ITEA Vice President/President Elect: Kelly Thomas

Congratulations to our new Vice-President/President-Elect, Kelly Thomas. Kelly has been a stalwart of the Association for many years. His work in the conference area has revolutionized our approach to conference organization and has been an important part of getting the Association on sound footing. As most readers know, he was the host of our landmark success with the 2010 conference in Tucson, and he will also be the host of the 2016 ITEC at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. As Vice-President he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Association that will benefit every member of the Association over the next six years.

On behalf of the Association, our thanks to Dr. Kevin Wass for standing in nomination for what was the closest election in our recent history. In my conversation with Kevin, he expressed his support for Kelly and his continued commitment to ITEA. Congratulations to Kevin on his recent promotion to full Professor at Texas Tech University and his appointment as Director of Undergraduate Music Studies at Texas Tech, as well. Don’t worry – he also continues as Professor of Euphonium and Tuba, as well.

The future of our Association is bright with outstanding individuals such as Kelly and Kevin in leadership roles. Lend Kelly your congratulations, but more important, give him and our new President, Marty Erickson, your support and participation as they take office on July 1.

Jerry Young
President, ITEA

New Hire: Gretchen Renshaw

Gretchen Renshaw recently accepted the position of Wind Ensemble Conductor and Instructor of Low Brass at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. She will begin teaching there in Fall 2015. Gretchen is currently a University Distinguished Fellow at Michigan State University, where she plans to complete her D.M.A. in Tuba Performance and M.M. in Wind/Orchestral Conducting in May 2015. Previously, she earned degrees in Euphonium Performance from the University of Arkansas (M.M.) and Penn State University (B.M.). Her primary teachers include Philip Sinder, Benjamin Pierce, Steven Mead, and Velvet Brown. Gretchen has enjoyed success in major competitions on both tuba and euphonium, including winning the MTNA Young Artist Brass Competition, being named the Low Brass Winner of the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition, and being a finalist in the Artist Divisions of both the Leonard Falcone and ITEC competitions. In addition to performing, Gretchen is also a published arranger with Potenza Music. Her most significant publication is A Collection of Works for Euphonium and Piano by Simone Mantia, which she edited based on her research during an archival project of music belonging to this famous euphonium virtuoso. As Gretchen begins her career at Hendrix, she plans to continue being active as a tuba and euphonium soloist and conductor of both bands and orchestras. For more information about Gretchen, visit www.gretchenrenshaw.com