Band Guest Conductor- Mr. Frank Troyka

Frank Troyka began his career in 1984 as an assistant band director in Richardson, Texas’ Forest Meadow Junior High School and Lake Highlands High School. In 1991, Frank moved to Houston where he taught in the Spring ISD serving as assistant director to Philip Geiger at Westfield High School. In 1999 Frank joined the faculty of Cypress Falls High School in the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD as its Director of Bands. During his year-seven tenure, the Cypress Falls Band was a featured ensemble at The Midwest Clinic, the Music For All National Festival, and was the recipient of the Sudler Flag of Honor. Frank moved back to Richardson in the summer of 2006 when he assumed the role of Director of Bands and Coordinator of Fine Arts at L.V. Berkner High School.

A teacher for over 30 years, Frank Troyka has been a part of and served Bands of America in almost every capacity possible. He has been a participating director in our Fall and Spring events and sent dozens of students to our national and regional summer camp and leadership experiences. He has been a clinician at the Summer Symposium, led the Symposium’s Marching Band track, and served on the staff of each Bands of America’s Honor Bands in the Tournament of Roses Parade. He has also demonstrated his support and passion for the organization with volunteer service on the Bands of America Fall Programming Advisory Committee. From 1997 to 1998, Frank was Bands of America’s Director of Events, bringing educator supportive initiatives and approaches to our operating model. Frank coordinated Bands of America’s first European Honor Band experience, leading more than 70 students, faculty, chaperones and guests on a tour that included performances in France, The Netherlands, Germany and the World Association for Symphonic Bands & Ensemble (WASBE) conference in Austria.

Since retiring in 2014, Mr. Troyka has been a clinician for the Wind Bands Association of Singapore, The Midwest Clinic and an active lecturer and clinician, presenting annual student leadership workshops in Texas and across the nation.

Band Adjudicators

David Bell

Clarinetist David Bell received his training at Oberlin Conservatory where he was a student of Lawrence McDonald and Northwestern University as a student of Robert Marcellus. Other teachers have included Larry Combs, Arnold Jacobs, and Clark Brody. He has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, as well as the Milwaukee and Baltimore Symphonies. He has toured internationally with the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Solaris Wind Quintet.

Prior to coming to Lawrence, Mr. Bell has held faculty positions at the Oberlin Conservatory, Baldwin-Wallace College, The University of Akron, West Virginia University, and Western Illinois University. Former students perform with ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the National Symphony, and others hold appointments at colleges and universities throughout the country. Mr. Bell has held Principal chairs with the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, Cleveland Opera, Cleveland Ballet Orchestra, and Akron Symphony Orchestra. He continues to be a frequent guest teacher and clinician nationwide.

Mr. Bell is a member of the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra, La Crosse Symphony, Fox Valley Symphony and the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival. He appears frequently as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the Midwest.

Michael Skillern

Michael Skillern is currently the Head of Music at American Gulf School (Sharjah, UAE), Timpanist with the National Symphony Orchestra UAE, Teaching Artist with Vic Firth, and Education + Outreach Coordinator at Ed-Tech startup CommonTime Online. As an educator Michael has taught in almost every music discipline in the United States, China, Hong Kong, Germany, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, and now The Philippines!

As a percussionist Michael has won prizes at the North International Music Competition and the Indonesia Brass + Percussion Competition. He has played as a soloist, and with orchestras, throughout the USA, Middle East, and Asia. He can be heard on Ravello and Innova Records. Michael currently lives in Dubai with his wife Kim, and daughter Millie.

Sophie T. Holbrook

Sophie T. Holbrook, from Palo Alto, California, is the Band Director for grades 5-10 at Seoul Foreign School. Mrs. Holbrook studied trumpet performance at San Francisco Conservatory and holds degrees in music education from Rutgers University (BM) and Boston University (MM).

A founding member of Korea International Music Educators Association, Mrs. Holbrook has served on the Board of Directors for many years and is actively involved in the planning and running of multiple events and festivals. She has presented workshops on music theory and musical assessment at KIMEA, KORCOS, and AMIS educators conferences and has also been a guest conductor for KAIAC, KIMEA, ISKL and AMIS honor band festivals.

As a music educator, Mrs. Holbrook values music as a universal language, one that transcends boundaries and cultures. By teaching music to students in their formative years, she hopes to instill a love of music that lasts a lifetime.

Charlotte Royall

Mrs. Royall has served as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator in the southern United States area. She has presented clinics for the TMEA , TBA, Midwest conventions, the BOA and WCU Summer Symposiums, and conducted two Ensembles at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Illinois. The College Park Band was also featured at Midwest in 2014. Mrs. Royall served a seven year term on the executive board for the Texas Bandmasters Association. She also served as president of TBA in 1999. Mrs. Royall is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association and Phi Beta Mu, an international honorary band director’s fraternity. In 1999, she received the University of Houston, Moore’s School of Music, Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2009 she received the Texas Bandmasters Association Meritorious Achievement Award.

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