Dr. Mark Schuppener is the conductor of the Preparatory Orchestra of the Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra program and has also served as a strings specialist and frequent sectional coach. Dr. Schuppener has garnered acclaim as a soloist, chamber musician, conductor, arts administrator, and passionate music educator. Since moving to the Washington DC area in 2018, he has served both as the Director of Fine and Performing Arts and Director of Strings and Chamber Music at Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, MD.
As a music educator, Dr. Schuppener has held appointments as a university professor of music, K-12 music educator, private instructor, chamber music coach, youth symphony conductor, and held faculty positions at prestigious summer music festivals and schools throughout the United States. For the past twenty years, Dr. Schuppener has been involved with youth symphony organizations around the country as a conductor, advisor, board member, and administrator in Maryland, Texas, Florida, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Most recently, he was appointed to the board of directors of the Maryland Orchestra Directors Association within the Maryland Music Educators Association.
Orchestral performance opportunities have taken Mark throughout the United States, Spain, Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary, with roles as Concertmaster and Principal within the Michigan Philharmonic, Las Cruces Symphony, Dearborn Symphony Orchestra, El Paso Opera, El Paso Symphony Orchestra, Florida Grand Opera, Aspen Chamber Symphony, Aspen Symphony Orchestra, and the orchestras of the Eastern Music Festival and School. As a chamber musician, Dr. Schuppener has performed as a semi-finalist at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and served as Director of Chamber Music at the Philadelphia International Chamber Music Festival.
Schuppener enjoys artistic collaborations of all types, whether it is classical, rock, pop, bluegrass, and original compositions. His New York solo recital debut was presented by the Argentinean Consulate of New York City by invitation and included the release of his album “Latin American Duos” with International Steinway Artist, Dr. Oscar Macchioni. Other highlights include sharing the stage with Aretha Franklin and recording on Sony Records with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees. Mark earned a Doctor of Musical Arts and a Master of Music from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Tzu-Ching Tai has established herself as a cellist, music educator, conductor, and researcher. She is a graduate of Hartt School of Music, where she earned a Master of Music degree in Cello Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Music Education from the University of Maryland, College Park.
As a music educator and conductor, she has been involved in music teaching from elementary to collegiate levels. She is strings specialist/orchestra director at Fairfax County Public Schools. Previously, she was the orchestra director at Alexandria City Public Schools. During her time at Alexandria City High School, her orchestras received superior ratings consecutively for eight years at the State Assessment. Before ACHS, she was the cello instructor at Holton-Arms School and teaching assistant of the String Methods class at the University of Maryland. Her teaching career has also appeared internationally. In 2020-2022, she was the orchestra director at Taipei American School in Taipei, Taiwan, where she conducted middle and high school orchestras and taught string classes in 3rd to 5th grades. Under her direction, the enrollment of the lower string ensemble doubled. Dr. Tai is also dedicated to youth symphonies in the community. She was a conductor in the Washington All-County Honors Orchestra and Potomac Valley Youth Orchestras. In addition, she was the ensemble director of the Music Buddies program in American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras.
As a cellist, Dr. Tai served as a principal cellist in the Taipei Civic Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the Prince George Philharmonic Orchestra. As a music researcher, Dr. Tai’s research interests include music cognition, string pedagogy, and music teacher education. She has presented her research findings at conferences, including NAfMe Eastern Division Biennial In-Service Conference, the 11th International Conference of Music Perception and Cognition, the 8th Asia-Pacific Symposium on Music Education Research, the 30th ISME World Conference in Music Education in Thessaloniki, Greece. She enjoys reading research articles and understanding current trends in music education. Her professional affiliations include the American String Teacher Association, the Virginia Music Educator Association, and the College Music Society.
Terry S. Alvey recently retired from Montgomery County Public Schools, where she was the Instrumental Music Director at Walt Whitman High School. Ms. Alvey received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Trumpet Performance from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and continued her graduate studies in music education at the University of Maryland and Trinity College. She is an active educator, guest conductor, adjudicator, clinician, and performer.
Ms. Alvey began her musical career in the D.C. area as a freelance musician and a member of the Monumental Brass Quintet. The quintet performed extensively in the metro area and toured the East Coast. Performances included the Kennedy Center, Lisner Auditorium, the Joseph Meyerhoff Hall, and the White House. Ms. Alvey is now a member of the M Street Brass Quintet, a Washington, D.C., based performing ensemble. Ms. Alvey has been on the faculties of the Levine School of Music, D.C. Youth Orchestras, Montgomery County Youth Orchestra, and the Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra programs. During her 31-year teaching career with Montgomery County Public Schools, she has taught at Tilden, North Bethesda, Hoover Middle Schools, and Walt Whitman High School. Under her leadership, these school bands and orchestras have consistently received superior ratings at both District and State Band and Orchestra Festivals. She has also acted as an adjudicator for Prince Georges, St. Mary’s, Calvert, Howard, Carroll, and Baltimore County Band and Orchestra Festivals.
Ms. Alvey has been the conductor of the Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra Wind Ensemble for 20 years, has served as conductor for the Montgomery County Sixth Grade and Junior Honor Bands, as well as the Senior Honors String Orchestra, and was the 2006 – 2007 guest conductor for the Maryland All-State Junior Band. She is also an active member of the Maryland Band and Orchestra Directors Associations, Music Educators National Conference, and the Jazz Education Network.
CONTACT: talvey@pvyo.org
Kristi Licare is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance as a student of David Jones and a Bachelor of Music Education. Before her undergraduate studies, Ms. Licare earned a certificate in clarinet performance from the Juilliard School, Pre-College Division, where she studied with Laura Flax. Ms. Licare is in her ninth year as the Instrumental Music Director and second year as the Content Specialist for the Fine Arts and Technology departments at Westland Middle School. In prior years, she has conducted the MCPS East All County Band and the MCPS Sixth Grade All County Band. Ms. Licare has also served as a woodwind sectional coach for various MCPS and other youth organization ensembles, including PVYO. Ms. Licare has performed with various musical ensembles across the DMV, including the Maryland Band Directors’ Band and the Capital Wind Symphony. She maintains an active private clarinet studio where her students consistently earn spots in MCPS Honors and Maryland All-State ensembles. She is thrilled to join PVYO for her first season as Assistant Conductor for the Concert Band and Wind Ensembles.
Jon Eising is the Instrumental Music Department Chair at James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. Blake is home to the Signature Program for the Arts and Humanities for Montgomery County Public Schools. While there, Mr. Eising’s ensembles have consistently received superior ratings at both band and orchestra festivals, and he has led The Roaring Bengals Marching Band all over the country to perform at premiere parades, bowl games, and competitions. Mr. Eising received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from The University of Oklahoma and a Master’s Degree in French Horn Performance from The University of Maryland.
During his undergraduate studies, Mr. Eising played professionally with The Oklahoma City Philharmonic, as well as various other professional orchestras throughout that region. While at UMD, Mr. Eising studied with Marty Hackleman, Principal Horn in The National Symphony Orchestra, and worked alongside Rich Sparks and “The Mighty Sound of Maryland Marching Band” for three years as a graduate assistant. In 2004, Mr. Eising began teaching at Blake and performing with The M Street Brass Quintet, a professional group that has been a staple in the DC metro area for over thirty years.
Mr. Eising has been on the music faculties of The Academy of the Holy Cross, The Academy of St. Cecilia Youth Orchestra, and the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras. He is the site host for the Washington DC Area Music in the Parks Festival and has served as a conductor for various Montgomery County honors bands and orchestras. Mr. Eising has two beautiful daughters and enjoys spending as much time as he can with his family.
Ceylon Narvelle Mitchell II is a professional flutist, arts entrepreneur, educator, and arts advocate in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Originally from Anchorage, Alaska and a graduate of East Anchorage High School, he earned a Master of Music Education degree from Boston University and a Master of Music Performance degree from the University of Maryland, in addition to a Graduate Certificate in Multimedia Journalism. Ceylon will continue his education in the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) flute program at the University of Maryland with Dr. Sarah Frisof in Fall 2019. Recent achievements include the National Music Festival Symphony Orchestra, the Young Alaskan Artist Award, a 2018 Prince George’s County Forty UNDER 40 Award in Arts & Humanities, and a 2019 Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council Artist Fellowship Grant. Ceylon’s mission is keeping classical music alive, authentic, and accessible.
An active freelance artist, Ceylon is the co-founder, flutist, and media manager of Potomac Winds, a chamber music collective. Described by the University of Maryland as “magnificent, deeply moving, and a model of alumni pride,” the ensemble is committed to promoting woodwind chamber music as a virtuosic medium through engaging performances of the highest level of artistic expression. As a music educator, Ceylon maintains a private studio in Maryland and serves as the Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra flute choir conductor. He previously served as a teaching artist with the Boston Flute Academy and as the director of the Boston University Flute Ensemble.
Ceylon supports performing artists and arts organizations with digital media production and marketing consulting as the owner and founder of M3 Music Media Marketing, LLC, a multimedia organization. Tailored services include photography, videography, and social media marketing. Recent clients include the CityLight Project, The Clarice, the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County, the Boulanger Initiative, Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation, the Anchorage Festival of Music, and numerous individual artists. Ceylon seeks to equip and empower his fellow performing artists for artistic and marketing success in a 21st-century landscape. Ceylon is also an active arts advocate in the D.C. area, serving as a board member of the Arts Administrators of Color Network and an Emerging Arts Advocates (EAA) member of Maryland Citizens for the Arts.
Mentors, past and present, include Dr. Saïs Kamalidiin, Ms. Janese Sampson, Professor Leah Arsenault, Dr. William Montgomery, Professor Linda Toote, Dr. Carmen Lemoine, and Sharon Nowak of Anchorage, Alaska, his first flute teacher. Additionally, Ceylon has performed in masterclasses for professional flutists such as Aaron Goldman, Marina Piccinini, Sir James Galway, Paul Edmund-Davies, Trevor Wye, and Marianne Gedigian. He remains grateful to the entire Anchorage music community for preparing him for a promising career in the arts with encouragement and inspiration. Ceylon currently resides in Bladensburg, Maryland with his wife, Denys Symonette Mitchell.
Dr. Mark Schuppener is the conductor of the Preparatory Orchestra of the Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra program and has also served as a strings specialist and frequent sectional coach. Dr. Schuppener has garnered acclaim as a soloist, chamber musician, conductor, arts administrator, and passionate music educator. Since moving to the Washington DC area in 2018, he has served both as the Director of Fine and Performing Arts and Director of Strings and Chamber Music at Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, MD.
