Casey Ann Fitzsimmons director, Adirondack Youth Strings

Casey Ann Fitzsimmons grew up on Long Island and attended SUNY New Paltz where she received her Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in music with an emphasis on strings. She now resides in Morrisonville, New York. Since 2003, Casey Ann has been the District String teacher in Peru, where she conducts the High School Avanti String Orchestra, the Middle School Mezzo String Orchestra, the Maestro Orchestra, and Partenza Strings. She also provides small group instrument lessons to students in grades 6-12. In addition, she maintains a private string teaching studio in her home. Casey Ann has been an active member of the Adirondack Youth Orchestra Association since 2004 serving as a Member-at-large, President, and now Conductor of the Adirondack Youth Strings. Casey Ann remains active in violin performance by playing for weddings and performances in Clinton County, including the Champlain Valley Oratorio Society and SUNY Plattsburgh’s Sinfonia Chamber Ensemble. In the Spring of 2007 and 2008, she served as a clinician at the Vermont Day for Strings Festival.

Kate Bulluck director, Adirondack Youth Mezzo

Kate Jarrard Bulluck is a Music Education graduate of the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York. She has taught general music in the Plattsburgh City School District, High School Band and Jazz Band in the Saranac Central School District, and currently teaches String Orchestra in the Plattsburgh City School District. Mrs. Bulluck played bassoon in the Adirondack Youth Orchestra for seven years, and this is her fourth year conducting the Adirondack Youth Winds. She has also performed with the Champlain Valley Oratorio Society, Northern Symphonic Winds, and the Woodland Winds Quintet, which she co-founded.

Corinne Bennett director, Adirondack Youth Winds

Corinne Bennett is currently the Instrumental Music Teacher at Northeastern Clinton Middle School in Champlain, NY. She is a 2009 graduate of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam where she earned her Bachelor of Music degrees in music education and music performance on the trombone. In 2010 she received her Master of Arts degree in instrumental conducting from Mansfield University in Mansfield, PA. She has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Orchestra of Northern New York, Northern Symphonic Winds, Billtown Brass, and the Adirondack Jazz Orchestra. She looks forward to her first year as conductor of the Adirondack Youth Winds.

Todd W. Pray conductor, Adirondack Youth Orchestra

Todd W. Pray currently serves as the District Band Director at Peru Central School, where he conducts three Concert Bands, directs the Jazz, Marching, and Pep Bands, and teaches small group woodwind, brass, and percussion lessons to students in grades 4-12. He also serves as Adjunct Faculty/Saxophone Instructor at SUNY Plattsburgh and teaches a private saxophone studio made up of students of all ages.

Aside from his teaching career, Pray maintains an active performance schedule, regularly appearing with the Frontier Saxophone Quartet (recipients of a 2007 Rockefeller Philanthropy Grant through North Country Public Radio’s UpNorth Music project), the Adirondack Wind Ensemble (AWE), the Northern Symphonic Winds (NSW), and the Adirondack Jazz Orchestra (AJO). He also appears periodically as guest soloist or woodwind player for a wide variety of ensembles. He has been fortunate enough to play in Alice Tully Hall at New York City’s Lincoln Center, and performances with various ensembles have enabled him to perform throughout the Eastern United States and Canada.

Pray has directed the Adirondack Youth Orchestra since January of 2008. He has also led the CCMEA All-County Band and Symphony Orchestra and served as conductor for several Broadway-style musicals presented by Peru Music Theatre and Adirondack Regional Theatre.

Mr. Pray received his Master’s Degree in Saxophone Performance and Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the Ithaca College School of Music in Ithaca, NY, while studying with renowned saxophonist and pedagogue Dr. Steven Mauk. He also holds an Associate’s Degree in Music Education and Performance from Schenectady County Community College in Schenectady, NY, where he studied with saxophonist, clarinetist, and conductor Mr. Brett Wery.