Founder / Director of Music

Brandon Chan (he/him) is a Massachusetts based music educator. He is currently a band director in the Fall River Public School District where he also works with the Hilltoppers Durfee Band.

In June of 2022, Brandon was inspired to take action in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe V. Wade, a decision that would greatly impact the bodily autonomy of women in the United States. In an effort to employ his classical training as a musician he formed the Voices Unheard Ensemble, a classical music ensemble that aims to improve women’s visibility in music past, present, and future. The Voices Unheard Ensemble piloted their first performance to great success in the Summer of 2023. Brandon and his work with the Voices Unheard Ensemble has recently been recognized by the Lowell Mason House, a music education advocacy organization in Massachusetts, and received 2nd place in their annual competition for innovators in music advocacy.

Brandon holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from UMass Amherst where he studied clarinet with Romie de Guise-Langlois. At UMass he conducted multiple pit ensembles for the UMass Theater Guild and studied conducting privately with then graduate student Jared Bloch. A lifelong lover of learning, he has attended the Michigan State University Conducting Symposium where he worked with Dr. Kevin Sedatole, Dr. David Thornton, and Dr. Emily Threinen. He currently resides in the town of North Attleboro with his cat Cruiser.

2024 Composer in Residence

Aviva Senzon is a second-year undergraduate student at Tufts University and New England Conservatory, studying music composition and biology. She was named a composition fellow at the New York Theatre Workshop (2023), winner of Jonah Hill's Studio International Composition Contest (2022), a finalist for the National Young Composers Challenge (2021), and has had multiple works published and awarded in the Seeds Literary Arts Book and Magazine (2020-2022). She writes for concert, theatre, dance, multimedia/film, and art. Her work has been played at New England Conservatory Williams Hall, Tufts University Distler Hall and Art Gallery, and Boston University. She has participated in programs worldwide such as SiMN - International Symposium of New Music, Berklee's Film Scoring Program, International Screen Music Program in Italy, NowBeat Project, and Atlantic Music Festival.

In college, she has been the music director for three student-produced musicals and pursues research surrounding music as a historical lens. She was recently selected to be a speaker at the 2022 Research on Contemporary Composition Conference and the 2023 Tufts University Undergraduate Research Symposium for her paper on minimalism in film scores.

Flute

Isabelle Garland is a fourth year teacher from Cape Cod, MA. She got her degree in Music Education from UMass Amherst in 2020, and studied flute under Cobus du Toit. Before coming here, she taught General Music, Chorus, Band, and Marching Band for two years in New Bedford. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Music Education through the American Band College Program.

On her days off you can find her playing the flute, crocheting, or relaxing in her home in New Bedford.

Flute

Alex Martin is a music educator and flutist from Taunton, MA. She earned her degree in Music Education from UMass Amherst, studying flute under Dr. Cobus du Toit. In Addition to being a proud enthusiastic teacher of General Music in middle school, she is a member of the Commonwealth Symphony, teaches flute privately, and advises for the THS Flute Choir. Alex currently lives in Randolph, MA with her partner and their many plants.

Clarinet

Faith McKinley-Shiu is an educator and clarinetist. As an educator, she has taught students from ages five to seventy. She has worked in public and private school settings, and has become involved with New Horizons Band, which serves senior citizens learning an instrument for the first time. Currently, Faith teaches at Lesley Ellis School in Arlington, MA, where she teaches K-8 general music, band and choir. 

As a clarinetist, Faith seeks to expand her classical performance skills and outreach opportunities. She is currently in the Me2/ Orchestra in Boston, MA, which places an emphasis on ending stigmas around mental health. Faith has also given performances to help the homeless in Cambridge, MA; close to where she received her Master’s degree in Clarinet Performance at Longy School of Music of Bard College. 

In addition to clarinet, Faith can often be found singing in a choir. She believes that singing is an essential part of the learning process of music, even as an instrumentalist.

Horn

As a Boston native, Emma Chisholm got an early start in the Boston music community.

She secured a principal horn position with the Quincy Symphony quickly after undergrad. She has also recently played with the New England Film Orchestra, Firebird Pops, and the Commonwealth Wind Symphony. Emma is currently playing with the Brockton Symphony, Fall River Symphony, the Lincoln Sudbury Civic Orchestra, and the Bridgewater Antiphonal Brass while getting her Master’s in Horn at The Longy School of Music in Cambridge. This past summer, Chisholm traveled through Italy with The Interharmony Music Festival. Most recently she was in Brockton as part of a chamber music concert series. She fills a unique niche, being a common improviser on French Horn in jazz big bands and small groups. Emma has also recently played with the Birth of the Cool big band in Hartford. She can be seen playing at jazz clubs in the Greater Boston area.

Bassoon

Debbie Chen is a freelance bassoonist from Brockton, Massachusetts. Chen studied music at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and Bassoon Performance. She then studied there for another year and earned a Performance Practice Certificate. Chen also graduated in Spring 2022 with her Masters in Bassoon performance at Stonybrook University where she studied with Frank Morelli. Recently she was appointed the supervisor of the Music Enrichment Program in Brockton which provided free lessons to students. She has also begun building her private lesson studio in Eastern Massachusetts. Aside from playing the bassoon, Chen loves to travel, eat food, play sports, meet new people, and is an avid video gamer during her free time.

Trumpet

Patrick Marum (he/him) is a music educator from Massachusetts. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Trumpet Performance from UMass Amherst under professor Eric Berlin. Patrick currently teaches at North Attleboro High School, where he teaches general music and directs the Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, and Percussion Ensemble.

As a performer, Patrick has taken part in several international tours, including UMass Wind Ensemble’s tour to Ireland and the MIT Band’s Canadian tour. He also took part in the National Trumpet Competition held at University of North Texas in 2018. He is a current member of the Commonwealth Wind Symphony, an ensemble made up of current and past music educators based in Eastern Massachusetts. Outside of music, Patrick enjoys watching and participating in various sports including baseball, basketball, and golf, as well as cooking and traveling. He currently lives in Walpole, MA with his fiance Kaet and dog Hattie.

Trumpet

Sydney Alfano is a trumpet player and music educator from Pembroke, MA. She attended Ithaca College where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. In her time at Ithaca, she studied trumpet with Dr. Aaron Witek and Dr. Jared Wallis.

Sydney currently teaches in the Duxbury Public Schools and teaches lessons through the Jesse Stiglich Music School. Sydney is also an avid performer and takes pride in bringing music to her South Shore community. In addition to freelance trumpet playing, she is a regular member of the Commonwealth Wind Symphony and the Satuit Band.

Horn

Brandi Lane is a Massachusetts-based educator and performer. In addition to teaching elementary general music, she is the director of her district’s marching band and pit ensemble for the drama program. She is passionate about music advocacy at all age levels and exploring therapeutic approaches to music-making in public schools. Brandi graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2021 with a bachelor of music in music education and horn orchestral performance. She is working on her master's in music education through the Longy School of Music of Bard College. Brandi has been a member of the horn section of the Fall River Symphony Orchestra for the past seven years. In her free time, Brandi enjoys spending time with her friends and family, reading, and exploring cities.

Trombone

Ethan Guevremont is a K-5 Technology teacher and trombonist from North Smithfield, RI. He attended New York University, where he graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. At NYU he studied jazz trombone with Alan Ferber, and classical trombone with Thomas Hutchinson. As a performer, Ethan played with the NYU Concert Band and the NYU All-University Jazz ensemble. Back home in Rhode Island, Ethan also plays in an indie-rock band called “The Beardogz.” In addition to playing trombone, he also enjoys playing tenor saxophone, keyboard, and producing electronic music. When he's not playing music, Ethan practices judo at the Worcester Martial Arts Academy.

Assistant Conductor / Tuba

Maddi Giberson is a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she received her bachelor’s degree in music education. During her four years at UMass, she studied tuba under the mentorship of Dr. John Bottomley and bass trombone with Professor Greg Spiridopolous. At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Maddi studied conducting under Dr. Lindsay Bronnenkant. Under Dr. Bronnenkant, Maddi completed an Independent Study in wind conducting and completed a conducting recital in the Fall of 2023, where she conducted selections from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Maddi was also a guest conductor for the UMass Brass Choir, where she led an arrangement of Percy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy, and with the UMass Trombone Choir, conducting Norman Bolter’s On With the Battle of Life. In addition to her studies at UMass Amherst, Maddi also completed an internship in wind conducting at Smith College. Under Meghan MacFadden’s guidance at Smith College, Maddi led their ensemble in Grainger’s Ye Banks and Braes O’ Bonnie Doon and played tuba in the ensemble.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Maddi was a member of the acapella group Duly Noted for two years, where she held roles of both Assistant and Head Music Director, during which the group gigged regularly and recorded a studio alum. Outside of formal engagements, Maddi’s passion for music remains, as she can often be found playing tuba, guitar, and singing. Apart from music, Maddi enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and her three beloved Bernese Mountain dogs.

Voice

Eliza Howells is a Boston-based mezzo-soprano and composer. Recent appearances include Baba (The Medium) with Tufts Opera, Dritter Knabe (Die Zauberflöte) with the Trentino Music Festival, and Sacharissa (Princess Ida) with the Sudbury Savoyards. In recent years, Eliza has written commissioned pieces such as “I remember Her” (voice, wind quintet) for the Voices Unheard ensemble, and “Underwater Expedition” (marimba) for the Rivers School Conservatory Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young. She recently debuted her original song cycle, “Summer Soughs” as her master’s thesis piece at Tufts University. Eliza holds a BM in Voice Performance and Composition from UMass Amherst, and will soon hold an MA in Composition from Tufts.