The Southwestern College performing arts division has welcomed Brian Winnie as director of choral activities and voice, and Amber Peterson, Mazie Barnett Kilmer Chair for Strings Education.

“Dr. Peterson and Dr. Winnie bring an exciting new perspective to Southwestern College music education and performance programs and ensembles,” says Tim Shook, chair for the division of performing arts at Southwestern College.  “Students will enjoy stimulating classroom and performance experiences, preparing them as professionals and advocates who cultivate the arts.”

Winnie teaches courses in undergraduate choral conducting, vocal pedagogy and diction, and choral methods. He also conducts the A Cappella Choir, SC Singers, Musical Theatre Ensemble, and is head of the voice department.  An active festival conductor and adjudicator, Winnie has worked with festival choirs throughout the United States in Pennsylvania, Missouri, Washington, Kansas, and Alaska.  

Prior to this appointment, Winnie served as lecturer at the University of Washington-Tacoma where he helped create and establish a choral component to their interdisciplinary arts program. Prior to his career in higher education, Winnie taught for seven years in public schools at both the middle and high school levels having served as director of choirs in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania where his choirs consistently achieved the highest ratings at festivals and competitions.  His 2007 Lower Macungie Middle School Cadence Choir was selected to perform for the Pennsylvania Music Educator’s Association convention, and in 2008 he was the recipient of the “Outstanding Young Conductor Award,” presented by the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.  In 2010 he was named “Teacher of the Year” at Hopewell Valley High School, and was nominated for the “Excellence in Teaching Award” at the University of Washington in 2013.

Winnie is an active member the American Choral Directors Association and the Music Educator’s National Conference. He has served as secretary for the Central New Jersey Music Education Association, and is a former Middle School/Jr. High Repertoire and Standards Chair for ACDA-PA. 

A native of Pennsylvania, Winnie received his bachelor of science in music education from the Pennsylvania State University, master of music education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and his doctor of musical arts in choral conducting from the University of Washington. Additionally, he received his certificate of figure proficiency in Estill Voice Training in 2014. 

Peterson’s duties will include conducting the South Kansas Symphony, overseeing the Southwestern College Youth Symphony, coaching the Williams String Quartet, and teaching private viola and violin lessons, string methods, and music fundamentals 

 Peterson holds music education degrees from Case Western Reserve University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She also completed Suzuki violin teacher training at Cleveland Institute of Music. 

Prior to coming to Winfield, Peterson taught orchestra in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, and Iowa, and played violin and viola in many regional symphonies. Her research has appeared in “Contributions to Music Education,” “Arts Education Policy Review,” and “American String Teacher.” She has presented sessions at numerous state and national conferences, including American String Teachers Association, American Educational Research Association, Symposium on Music Teacher Education, and the NAfME Research and Teacher Education National Conference. Her specializations and research interests include music teacher education, string education, and music cognition and psychology.