Faculty
Orchestra in 2006. For the academic year 2008-09, Dr. Gage was the principal conductor of the YSU/Dana Symphony Orchestra. He holds
degrees from the University of Illinois, the Eastman School of Music, and State University of New York at Fredonia where he also earned the Performers Certificate in Percussion. Stephen has studied conducting with Harry John Brown, Donald Hunsberger, David Effron, Roy Ernst, James Keene, H. Robert Reynolds, and Paul Vermel.
In addition to his conducting career, Dr. Gage has performed with the Erie Philharmonic (PA), the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra (IL),
the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, and the Jimmy Dorsey Jazz Orchestra; and he was a marimba concerto soloist with the Fredonia Symphony Orchestra. He served a four-year term on the Board of Advisors for the St. Patrick's Day Festival in Dublin, Ireland. Ensembles under his
direction have performed at state music conventions in New York, Kansas, and Ohio, for the MENC Biennial Convention in Nashville, for
CBDNA Conventions, and in NYC’s acclaimed Carnegie Hall.
Stephen has written numerous publications on conducting, rehearsal techniques, and literature, and is an active wind band and orchestral
guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator of international repute having guest conducted and cliniced throughout the United States, and
in Canada and Ireland. Dr. Gage has recently served as a guest conductor for the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, the W.D. Packard Concert Band, the U.S. Army Band: Pershing’s Own, the U.S. Army Field
Band, the University of Miami (FL) Wind Ensemble, the University of Nebraska: Omaha Wind Ensemble, and for numerous all-state and regional
honors orchestras and wind bands.
Professor Gage has received critical acclaim from a number of distinguished composers, including Joseph Schwanter, Samuel Adler, Karel Husa, Donald Grantham, Frank Ticheli, and David Gillingham, for his interpretation, performance and recordings of their music. Dr. Gage’s professional affiliations include memberships in the CBDNA, NBA, OMEA/MENC, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Sigma Alpha Iota, Conductors Guild, Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Beta Mu, and Phi Kappa Phi. In 1999, Stephen was
inducted into the prestigious American Bandmasters Association and was named Distinguished Professor at YSU. He and the YSU Wind Ensemble made their NYC Carnegie Hall debut in 2005. With the YSU Wind Ensemble,
Gage has released and produced six CD’s since 1998. The last of these, Urban Requiem, was issued in June 2008 by the NAXOS Recording Label;
NAXOS is considered the world’s largest classical on-line recording label and distributor. Stephen lives in Poland with his wife, Stephanie. and two of his three children, Claudia and Brendan. His son,
Matthew, lives in Austin, Texas.
Mr. Donald Linn is a recent addition to the Dana School of Music Faculty and currently serves as the director of the Youngstown State University Marching Pride. Prior to his appointment at YSU, Mr. Linn completed a M.M. in Wind Conducting at Ball State University under Dr. Thomas Caneva and Mr. Dan Kalantarian. At Ball State University Mr. Linn assisted with the direction of the Pride of Mid-America Marching Band, helped direct the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Bands, was conductor of the Ball State Concert Band, was the inaugural conductor of the Ball State Campus Band, and taught undergraduate conducting. Before his appointment at BSU, Mr. Linn taught in the public schools as the director of bands at Nottoway High School in Crewe, VA. While teaching in Virginia, Mr. Linn received a Presidential Citation for Teaching Excellence from the University of Richmond Governor’s School. Prior to his public school teaching, Mr. Linn earned his bachelor’s degree in music education from Virginia Tech. During his last two years at Virginia Tech, Mr. Linn was a senior staff assistant for the Virginia Tech Marching Virginians; assisting with music and marching rehearsal, visiting band coordination, sectional rehearsal, and away game announcing. Mr. Linn is in demand as a drill writer and has designed shows for university bands, high school bands, indoor percussion ensembles, and winterguard. Mr. Linn’s drill design has been featured in Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina and most recently performed at the International Bowl in Toronto, Canada and the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Mr. Linn has also enjoyed success as a trumpet player performing with the New River Valley Symphony, the Roanoke Symphony, Lynchburg Symphony, and Shenandoah Symphony. Mr. Linn has also performed with members of the Muncie Symphony Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony, and was a semi-finalist in the 2003 National Trumpet Competition. Mr. Linn is an active conductor, educator, and performer and is a member of MENC, the International Trumpet Guild, the National Band Association, CBDNA, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Mu Alpha.
