RNHB 2013 Music Camp Instructor’s Biographies

Roswell New Horizons Music Camp
April 7 – April 12, 2013
Brasstown Valley Resort

INSTRUCTOR’S BIOGRAPHIES

We welcome the following instructors with some highlights in their musical careers. For those returning, welcome back. For those who are new, we hope you enjoy this experience with the Roswell New Horizons Band Music Camp. We think you will enjoy the community we all share and love … a community of friends committed to improving their abilities as musicians. In alphabetical order, we’d like to introduce the following:

Harry Bergwall – Harry started playing saxophone in grade school in Chicago. His saxophone skills enabled him to attend Parsons College with a music scholarship. Since moving to Georgia, he has played with the American Patrol Big Band, Sentimental Journey Orchestra, Atlanta Wind Symphony and Bob Martin’s Take Note Big Band as lead tenor sax. Harry currently plays with an 8 piece rock band called the Time Machine and can be seen playing in Georgia and the Carolina’s. Harry has been in the music retail business for 40 years. Currently he is the Director of Educational Services with Ken Stanton Music in Atlanta and works with all the school bands and orchestras in the Georgia area. His hobbies include collecting and restoring vintage fountain pens and sax mouthpieces. Harry says that “music is a great outlet and a gift that can be used forever”.

Don Coffman – Don is a Professor of Music Education and chairs the Department of Music Education and Music Therapy at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Iowa where he taught from 1987 to 2011.His passion is making music with “chronologically gifted” adults in wind bands. He is the founding Director of the Iowa City, Iowa New Horizons Band which has provided an opportunity for senior adults to learn or reacquaint themselves with wind and percussion instrumental music since 1995. He now oversees a New Horizons program in Miami. Don’s wife, Stacy, is an infection preventionist at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital. Their son, Nicolas, is married and works in Oakland, CA. Don is delighted to return for the fifth time to this camp.

Kathy Farmer – Atlanta native, Kathy Farmer, is the Principal Flutist of the Dekalb Symphony Orchestra, the Georgia Philharmonic and a member of Dolce Chamber Orchestra. She teaches flute at Georgia Perimeter College and Greater Atlanta Christian School as well as maintaining a home studio. Ms Farmer is a member of Perimeter Flutes (in residence at Georgia Perimeter College), and Papageno Flute Quartet. She is the conductor of the Flute Choir of Atlanta. She is the founder and conductor of the Atlanta Flute Ensemble, now in its 25th season. Kathy coordinates the opening flute orchestra for the NFA and has been a member of the NFA Professional Flute Choir for 17 years. Currently the Atlanta Flute Club Flute Fair Coordinator, Kathy has been Secretary, Vice President and President. Ms. Farmer is a graduate of the University of South Florida. Her principal teachers are Martha Rearick (at USF), Geoffrey Gilbert, Peter Lloyd and Tadeu Coelho in annual master classes. When not making music, Kathy enjoys spending time with her husband, 3 adult daughters and sons-in-law and with her 5 grandchildren. In quiet times, she enjoys relaxing with a good book and a cat (or 3) on her lap.

Marla Feeney – Marla currently operates her own music teaching studio (Sandpiper Music Studio) in Marietta, GA. In addition to teaching private lessons, she is a busy freelancer in Atlanta and plays regularly with groups like The Bonaventure Quartet and Society Express. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and a Master’s degree from University of Iowa where she was a teaching assistant in the music department. She has also taught as an adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark College in IL, Iowa Wesleyan, Grinnell College, Mount Mercy College in IA and College of the Ozarks in MO. She performed for 3 years in Branson, MO as a theater musician and served as a staff arranger. Marla and her husband have lived in the Atlanta area for 13 years. Marla enjoys the diversity of people and variety of music available to her in Atlanta where she participates in orchestras, concert bands, jazz bands, gypsy swing bands, world music groups and original recording sessions.

David Fry – David and his wife, Gail, live in the small town of Toccoa in Northeast Georgia. One of his favorite pastimes is driving his 1970 Triumph TR6 over the mountain roads. David holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music Education from the University of Georgia. His major performing instruments are soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones along with electronic wind instrument and key boards. He has 19 years of public school teaching experience including elementary, middle and high schools along with college. He is now is a private instructor. He has worked for over 20 years as a band instrument repair technician, specializing in woodwinds. His shop is in the Draisen-Edwards Music Center in Anderson, SC. David has over 40 years of professional playing experience with many jazz bands. He has been featured soloist for the Toccoa Symphony Orchestra and played with other symphony orchestras in Spartanburg and Anderson, SC. He currently has three solo CD’s containing original, jazz-flavored compositions. He has conducted ensembles dedicated to jazz and the preservation and performance of American Dixieland music, and held improvisation and saxophone technique clinics at Unicoi New Horizons camp for the 2003-2008 seasons. His artistic flair is pleasing to all audiences making him a much sought after entertainer.

Bob Martin – Bob lives in the mountain community of Ellijay, GA with his wife, Julie, a retired administrator from the Ellijay school system. Bob attended the University of Mississippi where he majored in trumpet while arranging the music for marching band, jazz band and orchestra. He was a band director in the public schools of North Carolina and Georgia for twenty years. In 1976, he was selected for one of the “Outstanding Bandmaster Awards” presented by the Kappa Kappa Psi National Band Fraternity. He joined the Roswell New Horizons Band as its Director in 2000. The RNHB now has a “Pops” (concert) band and a jazz band that are experiencing phenomenal musical growth. In January, 2008, the Georgia Music Educators presented the National Band Association’s “Citation of Excellence” to Bob and RNHB, for outstanding contributions to bands and band music. Bob was a member of the NHIMA Board of Directors for three years. He retired from this position in December, 2010. The RNHB has hosted seven New Horizon’s Music Camps at Unicoi State Park in North Georgia. Number eight will be held at Brasstown Valley, also in North Georgia. Bob enjoys arranging music for various camp (Chautauqua, Interlochen, Ithiaca & Unicoi) groups that he has directed. Sax Quintet, Brass Quintet, Beginning Improv., Master Class for trumpet and several jazz band charts are included in his collection.

Frieda Payne – Frieda graduated from Rockmart High School in Rockmart, Georgia and received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Music Education at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. After teaching from 1974 to 2002, she retired from the public schools. In her tenure as Band Director at North Habersham Middle School, she has received Teacher of the Year Award in 1998-1999. Her professional affiliations include MENC, GMEA, and Phi Mu Alpha/Delta Omicron. She has been a charter member as a clarinetist in the Northwinds Symphonic Band since 1985. She has also worked for several years with the New Horizons Band Camp as a conductor and clinician. Frieda enjoys “RVing” with her husband, Nelson, along with hiking, reading, gardening and cross stitching.

Nelson Payne –Nelson is a native of Rome, Georgia, he received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Music Education from Jacksonville State University, Alabama as a bassoon major and played trumpet in the renowned “Marching Southerners”. He learned saxophone to be able to perform in the jazz band. He also served in the 3rd U.S. Army Band in Atlanta and the 84th U.S. Army Band in Fulda, Germany as a bassoonist and played tenor sax in the marching band and jazz ensemble. Presently retired, he was a high school band director from 1974-2000. He received numerous community and service awards during that time and was able to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City He is a member of MENC, GMEA, National Band Association, Phi Mu Alpha and Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity. In 2002, he was Director of the Georgia Lion’s Club All-Star Jazz Band and is active as an adjudicator and clinician throughout the Southeast. Nelson enjoys traveling with his wife Frieda along with hiking, trout fishing and golfing. He is a charter member of and has played with the Northwinds Symphonic Band since 1985, an adult community band located in Northeast Georgia where he serves on the Board of Directors. He has worked with the New Horizons Band Camps for several years.

Glenn Shull – Glenn has an Associate in Arts Degree from Colorado Mesa University,  B. A. and M. S. Degrees from the University of Northern Colorado. He is married, has two grown boys and two grandsons. He taught music for 35 years from elementary through the university level. Most of those years were spent as the Band Director at Poudre High School in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to teaching, twelve of those years were spent supervising instrumental music for the Poudre School district. Currently, Glenn directs the Northern Colorado New Horizons Band, The Foothills Pops Band, and The Studebaker Band at the international meets. He also books his own dance band with from two to eighteen pieces. He was also fortunate to play his trombone with many big bands and individual recording artists who performed in the area. His hobbies, other than music, are restoring and showing Studebakers, gardening and railroading.

Dave Standgren – Dave has been married to Karen Strandgren for 46 years. They have two grown children and eight grandchildren. He started playing the trombone at age 12 under the tutelage of Doctor Kleffman and later studied under Dick Shearer. He played through high school and later majored in music at LA City College where he was chosen to play in the College Jazz Band. He freelanced in numerous bands in the LA area during his 26 year tenure as an LA Police Officer. After retirement in 1993, he moved to Cumming, Georgia and started to play his horn in various community, college and commercial bands in the North Atlanta area. He has been a member of the Roswell New Horizons Band since 2006. His latest endeavor was to form and currently direct the Sounds of Sawnee Jazz Band which keeps him very active. His hobbies are woodworking and fishing, but music is his passion.

Nancy Summers – Nancy is in her twelfth season as Music Director of West Michigan New Horizons Music Ensembles. Band camps under the auspices of the New Horizons International Music Association in Chautauqua, New York and Georgia are favorite conducting engagements. In addition to her work with New Horizons groups, Nancy holds the position of Principal Oboe in the St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre Orchestra. She created and serves as Artistic Director of the annual Winter Solstice Celebration. In January 2013, Nancy made her debut as Guest Conductor of the Metropolitan Orchestra of St. Louis for which she is also a founding member. Nancy earned her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from The University of Michigan.

Melody Zentner – Melody is a graduate of Ithaca College School of Music, Ithaca, NY. and did her graduate work at Crane School of Music, Potsdam, N.Y. She taught in the New York State Public School System for twenty years and was a NYSSMA All-State adjudicator. Melody has been teaching middle school vocal music at Durham Academy MS, Durham, NC since 1999. She is Artistic Director of the Durham Chorale Community Choir, studied voice therapy through the McClousky Institute of Voice and works with senior voices through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) program at Duke University.

Jeffery Zentner – Jeff graduated from SUNY Fredonia and Ithaca College School of Music in New York State and has taught band in several upstate New York school districts culminating at Watertown High School from 1988-1999. Jeffery and his wife, Melody were both offered teaching positions at Durham Academy Middle School for the start of the 1999 school year and have been there ever since. Jeffery has been often asked to guest conduct at band festivals around the country. During his tenure at Durham Academy, he has directed various New Horizons ensembles and classes at band camps held at the University of Delaware, Interlochen Fine Arts Camp, Unicoi Conference Center in Helen, Georgia, University of South Carolina and the Brasstown Valley Resort in Georgia. Jeffery and Melody have two daughters, Morgan and Jessica. Morgan has a Master of Performance degree from the University of British Columbia and is a professional oboist in Vancouver, B.C. Jessica is a graduate of Appalachian State University with a degree in Advertising and Communications and is employed in Research Triangle Park in the pharmaceutical field. Jeffery enjoys golf, swimming and trail hiking.