Woodwind Day

Known for her infectious energy and boundless enthusiasm, Dr. Robinson holds the Marvin Maydew piccolo chair of the Topeka Symphony and performs regularly with the Colorado MahlerFest orchestra, the Aviary quartet, and dozens of other projects.

Her debut album, Aviary, can be found on Aerocade Music. She can also be heard on Moxie, the debut album of the Chamber Winds of South Dakota.

In an effort to expand the flute repertoire, Robinson co-founded the Flute New Music Consortium (FNMC), and currently serves the organization as Vice President.

Brendon Bushman is an active freelance oboist and educator based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is currently principal oboist of the Saint Cloud and Mankato Symphony Orchestras, and on faculty at The College of St. Benedict – St. John’s University, as well as Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Martin Luther College, Bethany Lutheran College, Laurel School of Music, and International Music Camp.

Brendon can be heard around the Twin Cities and the upper midwest with the Northern Lights Music Festival, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, Sioux City Symphony, Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, Borealis Chamber Artists, Journey North Opera, Minnesota Dance Theatre, MN Sinfonia, VocaleEssence, and more. Recordings include the 2009 Albany Records CD & digital release “Music from Paris” with the Atlanta Chamber Winds. Mr. Bushman is an alumnus of Indiana University, The University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Minnesota.

When not making reeds, Brendon loves cycling (often in conditions or distances that seem neither healthy nor wise), walking Powderhorn Park with his dog Nori, and trying new restaurants and weird board games with his family.

Dr. Michael Walsh is Professor of Clarinet at South Dakota State University where he also teaches Music History and Music Entrepreneurship.

Walsh received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Miami, FL. He holds the distinction as being the first student to earn the DMA degree in Clarinet Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Kansas under Dr. Larry Maxey. Walsh is a member of the Miami Clarinet Quartet which has commissioned numerous works for the ensemble and recently recorded their first album of Music by Women Composers title Wild Winds.

As a bass clarinetist with the quartet and as a soloist, he has performed at the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium, International Clarinet Association’s Clarinetfest, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors (NACWPI) national conferences, the Flute New Music Consortium’s New Music Festival and the World Saxophone Congress. He was elected President of NACWPI in 2014 and has had the pleasure of directing their national conferences in 2014 and 2015.

Dr. Brian Hanegan is an internationally touring saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He serves as Associate Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at the Augustana University School of Music, where he teaches applied saxophone, jazz improvisation, and the history of jazz, blues, and rock. He also directs the Northlanders Jazz Ensemble, Blues & Gold Jazz Combo, and Augustana’s Jazz on the Upper Great Plains Festival.

Hanegan has performed with artists including The Temptations, Jeff Coffin, Matthew Whitaker, Bob Mintzer, Allen Vizzutti, Adam Larson, Adam Meckler, and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, as well as the South Dakota and Sioux City Symphony Orchestras. He is an active performer with Goodroad, the Brian Hanegan Quintet, and Jazzed Up Big Band.

As an educator, Hanegan is passionate about helping young musicians develop strong fundamentals, musicality, improvisational skills, and a lifelong connection to music. He has presented concerts, clinics, and educational programs throughout the United States and internationally, including a 15-day Northlanders Jazz Band tour of Spain in 2023.

Hanegan is a Yamaha and Theo Wanne Mouthpieces Performing Artist and holds degrees from North Dakota State University, University of South Dakota, and Northern State University.

Leigh Muñoz is a dynamic pedagogue, entrepreneur, and musician, currently serving as Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory and Bassoon Intensive faculty at Interlochen Arts Camp.

With extensive experience in academic, orchestral, and solo settings, she has previously taught at Middle Tennessee State University, Washburn University, and Missouri State University. A first-call substitute bassoonist and contrabassoonist with the Kansas City Symphony, Lyric Opera, and Kansas City Ballet, Muñoz has also performed with the Jackson Symphony, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, Cedar Rapids Symphony, and Springfield Symphony.

Muñoz's leadership extends to the double reed community, as Co-Executive Director of the Meg Quigley Bassoon Symposium and Competition. Renowned for her expertise, Muñoz has presented at international conferences and owned GoBassoon Reeds, providing professional-quality reeds. She holds a D.M.A. from the University of Kansas and studied at Oberlin Conservatory, Ohio University, and the New England Conservatory.