Philip Edelman, Conductor
Philip Edelman is the Director of the School of Performing Arts and an Associate Professor of Music Education at the University of Maine. Since joining UMaine in 2016, he has served as an educator, conductor, and researcher, leading student and community ensembles and teaching courses that prepare future music teachers in conducting, pedagogy, and research. At the core of Dr. Edelman’s work is a deep passion for helping developing musicians build confidence, strengthen their skills, and reach their full potential, whether in a classroom, rehearsal room, or performance setting. His areas of focus include music education for older adults, creating purposeful scope and sequence in school music education programs, and supporting future music educators through research and practical training.
Dr. Edelman earned his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, his M.M. from Kansas State University, and his B.M.E. from the University of New Hampshire. Before pursuing his doctoral studies, he was a director of instrumental music at the Goddard, Kansas, public schools, where he led various student groups, including concert bands, orchestras, jazz ensembles, marching bands, and small chamber groups. His research explores how people learn music throughout their lives, how future music teachers are trained, and how conductors make decisions during rehearsals and performances. His work has been published internationally and shared at conferences across the U.S. and abroad.
Beyond his university role, Dr. Edelman is a sought-after clinician and adjudicator. He loves working with student musicians of all ages and experience levels, guided by a genuine commitment to thoughtful instruction, meaningful musical experiences, and the lasting value of music education in students’ lives.
Scott Burditt, Associate Conductor
Maine native Scott Burditt has been a public and private school music teacher for over 40 years, working with students from grades 3 through college. He is the Principal Horn and Personnel Manager for the Bangor Symphony, Principal Horn, Associate Conductor and Librarian for the Bangor Band, and Horn instructor at the University of Maine. He holds a Master’s Degree in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Maine.
As a professional horn player, he has played with many of the performing groups in Maine, including the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the Bangor Symphony, Medomak Conductors Retreat, Maine State Music Theater, PORT Opera Orchestra, the Maine State Ballet Orchestra, the Bowdoin International Music Festival Orchestra, Atlantic Music Festival at Colby College, college orchestras, brass quintets, woodwind quintets, and community bands.
Marisa Weinstein, Associate Conductor
Maine native Marisa Weinstein has been a music teacher and middle school coach since 1983. She has also served as a guest conductor, adjudicator, and clinician across New England while freelancing as a percussionist. Originally from Merritt Island, Florida, she started her career at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, earning both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education. Her conducting studies include mentorship from Malcolm W. Rowell, Dr. Peter Tanner, and Dr. Peter Martin.
Currently, she is in her 36th year of teaching at Warsaw Middle School, where her students consistently meet high musical standards. She is an active member of the Maine Music Educators Association, having served four terms as District Chairperson. In 2013, she received an Expeditionary Learning Fellowship to develop a curriculum for Maine Native American Studies. That same year, she was named Maine’s Music Educator of the Year, and in 2017, she received the NAfME George N. Parks Leadership in Music Education award. She joined the Bangor Band Conducting Staff in Fall 2025.
Curvin Farnham, Conductor Emeritus
Curvin Farnham is a Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Maine in Orono and the Conductor Emeritus of the Bangor Band. For twenty-four years, he was Director of Bands at the University of Maine and conducted the University Symphonic Band.
Professor Farnham received his B.M. in Music Education from the Northern Conservatory of Music and completed his graduate work at the Vandercook College of Music in Chicago. He has studied conducting with Richard Castiglione, formerly of the Boston Conservatory, and Anthony Maiello, Director of Instrumental Studies at George Mason University.
He is past president of the Maine Music Educators Association. In 1985, he was elected to the American School Band Directors Association, and in 1990, he became a member of Pi Kappa Lambda. Mr. Farnham holds memberships in the National Association for Music Education, the College Band Directors National Association, the New England College Band Directors Association, and the National Band Association. He holds honorary membership in both Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. The Maine Music Educators Association recognized him as Music Educator of the Year in Spring 2001 and selected him for their Hall of Fame in Spring 2013.
History of Conductors
- 1859 W. T. Standish
- 1859 E.H. Goodale
- 1860-1883, 1888-1893 A. D. Harlow
- 1862 H. S. Morey
- 1867-1883, 1888-1893 Melville H. Andrews
- 1867-1883 W. B. Peaks
- 1867-1883 J. Phelps
- 1867-1883, 1885 John M. Mullaly
- 1867-1883 M. Nesbit
- 1867-1883 J. Delaney
- 1867-1883 C. E. Taylor
- 1867-1883 S. Castledini
- 1883-1886,1893-1897 R.B. Hall
- 1887-1893 Frank L. Tuck
- 1887 Steven Cream
- 1888-1893 Fred Gilbert
- 1888-1893 Edward L. Adams
- 1888-1893 Oscar E. Wasgat
- 1897-1903 Harvey J. Woods
- 1903-1905 Knute Ringwald
- 1905-1908 Howard C. Eaton
- 1908-1949 Adelbert Sprague
- 1950-1956 Francis G. Shaw
- 1956 Sam Harris
- 1957 Chuck Edgerly
- 1958-1961 Harold Miller
- 1961-1965 Jerome Campbell
- 1961-1965 George Himes
- 1965-1975 Harold Doe
- 1975-1978, 1983, 1985-1997 Dr. Gordon W. Bowie
- 1978-1983 Robert Collins
- 1983, 2002-2005 Fred Heath
- 1984 Aime Simoneau
- 1998-2001 Jim Trembley
- 2005-2012 Dr. Fred Goldrich
- 2012-2022 Curvin “Chip” Farnham
- 2022-present Dr. Philip B. Edelman