VIRGINIA Q. BACKMAN, flute, is originally from Oak Harbor, Washington, and is a flutist and educator in the Kansas City area. Passionate about both performance and music education, Backman has taught in public schools as well as at the university level, is sought after as a clinician, adjudicator, and teacher, and performs frequently as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral flutist. An active performer of new music, Backman has appeared as a guest artist at the National Conference of the Society for Composers, the University of Central Missouri New Music Festival, the Society of Composers, Inc. Region V and VI Conferences, and the Missouri Western State University Electronic Music Mini-Festival. She was also a featured artist in the opening night concert of the 2013 Black Lab New Music Festival in Kansas City.

Backman is currently principal flutist of the Midwest Chamber Ensemble and plays regularly with the St. Joseph Symphony and the Kinnor Philharmonic. She has also performed with the Kansas City Symphony, the Skagit (WA) Symphony, and the Kansas City Civic Orchestra.

She has performed in master classes of Jeanne Baxtresser, Walfrid Kujala, Zart Dombourian-Eby, Tim Munro, John Barcellona, William Bennett, Lorna McGhee, Sarah Jackson, and Catherine Payne, and also studied with Kim Breilien.

Backman earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree (2020) and a Master of Music degree (2009) in flute performance from the UMKC Conservatory, where she studied with Dr. Mary Posses. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree (2006) in Instrumental Music Education and Flute Performance from Central Washington University, where her teacher was Dr. Hal Ott.

Backman currently lives with her husband and daughter in Lenexa, Kansas, where she has a thriving flute studio. In addition to her performing career, she is an avid runner and rock climber.

JEFFREY ANDERSON, clarinet, is a clarinetist and pedagogue based in Southeast Kansas. Jeffrey has been a music instructor at Allen Community College in Iola, KS for five years, where he wears many hats teaching music classes, giving applied lessons, and directing ensembles. Allen presents an annual musical in which Jeffrey serves as music director. He conducted the Iola Area Symphony Orchestra for the 2020-2021 season. Jeffrey received his DMA in clarinet performance with a cognate in piano performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He received his master's in clarinet performance from Bowling Green State University and his bachelor's in music education from Michigan State University. Equally at home playing both traditional and modern style works, he has performed concertos by Mozart, Weber, and Farberman with full orchestra. He spends his summers in Wooster, Ohio playing in the pit for The Ohio Light Opera company. jeffreyandersonmusic.com

SHAWN NEMATI-BAGHESTANI, oboe, graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia summa cum laude in 2013 with a Bachelor of Music in oboe performance. At Mizzou, he held principal chairs in both the Wind Ensemble and University Philharmonic. Shawn studied oboe with Dan Willett and Edward Dolbashian and performed in master classes with Daniel Stolper, Phil Ross and Andrew Parker. He also spent time with Eugene Izotov, Alex Klein, and Frank Rosenwein. As a member of Trio Nouveau, Shawn was a semi-finalist in the 2010 Plowman Chamber Music Competition and was featured on the Odyssey Chamber Music Series. In 2013, Shawn won the concerto competition at Mizzou and performed the Mozart Oboe Concerto with the University Philharmonic the following year. Since graduating, he has maintained an active performance and teaching schedule in Kansas City and will soon become an associate of the Society of Actuaries.

STEVE LEWIS, French horn, has enjoyed a diverse musical career as both a conductor and French hornist. Steve is the Music Director of the Medical Arts Symphony of Kansas City and the Midwest Chamber Ensemble. Under his direction the Midwest Chamber Ensemble won third place in the American Prize. Lewis has collaborated with such guest artists as pianists Charl Louw, Mary Rose Norell, and Keith Kirchoff, violinist Zsolt Eder, cellist Eman Chalshotori, French hornist Brett Hodge, soprano Sarah Tannehill Anderson and countertenor Jay Carter. He has conducted the Kansas City Metro Opera, the Missouri Symphony, OvreArts (PA), the Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City, the Wilson Symphony (NC), the University of Central Missouri Orchestra, the Emporia State University Chamber Orchestra, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra As a French hornist Steve has performed at the Stamford International Music Festival (UK) and the Brevard Music Center (NC), as well as concerts with the Mahlerfest Orchestra (CO) and the Missouri Symphony.

Steve attended high school at the North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied French horn with David Jolley. Steve holds degrees from East Carolina University (BM, Theory/Composition) where he studied French horn with Mary Burroughs and the University of Missouri- Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance (MM, Orchestral Conducting) where he studied conducting with Robert Olson and French horn with Ellen Campbell and Martin Hackleman. He was twice awarded the EAMA/Florence Gould Foundation Michael Iovenko Fellowship to study conducting in Paris as part of the European American Musical Alliance at the historic Schola Cantorum. While there Lewis received special mention in both solfege and counterpoint. Steve has attended the South Carolina Conductors Institute and the International Conductors Institute workshops in Round Rock Texas and New York. He has received career and continuing education grants from the ELCA Central States Synod, Anna Sosenko Trust, and the Koch Cultural Trust. His many arrangements for French horn and other ensembles are published by Cimarron Music.

MARK ADAIR, bassoon, is a bassoonist and pedagogue from Wichita, KS, completed his Master of Music degree in Bassoon Performance from the Jacobs Schools of Music at Indiana University, studying under William Ludwig, as well as his Bachelor of Music and Music Education at the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory studying with Marita Abner.

While in Kansas City, Mark was a sought-after musician and teacher, working as a guest clinician, private teacher, and district teacher for schools in both Kansas and Missouri. Additionally, he has performed with the Jefferson City Southside Philharmonic, Northland Symphony, Lee’s Summit Symphony, Midwest Chamber Ensemble, Washburn University, and Baker University. In 2019, he won First Prize in the Collegiate Division of the Midwest Double Reed Society Annual Young Artists Competition. During the summer of 2022, Mark served as a contrabassoon fellow for the Aspen Music Festival. As an advocate of new music, he can be heard in recordings of UMKC’s Wind Symphony, the Midwest Chamber Ensemble, and IU’s New Music Ensemble.

His educational outreach work with the Kansas City Symphony has brought performance experiences to thousands of children across the KC metro area. In 2017, Mark was awarded the Presser Foundation Undergraduate Scholar Award for his musical and educational achievements at UMKC. In 2021, he was named a recipient of the Koch Cultural Trust to further advance his musical endeavors. During his time at Indiana University, Mark taught contrabassoon and assisted in designing and implementing studio coursework. While maintaining an active private studio, he also teaches double reeds in multiple districts across the KC Metro and is the acting bassoon instructor for MidAmerica Nazarene University.