Director – Loren Tanksley
Loren Tanksley has been the Director of Instrumental Music at Woodinville High School since 2017. He began his formal musical journey on piano at age four before focusing on the trumpet starting at age eight. Loren developed a passion for music and band throughout his time as a student at Woodinville High School, unaware that one day he would be the director of the very same music program!
Desiring a change of pace and novel experiences, Loren attended the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music to study Music Education in classical, jazz, and modern contexts as well as the Trumpet and Electronic Wind Instrument. Upon graduating, Loren moved home to the Pacific Northwest and began his career teaching elementary and middle school band while also teaching private brass lessons and performing in the local winery and live music scenes. Two years later, he closed his private studio and began teaching full-time Band, Orchestra, and Jazz at Woodinville High School. Loren lives with his wife Jamie and their pets, and he continues to perform regularly on the trumpet, EWI, and piano.
Assistant Director – Ansgar Duemchen
Ansgar Duemchen is a band director and freelance musician in the Seattle area. He was born and grew up in Germany, close to Basel Switzerland, where he started studying trumpet and baroque trumpet performance. Upon completion of his freshman year at the Musikakademie in Basel, Switzerland, he met Gerald Webster, who was the Professor for Trumpet at Washington State University. Ansgar decided to finish his trumpet performance degree at WSU. Upon completion of his studies there, he returned to Germany and taught at several music schools and conservatories in Southwest Germany, and played with several Orchestras in the region, including subbing with the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra. During that time, he also picked up the baton and conducted several community bands, which lead to his decision to get a masters in music education from WWU in 2002.
Since then, Ansgar has been teaching middle school bands in Monroe and is active as a freelance trumpet player throughout the Seattle area. He has continued to perform in Europe throughout the summers, keeping some old contacts overseas active.
Members
| Director | Loren Tanksley Ansgar Duemchen (Assistant) | | |
| Piccolo | Julia Freer | | |
| Flute | Deborah Chapnick Terri Gustafson Jessica Jacobs Caren Klosterman Heidi Pelton * Nicole Schaffer Courtney Teter | | |
| Oboe | Hakan Cakir | | |
| Bassoon | Claire Calderon Shannon Nelson | | |
| Bb Clarinet | Andrew Burke Joann Chickering Brittney Ferrian Catherine Haddon Janani Iyer Mae Kane Michele Metcalf Sara Voskuhl Anita Wong * | | |
| Bass Clarinet | Barbara Hughes Debora Roberts | | |
| Alto Saxophone | Anthony Heidegger Elizabeth Royalty * Aileen Wilson | | |
| Tenor Saxophone | Ryan Frazier | | |
| Bari Saxophone | Tim Wilson | | |
| Trumpet | Amber Cumings Tanner Cummings Wendy Hatheway Bob Mosgrave Paul Smithers David Spangler * Paul Turner | | |
| French Horn | Christian Blakely Lauren Califano Tedd Dideriksen Suzann Frazier * Aaron Jones Teresa Osteyee | | |
| Trombone | Cole Brooking Bob Harper Jerry Metcalf * Colin Swee Josh Teter Jeanne Weiss | | |
| Euphonium | Tony Andrews Julie Gendrich * | | |
| Tuba | Andrea Brown John Horn Gary Wilson * | | |
| Percussion | Karin Brodd * Roger Glerum Sheri Kittay Shelah Anne Woo | | |
| * denotes principal | | |