About the Music Program

Hilary is a Utah native who specializes in singing opera, operetta, and musical theatre. She loved the time she spent as a student at Westminster College and is happy to once again be a part of the campus community as a teacher.

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Aubrey Adams-McMillan joined the voice faculty of Westminster College in August of 2011. Hailed for her incredibly balanced voice, even tone and sensitive musicianship, Aubrey enjoys an active career singing opera, music theater, chamber music, art song and symphonic works. Her love for music began young and she continues to explore repertoire that challenges her. She discovered her love for twentieth-century music and collaborating with composers during her work with Claudio Abaddo and the New York Philharmonic singing Schoenberg and Debussy. In her home of Salt Lake City, she performs with the Utah Symphony, NOVA and Intermezzo Chamber Music Series, Utah Opera, Utopia Early Music, American Festival Chorus, Cathedral of the Madeleine Concert Series, and Utah Lyric Opera. Among the list of works Aubrey has performed are Sea Pictures, The Barber of Seville, Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, Britten’s Noye’s Fludde, Man of La Mancha, St. Paulus, Rutter spirituals, Lucia Di Lammermoor, Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Messiah, and Mozart’s C-Minor Mass, Requiem, La Clemenza di Titto, The Marriage of Figaro, and Cosi fan Tutte. Aubrey was a recipient of the Marion Anderson Scholarship at Westminster Choir College, the Penrose Scholarship at Central City Opera, and a two-time district finalist in the Metropolitan Opera competition, where she also received the encouragement award. Aubrey enjoys working with composers and singing new works. She was involved in the workshop of Ricky Ian Gordan’s Grapes of Wrath and has performed in Little Women by Mark Adamo at Central City and Utah Opera. She debuted the Requiems of Both Alfonso Tenriero,and Jeff Manookian.

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Emily Nelson holds degrees in voice, music history, and early music performance from Indiana University and the University of Utah, where she completed her doctorate in vocal performance. Her passion for teaching stems from her deep love of sharing music as a performer. Her love of music of all kinds has led her down diverse paths that include singing opera in Italy and Austria, studying Medieval song in France, learning how to tango dance and, for a short time, finding herself singing backup in a Brazilian pop band. She co-founded Utopia Early Music, a 501(c)(3) organization that gives historically informed performances of medieval, baroque, and renaissance music in Salt Lake City. She is an Adjunct Professor at Westminster College, where she teaches voice and World Music, and an Associate Instructor at the University of Utah, where she teaches World Music and Survey of Jazz. She also teaches voice and songwriting at Eva Carlston Academy, a residential therapy high school that uses the arts to empower students.

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Pegsoon Whang has been with the Utah Symphony since 1998. She has appeared as a soloist with the Seoul Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, Lawton Philharmonic and Brunswick Symphony. She has played solo, chamber music and orchestra concerts in many cities in US, Europe and Asia. She teaches at Westminster College as well as at University of Utah. Her former students have won international competitions and teaching positions in universities.

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Sarah Arnesen started playing the cello at age 12 after playing the piano for 7 years. In her teenage years she played with local youth orchestras including Lyceum Philharmonic, Timpanogos Chamber Orchestra, Utah Youth Symphony and Utah All State Orchestra. Sarah has a Bachelor's Degree in Cello Performance from Brigham Young University-Idaho and a Masters Degree in Cello Performance from the University of Utah. In the last ten years she has been able to play all over the United States, Canada and Europe including performances in Carnegie Hall in New York, Ravinia Chicago, and Wolftrap, Virginia. Sarah currently lives in Salt Lake City and teaches orchestra and cello lessons. She is also a member of the Orchestra at Temple Square and plays in the Canyon Quartet. She has studied with Karin Hendricks, Dr. Robert Tueller, Elliott Cheney and Pegsoon Whang.

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Emily recently earned her Bachelors in Music Performance degree from the University of Utah with an emphasis in Classical Guitar Performance. During her 13 years of guitar playing experience, she has studied multiple music styles including classical, rock, jazz, folk, finger style guitar music, and country. In addition to playing guitar, Emily also plays piano, ukulele, drum set and other percussion instruments, and has also dabbled in banjo playing. Emily has had many opportunities to utilize these skills in performance settings. Her performance experiences include recitals, Christian worship concerts, Sunday church services, private parties, weddings, gelato shops, fundraisers, and musical orchestra pits. Her participation in eleven different musicals have been both with community theater groups and professional theater companies including the University of Utah theater department and the Utah Repertory Theater Company.

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The energy and passion of Kristiana Henderson’s music-making has led to orchestra positions and solo performances on a national level. She has played with the New World Symphony, Utah Symphony, been assistant concertmaster in the South Dakota Symphony and is currently the Associate Principal Second Violinist of the Ballet West Orchestra.

In Salt Lake City, Kristiana has several performed with several touring Broadway shows including Book of Mormon, Motown, and Phantom of the Opera. She frequently records for Huge Sound, Funk Studios, LDS Motion Picture Studios and others, and enjoys an active freelance career. Kristiana holds a Masters of Music degree in violin performance from Rice University and a Bachelors of Music degree with a major in violin performance and minor in psychology from the University of Utah.

Kristiana enjoys exploring the versatility of music through teaching. She has maintained a private studio for the past ten years. She is a member of the Suzuki Association of Utah and the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

Music has always been in Kristiana’s life. She began studying violin at the age of 4 and won second place in the elementary division of the Utah State Fair Competition. Her main teachers have included Geof Appletgate, Sergiu Luca, Gerald Elias, and Deborah Moench.

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Violinist Lun Jiang is a native of Beijing, China, and grew up in Westchester, New York. He has been a guest artist in concerts with Ruth Laredo, Glenn Dicterow, Ian Swenson and members of the Cleveland, Brentano, Pacifica, Miami and Ying String Quartets, to name a few. Lun has appeared in New York, Chicago, Houston, San Francesco, Detroit, Dallas/Fort Worth, Oklahoma, Winston-Salem, Beijing, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Macau, among others; he has been invited to the Manchester, Ravinia, Great Lake, Round Top, Grand Teton and Martha's Vineyard music festivals. From 2015-2017, Lun performed the complete 10 Beethoven violin sonatas with pianist Vedrana Subotic, sponsored by the University of Utah School of Music. Lun has recorded for Eroica Classical Records and Newport Classical Records, including the complete string quartets by Camille Saint-Saens and a solo album with twin brother Quan. Lun was a founding member of the Equinox String Quartet and Gotham Quartet, which was a quartet in residence at Rice University from 1999-2001. Gotham Quartet was a top prize winner at 2000 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Lun is a graduate of the Rice University and Manhattan School of Music, he has studied with Stanley Bednar, Isidore Cohen, Sergiu Luca and Raphael Fliegel. He has also worked with Isaac Stern, Joseph Silverstein, William Preucil and Alexander Kerr. Lun is a member of the Utah Symphony, he is also an adjunct Assistant Professor at University of Utah School of Music and Westminster College. He plays on a Tommaso Balestrieri violin, crafted in Mantua, ca.1750 and a Dominique Peccatte bow, Paris, ca.1830.

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Violinist Yuki MacQueen joined the Adjunct Faculty at Westminster College in 2004. She joined the Utah Symphony in June 2000. Previously a member of the Nashville Symphony, the San Antonio Symphony, and Associate Concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony, she was also a substitute violinist with the National Symphony and the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Ms. MacQueen holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she studied with Arnold Steinhardt of the Guarneri Quartet and Jascha Brodsky. She received her Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York, studying with Robert Mann of the Juilliard Quartet, and chamber music with Jerome Lowenthal and Seymour Lipkin.

She has been a featured performer in the Nova Chamber Series, the Intermezzo Chamber Series, and the Westminster Chamber Series.

In 2016, along with USUO cellist John Eckstein and BLUME Haiti President Janet Anthony, Ms. MacQueen cofounded the Haitian Orchestra Institute (HOI). This Institute gives the opportunity to 100 of the most advanced orchestral musicians from throughout Haiti to work with Musicians of the Utah Symphony. The intense week of lessons, sectionals and full orchestra rehearsals culminate in a concert with Maestro Fischer.

When she is not teaching at Westminster College or performing with the Utah Symphony, she enjoys playing chamber music, pampering her Cocker Spaniel, and traveling the world.

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Julie Mark has been a guitar educator for 35 years. She has a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Utah. She teaches acoustic guitar styles: finger style, classical, traditional and contemporary folk, pop and rock. In addition she teaches basic music theory as related to the guitar. Her approach is relevant to students with or without a musical background. Julie currently teaches guitar lessons at Acoustic Music Studios in Salt Lake City where she instructs Westminster students as well as private students. She performs regularly in an acoustic duo with fellow musician Maggie Beers at various local venues. Together they have released CDs of original music. As a composer and orchestrator, Julie has written musical scores for the University of Utah Children’s Dance Theatre’s annual dance concerts. In addition, she performs with Maggie Beers for the Children’s Dance Theatre’s lecture demonstration program at many elementary schools throughout the Intermountain area.

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Abigail Neff has performed as a professional harpist throughout the world. While she continues to play for various orchestras and venues, Abigail's passion and focus has been in teaching. Since the age of 15, Abigail has taught students on all levels and currently teaches in her private studio where masterclasses, lectures, and recitals are held. Abigail is the founder of the Utah Youth Harp Ensemble where she arranges music for 12 harps. She received her master's in music performance with an emphasis on harp and pedagogy from the University of Utah. She also studied under the direction of Dr. Carrol McLaughlin at the University of Arizona and participated as a member of HarpFusion, an international harp ensemble that tours throughout Europe, Asia, South America, and the United States. Abigail also works as a harp therapist, which entails playing therapy music at the bedside of patients in hospitals and hospice centers.

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Born in San Diego, California, Whittney began her studies on the violin at age 8 and discovered her love for the viola nine years later. In 2009, she earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Southern California under the guidance of Donald McInnes and studied with Martha Strongin Katz at the New England Conservatory. After her studies, she pursued a two-year orchestral fellowship with Hyogo Performing Arts Center. She has a been a proud member of the Utah Symphony viola section since 2013. Her past festivals include the Grand Teton Music Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, where she toured much of Europe, as well as the Sarasota Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Aspen Music Festival, the La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, and many more. When she is not practicing, she enjoys cooking, baking, weightlifting and various outdoor activities.

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Louise Vickerman was appointed Principal Harpist of The Utah Symphony/Utah Opera in 1999 and has been a featured soloist with the orchestra on a number of occasions, most recently being the Utah premiere of Mark Adamo’s “Four Angels” where she was praised by the Salt Lake Tribune for her “powerful impassioned performance.” She has also appeared as soloist with the San Antonio Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra, The Orchestra of St John’s Smith Square, on BBC and Norwegian National radio and at the Heidelberg Castle Festival in Germany. Prior to her appointment in Utah, she was Principal Harp for the San Antonio Symphony and The New World Symphony in Miami. Originally from Glasgow Scotland, she regularly appeared with all of Scotland’s major orchestras including The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony and Scottish Chamber Orchestra before moving to the USA. She has performed at major festivals worldwide including the Aldeburgh Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, BBC London Proms, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and regularly plays Principal for The Grand Teton Music Festival, WY.

An active chamber musician, she has collaborated with violinist Cho-Liang Lin in recital at the Colorado Music Festival and has been regularly featured on the Nova Chamber music series in Salt Lake City. She gave the world premiere of “Awuya” for solo harp by the acclaimed British composer Sally Beamish, a work that was commissioned for her by Glasgow University and was an invited performer at the 11th World Harp Congress in Vancouver, BC. As a teacher Vickerman is currently on the applied faculty at Westminster College, was formerly adjunct professor of harp at Weber State University for 14 years and was interim Director of Harp Studies at Brigham Young University for the 2005-06 academic year. She has been recognized as one of North America’s leading orchestral harpists by having been invited to share her expertise as a clinician throughout North America and Europe. Highlights include presenting masterclasses at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, The New World Symphony, FL and as a member of the Premier Artist Faculty for the Salvi Harps Summer Institute in Anaheim, CA. She has regularly coached the harp sections of the Utah Youth Symphony and The National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.

Ms. Vickerman is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where she earned her Master of Music degree as a student of Kathleen Bride. She received her BA and Certificate of Postgraduate Studies from Glasgow University and The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland studying with Sanchia Pielou and Karen Vaughan. She is a Salvi Harp Artist. Louise is also a licensed commercial pilot with multi-engine, instrument, glider (private) and UAS (certified drone pilot) ratings. She is the Northwest Region Ambassador for The Flying Musicians Association, a member of Women in Aviation International, the Ninety-Nines, Women in Corporate Aviation, AOPA and is a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight West and PilotsN’Paws. She is married to Utah Symphony trumpet player Peter Margulies. They live in a restored 1901 Victorian home in the East Liberty Park neighborhood of Salt Lake City with their two rescue shih-tzus, Ollie and Bella.

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Principal Bassist of the Utah Symphony since 1988, David Yavornitzky has performed as concerto soloist, participated in U.S. and International tours, and has collaborated with many of the world’s finest conductors and guest artists. Several of his students have won statewide and national solo double bass competitions. He is a tireless proponent of contemporary music, having had compositions written for him, as well as having given important premieres of contemporary works. As a conductor, David has led many diverse ensembles, including area youth, collegiate and professional orchestras, and he has conducted several Utah premieres of contemporary works with the Nova Chamber Music Series. In 2007 David was appointed to the position of Cover Conductor for the Utah Symphony’s educational programs.

David attended Baldwin-Wallace College and Conservatory, where he earned degrees in both musical performance and in theoretical physics. His double bass teachers include the late Anthony Knight of the Cleveland Orchestra and Edwin Barker, Principal Bass of the Boston Symphony. He is an alumnus of the Tanglewood Music Center Fellowship program and was awarded its C.D. Jackson prize for outstanding achievement.

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A fearless interpreter of large-scale piano works both modern and historical, Jason Hardink’s recent repertoire includes the complete Michael Hersch The Vanishing Pavilions, Olivier Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, the Liszt Transcendental Etudes paired with the Boulez Notations, and Wolfgang Rihm’s numbered Klavierstücke, all of which he performs from memory.

His recent debut at Weill Recital Hall was lauded for its audacious programming and pianism demonstrating both “abandon and remarkable clarity” (Anthony Tommasini, New York Times). Recent and upcoming performances include his debut at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music as soloist in the North American premiere of Gerald Barry’s Piano Concerto with conductor Cristian Macelaru, the premiere of a new solo piano work by Jason Eckardt at National Sawdust celebrating the centenary of Ives’ Concord Sonata, a performance of Michael Hersch’s The Vanishing Pavilions at Wien Modern, the complete Liszt Transcendental Etudes performed on an 1852 Bösendorfer at Music in Context in Houston, and Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux étoiles… with the Utah Symphony and Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble.

Much sought after as a chamber musician, Mr. Hardink has collaborated in recital with violinists Augustin Hadelich, Nicola Benedetti, and Phillip Setzer. His performances with Augustin Hadelich of Beethoven’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in G Major (opus 30, No. 3) the Stravinsky Divertimento were recently featured on Performance Today. He has appeared on chamber music series all over the U.S., including Music in Context, fEARnoMUSIC, Music on the Hill, Aperio Music of the Americas, Montana Chamber Music Society, and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. Hardink has performed solo works of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms on period instruments, and he has toured Norway with violinist Tor Johan Bøen performing the Grieg Sonatas for Violin and Piano on an 1853 Blüthner. He has performed concerti with conductors Donald Runnicles, Carlos Kalmar, and Brett Mitchell and regularly appears at the Grand Teton Music Festival every summer.

Mr. Hardink has commissioned a number of piano works, including Thomas Osborne’s And the Waves Sing Because They Are Moving, Bruce Quaglia’s Passagio Scuro, and Inés Thiebaut’s concerto for piano and small ensemble, Hiraeth. Upcoming commission projects include new solo works by Jason Eckardt, Steven Roens, Inés Thiebaut, and Anthony Green.

Recording projects include a recent performance of Saint-Saens’ Le carnaval des animaux with the Utah Symphony, Thierry Fischer, and pianist Kimi Kawashima, to be released as a live recording on the Hyperion label. Upcoming recordings releases include Jason Eckardt’s pulse-echo with the JACK Quartet.

Mr. Hardink has appeared as guest recitalist and adjudicator for both the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition and the Oberlin International Piano Competition. He has served as guest artist for the University of Utah Summer Chamber Music Workshop and the Idaho State University Summer Piano Institute. A native of Rhode Island and a graduate of both Oberlin Conservatory and the Shepherd School of Music, his former teachers include Robert Boberg and Sanford Margolis. Hardink holds a DMA from Rice University, where he studied with Brian Connelly; his Doctoral thesis “Messiaen and Plainchant” explores the varying levels of influence that Gregorian chant exerted on the music of Olivier Messiaen.

Mr. Hardink resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he holds the position of Principal Keyboard with the Utah Symphony and serves on the piano faculty of Westminster College. He is married to pianist Kimi Kawashima, and they are parents of twin boys, Luc and Derek.

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Kerri Green received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Brigham Young University. Her busy private piano studio maintains high standards while emphasizing the ability of all students to find joy in music making. She performs as a collaborative pianist and enjoys lecturing and writing on pedagogical topics.

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Sally Humphreys, flute instructor, enjoys the variety of a free-lance musical career. She plays flute and piccolo with the Ballet West Orchestra, appears regularly with the Utah Symphony, and is a member of the woodwind quintet Aspen Winds. A native of Cincinnati, she graduated from Indiana University with the Bachelor of Music degree, and attended the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music for graduate work. Sally played piccolo with the Hartford Symphony for 8 seasons, taught at the University of Connecticut, and performed in chamber groups throughout New England. She has also played with the Colorado Philharmonic, Lake George Opera Company, New Sousa Band, Cincinnati Symphony, the Moab Music Festival, and with the Salt Lake City chamber music organizations Intermezzo and NOVA. Sally is President of the Utah Flute Association and is the local arrangements chair for the National Flute Association, which involves assisting the NFA as they bring their annual convention to Salt Lake City in 2019. Sally has also embarked on a new challenge, teaching yoga and meditation. She earned her 200-hour teaching certificate in 2017, and has established a yoga studio in her home and in partnership with Elemental Balance Pilates Studio.

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Devin Maxwell, PhD, is a composer, percussionist, and music technology entrepreneur. His chamber music has been described as “amiably strident…clusters hammered insistently” by the New York Times and orchestral works “a beautiful puzzle, … fitting between plucks and pedals that build pyramid melodies” by the American Record Guide. Awards for composition include the Nief-Norf Composition Prize, the Leroy Robertson Prize, “Best Experimental Film” New York Independent Film Festival, New Music USA/Commissioning Music USA and an Honorable Mention at the American Composer’s Orchestra 2013 Underwood Readings. Maxwell has collaborated with choreographer Jessica Gaynor Dance (NYC), filmmaker Rollin Hunt (Los Angeles), graphic designer Phillip Niemeyer (Austin), photographer Svavar Jónatansson (Iceland), clarinetist Katie Porter, and violist/songwriter Anni Rossi (NYC). As a percussionist, Maxwell’s eclectic output includes performing in venues and festivals including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Columbia University, SOUND at the Schindler House, LA Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella Series, Roulette, Issue Project Room, St Marks Theater (NYC), The Armory, The Sun Tunnels, The Kitchen, Joe’s Pub, Monolith, Mercury Lounge, South by Southwest, String Theory, CMJ and The Stone, among others. He has recorded with record labels including 4AD, Polyvinyl, Parlophone, Cantaloupe Records, and Mode and can be heard on music for TV, film, and video games including Grand Theft Auto IV, The Independent Film Channel, Grey’s Anatomy, and BBC. An avid supporter of new music, Maxwell has commissioned and performed dozens of solo or chamber compositions throughout the course of his career. In addition to composing and performing, Maxwell co-founded the LoudLouderLoudest Music Production Company in Brooklyn, NY, and was responsible for many firsts in wireless music and mobile game sound for clients such as Sony, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, Atlantic Records, HBO and Disney. While in New York, he also co-founded Listen/Space, a venue for new music which now exists as a music commissioning organization located in Park City, Utah. His creative work is published by Good Child Music New York and Éditions musique SISYPHE.

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Dr. Leslie Henrie is a local professional violinist, violist, and teacher. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance at the University of Utah in 2001 and her Master of Music degree in Violin Performance at the University of Kansas in 2006. She completed her Artist’s Diploma in 2008 at Park University’s International Center for Music, and while living in Kansas City she held positions as the associate concertmaster and principal second violin for the St. Joseph Symphony. She earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in violin and viola performance and pedagogy at the University of Utah in 2013. She performs and records extensively with many other professional organizations in the Rocky Mountain region, including the Utah Symphony, Boise Philharmonic, Vivaldi Virtuosi, Utah Chamber Artists, and the LDS Church. She has served on the string faculties at Salt Lake Community College, Utah Valley University, the University of Utah, and the Intermountain Suzuki Institute. Currently, she is the concertmaster and president of the newly formed Sinfonia Salt Lake, a professional chamber orchestra in Salt Lake City. She also maintains her own private studio in Draper, Utah, where she lives with her two children, Connor and Georgia.

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Craig Moore earned the Bachelor of Music Degree in trombone performance from the Elder Conservatorium (Australia), the Master of Music and Post-Masters Certificate in trombone performance from DePaul University. His primary teachers were Charlie Vernon, Floyd Cooley, Robert Hower, and Howard Parkinson. Craig has performed with the Utah, Virginia and Richmond Symphonies, the Utah Chamber Orchestra (Ballet West), the Adelaide and Queensland Symphonies in Australia, the Auckland Philharmonic in New Zealand, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s MusicNOW series. He was also a regular member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Craig is the adjunct trombone professor at Utah Valley University and Westminster College, and formerly was a member of the brass faculty at Christopher Newport University.

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Katie Porter is a clarinetist and curator specializing in experimental music. She co-founded the venue Listen/Space (Brooklyn, NY) and curates the Listen/Space Commissions (Tollgate, Utah). She also co-directs the VU Symposium for experimental, improvised and electronic music (Park City, Utah) and is working on a giant multi-year project of experimental works for solo clarinet at Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels, a land artwork in remote northern Utah. She has performed solos or chamber music at Roulette (BK), Issue Project Room (BK), The Kitchen (NYC), The Stone (NYC), C4NM (San Francisco), Willow Place Auditorium (BK), Monkeytown (BK), the Indexical Series (Santa Cruz), Dogstar (LA), Green Umbrella Series (LA), BLIM (Vancouver), NOVA (SLC), Lincoln Center (NYC), The Ontologic-Hysteric Theater (NYC), the Liquid Music Series (St. Paul), Centre Acanthes (FR), Scelciana (Italy) and premiered works by John Luther Adams, Jason Ajemian, Dante Boone, André Cormier, Nomi Epstein, Kevin Farrell, Jürg Frey, Daniel Goode, Peter Gordon, Jennie Gottschalk, Anne Guthrie, Brian Harnetty, John Hastings, Travis Just, Dan Joseph, James Ilgenfritz, Mike Kelley, Michael Pisaro, Larry Polansky, Stephanie Richards, Morris Rosenzweig, Arthur Russell, Craig Shepard, Christine Tavolacci, James Tenney, Maayan Tsadka, Lucie Vítková and Christian Wolff, among others. Her clarinet and percussion duo, Red Desert, can be heard on Phill Niblock’s XI label (NY), Edition Wandelweiser Records, and Infrequent Seams (NY). Locally, in Utah, she can be heard performing with the NOVA Chamber Music Series, the UMFA Chamber Music Series, the Canyonlands Ensemble and several solo projects. She teaches clarinet performance at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, and approaches the instrument in all its uses, orchestral, chamber, solo through a diversity of repertoire, with sound and beauty at the forefront. In 2019/20 season she will be heard performing solos and chamber music at: Duke University, Peabody Conservatory, University of Baltimore, Bloomingdale School of Music (NYC), UMFA, The Spiral Jetty, Simon Fraser University (Vancouver), Westminster College, Northern Southern (Austin, TX).

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A native of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Edmund Rollett joined the Utah Symphony in 2014 as Associate Principal Horn, and appointed Acting Principal Horn by Thierry Fischer the following year. He appears regularly with the Grand Teton Music Festival, and has held Principal positions in the National Symphony of Mexico, and the Mexico City Philharmonic. Mr. Rollett is a noted solo and chamber musician, concertizing in Mexico, Europe and throughout the intermountain West. He is a frequent collaborator on the NOVA chamber series, notably including the Utah premiere and second-ever performance of Last Autumn, Michael Hersch’s monumental cycle for Horn and Cello, together with Nori Kishi. Mr. Rollett was privileged to study horn under several of the world’s great players and pedagogues, in Chicago with Gail Williams and William Barnewitz, and in Pittsburgh with Dennis Abelson and William Caballero. When not on stage, he enjoys time with his wife and two daughters, serving in church, and exploring the beauty of the Wasatch Front in all seasons.

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An active trumpet performer, teacher and clinician, Kyra Sovronsky holds a Master of Music in Performance from Northwestern University as a student of Charlie Geyer, and a Bachelor of Music in Performance from Boston University as a student of Terry Everson. Her musical pursuits began at age 2, through a Suzuki violin program, and grew to include lessons on piano and trumpet. She has attended Music Academy of the West, National Repertory Orchestra, Roundtop Music Festival, and Eastern Music Festival. While living in Florida, Kyra was Second Trumpet with the Southwest Florida Symphony from 2010 to 2012. Since moving to Salt Lake City in 2012, she performs regularly with the Utah Symphony/Utah Opera, is currently Principal Trumpet of the Ballet West Orchestra, and is a member of the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater.

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Susan Swidnicki is the principal oboist for the Ballet West Orchestra and is a regular extra for the Utah Symphony. She also serves on the applied faculty of Westminster College as instructor of oboe and has recently begun working with the preparatory program of the Gifted Music School in Salt Lake City and maintains a private oboe studio for younger students. She served as oboe instructor for Utah State University for ten years and during that time, performed and toured with Logan Canyon Winds, the USU faculty wind quintet. She was a long-time member of Prevailing Winds quintet and has also performed with the Flagstaff Symphony and the Utah Festival Opera Company, as well as being an active freelance player.

Ms. Swidnicki holds an MM degree in oboe from the St. Louis Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Peter Bowman, and a bachelor’s degree in oboe performance from the University of Utah. She performed with the Sarasota Chamber Music Festival, Chautauqua Orchestra, and was a scholarship recipient to the Hidden Valley John Mack Masterclasses.

Ms. Swidnicki is the music specialist for Rowland Hall Beginning School and the Beverly Taylor Sorenson music and movement teacher at Canyon Rim Academy in Salt Lake City. She directs choirs and Orff ensembles for children and youth at Zion Lutheran Church, where she works with 3 year olds through seniors in high school.

Ms. Swidnicki earned Kodaly Certification from Seattle Pacific University and Orff Certification from the University of Kentucky. In 2018, she was certified in Multicultural Music Pedagogy from the Smithsonian Institute at the University of Washington. Susan has been a guest presenter in education classes at the University of Utah, Utah State University Orff certification program, Westminster College, and the Utah American Orff Schulwerk Association.

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Lori Wike joined the Utah Symphony as Principal Bassoon in 2005. Originally from North Carolina, she holds a Bachelor of Music degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Arts degree from the University of California, Irvine. Her principal teachers were John Hunt, Nancy Goeres, Mark Popkin, and Michele Grego.

A former member of the Louisville Orchestra, Ms. Wike has also performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, the Utah Festival Opera, the San Bernardino Symphony, the Redlands Symphony, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and the Aspen Festival Orchestra. Prior to joining the Utah Symphony, she performed for three seasons with the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas.

Her solo appearances include performances with the Utah Symphony, the Eastman Musica Nova Ensemble, the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, the University of California-Irvine Symphony and the Salt Lake Arts Festival. She is a frequent performer on both the Nova and Intermezzo Chamber Music series in Salt Lake and is also a member of the Three Fish and a Scorpion woodwind quartet. Ms. Wike is currently Adjunct Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of Utah and Applied Music Professor at Westminster College.

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David Halliday has performed with a wide variety of top artists, including: David Archuleta, Jon Batiste, Sarah Uriatre Berry, Kristin Chenoweth, Linda Eder, Kurt Elling, Ben Folds, The Four Tops, Galactic, Dizzy Gillespie, Josh Groban, Grace Kelly (saxophonist), Wynton Marsalis, Maxwell, The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Arturo Sandoval, Diane Schuur, The Temptations, Stanley Turrentine, The Utah Symphony, Victor Wooten, and many more, and has performed as the opening act for Diana Krall, B.B. King, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Jon Batiste and Stay Human, and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. His performance travels include 46 of the 50 United States, eight European countries, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Halliday’s original compositions have aired in 24 countries worldwide and on American networks: CBS, ESPN, Fox Sports, HBO, MLB Network, NFL Network, and Showtime. He has performed on the soundtracks of many television shows, music videos, DVDs, and commercials, and is most recently featured in the minute-long “What’s for Dinner” commercial from KFC starring Jason Alexander. Halliday has produced or co-produced 18 records and appears as a sideman on over 60 more. He has recorded numerous recordings of Broadway musicals for The MT Pit, and founded his record label, Lone Peak Sound, in 2003, which currently has 11 titles.

Halliday’s roots stretch back to northern California. Born in Sacramento and raised in Vacaville, he studied with multi-Grammy Award-winning saxophone legend Joe Henderson at Henderson’s home in San Francisco while still a teen. He later studied with Tony Dagradi at Loyola University in New Orleans and Dr. Ray Smith at BYU. Halliday holds a BM in Saxophone Performance with an Emphasis in Jazz Studies from BYU and an MM in Jazz Performance and Composition from the University of Utah where he was the jazz area's Teacher's Assistant from 2004-06. Halliday is the Director of Jazz and Popular Music Studies at Westminster College and Associate Adjunct Professor of Saxophone at the University of Utah. He currently leads several bands including The Number Ones and The Jazz Vespers Quartet (JVQ). He is a co-musical director of the Jazz Vespers Concert series, a 30-year-old tradition that takes place on the last eight Sundays before Christmas at the First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City. Halliday and the JVQ host the Gracie’s Monday Night Jazz Jam every Monday night in downtown Salt Lake City where they have maintained residency since Spring of 2014. He has performed the national anthem at two Utah Jazz NBA games and two Real Salt Lake MLS games. He is also a co-host and co-producer of the 83 Willy Fantasty Football Podcast.

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Chris Hough, a professional guitarist, vocalist, and studio musician, moved to Salt Lake City from the Boston area where he taught guitar to private school, college, and high school students ranging from ages six to adult for 12 years. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1982 with a Bachelor’s degree in professional music and has 29 years professional playing experience. Chris has played for a wide audience, including the 1993 Presidential Inaugural Ball and is fluent in jazz, rock, and pop styles. Chris has a unique talent for connecting with students, and his teaching style includes the belief that students learn best within the context of their individual tastes in music in a fun and learning environment. Chris is currently the jazz guitar professor at Westminster College.

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Alex is an in-demand freelance bassist, finding passion within all styles of music and celebrating the more diverse elements when they are offered. Throughout his career he has backed a broad spectrum of some of the world’s greatest talents. He is a Utah native, graduating from The University of Utah with his Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Performance and his Master’s degree in Arts of Teaching. He has been the private bass instructor for Westminster College for more than 10 years now and teaches privately as well. His pedagogical theory is to learn where his students are and where they want to be, no matter what their passions are. Alex has received many accolades over the years as a musician in many competitive settings. He performs, arranges, and composes regularly in studio and live settings.

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Courtney Isaiah Smith, piano, was born in Salt Lake City in 1983. His love for music began at age three when he began to pick out chords at the piano and by age five he was playing church songs with both hands. At age six he began learning Hammond Organ at the Calvary Baptist Church under continuing organist, Christy Anderson. At age 8 he became a tenuring musician for the Calvary Baptist Church and continues in that role to this day.

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Don Miller is adept at working with musicians of all ages - elementary and secondary students, university students, as well as community musicians and professional performers. A Utah Valley University Dr. Miller conducts the University Band and teaches additional courses as needed. His past experience includes working in public schools and universities in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Colorado. In addition to his teaching positions, Dr. Miller has been Conductor and Music Director of the Starlight Symphony Orchestra of Wimberley, Texas, the West County (St. Louis) Youth Orchestra and many other ensembles.

In addition to his conducting and teaching experience, Dr. Miller is author of the book Rehearsing the Band, Volume 2 and many articles for music publications. Many of his students have continued their music avocation as performers in the US Armed Services Bands, music educators, college professors and community performers. High school students and undergraduate students of Dr. Miller have been accepted to prestigious undergraduate and graduate schools of music across the US.

As an advocate of new music, Dr. Miller has been responsible for commissioning over 20 works for orchestra, band, chamber ensemble and mixed media ensemble. He is also an advocate for music education and has served as a clinician for schools and conductor of select honor ensembles across the US.

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Parker Swenson is a versatile professional drummer who works all over Utah with many of the finest musicians in the region.

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