Stephanie Stallings has spent the past fifteen years developing programs that deepen engagement with the community while centering art and music. Previously, she was Managing Director of Emerging Arts Leaders-Los Angeles, and Community Impact Evaluation Associate at the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. She has also led long-term administrative projects for the Folger Shakespeare Library, Oxford University Press, and Mexico City-USA. In addition, Stephanie has taught and lectured about music history, arts administration, and cultural policy at Claremont Graduate University, Florida State University, George Washington University, and Northern Arizona University.
Originally from Rock Hill, South Carolina, Stephanie is a graduate of Furman University, where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Performance (Piano) in 2002. She went on to receive a Ph.D. in Musicology from Florida State University in 2009.
Stephanie assumed her current position as Executive Director of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra in February 2022 as the organization embarked on a new strategic plan to rebuild and enhance audience and community engagement after Covid-19.

Although she is not a musician herself, Anya Kazakin has been a lifelong fan and supporter of music and the arts. Born in Moscow, Russia, and raised in the Boston area, she was fortunate to spend her childhood and teenage years visiting some of the world’s finest stages and performance halls, where she developed her appreciation and love of the performing arts. Anya has been a resident of Flagstaff for over a decade, originally moving here to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies at Northern Arizona University. She stayed for the area’s natural beauty, access to outdoor recreation, and for the vibrant, laid-back local community. Anya has spent the last few years building her skills in Office Administration and Financial Management at a few small (but growing!), locally owned businesses, primarily in the Outdoor Recreation industry. In her free time, she can be found hiking with her dogs and humans, playing in the snow or on the water, or in a rare peaceful moment, enjoying a novel in the sunshine.

MaryAnne Bruner began her musical studies in San Antonio, TX, playing piano from an early age and cello from age 9. She holds degrees from the University of Kansas (Bachelor of Music in Cello & Music Theory), Cleveland Institute of Music (Master of Music in Cello Performance) and The University of Texas (Doctor of Musical Arts in Cello Performance).

Dr. Bruner has played professionally for over 40 years, including the Kansas Little Symphony, New Cleveland (OH) Opera Orchestra, Austin (TX) Symphony Orchestra (19 seasons) and Austin Lyric Opera Orchestra (10 seasons). She has been a member of the cello section with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra since 1997. Additionally, she has been a soloist and chamber musician performing in Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Aspen (CO) Music Festival, and at venues in Germany, Austria, and Poland.

Dr. Bruner’s teaching experience also spans more than four decades, including private cello lessons, chamber music, and music theory. She has developed numerous traditional and online college courses, has multiple print and electronic publications and CDs to her credit, and has offered international master classes, as well as workshop presentations in Texas and Arizona. In the past 30+ years she has been widely sought as an adjudicator and clinician, with eighteen years of college-level teaching in Texas and Arizona, followed by fourteen years at a nationally-ranked charter school (grades 6-12). Her string and full orchestras have earned Gold and Superior recognitions in many competitions around the southwest.

Emma Riebe graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations and a minor in music (cello performance). She went on to work as a Digital Marketing Specialist for Northern Arizona Healthcare and later for the local company Ellen Grace Marketing while staying heavily involved in music. Emma spent several years arranging, recording and touring with the Flagstaff band TOW’RS and is still teaching Suzuki Cello lessons, performing in the cello section of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra (which she joined in 2017), and arranging and recording studio strings. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Cello Performance from NAU and will graduate in May of 2022. Emma is eager to bring her knowledge and years of experience in online marketing to an industry that she is so passionate about.