Las Vegas Youth Orchestra
After school music programs - grades 4 thru 12
Belinda Boswell
Conductor
Youth Ensemble
Belinda Boswell is a classically trained violinist from the Las Vegas Valley. She is a product of CCSD, having grown up in Las Vegas and even performed in LVYO herself when she was a young violinist. Before becoming the Youth Ensemble Conductor, she served as the viola and violin coach for the Youth Ensemble group for four years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Boswell has been highly involved in many ensembles since starting her musical journey. She has performed with UNLV opera productions, quartets, chamber orchestras, and was the Principal Second Violinist in the UNLV Symphony Orchestra. She currently performs with the Southern Nevada Symphony Orchestra, the Nevada Chamber Orchestra, and holds an Assistant Principal Violinist position with the Henderson Symphony Orchestra.
Mrs. Boswell is currently the Orchestra and Choir Director at Ernest Becker Middle School, a career she is very passionate about. In 2019, she was asked to adjudicate the Pinecrest Music Festival where she was able to work with local schools and even lead workshops and sectionals with other teachers and students. Not only is she involved with the community but encourages her students to do the same. Her students have been members of the Las Vegas Youth Orchestras, Honor Orchestras, Honor Choirs, and All-State Orchestras. She strives to inspire students the way she was inspired growing up, in hopes of raising a new generation of talented musicians.
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Zachary Williams
Conductor
Symphonic Band
Zachary Williams is the Director of Bands at Ernest Becker Middle School in Las Vegas, Nevada where he currently teaches three concert ensembles, three beginning bands, and a jazz ensemble, in a band program comprised of 260 students. He has been a music educator for 20 years. Williams had an active private studio from 2003-2015 teaching saxophone, clarinet, and flute. Since 2005, Williams’ jazz and concert students have earned “Superior” ratings in concert and jazz festivals in both Las Vegas and California. A founding member of the Red Rock Saxophone Quartet, he has also performed in a variety of venues in Las Vegas.
Mr. Williams holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from SUNY Fredonia where he studied saxophone with Dr. Lawrence Wyman. He has his M.M. in Music Education from Northern Arizona University. Williams’ professional memberships include the National Association for Music Education, Nevada Music Educators Association, North American Saxophone Alliance, and Southern Nevada Band Association where he currently serves as Vice President. He served as the Clark County School District Middle School Jazz Festival Chair for four years. He currently serves as the Las Vegas Youth Orchestra Symphonic Band Conductor and was the woodwind coach for this ensemble for four years. Williams is the founder and currently serves as the co-chairperson of the SNBA Middle School Jazz Honor Band. In 2016 he was CCSD Teacher of the Year in Performance Zone 3. He was the recipient of the Las Vegas Jazz Invitational ‘Service to Jazz Education Award’ in 2019.
Shelly Burger
Conductor
Sinfonia
Shelly Burger holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Chapman University and a Master of Arts in Education from University of Phoenix. Ms. Burger is in her ninth year directing the Green Valley High School Orchestras and has been an Orchestra Director in the Clark County School District for 35 years. Prior to teaching at Green Valley Ms. Burger led award winning orchestras at Bonanza High School, Advanced Technologies Academy, and Sierra Vista High School. She was also a Conductor and Coach in the Las Vegas Youth Orchestra program for 22 years and is looking forward to returning as the Concert Strings Conductor next year. Ms. Burger’s orchestras have performed on a variety of stages including a 2017 performance at Lincoln Center, a 2014 performance in Chicago Symphony Hall, 2008 and 2010 performances in Carnegie Hall, and two performances at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois in 1998 and 2018. Throughout her long teaching career Ms. Burger has been active in both the community and school district. She maintains a large private violin/viola studio, has chaired the CCSD Honor Orchestra for many years, served as a mentor to both college students preparing to enter the music teaching field and to new orchestra directors in the Clark County School District, and has participated on numerous committees developing policy and curriculum in CCSD. Ms. Burger is a member of the Nevada Music Educators Association and served as an All State Orchestra Chairperson multiple times. She is also Past President of the Nevada Chapter of the American String Teacher’s Association, was on the staff of the ASTA National High School Honor Orchestra and is currently serving on the American String Teacher’s Association K-12 Advisory Committee.
Tim Warren
Conductor
Philharmonic
Tim Warren grew up in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania where he began his musical studies at age 8. He has lived and worked in Nevada, Arizona, New York, Massachusetts and Newcastle, Australia. He teaches at Great Basin College, operates a private music lesson studio, and works as a High School Music Teacher. Warren is a Doctoral candidate in Music at the University of Nevada Las Vegas where he conducts in the band and opera departments and as conductor of the NEXTET new music ensemble. He is Artistic Director and Conductor for Las Vegas Youth Orchestras and serves as a guest conductor and music director for Vegas City Opera, and Opera Las Vegas.
Warren is an experienced and certified music educator who has led clinics for band, orchestra, and choral ensembles and master classes in conducting and curriculum development. He directed academic ensembles at the Churchville-Chili Intermediate School, Greece Odyssey Academy, and the Greece Christian School in Rochester, NY, the BASIS Schools in Tucson and Oro Valley, Arizona, the Legacy Traditional Schools in Northwest Tucson and North Las Vegas, and for Clark County School District where he teaches orchestra, band, piano, music appreciation. He teaches private brass, woodwind, string, and piano lessons at the Family Music Centers in Las Vegas. In 2004 he was selected as the conducting apprentice for the Hochstein Youth Symphony Orchestra at the Hochstein School of Music and Dance. Link to Tim Warren Music