SMF 2025 Invited Performers
Check out the bios for all the SMF 2025 invited performers below!
Christine Erlander Beard enjoys an active international career as a soloist, chamber artist and teacher with engagements throughout North and South America and Europe. An artist for Sankyo Flutes and piccolo artist for Hernandez Flutes, she has performed as a concerto soloist with orchestras in Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Canada, Russia and the USA. Second Prize winner in the 2019 American Prize Professional Soloist division competition, she is a member of the Whole Musician faculty, the International SuperFlutes Collective, and is Professor of Flute at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She launched #theflutistactivitst initiative – commissioning composers to write pieces inspired by social justice issues – in 2019. christiebeard.net
Mezzo-soprano Courtney J. Fletcher is a highly acclaimed performer and teacher, known for her “powerful” and “persuasive” voice. She was named the Irma Cooper 3rd Place winner of the 2024 National Association of Teachers of Singing National Artist Awards (NATSAA). She has performed with companies all over the country, including the New World Symphony, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Winter Opera St Louis, Opera Memphis, the Memphis Symphony, and the Boise Philharmonic, and made her international debut with Prague’s National Theatre Orchestra with Opernfest Prague. In 2022, she was selected as one of twelve young teachers across North America to participate in the NATS Intern Program. Courtney earned her Doctor of Music in Voice from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of Voice, teaching voice, diction, and opera at the University of Kansas.
Pianist Ellen R. Sommer is in demand as a collaborator, chamber musician, and coach. Her reputation for excellence has led to extensive engagements throughout the United States, Canada, Central and South Americas, Europe and Asia. Recent performances include recitals at the Conservatorio di Milano in Italy, and the Instituto Cervantes in Paris, France. Moreover, Sommer was invited to present a series of concerts and classes at Casa de la Musica in Quito, Ecuador. Currently Ellen serves as an Associate Professor of Practice in Piano at the University of Kansas School of Music where she teaches collaborative piano and serves as piano area coordinator.
Grace M. Alexander (b. 2001) is a professional modern and baroque violinist, arts administrator, and aspiring pedagogue currently based in Vancouver, BC. Her musical interests are primarily rooted in collaborative work with musicians and artists, but enjoys playing in ensembles of all kinds. Grace is a freelance orchestral player, chamber musician, private instructor, and recital artist in the greater Pacific Northwest area in the U.S. and Canada. She is a violinist of the recently-formed Kermode String Quartet, based in Vancouver, BC. Grace actively performs in a violin/piano duo with collaborator, Will Rand, where they strive to push the boundaries of standard performance practice, and regularly commission new composers for recital programming. Grace is currently a rotating concertmaster/principal of the University of British Columbia Symphony Orchestra, and a current rotating principal-position violinist of the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra and West Coast Symphony. She was formerly the concertmaster of the St. Olaf Orchestra and held various leadership roles within the St. Olaf Music Department. She has attended summer festivals and institutes around the United States and Europe, including Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Borromeo Music Festival, Brevard Music Center, Við Djúpið Music Festival, and IU Jacobs String Teacher’s Pedagogy Institute. Grace has competed in the finals of national chamber music competitions such as the Saint Paul String Quartet Competition and LMC Frances Walton Competition with the Høyde String Quartet, and the Friends of Chamber Music (Vancouver) Young Musicians Competition with the Kermode String Quartet. Grace has been hired for many public-facing opportunities, including as a guest baroque violinist for Gallo Baroque Chamber Players, quartet and orchestra member of a “Weird Al” Yankovic L.A. concert, Rick Springfield’s “Orchestrating My Life” L.A. tour concert (including radio and television appearances), a Carol Burnett honorarium, jazz violin performance with Danilo Pérez, weddings, and more. Playing in the pit orchestra for various musical productions and the Arts for the Arts (AFTA) program has also broadened her musical experiences. She was a former section player of Santa Monica Symphony under the direction of the late L.A. Philharmonic musician, Guido Lamell. As an arts administrator and musical leader, she co-founded and was the co-artistic director, along with her partner Samuel J. Ivory, of Synergy Musicians' Collective at St. Olaf College to promote collaborative, interdisciplinary, and innovative artistry in the collegiate setting. She is on the founding team and holds the Associate Director position at EarthStory, an organization focused on the intersection of storytelling, ecology, and the arts. Grace currently holds the positions of Co-Director of Operations for the International Cello Institute in Minnesota, USA, Development Assistant at the Við Djúpið Music Festival in Ísafjörður, Iceland, and she also works as a freelance grant-writer for organizations like FilAm Music Foundation, Grand Rapids Youth Choruses, and more. Grace began her Master of Music (M.Mus) degree studies at University of British Columbia School of Music in fall 2024. She is a magna cum laude graduate of St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN with Bachelors of Music (B.M.) in Violin Performance. Her recent private teachers and mentors include Jasper Wood, Ryan Davis (Radia), Rena Sharon, Mary Sokol-Brown, Charles Gray, Natsuki Kumagai, Francesca Anderegg, Scott Anderson, Dr. Chung Park, Steven Amundson, and Jessica King.
Will Rand (b. 1999) is a creative artist who is passionate about spiritual wholeness, social justice, ecological wellness, and building new communal practices of healing in our world. Will has facilitated storytelling festivals where people shared stories of their lives, concerts cultivating a multiplicity of creative disciplines, and communal gathering spaces where people come to heal and be spiritually renewed. As the founder of EarthStory, a project pursuing ecological wholeness, Will draws together creative artists, storytellers, and community members to remember their stories of belonging in the biotic community. Will is a conductor, composer, and collaborative pianist who has shared music with choirs, orchestras, and chamber ensembles throughout the United States and abroad. Will’s deep passion is creating in collaboration with co-conspirators who share the intention of bringing more healing, joy, and grace into the world. Duo Emersi focuses on emerging music that reconnects people to the natural world. The violin and piano duo has performed around the Pacific Northwest premiering new music and collaborating with ecologists and other artists. Grace M. Alexander (b. 2001) is an American violinist, collaborator, musical leader, arts administrator, and photographer. Currently based in Vancouver, BC Canada, she is passionate about creating thoughtful, musical, and creative experiences for people of all backgrounds and interests. Will Rand (b. 1999) is a collaborative pianist, composer, and conductor who is passionate about spiritual wholeness, social justice, ecological wellness, and building new communal practices of healing in our world. As founding members of EarthStory, a project pursuing ecological wholeness, Will and Grace draw together creative artists, storytellers, and community members to remember their stories of belonging in the biotic community through festivals and online podcasts.
Kurt Knecht is a composer and keyboardist living in Kansas City. His compositions have been described as “funky” and “joyous” in the Washington Post, and “brilliant in concept” in The Tracker magazine. His music has been performed at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and by Grammy Award winning groups like the KC Chorale and the Washington Chorale. He has been featured on the American Public Media program Pipedreams multiple times as a composer and performer. As an eclectic performer, Kurt has been a featured soloist with groups ranging from Smokey Robinson to The Florida Orchestra. Kurt has performed at the national conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the American Choral Directors Association. His chamber music has been featured at ClarinetFest and the National Flute Association convention. He is the organist at St. Paul’s Episcopal in Kansas City and the co-founder of MusicSpoke, a marketplace for artist owned sheet music for composers to self-publish and monetize their music.
Amy Guffey serves as Instructor of Clarinet at Kansas State University. She holds degrees from Shenandoah University, Ball State University, and Florida State University, where her doctoral treatise explored clarinet concerti composed between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2013. Her career as a clarinetist has taken her to South Korea, Europe, and throughout the United States. Her principal teachers include Deborah Bish, Caroline Hartig, Frank Kowalsky, Kathleen Mulcahy, and Charlene Zimmerman. In addition to her studies with the aforementioned teachers, she has worked with esteemed clarinetists such as Mark Nuccio, Pascual Martinez-Forteza, Lawrie Bloom, Victoria Luperi, and Michael Lowenstern. Dr. Guffey is a clarinetist with the Chamber Orchestra of the Smoky Valley and currently serves on the International Clarinet Association (ICA) Youth Involvement Committee. She is also a Backun Musical Services Artist and faculty member at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Prior to receiving her doctorate, she taught elementary instrumental music in the Washington, D.C. area, woodwinds at Yongsan International School (South Korea), blockflöte at Otfried-Preußler-Grundschule (Germany), and early childhood music at Cornerstone Center for the Arts (IN). While working in these various learning environments, she gained experience differentiating learning experiences for non-typical learners, ages pre-K-12.
Dr. Lucas Helker is a percussionist, educator, musicologist, and sound engineer. He currently serves as the Assistant Director of Bands and the Assistant Professor of Percussion at Fort Hays State University where he teaches applied percussion lessons, percussion ensemble, and the Tiger drum line. As an active performer of new music, Luke has commissioned or premiered new works for percussion from such esteemed composers as Jenni Brandon, Kevin Day, Nicholas Tran, and Daijana Wallace, among others. His annual concert series, Ears to the Earth, has initiated the creation of some of these works in addition to providing a platform to combine musical performance with local outreach. Luke received his D.M.A. and M.M. and D.M.A. from the University of Kansas and his B.A. from Millersville University. His primary teachers included Dr. Michael Compitello and Dr. Sam Um.
Sofia is an Omaha area flutist, having been involved with various international, regional and state classical festivals. Festival credits include National Flute Association (NFA) Convention, Tampere Flute Fest, Scheherazade Music Festival, Chicago Flute Festival, Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival and University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) Flute Festival. She was one of the original 12 ensembles selected to perform the NFA commissioned piece, “Oxygen” for 12 flutes by Julia Wolfe. She earned her Master of Music (2024) and Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance (2021) from UNO. She has performed in masterclasses with American flutists Carol Wincenc, Dr Rik Noyce, Dr Daniel Carlo, Dr Megan Lanz, as well as Canadian flutist Christopher Lee and Italian flutist Sergio Pallottelli. Through musical performance, teaching, administrative and programming work, Sofia enjoys connecting with the musical community of Omaha. Currently, Sofia serves as Programming Assistant with the Omaha Conservatory of Music and work with Schmitt Music.
Stephen R. Borodkin is a clarinetist, teacher, and arts administrator based in Kansas City. He recently completed his Doctor of Musical Arts at the UMKC Conservatory and now teaches clarinet at both Kansas City Kansas Community College and Missouri Western State University. An advocate for new music and chamber performance, Borodkin is a founding member of the Hijinx Clarinet Quartet, with whom he often commissions works and performs in unconventional performance venues. His solo and chamber work has taken him across the United States and internationally to Austria and Belgium. Borodkin is active in the International Clarinet Association, serving on the Membership and Development Committee and as Volunteer Coordinator for the annual ClarinetFest® conferences. He is passionate about connecting with audiences through innovative programming and collaborative performance and is always excited to meet audience members that share his love of music.
Dr. Brianna Volkmann (she/her) is an emerging horn performer and avid music educator based in Kansas City. As an educator, she serves as the Adjunct Professor of Horn at Missouri Western State University, and maintains a private horn studio in the KC Metro area. As an orchestral performer, she is the acting assistant principal hornist of the Topeka Symphony Orchestra, and regularly appears as substitute member of the Kansas City Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Wichita Symphony, Wichita Grand Opera, and Saint Joseph Symphony horn sections. In the chamber setting, she enjoys performing with the MWSU Faculty Brass Quintet, and is a founding member of the State Line Horn Duo. She also served three years as the hornist of Plaza Winds, the graduate fellowship woodwind quintet at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory, where she recently completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Horn Performance.
Daniel A. Baker is an accomplished pianist/organist, music director, and is well-known throughout the Kansas City area for the diversity of his professional talents. In March of 2025, Danny was appointed the Associate Director of Traditional Music and Organist at Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS, following a lengthy appointment of 17.5 years as Director of Liturgy and Music at St. James Catholic Church in Liberty, MO. Currently serving as Tenor Section Leader, Resident Organist and Rehearsal Accompanist for the award-winning, semi–professional chorale, The William Baker Festival Singers, Danny is also an instructor of Keyboard Arts – Collaborative Pianist at William Jewell College located in Liberty, Missouri. In recent years, Danny has served as staff accompanist for Liberty Community Chorus + Northwest Missouri State University as well as offering private instruction in voice and piano. This summer, Danny will be leading the inaugural performance of the Northland Summer Singers, part of the Choral Foundations ever growing list of ensembles.
An expressive performer, Noah Edwards has performed with several organizations and ensembles in the Omaha Area; notably the UNO Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Heartland Flute Choir, and UNO University Orchestra. Noah is also a skilled and enthusiastic chamber performer, performing several times in UNO student recitals, as well as venues like Gallery 1516, the Samuel Bak Museum, and St. Cecilia’s Cathedral. With a focus on ethnomusicology, and linguistic phonetics, Noah incorporates studies of world music into his own playing. Noah is currently a student of Dr. Christine Erlander-Beard at University of Nebraska at Omaha, in his senior year of a BMA in Flute Performance. Noah explores many opportunities with regards to performing in masterclasses and has learned from many notable performers such as Chris Lee, Sergio Pallottelli, Bart Feller, and the Whole Musician Team (Dr. Rik Noyce, Dr. Megan Lanz, Dr. Meg Griffith, Chris Lee). Learning Is one of Noah’s passions, and he plans to explore graduate school options in Flute and Linguistics.