clinicians and conductors

andrew Balent - clinician and conductor

Middle School Honor Band Conductor

Session: Writing for Young Band - Basic Concepts for Playable Arrangements andrew Balent taught in the elementary through high school levels for 30 years in michigan and received both his Bachelor and masters degrees from the university of michigan where he played in the band under William d. Revelli and studied saxophone with Larry Teal. mr. Balent has been a clinician and guest conductor in 45 states, as well as in canada and Europe.

He is a leading composer and arranger of educational music with 570+ published compositions and arrangements for band, orchestra, chorus, and instrumental ensembles. Having received over 30 asca P special awards for composition, his published works are written for all levels, but he has specialized in music for young musicians.

maría Teresa guillén Becerra - clinician and conductor

Elementary Honor Choir Conductor

Session: Colombian Folk Songs/Rehearsal Techniques one of the pieces which I will focus on: “Juego a que me quemo” a popular song from colombia that is published by Hal Leonard maría Teresa guillén Becerra is a colombian choral conductor of wide artistic trajectory known for her work as a musician and pedagogue, and for her valuable and constant contribution to the development and strengthening of the choral activity in colombia. she created the National choral Program of the colombian ministry of culture, and has served as one of its directors, clinicians and permanent advisers, collaborating in the fields of choral conducting and vocal technique applied to choral singing for children and adults. she has led prominent choral organizations at the national and international level such as the coro Polifónico Benposta, with which she won first prize in the concurso Polifónico Internacional “ciudad de Ibagué”. she has been associate conductor of the coro Nacional de La opera de colombia, music director of the schola guido d’arezzo specializing in gregorian chant performance, and singer and director of the sexteto Vocal guillén Becerra with which she recorded a cd of elaborate arrangements of colombian folk music and Villancicos. she also founded and directed the coro Infantil y Juvenil of the colombian ministry of culture with which she received high acclaim and recorded two cds of music from Europe and Latin a merica, spanning several centuries and styles. ms. guillén Becerra holds graduate degrees in conducting from the university of Northern colorado, and in music Education from the university of chile. she has studied gregorian chant with Johannes Berchmanns and Luigi agustoni in caracas, and with Helmuth Rilling at the oregon Bach Festival and in santiago de compostela. she is currently guest professor of music at Javeriana university in Bogotá.

“ music by inheritance and by nature…maría Teresa guillén Becerra has been carrying out admirable work in the strictest sense of the word.”

– otto de greiff, El Tiempo