ZELJKO MILICEVIC – SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Zeljko Milicevic received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Violin Performance from Wayne State University and his Master of Music in Education from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In 2007, he earned a Certificate in Orchestral Studies from Wayne State University with an emphasis in Conducting and Violin Performance.

A sought-after clinician and adjudicator, Milicevic began his service in public education in 1990 and has taught music to students at all grade levels. He has led orchestra programs in Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools, Utica Community Schools, and Farmington Public Schools and most recently served as Director of Orchestras and District String Coordinator, grades K-12 with the Oxford Community Schools. In addition, he has been on staff as Adjunct Professor of String Pedagogy at Oakland University in Rochester, MI since 2005.

A member of the Flint Symphony Orchestra since 1987, Milicevic was appointed to the position of Associate Concertmaster in 2011. His role as Concertmaster of the Bijou Orchestra, a select 13-member salon theatre orchestra located in Bay City, MI, has afforded him numerous memorable performances in the mid-Michigan area including the revival of silent movies set to live music, performing as soloist, and presenting period reviews in concert specializing in music from the 1920s, 30s and 40s. He has also performed in many of Michigan’s regional orchestras including the Michigan Opera Theatre, Saginaw-Bay Orchestra and The Midland Symphony Orchestra.

An avid chamber musician, his career has included engagements with numerous ensembles. He performs with the Ivybrooke Strings where he engages in a variety of chamber music settings including trios and quartets and specializing in violin and piano duos. The duo enjoys performing recitals and performing for community groups in the Rochester area. Milicevic is also a violinist with the Classic Impressions String Quartet comprised of principals of the Flint Symphony Orchestra.His most recent recording projects include a musical portrayal based on the book Einstein’s Dreams with the Bijou Theatre Orchestra, and the piano trios of Mendelssohn and Haydn recorded with the Ivybrooke Strings. As an outreach of the Flit Symphony Orchestra, he is a member of the Troubadours ensemble.

Milicevic has previously directed the Lake St. Clair Symphony and Symphony of the Lakes. Presently, he is Music Director and Conductor of the Rochester Symphony Orchestra; the Detroit Medical Orchestra at the Medical School at Wayne State University and the Oakland University Chamber Orchestra. Milicevic has been a part of the OYO family since 1994, serving as Senior Conductor with the Oakland Youth Orchestras directing the Symphony Orchestra.

WENDY STUART – PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA

Ms. Stuart is excited to be part of the Oakland Youth Orchestras for her eleventh season. This school year, Ms Stuart is beginning a new chapter in her career as the Orchestra Teacher/Director at Troy High School. She taught for twenty-one years in the Clarkston Community Schools, where she developed the then newer Orchestra program from its third year of existence, with only three grade levels to the current program that features three high school Orchestras and multiple middle school orchestras. Under her direction, the Clarkston Orchestra program was featured at the Michigan Music Conference, traveled extensively, and performed at consistently high levels at MSBOA Festivals. For her final decade in Clarkston, she directed five Orchestras, grades seven through twelve. Prior to joining the music faculty in Clarkston and Troy, she spent a year beginning a new string program in a district east of Cincinnati, OH.

Ms Stuart is an advocate for music education in Michigan. In addition to OYO and her school program, she works with many levels of Orchestras as a clinician; from day long workshops to pre-festival clinics. She enjoys giving presentations at conferences for music educators and mentoring student teachers. She is also an adjudicator for MSBOA Solo and Ensemble events throughout the state, where she can use her experience gained from more than twenty years as a cello teacher. She has taught a many camps, including conducting this past summer at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp  and many times in the past as Cello Coach for MASTA Camp, Session III.

Ms. Stuart earned a Bachelor of Music Degree in Cello Performance from Eastern Michigan University and her teaching certification and Masters of Music in Music Education from the University of Michigan. In addition to her degrees, she studied orchestral conducting while attending the ASTA International Workshops in Norway and France. Ms. Stuart was the Director of the MASTA String Camp, Session III, for six years and was an Adjunct Professor of String Methods for four years at Concordia University in Ann Arbor.

Ms. Stuart is committed to continuing her own ability, growth and experience as a musician. She is the principal cellist for the Oakland Symphony Orchestra, the assistant principal cellist for the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, and performs with other orchestras and ensembles throughout the year. 

JOHN KENNEDY – STRING ORCHESTRA

String Orchestra Director John Kennedy is excited to return for his twentieth year with the Oakland Youth Orchestras. He recently retired as Orchestra Director at North Farmington High School after a 30-year career teaching in the public schools. He is instructor of Bass and String Pedagogy at the University of Michigan Flint and Wayne State University, and has an active private studio of bass students.

John is internationally recognized as a bassist, clinician and teacher of young string bassists. He is Past-President and member of the board of the International Society of Bassists, the largest worldwide organization dedicated to the upright bass. He is also a veteran clinician at the Univ. of Michigan Bass Bash, the Golden Gate Bass Camp, the Richard Davis Workshop in Madison, Wisconsin, the Michigan Bass Fest, the Oberlin Bass Workshop and the Milt Hinton Bass Workshop. Mr. Kennedy is a regular performer with many local and regional orchestras. He was formerly Associate Principal Bass of the Honolulu Symphony, and has performed with the Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint, Toledo, Kalamazoo, New Mexico, and Cedar Rapids symphonies.

As a composer and arranger, John has written dozens of works, both arrangements and original compositions, for youth orchestras and for young bassists. He holds his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in String Bass Performance from the University of Michigan. He lives in Troy.

NICK KARPINSKY – STUDIO STRING ORCHESTRA

Nick Karpinsky is excited to celebrate his 16th season with the Studio String Orchestra. Nick graduated from Wayne State University in 2009 receiving a Bachelor’s degree in instrumental music education. In 2015 he received his Master’s Degree from Marygrove College in education with a focus in curriculum, assessment, and instruction.

Nick Karpinsky is the Director of Orchestras for at North Hills Middle School, Way Elementary, and Eastover Elementary schools in the Bloomfield Hills School District. Previously he was the Director of Orchestras for Seaholm High School and Derby Middle School with the Birmingham Public Schools and taught in the Waterford and Warren Consolidated School Districts.

Nick has studied with various violinists including Geoffrey Applegate and Jim Waring. As a violinist, Nick performs with several community orchestras in the metro Detroit area. He has also performed with artists including; Il Divo, Mannheim Steamroller, Aretha Franklin, and Eddie Daniels at venues such as the Fox Theater, Orchestra Hall, DTE Energy Music Theater, and Joe Louis Arena.

In addition to performing, Nick enjoys composing and arranging music. He has arranged several pieces for small chamber groups to large, combined works for full orchestra and choir. Nick also enjoys conducting and performing in pit orchestras for musicals. Currently, he is the pit orchestra conductor for the Rochester Community Schools’ Summer Music Theater program.