Ger Vang is the instructor of oboe at Radford University. Currently, Ger is a doctoral student at University of North Carolina – Greensboro. He actively subs with the Winston-Salem Symphony and Salisbury Symphony. During the summers, he performs with the Ohio Light Opera. His primary teachers include Ken Futterer, Mary Ashley Barret, Jaren Atherholt, and Courtney Miller.
Bryan Culler is a Freelance Flutist and Music Teacher based in Greensboro, NC. Bryan is currently pursuing a Master of Music in flute performance with Dr. Tadeo Coelho at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Bryan has undergraduate degrees in both Music Education and Flute Performance from Appalachian State University where he studied with Dr. Nancy Schneeloch-Bingham. He also studied flute privately with Victor Wang of the Charlotte Symphony.
Bryan is passionate about injury prevention and maintenance, having studied with Musician Injury Coach Austin Pancner and Alexander Technique teachers Rachel Niketopoulos, Geordie MacMinn, and Lisa First. As a teacher, Bryan’s primary goal is to help his students achieve a sense of freedom and ease in their playing that will enable them to achieve their desired technical proficiency and sound concept with comfort and joy. He frequently incorporates principles of the Alexander Technique into his music pedagogy.
Joshua Bottoms (he/him) is a freelance clarinetist, arts administrator, and music critic in the Carolinas. Originally from Nevada, Josh was a middle school music teacher in Washoe County and a strong advocate for the local National Association for Music Education collegiate chapter. In North Carolina, Josh is Principal Clarinet of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Clarinet III with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, and a frequent sub musician with other ensembles. Josh is a founding member, clarinetist, and administrator for the chamber music ensemble, the Cardinal Sound Collective.
Beyond performing, Josh manages grant funding for the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra as the organization’s Institutional Giving Coordinator. In his free time, Josh is a music critic for the Cultural Voice of North Carolina.
Josh received a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Nevada, Reno and a M.M. in Clarinet Performance from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.
Joey Lavarias is an active bassoonist and educator based in Greensboro, NC. He received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School in New York City, studying under Dr. Frank Morelli, and is completing his DMA at UNC-Greensboro with Dr. Michael Burns. He is an Adjunct Professor of Aural Skills at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Applied Lecturer of Bassoon at North Carolina State University.
Joey currently holds the 2nd bassoon position with the Durham Symphony Orchestra in Durham, NC, and previously held positions in the Billings Symphony, the UNC-Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, and the Juilliard Orchestra. He has served as a substitute bassoonist for the Raleigh Symphony, Greensboro Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Asheville Symphony, Piedmont Wind Symphony, and Western Piedmont Symphony.
