Directors
Stephen Clink
Stephen Clink is a committed musician and educator.
He is currently the Head Orchestra Director at Flower Mound High School, and teaches Studio Viola at TWU. In TX, he has been called on to judge local solo and ensemble competitions, has presented workshops for the Flower Mound Community Orchestras, and served as sectional coach for the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestras (GDYO). In addition to directing the orchestras at FMHS, he co-music directed the Spring Musical, Oklahoma, which was nominated for several DSM Awards including
Best Music Direction, and Best Orchestra. Mr. Clink began his study of music as a violist in the Pittsburgh, PA area, and went on to study music at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (BME), and the Hartt School (MM). Before moving to TX, he was director of orchestras at Hall and Conard High Schools in West Hartford, CT, where he directed 5 orchestras, including the I Giovani Solisti Chamber Orchestra. While in CT, he also served as a substitute director and/or sectional coach for the Hartt School Community Division Suzuki Orchestras, Connecticut Youth Symphony, Connecticut Doctor's Orchestra, and West Hartford Summer Arts Festival (Pit Orchestra). He helped direct the West Hartford Symphony Orchestra in a collaborative concert with Solisti in 2010, and helped design a collaboration with Solisti and Ballet Theatre Company (BTC) in 2014 based on a marine veteran's experiences teaching dance in Fallujah, Iraq. He took Solisti on performance tours to Italy, Austria, and Montreal/Quebec City. Prior to coming to West Hartford, Mr. Clink was Music Director at Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, and orchestra director at Barnstable High School in Cape Cod, MA. He also spent 7 summers on staff at the North Carolina Governor's School where he taught viola, music theory/history, directed the string orchestra, and taught a non-music course entitled self and society. Committed to continuing conducting study, he was an active participant in the Rose City International Conductor's Workshop, where he conducted the Rose City Chamber Orchestra, and Waterville Valley Conducting Masterclass with Kenneth Keisler.
Mr. Clink enjoys inspiring students to reach ambitious goals in their music-making, and take joy in being part of an ensemble. His students have been accepted to NafME All-National and All-Eastern Honors Ensembles, the National Youth Orchestra (NYO), and in CT consistently represented a significant portion of the CMEA All-Region, and All-State festivals. He was director of the 2017 CMEA Northern Region Honors Orchestra, has presented workshops at YPAS in Louisville, KY, and also served as string sectional coach for the CMEA middle school region honors orchestra. In 2008, he was asked to prepare students to perform as soloists with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. While in TX, many orchestras under his direction have achieved sweepstakes ratings at UIL, and many of his students have achieved acceptance into TMEA Region and All State honors orchestras.
As a violist, Stephen has performed concertos with the West Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and North Carolina School of the Arts Wind Ensemble. He also played with the Simsbury Light Opera, several regional/area orchestras and musical organizations in TX and CT, and played for recording sessions at Firebox 12 (New Haven). He performed in masterclasses for Pamela Frank, and members of the Cavani, Miami, Lark, and Juilliard String Quartets. He has studied viola with Peter Slowik, Steve Larson, Paul Silver, Jodi Levitz, Louise Zeitlin, and members of the St. Petersburg String Quartet.
benjamin bunte
Mr. Bunte began playing the double bass at age ten in his hometown of Arlington, Texas. He is a graduate of Arlington High School and was a four-year All-State bass player during his tenure. He received his Bachelor’s of Music Performance from the famed Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in 2008. While a student at Oberlin, he was the principal bassist for the Oberlin Symphony Orchestra, the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra and toured Italy with the Oberlin Opera Company. In 2009 he moved to New York City to pursue his graduate studies at New York University in Manhattan. While at NYU,
he performed with The Metropolitan Opera Lincoln Center,
was a bassist for several Broadway Musicals, movie soundtrack recordings, chamber orchestras and performed with the famous hip/hop band The Roots, who now reside on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Mr. Bunte was previously the Director of Orchestras at Shadow Ridge MS in LISD and Stripling MS in FWISD. He is an avid woodworker/carpenter who enjoys designing and building custom furniture and artwork. He loves spending time with his family and friends from all over the world and most of all, he loves his amazingly awesome wife, Jordan.