Kaitlyn Beasley-Zeitler is a first year Master’s student at Arizona State University, studying bassoon performance under Dr. Albie Micklich. While she is originally from Leander, Texas, Kaitlyn received her undergraduate degree in bassoon performance and graduated summa cum laude under the instruction of Dr. Christin Schillinger at Ithaca College. Ithaca, being just South of Cayuga Lake in Central New York, is home to a plethora of beautiful gorges and trails which Kaitlyn frequented in her free time. 

Throughout her four years at Ithaca College, Kaitlyn developed her own private studio and local bassoon reed business. She held sub positions with the Cornell and Binghamton University Symphony Orchestras, and taught children’s music classes at The Community School of Music and Arts in downtown Ithaca, NY. As Kaitlyn continued her professional development, she began seeking opportunities to hone her skills outside of Ithaca. This led her to attend the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival during the summer of 2024. Following this, Kaitlyn accepted a Junior Faculty position with Bocal Majority for their 2025 Summer season, teaching reed classes and chamber music to a group of 7th grade bassoonists. In the same summer, she attended the Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival, where she was offered instruction by each of the members of the WindSynch and WindScape woodwind quintets. 

 Motivated by the teachings of each musician she met during her studies, Kaitlyn was able to discover her love for new music, chamber music, and simply making music with other talented individuals. It is because of them that she is able to look forward to all of the exciting things that ASU has to offer! 

Michelle Fletcher is a bassoonist and contrabassoonist from Mesa, Arizona pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts: Performance degree at Arizona State University (ASU) with Dr. Albie Micklich. She previously received her MM in Bassoon Performance from ASU and her BM in Bassoon Performance from Brigham Young University. Her primary teachers and mentors include Drs. Albie Micklich and Christian Smith, as well as Doug Brown, Erik Ludwig, and Andy Bunch.

As a soloist, Michelle appeared with the BYU Wind Symphony on their Australia concert tour in 2018, as well as with the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra in 2019. Her recording contributions include full albums with Broadway star Lea Salonga (2019) and Australian Broadway star Patrice Tipoki (2021), as well as the documentary soundtrack to Max Steiner: Maestro of Movie Music (2021) and the premiere of Kevin Day’s Concerto for Wind Ensemble on contrabassoon with the ASU Wind Ensemble (2022).

In addition to holding the position of Instructor of Bassoon at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and maintaining a private studio in the Phoenix area, Michelle currently holds the principal bassoon positions with Arizona Millennial Choirs and Orchestra (MCO) and the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. She can regularly subs with both professional and local Arizona groups, as well as with other branches of MCO throughout the United States. She has performed at multiple international and national conferences, including the International Double Reed Society Conference, the National Flute Society Conference, the Meg Quigley Bassoon Symposium, and the International Tuba and Euphonium Association Conference.

She enjoys studying film scores and soundtracks as well as performing in orchestra pits for opera and theater productions, and is fascinated with music cognition. Offstage, Michelle reads fantasy novels, is an amateur pianist and organist, and enjoys game nights and time spent with friends and family.

Eddie Martinez is a bassoonist from Burleson, Texas, and a current master’s student in bassoon performance at Arizona State University (ASU), where he also serves as a teaching assistant for the Sun Devil Bassoon Studio.

Before coming to ASU, Eddie studied at the University of Michigan, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in bassoon performance. He has performed with ensembles across Arizona, including The Phoenix Symphony, The Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, and Promusica Arizona, and has taken part in numerous masterclasses throughout his career. Some of his favorite experiences include performing in a side-by-side concert with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, as well as working with Václav Vonášek, contrabassoonist of the Berlin Philharmonic, in a masterclass.

In addition to performing, Eddie is passionate about teaching. He works with high school bassoonists in the Fort Worth area and values passing on the wisdom of his own mentors—Dr. Albie Micklich, Dr. Jeffrey Lyman, and Sarah Boyd—through thoughtful, encouraging instruction.

Outside of music, Eddie enjoys staying active at the gym or on hiking trails, reading fiction, and experimenting with new food recipes!

Kathleen Muehring is a first-year master's student of bassoon performance studying under the instruction of Dr. Albie Micklich at Arizona State University. Originally from Dubuque, Iowa, Muehring received a Bachelor of Music Education from Central Michigan University, graduating summa cum laude. With extensive focus on bassoon, studying under Professor MaryBeth Minnis, and music theory and pedagogy, studying under Dr. Ashlee Busch, Muehring is extremely grateful for every opportunity to learn from and perform with people from all walks of life.

While attending Central Michigan University, Muehring took independent studies in music theory analysis and pedagogy. This gave them the opportunity to observe and assist within the classroom of two music theory courses. Muehring was also the principal bassoon for both the Central Michigan University Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Wind Ensemble. They attended the Rocky Ridge College Intensive Summer Festival two summers in a row, as well as the NewBassoon Institute at the University of Michigan in 2024. Alongside musical studies, Muehring was the head band manager of the Chippewa Marching Band, allowing for the opportunity to give back to a community that gave them so much.

With passions in music theory and pedagogy, as well as performing alongside amazing people, Muehring’s guiding goal is to pass on the knowledge they have received from the many inspiring teachers, both formal and informal, they have had over the years through conversation, mindfulness, and selfless support. Being able to do so at Arizona State University is a privilege they are not going to forget. Muehring is most passionate about the connections between people and is continually striving to stay curious.