The Orchestras

The Harrison Academy operates eight ensembles with more than 300 students. Membership in the Oklahoma Youth Orchestra, Oklahoma Youth Philharmonia, Harrison Academy Symphonic Winds, Harrison Chamber Orchestra, and Harrison Sinfonia, is by audition. The Festival Strings ensembles are open to young musicians in sixth and seventh grade who have had at least one year of school instruction. The ensembles are directed and conducted by Oklahoma's top orchestral music educators.

All auditioned ensembles meet at Oklahoma City University. The Norman Festival Strings meets at Whittier Middle School in Norman, the Edmond Festival Strings at Edmond Santa Fe High School, and the North Area Festival Strings at Lutheran Church of Our Savior in Bethany.

The Oklahoma Youth Orchestra
 

Oklahoma Youth Orchestra – the flagship ensemble of the Harrison Academy, it is composed of the most advanced high school musicians. It has been conducted since 1992 by Dr. John Clinton, who is dean of the College of Arts, Media, and Design at the University of Central Oklahoma. Prior to his appointment at UCO, he was for 27 years the Director of Fine Arts for Norman Public Schools.

Dr. Clinton is a graduate of East Central Oklahoma University, received a master’s in Music Education from the University of Oklahoma, and was awarded a Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of North Texas in 1991. He has received numerous professional honors, including the 1994 University of Oklahoma School of Music Distinguished Alumni Fellow, Oklahoma String Teacher of the Year for 1995, the Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Music Education in 1996, and the Interscholastic Music Association’s Outstanding Music Educator. Dr. Clinton is a member of the Oklahoma Music Educators Hall of Fame.

The Oklahoma Youth Philharmonia 
 

Oklahoma Youth Philharmonia – a full orchestra composed of talented upper middle school and high school musicians, mostly in ninth and tenth grade. The OYP is conducted by Peter Markes, conductor of the orchestras at Edmond North High School and Cheyenne Middle School.

He is a graduate of Oklahoma City University with a bachelor’s degree in music education with emphasis in violin and guitar.  Mr. Markes is a member of the American String Teacher’s Association, the Music Educator’s National Conference, the Oklahoma City Orchestra League, and the Pi Kappa Lambda honor music fraternity.

The Harrison Academy Symphonic Winds
 

Harrison Academy Symphonic Winds – composed of talented high school wind and percussion players, it is conducted by Dr. Matthew Mailman, Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Conducting at Oklahoma City University.  Dr. Mailman has been with the Harrison Academy since 1997.  He holds a bachelors degree in composition and a masters in conducting from Northwestern University and Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas.

He conducts the Oklahoma City Wind Philharmonic, and is also conductor of the Oklahoma Opera and Theater Company.  Dr. Mailman is the host of “No Strings Attached”, a nationally syndicated radio program featuring music for winds and percussion.

Associate Director for the Symphonic Winds is Robyn Hilger, Partners in Education Director for the Oklahoma City Schools Foundation.  A Summa Cum Laude graduate of Oklahoma City University, with a degree in instrumental music education, Ms. Hilger is a National Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescence/Young Adult Music with a specialization in Band.  She was honored in 2006 as the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.

The Harrison Chamber Orchestra
 

Harrison Chamber Orchestra – composed of string students in upper middle school and early high school, it is conducted by Dawn Thrailkill, director of the orchestra at Putnam City High School and at Rollingwood and Coronado Heights Elementary Schools. She joined the academy staff in 1996. Ms. Thrailkill earned a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Oklahoma, studying cello with Marjory Cornelius, and was a student of Dr. John Clinton at Norman High School.  She has served professionally as the Oklahoma All-State Orchestra chair and the Oklahoma Music Educators Association’s Orchestra Vice-President. Ms. Thrailkill is an alumnus of the Oklahoma Youth Orchestra.

Sinfonia
 

Sinfonia – the newest of the Harrison Academy’s ensembles, it is composed of middle school and early high school students. It is conducted by Gena Alexander, who is a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University with a degree in instrumental music education.  An active violinist, she currently performs with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra and the Lawton Philharmonic.  Ms. Alexander has served as an adjunct professor of violin at Oklahoma Christian, and currently teaches private Suzuki violin in her Edmond studio.

Festival Strings Ensembles
 

Festival Strings – the three Festival Strings are non-auditioned ensembles, designed for students in sixth and seventh grade who have had one or two years instruction in a school setting.  Younger students may participate if approved by the conductor.

Norman Festival Strings – conducted by Mark Osborn, strings teacher with the Norman Public Schools and a member of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Mr. Osborn received a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the University of Oklahoma. He is the co-founder of OK Bass Bash, a bass camp for middle school and high school bass players that meets each summer.  In 2001, Mr. Osborn was chosen as the Teacher Fellow for the Kennedy Center, and studied with members of the National Symphony Orchestra.  He is an alumnus of the Oklahoma Youth Orchestra.

North Area Festival Strings – conducted by Jessica Stephens, the orchestra conductor at Putnam City’s James Capps Middle School. She received a degree in Instrumental Music Education from the University of Oklahoma, where she studied cello with Greg Sauer.

Edmond Festival Strings – conducted by Christy Fine, who conducts the orchestras at Edmond Santa Fe High School and Summit Middle School. Mrs. Fine is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma with a degree in Music Education.  She is an active participant with many professional organizations, including the Oklahoma Music Educators Association, North Central Honors Orchestra, and the Arkansas University Summer Orchestra Camp.