Clinicians:
Biographies of the Clinicians:
Matthew Inkster is Professor of Music and Director of Instrumental Activities at West Liberty University where he conducts the Wind Ensemble, the Wheeling Symphony Youth Orchestra, and coordinates the brass area. Inkster is in demand as a guest conductor and clinician—most recently conducting honor and select groups in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, California, and New York. He has specialized in conducting the music of our time, and he has led ensembles on several compact disc recordings of new music on American and European labels. His performances have been heard on national and regional NPR and worldwide on the BBC.
Dr. Inkster is Artistic Co-Director of Winds on the Lake, a professional chamber ensemble of some of the finest musicians from the greater Tri-State Lake Region including Cleveland, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Erie. Reception of this ensemble has been warm and accolades have been numerous. The group is committed to the performance and promotion of seldom-heard compositions for chamber and orchestral winds by familiar composers, as well as works by contemporary composers. The ensemble plans to extend its season from its current three concerts per year to six or more by touring in an expanded geographic area.
Inkster is also active as a trumpet soloist, recitalist, and clinician and has performed in 45 states and across Europe. He is Principal Trumpet of the Symphony of the Mountains (Tennessee/Virginia), and has held similar positions with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Chapman and Redlands Symphony Orchestras (California). He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, and he has competed in a number of the most prestigious trumpet competitions across the world: the Prague Spring International Music Competition, The International Trumpet Guild Solo Competition, the National Trumpet Competition, and the MTNA National Collegiate Artist Competition.
Dr. Inkster is the WVMEA Research and Grants Chair and has recently served as the Composition Contest Chairman for the International Trumpet Guild. He holds the degrees Doctor of Music (The Florida State University), Master of Music (University of Redlands), and Bachelor of Music Education (University of Wyoming). Dr. Inkster has taught in the public schools of Wyoming, California, and Florida.
Visit his personal website: www.matthewinkster.com
Mr. Garrett currently provides primary and secondary music education instruction for students at West Liberty University. His duties also include supervision of music student teachers, instruction in music for classroom teachers and classes in beginning jazz improvisation. In addition, he provides support for university instrumental ensembles and offers studio instruction for trombone and baritone students. Prior to coming to WLU, Mr. Garrett served thirty years in the West Virginia public schools teaching instrumental music, general music and music theory. He was the chairman of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Wheeling Park High School from 2007 – 2012.
In the twenty seven years under Mr. Garrett’s direction, the band program at Wheeling Park High School grew to include Concert Band, Marching Band, Percussion Ensemble, Marimba Ensemble, Steel Band, Woodwind Ensembles, Brass Ensemble, Jazz Combos, and Jazz Ensemble. The Marching Band was honored with more than two hundred fifty marching music awards and was a Bands of America Eastern Regional Finalists in 1995, 96, 97 and 98. The concert organizations received numerous Superior ratings in Solo and Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Concert Band Festivals. The Concert Band has received only Superior ratings at Band Festival since 1985 and was named West Virginia Honor Band in the Spring of 2000 while the Jazz Ensemble was a state champion in 2006.
Mr. Garrett received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Music Education from West Virginia University. He is an active performer on trombone currently playing with Brass Unlimited and the Vince Villanova Orchestra. Pat continues to serve as guest conductor for honor bands including ensembles at Shepherd University, the University of Alabama, Marshall University, West Virginia University and the Maryland All-State Junior Band. He is an active guest conductor and adjudicator for concert and marching bands across the country and for Drum Corps International. He has also completed certification classes in the Microsoft Training Academy.
In addition to receiving a Citation of Excellence from the National Band Association, Pat was named Teacher of the Year for Ohio County in 1991, West Virginia Band Master of the Year in 1993 and 2004, Wheeling Park High School’s Teacher of the Year for 1995-96 and was named to the WVMEA Hall of Fame in 2009.
Brian Baldauff is currently a Doctor of Music candidate in Percussion Performance at the Florida State University. He holds a Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Central Florida. His primary percussion teachers include Dr. John W. Parks IV, Michael Udow, Brian Jones and Ian Ding (Detroit Symphony Orchestra), Joe Gramley, Cary Kocher, and Jeff Moore. Brian is on the education team as a clinician for the Pro-Mark Corporation.
Brian has performed professionally with the Florida Gulf Coast, Lansing, and Brevard Symponies. As a founding member of the Denkyem Percussion Group, he toured Costa Rica in March of 2010 performing concerts and teaching masterclasses. He has been a featured marimba soloist with the Timber Creek High School at the 2005 Percussive Arts Society International Convention and has given performances at the Univerity of Central Florida as a guest artist.
Brian has served on the instructional staff for both the Teal Sound Drum and Bugle Corps (Jacksonville, FL) and the Boston Crusaders, and was the Graduate Teaching Assistant for the FSU Marching Chiefs “Big 8” Drum line. Brian was awarded first place in both the 2003 and 2004 Percussive Arts Society International Convention Keyboard Individuals, and in May of 2010 was selected for and competed in the semi-final round of the Southern California Marimba Competition. He is featured on the recently released recording of the Florida State University Percussion Ensemble titled Volume One and additionally on the BlockM and Equilibrium labels with the University of Michigan Symphony Band and Percussion Ensemble (works of Michael Daugherty and Michael Udow).
Christopher Barrick is an Assistant Professor of Music at
West Liberty University, where he teaches applied saxophone and
clarinet,
woodwind methods, and directs the Jazz Ensemble. A versatile musician
and educator, Barrick performs and teaches all styles of music
including classical, jazz, and rock. He has performed at numerous
conferences including those of the North American Saxophone Alliance,
the United States Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium, and the
Association for Technology in Music Instruction. Barrick has performed
with nationally known acts such as the Omaha Symphony, Johnny Mathis,
the Legends of Swing, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Sonny Turner and the
Platters, The Crystals, The Coasters, the Harry James Orchestra and The
Temptations.
An experienced educator, Barrick has taught at two major universities
and in the public schools of Tennessee. In 2008, he directed the
Nebraska Class B All-State Jazz Band. Prior to his appointment at West
Liberty, he served as the Jazz Ensemble Director at Doane College
(Crete, NE) and as a Teaching Assistant in Saxophone at the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Originally from New Jersey, Dr. Barrick holds music degrees from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln (DMA, 2008), the University of Tennessee
(MM, 2003) and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (BA, 2000 and BS,
2001).
Visit his personal website: www.christopherbarrick.net
Matthew D. Harder is Chair of the Department of Music & Theater and Assistant Professor of percussion and music technology at West Liberty University. Dr. Harder teaches Electronic Music, Recording Techniques, Music Appreciation, Fundamentals of Percussion, applied percussion and composition, and leads the WL Percussion Ensemble. Dr. Harder has been employed at institutions of higher learning in Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Florida. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Illinois Wesleyan University, Masters degrees from Bowling Green State University in Percussion and Composition, and a Doctor of Music in Composition from Northwestern University.
Dr. Harder is active as a performer, clinician, and composer and has had his works performed in numerous cities around the country. The Cleveland Chamber Symphony performed his orchestral work Catharsis in 1998. His compositions have received numerous awards, including the William T. Faricy award for creative composition from Northwestern University in 2000 for his piece Chin Music (percussion quartet and saxophone quartet).
Dr. Anna Stephan-Robinson is assistant professor of Music Theory. She teaches Music Theory, Ear Training, Form and Analysis, and private Horn lessons. Dr. Stephan-Robinson has masters and doctoral degrees in Music Theory from the Eastman School of Music.
PhD, Music Theory, Eastman School of Music
MM, French Horn Performance, University of Georgia
BM, Music Education, Aason Copland School of Music, CUNY Queens College
Wendy Webb Kumer attended Duquesne University with a major in Music Education then earned a masters degree in Flute Performance from Carnegie Mellon University. She has been on the faculties of Carnegie Mellon, Slippery Rock and Duquesne Universities, and most recently West Liberty University and Mercyhurst College teaching Flute, Music Theory, Ear Training, Woodwind Methods, and Flute Choir. Ms. Kumer is the founder and director of The Flute Academy, a full service music school for more than 100 flutists in classes, lessons and ensembles who perform throughout western Pennsylvania. She is an Artist/Clinician for the Conn Selmer Corporation, Music For All, and Bands of America, former Secretary for The Marcel Moyse Society, Immediate Past President of the Pittsburgh Flute Club, and a guest artist at several universities. Her yearly performance schedule includes solo recitals, chamber music concerts, and regular church appearances. Wendy was invited to conduct the National High School Flute Choir at the 2002 NFA convention, served as Secretary for the NFA from 2003-05, served as Local Arrangements Chair for the 2006 NFA convention and assistant program chair for the 2007 NFA convention.
Trombone Clinician
Tuba Clinician