Dr. Courtney Snyder is a renowned conductor, music educator, and Associate Professor of Conducting at the University of Michigan. Since joining the faculty in 2014, she has conducted the university's Concert Band and taught conducting to undergraduate students. In addition to her university responsibilities, she also serves as the musical director of the Michigan Youth Symphonic Band, an ensemble for talented high school students. Before her time at the University of Michigan, Snyder was an assistant professor of conducting at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where she directed the "Maverick" Marching Band and the Concert Band. While in Omaha, she also served as the musical director for the Nebraska Wind Symphony. Snyder's experience is not limited to university teaching; she also taught instrumental music at the middle and high school levels in Michigan public schools for six years. Snyder's research and publications address diverse topics in wind band conducting and music education. Her interests include conducting pedagogy, band music from South and Central America, and promoting equity for women and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) composers and conductors. Her publications can be found in various journals, such as the Music Educators Journal and The Woman Conductor. Throughout her career, Courtney Snyder has received several awards, including the Paula Crider Outstanding Band Director Award from Tau Beta Sigma, the Citation of Merit from the National Band Association, and the Silver Baton Award from Women Band Directors International. Additionally, she won 2nd place in the American Prize in Conducting, Band/Wind Ensemble Division, in 2018, and the DEI Breaking Ground award from the University of Michigan. Snyder also plays a leadership role in professional organizations. She served as president of Women Band Directors International from 2020 to 2022 and is on the editorial board for The Woman Conductor periodical.

Jason Fettig, born in 1974, is an internationally recognized conductor, educator, and former colonel in the United States Marine Corps. He currently serves as the Director of Bands at the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre & Dance, a position he took on in January 2024. This role follows a distinguished 26-year military career, during which he served as the 28th Director of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band. A native of Manchester, New Hampshire, Fettig began his musical journey at an early age, graduating from high school in 1993 before pursuing higher education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. There, he earned two bachelor's degrees: one in clarinet performance (1997) and another in music education (1998). Later, he went on to earn a master's degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2005. Fettig's military career began when he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1997 as a clarinetist with the U.S. Marine Band. His talent quickly led to his selection as an Assistant Director in 2001, where he was commissioned as a first lieutenant in 2002. He steadily rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the 28th Director of the Marine Band in 2014, a position he held for nearly a decade. As the band's director, he also served as the musical advisor to the White House, leading performances for three U.S. presidents and conducting at two presidential inaugurations. During his time with "The President's Own," Fettig led numerous educational and artistic initiatives. These included spearheading the re-recording of all of John Philip Sousa's marches, making them available online for free, and commissioning and premiering dozens of new works for wind bands. He also introduced the "Digital Rehearsal Hall" video series to provide insight into professional musicians' rehearsal processes. Fettig retired from the Marine Corps in December 2023, and a month later, he began his academic career at the University of Michigan. At U-M, he leads the historic band program, conducts the flagship Symphony Band, and oversees the comprehensive graduate program in wind conducting. He continues to receive recognition for his musical contributions, including a regional Emmy Award in 2018 for a Marine Band TV special and the Medal of Honor from the Midwest Clinic in 2023.