STRINGS FACULTY

 

Liz Dinwiddie - Studio Head (violin and viola) received her Bachelor of Music at Boston University in viola performance and her Master of Music the University of Colorado at Boulder in viola performance and pedagogy. Ms. Dinwiddie is currently a violist with the Boulder Chamber Orchestra. Her article titled "Setup: Fitting the Instrument to the Body When All Bodies are Different" was featured in American String Teacher in 2007. Ms. Dinwiddie has participated in the Aspen and Tanglewood music festivals and her teachers have included Michelle LaCourse, James Dunham, Erika Eckert and Barbara Hamilton. She has played in the viola sections of the Greeley Philharmonic, New England Philharmonic, Ft. Collins Symphony, and Boulder Philharmonic. Ms. Dinwiddie's early childhood education experience includes three years of teaching preschool and Suzuki training.

 

 

 

 

Brad Ferree (viola, violin, piano) Brad Ferree has enjoyed an extensive career performing with his two main instruments, violin and piano. From 1996, when he won his first concerto competition on the piano, he has performed extensively enjoying such honors as the “Louisiana State University Music Award” which gave him a full tuition scholarship to attend college. Brad has performed professionally with many symphonies from Louisiana to Colorado. Some of his notable experiences were with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and Acadiana Symphony. In 2007, Brad was honored with the opportunity to perform the Stamitz viola concerto with the McPherson Chamber Orchestra. Through his many years of studies, he has had the opportunity to perform in master-classes with Roland Vamos, James Dunham and Donald McInnes. He has also studied with several important musicians such as Geraldine Walther, Dr.Jerzy Kosmala, Erika Eckert, Dr. David Lowe and Borislava Iltcheva. Brad obtained his Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from Louisiana State University and his Master of Music from the University of Colorado in Boulder

 

 

 

Marissa Swanson Ferro (violin, viola) began her violin studies at the age of three. At age 10, she started playing the viola as a chamber and string orchestra musician, performing a solo recital on both instruments at the age of 16. She then decided to focus on Viola Performance, receiving a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Minnesota, and continued her graduate studies at the University of Southern California. During the past 5 years, Marissa became a beloved string teacher in the Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA. She taught violin and viola to beginning through advanced students, age 3 to adult, using both Suzuki and traditional methods. In addition to her private studio, she spent 4 years teaching small and large group string classes and ensembles in public and private schools. Marissa’s extensive performing experience includes solo appearances with orchestras, principal viola positions, chamber music recitals and competitions, and solo recitals. A prize-winner in numerous competitions, she was also a fellowship recipient of the Aspen Music Festival. Marissa’s principal teachers and chamber music coaches have included Korey Konkol, Donald McInnes, Ralph Fielding, Heidi Castleman, Cheryl Minor Stewart, Lydia Artymiw, Peter Howard, and Jorja Fleezanis.

 

 

 

Gyöngyi Petheo (violin) received a Diploma from the Franz List Academy of Music and played full time in the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra. Since 1986, she has managed and played violin in the Columbine String Quartet. She is owner and manager of Columbine Entertainment, a full-service booking agency representing classical, jazz and variety groups. She is a member of the Boulder Philharmonic, Central City Opera, Greeley Philharmonic, and the Boulder Bach Festival Orchestras. Formerly she taught at the Boulder Arts Academy since it was founded in 1991 until it closed in 2007. Gyöngyi teaches the European method with a large variety of materials, including the Suzuki books.

 

 

 

Heather Plattenberger (cello) received a bachelor degree in Music Performance and Music Education from New Mexico State University where she graduated With Honors and as Valedictorian of her class in 2002.  During her time there, she performed in the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, the Doña Ana Lyric Opera, and the University Orchestra.  Heather graduated with a master degree in Music Education from the University of Colorado in 2005.  In 2009, Heather completed her long-term training within the Suzuki Method with Carol Tarr at the University of Denver. Heather’s public school teaching began in 2003 within the Boulder Valley School District.  Heather teaches students in the fifth through eighth grade levels. Heather also enjoys playing immensely and has started two different performing groups. The Auburn Duo is a classical piano-cello duo and Delilah’s Revenge is an Irish-punk band both of which play in local venues!

 

 

 

 

Britt Swenson (violin) received her B.M. and M.M. degrees from the Juilliard School. She made her Carnegie Hall debut soloing with the New York Pops Orchestra and gave a Carnegie Hall recital in Weill Hall to benefit the Northern Lights Organization, which benefits children born with HIV/AIDS. She has performed throughout the US, Europe and Asia with such artists as Jean Pierre Rampal, Mstislav Rostroprovich and Yehudi Menuhin. Britt has been featured on NPR’s “Performance Today” and “Music from the Grand Teton Music Festival.” She has recorded extensively, including as soloist in Vivaldi Four Seasons with the Bismarck Symphony, as a chamber musician and in over 30 Hollywood movie soundtracks. Awarded the prestigious Frank Huntington Beebe Fellowship, Britt spent a year studying at the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg, Austria. She is currently violinist with the five-member Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, which tours throughout the US, performs regularly at Chautauqua and is featured in silent films on Turner Classic Movies. Britt has been a devoted teacher for over 15 years. She has been a teaching fellow at Harvard University and the Juilliard School. Britt has also worked with students of all ages in New York, Los Angeles and the Boulder/Denver area. Her teachers have included Cho Liang Lin, Sally Thomas, Stephen Clapp and Bayla Keyes. (Photo credit Sue Daniels Photography,©2008)

 

 

Eleanor Wells (cello) graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts high school division in 1995 and went on to study at the University of Colorado at Boulder, as a full scholarship student with Judith Glyde. While at the University of Colorado, she received the Denes Koromzay Quartet Award and placed in the finals of the honors competition two years in a row. She also spent several summers at the Eastern Music Festival and the Aspen Music Festival. Her teachers have included John Erhlich, Yehuda Hanani, Robert Marsh, and Charles Wendt. Elle received her Master of Music degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara where she studied with Geoffrey Rutkowski and was awarded first place winner of the Santa Barbara Performing Arts Competition. Currently, she is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder and performs with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, the Greeley Philharmonic, and the Central City Opera Orchestra.

 

Jennifer West (double bass, bass guitar, violin) earned her Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Music Education from Lawrence University Conservatory of Music where she studied bass with Laura Snyder of the Milwaukee Symphony. She is currently pursuing her Master of Music degree in Double Bass Performance at the University of Colorado – Boulder, where she is studying with Paul Erhard. Jennifer is also a registered Suzuki Bass Teacher and uses both Suzuki and traditional methods in her teaching. Jennifer recently moved to the area from Chicago where she taught orchestra and private bass and violin lessons at the Chicago Waldorf School, Smiling Strings, and Chicago Public Schools. She has performed with the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, Ravenswood Community Orchestra, Evanston Symphony Orchestra, Kankakee Symphony Orchestra, Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra and the Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra, as well as with many rock and folk bands, an improv string trio, a jazz trio, and for Second City and the HOUSE Theatre. Jennifer is currently a member of the Denver Philharmonic.

 

 

HARP FACULTY

Rosalie Gilbert (harp) is an active professional harpist, with over a decade of experience in solo, ensemble, and freelance performance. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) in May 2008, and is starting graduate work at The University of Colorado at Boulder (CU) where she has been appointed the harp department teaching assistant. Rosalie has performed with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, the CIM Orchestra and Opera Orchestra, and the University Circle Wind Ensemble. She is performing with the CU Symphony Orchestra and Opera Orchestra, and the Jefferson Symphony this semester. She has also performed solo recitals in Ohio; Washington, D.C.; Maryland; Virginia and Maine. Among her festival credits are appearances at the Pierre Monteux School (ME), the International Festival at Roundtop (TX), and the National Festival Orchestra at Carnegie Hall (NY). She was named a Maryland Distinguished Scholar in the Arts in 2003 and received a Maryland Governor’s Merit Award in 2004. Her teachers have included Janet Harriman, Yolanda Kondonassis, Jeanne Chalifoux, Alice Chalifoux, and Paula Page. Originally from Maryland, Rosalie enjoys teaching and performing in beautiful Boulder.

 

WOODWINDS FACULTY

 

Carol Codrescu (flute, recorder) holds a Bachelor of Music in flute performance from Baylor University where she studied with Helen Ann Shanley, a Master of Music degree in Early Music Performance on baroque flute from New England Conservatory where she studied with Peter Bloom, and a Certificate of Advanced Study on baroque and keyed flutes from Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, where she studied with Stephen Preston. She has studied in masterclasses with Stephen Preston, Jed Wentz, Geoffrey Gilbert, and Trevor Wye. Carol has performed in solo, chamber, and orchestral concerts in Colorado, England, Massachusetts, and Texas. She performed at the National Flute Association’s 1993 Convention in the Baroque Flute Masterclass for Sandra Miller. She was a semi-finalist in the 1998 National Flute Association’s Baroque Flute Artist Competition and was invited to perform at the 2001 and 2007 NFA Conventions on concerts of baroque chamber music. She has also served as tape judge for the NFA Baroque Flute Masterclass and Baroque Flute Artists Competitions. She teaches recorder, flute and chamber music at Parlando. (Photo credit Sue Daniels Photography,©2008)

 

 

Karen Dusek (clarinet) graduated from the Eastman School of Music with high distinction. She studied clarinet with Stanley Hasty, Charles Neidich, Russell Dagon, and Anthony Gigliotti, and bass clarinet with Don Ambler. Karen has extensive teaching experience with students of all levels, beginner through adult, including college prep. She teaches clarinet and bass clarinet and offers group lessons as well as traditional private lessons. Her students participate in clarinet ensembles, recitals, competitions, and more. Her artistic pursuits include recordings on CRS and CBS Master Recording labels and collaborations with directors and principal dancers from local ballet companies. She has played clarinet and bass clarinet with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra since 1987. Former orchestra appointments include the Penfield Symphony and the Rochester Philharmonic both in New York. Her professional affiliations include the International Clarinet Association, the Denver Musicians Association, and she is a lifetime member of Pi Kappa Lambda, the national honor society for musicians. Karen serves as the Center Representative for the National Music Certificate Program, affiliated with the Royal Conservatory of Music, and Parlando is the official theory examination center in Colorado. (Photo credit Sue Daniels Photography,©2008)

 

 

Danny Meyer was born in Colorado and began playing the saxophone at the age of 10. He has performed throughout the United States and has had the privilege to play alongside notable musicians such as Theo Peoples (Four Tops, Temptations), John Popper (Blues Traveler), Ron Miles (Bill Frisell, Don Byron), DJ Logic, and Kent McLagan (Jane Ira Bloom). A graduate of the University of Colorado School of Music in Boulder, Mr. Meyer has developed his own original music projects as well as contributed to notable local ensembles such as the 9th and Lincoln Jazz Orchestra, the Legacy Jazz Orchestra, the Future Jazz Project, the Lelah Simon Quartet, the Carmen Sandim Sextet, the Bijouix Barbosa Trio, amongst others. Danny Meyer currently teaches full-time and is on staff at the Parlando School for the Arts, Boulder Country Day School, Justice High School (Boulder), the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts.

 

 

Malia Alford Van Rooy (flute, piano) B.M., Baylor University - has been musically involved throughout her life, performing in various ensembles throughout Colorado, Texas, Washington, D.C., Washington State, France, and China. Her performances include solos, duos, quartets, quintets, and octets, as well as weddings, church services, and with various singer/songwriters. She has also played in the pit orchestra for the Baylor Theatre's production of She Loves Me and Broadway in Boulder's The Secret Garden. Malia graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Music, majoring in flute performance and minoring in piano studies. She has won master classes with flute players such as William Bennett, Sheryl Cohen, and Walfrid Kujala and has studied under Karen Yonovitz, Marilyn Prestia, and Helen Ann Shanley. While at Baylor, she was the pianist and accompanist at her church, for services, choir, and in praise band. She also accompanied for various performances in the School of Music and has studied under Jane Abbott-Kirk and Tamara Goldstein. Malia has been teaching since the age of fifteen. She has taught privately, at A Child's Song, and at the Lake Arlington Academy of Music in Arlington, Texas. Malia also serves on the Lafayette Cultural Arts Commission in Lafayette, Colorado bringing grants, arts awareness, networking, and various opportunities to local artists and musicians in the Lafayette/Boulder area. Malia's other passions include jazz, reading, traveling, and hiking.

 

Tenly Williams (oboe) is an active contributor to the Colorado music community, performing with several orchestras and chamber music groups across the Front Range. Her career has included positions with the Binghamton Philharmonic and Fort Collins Symphony, as well as performances with the Austin Symphony, Boulder Philharmonic, Cheyenne Symphony, Colorado Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Greeley Philharmonic, and San Antonio Symphony Orchestras. A Colorado native, Tenly is happy to be living in Denver after completing her Bachelor of Music degree at the Eastman School of Music in 2001 and her Master of Music degree at the University of Texas at Austin in 2005. She has performed at numerous summer festivals around the world from Dublin, Ireland to Banff, Canada. The summer of 2008 includes a performance with members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at the Music in the Mountains Festival in Durango, Colorado. Also an active educator, Tenly has taught students of all ages and abilities at the University of Texas at Austin, the Denver School of the Arts, Boulder High School, and other community music schools. A commercial reed maker for Midwest Musical Imports since 2004, Tenly also presents reed making workshops.

 

 

BRASS FACULTY

 

Paul Naslund (low brass) has been a member of the Colorado Symphony now for over twenty years. He resides in Lakewood and has been active as a performer, teacher clinician in the Denver metro area since 1988. As a teacher, Paul has taught at the university level for many years as well as maintaining a private studio where he teaches students of all ages. Most of his private students have continued their musical endeavors well past high school, and many have become career musicians throughout the country. As a performer, Paul is a full time symphony musician. He also is a member of the CSO brass quintet which performs several concerts each season at schools throughout the Denver Metro area. He is very active as a free lance musician during the summer when the orchestra is on break.

 

Devon Park (French horn) received his Master of Music degree from Northwestern University. He is a member of many area ensembles including the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, Greeley Philharmonic, and Central City Opera Orchestra. He has performed as soloist with the Mercury Ensemble of Denver, Inside the Orchestra children's concerts in Denver, and made guest appearances with the Colorado Symphony, Opera Colorado, and Colorado Music Festival. Devon has taught horn at Colorado Christian University, Colorado State University, Metro State College, Rocky Ridge Music Camp in Estes Park, and as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

 

 

 

 

Donald R. Williams (trumpet) is a long-time resident of Colorado and completed his Master’s degree in trumpet performance in 2005 at the University of Colorado – Boulder, studying with Terry Sawchuk. Don received his Bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Northern Colorado where he studied with William Pfund, professor emeritus of trumpet, and Dan Kuehn of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. In 1999, Don was a featured soloist with the University of Northern Colorado Symphonic Band as one of the winners of the Rocky Mountain Concerto Competition. Don has also studied with Thomas G. Wilson from the Colorado Springs Philharmonic.  An active private instructor and clinician, Don has been teaching in the Loveland, Boulder, and Denver areas for nearly a decade. A founding member of the Apollo Chamber Brass and currently second trumpet with the Wyoming Symphony, Don is also an active free-lance trumpeter and has appeared with the Longmont Symphony, the Fort Collins Symphony, and the Steamboat Springs Orchestra as well as the Greeley Philharmonic, the San Juan Symphony, and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.

 

 

PERCUSSION AND JAZZ FACULTY

 

Danny Meyer was born in Colorado and began playing the saxophone at the age of 10. He has performed throughout the United States and has had the privilege to play alongside notable musicians such as Theo Peoples (Four Tops, Temptations), John Popper (Blues Traveler), Ron Miles (Bill Frisell, Don Byron), DJ Logic, and Kent McLagan (Jane Ira Bloom). A graduate of the University of Colorado School of Music in Boulder, Mr. Meyer has developed his own original music projects as well as contributed to notable local ensembles such as the 9th and Lincoln Jazz Orchestra, the Legacy Jazz Orchestra, the Future Jazz Project, the Lelah Simon Quartet, the Carmen Sandim Sextet, the Bijouix Barbosa Trio, amongst others. Danny Meyer currently teaches full-time and is on staff at the Parlando School for the Arts, Boulder Country Day School, Justice High School (Boulder), the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts.

 

 

GUITAR FACULTY

 

Andrew Halladay (piano, voice, guitar, composition) is a recent graduate from the University of Colorado at Boulder where he has received both his Master’s and Bachelor’s in Music Composition. Since 2001, Andy has been teaching students of all ages in a variety of genres and styles with a focus on musical expression. Being primarily a composer, Andy enjoys challenging students not only with musical technique but also with musical meaning, and often improvisation. Since the Fall of 2005, Andy has been working with Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church as a guest conductor and resident composer. Andy has written and conducted several pieces for church services and concert performances including "My God, my god, why hast thou forsaken me?" for the Westminster Choir and Montview Orchestra. He has also written music for theater productions including Buntport Theater's "Kafka on Ice." Currently, Andy enjoys singing alongside his wife, Rachel, in the Colorado Conductors Chorus.

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff Moskovics (guitar and mandolin) has studied guitar for over eleven years, and has performed around Colorado in bands, choirs and music groups since he was in high school. In the spring of 2008 he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Music Industry Studies from the University of Colorado at Denver, where he studied guitar under Doctor Sean McGowan and Professor Paul Musso. He specializes in improvisation, rock, blues, and a bit of jazz and classical. Jeff strongly believes that students should have fun while playing guitar, and he uses materials that encourage growth in theory, reading, and proper technique, which can be applied to any style of music that interests a student.

 

 

 

 

 

Kristi Stice (guitar, songwriting) graduated from the University of North Florida where she received her Bachelor's of Music in jazz studies. She has been teaching students of all ages guitar, and songwriting since 2004. Kristi is a versatile teacher and can teach beginning and intermediate students in the following genres and styles; folk, classical, rock, and jazz. She has a love of songwriting and also loves to explain how music works through the understanding of music theory. Kristi studied vocal jazz and loves combining elements of singing and playing, as well as songwriting. Kristi is originally from the Denver area and has been in Jacksonville, Florida for the last seven years, studying music and running her own teaching studio. She is excited to be back in Colorado and has already begun performing locally. Kristi has studied guitar and sang with jazz guitarist Gary Starling who teaches jazz guitar at Jacksonville University. She has sung with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, with special guest Mark Wood of the Tran-Siberian Orchestra. She has accompanied Rebecca Zapen at the Nashville Independent Music World Series and has also played at various Folk Festivals in Northern Florida. Kristi recently won a songwriter's contest in St. Augustine, Florida and was thereafter featured in EU Jacksonville Magazine.

 

 

 

 

Eric Wiggs (guitar and bass guitar) holds a B.M. in Jazz Studies/Music Media from the University of Alabama and an M.M. in Jazz Performance/Pedagogy from CU-Boulder. Teaching students of all ages and levels since 2000, he is comfortable with all popular styles, jazz, and some classical guitar as well theory, harmony, ear training, jazz harmony and composition. Eric takes a fresh approach with each student, allowing them to work on what excites and inspires them. A full-time performer and teacher, Eric plays throughout the region with various rock, jazz, funk, and brazilian groups and has performed at venues such as Dazzle Jazz Club, El Chapultapec, Lannie's Clocktower, and The Fox Theatre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holden Young (guitar) is a teacher whose talent extends to all ages and abilities. He has studied music since the age of 5 when he started on the piano. By age 10 he was playing both guitar and piano, and by age 12 decided that the guitar was the instrument for him. After high school he continued his education at Berklee College of Music in Boston where he graduated in 2002 with honors. His studies included guitar performance (rock, folk, blues), world music, percussion, jazz studies, and songwriting. After graduation Holden headed to the city of music, Nashville, Tennessee. It was there he recorded his first album Not Much & Everything and became a proficient songwriter and performer. Now performing in Colorado and the mountain region with his two groups, HY3 and the Holden Young Experience, Holden is a full-time teacher and performer. His goal is to teach students what they want to learn in all-styles with a full-spectrum of chords, reading, transcribing, theory and rhythm practices.