Caroline Whiddon
Executive Director
email: caroline@vyo.org
655.5030 x 103
Caroline Whiddon relocated to Burlington in 1998 to accept the position as Executive Director of the Vermont Youth Orchestra Association. Under her leadership the VYOA has achieved a dramatic increase in visibility and support from the community. The VYOA's student population has nearly tripled during her tenure, with four orchestras, a string training program, a chamber music program, and summer camps now serving more than 500 students each year.
In May 2000 the VYOA publicly launched a $2 million capital campaign to renovate the historic cavalry Riding Hall in Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester, VT. The campaign received state and federal funding, a prestigious Kresge Foundation grant, and the support of more than a thousand individual donors and VYOA alumni. The grand opening of the VYOA's new home—named the Elley-Long Music Center at Saint Michael's College—was held in November 2001. This magnificent facility now provides administrative, classroom, and orchestra rehearsal space for the VYOA. The crown jewel of the Music Center is its beautiful, acoustically superb small performance hall. Various professional music organizations, including the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and the Vermont Mozart Festival, rehearse at the Music Center on a regular basis, and the facility has also become a popular location for dance groups and private parties.
Prior to working with the VYOA, Ms. Whiddon served as Executive Director of the Long Bay Symphony in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A native of Columbus, Georgia, she has also held positions as Manager of the Youth Orchestra of Greater Columbus (GA) and as Director of Community Relations for the Savannah Symphony Orchestra. The daughter of professional musicians, Ms. Whiddon received her Bachelor's Degree in Performance from the Eastman School of Music in 1992, where she studied horn with Verne Reynolds.
Ms. Whiddon is immediate Past Chair of the Youth Orchestra Division of the American Symphony Orchestra League. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the Community Health Center of Burlington, and as a mentor through Burlington's Spectrum program.
Tim Buckingham
Director,
Music Day Camp
email: waterbucky@gmail.com
Tim Buckingham is the Director of Bands at Edmunds Middle School, a program known for quality instruction, thorough assessment, and broad community support. There he directs three concert bands and a jazz band, coaches lesson groups and small ensembles, and teaches general music classes. As a percussionist and drummer, he has played in many local ensembles. He has served as an adjudicator and guest conductor for several VMEA district festivals and the Vermont All-State Music Festival.
Mr. Buckingham received a B.M.E. from the College of Wooster in Ohio. in addition to teaching outdoor education at summer camps, he has been involved at VYOA's Music Day Camp for 12 years, serving as Director for the last seven. He has also been served the VYOA as the Residential Director of the Reveille Music Festival.
Lisamarie Charlesworth
Marketing | Community Relations
email: lisamarie@vyo.org
655.5030 x 101
Marketing Director, Lisamarie Charlesworth joined the VYOA staff in 2004. An active member of the local arts community for over 30 years, she has previously served as the Marketing Director for the UVM Lane Series and also the Marketing and Public Relations Director for Burlington City Arts. Of her many projects with BCA, she is most proud of her role in helping to transform the old Ethan Allen Engine Company into the Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts.
Lisamarie studied the classical guitar, attending the Community Music School of Buffalo, NY and later taking private lessons at the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, NY. In later years, her interests turned from music to the visual arts. Although she still enjoys playing her guitar, she has found her niche in making art. Her mixed media compositions have been shown in galleries and private venues in Vermont and New York. She is frequent exhibitor at the Staart Gallery in St. Albans among other locations in Vermont. She is also a member of the St. Albans Artist Guild and the Chair of their Education Committee. Lisamarie is also an avid athlete; running and boot camp classes are her top two favorites to get the blood pumping.
Ms. Charlesworth holds degrees in Studio Art, Art History and French from Trinity College of Vermont, the L'université de Besançon, in Besançon, France and the University of Vermont. Lisamarie and her husband reside in St. Albans.
Art DeQuasie
Operations Director
email: art@vyo.org
655-5030 x 108
Art DeQuasie has been on the staff of the VYOA since 1999. He began as the manager of the Vermont Youth Philharmonia, later becoming the manager for the Vermont Youth Sinfonia, Vermont Youth Chamber Winds, and the VYO Concert Tour of China. As the Director of Operations, he currently oversees operations of all the VYOA orchestral and choral programs, coordinating activities with all program managers and ensuring that each group has the materials and systems required to thrive and to make music. Art holds a degree in Biology from the University of Vermont and a degree in Piano Performance from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam. He also maintains an independent piano studio at the Elley-Long Music Center at Saint Michael's College and performs locally. He also is an electric bass player and performs with various theater groups and the Swingin' Vermont Big Band. In April of 2007, he played the bass in an off-Broadway production of "Parenting 101".
Judy Dunn
Bookkeeper
Katie Graham
Office Manager
email: katie@vyo.org
655-5030 x 100
Katie Graham is happy to join the VYO staff as the Office Manager. Katie moved to Vermont from New York City where she was a Communications Associate at New York University's Office for University Development and Alumni Relations. During her time at NYU, she helped to promote large-scale fundraising campaigns and annual events, published the alumni e-newsletter and facilitated both print and web-based alumni communications.
Originally from Indiana, Katie graduated from Ball State University where she earned her degree in Telecommunications. She played piano for many years and enjoys every opportunity she gets to sit down and play. When not in the office, Katie enjoys her creative outlets, whether it's cooking, sewing, gardening or arts and crafts. And, as a huge sports fan, she enjoys cheering on her favorite teams: the New York Mets and the Indianapolis Colts.
Laura Hamel
Director, Reveille! Music Festival
Elisabeth (Betsy) LeBlanc
Operations Assistant
email: betsy@vyo.org
Betsy LeBlanc joins the VYOA as the Operations Assistant, a position that includes the management of three ensembles: Vermont Youth Strings, Presto, and Vermont Youth Chamber Winds. A 1995 graduate of the Vermont Youth Orchestra, Betsy is an accomplished clarinetist with an active performing schedule. She has been a featured soloist with Vermont Youth Philharmonia and is one half of a duo with local pianist Annemieke Spoelstra. She is a member of the Heliand Trio and has appeared as a guest artist with the Rochester Chamber Music Society. In 2006, she performed at the Boris Brott Music Festival in Hamilton, Ontario. Additionally, Betsy maintains an active clarinet studio at the Elley-Long Music Center. She holds degrees in music and orchestral training from The Juilliard School and McGill University. A Canadian native, Betsy makes her home in St. Albans. She is a marathon runner in her free time, and can often be found running the dirt roads of Franklin County, training for upcoming races.
Carolyn Long
email: carolyn@vyo.org
655.5030 x 104 or home - 862.6732
Liza Reed
Development Manager
email: liza@vyo.org
655-5030 x 105
Liza Reed joins the VYOA staff as the Development Manager. Previously, Liza was the Development Associate with the Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger where she helped to build their fundraising program and organized a benefit cabaret, among other successful endeavors.
A native of Vermont, Liza graduated from Middlebury College in 2006 with a degree in American Studies and Sociology. She also studied abroad in New Zealand and was a member of the varsity swim team. A member of an musically active family, Liza has studied Suzuki piano, alto saxophone and French horn.