Vince Huzicka
Vince Huzicka currently serves as one of the Orchestra Directors in the Upper Arlington City Schools near Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Huzicka also serves as the Assistant Conductor and Operations Coordinator for the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra- Chamber Strings, is an Associated Faculty for Chamber Music Connection, and is Teaching Faculty for The Ohio State University Summer Strings Workshop. An active member of the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) and the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), he was elected to be OMEA’s South-Central Region Chair-Elect in 2024 after serving as OMEA’s All-State Orchestra Chair for the 2023-2024 school year. He is an OMEA adjudicator, as well as an adjudicator and clinician for various orchestra programs in Ohio. When he is not teaching, Mr. Huzicka stays active as a freelance violist with regional orchestras in Ohio. Prior to teaching in Upper Arlington, Mr. Huzicka taught in Lakewood City Schools (Ohio). Mr. Huzicka holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from The Ohio State University where he is currently studying for a Master’s Degree in Music Education. He is a native of Boardman, Ohio, where he first began playing the viola in the Boardman Orchestra program.
Jordan King
Jordan King teaches orchestra at Hastings Middle School in the Upper Arlington Schools. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the Lawrence University, Conservatory of Music in Appleton, WI, and a Master of Arts in Music Education from The Ohio State University. He joined the Upper Arlington Schools in 2013, and previously taught in Oshkosh, WI from 2011-2013. He was recognized as the 2024-2025 Hastings Middle School Building Teacher of the Year, 2024-2025 Upper Arlington Schools District Teacher of the Year, and the 2026 Ohio District 7 Teacher of the Year. He has presented at the regional and national conferences, and he performs locally as a freelance violinist. He is a co-founder and a board member of “Building Leaders Using Music Education in Haiti,” a 501(c)3 non-profit that supports music education efforts throughout Haiti (blumehaiti.org). Since its founding in 2012, BLUME Haiti has grown to now support 60 music schools throughout Haiti, serving over 5000+ students annually. He and his wife live in Worthington, OH, and are the proud parents of two busy young boys!
Chris Lape
Christopher Lape is an orchestra director at Upper Arlington High School. He holds dual undergraduate degrees in Violin Performance and Music Education from The Ohio State University and a Master’s degree in Viola Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Mr. Lape was selected as a Yamaha “40 Under 40” Music Educator in 2024. He was a recipient of the Upper Arlington Civic Association’s Golden Apple Award in 2022 and recognized as the 2020 Ohio String Teacher of the year by the Ohio String Teachers Association. Prior to teaching in Upper Arlington, Mr. Lape was the orchestra director at Dublin Sells Middle School and the Director of Orchestras for the Newark City School District. He currently serves on the board of the Ohio String Teachers Association, chair of the OMEA South Central Region, co-chair of the Central Ohio String Festival, vice-chair of the American String Teachers Association National Conference and Administrator for the Ohio State String Teacher Workshop. Mr. Lape performs regularly around Central Ohio with his string quartet and is principal violist of the Newark-Granville Symphony.
Emily Way
Gretchen Wyder Zunic
Gretchen Wyder Zunic is an Orchestra Director at Upper Arlington High School. She is in her thirty-first year of teaching in Upper Arlington and previously taught strings in both Hilliard City Schools and Findlay City Schools. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Bowling Green State University and her Master of Arts Degree from the Ohio State University, where she received the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award. She currently serves as a Board Member and Newsletter Editor of the Ohio String Teachers Association, Co-Chair of the OSTA Middle School Honors Orchestra, and the Central Ohio String Festival. In addition to being an active OMEA Adjudicator, she serves as Secretary of the Youth Philharmonic of Central Ohio and on the Board of the Vivo Music Festival, of which she is currently President. She is a twice recipient of the Upper Arlington Golden Apple Award and has been honored as a Distinguished Alumni of Princeton City Schools and Bowling Green State University. She is also a member of the Columbus String Quartet.