MSU Conducting Symposium

​​

Dr. Tyler Austin (He/Him/His) serves as Director of Bands in the F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music at Old Dominion University. He conducts the ODU Wind Ensemble, teaches wind literature and the undergraduate conductingsequence, leads a graduate conducting studio, and administers all aspects of the university’s concert and athletic band programs. Dr. Austin maintains an active guest conducting and lecturing schedule on both the national and international levels.

Dr. Austin works to redefine the role of the 21st-century wind conductor as Founding Artistic Director and Conductor of Newfound Chamber Winds (NFCW), an international ensemble of performer-educators. In 2016, he founded the NFCW Composer Commission Project to fund the composition of original works for chamber winds and to produce professional recordings of these works. He has since commissioned and premiered over 40 works for winds. NFCW hosts annual summer programs for composers, conductors, and performers – these three interwoven summer programs feature pedagogical clinics, performance opportunities, and coaching sessions with internationally-recognized conducting mentors and wind musicians.

In 2024, Dr. Austin was appointed as Resident Conductor with Global Arts United. His work with GAU includes regular work with the Vienna Contemporary Composers Festival in Vienna, Austria, where he conducts the internationally-acclaimed Ensemble PHACE, and with the Sofia Symphonic Summit in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he teaches conductingand conducts the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra as part of their festival performance series dedicated to newly-composed works. In 2026, he will begin as Resident Conductor at the Veneto Art and Music Summit, where he will teach conducting and conduct performances with the Marco Polo Orchestra in Asolo, Italy.

A lover of community music, Dr. Austin is Music Director & Conductor of the Chesapeake Bay Wind Ensemble. This group is largely composed of music educators, military musicians, and freelance musicians based in the Hampton Roads region. CBWE’s performances include both standards of wind literature and new voices writing for winds.

Dr. Austin completed a D.M.A. in Wind Conducting at Michigan State University under Dr. Kevin Sedatole. He holds an M.M. in Bassoon Performance from the University of North Texas under Professor Kathleen Reynolds, and a B.M. in Music Education from Susquehanna University. He is a member of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He holds honorary memberships from Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma.

Dr. Rebekah A. Daniel serves as Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), where she conducts both the Wind Ensemble and Concert Band and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting. Under her leadership, the EKU Wind Ensemble was selected to
perform at the 2025 Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA) State Conference, and in 2024 she was named “University Teacher of the Year” by KMEA District 11. Prior to joining EKU, Dr. Daniel served as Visiting Director of Bands at The University of Utah, where she conducted the wind ensemble and taught undergraduate and graduate conducting and music education courses. She then became Artistic
Director and Conductor of the Ithaca College Wind Ensemble, continuing her teaching in conducting and music education.

Dr. Daniel maintains an active schedule with engagements throughout the United States as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. She has led performances of regional and world premieres and has collaborated in rehearsal and performance with notable composers and performers. In 2018, she was selected as a Conducting Fellow for the inaugural Reynolds Conducting Institute at the Midwest Clinic. Dr. Daniel has presented at major state music education conferences in Texas, New York, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Utah, and Kentucky. Her research centers on fostering intrinsic motivation in rehearsals and refining gestural communication to enhance musical expression.

Dr. Daniel completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Wind Conducting at Michigan State University (MSU) as a student of Dr. Kevin Sedatole. As a doctoral conducting assistant at MSU, she conducted instrumental ensembles, taught conducting courses, and was involved in all aspects of the athletic band program. Prior to attending MSU, Dr. Daniel taught in the Georgia public school system where ensembles under her direction enjoyed notable success in both district and statewide performance evaluations. She completed the Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music in Wind Conducting at
Georgia Southern University where she studied with Drs. Robert Dunham and Colin McKenzie.

Dr. Daniel is an alumni member of Tau Beta Sigma (TBS) and holds professional membership in the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), National Band Association (NBA), and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).

Dr. Travis Higa is an active adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor throughout the United States. Most recently, he has been a clinician at the University of Montana Concert Band Festival and adjudicator for the University of South Alabama Marching Band Championships, University of Hawai’i Rainbow Invitational, and Oahu Marching Band Festival. He has conducted honor bands in Mississippi, Illinois, Massachusetts, Florida, and Hawai’i. Dr. Higa currently serves as the Associate Director of Bands and Director of the Pride of Mississippi Marching Band at The University of Southern Mississippi. At USM, he conducts the Concert Band, Symphonic Winds, administers all facets of the athletic band program, and teaches courses in music education and conducting. 

 Under his direction, the Pride of Mississippi Marching Band has performed at the Armed Forces Bowl and the LendingTree Bowl, and has collaborated with American jazz musician, Tom “Bones” Malone, and the world-renowned, Boston Brass. An advocate for the expansion, development, and diversification of the wind repertoire, Dr. Higa has collaborated with composers such as David Biedenbender, Ricardo Lorenz, Adam Schoenberg, and Tyler Grant; Venezuelan maraca soloist Manuel Alejandro Rangel; Musique 21, and the Maryland Chamber Winds.

He is published as a contributing author in the Journal of Music Teacher Education for an article titled “Merging Conducting and Pedagogy Instruction for Undergraduate Instrumental Music Education Majors.” Dr. Higa’s professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association, Mississippi Bandmasters Association, National Band Association, National Association for Music Education, and Kappa Kappa Psi.

Simon Holoweiko is the Associate Director of Bands at Louisiana State University, where he conducts the LSU Symphonic Winds, teaches undergraduate conducting and graduate wind literature, mentors doctoral students minoring in conducting, and directs the acclaimed Golden Band from Tigerland. 

Before joining LSU, Holoweiko was the Assistant Director of Bands at Michigan State University, where his responsibilities included serving as Associate Director of the Spartan Marching Band, conducting the Concert Band and Spartan Youth Wind Symphony, and teaching additional courses in the College of Music. 

Prior to his collegiate career, Holoweiko was the Director of Bands at Martin County High School in Stuart, Florida where he oversaw all aspects of the band program, including the marching band, two concert ensembles, and also established a curricular jazz band and an AP music theory course.

Beyond his university duties, Holoweiko is a co-founder and conductor of the Treasure Coast Summer Band Camp in Jensen Beach, FL. He is a sought-after clinician and has presented at numerous state, national, and international conferences. Most recently, the LSU Symphonic Winds performed as a featured ensemble at the 2024 CBDNA Southern Division Conference. 

Holoweiko earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting degree from Michigan State University. He also holds a Master of Music in Wind Conducting degree from Columbus State University and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Michigan State University. His principal conducting teachers were Kevin Sedatole and Jamie Nix.

Capt. Brandon R Hults is Operations Officer and Associate Conductor of the United States Air Force Academy Band, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. He is responsible to the Commander for organizing, training, equipping, and deploying 60 Airmen in 10 different musical configurations throughout a nine-state region of more than 869,000 square miles in addition to supporting the U.S. Air Force Academy’s recruiting mission throughout the 48 contiguous states. The band performs over 400 missions annually that support U.S. Air Force and U.S. Air Force Academy outreach and engagement priorities to increase public understanding of the importance of airpower, the dedication and sacrifice of Airmen, and to build relationships that enhance the reputation of the Air Force as a respected, professional organization charged with an integral role in maintaining U.S. national security.

Originally from Morehead City, North Carolina, Capt. Hults graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music Education degree with an emphasis in piano and trombone from East Carolina University in 2008. After his undergraduate studies, Capt. Hults served as the director of bands for New Bern High School, New Bern, NC. In 2011 he was offered a graduate assistantship to the University of Arkansas where he completed a Master of Music degree in wind conducting and piano performance. For the next four years, Capt. Hults served as the Associate Director of Bands for Bentonville High School in Bentonville, AR, followed by his doctoral coursework in wind conducting at Michigan State University under the guidance of Dr. Kevin Sedatole. He is writing his dissertation.

Capt Hults entered the Air Force in January 2018 and subsequently commissioned from Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base that March beginning his Air Force Bands career with the Band of Mid-America, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Under Capt. Hults’s leadership, musicians and ensembles have been featured at multiple national and state music conferences, performed with internationally renowned ensembles to include the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Boston Brass, and The Prince of Denmark’s Band, as well as collaborated with award winning artists such as Trisha Yearwood, James Taylor, Trombone Shorty, Andy Akiho, Eric Whitacre, and William Shatner. He has enjoyed conducting at The Kennedy Center alongside Dr. Craig Jessop for the National Memorial Day Choral Festival, the White House on many occasions ranging from Garden Tours to the National Menorah and Christmas Tree Lighting, and at the Library of Congress for the 100th year anniversary of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with Simone Dinnerstein at the piano. In addition to his Air Force duties, Capt. Hults keeps an active guest conducting schedule and is a committed advocate for music education, participating in masterclasses and clinics, nationwide, for students ranging from beginners to young professionals. Prior to his current position, Capt Hults was a Flight Commander and Associate Conductor for The United States Air Force Band, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.

Joshua Kearney is Associate Professor and Director of Bands at the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he teaches undergraduate courses in music education and conducting, conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, teaches graduate conducting, coordinates the annual UNO Bands conducting workshop, and oversees all aspects of the UNO band program. In addition to his duties at UNO, Dr. Kearney serves as Music Director of the Nebraska Wind Symphony. Kearney began his career as a teacher in the public schools south of Nashville, Tennessee. 

Dr. Kearney has worked as an adjudicator and clinician for ensembles of all levels—maintaining an active guest conducting schedule in the U.S. and abroad. Kearney is a regular presenter and guest lecturer with appearances at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in Riga, the Alfrēda Kalniņa Cēsu Mūzikas Vidusskola (Cesis, Latvia), multiple state music conferences, College Music Society (CMS) regional, national, and international conferences, conferences of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), the Midwest Clinic, and the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) conference in Prague, among others. Under Kearney’s direction, both the Nebraska Wind Symphony and the UNO Symphonic Wind Ensemble have been selected as featured ensembles at the annual Nebraska Music Educators Association in-service conference, and UNO’s SWE took third place in the College/University Wind Band performance division of the American Prize in 2024. 

An advocate of new music, Kearney often works with composers in the creation and performance of new works for winds. His direct efforts have contributed to pieces by Stacey Barelos, Scott Boerma, Steven Bryant, Alexandra Gardner, Donald Grantham, Will Healy, Jessie Montgomery, Joseph Schwantner, and others. Dr. Kearney’s work as an arranger has led to contributions for wind ensemble, flute and trombone choirs, and athletic bands with publications in the catalogs of Boosey & Hawkes, Carl Fischer, and Robert Elkjer. An experienced editor, Kearney’s critical edition of Emil Hartmann’s Serenade for Winds (Op. 43) is regularly featured in prominent conducting symposia throughout the United States, and additional plans have been made for publication of Kearney’s educational editions of Georg Druschetzky’s wind partitas—works accessible by ensembles of wide ability levels and instrumentation. 

Kearney earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from Michigan State University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Columbus State University (GA). Kearney holds affiliations with the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association, the Nebraska Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education, the College Music Society, the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, and the College Band Directors National Association. Kearney has served on the Executive Board for the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association and in multiple leadership roles on committees within the College Band Directors National Association. Kearney is a member of Phi Beta Mu, an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi, and is the recipient of multiple Citations of Excellence from the National Band Association.

Hunter Kopczynski serves as Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he conducts the UNC Charlotte Wind Ensemble, teaches courses in conducting and music education, and conducts and administers the Charlotte Youth Wind Ensembles.

Dr. Kopczynski comes to Charlotte after holding similar positions at Mars Hill University and in the public schools of Virginia. At MHU, he coordinated the band program, conducted the wind symphony, and taught courses in the department of music. Additionally, he served as conductor of the Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra. Before his time in Asheville, Kopczynski completed his graduate degrees at Michigan State University, where he held instructional and musical responsibilities with each of the concert and athletic bands and served the Graduate School as a Leadership Fellow. Prior to graduate study, he taught middle and high school music in Virginia. There he successfully led high school and middle school bands in the Roanoke County and Williamsburg-James City County.

Kopczynski earned the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in Wind Conducting from Michigan State University. He also completed a Master of Arts in Education and a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude in Music from Virginia Tech. His principal conducting teachers were Kevin L. Sedatole and Travis J. Cross.

He is an advocate for the expansion, development, and diversification of the wind repertoire and a supporter of music education in the schools. In his research and teaching, Kopczynski is especially interested in the intersection of experience and curriculum to influence ensemble culture. He is an active adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor and has presented and led featured ensembles at state and regional music education conferences. Passionate about teaching conducting and music education at all levels, he developed and leads the annual Charlotte Band Directors Workshop and Conducting Symposium. His professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association, National Band Association, and the National Association for Music Education.

Dr. Branden Steinmetz serves as Director of Bands at Towson University where he conducts the Towson Wind Ensemble, the Towson Symphonic Band, and teaches undergraduate conducting courses. Prior to his appointment at TU, he served as both the Assistant and Interim Associate Director of Bands at the University of Colorado where he was the winner of the 2022 “The Best Should Teach Gold Award.”

Dr. Steinmetz maintains an active schedule as a conductor, educator, arranger, and composer. He regularly guest-conducts honor bands and universities both regionally
and nationally and is active in K-12 schools as a clinician and adjudicator. His arrangements for marching band have been performed by multiple universities and high schools and his percussion compositions can be found through C. Alan Publications. He has presented clinics and sessions at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, as well as state conventions including Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Colorado. As an advocate for music education, Dr. Steinmetz is committed to creative and diverse repertoire programming for large ensembles, student-centered approaches to learning, and developing curiosity through the large ensemble experience.

He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting from Michigan State University under Kevin Sedatole, a Master of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. He is a member of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).