Axe ’Em, Jacks!
Dr. Christopher Ayer
Dr. Christopher Ayer, a native of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, coordinates undergraduate and graduate clarinet study and performs with the Stone Fort Wind Quintet.
Prior joining the SFA School of Music faculty, Ayer was the clarinet professor and orchestra conductor at Eastern New Mexico University. He holds graduate performance degrees in clarinet from the New England Conservatory of Music and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
He has studied with Thomas Martin, associate principal clarinetist with the Boston Symphony, and Ronald de Kant, former principal clarinetist of the Vancouver Symphony.
Ayer is active as a recitalist, often performing with his wife, pianist Kae Hosoda-Ayer, as Duo Karudan. He has performed chamber recitals and presented master classes throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. Ayer has performed as principal clarinetist with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra in Louisiana, and presented lectures at conferences of the International Clarinet Association, the Midwest Clinic, Texas Music Educators Association and the Texas Bandmasters Association.
Ayer is a Yamaha Performing Artist clinician.
Showcased works
Dr. Andrea Denis
Dr. Andrea Denis is a native Texan but grew up outside of Raleigh, North Carolina. She joined SFA's School of Music faculty fall 2021 and performs regularly with the Pineywoods Brass Quintet and the Stone Fort Woodwind Quintet. She also has been a featured soloist with the SFA Symphony Orchestra and the East Texas Symphonic Band.
Denis graduated with her doctorate from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where she studied with Christopher M. Smith. While attending Texas Tech, she received a teaching assistantship, as well as a CH Foundation Doctoral fellowship. Denis received her bachelor's and master's degrees in music at SFA, studying under Dr. Charles Gavin.
Prior to joining SFA's faculty, Denis was the adjunct professor of horn and music at Texas Woman's University in Denton and also maintained a large private studio of horn students for Coppell Independent School District and Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD.
Throughout her career, she has taught private lessons throughout the state of Texas, and held horn teaching positions at Brookhaven College, Eastern New Mexico University, East Texas Baptist University and Kilgore College. She also taught various music classes for Texas Woman's University, Collin College, Tyler Junior College and Texas A&M Commerce.
She is an avid performer perviously soloing with the Texas Woman's University wind ensemble and choirs, and freelanced around the Dallas-Fort Worth area with various ensembles.
She also is a returning feature hornist with the Leland Chamber Arts Festival in Leland, Michigan, and has played and held positions with:
- Lubbock Symphony
- Amarillo Symphony
- Plainview Symphony
- and the East Texas Symphonic Band.
In 2014, Denis was the winner of the MidSouth Horn Graduate Solo Competition and in the summer of 2015 she attended the Nebraska Chamber Music Institute as a member of the Texas Tech Graduate Woodwind Quintet.
She has performed at numerous conferences including MidSouth and Southeast horn workshops, Texas Music Educators Association, the International Horn Society symposiums and the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute.
Her professional organizations include the:
- International Horn Society
- College Music Society
- Texas Music Educators Association
- Pi Kappa Lambda
- and Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society.
She is married to Oscar Denis, the head band director of Garrison High School, and they have two daughters, Madeline and Eliana, who keep them on their toes. During her free time, she enjoys gardening, painting and spending time with family and friends.
Showcased works
Dr. Robert Eason
Hailed by Fanfare magazine (Issue 40:5) for his “exceptional feel for elegance, wit… and tonal beauty,” Dr. Bob Eason is a saxophonist, educator and clinician.
Eason holds a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Houston and completed his master's and doctoral degrees at Indiana University. His primary teachers include Otis Murphy, Thomas Walsh, Dan Gelok, Valerie Vidal, Karen Wylie, Chris Patterson and Theron Sharp.
A native of Houston, Eason founded the Young Saxophonist's Institute and continues to teach summer camps in the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas for middle school and high school saxophonists.
Eason maintains an active performing career, with guest artist residencies including the:
- 2020 Rio Winds Festival in Rio de Janerio
- 2019 XVIII Encuentro Universitario Internacional de Saxofón México in Mexico City
- and 2018 SaxoBang Festival in Taipei.
He is the soprano saxophonist and a founding member of the Kenari Quartet, an ensemble that has garnered acclaim through engaging performances, festival and educational residencies, and commissioning projects.
Among several competition wins, the Kenari Quartet was awarded first prize in the inaugural M-Prize competition in 2016. In collaboration with the Naxos music label, the Kenari Quartet released the album French Saxophone Quartets, which contains many of the saxophone quartet's most important compositions.
Bob Eason is an endorsing artist for Légère Reeds and plays exclusively on the Signature Series reeds.
Dr. Christina Guenther
Flutist Dr. Christina Guenther joined SFA's School of Music faculty in 2005.
She performs actively in the greater East Texas area, throughout the United States, and also has performed in Central and South America, Germany and Australia.
Guenther performs regularly with her husband, pianist Dr. Ron Petti, and with the Stone Fort Wind Quintet. She also was principal flute of the former regional Orchestra of the Pines from 2005-08.
She has performed/presented/adjudicated at the festivals/conferences of the:
- National Flute Association
- Florida Flute Association
- Mid-South Flute Society
- Society of Composers, Inc.
- Classical Music Society
- Texas Music Educators Association
- Texas Flute Society
- Houston Flute Club
- and at the Flute Society of Kentucky as winner of the Young Artist and Concerto competitions.
Guenther has played as a member of the symphony orchestras in:
- Shreveport, Louisiana
- Longview
- Marshall
- and Texarkana.
She performed Christopher Rouse's Flute Concerto in 2007 and the Bach Suite in B Minor in 2013, both with the Orchestra of the Pines.
An enthusiastic proponent of new music, Guenther has commissioned and premiered several works for flute, including:
- "Zodiacal Light" for flute, clarinet and piano by Dr. Roger Zare
- "I Might Speak" for flute, bassoon and piano by Kyle Hoyatter
- and "Duo Concertante" for flute and percussion by Dr. Laurence Sherr.
Several other composers have written works for her, which she has premiered, including:
- "By a Spirit of Uselessness" for flute and piano by Kyle Hoyatter
- "Mountain Roads" for flute, bassoon and piano by Dr. Chelsea Williamson
- "The Ghosts of Mesa Verde" for two flutes by Dr. Stephen Lias
- "Duo" for flute and piano by Dr. Alan Scott
- "3NF" for flute and marimba by Dr. Alan Scott
- "Currents" for two flutes by Dr. Alan Scott
- and "CRUSH" for flute and marimba by Dr. James Barry.
Guenther can be heard on Dr. Stephen Lias's 2015 CD "Encounters: Music Inspired by our National Parks", performing "The Ghosts of Mesa Verde."
Her talented students have been winners in regional competitions, accepted into advanced degree music programs, and gone on to successful music careers in education and arts administration upon graduating from SFA.
She is published in the National Flute Association's "FQ Plus", "Flute Talk" magazine, "The Flute View" and the Texas Bandmasters Association's "Bandmaster Review." Guenther plays Emanuel silver flute #117 and a Roosen ebony flute.
Guenther earned her bachelor's degree in music from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and her masters and doctoral degrees from Florida State University. Her primary teachers were Eva Amsler, Stephanie Jutt, Charles DeLaney, Bart Feller and Laura Carnibucci.
Showcased works
Eric Ewazen: Sonata No. 1 for Flute and Piano, III. Allegro giocoso
Howard Buss - Dragon Flight for flute and piano
Dr. Cody Hunter
Dr. Cody Hunter earned his bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, his master's degree in music from the University of MN-Twin Cities and his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Memphis. His primary bassoon teachers were Dr. Patricia Holland, John Miller, Norbert Nielubowski and Lecolion Washington.
Hunter joined SFA's School of Music in 2022 teaching bassoon and music theory. He also is the bassoonist with the Stone Fort Wind Quintet.
Prior to his appointment at SFA, Hunter served as assistant professor of music and director of fine arts at Mayville State University and lecturer of bassoon at North Dakota State University. Additionally, Hunter taught for East Hardy schools in West Virginia and Harding University in Arkansas.
He has presented at music education conferences in West Virginia and South Dakota on pedagogical aspects of the bassoon and has a webinar available through the National Association for Music Education titled "Bassoon for Band Directors." His article "History and Current Use of Bassoon Speaker Keys" was published in the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors journal in the spring of 2021.
As a bassoonist, Hunter has performed with:
- the Memphis Symphony
- Arkansas Symphony
- Symphony Orchestra Augusta
- Fargo-Moorhead Symphony
- Eroica Ensemble of Memphis
- and served as Principal Bassoon with the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra.
He was a finalist for the 2021 American Prize in professional instrumental performance and the recipient of the Musik Link "International Sounds" fellowship, a program supporting community outreach and engagement through bassoon performance.
An advocate for new bassoon works, Hunter has commissioned and premiered pieces by Alex Manton, Adam Berndt, Lindsey Wiehl and Daniel Baldwin. In addition to performing for the 2021 International Double Reed Society Virtual Symposium, he also premiered the bassoon version of "Crepusculos" by Jose Elizando at the 2022 International Double Reed Society conference in Boulder, Colorado.
As a soloist, Hunter performed the Mozart bassoon concerto with Sinfonietta Memphis in 2017 and Villa-Lobos' Ciranda das Sete Notes with the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra in 2022.
Dr. Brad Meyer
Dr. Brad Meyer is a percussion educator, artist, and composer with an extensive and diverse background. He earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Kentucky, his master's degree at the University of South Carolina under the direction of Dr. Scott Herring and his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Kentucky. He also completed his Pedagogy of Music Theory certificate at the University of Kentucky.
At the University of South Carolina, he ran the Palmetto Pans, arranged and coordinated the USC drumline and debuted his first percussion ensemble composition, "Your Three Favorite Colors."
While pursuing his doctoral degree, he studied under James Campbell and was the Wildcat Marching Band's percussion director, University of Kentucky Steel Band/Blue Steel coordinator and percussion studio lesson instructor.
Meyer directs the percussion ensemble and steel band, teaches private percussion lessons and the percussion methods course, and is the coordinator/arranger for the Lumberjack Marching Band's percussion sections.
Prior to joining SFA's School of Music, Meyer was the visiting instructor of music in percussion and percussion ensemble director at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, and adjunct professor of percussion at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee.
He frequently tours universities and high schools both nationally and internationally to present recitals, workshops, masterclasses and clinics on various topics, including:
- electro-acoustic percussion
- contemporary marimba
- concert snare drum
- marching percussion
- percussion ensemble
- steel band
- and world music.
His international performances and clinics have taken him to Austria, Taiwan, France, South Africa and Slovenia.
Meyer has been an active presenter/performer at numerous festivals and conventions, including:
- Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic
- Texas Music Educators Association's national convention
- Percussive Arts Society's International Convention
- International Computer Music Conference
- Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States' Convention
- New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival
- Graz's Night of Percussion, in Austria
- Chiayi's International Band Festival in Taiwan
- Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis's Intermedia Festival
- and Transylvania University's Studio 300 Festival.
He serves on the Percussive Arts Society's Texas Chapter and PAS Health and Wellness Committee. Meyer is a past member of the PAS Technology Committee and vice president of the PAS Kentucky Chapter.
From 2002-05, Meyer was a part of The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps' front ensemble, where he accumulated one world championship, three "high-drum" trophies and three "outstanding service" awards. After holding the position of front ensemble technician for the Madison Drum and Bugle Corps for two years, Meyer became the front ensemble caption head in 2009. In 2010, he was the pit manager for the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps.
His extensive training in the core percussion instruments (snare drum, keyboard, timpani, drum set, multi-percussion) as well as world music, particularly on the Caribbean steel pan, Korean P'ungmul, mbira (Zimbabwe finger piano), Joropo maracas, and both Javanese and Balinese gamelan has provided a global perspective for his performances and research areas.
He is a composer with several compositions for snare drum, multi-percussion and percussion ensemble published through Bachovich Publications. Meyer is a proud endorsee of Yamaha Instruments, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Evans Drumheads and Tycoon Percussion.
Dr. Pablo Moreno
Born in Manizales, Colombia, and currently residing in Houston, Dr. Pablo Moreno is an oboist with a passion for performing a wide and diverse range of music, from baroque to experimental.
He earned his Bachelor of Music from the Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, artist diploma from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio, Master of Music from Depaul University in Chicago, Illinois, and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Houston. His teachers included Dr. Tracy Russell, Alex Klein, Robert Walters, Kathryn Montoya, Eugene Izotov, Bob Atherholt and Jonathan Fischer.
Moreno has played with ensembles and festivals such as:
- Ensamble Sinsonte in Bogotá, Colombia
- Youth Orchestra of the Americas
- Oberlin Improvisation and New Music Collective
- Fifth House Ensemble in Chicago, Illinois
- Houston Symphony
- National Orchestra of Colombia
- Philharmonic Orchestra of Bogotá
- and Música Ocupa in Quito, Ecuador.
He currently is an active teacher in Houston-area schools and is a member of the historical performance ensembles Ars Lyrica Houston, Mercury Chamber Orchestra and Bach Society of Houston.
Dr. Nathan Nabb
Dr. Nathan Nabb earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he studied with Professor Debra Richtmeyer, and his Master of Music and Doctor of Music, both in saxophone performance, from Northwestern University, where he studied with Dr. Frederick Hemke. Nabb was a two-time winner of the Northwestern University Chamber Music competition.
Nabb maintains a vibrant and diverse international schedule as a performer, clinician and teacher. A regular performer with the St. Louis and Houston symphonies, he has worked with renowned conductors Michael Tilson-Thomas, David Robertson, Hans Graf, Marin Alsop, Michael Stern and Keith Lockhart.
His solo and chamber recordings on the Amp, BIS and Innova labels have clearly positioned Nabb as a bold champion of new music, featuring acclaimed performances of composers ranging from Luciano Berio and Milton Babbitt to Philip Glass and Mari Takano.
In addition to other engagements with the Minnesota Orchestra, New World Symphony and IRIS Chamber Orchestra, Nabb performed in the second major staging of John Adams' Nixon in China in 2004. As a chamber musician, Nabb is the soprano chair of the Oasis Quartet, whose debut recording was released in the spring of 2011 on Innova Recordings. His solo CD, "Tangled Loops," was released in 2009 on AMP Recordings.
He was a finalist at the Coleman International Chamber Music Competition and a three-time semifinalist at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, winning the silver medal in 2001. His current activities span the United States, Europe and Asia, and his career is featured in the March/April 2010 issue of the "Saxophone Journal."
Prior to moving to Texas, Nabb taught at Morehead State University in Kentucky. Nabb's students have won many competitions both in solo and chamber music settings and have been featured in performances and master classes at North American Saxophone Alliance regional and national conferences, as well as other local and regional clinics.
Nabb proudly endorses Vandoren and Selmer products and performs on Vandoren mouthpieces, ligatures and reeds and Selmer Paris Saxophones exclusively.
Dr. JD Salas
Dr. JD Salas received his bachelor's degree in tuba performance from Baylor University in Waco, where he studied with Dr. Michael A. Fischer, and his master's degree from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Kentucky where he served as the teaching assistant studying under Dr. Skip Gray.
Prior to joining SFA's School of Music in 2006, Salas served as Bangkok, Thailand's, first full-time tuba-euphonium professor served as artist/instructor of Tuba and Euphonium Studies at Mahidol University. Other previous teaching appointments include adjunct positions at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, where he taught low brass and jazz bass, and instructor of tuba at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.
Salas currently performs with the Longview Symphony, The Four Horsemen Tuba-Euphonium Quartet, and the SFA Jazz Doctors. He has performed extensively throughout the United States, Mexico, Europe and Asia through invited participation in many International Tuba Euphonium Association Conferences and solo tours. He also has presented panel discussions and clinics on the tuba's use in the Mexican regional music of Banda Sinaloense.
An accomplished jazz bass player, Salas serves as the director of jazz studies at SFA, coordinating jazz minor studies and directing SFA's Swingin' Axes.
He's performed with:
- Temple Symphony Orchestra
- Louisville Orchestra
- Lexington Philharmonic
- Shreveport Symphony Orchestra
- Disneyland All-American College Band in Anaheim, California
- and the Disneyland Paris International Show Band in Paris, France.
He's performed with many musical legends, including:
- Bobby Shew
- Jiggs Wigham
- Steve Houghton
- Rick Baptist
- and Marvin Stamm.
Salas is a performing artist with Buffet-Crampon U.S.A. and performs on B&S tubas.
Dr. Deb Scott
Professor of trombone and bass trombone, Dr. Deb Scott is active worldwide as a teacher and performer. She is a performing artist for Rath Trombones, England, and the director of the Composers’ Workshop for the International Trombone Festival, which helps bring new music compositions for trombone.
Scott is a performing member of Monarch Brass, a group that represents "the very best women brass... players throughout North America and Europe." She also was a featured artist at Trombonanza in Argentina and has been featured at other international venues including Germany, Brazil and the Czech Republic.
Her solo CD, "Playing Favorites," was released in 2017 by Navona Records, and she has been described as “one of the premiere soloists for her instrument” (Cinemusical 2017). She was part of the Christopher Bill's "Bonehemian Rhapsody" Youtube sensation featuring 28 trombonists from throughout the world. She also is regularly featured in radio broadcasts throughout North America and the world.
Scott has performed several times as a soloist and within groups at the International Trombone Festival, and under her direction, the SFA Trombone Octet has been featured twice. She also performs regularly throughout North America with her trio, TexiCali.
She has been a member of the:
- Shreveport Symphony
- Shreveport Opera
- Longview Symphony
- Twentieth Century Unlimited Orchestra in Santa Fe
- New Mexico Music Festival Orchestra in Taos
- SFA Symphony Orchestra
- Lubbock Symphony Orchestra
- Greeley Philharmonic in Colorado
- and Barnum and Bailey Greatest Show on Earth Circus Band.
As a jazz artist, Scott performed frequently in the Houston area as the lead trombonist for the Ronnie Renfrow Big Band where she also often freelanced. She has performed with such artists as JJ Johnson, Louis Bellson, Diane Reeves, Frank Mantooth, Phil Woods, Lee Greenwood, Kay Starr, the Mills Brothers and the Ink Spots. Scott conducted jazz bands for over 30 years and was formerly the director of jazz studies at SFA.
She remains active as a clinician and performer for All-Region jazz ensembles and jazz festivals. Scott has twice directed the Texas All-State Community College Jazz Ensemble at the Texas Music Educators Association Conference.
Scott graduated with top honors from Texas Tech University with two bachelor's degrees. She received the dean’s award for her master’s degree at the University of Northern Colorado. Scott also was the the first doctoral trombone performance candidate at University of North Texas to earn a 4.0 GPA and first woman to complete a doctorate in trombone performance at UNT. She was the first woman to direct a university jazz band in the state of Texas.
Showcased works
TMEA All-State Trombone Audition Etude 1, Veloce by Blazhevich
Luke Vacca
Luke Vacca earned his bachelor's degree in music education at SFA and his Master of Music in trombone performance at the Univerity of Texas at Austin, where he studied with Nathaniel Brickens and Paul Deemer.
During his time as a student at SFA, he studied trombone with Dr. Deb Scott and held several leadership roles in the School of Music's top performing ensembles. Vacca was a featured soloist with multiple groups and was named a finalist in SFA's annual concerto competition. He student-taught at Lufkin ISD under the mentorship of George Little and Tommy Smith and earned his teaching certificate in music for grades early childhood through 12th grade.
While attending UT-Austin, Vacca performed regularly with several of the their top ensembles including the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra, New Music Ensemble and Trombone Choir.
In addition to teaching various courses at SFA, he teaches private lessons and masterclasses at several districts in the northern Houston area and serves on the faculty and board of the Texas Trombone Institute.
Vacca currently resides in the northern Houston area. He is an avid sports fan and enjoys spending time with family.
Dr. James Vilseck
Dr. James Vilseck earned his bachelor's degree in music education with a concentration on percussion for kindergarten through 12th grade at Morehead State University. His master's in percussion performance was earned at Southern Illinois University, and he received his Doctor of Musical Arts in percussion performance and pedagogy at the University of Kentucky.
As an undergraduate at Morehead State University, he was the director of Blue Steel, a small steel drum ensemble, and held the position of adjunct professor, teaching private lessons, pedagogy and percussion methods.
During his doctoral studies at the University of Kentucky, Vilseck taught private percussion lessons, coached chamber ensembles and conducted the award-winning Percussion Ensemble. He also worked closely with the band department and served as the percussion coordinator and arranger for the Wildcat Marching Band for three seasons.
While much of his time is devoted to teaching, Vilseck also is an eclectic performer, composer and researcher. He enjoys his frequent concerts with jazz ensembles, steel drum bands, percussion ensembles, wind ensembles and contemporary chamber music groups.
He was a section performer for the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra and sits on the sub list for the Lexington Philharmonic. He has performed internationally in Tianjin and Beijing, China, and Dublin, Ireland.
Vilseck's research is based around percussion pedagogy, marching percussion, and health and wellness practices. His dissertation was based upon the percussion music of New Zealand composer John Psathas, specifically centered around his work "Cloud Folk."
One of the primary influences on Vilseck's musical career has remained marching percussion. Serendipity led him to his first drum corps show in 2007, and he was immediately hooked. Spending his high school years in Dayton, Ohio, he was always near many celebrated indoor percussion ensembles and attended many Winter Guard International and Drum Corps International championships.
James was a marching member of the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps in Dubuque, Iowa, and the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps in Madison, Wisconsin, and also performed with Winter Guard International ensembles, including Tates Creek Indoor Ensemble in Lexington, Kentucky, and Matrix in Akron, Ohio.
Vilseck continues to work as a designer, arranger and instructor for competitive ensembles throughout the region. This includes serving on staff with both battery and front ensemble sections with various groups, including Tates Creek Indoor Ensemble, Cincinnati Tradition and Matrix Open.
Vilseck is a member of the Percussive Arts Society Health and Wellness Committee and a freelance performer. His compositions are published by Tap Space. In his free time, he loves to travel, spend time with his wife and play video games while eating great food and experimenting with new recipes.
Showcased works
Dr. Jacob Walburn
Dr. Jacob Walburn holds degrees in trumpet performance from Bowling Green State University, where he studied with Todd Davidson, and the University of Southern Mississippi, where he studied with Joel Treybig. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in trumpet performance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he studied with Michael Ewald, Ronald Romm and Tito Carrillo. His previous teaching experience includes appointments at Oklahoma State University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
While a faculty member at the University of Illinois, Walburn performed extensively with the Illinois Brass Quintet and was a featured artist and clinician throughout the United States and Europe, having played recitals and given masterclasses at:
- the University of Miami
- the University of South Florida
- the University of Central Florida
- Florida State University
- Bowling Green State University
- the University of Michigan
- Michigan State University
- Eastern Michigan University
- the University of North Texas
- the University of Texas-Austin
- Baylor University
- the University of Texas-Arlington
- and Texas A&M Uiversity-Commerce.
The Illinois Brass Quintet also was featured at the inaugural Master Class for Brass in Bornem, Belgium, and at the International Trombone Federation Conference in Warsaw, Poland.
Walburn joined the SFA School of Music faculty in 2017, where he teaches applied trumpet, trumpet repertoire, brass methods and jazz improvization. He also directs the Trumpet Ensemble and the Swingin' Aces jazz ensemble, and performs as a member of the SFA Faculty Brass Quintet. Walburn also performs regularly with The Jazz Doctors, a jazz combo comprised of members from the SFA School of Music. He plays second trumpet with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra.
Prior to his appointment at SFA, Walburn taught for six years at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, where he was a frequent clinician, adjudicator and performed as principal trumpet with the Valley Symphony Orchestra.
He also has taught on the faculties of the Illinois Summer Youth Music Trumpet Camp and at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan.
Walburn has been featured as a soloist with:
- the University of Southern Mississippi Wind Ensemble
- the University of Illinois Brass Choir
- Southern Arts Pro Musica
- Valley Symphony Orchestra Chamber Music Series
- and the SFA Wind Ensemble, where he performed John Mackey's "Antique Violences for Solo Trumpet and Wind Ensemble."
He was a featured soloist on the “New Works Recital” at the 2014 International Trumpet Guild Conference in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and was invited to perform as a soloist at the 2021 ITG Conference in Anaheim, California.
He has performed with orchestras in Ohio, Mississippi, Illinois, Texas and Louisiana, including:
- Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
- Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra
- Sinfonia da Camera
- Peoria Symphony Orchestra
- Texarkana Symphony Orchestra
- Longview Symphony Orchestra
- and Shreveport Symphony Orchestra.
As a clinician, Walburn has presented sessions and master classes at:
- Texas Music Educators Association convention
- Texas Bandmasters Association convention
- the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley Brass Day
- SFA Brass Day
- inaugural Master Class for Brass in Bornem, Belgium
- and Frederick Chopin Conservatory in Warsaw, Poland.
He is married to Alba Madrid, the director of the SFA Music Preparatory Division. Together, they live in Nacogdoches with their two children, Melanie and Jacob.
Dr. Jenna Sehmann
Dr. Jenna Sehmann holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in oboe performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa, Master of Music degree in oboe performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree in both music performance and music industry from Eastern Kentucky University. Major influences on Sehmann's career include Dr. Courtney Miller, Dr. Mark Ostoich and Dr. Julie Smith.
Prior to joining SFA's faculty in 2023, Sehmann served as instructor of Double Reeds and Music History at Southeast Missouri State University, oboe faculty at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, and oboe faculty at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Professionally, Sehmann has performed with:
- Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra
- Orchestra Iowa
- Dubuque Symphony
- Paducah Symphony Orchestra
- Ottumwa Symphony
- Dayton Philharmonic
- Evansville Philharmonic
- Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas
Additional performances in orchestral and chamber music settings include:
- Taneycomo Festival Orchestra
- Bay View Music Festival
- Marrowstone Music Festival
- Trentino Music Festival
- Sault Ste. Marie Opera Orchestra
She is an accomplished soloist and has won several competitions and awards. Most notably, she was the Kentucky chapter winner of the 2018 National Society of Arts and Letters Woodwinds competition, competing nationally in Chautauqua, New York. Sehmann also was the second-place winner of the Mary Ann Starring Memorial Award in Woodwinds/Brass as part of the 2018 Sigma Alpha Iota Triennial Graduate Performance Awards.
Other accomplishments include:
- winning the Kentucky division of the 2017 Music Teachers National Association Woodwinds Young Artist Competition
- and being the 2016 recipient of the NAfME Carolyn Nelson Double Reed Award.
Sehmann has developed and taught several musicology courses, and completed her secondary area studies in musicology during her doctoral degree.
Her research, which can be found in her doctoral capstone project, focuses on literary connections and narrative in instrumental music, and features recordings of works for oboe inspired by literature. This project highlighted two of Sehmann’s greatest interests: oboe performance and theatrical performance literature. Sehmann was named the sole recipient of the 2020 Sigma Alpha Iota Doctoral Grant to further her studies on this subject. Additional areas of interest in musicology include ethnomusicology and American popular music.
A devoted chamber musician, Sehmann is the oboist and Director of Operations for the Wild Prairie Winds, a 501(c)(3) organization. The mission of the Wild Prairie Winds is to promote the performance, education and accessibility of chamber music through diverse programming and creative concert settings. The organization performs throughout the Midwest and serves as artists-in-residence at the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory in Milford, Iowa.
At SFA, Sehmann serves as the oboist for the Stone Fort Wind Quintet. She resides in Nacogdoches with her retired racing greyhound, Peggy Sue.
Dr. Travis Scott
Dr. Travis Scott joined the SFA School of Music faculty fall 2023 as an adjunct faculty member teaching euphonium courses.
Scott also serves as an associate professor of music with the Lone Star College System at the North Harris campus in Houston, where he is director of bands and teaches courses in music theory.
He has previously taught similar courses and low-brass instruction at:
- Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans
- University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada
- University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy in Detroit, Michigan
- and Brookhaven University in Dallas.
Scott holds degrees in music performance and music theory from Michigan State University, the University of North Texas and the University of Akron. He studied with Philip Sinder, Dr. Brian Bowman and Tucker Jolly, respectively.
His arrangements are published with Cimarron Music, Wingert-Jones, Potenza and Gramercy music publishers. He is a current member of the Four Horsemen tuba quartet and the Blossom Festival Band.
Contact the School of Music
Call: 936.468.4602
Visit: Wright Music Building, Room 150
schoolofmusic@sfasu.edu
Faculty and Staff Directory
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 13043, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, Texas 75962