An experienced, national panel of judges will
gather at Byrnes to provide valuable feedback to
the outstanding bands competing.
Beth Fabrizio
Overall Music
Beth A. Fabrizio holds a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music in Clarinet Performance and a Masters of Music in Conducting, Education and Performance from Ithaca College. She has studied conducting with Rodney Winther and Dr. Donald Hunsberger and Clarinet with Michael Webster, Richard Waller, Stanley Hasty, William Osseck, Carmine Campione and performed in master classes with Richard Stoltzman.
Ms. Fabrizio maintains a private clarinet studio with numerous students pursuing careers in music education, therapy, recording and performance. She herself performed as the principal clarinetist and personnel manager with The Greater Rochester Music Educators Wind Ensemble, and former Eb clarinet with The Perinton Concert Band. Beth is a freelance performer and is an active artist/ clinician for The D’adarrio Corporation.
Ms. Fabrizio has conducted various honor bands and given master classes and clinics across the United States, Europe and Japan. She has taught marching bands and Drum and Bugle corps for over thirty years.. Ms. Fabrizio has been the brass caption head with The Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps, brass coordinator with The Pride of Soka from Tokyo, Japan, brass staff with Boston Crusaders, The Glassmen and Spirit of Atlanta. Beth adjudicates for DCI, WGI and numerous other state associations.
Andy Poor
Music Effect
Andy Poor is excited to return for his fifth season with Spirit of Atlanta, and 34th for year in the activity. He will be serving as the Caption Supervisor alongside DCI Hall of Famer and SOA Director Emeritus, Freddy Martin, where they will oversee and guide the brass staff in 2020. Dr. Poor holds degrees from the University of Florida (BME’88), and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (MM Trumpet ‘93, DME ‘99). He is currently the Director of Bands at South Forsyth Middle School in Cumming, Georgia, where there are 481 students enrolled in the band program, which has quickly earned a regional and national reputation for musical excellence. His involvement in the marching arts dates back to 1981 when he first marched in Suncoast Sound. He would continue to march for six summers. From 1991-2008, Dr. Poor served as an adjudicator for Drum Corps International and was the Brass Caption Lead Judge from 2000-2005. After judging DCI World Championship Finals in 2008, he began to consult and instruct with various drum corps, including the Blue Stars, Phantom Regiment, Pacific Crest, and the past four years as Brass Caption Head at the Spirit of Atlanta.
Doug Casteen
Visual Effect
Biography coming soon!
Jack Jean
Overall Visual
Mr. Jean is currently the Associate Director of Bands at Brookwood High School. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Mr. Jean received his Bachelor of Music Education and Percussion Performance Degrees from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa in 1989. He was selected by Northwestern University in 1994 as a Northwestern Summer Fellow, studying conducting with John Paynter, Mallory Thompson, Steve Peterson and Don Owens.His professional experience includes Director and Association Director of Band at Whitewater High School (Fayetteville, GA) Director and Associate Director of Bands at Shiloh High School (Snellville, GA), Director of Bands at Dunwoody High School (Dunwoody, GA) and Director of Bands at Saydel High School (Des Moines, IA). In 1991 the Saydel High School Jazz Band 1 was selected to perform at the Iowa Bandmasters Association In-Service Conference as a featured ensemble. Mr. Jean has also served as an adjunct Percussion Instructor at Drake University (Des Moines, IA), Rehearsal Assistant with the Des Moines Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony. He has performed professionally with the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Iowa, New Hampshire Summer Music Festival Orchestra, Des Moines Municipal Band, DeKalb Symphony Orchestra, Gainesville Symphony Orchestra, Tara Winds Community Band and the Cobb Wind Symphony.
During his tenure at Whitewater High School, the Wind Ensemble had many invitational performances. In 2014, they performed at the University of Georgia January Music Festival as a featured ensemble. The ensemble performed a shared concert in 2013 with the Georgia State University Symphonic Winds at the Rialto Center for the Arts in Atlanta, GA. The Whitewater High School French Horn Choir also performed a Lobby Concert performance at The Georgia Music Educator’s Association (GMEA) In-Service Conference in Savannah, GA. In September 2011, the Whitewater High School Wind Ensemble performed a shared concert with the Georgia State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble at the Rialto Center for the Arts in Atlanta, GA; and in 2009 they performed at both the University of Georgia January Music Festival and the Georgia Music Educator’s Association In-Service Conference as featured ensembles. Mr. Jean has performed four times at the Midwest Clinic. In 1994 and 2001 as a member of Tara Winds Community Band and again in 2011 and 2018 as a member of the Cobb Wind Symphony. Mr. Jean is an active clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States in both Marching Band and Concert Band arenas. Most recently he served as a Guest Clinician/Conductor at the 2016 University of Northern Iowa’s “Northern Festival of Bands” Honor Band. In 2017 Mr. Jean presented a clinic at the (GMEA) In-Service Conference titled “Rips, Runs and Realities….creating and maintaining French Horn Players of all levels”. He served as the GMEA District VI All-State Band organizer, is a past member and Chairman of the GMEA All-State Band Committee, and is currently member of the GMEA Music Selection Committee. In 2017 Mr. Jean was named one of 197 quarterfinalists for the 2018 Grammy Foundation’s “Music Educator Award”. In 2014 he named the Whitewater High School “Teacher of the Year” for the 2014-2015 school year. In 2015 he was recognized by the Georgia Music Educators Association for “Twenty-Five Years of Service to Music Education”. In addition, he was also awarded the “Distinguished Wildcat Award”,recognizing outstanding service to Whitewater High School in 2013-2014. Mr. Jean is a three time National Band Association “Citation of Excellence” recipient and was the “Excellence in Education Award” winner, sponsored by the Atlanta Braves and AT&T, in 2007. In 2004 Mr. Jean was named a Finalist for “Teacher of the Year” at Shiloh High School. His professional memberships include the National Band Association, National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educators Association and Honorary Music Fraternities Phi Beta Mu and Pi Kappa Lambda.
Patrick Lowery
Percussion
Biography coming soon!
Phillip Cohen
Color Guard
Biography coming soon!
