Amanda Balane graduated from UW - Stevens Point in 2015. While there she received her Bachelor's of Music in Music Education Instrument & General, Clarinet Performance and Music Literature. For the first two years after graduation, Amanda worked at private and public middle schools in Appleton, WI and was also the assistant band director at Appleton East High School. In 2017, she became the Director of Bands at Appleton West High School where she had formally student taught. This school year Amanda became the Director of Bands at Appleton North High School where she graduated from in 2010. Amanda is currently pursuing her Master's in Education through UW - Oshkosh.  

Amanda has taught a wide range of subjects including pit orchestra, jazz band, concert bands at varying levels, marching band, parades, and pep band. Her bands have gone on tour both nationally and internationally. 

Throughout her teaching career, Amanda has been able to be an active musician in the Fox Valley. She plays in numerous community ensembles including Vento Winds, Wisconsin Symphonic Winds and the Appleton City Band. Amanda coordinates and has taught at numerous summer band camps. She also teaches private clarinet lessons through Lawrence University and out of her home. 

Alex Bates is a Music Educator and Percussionist. He is in his first year of teaching and serves as the band director at Unity High School in Balsam Lake, Wisconsin. There he conducts the Concert Band, Jazz Band, Pep Band, serves as the Performing Arts Center Director and also teaches private drumset and percussion lessons.

Naomi Files is a 2013 graduate of UWSP, having earned a bachelor's degree in Instrumental and General Music Education, with a minor in Psychology. After graduating in December, Files spent the remainder of that school year as a substitute teacher in the Fox Valley and has been at Southern Door High School, a rural school in Door County, since 2014. Courses taught include a 9-12 grade band, 2 levels of music theory, and 2 levels of music technology, as well as lots of experience in various extracurricular activities. 

Bennett Heinz graduated from UWSP in December of 2013 with a double major in Trumpet Performance and Jazz Studies. Since completing his studies in Stevens Point, Bennett has been based in Chicago where he earned his Masters in Jazz Studies from DePaul University. While studying at DePaul, he began working at Schilke Music Products and Greenhoe Trombones, a joint company that manufacturers some of the world’s finest trumpets and trombones and is owned by UWSP alumnus Andrew Naumann (BM ’92). Upon graduation, he began a full-time position with Schilke/Greenhoe and is currently the Director of Sales. Bennett continues to stay active as a freelance trumpet player in Chicago. His most recent recorded collaboration is with the Chicago based jazz ensemble Heisenberg Uncertainty Players on their recent album release Gradient.

Emily Kiefer is a music educator in Stevens Point. She earned her undergraduate degree in Music Education from St. Norbert College and her Master of Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Originally planning to be a band director, Emily taught K-12 general music and band her first four years as an educator. After taking some graduate courses with Dr. John Feierabend at Silver Lake College, she discovered a passion for general music and made a career change. This is her 15th year of teaching, and her 11th year teaching K-6 general music in the Stevens Point Area Public School District. She believes strongly in her responsibility as an educator to foster kindness, empathy, social justice, appreciation of diversity, and a lifelong enjoyment of music in her students. She lives in Stevens Point with her husband, two kiddos, and their cats Sam and Mozzie. 

Brenna Ohrmundt (she/her) is currently a middle school band director at Horace Mann Middle School in Wausau, WI. Ohrmundt graduated Summa Cum Laude in Instrumental and General Music Education and Clarinet Performance from UW-Stevens Point in 2018. Prior to the Wausau School District, Ohrmundt taught 5-12 general and instrumental music at the ACHM School District in Alma Center, WI. In addition to her teaching experience, Ohrmundt has also presented at the 2021 AIME conference in January and at the WMEA Conference in October on Mental Health Advocacy for Music Educators. 

A native to the Stevens Point area, Andrew Slembarski is the newly appointed Administrative Specialist with the UW-Stevens Point School of Performing Arts. He holds a bachelor's degree in Music Education from UW-Stevens Point, where he studied with Dr. Patrick Miles, and an M.M. in French Horn Performance from UW-Milwaukee where he studied with Greg Flint. Prior to accepting his administrative role at UWSP, Andrew was the Coordinator of Music Programs and Director of Bands at Milwaukee School of Engineering in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Additionally, he was the Adjunct Professor of Applied Horn and Brass Repertoire at Maranatha Baptist University, Watertown, Wisconsin. He maintains an active teaching and performing schedule throughout Wisconsin, having been asked to play as auxiliary with the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra, Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, Kettle Moraine Symphony, Wisconsin Philharmonic, Southwest Suburban Symphony Orchestra, Present Music Ensemble of Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee Philharmonic where he has been appointed Principal Horn. When time allows, Andrew can be found on the family farm, gardening with his wife Bethany, or playing with his dog Odie.

Bethany started out her undergraduate career at UW-Stevens Point as a double major in Wildlife Ecology and Management and Biology with a Music minor. She ended up completing her Wildlife degree at North Carolina State University but returned to UW-Stevens Point to earn her Master of Natural Resources, receive her Environmental Education Certificate, and complete her music minor. Music has always played an important role in Bethany’s life which she has carried through and implemented as a teacher and environmental educator. Bethany believes that music offers a powerful opportunity to view and learn about nature in a very impactful and memorable way. As an environmental educator at Northern Illinois University’s Lorado Taft Field Campus she developed a wildlife music class to explore how music and sound is perceived differently by species, how composers have used music to ‘paint a picture’ of nature, the natural symphony of the great outdoors, and the creative use of nature to create music. Currently as an instructor at UW-Stevens Point, music has been a handy tool to help students connect to and better understand environmental policy issues. Music is universal and its application to our natural environment is no exception.

Justin Anthony Spenner, Baritone, has been hailed as a "wide and anxious ride" (Star Tribune). At home with Schubert, as he is with Stockhausen, Justin Anthony Spenner's appearances run the gamut from recital and oratorio staples to world premieres of experimental music. 

Recent stage credits include Trevor (In the Midst of Things); Man's Voice (The Sky Where You Are) and John Sorel (The Consul) with An Opera Theatre; Schaunard (La Bohème) with Theater Latte Da; Father (The Golden Ass/World Premiere) with 113 Composers Collective; Joey (The Most Happy Fella) and Guglielmo (Cosi fan tutte) with Skylark Opera Theatre; Morales/Dancaïro (Carmen) with Pine Mountain Music Festival; and 2nd Priest/Armored Man (Die Zauberflöte) with LAMF.

Soloist credits include his solo recital Like Sun Through Eyelids; Das Fliegenpapier and Strange Autumn (Steven Takasugi) and Maulwerke (Dietrich Schnebel) with 113 Composers Collective; Coffee Cantata (Bach) and Apollo e Dafne (Handel) with Le Grande Bande; Niccolai Messe/Coronation Mass/The Messiah (Haydn/Mozart/Handel) with St. John's Lutheran Music Series; Choral Fantasy (Beethoven) with St. John's University; and Ein Deutsches Requiem (Brahms) with South Metro Chorale.

His self-produced work focuses on normalizing conversations about mental illness/trauma and destigmatizing mental health treatment (I Enter As A Stranger; A Winter's Journey). In addition to performing, Justin keeps an active private studio, develops Opera Immersion classes, and works as a grant writer/consultant for various Twin Cities non-profits and individual artists. He is the host of Is This Music?!?!, a podcast featuring conversations with composers and performers of experimental music.

Mrs. Julie Stoffel has been teaching choir for 28 years and currently enjoys teaching at Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools. She teaches 8-12 grade choirs that include four curricular choirs and four co-curricular choirs. She is also the Vocal Director for the musicals, and director of the Madrigal Dinners. She has previously taught six years at two Catholic Schools, 15 years at Nekoosa Public Schools and two years at Tri-County in Plainfield. Stoffel earned a Bachelor of Music from UW-Stevens Point in 1993 and is currently pursuing her Masters of Music Education at UWSP as well. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she serves as Director of Sacred Music at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Directs the Lake Arrowhead Chorus Summer Community Choir and the Stevens Point Northern Gateway Barbershop Chorus. Julie was the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching and 2015 Outstanding Teacher of the Year awards and was named 2020 Skyward Central Wisconsin Teacher of The Year. Ms. Stoffel has been a guest conductor for all conference honor choirs as well as Wisconsin Choral Directors Association Singing in Wisconsin Festivals. She is an adjudicator and clinician for the Wisconsin School Music Association solo and ensemble Festivals and has served as the WSMA Mixed and Women's Honor Choirs Coordinators as well as Middle Level, Women's and Mixed Choirs Section Coaches. Her students have sung in many state, regional and national honor choirs, earned many exemplary soloist awards and been chosen as soloists for many festivals. Choirs under Mrs. Stoffel's direction have toured New York, Tennessee and Austria and consistently earned first ratings at choral festivals. Julie and her husband Jeff have been married for 28 years. They are proud parents of two  beautiful girls Elaina, 25, who attends UW-Madison working on her Masters Degree in Social Work and Scedra 20, who will be auditioning for the music program at UWSP and transferring from UW-Whitewater next fall. They all enjoy being outdoors together fishing, playing games or relaxing by the fire. Julie and Jeff also enjoy singing in Monteverdi Master Chorale together.

Sami Weinkoetz is a senior Music Education & Clarinet Performance major at UW-Stevens Point. Currently, she is student teaching at Ben Franklin Junior High School for her final semester at UWSP. An accomplished performer, Sami was principal of the UWSP Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Wind Ensemble and was named the winner of the 2020 Peet Faust Concerto Competition. She has also been an active member of Delta Omicron, cNAfME, and the Student Coalition for Equity in Music. After graduation, Sami will be furthering her studies and pursue a Master's degree in clarinet with aspirations of performing professionally and teaching beginning musicians.

My name is Samuel Barrett, I am a instrumental music education major and a junior on campus. My primary instrument is bass clarinet. I am also the Vice President and Warden of the Xi Omicron chapter of Phi Mu Alpha here. I also work as a student manager at the UWSP library. I’m originally from Blane, MI.

Mark Brugger is a sophomore in the music department and his primary instrument the Alto Saxophone. He is also an RA while continuing his musical studies showing the flexibility of the Bachelor of Music major.

Hello, my name is Michael Halvorson, and I am a Music Education and saxophone student at The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. I am a transfer student currently in my Junior year in the department of music. My hometown is Marquette, Michigan where you can find me hiking, disc golfing, hanging with my dog Murphy, teaching, and performing. I currently perform in the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, The Equinox Saxophone Quartet, and the Symphony Orchestra. I maintain a studio of saxophone students teaching both classical and jazz music and gig in the Central Wisconsin community. I am also a member of the Xi Omicron chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the world's largest and oldest music fraternity, serving as the historian, music coordinator, and public relations chair.

Lauren Harvath is a sophomore in the UW Stevens Point's music education program where she studies Instrumental and General music education. Lauren is also secretary of the American String Teacher Association and a member of the collegiate National Association for Music Education. Some of Lauren's performance experiences include touring China with ensemble Touch of Class, serving as concertmistress for the Oshkosh Youth Symphony, performing with the WSMA state honors orchestra, and performing with the UW Stevens Point symphony orchestra. When she's not playing violin, Lauren enjoys learning new instruments, and slinging lattes as a barista.

Korinna Johnson is a first-year student here at UWSP. While being undecided on a major, she has decided to pursue a minor in music. Although she is unsure of what she wants to study as a major, she is very passionate about music and singing, and wants to continue studying it throughout her years here. 

Shelby Sparks is an oboist in her fifth year at UWSP, majoring in instrumental and general music education and minoring in psychology and neuroscience. She has also begun her Master of Music Education. She's very active throughout the music department, being a member of multiple ensembles, music fraternity Delta Omicron, and part of the Very Young Composers Program! She will be student teaching in the spring, and has plenty of experience being both a college student and a music major.