Sarah graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music where she studied with David Bilger of the Philadelphia Orchestra. The past two summers she has been a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, where she studied with members of the Boston Symphony. She has performed as a substitute musician with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Louisiana Philharmonic, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Currently she resides in Chicago, where she is completing her master’s degree at Northwestern University.
Whether playing suspended in midair on the Broadway stage or soloing on the Symphony Hall stage in Chicago, Amy McCabe enjoys performing in a variety of capacities. She was recently a solo recitalist at the International Trumpet Guild conference, the International Women's Brass conference, and was a soloist with the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain in London’s Regent Hall and in Prague, Czech Republic for the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles. In January, Amy also recorded the premiere of Fernande Decruck’s Concerto for Trumpet and Horn, “Poeme Heroique", with the Jackson Symphony.
Amy is currently a co-principal trumpet with The “President’s Own” United States Marine Band, and has completed three national and international concert tours as a soloist in addition to her duties in Washington DC at the White House and Arlington National Cemetery. She is also an active chamber musician, and recently recorded the world premiere of Eugene O’Brien’s Elegy to the Spanish Republic with the 21stCentury Consort in addition to the premiere recording of Florence Price’s Octet for Brass with the Barclay Brass. Amy has also performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and has performed as principal trumpet with the National Symphony and the St. Louis Symphony. She was the “Loss” soloist in the first National and Japan touring cast of the Tony and Emmy-award winning show, “Blast!” in addition to touring with pop artist Michael Bolton on a national tour. Amy was also a member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival, Spoleto Music Festival, Pine Mountain Music Festival, Artosphere Festival and was a member of the Walt Disney World Collegiate All-Star Big Band.
Amy holds a degree in elementary education from Illinois Wesleyan University studying with Steve Eggleston and Judith Saxton, and a Master’s degree in trumpet performance from Northwestern University, studying with Barbara Butler and Charles Geyer.
In her free time, Amy greatly enjoys volunteering with Sound Impact, a chamber music group dedicated to positive social change through authentic community engagement, and the Boulanger Initiative, dedicated to promoting music composed by women. She is also committed to encouraging her new rescue dog, Mojo, to sing along with the trumpet.
Hailed by The Boston Musical Intelligencer as "outstanding"and "fearless," Dr. Elisabeth Shafer, a native of State College, PA, is a dedicated performer and music educator. She has appeared in concert with orchestras and ensembles, including the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, ProMusica Columbus, Akron Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, The Jackson Symphony, CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, Toledo Symphony Brass, Akron Symphonic Winds, Memphis JazzOrchestra, DanJo Jazz Orchestra, Symphony in C, the Eastern Connecticut Symphony, the Nittany Valley Symphony, and Barclay Brass. Dr. Shafer was the interim core member of Seraph Brass from 2019 - 2021 and will serve as the Acting Core Trombonist in the 2023-24 season. She will be a featured soloist with The Ohio State University Wind Symphony this Fall, and she has appeared as a guest soloist with ensembles including Seraph Brass, The University of Akron Symphonic and Concert Bands, The University of Akron Symphony Orchestra, and the Perry High School Symphonic Winds at the Ohio Music Educators Association Conference. She has presented solo and chamber performances at the American Trombone Workshop, the International Trombone Festival, and the International Women's Brass Conference, including a presentation titled "Songs She Wrote: A Joint Recital of Works by Women Composers” highlighting the works of women composers. Dr. Shafer frequently performs chamber and solo recitals at universities across the country.
Dr. Shafer serves as Visiting Assistant Professor of Trombone at Ohio State University. Prior to her appointment, she served on the faculty at the University of Memphis and The University of Akron. She has taught at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Trombone Workshop, was a Teaching Artist in the Music in Schools Initiative in New Haven, CT, and is currently on the faculty at Luzerne Music Center, a summer arts organization inthe Adirondacks devoted to bringing enriching musical experiences and education to young musicians from around the world. Dr. Shafer has presented clinics forthe International Trombone Workshop, the Ohio Music Educator's Association conference, and the Tobi Institute and frequently gives clinics at schools and universities across the United States.
Dr. Shafer earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Trombone Performance from Boston University, her Master of Music degree from Yale School of Music in Trombone Performance, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Temple University in Trombone Performance. Her primary teachers include Toby Oft, Scott Hartman, and Matthew Vaughn. Dr. Shafer is a Conn-Selmer Performing Artist.
Cristina Cutts Dougherty grew up in South Africa, England, New York, and New Mexico, and was the 2016 Young Artist winner of the International Tuba Euphonium Competition. She went on to win the Grand Prize in the Pasadena Showcase Competition in 2017, and has appeared as a soloist with the Colburn Orchestra, in the Kennedy Center, and on the radio show Performance Today with Fred Child. As an active freelancer, Cristina has been a guest tubist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Louisville Orchestra. She has been the tubist for Seraph Brass since 2022, and became the Principal Tubist of The Phoenix Symphony in 2023. Cristina studied at the Colburn School and the Curtis Institute, and her primary teachers have included Richard Antoine White, Thomas Riccobono, Norman Pearson, Paul Krzywicki, and Craig Knox.
Robyn Black is the principal tuba of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, a position she began in September 2020. Previously, she was pursuing an undergraduate degree in tuba performance at Rice University studying with Dave Kirk.
Recognized for her solo playing,Robyn was awarded first prize in “The President’s Own” Marine Band Concerto Competition, and the student division of the Falcone Tuba and Euphonium Competition. Robyn has also attended summer programs such as the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and the Pokorny Redlands Low Brass Seminar.
In her free time, Robyn enjoys reading, playing video games, and spending time with her partner and cats.
Bridget Conley (she/her) is an American tuba player residing in New Haven, Connecticut.
Bridget was the winner of the 2021 Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Solo Artist Competition. She was also a finalist in the 2021 Yale School of Music Concerto Competition, the winner of the 2020 Vanderbilt Wind Symphony Concerto Competition, the winner of the 2017 South Carolina Phi Beta Mu Solo Competition, and a semi-finalist in both the Mock Orchestral Audition and Small Ensemble Competition of the 2019 International Tuba and Euphonium Conference.
Bridget has performed with ensembles such as the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra; Yale Philharmonia; Aspen Festival Orchestra, Chamber Symphony, and Conducting Orchestra; Curtis Symphony Orchestra; and Conservatory of Amsterdam Philharmonic, among others. She is also a substitute musician with the New World Symphony.
Bridget has spent summers at the Aspen Music Festival and School, Spoleto Festival USA, Brevard Music Center, and the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute.
In addition to her experience as a performer, Bridget is also a passionate educator. She holds a minor in Pedagogy from Vanderbilt University, where she studied psychology, music cognition, and conducted independent research on brass pedagogy with Jeremy Wilson, Associate Professor of Trombone at Vanderbilt University.
Bridget is currently pursuing her Master of Music Degree in Performance from the Yale School of Music, where she studies with Carol Jantsch of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Tuba Performance with a minor in Brass Pedagogy from Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music (Gil Long, principal teacher). In the fall of 2019, she spent a semester studying at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Perry Hoogendijk, principal tubist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Bridget is a native of Charleston, South Carolina. When not playing tuba, she loves cooking, yoga, and a good book.
