GWCA BOARD MEMBERS
Brittany Barry
Brittany Barry is a conductor, music educator, and clarinetist. Currently a doctoral student at McGill University in Montreal, she is pursuing a D.Mus. in wind conducting and researching conductor health and wellness. Brittany graduated from the University of Delaware in 2024 with a dual-concentration Master of Music degree in clarinet performance and wind conducting. While at UD, she was a graduate assistant and woodwind tech for the Fightin' Blue Hen Marching Band and UD Pep Band. Brittany holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from Gettysburg College and previously taught elementary and middle school concert band and high school marching band in central Pennsylvania.
GWCA Projects: Newsletter, March Madness (Sp'25),
Malcolm Burke
Malcolm Burke is a doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, pursuing a degree in conducting with a wind band emphasis. In addition to his studies, Burke serves as a teaching assistant for the University's School of Music and Band program. Prior to Minnesota, Burke completed a Master of Arts in Instrumental Conducting in 2023 at the University of Central Florida. Before his graduate studies, Burke served as Director of High School Orchestras for five years at Mason City High School in Mason City, Iowa. In that position, the orchestra participated in the consortium commission of Shelley Hanson’s The Beauty That Remains and received an invitation in 2019 to the University of Northern Iowa’s Orchestra Invitational. Burke was selected as a 2024 Reynolds Conducting Fellow and has served as the guest conductor for the Neoteric Chamber Winds and the UMBAS Summer Band.
GWCA Projects: Co-Chair, Conducting Workshops, Beyond the Baton
T.j. Anderson
T.j. Anderson is Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Texas at Austin and a third-year Doctor of Musical Arts student in Wind Conducting, studying with Jerry Junkin. He previously earned a Master’s degree in Instrumental Conducting from Appalachian State University, where he assisted in all aspects of the band program under Dr. John Ross. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music from Coastal Carolina University, where he studied percussion with Dr. Jesse Willis. At UT, Anderson works with the university bands department, teaches conducting, and serves as a member of the Longhorn Band’s instructional and design team.
GWCA Projects: Social Media, Town Hall Coordinator
James Gates
James Gates is currently completing coursework towards a D.M.A. in Wind Conducting at The University of Maryland, studying with Dr. Michael Votta. While on campus at UMD, James served as graduate assistant with the Mighty Sound of Maryland marching band and Maryland Pep Band. For the Fall 2025 semester, James serves as Adjunct Lecturer of Bands & Conducting at Penn State University, conducting the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and teaching courses in undergraduate and graduate conducting, and wind literature.
James earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree from the University of Akron and a Master of Music in Conducting degree from Penn State University, studying wind conducting with Dr. Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin. As a clinician, James has presented at the OMEA Professional Development Conference and The Midwest Clinic. His sessions have focused on identifying strategies for success in graduate-level application and audition processes.
GWCA Projects: Conference/Workshop Rooming, Town Hall Coordinator
Andrew Keiser
Andrew Keiser is currently pursuing his D.M.A. at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, studying conducting with Dr. Robert Carnochan. Prior to doctoral studies, he received a Master’s degree in wind conducting from the Schwob School of Music in Columbus, Georgia, where he studied with Dr. Jamie L. Nix. Before graduate studies, Andrew taught at Angola High School in Indiana, where he directed all elements of the band program (a consistent recipient of the ISSMA All-Music Award). Andrew received his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Michigan State University, where he arranged music and served as Trumpet Section Leader for the Spartan Marching Band. Andrew actively arranges music and writes drill for high school marching bands, and is a frequent music/drum major adjudicator for marching band events. He has been a guest conductor for the Indiana Bandmasters Association All-Region Honor Bands. Keiser has served on the ISSMA Marching Band Committee and the IBA State Board, and serves as Assistant Director for the Crossroads Drum Major & Leadership Clinics.
GWCA Projects: Recital/Performance Calendar
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Braeden Weyhrich
Braeden Weyhrich is a Master of Music student at Georgia State University, studying wind band conducting with Dr. Robert J. Ambrose. As a graduate assistant, she teaches and assists with the three concert ensembles, Panther Band, Panther Basketball Band, and undergraduate conducting. Additionally, she serves as a Teaching Artist for the Atlanta Music Project, an orchestra and choir program for underserved youth. Prior to moving to Atlanta, Braeden was the band director at Hinton Community School in northwest Iowa from 2021-2024, teaching concert, jazz, and pep bands for students in grades 5-12. Braeden holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and an Honors College Degree from Oklahoma State University.
GWCA Projects: Conference/Workshop Rooming, Town Hall Coordinator, Recital/Concert Repertoire
Kristina La Marca is a second-year Master’s candidate in Wind Conducting at the University of Michigan, studying with Colonel Jason Fettig. Prior to beginning her graduate studies, Kristina taught for eleven years at the middle and high school level in Indianapolis, Indiana, Houston, Texas, and most recently as Director of Instrumental Music at The American International School of Muscat, Oman. Her middle and high school students have placed in regional and international honor bands in the United Arab Emirates, India, Scotland, Switzerland, and South Africa, and have received top honors including “Sweepstakes” and “Gold” ratings at UIL and ISSMA contests, and Bands of America and TMEA Region 9/Area F Finals. Her jazz ensembles have held guest collaborations with musical artists including Emmet Cohen, Joey Tartell, and the Metta Quintet through JazzReach. Kristina is a 2025 WASBE President's Conducting Scholarship recipient, and was a 2021 H. Robert Reynolds Conducting Fellow at The Midwest Clinic. She completed her undergraduate studies at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where she studied saxophone with Otis Murphy. Outside of music, Kristina is a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and passionate technical diver with Global Underwater Explorers.
GWCA Projects: Beyond the Baton, Webmaster
