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Travis J. Cross (he/him) serves as professor of music and director of bands at UCLA, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and leads the graduate wind conducting program. Dr. Cross has conducted the UCLA Wind Ensemble at the California All-State Music Education Conference and College Band Directors National Association Western/Northwestern Division conference and prepared the band for centenary performances of Leonard Bernstein鈥檚 Mass with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. 

Cross earned Doctor and Master of Music degrees in conducting from Northwestern University and the Bachelor of Music degree cum laude in vocal and instrumental music education from St. Olaf College. His principal teachers were Mallory Thompson and Timothy Mahr. Prior to graduate study, he taught for four years at Edina (Minn.) High School, where he conducted two concert bands and led the marching band program. Cross wrote chapters for 鈥淐omposers on Composing for Band鈥� and 鈥淩ehearsing the Band鈥� and contributed to 鈥淭he Horizon Leans Forward: Stories of Courage, Strength, and Triumph of Underrepresented Communities in the Wind Band Field鈥� and 鈥淭he Future of the Wind Band: Philosopher and Practitioner in Dialog鈥�, all available from GIA Publications. His more than 20 original compositions and arrangements are published by Boosey & Hawkes, Daehn Publications/C.L. Barnhouse, and Theodore Music. Cross has appeared as a guest conductor, composer, and clinician in more than 40 states; internationally in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates; as featured band clinician at the Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention; and on several occasions at the Music for All National Festival and Midwest Clinic. Cross is a member of the Council of Korean Americans and a Yamaha Master Educator.

Diane Koutsulis is the retired Director of Bands and Arts Department Chair at Green Valley High School.  Originally from Chicago, Diane taught in the Clark County School District for 35 years.  She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Western Illinois University and a Masters of Music Education degree from Louisiana State University, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she studied with Frank Wickes.

During her tenure in Las Vegas, Diane built fine band programs and music departments at both Las Vegas High School (1982-91) and Green Valley High School (1991-2017).  Her groups have consistently garnered recognition for fine performances and she has served as both guest clinician and conductor at various conferences and honor bands throughout the United States.  Diane was named the 1999 Nevada Teacher of the Year and received the 1999 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award.  A member of the Clark County School District Teacher Hall of Fame, in March of 2003, she was inducted into the Nevada State Education Hall of Fame.  In 2004, the Green Valley High School Symphonic Band performed at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, IL.  In 2005 and 2010, the Symphonic Band performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The Green Valley HS Marching Band performed in the 2010 Macy鈥檚 Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, as well as the 2009 and 1993 Presidential Inaugural Parades.  Diane is a member of the National Band Association (NBA) as well as holding memberships in Nevada Music Educators Association (NMEA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA). Diane is honored to be a member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association (ABA). 

Damon Talley serves as Director of Bands and Paula G. Manship Professor of Conducting at the Louisiana State University School of Music, where he oversees all aspects of the LSU Department of Bands, conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches graduate conducting. The nationally recognized Band Department at LSU serves as an integral component of the thriving School of Music. Under his leadership, the Department has established an annual conducting symposium, high school and middle school camps that serve hundreds of students annually, and numerous outreach events for public school educators. Dr. Talley is a strong supporter and advocate of music in the public schools. He regularly serves as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the United States and abroad, including engagements in Germany, Switzerland, England, and Spain, among others.

Prior to his appointment at LSU, Dr. Talley held the position of Director of Bands at Shenandoah Conservatory, where he was responsible for guiding the wind band program, conducting the EDGE New Music Ensemble, and teaching graduate conducting. He has also taught on the faculties at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Michigan. Prior to teaching at the university level, Dr. Talley taught in the public schools in Texas at the middle school and high school levels. He earned the Master of Music degree in Wind Conducting from the University of Michigan, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Wind Conducting from The University of Texas.