Denise Berson has a wealth of experience teaching small group and private lessons and both small and large band ensembles. Her teaching experience includes public and private schools in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.  Many of her students have participated in Rhode Island All State and Solo and Ensemble, and in Southeastern and Central Massachusetts District Music Festivals on junior and senior levels. Denise has been the musical director/conductor of a summer band program, responsible for all facets of the program, ranging from scheduling and student recruitment to music selection and solidifying continued support of community partners. The program culminates in a final performance with 2 levels of band performing different styles of music.

Performance experience:

Clarinet Choir

Rhode Island Wind Ensemble

Marion Concert Band

Swansea Community Musicians

David Daquil is a retired band director teaching band at Melican Middle School. As a performer, he has played throughout New England as a free-lance woodwind musician. He has also performed with the following big bands: Jerry Seeco and the Jazz Machine, Worcester Jazz Orchestra, Hal McIntyre Orchestra, and the Artie Barsamian Boston Big Band. Performance highlights include playing for Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford. Performing ensembles range from orchestras, theatre pits to big bands. David has played with the Thayer Symphony Orchestra and Claflin Hill Orchestra. For theater work he has performed at Theatre by the Sea, Reagle Players and the Hanover Theater to name a few. He has recorded three cds with Artie Barsamian and The Boston Big Band. David graduated from the Kent State University with a Masters of Music Degree in Music Education in 2017 and Berklee College of Music in 1990 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education. While at Berklee, he studied woodwinds with Joseph Viola and arranging with Herb Pomeroy and Robert Freedman.

Marina Krickler is a sought-after musician and educator throughout New England. Hailed for her “soaring… warmly played” solos (Boston Classical Review), she is currently Second Horn with the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, and performs extensively with many of the region’s ensembles. Marina is a passionate chamber musician, and member of the award-winning Bala Brass. A musician with diverse abilities, she has extensive experience playing new music, and also plays natural horn with period ensembles.

Marina enjoys teaching students of all ages, and has presented masterclasses in both the United States and Canada. She holds faculty appointments at the College of the Holy Cross, and All Newton Music School, and teaches lessons through the Ashland Public Schools as well as her home studio. She also conducts sectionals for Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, and teaches at the South Shore Conservatory Summer Music Festival.

Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Marina spent her formative years playing piano and flute before being drawn to the horn at the age of fifteen. She holds a Master of Music in Performance from The Boston Conservatory, a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Toronto, and a Music Performance Diploma from Mount Royal University. Her teachers and mentors have included Joan Watson, Eli Epstein, Gabe Radford, and Laurie Matiation. In addition to her formal education, she is an alumna of the National Academy Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Young Artists Program, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

Matt Dao is an active performer and trumpet instructor in the greater Boston area. Dao has performed with numerous orchestras and groups throughout the New England area such as the Vista Philharmonic, SymphonyNH, Eastern CT Symphony, in addition to his role as Principal Trumpet of the Boston Chamber Symphony. As an instructor, Dao teaches trumpet lessons in Wayland, Natick, and Blackstone-Millville, in addition to Ashland. Dao recently completed his Master of Music degree in trumpet performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. Outside of music, Dao can be found playing golf, cooking lots of delicious food, and loves all things Boston sports! 

As an orchestral bass trombonist, chamber musician, and teaching artist, Philip Hyman enjoys a varied musical career. Mr. Hyman can regularly be heard playing with the Glens Falls Symphony, Boston Ballet, Lexington Symphony, Springfield Symphony and the Portsmouth Symphony. He has also performed with the Boston Pops, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, New World Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Vermont Symphony, and Hartford Symphony. He has worked with such world-renowned conductors as Michael Stern, Peter Oundjian, David Zinman, James Conlon, and Michael Tilson Thomas.

Mr. Hyman is a member of Triton Brass and a founding member of the Redline Brass Quintet. Along with the members of Redline, he has helped commission and premiere several new works for brass quintet. The group has also worked closely with outreach programs to bring interactive performances into schools and under privileged communities.

Throughout his career, Mr. Hyman has been fortunate to play with talented artists in the classical, jazz and commercial realms. In addition to most recently performing with composer and conductor Ramin Djawadi for the Game of Thrones Live tour, Mr. Hyman has shared the stage with Yo-Yo Ma, Olivia Newton-John, Phil Woods, Hans Zimmer, Dream Theater and Andrea Bocelli.

A native of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, Mr. Hyman attended Susquehanna University, and during his tenure there, appeared as a soloist with the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Trombone Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble. He went on to receive his master’s degree from New England Conservatory, where he studied with Boston Symphony Orchestra bass trombonist, Douglas Yeo, and second trombonist Norman Bolter. Mr. Hyman also attended the Aspen Music Festival for two summers, studying with American Brass Quintet bass trombonist, John Rojak and Metropolitan Opera trombonist, Per Brevig.

As an educator, Mr. Hyman serves on faculty at several institutions including Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, where he is brass coordinator and teaches private lessons, runs sectionals and coaches chamber ensembles. He maintains a low brass studio in Lexington through the Lexington Community Education program as well as in the Ashland School District. He has also served on faculty for Boston University Tanglewood Institute as well as Longy School of Music in Cambridge.