Maestro Gregory Woodbridge
Youth Symphony Music Director and Conductor
Maestro Gregory Woodbridge began studying piano at the age of 7 and violin at the age of 9. He holds degrees from Penn State University where he was assistant conductor for the Penn State Philharmonic, the Penn State Chamber Orchestra, and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra. Additional conducting studies include the Pierre Monteux Conducting Institute in Maine with Michael Jinbo; Leonid Korchmar (Kirov Opera and St. Petersburg Conservatory); Ennio Nicotra (founder of the Musin Society); and most recently Gustav Meier and JoAnn Falletta at the Conductor’s Institute Richmond Symphony Masterclass.
Woodbridge was recently honored by the Penn State School of Music with their Distinguished Alumni award for his work with youth orchestras, including the Hershey High School Symphony Orchestra, a 110-member orchestra that won a performance spot at the PMEA All-State Conference in April 2010. He was also the Music Director and Conductor of the Wednesday Club Youth Orchestra (Harrisburg, PA) from 2000-2007, a highly selective string orchestra that had the distinct honor of performing with fiddler Mark O’Connor on two separate tours to the Harrisburg area. In 2010, Mr. Woodbridge was named a Conducting Fellow with the Allentown Symphony by their Music Director, Diane Wittry.
Previous guest conducting engagements include the York Symphony (PA), the PMEA Region IV-V State Orchestra Festival, the Lebanon Valley College-Community Orchestra, and the Messiah College Orchestra. Mr. Woodbridge lives in Lancaster, PA with his wife Heather and their two children Delaney and Liam.
Krista Kriel
Harrisburg Junior Youth String Orchestra Conductor
Krista Kriel has been teaching music for over 25 years, most recently in the Gettysburg School District. She holds a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Music Education. She has conducted the Harrisburg Symphony Junior Youth String Orchestra since 2011.
Krista conducted the District 7 String Fest in 2008, the Dauphin County High School Orchestra Festival in 2010, and the Dauphin County Elementary Orchestra Festival in 2016 and 2018 and Bucks County Junior High Festival in 2019. In 2011 Krista spent a semester as an Adjunct Assistant at the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College, teaching a collaborative Instrumental Methods class. She was a clinician at the 2012 PMEA Conference, presenting a clinic on Developing School-Collaborative Partnership Models across the state of Pennsylvania. In the fall of 2015 she presented Orchestral Repertoire for the High School Orchestra at the PMEA District 7 Fall Workshop. In 2016, Krista presented Implementing Chamber Ensembles in the Middle School Curriculum at the PMEA District 7 Fall Workshop and at the Pennsylvania State Convention in 2018. Krista continues to conduct Middle School Orchestra, lead violin master classes, and coach chamber ensembles annually at the Messiah College Orchestra Camp and coaches annually at the Chamber Camp. As a middle school orchestra director, Krista has given master classes to orchestras in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and has adjudicated festivals in Virginia, and for Music in the Parks.
Along with conducting, Krista plays violin for the Carlisle String Quartet, the Shippensburg University Orchestra and the Gettysburg Chamber Orchestra. Krista has also played for the Gettysburg Festival Orchestra, the Central Pennsylvania Symphony, Theatre Harrisburg, the Gettysburg College Orchestra, the Hanover String Quartet, the Grosse String Quartet and the Latimore String Quartet.
Krista has three daughters, Ashley, Hannah and Paige, and resides in Gettysburg with her husband, Dan.
Michael Gamon
Elementary String Orchestra Conductor
Michael Gamon currently chairs the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Harrisburg Academy, and serves as the Director for the Center for Creative Arts. He serves as professor of viola at Kutztown University and has a passion for training young musicians. He has served on the artistic staff of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, as the conductor for the Baltimore Symphony Youth String Orchestra. In addition, he has served as the conductor for the Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestra’s Sinfonia, Sinfonietta, and Bridges Orchestras.
Mr. Gamon is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, where he studied viola performance with Victoria Chiang and pedagogy with Rebecca Henry. As an orchestral musician, he has worked with Marin Alsop, David Zinman, Jamie Laredo, George Manahan, and James Conlon among others. He has performed throughout Austria, Italy, and the Czech Republic with notable appearances at the Karlskirche in Salzburg, the Rudolfinum in Prague, and the Sala Dei Priori in Perugia. Performances include the nationally televised 32nd Kennedy Center Honors with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra in honor of Leon Fleischer, U.S. President George W. Bush, Baltimore Mayors Sheila Dixon, and Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Additionally, Mr. Gamon has appeared in solo and chamber music recital series throughout the Baltimore and Central Pennsylvania regions.
Mr. Gamon is a scholarship recipient of the Aspen Music Festival and School where he has worked with numerous artist-faculty such as Jeffery Irvine, Steve Wyrczinski, Sabina Thatcher, Eric Halen, and David Halen. He has graduated summa cum laude from Lebanon Valley College with a music degree on viola. While at Lebanon Valley College, he won the concerto-aria competition and soloed with the Lebanon Valley College Symphony Orchestra and received the Carmean Orchestra Award. Mr. Gamon worked closely with collaborative pianist Dr. Karen Savage and violinist Dr. Hannes Dietrich.
Mark Hunsberger
Director of Education and Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestra
Mark Hunsberger serves as the Director of Education and Youth Symphony Administrator for the Harrisburg Symphony. He previously served as the Performing Arts Coordinator for Messiah College as well as the HSO’s teaching artist for the Link Up program created by Carnegie Hall. In addition to his work with the HSO, Mark maintains an active performance schedule and serves as a faculty member at Central Penn College and Messiah University.
Mark completed his undergraduate studies at Messiah College, where he earned degrees in both Classical Percussion Performance and Music Education. He recently received his Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies from Michigan State University where he studied and performed with jazz masters Rodney Whitaker, Randy Gilespie, Reggie Thomas, Michael Dease, Diego Rivera, and Etienne Charles.
Tatiana Cassetta
Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestra Coordinator
Tatiana Cassetta is an active teacher and performer throughout Central Pennsylvania. She holds teaching positions at State Street Academy of Music, the Columbia School of Music, Penn Square Music Conservatory, STEAM School of Pennsylvania, and Fairmont State University (WV). Tatiana had her solo debut at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in 2017 after winning first prize in the Golden Classical Music Awards. She has won various competitions and awards including First Prizes in the MTNA Young Artist Competition, West Virginia University Young Artist Competition, and the Flute Society of Kentucky Chamber Music Competition, and has been a finalist in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and the Erve Monroe Young Artist Competition. Tatiana is a founding member of BETA Quartet, presenting concerts and workshops around the country.
Tatiana received her Masters Degree in Flute Performance from West Virginia University and her Bachelors Degree in Flute Performance from Michigan State University. Her primary teachers include Richard Sherman, Jeff Zook, and Nina Assimakopoulos.