Dr. Marilyn Seelman is Music Director/Conductor of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra of Atlanta.  She received her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of Miami-Coral Gables, Florida and her Master of Music in Viola from Boston University.  She has held the position of Director of Orchestras and violist at Trinity University in San Antonio, The University of New Mexico-Albuquerque and Georgia State University.  Dr. Seelman has served as an All-State Conductor in Georgia, Tennessee, and Alaska and will be serving in that capacity in Colorado and Florida in 2011.  In addition she was on the conducting faculty of the Interlochen Arts Camp in 2009 and 2010.  She has presented viola master classes at Vanderbilt University, American String Teachers’ Association National Conventions, and in Nanjing, China along with presenting sessions on viola pedagogy and string pedagogy at many professional meetings.  Dr. Seelman is Past-President of the Georgia Chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) and now serves on the national board of ASTA as Publications Chair and National Solo Competition Chair.  Under her leadership, the Metropolitan Youth Symphony of Atlanta has performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston, Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, Mid-West Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, and Georgia Music Educators’ Conference in Savannah.  In addition, at the invitation of the US-China Cultural and Educational Foundation, in 2006, MYSO performed in Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai and in 2008 gave performances in Budapest, Vienna, and Prague.  She is teaching music education at Georgia State University during the 2010-11 academic year and continues to maintain an active viola studio, adjudicate festivals, conduct, and gives clinics throughout the United States and abroad.

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Steven K. Leonard - String Orchestra

Steven K. Leonard is the Director of the String Orchestra for the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta.  Mr. Leonard graduated with a Bachelor of Music with Distinction in Violin Performance from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Arts in Music Education from Truman State University. He was a student of Raphael Bronstein’s in New York City, and also studied with Oliver Steiner, James Buswell and Charles Castleman.  Mr. Leonard studied chamber music with the founding members of the Cleveland Quartet: Donald Weilerstein, Peter Salaff, Martha Katz and Paul Katz. His other chamber music teachers have included Harvey Shapiro, John Perry and Abram Loft.

Mr. Leonard was Assistant Concertmaster of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra in Birmingham before moving to Atlanta in 1995.  He has performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Opera and Ballet Orchestras, the Atlanta Lyric Theater Orchestra, the Colorado Philharmonic and the Eastman/Dryden Theater Orchestra.

While in Birmingham, Mr. Leonard held teaching positions at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Birmingham Southern College and Huntingdon College and had many private students. He has served as an Instructor of Violin and Music at Truman State University in Missouri and has taught at several summer music programs, including the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan and the Symphony School of America in Wisconsin.  In Atlanta he was the Director of MYSO’s first Chamber Music Program and has been an elementary orchestra director in the DeKalb and Atlanta Public School districts.

Currently, Steven K. Leonard performs as a violinist in the Traverse Symphony Orchestra, is on the Violin Faculty of the Interlochen Center for the Arts summer program in Michigan and performs as Concertmaster of the Altanta Pops Orchestra.  He maintains a busy private teaching studio.  Mr. Leonard is the Director of the Elementary Orchestra Program at The Paideia School, and is the Violin Coach for the DeKalb Youth Symphony.   Mr. Leonard is frequently a visiting artist at violin masterclasses and workshops throughout the country. He enjoys participating in solo and chamber music recitals regularly at various venues around Atlanta.   Mr. Leonard, his wife Kitty and their son, Keith reside in Tucker, Georgia where they are always under the watchful eyes of their Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Scooter. 

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Mr. Carl Reike - String Orchestra

Mr. Carl Rieke graduated from St. Olaf College (Northfield, Minnesota) in 1997 receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education.  He received his Masters Degree in Instrumental Conducting from Georgia State University in 2003.

Mr. Rieke has served as the music director at the Red Wing Theater Company in Red Wing, Minnesota.  He has also performed with a variety of orchestras, including the Mankato Symphony Orchestra, the Owatonna Chamber Orchestra, the New Ulm Civic Orchestra, and the Southern Crescent Orchestra.  This is his fifth year as a co-director of the Southern Crescent Symphony Orchestra.

From 1999 until 2006, Mr. Rieke was Director of Orchestras at Shiloh High School in Gwinnett County.  While teaching in Gwinnett, he was the co-conductor of the Gwinnett County Youth Symphony for six years.  Under Mr. Rieke’s direction, the Shiloh High School Chamber Orchestra, Gwinnett County Youth Symphony, and the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Strings were chosen to perform at the Georgia Music Educator’s Association state conference.  Mr. Rieke currently teaches at Ola Middle School and Ola High School in Henry County.

Mr. Rieke has had the privilege to conduct many orchestra camps and clinics, including the Encore music camp in Atlanta, the University of Georgia Music Camp and fall festival, the ASTA summer camp, the Gwinnett Tapestry Festival, the Clayton County Honor Clinic, the New Ulm, MN Suzuki Pops camp, and most recently one of the Alabama All-State Orchestras.

Mr. Rieke has served as Secretary for the Georgia Chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA).  He also serves as an adjudicator at orchestra festivals and competitions around metro-Atlanta.  Mr. Rieke has been an All-State Orchestra organizing chair for six years and served as the Georgia Music Educator’s Association Orchestra division chair (2007-2009).

Mr. Rieke resides in Stockbridge, Georgia, with his wife Stacy and son, David.

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Karen Hunt - Executive Director

Karen Hunt is a native Atlanta with a music performance degree from Georgia State University. As a professional percussionist, she is a regular member of the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, the Atlanta Opera Orchestra and the Columbus Symphony. She has also performed as extra percussionist with the Atlanta, Macon, Alabama, Savannah, Gainesville, Gwinnett, Hilton Head, Cobb and Charleston Symphonies. Karen is an active freelance percussionist in the Atlanta area and also has a steel band, Tamboo. After a long hiatus, Karen has recently rejoined the Atlanta Percussion Trio. The group performs educational school programs throughout the state of Georgia. She is also a founding member of Chix with Stix Percussion Group, a female percussion ensemble. In addition to her performing, she manages an entertainment company, KH Artists Group. Karen is also the stage manager for the KoSA Percussion Camp in Vermont and the Educational Coordinator for the Sonny Emory Drumset Camp. An active member of the Georgia Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society, Karen enjoys organizing musical events and educational clinics. She is delighted to be joining the MYSO team as the Executive Director.

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