Founder / Director of Music

Brandon Chan (he/him) is a Massachusetts based music educator. He is currently a band director in the Fall River Public School District where he also works with the Durfee Hilltoppers Band.

In June of 2022, Brandon was inspired to take action in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe V. Wade, a decision that would greatly impact the bodily autonomy of women in the United States. In an effort to employ his classical training as a musician he formed the Voices Unheard Ensemble, a classical music ensemble that aims to improve women’s visibility in music past, present, and future. The Voices Unheard Ensemble piloted their first performance to great success in the Summer of 2023. Brandon and his work with the Voices Unheard Ensemble has recently been recognized by the Lowell Mason House, a music education advocacy organization in Massachusetts, and received 2nd place in their annual competition for innovators in music advocacy.

Brandon holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from UMass Amherst where he studied clarinet with Romie de Guise-Langlois. At UMass he conducted multiple pit ensembles for the UMass Theater Guild and studied conducting privately with then graduate student Jared Bloch. A lifelong lover of learning, he has attended the Michigan State University Conducting Symposium where he worked with Dr. Kevin Sedatole, Dr. David Thornton, and Dr. Emily Threinen. He currently resides in the town of Fairhaven with his cat Cruiser.

Assistant Conductor

Maddi Giberson is a recent graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she received her bachelor’s degree in music education. During her four years at UMass, she studied tuba under the mentorship of Dr. John Bottomley and bass trombone with Professor Greg Spiridopolous. At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Maddi studied conducting under Dr. Lindsay Bronnenkant. Under Dr. Bronnenkant, Maddi completed an Independent Study in wind conducting and completed a conducting recital in the Fall of 2023, where she conducted selections from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Maddi was also a guest conductor for the UMass Brass Choir, where she led an arrangement of Percy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy, and with the UMass Trombone Choir, conducting Norman Bolter’s On With the Battle of Life. In addition to her studies at UMass Amherst, Maddi also completed an internship in wind conducting at Smith College. Under Meghan MacFadden’s guidance at Smith College, Maddi led their ensemble in Grainger’s Ye Banks and Braes O’ Bonnie Doon and played tuba in the ensemble.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Maddi was a member of the acapella group Duly Noted for two years, where she held roles of both Assistant and Head Music Director, during which the group gigged regularly and recorded a studio alum. Outside of formal engagements, Maddi’s passion for music remains, as she can often be found playing tuba, guitar, and singing. Apart from music, Maddi enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and her three beloved Bernese Mountain dogs.

2025 Composer in Residence

Christina J. George is a composer-flutist whose compositions fuse ambient music with popular styles and classical forms, drawing inspiration from the organic shapes of the natural world. Her recent commissions include settings of her own poetry for loadbang and Byrne:Kozar:Duo, as well as a collaborative work for Nozama Dance Collective. She holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Composition and Flute Performance from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s of Music in Composition from Longy School of Music of Bard College. Her favorite sound in the world is the cry of the loon reverberating around a quiet cove.

Flute

Emma Kucich is a flutist and private music teacher based in the MetroWest and South Shore areas of Massachusetts. She received her Bachelors of Music in Flute Performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she studied under Dr. Cobus du Toit. During her undergraduate program, Emma participated in ensembles including the UMass Amherst Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Opera Orchestra, Bach Festival Orchestra, and miscellaneous chamber projects. 

In addition to her work with the Voices Unheard Ensemble, Emma performs with the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra and Summer Wind Ensemble in Milford MA, the Commonwealth Wind Symphony and teaches flute and piano lessons through the GoGo Allegro School of Music and Franklin School of Performing Arts.  Emma is also a freelance musician who is always looking for opportunities to perform with other musicians. 

Outside of these music, Emma studies Nonprofit Management part time at Northeastern University and enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and pets.

Flute

Alex Martin is a music educator and flutist from Taunton, MA. She earned her degree in Music Education from UMass Amherst, studying flute under Dr. Cobus du Toit. In Addition to being a proud enthusiastic teacher of General Music in middle school, she is a member of the Commonwealth Symphony, teaches flute privately, and advises for the THS Flute Choir. Alex currently lives in Randolph, MA with her partner and their many plants.

Clarinet

Faith McKinley-Shiu is an educator and clarinetist. As an educator, she has taught students from ages five to seventy. She has worked in public and private school settings, and has become involved with New Horizons Band, which serves senior citizens learning an instrument for the first time. Currently, Faith teaches at Lesley Ellis School in Arlington, MA, where she teaches K-8 general music, band and choir. 

As a clarinetist, Faith seeks to expand her classical performance skills and outreach opportunities. She is currently in the Me2/ Orchestra in Boston, MA, which places an emphasis on ending stigmas around mental health. Faith has also given performances to help the homeless in Cambridge, MA; close to where she received her Master’s degree in Clarinet Performance at Longy School of Music of Bard College. 

In addition to clarinet, Faith can often be found singing in a choir. She believes that singing is an essential part of the learning process of music, even as an instrumentalist.

Horn

Rachel Sousa is a music educator and French horn player from Rhode Island. Originally from New York, Rachel studied with Laura Klock and Josh Michal at the University of Massachusetts Amherst while earning her degree in Music Education. Rachel has been a band director for nine years, teaching in both New Jersey and Massachusetts. Currently, she teaches over 200 middle school band students at Walpole Middle School. Rachel can be found playing horn with the American Band, the Commonwealth Wind Symphony and in pits and orchestras throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Music Education at Bridgewater State University. 

When not pursuing music, Rachel can be found baking, hiking with her husband and her Keeshond Lincoln and spending time with friends and family. 

Bassoon

Debbie Chen is a freelance bassoonist and music educator who has taught and performed all over New England. Chen earned her Bachelor's degree in Music Education and Bassoon performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, studying under Stephen Walt and Dr. Remy Taghavi. She then went on to earn her Master's degree in Bassoon Performance at Stony Brook University, where she studied with Dr. Frank Morelli.

Chen currently holds a principal position with the Brockton Symphony and is the newly appointed Professor of Bassoon at Bridgewater State University. She continues to build her private lesson studio in Eastern Massachusetts, teaching students of all ages bassoon and oboe. Chen is very passionate when working with her students and is always eager to help anyone grow as a musician. She is patient, kind, and always ready to listen.

Aside from playing the bassoon, Chen loves to travel, find new food experiences, and meet new people

Trumpet

Born in Portugal, Cris Fagundes calls Taunton, MA his home. He earned double degrees of Bachelors of Music in Trumpet Performance and Music Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he studied with Eric Berlin and Steve Felix. As a member of the UMass Trumpet Ensemble which competed in the National Trumpet Competition, he has been able to travel across the country from Wilmington, Delaware to Boulder, Colorado. While at UMass, he was a leader in the Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble with whom he can be heard on the recent CD release “Synchronous - New Works for Trombone and Wind Ensemble” featuring Greg Spiridopoulos, Professor of Trombone at UMass. Outside of performing, he loves to be outside, play golf, ski, cook and attend Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts.

Trumpet

Sydney Alfano is a trumpet player and music educator from Pembroke, MA. She attended Ithaca College where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. In her time at Ithaca, she studied trumpet with Dr. Aaron Witek and Dr. Jared Wallis.

Sydney currently teaches in the Plymouth Public Schools and teaches lessons through the Jesse Stiglich Music School. Sydney is also an avid performer and takes pride in bringing music to her South Shore community. In addition to freelance trumpet playing, she is a regular member of the Commonwealth Wind Symphony and the Satuit Band.

Horn

Simon Eder is a baker and horn player from Boston, Massachusetts. He has been a part of the Me2/ Orchestra, an organization dedicated to erasing the stigma of mental illness for four years, and has recently played with the Apollo Ensemble of Boston. He enjoys playing chamber music with ensembles of all shapes and sizes. 

Trombone

Gillian Kearney is an active trombonist in the Boston area. She has performed with symphonies such as the Albany Symphony, Boston Philharmonic, and Orchestra Long Island. Besides orchestral playing, Gillian loves playing in chamber ensembles and pit orchestras for musicals. A native of Long Island, NY Gillian has received a B.M. from Boston Conservatory studying with Norman Bolter, and a M.M. from UMass Amherst studying with Greg Spirodopoulos. She will start in September as a DMA Student at Boston University, and hopes to inspire more female brass players to reach for the stars.

Tuba

Zev Barden is an active freelancer in the greater Boston area. He currently resides in Somerville and is completing his Masters degree in performance at New England Conservatory, and he holds a Bachelor's degree from Umass Amherst. An active performer, Zev has appeared with the Cape Ann and the Pioneer Valley Symphony orchestras, and has been seen performing with the Majestic Brass quintet. In his spare time, Zev can be found on the waters of Onset Bay, where he is both a sailing instructor and an avid fisherman during summer months. He also enjoys spending time with his sisters and niece, who at two years old is not quite yet ready to start learning how to play a brass instrument. Additionally, Zev is a passionate teacher and maintains an active studio in Boston, where he has the privilege of working with several ambitious and talented budding musicians. His primary teachers include Peter Cirelli, John Bottomley, Eric Goode, and Mike Roylance.