Daren Wilkes (Trumpet) Post Graduate Studies University of Illinois, M.M. Illinois State University, and B.M. Manhattan School of Music

Biography

Daren B. Wilkes holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music, Master of Music degree from Illinois State University, and completed his doctoral coursework at the University of Illinois. His teachers include William Vacchiano, Phillip Smith, Ronald Romm, and Michael Ewald.

While completing his Master’s degree, Dr. Wilkes taught trumpet as a graduate teaching assistant and also performed with the faculty brass ensemble at Illinois State University. He has performed with the Army Band, Riverside Orchestra, Princeton Symphony, and Bridgeport Symphony, among others.

Dr. Wilkes has given recitals and master classes in the United States and abroad and was a member of the featured ensemble in 2001 at the “Sounds New” music festival in Canterbury, England. Dr. Wilkes has been teaching privately for several years and enjoys teaching students of all levels.

 

Robert Stattel (Trombone/Low Brass) M.M. University of Michigan and B.M. University of Maryland

Biography

Rob Stattel, Trombone, and Euphonium, a native of the Washington, DC area, currently resides in Yonkers, NY, and performs and teaches throughout the tri-state area. His experiences include a stint with the 81st US Army Band, and a national tour with “In The Mood”, a 1940s musical review.  Locally, he has performed with the Yonkers Philharmonic, the Westchester Broadway Theater, the Bensen/Scott Orchestra, the Westchester Swing Band, the Virgil Scott Orchestra, the Monarch Brass Quintet and the Bottom Line Tuba Quartet.  Rob has degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Maryland and has studied with Brian Bowman (Air Force Band) and Abe Torchinsky (Philadelphia Orchestra).

 

Ginger Lai Kokoszka (French Horn) M.M. Yale School of Music, M.A. Drexel University, B.M. Southern Mississippi University

Biography

Ginger Lai Kokoszka of Taiwan embraces a multi-facet career in music performance and music therapy. Her mentors include William Purvis and Dennis Behm. As a French hornist Ginger has performed in New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the National Concert Hall in Taiwan. She regularly performs with the Westchester Band, Bronxville Pop, Lehman College Community Band, and Yonkers Philharmonic. Ginger strongly supports the athletic involvement of her students and places equal importance in sports, arts, nutrition and music. Ginger is married to a Polish digital visual artist and they have a child who was born on Christmas Eve.