April Clayton’s performances have taken her to more than twenty countries. From 2006-2018, she taught and performed in Paris alongside members of the Juilliard, Paris Conservatory and Ecole Normale de Musique faculty, teaching and directing two major summer music programs.

For 22 years, Dr. Clayton was Professor of Flute at Brigham Young University, where she received tenure at age 31. In 2010, she received the coveted BYU Young Faculty Award. This made her one of only two music faculty members to have received this honor in its decades-long history.

Accolades for Ms. Clayton’s solo performances from the New York Concert Review, Fanfare, American Record Guide, and Flute Talk magazine describe her playing as “stunning,” “dazzling,” “impeccable,” “outstanding,” “thoroughly polished,” “beguiling,” “superb,” “elegant,” and “delectable.” She was featured in a cover story by Flute Talk magazine as a leading flutist of her generation. Ms. Clayton presented her debut solo recital in New York’s Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall as a winner of the Artists’ International Competition.

April Clayton was a National Merit Scholar at Oberlin, studying flute performance and mathematics. At Juilliard, she was a Starr Doctoral Fellow and the youngest student to have been admitted to the D.M.A. program.

From Detroit, Michigan, Luca de la Florin is currently the principal oboist of The Missouri Symphony, Aspen Winds Quintet, and is on faculty at Utah Valley University as Lecturer of Oboe and Music Studies. Additionally, Florin often plays with the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera, Utah Chamber Artists, Salt Lake Choral Artists, and NOVA Chamber Music Series. Florin also teaches as the adjunct professor of oboe at Snow College and presents the Finishing Touches lectures for the Utah Symphony through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at The University of Utah. As a reed-maker, Florin has sold his reeds across the world and maintains a private oboe studio in downtown Salt Lake City. Florin has recorded with the Naxos and Bridge record labels and has appeared with the Detroit, Jackson, Great Falls, and Battle Creek Symphonies as well as with the Grand Teton Music Festival and the Chicago Summer Opera.

Darrin Thiriot is a retired military band clarinetist and conductor. Darrin has performed with the Air Force Band (Eb clarinet), Pershing’s Own, The West Point Band, the Utah Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Fayetteville Symphony, and the Orchestra at Temple Square across the United States and in India, Argentina, and Brazil. He currently conducts two Utah-based youth orchestras and is the founder/conductor of the Bountiful Philharmonia, a semi-professional community orchestra. Darrin holds degrees from the University of Utah and Northwestern University. He has been adjunct faculty at Methodist University and the University of Utah.

Laura D. Grantier is the Assistant Professor of Clarinet and Woodwind Area Head at the University of Utah. She served as Secretary for the International Clarinet Association (ICA) Executive Board (2022-2024), is the ICA Utah State Chairperson, and was selected as Co-Artistic Director of ClarinetFest® 2027. She has appeared as featured soloist with the University of Utah Wind Ensemble, Philharmonia, and the Salt Lake Symphony. She performs frequently with the Utah Symphony, Intermezzo Chamber Series, and founded the ICA Utah State Clarinet Choir which performed at ClarinetFest® 2023 (Denver, CO) and 2025 ClarinetFest® (Fort Worth, TX). Under her leadership, the University of Utah Clarinet Choir made their international debut at 2024 ClarinetFest® in Dublin, Ireland. From 2021-2022, she was the Director of Woodwinds and Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Southern Utah University. From 1995-2021 she was a member of the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C. where she served as Principal Clarinet, Woodwind Leader, Clarinet Section Leader, and Harborwinds Clarinet Quartet Leader. She performed over 2,250 public concerts, military ceremonies, education workshops, and high-profile protocol engagements for high-ranking dignitaries, including the President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, and Secretary of the Navy. She earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Alabama, an MBA from Averett University, and a DMA from the Catholic University of America. Her teachers are Scott Bridges, Ken Grant, and Eugene Mondie. She is a performing artist for Buffet-Crampon, Lee Livengood mouthpieces, Bradford Behn barrels, and Rice Clarinet Works.

Dr. Robert Bedont is a native of Taylorsville, Utah. He earned a BMus in music education from the University of Utah, and both MM and DMA degrees in bassoon performance from the University of Arizona. His playing has been described as: "wonderfully clean and well articulated...His lyricism and finely crafted expressions show that the bassoon is indeed a remarkable melody instrument.""

A dedicated educator, Dr. Bedont serves on the faculty at Salt Lake Community College where he teaches the bassoon studio and classes in music history and music theory. His private instrumental studio students consistently appear in region, district, and state music ensembles. He is also a sought-after clinician and adjudicator.

As a performer Dr. Bedont regularly performs as a freelance bassoonist with the Ballet West Orchestra, the Utah Festival Opera Company, the Choral Arts Society of Utah, the Grand Theatre in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Symphony, America West Symphony, the Paradigm Chamber Orchestra, the Wi-Five quintet, and is the Music Director and Conductor of the Cottonwood Heights Arts Council summer musical productions.

Robert has performed as soloist with the America West Symphony, Paradigm Chamber Orchestra, Bay View Music Festival, The Utah Philharmonia, the University of Arizona Chamber Winds, and the Utah Wind Symphony.

His primary teachers have been Richard Chatelain, Jill Marderness, and Dr. William Dietz.

When not performing or teaching you'll find Robert chasing his three kids and three Great Danes with his high school sweetheart, Allison."