Music Instructors

Brass | Piano | Strings | Woodwinds 

Mr. Adam Frey, Euphonium/Trombone/Tuba

Adam Frey has quickly established himself as one of the top brass soloists in the world by bringing his sharp intellect, mature musicianship, and charismatic stage presence to audiences all over the world. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Adam began his musical studies at the University of Georgia in 1993 under Dr. David Randolph and earned a Bachelor of Music magna cum laude with High Honors in euphonium and tuba performance. Adam later completed a Master of Music with Distinction and a Professional Performance Diploma with Distinction from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England in 1999.

Adam's students have earned high chair placements in District Honor Bands, All-State Band, UGA January Festival Honor Bands, and have received scholarships and fellowships to numerous universities and colleges across the United States and the United Kingdom. His students range from beginning low brass to university music majors to Masters of Music degree candidates to adult amateur players.

Traveling extensively as a soloist in the past few years, with concert appearances in Europe, America, and Austral-Asia, Adam's performances are varied and diverse, appearing with orchestras, wind bands, brass bands, and as a solo recitalist. Some orchestral ensembles have included the Boston Pops, Atlanta, Greensboro, Cheju (South Korea), and Vaasa (Finland) Symphony Orchestras. Brass band concerts have mainly been concentrated in Europe, performing with groups such as the National Youth

Brass Band of Switzerland and Soli Brass (Holland). Wind band solo appearances have included the Guardians Band (Finland), Bavarian State Police Band (Germany), the Hong Kong Young Musicians Wind Orchestra (China), and numerous American community and university ensembles. He also appears at concert series and music festivals regularly, including the Brevard Music Center, the Macau (China) Wind Festival, and the Cheju (South Korea) Summer Band Festival to name a few.

His first solo recording, entitled Listen to THIS!!, received worldwide acclaim for both its numerous world premieres and impressive performances. In May 2003, Adam released a second solo recording entitled Collected Dreams - a wonderful collection of traditional Scottish, Irish, and classical melodies that combines the lush sound of the euphonium with dreamy synthesizer accompaniments in a new age vein.

His websites, www.euphonium.com and www.adamfrey.net, contain information on the euphonium, sound files from live concerts, future performance schedules, photos from his world travels, and a list of his recordings and publications for purchase.

Mr. Nate Groves, French Horn

Nate Groves holds a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Georgia, where he studied horn with Dr. Jean Martin-Williams and Richard Deane. He served as principal horn in the University of Georgia Wind Symphony for two years, as well as serving in the Redcoat Band and the UGA Horn Choir.

Nate was a member of the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps (2007-2009), in which the hornline was awarded the Jim Ott trophy for brass performance in 2009. He recently worked on the brass staff with the world championship drum corps The Phantom Regiment (Rockford, Ill.). In addition to drum corps, he has worked with multiple marching bands in the Athens and Atlanta areas in both ensemble music and visual marching technique. His previous students have been members of the U.S. Army All American Marching Band, Georgia All-State Band, and multiple world class drum corps in the Southeast and Midwest. Nate Groves is currently the Assistant Band Director at Duluth High School in Duluth, Georgia. Professional affiliations include MENC (Music Educators National Conference), GMEA (Georgia Music Educators Association), and NBA (National Band Association).

Mr. Doug Maloney, Trumpet

Doug Maloney received his Bachelor of Music Education Magna Cum Laude from the University of Georgia in 2006. While at UGA, Mr. Maloney was a trumpet performer with the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, and numerous chamber brass ensembles. He was also a member of the Redcoat Marching Band, serving as both the Trumpet Section Leader and Band Captain.

Mr. Maloney was a member of the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps in 2006. A trumpet student of Mr. Bill Siegfried and Professor W. Fred Mills, Mr. Maloney has instructed trumpet and brass clinics for the University of Georgia Summer Music Camps and numerous high schools and middle schools throughout Georgia. He received the Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Instrumental Music Education Award in 2005 and the GMEA Collegiate Music Education Scholarship in 2006. Professional affiliations include the National Band Association, GMEA, MENC, Pi Kappa Lambda, International Trumpet Guild, and the Cobb Wind Symphony.

Mr. Maloney has been the Assistant Director of Bands at Norcross High School since 2008. His duties include directing and assisting with three concert ensembles, the Blue Devil Marching Band, Basketball Band, and the Jazz Band. Mr. Maloney is the coordinator of the NHS Brass Chamber Music program, focusing on full ensemble and quintet repertoire. He also currently holds a position as the Wind and Percussion Specialist for the Gwinnett County Youth Symphony.

Mr. Clint McLendon, Trumpet

Clint McLendon is currently a trumpet instructor at McClure Middle School and has been teaching privately since 2011.  He is a student at Georgia State University and studies there with Kay Fairchild.  Clint is a member of the Atlanta Trumpet Ensemble and performs weekly with the First Baptist Church of Decatur.  He has been a member of the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony, the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Georgia All-State Orchestra, and the All-State Jazz Band.  Clint was the 2009 and 2010 UK Trumpet Fest Winner, and has performed in Carnegie Hall with Arlo Guthrie and the UK Symphony, as well as performances with the UK Opera.  He is a member of the International Trumpet Guild.

Ms. Yelena Ayzenberg

Yelena Ayzenberg graduated from Rimsky-Korsakova College of Music, Mogilev, Belarus and received the Diploma o Nepolnom Visshem Obrazovanii. She also received a Specialist Diploma in Culture and Education from Kult-Prosvet College of Music, Mogilev, Belarus. Ms. Ayzenberg has over 20 years of teaching and performance experience.

Ms. Alicia Ward

Our Director of Worship and Arts, Alicia Ward, has served as a church musician for over 35 years, previously serving churches in Louisiana, Alabama, Washington, New York, and North Carolina. Since moving to Atlanta in 1995, Alicia has served as a staff singer at St. Matthew's Lutheran, Haygood United Methodist, and Covenant Presbyterian, and served as full-time Director of Music at Norcross Presbyterian from 1999 to 2004 prior to coming to Johns Creek Presbyterian. She resides in the Peachtree Corners area and is the mother of four children. Professional memberships include Presbyterian Association of Musicians, American Guild of English Handbell Ringers, YouthCUE, American Choral Directors Association, and Choristers Guild. 

Ms. Courtney King, Violin/Viola

Courtney King has played the violin for 15 years, first beginning her studies at seven years of age. Now in her fifth year of teaching violin lessons, Courtney is proud to offer lessons in her native classical training and also enjoys teaching such genres as jazz violin and fiddling. Courtney has participated in numerous honorary and semi-professional orchestras and selective music programs, including Governor's Honors Program with a major in music, the Georgia Philharmonic, Cobb County Honors Orchestra, Georgia All-State Orchestra, and Georgia State University Honors Orchestra. She received her B. A. in Music with a focus in violin performance from Emory University in 2010. She studies with Oliver Steiner, a former 20-year faculty member of the Eastman School of Music, and Lisa Yancich, a member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. She teaches full time and is preparing for graduate school auditions.

Mr. Marcus Pittman, Guitar

Marcus Pittman studied Music Business at Middle Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN., and is a graduate of the Atlanta Institute of Music in Guitar Performance. He has been a professional guitarist in and around the Atlanta Area for over 10 years. Marcus has performed in/for shows such as Anything Goes, Little Shop of Horrors and Grease.  He played on countless recording projects, produced for several bands and has recorded 2 solo albums as well. He also performed and was featured in the film Sweet Home Alabama released in 2002. Along with all this, as well as keeping a full teaching roster, he was also the music director for the 2003 M.S. 150 (multiple sclerosis) bike race.

 Ms. Judith Gilbert, Flute

Judith recently returned to the Atlanta area after completing her graduate studies in flute performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She has performed with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, the Bloomington Camerata Orchestra, and various other theater and chamber ensembles. As a graduate assistant during her master's degree, she directed the Western Carolina University Flute Ensemble. She spent the 2007-2008 school year in England as one of only five international students selected for Trevor Wye's unique flute studio. Her teachers have included Kate Lukas, Eldred Spell, Trevor Wye, Angela Jones-Reus, Christina Smith, and Jeanne Carere.

Mr. Eddie Jennings, Saxophone

Eddie Jennings, Jr. is currently in his eighth year of teaching and in his third at Summerour Middle School.  Prior to this appointment, he served as Assistant Director of Bands at Pinckneyville Middle School (Norcross, GA), Co-Director of Bands at J.E.Richards Middle School(Lawrenceville, GA), and Director of Bands and Choir at Montgomery County Middle / High School (Mount Vernon, GA).  Since 2000, Mr. Jennings has maintained a private saxophone studio with students earning positions in the Georgia All-State Band.

Mr. Jennings earned his Bachelor of Music (Music Education) degree from the University of Georgia in 2004, where he graduated summa cum laude.  While at UGA, Mr. Jennings studied saxophone with Dr. Kenneth Fischer and performed with the Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony, Jazz Band I, Redcoat Marching Band, Philip Glass Ensemble, and award-winning Revolution Saxophone Quartet.  In 2010, Mr. Jennings earned his Master of Music Education degree from VanderCook College of Music (Chicago, IL).  While at VanderCook, Mr. Jennings studied percussion (concentrating on marimba and drum set) with Kevin Lepper, and performed with the Graduate Wind Ensemble as a tenor saxophonist and percussionist.  His professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, the Georgia Music Educators Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.

Mr. Jennings is an avid musician.  He performs with the Peachtree Symphonic Winds as a percussionist and as an "on call" saxophonist and percussionist in the Atlanta area.  When time permits, Mr. Jennings enjoys creating musical compositions and arrangements.  In 2011, he arranged Joe Green's "Xylophonia" for the Pinckneyville Middle School Symphonic Band to perform at the Southeastern United States Band Clinic in Troy, Alabama.

Mr. Roland Ventura, Clarinet

Roland Ventura is currently the Director of Bands at Pinckneyville Middle School in Norcross, Georgia. He holds two degrees in Music Education from Troy University in Troy, Alabama. He is also a graduate of the Armed Forces School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia. He has studied clarinet with Mr. Ray Smith of Troy University, Maestro Albert Asercion of the Tidewater Winds, and Master Chief Musician Norman Schnobrick, United States Navy. Mr. Ventura is an active clinician and woodwind consultant for groups throughout Georgia, Alabama, Virginia, and Nevada.