Clarinet & Recorder

Dr. Larkin Sanders is a native of Branson, Missouri, and currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri where she is the clarinet instructor at Washburn University, owns the Clever Clarinetist, performs with Xiphias Trio and other various ensembles, and is the Vice President of the American Single Reed Summit. Most notably, Larkin is the founder, executive artistic director, and is a clarinetist of the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra, a summer music festival in Branson, Missouri. Dr. Sanders is also a Woodwind Method Clinician for D'Addario & Co and is endorsed by Henri Selmer Paris, Silverstein Works, and Brian Corbin Clarinet Products. In addition to her activities as a clarinetist, teacher, and administrator, Dr. Sanders is also a composer and author of The Creation of the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra: The Performer’s Field Guide to Music Festival Foundation and The Clever Clarinetist’s Daily Scale Method: Scales and Exercises for Everyday Use.

Bassoon

Joshua Draves-Kellerman is a bassoonist, personal chef, and poet living in Kansas City, Missouri. He holds degrees from the University of Iowa (B.M.), and the Conservatory of Music and Dance at UMKC (M.M., A.C.). When not making words, sounds, or flavors, he loves to spend his time playing tennis, reading, and enjoying the fresh air.

Horn

Dr. Nicole Deuvall is a native of Kansas City and is an active teacher, performer, and researcher. She currently teaches horn at Washburn University in Topeka. Nicole enjoys performing with chamber and large ensembles. She has been a part of two CD recordings with the University of New Mexico Wind Symphony including Arrows of Time and Concerto Gross featuring Boston Brass. Her research interests lie in the psychology of learning music. She has presented “Adopting a Growth Mindset” at the International Horn Symposium in Ghent, Belgium in 2019, and at the MidSouth Horn Workshop in 2018. Nicole holds degrees from the University of Missouri- Kansas City (D.M.A), University of New Mexico (M.M.), and Arizona State University (B.M.).

Violin & Viola

Native to Kansas City, Erik Hassell received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music from Mizzou while studying violin with Eva Szekely.  Since completing his studies, Mr. Hassell has built a thriving violin and viola studio in the KC area.  During the school day, he teaches in the Musical Bridges program where private instruction is provided for talented students in need and runs sectionals in the local school string programs.  Hassell has performed with the Springfield (MO) Symphony, Topeka Symphony, and Missouri Symphony.  He currently performs with the Odyssey Chamber Ensemble, Lee's Summit Symphony, and Xiphias Trio.  In the summer, he performs with the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra and Missouri Symphony Orchestra.  He's enjoyed playing in ensembles for such artists as Evanescence, Lindsey Sterling, and the Transiberian Orchestra.

Violin & Viola

Roshelle is a versatile musician with over a decade of teaching and performing experience.  She holds a B.M. in Violin Performance from Missouri State University and has played professionally with groups such as the Springfield and Topeka Symphonies. Though classically trained, Roshelle keeps an open ear to the beauty of all types of music and enjoys diversity in her musical life, investing in music projects ranging from rock bands to string quartets. Additionally, she has taken on projects as a session studio musician, coordinating ensembles for weddings, and arranging/transcribing pieces for string ensemble.

Cello & Percussion

Daniel is a cellist and pianist living in Kansas City where he is the principal cellist of the Westwood Ensemble and a full-time accompanist for the choirs of the Pleasant Hill School District. He can also be found freelancing in other groups all around the area on either of these instruments or sometimes even percussion. Daniel holds a BM in Cello Performance and BA in Piano from Truman State University as well as a MM in Cello Performance from UMKC's Conservatory.

Bass

In the last year, Evan Spieker has returned to his hometown of Kansas City to pursue several projects. In addition to frolf, golf, gardening, ukelele, guitar, euphonium, ghost cubes, kendama, and Cowboy Bebop, Evan has started performing with the quartet Gypsie Jazz, for which he is super stoked!