Anne Rupert is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where she earned a Bachelor of Music with a double major in Music Education and Cello Performance. At Eastman, she studied cello with Steven Doane and was a member of every major performing ensemble including the Heidelberg, Germany Schlosspiele Orchestra. Prior to joining the Youth Orchestras of Prince William, Mrs. Rupert taught for 10 years in the Fairfax County Public Schools where she was the Orchestra Director at Oakton High School, Rachel Carson Middle School, and Franklin Middle School. Mrs. Rupert's orchestras consistently received Superior Ratings and Best Overall Orchestra Awards at District and National competitions in Chicago, Toronto, Orlando, Boston, Myrtle Beach, Gatlinburg, Atlanta, Hershey, Richmond, Williamsburg, and the New York Orchestra Festival in Carnegie Hall. Nine of Mrs. Rupert's former Oakton High School students are employed as Orchestra Directors in Virginia. Mrs. Rupert is currently the Orchestra Director at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax County.
Since 1989, Mrs. Rupert has been a member of the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra cello section, has performed frequently as a free-lance cellist in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area, has maintained a private cello studio in her home. Mrs. Rupert is the 1994 recipient of the American String Teachers Association Virginia Chapter "Outstanding Orchestra Director" Award. Beginning in 1994, Mrs. Rupert served as guest conductor to many of the Junior and Senior Regional Orchestras across Virginia and North Carolina and has regularly adjudicated at Virginia Music Educators Association District Orchestra Festivals across the state. Her other guest conducting engagements include: Levine School of Music, James Madison University Spring String Thing, University of North Carolina at Greensboro Summer Music Camp, and Franklin Band and Orchestra Camp.
Mrs. Rupert lives in Clifton, Virginia with her husband Greg and their five sons - Benjamin, Nicholas, Nathaniel, Noah, and Michael. She enjoys being a mom, cub scout leader and violin and cello practice partner. She thanks you for the opportunity to work with your children in this setting and appreciates your support of the arts and orchestra programs. You may contact Mrs. Rupert at: rupertyso@hotmail.com
Gerald Fowkes is a 2001 graduate of Louisiana State University where he graduated summa cum laude in Cello Performance. His former teachers and mentors include Dennis Parker, Loran Stephenson, and Pamela Frame. In addition, he has studied conducting with Jindong Cai and Michael Butterman; and worked extensively with such artists as Gary Hoffman, Neeme Jarvi, Aldo Pariso, and Charles Castleman. He is an alumnus of YOPW and a past Virginia Governor's Scholar at the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Michigan. A former member of the Baton Rouge Symphony, he performs frequently as a freelance cellist throughout the Baltimore/Washington metro area.
Mr. Fowkes is currently the Director of Orchestras at The Center for the Fine and Performing Arts at Woodbridge High School. At Stonewall Middle School, his orchestras consistently received Superior ratings at District IX Orchestra Festival. He has had the distinct honor of conducting the Spotsylvania Jr. All-County Orchestra and has also served as an adjudicator for various festivals throughout the Northern Virginia region. He is a member of MENC and the Virginia Music Educators Association as well as a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. Mr. Fowkes maintains a private cello studio at his home where he resides with his wife, Rebecca, daughter, Scout, and son, Isaac. You may contact Mr. Fowkes at: FowkesGI@pwcs.edu
Latoya Slocumb received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she studied violin with Rachel Huang and was a member of the BESK quartet. During the last four years she has performed regularly with the Mount Vernon Orchestra. Mrs. Slocumb has taught in Fairfax County Public Schools for seven years serving as director at Waynewood Elementary School and Carl Sandburg Middle School, and in 2005 she became the orchestra director at the new South County Secondary School. Her advanced orchestras at Carl Sandburg received consistent Superior ratings at District Orchestra Festivals in northern Virginia, Williamsburg, and Hershey, Pennsylvania. In recent years, Mrs. Slocumb has been a guest conductor at the James Madison Spring String Thing, Portsmouth Junior Regional Orchestra, Harrisonburg All-Regional Orchestra, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Middle School Honors Orchestra, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Summer Music Camp. Mrs. Slocumb recently received the Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year Award in her school community. Mrs. Slocumb resides in Springfield, Virginia with her husband Brendan Slocumb, who is also a musician. You may contact Mrs. Slocumb at: llslocs@hotmail.com
Katherine Henderson received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from the Ohio State University, where she studied string pedagogy with Dr. Robert Gillespie and violin with Laurel Butler. She graduated magna cum laude and received the Instrumental Student Teacher of the Year Award. Mrs. Henderson was also a violin coach with the Columbus Symphony's Junior Strings Orchestra during her time in Columbus, Ohio. She started teaching for Fairfax County Public Schools in 2002 and is currently teaching at Bush Hill Elementary, Union Mill Elementary, and Bonnie Brae Elementary. She has previously taught at Riverside Elementary, Mount Vernon Woods Elementary and Hybla Valley Elementary. She has also taught at the Rockwood Summer Strings Camp in St. Louis, MO for many years. Mrs. Henderson is an active member of the American String Teacher Association. She resides in Annandale, Virginia with her husband, Daniel, who is a cellist. You may contact Mrs. Henderson at: Katherine.Henderson@fcps.edu
Lisa Kline attended James Madison University and Bridgewater College (Virginia), where she graduated with a degree in music. She received her primary Suzuki training from William Starr and Ronda Cole. She has taught strings in Fauquier County and at the Prince George's County Magnet School for the Performing Arts, where she developed the first Suzuki Violin Program in that county's public school system. Mrs. Kline also maintained a private Suzuki violin studio for ten years. She has performed as a member of the Prince William Symphony Orchestra and the Prince George's Philharmonic Orchestra. She has been a “Suzuki Mom” for eleven years and is the proud parent of a YOPW Youth Symphony Orchestra member. You may contact Mrs. Kline at: elsomkline@msn.com
Dr. Zuill Bailey has a long and distinguished record of service to education in Prince William County and to the Youth Orchestras of Prince William. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from East Carolina University and Master of Music Education and Doctor of Music Education degrees from the University of Illinois. Prior to moving to Prince William, He served in the United States Air Force as a Personnel and Administrative officer stationed at Bolling Air Force Base. He is retired from Prince William County Schools, having served as Director of Bands at Woodbridge Senior High School, Supervisor of Music for the Prince William County School System, Principal of Gar-Field Senior High School, Director of Curriculum Services, and Director of Information Services. Dr. Bailey is married to Lana Bailey, a pianist and organist, and both Dr. amd Mrs. Bailey have served on the Board of Directors for the Youth Orchestras of Prince William. They have two children - Allison, a violinist and orchestra director at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County; and, Zuill, Jr., a professional cello soloist and Director of the El Paso Pro Musica in El Paso, Texas. Both children are alumni of YOPW. You may contact Dr. Bailey at: ZBLB@verizon.net
David Salisbury, is a local percussionist and percussion teacher. He grew up in Southern California and majored in music at Fullerton College and Cypress College. For many years he studied jazz drumming with Bob Raite and mallet percussion with Emil Farland. David received a Bachelor of Science and a Ph.D. in instructional psychology from Brigham Young University and later taught instructional psychology at Florida State University. David has performed with the Prince William Band, the NOVA Manassas Symphony, the HOTS Jazz Ensemble and the George Mason University 2007 Jazz Connection. He is currently pursuing a music degree at George Mason University. David is a member of the VA/DC chapter of the Percussive Arts Society and organizer of Drumfest!, a Northern Virginia annual student drummers competition. You may contact Mr. Salisbury at: dsalisbury@verizon.net
Patty Plombon, a Northern Virginia native, is a prominent freelance violist and viola teacher. She received a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the Eastman School of Music, and a Master of Music degree in Viola Performance from Rice University, the Shepherd School of Music. Her former teachers include Francis Tursi, Heidi Castleman and Atar Arad. From 1992-1994, Ms. Plombon was a member of the Orquesta de Castilla y Leon in Valladolid, Spain and upon her return to the United States, became an active freelance musician in the Northern Virginia area. She has played with the National Symphony, the Washington Opera, the Baltimore Opera, the Wolf Trap Opera, the Arena Stage, the National Theater and numerous other venues. In addition, she has performed with many pop artists, including Ray Charles, Whitney Houston, Barry White, Victor Borge, Natalie Cole and others.
Since 1994, Ms. Plombon has created and maintained a private viola studio in Springfield, VA. Many of her former students have continued to the collegiate level, and she currently has students attending James Madison University, Indiana University, Ithaca College, Mary Washington College,the College of William & Mary, and the University of West Virginia. Ms. Plombon has served as a sectional coach and quartet coach for both YOPW and the AYP and has also adjudicated at Solo and Ensemble Festivals in Fairfax County. She is a member of American String Teacher's Association. You may contact Miss Plombon at: PPlombon@aol.com
Carol Tumbleson Taylor is a native of Boulder and Fort Collins, Colorado and has been the Executive Director of the Youth Orchestras of Prince William since October, 1997. She was a music education major at Casper College (Wyoming) and Colorado State University. She studied violin with Curtis Peacock and Wilfred Schwartz and was concertmaster of the Casper Symphony Orchestra. Mrs. Taylor has served as General Manager of the Arlington Symphony and on the Artistic Administration staff of the National Symphony Orchestra. She was a board member of the Casper (Wyo) Symphony, the Prince William Symphony - where she was chair of the Musicians Committee - and the Youth Orchestras of Prince William.
Mrs. Taylor has served on the Prince William Arts Council and its Grants Panel. She is a member of the 2007 Advisory Panel for the Virginia Commission for the Arts and has been an active member of a committee of Prince William area arts managers advising George Mason University in the design of its new Performing Arts Center. She also works closely with the National Symphony Orchestra and the American Symphony Orchestra League on a variety of music education projects. In 2005 the Prince William Park Authority Arts Council presented Mrs. Taylor with the Kathleen K. Seefeldt Award for Ongoing Contribution by an Individual to the Arts.
Mrs. Taylor has served as an adjudicator for Solo and Ensemble Festivals throughout Northern Virginia. She has performed with the Strolling Strings and many of the orchestras in the Washington area. Mrs. Taylor also served on the Congressional staffs of Rep. Dick Cheney, Wyoming (1979-85) and Rep. Hank Brown, Colorodo (1988). She lives in Woodbridge with her husband Bruce and two children Sarah and Eric. You may contact Mrs. Taylor at: yopw@verizon.net
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