Hanrich Claassen is a passionate cellist, conductor, and educator who believes a balance between educating and performing music is the key to true artistic enlightenment. Mr. Claassen obtained his Bachelor of Music in both piano and cello at the University of the Free State in South Africa. He furthered his cello studies at the University of Stellenbosch, where he completed both a Bachelor of Music (Honours) and his Masters Degree in Chamber Music. Mr. Claassen was awarded the Teacher's Licentiate from the University of South Africa with distinction before furthering his cello studies in Portugal in 2003 at the Escola Superior de Artes Aplicadas. As a professional cellist, Mr. Claassen has been a member of various philharmonic and chamber orchestras in South Africa, Portugal, Bahrain and China. During Mr. Claassen’s stay in Shanghai he was Assistant Music Director, cellist and conductor for the Shanghai Baroque Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Claassen was awarded the bronze medal during the 2010 Len van Zyl Conducting Competition in Cape Town after his direction of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra. 2004-2007 Mr. Claassen spent in Saudi Arabia as Coordinator of Performing Arts at the British International School of Al Khobar. Since 2007 he was String Orchestra Director and Head of Middle School Fine Arts at the Shanghai American School, Pudong Campus where he conducted four string orchestras and the SAS MS symphony orchestra. Mr. Claassen relocated to Vienna, Austria in June 2013 as the Middle and High School String Orchestra Director for the American International School Performing Arts team. In August of 2015 Mr. Claassen was appointed to Montverde Academy, Florida as Instrumental Music Teacher and Lower Strings Specialist in the newly established Montverde Academy Conservatory.

The Symphonic Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Mr. Hanrich Claassen, is a pre-professional, conservatory level orchestra in which students are challenged with exceptionally difficult literature. Celebrating its 61st Season, Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras continues its commitment to providing Florida’s young musicians with the opportunity to strengthen their musical talents and develop an appreciation on of the arts through classical music. Membership in Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras is by invite on only, following competitive entrance auditions. Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that has served the Central Florida region for over 60 years. In 1957, Alphonse Carlo, concertmaster emeritus of the Florida Symphony Orchestra, recognized a need for a youth orchestra in Central Florida in which young musicians could develop their talents. Young musicians were invited to attend and participate in rehearsals with Florida Symphony Orchestra musicians and the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra was born. FSYO is comprised of three full orchestras, a chamber orchestra, a jazz orchestra, and one string training orchestra. The six FSYO orchestras are carefully structured so that students can grow with the FSYO throughout their primary and secondary years. The full range of ensembles gives every student a place to excel with peers at a similar level, and all an opportunity to collaborate with and learn from seasoned music professionals, on the local and national levels.

Alison Seaton has performed in Europe and does frequent chamber music and recital work in the Seattle area. Ms. Seaton has conducted a wide range of repertoire from early music to serious modern music. She is at home with many genres and her choirs’ performances reflect that commitment to a diversity of musical education founded upon a good traditional choral and vocal foundation. She has worked with many of the most respected composers and conductors in the choral community. In addition to her commitment to musical excellence, Ms. Seaton is dedicated to the building of community and relationships through the medium of art.

Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart is an all-girls school located in Bellevue, Washington. The chamber choir is dedicated to singing a wide repertoire of music and has cultivated relationships with composers world-wide as well as local composers. The Chamber Choir was honored in 2007 and 2013 to participate in the international choir festival, Festival 500 in Newfoundland, Canada. The choir has worked with such notable composers as Alice Parker, Stephen Hatfield, Michael McGlynn, Javier Busto, Eleanor Daley, Rollo Dilworth, Henry Leck and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, Francisco J. Nunez. The choir frequently travels nationally and internationally.

Emily Painter is in her third year of teaching choir and class piano at Douglas Middle School in Douglas, Wyoming. Though early in her career, Mrs. Painter has seen tremendous growth in her program, which now boasts 42% of the total school enrollment in choir. She has had students participate in the NW ACDA Honor Choirs in Seattle in 2015 and Portland in 2018. This spring, the 16 member 7th/8th auditioned choir, Arioso, will be performing at Carnegie Hall. Her choirs consistently receive superior ratings at district and regional festivals. She is an active member of NAfME and ACDA. Mrs. Painter completed her BME at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY.

Anastasia Rege received her Bachelor’s of Music degree at the University of Connecticut in 2012 and her Master’s of Music degree from the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music in 2014. Anastasia is an active music educator and teaches at several academies in the greater New York area as well as directs the choral and instrumental ensembles at Bishop Kearney High School. In addition to her career as a music educator, Anastasia is also an active choral and operatic performer. She co-founded and acts as artistic director for JACopera, a company whose mission is to make opera relevant, tangible, and accessible to younger generations. JACopera has performed throughout the United States as well as Europe since their formation in 2014.

The Bishop Kearney Chorus is the premiere vocal ensemble at Bishop Kearney High School, an all girls Catholic school in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Joseph. The chorus performs extensively in the community and at school liturgies. The chorus is composed of singers of all grade levels. The ensemble performs music from various time periods and styles and has an extensive repertoire of sacred music.