Summer Program Faculty
STRING FACULTY
WOODWIND FACULTY
BRASS FACULTY
PERCUSSION FACULTY
Derron Bell
HARP FACULTY
Juliette Buchanan
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Derron Bell
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Bo Landefeld is a violist with the Plano Symphony Orchestra. She also performs with the Irving Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas-based Grammy-nominated chamber ensemble Voices of Change. Bo is a regular performer with the Ft. Worth Symphony Orchestra as well.
Bo earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California under the tutelage of Donald McInnes and Ralph Fielding. She continued her studies at Southern Methodist University with Barbara Sudweeks, Associate Principal Violist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Her musical experiences have been enriched by participating in masterclasses and chamber music coachings with renowned artists such as Yo Yo Ma, Andre Watts, Zubin Mehta, Alexander Treger, Evan Wilson, and Paul Philips.
Julia Brandenburg grew up in Warwick, Rhode Island and began playing the violin at the age of five years old. She earned a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University. In 2016, Ms. Brandenburg relocated to Dallas to pursue graduate studies at Southern Methodist University where she received a Master of Music and a Performer Diploma in Violin Performance. During her graduate studies, she studied with Emanuel Borok who was the former concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Julia is an active performer and is a member of the Plano Symphony Orchestra, Irving Symphony Orchestra and Dallas Chamber Symphony. Previously, she was the Orchestra Director at Covenant Christian Academy and has been teaching privately for the past five years. Over the summers, she has performed at various music festivals such as the National Repertory Orchestra, Rome Chamber Music Festival, Brevard Music Festival and the National Orchestral Institute. Julia has performed as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral musician and is passionate about passing her love of music on to the next generation of musicians. She is now serving as the Orchestra Director at Founders Classical Academy, Frisco.
John Landefeld holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Cello Performance from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Anthony Ross, former principal cellist of the Rochester Philharmonic and world-renowned pedagogue, Steven Doane. In 1980, Mr. Landefeld studied the Suzuki cello method with Karan Nagase and Dr. Shinichi Suzuki at the Talent Education Research Institute in Matsumoto, Japan. Mr. Landefeld has taught at the Park Avenue Suzuki Studios in Rochester, New York and the Suzuki Institute of Dallas, where he served as Suzuki Cello specialist and chamber music coach for nearly ten years. In 1985, John Landefeld was invited to play with Janos Starker in a cello festival sponsored by the Chicago Cello Society. One year later, Mr. Landefeld was a national finalist in the American String Teachers Association Solo Competition, and a finalist in the Julius Stulberg Competition.
As a chamber performer, Mr. Landefeld was awarded First Prize in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. He was also cellist of the classical, crossover group, Neo Camerata with which he has had the pleasure of playing for enthusiastic audiences all across the United States as well as in Europe.
Mr. Landefeld’s work as a recording artist can be heard on the CDs of many Dallas/Fort Worth area musicians including Brice Beaird, Heather McCready, and Carey Dyer. Mr. Landefeld is equally comfortable in the recording studio as producer and arranger as he enjoys collaborating with other artists to record and produce their music. He has also played on recordings made for commercials that have aired nationwide. Mr. Landefeld has been a cello teacher for 30 years and has a successful cello studio in Plano. He enjoys helping the students achieve their highest possible musical goals.
Creed Miller is a native of Orlando, FL. He grew up immersed in both instrumental and choral music. Beginning his studies of the cello at age seven, Creed went on to attend Florida State University and completed his Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance. During college, Creed met his future wife, now Allie Miller, in the summer of 2016 when both he and she attended the National Music Festival as participating musicians. Upon graduating from Florida State University, Creed followed Allie out to Texas Christian University, where he completed his Master of Music degree in Cello Performance.
Creed is currently a realtor with the esteemed Keller Williams Realty. He also serves as the Director of Music at St Alban’s Anglican Church in Arlington, TX. Cello remains an active part of his life and career, as he plays with the Plano Symphony Orchestra, the Richardson Symphony Orchestra, and the Irving Symphony Orchestra. His wife, Allie, is an equally accomplished violinist, and also a member of the Plano Symphony and the Board of the Plano Symphony.
Hubert Pralitz began his violin exploration at the age of 7 in his native Poland. He studied the art of violin playing with Henryk Szeryng, Zino Francescatti, Sándor Végh, Jean Fournier, Gérard Poulet, Herman Kienzl, Wanda Popielska, and Stefan Herman. During the course of his musical education, Mr. Pralitz attended the Stanisław Moniuszko Music School of Sopot, the Fryderyk Chopin Music College of Wrzeszcz, the National Supérior Conservatory of Music in Paris, the Academy of Music “Mozarteum” in Salzburg, and Southern Methodist University, in Dallas.
Mr. Pralitz is the winner & laureate of four international competitions, among them the Henryk Wieniawski Junior Violin Competition (Poland), and the Michelangelo Abbado International Violin Competition (Italy). In addition, he has been the finalist of several national and international competitions.
Mr. Pralitz has performed as a soloist throughout Europe, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, including venues such as the Vatican, Saint-Chappelle, and Carnegie Hall. He has played for dignitaries and Heads of State such as the Prime Minister of Israel, the Presidents of France, Poland, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru, and has held private concerts in the Vatican for St. Pope John Paul II. In addition, Mr. Pralitz has concertized on national and international television, as well as solo and chamber music radio-broadcasts for Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, and Asia. He has also recorded and performed with many pop icons, including Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder, Kenny G, Barbara Streisand, Patti La Belle, Amy Grant, Michael Martin Murphey, The Scorpions, Enrique Iglesias, Garth Brooks, The Gypsy Kings, Mark O’Connor, and Diana Ross.
While living in Los Angeles, Mr. Pralitz was a member of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and was highly sought after as a recording artist for Fox Family Channel, Saban Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and SONY.
On May 19th of 2018, Mr. Pralitz was awarded the Knights Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for the dissemination of Polish Culture, Arts and Music, by Polish President Andrzej Duda at Millennial Park in Chicago. He was also awarded honorary citizenship by the City of Dallas on May 8th, 2019 by Dallas Mayor Michael Rawlings for cultural achievements.
In Texas, Mr. Pralitz is the founder and director of Camerata Dallas, an interdisciplinary arts organization that includes Camerata Dallas Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Dallas Young Soloists, Camerata Dallas String Quartet, and Camerata Dallas Piano Duo. Mr. Pralitz has performed solo recitals at Southern Methodist University, Rice University, University of North Texas, University of Texas-San Marcos, Houston Baptist University, University of Texas-Dallas, and St. Thomas University in Houston. He is also a member of the Irving Symphony String Quartet, which serves as the quartet in residence at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
He also performs regularly as Principal Second Violin of the Plano Symphony Orchestra, Associate Concertmaster of San Angelo Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Concertmaster of Irving Symphony Orchestra, as well as section violin with Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, East Texas Symphony Orchestra, and the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra.
Violinist Bethany Wildes is a native of Portland, Maine. Her studies include the Baltimore School for the Arts, Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, and most recently Southern Methodist University, where she earned her Masters Degree in Violin Performance. Her primary teachers include Lya Stern, Jane Cromwell, Marilyn MacDonald, Jan Sloman, and Diane Kitzman.
An active performer, Bethany is a former member of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra and has participated in music festivals in the USA, Mexico, Italy, and Panama. Bethany has also given performances at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C., the Vatican, and the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland.
In Texas, Bethany has performed at Southern Methodist University, University of North Texas, University of Texas Dallas, Rice University, Houston Baptist University, Dallas Baptist University, and Mountain View Community College. She is also the first violinist of the Irving Symphony String Quartet, the quartet in residence at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, who, through the Healing Notes Program, provides live music in various capacities for both patients and their healthcare providers.
Bethany also performs regularly as assistant concertmaster of the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra, associate principal second violin of the Irving Symphony Orchestra, principal second of the San Angelo Symphony Orchestra, and section violin in the Plano Symphony Orchestra, Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Oklahoma
City Philharmonic, and Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. She has also served as guest associate concertmaster of the Henan Symphony Orchestra in Zhengzhou, China.
Lisa Nickl joined the Plano Symphony as Principal Flute in 2008. A native of San Antonio, Texas, Lisa holds degrees in music from the Mannes College of Music in New York City. She won 1st Place in the New York Flute Club Competition and was presented in recital at CAMI Hall. As a winner of the Special Recital Presentation Award, Lisa was presented in her New York Recital Debut at Carnegie Recital Hall under the auspices of Artists International Recital Management. She performed on a highly acclaimed concert tour of Japan sponsored by the Teshigotoya Corporation and was one of three American Flutists chosen to participate in the Kobe International Flute Competition in Kobe, Japan. As a guest artist with the TOGA Festival in Japan, she performed Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire with Soprano Lucy Shelton.
Lisa has performed as Associate Principal Flute with the St. Louis Symphony and The Baltimore Symphony. She has also performed with the Houston Ballet Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, The Greenville Symphony, and was Principal Flute of the Charleston Symphony and its Woodwind Quintet for ten years. She has spent her summers participating in the Colorado Music Festival and the Grand Teton Music Festival. Principal teachers include Thomas Nyfenger, Carol Wincenc, and Anne Diener Zentner.
Deborah Fabian, clarinet faculty at the University of North Texas, serves as concertmaster for the Dallas Winds, principal clarinetist for the Plano Symphony Orchestra, and 2nd/Eb clarinetist for the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra in Durango, Colorado. Deborah has performed with numerous ensembles throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. She is a frequent guest clarinetist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Opera Orchestra. Deborah has recorded and been invited to perform with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on a number of tours to Europe, Carnegie Hall, the Bravo! Vail Music Festival and Festival Napa Valley. As concertmaster and founding member of the Dallas Winds. Deborah has performed and recorded extensively with the internationally acclaimed group which has recorded 23 CDs since its founding in 1985, several of which have been Grammy-nominated.
Many of her students have gained international recognition for their high honor achievements in competitions such as From the Top on NPR, the International Clarinet Association, the Rising Talents in America Chamber Music competition and the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Many of her former students hold prominent positions in education, professional ensembles and symphony orchestras.
Deborah earned a bachelor of music degree in clarinet performance and music education from the University of Buffalo and a master of music degree in clarinet performance and woodwinds from Michigan State University. Her principal teachers were James Pyne, Stanley Hasty, Fred Ormand, Steve Girko and Andrew Crisanti.
Leslie Massenburg is the principal bassoonist of the Plano Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Chamber Symphony and Irving Symphony. She also plays second bassoon with the Richardson Symphony and contrabassoon with Dallas Winds and East Texas Symphony, and frequently subs with the Dallas Opera, Dallas Symphony, and Ft. Worth Symphony.
She earned a master’s degree from SMU studying with Wilfred Roberts and an undergraduate degree in bassoon performance and piano pedagogy from Baylor. Currently, Leslie teaches 40 private bassoon students in the Dallas area, plays piano and accompanies her bassoon students at competitions, teaches online lessons for American River College in California, and filmed a set of beginner lessons for MusicProfessor.com.
Glen is the principal trumpet of the Plano Symphony Orchestra and holds the same position with the Irving Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of the Classic Brass Quintet and occasionally performs with the Imperial Brass, Dallas Opera, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Dallas Winds. Glen is a regular performer at Saint Michaels and All Angels, as well as Royal Lane Baptist Church. He earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana University and has performed with notable artists such as Bob Hope, B.J. Thomas, The Spinners, and Doc Severenson.
Ben Carroll is a hornist and music educator in Dallas, Texas. Mr. Carroll currently serves as 2nd horn in the Plano Symphony Orchestra and Principal Horn of the McKinney Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Carroll graduated from the University of Texas at Austin(BM and MM), where he studied horn under the guidance of Patrick Hughes.
As a freelance musician, Mr. Carroll has performed with orchestras throughout Texas, including the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Chamber Symphony, Irving Symphony, Brazos Valley Symphony, and the West Texas Symphony, to name a few.
Playing the horn has taken Ben worldwide, including performances in Japan, China, Taiwan, and England. Mr. Carroll has also had festival engagements with the Cactus Pear Music Festival, Hot Springs Music Festival, and the Miami Music Festival.
As a music educator, Ben teaches a private studio of brass players in the North Texas area. Mr. Carroll’s students have seen success in their band programs, local youth ensembles, DCI, regional competitions, and acceptances into college music programs.
Born in England, Simon is a graduate of the University of London. He studied trombone with Roger Brenner, Denis Wick and Chris Mowat. After cruising the Mediterranean, South America and the Caribbean with Cunard and Holland America Cruise Lines, Simon now lives in Plano Texas. A busy freelancer, he has performs with groups such as the DFW Musicians Services, Dallas Wind Symphony, Dallas Chamber Symphony, Dallas Symphony Brass Quintet, Plano Symphony, Irving Symphony, East Texas Symphony, Dallas Jazz Orchestra, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and the Les Elghart Big Band.
He also performs on trumpet, trombone, bass trombone, euphonium and tuba with local groups such as The Project, Motion band, Cuvee, Signed Sealed Delivered, Ricki Derek Big band, Metroplexity Big band, Imperial Brass, Classic Brass, Trinity River Jazz Kings, Simonsezbrass and Matt Tolentino’s Singapore Slingers. Simon has performed and recorded for the Golf Channel, National Geographic Nissan, ABC, ESPN, CBS, Fox, PBS, BBC , PBS and Hal Leonard.
He has also performed for many other artists such Andrea Bocelli, Wayne Bergeron, Phil Woods, Paul Anka, Doc Severinson, Johnny Mathis, Allen Vizzutti, Tom Bones Malone, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, The O’Jays, Hans Zimmer , Weird Al Yankovic , Martina McBride, Hugh Jackman, The Temptations and The Who. Simon recently performed in the orchestra for the Broadway Dallas productions of Les Misérables, Tina Turner the Musical and Beetlejuice.
Christopher Stubblefield is a trumpet player from Dallas, Texas. Chris gained renown as a young soloist at the National Trumpet Competition, winning 2nd place in 2012, and 1st place in 2016. He then continued on to study trumpet performance at Southern Methodist University under the tutelage of Tom Booth and Ryan Anthony, then receive his master’s degree from The Juilliard School under the direction of Ray Mase and Chris Martin. Chris is now a highly sought-after trumpet freelancer and pedagogue in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, subbing regularly with premier groups like the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and performing with notable musicians like Jon Batiste, Jason Scheff, Andrea Bocelli, and Doreen Ketchens.