ORBQ Members:
Emily Toth
Emily Toth is an Indiana native, freelancing and teaching in the greater Cincinnati area. She is incredibly passionate about teaching and maintains an active private studio in the Milford, West Clermont, and Oak Hills school districts. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music where she earned a Masters in horn performance, studying with Randy Gardner, Duane Dugger, and Elizabeth Freimuth of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Emily is currently a member of the Queen City Chamber Opera and Lebanon Symphony Orchestra. Having made several guest appearances with the Ohio River Brass Quintet in previous years, Emily was excited to officially join the group in 2014!
Before living in Cincinnati, Emily completed her Bachelor’s of Music degree in horn performance at Butler University of Indianapolis, Indiana where she studied with Gail Lewis. When she is not teaching or performing, Emily enjoys following Butler Men’s Basketball (Go Dawgs!), vegan cooking, and supporting Cincinnati’s local music venues and craft breweries.
Kelly Mills
Kelly Jones is a K-8 General Music teacher at Roberts Paideia Academy in the Cincinnati Public School District. Kelly graduated from the College Conservatory of Music in 2011 with a Double Degree in Music Education and Trombone Performance. She currently plays in the Psalm 150 brass choir performing at local churches, and in the Ohio River Brass Quintet. She also teaches a K-2 general music class at Uptown Arts on Saturdays, providing a extra Fine Arts experience for students of the inner city. Along with her classroom teaching, she also teaches private trombone lessons and continues to develop herself as a general music specialist through professional development. In her down time, Kelly enjoys running, attending concerts, and spending time with her pets.
Audrey Schmid
Audrey Schmid is a founding member of ORBQ, and performs and teaches trumpet in the Cincinnati area. Audrey earned a degree in music theory & composition at Furman University, in Greenville, SC, where she studied trumpet with Dr. Gary Malvern. After completing a Masters degree in trumpet performance at the College-Conservatory of Music in 2009, she remained in Cincinnati, where she continues to enjoy a wide range of musical activities. Audrey is a member of the Lebanon Symphony Orchestra, the Queen City Chamber Opera Orchestra, and the Fillmore Philharmonic Brass Band, and has performed with the Youngstown, Dayton, and Springfield Orchestras. She arranges for and performs with Orquesta Kandela, a salsa band of which she also is a founding member, and enjoys playing in the pit orchestras of local theater companies. She maintains a private teaching studio in the area and recently teaches brass instruments each summer at the Cincinnati Adaptive Music Camp, which provides a week of intensive and specialized musical instruction to children with limb differences. She also enjoys biking, hiking, traveling, beer, and buying instruments.
Dave Zeng
Dave Zeng is an active performer and educator in the Cincinnati area. He is a member of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (OH), the Southwest Ohio Philharmonic, and the Butler Philharmonic. Additionally, Dave performs regularly with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra, The Bach Ensemble of St. Thomas, The Bach Society of Dayton, and the Cincinnati Symphony Brass Quintet. Dave has been a finalist at the National Trumpet Competition on multiple occasions. Members of Dave’s trumpet studio have enjoyed continued success being accepted to some of our nation’s top music schools including CCM at the University of Cincinnati and the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Numerous members of Dave’s studio have been selected as semi-finalists for the National Trumpet Competition. Dave also serves as the director of music at First Presbyterian Church of Fort Thomas, KY. Dave received a master of music degree from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and a bachelors of music degree from Western Illinois University.
Sean McGhee
Sean McGhee is the bass trombonist of the Canton Symphony, Akron Symphony, Kentucky Symphony, and Columbus Indiana Philharmonic. He is a founding member of both the Ohio River Brass Quintet which frequently performs contemporary works in the Cincinnati area and the Blue Ridge Trombone Quartet. When not performing, Sean is either teaching young brass musicians or running on a trail somewhere.
Sean graduated with high academic honors from Indiana University where he was awarded the prestigious Performers Certificate, and received his Master's degree in Trombone Performance from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. His primary teachers were M. Dee Stewart and Peter Norton respectively. He was awarded a one year position with the Des Moines Metro Opera in 2012, and in 2014 a one year position with the Lancaster Festival here in Ohio.