A native of Gary, Indiana, William Owens, DMus (b. 1963), is a highly sought-after composer, clinician, and conductor throughout North America. Renowned for his practical and expressive compositional style, Dr. Owens has firmly established himself as a leading voice in the field. His catalog includes more than 500 works for concert band, string orchestra, and small ensemble, many of which appear on required music lists nationally and abroad. Many of his works have been analyzed in educational text, and have become staples of the wind band repertoire.

Active as a composer since 1993, Owens’ works have received widespread acclaim. Principal commissions include those from the South Plains College (TX) Department of Fine Arts, Phi Beta Mu International, and the American Bandmasters Association. A 1985 graduate of Chicago’s VanderCook College of Music, he is honored in the VCM Gallery of Distinguished Alumni. His accolades include the Meritorious Achievement Award from the Texas Bandmasters Association and the Doctor of Music Education Honoris Causa from his alma mater. Dr. Owens holds professional memberships with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) and the Association of Texas Small School Bands (ATSSB).

In 2014, William retired from his career as a band director in Texas after 30 years of service. In his spare time, he enjoys sight-seeing and is an American muscle car owner/enthusiast. William resides in Fort Worth, TX with his wife and best friend, Georgia.

Katheryn Fenske recently retired after more than 40 years as a distinguished middle and high school band director and music educator. She remains active as a guest conductor, clinician, presenter, and private clarinet teacher, working with musicians from middle school through adult community bands. An accomplished composer and arranger, Katheryn brings decades of teaching and conducting experience to every ensemble she leads.

Katheryn's compositions for concert band have been featured at The Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic and presented at state, national, and international conferences. Published by RWS Music, Daehn Publications, and The C.L. Barnhouse Company, her works appear on festival and contest lists nationwide.

She currently serves as Missouri State Chair of the American School Band Directors Association and is Past President of the Missouri Music Educators Association Metro District 8. Her honors include the Bandworld Legion of Honor from the John Philip Sousa Foundation, the Missouri House of Representatives Outstanding Service to Music Education Resolution, the Emerson Crystal Apple Award, and the Missouri Music Educators Association St. Louis Metro District 8 Outstanding Music Educator of the Year Award.

A native of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, Katheryn earned her Bachelor of Arts in Music, summa cum laude, from Luther College and her Master of Music degree from Northwestern University, where she studied with John Paynter. She lives in suburban St. Louis with her husband, near their three adult children. When she's not making music, she enjoys hiking, biking, traveling, and reading a good book.

Dr. Cory Near currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Luther College in Decorah, IA. His duties include conducting the Luther College Concert Band and Symphonic Band. Outside of the rehearsal room, he also teaches courses in conducting, rehearsal methods, and marching band techniques. 

An active guest clinician and conductor, Dr. Near has worked and collaborated with ensembles throughout Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio. Additionally, he has presented at the state music education conferences of Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio.

Dr. Near received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN), under the tutelage of Dr. Emily Threinen. He also holds a Master of Music degree from Temple University (Philadelphia, PA), also under the tutelage of Dr. Emily Threinen. His undergraduate degrees are both from The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH), where he studied music education, and tuba performance with Jim Akins, Principal Tuba; Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Patrick Lawrence,  Professor of Trombone, Euphonium, and Tuba at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, maintains a vibrant low brass studio and hosts the yearly UWSP Tuba Christmas Concert.

A passionate educator, he enjoys teaching students of all skill levels, elementary through college-age. He is active in educational outreach, working with students across the state in clinics and honor bands. He is the recipient of the 2013 UWSP Excellence in Teaching Award. Prior to accepting a position at UWSP, he taught middle school band and orchestra in Arizona where his student groups received superior and excellent ratings at local, state and national music festivals.

Dr. Lawrence teaches two hands-on summer instrument maintenance and repair courses for students and band directors to prepare them for the inevitable wear and tear on their school instruments. 

An active performer, he is principal trombonist with the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra and conductor of the Wausau Symphonic Band. 

• 2024-25  Middle School Conductor: Chris Gleason

Chris Gleason is the Arts and Creativity Consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. He taught instrumental music for twenty-five years in Wisconsin. Chris is the 2017 Wisconsin Teacher of the Year, semi-finalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award, and the first Wisconsin teacher to be named a National Teacher of the Year finalist in 50 years. In 2022 he received the Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence. 

Mr. Gleason created the ComMission Possible Project, which has commissioned 20 new works for band, choir, and orchestra. His work at the state level has led to the creation of the Wisconsin Creativity Summit and Wisconsin Arts Celebration Project, linking poets, composers, and arts educators in creating a unified work. He is the president and founder of Beyond The Notes Music Festival, Inc., which has to date inspired more than 45,000 young musicians and 85 future music educators. In his free time, he produces and participates in a below-average podcast called “Beyond ArtLess”. 

Carolyn A. Barber is the Ron and Carol Cope Professor of Music and Director of Bands in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Glenn Korff School of Music. She earned a B.M. in horn performance at Northwestern University, an M.M. in horn performance from Yale University, and returned to Northwestern to earn her D.M. in conducting as a student of John P. Paynter and Victor Yampolsky.  

Dr. Barber began her career as a lecturer and assistant to the dean of the Northwestern University School of Music. Her duties included teaching advanced conducting and directing the university’s Concert Band. Prior to her appointment at UNL, Dr. Barber also served as the director of bands at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Apart from her conducting and teaching at UW-L, Dr. Barber served for five years as the principal horn of the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Barber has been a presenter at the Midwest Clinic, CBDNA, ASTA, and NAfME conferences, state music educators conventions, and district training workshops nationwide. She has received numerous awards for musical and academic achievement, including the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts Distinguished Teaching Award, a Hixson-Lied Professorship, and multiple National Band Association Citations of Excellence. In addition, she was named the 2019 Martha Daniel Newell Scholar at Georgia College where she spent a semester developing a course and engaging in research focusing on the creative process.

Her writing has been published in the Journal of Band Research, and she is a regular contributor to the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band reference series. In addition to her scholarly activities, Dr. Barber maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor throughout the United States and Canada. She is state chair for CBDNA, a peer reviewer for the Journal of the Conductors Guild, past president of the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association, and a past president of the Big Ten Band Directors Association.