Conductor & Artistic Staff

Jason Duckles, Eugene Youth Symphony Conductor 

Jason Duckles leads an active life as a soloist, chamber musician, and conductor. Currently on the faculty at Oregon State University, he has recently been appointed Associate Professor of Cello and Orchestra at Willamette University. As a member of the Amelia Trio, Jason has earned recognition from Strad Magazine and other music critics as a group that possesses outstanding “balance, tonal beauty, and teamwork”. With performances at such prominent venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York City, Ravinia in Chicago, and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the Amelia Trio has made its mark and impressed classical music enthusiasts. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) presented the ensemble with its Award for Adventurous Programming. Jason was invited by NPR to be a part of its Residency Program, resulting in a week of live performances and interviews which reached an estimated 1.5 million listeners. He was awarded top prize in both the Concert Artists Guild International Competition and the Munich ARD International Competition. He has had the great pleasure of performing in concert with musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, members of the Beaux Arts trio, and the Cleveland, Orion, Emerson, and Guarneri String Quartets. Jason can be heard on the recording labels Sony, Naxos, Channel Classics, Traditional Crossroads, and Cedille Records.

Dana Demant, Eugene Junior Orchestra Conductor 

Dana Demant, Junior Orchestra conductor, has been a music teacher in the Springfield School District for 25 years. For the past 15 years, he has been the Director of Instrumental Music at Springfield High School teaching band, orchestra, and percussion. For 14 of those years, he was also the Chair of the Fine Arts Department. Next year, Dana will begin a new teaching adventure as the instrumental music teacher at Agnes Stewart Middle School in Springfield where he'll teach band and strings. He is the conductor of the Springfield Community Concert Band, which he founded 18 years ago. Dana has been happily married to Lauren Lindstrom for 27 years and has two fabulous daughters, Jordan and Zoe who are just plain hilarious!

David Chinburg, Eugene Little Symphony Conductor

David Chinburg holds degrees in music education from the University of Oregon and cello performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to his conduction and teaching duties, David serves as principal cellist in the Eugene Symphony and performs with the Oregon Bach Festival and Oregon Festival of American Music. When David is not involved in music activities, he shares the country life with his family on a twelve-acre farm in southwest Eugene.

Karen Doerfert, String Academy 2 Conductor

Karen Doerfert is the band and orchestra director at Roosevelt Middle School in Eugene. A graduate of South Eugene High School, Karen is an Arts Umbrella alumni, having participated in the Junior Orchestra and Youth Symphony programs. Karen studied music at the University of Northern Colorado, where she received her Bachelors of Music Education degree with a double emphasis in violin and oboe. Prior to her current teaching position, Karen taught band and orchestra in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Karen has performed with ensembles such as the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra, Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Music Cooperative of the South West, Empire Strings, Giovanni String Quartet, and the Eugene Symphony Orchestra. Karen is excited to be back in her hometown of Eugene, and she is thrilled to join the Arts Umbrella family!

Lauralie Kallinen, String Academy 1 Instructor

Lauralie Kallinen earned her Bachelor's of Music in cello performance at Lawrence University and her Master’s of Music in cello performance and music education at the University of Oregon. Lauralie has taught string classes in the Eugene Public Schools and the Waldorf School for several years and is a cello teacher for the Suzuki Strings Program. Lauralie also has a large private studio of cello students.

Dale Bradley, String Academy 1 Instructor

Dale Bradley's earliest experience with musical instruments was picking out harmonies to church hymns on his parent's piano. A few years later he began playing cello in the Springfield Public Schools. Later he studied with Robert Hladky at the University of Oregon, where he received both Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Cello Performance. Dale is a long-time member of both Oregon Mozart Players and Eugene Symphony Orchestra. He also appears regularly with the Pfaff Ensemble, a group devoted to exploring music and performance styles of the Baroque era. He has appeared with Eugene Ballet and Eugene Opera orchestras, as well as in summer festival orchestras across the state. Dale's teaching activities includes Eugene's Strings Celebration music camps, and a private studio where he teaches cello, bass, and guitar.

Merietta Oviatt, String Academy 1 Instructor

A violin player since age 11, Merietta attended Idyllwild Arts Academy in California and made her debut at the age of 16 with the Desert Symphony Orchestra. She received a full scholarship to attend Louisiana State University where she majored in viola performance. After college, Merietta accepted a Dean of Arts position with the Unitah School of Music and the Arts in Vernal, Utah. While in Utah, Oviatt completed her Bachelor of Science Degree in History and English from Utah State University. She has taught Suzuki viola, violin, and cello and recently lived in Las Vegas where she worked as a freelance musician, a part-time Instructor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and received her Master's in Music Performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She moved to Eugene to begin her Doctorate in Viola Performance and Violin/Viola Pedagogy.

Ruth Root, String Academy 1 Instructor

Ruth Root began violin lessons in the 4th grade in the Long Beach Public Schools. She was concertmaster of her high school orchestra and also performed in the Long Beach All-City Orchestra and All-Southern California Orchestra. In 1967, Ruth graduated from Pacific Christian College and went off to start a family. In 1988 she received her teaching certificate from the University of Oregon School of Music and began teaching classroom music in Cottage Grove. In the 90’s Ruth taught beginning strings in more than nine Eugene-area elementary and middle schools. Ruth joined up with Arts Umbrella in 1996 as the director of the Encore Strings (now String Academy 2). Ruth has performed in many pit orchestras for musical theater and also founded and performed in both the Dover and Degani String Quartets. She currently performs with Riverside Chamber Symphony.