Stephen Gage is Instrumental Music Coordinator, Professor of Music, and Director of Bands at Youngstown State University (YSU). He earned a doctorate at the University of Illinois: Urbana-Champaign, a masters degree at the Eastman School of Music, and a bachelors degree and the Performer's Certificate in Percussion at the State University of New York at Fredonia. Prior to his current position, Dr. Gage was the Director of Bands at Emporia State University (KS) and was the Director of Bands at Auburn High School in upstate New York. At YSU he conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting. In addition, Dr. Gage is the music director and conductor of the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra.  

Under his direction the YSU Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra have been frequent guest performers at the OMEA state music convention. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble has performed for the MENC and CBDNA conventions, and in March 2005 the ensemble made its Carnegie Hall debut on the showcase concert of the New York Wind Band Festival. During recent years Dr. Gage and the SWE has drawn praise from composers, Karel Husa, Joseph Schwantner, Michael Colgrass, Frank Ticheli, David Gillingham, and Anthony Iannacone for interpretation and performances of their music.

Dr. Gage has numerous publications including articles in the Kansas Music Review Journal, in the Ohio Music Educators Journal, TRIAD, and in the National Band Association Journal and NBA Newsletter. He has been a member of the NBA School Reform Committee, the ABA Ostwald Selection Committee and served a four-year term as the NBA North Central Division Chair. His many professional credits include serving as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator for all stat, sectional, regional, and district high school concert bands and orchestras across the United States, Ireland, and Canada. Dr. Gage has guest conducted the U.S. Army Band: Pershing's Own and the U.S. Army Field Band.

Dr. Gage's professional affiliations include a March 1999 induction into the prestigious American Bandmasters Association (ABA). He is also a member of the CBDNA, NBA, OMEA/MENC, Kappa Kappa Psi, Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Beta Mu, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Phi Kappa Phi. Stephen lives in Poland, Ohio with his wife Stephanie, son, Brendan, and daughter, Claudia.

 

 Dr. Christopher P. Heidenreich, Assistant Director of Bands/ Director YSU Marching Pride

Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Christopher P. Heidenreich will begin serving at Youngstown State University in the fall of 2006 as Assistant Director of Bands and Director of the YSU "Marching Pride." He began teaching public school in Ohio in 1989 and served as Director of Bands at Lancaster High School from 1992-2004. While at Lancaster, his bands consistently were recognized for their excellence in both the concert hall and on the marching band field. In addition, his bands performed for the 1996 Bowling Green State University Reading Clinic and for the 1997 Ohio Music Education Convention held in Toledo, Ohio. In February 2002, he was awarded the American School Band Directors Association's "Distinguished Band Director" Award for Ohio and the North Central Region, recognizing young band directors for their music achievements.

Heidenreich continues to be in demand as an adjudicator for concer and marching bands throughout Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois. he was a clinician at the 2005 Midwest Clinic, presenting tools for surviving the first years of teaching public school. In addition, he is a continuing contributor to Teaching Music Through Performing in Band and will soon publish an article based on the Midwest Clinic topic in The Instrumentalist.

Completing his Doctor of Music in Wind Conducting from Indiana University in the spring of 2006, Heidenreich studied under the mentorship of Ray E. Cramer and Stephen W. Pratt. While at IU, he assisted with the Marching Hundred, held various guest conducting responsibilities with each of the wind bands, and continues trumpet study with Professor Joey Tartell. His doctoral project, completed in partial fulfillment of the degree, included creating a new edition of Gordon Jacob's An Original Suite, composed in 1924. In addition to creating a full score from the published parts, the project attempted to maintain the original orchestration and scoring of the composer whie eliminating numerous errors in both parts and score. he holds a Master of Arts in Music Eduction from the Ohio State University (1998), in which he continues studies in conducting and trumpet, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Bowling Green State University (1989) where he graduated cum laude.

Heidenreich is a member of the Ohio Music Eduction Association, the College Band Directors National Association, National Eagle Scout Association, and Pi Kappa Lambda. He and his wife Beth have two children, Jillian and Daniel, and the family currently resides in Boardman.