Faculty of the Youth Orchestra Program
Dirk Meyer - Music Director, Sarasota Youth Orchestras
German-born conductor Dirk Meyer was appointed assistant conductor of the Sarasota Orchestra in 2006. He continues to serve as music director of the Art Nouveau Chamber Orchestra, an ensemble he founded in 2003 to promote more music of the 20th century and for which he has commissioned several new compositions. Maestro Meyer received bachelor’s degrees from the Folkwang-Hochschule in Germany in music and philosophy. He also holds both a master’s degree in music and a doctorate in orchestral conducting from Michigan State University, where he studied with Leon Gregorian and Raphael Jimenez. While at MSU, he served as assistant conductor to the Michigan State University Opera Theatre. Meyer has conducted many orchestras in Europe and America.
Beverly Boardman - Instructor
For nearly two decades, Boardman has been actively involved in developing the musicianship skills of students participating in the Sarasota Youth Orchestra program. Her high energy, creative and inclusive approach to teaching is revered by students. A recently retired Manatee County music teacher, Boardman is trained in educating children in music and other curricular skills using movement as a tool in an active-learning setting. She is a field consultant with the High Scope Educational Research Foundation and has presented workshops for educators around the country. She also has co-authored two books, one of which contains movement warm-up activities for ensembles.
John Dupuis - Conductor
John Dupuis is currently the director of Bands at Howard W. Blake High School for the Performing Arts, where his ensembles have consistently received superior ratings. Dupuis received his bachelor’s degree in music education and music composition and his master’s degree in conducting and music composition from the University of South Florida. His teachers included: William Wiedrich, Robert Summer, Kim McCormick, Michael Robinson, Michael Sidney Timpson and James Lewis. Dupuis orchestral compositions have been commissioned and performed by various ensembles throughout the U.S. including: The Seattle Symphony Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, The Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, The Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra, The Tampa Bay Youth Orchestra and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies. His band compositions and arrangements have been performed by University of South Florida Wind Ensemble, “Herd of Thunder” Marching Band, as well as numerous high-school concert and marching bands throughout Florida. His music also has been featured at Universal Studios in Islands of Adventure. Dupuis' works are published through Daehn Music Publications and Wehr's Music House Publishers.
Elizabeth Gough - Conductor
At age 9, Gough began studying violin with Dot Garland, a former Sarasota Orchestra education director. She became a member of the Sarasota Youth Orchestra in fifth grade and continued in the program throughout high school. In 1990, Gough won the Young Artists Concerto Competition on violin. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in performance from the University of South Florida-Tampa, Gough returned to the Sarasota area to begin her teaching career at Braden River Middle School in Lakewood Ranch. She has been teaching in the orchestra’s education programs for nearly a decade.
Susan Heinz - Conductor
Heinz began studying the violin at age 9 in her hometown of Scranton, Penn. In college, she studied music education with John Feierabend and violin performance with Eric Rosenblith and was a member of Pi Kappa Lambda. She graduated summa cum laude, earning both music degrees in 1994. Three years later, she relocated to Sarasota and began teaching general music and strings at Phillippi Shores Elementary School.
Cynthia Wiley - Conductor
A native of Sarasota, Wiley studied violin with Dorothy Stahler and was a piano student of Gray Perry. She was a violinist in the Sarasota Youth Orchestra, was a soloist with the Venice Symphony Orchestra and won the Young Artists Concerto Competition on piano. She received both her bachelor’s degree in violin performance and master’s degree in music from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Wiley has performed with various orchestras, including the Texas Chamber Orchestra and the Dallas Opera Orchestra, as concertmaster, soloist and section violin. She has enjoyed teaching violin for more than 15 years. Upon returning to Sarasota, Wiley founded the Sarasota Violin Academy, to share her love of music with an even broader group of students.
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