Board Of Directors
Tony Wastler, President
Tony is a founding member of the Philadelphia Wind Symphony, performing on E flat and 1st B flat soprano clarinets. He is a retired Pennsylvania public school music educator, including having taught in the School District of Philadelphia. Tony is a veteran of the United States Air Force Band (Concert & Ceremonial Clarinetist/Saxophonist/Flautist) in Washington, D.C. He is former Clarinetist/Saxophonist of the Florida Philharmonic in Miami, FL, and former conductor of the Marple Newtown Community Band. Currently, Tony works as a substitute teacher in Wallingford–Swarthmore SD, Marple Newtown SD, Upper Darby SD, and the School District of Philadelphia. He has performed as clarinetist/saxophonist and soloist of Bucks County Community College Band, Bucks County Symphony Orchestra, Newark (DE) Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonietta NOVA of Princeton, NJ, Montgomery County Concert Band, York Symphony Orchestra, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Cairn University Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, Virginia Grand Military Band, and the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia. Tony earned degrees in music performance and music education at Temple University, University of Miami, Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University, and Gettysburg College.
Philip Marion, Vice President
Phillip Marion is an active brass player and music educator in Philadelphia who recently completed his DMA from James Madison University, and started playing with the Philadelphia Wind Symphony in 2015. He is a versatile artist, having performed in solo, chamber, and large ensemble concerts throughout the United States, and having won and placed highly in numerous regional and international music competitions. He specializes in British brass band style playing and has played solo euphonium, trombone and baritone with multiple championship level contest bands including the Dallas Brass Band, Princeton Brass Band, Atlantic Brass Band, and James Madison University Brass Band.
Phillip has studied with some of the world’s top brass performers, including Pennsylvania Ballet tubist Jay Krush, euphonium soloist and clinician Brian Bowman and tuba soloist and conductor Kevin Stees. These expert teachers have helped him develop both highly acclaimed musical technique and a deep passion for the art.
Amy Thomas, Treasurer
Amy K. Thomas is an attorney licensed in California and Nevada. She served in the Sixth Army Band (1987-1989). She moved from San Francisco to Philadelphia in January 2022, lured by family and roast pork sandwiches.
Robert Blacksberg, Treasurer
Bob Blacksberg, clarinet, is a founding member of the Philadelphia Wind Symphony and also a founding member of the Pennyslvania Symphonic Winds. He is lawyer by training and early work experience, and continued work until retirement in technology services for law practice. Today he is the President of The Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia and Chair of the Board of KlezKanada, a festival and training retreat for Jewish arts, culture and music based in Montreal. He has also served in many positions at Society Hill Synagogue, including as its President.
Peter Schoenbach, Member-At-Large
Dr. Peter J. Schoenbach was born in Philadelphia in an 1941 and educated in the public schools and at Swarthmore College. After earning a Masters and Certificate in Latin American Studies at Columbia University and a Doctorate at Rutgers, he served as a music administrator at such institutions as the Curtis Institute, Boston and Wayne State Universities, serving as Dean/Director/Chair. Prior to that he held teaching positions at Columbia, Temple, Rutgers and Minnesota. His last position was Director of the School of Music at the State University at Fredonia in which he served for ten years.
He is an accomplished bassoonist and woodwind coach and has performed at summer festivals such as the Berkshire Music Festival (Tanglewood), Marlboro, and Bowdoin, and was Director of the School of Music at the Chautauqua Institution from 1997 until 2002 where he played with the Chautauqua Symphony and taught bassoon. He has also played part-time with the Philadelphia, Minnesota, English Chamber, Detroit, Buffalo, and Western New York orchestras.
He has published extensively in the fields of Latin American Literature, especially theatre with emphasis on Brazil, and the music of the Hispanic world. These articles include "Portuguese Music Today," in the Portuguese Studies Review, and a Study Guide and Bibliography on Brazilian Classical Music by the Institute of Latin American Studies of the University of New Mexico.
He retired in January of 2006 and moved to Philadelphia in November of 2007. There he teaches part-time at the Curtis Institute of Music, and continues to play the bassoon as founding member of the Philadelphia Wind Symphony, and to give lectures and serve as a consultant.
Joseph Higgins, Music Director
Dr. Joseph Higgins is a conductor and educator who inspires creativity, curiosity, and understanding through art. He is thrilled to be joining the Philadelphia Wind Symphony for his first season as Music Director in 2024-2025.
In 2015, Higgins joined the faculty of Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches courses in conducting and literature. During his tenure, the program has grown to include multiple directors, three concert ensembles, and the new “Pride of the Profs” Marching Band; ensembles under his direction have premiered over forty new works and collaborated with many world-class artists, including a recent residency with contemporary chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird. For his exceptional leadership in the classroom, Higgins was awarded the Frances S. Johnson Innovative Teaching Award. He also received the Rowan University Values Award for Inclusivity in recognition of curating a “Music of Social Justice” performance series. The Rowan University Wind Ensemble performed at the 2020 College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Eastern Division Conference, and Rowan Bands are often invited to state and regional festivals and conferences.
Higgins is a passionate advocate of socially-conscious programming that encourages greater connection among performers, audiences, and their environments. He served as co-chair of the Rowan University Catalysts for Sustainability initiative and is actively engaged with sustainability research, climate activism, and environmental education. Higgins founded and produced the first Sound Planet Music Festival in 2023; to learn more about recent sustainability programming and join future events, please visit: soundplanet.me.
He earned doctor and master of music degrees in conducting from Northwestern University, where his primary teacher was Mallory Thompson, and a bachelor of music degree in music education from the University of Georgia. Prior to graduate study, Higgins taught at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia. His other interests include film, politics, drawing, history, and cycling. He lives in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, with his wife Michelle Higgins and their daughters, Eden and Iris.
Ian Taylor, General Manager
After spending formative years immersed in a robust public school music program, Ian has built his career around bringing rich musical experiences to students in spaces that have historically had fewer such opportunities. He has taught instrumental music at various schools in New York, Connecticut, and the US Virgin Islands. He was a founding member and later of Executive Director of Project Music, an organization that brings out-of-school-time music education programs to underserved communities in Stamford, CT. Since 2021, Ian has worked in various roles at Play On Philly, including directing the music program at Roman Catholic High School and coordinating after-school and summer music programs for area children. He received his B.M. and M.M. in Music Education from the State University of New York College at Fredonia and Boston University, respectively. Ian also holds a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University, as well as an executive certificate in social leadership and teaching artistry from the Global Leaders Program of Youth Orchestra of the Americas. Ian has had the great pleasure of working alongside likeminded educators across the United States and internationally, including partnerships with music programs in Chile, Honduras, Bolivia, and Mexico. He joined PWS in 2022 as a member of the trumpet section.