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On this episode of Because… we hear the becauses of percussionist, Aaron Williams.Aaron Williams serves as Principal Percussionist with the Des Moines and Quad City Symphony Orchestras. He has also held the position of Principal Percussionist with the Mansfield Symphony (Mansfield, OH) and Section Percussionist with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra. Having great enthusiasm for contemporary chamber music, Aaron served as Artistic Director and percussionist for “Rhythm Unleashed: The Music of Marc Mellits”, a concert on the Quad City Symphony’s Signature Series. In Des Moines, he collaborated with organist Tin-Shi Tam to give the U.S. premieres of two duets for organ and percussion: Phaikon 493 by Leander Kaiser and The Shining City by JacobTV. He has performed on Chamber Music at Salisbury House (Des Moines, IA) and the Des Moines Symphony’s Spotlight at the Temple.Aaron resides in Des Moines, IA where he maintains a private teaching studio and is on the faculty of the Des Moines Symphony Academy.I hope you enjoy our conversation!

On this episode of Because… we hear the becauses of international horn soloist and associate professor of horn at the University of Illinois, Bernhard Scully. Bernhard is a member of the University of Illinois Global STEAM working group and is Artistic Director of Cormont Music. He spends most of his summer in the White Mountains of New Hampshire as both the Artistic Director of the Kendall Betts Horn Camp and as the horn player of the North Country Chamber Players. His solo career has spanned across many genres from classical, to jazz and beyond, including being the former long-time horn player of the Canadian Brass and former principal horn of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Among his many awards are top honors at numerous competitions, most notably being the first classical brass player to win a McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians.I hope you enjoy our conversation!

On this episode of Because… we hear the becauses of composer, William Campbell.William is a pianist and award-winning composer of music for all genres. Campbell’s music for films includes work nominated for two Oscars (Academy Awards) in 2021 and 2019, an Emmy nomination in 2020. His recent scores have earned the awards for best film score in 2020 by the Iowa Motion Pictures Association, and best original score at the 2021 (International) Luminous Frames Festival. Additional awards include those from ASCAP, Kennedy Center American Collegiate Theater Festival, Penfield Music Commission, Waging Peace, and multiple teaching institutions. His most recent album of solo piano music, All In Due Time, was released in 2021 to critical acclaim and may be streamed on all major sources. He is also a sought-after composer for orchestral, chamber, and vocal music, and is regularly commissioned to write new works by various organizations every year. A passionate educator, he is a Professor Music at St. Ambrose University teaching all aspects of music theory & composition, as well as courses that lead to greater cultural understanding through music.I hope you enjoy our conversation!

On this episode of Because, we hear the becauses of pianist and educator, Marian Lee.Marian Lee made her New York City debut at Carnegie Hall as winner of the Artists International Award and has appeared as soloist and with orchestra internationally in Austria, Belgium, Italy, France, Norway, and Russia to name a few. Lee has performed at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center’s Millenium Stage, Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Hall and Rachmaninoff Hall, and the Hermitage Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. In liaison with the U.S. State Department, Lee received numerous grants in support of performances of American contemporary music abroad and is a former Fulbright and International Research and Exchange (IREX) scholar.In 2022, Lee launched her YouTube channel @pianoclub88 to share her approach to piano technique informed by her extensive background as an educator and performer. Lee currently serves on the faculty at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.

On this episode of Because… we hear the becauses of cartoonist and author, Jason Platt.Jason’s full-length graphic novel series, Middle School Misadventures, has won praise from SLJ and has been on the Texas Library Association’s Little Maverick Reading List. Jason fell in love with cartooning early in his childhood. Drawing early inspiration from Charles M. Schulz (Peanuts), Jim Davis (Garfield), and Jim Henson (The Muppets). Later working as both a professional actor and a puppeteer, Jason focused on the art of illustration and graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design (or SCAD, for those in the know). While he trained in several styles he found that whenever he drew for fun, or just for himself, it was always cartooning.