Sebastian Grand, YOBC Music Director
Conductor, Symphony Orchestra
SEBASTIAN GRAND is Music Director of the Delaware County Symphony, PA and the McLean Symphony, VA. He holds Assistant Conductor positions with the Capital Philharmonic of New Jersey and the Bucks County Symphony Orchestra, and frequently appears as Guest Conductor for the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. Mr. Grand was the founding Music Director of the Guernsey Sinfonietta, which he conducted for eight years, and he has participated in numerous international conducting competitions, most notably as a finalist in the first Erich Bergel Conducting Competition in 2022. Passionate about music education, he was appointed Music Director of the Youth Orchestra of Bucks County in 2024, and directs the Grand School of Music in New Hope, PA, overseeing instrumental tuition for over 200 students. Mr. Grand has worked as a coach and accompanist for the Philadelphia International Music Festival, and held adjunct faculty positions at Lafayette College and George School.

Raised in Guernsey, UK, Mr. Grand is a first-class graduate of the Joint Course between the University of Manchester and the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). He received a Master’s with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music in London. Notable awards include three Hargreaves Prizes and the Procter- Gregg Prize at Manchester University, the Clifton Helliwell Memorial Prize at the Royal Northern College of Music, and the Dorothy Bryant Award at the Royal Academy of Music. Sebastian also works as a concert pianist, and has performed as concerto soloist in both North America and Europe.

Tina DiMeglio
Conductor, Wind Symphony
DR. TINA DIMEGLIO is a professional educator, conductor, and clarinetist. She is currently the Director of Bands at Pennsbury High School in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where she directs the Pennsbury High School “Long Orange Line” Marching Band, PHS Symphonic Winds, and the Pennsbury Community Band. She often works as a clinician, presenter, and guest conductor for professional, amateur, and honor bands around the nation.

DiMeglio was most recently the Associate Director of Bands at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, where she conducted the USF Symphonic and Concert Bands, taught undergraduate and graduate courses in conducting and music education, and was the Assistant Director of Athletic Bands. She is currently Music Director of the Lancaster British Brass Band in Pennsylvania, and formerly served as the Music Director of the Tampa Brass Band from 2021-2024.

In the summer of 2023, Dr. DiMeglio conducted the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” in the nation’s capital as a guest conductor and conducting workshop participant. She won first prize at the Inaugural Frederick Fennell International Conducting Competition, held in Modica, Italy in November 2021. She was a Conducting Fellow in the 2019 Midwest Clinic Reynolds Conducting Institute, and was also a recipient of the 2019 CBDNA Mike Moss Diversity Conducting Fellowship Study Grant. She actively works toward increased diversity and inclusion in the wind band medium, collaborating with composers and artists from historically marginalized communities and mentoring conductors of all genders. DiMeglio has recently shared her expertise in conducting, rehearsal techniques, and concert programming at the 2023 Midwest Clinic and 2024 Florida and Pennsylvania Music Educators Association conferences.

DiMeglio earned a Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degree from the University of Miami, where she studied Instrumental Conducting with Dr. Robert Carnochan and conducted the prestigious Frost Wind Ensemble. She holds a Master of Music Degree in Wind Conducting from West Chester University and a bachelor’s degree in music education, clarinet concentration, from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music where she studied clarinet with Paul Demers of the Philadelphia Orchestra and graduated Magna Cum Laude as a member of the academic honors program.

Dr. DiMeglio maintains a private conducting studio and performs professionally as a conductor, clinician, and clarinetist. When not teaching or performing, she enjoys spending time with her husband Jonathan and their many rescue animals.

Blair Higgins
Conductor, Prima Strings
Conductor, Concertino
BLAIR HIGGINS is a charismatic educator and musician. Driven by her passion to inspire others, she has been teaching middle school orchestra in NJ and PA public schools since 2018. She received her bachelor’s degrees in music education and violin performance from the Honors College at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She was recognized with the award of Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities in 2017.

She currently teaches middle orchestra at North Penn school district, in addition to conducting t Prima Strings and Concertino at the Youth Orchestra of Bucks County and is assistant director to the Chester County Youth Orchestra. Although classically trained, she specializes in Irish fiddle music, and, when not performing in local musicals, weddings, and corporate events, she can be found in one of greater Philadelphia‘s Irish pubs playing at traditional seisiúns.

David Pimentel
Conductor, Ripieno
HECTOR DAVID PIMENTEL-CEDRE, or Dahveed as he is known, currently serves as strings teacher in the North Penn School District, where he has directed the grades 7-9 string orchestras at Pennbrook Middle School since 2008.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Dahveed began his violin studies at the age of 5 at the Conservatory of Music’s “Programa de Cuerdas”. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Violin performance at Penn State University, and two Master’s Degrees: one in Viola Performance at Temple University and the second in School Administration at Touro College (New York City).

As a performer and music educator, Dahveed has had the privilege to study with many outstanding instrumental and orchestral directors. In NY and PA – Karen Dreyfus, Sidney Curtiss, James Lyon, Donald Hopkins, Raymond Page, Luis Biava, Douglas Meyer, Michael Jinbo, Joseph Primavera, Becky Brown, and Nancy and Jerry Bidlack. His lifetime of orchestral and quartet performances include performances and international tours, participating with Lower Merion, Bucks County, Symphony in C, Bridgeton, Lansdowne, Lower Merion, Altoona, Johnstown, Puerto Rico Chamber, Operaworks, Blue Hill Troupe, Liederkranz Chamber, Hunter College, North Carolina School of the Arts, Long Island Youth Symphony, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, and the Young People’s Philharmonic.

Dahveed looks forward to a wonderful year of working with the amazing string students of the Ripieno string ensemble, as well as the amazing professional staff at YOBC!

Joe Shonis
Conductor, Concert Winds
JOE SHONIS has had the privilege of working with several music programs from across the country. With over 35 years of experience, his background includes being a conductor, director, performer, adjudicator, visual designer or consultant for concert bands, wind ensembles, jazz ensembles, marching bands, percussion ensembles, indoor programs, college bands and drum corps. His groups have consistently received superior ratings at the high school, middle school and elementary level. Individual students he has instructed have also been successful at the county, district, regional and all-state level.