Jeffrey Grogan

Jeffrey Grogan is an internationally acclaimed conductor and teacher, dedicating more than 25 years to nurturing musical excellence among young musicians. Mr. Grogan has served as adjudicator, conductor, and clinician for many prestigious national and international events. In 2018 he was invited by the LA Philharmonic to conduct with Gustavo Dudamel and Michael Morgan at Disney Hall, a part of the National Take A Stand Festival. Other conducting engagements include: the Honor Orchestra of America sponsored by Music for All, the National Orchestra Cup at Lincoln Center; and the Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall. Recent international work includes conducting festivals at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Harpa Concert Hall in Iceland, and venues in Bangkok, Thailand and Singapore. Mr. Grogan has also conducted numerous all-state orchestras and bands throughout the US, and in 2018, was named Master Educator by the Yamaha Corporation of America.

Grogan is currently Director of Orchestral Activities and Professor of Music at the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University and Artistic Director of the Oklahoma Youth Orchestras. Previously, Grogan served eleven seasons as Education and Community Engagement Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and as Conductor and Artistic Director of the NJSO Youth Orchestras, the InterSchool Orchestras of New York and the New Jersey Youth Symphony. His youth orchestras have performed to capacity crowds at some of the greatest concert halls in the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Smetana Hall, Bartok Hall, Musikverein, and Konzerthaus. He has appeared as a guest conductor at many universities throughout the US from Indiana University to the Manhattan School of Music and the Mannes School of Music Pre-College Division. His work with professional orchestras includes the New Jersey Symphony, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Little Orchestra Society of New York, Reno Philharmonic, Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, Ridgefield Symphony and the New York Concerti Sinfonietta.

Following his passion for performing and helping to create new music for orchestras, he has collaborated with many composers: Lowell Liebermann, Michael Colgrass, Eric Whitacre, Steven Stucky, Michael Daugherty, Amanda Harberg, Steven Bryant, Dana Wilson, David Sampson, Michael Markowski, and Scott McAllister – and has worked with soloists Richard Stolzman, Stefan Hoskuldsson, Julian Schwarz and the Canadian Brass. Grogan worked on several projects with violinist and composer Mark O’Connor, which included professional studio work in New York City. He also conducted a recording of O’Connor’s March of the Gypsy Fiddler with the Ahn Trio and New Jersey Youth Symphony. This CD is recorded on the OMAC Records label and is played on classical music radio throughout the country.

Mr. Grogan is founding Artistic Director of two El Sistema inspired music programs in New Jersey: the Paterson Music Project (PMP) in Paterson and the NJSO CHAMPS in Newark. These two programs currently teach music to more than 500 students.

Prior to his work in New York and New Jersey, Grogan taught conducting and trained future music educators for over a decade at the University of Michigan, Ithaca College, and Baylor University. He is also the former Associate Director of Bands and Marching Band Director at the University of Michigan and Baylor University. Grogan began his career teaching grades 6-12 in DeSoto, Texas Independent School District.

Fuller Lyon

Fuller Lyon is excited to serve as the assistant director of bands at his alma mater, the University of Tennessee. His duties include working with the Pride of the Southland Marching Band, conducting the Concert Band, and teaching courses in undergraduate conducting, instrumental brass methods, and marching band techniques.

Prior to his return to Knoxville, Lyon served as the assistant director of bands at the University of Missouri, assisting with Marching Mizzou, Mini Mizzou, conducting the Symphonic Band and University Band, teaching undergraduate conducting and marching band techniques, and coordinating all special events hosted by the MU Band program, including Band Day, Champion of Champions marching festival, and the Homecoming Parade competition. He also served as the tubist in the Mizzou Faculty Brass Quintet.

Lyon graduated with his DMA and master’s degrees in wind conducting from LSU and his bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Tennessee. As a graduate assistant at LSU, he conducted all three concert ensembles, the Bengal Brass Pep Band, assisted with the Golden Band from Tigerland, and also served as a tubist in both the LSU Wind Ensemble and the Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble. In addition to his graduate assistant duties, he served as the assistant conductor of the LSU Performing Arts Academy Youth Wind Ensemble for two years. Lyon has studied conducting with Donald McKinney, Carlos Riazuelo, Gary Sousa, and Don Ryder, and tuba with Joe Skillen, Robert Nunez, Joe Hebert, Sande MacMorran, and the late Neil Tidwell.

During his previous tenure at UT, he served as drum major of the Pride of the Southland Marching Band for two years (1998 and 1999) and earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in sport management. After completing his master’s degree in 2001, he spent the next seven years on staff with the UT Band program, and performed in both the Old City Brass Quintet and Southern Stars Symphonic Brass Band.

Besides designing for UT’s Pride of the Southland, Lyon has been a drill designer for such groups as Marching Mizzou, the LSU Golden Band from Tigerland, the University of Kentucky Wildcat Marching Band, the Missouri State University Pride Band, and the Grand Valley State University Laker Marching Band. The Madison Scout alumnus has been on the brass staffs of both the Cavaliers and the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps.

Lyon is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, the National Band Association, the National Association for Music Education, the Tennessee Music Education Association, and is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma.

Michael Stewart

Michael Stewart serves as the Director of the Pride of the Southland Marching and Athletic Bands and Associate Director of Wind Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as well as WJ Julian Endowed Professor.

Stewart received his Bachelor of Music Education from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. His teaching career began within in the Delaware City School district (Delaware, Ohio) teaching instrumental music education to students, grades 5 through 12. Stewart received his master’s and doctorate degrees from The Ohio State University where he served as the Graduate Assistant Director with The Ohio State University Marching Band and Teaching Assistant within the School of Music.

Stewart continues to actively serve as a clinician, adjudicator, drill writer, and guest conductor throughout the nation. Stewart is a member professional organizations such as the College Band Directors National Association, National Band Association, East Tennessee School Band & Orchestra Association and the Music Educators National Association.

John Zastoupil

Dr. Zastoupil is the Director of Bands and tenured associate professor of music at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. His responsibilities at UT include conducting the University of Tennessee Wind Ensemble, teaching graduate courses in wind studies, guiding the graduate wind conducting program, and providing the administrative leadership for all aspects of the University of Tennessee’s diverse and historic band program.

Since arriving at UT, Zastoupil founded the UT Conducting Workshop and the Volunteer Concert Clinic Festival for concert bands. The UT Wind Ensemble has regained national recognition being accepted to perform at the 2024 CBDNA Southern Division Convention, TMEA Conference, and collaborating with world renowned composers on the commissioning and premieres of multiple works for band. Within the College of Music, Dr. Zastoupil also serves as the Ensembles and Performance Division Head.

Zastoupil regularly guest conducts professional and student honor ensembles throughout the United States and has conducted abroad in Europe and Asia. Zastoupil’s previous positions include Missouri State University (Director of Concert Bands), University of Texas-Arlington and Eastern Michigan University (Associate Director of Bands/Director of Athletic Bands). His pedigree includes Northwestern University (D.M.A.); University of Michigan (M.M.); Baylor University (B.M.E.); and is a former student of the Aspen Music Festival and School.