PYCO Coaches
Pablo Ardiles - Artistic Director & PYCO Orchestra Director
Pablo Ardiles was born in Argentina where, at an early age, he started the study of piano and violin. He obtained his bachelor degree of Arts in Chamber Music, with concentration in violin performance and conducting, at the University of La Plata in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and his Master of Music in violin performance at Carnegie Mellon University. He also holds an Artist Diploma from Duquesne University. While at Carnegie Mellon University, Mr. Ardiles studied with Aaron Bitran, violinist of the “Cuarteto Latinoamericano,” and Andrés Cárdenes, former concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony.
As a violinist, Mr. Ardiles has performed extensively as a soloist, concertmaster, and member of many orchestras and ensembles. In Argentina he performed with the Gilardo Gilardi Conservatory Orchestra, La Plata Youth Orchestra, University of La Plata Orchestra, Olavarria Civic Orchestra, Lazarte Camerata (concertmaster), Tucuman Symphony Orchestra, and San Luis Symphony Orchestra (concertmaster). In Europe he performed with the Populare Konzerte Orchestra in Berlin, Germany.
In Pittsburgh and the tri-state area, Mr. Ardiles served as concertmaster of the San Damiano Consort, Butler Symphony, Duquesne University Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Festival Orchestra. He also played as section principal or orchestra member with the Westmoreland Symphony, McKeesport Symphony, Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic Orchestra, Altoona Symphony, Erie Philharmonic, Johnstown Symphony, Saint Vincent Camerata, Pitt University Orchestra, Orchestra Nova, and Carnegie Mellon and Duquesne University Contemporary Ensembles. In this capacity he performed under the baton of maestros Sydney Hart, Andrés Cárdenes, Larry Rachleff, Kevin Knoe, and Juan Pablo Izquierdo, among many others.
In 1992 Mr. Ardiles started teaching chamber music at the Carnegie Mellon pre-college program, where he was a faculty member until 2015. In 1996, he founded the Musik Innovations Chamber Music Camp which he led successfully for 14 years. During this time, the program provided chamber music instruction to over 500 students from 30 school districts in the Pittsburgh, Ohio and West Virginia areas. He also taught violin at the Winchester Thurston School.
Mr. Ardiles became the music director of Serenading Strings in 2002, and in the fall of 2003 he was appointed Music Director of the Classical Concert Series for the Uptown Theatre in Washington, PA. In both capacities, Mr. Ardiles has produced or coordinated hundreds of musical performances and ensembles, ranging from solo instrumentalists to full symphony orchestras, in various ethnic styles and genres.
Mr. Ardiles has coached and conducted several youth orchestras, as well as ensembles and professional groups in the USA and abroad. In Pittsburgh, he conducted the Pittsburgh Philharmonic, PMEA District 1 Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra (PYCO). He has been the artistic director of PYCO since 2006 which he conducted both in the USA and during international tours in the European cities of Salzburg, Vienna, Prague, London, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Paris. His next international tour, scheduled for July 2018, will include conducting the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra in Venice, Florence and Rome.
Mr. Ardiles is presently the Director of the PYCO School of Music in Wexford, PA, and the Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra (PYCO). He performs currently as a conductor, violin and viola recitalist and a free-lance musician.
Mr. Ardiles maintains an active studio of private students at the PYCO School of Music, where he shares the love and art of playing violin and viola, and the joy of being a musician.
As a violinist, Mr. Ardiles has performed extensively as a soloist, concertmaster, and member of many orchestras and ensembles. In Argentina he performed with the Gilardo Gilardi Conservatory Orchestra, La Plata Youth Orchestra, University of La Plata Orchestra, Olavarria Civic Orchestra, Lazarte Camerata (concertmaster), Tucuman Symphony Orchestra, and San Luis Symphony Orchestra (concertmaster). In Europe he performed with the Populare Konzerte Orchestra in Berlin, Germany.
In Pittsburgh and the tri-state area, Mr. Ardiles served as concertmaster of the San Damiano Consort, Butler Symphony, Duquesne University Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Festival Orchestra. He also played as section principal or orchestra member with the Westmoreland Symphony, McKeesport Symphony, Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic Orchestra, Altoona Symphony, Erie Philharmonic, Johnstown Symphony, Saint Vincent Camerata, Pitt University Orchestra, Orchestra Nova, and Carnegie Mellon and Duquesne University Contemporary Ensembles. In this capacity he performed under the baton of maestros Sydney Hart, Andrés Cárdenes, Larry Rachleff, Kevin Knoe, and Juan Pablo Izquierdo, among many others.
In 1992 Mr. Ardiles started teaching chamber music at the Carnegie Mellon pre-college program, where he was a faculty member until 2015. In 1996, he founded the Musik Innovations Chamber Music Camp which he led successfully for 14 years. During this time, the program provided chamber music instruction to over 500 students from 30 school districts in the Pittsburgh, Ohio and West Virginia areas. He also taught violin at the Winchester Thurston School.
Mr. Ardiles became the music director of Serenading Strings in 2002, and in the fall of 2003 he was appointed Music Director of the Classical Concert Series for the Uptown Theatre in Washington, PA. In both capacities, Mr. Ardiles has produced or coordinated hundreds of musical performances and ensembles, ranging from solo instrumentalists to full symphony orchestras, in various ethnic styles and genres.
Mr. Ardiles has coached and conducted several youth orchestras, as well as ensembles and professional groups in the USA and abroad. In Pittsburgh, he conducted the Pittsburgh Philharmonic, PMEA District 1 Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra (PYCO). He has been the artistic director of PYCO since 2006 which he conducted both in the USA and during international tours in the European cities of Salzburg, Vienna, Prague, London, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Paris. His next international tour, scheduled for July 2018, will include conducting the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra in Venice, Florence and Rome.
Mr. Ardiles is presently the Director of the PYCO School of Music in Wexford, PA, and the Artistic Director of the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra (PYCO). He performs currently as a conductor, violin and viola recitalist and a free-lance musician.
Mr. Ardiles maintains an active studio of private students at the PYCO School of Music, where he shares the love and art of playing violin and viola, and the joy of being a musician.
Lydia Miller Choorapuzha - Violin Coach
A native of Severna Park, Maryland, Lydia Miller Choorapuzha began playing violin at the early age of five. Her talent and enthusiasm for the instrument resulted in a scholarship to study at the preparatory division of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, where she learned from world-renowned musicians during her seven years there. She attended Boston University on a merit scholarship where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in the history and literature of music. In the spring of 2006 she completed her master's degree in violin performance at the State University of New York College at Purchase, where she was a scholarship recipient and the teaching assistant for Laurie Smukler, founding member of the Mendelssohn Quartet.
Ms. Miller has taught violin at Minnesota State University Mankato, the University of St. Thomas, the University of Wisconsin - River Falls, and the MacPhail School of Music. Lydia has taught at numerous summer festivals and is currently on the faculty of the International Music Camp. Her students have won numerous accolades, from college scholarships to awards in competitions to acceptance into top youth orchestras and summer festivals.
Ms. Miller and her husband recently relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is teaching at the City Music Center of Duquesne University, PYCO School of Music, and at her home in Pine Township in the North Hills.
Ms. Miller has taught violin at Minnesota State University Mankato, the University of St. Thomas, the University of Wisconsin - River Falls, and the MacPhail School of Music. Lydia has taught at numerous summer festivals and is currently on the faculty of the International Music Camp. Her students have won numerous accolades, from college scholarships to awards in competitions to acceptance into top youth orchestras and summer festivals.
Ms. Miller and her husband recently relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is teaching at the City Music Center of Duquesne University, PYCO School of Music, and at her home in Pine Township in the North Hills.
Steve Ehrlich - Junior Strings Director
Steve Ehrlich is the East Allegheny School District Orchestra Director for grades 4-12. He has been in this position since the fall of 2003. Previously he was the Orchestra Director for the Penn Hills School District from 1996-2003.
He was born in Pittsburgh, and received his early musical training at the Pittsburgh Centers for the Musically Talented, as well as performing with the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra. A recipient of a Presidential Scholarship to Duquesne University, he earned a B.S. Degree in Music Education in 1994 (magna cum laude) and a Masters Degree in Cello Performance in 1996.
He has performed with the Edgewood Symphony, Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, Saint Vincent Chamber Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Symphony. Steve is currently the principal cellist for the North Pittsburgh Philharmonic. He has also been a freelance musician in the Pittsburgh area for the last 15 years directing the chamber ensemble Steve Ehrlich Strings. During his career he has performed in numerous operas, musicals, and festivals. He is also a private studio instructor on all stringed instruments.
He was born in Pittsburgh, and received his early musical training at the Pittsburgh Centers for the Musically Talented, as well as performing with the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra. A recipient of a Presidential Scholarship to Duquesne University, he earned a B.S. Degree in Music Education in 1994 (magna cum laude) and a Masters Degree in Cello Performance in 1996.
He has performed with the Edgewood Symphony, Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, Saint Vincent Chamber Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Symphony. Steve is currently the principal cellist for the North Pittsburgh Philharmonic. He has also been a freelance musician in the Pittsburgh area for the last 15 years directing the chamber ensemble Steve Ehrlich Strings. During his career he has performed in numerous operas, musicals, and festivals. He is also a private studio instructor on all stringed instruments.
Rick Murrell - Chamber Brass Director & Brass Coach
Originally from Muncie, Indiana, Rick Murrell graduated in 1979 from Ball State University with degrees in Music Performance and Music Education. After one semester of graduate studies at the University of Iowa, he was offered a position as principal trumpet in the Veracruz Symphony Orchestra in Veracruz, Mexico. Since returning to the U.S., Rick has won positions in many different orchestras and festivals including Quad Cities, IA; Cedar Rapids, IA; Binghamton, NY; Tucson, AZ; Sun Valley, ID and Bedford Springs, PA. After moving to Pittsburgh in 1990, Rick has played with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra many times. Highlights include: performing Mahler’s 6th Symphony in Carnegie Hall with Loren Maazel, playing with PSO Pops under Marvin Hamlisch, performing with the Pittsburgh Opera under the direction of Anthony Walker, as well as Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Charles Barker.
In addition to being a trumpet soloist in great demand at weddings and church services and as a private instructor throughout the Pittsburgh area, Rick is the Director of the Pittsburgh Ceremonial Brass Quintet, Artists in Residence at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA and Founder of the Pittsburgh Baroque Ensemble, Pittsburgh, PA.
Rick has also performed with Tempesta di Mare: The Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra and with Apollo’s Fire: the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra. Other performances include the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, and the Milwaukee based Baroque group, Ensemble Musical Offering.
He performs on an Egger “Historic” Model Trumpet reproduction of a Haas trumpet of 1740.
In addition to being a trumpet soloist in great demand at weddings and church services and as a private instructor throughout the Pittsburgh area, Rick is the Director of the Pittsburgh Ceremonial Brass Quintet, Artists in Residence at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA and Founder of the Pittsburgh Baroque Ensemble, Pittsburgh, PA.
Rick has also performed with Tempesta di Mare: The Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra and with Apollo’s Fire: the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra. Other performances include the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, and the Milwaukee based Baroque group, Ensemble Musical Offering.
He performs on an Egger “Historic” Model Trumpet reproduction of a Haas trumpet of 1740.
Nolan Petote - Woodwind Coordinator
Nolan Petote is a recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon where he obtained his Master’s and Advanced Music Studies Degrees in music performance. While at Carnegie Mellon, Nolan was in the studio of Michael Rusinek and a member of the Carnegie Mellon University Philharmonic, Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Contemporary Ensemble, and in the National Music Honor Society Pi Kappa Lambda, Theta Xi chapter. He is a 2012 graduate of Duquesne University with a degree in music performance where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. While at Duquesne, he was in the studio of Ron Samuels and a member of the Duquesne University Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, and Contemporary Ensemble. Nolan was a winner of the 2010 Duquesne University Symphony Concerto Competition and 2012 Charles Bruno Wind Symphony Concerto Competition. Nolan has also studied extensively with Richard Page and Brian Hysong and performed in masterclasses with Julian Bliss, Mark Nuccio, and Dan Gilbert among others. Nolan has substituted numerous times with the South Florida Symphony Orchestra, Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, and Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, and is an active chamber musician with the Bel Suono Ensemble.
Younga Reitz - Chamber Strings Director & String Coordinator
Cellist Younga Reitz began her musical training at an early age with piano, violin, then on to cello, and graduated from Sunhwa Arts School in Seoul, Korea. She holds a Bachelor’s degree Cum Laude (1995) and Master’s degree (1997) from Duquesne University Mary Pappert School of Music. She also studied Music Therapy as a graduate assistant and served as the librarian for Duquesne Symphony Orchestra.
Mrs. Reitz was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society in 1997. She earned an Artist Diploma in 2001 from the same institute. As the first prize winner of the Korean Music Education Association Younga Reitz has made a solo appearance with Les Arts de Baroque Orchestra at Hoahm Arts Hall for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Korea in 1994. Also, her solo and chamber music performance was heard in Switzerland, Holland, and the U.S. Her performances include the winner’s recital of the Pittsburgh Young Artist Series in 1999. Younga Reitz has studied with Misha Quint, Anne Martindale Williams, Jennifer Langham, Sung Yon Lee, Lauren Mallory, and has participated in numerous international music festivals in the U.S., Europe, and South Korea.
Mrs. Reitz is currently is an adjunct teacher at the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA High School), Center for Musically Talented at CAPA, the cello coach for the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra, and a teacher at the Quaker Valley High School after school program. She has been on the faculty at the City Music Center and Jewish Community Center, and has taught orchestral studies, chamber music, and private lessons in Westminster College, Geneva College, Seton Hill College, Fox Chapel Area High School, Waldorf School of Pittsburgh, Beaver Area High School, Pittsburgh Chamber Music Festival (1997 & 1998), Musik Innovations Chamber Music Camp (2001- 2007), Pine Richland School District Summer Strings Camp (2002-2008). She has played in the orchestras including Wheeling Symphony, Erie Philharmonic, Altoona Symphony, Johnstown Symphony and Butler Symphony.
Mrs. Reitz is the founder and the leader of the Pittsburgh Ensemble and Good Samaritans Cello Ensemble.
Mrs. Reitz was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society in 1997. She earned an Artist Diploma in 2001 from the same institute. As the first prize winner of the Korean Music Education Association Younga Reitz has made a solo appearance with Les Arts de Baroque Orchestra at Hoahm Arts Hall for the Performing Arts in Seoul, Korea in 1994. Also, her solo and chamber music performance was heard in Switzerland, Holland, and the U.S. Her performances include the winner’s recital of the Pittsburgh Young Artist Series in 1999. Younga Reitz has studied with Misha Quint, Anne Martindale Williams, Jennifer Langham, Sung Yon Lee, Lauren Mallory, and has participated in numerous international music festivals in the U.S., Europe, and South Korea.
Mrs. Reitz is currently is an adjunct teacher at the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA High School), Center for Musically Talented at CAPA, the cello coach for the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra, and a teacher at the Quaker Valley High School after school program. She has been on the faculty at the City Music Center and Jewish Community Center, and has taught orchestral studies, chamber music, and private lessons in Westminster College, Geneva College, Seton Hill College, Fox Chapel Area High School, Waldorf School of Pittsburgh, Beaver Area High School, Pittsburgh Chamber Music Festival (1997 & 1998), Musik Innovations Chamber Music Camp (2001- 2007), Pine Richland School District Summer Strings Camp (2002-2008). She has played in the orchestras including Wheeling Symphony, Erie Philharmonic, Altoona Symphony, Johnstown Symphony and Butler Symphony.
Mrs. Reitz is the founder and the leader of the Pittsburgh Ensemble and Good Samaritans Cello Ensemble.
Deborah Silverstein - Chamber Woodwinds Director
Deborah Silverstein earned a Bachelor of Music Education at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA, and a Master of Music in Flute at Ithaca College. She performed as Principal Flutist for the Pittsfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra, is past president of the Pittsburgh Flute Club, and is sometime lecturer in Flute at Geneva College.
Mrs. Silverstein is currently the instrumental and elementary vocal teacher at Rhema Christian School, and is a flutist in the Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra. Mrs. Silverstein formerly served as the Woodwind Coach for the Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic Orchestra.
Mrs. Silverstein is currently the instrumental and elementary vocal teacher at Rhema Christian School, and is a flutist in the Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra. Mrs. Silverstein formerly served as the Woodwind Coach for the Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic Orchestra.
Amy Stubbs - Percussion Coordinator
Amy Stubbs is Principal Percussionist with Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Timpanist with the former Napa Valley Symphony. Ms. Stubbs is equally at home as a timpanist and percussionist whose performances include: Chatham Baroque, Pittsburgh Baroque Ensemble, San Francisco Symphony, Syracuse Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, McKeesport Symphony, San Francisco Bay Brass, Empyrean Ensemble, Left Coast Ensemble, Moody Blues, Ray Charles, Luciano Pavarotti; tours with River City Brass Band and USAF Heritage of America Band. Recordings include Bay Brass; Women’s Philharmonic; USAF Heritage of America Band; and San Francisco Camerata which received a Grammy nomination for Carlos Franzetti’s opera, Corpus Evita. Amy has appeared as a soloist with the New Century Chamber Orchestra and Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony.
A passionate educator, Amy is Percussion Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra, enjoys a thriving private studio, and has presented masterclasses at Manhattan School of Music; Universities of Maryland, Southern California, Washington, Wichita State; Interlochen Arts Academy; and Day of Percussion at University of Alabama, Huntsville. Previous positions include the University of California Davis, Oakland East Bay Symphony Muse Program, and Oakland Youth Symphony.
Ms. Stubbs is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, earned her BM at Manhattan School of Music studying with Duncan Patton, and MM at Carnegie Mellon University studying with Timothy K. Adams, Jr. Additional studies with Cloyd Duff, Christopher Lamb, Mike Crusoe, Richard Holmes, and Thomas Stubbs.
Amy is an internationally recognized designer of innovative percussion and timpani accessories through her business, A. Stubbs Percussion. In 2013, Amy published her first book, The Art of Timpani Mallet-Making, a landmark text in the field. More information is available at www.stubbspercussion.com.
A passionate educator, Amy is Percussion Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra, enjoys a thriving private studio, and has presented masterclasses at Manhattan School of Music; Universities of Maryland, Southern California, Washington, Wichita State; Interlochen Arts Academy; and Day of Percussion at University of Alabama, Huntsville. Previous positions include the University of California Davis, Oakland East Bay Symphony Muse Program, and Oakland Youth Symphony.
Ms. Stubbs is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, earned her BM at Manhattan School of Music studying with Duncan Patton, and MM at Carnegie Mellon University studying with Timothy K. Adams, Jr. Additional studies with Cloyd Duff, Christopher Lamb, Mike Crusoe, Richard Holmes, and Thomas Stubbs.
Amy is an internationally recognized designer of innovative percussion and timpani accessories through her business, A. Stubbs Percussion. In 2013, Amy published her first book, The Art of Timpani Mallet-Making, a landmark text in the field. More information is available at www.stubbspercussion.com.
Tatyana Swanson - Violin & Viola Coach
Tatyana Swanson studied violin at Moscow Prokofiev’s School of Music and undergone viola instructions with Galya Dubrova at Moscow Conservatory. She has also studied viola under Y. Schutten and X. Montiel at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, as well as with several members of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with various groups and ensembles, such as Erie Philharmonic and Pops Orchestra, Traverse City Orchestra, Wheeling and McKeesport Symphonies, Johnstown and Westmoreland Orchestras, among others. Ms. Swanson was a string coach of the Pittsburgh Youth Phoenix Orchestra, string coach at the yearly Summer Chamber Music String Camp in the North Hills area of Pittsburgh, and a string coach at the Interlochen Summer Academy. In the summer of 2001, she was a participant in the Chamber Music String Workshop in Vermont. Currently, she holds a private violin/viola teaching studio at the PYCO School of Music with over thirty students in addition to numerous performing engagements throughout Pittsburgh with regional orchestras. Outside of the music world, Mrs. Swanson is a rider coach for the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program and a second degree black belt in Korean Martial Arts, Tang Soo Do.
Philip VanOuse - Junior Wind Ensemble Director, Chamber Brass Director, & Brass Coordinator
Philip VanOuse studied composition at the Cincinnati College Conservatory and received his Masters degree in performance from Carnegie Mellon.
He began his professional career in Boston, and has appeared locally with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the River City Brass Band and the Benedum Orchestra, among others. He has commissioned over a dozen new works for solo tuba and premiered works in concert at Mobius (Boston), Massachusetts College of Art, Boston University, M.I.T., Carnegie Mellon and the University of Cincinnati.
Philip VanOuse performs regularly in ensembles throughout western PA. He is the principal tuba player of the Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet orchestras, as well as McKeesport Symphony and has appeared with many other ensembles, including the River City Brass Band, Pittsburgh CLO, and Pittsburgh Symphony.
Phil can also be heard with various brass, chamber, jazz and folk ensembles. He is a past Pittsburgh Concert Society winner and is an instructor of low brass at Washington & Jefferson College.
Phil plays the tuba and the accordion in City of Steel – An American Musical Melting Pot.
He began his professional career in Boston, and has appeared locally with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the River City Brass Band and the Benedum Orchestra, among others. He has commissioned over a dozen new works for solo tuba and premiered works in concert at Mobius (Boston), Massachusetts College of Art, Boston University, M.I.T., Carnegie Mellon and the University of Cincinnati.
Philip VanOuse performs regularly in ensembles throughout western PA. He is the principal tuba player of the Pittsburgh Opera and Ballet orchestras, as well as McKeesport Symphony and has appeared with many other ensembles, including the River City Brass Band, Pittsburgh CLO, and Pittsburgh Symphony.
Phil can also be heard with various brass, chamber, jazz and folk ensembles. He is a past Pittsburgh Concert Society winner and is an instructor of low brass at Washington & Jefferson College.
Phil plays the tuba and the accordion in City of Steel – An American Musical Melting Pot.
Jeff Weston - Bass Coach
Jeff Weston is a Ph.D. candidate in Music Composition and Theory and a Ph.D. Certificate recipient in Cultural Studies with an emphasis in Sound Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. A passionate music educator, he has held teaching positions and teaching artist positions at the University of Pittsburgh, Haugland Learning Center for Autism, the Toledo School for the Arts, and the Mattress Factory Museum of Contemporary Art. For his work in education, Weston was acknowledged as a finalist for the University of Pittsburgh's Elizabeth Baranger Teaching Award.
As a string bassist, Weston has served as principal bass of the University of Pittsburgh Orchestra, Bowling Green State University Philharmonic, Perrysburg Orchestra, Heidelberg University Orchestra, and the Luther College Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. As a contemporary music specialist, he is a founding member of the Color Field Music Ensemble, has been featured at the Bowling Green New Music Festival, and has premiered works by Robert Honstein, Christopher Dietz, Andrew Martin Smith, and others. He is currently on faculty at the University of Pittsburgh where he teaches music theory and fundamentals of music.
As a string bassist, Weston has served as principal bass of the University of Pittsburgh Orchestra, Bowling Green State University Philharmonic, Perrysburg Orchestra, Heidelberg University Orchestra, and the Luther College Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. As a contemporary music specialist, he is a founding member of the Color Field Music Ensemble, has been featured at the Bowling Green New Music Festival, and has premiered works by Robert Honstein, Christopher Dietz, Andrew Martin Smith, and others. He is currently on faculty at the University of Pittsburgh where he teaches music theory and fundamentals of music.
Joyce Wohlgemuth - Strings Coach
Joyce Wohlgemuth earned admission into Sunhwa Arts School in Seoul, Korea, a very selective school commonly recognized as the best art high school in Korea. After graduation, she came to the U.S. to continue her studies and also began performing professionally in orchestras. She served as Concertmaster with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra and more recently with the Pittsburgh Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also performed in the Springfield Orchestra in Missouri as well as many Western Pennsylvania orchestras. Her teachers included Sung-Gwon Koh, Charles Stegeman (current Concertmaster of Pittsburgh Ballet and Opera Orchestras), Huei-Sheng Kao (Assistant Concertmaster with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), and Alison Peters Fujito (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra). In 1992, she earned a BM in Violin Performance from the School of Music at Duquesne University and has continued performing in small ensembles and teaching privately in her own studio, JoycesStudio.com. She has also coached violin at Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and Quaker Valley Middle School.
Tara Yaney - Junior Wind Ensemble Director
Tara Yaney is the principal flute player of the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra and the third flute and piccolo player of the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with Opera Steamboat, the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, the Canton Symphony Orchestra, the Altoona Symphony Orchestra, Quantum Theatre, the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, the International Chamber Ensemble in Rome, Italy, the Ohio Light Opera Orchestra, and numerous pit orchestras in the Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Pittsburgh areas. She performs regularly as a soloist and as half of Duo Cieli, a flute and guitar duo with guitarist John Marcinizyn. She has been teaching flute, piccolo, Native American flute and clarinet lessons for over 25 years.
Photo by Michelle Dunn Photography
Photo by Michelle Dunn Photography