North Palm Youth Symphony
Directors, Artists and mentors
Directors
Nancy Beebe
Nancy Beebe, a National Board Certified Teacher from 2005-2015, has 40 years of teaching experience. Mrs. Beebe recently retired as the String Director at Bak Middle School of the Arts where she taught for the last 27 years. Prior to teaching at Bak Middle School of the Arts, Mrs. Beebe taught elementary music for ten years. She initiated and directed successful after-school string programs. Before coming to Florida,
she was the Music Director at a Private Academy in Parma Heights, Ohio as well as a conductor of a Youth Orchestra. Mrs. Beebe earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Bowling Green State University where she studied cello with Dr. Alan Smith and performed in master classes for Nathaniel Rosen and Gordon Epperson.
Under Mrs. Beebe’s leadership, the Bak Advanced String Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra and Intermediate II String Orchestras ‘received straight superior ratings at the Florida Orchestra Association’s Music Performance Assessments for the last 27 years
as well as high acclaim and top awards at middle and high school festivals and competitions both nationally and internationally. Under her direction, the Advanced
String Orchestra has had the honor of performing at Carnegie Hall three times, Symphony Hall in Boston, the Royal Academy of Music in London, and Orchestra Hall in Chicago three times through Worldstrides. In 2016, the Advanced String Orchestra was invited to perform at the Florida Music Educator Association’s President Concert.
This past year, they competed and performed in the National Festival Orchestra in Atlanta Georgia in conjunction with the American String Teacher Association’s Conference and won “Grand Championship” in the Middle School Category. The group performed for an audience of over 2000 people.
This past April, Mrs. Beebe received the Randolph A. Frank Prize from the Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra for “Performing Arts Educator.” Mrs. Beebe has been nominated twice for the Palm Beach County Economic Council William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education. In 2007, she was a finalist. In Novermber, 2005, Mrs. Beebe was the recipient of the “Music Teacher of the Year” Award by the Palm Beach County
Youth Orchestra.
Mrs. Beebe is an active guest conductor and certified adjudicator for the state of Florida. In January 2025, she conducted the 7-8 Honors Orchestra at the FMEA State Music Conference. She is the Past President of the Florida Orchestra Association as well as Past President of the Florida American String Teachers Association. Under her leadership as President of the FLASTA, a Spanish piece, “Cincopations,” was
commissioned for the 2010 7-8 Middle School All-State String Orchestra by composer Richard Meyer.
Dr. Douglas Ferreira
Dr. Douglas Ferreira has been studying the art of music and the double bass for nearly two decades, appearing in orchestras in two countries and studying under some of the best bassists in the industry.
A native of Brazil, Dr. Ferreira earned his Bachelor of Music in Bass Performance at São Paulo State University in 2004. Soon after, he moved to the United States to continue his studies, earning his Artist Diploma in 2007 as well as the Master of Music in Bass
Performance in 2009 at Lynn University Conservatory of Music. Upon earning his master degree, Dr. Ferreira started his studies at Michigan State University, where he ultimately earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Bass Performance in 2014.
It was while completing his DMA that Dr. Ferreira moved back to Florida and discovered his passion for teaching orchestra in Palm Beach County. Dr. Ferreira has focused on equitability, ensuring that all students are able to play in the orchestra. His orchestra classes have also created a safe space for ESOL students to
thrive, encouraging them to express themselves through music before they have even mastered English. Dr. Ferreira, who himself discovered music later in life, often shares with his students that it’s never too late to start playing an instrument and that music
can have a profound and positive impact on one’s life beyond the classroom. Dr. Ferreira has taught at Lynn University Preparatory Music School, Michigan State
University and Kalamazoo College. He has performed widely with orchestras in Brazil and the United States, including The Florida Grand Opera, The Palm Beach Symphony, Palm Beach Opera, Naples Opera, Symphony of the Americas, Miami City Ballet, to name a few.
His work has garnered professional accolades. In 2004, Dr. Ferreira was a winner in the Orquestra Experimental de Repertório Competition. He has also appeared as a soloist with the Karkoarko Chamber Orchestra and the São Paulo State University Orchestra.
He has studied with such accomplished bassists as Jack Budrow, Rodney Whitaker, Dr. Valerie Albright, Shigeru Ishikawa and Dr. Mark Morton. He also had the privilege of studying under Timothy Cobb, principal bass of the New York Philharmonic.
Currently, Dr. Ferreira performs with the Miami City Ballet, and is an Orchestra Teacher to Palm Beach County.
Artists in Residence
Administrative & Operational Support
Lily Drushal
Lily Drushal is a senior at Dwyer High School. She has been playing cello for over 10 years, after starting on violin at the age of 6. Lily has been involved with the North Palm Youth Symphony since its inception in 2021, supporting our organizational efforts to grow. These efforts have included community performances, outreach efforts at Senior communities, student recruitment and numerous other concerts and performances.
Her musical growth has come from years of playing cello through Elementary, Middle and High School and a passion for music and the orchestral world. She actively shares her experience through her cello studio as well as direct mentorship, coaching and teaching her younger peers in the North Palm Youth Symphony while also serving as principal Cellist within her orchestra.
Today Lily attends FAU and PBSC and continues to play a critical role in the orchestra through her work as administrative assistant, teaching and management roles.
Alicia Bickel
Alicia Bickel has been playing violin since kindergarten. She is currently a senior at AW Dreyfoos School of the Arts and through her musical upbringing has played countless concerts at numerous venues from private events, to concerts to weddings. She recently performed with the The Espressivo Singers on first violin for their spring concert series. Alicia is an AP Scholar, Florida State Parks Youth Volunteer of the Year, and the SECME National Bottle Rockets Champion.
During her high school years Alicia loved working and mentoring younger students, fostering their learning, growth, and enjoyment in playing their instruments.
Today she attends Harvard and remains involved supporting the operation of the orchestra through her data processing and management roles.
Artists
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Carissa Reese
Carissa Reese was born and raised in Houston, TX. She started playing the piano at the age of 10 and went to many Suzuki piano workshops over the years. She even went to Japan to take lessons and got to meet Dr. Suzuki! She began the cello at age 13 and studied with some of the finest cello teachers in Houston.
Ms. Reese attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and was Principal Cellist with the school orchestra for three years. She was also Principal with the following orchestras while in high school: Houston Youth Symphony, All–City Orchestra, Houston Regional Orchestra, Texas All–State Orchestra, and she sat with the Principal Cellist of the Houston Symphony for the Festival of Schools concert.
Ms. Reese studied with world-renown teacher, Phyllis Young, while she attended the University of Texas where she majored in music education and minored in performance. She received her master’s degree in performance at the University of Miami where she studied with Eugene Eicher.
Ms. Reese has taught piano at Parkway Middle School of the Arts for the past 13 years. She has performed with many orchestras over the years in Texas and Florida. Locally, she performed with the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra and the Palm Beach Pops Orchestra, for many years. Ms. Reese resides in Coconut Creek where she lives happily with her husband, Rafael and two children, Ryan and Christalyn.
Rafael Elvira
Rafael Elvira was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He studied violin with Jose Figueroa, Concertmaster of the Puerto Rico Symphony. He was the winner of the Pro-Education Violin Competition, winning a scholarship to study in the US and play as a soloist with the Conservatory Orchestra. He later played as soloist with the Puerto Rico Symphony.
He studied violin at the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts with Dorothy Delay and her assistant, Masao Kawasaky. He received a full scholarship at the Brooklyn College to continue studying with Mr. Kawasaky and participated in master classes with Itzak Perlman. He later attended the Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Raphael Bronstein and his daughter, Arianna Bronne. He then attended the University of Miami on a full scholarship and received a Master of Music in Performance.
Rafael has been a soloist with the Orquesta Armonia de Lima, the Orquesta Nacional de Peru, Ballet Florida Orchestra, and the Puerto Rico Symphony. While at the Manhattan School of Music, he was chosen to be one of five violinists to serve as concertmaster of the two student orchestras. He has been concertmaster of the Strauss Symphony of America, Palm Beach Opera, Ballet Florida Orchestra, Orquesta de Lima in Peru, the US National Tour Orchestra of the Broadway show, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and the Broadway show, "Showboat."
He has played with the Florida Philharmonic, Naples Philharmonic, New World Symphony (including two tours and two recordings with Michael Tilson Thomas), was the former Concertmaster of the Palm Beach Pops, former Assistant Concertmaster of the Atlantic Classical Orchestra and is the Associate Concertmaster of the Palm Beach Opera. He has participated in the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina where he was Concertmaster and the Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, Colorado.
Rafael has been a member of the orchestra for such shows as Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, and has played with such artists as Frank Sinatra, Gloria Estefan, and made recordings with Julio Iglesias, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Placido Domingo.