Holly Clemans teaches at Concordia University, Ann Arbor, MI and is the founder and director of the Concordia Flute Camp. She is a private flute teacher in Canton, and has been active as a soloist, orchestral musician, and clinician for many years. She currently performs with Flute Fusion & the Mosaic Chamber Ensemble; and has been a member of the Plymouth, MI and Arlington, VA Symphonies; the Minnesota Opera Orchestra and Composers’ Forum; and chamber ensembles in Washington, D.C. and Minneapolis/St. Paul. She soloed with the Concordia University Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall in 2016. Former faculty positions include Olivet College, Carleton College, and William Tyndale College.

A 2010 winner of the Geoffrey Gilbert Teacher Study Grant, Ms. Clemans has co-authored several publications for the National Flute Association (NFA) and was editor for The Flutist’s Handbook: A Pedagogy Anthology, Volume Two, 2012. She served on the NFA Pedagogy Committee for 16 years, and was chair of that committee from 2013-2017. As a long-standing member of the NFA, she has served the organization as a solo performer, chamber music performer, tape judge, panelist, and presenter for several annual conventions.

Ms. Clemans has presented seminars on teaching at Wayne State, WMU, CMU and at the 2019 Michigan Music conference. As Past President of the Southeast Michigan Flute Association, she was on its Board of Directors from 2002 -2013. Her degrees include a B.M. in Music Education from Hartt School of Music, an equivalency degree in Music Therapy from Western Michigan University, and a M.M. in Flute Performance from the University of Michigan.

Chris Wheeler is an oboist based in the mid-Michigan area, performing regularly with ensembles including the Michigan Philharmonic and Adrian Symphony, and also subs with many others, including the Lansing Symphony and Southwest Michigan Symphony. He is also active as a chamber musician, having performed with Shift Ensemble Detroit and as a founding member of the Pure Winds woodwind quintet. An avid teacher, Chris maintains a private studio of oboe students in both the metro Detroit and Lansing areas, is an MSBOA Solo & Ensemble Adjudicator and is a masterclass clinician for many band programs. He completed Master’s degrees in both oboe performance and chamber music, studying with Nancy Ambrose King at the University of Michigan, and graduated from the California Institute of Arts (CalArts) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in oboe performance, studying with Allan Vogel, former principal oboe of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. While at CalArts, he was also an exchange student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, studying oboe with Stephen West and composition with Gareth Williams. His other major teachers include Gretchen Morse, Stuart Horn (oboe), and Marjan Helms (piano/composition).

Raised in rural Michigan, Chris has been surrounded by music of all types for as long as he can remember. He started his musical journey at the age of 5 with piano lessons, and in 6th grade, a funny instrument called the oboe entered the picture by a chance encounter. A summer session at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp was the catalyst in deciding to pursue music as a career and the following summer saw him touring Europe with Blue Lake’s International Youth Orchestra before starting his undergraduate studies at CalArts. Though classically trained, Chris’s other musical interests lie in expanding the boundaries and genres of his musical influences via his own original compositions and songs. In this vein, he recorded and released an album of original compositions and songs, “Day by Day.”

Dr. Andrew Sprung is Adjunct Instructor of Clarinet at Spring Arbor University and Hillsdale College and Second Clarinetist of the Traverse Symphony Orchestra (Traverse City). He has performed with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Grand Rapids Ballet, Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra, and many others. An avid chamber musician, he is a founding member of the Hillsdale College Faculty Woodwind Quintet and was guest artist at the 2017 Southeastern Composers League Forum in Lexington, Virginia. As a soloist, Dr. Sprung has performed concertos with the Livingston Symphony Orchestra (Brighton), Spring Arbor University Concert Band, Bowling Green State University Wind Symphony, and Iowa State University Symphony Orchestra. His performing career has taken him to Carnegie Hall, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, and venues in Canada and Europe. 

Dr. Sprung teaches private lessons, sectionals, and master classes to high school and middle school students throughout Michigan. His students have earned numerous honors and awards, including first chair in Michigan All-State Band, first chair in Michigan All-State Orchestra, winning the Michigan Youth Arts Festival Solo Competition, being named a finalist for the International Clarinet Association’s High School Solo Competition, numerous MSBOA Outstanding Soloist nominations, and consistent Division-I ratings at District and State Solo & Ensemble. Dr. Sprung’s students have also earned admission into many excellent college music programs.

Michigan based clarinetist, Margaret Albrecht is an active teacher throughout the greater Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Dexter and Plymouth areas. Margaret is an equally active performer, playing in both small and large ensembles with particular emphasis on orchestral playing and small chamber contemporary music.

Margaret earned her Specialist Degree and Masters Degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Michigan and her Bachelors degree in Clarinet Performance from Western Michigan University. 

Margaret has performed with the Dayton Philharmonic, Lima Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Symphony, Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Toledo Ballet Theater, Aepex Contemporary Ensemble,  ArcaSonica, OperaMODO, Adrian Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Symphony Orchestra and University of Michiagan GIlbert and Sullivan Society. She also has an active love of small chamber music and has several groups she plays with. On an international level, Margaret was a 2017 finalist in the International Clarinet Association Orchestral Competition and traveled abroad with MayaOpera International Music Festival.

As a teacher, Margaret has been active in the greater Ann Arbor area for the past 6 years, and also taught previously in the Kalamazoo and Sturgis areas prior. She is on faculty as a COMP instructor with Community Music School of Ann Arbor in addition to maintaing her private studio. Margaret has taught in a wide range of settings from masterclasses (most recently a residency and recording project at Central Michigan University) to individual lessons and a wide range of students from beginner to adult.

After experimenting as a clarinetist, bassoonist, pianist, percussionist, drum major, composer, conductor, and basketball center-forward before college; Jim decided to focus on studying bassoon performance at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore where he received his bachelor's degree. Then, while performing with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, he earned masters' degrees in bassoon performance and music theory/composition at Wichita State University. He has also held positions with orchestras such as the Annapolis and Kenosha Symphonies, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

Currently, Mr. Westhoff performs with the Jackson and Adrian Symphony Orchestras in southeast Michigan. He substitutes regularly with the Ann Arbor, Flint, and Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestras and is the bassoon instructor at Concordia University. His summers are spent at the Birch Creek Music Performance Center for young musicians in Door County, Wisconsin as an Associate Faculty member and Assistant Program Director. Jim is also a full-time dad to his beautiful, yet goofy, daughter and adorable, yet stubborn, son.

Brian is a saxophonist with nearly 20 years of teaching experience in southeast Michigan. He has instructed various woodwind sections and taught private lessons at several area schools, including Plymouth-Canton Education Park, Walled Lake Central, Novi, Lakeland, Lake Orion, and Pinckney. Past students of Brian's have gone on to study music at University of Michigan, Michigan State, and Western Michigan University.  

Brian graduated from Plymouth-Canton high school, and went on to study music education at Eastern Michigan University.  He also attended the All-State program at Interlochen for five summers, where he studied saxophone with Timothy McAllister and Donald Sinta.  His other past instructors include Jay Berckley, Max Plank, and Donell Snyder. 

Brian currently lives in White Lake, and continues to teach lessons to students grades 6-12.

Johnathon Bower is a freelance trombone player from Troy, MI. He is a graduate of Athens High School and Eastern Michigan University. John studied trombone in the studio of Dr. Babcock. He earned a B.A. in instrumental music education. John recently began pursuit of his Master's Degree in music education at Eastern Michigan University.

After high school John marched at the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps from 2009-2012. While in college John performed three solo recitals in addition to performing in the Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, and several chamber ensembles. His arrangements have been performed by the Eastern Michigan Trombone Studio, the Athens Brass Choir, and other chamber groups. He has played in the pit for Hairspray, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and the Firebird. In 2017 John performed with RhythmX Winds, winning a WGI World Championship. John performed with the Wayne State Orchestra from 2017-2019.

John began his teaching career as a private lesson instructor in 2009. From 2012-2016 John taught marching band and brass choir at Athens High School. At Athens John spent two years as Assistant Director working with the Concert and Jazz bands. He has also been the Band Director at Gabriel Richard Catholic High School and Romulus middle school before deciding to pursue a career as a professional trombonist. John spent time as a visual technician and choreographer at Clio High School, Southgate Anderson High School, L’anse Creuse North High School, South Lyon High School, LSM Winds, and Eclipse Percussion. John is in his 2nd year as director of the Divergent Performing Arts Wind Ensemble. John also enjoys working as a trombone clinician for many local middle schools and high schools. John enjoys being a visual and brass technician for the PCEP Marching Band!

John will be joining the visual staff at the Madison Scouts for the 2020 season and beyond!