Band and Orchestra
Sam Denov retired as the percussionist and timpanist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra after playing with the group in concerts, on the road and in recordings beginning in 1954. Sam helped bring cymbal playing to a new level of recognition and professionalism when he wrote “The Art of Playing...
Dennis Vaughn began working in the Selmer factory in Elkhart, Indiana in the early 1970s and stayed on when the company merged with Conn. His first bench job was for Armstrong Flutes before it was bought out by Selmer. He is well known for his special skills in the buffing room for Conn-Selmer, a...
Diana White is like so many factory workers within the music industry because most of her friends and many members of her own family have worked in the same plant over the years. Diana is very proud of her work and the skills she has gained over the years, especially those related to CNC work in...
Edward Whitmyer began working on the bench at Selmer in Elkhart in the 1970s when most of the work was done by hand. During his long career, Edward, has witnessed firsthand the development of computer driven machines to complete some of the tasks he once completed by hand. His training on CNC...
Tom Fischer worked for the Gemeinhart flute company in Elkhart, Indiana for over 25 years. Tom was part of the factory workers team and contributed his hand-craftsmenship to the assembly of both student and professional level flutes. He later joined the Conn-Selmer Company where he continued to...
Cynthia Templeton has worked for one and only one company in the music industry. She was hired by Selmer in Elkhart, Indiana in the early 1970s and remained with the company for her entire career. She remained with the company when it merged with Conn in 2003 and has supported the company in a...
Deb Hart began working in the Selmer office in Elkhart, Indiana in the early 1970s and stayed on when the company merged with Conn. Among the elements of the company she has enjoyed the most over the years is getting to work with so many people who have become personal friends. She is very proud...
Sandy Peffley was hired by her uncle who owned the Armstrong Flute Company, when Sandy was just out of high school. She stayed with the company when it was sold to Selmer and again when it merged with Conn in 2003. Like so many factory workers in the plant, Sandy enjoys the precision work of the...
Tom Lacy began working for Armstrong flutes right out of high school in 1971 in the very plant he is working some 40 years later for the Conn-Selmer Company in Elkhart, Indiana. Along the way, Tom built his own flutes for several years before joining UMI and later Conn-Selmer. During his long...
John Crise began his career in the music industry with Selmer in 1975. He has focused his work on the oboe, clarinet and bassoon in the years before the CNC machines came to the company. Even after that time John has used his skills as a craftsman to provide the detail work and adjustments...