Kevin Price-Brenner was born in Oklahoma and is a product of a successful public school arts program. It was after becoming a member of the Oklahoma Youth Orchestra that he quickly directed his aspirations toward a career in teaching and performing. His path eventually brought him to Iowa in 2002 after accepting a teaching position at Davenport Central High School. Two years ago, he moved to Dubuque upon being appointed Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where he teaches cello, chamber music, and string pedagogy. In addition, he teaches cello at Clark College and Loras College in Dubuque.

 

Mr. Price-Brenner's prior teaching engagements include Central College, St Ambrose University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Nevada, Reno. He has been Interim Conductor for the Dubuque Youth Symphony Orchestra, Music Director/Conductor for the Reno Philharmonic Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Assistant Conductor for the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra. After founding the Northern Nevada String Clinic, Mr. Price-Brenner has become a frequent clinician across Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Some of his principal conducting teachers include Barry Epperley, Barry Jekowsky, and Graydon McGrannahan, making him a second-generation student of Leonard Berstein, Kurt Masur, Seiji Ozawa, and Leonard Slatkin.

 

 

Paul Alan Price-Brenner, originally from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, is the first conductor of the Quad City Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. He was Orchestra Director at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, IL and has also been rehearsal conductor for the Dubuque Youth Symphony Orchestra and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Symphony Orchestra.

 

Mr. Brenner received his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Master of Music from DePaul University. Currently he is a PhD candidate in Music Composition at the University of Iowa. His conducting teachers include James Smith, Gerald Olson, and Janet Jensen.

 

At the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Mr. Brenner teaches Applied Violin and Viola, Music Appreciation, Music Technology, Bodywork for Musicians, and special studies in Composition and Electronic Music. In addition to teaching at UW-Platteville, he also teaches Violin and Viola at Loras College and Clarke University and maintains a private violin/viola studio in Dubuque, IA. Beyond teaching, composing, and conducting, Brenner also plays viola for the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, the Spoudaios String Quartet, and the Kipperton String Quartet (the first String Quartet in Residence at the UW-Platteville).

 

 

Dortha Manning DeWit was born in Alaska and grew up in Michigan. Her early violin studies were with her mother, Jean Manning, who was also a violinist; later teachers included Romeo Tata, Roland and Almita Vamos, Richard Young, and Josef Gingold. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from Oberlin College and a Master of Music from Indiana University, where she also did doctoral coursework. She has performed in orchestras and in recitals throughout the Midwest. Mrs. DeWit is a member of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, the Serenata String Trio, and Heartstrings (a Celtic group), and also serves as conductor of the Quad City Youth String Ensemble. She now maintains a private violin studio in her home in addition to teaching at Augustana College.

• Auditions 2013-14 Season
• Youth Symphony Orchestra
• Youth Philharmonic Orchestra
• String Ensemble
• Prelude Strings
• Directing Staff
• Holiday Pops Children's Chorus