Our Board
The FRP Arts Institute Board of Directors is a group of people who support excellence and innovation in string playing along the Front Range. They all support the vision of the organization and recognize the power behind collaboration, kindness, and musical excellence.
Steve McNeal
Mr. Steve McNeal has a long and storied legacy in music education in Fort Collins. He conducted the Fort Collins Wind Symphony for 13 years. He taught orchestra at Lesher Junior High School and Fort Collins High School for 36 years, retiring from public school education in 1998. He then went on to be an adjunct member of the faculty at Colorado State University. Mr. McNeal enjoys spending time with his family and time in the summer at his cabin. He is a fervent and avid supporter of this youth orchestra and of Mr. Hermanson.
Director
Professor of Violin at the University of Northern Colorado, is an award-winning and critically acclaimed artist and teacher who performs music from every historical era through the works of today. As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras across the United States and has been heard on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today.” As recitalist and chamber musician he has appeared at numerous summer festivals and concert series, and has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Fulks is violinist of the Colorado Piano Trio, which has performed both nationally and internationally, including Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. The trio’s new recording “Transatlantic” was released on streaming platforms by the Centaur label in March 2025. Fulks’ orchestral experience includes GRAMMY-nominated performances with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in the San Francisco Bay Area and in New York City at the Mostly Mozart Festival at Alice Tully Hall, the Jazz at Lincoln Center series, and the New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
Equally at home on baroque violin, he is co-founder and concertmaster of Sacramento-based baroque chamber orchestra “Sinfonia Spirituosa,” and has performed regularly with Lyra Baroque Orchestra, Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado and Boulder Bach Festival. He recently performed the entire solo works of JS Bach on baroque violin at farmers’ markets across Colorado and in concert in Denver, and is looking forward to future performances of this important and personal repertoire. Dr. Fulks has held teaching positions at the University of Alabama, Luther College (Iowa), Stony Brook University (NY), and Michigan Technological University, and conducts master classes at schools and universities throughout the country. During the summer months he has been on the summer faculties at Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival and Kinhaven Music School in Vermont, Montecito International Music Festival in California, and Lutheran Summer Music Festival in Iowa, and is excited to join the faculty at the Rocky Ridge Music Festival college intensive in summer of 2026 as Artist Faculty and its new Camerata Director. Dr. Fulks was named the 2022 UNC College of Performing and Visual Arts Scholar of the Year and is Artistic Co-Director of the Beethoven In The Rockies concert series. He lives in Greeley, Colorado with his wife, hornist Lauren Varley, and their children Patrick, Finnian, Oliver, and Flannery.
DirectorJubal Fulks
DirectorFlora sanderson
Flora Sanderson is a violinist and a student at Mount Holyoke College. Having experienced the transformative power of music through many orchestras over the years, Flora is passionate about providing rich musical experiences for young people.
Phuong Nguyen received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Colorado State University and learned from such greats as Dr. Charles Lawson, Dr. Gary Moody, and Dr. J. Steven Moore. He also received his Masters of Music in Conducting at Colorado State University, studying with Peter Sommer, Wes Kenney, and Dr. J. Steven Moore. While at CSU, Phuong was awarded the David Paul Knight Scholarship for Jazz, the Award of Highest Distinction at the CSU Research and Creativity Symposium, and was a Senior Honors Recital recipient. Phuong currently plays saxophone and performs with the Fort Collins Wind Symphony, Twelve Cents for Marvin, Choice City Seven, the Fort Collins Jazz Friends as well as a slew of side projects. With more than 20 years of experience performing in Colorado rock/jazz/ska/reggae bands, he has performed with famous rock bands, Vietnamese pop stars, and has even starred in a few short films! Aside from teaching concert band, jazz band, and guitar at Boltz Middle School (the best middle school in the world!), Mr. Nguyen also mentors CSU students in both practicum and student teaching classes and also teaches private saxophone lessons. With 23 years of teaching experience, Mr. Nguyen has taught music at every level - elementary, secondary, and collegiate - and has been honored to be a guest clinician at honor bands and jazz workshops across the state.
Phuong currently lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with his beautiful wife Nicole Wilshusen and two lovely daughters, Claire and Ella. He likes to hike, ride motorcycles, snowboard, play basketball, and watch cheesy action movies. Oh, and he's a huge Star Wars nerd.
DirectorPhuong Nguyen
Anna Hermanson is an in demand collaborative accompanist based in Fort Collins. A Nebraska native, Anna earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Piano Performance from John Brown University in 2013. Since moving to Fort Collins in 2014, she has become an integral part of the Northern Colorado music scene, accompanying solo singers and instrumentalists; choirs (school, honors, All State, CMEA, church); and musical theater productions at Fort Collins High School and Candlelight Dinner Theater. In addition to being staff accompanist for Fort Collins High School, Anna maintains a private piano studio in Fort Collins and loves sharing her passion for piano with young students.
When not behind a piano keyboard, Anna enjoys horseback riding, volunteering with Hearts & Horses in Loveland, and spending time with fellow musician and husband John.
DirectorAnna Hermanson
Beth Wells is a performer, educator, and arts leader whose work has helped shape string education throughout Northern Colorado for more than three decades.
She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Colorado American String Teachers Association (ASTA) Regional and State Orchestra Festivals, a position she has held since 2024, helping provide performance opportunities for hundreds of student musicians each year. Beth also serves on the Orchestra Committees of both the Fort Collins Symphony and the Greeley Philharmonic, where she works to strengthen the artistic vitality of Northern Colorado’s orchestral community.
A professional cellist, Beth has performed with the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra and the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra since 1991 and is a member of String Quartet Con Brio. Her lifelong commitment to orchestral performance has been matched by an equally strong dedication to music education.
Beth taught orchestra for many years in the Poudre School District, where her ensembles consistently earned superior ratings at state and national festivals. Since retiring from public education in 2012, she has maintained a thriving private cello studio, mentoring middle and high school students while continuing to conduct clinics, adjudicate festivals, and support string teachers throughout Colorado. She previously served as director of the Northern Colorado Cello Choir (2013–2018), co-chaired the Colorado ASTA Orchestra Festival (2015–2016), served on the Fort Collins Symphony Education Committee, and co-organized the 2021 Virtual Musical Zoo.
As Advocate for Public and Private String Teachers for the Front Range Performing Arts Institute, Beth is passionate about building partnerships among school orchestra programs, private string teachers, community organizations, and professional musicians to create meaningful opportunities for young string players throughout Northern Colorado.
Public School/Private Teacher Advocate