THOMAS MURPHY – Percussion Ensemble

Thomas Murphy is a percussionist and music educator in the Phoenix area. He holds a Bachelor’s of Music Education from the State University of New York at Potsdam, and a Master’s in Percussion Performance from Arizona State University. During his career, Thomas has performed with the Phoenix Symphony, Mesa Symphony, Sonoran Desert Chorale, Arizona Musicfest, and The Chamber Orchestra of Northern New York.

Thomas has directed percussion ensembles and taught percussion lessons at the elementary through college level. He has given Latin Percussion clinics to music teachers throughout New York State with the aim of bringing Latin music into the classroom. He has been a teaching assistant at Arizona State University, adjunct faculty member at Mesa Community College and has adjudicated percussion for the Arizona All State Festival. He teaches music in the Higley Unified School District where he founded the San Tan Marimba Ensemble. In addition to teaching, he also served for three years as the Chapter President of the Arizona Percussive Arts Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding percussion education in Arizona. Currently in his eighth year as Percussion Director with The Phoenix Symphony Guild, Thomas strives to prepare percussionists to be well-rounded musicians that are up to any challenge.

DOREEN PRESS – String Orchestra

Originally from Chicago, Doreen Press received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Northwestern University and her Master of Arts in Educational Counseling from the University of Phoenix.

A music educator for over 30 years, Mrs. Press is currently Director of Orchestras at McClintock High School in Tempe. She participates as an adjudicator, clinician and guest conductor at district, regional and state music festivals, including North Central Regional Orchestra, Greater Phoenix Honor Orchestra, GUHSD Honor Orchestra, Elementary All State Orchestra and NAU Curry Summer Music Camp. She has authored five articles on music education published in Teaching Music, a national journal for music educators. Mrs. Press was honored to be included in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 editions of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers and has been recognized as a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction, as well as a National Honor Roll’s Outstanding American Teacher.

Mrs. Press is thrilled to be in her 15^th season with the String Orchestra. She believes that young musicians need a place to be with other musicians like themselves. She creates an environment that encourages self-expression as well as group performance.

NATHAN JOHNSTON – Symphonic Winds

Nathan Johnston has been a musician for over 20 years and is proud to continue serving the Phoenix Youth Symphony in his role as the conductor of the Symphonic Winds. As a previous student within the Guild organization, working from Symphonic Winds during its first years, through Youth Orchestra, Mr. Johnston understands the opportunities that only this organization can truly provide.

After completing his B.M. degree at Arizona State University, Mr. Johnston spent two years completing his Masters in Music Education degree at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. He worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, acting as an instructor, conductor, and guest clinician on behalf of the university.

Mr. Johnston is currently the Director of Bands at McClintock High School in the Tempe Union High School District. He also holds the Assistant Director of Instrumental Music position at Mesa Community College. He continues to work actively as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator around the valley.

Working with the Symphonic Winds, Mr. Johnston continually instills the value of a musical experience to the individual student, and shares in the development of opportunities that the Guild can provide young musicians.

DR. WALTER TEMME – Symphonette Orchestra

Walter Temme received a doctor of Musical Arts degree from Arizona State University in 1989. His doctoral dissertation reflects his emphasis on conducting and his commitment to rehearsal style. He performed in and assisted with the A.S.U. Symphony. He was on the faculty of Humboldt State University (California) and Wartburg College (Iowa). Known for violin performance, Dr. Temme also performed as a violist at Kansas State and was Principal Violist of the Topeka Symphony.

Symphonette Orchestra Conductor since 1988, Dr. Temme has been instrumental in the remarkable development of the PYS Symphonette Orchestra, recognized as one of the most exciting youth orchestras in the area, largely because of his emphasis on musicality. Dr. Temme is credited with revitalizing the orchestral programs in the Scottsdale Schools and is currently Director of Orchestras at Mountain View High School in Mesa. Twice he has been cited in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. He has served as an officer of the Arizona Unit of ASTA and has held leadership positions with ABODA. Dr. Temme was named the 2011 Arizona Music Educator of the Year.

In demand as an orchestral conductor, adjudicator and clinician, he has conducted the Arizona Junior High All-State Orchestra, the Greater Phoenix Honor Orchestra as well as Regional Honor Orchestras throughout Arizona. During the summers, he is a regular guest conductor at the NAU Curry Summer Music Camp in Flagstaff. In December 2010 his Mountain View Chamber Orchestra performed for the second time at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic; they first performed at Midwest in 2001. He has received the O.M. Hartsell Excellence in Education award from the AMEA. In January 2003 he was named one of the 50 Directors Who Make a Difference by Band and Orchestra Magazine. As an educator and performer, Dr. Temme believes in an interactive learning and performing experience to develop the young musician.

KEITARO HARADA – Phoenix Youth Symphony

Keitaro Harada is increasingly recognized as one of the leading conductors of his generation. A student of Lorin Maazel at Castleton Festival and recipient of the Seiji Ozawa Conducting Fellowship at Tanglewood Music Festival, Haradas credentials are exemplary. At Tanglewood he assisted Christoph von Dohnanyi in the production of Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos and conducted the closing performance garnering this praise from The Boston Musical Intelligencer: “perfect timing, dramatic dynamics, and unerring coordination of the musical stagecraft.” And, this review from Opera News:  “For the third and final performance of Strausss Ariadne auf Naxos rising young Japanese conductor Keitaro Harada, a student in the TMC program, got his turn to lead the forces prepared by Christoph von Dohnanyi. Harada’s command of the score was total, from the uncommonly beautiful legato and sweep of the opening orchestral phrases, hinting at the inspired, ecstatic melodies created by the character known as the Composer, to the carefully controlled climaxes of the final duet, in which Ariadne and Bacchus join in uncomprehending ecstasy.”

In 2011, Harada was one of ten semi-finalists invited by Ricardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony to participate in the First Chicago Symphony Orchestra Solti International Conducting Competition and was a conductor for the Pacific Music Festival Conducting Academy in Sapporo, Japan, by invitation of Fabio Luisi. He is a three-time winner of the International Conductors Workshop and Competition in Georgia. He received an Honorable Mention in the International Academy of Advanced Conducting in St. Petersburg, Russia. In September 2009, Harada was a semi-finalist for the Fourth Eduardo Mata International Conducting Competition in Mexico City, Mexico.

As a Seiji Ozawa Conducting Fellow recipient at Tanglewood Music Festival 2010, he prepared Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos for Christoph von Dohnanyi. Harada conducted many of the Festival Orchestra concerts including Antoniou’s Concertino for Double Bass with Boston Symphony Orchestra principal double bass, Edwin Barker. The New York Times wrote, “…with Jacob Druckman’s “Aureole” (1979), a score rich in hazy mystery and textural allure, qualities that Keitaro Harada had no trouble coaxing from the orchestra.”

As an opera conductor, Harada has assisted and conducted staging at Arizona Opera including La Boheme, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte and Mikado. He was an Apprentice Conductor to Lorin Maazel at the inaugural Castleton Festival where he studied four Britten chamber operas. He made his professional opera debut in May 2011 with North Carolina Opera for Britten’s Turn of the Screw and received this review:  “Conductor Keitaro Harada led a tightly sprung, supremely confident performance, moving inevitably along the works strange pathways, including scenes accompanied only by timpani, bells or harp. The chamber orchestra filled Durham’s Carolina Theatre with immensely impressive playing.” News Observer, North Carolina

Harada is currently the Principal Guest Conductor for the Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra and Music Director for Phoenix Youth Symphony, an organization internationally recognized as one of the premiere youth orchestras in the United States. He previously served as Conductor of Arizona Symphony, UA Philharmonic Orchestra, and Mercer/Macon Symphony Youth Orchestra, and Assistant Conductor of the Arizona Opera, Tucson Symphony and Macon Symphony Orchestras.

A recent featured alumni guest on National Public Radio’s FROM THE TOP season, a video and audio documentary on Harada’s career can be found on their website: www.fromthetop.org.

For more information please visit www.kharada.com