Email: ianwenzflute@gmail.com

A native of Cleveland Ohio, Ian Wenz enjoys an active and versatile career as both educator and freelance performer throughout Northeast Ohio. An accomplished flutist, Ian has performed in various orchestral ensembles in addition to performing solo and chamber music recitals both locally and throughout North America. Ian attended Bowling Green State University for his Bachelor of Music in performance degree where he studied with Nina Assimakopoulos and Conor Nelson. He later earned a Master of Music degree in flute from the University of Akron under the tutelage of George Pope and Jane Berkner where he also served as a graduate teaching assistant Upon graduation, Ian was fortunate to attend two summer sessions at the Orford Music Academy in Quebec, Canada where had the privilege of studying with renowned performers and pedagogues  Julien Beaudiment and Denis Bluteau. Ian is dedicated teacher and his students encompass all ages and levels, from beginner to advanced. He teaches privately for Lakewood City School District, is on staff at the Hudson School and Fairlawn Schools of Music and is a chamber music coach for the Contemporary Youth Orchestra. He hopes to inspire and motivate students to acquire skills not only to help them succeed as a musicians but as individuals.

Email: brbiggin@netscape.net

Bruce Biggin is a retired hospital pharmacist with a BS in Pharmacy from Ohio Northern University. Musically, Bruce is a life long oboist having played with the Parma Symphony, Chagrin Falls Studio Orchestra, Strongsville Community Band, Symphony West, and Bay Village Community Band to name a few.  

Bruce's primary teachers included Loyal "Bud" Mould and Danna Sundet. Bruce gives back to the oboe community by volunteering at the John Mack Oboe camp annually at Wild Acres, North Carolina and as a member of the reading sessions committee for the International Double Reed Society.

The previous two items have led to performing in master classes with luminaries of the oboe world such as Frank Rosenwein (Cleveland Orchestra), Joe Robinson (New York Philharmonic), and Scott Hostettler (Chicago Symphony) and chamber music performances at IDRS conventions in faraway places including Granada, Spain, and Tokyo, Japan.

Email: saxibassoon@yahoo.com

Lydia Byndas received her undergraduate degree in performance and music education from the Oberlin Conservatory and the Master of Music degree in performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music.  She is a freelance musician in the Cleveland area and a private music teacher with students taking lessons on both bassoon and the piano.  Lydia has performed with such groups as the Blossom Festival Band and Orchestra, the Lakewood Hometown Band, the Sounds of Sousa Band, the Cleveland Wind Symphony, Trillium Trio, and the Ohio Chamber Orchestra, performing the Nutcracker.  She has been contracted to perform with National musical acts such as Jackie Evancho, Yanni, the Moody Blues, and Harry Connick Jr.

Email: erikacikraji@gmail.com

Erika Cikraji received her undergraduate performance degree at The Ohio State University where she studied with James Pyne and her masters degree from Rice University where she studied with Dr. Michael Webster and Richie Hawley. Additionally, Erika worked extensively post-graduate school with Cleveland Orchestra clarinetist, Robert Woolfrey. As a freelance clarinetist, Erika enjoys substituting with local regional orchestras as well as performing for fun in German bands such as North Coast Prost. As a private instructor, Erika’s teaching experience has spanned over a decade beginning in Brazoswood, Texas and continuing in the Greater Cleveland area. She prides herself on her ability to tailor her teaching to meet students of a wide variety of ages, levels, and interests.

Email: kjgiordano@yahoo.com

Kevin Giordano has been teaching both saxophone and clarinet full time for over 20 years. Kevin is thrilled for the opportunity to teach  saxophone within the Lakewood City School District. He is on faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Department working with the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony. Kevin is also on faculty at Olmsted Falls City Schools and Academy Music Company located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Kevin completed his studies at Cleveland State University. His principal instructors include Greg Banaszak and John Perrine on saxophone and Ted Johnson (retired Cleveland Orchestra) and Louis Gangale on clarinet. 

A native of Brooklyn, Ohio Kevin has had the opportunity to perform with the North Coast Saxophone Quartet, Neo-Tessares Saxophone Quartet and the University Circle Wind Ensemble directed by Gary Ciepluch. He has also recorded music for Ludwig Music Publications in Grafton, Ohio along with in Screamline Entertainment located in Macedonia, Ohio. 

Kevin has presented master classes to some of the regions most respected music programs and performed at numerous state and national music conventions. Kevin is a member of the North American Saxophone Alliance and the Ohio Music Education Association. 

Kevin has successfully prepared students for all types of events including solo and ensemble contests, auditions for the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, Cleveland Contemporary Orchestra and numerous college auditions. His students have been accepted into some of the finest college and university programs around the United States. 

Kevin is pleased to be both a D'Addario Performing Artist & Clinician as well as a Selmer Paris Performing Artist & Clinician. 

Email: massicotte.etienne@gmail.com

Links: Website, YouTube Channel

Etienne Massicotte is a classically-trained trumpet player, composer, and teacher based in Lakewood, Ohio. A graduate of The College of Wooster (B.Mus. 2012) and McGill University (M.Mus. 2014), Etienne enjoys a diverse career of music-making around classical recitals, symphony orchestras, pop/rock bands, new and unusual multimedia projects, and other fun surprises. For playing samples, concert dates, and additional information, see Etienne’s website and YouTube channel.

As a trumpet teacher, Etienne’s primary focus with every student is to ensure their success within the school band program. This involves playing along with the student weekly, in-person or online, and sending them home with written goals and recorded play-along materials to assist with their individual practice. Etienne is also passionate about helping students discover their own creative voices on and off of the trumpet. As students progress through lessons, they are encouraged to start critiquing their own playing and discover ways to become self-sufficient musicians. Many are taking on solo projects outside of school, learning to improvise, writing and arranging their own music, combining their trumpet playing with some of their other interests, and ultimately, learning how to be entrepreneurs who can cultivate a unique set of skills to have a positive impact on their community.

Etienne’s private student accomplishments include successful college entrance auditions for the Ohio State University Marching Band, the Ohio University Marching 110,  Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, and University of the Arts (Philadelphia, PA); successful auditions and performances with the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony, Caleb Chapman’s Soundhouse, the Tri-C JazzFest Academy; regular top ratings at Solo & Ensemble, and public performances of original student compositions.

Email: becky.mcgown@gmail.com

Rebecca McGown, instructor of horn, is a chamber and orchestral musician based in Northeast Ohio. She recently won a principal position with the Cleveland Repertory Orchestra and a third horn position with the Firelands Symphony Orchestra. She frequently performs with The Cleveland Pops, the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, and the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra.

She has also performed with City Music Cleveland, The Cleveland Opera Theater, and the Erie Philharmonic. Ms. McGown has performed in some of the great symphonic halls in the world during tours of Austria, Italy, the United Kingdom, Scotland, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Spain, and Portugal. In 2009, she performed at the Salzburg Festival in Salzburg, Austria with the New England Symphonic Ensemble. An avid chamber musician, Ms. McGown performs with the Olympic Brass Quintet and the Firelands Brass Quintet. In 2019, she was selected to perform in a chamber music series with members of The Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Music Festival.

As a private lesson teacher, Ms. McGown has experience with a wide variety of learners in many settings. She has maintained a private horn studio from 2008 through present where she teaches middle school through adult students. She has also worked with college-aged students at Kent State University in various roles including instructor, collaborator, and chamber music coach. In public and private school settings, she has instructed large groups of learners. As a part of her program at Case Western, she prepared and taught lessons in Gordon Music Learning Theory to support both typically developing and neurodivergent children. She also created a music and text based reading fluency intervention for struggling third grade readers.

In 2022, she served as a copy editor of Arnold Jacobs: His Artistic and Pedagogical Legacies in the 21st Century, published by Scholar Publications. Ms. McGown holds a Master of Arts in Music Education from Case Western Reserve University, a Master of Music in Horn Performance from Yale School of Music, and a Bachelor of Horn Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She has studied with Richard Solis, William Purvis, Alan DeMattia, Kent Larmee, Denise Tryon, Stefan deLeval Jezierski, Tod Bowermaster, and Christian Morabito.

Email: deanty8@gmail.com

Ty Deane is a bass trombonist and low brass instructor currently active in Cleveland, Ohio. He has appeared with diverse ensembles ranging from classical to jazz in Canada, Germany, Spain and China. 

Mr. Deane holds a degree in Music Performance from the University of South Carolina and a TESOL Certification from Kennesaw State University. Most recently, Ty earned an Artist Diploma from Cleveland State University, where he studied with Cleveland Orchestra trombonist Shachar Israel. Other principal teachers include Dr. Bradley Palmer, Dr. Brad Edwards and Brian Hecht. 

Ty has extensive teaching experience across the southeastern US as well as abroad. He has had students succeed in the Georgia and South Carolina All-State Bands and was well-received while in residence as an English teacher in Figueres, Spain. Because of this diverse background, he is comfortable teaching both beginning and advanced students in individual as well as group settings. 

Email: andrew.weiss.tuba@gmail.com

Andrew Weiss is a professional tuba player and teacher in the Cleveland area. He has a Bachelors in Music Education and Tuba Performance from the Hartt School of Music, and a Masters in Tuba Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Andrew has performed with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra (Virginia), the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra (Ohio), and the Cleveland Orchestra, and taught with Lakewood City Schools, Bay Village School District, and Gilmour Academy, among others. Andrew is also a member of the Lacus Brass Quintet.

Email: tmhampton.percussion@gmail.com

Tim Hampton has been teaching percussion lessons in the Lakewood City Schools since 2013, and has been the Percussion Advisor for the Lakewood Ranger Marching Band since 2011. He earned his BM from Youngstown State University and MM from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. 

Mr. Hampton has taught privately for more than a decade, including seven years at Educator’s Music in Lakewood. He has performed with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, Firelands Symphony Orchestra, North Coast Men’s Chorus, Samba Joia Brazilian percussion ensemble, Tim is a regular timpanist at St Stanislaus Church, and performs regularly in pit orchestras for local community theaters. He has experience teaching snare drum, mallet percussion, timpani, drum set, and orchestral percussion.