TRIO VENTORUM

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Alyssa (Pracht) Case is an oboist, musician, and teacher based in Lincoln, NE. She actively teaches both piano and oboe students in her private studio and freelances in and around Nebraska. She is the oboist in the Lincoln-based reed trio Trio Ventorum, and frequently performs with the Lincoln Symphony, Sioux City Symphony, and South Dako

Alyssa (Pracht) Case is an oboist, musician, and teacher based in Lincoln, NE. She actively teaches both piano and oboe students in her private studio and freelances in and around Nebraska. She is the oboist in the Lincoln-based reed trio Trio Ventorum, and frequently performs with the Lincoln Symphony, Sioux City Symphony, and South Dakota Symphony.  Alyssa also serves as the adjunct professor of oboe at Nebraska Wesleyan University and Concordia University – Nebraska.

Alyssa earned a Master’s of Music in Oboe Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music in 2021, and a Bachelor’s of Music in Oboe Performance in 2019 from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Her primary teachers include Richard Killmer, William McMullen, and Geoffrey Burgess. She was named the Glenn Korff Distinguished Undergraduate Artist/Scholar for the 2018-2019 school year and was a member of the Wesley Reist Wind Quintet from 2017-2019. Alyssa collaborated with pop singer Hannah Huston on her 2018 Christmas album, Believe in Christmas. She was awarded runner-up in the 2017 UNL undergraduate concerto competition and runner-up at the 2018 regional MTNA woodwind competition, after winning the state division.

Originally from Waverly, NE, Alyssa and her husband Josh currently reside in Lincoln. In her free time, Alyssa enjoys baking, playing games, and spending time with friends and family.

Ashley Cypher is a versatile musician, conductor, educator, and arts administrator based in Kansas City, Missouri. She currently serves as Program Manager and Assistant to the Executive Director at the Youth Symphony of Kansas City, an organization serving more than 400 students throughout the greater Kansas City area.

An accomplished wood

Ashley Cypher is a versatile musician, conductor, educator, and arts administrator based in Kansas City, Missouri. She currently serves as Program Manager and Assistant to the Executive Director at the Youth Symphony of Kansas City, an organization serving more than 400 students throughout the greater Kansas City area.

An accomplished woodwind performer, Ashley is active throughout the region. She performs regularly with the Lee’s Summit Symphony, Sedalia Symphony Orchestra, and Pinnacle Winds, and is deeply involved in the Kansas City theater community, including performances with Hidden Gems Theatre, The Barn Players, and numerous high school musical productions. She has also subbed with the Omaha Symphony and appears as a guest musician with university ensembles including the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, and Park University.

As a soloist, Ashley has earned top honors including first place in the 2019 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Graduate Concerto Competition and the 2018 Annual Concerto Competition at Liberty University. She was a featured soloist on the 2018 Spring Tour with the Liberty University Wind Symphony and has performed in concert bands, opera, ballet, jazz ensembles, studio sessions, and orchestras. She is a founding member of Trio Ventorum, a Lincoln-based chamber ensemble dedicated to community engagement through performance.

Ashley is a two-time participant in the LAFCI Studio Intensive (2024 & 2025), recording orchestral albums at Warner Brothers Studios in Los Angeles. She was also accepted into the LAFCI “Intensive 2.0” program, focusing on film conducting and composition.

As a conductor, Ashley has studied at numerous workshops and symposiums including Everything Conducting in partnership with the Omaha Symphony, the Northwestern Conducting Symposium, the University of North Texas Conducting Collegium, the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conducting Symposium, and the Conducting Institute. She has served as conductor and assistant music director at the Academy Center of the Arts (Lynchburg, VA), assistant conductor with the Liberty University Theater Department, and has worked as a rehearsal conductor for the Shawnee Mission South High School Symphony Orchestra.

In education, Ashley previously served as Department Chair and Director of Bands and Orchestra at Lincoln Northeast High School (Lincoln, NE), where her program consistently earned superior ratings at marching and concert festivals under her leadership. She has been a guest teacher at the Nebraska Wesleyan University Honors Band Festival, a guest speaker for their NAfME chapter, and has adjudicated for the Lincoln Public Schools Middle School Solo and Small Ensemble Music Festivals.

Ashley holds a Master of Music in Woodwind Specialty from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance, and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Liberty University. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Music Business through Berklee Online.

Brock Nutter is a bassoonist and educator based in Lincoln, Nebraska. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. His bassoon instructors include Dr. Jeffrey McCray and Dr. Nathan Koch. He plays bassoon with the Hastings Symphony Orchestra and Lincoln Civic Orchestra and is a regular substitute b

Brock Nutter is a bassoonist and educator based in Lincoln, Nebraska. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. His bassoon instructors include Dr. Jeffrey McCray and Dr. Nathan Koch. He plays bassoon with the Hastings Symphony Orchestra and Lincoln Civic Orchestra and is a regular substitute bassoon/contrabassoon with the Lincoln and Omaha Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Lincoln Municipal Band. 

Brock was also a member of the Wesley Reist Wind Quintet and with them performed local recitals as well a tour including performances at Southeast Missouri State University, the University of Tennessee at Martin and Kansas State University. Additionally, he holds a bachelors in Spanish Education and a masters in Spanish Language and Literature. He teaches Spanish at Saint Gregory the Great Seminary and Lincoln Pius X Catholic High School where he also helps with marching and pep bands.