Christopher Dyel
Woodwinds Coach
Mr. Dyel is the Director of Bands in the Anacortes School District where he teaches five levels of symphonic bands in addition to athletic bands, jazz ensembles, soloists and chamber ensembles. His program boasts an outstanding rate of acceptance in the All-Northwest and All-State ensembles, and his students are often winners in their regional categories at Solo and Ensemble.
His education is as a conductor and woodwind specialist with a B. S. in Music Education from the University of South Florida, and a M. M. in Instrumental Conducting from Austin Peay State University where he was twice selected as the annual Most Outstanding Graduate Student in the music department; he was also winner of the University’s 2017 Concerto Competition.
Fall of 2023 marks Mr. Dyel’s first season with FYS as the Woodwind Coach, and he is eager to meet and begin working with the orchestra musicians!
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Mary Ellen Hodges
Percussion Coach
Mary Ellen Hodges is a graduate of City University where she earned her Masters of Education degree in Guidance and Counseling, and of Eastern Washington University where she earned a BA in Music Education.
Mrs. Hodges has studied percussion performance with with Martin Zyskowski of the Spokane Symphony, Kathie Ramm of the Pacific Northwest Ballet, and participated in master classes with world renowned solo percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Mrs. Hodges is an experienced director of a variety of ensembles including Wind Ensembles, Competitive Marching Bands, Orchestras, Percussion Ensembles, Steel Drum Bands and World Drumming Circles. She has worked closely with the Washington Counseling Association in training school and private counselors in the use of drumming and rhythm as intervention tools. She currently serves as a K-6 Music Educator in the Burlington-Edison School District, Principal Percussionist for the Starry Night Chamber Orchestra, Percussion Coach for the Fidalgo Youth Symphony, drum circle facilitator, and operates a private percussion studio.
She has made appearances with the Seattle Philharmonic, Northwest Mahler Festival Orchestra, Northwest Symphony Orchestra, Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra, Skagit Valley Symphony, Skagit Valley Chorale, East Valley Musical Theater of Kirkland, Skagit Opera, Okanogan Valley Orchestra, and the Okanogan Valley Musical Theater.
Erin Lusk
Cello Coach
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Eva Mason
Junior 2nd Violin Coach
Eva Mason is a Suzuki trained violist/violist. She completed through book 2 pedagogy training with Suzuki Association of America, L.A. Suzuki Institute. She is a graduate of Walla Walla University with a B.A. in English and a Minor in Music.
Eva has been an English and Music instructor since 2002. She is currently employed as the K-12 Music Teacher at Skagit Adventist Academy in Burlington, WA.
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Malcolm Peterson
Brass Coach
Mr. Peterson has taught all levels of Bands, at Northgate Christian School in Seattle, Mt. Vernon Christian School, Cedar Park Christian School, Whatcom Hills Waldorf School, and the Mt. Vernon Homeschool Learning Center (6 years).
For over 25 years, he led the Junior Symphonies and Brass Choirs in the Sounds of Summer Music Festival, a symphonic, jazz, and choral performance training camp with professional faculty concerts. His private trumpet students have won State and National level awards and college scholarships, and many of the brass payers he has coached have been active in college and university brass ensembles across the USA, as well as notable symphony orchestras.
Mr. Peterson performs as First Trumpet with the Brass Menagerie Quintet, and instructs brass at the Peterson Conservatory in Mt. Vernon. He enjoys training these dedicated FYS and MBYS young musicians to perform together with technical excellence and musical expression. He trains and directs the Brass Choir, an innovative ensemble which often performs antiphonal music from the balconies of McIntyre Hall, on his own collection of herald trumpets. A frequent guest trumpeter in many venues, including recording studio engagements, he has soloed with the Skagit Symphony, and can be heard as First Trumpeter in the Starry Night Chamber Orchestra, concertizing throughout Northwest Washington.
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Sharyn Peterson
Youth 1st Violin Coach
Sharyn Allsopp Peterson brings more than thirty-five years of professional experience to the stage. She has directed orchestras for North Seattle Christian School, Kings Garden High School, Ingraham High School (Seattle), Skagit Valley College (small string ensemble), Cascade Sinfonette (Edmonds), Shuksan Middle School, Whatcom Hills Waldorf School and Sehome High School, as well as many local full-scale musicals. As a professional violinist she has been a featured soloist in the Music Festival in Monteverde, Costa Rica (also vocal soloist); the Lincoln Theatre Baroque Concerts; Brahms Double Concerto with Barton Frank (Thalia Symphony-Seattle); Whatcom Museum Concert Series with Barton Frank; violin soloist at Whatcom, Gig Harbor and Port Angeles Symphonies; Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Philharmonic. She has recently soloed with Rainier Symphony (Brahms Concerto), and Whatcom and Skagit Symphonies, on the Sibelius and Mendelssohn Violin Concerti, both to standing ovations. She performs regularly as Concertmaster and orchestra agent for Skagit Valley Chorale, Lynden Choral Society, Northwest Ballet Theatre, and Northwest Community Chorale. She has performed as first violinist and as vocal soloist in the Starry Night concert series at the Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon, and as Concertmaster of the Skagit Opera for the first five seasons, during which she also conducted Amahl and the Night Visitors for that organization.
Conducting studies were with Vilem Sokol (Seattle Youth Symphony) and Dr. Gary Bonner, Azusa Pacific College. She received violin technique and Chamber Music instruction from Emanuel Zetlin, Chairman Gadd, David McGinnes, and the Philadelphia String Quartet. On full scholarship at the Tanglewood Music Festival, she studied with Claude Frank and performed under Seiji Ozawa and Leonard Bernstein. Her M.A. in Violin Performance and her B.A. in Fine Arts are from the University of Washington. Her Contemporary Group String Quartet took second and first place in consecutive years in the Coleman International Chamber Competition, Pasadena, CA.
Currently, Mrs. Peterson is Director and violin, viola and voice instructor, as well as Director of the Sounds of Summer Music Festival/Camp, at Peterson Conservatory of Music and Arts, and Artistic Director for Mount Baker and Fidalgo Youth Symphonies. She is a former faculty member in the music departments of Seattle Pacific University and Western Washington University, and currently is an adjunct Violin/Viola Instructor for Skagit Valley College.
Mrs. Peterson has taken two concert tours of young musicians from MBYS and FYS to China, Lisbon, Prague, Vienna and Vaasa Finland, performing in many amazing historic venues.
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Karla Smart
Youth 2nd Violin Coach
With more than 25 years of performing and teaching experience, Karla Smart is a highly qualified professional violinist and music educator. During her eight years in the Skagit Valley, Karla has directed the Fidalgo Youth Symphony Sinfonette, the Mount Baker Youth Symphony Sinfonette, and ensembles at the Skagit Family Learning Center, Silverbeech Elementary School, Greenwood Tree Educational Cooperative, and Immaculate Conception Regional School. Karla teaches violin privately with the Peterson Conservatory of Music and Arts in Mount Vernon and is the Executive Director of Sistema Skagit.
Karla has an extensive background in Suzuki Violin Talent Education, including seven years of long-term teacher training with pedagogues Susan Kempter (University of New Mexico, 2006-2007), Ed Kreitman (Atlanta Suzuki Institute Practicum, 2002), Mark Bjork (University of Minnesota, 2000-2002), and Dr. Louise Scott and Karen Hallberg (Northern Arizona University, 1995-2000). Karla received her bachelor’s degree in violin performance from Northern Arizona University in 2000. She continued graduate performance studies with Mark Bjork (UM) and Carmelo De los Santos (UNM). Karla cut her teeth performing chamber, solo, and symphonic music in the Arizona Opera Company, the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, the Sante Fe Symphony and the summer programs: Meadowmount, Brevard, and Las Vegas Music Festivals.
Prior to calling the Skagit Valley home, Karla cultivated a thriving private studio in Longmont, Colorado and also enjoyed playing violin with the Boulder Chamber Orchestra. Her students range from young Suzuki violinists to traditional and pre-professional students, as well as beginning and continuing adults. Karla enjoys working with people and earnestly strives to encourage each student to achieve their personal best. Karla also loves dancing, the outdoors, and spending time with her animals, family, and friends.
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Wyatt Wahlgren
Assistant Brass Coach
Wyatt Wahlgren has played the trombone for over a decade, many of those years with Fidalgo Youth Symphony. In 2018 he played in the Washington All-State Wind Ensemble (Euphonium) as well as a Euphonium solo on the state level. He has had the privilege of playing the trombone and euphonium under the direction of Sharyn Peterson, Brad Hendry, Mark Kelley and Jacob Scherr enjoying the blessing of music with all of them.
He continues his connection with Fidalgo Youth Symphony as the Assistant Brass Coach.