|
|
Ms. Sarabeth Gheith, Music Director / Conductor
 Ms. Sarabeth Gheith becomes only the second conductor and music director of the Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra in its 11-year history, following the long tenure of founding conductor and music director, Susan Mullen, who recently was named Conductor Emeritus of the youth orchestra.
Ms. Gheith brings wide-ranging conducting experience to her new position. She earned
Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Music and English from Lawrence University, Appleton,
Wisconsin, in 1998, and received her Master of Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting
from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA, in 2005. She holds an Iowa
Teaching Certification in English 7-12, and an Illinois Teacher Certification in
Music K-12.
Her most recent position was as Orchestra Director at Zadok Casey Middle School and
the J. L. Buford Intermediate Center, both in Mount Vernon, IL. She also has served
as conductor or guest conductor for the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra's Philharmonia
Orchestra (2006), and for the Northern Iowa Chamber Orchestra (2005). Other
conducting experience includes work with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony and the
Westmont Community Band in Westmont, IL. She has worked as assistant conductor for
both choral and operatic productions. Ms. Gheith has served as adjudicator for the
Illinois Grade School Music Association Solo and Ensemble Contest; intern with the
Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra (IL); publications coordinator for the Conductor's
Guild, Inc., in Chicago; and as music library assistant for both the DuPage and the
University of Chicago Symphony Orchestras. She was a member of the cello section of
the Centralia Philharmonic in Centralia, IL.
Ms. Gheith has numerous presentations and lectures to her credit, marking her as both a
musician as an educator. She is a member of the American String Teachers Association
(ASTA); the Illinois Grade School Music Association; the National Educators Association;
and Sigma Alpha Iota.
Nikki Owens, Conductor, Preparatory String Orchestra
Nikki Owens, named conductor of
the Preparatory String
Orchestra, received her Bachelor of Music in Violin
Performance from The University of Memphis Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music in Memphis,
TN and her Master of Music in Violin Performance from the Georgia State University School
of Music in Atlanta, Georgia. She has studied with several nationally-recognized teachers,
including Gerald Greer, Assistant Concertmaster of the Nashville Symphony; Susanna
Perry-Gilmore, Concertmaster of the Memphis Symphony; Susan Waterbury, founding member of
the Cavani String Quartet; and Dr. Nancy Schechter, Professor of Violin at Georgia State
University School of Music. She has performed nationally at the Hot Springs Music
Festival in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and abroad at the Bayerische Musikacademie in
Marktoberdorf, Germany.
She currently maintains violin studios in Nashville, Smyrna, and
Murfreesboro, and performs regularly with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra in Jackson, TN
and the Paducah Symphony Orchestra in Paducah, Kentucky.
Concert dates for the MYO’s 13th Season are Tuesday, November 3, 2009; Tuesday, February 16, 2010; and Tuesday, May 11, 2010. All concerts begin at 7:00 PM, and are held in the Hinton Music Hall in the Wright Music Building.
Season Tickets may be ordered in advance from August 1 – November 1 by emailing requests to myorchestra@gmail.com, or by sending your request to Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra, P. O. Box 332255, Murfreesboro, TN 37133-2255.
Danny R. Jones, Executive Director
 Danny R. Jones assumed the position of Executive
Director of the Murfreesboro Youth
Orchestra on August 1, 2005. A native of Germantown, KY,
he holds degrees from Clark Memorial College, Newton, MS (AA);
Union University, Jackson, TN (BMEd); Mississippi College, Clinton,
MS (MM); and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans,
LA (MCM).
For the past 13 years, Danny was employed of
LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, where he served as a
music consultant, team leader and department director. He also
has served in numerous church music positions. A published author,
he has three books and more than 50 magazine articles to his credit,
and currently is working on a new hymnal project for a major publisher.
He has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada
and Puerto Rico as a church music consultant and trainer, and
also has had extensive experience in event planning and management.
His vast experience makes him uniquely qualified in his new role
with the Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra.
Danny and his wife, Bettye, have been residents
of Murfreesboro for 17 years. They are the parents of two sons,
Jeremy and Jonathan, of Cincinnati, OH and Murfreesboro, respectively.
Susan Mullen, Music Director / Conductor Emerita
 Susan
Mullen completed her eleventh year as Music Director,
Conductor and Co-founder of the Murfreesboro
Youth Orchestra.
Susan Mullen earned her Bachelor’s
and Master’s Degree in Music Performance from the
University of Wyoming. As a Rotary International Graduate
Scholar, she continued her music studies at the Conservatoire
de Musique in Neuchatel, Switzerland, working with Jan Dobrzelewski
and Ulrich Lehman while performing in chamber groups and
orchestras. She has performed with Orquesta Divertimento
in Costa Rica, the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, the Denver
Chamber Orchestra, Fort Collins Symphony, Greeley Philharmonic,
Wyoming Symphony, Cheyenne Symphony, Huntsville Symphony,
and University of the South Symphony.
Ms. Mullen has conducted the Alabama All-State
String Orchestra, the Williamson County String & Orchestra
Bash, and helped pilot the after-school string program at
the Bradley Arts Magnet School in Murfreesboro. Ms. Mullen
is a recipient of The Trailblazer Award for Arts and Humanities.
She is a member of the American String Teacher's Association,
Music Teacher's National Association, Music Educator's National
Conference, Middle Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association
and the Frances Bohannan Music Club. She is currently the
Assistant Concertmaster of the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra,
private violin instructor, and a freelance violinist.
Anne Duvall, Executive Director Emerita
 Anne
Duvall, along with Susan Mullen, co-founded the Murfreesboro
Youth Orchestra in 1997. She was appointed executive director
and served in that capacity until 2003. She previously served
on the Board of Directors of the McHenry County Youth Orchestra
for five years. She also served as president of the Cary (Illinois)
Arts Council. While living in North Carolina, Mrs. Duvall established
the preparatory piano program at Greenfield Academy and served
as its director for two years. She attended William Rainey Harper
College pursuing a degree in Piano Pedagogy.
Committed to the music education of young
people, Mrs. Duvall continues to teach individual and group piano
lessons. She currently serves as president of the Francis Bohannon
Music Club. In June 2003 she was elected to serve a three-year term
on the board of directors of the Youth Orchestra Board of the American
Symphony Orchestra League. Mrs. Duvall was awarded the title of
Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra
Executive Director Emerita in the fall of 2003.
>>back to top<<
|
|
|
