Emily Boschen is currently a private instructor and freelancer based in North Texas. She holds a Masters degree in Flute Performance from the University of Missouri – Kansas City and a Bachelors degree in Music Performance and Education (EC-12) from West Texas A&M University. Emily was the Second Flute and Guest Principal Flute for the Topeka Symphony Orchestra during the 2023-2024 season and has performed in many other professional ensembles including the Dallas Opera, Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, Missouri Symphony, and the award-winning Plaza Winds Graduate Fellowship Quintet.

Emily has taught privately for over seven years in Texas and the Kansas City area to students ranging from beginners all the way up to college students. She also has taught group flute sectionals at multiple area high schools and judged both District and Region competitions. Emily also assisted teaching the flute portion of the Woodwinds Methods course for music education majors for multiple semesters during her undergraduate career.

She has been a finalist in multiple concerto competitions and most recently won First Prize in the St. Louis Flute Society Young Artist Competition. Emily’s primary teachers are Ebonee Thomas and Helen Blackburn.

​Kristen Lindenberger Beene is happy to be back in her home state after over thirty years of enjoying an active career in music and raising her children. As a three time All State Oboist and Graduate from MacArthur HS in Irving, TX, she went on to Graduate from Baylor University with Bachelor Degrees in both Music Performance and Music Education. While pursuing a Master’s degree in Music at SMU, Ms Beene performed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Ballet Orchestra and many local groups, as well as teaching 45 oboe students each week. As her life expanded, she left Texas, beginning with a 6 year position in the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, then 3 years with the Lansing Symphony in Michigan, 17 years with the Toledo Symphony orchestra, 6 Years as Principal Oboist of the Ann Arbor Symphony and ending with her favorite position of all, Principal Oboe of the Michigan Opera Theater for 10 years. In addition, she played often with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit chamber Winds as well as many exciting performances with amazing musician friends along the way.

Ms Beene has traveled extensively, performing with numerous festival orchestras, including St Barthelemy Festival de Musique - French West Indies, Strings in the Mountains - Steamboat Springs, CO., Bellingham Festival of Music-Bellingham, WA., Basically Bach Music Festival - Anchorage, Alaska, Colorado Music Festival - Boulder, CO, Sunflower Music Festival - Topeka, KS, a European tour with the Wichita Symphony in 1987, playing in some of the greatest Halls in Europe, as well as performing at the WASBE conference in Lucerne, Switzerland with the Detroit Chamber Winds.

Kristen has always maintained a private teaching studio, as well as serving on adjunct faculties at University of Toledo, Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Rice University in Houston as well as a semester sabbatical replacement position teaching Oboe at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

She is currently living in the DFW area, enjoying a very full teaching schedule as well as performing with old and new colleagues alike in a variety of musical groups as needed, including the Ft. Worth Symphony, the Lawton Philharmonic and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, as well as many Churches in the DFW area.

Kristen Lindenberger Beene has two wonderful children. Ryan Beene is a journalist with Bloomberg News in Washington, DC. and Katy Beene is an Anthropologist working in Seattle, Washington. 

Dr. Ross Duncan is a professional bassoonist and educator currently based in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. While pursuing his studies, Ross has had the pleasure of playing with a variety of orchestras and chamber groups in the United States and Canada, including the Sheboygan Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, the Korean Canadian Symphony Orchestra, the Scarborough Philharmonic and the Chinese Artist Society of Toronto, and the Perrysburg Symphony. Ross received his D.M.A. and M.M. from the University of Wisconsin Madison, where he received the prestigious Paul Collins Fellowship (DMA), as well as a graduate assistantship (M.M.). In addition he holds an Artist Diploma from The Glenn Gould School in Toronto, Canada, and a B.A. in German from Bowling Green State University. His teachers include Marc Vallon, Fraser Jackson, Dr. Nathaniel Zeisler and William Lewis.  

Corey Parks was a public school band director for the 16 years.  He is now a business owner designing marching band drill and consulting with marching bands across the state.  He continues to teach as a private lesson instructor in the DFW metroplex.

As a band director, Mr. Parks was the Director of Bands at Cross Timbers Middle School in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD.  Before then, he was an assistant band director in Highland Park ISD, working both at the middle school and high school for 11 years.  He was also an assistant director at Forestwood Middle School in Lewisville ISD.  He has taught at many educational levels including 5th grade elementary music, beginner woodwind classes, non-varsity middle school and high school bands, jazz bands, and high school marching bands.

Mr. Parks was also a member of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra for several years, playing at many concerts and venues across the state.

Mr. Parks graduated from Texas Christian University with a Bachelors in Music Education and a Masters in Music. 

Michael Peterson is a Dallas based saxophonist, composer, and educator who performs frequently throughout the region with his own ensemble, The MPQT, and in multiple genres as a sideman. Since moving from the Northern Colorado area, he has performed with the Two O’clock Lab Band, and as a soloist with concert orchestras. He currently teaches privately in the North Texas area, as well as online. Peterson graduated from the University of Wyoming with a degree in Saxophone Performance and received a Masters Degree in Jazz Studies: Performance from the University of North Texas. 

Teresa K. Francis is retired from middle school band directing after 28 years of service. Her latest position was as assistant band director in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District where she taught for  8 years. She is now teaching privately in several local school districts and an active performer on her instrument. She is a graduate of Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.

As a performing musician, Mrs. Francis has performed in numerous professional orchestras including the Symphony of Southeast Texas and the Northeast Texas Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with the Greater Fort Worth Community Band at the Eisemann Performance Center at the Association of Concert Bands National Convention, served as principal horn with the Texas Lone Star Community Band on tours of Australia, Italy, France and England.  She is currently a member of the orchestra at Whites Chapel United Methodist Church in Southlake, Texas.  She is in demand as a clinician, horn specialist and adjudicator. 

​Mr.Grimes is a low brass private instructor for GCISD. He holds a bachelor's degree in Music Performance from TCU and a Master's in Music from Carnegie Mellon University. Mr.Grimes is also a published author in Music and Medicine for his research role in the article titled "Music Intervention Pilot Study: Assessing Teaching Methods of Group Marimba Classes Designed to Train Spatial Skills of Older Adults with Changes in Cognition". Outside of music, Mr.Grimes loves to play golf, video games and is an avid DFW sports fan!  

​Jacob Muzquiz is currently a freelance musician and teacher in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Jacob  completed his Bachelor of Music Degree at Texas A&M University-Commerce, where he was a student  of Jimmy Clark, (Principal Trombone, Dallas Opera) and Chris Oliver (Second/Associate Principal  Trombone, Dallas Symphony Orchestra). Jacob went on to complete his Master's degree and  Performance Diploma at Southern Methodist University, studying under John Kitzman (Retired, Principal  Trombone, Dallas Symphony Orchestra) and Barry Hearn (Principal Trombone, Dallas Symphony  Orchestra). 

Jacob currently holds the position of Second Trombone with the Allen Philharmonic Orchestra. He also  performs regularly with professional ensembles in the Southwest region. Ensembles he has performed  with include the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Ft. Worth Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Opera Orchestra,  Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Missouri Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Winds, and Southeast Arkansas  Symphony. 

Jacob is also actively auditioning for professional ensembles across the country. He has been named a  semi-finalist or finalist for positions in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Opera Orchestra, the  United States Navy Band, Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, Sarasota Symphony Orchestra, New Mexico  Philharmonic, and Charleston Symphony Orchestra. 

Dr. Jonathan Watkins serves as adjunct instructor of low brass at Tarrant County College, where he teaches applied trombone, euphonium, and tuba. He is a graduate of Florida State University (BM and MM), and the University of North Texas (DMA). He has given recitals and master classes at Valdosta State University, the University of Wisconsin at Platteville, and the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley. He has also performed at the International Tuba-Euphonium Conference, Southeast Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference, Midwest Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference, Tarleton State University, University of North Carolina - Wilmington, and the Texas Music Educator Association annual conference. Dr. Watkins is a Willson Performing Artist.

Mark Finley has been teaching tuba private lessons continuously since 1987. In this time he has guided many students all the way to the All-State level, and especially enjoys working with Tuba/Euphonium ensembles. He holds a Bachelors of Music degree with education certification from the University of Texas at Arlington, and plays tuba with the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 1995.   For fun, He enjoys traveling with his wife and uploads travel tips to Youtube for the Channel “Escaping the Empty Nest."