Directors

Austin Isaac

High School Orchestra Director

Austin Isaac, High School Orchestra Director

Austin Isaac is the high school orchestra director at Lake Braddock Secondary School (LBSS) and is also the lead of the orchestra Collaborative team at LBSS.  He has taught orchestra at the elementary and secondary levels in both public and private schools in Virginia. He received his B.M. from James Madison University with a concentration in instrumental education and his master’s degree in education from George Mason University. He has been commissioned and has written works for string orchestra, full orchestra, and choir. His original works and arrangements have been selected as J.W. Pepper’s Editor’s Choice selections and have been published with Carl Fischer Publishing and Wingert-Jones Publishing. Austin has served as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator for honor orchestras and state assessment performances in various regions of Virginia.

As a double bassist, Austin has been an active performer in a variety of orchestras in the Northern Virginia area. He has co-presented on improvisation in the instrumental classroom at the Virginia Music Educators Association (VMEA) in-service conference and has served on the VBODA Orchestra State Grading Committee. He has also served as a regional orchestra representative for the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA),  and is currently the chairman of the orchestra sight reading committee for VBODA. Under his direction, the Lake Braddock Middle School Chamber Orchestra was invited to perform at the 2016 annual VMEA In-Service Conference and the Lake Braddock Symphony Orchestra was invited to perform at the 2020 Music For All National Orchestra Festival.  Austin lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife Nicole and their two cats Lychee and BK.

eMail: [email protected]
Office Phone: (703) 426-1074

 

Diana Chou

Middle School Orchestra Director

Diana Chou is a talented and engaging music educator, cellist, and conductor. She has been a music educator since 2008, and has taught for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) since 2013. She currently teaches at Lake Braddock Secondary School as the Middle School Orchestra Director. In addition, she is Director of the Fairfax Chamber Players, an orchestra made up of FCPS teachers in conjunction with the Academy Course Program. Mrs. Chou is the Artistic Director of The Capitol Symphonic Youth Orchestras (TCSYO), as well as Conductor for String Ensemble and Prelude Orchestra.
 
She has organized many events for the Lake Braddock Pyramid, including Strings Extravaganza, Solo Spotlight, and Area Orchestra. She is the Event Coordinator for the Fairfax Arts Coalition for Education (FACE) and works to bring musical opportunities to all students. Mrs. Chou enjoys curriculum development, and has worked on projects for FCPS and the Virginia Department of Education. She has been a mentor to many first-year orchestra teachers and has hosted several student teachers. She is an active freelance cellist in the Washington D.C. area and is a founding member of the Maestra Ensemble. She has performed concerti with the Manassas Symphony Orchestra, Fairfax Chamber Players, and Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra.
 
Before moving to Virginia, she taught elementary and middle school orchestra for the Ithaca City School District. She served as Vice President of the Seneca Tompkins Music Educators Association and was the Chairperson for All County and Area All State festivals. Mrs. Chou was also the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Ithaca Community Orchestra. In 2013 she was named a Music Educator Grammy Award Quarter Finalist. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Ithaca College, and Master of Music in Conducting from Houghton University.

Email: [email protected]
Phone: (703) 426-6383

Austin Johnson-Stawarz

Austin Johnson-Stawarz

Austin Johnson-Stawarz has studied at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, the University of South Carolina, and George Mason University. Austin has taught and performed internationally, including two residencies as a guest artist-teacher in Haiti. Austin currently serves as the Board President of the Fairfax Arts Coalition for Education, the membership coordinator for the Virginia Music Educators Association, the treasurer of the Virginia String Teachers Association, and is a co-director of the SoCo Summer Strings. He teaches over 400 students in the Lake Braddock Pyramid at Sangster, White Oaks, and Lake Braddock Secondary School.
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