Winds/Strings

Jessica has studied flute and piano privately since she was in middle school. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Flute Performance from Northwestern University and the University of Louisville. She also recently completed her Master of Music Education degree at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. Jessica performs on flute and piccolo with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. Jessica has been teaching piano and flute for the Stafford Music Academy since 2008.

Garrett Fasig is a jazz saxophonist and composer currently studying at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. During his time there he has written and recorded music with the Brent Wallarab Jazz Ensemble, John Raymond Ensemble, Greg Ward Large ensemble, and the Plummer Jazz Quintet. He has also had the opportunity to perform alongside world-class musicians including Walter Smith III, Oliver Nelson Jr., Dayna Stephens, and Steve Houghton. Garrett graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies and is continuing his education at Indiana University pursuing a Masters of Music.

Trumpet player Sean Burdette is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Music at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music under the direction of Edmund Cord. Primarily a classical performer, Sean is also proficient at jazz and baroque styles. He holds an undergraduate degree in Music Education and Music Performance from Alderson Broaddus University, and Masters in Music from Indiana University. While at Alderson Broaddus, he was president of the local chapters for Phi Mu Alpha Fraternity, and National Association for Music Education. He also founded Theta Tau Upsilon Fraternity of Music, an organization to help promote music at low-income schools. Honors and awards he received included winner of the biannual concerto and honors recital competition from 2009-2014. Sean has played with the West Virginia Symphony, Indiana University Philharmonic, and Indiana University Wind Ensemble. He studied under Todd Wilson, Timothy DeWitt, John Rommel and Edmund Cord, with additional baroque trumpet study under Kris Kwapis.

Layne Anspach is a doctoral student under the teaching of Richard Seraphinoff at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University and a Masters of Music degree from the Ohio State University. Currently at Indiana University, Layne serves as the Associate Instructor of Horn, where he teaches private lessons and co-teaches a class for the Brass Department. For five years, he also taught the horn students at Elkhart Community Schools' Beginning Band Summer Program. Layne is currently the Fourth Horn with the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra and subs regularly with a number of other local orchestras. In 2019, Layne was a Finalist in the International Horn Competition of America - University Division. He has previously studied under Dr. Lin Foulk, Franz Söllner, and Bruce Henniss.

Juan Saldivar Jr, a native to Laredo, Tx, began his college education at Texas A&M University of Kingsville (TAMUK) and received scholarship to attend the university. While at TAMUK, he spent his time studying both tenor and bass trombone under the tutelage of Dr. Oscar Diaz. He was also a member of both the TAMUK Trombone Choir, which was and still is considered the largest trombone choir in South Texas Region, and the South Texas Trombone Sound, a trombone octet which toured and performed across the United States and Europe. Soon after completing his degree at TAMUK, Juan continued his music studies and obtained a Master of Music degree from the University of New Mexico on a full ride scholarship. While attending the university, Juan had the opportunity to teach and perform around the community. Juan’s teaching philosophy, “Any individual can grow musically, and as human being with the guidance of a caring teacher.” has led him build a culture of success in his studio, which consist of enlighten individual of all ages. Soon after obtaining his master’s degree, Juan made his way back to Texas and continued teaching privately, working with nonprofit music programs in underrepresented communities and became a band director in the Austin Area. Now in 2021, Juan has decided to return to school and relocate to Bloomington, Indiana. Here, Juan will be attending the University of Indiana and will be obtaining his Doctorate of Music from Jacobs School of Music. While at IU, he will be studying under Dr. Denson Paul Pollard, the bass trombonist of the Metropolitan Opera. Juan’s overall goal, is to share the knowledge he obtained over the last 14 years and help his students find success in both their playing, and importantly, their self-growth.

Christa Cole is a violinist, pianist, and music theorist hailing from Boise, Idaho. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Music Theory with a minor in Violin Performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she studies with Grigory Kalinovsky. Christa received a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory, where she studied with David Bowlin. While at Oberlin, Christa performed Shulamit Ran’s Violin Concerto with the Oberlin Orchestra as a winner of the Conservatory’s annual concerto competition. Christa began her violin studies at age 4 under the Suzuki method. While in high school, she took Suzuki Teacher Training courses for Violin Books 1 and 2 and started her own violin studio. In addition, Christa studied piano formally for 15 years.  As a music theorist, Christa combines her passion for teaching, performing, writing, and thinking about music, and she aims to nurture this passion in all her students.

Christopher Alley is originally from El Paso, Texas and has been playing the viola since age 10. He attended Idyllwild Arts Academy and went on to earn a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the University of Texas at Austin in 2015. He earned a Master of Music in 2017 and Performer’s Diploma in 2018 from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. His principal teachers include Donald McInnes, Roger Myers, and Edward Gazouleas. He studied violin and viola pedagogy with Mimi Zweig and studied chamber music with members of the Miró and Pacifica string quartets. Christopher is an avid performer of orchestral and chamber music. He currently performs as a member of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, and Owensboro Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared in concert at the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival and the Round Top Festival Institute.

Anthony D’Agostino has been studying and playing music in different settings for the past fourteen years, and has been teaching for the past two and a half years. Anthony completed his undergraduate degree in Double Bass performance with an emphasis in jazz studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he performed in the symphony, jazz ensemble and combos, and contemporary music/improvisation ensemble. Since then, Anthony has performed and taught as a freelancer in the Milwaukee area and became involved in Milwaukee’s creative/improvised music scene. Anthony is also an avid performer of  contemporary music, performing and premiering works in Milwaukee, Chicago, Toronto, and Brooklyn. A recent transplant to Bloomington, Anthony is excited to bring his skills and experiences to Stafford
Music Academy where he teaches double bass, electric bass, guitar, ukulele, and beginning piano.

Cellist Shinyoung Kim is a passionate educator and performer. Currently in his first year of his Doctorate of Music program at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Shinyoung is comfortable performing as soloist, within a chamber group, or in an orchestra. Shinyoung has performed as soloist with orchestras such as the Oklahoma Youth Orchestra and the University of Central Oklahoma Chamber Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Shinyoung has been a part of award winning string quartets and was a part of the inaugural Undergraduate Honors String Quartet at the University of Oklahoma. As an orchestral musician, Shinyoung has served as principal cellist of the University of Oklahoma Symphony and the Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra. Shinyoung has been heard in notable halls throughout the country such as the Meyerson Center in Dallas, the Chicago Symphony Center, Carnegie Hall, and Severance Hall in Cleveland. Even having performed at these great venues, Shinyoung is equally happy performing at nursing homes and senior centers, hoping to use music as a way of serving the community.

Shinyoung comes all the way from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, having lived there for most of his life. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Oklahoma, and continued his studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received his Masters. As a Doctorate candidate at Indiana University, Shinyoung hopes to further his knowledge of the cello to best serve his current and future students. Shinyoung’s teachers include Tess Remy-Schumacher, Jonathan Ruck, Melissa Kraut, and currently, Emilio Colon.