Symphony Superheroes

Brian Krinke | Concertmaster

Brian Krinke teaches violin, viola, and composition at Colorado Mesa University, where he also conducts the CMU Orchestra. He performs regularly as Concertmaster of the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra and has been a violin soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and the Boca Raton Symphony In addition to his work as a violinist, Krinke has a strong background as a pianist and composer. He has won international prizes in the Stravinsky Award International Competition and the Young Keyboard Artists Association International Competition. As a collaborative pianist, he has toured Central America, performing for the President of Nicaragua and giving a chamber concert in Costa Rica’s Teatro Nacional. Krinke’s compositions have been performed at venues including Merkin Hall and St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City, Princeton University, and Colorado Mesa University. His works have been performed by principals of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra. He studied composition at the University of Minnesota.

Alisha Bean | Associate Concertmaster

Champion fiddler and a brilliant classical Violinist/Violist, Alisha completed her Masters degree in Violin performance at Arizona State University under a full scholarship. She has performed in quartets, ensembles, and orchestras around the USA, Spain, and Italy. She has appeared as a soloist with the Grand Junction High School orchestra, Mesa State College Orchestra and has performed Schindler’s List, Fiddler on the Roof and Tango Por Una Cabeza with the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra where she is also co-concertmaster.

When she is not performing classically, she loves to indulge in fiddling and other styles of music. She began fiddling as a summer hobby and won competitions all over Colorado including Delta, Royal Gorge, Frisco and Montrose for six years in a row.

Alisha enjoys her teaching studio and is a very impassioned player who loves the stage and enjoys sharing her music with anyone who will listen.

Sandra Sundstrom | Principal 2nd Violin

Sandy grew up in Colorado Springs, CO, in a family of musicians. She participated in orchestras, choirs, and bands throughout her youth and earned her bachelor of music in education from Arizona State University, with an instrumental major and choral minor. Sandy has taught band, choir, and orchestra at all education levels, elementary through college.

In 2010, Sandy and her family moved to Grand Junction, where she became the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra (GJSO) Principal Second Violinist. She also performs with High Desert Opera, Rockestra, and her quartet at local events and Aspen weddings. Sandy has a private studio teaching violin, viola, and cello and coaches for Camp Con Brio. She has adjudicated for D51 Solo/Ensemble, local auditions, and the Colorado West Invitational Music Festival.

Sandy retired from D51 in 2023. She and her husband, Dan, have three children and four grandchildren and love living in Grand Junction.

Charles Hebenstreit | Principal Viola

Violist Charles Hebenstreit, a Western Colorado native, enjoys a varied and active career as teacher, chamber player, and orchestral musician. Charles is co-director of the Colorado Plateau Chamber Music Society, currently serves as principal viola of the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of the San Juan Symphony. He has performed in both section and principal roles with orchestras throughout Colorado and Southern California, and he co-founded the Fiato Quartet, with whom he appeared on numerous chamber music series in Southern California and Central America. He has collaborated with notable artists across many musical genres and has recorded for film and television. His primary teachers include Robert Becker, Erika Eckert, and Geraldine Walther, and he received additional chamber music training from members of the Takács, Manhattan, and New York string quartets.

Cameron Law | Co-Principal Cello

J. Cameron Law is an award-winning educator, cellist, composer, and conductor. He retired in 2019 after 29 years as Director of Orchestras at Grand Junction High School and West Middle School and has also taught at Colorado Mesa University. He is co-principal cellist of the Grand Junction Symphony and has performed with Trio de las Americas and at the Crested Butte Summer Music Festival. Mr. Law is a sought-after clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator, having conducted all-state orchestras in Colorado and New Mexico and honor orchestras across the country. His orchestras performed six times at the Colorado Music Educators Association annual conference.

Named the Colorado ASTA String Teacher of the Year in 2002 and inducted into the Colorado Music Educators Association Hall of Fame in 2021, he also serves as String Editor for Grand Mesa Music. He holds degrees from Colorado State University and the University of Michigan and enjoys outdoor activities in Western Colorado.

Jason Pegis | Co-Principal Cello

Called a “true talent” by Montreal’s Christophe Huss, Jason Pegis, PhD, is a recent Doctorate of Musical Arts graduate from UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music, where he studied with Antonio Lysy. He holds a Master of Music and the Max Stern Fellowship from McGill University, studying with Matt Haimovitz, and a Bachelor of Music from Willamette University. Pegis has won numerous awards, including the 2014 MTNA Young Artist Chamber Music Competition, the Outstanding Cellist Award at the 2015 Eugene Symphony Young Artist Competition, and the 2016 Zodiac Music Festival Young Artist Award.

A 2020 Piatigorsky International Cello Festival Fellow, Pegis has premiered works by Kristapor Najarian, Sergei Umroyan, and Quentin Lauvray. He performs with renowned musicians such as Johannes Moser and Axel Strauss. Pegis holds a faculty position at the International Cello Institute and tours with UCLA’s VEM Quartet. He plays an 1880 Neuner-Hornsteiner cello from the Carlsen Cello Foundation.

Troy Raper | Principal Bass

Musician, educator, and Colorado native Troy Raper began teaching in 1988 and retired from District 51 in 2022 after 31 years in education. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Northern Colorado, graduating with honors, and a master’s degree in education from Lesley University with a focus on educational technology.

Raper’s school orchestras consistently earned superior ratings at festivals from Palisade to Disneyland, and many of his former students are now professional teachers and performers nationwide. He served 10 years on the Colorado All State Orchestra Governing Board and has been a board member for the Colorado ASTA and CMEA.

An accomplished bassist, Raper is Principal Bassist and Production Manager for the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra. He also performs with jazz bands, in studios, and as a soloist. Raper enjoys family time, mountain biking, and music arranging.

Jane Kuenzel | Principal Flute

Jane Kuenzel was appointed principal flute of the Grand Junction Symphony in 2005. She was an active freelance flutist in Minneapolis prior to relocating to Colorado, performing regularly with the St. Paul Chamber and Minnesota Orchestras. Jane has
maintained her ties to the Twin Cities, joining the Minnesota Orchestra most recently on several programs during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Jane appeared as soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at age fifteen and subsequently studied at the Juilliard School and
Oberlin Conservatory. She has held principal flute positions with the Evansville (IN) Philharmonic, Owensboro (KY) Symphony Orchestra, and National Repertory Orchestra in Colorado.

Shelley Warren | Associate Principal Flute

Shelley has over 45 years of experience as a Professional Flutist, performing and teaching in the United States and Europe. She earned a BM in Flute Performance from Northwestern University and a MM from Baylor University. She has been a Professor of Flute at Barry University, Broward Community College, Colorado Mesa University, and Western Colorado University, with more than 36 years of university-level teaching. Shelley has performed at music festivals in Greece, Spain, England, Italy, and Cape Cod and has been a member of notable ensembles, including the Philharmonic Orchestra of Florida, Sinfonia Virtuosi, Greater Palm Beach Symphony, Miami Opera, Houston Ballet, and more than 15 chamber groups. She has also collaborated with leading ballet companies and performed in over 120 musicals. Her teachers include Geoffrey Gilbert and Walfrid Kujala, and she has studied in Master Classes with James Galway and Jean-Pierre Rampal. Currently Co-Principal Flute and Principal Piccolo in the Grand Junction Symphony, she also works as a Licensed Massage Therapist with 35 years of experience.

Bill Aikens | Principal Oboe

William Aikens is the oboe instructor and assistant department head of the music program at Colorado Mesa University. He is the principal oboist of the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra (GJSO) and has served on the symphony’s board since 2018. In 2022, he helped found the Grand Junction Symphony Academy, which provides affordable lessons to string and double reed students. He has performed and presented at both international and regional conferences, most recently at the International Double Reed Society conference (Flagstaff, 2024 and Bangkok, 2023) and the Colorado Music Educators Association conference (2023). Dr. Aikens holds degrees from Arizona State University, the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, and Duquesne University. He has performed with orchestra across the country, including the Phoenix Symphony, the Tucson Symphony, and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. His teachers include Martin Schuring, Dr. Mark Ostoich, Scott Bell, Jim Gorton, Dwight Parry, Christopher Philpotts and Lon Bussell.

Jun | Principal Clarinet

Jun Watabe, DA, is a refined musician celebrated for his artistry on both the clarinet and saxophone. This dual expertise enhances his unique interpretations and musical versatility. Watabe has appeared as a soloist nationally and internationally, including tours with the Arctic Chamber Orchestra and performances with the Grand Junction and Littleton Symphony Orchestras. He has premiered works at the 13th World Saxophone Congress and Thailand International Saxophone Conference and commissioned Emerson Eads’ Triple Concerto for Two, which features both clarinet and saxophone.

A graduate of the University of Northern Colorado, Watabe earned a doctorate in both instruments with honors and won all UNC solo and concerto competitions. He held the Saxophone Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival for three summers. Currently, he is on faculty at Colorado Mesa University, principal clarinetist for the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, and founder of CMU’s faculty wind quintet, Mesa Winds.

Jeffrey McCray | Principal Bassoon

Praised for his “superb” and “very expressive playing,” Jeffrey McCray, DMA, is the newly-appointed instructor of bassoon at Colorado Mesa University. He is principal bassoonist of the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra and the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, and a member of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic bassoon section. McCray has performed with orchestras across the U.S., including the Omaha Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra. He has previously taught at Metropolitan State University of Denver, Colorado State University-Pueblo, Chadron State College, and several prestigious universities, including Baylor, Western Michigan University, and the University of Michigan-Flint. McCray holds degrees from Northwestern University, Temple University, and Michigan State University. His primary bassoon teachers were Robert Barris, Bernard Garfield, and Michael Kroth. McCray is an active performer and clinician, presenting at conferences like the International Double Reed Society and the College Music Society, and teaching at numerous prestigious schools of music.

Rebecca Conrad | Co-Principal Horn

Rebecca Conrad is an accomplished French horn player known for her artistry, precision, and deep passion for music. Originally from Boulder, Colorado, Rebecca began her musical journey at a young age, quickly discovering her love for the rich, versatile tones of the French horn. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Music degree in Performance from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Master of Music degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she studied under renowned hornists.
Rebecca has performed with numerous ensembles across the country, including the Boulder Philharmonic, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. She joined the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra in 2019, where her warm tone and expressive playing have become an integral part of the ensemble’s sound. In addition to her work with the symphony, Rebecca is a dedicated educator, inspiring the next generation of musicians through her teaching. She serves as an adjunct professor of horn at Colorado Mesa University and maintains an active private studio.

Nicholas Gledhill | Co-Principal Horn

Nicholas Gledhill, D.M.A., is a Grand Junction native and Colorado Mesa University alumnus. He began his musical career performing with the Grand Junction Symphony and the Grand Junction Rockestra. After earning his BA in Music Performance, Gledhill completed his M.M. at Colorado State University and his D.M.A. at The University of Alabama. While in Alabama, he served as the brass ensemble coach and horn instructor for the University of Alabama’s Community Music School and performed with the Huxford Wind Quintet. He also taught the award-winning Alabama Horn Studio.

Gledhill spends his summers at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, where he is the summer program coordinator and performs with festival ensembles. He regularly tours with Mesa Winds, CMU’s faculty wind quintet, and currently performs as co-principal horn with the Grand Junction Symphony. Previously, he was acting 3rd/Utility horn with the Starkville Symphony. He is also the Middle School Band Director at Holy Family Catholic School.

Judd Berry | Principal Trumpet

As a little tyke, Judd followed his mom around with a violin that was a little as he was. With his lips pushed out like a trumpeter as he played the violin, he found a natural place in the brass family when he switched from the strings.

Judd studied with his grandpa, Walter Birkedahl, who played with the Colorado Symphony (circa 1947-1957). He also studied with Bret Jackson at BYU, as well as David Blackington, David Brown, and Newell Dayley (who studied with the famous James Stamp). After BYU, he studied with Dan Patrylak (principal trumpet in the President’s Own, and later the trumpet professor at the Eastman School of Music).

Judd has played with many musicians and groups, and currently has the pleasure of playing with the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra. He is blessed with a wonderful wife, Amber, and four kids: Clarissa, Newell, Brynne, and Juliette, as well as a grandson, Asher.

Sean Flanigan | Principal Trumpet

Sean Flanigan is a trombone soloist, conductor, and teacher in classical, jazz, and commercial genres. He directs music entrepreneurship studies at CMU, where he develops courses like Music Industry & Marketing and Entrepreneurship for Creatives, emphasizing experiential learning. Flanigan has performed and conducted across the U.S. and abroad, including recitals and clinics at the National Conservatory in Caracas and El Sistema’s Ibero-American Brass Festival in Venezuela, where he was featured alongside the Empire Brass and Jacques Mauger. Flanigan has performed with symphonic and opera orchestras, backed artists like Dizzy Gillespie and the Temptations, and recorded for radio, TV, and Broadway tours. He holds a DMA from the University of North Texas and degrees from the University of Illinois.

A passionate arts advocate, he co-founded MusicSpark, inspired by El Sistema, and helps foster Colorado’s creative economy through collaboration and community development.

Michael McCawley | Principal Trumpet

Born in England and raised in Canada, Michael has called Utah home since 1990. Since then, he has been a regular substitute and extra with the Utah Symphony and in 1993 became the Principal Tuba for the Ballet West Orchestra. Michael is also the Principal Tuba of the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra. A founding member of both the Utah Premiere Brass and the Utah Wind Symphony, Michael also has deep experience in the recording industry and can be heard on numerous movie and television soundtracks, movie trailers, video games and commercials. Michael has a profound love for chamber music and spent several summers studying at the Banff Center in Canada and at the Keystone Brass Institute in Colorado. He continues to perform with a variety of chamber brass groups both in Canada and the US. With a degree in music education and a graduate degree in music performance he has taught at the University of Utah, Utah Valley University, Weber State University and Utah State University. Michael maintains a large teaching studio of young tuba and euphonium students.

Darin Kamstra | Principal Percussion & Principal Timpani

Darin Kamstra, DMA, is a professor of music at Colorado Mesa University, where he serves as director of Jazz Studies and Percussion and head of the Department of Music. Kamstra is principal timpanist/percussionist with the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, performs on drum set with the Grand Junction Rockestra and CMU Faculty Jazz Quintet, and frequently appears as a percussion and jazz clinician and recitalist across the region and nation. He has performed with professional orchestras, jazz groups, and theater companies throughout Colorado, Illinois, and the Pacific Northwest and previously served as principal timpanist of the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra.

Kamstra directed the CMU Percussion Ensemble for an invitational performance at the 2024 Edeta Arts Percussion Festival in Valencia, Spain, where he was also a featured clinician. As an active composer and arranger, his works, published by Tapspace, ejazzlines, and Grand Mesa Music, have been performed internationally and featured at major conventions.

Gisella Flanigan | Principal Piano

Gisela Flanigan, DMA, is a cultural entrepreneur and arts advocate dedicated to social change and collective impact. She holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Miami and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas. Flanigan is Executive Director of Sistema Global, an award-winning organization expanding access to music as a basic human right. Under her leadership, Sistema Global has been featured in the HundrED Global Education Innovation Collection for three consecutive years. A Certified Colorado Change Leader and member of the International Music Education Policy Group, Flanigan advances global policy dialogue in music education. She is a frequent speaker at conferences such as El Sistema World, Sphinx Connect, and Indiana University’s Music, Business, and Peace Summit. As an Arts and Culture Management educator, Flanigan empowers students through real-world applications, fostering cultural placemaking, belonging, and the transformative power of the arts.