PRIVATE LESSON FACULTY

A proud Arizona Native, Jully Guillen is a flutist and educator. She obtained a Bachelor in Secondary Education, with an emphasis in Instrumental Education from Ottawa University. Jully began playing piano at 10 where she quickly fell in love with the world of music.  Soon after, she found her passion in flute. Jully was a member of the Sun Devil Marching Band for 3 consecutive years during her undergraduate career. Passionate about the arts, she has worked with multiple other bands in Arizona over the past 6 years.  Jully has studied under Joe Corral, jazz flutist and past flutist of the Phoenix Symphony.  

Currently, she is the Flute specialist at Milano Music. She also teaches private flute and piano students from the Peoria, Phoenix, and Mesa areas. Along with teaching and working in the music industry, she is an active board member of the Arizona Flute Society.

Tiffany Pan, oboe, performs frequently with many of Arizona’s leading ensembles, including the Phoenix Symphony, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, West Valley Symphony, MusicaNova Orchestra, Phoenix Theatre Company, Phoenix Boys Choir, and Cactus Chamber Musicians. She has performed at many conferences of the International Double Reed Society, International Clarinet Association, and North American Saxophone Alliance. A dedicated educator, Pan maintains a private teaching studio and coaches youth ensembles throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area.

Pan also has extensive experience in oboe adjustment, setup, and instrument evaluation, and has worked closely with manufacturers from around the world.

A native of Taiwan, Pan holds a Master of Music degree from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her principal teachers include Martin Schuring, John Dee, Ting-Hung Liu, and Peggy Lee.

Karen Atria is a music educator, bassoonist, and arts administrator with more than 25 years of experience performing with orchestras, chamber ensembles, and community music organizations across the country. She has served as adjunct music faculty at several universities, including Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Otterbein University, Denison University, Ohio Wesleyan University, and Seton Hill University, where she taught bassoon, chamber music, music theory, and aural skills. In addition to directing her private bassoon studio, Karen has extensive experience in arts management and community engagement through her work with the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus and volunteer initiatives with the Pittsburgh Symphony and adult literacy programs in Scotland. 

Karen currently serves as the Operations Manager for the Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra. 

John Burton is an accomplished clarinetist with a Master of Musical Performance from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Music in Woodwind Performance from Brigham Young University. At ASU, he served as principal clarinet of both the Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, and was featured as a soloist after winning the 2024 ASU Concerto Competition, performing Navarro’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2 with the ASU Wind Symphony. His playing is also showcased on several ASU recordings, including Nicole Piunno’s Sunflower Studies and Steven Bryant’s Ecstatic Waters.

While at BYU, John was principal clarinet on the Chamber Orchestra’s European tour to Czechia, Austria, and Italy, and on the Wind Symphony’s tour to Spain and Portugal. He has been a finalist in the International Clarinet Association Orchestral Excerpt Competition, earned 2nd place in both the American Single Reed Summit International Clarinet Competition and the ICA Young Artist Competition, and won 3rd place in the Silverstein Global Clarinet Contest.

Based in Phoenix, John is an active freelance artist, performing regularly with ensembles such as the West Valley Symphony, Symphony of the Southwest, and the Phoenix Symphony. He is also a Silverstein Artist and performs on Moe-Bleichner Custom Clarinets.

Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Wesley Taylor is an active performer, educator, and arts administrator. Taylor is an accomplished chamber musician and is the active Baritone Saxophonist in Blitz Quartet as well as a founding member of the LoGo Trio.

With Blitz, Taylor received a Silver Medal at the 2025 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, First Prize at the NOLA Chamberfest Competition, and Gold Medal at the 2025 Coltman Chamber Music Competition. He also specializes in the medium of saxophone ensemble and was a member of the prestigious Eastman Saxophone Project while directing the Eastman Community Music School New Horizons Saxophone Ensemble. He founded and directed the Indiana University Saxophone Ensemble in 2023 and commissioned local composers for the group as well as developed pedagogy for the saxophone ensemble medium.

As an educator, students of Taylor have received Gold Medals and Distinction ratings at Regional and State Solo/Chamber Ensemble competitions and performed as semi-finalists in the North American Saxophone Alliance Quartet Competition. Taylor actively teaches with and serves as the Vice President for Radiant Ensembles, a non-profit organization that provides unique music education experiences for high schoolers and college students throughout the Midwest. Most recently, this included a 50-member saxophone ensemble retreat. He has also served as the Event Services Assistant at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as a part of their Performance Support and Education Staff and serves as the Program Assistant for SOUNDS Academy.

Taylor holds a Bachelor of Music degree with Distinction in Saxophone Performance from Indiana University as well as a Master of Music degree in Saxophone Performance from the Eastman School of Music. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Saxophone at Arizona State University. His current and former teachers include Dr. Christopher Creviston, Prof. Chien-Kwan Lin, and Dr. Otis Murphy.

Stephen Martin is an active freelance musician, who frequently performs orchestras, chamber ensembles and as a soloist. Martin is currently the second trumpet of the Arizona Philharmonic, and principal trumpet of the Chandler Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he performs regularly with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, West Valley Symphony, and the MusicaNova Orchestra. Previously, he has performed with Phoenix Chamber Brass and appeared with artists, such as: Amy Grant, Micheal W. Smith, Doc Severinsen, Steve Smith, Graham Breedlove, Paulo Padilha, and has toured with La Chica Cumbia. As a soloist, he has performed works by Handel, Tartini, Telemann, and Vivaldi with various ensembles in Minnesota and Arizona.

Martin holds a master of music from Arizona State University, where he studied with renowned soloist and pedagogue, David Hickman. He previously studied at St. Olaf College and completed his bachelor's degree of music at Bemidji State University. His teachers have included, primarily, Bob Dorer, who is currently second trumpet of the Minnesota Orchestra, along with Martin Hodel, Charles Lazarus, and Delon Lyren.

In addition to performing, Martin is an active educator who has taught master classes at various high schools and colleges in the Phoenix area, and maintains a private studio. In his free time, Martin enjoys cooking, traveling, exploring the outdoors, and chess.

Alex Austin is an active performer and teacher in the East Valley and recent graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts where he received his Master of Music degree in horn performance. His degree program included performance in principal positions with the New England Conservatory Philharmonia, the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble, and the New England Conservatory Community Performance Partnership Brass Quintet. During his graduate studies, Alex also maintained a freelance presence in the city, performing with multiple ensembles including the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of conductor Benjamin Zander at venues including Symphony Hall, Boston.

Prior to his graduate studies, Alex received a Bachelor of Music degree from Arizona State University where he graduated summa cum laude. Upon returning to the Valley to start his career, Alex has picked up where he left off in his freelance work, rejoining the Salt River Brass where he held the position of Solo Horn for five seasons under the direction of Patrick Sheridan. Additionally, Alex has resumed performing in chamber ensembles and will return as a soloist to the Arizona Wind Symphony where he previously held the principal horn position.

 Alex’s primary teachers have included Eli Epstein, Dr. John Ericson, James Sommerville, Richard Sebring, Patrick Sheridan, Sam Pilafian, Hugh Wolff, Charles Peltz, Dr. Wayne Bailey, and Gary Hill.

 In addition to performing, Alex is an active teacher, serving as a brass instructor for the Corona del Sol High School Marching Band and maintaining a private horn studio. You can hear Alex perform on The Great American Song Book! Featuring Harry Watters (Salt River Brass, 2015, solo horn) and on Youtube with the New England Conservatory Philharmonia and Wind Ensemble. 

Seth Bartschi is a freelance trombonist in the Phoenix area playing alto, tenor and bass trombones. He regularly performs with Phoenix Symphony and Arizona Opera and has positions with the Phoenix Opera, West Valley Symphony, Symphony of the Southwest, Musica Nova Orchestra, Arizona Philharmonic, Millennial Choirs Orchestra, Arizona Broadway Theatre House Orchestra, Scottsdale Arts Orchestra, and Az Pro Arte Orchestra. Seth is also a member of the Moon Valley Brass Quintet as well as the new and exciting Phoenix Brass Collective, a professional symphonic brass choir with which he plays bass trombone and serves on the board as Public Relations Director (phxbrass.com). 

Currently Seth holds a position as Adjunct Faculty at Glendale Community College teaching trombone. He has also maintained a private studio of students for over 10 years that range in ages from 8 to 70. Seth’s teachers include Ralph Sauer, Douglas Yeo, Sam Pilafian, Peter Vivona, Jason Malloy and Patrick Stuckemeyer. He has been recorded on four commercially released albums including a solo track of Rachmaninoff’s Fantasy Piece on the album "Living Legacy". Before devoting himself to music he studied and trained in aviation earning his private pilot license enjoying several hundred of hours in flight experience.

Rocco DiMillio is an accomplished euphonium player and music educator. He completed a Bachelor of Music in Music Learning and Teaching (Euphonium) at Arizona State University under the guidance of Dr. Deanna Swoboda and is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Euphonium Performance at ASU.

At Arizona State University, he has performed extensively as a euphonium player with the Wind Ensemble, Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble, and various chamber groups. He has also composed and arranged works for these ensembles.

Rocco possesses substantial teaching and instructional experience. As a Music Student Teacher at Dobson High School, he conducted full class periods and entire school days of music instruction, managed classroom behavior using strategies that promote respect and cooperation, and fostered a collaborative learning environment. As a Music Teacher Intern at Arizona State University, he utilized assessment tools to monitor student achievements and identify areas for improvement. He also served as an assigned Euphonium Mentor to an underclassman through the ASU Euphonium Mentorship program. Additionally, he has worked with various marching ensembles in the region, including Vision Indoor Percussion, Millennium High School, and Williams Field High School, coaching instrument technique, visual performance, and ensemble skills.

Based in Arizona, Rocco integrates extensive performance experience with practical expertise in classroom management, instrument technique, student engagement, assessment, and the development of supportive environments. His approach helps young musicians build confidence, accuracy, and a sustained passion for music.

​​Angelita Ponce is a Phoenix based performer and educator. She is a graduate of Arizona State University where she received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Master of Music in Percussion Performance under the instruction of Dr. Michael Compitello, Dr. J.B. Smith, Dom Moio, Shaun Tilburg and Simone Manusco. She has performed with a variety of ensembles including Orgullo Boricua, Samba de Cavalo, Carmela y Mas, GrupoBombAzo, BOOM! Percussion, West Valley Symphony, Phoenix Jazz Girls Rising, Phoenix Brass Collective and many more. 

Angelita is a highly sought after educator. She has worked with over a dozen music programs in the valley as a technician, clinician, coordinator and director. A few of these programs include the Arizona State Sun Devil Marching Band, Breakthrough Indoor Percussion, Corona del Sol High School, Kyrene Digital Academy and The East Valley School of Music. She is a clinician and adjudicator through ABODA and AMEA. Currently, Angelita serves as adjunct faculty at Paradise Valley Community College and teaches percussion classes at Corona del Sol High School, Summit Academy and Chandler High School. When she is not teaching, she is a session drummer/percussionist for a variety of artists in the valley.