Symphonic Series

Conductor Douglas Droste is recognized as possessing “obvious joy” for making music and a “sure sense of timing” when on the podium. Those under his baton routinely acknowledge his in-depth interpretations, keen sense of communication and personable ability to empower musicians.

Droste’s guest conducting appearances include the INSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra (Ukraine), and the orchestras of Kansas City, Indianapolis, Columbus, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Midland-Odessa, Fox Valley (IL), Chappaqua (NY), and the Amarillo Virtuosi. Equally at home in the pit, he has conducted over 30 productions of opera, ballet and musical theatre. Droste has also led eclectic shows with artists such as Black Violin, Ben Folds, The Flaming Lips, Pink Martini, Michael Cavanaugh, Time for Three, Christian Howes, and Disney’s All-American College Orchestra Alumni, among others. He previously served as artistic director of the Muncie Symphony Orchestra, where he was praised for dynamic performances, innovative programming and his rapport with musicians and community.

A dedicated teacher, Droste is director of orchestral studies at the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Performing Arts, where he conducts the Baldwin Wallace Symphony Orchestra and teaches conducting. He regularly programs traditional repertoire, works by underrepresented composers, as well as new music by the composers of today. He also seeks unique collaborations and projects, such as Ron McCurdy’s Langston Hughes Project, sensory friendly concerts for children with special needs, and a recording with Tony Award winner Sutton Foster, “Take Me to the World,” on the Ghostlight label.

As an advocate of music education, Droste has conducted numerous all-state orchestras, as well as the Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House, Let Music Live Festival at the Vienna Musikverein and Rodolfinum in Prague, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, and French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts. He is also active as a clinician and adjudicator, including Festival Disney, ASTA’s National Orchestra Festival, MCP at Carnegie Hall and the Music for All National Festival. Droste is a Yamaha Artist and Master Educator.

A talented violinist, Droste has performed with the orchestras of Canton, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Nashville, and the Lancaster Festival, among others. He is also skilled on viola, trumpet, and as a tenor. Droste holds degrees from The Ohio State University and Texas Tech University.

Called one of the most exciting and exhilarating voices in music education today, Peter Loel Boonshaft has been invited to speak and conduct in every state in the nation and around the world. Honored by the National Association for Music Education and Music For All as the first recipient of the “George M. Parks Award for Leadership in Music Education,” Dr. Boonshaft is Director of Education for Jupiter Band Instruments. He is the author of the critically acclaimed best-selling books Teaching Music with Passion, Teaching Music with Purpose, and Teaching Music with Promise. He is also co-author of Alfred Music’s method book series Sound Innovations. As well, his weekly “Boonshaft’s Blog” for music educators continues to inspire teachers everywhere. He has received official proclamations from the Governors of five states and a Certificate of Appreciation from former President Ronald Reagan, as well as performing for former President and Mrs. George H. W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton, and for Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His honors also include being selected three times as a National Endowment for the Arts “Artist in Residence,” three times awarded Honorary Life Membership in the Tri-M Music Honor Society, receiving the Al G. Wright Award of Distinction from the Women Band Directors International, and being selected for the Center for Scholarly Research and Academic Excellence at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, where he is Professor Emeritus of Music.

Dr. Rebecca B. MacLeod is Professor of Music Education and Daniel J. Perrino Endowed Chair in Music at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she teaches string education and conducts the University of Illinois Philharmonia Orchestra. Her research on working with underserved populations, vibrato technique, music teacher education, and music perception has been presented at the International Conference of Music Perception and Cognition, Music Research and Human Behavior International Conference, International Society for Music Education, National Association for Music Education National Conference, American String Teachers National Conference, Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, Society for Music Teacher Education, and music educators state conferences.

Dr. MacLeod is author of Teaching Strings in Today’s Classroom and coauthor of Clifford K. Madsen’s Contributions to Music Education and Music Therapy: Love of Learning. She is also a contributing author to Teaching Instrumental Music: Perspectives and Pedagogies for the 21st Century, Rehearsing the Middle School Orchestra, and Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra. Her research is published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, International Journal of Music Education, Bulletin for the Council of Research in Music Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, String Research Journal, Psychology of Music, The Strad, American String Teachers Journal, and various state music education journals. She has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Research in Music Education, the String Research Journal, and as guest reviewer for the International Journal of Research in Music Education. She has received the UNCG Junior Research Excellence Award and the Researcher Award from the American String Teachers Association.

In demand as a guest conductor and clinician, Dr. MacLeod has conducted region and all state orchestras in over 20 states. She enjoys expanding musical boundaries by incorporating a variety of cultures and styles into the orchestra and has premiered collaborations such as The Glass, Electric Guitar Concert by Demir Demirkan; Love Me and Fly for Folk Band and String Orchestra by El Rich; and At the Purchaser’s Option by Rhiannon Giddens featuring banjo, fiddle, and vocalist; among others.

Prior to joining the UIUC faculty, she was Professor of Music Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for 18 years. She is recipient of the North Carolina Board of Governors Teaching Excellence Award, the UNCG School of Music, Theatre and Dance Outstanding Teaching Award, and a semifinalist for the Grammy Music Educator Award.

During her early career, Dr. MacLeod taught elementary, middle, and high school orchestras in Hollidaysburg and Beaver, Pennsylvania. She received her undergraduate degree from Duquesne University and her MME and PhD from Florida State University.

Dr. MacLeod currently serves as immediate past president for the American String Teachers Association.

Giovanni Santos joins the University of Redlands as Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music, following a decade of leadership at La Sierra University in the same role. Under his direction, the La Sierra University Wind Ensemble achieved national and international acclaim — performing across the United States, making its Carnegie Hall debut, and touring the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, and the Republic of San Marino. The ensemble also spearheaded numerous collaborations, leading to over 15 world and regional premieres of new works for wind ensemble.

A passionate advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI-B), he integrates these values into his compositions and educational work. His first symphony, Dolores, AmeriCan: Symphony for Band, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Music by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

In recognition of his artistic contributions, Dr. Santos received the Meritorious Achievement Award from the Minority Band Directors National Association for “exceptional contributions to the wind band repertoire with outstanding artistry and achievement.” His music has been performed around the world, with recent highlights at Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, and by institutions such as the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Illinois, University of Texas, Florida State University, Manhattan School of Music, and the University of Southern California, among many others.

Dr. Santos holds a Ph.D. in Music Education and Instrumental Conducting from Florida State University and a Master of Music from the University of Southern California.

Chad Nicholson is the Director of Bands at the University of Arizona School of Music where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and leads the graduate program in wind conducting. He is also the Principal Guest Conductor of the Beijing Wind Orchestra, China’s first professional wind ensemble. He will be serving as a faculty member at the Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo next spring.
Nicholson has impacted students and teachers around the world. He was an adjudicator for the All-Chinese Wind Band Contest and has conducted groups in Tokyo, Taipei, and Shanghai. He has led ensembles at China’s National Centre for Performing Arts and at the Beijing Concert Hall. A new edition of his book, Great Music for Wind Band, has been translated into Mandarin and will be released later this year. Dr. Nicholson published a series of video masterclasses, Pro Tips for Band Directors, with the online learning platform Forward Motion. The University of Arizona Wind Ensemble recently released an album, Joy and Monsters: The Music of Joel Love, through SoundSet Records.
Nicholson has served as an All-State conductor and clinician at many international events, including the Taiwan Band Clinic, the Western International Band Clinic, the NAfME National In-Service, and sessions at three Midwest Clinics.
Nicholson holds degrees from the University of Oklahoma (BME), New Mexico State University (MM), and Indiana University (DM).

Wes Kenney is in his 21st season as Music Director of the Fort Collins (Colorado) Symphony and is now Professor Emeritus at Colorado State University after retiring as Director of Orchestras in May 2023. Maestro Kenney concluded his tenure after conducting two critically acclaimed performances of the Mahler Symphony No. 3. In 2022, he was named a University Distinguished Professor, the highest honor the university can award. During 2020, he was honored as an American Prize Winner in the following categories: Best Orchestral Performance in the Professional Orchestra Division, Honored Artist, and Programming. He was the 2020 Ernst Bacon Memorial Prize winner for excellence in the performance of American Music, and received the 2007 Grand Prize Winner at Bulgaria’s Varna International Conducting Competition.

Wes Kenney also just completed his tenth and final season with Denver Young Artist Orchestra—the premier youth orchestra in the State of Colorado. He directed that orchestra on two European tours and anchored two festivals at Carnegie Hall. In June of 2023, he led DYAO on tour to Southern California where the audience responded with a standing ovation at Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Mr. Kenney’s guest conducting credits include: the Acadiana Symphony (LA), Alabama Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, Lafayette (IN) Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, New Mexico Symphony, Richmond Symphony (VA), Riverside Symphonia, Savannah Symphony (GA), and the Virginia Symphony. His international guest conducting includes performances with the Liev Philharmonic (Ukraine), Changwon Philharmonic (South Korea), Vietnam National Symphony (Hanoi), Vidin State Philharmonic, Stara Zagora Opera Company (Bulgaria) and the Edinburgh Music Festival (Scotland).

Kenney has enjoyed success directing opera, ballet, and musical theater. Previous positions include: Music Director of Opera Fort Collins, Music Director of the Virginia Ballet Theater, Co-Principal Conductor of the Oakland Lyric Opera, and Guest Conductor with Universal Ballet Korea. Since 2004 he has conducted much of the major opera repertoire, notably two productions of Puccini’s Turandot, the twin bill of Pagliacci and Cavalleria Rusticana, La Boheme, Carmen, Otello, Tosca, Barber of Seville, Madame Butterfly, Rigoletto, Cenerentola, Die Zauberflote, Die Fledermaus, La Traviata, Falstaff, Turandot, Marriage of Figaro, Aida, Don Giovanni, and Tenderland. In addition, he has conducted over two hundred performances of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Firebird, and many other dance works.

In six seasons as the Virginia Symphony’s Associate Conductor, Kenney appeared more than 350 times with that orchestra where he was responsible for programming and conducting Pops, Family and Young People’s Concerts. In addition, he was Invited to guest conduct the Williamsburg Symphonia, Virginia Chorale, Norfolk Chamber Consort and Virginia Waterfront International Arts Festival.

Named 2008 Educator of the Year by the Colorado Chapter of the American String Teachers Association, Kenney has served as Guest Conductor with the Alabama, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Virginia All-State Orchestras. Awarded the prestigious Carmen Dragon Conducting Prize in 1992, Wes Kenney is a founder of the CSU Summer Master of Music Education (now in its 15th year) which has an emphasis in conducting. He has been a guest lecturer at the Conductor’s Institute held at Bard College in upstate New York, teaching alongside the late Harold Farberman and American Symphony Orchestra Music Director Leon Botstein.

Mr. Kenney is a past president of the Conductors Guild, a 2000-member service organization to the conducting profession. He currently is on its advisory board. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and San Francisco State University. Additional studies include three years as a fellow at the Conductors Institute, several American Symphony Orchestra League and Conductors Guild Workshops, and the Sandpoint Festival. His teachers include Harold Farberman, Hans Beer, Gunther Schuller, Hans Swarovsky and Miltiardes Carides.

Dynamic, visionary, and passionate about using music to make a difference, Helen H. Cha-Pyo is an award-winning conductor and arts leader, currently in her seventh season as the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts—New Jersey’s largest independent performing arts education organization. Under her inspiring leadership, Wharton Arts has soared to new heights, serving nearly 2,000 students across 13 New Jersey counties. Cha-Pyo has spearheaded innovative initiatives including lifelong learning programs, free education concerts for school children, and a significant expansion of jazz programs. She has also been a fierce advocate for underrepresented composers, bringing their voices to the forefront through groundbreaking concert programming and new commissions, supported by prestigious grants from organizations like New Music USA and Chorus America.

Leading the New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS), Cha-Pyo has guided the flagship ensemble, Youth Symphony, on an international tour to Italy, creating unforgettable performance experiences, including standout appearances at Carnegie Hall’s Juneteenth Celebration concerts in 2022 and 2024. Her unwavering commitment to excellence and inclusivity has transformed NJYS into a second home for over 500 talented and dedicated young musicians across New Jersey.

Previously, Cha-Pyo served as Music Director and Conductor of the Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO) for 16 years. During her tenure, she led ESYO on three international tours and founded ESYO’s CHIME program, which provides music education for underprivileged youth in Schenectady, NY. In recognition of her passionate commitment to using music as a means to uplift and enrich communities, ESYO established the Helen Cha-Pyo Golden Baton Award and Scholarships.

Cha-Pyo is a sought-after guest conductor and clinician for All-State and Regional Festival Orchestras nationwide. She has also served as a Visiting Associate Professor of Conducting at Montclair State University’s John J. Cali School of Music and at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts.

Cha-Pyo’s impact as an arts leader has earned her numerous accolades, including The Dove Leadership Award, the Angelos Artist Award, and the Eastman Centennial Award, all in recognition of her commitment to creating access and equity in music education for young people.

She currently serves as a board member for the Youth Orchestra Division of the League of American Orchestras. For more about Helen Cha-Pyo, visit helenchapyo.com and whartonarts.org.

Interlacing lived experiences with innate passion, Henry Dorn is a nationally recognized music composer/conductor renowned for his energizing rhythm, syntax versatility, and passion for creating storytelling sounds with larger picture meanings. Dr. Dorn’s compositions encompass intimate narratives often told from the lens of being a musician and African American. He is passionate about developing immersive experiences while setting an example of his life signature – the path may not always be smooth or clear, but it will always be worth it. His works have earned him recognition and performances by distinguished ensembles across the country, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Music from Copland House, JACK Quartet, the Grammy-winning Harlem Quartet, Aizuri Quartet, Argento Ensemble, and the Dallas Wind Symphony.

Dr. Dorn is Assistant Professor of Conducting and Composition at St. Olaf College and is conductor of the award-winning St. Olaf Band. Prior to St. Olaf College, Dr. Dorn worked as an Assistant Director of the Memphis Area Youth Wind Ensemble and formerly served as Director to the Nu Chamber Collective. He has also worked with musicians of the United States Army Field Band, the United States Air Force Band, and has guest conducted the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own.”

As a composer, Dr. Dorn has earned several accolades. He was an Inaugural Future of Music Faculty Fellow with the Cleveland Institute of Music and an ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award recipient. He is a past participant in The Next Festival of Emerging Artists, Minnesota Orchestra Composers Institute, American Composers Orchestra EarShot, JACK Quartet’s JACK Studio, and Copland House CULTIVATE. He was in residence at MacDowell in summer 2023.

Originally from Little Rock, AR, Dr. Dorn’s ardency toward composing sparked at an early age while he was surrounded by blues and the sounds of his father’s vinyl records collection. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Composition from The University of Memphis, a Master of Music in Composition and Wind Conducting from Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Conducting and a DMA in Composition from Michigan State University. He his primary conducting teachers have been Kevin L. Sedatole, Harlan D. Parker, and Kraig Alan Williams. He studied composition with David Biedenbender, Ricardo Lorenz, Alexis Bacon, Oscar Bettison, Kamran Ince, and Jack Cooper, among several others.