Brittany Trotter

Dr. Brittany Trotter leads a diverse career as an educator, soloist, and collaborator. She is the Assistant Professor of Practice in Flute and Program Director of Woodwinds at the University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music in Stockton, CA.
Trotter has been awarded first prize in numerous national and regional competitions including competing as a semi-finalist in the 2017 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. She has performed in the flute sections of several orchestras and is equally versed in post-classical contemporary and electro-acoustic music.
Trotter regularly performs, teaches, and serves as a guest lecturer throughout the United States. She has performed and presented at numerous music festivals including the National Flute Association Convention where she was a featured soloist in the 2020 virtual summer series celebration concert series.
Trotter is the recipient of the NFA’s 2020 Graduate Research Competition for her dissertation entitled, Examining Music Hybridity and Cultural Influences in Valerie Coleman’s Wish Sonatine and Fanmi Imen. Her passion for engaging with underrepresented communities through classical music has led her to collaborate with several local nonprofits in the greater Pittsburgh area, including a featured artist in residence with Unisound of Pittsburgh.
A native from Laurel, Mississippi, Trotter has received degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi (B.M., B.M.E.), University of Wyoming (M.M.), and West Virginia University (D.M.A., Certificate of University Teaching).

Tadeu Coelho

Tadeu Coelho is professor of flute at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He has served as associate professor of flute at the University of Iowa from 1997-2002, as assistant professor of flute at the University of New Mexico from 1992-1997, and as visiting professor at the Ino Mirkovich Music Academy in Croatia. Mr. Coelho frequently appears as soloist, chamber musician, and master clinician throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas. He has performed as first solo flutist of the Santa Fe Symphony, Hofer Symphoniker in Germany, and the Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Italy, among others, including guest appearances with the Boston Symphony in the summer of 1996.

A recipient of many awards and scholarships, Rockefeller Foundation, Fideicomiso para la cultura México/EUA, USIA/Fulbright, LASPAU, and CAPES, Tadeu Coelho received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music as a student of Julius Baker and Ransom Wilson. Started on the flute by his father, Dr. Coelho also studied with Keith Underwood, Thomas Nyfenger, Andrew Lolya, and Arthur Ephross. Mr. Coelho gave his New York recital debut at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in April of 1992. In his native Brazil, Coelho studied also with Spartacco Rossi, João Dias Carrasqueira, and Jean Noel Sagaard.

Tadeu Coelho is an avid proponent of new music and the music of the Americas. He has commissioned, performed, and recorded works by notable composers.

Lindsey Keay

A native of Calgary, Canada, Dr. Lindsey Keay attended The University of Texas in Austin where she graduated with her B.M. in Music Studies and Human Learning, a Performance Certificate in Flute, and Texas Teaching Certification. During this time, she was a Byron Hestor Competition Finalist, and served as principal flute for a summer residency at the Austrian-American Mozart Academy in Salzburg, Austria. Dr. Keay received her M.M. in Flute Performance and Ph.D. in Music Education from The University of Southern Mississippi, where she also won the William T. Gower Concerto Competition and the Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition.

An active performer, Dr. Keay currently serves as second flute in Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, piccolo/third flute in the Meridian Symphony Orchestra, and is a regular player with North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and Ballet, Mobile Symphony Orchestra, Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, Hattiesburg Civic Light Opera, and the Natchez Festival of Music.

In addition to studio and public school teaching in Austin, TX, she has been a music education instructor at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, LA, music instructor at The DuBard School for Language Disorders in Hattiesburg, MS, and has taught and performed abroad in Canada, Singapore, and Colombia. Dr. Keay currently serves as Associate Director of Bands and Flute Instructor at Jones College in Ellisville, MS.

Jesus Castro

Colombian flutist Jesus Castro is an international performer with participation in countries such as Peru, Ecuador, and the United States of America. Castro is winner of several competitions such as Fifth Place and Laureated flutist in the 2009 Colombian National Flute Competition in Bogota, Colombia, The University of Southern Mississippi 2010-2011 Band Soloists Competition, 2011-2012, USM William T. Gower Orchestra Soloists Competition, and Second place in the MTNA Young Artist Woodwind State Division Competition. Selected as Graduate Musician of the years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 and Most Valuable Wind Player 2012-2013 by the University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. He was selected as one of the 25 qualifying participants to attend to the 2013 National Flute Association International Young Artist Competition. Winner of Honorary Mention at the Louisiana Flute Festival 2014. Jesus was a winner of the award “Becas Para Colombianos en Procesos de Formación Artística y Cultural en el Exterior” given by the Colombian National Department of Culture in 2015.

Jesus Castro holds an undergraduate degree from the Conservatory of Tolima, a Master of Music degree in Flute Performance from The University of Southern Mississippi, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Flute Performance degree from the same institution.
Castro currently holds the position of Professor at the University of Pamplona Music Program. Since 2020, Castro is the Director of the Presencias, Saberes y Expresiones – Academic Journal of the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Pamplona, Colombia.

Carlos Feller

Carlos Feller is a member of the ensemble Traverso Colore, a chamber group dedicated to historically informed performances of baroque music on period instruments. An enthusiast of new music for flute, he has performed at the International Computer Music Conference in New Orleans, at the International Michel Debost Composition Competition in Curitiba-Brazil, and at the XV Biennial Festival of New Music at Florida State University. International appearances as a recitalist and clinician include Brazil, Mexico, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Colombia, France, and Switzerland. Dr. Feller currently serves as the Director of the Hot Springs Flute Ensemble in its 37th season, and on the faculty of Ouachita Baptist University.

Fabiana Magrinelli Dahmer

Dr. Fabiana Magrinelli Dahmer holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from The University of Southern Mississippi, a Master of Music from Southeastern Louisiana University, a Bachelor of Music from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.

With a wide experience as an orchestral musician, Dr. Magrinelli has performed with many orchestras in the United States and abroad. For almost ten years she served as Principal Flute of orchestras in South Brazil such the UCS Symphony Orchestra and PUCRS Philharmonic Orchestra. She also performed with a variety of wind ensembles such as Caxias do Sul Wind Symphony Orchestra and Novo Hamburgo Symphonic Band, and was guest musician in orchestras such as OSPA, Unisinos, and SESC orchestras. Since moving to the United States, she has performed with many orchestras in the South such as Meridian Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, and Festival South Orchestra.

As an educator, Dr. Magrinelli was the Flute Instructor of the University of Caxias do Sul for several years. She was the School of Music Director of the University of Caxias do Sul from 2008 to 2009 and helped to implement the Music Program at that university. Currently, she is the Adjunct Instructor of Flute at the University of Mobile and teaches at the Music Education Program of the Mobile Symphony Orchestra. She also and maintains a successful private flute studio in Hattiesburg, MS.

Dr. Magrinelli’s doctoral dissertation entitled “The Influences of the French Flute School in Brazilian Flute Pedagogy” was a winner of the 2018 National Flute Association Research Competition.

Zhaolei Xie

Chinese Pianist Zhaolei Xie was a winner in the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, which led to his debut in Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2006. He also won the Bronze Medal in the 58th Wideman International Piano Competition. His other awards include the First place in the Young Artist Division of the Tourgee DeBose National Piano Competition in Baton Rouge; Winner of Monroe Symphony Young Artists Competition, Mid-Texas Symphony Young Artist Competition and Texas Christian University Piano Concerto Competition; Second place in the Louisiana Music Teachers Association Collegiate Artist Competition of MTNA and Texas Young Artists Competition.

Mr. Xie has appeared as orchestral soloist with the Monroe Symphony Orchestra, Mid-Texas Symphony Orchestra, Texas Christian University Symphony Orchestra and Southeastern Louisiana University Chamber Orchestra. He is also active as a recitalist, chamber musician and piano accompanist. Mr. Xie has performed piano solo and chamber music in Ed Landreth Auditorium and PepsiCo Recital Hall in Texas and Miller Recital Hall and Greenfield Hall in New York City. He has served as piano accompanist in Southeastern Louisiana University and the Thurnauer School of Music of Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in New Jersey. Mr. Xie has participated in master classes given by Leslie Howard , Yoheved Kaplinsky and Jose Feghali.

Mr. Xie received his piano training in Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China and St. Petersburg State Conservatory of Music, Russia from 1993-2004. He earned his Bachelor’s degree with honors from Southeastern Louisiana University, where he was a student of David Evenson and Kenneth Boulton. Mr. Xie holds Master of Music degree in Piano Performance from Manhattan School of Music, and Artist Diploma from Texas Christian University, where he studied with Marc Silverman and John Owings. He is a member of PHI KAPPA PHI National Honor Society. In 2014, Mr. Xie was appointed as Staff Accompanist in The University of Southern Mississippi.