Consortium Info
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Consortium Closes: October 1, 2026 Delivery Date: December 15, 2026
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Composers
Stacey J. Berk is Professor of Oboe and Music Theory at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. A versatile composer, her works have been performed throughout the United States and commissioned by organizations including the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra, the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America, and numerous schools and chamber ensembles. Her music often draws on literary and programmatic inspiration, ranging from humorous and energetic works to lyrical contemporary pieces. An active performer, Berk serves as principal oboist of the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra and performs with Trio Canna. Previously, she performed with the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra and the United States Air Force Band of the West, where she was also a composer and arranger.
Jenni Brandon stands out as a distinguished composer and conductor, weaving memorable melodies inspired by collaborator stories, nature, and poetry. Her extensive catalogue of over 100 works spans solo pieces, chamber music, concertos, operas, and orchestral compositions, and over two dozen albums feature her music. She oversees the global publication and distribution of her works through Jenni Brandon Music, and her compositions are required repertoire for international music competitions and auditions at premier institutions. Beyond her compositions,
Brandon champions music education and collaboration, presenting workshops on composition and the business of music. As a conductor, she directs performances of her works and others, notably her opera "3 PADEREWSKIS" at the Kennedy Center. Discover more about her journey at jennibrandon.com.
Brandon champions music education and collaboration, presenting workshops on composition and the business of music. As a conductor, she directs performances of her works and others, notably her opera "3 PADEREWSKIS" at the Kennedy Center. Discover more about her journey at jennibrandon.com.
Theresa Delaplain is an acclaimed oboist, composer, and educator known for her advocacy of contemporary music and works by women and BIPOC composers. She is a founding organizer of the SHE Festival of Women in Music and has commissioned, performed, and recorded numerous new works for oboe. Delaplain has appeared as concerto soloist with ensembles including the Thai National Orchestra, the Fort Smith Symphony, and the Arkansas Philharmonic. Her solo album Souvenirs received critical praise for its artistry and expressive playing. She currently serves on the faculty of the University of Arkansas, where she teaches oboe and music theory. An active clinician and author, she also co-hosts Something to Crow About!, a YouTube channel focused on oboe reed-making.
Amber Ferenz is a nonbinary, queer bassoonist, composer, and arranger whose music draws inspiration from the natural world, healing, and emotional transformation. Their compositions blend lyrical storytelling with themes of catharsis and resilience, often centering nature, memory, and human connection. Recent works include Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra, premiered with the Western Piedmont Symphony, and The Things We Say to Death, commissioned by the Asheville Symphony Orchestra in response to Hurricane Helene. Ferenz’s music has been featured at festivals including the Music by Women Festival. An active performer and educator, they are second bassoonist with the Asheville Symphony, a founding member of several chamber ensembles, and Camp Coordinator for the Glickman-Popkin Bassoon Camp. Their works are published by TrevCo Music.
Whitney George is a composer, conductor, and interdisciplinary artist whose work moves across installation, stage, and film. Her music traverses the affective terrain between tragedy and ecstasy, fragility and strength, often drawing together romantically delicate intimacy and the spectacular darkness of the macabre. She is the artistic director and conductor of The Curiosity Cabinet, the ensemble she has led since 2009, and her recordings appear on Pinch Records.
Althea Talbot-Howard is a London-based composer and former professional oboist whose international career has spanned performance, chamber music, and composition. Born in Africa and raised in England and Australia, she studied at the University of Cambridge, the Royal Academy of Music, and the Banff Centre for the Arts. As an oboist, she performed widely as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and guest principal with major orchestras, earning prizes including Third Prize at the Paris-Ville d’Avray International Oboe Competition. Since retiring from performance in 2017, Talbot-Howard has focused on composition, with her chamber and recital works now receiving performances internationally at venues including Wigmore Hall and festivals across Europe, North America, and New Zealand.
Celka Ojakangas is a Los Angeles-based composer originally from southwest Missouri whose music blends influences from classical, jazz, rock, and contemporary styles into an eclectic and genre-blurring sound world. Drawing on her experiences as a violist in symphonies, new music ensembles, jazz groups, and rock bands, her work emphasizes creativity, collaboration, and playfulness for both performers and audiences. Her music has been commissioned and performed by ensembles and artists including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Alarm Will Sound, and Hub New Music. Recent honors include the American Academy of Arts and Letters Goddard Lieberson Fellowship, the 2025 Aspen Music Festival Jacob Druckman Prize, and an ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award. Ojakangas holds a DMA in Composition from the University of Southern California and currently teaches at Occidental College and Glendale Community College.
Jennifer Oliverio is a celebrated cornet and flugelhorn performer who serves as Senior Lecturer of Trumpet at the University of North Texas, principal cornet with the Fountain City Brass Band, and flugelhorn/solo cornet with the Athena Brass Band. A passionate advocate for new music, she has commissioned and premiered award-winning works recognized by the Global Music Awards, 4barsrest, and the 2023 American Prize in Brass Performance. Oliverio regularly performs and presents at major conferences and festivals, including the International Trumpet Guild Conference and the International Women’s Brass Conference. As both performer and educator, she has built a reputation for excellence in teaching, commissioning, and promoting contemporary brass music.
Alexa Rinn is a composer whose music aims to access a visceral immediacy of perceptual experience and feeling. Her love of indie rock, shoegaze, and other heavy genres of popular music deeply informs her timbral and structural explorations, and she loves to think about and live inside the moments of change between sonorities. Rinn’s works have been performed and/or recorded by ensembles such as Chicago Composers Orchestra, Unassisted Fold, Omnibus Ensemble, SONAR Ensemble, Quartetto Maurice, Occasional Symphony, Symphony Number One, Duo Riso, and the Peabody Preparatory Wind Orchestra, as well as at festivals such as New Music On the Point, the Eugene O’Neill National Puppetry Conference, Highscore Festival, and the Norfolk New Music Workshop. Rinn received her BM in composition and music theory from Boston University’s College of Fine Arts and her MM and DMA degrees in composition from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, where she studied with Michael Hersch. She has served as a Lecturer in Music at Northwestern University and adjunct faculty at Roosevelt University, and she is Assistant Professor of Composition at University of Northern Colorado, beginning Fall 2026.
Emily Joy Sullivan is a composer and educator whose music is known for its lyricism, rhythmic vitality, and emotional immediacy. Drawing from vernacular and concert music traditions, her works explore storytelling, song, and dance through both instrumental and vocal music. Sullivan’s compositions have been performed internationally and featured at festivals including the Music by Women Festival and the SCI National Conference. A passionate advocate for communal music-making, she has founded and directed several singing groups and community choirs. Sullivan is currently pursuing a PhD in Music Theory and Composition at the University of California, Davis, with research focused on emotion and the voice in popular music. She also teaches composition at State University of New York at Fredonia.
Lindsey Wiehl teaches woodwinds, music theory, music production, and composition at the University of Maine at Augusta. As a musician, Dr. Wiehl encourages others to unapologetically pursue their interests while ignoring stereotypes and preconceived notions of what it means to be a musician. She performs and has her compositions performed at national and international conferences and has several active commissions for compositions. Her research includes digging into musical analysis, composition, and creating opportunities to bring typical classical instruments into varying genres. You can learn more about her work at www.lindseywiehl.com.
Consortium Director
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Dr. Kristin Leitterman is a solo artist of oboe and voice who defies convention by bringing exciting and unusual programs to audiences. She has commissioned and performed works for oboe and voice by Michael-Thomas Foumai, Jason Coleman, Whitney George, and Lyle Davidson, appearing in major venues including Carnegie Hall and Jordan Hall, as well as in Spain, Brazil, and Canada. She was awarded the American Prize in Instrumental Performance in 2024.
Currently Associate Professor of Oboe and Assistant Chair in the Department of Music at Arkansas State University, Dr. Leitterman teaches oboe, bassoon, and double reed techniques, coaches chamber ensembles, and coordinates the woodwind area. She also directs the long-running Lucarelli Oboe Master Class, now in its 30th year, a weeklong immersive workshop founded by her mentor Humbert Lucarelli. A sought-after guest artist, she has presented master classes at the Manhattan School of Music, New York University, and the Hartt School, and in 2024 was a featured performer and faculty member at the Festival Internacional Música de Campina Grande (FIMUS) in Brazil. Her publications include Relax and Take a Deep Breath: The Lucarelli Approach to Oboe Playing and Gustave Vogt’s Musical Album of Autographs (both Carl Fischer). A leading scholar on Mary Chandler, her editions of Chandler’s works appear with Clifton Edition. Dr. Leitterman currently serves as President of the IDRS Midsouth Regional Chapter and is a Lorée Artist. |