Lessons Academy

Stephanie Riegle is the principal flutist with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra. She’s been a member of Pensacola Symphony since 1995; music director Peter Rubardt appointed her principal flute at the beginning of the 2007/2008 season. She has been a featured soloist with the Pensacola Symphony, performing JS Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 5”, and the “Carmen Fantasy” by Francois Borne. She is also principal flutist for the NorthwestFlorida Symphony Orchestra, and the Choral Society of Pensacola. In addition, Ms. Riegle has a private studio with many award winning students.Ms. Riegle attended Stetson University in Deland, Florida where she played principal flute in the orchestra andwind ensemble. Her teachers have included Les Sheary, Britton Johnsen, Nancy Larson Maloney, and the renowned flutist and teacher Geoffrey Gilbert. She has attended master classes presented by Julius Baker, Jeanne Baxstresser, and Trevor Wye.Ms. Riegle and her husband Dale, a member of the trumpet section, and personnel manager for the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, live in Pensacola with their four children.She is available for a variety of events, including weddings, concerts, receptions and other events. For information, please contact her at flute9938@aol.com .

Born in Misawa, Japan, Melissa experienced the traveling life of a Navy family before settling in Pace, FL where she discovered her love of music and the clarinet at Pace Middle School. She grew as a musician throughout high school and college, graduating with Honors in 2003 from the University of Southern Mississippi with a BSBA and an emphasis in marketing & music. She has been an active musician of multiple symphony orchestras along the Gulf Coast since 2001 and has a passion for expanding the musical knowledge of others through private instruction and musical Melissa excelled in the industrial sales industry from 2007-2022 as a GE Lighting sales manager for the gulf coast region, the northwest FL Healthcare Sales Manager for W. W. Grainger, and most recently the Grainger Government Sales Manager for the states of AL, GA, and SC. Long term residents of Gulf Breeze, Melissa and herhusband, Josh, live with their four children, Dylan (3), twins Trent & Elise (5), Jude (9), a dog named Bingo, and a beta fish named Prince Bubbles. Her husband worked internationally for 14 years, and during the global pandemic, they both made the decision to shift career paths to allow more time with family and become more active in the local community. They now own and operate a marine construction business, residential rental properties, and Melissa has been able to expand her community engagement through the PSO programs and private instruction. As a family, they enjoy spending time on the water, camping, and trips to Chick-fil-A.

Dr. Christopher Saccois an active performer and teacher based in Pensacola, FL. He teaches Saxophone at The University of West Florida. Sacco has been the winner of several competitions including the Florida MTNA Young Artists Solo and Chamber Competitions, SUNY Fredonia Concerto Competition, and Bronx Arts Ensemble Young Artists Competition. Sacco received his doctorate from Arizona State University. In 2017 he was the recipient of the Tuesday Musicale of Detroit's Joan Graham Award. This past summer he was the principal saxophonist of Germany's esteemed Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra where he performed under the baton of renown conductors Vladimir Jurowski (London Philharmonic) and Wayne Marshall (WDR Funkhausorchester in Cologne). He has served as a graduate teaching assistant at Florida State University where he taught private lessons, coached chamber ensembles, and gave saxophone instruction to future band directors. In addition, he has taught saxophone fundamentals classes to high school and middle school students in New York, South Carolina, and Florida, and Arizona. His principal mentors have been Wildy Zumwalt, Carina Rascher, Patrick Meighan, Dan Graser, and Christopher Creviston.

Jonathan Martin has had a diverse career as a professional trumpeter and teacher. He began his career as a cornet soloist with the U.S.A.F. “Band of the West” and continued by earning his Doctorate in Trumpet Performance from the University of Iowa. Dr. Martin has been teaching for the past sixteen years at the university level and is currently Prof. Of Trumpet and Jazz at Oklahoma State University. Throughout his teaching career he has performed in brass quintets, jazz ensembles and orchestras. Dr. Martin’s credits include a number of recordings including a world premier of “Concerto for Two Trumpets and Timpani” by Arnold Rosner and his own jazz quartet CD "Standard Jazz"

Kevin Fails is the second-place runner-up soloist at the 2019 Southeast Horn Workshop and two-time principal horn player for the 2015 and 2016 Florida Intercollegiate All-State Band. He has played with numerous groups including orchestras, concert bands, and even jazz bands. Just to name a few, he has performed with the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, Pensacola Bay Concert Band, and the University of West Florida Jazz Ensemble as a professional musician.Upon completing his Master’s degree at the University of Southern Mississippi with Jacquelyn Adams, Kevin has been an active performer throughout the Southern Mississippi area performing with a number of orchestras. Such orchestras include the Meridian Symphony, Mississippi Symphony, and Gulf Coast Symphony.Kevin now teaches as an adjunct faculty member with his alma mater,the University of West Florida, and performs with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra for their 2022-2023 season.

TBA