Musicians

Sara Boyd is an active performer and bassoon instructor throughout North Dakota. She has been former bassoonist with the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, Akron Canton Symphony, Waco Symphony, San Angelo Orchestra, Fargo Moorhead Symphony, Fargo Moorhead Opera Company, and Fergus Falls Orchestra. Currently principal bassoonist with the Bismarck Mandan Symphony, Missouri Valley Chamber Orchestra, Minot Symphony, and Bismarck Mandan Wind Ensemble, Mrs. Boyd has appeared as soloist with the Missouri Valley Chamber Orchestra and the West River Winds. She has performed in chamber ensembles for the Texas Music Educators and Association and the NDMEA and is founding bassoonist of Trio Apollo.

Mrs. Boyd holds an undergraduate degree in performance from the University of Akron and a master degree in performance from Baylor University. She is a private instructor, reed maker, and University of Mary bassoon instructor whose students have been placed in the North Dakota All-State Band and Orchestra for the past 16 years. She and her family reside in Bismarck.

Mrs. Boyd also sells bassoon reeds through her own company.  For inquiries regarding handmade bassoon reeds, please contact her directly at sara@trioapollo.com.

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Michelle Kiec, clarinet

Michelle Kiec enjoys an active career as both a pedagogue and a performer. She has performed with the Harrisburg Symphony, Harrisburg Opera, West Virginia Symphony, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Nittany Valley Symphony, Missouri Valley Chamber Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Aspen Music Festival. As a soloist, she has appeared with the University of Mary Wind Ensemble, Bismarck-Mandan Wind Ensemble, Northern Plains Clarinet Symposium, Montana-Idaho Clarinet Festival, Midwest ClariFest, International Clarinet Association, University of Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium.  She has also presented at conferences of the North Dakota Music Educators and North American Saxophone Alliance. She is also a founding member of Trio Apollo, a Bismarck-based woodwind trio that specializes in reaching a wide spectrum of audiences through novel and innovative programming.

Dr. Kiec holds bachelor's degrees in saxophone performance and German from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She earned master's and doctoral degrees in clarinet performance at Peabody Conservatory of Music of The Johns Hopkins University. Currently, Dr. Kiec is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Woodwind Studies at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. Her areas of teaching emphasis are applied woodwind performance, chamber music, woodwind pedagogy, and music theory.

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Tonya Mertz, oboe

Tonya Mertz is a native of Bismarck, North Dakota. She received bachelor's degrees in oboe performance and music education from the University of Mary and a master's degree in oboe performance from the University of Northern Iowa. While in Iowa, she played second oboe for both the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra and the Waverly Orchestra. Currently, she is the principal oboist of both the Missouri Valley Chamber Orchestra and the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra.

Tonya maintains an oboe studio of about 15 students in grades 6 to college. Many of these students place competitively in state music festivals and youth orchestras. She resides in Bismarck with her husband and baby daughter.