Meet the Artists Attending the 2025 Akropolis Chamber Music Institute
Congratulations to these 14 instrumentalists and 4 composers on being selected to attend the Akropolis Chamber Music Institute at Bay View this summer!
After receiving over 120 submissions from a highly competitive pool of applicants, Akropolis is pleased to introduce you to the artists attending the third Akropolis Chamber Music Institute! For 9 days, the 14 instrumentalists and 4 composers selected will work intensely with Akropolis: living, rehearsing, and creating together as an artistic collective. The 4 composers will each have a world premiere given by the collective during the festival, in addition to writing a new reed quintet work that Akropolis will premiere during their 25/26 touring season.
Learn more about each of these artists below. Stay tuned for more information about when and where you’ll be able to hear these artists perform alongside Akropolis in Northern Michigan this August.
2025 Composers
Shane Scott Cook, Composer
Shane Scott Cook (b. 1994) is a composer, performer, and songwriter whose work explores themes of community, connection, nature, and the queer experience. His music, shaped by his background as a classical percussionist, jazz singer, folk enthusiast, and musical theater aficionado, has been performed by ensembles such as Del Sol Quartet, Salastina, Stare at the Sun, Consonance Chicago Choral Artists, LYNX Project, Duo Cortona, and Hindustani vocalist Saili Oak.
Shane is the T eaching Artist-in-Residence at the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music (2023–25), where he teaches piano, guitar, percussion, and music theory to public school students in rural Northern California. He was Composer-in-Residence for Del Sol Quartet’s 2025 ChamberFest and a 2024 Sounds Promising Young Composer Fellow with Salastina. Upcoming projects include commissions for Quintet Attacca (EarTaxi Festival 2025) and a tenor-piano song cycle for Boston Singers’ Resource and Catalyst New Music’s 2025 “FUSE” program. Recent honors include the MSU Moorhead 2025 Dragon Prize in Choral Music, first prize at Fourth Coast Ensemble’s 2024 Chicago SongSlam, and the premiere of his song cycle The Distance Between by Lindsay Kesselman and UT Austin’s New Music Ensemble.
Beyond classical music, Shane’s recent projects include orchestrations for Halsey’s 2023 summer orchestra tour, string quartet arrangements for Orchid Quartet’s album and concert series, and the development of a jukebox musical with playwright Selena Deer.
Shane holds composition degrees from UT Austin (MM) and Biola University (BM) and will begin doctoral studies at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in fall 2025. When not composing, he enjoys experimenting in the kitchen and exploring new hiking and running trails.
Nicholas Edwards, Composer
Composer Nicholas Edwards thrives on collaboration and the intersection of art and science. Guided by a deep affinity for the natural world, his creative process often begins not at a desk, but on a trail or mountaintop, sketching musical ideas in the very wilderness that inspires them.
Recent highlights include K’esugi Ridge, composed in just 72 hours following a weeklong backcountry hiking trip in Denali National Park as part of the 2024 Composing in the Wilderness program. The piece premiered on Alaska public radio and was subsequently performed at Denali’s visitor center. Other representative works include Pinnacles, a string trio named for the eponymous national park and developed through the Emerging Composers Intensive at Hidden Valley; Seven Birds of Aotearoa, a solo cello reflection on New Zealand’s past and present endemic birds; and Alpen Concerto, a piano concerto born of a trip to the Austrian Alps, for which the composer conducted the premiere.
Nicholas is currently participating in Salastina’s 2025 Sounds Promising young composers program under the mentorship of Derrick Skye and will begin a master’s degree in composition in fall 2025. He previously completed an undergraduate degree in composition at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music, studying with Michael A. Rose, Michael Slayton, Molly Herron, and Stan Link, while also majoring in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology. His scientific research in the latter—as a member of the Zwiebel Lab, studying the chemosensory regulation of behavior in eusocial ants—has been published in the scientific journals BMC
Biology and Insects.
Beyond music, Nicholas loves hiking, dachshunds, reading, and travel. He is grateful to his musical collaborators who continually inspire him through their artistry and friendship.
Mikeila McQueston, Composer
Mikeila McQueston (b.1998) is a composer, performer, and educator whose work blends a love of storytelling with lyrical melodies, playful rhythmic undercurrents, and vibrant, nature-based imagery. Her work has been praised by The NY Concert Review as “most effective”, and has been performed across the US and Europe. Highlights include performances at Carnegie Hall, the TUTTI Festival, and the Uuden Musiikin Lokakuu in Finland.
The 2024/25 season includes performances of McQuestion’s trombone quartet Torchbearer with Trombonic BOOM, Goose on the Loose for flute and bassoon with FLYDLPN, and Cedar & Cypress, a saxophone quartet for the studio of Thomas Odenheimer. This season also includes the world premieres of two new song cycles, Winter Tryst and Songs of Second April, performed by McQueston in recital at the University of Michigan.
McQueston’s music often engages with the eight dimensions of wellness, with special emphasis on the intersections of physical, emotional, and environmental wellness. Her song cycles Saltblue & Other Missing Memories and Ditties for the Struggling Soprano touch on this subject matter, using whimsy as a pathway to introspection. Both cycles were funded by the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance Wellness Program, the EXCEL Lab, and U-M’s Eisenberg Family Depression Center.
McQueston earned her Bachelor of Music in Voice and Composition from Louisiana State University and her Master of Music in Voice and Composition from the University of Tennessee. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of Michigan, studying with Dr. Kristin Kuster and Dr. Roshanne Etezady. Select works of McQueston’s are published by Hal Leonard and North Star Music LLC.
*Mikeila pronounces her name Mih-KAY-la Mick-KWES-ton.
Rin Seo, Composer
Rin Seo (b.1990) is a New York-based Korean composer, conductor and pianist whose work spans modern improvised music and contemporary classical. The broad-spectrum of her works proves an extraordinary understanding of diverse musical languages. Her music combines eclectic musical idioms and blurs musical boundaries with her own unique musical color.
She holds a Bachelor of Music in Classical Composition from the Sookmyung Women’s
University in Seoul, South Korea. A passion to expand sonic spectrum led her to the United
States. After being awarded a scholarship from the Berklee College of Music, she started studying jazz performance and composition at the school and received Professional Diploma. Seo studied with Jim McNeely, a Grammy award-winning jazz composer, during a Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music. Seo’s awards and honors include ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award (2020), DownBeat magazine Student Music Award (2020), and BMI Booker Scholarship for young jazz artists (2019). In addition, she received numerous grants from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Korean Cultural Center New York, and the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture. Her music has been performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Jazz Gallery, The Jarasum Jazz Festival in Korea, among others.
2025 Ensemble: OLEA
“Not only inspiring, but refreshing” (I Care if You Listen), OLEA builds connections through audience interaction as well as thoughtful selection of repertoire and venue. By emphasizing performance in community gathering spaces, OLEA presents the opportunity for both performer-audience interaction as well as inter-community dialogue.
Founded in 2021, OLEA is dually based in Chicago and Cincinnati, presenting performances in each city every season. Members include Kate Kilgus (clarinet), Alayne Honaker (violin), and Marissa Kerbel (piano). OLEA’s members hold degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Lawrence University, and Kenyon College.
By presenting music through themes that are universal yet personally relatable, OLEA aims to make classical music and new music relevant to 21st century audiences. In the fall of 2024, OLEA was the Artist in Residence at SOS ART in Cincinnati where they developed a project called “Contemplations on Democracy” which explored the intersection of art and politics, serving as both an interactive musical performance and a Get Out the Vote initiative. For this project, they collaborated with local poets and visual artists to provide a diverse set of perspectives on socio-political issues. Other recent projects include: “Yeehaw: American Folk Traditions” (2024) which incorporated music from traditions such as jazz, Appalachian fiddle, and ragtime; the commission and premier of Owen Hopper’s “Wind Blows Lotus Leaves” (2023) alongside live demonstrations of the Tai Chi movements which inspired the composition; and “Summer Dreams” (2023) which explored the sounds of dreams from a fantastical storyline of a deep sleep to the shimmering texture of a daydream. OLEA has completed residencies at Avaloch Farm Music Institute (2022), the Decoda Chamber Music Festival (2022), and has performed at New Music Chicago’s ImpromptuFest (2023) and the Price Hill Music Festival (2023).
Since its inception, the importance of new music and creative collaboration has remained at the center of OLEA’s artistic vision. This season OLEA is embracing the spirit of collaboration by joining forces with artists including La Caccina (vocal ensemble) and Annie McAllister (soprano, composer). OLEA’s upcoming season will feature several new works commissioned by the ensemble including pieces by Jaime García-Añoveros, Jacy Pedersen, Owen Hopper, Brad Balliet, and Annie McAllister.
2025 Instrumentalists
Concetta Brehmer, Clarinet
Concetta Brehmer is an American clarinetist hailing from Traverse City, Michigan, where she graduated from Traverse City West Senior High School in 2019. Concetta’s passion for music and teaching led her to pursue a degree in Instrumental Music Education and a degree in Clarinet Performance at Western Michigan University located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2023, with a certification to teach K-12 music.
While in her undergraduate degree, Concetta played in the WMU Wind Symphony and University Symphony Orchestra, playing both principal and Eb clarinet. She heavily enjoys chamber music, playing with the Invictus Winds Reed Quintet, the Freshman Woodwind Quintet, and the Fortis Clarinet Quartet at WMU. Concetta’s love for chamber music comes from her passion for making music with her closest friends, she believes it the most valuable thing about music, and what drives her passion and dedication for her instrument and art. In the last year of her degree, Concetta student taught at Three Rivers community schools under mentor Cheryl Thomas, and taught 6-12 grade bands.
Concetta is now attending the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for her Masters in Clarinet Performance. Concetta is currently playing with the UNCG Wind Ensemble, where she recently toured to multiple southern states to play in the National CBDNA conference. She also plays with the Minerva Wind Quintet, and holds a Graduate Assistantship for the clarinet studio. Her teachers include Dr. Ellen Breakfield-Glick, Professor Bradley Wong from WMU, Dr. Anthony Taylor, and Dr. Luke Ellard from UNCG. Outside of music, Concetta is an avid Detroit sports fan and Swiftie, and she finds joy in reading, Barre fitness, running, and spending time with her family and dog, Vada.
Aaron Dore, Flute
Aaron Dore (he/him) is a flutist currently based in Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up in Wicklow, Ireland, and moved to New Jersey with his family when he was nine years old. Aaron was surrounded by music growing up, with his parents playing trumpet and piano, as well as one of his aunts being a professional pianist/clarinetist in England. Aaron began studying flute in fourth grade and enjoyed various ensembles of different genres from wind ensemble to pit orchestra to jazz throughout middle/high school. He participated in a youth orchestra in Kilkenny, Ireland when he moved back there from 2018 to 2019, where he had the privilege of performing and traveling throughout Europe, including a trip to Hamburg, Germany. Aaron took private lessons with Susan Graham in New Jersey throughout middle and high school before deciding to pursue music at a higher level. He participated in the Juilliard Summer Winds’ inaugural program via Zoom in 2020, later beginning his studies with Professor Sarah Brady at the Boston Conservatory in 2021. Aaron has also attended the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy, and explored the study of new music in great depth. During his time at Boston Conservatory, Aaron has played principal in wind ensemble and opera productions, and has enjoyed a variety of chamber music endeavors, including an extended period with a woodwind quintet named “Cosmic Winds.” Aaron has also been seen performing around Boston, with groups such as the New England Philharmonic and Horizon Ensemble. He has given recitals in both the U.S. and Ireland. Aaron is set to graduate from Boston Conservatory at Berklee in May of 2025 and will be attending the University of Delaware next to pursue a Masters in Chamber Music, as well as participating in the school’s graduate woodwind quintet.
Jacob Feldman, Saxophone
Jacob Feldman (he/him) is a performer, educator, and chamber musician based in Austin, Texas. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Saxophone Literature and Pedagogy at The University of Texas at Austin with Dr. Stephen Page, where he serves as an Academic Assistant. As he works toward his degree, he teaches private saxophone and music theory
lessons in the Austin area.
As a soloist, Jacob was recently named the winner of The University of Texas at Austin Concerto Competition and will perform his arrangement of Nigel Westlake’s Spirit of the Wild
with the UT Symphony Orchestra. He was awarded the Gold Medal at the Young Texas Artists Music Competition, received Honorable Mention at the Texas MTNA Young Artists Solo Competition, and was a Semifinalist in the NASA Biennial Conference Solo Competition. Jacob regularly performs with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, with whom he recently traveled to New York City to play at Carnegie Hall. During their 2024 season, he was a featured concerto soloist for the consortium premiere of Viet Cuong’s Second Nature.
Jacob is the alto saxophonist of his saxophone quartet, Zed, who recently won First Prize at both the Plowman Chamber Music Competition and MTNA Chamber Music Competitions, a silver medal at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, Second Prize at the NOLA Chamber Fest Competition, and First Prize at the American Virtuoso International Music Competition, and finalists in the Coltman Chamber Music Competition. Zed has given featured performances at the Chamber Music America Conference, the International Saxophone Symposium, the Texas Music Educators Association Convention, and the North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference. Active as both performers and educators, they have given masterclasses and recitals at Louisiana State University, The University of Texas at San Antonio, and Texas A&M International University.
He earned his Bachelor of Music degrees in Music Education and Saxophone Performance from Michigan State University, where he studied with Professor Joseph Lulloff.
Lindsay Glaccum, Bassoon
Lindsay Glaccum is a bassoonist from the suburbs of Houston, Texas. She currently studies with Peter Kolkay at Vanderbilt University, where she is pursuing her Bachelors in Music Performance. Originally a pianist, Lindsay fell in love with the bassoon at age 14 after hearing a performance of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice for the first time. In the past, she has
been a member of the Interlochen World Youth Symphony Orchestra and attended the Domaine Forget de Charlevoix woodwind academy in Québec, as well as the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival in New York City. She has also played in masterclasses with artists such as Benjamin Kamins, Keith Buncke, Conrad Cornelison, Andrew Brady, Lola Descours,
and Monica Ellis. At Vanderbilt, she is actively involved in chamber music and orchestra, and her wind quintet has been selected to perform in the music school’s highly selective chamber music showcase.
In addition to performance, Lindsay is a budding composer with a special interest in creating new works for bassoon. Since the bassoon has been sorely overlooked by composers in the past, she hopes to increase the breadth and diversity of its repertoire.
She has written and recorded several pieces during her time at Vanderbilt and hopes to publish them in the near future. During the past year, Lindsay has premiered several compositions for winds, including a duet for bass clarinet and bassoon and a piece for wind quintet.
Lindsay is also fascinated with the connection between music, art, literature, and language. When she isn’t playing music or composing, she is often drawing, designing posters for concerts, or taking classes in the French department.
Alayne Honaker, Violin
Alayne Honaker sparks musical curiosity through passionate violin performance and dynamic musical instruction, fostering a deeper connection to the musical arts in audiences and students alike.
A versatile performer based in Cincinnati, Ohio, she captivates listeners through her orchestral and chamber pursuits. She performs regularly with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the Lima Symphony Orchestra, and the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra. In March of 2025, Honaker was appointed by Maestro Andrew Crust as Principal Second Violinist for the Lima Symphony Orchestra.
Beyond orchestral performance, Honaker is committed to uniting communities through innovative musical collaborations. As a founding member of the OLEA Ensemble, she champions new music and artistic exploration, driving the ensemble’s creative vision. In 2019, she served as executive producer for Summertime: An Evening with the Musicians of Knox County, an original showcase concert that seamlessly blended Americana, Classical, and Jazz music, celebrating the rich musical diversity of Knox County while fostering investment in local artists.
With over nine years of teaching experience, Honaker nurtures her students’ musical curiosity through detail-oriented, observation-based methods. Her approach emphasizes strong foundational techniques and creative expression, ensuring each student develops both technical mastery and artistic confidence. She teaches violin lessons to students of all ages at West Chester Academy and Western Hills Music, while also maintaining a private studio for adult learners.
Honaker’s excellence as a performer has been recognized with the Thomas B. and Mary M. Greenslade Award for Music Performance and a First-Place finish in the 2017 Knox County Symphony Young Musicians Competition. A graduate of Kenyon College (’17) with degrees in Music and Sociology, she later earned a Master of Music (’21) and an Artist Diploma (’23) in Violin Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Her primary teachers include Timothy Lees and Ariane Sletner. Currently residing in Cincinnati, she continues to inspire musical discovery through performance, education, and creative collaboration.
Amelia Johnson, Oboe
Originally from Bay Village, Ohio, Amelia Johnson is a first-year Masters of Music student at the University of Kentucky, studying under Dr. ToniMarie Marchioni. She performs as principal oboe with the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and on English horn in the University of Kentucky Wind Symphony. She received undergraduate degrees in Oboe Performance and Art History from the University of Iowa, where her research focused on the intersections of art and music. At the University of Iowa, she performed in the Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Band, and Opera Orchestra and was a founding member of the AABCs Woodwind Quintet and the Gentileschi Trio. Her previous oboe teachers include Professor Danna Sundet, Dr. Courtney Miller, and Dr. David Cyzak. In addition to oboe, Amelia plays piano, saxophone, and organ, and she enjoys spending time knitting, sewing, and reading.
Marissa Kerbel, Piano
Marissa Kerbel (she/her) is a pianist and pedagogue based in Chicago, IL. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of
Cincinnati where she studied with Michael Chertock and James Tocco. Other significant pedagogical influences include Marvin Blickenstaff and Dr. Erin Bennett. Marissa has performed in master classes
with Christopher O’Riley, Michelle Cann, and Pavel Vinnitsky. Marissa also holds a Master’s Degree in
Music Theory from the University of Cincinnati and has presented research on analysis of popular music, rhythm and meter, and twentieth century approaches to tonality.
Marissa is passionate about performing as both a soloist and a collaborator. She currently serves as Principal Keyboard of the LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra, Associate Member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and Principal Keyboard of the Britt Festival Orchestra. She can also be heard performing with orchestras throughout the Midwest as a guest keyboardist. Marissa is one of the founding members of the chamber music collective OLEA through which she performs new and underperformed works for small chamber ensembles. An advocate for new music, Marissa has commissioned and performed new works by numerous up-and-coming composers. Her most recent solo program, “New Beginnings” (August 2024), was presented by New Music Chicago Presents and featured premieres by Amy Wurtz, Laura Adkins, Adam Kennaugh, Vicki Milewski, and Paul Scherer. Marissa has previously premiered vocal and chamber works by Owen Hopper (September 2023) and Jacy Pedersen (August 2021, November 2020).
Marissa’s debut album, “In 24 Years: The Music of Lili Boulanger” (November 2023) is the first complete recording of Lili Boulanger’s works for piano and small chamber ensemble. The album is available now on all major streaming platforms (https://marissakerbel.hearnow.com).
Marissa is also passionate about educating the next generation of musicians. She maintains a thriving studio of private piano students in her home in Chicago and online across the United States. She is also an instructor of piano and music theory at Wilbur Wright College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. When not performing and teaching music, Marissa loves spending time with her dog Lili, discovering new vegan recipes, and getting out into nature.
Kate Kilgus, Clarinet
Dr. Kate Kilgus is a clarinetist in the Cincinnati area who is passionate about sharing music with others through teaching, performing, and collaborating. In August 2024, she completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory for which her research focused on implementing mind-body awareness techniques into music performance pedagogy. She currently enjoys teaching and performing regularly in theGreater Cincinnati area.
Kate serves as Adjunct Professor of Clarinet at Sinclair College and Wright State University. In addition, she teaches private lessons and sectionals at several music studios and public schools, interacting with over 40 students each week. She draws on pedagogical approaches which she researched for her dissertation to find comfortable, healthy, and sustainable ways of approaching the clarinet for each student.
As a performer, Kate plays regularly with the Mason Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati New Music Ensemble, and OLEA Ensemble, which she co-founded in the spring of 2021. With a focus on making chamber music and new music engaging and impactful for audiences, OLEA performs regularly in Cincinnati and Chicago, has commissioned several new works, and has attended fully funded residencies at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute as well as the Decoda Chamber Music Festival.
In addition to her DMA, Kate holds a Master of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, a Bachelor of Music degree in Clarinet Performance from Lawrence University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from Lawrence University. Her primary teachers include Pavel Vinnitsky, Joe Morris, Christopher Pell, and David Bell. She has performed in masterclasses with Anthony McGill, Anton Rist, and Alexander Fiterstein.
Lily Judge, French Horn
Lily Judge is a first-year M.M. student at the Yale School of Music where she studies horn performance with William Purvis. She received a B.A. in art history and a B.M. in horn performance from Oberlin College & Conservatory, where her primary teachers were Jeff Scott and Roland Pandolfi.
Lily is a member of the quintet Looking Glass Brass, with whom she has attended festivals such as the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and Stockholm Chamber Brass Academy. She has also been featured as a soloist with the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble on Olivier Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles… and has performed with the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra in Ohio.
During tacets and long rests, Lily can be found tying her shoelaces to other people’s shoes. Outside of music, Lily likes graphic design, public transit, and cooking with friends.
Sean McBride, Bass Clarinet
Sean McBride is an undergraduate clarinet student at the University of South Florida, studying with Calvin Falwell and Asher Carlson. He regularly performs on soprano and bass clarinets with the USF Clarinet Ensemble, the USF Wind Ensemble, and the USF Symphony Orchestra, recently performing Andrew Grenci’s Concerto in Rock for Bass Clarinet and Orchestra. As a soloist he previously performed Todd Goodman’s Concerto for Bass Clarinet with the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra, was the runner-up in the First Coast Wind Symphony Concerto Competition, and received an honorable mention in the Ocala Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition. He also enjoys experimenting with electroacoustic clarinet music using effects pedals. Sean looks for any opportunity he can to play chamber music at events around USF, such as the annual Bullapalooza and HalLOWeen concerts, and outside of the school. He played with the USF Bass Clarinet Quartet at the International Clarinet Association’s Low Clarinet Festival 2025, and with the USF 2×2 Quartet at ICA’s ClarinetFest 2024 in Dublin. Previous music festivals he has attended are the Saarburg Chamber Music Festival, the University of Sheffield Bass Clarinet Course, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Bass Clarinet Intensive. He is looking forward to being at the Akropolis Chamber Music Institute this summer and all the exciting experiences it will bring.
Lorena Navarro, Percussion
Lorena Navarro is a percussionist, educator, and composer based in Michigan. As a musician, Lorena has performed with artists such as Gwendolyn Dease, Cris Derksen, Sō Percussion and Sandbox Percussion. As an educator, she enjoys teaching private percussion lessons and coaching percussion chamber ensembles. As a composer, she explores writing for percussion and mixed chamber ensembles. She had the honor of premiering her first solo written for marimba at the 2024 Classical Indigenous Music Residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Lorena is currently pursuing a DMA in Percussion Performance at Michigan State University. She holds degrees from Michigan State University and Utah Valley University. Her current interests include freelancing in pits for musical theater productions and collaborating with other Indigenous composers.
Leah Piccirillo, Oboe
Leah Piccirillo is a Filipino-American oboist from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She is pursuing a master’s degree in oboe performance at Bowling Green State University, where she studies with Dwight Parry.
An avid chamber musician, she has been a member of the Middle Tennessee Sinfonietta, Middle Tennessee Woodwind Ensemble, and premiered multiple chamber works through the Nashville Composer Collective. In collaboration with MTS, she appears as oboist in Grammy-nominated singer/composer Cody Fry’s music video “I Hear a Symphony.” Most recently, she performed as a guest musician with the Bach Ensemble at St. Thomas.
Also a dedicated teacher, Leah enjoys mentoring young oboists through the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Youth Ensembles program. She is a teaching assistant for BGSU’s oboe studio.Leah graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a B.M. in oboe performance and a minor in Early Modern European Studies, studying with David Cyzak and Keith Sorrels. Ever-curious about research and innovation in reed-making, her recently published thesis “Oboe Reed-Making: An Analysis and Discussion of Current Practice, Limitations, and Technology Associated with Mass Production” is featured on the International Double Reed Society’s website.
Leah is a recipient of the 2018 Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra Music Excellence award.
When she’s not playing the oboe, she enjoys listening to jazz guitar albums and spending time with her pet salamander, Smidge.
Orwin Requeno, Saxophone
Orwin Requeno is a saxophonist from Atlanta, Georgia, currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Performance at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University, where he studies with Dr. Joe Girard. Passionate about both solo and ensemble playing, Orwin is an active performer in a variety of groups, including the Schwob Wind Ensemble, Contemporary Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble, and the Legacy Saxophone Quartet. He has also had the opportunity to play with the Lagrange Symphony Orchestra and the Blue Morpho Orchestra.
Orwin has distinguished himself by earning awards in national and international competitions such as both the MTNA Young Artist and Senior Competitions, as well as the Atlanta Wind Symphony Concerto Competition. Most recently, he was able to participate in the 2024 Accordi Musicali Competition in Italy.
He has participated in prestigious summer programs such as the Université Européenne de Saxophone in Gap, France and the Accordi Musicali Academy in Pescara, Italy. These experiences have allowed him to work closely with some of the leading saxophone figures in the world.
Orwin has performed in masterclasses for internationally acclaimed saxophonists, including Claude Delangle, Nicolas Arsenijevic, Christian Wirth, Mariano Garcia, Joonatan Rautiola, Philippe Braquart, Timothy McAllister, Joe Lulloff, and Sandro Compagnon.
Miko Roman, Bassoon
Miko Roman is a gifted oboist and bassoonist doubler with a passion for performing music from the Americas, one of his favorite composers being Heitor Villa-Lobos. As a teaching artist at the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, he inspires students of all ages through private lessons and group classes, fostering a love for wind instruments.
After earning his BFA in Bassoon Performance from UW- Milwaukee under the teachings of Beth Giacobassi, Rudi Heinrich, and Catherine Van Handel, he will go on to earn his Master’s Degree in Bassoon Performance at the University of Louisiana. As the Graduate Bassoon Teaching Assistant, he will earn his next degree under the guidance of Dr. Nanci Belmont beginning this fall 2025.
Beyond music, Miko is dedicated to community service. As an employee at Dream Bikes, Miko teaches students from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee how to repair and sell bikes. With a love for both music and hands-on learning, he enjoys building and riding bikes while sharing valuable skills with the next generation.
