As an accompanist, Amy has accompanied numerous All-County, District, and All-State choral festivals and competitions in Pennsylvania, New York, and Virginia. As a saxophonist, Amy has performed with the Rappahannock Pops Orchestra, Fredericksburg Jazz Ensemble, the Mid-Atlantic Wind Symphony, and plays saxophone and keyboards for Alias, a local dance and wedding horn band.
Amy has served as Organist and Choir Director at numerous churches throughout Pennsylvania, New York, and Virginia since age 14. Some of the positions include the Mountaintop Presbyterian Church in Mountaintop, PA, Griffis Air Force Base in Rome, NY, and Trinity Lutheran Church in Utica, NY. She currently serves as Organist at the Fredericksburg Presbyterian Church.
At the Encore Music Camp of PA, Amy taught piano classes and accompanied several choirs, soloists, and theater groups. She has served as an adjudicator for piano Festivals and competitions in both New York state and Virginia. Amy performs regularly as both a soloist and accompanist in the Fredericksburg area. Professional affiliations include VFMC, MTNA, and the Rappahannock Music Society. Amy is also the author of several early level methods for rhythm and music literacy.
B.M. in music performance, West Virginia University; M.M. in music performance, Duquesne University; studied with Dr. Virginia Thompson and William Caballero; performances with Arion Band, American Musical Ambassadors-European Concert Tour, Duquesne Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Contemporary ensemble, chamber ensemble, WVU Horn Choir, Carnegie Hall concert with Duquesne wind symphony, International Horn Society Collegiate Horn Choir, Potomac Concert Band, Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, Seneca Chamber Winds, West Virginia University Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Chamber winds ensemble, jazz band. Currently performing as Principal Horn in The Mary Washington Orchestra, section Horn in the Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra, and third Horn in the Washington Sinfonietta out of D.C. Active private lesson teacher at Forte Studios and schools around the area.
Austin Boyer is a freshman music education major at Shenandoah Conservatory and will be a sophomore music education and trumpet performance major at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD next year. He has played trumpet for 8 years and has studied under Jim Ford, Kate Reeves, Dr. Scott Nelson, and Carl Rowe. He looks forward to studying with professor Ed Hoffman and internationally known cross-over artist Joe Burgstaller during his time at Peabody. He has been a member of the Spotswood Community Orchestra, a Touch of Jazz, and the student-run Big Bad Jazz Band. At Shenandoah he is currently a member of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the Symphonic Orchestra, the SU Jazz Ensemble, and a founding member of the Eastern Edge Brass Quintet.
Career highlights include being a founding member of The Dallas Brass (6 years), an artist in residence at Southern Methodist University and a clinician for Yamaha Band Instrument Corporation. Gary has been a finalist in national and international Jazz Improvisation competitions and an Adjunct Professor of Music at Virginia Commonwealth University. Other featured ensembles include Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians, The Dallas Cowboy's Band (6 seasons), The Collection Jazz Orchestra and The Swing of Things Big Band directed by Don "Jake" Jacoby.
Gary has appeared with and/or the opening act for Bob Hope, Spyro Gyra, Cleo Laine, Loretta Lynn, Dr. John, Bill Monroe, Judy Collins, James Moody, Charlie Pride, Steve Allen, Lou Marini, The Light Crust Doughboys and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band to name a few.
Current ensembles include The Difficult Run Jazz Band, The Rappahannock Pops Orchestra, The Aaron Noe Jazz Orchestra, The Touch of Jazz Big Band, The Fredericksburg Big Band, The Sheiks of Dixie, The Gangplank Ragtime Band and the David Wright Trad Jazz Combo plus numerous other ensembles from Washington D.C. to Baltimore and Richmond. Gary is currently the Adjunct Professor of Low Brass at The University of Mary Washington while also teaching Low Brass at Roberson's Music in Fredericksburg, Virginia where he lives with his wife, Charlene, and their three daughters.
Miles Fellenberg began piano studies at age 8 and graduated with special recognition at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division, where he studied with Dr. Arkady Aronov. Additional private studies with Herbert Stessin at the Juilliard School. He currently studies with Robert Shannon under the auspices of the “Dean’s Talent Award” at the Oberlin Conservatory. He made his New York City solo debut at age 17. He has performed with the Oberlin Wind Ensemble, Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, and most recently as a soloist with the Oberlin College-Community Winds. He also teaches a general music appreciation class “Bach, Beethoven & the Boys” at Oberlin.
This summer, Miles will travel to Tuscany, Italy on a full scholarship as an accompanying apprentice. There, he will work with extremely talented singers from around the world, accompany for world-renowned voice master classes, and collaborate with faculty from Oberlin, Curtis, NEC, and other prestigious institutions.
He is also very much looking forward to returning to RSMC for his third time. Miles's advanced theory class should look forward to to studying Webern's derivation, Schoenberg's hexachordal combinatoriality (his current research interest), Stravinsky's rotational arrays, Crawford's triple passacaglia, Boulez's multiplication, and Babbitt's trichordal arrays.
In January 2009, he traveled with his piano trio, The Tappan Trio, to teach, give master classes, and perform at the Franz Liszt Conservatory in Quito, Ecuador. He gave lectures on technique, ensemble playing, and on applying to conservatories, universities, and summer music programs in the US. His trio recently was selected to perform in an honors recital at Oberlin.
Fellenberg was in-residence at the New York Summer Music Festival as a staff pianist and teaching assistant. At NYSMF, he started a 20th century music analysis program, which focused primarily on musical set theory.
His principal studies at the Oberlin Conservatory are with Robert Shannon, the Director of the Keyboard Department and Alvin Chow, the Chair of Piano. He has participated in master classes with renowned pianists and pedagogues Ann Schein, Barry Douglas, Natalya Antonova, Boris Slutsky, Christina Dahl, Herbert Stessin, James Giles, and Jungeun Kim as well as chamber master classes with Anner Byslma, Amir Eldan, Gregory Fulkerson, Peter Slowik, Kirsten Doctor, and the members of the Euclid Quartet. He studies music theory privately from Dr. Sigrun Heinzelmann, a former student of Joseph N. Straus. Summer studies include Eastern Music Festival and Hartwick College Summer Music Festival and Institute. Fellenberg holds a precollege diploma from the Manhattan School of Music and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Catherine holds a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas, where she received a scholarship and studied French horn with Dr. William Scharnberg. She also served as the drum major for the UNT Green Brigade, and enjoyed a summer of marching alto (mellophone) for the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps in Denver, Colorado.
Catherine taught for seven years at Wedgwood Sixth Grade and Middle Schools, where she was part of a team that started 200 beginners annually and traveled to festivals in Dallas, San Antonio, and Washington D.C. After moving to Virginia, she taught at Potomac Elementary School, where she started the elementary band program that is now at all three elementary schools.
Catherine is currently in her fifth year at King George Middle School, where she teaches Beginning Band, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Concert and Symphonic Bands. Her students work hard and make her proud, always representing King George in a positive manner. They have high membership in District Band, receive Superior and Excellent ratings at festivals, and have traveled to Williamsburg, Hershey, and Philadelphia. This year, they are very excited to go see the Blue Man Group in New York! She also assists with the high school marching band, the King George Royal Regiment, teaching marching fundamentals and creating the halftime show’s drill design.
The popular reference book Teaching Music Through Performance in Beginning Band Volume 2 includes a chapter by Catherine, specifically mentioning the King George Middle School Symphonic Band. She also serves as the VBODA District XV Secretary, and is active member the Virginia Music Educators Association and MENC, the national association for music education. She was recently inducted into Phi Beta Mu, the International Bandmasters Fraternity.
Owner of Forte Music Studios; Private instructor, 10 years; Theory and conducting studies at MWC; Applied studies with members of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, NSO and master classes with world renowned cellist; Performances with PWSO, MWC Orchestra, RPO, select quartet and chamber ensembles, Chamber Chorale of Fredericksburg.
Tina was an alternate finalist for the YouTube Symphony competition, 2009. She was a winner of the National Flute Association's Convention Performers Competition, 2006. She performs regularly as soloist and in chamber ensembles for recitals that to date have benefitted the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ("Lou Gehrig's disease") Association, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and the American Red Cross.
While a member of the Marine Forces Pacific Band in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, with whom Tina toured Australia and New Zealand, she served as woodwind section commander and solo flutist. She performs regularly with the Virginia Grand Military Band (Sudler Silver Scroll Recipient, 2000), with whom she has recorded on numerous live concerts, as well as the soundtrack for the Bill moyers PBS documentary "America's First River; the Hudson." She is principal flute and the Artistic Planning Committee chair for the Spotswood Community Orchestra and she has also performed with the Woodbridge Flute Choir.
Tina studied with Jean Ferrandis at Accademia Internazionale di Musica di Cagliari in September, 2007. She is a former student of Thomas Robertello (flutist and art gallery owner), Joel Behrens, Jean Harling, and Lynn Hertel, and has studied in masterclasses and lessons with Gary Schocker, Laurie Sokoloff, Tadeo Coelho, William Montgomery, and Robert Willoughby. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Millersville University.
B.S. Music Education and Performance, Ithaca College. Founder, Lead Man and performer in Alias. Instrumental Music Director, Louisa High School; Performances with the Rappahannock Pops Orchestra, Fredericksburg Big Band. Lead Alto Saxophone in Grammy-Nominated Jan Lewan Orchestra; Voting member of NARAS; Recital Soloist.
Since becoming a free-lance bassist in 2005, Ben has developed a reputation as a jazz, blues, and rock bassist in the Central and Northern Virginia areas. He has shared the stage with the great tenor saxophonist James Moody, opened for Edwin McCain and Jimmie's Chicken Shack, and performed with a number of local legends, including about half of the RSMC staff. He is also a full time bassist for a number of established groups in the Fredericksburg area.
Ben currently is the Director of Bands and Instrumental Music at Fredericksburg Academy, an independent school in Fredericksburg, VA. He is the first full-time director that the school has had, and since starting in 2007, the program has tripled in size and quality alike. In 2009, the concert band competed for the first time at Music in the Parks in Williamsburg, VA, and received 1st Place in its class (A Division). Ben has also added a rock ensemble to the Academy that has grown into a viable performing group performing anything from Blink 182 to the Eagles, in addition to writing and performing original music.
Aside from the Academy, Ben teaches private lessons on bass, guitar, and clarinet at Roberson's Music in Fredericksburg and throughout the Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, and Stafford areas.
Chelsea will be a sophomore at the University of Mary Washington in Fall 2010. She started playing clarinet in fifth grade band at King George. She is currently in the Concert Band and the Orchestra at UMW. Chelsea has also played tenor sax for jazz band and marching band in high school. Chelsea loves playing in musicals. She will be a music and math major with the hopes of playing for various local ensembles through college and after she graduates.
Katherine Valadez is an active musician and flute teachers in Fredericksburg, Virginia. In addition to the Rappahannock Summer Music Camp, she teaches flute at Roberson's Music and The Music Studio in Stafford. Katherine recently won first place at the Flute Society of Washington's Wallace Mann Orchestral Audition Competition. She has performed in masterclasses for Paul Edmund-Davies, Carol Wincenc, Thomas Robertello, Carolyn Christie, and George Pope. In 2007 she attended the Brevard Music Center in Brevard, NC. She holds a Master of Music in Orchestral Flute Performance from McGill University in Montreal and a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance (Magna cum Laude) from Arizona State University. Her principal teachers include Timothy Hitchens (Principal of Montreal Symphony), Dr. Elizabeth Buck (former principal of Phoenix Symphony), and Brian Gordon (piccolo of Pheonix Symphony).
William Wassum, native of Huntington, West Virginia, is a graduate of Marshall University, from which he holds the Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and the Master of Arts in Violin Performance. Having been taught in the traditions of Carl Flesch, Szymon Goldberg, and Ivan Galamian, his major teachers were Alfred P. Lanegger, Patricia Green, Lucie Furlie, and Dr. Reed Smith. William has performed in violin master classes with Benny Kim, Alcestis Perry and Gerald Fischbach, and has attended master classes with Midori, Dorothy DeLay, Brian Lewis, Mimi Zweig, William Preucil, Sergiu Schwartz, Almita Vamos, Jerrie Cadek Lucktenburg, Paul Rolland, Lara St. John, and the Turtle Island String Quartet. Mr. Wassum has also had workshops in advanced violin technique from Peter Sacco and Sally O’Reilly. He has also participated in conducting master classes with Elizabeth Green and Dr. Marvin Rabin.
William is Director of Orchestras at Thornburg Middle School in Spotsylvania, Virginia where he helped found the orchestra program 11 years ago. During his 32 years as a music educator, he has directed award-winning ensembles from the elementary through high school levels in Texas, West Virginia, South Carolina, and Virginia. In Virginia, he has had the honor of guest conducting several orchestras including, the Hanover All-County Orchestra, the Chesterfield All-County Orchestra and the Central Virginia Junior Regional Orchestra.
As a registered Suzuki violin instructor, he taught for the Marshall University Preparatory Department for eight years and the Converse College Pre-College Department for three years. He served on the faculty at the Sam Houston State University Summer String Camp for two summers, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp for 12 years, and currently is on the string faculty with the Rappahannock Summer Music Camp in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
William has 33 years of professional experience performing in symphony orchestras, chamber music groups, opera orchestras, and for innumerous musicals and oratorios. Previous orchestral experience includes: the Charleston Symphony, the Huntington Chamber Orchestra, the Brazos Symphony, the Brazos Valley Symphony, the ASTA National String Orchestra, the Huntington Pops Orchestra, the West Virginia Symphony, the Ohio Valley Symphony, the Lilliput Orchestra, the West Virginia Opera Theater Orchestra, the East Carolina Suzuki Institute Orchestra, the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp Festival Orchestra, the Blue Lake Faculty Chamber Orchestra, the Blue Lake American Quartet, the Greater Spartanburg Philharmonic, the Charlotte Philharmonic, the Petersburg Symphony, the Lynchburg Symphony, the Washington Symphony, the Rappahannock Pops Orchestra, the Veterans Affairs National Medical Musical Group Orchestra, the Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra, and the Spotswood Community Orchestra. William has performed as Concertmaster with the Spotswood Community Orchestra, the Rappahannock Pops Orchestra, the Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra, the Blue Lake Festival Orchestra, and the Greater Spartanburg Philharmonic. William has had the particular pleasure of playing under the baton of Anshel Brusilow, former concert master of the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy and conductor of the Dallas Symphony, and Richard Hayman, staff arranger, and assistant conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra during Arthur Fiedler’s tenure.
Mr. Wassum toured France in the summer of 2000 as a member of the American String Quartet and the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp Faculty Chamber Orchestra, which performed in the Festival de Paris and at many historic churches throughout the south of France. Some other performance venues have been, the Jardin du Luxembourg, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the National D-Day Memorial, the John F. Kennedy Stadium, the Belk Center, the Landmark Theater, and the Greenbrier Resort. In February 2006, he had the honor of performing with the Veteran's Administration Medical Musical Group Orchestra at the Pentagon as a Valentine's Day tribute to our troops around the world, and has performed with them in their annual Congressional Flag Day Concerts, and recently at the National Basilica to honor all of our men and women in uniform. Mr. Wassum is currently performing with the Lynchburg Symphony, the Rappahannock Pops Orchestras, and the New Life in Christ Church Orchestra, his church orchestra.
As a violinist he has accompanied many renowned musicians and entertainers including, Sarah Brightman, Sandy Patti, Zuill Bailey, Rita Coolidge, Jimmy and Donna Dean, Aaron Rosand, Anner Bylsma, Andres Cardenes, Sergiu Schwartz, William Warfield, Marcus Thompson, Claude Frank, Leon Bates, Lainie Kazan, Shirley Jones, Ray Stevens, Faith Prince, Mark McVey, and has sung in concert with Michael Card.
William is a former president of the West Virginia String Teachers Association and is a current member of the American String Teachers Association, the Suzuki Association of the Americas, the Music Teachers National Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the Virginia String Teachers Association, the Virginia Music Teachers Association, and the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association, as well as the American Federation of Musicians' Local 123 Richmond, VA and Local 161-710 Washington, DC. He has been a faithful ASTA member since his days as a college student.
He continues to teach about 70 private violin, viola, and cello students in the Ashland and Fredericksburg, Virginia communities through his own Wassum Violin Academy and performs for weddings and receptions with his gig quartet, the Seraphim String Quartet.
William resides in Spotsylvania, Virginia with his lovely and amazing wife and God given helpmate, three sons, a daughter, and a huge dog named Zod.
My name is Jordan Barry and I am a rising senior at Massaponax High School in Spotsylvania, Virginia. I started music when I was in elementry school with singing. I then took up the guitar and later piano. I played the piano for seven years and sang for five. When I entered middle school I began the violin. Since middle school the violin has been my main instrument. I plan on using my skills on the violin to get into James Madison University. My career goal is to become a pediactric oncologist. If I don't become a oncologist I want to work for the veterans affairs medical unit. If i can't help children, I would like to help those who fight for our country.
This year will be my fourth year with RSMC. I have been playing violin for ten years and playing bass for two years. I have been taking lessons from Bill Wassum for approximately 7 years. I hope to go full throttle with music when I get to college, but being only in 10th grade this year, I have not chosen what college to go to. I also hope to pursue music outside of school with anything I can, including rock, jazz, or maybe composition. I have also been part of both Junior and Senior Regional Orchestras, placing in the top 10 in both. I have also made first place with the double bass at District Band. I am currently ranked 52nd in the state with my violin.
Maggie Lagos is currently a senior at Courtland High School and has performed in several school and community ensembles since middle school. She studied piano from age 5 and is presently playing with Courtland’s Jazz Band. Additionally, she accompanied Courtland’s Jazz Choir, small ensembles, and Pit Orchestra.
She has also studied clarinet for 8 years, currently sitting as 1st chair of Courtland’s Symphonic Band. She has served as Clarinet Section Leader of the Royal Brigade Marching Band and performed in All-County Band, All-District Band, George Mason Honor Band, and VCU Festival of Winds.
In addition to clarinet and piano, Maggie also studied marimba during high school, preparing keyboard and auxiliary percussionists for competition as Winter Drumline Pit Section Leader for 2 years.
Maggie was accepted into Tri-M Music Honor Society as a sophomore. Next year, she will be attending George Mason University to prepare for a Bachelor s Degree in Applied Computer Science in Software Engineering.
Hey guys! My name is Brieana and I'm a senior at Massaponax High School! My primary instrument is the cello, but I am learning how to play the Chinese Violin, or Erhu. I have been playing cello for about nine years now, and erhu for a couple of months. My future plans include going on to Randolph-Macon College and perform in local chamber ensembles around the Ashland/Fredericksburg area. I hope to one day play in the Japanese Eminence Orchestra. If you have no clue who they are, check out this site: http://www.eminenceonline.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/EminenceOnline. Hope to see you all soon! ~Peace and Love, Brie :D
