Barbara Kirk has always lived a life immersed in music. During high school and college she studied with master violin teacher Creech Reynolds and played in the Bozeman Symphony. She has played in backup orchestras for Red Skelton, Glen Campbell, and Tom Jones to name but a few. She has her bachelors degree in music from MSU-Billings and her masters degree in teaching from Grand Canyon University. She taught elementary music for 22 years in the public schools in Hardin and Laurel. She presently teaches at the Montana Music Institute in Billings in the summer and plays in the Powell, Bozeman, Billings, and Great falls Symphonies.

Betsy Rivers has a background in both piano and violin.  She held concertmaster positions in her high school and at Red Lodge Music Festival before touring Italy with the Festival Strings of Montana in 2005. Betsy has been a member of the Rimrock Opera Company Orchestra and Billings Symphony since 2005, and became Assistant Principal of the second violin section in 2009.  Additionally she performs with Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena, Powell, and Casper orchestras. Betsy has also performed with Wynona Judd, Kansas, Mannheim Steamroller, Anne Murray, Christopher Cross, and Le Ann Rimes (Summer 2010). She recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from Montana State University Billings in 2010, with a degree in business administration and management and a minor in music. Betsy is actively engaged in her class of violin students and also plays on the worship team at Harvest Church. We feel very fortunate this year to have Betsy working with the Billings Youth Orchestra’s Concert Orchestra.

Harmony Hoover graduated from UCLA with a degree in Music Education.  She has played and taught in the Los Angeles area for many years and is now teaching orchestras in the Billings Public Schools.  Primarily a violist, she performs with the Billings Symphony and Rimrock Opera Company Orchestra.

Randy Tracy holds a music degree from Colorado State University, where he studied conducting and violin with Will Schwartz. In New York he studied under Ora Shiran and was in Itzhak Perlman’s class, while playing in the National Orchestral Association at the Juilliard School. He was a member of the Denver Symphony, served as Concertmaster and assistant conductor of the Casper Symphony, and is currently the Concertmaster of the Billings Symphony, having played with them since 1986. He also performs with the Red Lodge Chamber Players and the Yellowstone Chamber Players. His traditional Celtic band “Glynfiddle” released their first CD in 2002. Tracy also teaches privately, and his students have won many awards and competitions. He joined the faculty of the Red Lodge Music festival in 1989.

 Amy Logan is an active teacher, conductor and performer, Amy Logan is the full time choral director at Skyview High School where she conducts five choirs and two additional ensembles.  For seven years she served as Artistic Director and Conductor for the Rimrock Opera Chorus for Kids (ROCK), a choral program she helped to create in 2004.  Amy maintains a private music studio, coaching young musicians on voice, clarinet, piano and saxophone.  A native of Billings, Amy is a frequent performer within the community.  She has appeared in Rimrock Opera productions as Mimi in La Bohème, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Despina in Cosi fan tutte and the title role in Sister Angelica.  In addition to her operatic work, Amy has performed at Venture Theatre in such roles as Velma in “Chicago”, Mother in “Ragtime”, Ellen in “Miss Saigon” and more.  She often performs with the High Plains Chamber Singers, solos with the Billings Symphony and even plays bass clarinet in the Billings Symphony.  Amy holds degrees in Music Education and Performance from the University of Montana.