Woodwinds
DR. SCOTT WRIGHT
CLARINET instructor/Band Director
Clarinetist Scott Wright is the Professor of Clarinet at the University of Kentucky, a position he has held since 2002. He is also a member of the esteemed McCracken Faculty Wind Quintet, and Chair of the Winds—Percussion—Jazz Division in the School of Music. In a career spanning nearly three decades, Dr. Wright has performed and taught in a wide variety of settings including the public schools, universities, chamber and orchestral ensembles, and as a soloist. He has been featured as both a conductor and clarinetist the conferences of the International Clarinet Association, National Band Association, College Band Directors National Association, the International Double Reed Society, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, the Midwest Clinic, and the American Choral Directors Association. Since 1997, he has appeared frequently with pianist Linda Halloin (Duo Pegasus) as a guest artist, and has presented numerous concerts and masterclasses at colleges and universities throughout the country as well as in Europe, Canada, and Asia.
Dr. Wright keeps busy as a conductor and soloist with high school and middle school bands and serves as clarinet instructor and band director at music camps and festivals in Wisconsin, Oregon, and Kentucky, as well as a clarinet instructor and consultant for the American Band College-Sam Houston State University. Dr. Wright holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Arizona State University, and he is a Selmer Performing Artist.
Adam Eccleston
FLUTE INSTRUCTOR
Born in Brooklyn, New York in the Little Caribbean neighborhood, conductor, radio host, educator and flutist Adam Eccleston has gained international recognition as a soloist, recitalist, chamber and orchestral musician. He has conducted ensembles in Panama, Dominican Republic, Belize, Canada and throughout the U.S. Adam has been awarded top prizes in competitions for which he was featured at Carnegie Hall and Kurhaus Wiesbaden in Germany. He was the Artist-in-Residence for All Classical Radio for two years recording music of underrepresented composers. As a radio host and producer for All Classical Radio, Adam also guest hosts for the Young Artist Showcase on WQXR in New York City.
During his earlier years, Adam studied with flutist William Bennett in England at the age of 15 and was later hand selected by Sir James Galway to study in Switzerland at 19 years old. He holds two master's degrees in performance and education studying at the New England Conservatory and Purchase Conservatory in New York City. Adam is a Powell Flute Artist and Principal flutist of Orchestra Nova NW and appears as guest artist around the country. Currently, he teaches music at Reed College, conducts ensembles at the Metropolitan Youth Symphony and can be seen playing with the Oregon Symphony. You can catch him on Youtube as part of the Oregon Symphony's ‘Symphony Storytime’ pairing his love of music and reading with young people. Adam believes in using music as a form of social change and has worked extensively with El Sistema music programs across the United States.
Nick Thompson
OBOE INSTRUCTOR
Originally from Saint Louis, Missouri, Nick's early oboe career developed in South Florida where he pursued his undergraduate work with Robert Weiner at the University of Miami and graduate work with Jared Hauser at Lynn Conservatory. While studying at Lynn, Nick's oboe teacher won the professorship at Vanderbilt University, and Nick was fortunate enough to continue his studies with Joseph Robinson, former principal oboist with the New York Philharmonic, finishing his Professional Performance Certificate and Master's Degree.
Nick freelanced and taught oboe in South Florida for over 15 years to much local acclaim. There, he also met his wife, Isabel, and their daughter, Helen, was born. Growing weary of the freelance life, Nick began to do some soul searching and was looking for a change. Amid that same time frame, through Jared’s recommendation, Nick met Jason Onks, owner and technician at Onks Woodwind Specialists in Smyrna, Tennessee. Always a tinkerer, Nick was able to show his potential as a repair person and the Thompsons quickly decided to move to Tennessee for Nick to start a new career in repair when Helen was just one year old.
Especially thankful for all of his oboe teachers, Nick's cumulative experiences in oboe went hand-in-hand with his position at Onks Woodwind Specialists where he worked for over 5 years. Nick learned the repair trade in a different than normal circumstance, where most of the focus specialized in oboe, and most servicing of the instruments were either highly comprehensive or complete mechanical overhauls. Jason's business model of encouraging fully comprehensive work is one of the reasons why Nick decided to apprentice with him. Other reasons include the Onks shop working exclusively with Hannah Selznick, “The Oboe Fairy” as well as an ongoing collaboration with Laubin. Very few shops had Paul Laubin's approval, and as a Laubin player, learning to properly set up Laubin oboes was especially rewarding.
While working at Onks as a full time repair specialist, Nick has continually strived to include teaching and performing as much as possible into his schedule, teaching oboe at the University of the South in Sewanee for three years and performing with local ensembles, including the Knoxville and Huntsville Symphony Orchestras, Nashville Repertory Theater and the Nashville Opera. Nick also started a reed business, “Tip Top Reeds," where he sold reeds for a few years and enjoyed helping oboists from that standpoint. He has since rebranded his reed business name and focuses mainly on repair work.
Nick is extremely grateful to his mentor, Jason Onks, but Tennessee was not meant to be for the Thompsons. In Fall of 2022, they decided to relocate to Portland, Oregon and start a-new once again. During the cross-country planning period, Nick subsequently found a local audition opening for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra USA in Washington and is proud to be an Assistant Principal core member. He also subs regularly with other high-level ensembles such as the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. An experienced performer, reed maker, teacher and repairer, Nick truly is well rounded as an oboe specialist and is here to help advise and supply his services to you for any of your oboe needs.
DR. Adam Farmer
Bassoon Instructor
Dr. Adam Farmer is an active performer of orchestral and chamber music and a recent transplant to Salem, Oregon. As a bassoonist, Adam has performed with orchestras across the Pacific Northwest and Midwest including the Oregon Symphony, Oregon Festival Orchestra, Walla Walla Symphony, Newport Symphony Orchestra, Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Jackson Symphony Orchestra, and the West Michigan Symphony.
Adam is also an enthusiastic proponent of community outreach and audience engagement. Before moving to Oregon, Adam regularly performed at public parks, elementary schools, museums, and assisted living facilities with his woodwind quintet, the Verdant Winds. The Verdant Winds quickly became known as innovative and thoughtful presenters of interactive concert programs and were featured in a presentation on educational engagement strategies at the Michigan Music Conference in 2018.
Adam received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Bassoon Performance from Michigan State University and also holds degrees from Kent State University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. His primary instructors include Michael Kroth, David DeBolt, William Winstead, and Martin James.
owen evans
saxophone instructor
Owen Evans is a saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist, composer, and educator located in Portland. He has a B.M. in Music Education from Central Washington University and is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in jazz studies from Portland State University. Owen has performed saxophone and flute in various ensembles, from traditional jazz big bands to bluegrass string bands. He hails from Seattle where he performed with Tinkham Road, recorded on their latest release Tomorrow Brings Another, and appeared on Battlestar Kalakala's latest release Live at the Skylark. Owen believes in finding creative approaches to skill development and incorporating improvisation, composition, and fun in all types of music learning.