Our Conductors
Mr. Elijah G. Wirth Music Director and Conductor for the Philharmoic, is the Director of Music at Carroll Community College and serves on the Board of Advisors for the “Chamber Music on the Hill” Concert Series in Westminster, Maryland. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Tuba performance and K-12 Music Teachers Certification from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Wirth continued his studies at the Peabody Conservatory and earned consecutive Masters Degrees in Music Education and Wind Conducting. His repertoire of experiences includes Music Director with the Global Mission Church Youth Orchestra, Interim Director of the Johns Hopkins University Concert Band, Assistant Conductor of the Peabody Brass Ensemble, and Conductor at Camp Encore/Coda in Sweden, Maine. Mr. Wirth taught Music Theory at the Peabody Preparatory and was the Band and Orchestra Director at Deer Park Middle Magnet School with the Baltimore County Public Schools.
Mr. Tom Mitchell Conductor for the Symphonia, is currently a string teacher for the Frederick County Public Schools at Thurmont, Middletown, New Market, and Oakdale Middle Schools. He also teaches private cello lessons. He is principal cellist with The Frederick Orchestra and the Fredericktowne String Quartet, and has composed several pieces for string orchestra that have been performed locally. Mr. Mitchell earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Education from Indiana University and a Master of Arts degree from Asbury Theological Seminary. He and his wife Cathy reside in Ijamsville with their five children.
Mr. Nicholas Marini is the conductor of the FRYO Wind Ensemble. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University where he studied Trombone and Euphonium performance and Music Education. His instructors included David Fedderly, James Olin, Steve Kellner, David Fetter, Harlan Parker, Carol Lee Stewart, Peter Landgren, and Langston Fitzgerald III. Currently, he is pursuing a Master’s degree in Music Education from Towson University.
Mr. Marini has performed extensively throughout the Baltimore/Washington area with groups such as the Peabody Wind Ensemble, Peabody Symphony Orchestra, the Kennedy Center Theater Lab Orchestra, Mid-Atlantic Symphony, the Charm City Brass Quintet, the MENC All-Eastern Band, the Trombody Peabones Trombone Choir, and his rock band More Cowbell. He has also performed under such renowned conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Gustav Meier, Leon Fleischer, Harlan Parker, Edward Polochick, and Teri Murai. While attending Peabody Conservatory, Mr. Marini was a member of the Peabody Community Outreach Program a program designed to present classical music and advocate all musical art to underprivileged children. He was also a music technician in 1999 for the award winning Westminster High School Marching Band, and was an adjudicator for the 2005 FRYO Concerto Competition and the 2004 Howard County G.T. Band auditions. Mr. Marini has taught privately since 1997.
