Mr. Alex Duran is the Director of Orchestras and Associate Director of Bands at Horizon High School. Under his direction, the Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Orchestra have received Superior and Excellent ratings at festivals, with the Symphonic Orchestra qualifying and performing for the Colorado State ASTA Festival for the first time in school history. Previously, Mr. Duran was the Director of Bands and Choirs at Trinidad Middle & High School. Prior to that, he taught in Leadville, CO at Lake County High School where he was also the Director of Bands. Both the Trinidad Music Department and Lake County High School Band Department grew significantly in size under the direction of Mr. Duran and were recognized for excellence at competitions and festivals.

Mr. Duran received his Bachelor of Music Education Degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, CO. During his time at UNC, Mr. Duran was Drum Major for the Pride of the Rockies Marching Band. Prior to being Drum Major, he served as band photographer, videographer, and squad leader. He was also a member of Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity where he served as chapter President and chapter Historian.

Throughout the year, Mr. Duran maintains an active teaching schedule outside of Horizon. During the summers, he co-teaches the Command the Field Drum Major and Leadership Camp where he teaches band leadership and conducting to students from across the state. He holds memberships in many organizations including Colorado Bandmasters Association, Colorado Music Educators Association, American String Teachers Association, and National Association for Music Education. He has also given presentations to Music Education Students at Colorado State University Pueblo. Mr. Duran has also been invited to clinic and rehearse different programs from across the state. 

Mr. Duran is an alumnus of Horizon High School, graduating in 2013, where he was very active in the music and performing arts department. He currently lives in Brighton, CO with his partner, dog Nakita whom he loves dearly. When not in the classroom, you will see Mr. Duran out on the numerous hiking trails throughout Colorado.

Originally from El Paso, Texas, Fred Jewell received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1987 and continued studies toward a Masters In Music Education. Fred began his teaching career as a Suzuki Talent Education violin teacher in 1980 in El Paso. He later expanded his teaching to include violin instruction at the El Paso Hebrew Day School teaching the entire student body of ninety-five students ranging from Kindergarten through Fifth Grade and later as the Orchestra Director at H. E. Charles Middle School in the El Paso Independent School District. He studied violin for ten years with Abraham Chavez, Jr., and conducting with Maestro Chavez and Dr. Ron Hufstader at UTEP. Fred maintained a private Suzuki violin studio in El Paso and later in Boulder, Colorado for over two decades. Fred has been a resident of Colorado since 1994. Fred retired from classroom teaching in June 2022 after twenty-eight years in Boulder Valley School District, two years at H. E. Charles Middle School, and five years at the El Paso Hebrew Day School. Fred has reopened his private violin and viola studio in Thornton and currently performs with the Longmont Symphony Orchestra as Associate Viola. He serves as their Music Librarian. 

Michelle Ewer has been a professional educator for 39 years. She began her career in Westminster District 50 teaching elementary and middle school strings. Michelle taught band in Jefferson County Public Schools for five years and was a strings specialist for 27 years. During her career she has had three groups perform for the Colorado Music Educators Clinic/Conference. Her groups have also performed at numerous state and local festivals receiving high ratings. Michelle retired in 2016 but has continued to teach part time for the past three years. She currently helps at several schools in Jefferson County on a weekly basis. She is both the State and Southwest Division Chair for TRI M Music Honor Society. She also coordinates the TRI M sessions at CMEA, which include over 450 students from across the state of Colorado. Mrs. Ewer became a part time faculty member at The University of Colorado Boulder School of Music in the fall of 2017. She helps to coordinate placements for student teachers, and is support staff to both mentors and mentees. Michelle earned her Bachelor of Music Education from The University of Northern Colorado, and her Masters in Educational Administration from The University of Phoenix. Mrs. Ewer has presented numerous topics at CMEA and CASTA during her career. Her most recent presentation was “Find Your Marigold and Leadership Style “She is a member of the Colorado Department of Education Content Collaborative, helping to rewrite State Standards and Assessments. In addition, she also hosted the Colorado High School Activities Association Solo and Small Ensemble Festival for 18 years. Michelle is a member of CMEA and ASTA. Michelle was inducted into the Colorado Music Educators Hall of Fame in 2014, and has served as President for both the Colorado Music Educators Association and the Colorado American String Teachers Association. She currently serves as a mentor teacher for all secondary music teachers in Jefferson County.

Dr. Jennifer Grice is one of the leading teachers in conducting and drum majoring in the United States. Previously, Jennifer was a Visiting Professor as the Assistant Director of Bands & Music Education Coordinator at Central Washington University. Jennifer has been the drum major of her high school in West Virginia, Shady Spring H.S.; Arizona State University; University of Louisiana at Monroe, Velvet Knights Drum & Bugle Corps and the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps. She received the award with Phantom Regiment of Best Drum Major at the Drum Corps Midwest Championships in Madison, WI. The Phantom Regiment also won the DCI World Championships while she was drum major in 1996. She was the Assistant Director of Bands with the "Pride of the Rockies" Marching Band at UNC for three years. Jennifer was a leading clinician for the George Parks Drum Major Academy for thirteen years. She has taught band and orchestra for 22+ years in Colorado, Washington, Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas, and Washington. The jazz band from Windsor H.S. performed at the CMEA Conference in 2022. Her orchestra from Lafayette H.S. in Lexington, Kentucky performed at the Midwest Band & Orchestra Clinic in 2009, Music for All National Orchestra Festival, and KMEA Music Conference. Jennifer has presented clinics in Indiana, Kentucky, and Colorado. Prior to going back to school to pursue her doctorate, Jennifer served as the Director of Education & Outreach for Conn-Selmer, Inc. working with Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser. Her Doctorate degree is in Wind Conducting with a double emphasis in Orchestral Conducting & Oboe Performance, her Master's degrees are in Conducting and Oboe Performance from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and her Bachelor's degree is in Instrumental Music Education from Arizona State University. 

Renee Gilliland is associate director of orchestras, conductor of the CU Philharmonia Orchestra and instructor of music education at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music. Her research topics and lectures focus on diverse repertoire, sensory-friendly concerts and models as well as selected works by Emilie Mayer. Recent guest lecture appearances include at the CU Boulder Summer MME conducting course, the Nat King Cole Generation Hope Music Educators Conference and the Colorado ASTA Conference. Concurrently, she is assistant conductor of the Boulder Philharmonic.

Gilliland has conducted performances with the Boulder Philharmonic, Boulder Concert Band, Playground Ensemble, Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra and Bang on a Can All-Stars among others. She has been a conducting participant in workshops and festivals in the United States as well as abroad in Austria, Bulgaria, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. In 2021, Gilliland was featured in the inaugural Girls Who Conduct Conducting Symposium: Diverse Pathways to the Podium as part of the Ensemble Showcase. Most recently, Gilliland and the CU Philharmonia Orchestra were selected as national finalists in the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music as part of The American Prize. This honor was based on their selected performances of Carlos Simon’s “Fate Now Conquers” and Adolphus Hailstork’s “Sonata da Chiesa.” Passionate about discovering and promoting diverse repertoire, Gilliland contributes as the Youth Orchestra Assistant Editor for the African Diaspora Music Project.

Gilliland earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in orchestral conducting and literature from CU Boulder, a Master of Music in viola performance with an outside area in conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music in music education and certificate of violin performance from the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music. She was also awarded an Artist Diploma in orchestral conducting from the University of Denver where she was assistant conductor of the Lamont School of Music Symphony and Opera Theater orchestras.

Gilliland formerly served as the music director of the CU Anschutz Medical Orchestra, associate conductor of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, string instructor at Blinn College and as director of orchestras at Morton Ranch High School in Katy, Texas. Her orchestras received superior ratings and sweepstakes awards in competitions in and outside of the state of Texas. She enjoys guest conducting for all-region and honor orchestras as well as judging at region, area and state levels.

Kirk Vogel spent his entire music education career involved with Colorado schools including teaching assignments at Palisade Jr/Sr High School, Bayfield Middle and High School and, for most of his career, Heath Junior High/Heath Middle School in Greeley. During his career he was fortunate enough to be able to teach band, orchestra, choir and jazz band. Kirk continues to be active as a composer, guest conductor, adjudicator and an educator/clinician with recent clinics being presented at the Colorado Bandmasters Association convention, Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA) convention and the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference. Kirk was recently inducted into the Colorado Music Educators Hall of Fame at the CMEA state convention held in January 2020.

Mr. Vogel has also had a successful career as a composer of band and orchestra music being published by Alfred Music, Grand Mesa Music, Kjos Music Company and Southern Music (Lauren Keiser Music Publishing). He also distributes music through his own publishing company Wilderness Impressions Music (WI Music). His compositions Kokopelli, Three Waters Mountain, Escalante, and Perseids were the winning entries in the Colorado Music Educators Association Composers Competition in 1993, 1996, 1998, and 2000. His compositions have been performed at state music conventions, the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the National Flute Association Convention and the American School Band Directors Association National Convention. Professional ensembles, community bands and every age group from elementary through college have performed his music. He is a writer member and publisher member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP).

He resides in Greeley, CO, with his wife, Susan. They have two grown daughters, Erin and Kayley. On his free days he loves to spend time with his family hiking, skiing or photographing nature.

Philip Ficsor, whose playing was described as “luminous” by the Santa Barbara Independent, is a passionate advocate for the music of contemporary American composers. As a member of the ensemble American Double, he recorded William Bolcom’s complete works for violin and piano (released on Albany Records). The Strad described his recording of Bolcom’s First Suite for Solo Violin as “beautifully managed and well-prepared” and Fanfare Magazine “strongly recommended” the recording. He has also collaborated with renowned composer Emma Lou Diemer, releasing two recordings of her works with the composer at the keyboard and premiering her Violin Concerto in 2012. In total he has released four recordings which have been aired in the US on WGBH, WNYC and KUSC among others. He has been featured as a performer across the US and Europe, notably in Prague CZ, Budapest, St. Petersburg, Russia, Ghent, Belgium as well as performances at The University of Colorado Boulder and the International Horn Society (2018). Additionally, he gave a masterclass as part of The University of Michigan’s Sally Fleming Series. A recent recording of two world-premieres on Naxos feature his performance of Bolcom’s Second Suite for Solo Violin and Bolcom’s Horn Trio. Gramophone described his playing as “impressive” and the horn trio recording as “splendidly intense and involving.” He received his DMA in violin performance from Boston University, his MM from Yale University, and his BA from The University of Michigan. He is an editorial advisor for publication through E. B. Marks/Hal Leonard Corporation for Bolcom’s works for violin and piano.