembles in the areas, including The Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Fifth House Ensemble, the Akron Symphony, and Cleveland Opera Theater. She also maintains a busy teaching schedule; in Chicago she worked for the Ravinia Festival’s El Sistema program along with other area string programs and private students. Now in Cleveland, she teaches violin at the Aurora School of Music, the Cleveland Music Settlement, Laurel School, City Strings, and is the director of children’s choirs at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. Last summer, she traveled to Harare, Zimbabwe to teach Suzuki Violin, lead group classes and give recitals. She has had the privilege of playing in masterclasses for Paul Kantor, Frank Almond, Ilya Kaler, and Grigory Kalinovsky as well as attending highly regarded music festivals such as the National Orchestral Institute, Bowdoin International Music Festival the Orford Academy. This summer she will performed with the New Hampshire Music Festival and Festival Napa Valley in California.

• Guitar: Morgan Mecaskey

  Morgan Mecaskey is a professional musician, composer, songwriter, and educator based in Cleveland, Ohio. A Cleveland native, Morgan grew up taking lessons at the Cleveland Music School Settlement, and, after attending Interlochen Arts Academy, decided to pursue songwriting and jazz studies. Morgan studied music performance at Tri-C and Cleveland State, with both guitar and piano as primary instruments. She regularly performs original music all around northeast Ohio. As an instructor, Morgan emphasizes a cohesive comprehension of music as well as theory and ear training practically applied.

• Harp: Grace Roepke

  Grace Roepke, harpist, is from Minneapolis. Minn. Roepke has played the harp since she was six years old, learning through the Suzuki method at the MacPhail School of Music. Although a new performer, she was the grand prize winner in the 2019 Friends of the Minnesota Orchestra Young Artists Competition. As the grand prize winner, Roepke is a soloist in the Minnesota Orchestra’s upcoming 2020-21 season. Roepke has earned additional awards as well, the Alice Chalifoux Prize in Harp 2019, the Cleveland Institute of Music Merit Award 2015-2019, the Eastern Music Festival's Young Artist Merit Award 2016, the Eastern Music Festival's Concerto Competition Winner 2016 and Interlochen Summer Arts Camp's Emerson Scholarship. Her orchestral experience includes Ohio Light Opera (Principal Harp), Illinois Symphony Orchestra (Substitute Harp), Cleveland Pops Orchestra (Substitute Harp), Firelands Symphony Orchestra (Substitute Harp), and Cleveland Institute of Music and New Music Ensemble (Principal Harp). As an instructor, Roepke is certified in Every Child Can!® Course 2019 and has earned Suzuki Harp Book 1 Certification. Roepke is currently a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music in the Master of Music in Harp Performance program.

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• French horn: Emily Shelley

  Emily Shelley was born in Toronto, Ontario. She is currently second horn of both the Wheeling Symphony in West Virginia and the Erie Philharmonic in Pennsylvania and is a member of the North Coast Winds quintet in Cleveland. Mrs. Shelley has taught privately for over a decade, is the French horn faculty member at the Music Settlement in Cleveland and has been on faculty for numerous summer music programs, such as The Sitka Fine Arts Camp in Sitka, Alaska and the North Coast Winds Chamber Music Camp. In addition to her performing career she holds the position of ArtsConnect Coordinator with the Cleveland International Piano Competition.

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• Bassoon: Mackenzie Brauns

  Mackenzie Brauns is an active performer throughout the Midwest and beyond. Mackenzie is principal bassoon of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, Mansfield Symphony Orchestra and Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. Mackenzie received her bachelor and master of music degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is currently pursuing an artist diploma at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Mackenzie has been teaching bassoon privately since 2015 and her students have successfully auditioned for OMEA District Honor Band and have received Superior (I) ratings at OMEA Solo and Ensemble Contest. Mackenzie is also an apprentice teacher through CIM’s Distance Learning Program, which broadcasts live music classes to classrooms around the world.

• Flute: Gayle Getts

  Gayle Getts earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Baldwin-Wallace University (studying with William J. Hebert, piccoloist of The Cleveland Orchestra) and Master of Music degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (studying with Alexander Murray, Principal Flute of the London Symphony Orchestra). In addition to being a Musician-in-Residence of The Cleveland Clinic for over 10 years, Ms. Getts also performs weekly at the Metro General Health Centers. She carries a full private teaching schedule at her home as well as the Laurel School. In 2015, she joined the staff at John Carroll University as an Adjunct Faculty member, conducting the Wind Ensemble. She has performed with the Blossom Festival Band, Cleveland Symphonic Winds, the Sounds of Sousa Band and even the Moody Blues and Yanni. Having taught private flute lessons for over 40 years, her students have ranged from beginners to advanced national award-winners, many whom are today music teachers and playing flute professionally.

• Saxophone: Thomas Lempner

  Thomas Lempner, saxophonist, serves on the faculty at Baldwin Wallace University’s Conservatory of Music, Cleveland State University and Notre Dame College, and is a woodwind coach for the Cleveland Institute of Music Cleveland Youth Wind Symphonies. Tom earned a master of music at Kent State University, graduating summa cum laude. At Kent State, he was awarded the Walter Watson Jazz Award, Outstanding Soloist at Elmhurst Jazz Festival, and Winner of the Graduate Student Soloists Competition. He also earned a double bachelor's degree in music therapy and music performance at the Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory of Music and a diploma from the Armed Forces School of Music.

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• Rachel Glenn

  Rachel Glenn, soprano, is currently pursuing her master’s degree in voice at the Cleveland Institute of Music under the direction of Dr. Mary Schiller. With years of singing, performing, and teaching experience, Rachel has had the opportunity to work with many teachers and coaches including Dr. Diane Reich, Michele Scott, Erin Morley, and Wendy Bryn Harmer. She has performed extensively with BYU's opera theater and participated in summer music programs with Utah Lyric Opera, Utah Vocal Arts Academy, and the Atlantic Music Festival where she was privileged to work with Metropolitan Opera tenor Anthony Laciura, Maestro Nicolas Giusti, Barbara Day Turner, and Daniel Helfgot. Some of her favorite roles include Susanna from Le nozze di Figaro, Rosina from Il barbiere di Siviglia, Nella from Gianni Schicchi, and Yum-Yum from The Mikado. Rachel won first place in both the district and regional rounds of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competition and competed in the BYU Young Artist Competition where she was awarded the Roy Samuelson Award.

   

  Along with Rachel's passion for performing, she has a passion for teaching. Rachel is versatile in many musical styles including classical, musical theater, and jazz. She has taught students in junior high through college and loves helping students find their unique and individual voice. Inspired by the words of Joyce DiDonato when she said, "The opposite of war isn't peace . . .it's CREATION," Rachel Glenn aims to create confident singers who can create a better world through the mediums of discipline, hard work, sensitivity, and music. Rachel aspires to create joyful singers who, through their performance, inspire others to create beauty in their respective fields.

• Anna Lowrey

  Anna Lowrey is currently a second-year graduate student at Shenandoah University majoring in Vocal Pedagogy with a concentration in contemporary and commercial music. She received her Bachelor of Music from Baldwin Wallace University in May of 2019. During her time as an undergraduate she was a Vocal Performance major, heavily focused on the classical genre. Halfway through her undergraduate career, she found a passion for teaching voice when she started taking pedagogy classes and began teaching through the Baldwin Wallace Community Music School outreach program. Now she is an enthusiastic pedagogue passionate about teaching crossover training. Even though she was originally trained classically, she is now shifting her specialty to musical theatre, pop, rock, country, jazz, and gospel functional training. Anna has been involved in numerous choirs, opera, and musicals during her academic career. She is a member of the Shenandoah Conservatory Choir and was most recently a featured soloist for their Bach Festival. Some her favorite roles she has learned include Mother Goose in The Rake’s Progress (Baldwin Wallace University), Jenny in The Three Penny Opera (Cleveland Opera Theatre), and The Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Hawaii Performing Arts Festival). She is trained vocally by Professor Gregory Lee Harrell (Baldwin Wallace University) and Edrie Means Weekly (Shenandoah University). She is a proud member of SNATS (Student National Association of Teachers of Singing) and recently completed the Shenandoah CCM institute. Her passion is teaching safe and healthy techniques for students of all genres, while helping her students to find their individual and unique voice.