Yukling Ching graduated master degree from Boston Conservatory of Music, Conductin,g where she studied with Bruce Hangen.  She graduated bachelor degree from Century Conservatory of Music, Bei Jing, Ching, Conducting in China where she studied with  Zhi Tang Xu and Xin Cao Li.

Michael Dolan began his musical interests  early, enjoying singing in school and church, playing trumpet and guitar in grade school, and beginning piano in junior high school.  During high school, after his first serious exposure to classical music, the concept of conducting ensembles became his passion and dream.  He was given opportunities to direct both school and church choirs with regularity, and the school symphonic band on a few occasions.  Attending the Indiana University School of Music allowed him to grow so much as a musician, and there he received his first formal training in conducting from fantastic teachers.  A year ago a community concert band near him needed a conductor to cover a rehearsal at the very last minute, and he was invited to guest conduct a piece on their next concert as a thank you.  That summer, he was accepted into a week long masterclass in New Hampshire with Ken Kiesler where he greatly improved his skills and philosophy.

Anna Edwards has ben part of the vibrant Seattle music community for the past twenty two years. She is currently the new music director of the Saratoga Chamber Orchestra, and is the founder and music director of the Seattle Collaborative Orchestra. As music director of the Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, Edwards has had the distinctive opportunity of combining her passions into an intergenerational symphony orchestra comprised of highly talented high school students, university students, and community musicians performing with Seattle professional musicians including the Seattle Symphony and Pacific Northwest ballet. A Passionate music educator, Anna has led many educational and community engagement concerts in the Seattle area. She has worked with the Seattle Youth Symphony program over the past 20 years conducting the Symphonette Symphony, Classical Symphony, and the Festival String Orchestra for the Marrowstone-in-the-City Summer music program nad has guest-conducted numerous regional youth and honor orchestras in Washington. Additionally, Anna is the music director at Roosevelt high School where she has built the orchestra program over the past fourteen years into a nationally award-winning program. As an instrumentalist, Anna has been a violinist with the Auburn Symphony for the past 17 years, and previous to concentrating her attention towards conducting, Edwards was freelance violinist in the Seattle Metro area performing with such groups as the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Northwest Chamber Orchestra, and the Northwest Sinfonietta in addition to performing on numerous movie and commercial recordings with Seattle Music Inc.. Currently, Anna is finishing her Doctorate of Musical Arts in orchestral conducting at the University of Washington.

Collin G. Heade, BA in music performance from PSU, is associate conductor and principal cellist for the Willamette Falls Symphony and the Oregon Chamber Players. He is also Artistic Director/Conductor for the Westside Community & Youth Orchestra in Hillsboro, Conductor of the Junior Symphony of Vancouver, co-founder of the North Oregon Coast Symphony and was their Artistic Director/Conductor for eight years. Collin provides private cello instruction in Southeast Portland and is also adjunct teacher at Valley Catholic School in Beaverton. Visit his web site at www.PortlandCello.com.

Matthew Hooper is the Music Director and Conductor of the West Shore Symphony Orchestra in Mechanicsburg and Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  Previously, Mr. Hooper served as Assistant Conductor of the Muncie Symphony, Assistant Conductor of the Ball State University Orchestras, and Assistant Conductor of the Ball State New Music Ensemble in Muncie, Indiana. He has also served as the Resident Music Director of the Muncie Civic Theatre and Music Director for Indiana Public Radio’s (IPR) annual live radio dramas. Matthew holds a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting (M.M.) from Ball State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Lebanon Valley College.  Matthew resides in Oxford, PA with his wife Alison.  In addition to conducting, Hooper is also a freelance vocal coach and teaches privately.  Read more at his website, www.matthooper.com.

Andrew King is the Music Director of the Purdue University Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras. He has formerly served as the orchestra division head for Bands of America (now Music for All) and was instrumental in the creation of Orchestra America, the National Honor Orchestra, and the National Orchestra Festival. Mr. King’s Recent Guest conducting appearances include the NEMFA All-New England Orchestra, the Kalamazoo Philharonia, the orchestras at Oklahoma State University and the University of Indianapolis, as well as Texas All-Region orchestras and high school honor bands and orchestras. He has conducted the orchestras at camps at the University of Wyoming, the University or North Carolina Greensboro, Bands of America Summer Symposium, and Great Lakes Music Camp. Mr. King previously held positions as Music Director of the Bradley Symphony Orchestra in Peoria, Illinois, Assistant Conductor of the Lafayette Symphony, Director of Orchestras at Carmel High School and Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis, and as Music Director of the Indianapolis Youth Orchestra.

Lasha Kvetenadze was Born  March 12 1978 in Tbilisi, Georgia. 1984-1993 attended Tbilisi N16 Public school(grades1-9). 1986-1993 Tbilisi Music school N15 piano major(grades 1-7). 1993-1997 Tbilisi Music school N3 choral conducting major(high school).  1997-2001 Tbilisi State Conservatory BA in choral conducting.  2001-2007 choir teacher Tbilisi N1 Music School.  Tbilisi State Conservatory 2001-2003 MM in choral conducting and  2003-2005 MM in Opera-Symphonic conducting. 2007 GNSO Assistant conductor.  2008 tour with S.O.U.L. 2008 (12 States in US and 2 province in Canada). 2008-present choir director St.Andrew’s Orthodox Church Dix Hills,NY. 2009-present music teacher Joe’s Music Academy Brooklyn, NY.

Alicia Lieu grew up playing the piano, flute, and trombone.  She earned her Bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara where she studied composition with Dr. Leslie Hogan and won first prize in the UCSB Wind Ensemble Composition Competition. She completed her Master of Music in Composition at the San Francisco Conservatory under Elinor Armer and was awarded the Kris Getz Composition Prize. In Paris, France, she studied in the tradition of Nadia Boulanger, working with Dr. Philip Lasser of The Juilliard School, Narcis Bonet, and Ecole Normale de Musique faculty member Michel Merlet. Alicia spent time abroad in Shanghai, China studying Chinese music composition, Chinese, and piano. She has been a teaching artist with Kollage Community School for the Arts, Midori and Friends, and the San Francisco Conservatory where she also served as the Conservatory in the Schools Outreach Coordinator. Having conducted in master classes in New York and St. Petersburg, Russia, she will work with the Bohuslov Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra this summer in the Czech Republic. Her teachers include Maestros John Keenan and Paul Nadler of the New York Metropolitan Opera, and has also been coached by Mark Stringer, Alexander Polishchuk, Kirk Trevor, and Maestra Diane Wittry of the Allentown Symphony. Alicia continues her piano studies with The New York Philharmonic’s Steven Beck.

Thomas Octave has earned degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University.  As a conductor, Thomas is frequently seen a multitude of varied genres of music.  At home in the theater, he has conducted numerous operas and musicals. A champion of new music, Thomas has premiered several major works by composer Nancy Galbraith, including her “O Magnum Mysterium”, “God of Justice”,  “Novena” and “Lumen Christi”. He has also served as the director of music for the Diocesan Choir of Greensburg, the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, and La Roche College Campus Ministry. Thomas has presented music for the First Lady of Uganda, and The Queen of Jordan upon their visits to the Pacem In Terris Institute.  He has also served as the assistant conductor of the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh presenting with Maestro Thomas Douglas the Pittsburgh premiers of Bernstein’s “Mass” and David Chesky’s “The Agnostic”.

Currently, Thomas is an Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at Saint Vincent College where he conducts the Saint Vincent College Singers, and teaches courses in voice, musical theater, and opera and Chair of the music department.  He is also the music director for Beit Benedict Peace Academy of the Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem and is music director of the Pittsburgh Festival Orchestra. This season he continues with the Westmoreland Choral Society as their music director for their 41st Season as the third music director in the Society’s history. He is also the happy husband of Elizabeth who is a math teacher in the Butler School District.

Julia Tai, born in Taipei, Taiwan, has quickly established herself as one of the most capable young conductors on the international stage, having conducted orchestras around the world, including Bakersfield Symphony, Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic (Czech Republic), Buffalo Philharmonic, Brandenburger Symphoniker (Germany), Estonian National Youth Symphony (Estonia), New Symphony Orchestra (Bulgaria), Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Charlos Chávez (Mexico), Seattle Symphony and Virginia Symphony.  She is currently the Music Director of Philharmonia Northwest, and the founder and co-artistic director of the Seattle Modern Orchestra.  She has participated in the renowned Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice at the New England Conservatory, and worked with legendary composers, performers and ensembles such as Jonathan Harvey, Tristan Murail, Garth Knox and Ensemble Modern.

Michael Wittenburg, hailed as a “real virtuoso” by the late Ruth Laredo, made his professional opera conducting debut with Amore Opera’s recent production of Faust and has served with multiple opera companies including in Nashville, Orlando, and Sarasota.  As an Assistant Professor of Music at Lee University, he was Music Director of both the Chamber Orchestra and Opera Theatre.  He has made solo appearances as pianist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, The Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, and the Ocala (FL)Symphony as both pianist and conductor, and he has appeared in collaborative recital with such artists as Metropolitan Opera soprano Stella Zambalis and concert violinist Livia Sohn.