janine is missing :c

Mrs. Chelsea Holmes began studying violin at the age of 5 and knew from early on she wanted to teach music and share its joy with others. She is incredibly grateful for the support and encouragement of her family and for every inspirational educator throughout her musical journey. These passionate and compassionate teachers provided the crucial foundation for her work, and she strives each day to follow in their footsteps.

Last year, Mrs. Holmes received a Wolf Trap Performing Arts Grant for her project, “Play On! A Collaborative Journey to the Crossroads of Classical and Video Game Music,” which brought in the Videri String Quartet to work and perform with her students and several other schools in Loudoun County, VA. 

Mrs. Holmes received her Bachelor of Music Education and her Master of Music in Music Performance at East Carolina University. She is a certified Suzuki teacher and has been teaching lessons and working as a music teacher in K-12 public and private schools for the past 14 years. This is her 8th year teaching String Orchestra at Sterling Middle School for Loudoun County Public Schools. She is thrilled to be a part of the Loudoun.bit Music Collective and can't wait to share Video Game Music with students and fellow VGM lovers across Northern Virginia. 

Her first game console was the Super Nintendo, and nostalgic soundtracks from games like Yoshi's Island, Kirby, and Donkey Kong are still some of her favorites!

A classically trained violinist and music educator, Michael Klinberg earned a BM in Violin Performance and a Master’s in Music Education at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with Mimi Zweig. With five years of teaching as a faculty member of the IU String Academy, during which he operated his own private studio and acted as Mimi Zweig’s associate instructor, and extensive experience in K-12 classrooms, he has established himself as a dedicated pedagogue. As a researcher, he explores intersections between video games and classical music, presenting his work nationally at conferences such as the Music Research and Teacher Education National Conference. 

In 2022, he founded the Music in Games Society @IU, serving as its President, and secured numerous grants for a variety of interdisciplinary, community-wide video game music projects. He additionally now serves as a board member for the National Music in Games Society, an organization dedicated to expanding resources and opportunities for emerging talent across K-12 and collegiate student communities. Klinberg also collaborates frequently with the Videri String Quartet, performing at festivals such as the Music and Gaming Festival and the Video Games and Music Convention, and additionally serves as their Director of Educational Programs. A passionate advocate for video game music education, Klinberg’s work has facilitated original commissions of video game music works for K-12 programs across the nation, as well as residencies with guest artists and collaborations with collegiate communities. 

Klinberg currently serves as the Strings Director at Watson Mountain Middle School, where he further runs an after-school VGM Strings club for his students. When away from the classroom, he can often be found playing his favorite JRPG’s, brewing teas, or recreating recipes from his Ukrainian grandmother's kitchen.

Iliana Fernandez is a violist and community builder whose work explores the intersection of video game music and transformative learning. She fell in love with the viola over 20 years ago and guitar a few years later. With nearly 10 years of experience in music education and music therapy, she specializes in creating collaborative experiences that center student voice, cultural relevance, and building confidence.

She is a founding member of DC VGM Jams, a community of musicians of all skill levels who play video game music together. She has also presented on her own use of video game music in her music therapy clinical work. Her therapeutic and educational approach emphasizes working together in both building technical skills and the resilience to continue striving towards excellence. She is also a contributing member to VGLeadSheets, a website that provides high quality transcriptions of video game music into easily readable lead sheets.

She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Music from George Mason University and a Master of Music Therapy from Shenandoah Conservatory. Outside of her professional work, she can be found learning Puerto Rican cuatro (pictured here) and Puerto Rican Bomba drumming. Her earliest memories of video games include playing Wolfenstein 3D and Super Mario Bros 2, but more recently played games include Spiritfarer and Red Dead Redemption 2. She loves playing deep narrative action/adventure games that make you feel things. Her favorite video game music soundtracks include Skyrim, ABZÛ, and Donkey Kong Country 2.

Jordan Wright is the orchestra director at Smart’s Mill Middle School in Leesburg, Virginia. She received her bachelor's degree in Music Education from James Madison University in 2020, completed her master's degree in Music Education at University College London in 2021, and is currently completing her masters in orchestral conducting at Shenandoah Conservatory under Maestro Emmanuele Andrizzi. 

In 2023, she was awarded the Outstanding New Orchestra Teacher Award from the Virginia String Teachers Association. In 2024, she received the James Madison University Outstanding Early Career Music Educator Award. She has created several after-school events, including a free private tutoring program for students in financial need. Her dedication to student success is further demonstrated through organizing international travel experiences for students to explore music from diverse cultures. Her extensive teaching background helps her create a focused and goal-oriented rehearsal process. She has also presented regionally and nationally at Music Education conferences, like the Virginia Music Educators Association Conference and the American String Teachers Association Conference, on topics such as student retention, teacher mental health, and advice for pre-service teachers.

She currently conducts yearly at Shenandoah University’s Strings Day, while also guest conducting at regional events like the 2026 MagFest Community Orchestra, conducting "Pantheon, The Unbreakable Spear" from League of Legends. 

Her favourite video game of all time is Baldur’s Gate 3, but enjoys couch collaborative games like PlateUp and Peak during her down time. Her favourite VGM sound track is Kingdom Hearts.