Conductors
Maestro Wm. Shane Williams is celebrating his 20th season as Conductor of the St. Charles County Youth Orchestras. He is a charismatic and versatile conductor, versed in wide gamut of musical styles, carrying a vision to Make Music Come Alive for All playing under his baton.
Under his direction, the Symphony was honored to perform at the Missouri Music Educators Convention in January of 2016.
His skills and gifting have allowed him conducting opportunities in the United States and abroad: the Zapadocesky Symphony Orchestra of the Czech Republic, the St. Louis Philharmonic, the Illinois Symphony, the Kirkwood Symphony, the Alton Symphony, the University City Orchestra, and the Gateway Chamber Orchestra , to name a few. Maestro Williams has had the privilege of working with Grammy Award winning violinist Mark O'Connor. Shane is a regular guest conductor, performer, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the region.
His previous conducting posts include the Alton Summer Chamber Series, the Young People's Concert Orchestra at the Webster Community Music School, the Sangamon Valley Youth Symphony, Pops Conductor of the Alton Symphony and Resident Conductor of the Award-winning St. Louis Brass Band.
As a professional musician, Maestro Williams has performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (noted performances at Carnegie Hall), Opera Theater St. Louis, the Illinois Symphony, the Nashville Symphony, Winter Opera St. Louis, the Joffrey Ballet, Ice Capades, Moody Blues, the Elvis Show, Opryland USA , Amy Grant, Steven Curtis Chapman, Burt Bacharach, Roger Williams, Dionne Warwick, Tommy Tune, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and many others.
Maestro Williams serves on the music faculty at Missouri Baptist University where he teaches conducting and oversees the instrumental programs. As an educator, Mr. Williams has taught public, private, and homeschool. In 2002, he founded the SCCYO Summer String and Woodwind Workshops and Audition Preparation Workshops (APW). As well, he has previously served on the music faculty of the Masterworks Music Festival for many years. Maestro Williams holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from Austin Peay State University, a Master of Percussion Performance from the St. Louis Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music degree in Conducting from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has completed doctoral studies at Lindenwood University.
Daniel Mieloch was born in Philadelphia and began Suzuki violin lessons by the age of two. He earned undergraduate degrees in Violin Performance and Music Education from Lebanon Valley College (Pennsylvania) before moving to Edwardsville, IL, to study orchestral conducting with Dr. Michael Mishra on his way to obtaining his Masters in Orchestral Conducting from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Mr. Mieloch also had the distinct privilege of studying with Maestro Otto Werner-Mueller and conducting the Filharmonie Bohuslav Martinu in Zlin, Czech Republic, during an intensive workshop focusing on the works of Igor Stravinsky and Richard Strauss.
Mr. Mieloch has been honored to work with the Webster Community Music School as conductor for the fifth St. Looey Chamber Blitz and first Concerto Competition Festival, and as a guest coach for chamber music ensembles. In addition to his orchestra experiences, he has collaborated as orchestra director with DanceSTL for their revival of the ballet Heyoka at the Touhill.
Returning to his alma mater and Suzuki roots, he has held the director post of the Edwardsville Youth Orchestra in conjunction with the SIUE Suzuki program for ten years. He lives in O’Fallon and teaches the orchestras at Fort Zumwalt West High School, where his orchestras consistently earn top ratings at state competitions and have performed in New York City, Nashville, New Orleans, Chicago, Kansas City, and Branson. In his spare time, he enjoys composing (both in the classical and pop genres) and traveling home to PA to visit family and any other fun, adventurous locations.
Kyla Herbert is a string specialist in her seventeenth year in the Hazelwood School District. A 2002 graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, her primary instruments are violin and viola, having studied under Dr. Lenora Marya-Anop. She has been the orchestra director at Hazelwood West Middle School since 2007, during which she has been selected as building teacher of the year, a guest conductor for the Hazelwood Elementary Honors Orchestra, and a guest conductor for the 2016 E. Desmond Lee Middle School Honors Orchestra. She plays professionally for church and community theater groups around the St. Louis area and was chosen in 2017 to perform in a side-by-side performance with members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. She enjoys making hand-crafted items for friends and family and spending time with her niece and nephews.