Summer Institutes - Instrumental

Week #1: June 7-11, 2027

Dr. Caroline Beatty
Director of Bands
Texas State University

Caroline Beatty is Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Texas State University, where she conducts the Texas State Wind Symphony, leads the graduate wind band conducting program, teaches conducting and band literature courses, and provides primary administration and oversight for the overall band program.

Performances under her direction garner consistent accolades from audience members, composers, and fellow performers for their artistry, excitement, beauty, and craft. While honoring the standard repertoire, Dr. Beatty actively invests in the commissioning and performance of new works. The Texas State Bands Centennial Music Project encompassed commissions for new works by Wayne Oquin, Ryan Chase, Michael Ippolito, Jack Wilds, Daniel Montoya, and Ricky Hall to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the bands at the university. Other premier performances include music by Joel Puckett, Clarice Assad, Michael Daugherty, Carter Pann, John Mackey, Cynthia Van Maanen, Theresa Martin, Margaret Brouwer, David Maslanka, and Alexandra Gardner. The Texas State Wind Symphony has been recognized for its artistry through invitations to perform multiple times for the National Conference of the College Band Directors National Association, the Southwestern Division Conference of CBDNA, and the Texas Music Educators Association. Texas State University awards for excellence received by Dr. Beatty include a 2022 College Achievement Award for Teaching, a 2019 College Achievement Award for Scholarly/Creative Activity, and a 2017 Presidential Distinction Award for Teaching. 

Dedicated to the perpetuation of ensemble art, Dr. Beatty maintains a vibrant conducting and teaching schedule outside of TXST, connecting with professionals, university students, and secondary students nationally and internationally. Conducting engagements have included concerts with Newfound Chamber Winds, Concordia Santa Fe, Interlochen World Youth Wind Symphony, All-State ensembles, and regional honor bands across Texas and the nation. Teaching invitations have included leading conducting workshops for the Australian Band and Orchestra Directors Association and universities across the United States, as well as providing numerous educational presentations. Dr. Beatty is a sought-after clinician and adjudicator for secondary school bands and is a contributor to the recently published fourth volume of Rehearsing the Band (Meredith Music Publications). Prior to her current position, Dr. Beatty held the position of Associate Director of Bands at Texas State University and Northwestern State University-Louisiana. Her secondary school teaching experience includes thirteen years as a high school band director in the Houston area. Dr. Beatty holds a DMA degree in Conducting from the University of Michigan and both an MM degree in Conducting and a BM degree in Music Education from The University of Texas at Austin. She has served as the President of the Southwestern Division of the College Band Directors National Association, holds additional memberships in the Texas Music Educators Association and the Texas Bandmasters Association, and is an elected member to Phi Beta Mu and the American Bandmasters Association.

Week #2: June 14-17, 2027

Diane Koutsulis
Director of Bands, retired
Green Valley High School

Diane Koutsulis is the retired Director of Bands and Arts Department Chair at Green Valley High School. Originally from Chicago, Diane taught in the Clark County School District for 35 years. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from Western Illinois University, studying with Christopher Izzo. After teaching junior high band in Oswego, Illinois, for three years, she went on to complete the Master of Music Education degree at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she studied with Frank Wickes.

During her tenure in Las Vegas, Diane has built fine band programs and music departments at both Las Vegas High School (1982-91) and Green Valley High School (1991-2017). Her groups have consistently garnered recognition for fine performances, and she has served as both guest clinician and conductor at various conferences and honor bands throughout the United States. Diane was named the 1999 Nevada Teacher of the Year and received the 1999 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award. A member of the Clark County School District Teacher Hall of Fame, in March of 2003, she was inducted into the Nevada State Education Hall of Fame. In 2004, the Green Valley High School Symphonic Band performed at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, IL. In 2005 and 2010, the Symphonic Band performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The Green Valley HS Marching Band performed in the 2010 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, as well as the 2009 and 1993 Presidential Inaugural Parades. Diane is a member of the National Band Association (NBA) as well as holding memberships in the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), and Phi Beta Mu. Diane has been honored to be a member of the prestigious American Bandmasters Association (ABA) since 2015, and was recently awarded the John Philip Sousa Foundation Legion of Honor.