Music Masterclass Series
The University of Virginia’s College at Wise Division of Music is proud to host the Masterclass Series offering distinct opportunities for students to visit our beautiful campus and participate in small group instructional sessions with world-class experts on their instruments.
UVA Wise Honor Band: Masterclass Sessions
November 20, 2025
Join us on Thursday, November 20, 2025, for a full day of music-making and learning on the campus of the University of Virginia’s College at Wise. This special event offers high school musicians in grades 9–12 the chance to participate in focused masterclasses with UVA Wise faculty and guest artists, experience collaborative rehearsals, and perform in a culminating concert at 4:00 p.m. All students’ nominations must be submitted by Friday, November 7, 2025.
Participants will gain valuable insight into college-level music study while improving their skills on their instrument. Lunch and instructional materials are provided at no cost, and seniors may also choose to audition for music scholarships during the day. Directors are welcome to attend alongside their students or observe the sessions.
Clinicians
Brent Bingham (trumpet)
Brent Bingham received his Bachelor and Master of Music from ASU's Hayes School of Music. An active freelancer and clinician throughout the Southeast, Bingham is currently an adjunct instructor of trumpet at Appalachian State University and performs regularly with the Symphony of the Mountains (Kingsport Tenn.), the Johnson City Symphony, and the Hayes School of Music Faculty Brass Quintet. His trumpet teachers include Joe Phelps, Bill Adam and Vince DiMartino.
Juan Berrios (french horn)
Originally from Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Juan leads a multifaceted musical career as an educator and performer. Known for his musical versatility, he has performed with a wide variety of musical ensembles ranging from symphony and jazz orchestras to British style brass bands as both ensemble performer and soloist. A passionate educator, Juan works with countless students of all ages across the country each year as a guest clinician, conductor, chamber music coach, marching band instructor, and horn teacher. He holds degrees in horn performance and wind conducting from the University of Central Florida (B.M.) and University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory (M.M.) respectively, and currently serves as Instructor of Horn at the Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts. As a Buffet Crampon Performing Artist, Juan enjoys making music on the Hans Hoyer K10 French Horn and Besson Prestige Eb Tenor Horn. When not teaching or touring with the Dallas Brass, Juan enjoys spending lots of time with his wife and fellow musician/music educator, Anielka Silva-Berrios, traveling, being a foodie, shooting pool, bowling, and listening to (loudly played) music of all types.
Aaron K. Campbell (low brass)
Dr. Aaron K. Campbell is a multi-award-winning euphonium soloist, low brass specialist, and educator. He currently serves as Instructor of Music and Director of Bands at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, where he leads ensembles including the Highland Cavalier Marching Band, teaches applied low brass, and offers coursework in music education.
Dr. Campbell is a Besson Performing Artist, performing exclusively on a Besson BE 2052 euphonium. He is also an endorsed artist with Denis Wick and LefreQue. He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Euphonium Performance from the University of Florida—the first to do so from the institution—alongside a Master of Music from James Madison University and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of South Florida. His primary teachers include Carlyl Webber, Jay Hunsberger, Kevin Stees, and Dr. Danielle VanTuinen.
Brayden Gilliam (saxophone)
Brayden Gilliam is a young music educator and performer in the Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee region. Brayden is currently in his senior year at East Tennessee State University, studying for his Bachelor's in K-12 Instrumental Music Education.
At ETSU, Brayden has been privileged to perform in the ETSU Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Orchestra, Marching Bucs, 4Eyes Saxophone Quartet, and various other ensembles. He also has had the honor of serving as the President of The Woodwind Society at ETSU since the Fall of 2023 and the principal saxophonist of the ETSU Wind Ensemble since the Fall of 2024. Such experiences at ETSU have substantially contributed to Brayden's growth as a musician, cultivating a desire to pursue excellence and higher achievement as a musician, educator, and person.
Outside of ETSU, Brayden is very involved with the surrounding music community. He serves as the alto sax second chair in the Winds of the Mountain Empire (Big Stone Gap, VA) and the baritone saxophone chair in the Pine Mountain Wind Symphony (Whitesburg, KY). Brayden serves as the Woodwind Assistant for the band program at Tennessee High School (Bristol, TN) and student teaches at Sullivan East Middle School (Bluff City, TN) and Fairmount Elementary School (Bristol, TN). Additionally, he offers private lessons and masterclasses with middle and high school band students.
Early in Brayden's musical career, his passion for encouraging current and future generations of musicians stemmed from his exposure to life-altering opportunities that showed the profound impact music can have, filling souls with joy, gratitude, hope, and comfort. Brayden seeks to provide opportunities to each student he is fortunate to work with to excel and grow personally and emotionally as he has experienced.
Brayden's primary instrument is saxophone, but he also enjoys playing clarinet and flute. Other activities Brayden partakes in is songwriting, singing, arranging, axe-throwing, photography, digital design, and gaming.
Emma Grace Homoky (double reeds)
Originally from Kingsport, Tennessee, Emma Grace is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts and Post-Master’s Certificate in Music Theory at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She earned her Master of Music in Oboe Performance from Kent State University and her Bachelor of Science in Sustainability Science and Music from Furman University.
An active chamber and orchestral musician, Emma performs with the Anura Quintet and the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra regularly. She is very active as a freelancer in a large area throughout the East Coast ranging from Ohio to South Carolina. Her performance highlights include playing English horn solo in Dvorak's 9th symphony with the WVSO.
Emma is equally passionate about education and community engagement. She has taught at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities and has served as an oboe instructor of record at Kent State University, and currently serves as such at UNCG. Her strong desire for community outreach has provided her with opportunities to perform in regional hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and prisons. In 2026, she will tour Colombia, promoting cultural exchange and community outreach through performances and educational programs.
Nancy Schneeloch-Bingham (flute)
Flutist Dr. Nancy Schneeloch-Bingham has performed throughout North America, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Ireland. Her performance experience spans 400 years of flute history, including Renaissance, Baroque, nineteenth-century, and modern flutes. She is a founding member and frequent recitalist with early music ensemble Harmonia Baroque. An accomplished player in the Irish traditional flute style, she has performed with Irish music band, Sunday’s Well. She is Director of the Hayes School of Music’s Ireland Program, an intensive study abroad course in Irish traditional music. Her modern flute duo with flutist Leslie Marrs, Dúo Pelirroja, tours annually and presents dynamic, team-taught masterclasses.
As an orchestral musician, Dr. Schneeloch-Bingham has performed with the Western Piedmont Symphony, Salisbury Symphony, Tallahassee Symphony, Winston-Salem Symphony, and North Carolina Symphony. She currently performs with the Symphony of the Mountains (Kingsport, TN) and the Johnson City Symphony.
An active recitalist and clinician, Dr. Schneeloch-Bingham has performed and presented workshops for numerous regional flute associations, as well as the National Flute Association and the Canadian Flute Association. A member of the NFA’s Historical Flutes Committee, she has served as its chair and has directed the NFA’s Baroque Flute Artist Competition and Masterclass.
Dr. Schneeloch-Bingham also performs, teaches and coaches chamber music at Cannon Music Camp, a comprehensive summer music program on the Appalachian State University campus. A passionate and innovative teacher, she has received the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Hayes School of Music, as well as the North Carolina Board of Governor’s Excellence in Teaching Award.
Tanner Underwood (percussion)
Tanner Underwood (b. 1997) is a freelance percussionist with over 10 years of experience. As a performer he has competed in the Tennessee Day of Percussion where he placed in the solo snare and solo multiple percussion division. In his academic career he has performed with the Cave Run Symphony Orchestra, ETSU and MSU Wind Symphonies, and the ETSU and MSU Percussion Ensembles. Professionally he has performed with Third Coast Percussion, Kentucky Music Educators Association Regional Conference, and at multiple regional Days of Percussion as a soloist. As an educator, Tanner has coached multiple high school and collegiate percussion groups in both the marching arts and in concert percussion. Tanner earned his B.M. from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN his M.M. from Morehead State University in Morehead, KY. He currently serves as Percussion Director at Tennessee High School and Adjunct Professor of Percussion at University of Virginia’s College at Wise.
Voice Day
September 25, 2025
The University of Virginia’s College at Wise will host Voice Day on Thursday, September 25. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the day will conclude with a choral concert at 5:30 p.m., directed by Dr. Hannah Wunsch Ryan, Director of Choral and Vocal Studies. This event is free and open to all high school voice students (grades 9–12).
Throughout the day, students will:
- Rehearse and perform in a festival choir led by Dr. Ryan
- Take part in sectionals and ensemble workshops
Students also have the optional opportunity to:
- Work one-on-one in optional vocal coaching sessions with UVA Wise Instructor Ryan Wardell
- Audition for future music scholarships at UVA Wise
All participants will receive lunch, a festival t-shirt, and choral repertoire. High school directors are also invited to join the festival choir.
Students interested in vocal coaching or scholarship auditions should bring a well-prepared solo (musical theater or classical), in either digital or printed form.
The day will culminate in a public concert at 5:30 p.m. in Cantrell Banquet Hall, showcasing the music learned together.
Clinicians
Hannah Wunsch Ryan, D.M.A is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral and Vocal Activities at UVA Wise where she directs the choral ensembles and teaches courses in conducting, vocal pedagogy, diction, choral literature, music history, and choral methods.
In addition to her choral conducting, Ryan has maintained an active performance career as soprano soloist both in the United States and internationally, with recent performances in Vienna (Austria), Montreal and Quebec City (Quebec), and Guayaquil (Ecuador). Ryan has been a featured presenter, clinician, and director at conferences and honors choirs across the country.
Dr. Ryan holds a B.A. in Vocal Performance from Gustavus Adolphus College, and an M.M. in Choral Conducting and Vocal Performance/Pedagogy and a D.M.A. In Choral Conducting and Literature from the University of Colorado in Boulder. She lives in Wise, VA with her two children.