Meet Our Officers
Brian Roberts, President
Charlene Fluder, Newsletter Writer
Scott Walter, Ensemble Director
Bill Bauer, Treasurer
David Toth, Membership Director
Mary Jo Disler, Artistic Director
BRIAN ROBERTS, has been teaching and performing since 1972, after having studied at the NATIONAL AKADAMIE OF MUSIC in Vienna, Austria. His performances have taken him to England, Austria, Nova Scotia and throughout the Midwest, drawing such comments as "Spontaneous and Alive" from the famed author and critic, Hans Keller and "Elegant and Musical" from the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL. Brian's major long term teachers were John Holmquist, in Milwaukee and Cleveland, Gilbert Biberian in Milwaukee and London, England, Karl Scheit in Vienna, Austria. Upon receiving his Master of Music degree from THE CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF MUSIC/CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY in classical guitar performance, he joined the faculty there to develop the guitar program. Currently, Brian is a professor of guitar at WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY and UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN. Brian has composed many pieces for solo guitar and currently teaches and mentors beginning through advanced community students at his private in Ann Arbor, which draws students from throughout Southeast Michigan, and Northwest Ohio. More information about Brian’s compositions, recordings and studio are available at: www.brianroberts.org This will be Brian’s second term as President of the Classical Guitar Society of Michigan. The most important mission that Brian has set forth for our society is to encourage involvement and success in music making for our members, teachers, students and all classical guitarists alike. And to foster a community of people who love listening to Classical Guitar.
Charlene Fluder was born and raised in Detroit and now lives in Manchester, Michigan. She is a graduate of Wayne State University where she received a B.A. in Economics. She studied piano for several years as a child, and later on became interested in Early Music and studied recorder and Baroque flute. Her current interest in classical guitar began several years ago when she inherited a guitar from her late husband, and she began taking formal lessons with Brian Roberts in 2013. In addition to classical guitar music, Charlene enjoys opera and music from the Baroque era. She is a Master Gardener and has worked on Michigan State University Extension Service’s Garden Hotline, assisting callers with problems concerning plant cultivation and pest management. During her employment at the University of Michigan, she wrote and edited campus newsletter articles on the topic of interdisciplinary research examining the impacts of human activities on global environmental change, and for several years served as copy editor of Education About Asia, a nationally distributed magazine produced by the Association for Asian Studies.
Scott Walter lives in Detroit with his wife and three children and is the director of the Detroit Guitar Conservatory, a music conservatory dedicated to teaching classical guitar using the Suzuki Method. Scott has both an undergraduate degree in classical guitar performance and a graduate degree in music theory from Wayne State University. His interests in music are constantly evolving, but he has always been intrigued by the connection between music theory and musical performance and has invested in finding ways for students to engage in the cyclical relationship between these two areas. As the Youth Education Director, he hopes to work with the society to develop resources for young classical guitarists that support their continued interests in classical guitar as well as attracting or exposing children to the instrument. A few of Scott’s ideas are: (1) developing resources for students on the CGSMs website such as free and graded sheet music, high quality recordings or links to high quality recordings, and possibly a forum for discussion; (2) intermittently use monthly society meetings to feature young performers from area studios, develop a youth ensemble, and have special discussions related to supporting quality music education for youth in classical guitar; (3) organize outreach performances for youth in areas likely to include their peers such as libraries, schools, churches, or cafes.
Bill Bauer grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended University of Dayton, earning a Mechanical Engineering degree. Bill started playing classical guitar during senior year at University of Dayton and later moved to Michigan in 1989 to work for Ford Motor Company. Bill has attended University of Cincinnati guitar workshop three times, the Interlochen Guitar Workshop two times and plays in a classical guitar quartet. This will be Bill’s second term as Treasurer of the Classical Guitar Society of Michigan.
Bill Bauer grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended University of Dayton, earning a Mechanical Engineering degree. Bill started playing classical guitar during senior year at University of Dayton and later moved to Michigan in 1989 to work for Ford Motor Company. Bill has attended University of Cincinnati guitar workshop three times, the Interlochen Guitar Workshop two times and plays in a classical guitar quartet. This will be Bill’s second term as Treasurer of the Classical Guitar Society of Michigan.
David Toth has been our society’s Newsletter Editor for the last three years and is now moving to the position of Webpage Manager and Meetings Photographer. David grew up in Lake Fenton, Michigan and took steel string guitar lessons for about 4 years starting in third grade. In 7th grade, he started playing classical guitar, but ending up quitting because his finger nails needed to be clipped to participate in junior high school wrestling. But the classical guitar bug never left, so years later David took lessons from Nelson Amos for a few months, while studying engineering at the University of Michigan. He graduated in 1984 and accepted a job in Florida, where he met his future wife, Sharon, They married in 1988 and gained employment in Michigan, so David studied classical guitar again with Nelson Amos. But due to the early years of starting a family, discontinued lessons again. He restarted some years ago with Brian Roberts and continues to learn from him. Sharon and David have two adult children: Sarah, age 21 and David, age 23. David really enjoys the classical guitar and the Classical Guitar Society of Michigan.
Mary Jo Disler’s music training started with piano in kindergarten, continued with organ during teen years. She has Masters of Music degrees from the University of Michigan School of music in Music Literature & Organ (1965) and Music Theory (1991) and started classical guitar as an adult, in private lessons. Guitar was her "project" while raising two children. (practicing after they went to bed.) She taught classroom guitar for 10 years as adjunct instructor at Oakland Community College, and has maintained a home studio teaching guitar privately since 1973. Mary Jo has attended numerous festivals, master classes, conventions and was strongly influenced by the "Presti" technique after attending workshops at Laval University, Quebec City, Canada. She is a Charter Member of the Guitar Foundation of America and initiated beginning guitar classes at the University of Michigan–Dearborn and the former Mercy College of Detroit in the 1970's. All those classroom handouts eventually generated the text, Guitar QuickStart™: ‘A Guide to Playing and Understanding Music Reading and Chord Techniques, 1994’, self-published by Lyra House Music Publications. She has also edited and published many classical guitar solos, duos & trios, as well as pieces for guitar with organ, and a book of hymn arrangements for organ. More information is available at: www.iteachGuitar.com Mary Jo has been a member of the Classical Guitar Society of Michigan for many years, beginning with meetings held at the Musicians Union Hall in Detroit, early 1970's. The role of "Artistic Adviser" is an opportunity for Mary Jo to contribute articles, ideas, info, on various guitar-related topics.