Dr. Daniel Kelly, a native of Charleston, S.C., joined the School of Music faculty at Southern Miss in 2006 as the Assistant Professor of trumpet. He teaches studio trumpet and directs the Southern Miss Trumpet Ensemble.

Prior to his appointment at Southern Miss, Dr. Kelly was on the faculty of Indiana State University and a member of the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra, the THSO Brass Quintet, the ISU Faculty Brass Quintet, the Philharmonia à Vent, and the Columbus Brass. He also was a member of The Prairie Ensemble, the Champaign Brass and the Champaign-Urbana (Ill.) Symphony Orchestra and Brass Quintet and has enjoyed an active freelancing schedule.  He has performed with the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana (BACH), Peoria Bach Festival Orchestra and the Festival of Trumpets at International Trumpet Guild conferences in New York and Evansville, Ind.  More recently, Dr. Kelly was a featured presenter at the 2006 ITG Conference in Glassboro (NJ) and has presented solo recitals in Iowa, Tennessee, Illinois, and Indiana.

Dr. Kelly holds a B.S. in trumpet performance from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., and a M.M. and D.M.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  His principle teachers include Michael Ewald, Ronnie Romm, Ray Sasaki, and Richard Steffen.

He has been designated a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) by the Music Teachers National Association and is a member of the Music Teachers National Association, the Indiana Music Teachers Association, the College Music Society, the International Trumpet Guild, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.

Dr. Kelly is a Yamaha Performing Artist/Clinician.

Michael Bass, a native of Columbia Mississippi, is in his 16^th year of teaching and his 1^st year as Assistant Director of Bands/Brass Instructor at Pearl River Community College. He previously taught 7 years as Director of Jefferson Middle School Bands and Assistant Director of the Columbia High School Band.  He received his Bachelor of Music Ed. Degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1989 and a Master of Music Degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1993.  He has directed bands in the West Point School System, West Point, MS; the Norris School System, Firth, NE; and George County School System in Lucedale, MS.

His bands have consistently rated superior at Festival each year continuing a 13 year streak at Jefferson Middle School and as Assistant High School Director in Columbia won the Mississippi Championship Marching Band Contest in 2004 while being runner up in 2005 and 2006.

He is a member of the Mississippi Bandmasters Association, the National Band Association, Phi Beta Mu and Past-President of the Southwest Mississippi Band Director’s Association.

As a performer on trumpet, he is a member of the Gulf Coast Symphony, the Pensacola Symphony, the Mobile Symphony (sub), the Hattiesburg Community Band, and the Antique Brass Quartet.

Dr. Heidi Lucas, horn

Heidi Lucas joined the faculty of the University of Southern Mississippi in the fall of 2007. She holds degrees from the Crane School of Music-SUNY Potsdam (B.M.), the Eastman School of Music (M.M), and the University of Georgia (D.M.A).

In addition to extensive chamber music experience including residencies and tours throughout New England, England, Brazil, and as part of Brevard College’s Eric Ewazen Residency, Dr. Lucas is currently a member of the Southern Arts Brass Quintet and Category Five, the faculty ensembles at USM. Her orchestral experiences include performances with the Orchestra of Northern New York, Festival Orchestra of “June in Buffalo”, Genesee Symphony, Rochester Oratorio Society, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Cobb Symphony Orchestra, Columbus (GA) Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Pops Orchestra, and Mobile Symphony. She was recently appointed principal horn of the Meridian Symphony.

Competition awards include 2nd place honors at the MTNA National Chamber Competition, Honorable Mention from the Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition, Semi-finalist in the International Horn Competition, Outstanding Performer-Convention Recitalist at the GMTA Solo Brass Competition, and a Winner of the UGA Concerto Competition, after which she performed Richard Strauss’ First Horn Concerto in E-flat Major with the Wind Ensemble. In 2002, she was featured as a conductor and soloist with the Eastman Horn Choir at the International Horn Society Convention in Lahti, Finland.

Dr. Lucas works with the USM horn students in a variety of horn-related courses, including Horn Pedagogy, Horn Literature, Excerpt Class, Horn Choir, Chamber Music, and Horn Jazz Seminar. Prior to her appointment, she taught horn at Toccoa Falls College,Georgia College and State University, and worked with non-majors at the University of Georgia and University of Rochester. Dr. Lucas is a 2007/2008 recipient of the MTNA StAR Award. She has performed in master-classes for David Cripps, Daniel Grabois, Ryan Anthony, Eric Ewazen, Allen Spanjer, Jean-Francois Taillard, Fergus McWilliam, Eli Epstein, Rik Vercruysse, and Verne Reynolds. Her primary teachers have been Dr. John Ericson, Mr. Peter Kurau, and Dr. Jean Martin-Williams.

Dr. Bruce Tychinski, originally from Altoona, PA, is Assistant Professor of Trombone at The University of Southern Mississippi. At Southern Miss, Dr. Tychinski teaches applied lessons on trombone, courses in trombone literature and pedagogy, and conducts the trombone choir.

Throughout his career, Dr. Tychinski has performed and recorded with many orchestras, chamber groups, and jazz ensembles. Currently Dr. Tychinski is Principal Trombonist of the Gulf Coast Symphony, a member of the Southern Arts Brass Quintet and the Nittany Trombone Quartet.  He has also performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic, Mississippi Symphony, Mobile Symphony, Meridian Symphony, Pensacola Symphony, the Green Bay Symphony, and many others.  Dr. Tychinski has recorded compact discs with the Skyline Brass Quintet, American Wind Symphony Orchestra, Boulevard Big Band, Big Band Reunion, the University of Kansas Symphonic Band, and the Penn State Alumni Trombone Choir.

Dr. Tychinski has performed as a soloist throughout the United States and internationally. He was the featured soloist with the University of Southern Mississippi Wind Ensemble at the 2007 All-South Band Festival, performing Paul Creston's Fantasy for Trombone. He also has appeared as a soloist with the Southern Miss Jazz Lab I and Southern Miss Trombone Choir.  performed in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Peru.

Dr. Tychinski holds Bachelor and Master of Music in Trombone Performance degrees from Penn State University and the Doctor of Musical Arts in Trombone Performance degree from the University of Kansas. Prior to his appointment at The University of Southern Mississippi, Dr. Tychinski taught low brass and jazz studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin for five years. He has also taught at the University of Northern Iowa, Penn State University, and the University of Kansas.

Richard H. Perry is Associate Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at The University of Southern Mississippi, where he directs the Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble and performs with the Southern Arts Brass Quintet.

Dr. Perry joined the faculty of the University of Southern Mississippi in the Fall of 2000. He was previously on the faculties of the University of Montevallo and Birmingham Southern College. Dr. Perry holds degrees from Tennessee Technological University (BS), the University of Illinois (MM) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (DMA). His principal teachers were R. Winston Morris, Fritz Kaenzig, and John Stevens.

Dr. Perry has been active as a clinician, performer, and adjudicator throughout the Eastern United States. He has appeared as soloist at numerous regional conferences and as a featured performer at national and international conferences.

A former member of the acclaimed Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble, Dr. Perry is currently a member of the Southern Arts Brass Quintet, faculty quintet-in-residence at USM; the Modern Jazz Tuba Project, a professional jazz tuba/euphonium ensemble; and the Meridian and Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestras. His arrangements for tuba/euphonium ensemble have been played by the Tennessee Tech Tuba Ensemble, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Tuba Euphonium Ensemble, the University of Georgia Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble, and Symphonia. With the Modern Jazz Tuba Project, Dr. Perry has released two recordings (“Live at the Bottom Line” and “Favorite Things”) that have received critical acclaim.