Dr. Rebecca Phillips
Dr. Rebecca Phillips is Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Colorado State University where she conducts the CSU Wind Symphony and guides all aspects of the band and graduate wind conducting programs. Prior to this appointment, she served as the Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at the University of South Carolina where she was responsible for directing the Symphonic Winds Concert Band, “The Mighty Sound of the Southeast” Carolina Marching Band, “Concocktion” Pep Bands, teaching undergraduate instrumental conducting, and directing the Carolina Summer Drum Major Clinic.
Dr. Phillips has served as guest-conductor, clinician, and performer throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Highlights include conductor-in-residence with the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C., the Department of Defense All-Europe High School Honor Band in Frankfurt, Germany, guest-conducting the “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, and both professional and collegiate musicians in Prague (Czech Republic) for the “Prague Multicultural Music Project.” In addition, she has conducted members of the Prague National Symphony at the inaugural “2017 American Spring Festival” (Prague, Czech Republic). In 2018, she conducted members of the Des Moines Symphony in a chamber concert for the Iowa Bandmasters Association annual conference.
Dr. Phillips regularly conducts intercollegiate and collegiate honor bands, all-state bands, and festival bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe and she has been a rehearsal clinician at the Midwest Clinic: An International Band and Orchestra Conference. Ensembles under her direction have been featured at the 2020 Colorado Music Educators Association Convention, the 2019 American Bandmasters Association National Convention, the 2012 College Band Director’s National Association Southern Division Conference, the 2010 Society of Composers International Conference, and the 2008 North American Saxophone Alliance International Convention.
Dr. Phillips believes in treasuring the traditional wind music of the past as well as promoting cutting edge works of today’s finest composers. She commissioned and conducted world and consortium premieres of works by several leading composers, including William Bolcom, James David, John Mackey, John Fitz Rogers, Kevin Poelking, Adam Silverman, Frank Ticheli, and Dana Wilson to name a few. Her conducting performances of David del Tredici’s In Wartime and John Mackey’s Redline Tango are both featured on the nationally distributed Louisiana State University Wind Ensemble compact disc project and the world premiere of John Fitz Rogers Narragansett is featured on the Compact Disc And I Await, featuring Dr. Phillips as guest-conductor of the University of South Carolina Wind Ensemble.
As a trombonist, Dr. Phillips’ performances can be found on several internationally distributed recordings. She has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, U.S. Army Band (Pershing’s Own), the Tallahassee Symphony, and the Tampa Bay Opera Orchestra. She has also performed internationally in England, Mexico, the Caribbean, Russia, and Sweden, and has toured as a trombonist with Johnny Mathis and Barry Manilow.
A native of the Washington, D.C. area, Dr. Phillips earned her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Florida State University, Master of Music degrees in conducting and trombone performance from the University of South Florida, and Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting at Louisiana State University. She served as a secondary school band director for seven years in Florida, including Director of Bands at Howard W. Blake Performing Arts High School in Tampa, Florida where she developed an award-winning concert band program. She is a Past President of the National Band Association, serves on the Board of Directors for the American Bandmasters Association, served in various capacities with the College band Directors National Association, and is on the college/university board for the Western International Band Clinic.
MICHAEL VOTTA, JR.
Michael Votta, Jr. has been hailed by critics as “a conductor with the drive and ability to fully relay artistic thoughts” and praised for his “interpretations of definition, precision and most importantly, unmitigated joy.” Ensembles under his direction have received critical acclaim in the United States, Europe and Asia for their “exceptional spirit, verve and precision,” their “sterling examples of innovative programming” and “the kind of artistry that is often thought to be the exclusive purview of top symphonic ensembles.”
He currently serves as Interim Director of the School of Music at the University of Maryland where he holds the rank of Professor and also serves as Director of Bands. Under his leadership, the UM Wind Orchestra has been invited to perform at multiple national and divisional conferences of the College Band Directors National Association as well as the 2015 international conference of the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles. UMWO has also performed with major artists such as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Eighth Blackbird, the Imani Winds and Konshens the MC. UMWO has commissioned and premiered over 30 works by composers such as Clarice Assad, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Alvin Singleton, Stephen Jaffe, Andre Previn, Steven Mackey and numerous others. Votta has taught conducting seminars in the US, Israel and Canada, and has guest conducted and lectured throughout the world with organizations including the Beijing Wind Orchestra, the Prague Conservatory, the Eastman School of Music, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the National Arts Camp at Interlochen, the Midwest Clinic and the Conductors Guild. His performances have been heard in broadcasts throughout the US, on Austrian National Radio (ÖRF), and Southwest German Television, and have been released internationally on the Primavera label. Numerous major composers including George Crumb, Christopher Rouse, Louis Andriessen, Karel Husa, Olly Wilson, Barbara Kolb, and Warren Benson have praised his performances of their works.
His arrangements and editions for winds have been performed and recorded by university and professional wind ensembles in the US, Europe and Japan. He is also the author and editor of
books and articles on wind literature and conducting.
He is currently President of the College Band Directors National Association and has served as President of the Big Ten Band Directors Association, Editor of the CBDNA Journal, and as a member of the boards of the International Society for the Investigation of Wind Music (IGEB) and the Conductors Guild.
Before his appointment at Maryland, Votta held conducting positions at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Duke University, Ithaca College, the University of South Florida, Miami University (Ohio) and Hope College.
A native of Michigan, Votta holds degrees in conducting, clarinet performance and microbiology from the Eastman School of Music and The University of Michigan. As a clarinetist, he has performed as a soloist throughout the US and Europe. His solo and chamber music recordings have been released on the Partridge and Albany labels.
Dr. Evan Feldman
Dr. Evan Feldman is Director of Wind Studies and Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches courses in conducting and music education. He also directs the Triangle Wind Ensemble and is an active guest conductor and adjudicator, with engagements in Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Romania, Belgium, and Tanzania, as well as all-state, all-district, and all-county honor bands throughout the U.S.
Under his direction, the UNC Wind Ensemble has twice been invited to perform at the College Band Directors National Association Southern Division Conference, and the Triangle Wind Ensemble has received two invitations to perform at the North Carolina Music Educators Conference.
Dr. Feldman previously served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, where he led education, holiday, and pops concerts. He has conducted classical and pops concerts with the North Carolina Symphony, and frequently conducts the Chapel Hill Philharmonia Orchestra.
Dr. Feldman’s college textbook, Instrumental Music Education (Routledge Publishing), is in its 4th edition and has been widely adopted by university music education programs. He authored the first MOOC (massive open online course) dedicated to conducting and rehearsal technique. Over 35,000 students have enrolled through Coursera.org.
He is editor of the WASBE Journal (World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles) dedicated to research about wind music, its history, and its performance practice. His arrangements and editions of music by Léo Delibes, Ralph Vaughan Williams, George Enescu, Antonin Dvořák, Ariel Ramirez, and Sergei Prokofiev are published by Tierolff Muziekcentrale.
Dr. Feldman previously taught at the College of William and Mary (VA) and Central College (IA). He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he studied with Donald Hunsberger and Mendi Rodan and served as an assistant conductor for the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Eastman Wind Orchestra. He received his Masters in Conducting from Ithaca College and his Bachelor of Arts in Music from Duke University. He previously taught high school band in Hicksville, NY.
Scott Teeple
Scott Teeple serves as a professor of music, director of bands, and chair of the conducting area at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In this role, he conducts the wind ensemble, teaches graduate conducting, and oversees all aspects of the UW–Madison Band program.
Mr. Teeple is in demand as a clinician and guest conductor. He is regularly invited to guest conduct throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. In addition, he is in demand as a teacher, serving as a clinician at conducting symposia around the country.
Under his leadership, the ensembles at UW–Madison have toured, recorded, and participated in numerous commissions. Most recently, the UW–Madison Wind Ensemble performed the world premiere of Angélica Negrón’s “blooming artifacts.” Recent guest composers and soloists also include: Eighth Black Bird, Stacy Garrop, Will Healy, Omar Thomas, and UW Faculty Tom Curry, Matthew Koester, and Jean Laurenz. The UW–Madison Wind Ensemble has been invited to give performances at the College Band Directors National Association, the Wisconsin School Music Association, and Carnegie Hall, and has toured throughout the Midwest. Teeple’s ensembles and graduate conducting students have collaborated with internationally renowned artists, including Eugene Corporon, Craig Kirchhoff, Michael Mulcahy, Marianne Ploger, H. Robert Reynolds, John DeMain, and Edo de Waart. His ensembles have collaborated with multi-media artists, dancers, and actors, exploring the creative process between ensemble musicians and artists in various mediums throughout the rehearsal and performance cycles.
Under Teeple’s leadership, his ensembles have engaged with audiences through pre-concert date video program notes, pre-concert talks, and intermission “Press Conferences” encouraging audience members and performers to engage with one another through question/answer and discussion.
Before his appointment at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Teeple served on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor. Prior to earning his Masters he served as Instrumental Music Educator at Port Huron Northern High School (MI). He is president-elect of the North Central Region of the College Band Directors National Association. He is a member of the American Bandmaster’s Association, past president of the Big Ten Band Directors Association and a former vice president of the Wisconsin School Music Association.
Mr. Teeple received degrees in Music Education and Conducting from the University of Michigan, where he studied with H. Robert Reynolds. He is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles. In 2024, his national peers inducted him into the American Bandmasters Association. He is the recipient of the UW–Madison Edna Weicher’s Award. Other honors include membership in Phi Mu Alpha, Kappa Kappa Psi, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Eta Sigma.
Stanley R. Schoonover
Stan Schoonover has been Music Director of the Fairfax Wind Symphony since its’ founding in 1999. His thirty-two year career in public school education included Bangor, Mt. Vernon, West Springfield, and Robinson high schools, and eleven years as Music Supervisor for the Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools. Ensembles under his direction have appeared three times at the Mid-West Clinic, the National Concert Band Festival, the Mid-East Clinic, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Soldiers and Sailors Hall, the GMU Center of the Arts, the Forbes Center, and at fifteen VMEA In-Service Conferences. For more than twenty years, his bands received championship honors and superior ratings in more than 10 states. The John Phillip Sousa Foundation awarded the Sudler Silver Scroll to the Fairfax Wind Symphony in December of 2019. Mr. Schoonover has been an Adjunct Instructor at James Madison University, and is a member of the MFA Educational Team, and the Midwest Clinic Advisory Committee.
Mr. Schoonover received degrees from Gettysburg College, and West Chester University. He is an active Past-President of the Virginia Band and Orchestras Directors Association [VBODA], and an elected member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association. He was named to the 2018 VBODA Hall of Fame, the 2017 Phi Beta Mu Hall of Fame, received the 2012 VBODA Phillip J. Fuller Award, and the 2006 VMEA Outstanding Administrator Award. In October of 2004, Mr. Schoonover was inducted into the East Stroudsburg (PA) Hall of Fame. Marquis Who’s Who presented him with the 2017 Albert Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.