Meet the new artistic staff, joining AYPO in the 21-22 season
Miranda Martin Southwood
AYPO excitedly announces the appointments of Doug Martin, Conductor of the American Youth Concert Orchestra, Gréta Ásgeirsson, Director of the Harp Ensemble, and Loewi Lin, the orchestras’ lower strings coach. Each of these accomplished professionals join us in this next step as part of their expansive careers. We are all looking forward to working with these new artistic staff members as we continue to support and develop the musical education of AYPO musicians.
To learn more about the new artistic staff members, view their biographies below.
Doug Martin, conductor,
American Youth Concert Orchestra
Doug Martin is the Director of Bands at Langley High School in McLean, Virginia, a position he has held since 2012. As the director, he teaches three concert bands and the Marching Band, and oversees the Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Band, Chamber Winds, Color Guard and Winter Guard.
During Mr. Martin's tenure at Langley, enrollment in band classes has doubled, which has led to creating the program's third concert band, as well as the Jazz Band and Flute Choir.
In recent years, the Langley Wind Symphony has performed at Carnegie Hall, the National Concert Band Festival and the Virginia Music Educators Association annual conference. The Wind Symphony also earned "Superior" ratings from every judge at Performance Assessments for eight consecutive years, and has recorded several compositions which serve as reference recordings for bands across the country.
Prior to his appointment at Langley, Mr. Martin was Director of Bands at Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria and then at Stuart High School (now Justice) in Falls Church. During his nine years at Stuart, enrollment in the band program nearly doubled and it was named a Virginia Honor Band seven times. Under his leadership, Stuart bands commissioned and gave the world premiere of "Aurora Awakes" by John Mackey, and were part of a consortium that commissioned the popular composer Eric Whitacre.
Mr. Martin is the Treasurer of the Virginia Music Educators Association. He has served in other leadership capacities for VMEA, including serving as the Logistical Coordinator for their annual conference. He is an adjudicator and a clinician for concert, jazz and marching band events across the state. In November 2008, Mr. Martin was named a National Board Certified Teacher, with the designation renewed in 2018. In 2017, Mr. Martin was named the Fairfax County Band Director of the Year.
Mr. Martin received his Bachelor's in Music Education magna cum laude from Florida State University and his Master's in Music Education with a focus in Instrumental Conducting from George Mason University, where he graduated with the Distinguished Graduate Student award from the Department of Music.
Gréta Ásgeirsson, Harp Ensemble Director
Hailed as “crisp, confident, and soulful,” Gréta Ásgeirsson is an active ensemble player, chamber musician, and educator in the Washington D.C. area. Currently, Gréta serves as the principal harpist of the United States Air Force Band as well as harpist with the Lexington Symphony and American Pops Orchestra. She has two decades of orchestral experience performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Portland (ME) Symphony, Boston Ballet, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago as its principal harpist.
No stranger to performing a wide variety of music and styles, Gréta made her Carnegie Hall debut with John Rutter and the New England Symphonic Ensemble, toured Florida with Barry Manilow, and has shared the stage with Patti LaBelle, Deborah Henson-Conant, and Denyce Graves.
Gréta holds a Bachelor of Music degree in harp performance from the Boston University College of Fine Arts, where she studied with Ann Hobson Pilot and Jessica Zhou. Additionally, Gréta earned a Master of Orchestral Studies from the Chicago College of Performing Arts under the tutelage of Sarah Bullen. Gréta feels privileged to share her passion for music onto the next generation as a coach for both the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras.
Loewi Lin, Lower Strings Coach
Taiwanese-Canadian cellist Loewi Lin grew up in Taiwan and moved to Calgary when he was seven. Loewi started playing cello at age 11 but always wanted to be a doctor; as a high school senior, he converted to music and has been a devout follower ever since.
Loewi attended the Cleveland Institute, the University of Ottawa, and New England Conservatory. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall in the New York String Orchestra as well as the Taos School of Music, Tanglewood Music Festival and the Ravinia Steans Music Institute.
Loewi lived in Boston for 11 years where he helped found the unique conductorless chamber orchestra A Far Cry. The group is now an established institution in the music fabric of Boston, with residencies at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the New England Conservatory. In the past, he played with the Toronto Symphony, Canadian Opera Company and the Boston Symphony, in addition to teaching at Phillips Exeter Academy. Currently, Loewi is the principal cellist of the Boston Lyric Opera and a member of the National Symphony Orchestra.