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Amanda Eldred graduated from the University of Iowa in 2013, receiving her Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance with distinction studying with Dr. Andrew Parker. She also has an Associate of Arts Degree with an emphasis in Music from Kirkwood Community College, where often she participates with the Kirkwood Community College Concert Band as their first chair oboist during the school year.
She has been working as a Woodwind Music Teacher since 2014, teaching oboe, saxophones, flute, clarinet, and bassoon in the Cedar Rapids/Marion area.

She has had students chosen for the Iowa All-State Music Festival and local honor bands and has helped prepare students to study music in college. She loves working with students of all ages and abilities and enjoys seeing students grow and develop their skills and performance.

Brittany Lensing is a musician and piano teacher who loves guiding others in learning and playing music. A native Iowan, Lensing earned her B.A. in Music at Huntington University and her M.M. in Piano pedagogy and performance at the University of Northern Iowa. While at UNI she taught undergraduate group piano as a graduate assistant and later as a temporary adjunct. In addition to her appointments at UNI, she taught private and group lessons through the UNI Community Music School, group piano classes at Aplington-Parkersburg high school, then later served as an adjunct piano instructor at Iowa Wesleyan University. Lensing currently keeps a full studio at Marion Music Academy and enjoys various seasonal outdoor activities such as biking, hiking, snowshoeing, and ice skating.

Candy Deister grew up Cincinnati Ohio, learning piano at 6 years old, scooting her older sisters off the bench for a chance to try the keys. In her junior and high school years, 1970-1976, she studied with John K Toedtman, through the University of Cincinnati, College Conservatory of Music, and continuing with him into her adult years.

Candy earned a Bachelors of Music Performance and Piano Pedagogy, Cum Laude, from The Wichita State University, 1990, where she studied under Dr Julie Bees. Living in St Louis, Holton and Olathe Kansas, and now Marion, Candy continues to accompany and teach piano students.

You can usually find Candy in her sewing room creating quilts, cross-stitching, beading, or gardening. She and her husband Jerome have 3 adult children, a 15 year old Lhasa-Poo Charlie and a parakeet who says “you’re so cute”.

Originally from Hong Kong, Charlotte Leung-Brown is an accomplished saxophonist and educator currently based in Iowa City. A performer of classical, contemporary, and improvisational works for saxophone, she is known for her musical expression and the ability to adapt to a variety of ensembles and artistic settings, frequently collaborating with composers and multidisciplinary artists. Among these collaborations is her work in the Moving Lines Ensemble with poet and artist John Barney, including performances at John Donald Robb Composers’ Symposium and Chatter ABQ. Additionally, in 2015 she co-founded the Eudae Duo with percussionist and composer Levi Raleigh Brown to champion new works for saxophone and percussion and currently performs with the Iowa City-based improvisational group Stnic. Charlotte also enjoys participating in quartet and chamber music settings and was twice invited to perform and teach at the Music from Angel Fire Residency as part of the Platinum Saxophone Quartet. 

Charlotte is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance at the University of Iowa under the guidance of Dr. Kenneth Tse. Here her current work involves exploring her cultural heritage and celebrating East-Asian women composers and their works. Charlotte holds degrees in music education and performance from the University of Montana (BM, BME) and the University of New Mexico (MM), where she studied with Dr. Johan Erikson, Dr. Eric Lau, and Dr. Ashley Kelly. 

Felisha Jones is a native and current resident of Center Point Iowa. She has performed on all 5 woodwind instruments in pit orchestras across Iowa, Wisconsin and Georgia. She hold degrees from UNI (flute BM), UW-Madison (Multiple woodwind MM) and University of Georgia (double reed performance DMA). She is currently professor of oboe and bassoon at Grinnell College. She subs in several local groups such as CR Muni band, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, and several others. She spends most days with her 2 young boys going to parks, gardening, baking and walks at nature areas.

Dr. Gabrielle Harvey has over twenty years experience as a violin teacher in Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma. She performers regularly as a member of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, and has played with ConcertIA, Peoria Symphony Orchestra, and the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. She has a passion for music history and has many fun stories about violinists in the nineteenth century. Dr. Harvey holds a DMA in violin performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa, where she studied with Katie Wolfe. She also earned a Masters degree in violin at Wichita State University, where she studied violin with John Harrison and worked closely with note string orchestra pedagogue Jacquelyn Dillon. She also holds a BMA from the University of Oklahoma.

James Ellis is a cellist from St. Clair Shores, Michigan and has received three music degrees: a Bachelor from Western Michigan University, studying with Bruce Uchimura; a Masters from University of Georgia, studying with David Starkweather; and a Doctorate from the University of Iowa, studying with Charles Wendt. James has played with 17 professional symphones in Michigan, Georgia, South Carolina, and Iowa. He currently maintains a bustling studio in Linn County and teaches at Cornell College. He has served as principal cellist with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, Orchestra Iowa, the Southeast Iowa Symphony, the Waverly Community Orchestra, and the Quad-Cities Symphony. He is also a member of the Durward contemporary chamber music ensemble which will perform in North Carolina and Illinois late this spring.  James also plays regularly with the Iowa City Community Orchestra and the Iowa City Chamber Singers. In his spare summer months, he works at Pleasant Valley golf course.

Jason is a passionate and enthusiastic teacher with decades of experience on multiple instruments: guitar, bass, ukulele, and piano. He’s an experienced performer, with over 1,000 concerts across Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Texas. Notable performances include opening for President Barrack Obama in 2012, the 2015 Wisconsin State Fair, and opening for Andy Frasco & the U.N. in 2016. Jason graduated from Kirkwood College in 2009 with an emphasis in music.

Jason tailors lessons to the student’s age, ability, and interest, while focusing on fun and practical applied music theory in a variety of modern styles. 

Kate O’Connell is a recent graduate of the University of Iowa, where she received 
bachelor’s degrees in Vocal Performance and English & Creative Writing. She is a classically 
trained soprano who has performed in a wide variety of operatic and musical theatre productions. 
During her time at Iowa, Kate was active in the University’s opera program, appearing as 
Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte and Rumer in the Iowa premiere of Fierce, composed and directed by 
Iowa Professor of Jazz, Dr. William Menefield, among other roles. In addition to her operatic 
performances, Kate has appeared in productions of The Little Mermaid, The Hunchback of Notre 
Dame, and Sweeney Todd. Kate frequently performs as a featured soloist; Handel’s Messiah and 
Schubert’s Mass in G have been among her favorite works to perform. 

In addition to her operatic and theatre experience, Kate has spent many years singing in 
various choirs throughout Iowa. She enjoys singing in all capacities, and approaches teaching 
with an emphasis on vocal technique and musicianship. In her free time, Kate enjoys reading, 
cooking, and playing with her two cats, Charlie and Dorian.   

Chia-Ti (Katie) Fang is a native of Tawain, has served on the faculty of Marion Music Academy since 2011. Previously she worked as a collaborative pianist at the University of Iowa Dance Forum and the Youth Ballet and as a teacher and collaborative pianist at Cornell College. She received a bachelor's degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, a master's degree and performance certificate from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Iowa.

Kelly Vieth received her bachelor degree in Instrumental Music Education from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. After graduating in 2004, she began her career in education as the assistant orchestra director at Bettendorf Middle School. During the summer of 2005, Kelly served on the string faculty and the counseling staff at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan. Kelly joined the orchestra staff at Linn-Mar Community Schools in 2005 and is in her 16th year of teaching strings. She currently teaches 5th and 6th Grade Orchestra at Boulder Peak Intermediate in the Linn-Mar District. In past years, she has enjoyed performing with community ensembles such as the Iowa City Chamber Orchestra and the Coe College Symphony. Kelly has been a member of the American String Teacher Association (ASTA), the Iowa String Teacher Association (ISTA), and the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA). During the summer of 2014, she completed her Master's Degree at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago and completed the trainings for Suzuki Cello Book 1 and 2. She plans to further her Suzuki training next summer. In her spare time, Kelly enjoys spending time with her children, Ellie and Gregory. Other hobbies include cooking, running, reading, and playing cello with other ensembles within the community.

Kylie Little is a passionate violist, chamber musician, and educator based in Iowa City. As a 
dedicated teacher of violists and violinists of all ages, her pedagogical method emphasizes the shared human experience through musical collaboration, connection, and healthy approaches to music-making supported by a strong technical foundation.

In addition to teaching at Marion Music Academy, Kylie is Assistant Adjunct Professor of Instruction in Viola at the University of Northern Iowa. An active performer in the community, Kylie is principal violist of the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra and section violist in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony while subbing with other local groups. She has performed with a number of string quartets and chamber ensembles over the years, most recently performing on the Burlington Lunchtime Chamber Music Series. Kylie completed her doctoral coursework at the University of Iowa and is currently writing her thesis.

She holds degrees in viola performance and pedagogy from Northern Illinois University (BM) 
and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (MM). Her principal teachers include Christine 
Rutledge, Liz Freivogel of the Jupiter Quartet, and Anthony Devroye of the Avalon Quartet. In her free time, Kylie enjoys reading, cooking, and exploring new places. 

Melanie Bell founded the Marion Music Academy in 2005, and has been Artistic Director and piano instructor ever since. She enjoys seeing her students grow and mature. Bell earned her bachelor's degree in in Music from Luther College and her master's degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Bowling Green State University. As a member of Luther College Orchestra, she performed around the United States as well as internationally in Europe. She has extensive performing experience both as a soloist and accompanist, with playing for a masterclass with Yo-Yo as a highlight. Bell served on the faculty of BGSU teaching group piano for many years, as well as maintaining a private piano studio in Bowling Green.

Sara Ulmer studied music at UNI and William Jewell College graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Church Music. A Marion native, and Linn-Mar High School graduate, Sara has been teaching piano in the Marion/Cedar Rapids area since 1995. Her passion is to make learning fun and to inspire excellence in musicianship and character.