Kerrissa Silverthorne

Kerrissa Silverthorne graduated with her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Grand Valley State University, where she performed as a featured soloist and Concerto Competition winner.  Her classroom teaching experience spans all ages from kindergarten to college.  She graduated from Southern Oregon University with a Master of Music degree with a concentration in Instrumental Conducting, and earned a second Master of Music degree in Bassoon Performance from Western Michigan University.  She has authored magazine articles on various music education topics and published a book on the musical technique of note grouping (the Tabuteau Method).  For the past seven summers, she has served the American Band College as a grader of graduate degree candidate projects, coaching teachers on how to improve their conducting nuance and rehearsal techniques. Her previous work in the university setting was at Cornerstone University, where she was the Director of the Symphonic Winds, Professor of Bassoon, and taught Music Education courses.

Professor Silverthorne has been the Principal Bassoonist of the Holland Symphony Orchestra since 2013 and performs extensively as a soloist and orchestral musician throughout West Michigan, including two performances in the stage orchestra for grammy-winning artists Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant.  She is a military band veteran, having performed internationally as a musical ambassador of the Army for six years, where she was Principal Bassoonist, First Clarinetist, and Tenor Saxophonist.  She is a founding member of Trio Rêverie. Her lifelong goal is to bring glory to God through the art of music.