| Administrative Staff |
Karen Liegl, School Manager
Karen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rockwell College, with grades 6-12 teacher certification. She oversees all operational and logistical aspects of the Orchestra Iowa School and Orchestra Iowa outreach activities including school newsletter composition and distribution, teacher/ student placement, registration processing and facilitation of communication between School faculty and families and the Orchestra Iowa staff. Karen has served the Orchestra Iowa School since 1999. |
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| String Faculty |
Carey Bostian, Cello
Carey has been conductor of the Iowa City Community String Orchestra since 1998. Born and raised in Granville, Ohio, he came to study at the University of Iowa in 1993. He holds a MFA in orchestral conducting as the last student of James Dixon, and a DMA in cello as a student of Charles Wendt. Carey is currently principal cellist of Orchestra Iowa and cellist with its String Quartet. In addition, he performs regularly with Red Cedar Chamber Music, and teaches cello at the Orchestra Iowa School and privately in Iowa City. He is a member of the conducting faculty at the Preucil School of Music, and has served as conductor at Coe College and Lawrence University. Carey is an active clinician as both conductor and cellist and is on the Iowa Arts Council's Teaching and Performing Artists rosters. Carey lives in Iowa City with his wife, Miera Kim, a violinist, and their two sons, Oliver and Adrian. |
Alla Cross, Violin/Viola
Alla Cross was raised in Russia. A violinist since the age of six, she received her bachelor's and master's degrees at a music conservatory in Novosibirsk, Russia. As principal of the Violin II section of the Krasnoyarsk Symphony she toured in Russia, Germany, Switzerland and Yugoslavia. She worked as a professional musician for several years before moving to the United States in 1999. Currently Alla is in her final year of study for a doctoral degree at the University of Iowa. Alla has led the University of Iowa Symphony and chamber orchestras and has been a member of Orchestra Iowa since 1999. |
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John Hall, Bass
John Hall is orchestra director at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids. He has taught as an adjunct instructor and clinician at Cornell College, the University of Northern Iowa and Augustana College. He holds a Master of Music degree in bass performance from the University of Georgia, and he is completing a doctor of musical arts degree at the University of Memphis. John is a bassist in Orchestra Iowa. He was the 2009 recipient of the Iowa String Teacher Association "Studio Teacher of the Year" award. |
Mike Hall, Violin/Viola
Mike Hall holds a Master of Music degree in Violin and Suzuki Pedagogy from the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has done Suzuki training with Michele George, as well as additional training with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, Doris Preucil, Alice Joy Lewis, Barbara Barber, Carrie Reuning, and Eleanor Allen. He is an alumnus of Encore School for Strings and the Meadowmount School. He has taught in the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory program and with the Toledo Suzuki Institute. He played with the National Repertory Orchestra and the Toledo Symphony before joining Orchestra Iowa in 1992. Mike teaches Suzuki and traditional violin and viola lessons and is also a teacher in the Orchestra Iowa School’s String Outreach Programs.
Suzuki Training: Every Child Can!, Violin Foundation 1A & 1B, Violin Books 2-10
Supplementary Training: Violin Supplementary Literature |
Tariel Iberi, Guitar
Guitarist-Composer Tariel Iberi is a native of Georgian Republic. He was classically trained at the music conservatory in Lviv, Ukraine. He taught guitar at the conservatory of music in Tbilisi. He has published a three volume classical guitar pedagogy and has composed hundreds of pieces for guitar and for strings. He has had concerts and master classes in Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Ukraine and the United States. He is a member of the Iowa Composer's Forum and teaches guitar at Central College in Pella. Tariel is accepting guitar students of all ages. |
Cheryl Krewer, Violin/Viola/Cello/Bass
Cheryl Krewer has a bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of Texas at Austin and a master's degree in bass performance from the University of Iowa. Her teaching experience includes public school strings, fourteen years at the college level, thirty years of private teaching, and with the Orchestra Iowa School since 1986. She has performed with Orchestra Iowa since 1985 and currently is the lead teacher for the Orchestra Iowa School’s String Outreach Programs.
Suzuki training: Every Child Can!, Violin Books 1 - 3, Cello Books 1 – 6. |
Kelly Moritz, Violin/Viola
Kelly Moritz received her Bachelor of Arts degree in music education from the University of Northern Iowa. She has studied Suzuki pedagogy with Doris Preucil, Kimberly Meier-Sims and Sonja Zeithamel. She was a Suzuki parent accompanying her sons to several Suzuki institutes at Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Aside from teaching privately with the Orchestra Iowa School, Kelly teaches Fifth Grade Fiddles at Johnson Elementary School and is the orchestra teacher at Taft Middle School. She was awarded the Bruce Eilers Award for the Iowa Classroom String Teacher of the Year at the Iowa String Teachers Association convention in May 2006. |
Barbara Owen, Cello
Barbara Owen earned dual degrees in cello performance and music education from Oberlin College. She is a long time member of the Orchestra Iowa cello section, and she has been a Suzuki trained cello instructor for the Orchestra Iowa School for more than 15 years. Barb is currently accepting traditional cello students of all ages. |
Lisa Ponton, Violin/Viola/Chamber Music
Lisa Ponton received her Bachelor of Music degree from The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. As a full scholarship recipient, she earned her Master of Music Degree at The Juilliard School in New York. She then concluded her studies by completing the Konzertexam at the Hochschule fur Musik in Cologne. She has received training in Suzuki pedagogy from Western Illinois University, the American Suzuki Institute and the Preucil School of Music. Ms. Ponton has held the positions of Associate Principal Viola of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Principal Viola of Sweden's Malmo Symphony Orchestra and Associate Principal Viola of "The President's Own" Marine Chamber Orchestra, the resident orchestra of the White House. She is currently Principal Viola of Orchestra Iowa and viola instructor at Grinnell College.
Suzuki training: Every Child Can!, Violin Books 1-5, Viola Books 4-8
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| Wind & Brass Faculty |
Blaine Cunningham, Low Brass
Blaine is the principal tubist of Orchestra Iowa and is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Tuba Performance and Pedagogy, with a secondary emphasis in Euphonium Performance, at the University of Iowa. Originally from Bryant, Arkansas, Blaine holds a Bachelor's degree and a Performance Certificate in Tuba Performance from the University of Arkansas, and a Masters degree in Tuba Performance from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Blaine has performed as a featured soloist with the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and the University of Iowa Chamber Orchestra. He served as principal tuba of the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in 2002, and has also performed with Arkansas Winds, Naturally Brass, Ozark Mountains British Brass Band, the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, and the Oshkosh Symphony Orchestra. Blaine lives in Coralville with his wife, Jennifer, and their two dogs, Wrigley and Turner. |
Charles "Andy" Harris, Horn
Andy Harris has been a member of Orchestra Iowa since 1995, serving as principal horn since 1998. He performs with its brass and woodwind quintets and teaches horn at Kirkwood, Coe and Wartburg Colleges as well as at the Orchestra Iowa School. He has also lived in Monterrey, Mexico, where he worked for the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon (UANL) as Solo/Principal Horn in the symphony, and as horn instructor. Andy received his Bachelor of Music at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and his master’s from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. |
Lynne Hart, Clarinet
Lynne Hart holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in woodwind performance from the University of Iowa, and a Bachelor of Music degree in theory/composition from the University of Minnesota. Lynne has been teaching clarinet for 23 years and her studio averages eight All-Staters per year. Her performance experience includes Orchestra Iowa (pops series), the Dubuque Symphony, and the Duluth Symphony. Numerous Broadway touring productions including: My Fair Lady, A Chorus Line, The Full Monty, State Fair, Chicago, City of Angels, Grand Hotel, Sugar Babies, Peter Pan, and several others. She has also performed in the orchestra for several Cedar Rapids Community Theatre productions, most recently Gypsy and Fiddler on the Roof. |
Peter Hart, Saxophone
Peter Hart holds a Master of Music degree in saxophone performance from Eastman School of Music, Rochester, N.Y. Peter played for three years on the S/S Norway luxury cruise ship in the Caribbean. He has played professionally with Ray Charles, The Temptations, The Supremes, 5th Dimension, Clark Terry, Louis Belson, T.S. Monk, Carla Bley, Diane Carroll, Vic Damone, Natalie Cole, Buddy DeFranco and many touring Broadway shows. Peter is the shop foreman repairing band instruments for West Music in Marion. |
Jennifer Wagaman, Flute
Jennifer Wagaman received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Luther College in flute performance and music management. She received her Master of Music degree in flute performance from the University of Northern Iowa. In addition to teaching at the Orchestra Iowa School, Jennifer is a flute instructor at the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City. She has taught flute and piano since 1998 to a range of ages. Several of her students compete yearly in the Young Artist Competition at the Iowa Flute Festival and many have been selected for a variety of honor bands. Jennifer directs the Orchestra Iowa School Flute Camp yearly, which is open to area flute students in addition to her own students.
Suzuki training: Flute Books 1 – 3 |
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| Piano Faculty |
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Laura Barnett, Piano
A native of Eastern Iowa, Laura Barnett recently returned to this area with a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from Bob Jones University, and a Master of Music degree in piano pedagogy from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign). While a graduate student, she served as a teaching assistant in the university's group piano program. Laura maintained a private studio in Dubuque, taught piano at Loras College and the Northeast Iowa School of Music and acted as accompanist at Clarke University in Dubuque.
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Julia Andrews West, Piano
Pianist Julia Andrews West is an active performer of chamber music and jazz piano. She performs regularly across the Midwest with the jazz trio “Surprisingly Hip.” West graduated with the Master of Music degree from the University of Nebraska and with two Bachelors’ of Music degrees in piano and music theory from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. While at Texas Tech, she was a Presser Scholar for excellence in music and was the Highest Ranked Undergraduate in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. She most recently was on the music faculty at Monmouth College where she taught group piano, music theory, and piano lessons.
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Melinda Westphalen, Piano
Melinda Westphalen received her Doctorate and Master's degrees in piano performance from the University of Iowa, where she studied with Rene Lecuona. Dr. Westphalen has been on the music faculty of Grinnell College since 1996, where she teaches applied piano, keyboard harmony classes, serves as the college accompanist, and coordinates all of the music department recitals. Dr. Westphalen has previously taught in Iowa City and at the Conservatory of Piano in Worthington, Ohio. She is also a member of IMTA and judges piano competitions throughout the state.
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| Harp Faculty |
Gretchen Brumwell, Harp
Gretchen Brumwell is principal harpist of Orchestra Iowa and teaches harp and harp ensemble for the Orchestra Iowa School. She is the harp instructor at the University of Northern Iowa, Coe College, and the Five Seasons Chamber Music Festival, and is an active performer throughout eastern Iowa. Ms. Brumwell received her Master of Music degree in harp performance from Rice University. While at Rice, she was a regular substitute for the Houston Symphony and the Houston Ballet Orchestra. Her teachers include Paula Page, Mary Bircher, and the legendary Alice Chalifoux. |
Pamela Weest-Carrasco, Harp
Pam Weest-Carrasco plays second harp for Orchestra Iowa and the Quad City Symphony. She is a frequent performer with the University of Iowa ensembles, including University Symphony, Center for New Music, Symphony and Concert Bands and Percussion Ensemble. Before moving to Iowa City in 1990, she free-lanced in the Washington, D.C. area, playing with the Arlington Symphony and at Ford's Theatre. Her free-lancing has included concerts with Julio Iglesias, Lainie Kazan, Jack Jones, Toni Tenille, Mark O'Connor, the Moody Blues and Josh Groban. She received her music degrees from Indiana University, and has been a Suzuki harp teacher since 1992.
Suzuki Training: Every Child Can!, Harp Books 1A, 1B, 2, and 3. |
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| Music Together® & Music Therapy |
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Amy Maurer, Music Therapy & Music Together®
Amy Maurer, MT-BC, is a graduate of Wartburg College with a Bachelors of Music Education and Music Therapy with an emphasis in clarinet. During college she toured with vocal and instrumental ensembles across the United States, Europe, South Africa, and Japan. She completed her music therapy internship at the Kardon Institute for Arts Therapy in Philadelphia, PA where she worked with clients of varying ability ranging from age 3-100. Amy earned her music therapy board certification in August 2008 and completed her Music Together teacher training in July 2009.
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Leah Anderson, Music Together®
An undergraduate piano performance major at the University of Iowa, Leah Anderson studies with respected pianist Rene Lecuona. Leah has completed the Every Child Can course in Suzuki training; in addition, she completed Book One training from Caroline Frasier at the Suzuki Institute at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. In addition to an active career in performance and teaching, Leah plans to attend graduate school in piano performance at the University of Iowa. Leah has been teaching at the Orchestra Iowa School for six years, and she has been playing the piano for more than twenty years. Leah teaches both Suzuki and traditional lessons.
Suzuki Training: Every Child Can!, Piano Book 1 |
Julia Andrews West, Piano
Pianist Julia Andrews West is an active performer of chamber music and jazz piano. She performs regularly across the Midwest with the jazz trio “Surprisingly Hip.” West graduated with the Master of Music degree from the University of Nebraska and with two Bachelors’ of Music degrees in piano and music theory from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. While at Texas Tech, she was a Presser Scholar for excellence in music and was the Highest Ranked Undergraduate in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. She most recently was on the music faculty at Monmouth College where she taught group piano, music theory, and piano lessons.
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| Choral Ensembles |
Amy Hanisch, Discovery Chorus Director
Amy Hanisch received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Iowa. She has served as a music specialist in the Cedar Rapids Community School District since 1988 and has been director of the Discovery Chorus since 1998. Amy has directed many honor choirs for the Iowa Choral Directors Association, as well as all-city choral festivals for the Dubuque, Cedar Falls and Des Moines school districts and the 1997 Opus Fifth-Sixth Grade Select Honor Choir. Amy was a director for the Kirkwood College Young People’s Performing Arts Camp for many years and has taught vocal technique, chorus, movement and composition classes at Theatre Cedar Rapids. |
Jessica Muters, Odyssey Chorus Director
Jessica Muters received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Coe College. She has served as a music specialist in the Cedar Rapids Community School District since 2002 and was the original director of the Odyssey Chorus when it was piloted in 2002 until 2007, when she took a temporary hiatus. Jessica has had many students accepted to honor choirs for the Iowa Choral Directors Association, as well as the OPUS Fifth-Sixth Grade Select Honor Choir. She also directs a fourth and fifth grade choir at Viola Gibson Elementary. Jessica was a director for the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy summer show choir camp in recent years. She maintains a private voice studio and choreographs for several show choirs in the Cedar Rapids area.
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