Artistic Team

Emily Bowman

Artistic Director &
Philharmonic Conductor
Jacob Kaminski

Guest Symphony Conductor
Sara Parkinson

Guest Symphony Conductor
Erik Johnson

Wind Ensemble Conductor
Paul Rowinski

Sinfonia Conductor
Matt Dane

Chamber Music Director
Priscilla Arasaki

Más Música Director

Artistic Director & Philharmonic Conductor
Emily Anne Bowman is an active performer and educator. Ms. Bowman is a founding member and principal violist of the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado and has performed as guest artist with Montana Early Music Festival, Wyoming Baroque, Parish House Baroque, Seicento Baroque Ensemble, Baroque Out of Bounds, and the Early Music Happy Hour Chamber Concert series. Emily especially enjoys working with young musicians as Artistic Director of the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra and conductor of the GBYO Philharmonic, as faculty with Boulder Suzuki Strings and formerly as Music Director at Shining Mountain Waldorf School. Emily has been recognized with the "Exemplary Teacher" award four times by the American Strings Teachers Association of Colorado. Emily graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Viola Performance from the University of Colorado, receiving the Gabor Ormai Viola Award. She lives with her husband David Crowe in beautiful Boulder, Colorado where in addition to making music she delights in eating and spending time outdoors.
Guest Symphony Conductor
Jacob Kaminski is a conductor and double bass player from Cleveland, Ohio pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Orchestral Conducting and Literature from The University of Colorado Boulder. Jacob is the director of CU Boulder’s Campus Orchestra, a group of non music majors and music minors who perform an eclectic repertoire of classical and non classical music by diverse composers from all time periods. As an avid educator, he is the ensemble lead of intermediate and advanced ensembles at El Sistema Colorado, where he also instructs double bass and teaches music theory. In addition to his work with ESC, Jacob also serves as string coach and assistant conductor for Denver Young Artists Orchestra, where he works with the intermediate Conservatory ensemble. He also has worked as a guest clinician in the Boulder Valley School District and served as the music director for the 2026 Pikes Peak Honors Orchestra in Colorado Springs. As an active bass teacher, Jacob teaches a wide range of students in the classical and jazz mediums. Passionate about conducting pedagogy, he has also attended conferences such as the Robert Reynolds Conducting Institute at the Midwest Clinic, and the University of Kansas City Conducting Symposium. Jacob holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory in Double Bass Performance, and a Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Guest Symphony Conductor
Dr. Sara Parkinson has devoted more than 25 years to music education, performance, and arts leadership, establishing herself as a respected and dynamic presence in Colorado’s musical community. She holds degrees in piano performance from the University of Iowa (BM) and the New England Conservatory (MM), as well as a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado Boulder. Her conducting training includes participation in the Hart Institute for Women Conductors at The Dallas Opera.
Dr. Parkinson was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra in 2024 and has led performances with Boulder Opera, Flatirons Community Orchestra, St. Aidan's Choir, Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, and PlainsSong Symphony Orchestra. Her work on the podium reflects a commitment to both artistic excellence and innovative community partnerships.
In addition to her conducting career, Sara has held significant leadership positions in Colorado arts organizations. She served as Executive Director of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra from 2020–2023, following a season as Director of Education and Community Engagement, and most recently served as Executive Director of the Longmont Symphony Orchestra. Through these roles, she has expanded educational programming, strengthened community partnerships, and supported the artistic development of musicians of all ages.
As a pianist, Sara has performed since 2012 as a soloist and orchestral pianist with the Colorado Ballet Orchestra and as a touring artist for Central City Opera, bringing opera education programs to schools throughout Colorado. A dedicated educator, she has maintained a private piano studio for nearly three decades and has worked with Boulder Suzuki Strings since 2006, supporting group classes and coaching student recitals. Her commitment to higher education includes faculty and staff appointments at Metropolitan State University of Denver, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Cornell College.
Passionate about inspiring the next generation of musicians, Dr. Parkinson is honored to serve as a guest conductor for GBYO next season.
Wind Ensemble Conductor
Dr. Erik Johnson is an Associate Professor of Music Education and Coordinator of Music Education at Colorado State University where he is the director of the CSU Middle School Outreach Ensemble program and conducts the 130 member CSU Concert Band. As a music educator, Erik’s goals are to cultivate a sincere passion for artistry and music learning for students at all levels. Erik is a CSU Distinction in Community Outreach Award winner and a GRAMMY Scientific Research Award winner - an award that is accompanied by a grant that supports research into how peer-assisted learning in music can help to improve social responsiveness for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Sinfonia Conductor
Paul Rowinski has been teaching violin using the Suzuki Method in Boulder, Colorado since 1983. He graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in music, studying violin performance and pedagogy with William Starr. He is the director of the Woodsong Suzuki Violin Instruction program in Boulder, and performs locally in various community orchestras.
Chamber Music Director
Matthew Dane serves as Principal Violist of both the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) in Houston and Opera Colorado. Dane has appeared as soloist with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, ROCO, Ars Nova Singers, and the St. Martin's Chamber Choir among others; his chamber performances have been broadcast on NPR's Performance Today and BBC's Channel 3. A committed teacher, he has served on the faculty of the University of Colorado, and was tenured at the University of Oklahoma; he now coaches chamber music at Greenwood Music Camp in the summers and actively maintains a private studio in Boulder.
Priscilla Arasaki is a violinist, orchestra director, and music educator. She holds a Master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Bachelor’s degree in Music Studies from the University of Texas at Austin. Her violin background includes studies with Strelsa Burks, Dr. Eugene Gratovich, and Harumi Rhodes. She draws heavily on Suzuki pedagogy in her instruction following extensive teacher training coursework. Priscilla’s career features experiences directing public school orchestra programs, guest-conducting honor ensembles, and adjudicating music festivals. She is the Co-Founder of Cuerdas y Canciones Center for Mariachi Arts and Culture, an organization dedicated to advancing mariachi education across Colorado; as well as a violinist with Mariachi Las Dahlias, Colorado's premier all-female mariachi ensemble. In her free time, Priscilla enjoys hanging out with her dogs, watching movies, and cooking.

Mentors

Yenlik Weiss

Violin
Laena Batchelder

Violin
Peter Kennedy

Violin
Jordan Holloway

Viola
Erik Okel

Cello
Sasha Nepomnyashy

Bass
Maggie Greenwood

Winds
Corey Nance

Brass

Violinist Dr. Yenlik Weiss is a dedicated chamber musician, orchestra performer, and teacher. She has been a featured soloist for the Steamboat Springs Chamber Orchestra, Aurora Symphony, on Colorado Public Radio, and performed numerous chamber solos in the US, Europe, and Asia. She is a member of the Boulder Philharmonic. She has performed with Sir Elton John, Sarah McLachlan, and Earth Wind & Fire among other contemporary performers, and performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Laena Batchelder is a violinist, musician, and social justice advocate. Following her mission to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in classical music, she has programmed works by female, minority, contemporary, and non-traditional composers in her recitals including her honors project recital, Women of American Chamber Music. She believes in combining classical and popular music to appeal to wider audiences which she has implemented in her performances and in her teaching.
Boulder local Peter Kennedy teaches violin and viola lessons to people of all ages. He believes that every student has meaningful goals in their musical journey, and he works with each individual to discover what drives their passion for music. In addition to teaching, he performs regularly as a violinist and violist for orchestras, weddings, and other events, and loves to write music and compose. When he isn’t making music, Peter can be found running, hiking, skiing, biking, unicycling, reading, thinking about math, or playing dungeons and dragons.
Jordan M. Holloway is an American composer, conductor, and violist. As a composer, Holloway has worked with groups such as the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, the Ivalas Quartet, Kodachrome, and ~Nois, as well as many solo artists. Holloway also directs the Dad Village Symphony Orchestra, a new virtual orchestra formed out of the COVID-19 pandemic dedicated to performing new and diverse works. For more information, visit www.dvso.org.
Holloway graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2021, earning a Bachelor of Music in composition and viola performance. There, he studied composition with Carter Pann, Dan Kellogg, and Annika Socolofsky, viola with Erika Eckert and former Takács Quartet violist Geraldine Walther, and conducting with Maestro Gary Lewis. He earned his Master of Music in composition in 2024 at Carnegie Mellon University, and then served as the assistant conductor of the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic from 2024–2025.
Erik Okel is pursuing a master’s degree in cello performance at the University of Colorado Boulder and is a recipient of the Chamber Takacs Society-MU Scholarship. His performance interests include the symphonic repertoire and early music, as well as creating arrangements of his favorite popular music. In his free time Erik enjoys cooking, reading bad science-fiction books, and obsessively watching his favorite shows for the hundredth time.
Sasha Nepomnyashy is a graduate student at CU Boulder, having previously attended the Baylor School of Music. Her musical career began in north Texas, where she participated in All-Region and All-State events throughout high school. She is now an active teacher and clinician. Her studio philosophy is based on personalized growth for each student and a priority of injury prevention and healthy playing.
Maggie Greenwood is a clarinetist and multiple woodwinds performer who evolved into an orchestral conductor and is a passionate supporter of public education and gender diversity in classical music. She loves building community through joyful music making and constantly strives to be better as a musician, educator, and human being than she was the day before. Maggie completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Clarinet Performance and Pedagogy from CU Boulder.
Corey Nance is an active musician and educator based in Denver, Colorado. He is currently the Principal Trombone of the Symphony of the Rockies and is pursuing a MM in trombone performance at the University of Colorado Boulder. As an educator, Nance has presented at the Big XII Trombone Conference and International Trombone Festival in 2023 while completing his BM in trombone performance from West Texas A&M University. Nance is a Brass Mentor for the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra, Vice President of the International Trombone Association Student Council, and a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.