Praised for her vibrant sound, flutist ALINA WINDELL has captivated audiences throughout the United States and abroad. In the summer of 2016, as a winner of the National Flute Association (NFA) Convention Performers Competition, she was invited to play in the Newly Published Music Concert at the NFA Convention in San Diego, CA. She also performed as an Artist in Residence and faculty at the Orfeo Music Festival, in Vipiteno, Italy, and played newly composed chamber music at the International Double Reed Society annual conference at Columbus State University in Columbus, GA.
In 2015, she appeared as a featured soloist in a concert tour of Malaysia, sponsored by the Perak Society for the Performing Arts, and was a finalist in the Byron Hester Solo Flute competition in Houston, Texas. Recent or upcoming solo engagements include recitals at Columbus State University and the Houston Flute Club’s Flute Fest. Recent masterclass engagements include the Orfeo Music Festival in Vipiteno, Italy, and Sunway University in Kuala Lumpur and the Kinta Valley Wind Ensemble in Ipoh, Malaysia.
Dr. Windell has performed regularly with professional orchestras, first as a member of the South Florida Symphony Orchestra, is currently a member of the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra, and regularly plays at the Springer Opera House. She has also performed with the Columbus Symphony, the Lynn Philharmonia, the Bloomington Camerata Orchestra, the National Orchestral Institute Festival Orchestra, the Opera Theatre and Music Festival Orchestra of Lucca in Italy, and in concerts at the Duxbury Music Festival, as well as professional freelancing in New York City.
An avid chamber musician and advocate of new music, she recorded the music of Carter Pann for the Naxos record label, premiered Circles by Rachel Matthews at the Pendulum Concert Series at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and performed for two years as a member of the Chinook Winds, the graduate wind quintet in residence at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
Dr. Windell’s flute students have received honors, which include entrance and scholarship to the Interlochen Arts Academy, first chair in the Alabama All-State Band in Mobile, AL, and have been prizewinners in competitions including the Music Teachers National Association, the Atlanta Flute Club, and the Alabama All-State Band Solo Festival Competition.
She completed her undergraduate studies at Indiana University, her Masters Degree with renowned flutist and pedagogue Carol Wincenc at Stony Brook University, and her doctorate from the University of Colorado at Boulder, studying with Christina Jennings. She teaches music appreciation at Auburn University and Southern Union State Community College, and maintains a private studio.
An active proponent of new music, Dr. SUSAN HATCH TOMKIEWICZ has commissioned, premiered and recorded many new solo, electronic and chamber works for oboe and English horn by such composers as Brian Cherney, Brooke Joyce, Bruce Pennycook, Jeremy Baguyos, Matt McCabe, John Lato, Nancy Galbraith and Fred Cohen.
As a performing artist, Susan has been a recitalist in the United States and Japan at the International Double Reed Society, SEAMUS, Electronic Music Midwest, the College Music Society and the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th Annual English Horn Masterclasses with Carolyn Hove. She has also performed with a number of ensembles and productions across the country including the Columbus Symphony, Springer Opera House, Omaha Symphony, Wicked, the Austin Symphony, the Maine Chamber Ensemble and the Bangor Symphony.
Susan has participated in numerous recording projects including Bells for Stokowski, Fandango, the PBS Texas Parks & Wildlife theme show music and, most recently, Rebecca Henderson’s latest CD entitled “Gobo.” She holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated summa cum laude, the University of New Mexico and the University of New Hampshire. Her primary teachers include Rebecca Henderson, Kevin Vigneau and Margaret Herlehy.
Susan is the Associate Professor of Oboe at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University and the Director of RiverPark Honors. Previous academic appointments include the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Bowling Green State University, Luther College and Texas Lutheran University.
Susan was the director and host of the English Horn Masterclasses with Carolyn Hove from 2011-2015, and co-hosted the 2016 Conference of the International Double Reed Society in Columbus, Georgia.
JEREMY SAMOLESKY, a native of Manitoba, Canada, currently serves as Associate Professor of Piano at Auburn University, where he teaches piano and serves as Piano Area Coordinator. Known for his passion for both solo and collaborative performances, Samolesky has appeared in concert as soloist and chamber pianist throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, including a full recital at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., which was broadcast nationally on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today.”
Samolesky enjoys maintaining a rigorous performance schedule, with recent concert tours of China and Hong Kong, along with over 100 recitals and masterclasses at universities spanning 20 states throughout the U.S over the past seven years. In 2013, he was a featured lecturer and soloist at the World Piano Conference in Novi Sad, Serbia, and in 2014 gave a series of concerts and taught at music conservatories in Colombia and Ecuador. In the summer of 2015, he completed his fourth residency as a teacher and performer throughout Malaysia, sponsored by the Perak Society of Performing Arts.
Dedicated to the promotion of new music, Samolesky often works directly with living composers in preparing performances of their works, having given recent premieres by composers such as David Maslanka, David Plylar, and Carl Vollrath. Praised by critics as “brilliant,” “distinguished,” and “full of intensity and drama,” Samolesky’s debut solo CD was released on the Centaur label in 2015.
A regular orchestral performer, Samolesky has presented concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Brahms, and Rachmaninov. Festival appearances include the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Orford Arts Centre (Quebec), the Agassiz Music Festival (Winnipeg), the Courtenay Music Festival (B.C.), the Methow Music Festival (WA), the Adriatic Chamber Music Festival (Bonefro, Italy), and the Chigiana Music Academy in Siena. Broadcasts of his performances have been heard on Seattle’s KING FM, Canada’s CBC, CJOB, WDAZ (ND), and Troy Public Radio (AL). Dr. Samolesky was also featured in a documentary on the piano music of Sergei Prokofiev, produced by the Manitoba Television Network.
Dr. Samolesky achieved the rare distinction of graduating with two doctoral degrees from the Eastman School of Music: Piano Performance and Literature under the direction of Barry Snyder, and Accompanying and Chamber Music with Jean Barr. Eastman has permitted this double-doctorate just once before in the school’s history. In his four years at Eastman, Samolesky garnered top honors including the Barr Award, the Barbara M. King Scholarship, the Brooks Smith Scholarship, the “Excellence in Accompanying” award for three years in a row, first place in the Kneisel Lieder Competition, and the Performer’s Certificate for distinguished artistry in performance. He holds the Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Washington and the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Manitoba.
As a teacher, Dr. Samolesky’s students are frequent competition winners and receive prestigious scholarships and assistantships at renowned graduate music programs throughout the U.S. For his achievements, he was awarded the 2012 “Excellence in Teaching” award from Auburn University. Samolesky currently serves on the executive board of the Alabama Music Teachers’ Association and would like to thank the Manitoba Arts Council for their continued support throughout his career.