Stefani Burk earned a bachelor of music degree in music education and a master’s degree in oboe performance from the University of Iowa. She also studied with Fred Cohen. Burk has taught at Bowdoin College, Indian Hill Arts, Bates College, and the University of New Hampshire’s Summer Youth Music School. She is on the faculty of St. Paul’s School and has been a member of the Portland Symphony since 1982. She also has performed with most of the orchestras of northern New England, including Portland 's PORT Opera, the White Mountain Bach Festival, the NH Music Festival, the Hanover Chamber Orchestra, Kalistos Chamber Orchestra, and the Atlantic Chamber Orchestra. She has been a frequent participant in chamber music concerts, including those of the Musicians of Wall Street, the NH Music Festival, Yellow Barn, Sebago-Long Lake, and Classicopia. Her freelance playing has included everything from Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) and Anne Murray concerts to performing the Brahms Requiem with the Dartmouth Glee Club Alumni at Carnegie Hall.Jean Benson
Flute
Jean Benson began her education with John Thomas at the Eastman School Preparatory Department. After moving to New England, she continued advanced studies with Louis Moyse and theory with Gudrun Gay of Marlboro College. While working toward her bachelor of music degree from Keene State College and studying with Bonnie Insull and other members of the Apple Hill Chamber Players, Benson traveled to New York to work with Julius Baker. A frequent soloist in the New England area, Benson has participated in recital series at King’s College Chapel, the Blacksmith’s House, the Longy School, Boston Conservatory and St. Paul’s School. Formerly principal flute with the Nashua Symphony, Benson also has soloed with the New Hampshire Philharmonic and the Vermont Symphony. She has performed with the Great Waters Festival and Granite State Opera and currently plays with the Granite State Symphony Orchestra. Her students have won numerous musical honors locally and abroad, including the St. Paul’s School Keiser Competition, and have been accepted into programs such as Boston University Tanglewood Institute’s Young Artist Orchestra, Domaine Forget, International Summer Academy of Music, Boston Conservatory and Eastman School of Music’s undergraduate program. She maintains an active teaching and performing schedule at St. Paul’s School. Benson joined the Music School faculty in 1984.
Robert Couturier studied composition and music theory at the Boston Conservatory with John Adams, Cris Rose, and Larry Bell. He studied trumpet with Dan Nolan, Steve Emery, and Jay Daly; as well as David Hickman and Allen Vizzutti. Couturier was a participant in the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute and teaches in the Nashua public schools. He has performed with the Four Tops and is founder and business manager of Granite State Brass, and founder of the New Hampshire Wind Ensemble.
Brian Gardell received a bachelor of music degree from Boston Conservatory of Music. He also has studied with Charles Kavalovski, former principal horn of the Boston Symphony. Gardell has been principal horn with Merrimack Valley Philharmonic since 1998 and is a member of the Lakes Region Woodwind Quintet.
Maria Isaak received a master of music degree and bachelor of fine arts degree in bassoon performance from the New England Conservatory. She also is certified as a Kodály Specialist and has studied at the International School for Kodály Studies in Hungary. She has taught in the San Francisco public schools and supervised music education interns/student teachers at the University of New Hampshire. Isaak has performed with the Boston Philharmonic and the symphonies of Central Massachusetts, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Sacramento. She has been a concerto soloist with orchestras in San Francisco, Chile, and China and has attended Tanglewood, Banff, Chautauqua, and Sarasota festivals.
Robert Kruskol earned bachelor's and master's degrees in music from the Juilliard School. He studied trombone with Edward Herman, Jr. and chamber music with Gerard Schwarz. He is a former faculty member of Notre Dame Community Music School in Manchester, NH, and the 92nd Street Y School of Music in New York. Kruskol performs with the Nashua Symphony and the New Hampshire Philharmonic. He also has performed with the Boston Lyric Opera, Granite State Opera, Granite State Symphony, New England Brass Quintet, Boston Brass, the Monadnock Chorus Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the New Jersey Chamber Symphony.
George Stevens, of Alton, is a classically trained musician who participated in various musical competitions during his early years, including NH All-State, All-Eastern, and McDonalds' All-American Band. As a freelance classical/jazz musician, he has performed and recorded with such groups as The NE Wind Symphony, The Belknap Brass Quintet, Carter Mountain Brass, Ted Herbert Big Band, Seacoast Big Band, Northeast Big Band, Dave Rasmussen Jazz Orchestra, The Movers, The State Street Rhythm and Blues Band, New Hampshire Jazz Orchestra, and The Charles Jennison Jazz Quintet. Mr. Stevens has performed with such jazz artists as Clark Terry, Eddie Daniels, Peter Erskin, and Phil Wilson. He recently retired his military career as soloist and Trumpet Section Leader with the NH National Guard 39th Army Band. (on leave)
Jennifer Yeaton-Parris received a B.A. in music history and a B.M. in flute from the University of New Hampshire, summa cum laude. She received her master's in music in performance from Boston University and has been a member of the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi since 1988. Yeaton-Parris has performed with the New Hampshire Music Festival, Granite State Orchestra, the Concord and Manchester choral societies, the Cornell Festival Orchestra, the Bach Festival, and the Tamworth Arts Council. In addition to orchestral playing, Yeaton-Parris has performed numerous solo recitals, including on the Vaughn Recital Series at Dartmouth College, the Cornell University Summer Series, and other venues throughout New England. She is also an active freelance flutist in the New Hampshire area. She has been a flute instructor at Cornell and the Summer Youth Music School at the University of New Hampshire.