State Junior High Orchestra
Festival Manager

British violinist Sophie Till, is Associate Professor at Marywood University, PA, Director of the Marywood String Project for children ages 4-18 and Associate Faculty at the Golandsky Institute. Sophie's development of the Taubman/Golandsky Approach to Strings has become internationally known among professional players for solving playing related injuries, for providing tools for virtuosity and has led to her unique approach for beginners and younger players. In 2013, She gave the first European symposium on the approach at St John's College, Cambridge, UK. In 2014, she gave the first series of string workshops based on her teaching in Australia and Singapore. Her visit to Australia led to her return in 2015 as a keynote speaker at the National Australia String Teachers' Conference giving three days of presentations, a recital and a key-note address. Since 2015 she has visited Scotland regularly giving workshops, presentations and lessons for members of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and BBC Scottish Orchestra. In 2016, she made her first visit to teach members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and teachers from Liverpool In Harmony which led to extended visits in 2017, 2018 and an invitation to become the orchestra's string specialist. She works regularly via Skype teaching professional players from all over the world and many come in person to undertake intensive periods of study with her. Sophie has a new online pedagogy series showing the fundamental principles of her approach for players of all ages, she runs a summer symposium in New York and will soon be introducing teacher training sessions. In addition to her teaching, Sophie is an active performer, giving recitals, and playing chamber music. She recently produced a recording of the complete Brahms Violin and Piano Sonatas with duo partner Ron Stabinsky.

After completing his Master of Music in Violin Performance at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Shawn Murphy is now in his fourth year directing orchestras at Thompson Valley High School and Walt Clark Middle School in Loveland, Colorado, where he was awarded an Inspiring Students Award in his first year. His teaching career began with high school and middle school orchestra in Wyoming where his groups consistently received superior ratings, then moved to Ft. Collins where his middle school orchestra program increased from 85 players to 230 in three years.

​

Mr. Murphy serves as guest clinician and adjudicator for numerous Colorado and Wyoming schools and districts, is a member of the Colorado All-State Orchestra board of governors, and is on the faculty for Camp Con Brio – String Camp of the Rockies. Along with his TVHS music colleagues, he will present a clinic at the Colorado Music Educators Association Conference on January 27th, 2018.

​

As a violinist, he studied with UNC's Richard Fuchs, Jubal Fulks & Margaret Gutierrez, and Kansas City's Gregory Sandomirsky & Ruth Sadasivan. Mr. Murphy recently appeared as a soloist with Wartburg College's chamber orchestra in Waverly, Iowa. Orchestral engagements include the Greeley Philharmonic, the Ft. Collins Symphony, and the Haller Sinfonie in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany. He was first violin in the Graduate String Quartet at UNC. Currently, Mr. Murphy is the concertmaster of The Loveland Orchestra, with whom he will perform Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216 on January 26th, 2018.

​

Mr. Murphy spent 2010 in Germany with his wife, Amy, where they studied German at the Goethe Institute and the Universität Leipzig, and music at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig.

Braun Khan is Assistant Professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies at Utah State University. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in bass performance from Central Michigan University, and a Doctor of Arts in Jazz Studies and Bass Performance from the University of Northern Colorado. After completing his master’s degree, he taught courses in jazz theory at Central Michigan University and served as Community Outreach Coordinator for the School of Music.

 

While at the University of Northern Colorado, he was a teaching assistant in both the jazz studies area and the classical bass studio, was assistant to the managing producer of the UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival, and served as Interim Jazz Bass Professor in the fall of 2014. He has also taught since 2013 on the JamPlay Online Instructional Website, one of the largest online instructional sites in the world, and in the summer teaches at the Rocky Ridge Music Center jazz camp in Estes Park, Colorado.

 

He is the recipient of several DownBeat awards for Best College Big Band as bassist with UNC's Jazz Lab I, Outstanding Vocal Jazz Ensemble as a vocalist with UNC's Vocal Lab, and for Outstanding Small Ensemble Composition for his original composition Airplanes. In 2014 he was also awarded the Hal Leonard Scholarship from the Jazz Education Network for exceptional talent and potential in jazz performance and education.

 

An active performer, he has extensive experience as a professional bassist in jazz, classical and various other musical styles, including performances with Howard Levy, Jeff Hamilton, the New York Voices, Greg Gisbert, Jake Shimabukuro, Groove For Thought, Clint de Ganon, Bob Christianson, and Clifford Carter, as well as the Cadillac Symphony Orchestra, and performances on electric bass and jazz bass with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. He can also be heard on UNC’s Romeo and Juliet Project (goo.gl/B9dqGm).

 

Prior to moving to Colorado, he served as music director at a non-denominational church for 10 years. During that time he also organized a concert series which featured artists such as Billy Hart, Vincent Herring, Peter Zak, Tom Knific, and Phil Palombi. When not busy performing and teaching he enjoys spending time with his wife and five children.