Byron Klimek (Director and Coach)
Byron Klimek is an accomplished cellist and educator. He performs with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, Lyric Opera of the North Orchestra, and the Canal String Quartet. Byron serves as the Director of Orchestras at Duluth East High School, is on the faculties of the University of Wisconsin Superior and the College of St. Scholastica, and directs the Quartet Project program. He also maintains a private cello studio and has served as a director for the Duluth Superior Symphony Youth Orchestra program. In his free time, Byron enjoys long-distance running, spending time with friends, and playing chamber music.

Paul Bagley (Coach)
Dr. Paul Bagley serves as concertmaster of the Londontowne Symphony and the nationally acclaimed Peacherine Ragtime Society Orchestra. He regularly performs in several orchestras and chamber groups in the greater D.C./Baltimore area, including the Annapolis, Alexandria, and Fairfax Symphonies, as well as the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. He has also performed with the Richmond Symphony, Virginia Opera, and Washington Concert Opera. Paul has been featured as soloist twice each with the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra in his hometown of Duluth, MN, and the Londontowne Symphony in Annapolis, MD.
An avid chamber musician in all genres from Baroque to pop, Paul has been a frequent guest in chamber groups across Maryland, including the Phillips Collection, Allegheny Ensemble, Karen Lau Quartet, Riverhawk Quartet, and the Annapolis Chamber Players. He has also performed with The Who and on four of NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts with Alt-J, Billy Corgan (of The Smashing Pumpkins), Meg Myers, and most recently with the 2022 Tiny Desk Contest winner Alisa Amador.
Paul teaches violin and viola at Anne Arundel Community College, the College of Southern Maryland, and Broadneck High School, as well as summer institutes at AACC and The Quartet Project in Duluth, MN. He received his doctorate in violin performance from the University of Maryland, where he studied with David Salness, and his Master’s in violin performance from the University of Wisconsin, where he studied with Tyrone Greive.

Laurie Bastian (Coach)
Laurie Bastian is a Duluth native who received her BA from the College of St. Scholastica. She has been a member of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra (DSSO), the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra (LSCO), and the Highland String Quartet for over four decades. Laurie is an experienced teacher of violin and viola, instructing students of all ages and skill levels in the Twin Ports area.

Kevin Hoeschen (Coach)
Kevin Hoeschen holds degrees in Musicology and Music Education from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Kevin studied viola under Gaetano Molieri, John Tartaglia, and Salvatore Venittelli. He also conducted ethnomusicological fieldwork in Ghana, West Africa, and the Upper Midwest, specializing in Norwegian immigrant music. This focus led him to receive a Fulbright grant to study at the University of Trondheim, Norway, where he performed with the Trondheim Chamber Orchestra.
Kevin has dedicated over 40 years to music education, directing orchestras in Ashland and Superior Public Schools and teaching viola and world music at the University of  Wisconsin Superior. A longtime violist, he has served as Principal Viola for the DSSO since 1982 and guest-conducted various ensembles, including the DSSO Youth Symphony and DSSO Sinfonia.