Dr. Marilyn Seelman is Assistant Professor of String Education at Georgia State University. She received her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Conducting at the University of Miami-Coral Gables and her Master of Music in Viola from Boston University. Under her leadership, MYSO has performed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston, the Mid-West Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Spivey Hall and at the Georgia Music Educators’ Conference in Savannah.

Dr. Seelman has held the position of Director of Orchestras and violist at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, the University of New Mexico-Albuquerque and Georgia State University. She has performed with the San Antonio Symphony, The Florida Philharmonic, the New Mexico Symphony and numerous other musical organizations.

She has served as a Georgia All-State Conductor and East Tennessee All-State Conductor, been a faculty member at the Interlochen Arts Camp and is listed in the International Who’s Who in Music. She has presented viola master classes at Vanderbilt University and at the 2005 American String Teachers Association with NSOA National Convention in Reno, Nevada and presented a session on viola pedagogy at the 2004 ASTA with NSOA Convention in Dallas. She serves as President of the Georgia chapter of this organization.

Dr. Seelman maintains an active viola studio, adjudicates festivals throughout the United States and shares her love of music with her husband, teacher and percussionist, Butch Sievers.

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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 where he served as concertmaster for one year.  He is currently an assistant conductor with 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 and Gwinnett County Youth Symphony were chosen to perform at the Georgia Music Educator’s Association state conference.  Mr. Rieke currently teaches at Ola Middle School in Henry County.

Mr. Rieke has had the privilege to conduct during many orchestra camps and clinics, including the Encore music camp in Atlanta, the University of Georgia Music Camp, the ASTA summer camp, the Gwinnett Tapestry Festival, The Clayton County Honor Clinic and the New Ulm, MN Suzuki Pops camp.

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 since 2001 and has been elected to serve as the Georgia Music Educator’s Association Orchestra division chair beginning this fall.

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

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Mrs. Nicole Thompson - String Orchestra

Mrs. Nicole Thompson presently serves as conductor of the String Orchestra with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta. Her passion is working with young string players, and she also serves as Director of Orchestras at Taylor Road Middle School in Alpharetta, Georgia. Under her direction, the TRMS Orchestras have consistently earned superior ratings on GMEA performance evaluations and in January 2006, they were selected to perform at the GMEA Conference in Savannah, GA. Additionally, Mrs. Thompson serves as coordinator for the Georgia Middle School All-State Orchestra.

Mrs. Thompson began her study of the violin at the age of eleven. At the age of fifteen, she was accepted into the violin section of the Cobb Symphony Orchestra, a position she held for 10 years. Mrs. Thompson earned her Bachelor of Music Education Degree at Georgia State University. She earned her Master of Music Education Degree and Specialist of Music Education Degree at the University of Georgia.

Mrs. Thompson began her teaching career in 1996 at Faith Lutheran School in Marietta, Georgia. She has conducted orchestras at the Georgia Music Educators’ Conference in Savannah, Georgia and American String Teachers Association conferences in Dallas, Texas and Reno, Nevada. Mrs. Thompson has also taught seminars in Budapest, Hungary, as well as being an active clinician throughout the Metropolitan Atlanta area.

Mrs. Thompson has maintained an active performing career as well. She has a private violin studio, plays violin full time with Mount Paran, and is a freelance violinist. Her professional affiliations include MENC, ASTA, and GMEA.

Mrs. Thompson resides in Alpharetta, Georgia with her husband Bill and their dog Max. Her hobbies include hiking, biking, running, and traveling.

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Ms. Alexandria Rice - Chamber Ensembles & Music Theory Program

Alexandria Rice began her serious study of the cello with Alice Williams at the Georgia Academy of Music and through the orchestral programs at Dickerson Middle School and Walton High School in the metro Atlanta area. Her studies continued with Dr. David Starkweather at the University of Georgia, Michael Reynolds of the Muir Quartet at Boston University, and Christopher Rex, principal cellist of the Atlanta Symphony. She has performed in master classes for cellists Steven Isserlis, Paul Tobias, William De Rosa, Antonio Del Claro, Sharon Robinson, and Bernard Greenhouse. Her studies in chamber music have been with Leslie Parnas, Bayla Keyes, Maria Clodes, Mark Cedel, and Levon Ambartsumian.

Ms. Rice earned her Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance from the University of Georgia, and her Masters of Music degree in string performance from Boston University.

Ms. Rice was the winner of the National School Orchestra Award, the Director’s Award of Excellence at the University of Georgia, and the Georgia Cello Society’s Young Artist Competition.

She has performed throughout the United States, into South America, and Italy. She has won scholarships to music festivals throughout the country, including the Monterrey Festival at Pebble Beach, California, the Garth Newell Music Festival in Virginia, and the Southeastern Music Festival in Georgia. She was resident principal cellist of the Londrina Symphony Orchestra in Brazil and toured Italy as a member of the University of Georgia Chamber Orchestra. She has played as a member of orchestras within the Atlanta area and Boston, including the Boston Chamber Orchestra. Currently, Ms. Rice is principal cellist for the DeKalb Symphony and performs with regional orchestras throughout the Southeast. In June 2006 Ms. Rice performed the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No. 1 with the DeKalb Symphony.

She has recorded two discs as a member of the ARCO Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Levon Ambartsumian.

While continuing to pursue her performing career, Ms. Rice has been able to devote time to teaching young cellists from beginning to advanced levels. Her students have won and have placed as finalists in local competitions and consistently place high in all-state orchestra auditions. Ms. Rice, a former teacher at the Duke University String School, maintains a private studio in her home and at the Georgia Academy of Music. She is also on the faculty at Georgia Perimeter College, Clarkston Campus.

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